Soldier Has Himself Shot

[thedrifter]

Soldier Has Himself Shot
Associated Press
December 17, 2004

PHILADELPHIA - Police have arrested a soldier they say had his cousin shoot him so he wouldn't have to return to Iraq.

Army Spc. Marquise J. Roberts, of Hinesville, Ga., suffered a minor wound Tuesday to his left leg from a .22-caliber pistol, police said. He was treated at a hospital, then arrested after he and his cousin allegedly admitted making up a story about the shooting.

After giving differing accounts of the incident, "they just broke down and confessed that they concocted the whole story so he didn't have to go back to the war," Philadelphia police Lt. James Clark said Thursday.

Police charged Roberts with filing a false report and charged his cousin, Ronald Fuller, with aggravated assault and other charges.

Roberts, who was visiting family in Philadelphia, initially claimed he was shot during an attempted robbery, but Fuller had said the incident occurred at another location during an argument, according to Clark.




Roberts, 23, was on a two-week leave from the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which led the assault on Baghdad in 2003. He is scheduled to return to Iraq within the next few months. The division has been home since the summer of 2003.

Police said Roberts, a supply specialist who had spent seven months in Iraq, was distraught about having to return to combat duty and wanted to stay with his family.

Lt. Col. Cliff Kent, a 3rd Infantry spokesman, said Roberts had been scheduled to return this week to Fort Stewart, Ga.

Roberts could face military discipline if the charges prove true, Kent said, but the civilian case probably would proceed first.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

With More Armored Humvees Acquired, Army Shifts Focus in Iraq to Trucks

By Lisa Burgess,
Stars and Stripes European edition


ARLINGTON, Va. — After expanding its contract to acquire armored Humvees at a rate of 550 per month instead of 450, the Army has now turned its focus toward armoring its trucks in Iraq by June, Army officials said Wednesday.

And in the future, thanks to lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan, all Army vehicles will be designed so they can be quickly armored with a kit — even if that vehicle was never designed for combat, according to Gary Motsek, the Army’s deputy director for support operations at the U.S. Army Material Command at Fort Belvoir, Va.

“We can’t just go ahead and disregard the lessons of this campaign,” Motsek said. “We are adapting our truck strategies now, [because] we’ll never again assume that if you are going to operate a truck fleet, that it’s going to be in conditions [that are] safe and secure.”

The Humvee issue is now on track and fully funded, said Maj. Gen. Stephen Speakes, who joined Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson and other Army officials to discuss the armoring issue.

“A year ago, Humvees were the priority,” Speakes said. “Now with the increase of lethality on the battlefield, it’s time to take care of the bigger trucks, and we’re doing that.”

The Army has sought out manufacturers to acquire armor kits for the larger vehicles. In August 2003, there were seven companies that supplied armor kits. There are now more than 20.

Today, 53 percent of the medium and heavy vehicles in Iraq that commanders have said they would like armored actually have such protection, according to statistics provided by the Army.

Speakes, who is in charge of Force Development for the Army, said the service plans to spend $4.1 billion to armor all of its wheeled vehicles by next summer.

The project to armor every wheeled transport vehicle will include armoring 5,878 “medium transport vehicles,” such as five-ton trucks, and 4,443 “heavy transport vehicles,” such as the 10-ton Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT), according to the statistics.

“We believe that by June, we will have Level I and Level II armor on the [remaining wheeled] force,” Speakes said.

Level I is the Army’s term for vehicles that were built from the ground-up to support armor, including a reinforced chassis to support the extra weight and configurations of the plating.

Level II is what the Army calls specially designed kits that are manufactured in the United States, then shipped to the Iraq theater for soldiers to install on their vehicles.

There is another Level, Level III, which Army officials use to describe the ad-hoc additions that soldiers devise on their own to protect their vehicles in the field.

Armoring vehicles not normally designed for combat operations became a serious issue in Iraq starting in early September 2003, as improvised explosive devices began to take more and more of a toll on U.S. forces in Iraq.

The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold hearings on the Iraq war when the new Congress convenes next month, including an examination of criticism that the Defense Department failed to prepare for the insurgency and went into action with a shortage of armor for trucks and Humvees, the panel’s ranking Democrat, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., told the Washington Post on Tuesday.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

USO Brings Stars, Smiles to the Troops

LOGISTICS SUPPORT AREA ANACONDA, Iraq — Troops around Iraq got a chance to see it all on Tuesday: Comedy, football and even a good-looking woman.

“Good evening, Balad,” comedian Robin Williams yelled to more than 3,000 troops at Balad Air Base, a reprise of his “Good Morning, Vietnam” movie role.

