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Heroes remembered during the 68th Pearl Harbor Day

AFPS — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:15:35 +0000

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) — The U.S. Navy and the National Park Service hosted a joint memorial ceremony at Kilo Pier on Naval Station (NAVSTA) Pearl Harbor to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7.

More than 2,000 people attended the event, including 45 survivors of the bombing, which took the U.S. by surprise 68 years ago. The theme of this year’s ceremony was “But Not in Shame.”

To observe the start of the attack at 7:55 a.m., the Pearl Harbor-based guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) blew the ship’s whistle, which commenced a moment of silence. Then, from the west, a formation of four F-15 Eagles from the Hawaii Air National Guard stationed at Hickam Air Force Base performed a missing-man flyover past Kilo Pier while Lake Erie rendered honors to both the USS Arizona Memorial and to Pearl Harbor survivors.

The honorable Linda Lingle, governor of the state of Hawai’i, served as one of the ceremony’s guest speakers and talked about the importance of honoring the service members involved in the attack.

“Today we are blessed and honored to have so many survivors with us for today’s ceremony,” said Lingle. “Their legacy continues on today and will be continued on by their children and the grandchildren. The men and women who gave their lives on that morning 68 years ago are with us today through spirit. We take pride in their service to our country.”

Featured speaker Adm. Patrick Walsh, commander U.S. Pacific Fleet, thanked the survivors for their sacrifice and efforts throughout the war.

“We are here today to honor and thank all of the men and women who served throughout World War II and those who were involved with the attack on Pearl Harbor,” said Walsh. “It is such an honor to stand in the presence of people who gave so much of themselves and their lives so that we can live lives of promise, potential and opportunity.”

Following the guest speakers’ remarks, 16 wreaths were presented in honor of the service members who perished on the nine ships bombed during the attack, the five branches of the U.S. military, the state of Hawai’i and the National Park Service.

Pearl Harbor survivor Art Herriford, national president for Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, expressed the significance of honoring the survivors and the fallen service members during the attack 68 years ago.

“Anytime I come to Pearl Harbor, it is with reverence,” said Herriford, who was stationed aboard USS Detroit at the time of the attack. “During the attack I saw the USS Arizona get bombed and sink within a matter of minutes, killing 1,177 Sailors and Marines. Today we honor them and everyone that was involved with the attack.”

To conclude the ceremony, the U.S. Marine Corps Rifle Team from Camp H.M. Smith, Hawai’i, executed a 21-gun salute; the U.S. Pacific Fleet Band performed taps; and tug boats assigned to NAVSTA Pearl Harbor delivered a water tribute to those who served in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Throughout the day, around Pearl Harbor, other events were held in conjunction with the early morning ceremony to further honor those who defended the harbor during the attack.

Army reports possible increase in suicides for October

AFPS — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:40:35 +0000

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2009 – The Army is investigating 16 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers in October, about twice the number reported among the same population in September, Army officials said.

Of the seven reported in September, three have been confirmed as suicides, and four still are under investigation to determine the manner of death.

From January through October, the Army reported 133 potential active-duty suicides. Of those, 90 deaths have been confirmed as suicides, and the other 43 remain under investigation. For the same period in 2008, there were 115 suicides among active-duty soldiers.

“Stigma continues to be one of the most difficult challenges we confront,” said Army Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire, director of the Suicide Prevention Task Force. “The more we educate our Army community about the need to get help, the need to get it early, and that full recovery is often possible, the less stigma we’ll see.”

Suicide is not absent from the reserve components, as 69 potential suicides were reported among reserve-component soldiers not on active duty for the first 10 months of 2009. Of those, 41 have been confirmed as suicides. For the same time period in 2008, there were 47 suicides. October accounted for eight of the potential suicides in 2009.

In an effort to curb suicides, the Army in March chartered the multidisciplinary task force McGuire heads up. Its mission was to make rapid improvements across the full spectrum of health promotion, risk reduction and suicide prevention programs. It has made more than 170 improvements to these programs, Army officials said.

Army leaders took it a step further when they announced the formal start of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program on Oct. 1. The holistic program is designed to emphasize psychological, emotional and mental strength. The new program uses a balanced, multifaceted approach and a lifelong learning model that includes individual assessment, tailored virtual training, classroom training at all levels of Army education, and embedded resilience experts.

The goal of the program is to provide soldiers the critical skills then need to face any and all of life’s challenges, officials said.

