Force Support Squadron takes Lemay award

by Tech. Sgt. Raymond Mills
JBER Public Affairs

4/30/2015 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The 673d Air Base Wing Force Support Squadron earned the Air Force Curtis E. LeMay award for best large-installation-level FSS of the year in the Air Force for 2014.
The award recognizes FSS leadership, customer service, support and quality-of-life programs provided to joint military members and their families.

The accolade is split into two categories; large bases, with more than 6,000 military and civilian personnel, and small bases, which have fewer than 6,000 personnel. Competition was stiff, with 80 squadrons competing Air Force-wide for the title "best large installation" FSS.

"It's truly an honor for the FSS to win this award," said Lt. Col. Christopher Busque, 673d Air Base Wing FSS commander.

The FSS is a diverse squadron with members who work hard to manage a multifaceted mission that includes providing lodging, child care, recreation, mortuary affairs, and much more to JBER personnel and their families.

Busque said executing the FSS's mission is a great achievement and couldn't be accomplished without the Airmen and civilians dedicated to running daily operations.
"It takes a special kind of person who is willing to be that frontline service provider, whether that's in the child development center taking care of kids or in the dining facility serving food," he said.

Senior Airman Kevin Brown, 673d FSS career development technician, exhibits the qualities and characteristics that are representative of the FSS team.
Brown was recognized as FSS Airman of the Year at squadron, Pacific Air Force, and Air Force levels.

"It was a team effort," said Brown. "Leadership provided the opportunities and the team took advantage of them. It's a great feeling to be recognized, and it shows that all our hard work and determination paid off in the end."

Busque said the FSS motto is 'Proud to serve,' and his squadron clearly delivers by way of exceptional services.

Although the FSS team members achieved a high honor and are proud of their accomplishments, they continue to enhance support to JBER.

"We truly are able to do great things and will continue to do great things," Busque said. "This is not the destination, this is still the journey. We are still looking for things to do and how to improve so as to better support the men and women of JBER."

Busque said the FSS is always looking for feedback from the community in an effort to expand services and provide customers with what they need. Feedback can be provided through interactive customer evaluations, or simply by speaking to an FSS member.

"I would like to say that I am so proud to be part of this team, and it's important to note that I got here midway through the award period and this award is not about me, it's about the men and women of the FSS," said Busque. "It's a great honor to be associated with this great team and I would like to thank them for all the hard work they do on a daily basis."

Soldier Missing From Korean War Accounted For

Korean War Memorial

The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Master Sgt. Francis H. Stamer of San Fernando, California, will be buried May 6, in Arlington National Cemetery. On Nov. 1, 1950, Stamer was assigned to Company M, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, when his unit was attacked by Chinese forces at Unsan village in North Korea. This attack forced the unit to withdraw five miles southeast to Ipsok village. Stamer was reported missing in action on Nov. 2, 1950. A military board later amended his status to killed in action.

Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea turned over to the U.S. 208 boxes of human remains believed to contain more than 400 U.S. servicemen who fought during the war. North Korean documents, turned over with some of the boxes, indicated that some of the remains were recovered from the area where Stamer was believed to have died.

To identify Stamer’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, including two forms of DNA analysis; mitochondrial DNA, which matched his niece and Y-chromosomal Short Tandem Repeat (Y-STR) DNA, which matched his nephew.

Today, 7,852 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War. Using modern technology, identifications continue to be made from remains that were previously turned over by North Korean officials or recovered by American teams.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans, who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or call 703-699-1420.

Denmark Recognizes DoD Leaders, Officials Laud Partnership

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2015 – Denmark’s Defense Ministry honored two senior Defense Department leaders at the Pentagon today for their contributions to the ever-strengthening U.S.-Denmark partnership.

Maj. Gen. Finn Winkler, commander of the Danish Home Guard, presented the Danish Home Guard Meritorious Service Medal to Jessica L. Wright, former undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, and National Guard Bureau Chief Army Gen. Frank J. Grass on behalf of Queen Margrethe II.

Danish Home Guard

The Danish Home Guard is a volunteer military organization that serves in Denmark’s defense and support on an unpaid basis.

Tasked with supporting its armed forces nationally and internationally, the Home Guard also supports the police, emergency services and other authorities in carrying out their duties.

The Home Guard has more than 15,000 active members and has army, navy and air force branches.

Memorandum of Agreement

Winkler noted the former undersecretary joined him in signing the U.S.-Denmark Military Reserve Exchange Program memorandum of agreement in December 2012, and “personally supervised the program to make sure it was done right.”

“Secretary Wright has been with this program from the very beginning,” he said, noting that she personally met the first delegation from the Home Guard at the Pentagon in December 2011.

“Since then,” Winkler said, “more than 550 U.S. and Danish soldiers have been participating in each other’s activities. Seen from my perspective, the training output has been colossal.”

None of this would have happened, he said, were it not for the strong support of the U.S. leadership and the hard work of the men and women of the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs and other staffs.

“Today’s … work has been the result of willingness in your organization to make this cooperation work,” Winkler said. “You have proven the value of reserve forces in modern times, and your efforts to ensure great opportunities for the U.S. reserve forces have, undoubtedly, created stronger resilience not just in the U.S., but also for partner nations in NATO like Denmark.”

Significance of Award’s Timing

Winkler said the award usually is presented on May 4, the anniversary of Denmark’s liberation from German occupation during World War II.

“During this year,” Winkler said, “it’s the 70th anniversary of the Danish liberation and celebration back home in Denmark next week. The Home Guard has its roots in the resistance movement.”

The U.S. National Guard and the Danish Home Guard have numerous common denominators, he noted. “Both organizations rose from citizens fighting for their beliefs, showing willingness to make a sacrifice for their country and their people, and they are both key players for their nations’ domestic operations,” Winkler said.

Building Alliances

After receiving his award, Grass noted the “great relationship” between the United States and Denmark and the importance of building partnerships.

“The partnerships that we bring are so important to our nation,” he said, “and one of the priorities of the Department of Defense is building alliances. This one has just taken off like crazy.”

Grass noted that Denmark is “deploying to just about every operation. You’re there with us in the Balkans [and] over and over with us in Afghanistan,” he said. “But I think for the long term, these [are the] types of training associations that we can do for our men and women [who], in some cases, may or may not ever have another opportunity to engage with another country and learn.”

DoD Humanitarian Assistance Survey Team Arrives in Nepal

From a U.S. Pacific Command News Release

CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii, April 30, 2015 – U.S. Pacific Command continues to work closely with the U.S. Embassy in Nepal and U.S. Agency for International Development colleagues to determine how Pacom forces and assets can assist the government of Nepal in the aftermath of an April 25 earthquake that killed thousands of people and has affected millions more.

The U.S. military has transported members of the USAID disaster assistance response team and urban search and rescue teams to Nepal, as well as a joint humanitarian assistance survey team of about 20 people to support the response team.

Coordinating the Response

The joint survey team has arrived in Nepal and is led by Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Paul J. Kennedy, commander of 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, based on the Japanese island of Okinawa. The survey team will help in coordinating the response to USAID/OFDA validated requests from the government of Nepal in coordination with the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu.

"We stand with Nepal during this very difficult time, and are ready to assist the government here in providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to those who so desperately need it," Kennedy said. "Our hearts go out to all those affected by this tragic event."