Then Williams was off and running on a stream of consciousness riff that was sometimes obscene, but other times merely profane.

The troops cheered every “f” bomb, every indecent innuendo and every naughty gesture from the wound-up comic/actor.

They cheered, too, when he spoke of things about which they are familiar, like the C-130 Hercules that brought the show to Anaconda from Baghdad. A good airplane for the deaf, he called it.

“I like when the crew puts on Kevlar and says, ‘It’s perfectly safe, Mr. Williams,’” he said.

Williams was the star, but he was not the only entertainer. Model Leeann Tweeden, former NFL quarterback John Elway and comedian and actor Blake Clark were on the bill as well. Accompanying them was Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. The group is visiting several locations overseas.

Tweeden, who has visited Iraq twice before on USO tours, acted as emcee for the show. Because of the chilly night air, she was bundled in a heavy coat, to the disappointment of many GIs.

“If I take my coat off, I’ll freeze,” she said to a crowd that cared little about her comfort.

She thanked the troops for their service before introducing Elway, the Hall of Fame signal caller for the Denver Broncos.

Elway said he was surprised to get an invitation for the tour. He couldn’t sing or dance and wasn’t much to look at, he said he told the man on the phone asking him visit American troops.

“He said, ‘How’s your arm?’” Elway recalled. “I said, ‘I can still chuck it,’ so look out, guys.”

With that, the arm that won two Super Bowls tossed a few dozen footballs into the crowd, even reaching those in the high seats at the outdoor stadium.

“You make me proud to be an American,” said Elway. “What you guys do makes what I’ve done nothing.”

Clark, known for roles in movies such as “The Waterboy” and “The Ladykillers” and the “Home Improvement” television show, led an infantry platoon in Vietnam.

Looking at the lineup of dignitaries that accompanied the show, he said, “Last time I was around this many generals, they made us invade Laos.”

His jokes were heavy on satirizing his southern roots. He was born in Georgia and said he had flashbacks while still in Vietnam.

Clark said he has a lot in common with President Clinton.

“We’re both from the South. We have the same initials,” he said. “But unlike him, I went to Vietnam, and I did inhale.”

Before leaving the stage for the headliner, Clark turned serious. Speaking as a combat veteran, he said, “Take it from me, years from now … you’ll remember this. You didn’t read about it in a book. You didn’t see it on TV. You lived it. And nobody can take that away from you.”

Williams rambled at the speed of an F-16 from one topic to another, stopping on one only long enough to get a laugh or two before rolling on.

When one female soldier shouted out, “I love you, Robin,” he said, “There’s one lonely woman. If you’re attracted to me, you’ve been here too long.”

When a male soldier shouted something similar, he said, “You know we can’t get married, but we can have a good time.”

At the show’s end, Williams posed for group pictures, which will be available in a few days on the Web site for the 1st Corps Support Command at www.bragg.army.mil/coscom/. Clark joined Williams for the photos while Elway and Tweeden signed scores of autographs.

“I enjoyed it,” said Airman Johnathan Roche of the 887th Customs Squadron. “Time well spent.”

Pfc. Richard Smith of the 502nd Engineer Battalion lived out a fantasy Tuesday night. The longtime Denver Broncos fan got Elway’s autograph.

“It’s like a dream,” he said. “It’s something I’ll remember the rest of my life.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Myers, Robin Williams Visit Troops
Associated Press
December 17, 2004

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - As head of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen. Richard Myers usually doesn't have to take a back seat to anyone - except when U.S. troops make up the audience and comedian Robin Williams is on stage.

American forces serving at Bagram air base got a little early Christmas cheer Thursday as Myers and Williams - along with football star John Elway, model/sports commentator Leann Tweeden and comedian Blake Clark - stopped by on a tour of American servicemen serving far from home.

The activities got off to a somber start with a groundbreaking ceremony for a coffee shop to be named after Pat Tillman, who quit the NFL to be an Army Ranger and died in a friendly-fire incident April 22.

All except Williams wore white hard hats and fatigues as they jointly shoveled spadefuls of dirt with about 100 soldiers taking pictures.

Tillman gave up a million-dollar contract and his position as a starting safety for the Arizona Cardinals to enlist after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.




Elway said he didn't know Tillman, but told the troops: "It had to be a huge thing for Pat to walk away to come over here and join forces with you. I'm totally humbled by the work that you do.

"In my mind he's a hero. You're all heroes."

Myers said people who claimed that the Afghan people would want American forces to leave quickly had been proven wrong, citing President Hamid Karzai's commitment to a long-term "strategic partnership."