Army leaders can access current health promotion guidance in the newly revised Army Regulation 600-03.

Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact Military OneSource or the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. Both organizations provide trained consultants around the clock, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Force recovers missing crew, aircraft in Afghanistan

AFPS — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:25:40 +0000

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2009 – International Security Assistance Force members today recovered the remains of three civilian crewmembers and the wreckage of an aircraft missing for two weeks in the rugged mountains of northeastern Afghanistan, military officials reported.

The crew was flying an Army C-12 Huron when they failed to return to Bagram Airfield after a routine mission early Oct. 13 above Afghanistan’s Nuristan province.

Due to continued recovery efforts, officials said, information was not immediately released so as to not interfere with operations. Upon visible inspection of the site, the mission changed from search and rescue to search and recovery.

The incident is under investigation, though hostile action is not believed to be the cause of the crash, officials said.

Additionally, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter en route to the recovery site Oct. 17 experienced a strong downdraft and performed a hard landing near the site. All crewmembers were rescued. On Oct. 21, the aircraft was stripped of its sensitive and useable parts, and destroyed in place Oct. 25. Mountainous terrain and elevation prevented aircraft recovery operations. Hostile action was not involved, officials said.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, an Afghan and international security force killed several militants yesterday in Paktia province during an operation to pursue a suspected Haqqani terrorist bomb maker and his associates.

The Haqqani element is believed responsible for several homemade bomb attacks in the Khowst-Gardez Pass in southeastern Afghanistan.

Security forces coordinated an air strike on the enemy location based on intelligence that Haqqani militants were in transit outside Haqdad Kheyl village in Wuza Zadran district. A combined security force ground element searched the location, confirmed that militants were killed by the air strike and identified the sought-after Haqqani bomb maker among those killed.

During the search, the force also seized bomb-making components, small-arms weapons and communications gear.

Pentagon announces Afghan troop deployments

AFPS — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:41:41 +0000

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2009 – Pentagon officials today announced additional replacement units scheduled to deploy next year to Afghanistan as part of the requirement to maintain the current level of security efforts there, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today.

More than 11,000 soldiers from three units – two from the active duty Army and one from the Army National Guard — will rotate into Afghanistan in the spring, summer and fall of 2010.

The units that received orders are:

– 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, from Fort Campbell, Ky.;

– 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment from Vilseck, Germany; and

– 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Iowa Army National Guard.

The forces will be assigned to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force. Although commanders in Afghanistan haven’t officially determined the regions the units will operate in, they replace brigades in eastern and southern Afghanistan.

Also, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates approved deployment orders to Afghanistan for a squadron of MV-22 Ospreys from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 from Jacksonville, N.C., at the request of commanders in Afghanistan, Whitman said.

The squadron is scheduled to deploy in November.

The squadron is made up of about 200 Marines who operate and maintain the aircraft, which have both vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. The aircraft is designed to perform missions like those of conventional helicopters, with the added benefit of long-range, high-speed cruise performance, he said.

Memorial calls for photos of Vietnam vets

AFPS — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:56:21 +0000

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2009 – The National Call for Photos, a campaign to gather images of the more than 58,000 men and women whose names are on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, will be launched Sept. 17 at a Newseum event here hosted by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and FedEx Office.

FedEx Office will use its locations across the country to help in gathering photos.

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial here, promoting healing and educating people about the impact of the Vietnam War.

The fund’s latest initiative is The Education Center at The Wall, an underground facility near the memorial that is being designed to help visitors discover the stories of those named on The Wall and celebrate the values embodied by servicemembers from all of America’s wars.

Exhibits will include a wall of photographs of people whose names are on The Wall, a selection of the more than 100,000 items that have been left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a timeline of key military events of the Vietnam War and a history of the memorial.

The center also will celebrate the values embodied by America’s servicemembers: loyalty, duty, respect, service, honor, integrity and courage, officials said. An exit exhibit will show images of those who have served in America’s conflicts, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq.

More than $20 million has been raised for the education center, including a $10 million gift from Time Warner. It is estimated that the center will cost $85 million to build.

Other Memorial Fund initiatives include educational programs for students and teachers, a traveling Wall replica that honors veterans and a humanitarian and mine-action program in Vietnam.

Families to gather for solemn 9/11 remembrance

AFPS — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:32:14 +0000

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10, 2009 – The dedication of the Pentagon Memorial one year ago was a high-profile event. Bands played, flags waved and more than 16,000 people gathered at the site where, eight years earlier, a hijacked airliner slammed into the Pentagon and took 184 lives.

Tomorrow’s observance will be a low-key affair, by comparison. President Barack Obama will lay a wreath at the site and deliver official remarks. The event will be closed to all but the families of the 59 people who perished aboard American Airlines Flight 77 and the 125 in the Pentagon.

And that’s OK with Jim Laychak, president of the Pentagon Memorial Fund who helped lead the charge to raise funds to design and build the memorial.

“It was meant to be a very simple thing, and I think that’s fine,” Laychak said of tomorrow’s ceremony.

“The memorial itself allows us to remember. And now that we have got that, I don’t think we need big ceremonies,” he said. “This [commemoration] is being done in a way that allows people to experience the memorial in their own way, which is what it was meant to do.”

Laychak lost a younger brother, David, an Army civilian employee, in the 9/11 Pentagon attack. Since then, he and others who have supported the Pentagon Memorial Fund have remained committed to ensuring the world never forgets those who died that day.

Lisa Dolan, whose husband, Navy Capt. Robert E. Dolan, was among them, shares Laychak’s sentiment that what’s important about commemorating the 9/11 anniversary isn’t the scale of the event.

“It’s important to have an event, whether it’s a large event like last year or a wreath-laying this year,” she said. “What’s important is to make sure it’s not forgotten.”

A private event will give families an opportunity to support each other on what Dolan acknowledged will be a difficult day for all. “It will be more intimate,” she said, “and allow families to grieve – and to grieve more privately.”

Dolan said she finds comfort in visiting the Pentagon Memorial, a two-acre park that features rows of cantilevered benches. Each is set over a small, illuminated reflecting pool and etched with the name of one of the victims.

Since its official unveiling last year, the memorial has seen a steady stream of visitors, although neither the Pentagon Memorial Fund nor the Pentagon police tracks the exact number. A survey taken this summer by the Pentagon Memorial Fund showed 400, 500 and 600 visitors between about 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on three different days, Laychak said.

Army Secretary Pete Geren, whose office looks out over the site, told Laychak he’s particularly struck by the fact that people who visit the memorial linger to absorb what they see.

“He loved the fact that when people came, they didn’t just go in and out,” Laychak said. “They walked around, looked at the benches, read the stones. They really spent some time there.”

Laychak and the Pentagon Memorial Fund are working to ensure more people get an opportunity to experience the memorial’s impact.

They plan to introduce a docent program, with families of the Pentagon 9/11 victims helping personalize visits to the memorial.

Meanwhile, about 150 local television markets have committed to airing a documentary about the Pentagon Memorial. The program is basically a 48-minute version of the DVD distributed during last year’s dedication ceremony.

The documentary includes several spots telling viewers how they can buy the DVD or donate to the Pentagon Memorial’s endowment fund. Laychak said he’s seen donations trickle into the Pentagon Memorial Fund after the documentary aired in Nashville, Tenn.; New York and elsewhere, and hopes the trend continues in other markets.

“It’s been very well received,” he said of the documentary. “It’s another way to keep our message out there and keep people aware of what we are trying to do.”

And that, he said, is to keep the memory of 9/11, particularly of those killed that day, alive.

“What we always wanted was for people to remember,” he said. “We didn’t want people to forget our loved ones and what happened that day. And I think the Pentagon Memorial ensures that will never happen.”

Gates objects to news photo of dying Marine

AFPS — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:01:55 +0000

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates used the strongest terms in trying to persuade the Associated Press to refrain from running a graphic picture of a Marine taken shortly after the servicemember was wounded in southern Afghanistan, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said here today.

Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard later died on the operating table Aug. 14.

The Marine’s family in New Portland, Maine, asked the Associated Press not to run the photo, which was taken by Julie Jacobson, who was embedded with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

The AP put out a series of photographs of the Marine patrol, and Gates objected to one showing Bernard clearly in anguish while being treated. He had just been hit in the legs by a rocket-propelled grenade.

When Gates heard the AP was going to send the photo to its subscribers, he called Thomas Curley, president and chief executive officer of the news service, asking him to pull the photo, Morrell said.

Morrell quoted the secretary as saying to Curley, “I’m begging you to defer to the wishes of the family. This will cause them great pain.”

Curley told the secretary he would reconvene his editorial team to re-examine the release. The secretary followed his call with a letter to AP.

“I cannot imagine the pain and suffering Lance Corporal Bernard’s death has caused his family,” the secretary wrote. “Why your organization would purposefully defy the family’s wishes knowing full well that it will lead to more anguish is beyond me. Your lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling. The issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right – but judgment and common decency.”

Curley got back to Morrell later yesterday afternoon and said his crew had “seriously considered the secretary’s concerns and the families concerns … but ultimately decided that they wanted to proceed with pushing out this image to their clients,” Morrell said.

Morrell said Gates was extremely disappointed that the Associated Press did not adhere to the wishes of the family. The vast majority of news outlets did not run the photo, he added.

DoD establishes suicide prevention task force

AFPS — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:30:18 +0000

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs announced today the names of 14 members who will serve on the Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces.

The congressionally directed task force will address trends and causal factors, methods to update prevention and education programs, suicide assessment by occupation, suicide incident investigations, and protective measures for confidential information derived from investigations for the department.

“One service member suicide is too many and DoD is taking a proactive and comprehensive approach towards prevention, with efforts to address the stigma of psychological health issues, reduce barriers to care and research best practices,” said Ellen Embrey, performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. “The members of this task force have significant and varied experience in national suicide prevention, research, policy and clinical care that will play a critical role in guiding the Department of Defense in addressing this very serious issue.”

The task force will operate within the Federal Advisory Committee Act guidelines as a subcommittee of the Defense Health Board, responsible to the Secretary of Defense, through the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs and the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

Membership consists of, DoD and non-DoD experts, including at least one representative each from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps and one family member with a background in working with military families.

The task force will present their findings and recommendations to the secretary of defense within twelve months. Following review by the secretary, the task force’s report and recommendations will be sent to Congress.

The names and biographies of the task force members are available on the Military Health Care Web site at http://www.health.mil/dhb/subcommittees-tfpsmaf.cfm .

Gates touts F-35 as heart of future tactical combat aviation

AFPS — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:29:24 +0000

FORT WORTH , Texas , Aug. 31, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited the Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter factory here today, assessing progress on what he called “the heart of the future of our tactical combat aviation.” Video

Gates walked through the mile-long production facility, getting briefed at stops along the way and chatting with workers on the production line.

The Lockheed-Martin facility has been used since 1942 to build military aircraft. Today, the front fuselage and wings of the latest-generation combat aircraft are built here. Then, they’re incorporated, along with the center and aft fuselage pieces built by other contractors, into the final product.

“The importance of this aircraft cannot be overstated,” Gates told reporters, holding up the F-35 as an example of new, innovative and more cost-effective ways to meet the country’s current and future defense needs.

The F-35 is the first aircraft to be developed within the Defense Department to meet the needs of three services, with three variants being developed simultaneously. This brings cost savings and economies of scale not possible with separate aircraft, because the F-35s will share common components and maintenance requirements, Gates noted.

“We cannot afford as a nation not to have this airplane,” he said, noting that every dollar saved in acquisition frees up a dollar to support other critical wartime requirements.

The Air Force will receive the F-35’s “A” variant, which will provide conventional takeoff and landing capabilities. The Marine Corps is slated to receive the “B” variant that has a vertical-lift capability. The Navy will receive the “C” variant, designed for carrier launches.

The different F-35 variants will replace the legacy F-16 aircraft for the Air Force and the F/A-18 and AV-8 aircraft for the Navy and Marine Corps.

Gates said he was impressed by the investments made in the production line, with robotics and automation bringing speed and precision to the operation. Lockheed-Martin poured $1 billion into the facility to prepare it for F-35 production, officials said, and is adding another 250,000 feet of floor space to the more than 1 million square feet currently used.

But even more impressive, Gates said, is the “dedication and clear commitment of the men and women … working on this airplane.”

“They’re clearly excited about it,” Gates said. “I’m excited about it.”

Gates said he’s particularly excited that the F-35 appears to be on schedule to equip the first training squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. , by 2011, and enable the Marine Corps to reach initial operational capability by 2012.

“So I am heartened by what I’ve seen here this morning,” he said, “but especially by the commitment of the people putting this airplane together.”

Marine Maj. Joseph Bachmann, an F-35 test pilot who goes by the call sign, “OD,” shares Gates’ enthusiasm about the aircraft he said will deliver a “quantum leap” in new capability.

“It’s important for him to see that this is a beautiful machine,” Bachmann said of Gates’ visit. “But I’d also like him to see that we are being good stewards with the taxpayers’ money, and working together to deliver on time.”

The Joint Strike Fighter will replace not only legacy U.S. aircraft, but also numerous aircraft for the international partners participating in the program.

During today’s tour, Gates walked beneath flags draped over the immaculate factory floor that reflect the broad partnership behind the F-35 program. Along with the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps flags hung flags of the United States , United Kingdom , Italy , the Netherlands , Turkey , Canada , Denmark , Norway and Australia .
A huge banner at the entranceway to the plant captured the team spirit: “F-35 JSF: Where Our Future Comes Together.”

Gates credited that teamwork with overcoming challenges and moving forward with the program. The goal, he said is to complete the development program in the next few years, then move into full production.

At that point, the facility will ramp up from its current production of one aircraft per month to about one per day.

“We are in this position where we can deliver as promised,” said Jon Beesley, chief F-35 test pilot. “We’re developing things people have never done before and learning a lot of things along the way.”

Mike Bateman, an electrical installer who’s worked with the F-35 program for the past five years, said he’s proud of the way management listens to workers who are always trying to figure out ways to make the aircraft better and produce it faster.

Gates’ visit “is pretty awesome,” Bateman said. “He’s getting a chance to see the quality here, and the fact that we are going to make these schedules and under budget,” he said.

Steve Nelson, a Lockheed-Martin manager who supervises the forward fuselage operation, said he hoped Gates got a sense during his visit about what makes the F-35 such a distinctive program.

“I want him to take away how much the engineering has progressed, and how people are working together to get the fifth-generation aircraft out the door and to our country,” he said.

U.S. assumes command of counter-piracy task force

AFPS — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:11:56 +0000

MANAMA, Bahrain, Aug. 13, 2009 – The combined task force of international navies that counter piracy off the coast of Somalia and throughout the Gulf of Aden was returned to U.S. command at a ceremony here today.

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Scott E. Sanders salutes the side boys as he arrives to relieve Turkish navy Rear Adm. Caner Bener as commander of Combined Task Force 151 during a change-of-command ceremony held aboard USS Anzio in Manama, Bahrain, Aug. 13, 2009. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nathan Schaeffer
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Navy Rear Adm. Scott E. Sanders assumed command of Combined Task Force 151 in a ceremony aboard the coalition counter-piracy flagship USS Anzio while pier-side in Bahrain. Sanders became the first selective reserve admiral to command a combined task force at sea.

Sanders relieved Turkish navy Rear Adm. Caner Bener and heralded the Turkish navy’s first command of a combined task force as a success.

“Rear Admiral Bener and his staff of Turkish, U.S., Pakistani, Greek and UK sailors have made huge strides, not only in combating piracy, but also in fostering international coordination and the relationships that are crucial to the mission,” Sanders said. “The capture of 17 armed and dangerous men and their mother ship, the first pirate mother ship ever captured, demonstrated the ability of CTF 151 to effectively execute counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia.”

Sanders assumed command of a CTF 151 staff made up of coalition personnel, which “has demonstrated how a staff comprised of personnel from multiple nations can form a cohesive team to tackle piracy,” he said.

The Turkish navy assumed command of CTF 151 in early May, relieving U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Michelle Howard and her staff following the successful rescue of Richard Phillips, captain of the U.S.-flagged merchant vessel Maersk Alabama, which had been seized by pirates off Somalia’s coast.

“As a result of cooperative counter-piracy operations, there has been a considerable decrease in piracy activities in the region,” Bener said. “The most effective measures we’ve seen to defeat piracy are nonkinetic and defensive in nature.”

CTF 151 was created in January to actively deter, disrupt and suppress piracy in order to protect global maritime security and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations. It operates in the Gulf of Aden and the east coast of Somalia, covering about 1.1 million square miles.

“While the ultimate solution to the problem of piracy is ashore in Somalia, the combined maritime force made the decision to focus coalition maritime efforts on security and stability at sea in order to create a lawful maritime order and deter acts of piracy on the high seas, while giving the international community time to address the long-term solution of piracy,” said Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and Combined Maritime Forces.

SmallGovTimes.com » Military News

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