The coffee shop "will probably be here some time, even though we may not be here in large numbers."

On the walk over to a tent for the day's entertainment, troops sought autographs on paper, hats, dollar bills - anything that would hold ink - and photos taken with the visiting celebrities.

Many clutched copies of FHM magazine with a scantily Tweeden on the cover. The wolf whistles shrieked as she served as the announcer.

Clark got a number of laughs, particularly with an imitation of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin trying to track down Osama bin Laden.

That bit of political incorrectness set up Williams' typically X-rated standup act, which had the crowd of more than 1,000 roaring as he bounced around the stage. On an unseasonably warm winter day, he took off his jacket, revealing a Vince Lombardi High School T-shirt that he later tossed into the crowd, leaving himself briefly bare-chested.

It was Williams' second trip to Bagram, and he described how conditions have changed.

"It's a lot like Palm Springs, except for the mines and the small-weapons fire," he quipped in one of the few lines that can be quoted here.

All the guests then tossed footballs, T-shirts, caps and small U.S. flags into the crowd.

When it was over, Elway and Williams headed to opposite sides of the tent for more autographs and photos. Long lines quickly formed, with many soldiers getting one's autograph before switching to the queue for the other.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine Involved in Crash That Killed Romanian Rock Star Is Back in U.S.

By Charlie Coon,
Stars and Stripes European edition


The U.S. Marine security guard who was driving an embassy-owned vehicle that collided with a taxi in Bucharest, Romania, killing a popular Romanian musician, has been assigned to administrative duties at his battalion headquarters in Virginia.

Meanwhile, military investigators traveled to Bucharest to determine if Staff Sgt. Christopher R. VanGoethem, 31, should be prosecuted in the death of Teofil Peter. The 50-year-old veteran rocker was the bass player for the Romanian rock band Compact.

VanGoethem, who was commander of the security detachment that guards the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, was taken out of Romania shortly after the Dec. 3 accident, angering many citizens there.

Romanian Premier Adrian Nastase sent a letter to President Bush asking Bush to “get involved in the solution” to calm Romanian public “outrage,” perhaps by waiving VanGoethem’s diplomatic immunity and returning him to Romania, according to a news release by the Romanian government. Romania has been a staunch ally of the United States in the war in Iraq.

Some news accounts reported that VanGoethem is suspected of driving drunk and that he refused to submit to alcohol-analysis tests and questioning by local authorities.

“I know the perception in Romania was that he was whisked out of the country,” Marine Maj. Matthew W. Morgan, a spokesman for the 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade at Camp Lejeune, N.C., said in a telephone interview.

“It was a decision the ambassador made. The bottom line is the situation is being investigated and that [VanGoethem] is not going anywhere; he’s at his battalion headquarters.”

As a member of the administrative staff at the embassy, VanGoethem is immune from being prosecuted by Romanian authorities but is still answerable to the U.S. military legal system, according to a statement issued by J.D. Crouch II, the U.S. ambassador to Romania.

According to a Marine spokesman, VanGoethem, of Iron County, Mich., and Marine Security Group’s Company H, voluntarily submitted to a Breathalyzer test at the scene of the Dec. 3 accident.

VanGoethem also submitted to a blood test, but only after it was agreed that the test would be given by U.S. personnel, according to the spokesman. The blood sample was then taken into custody by U.S. officials.

VanGoethem also gave a statement to Romanian investigators, Morgan said.

Morgan said that VanGoethem was directed by Crouch or by another embassy official to leave Romania and return to his company headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany.

VanGoethem was then transported to Marine Security Guard Battalion Headquarters in Quantico, Va., where he is performing administrative duties and is not in custody.

VanGoethem was scheduled within days “to return to the U.S. as part of a normal rotation,” Morgan said, adding that VanGoethem’s family had already moved from Bucharest. VanGoethem was assigned to the Bucharest detail in August 2003.

In his statement, Crouch said that VanGoethem was granted the same protection as any Romanian Embassy official working in the United States would be granted in the same situation.

“Once all the information about the accident has been assembled, there will be a determination as to appropriate next steps concerning the Marine,” Crouch said.

“My government is currently reviewing the government of Romania’s request that the Marine’s immunity be waived. Prime Minister Nastase sent a letter to President Bush on this issue. The White House has received the letter and is considering carefully the issues raised.”

Investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service went to Bucharest after the accident and are compiling evidence, re-creating the circumstances and examining the impounded vehicles.

“The NCIS is conducting their investigation and working closely with Romanian authorities,” Morgan said. “[VanGoethem] is available to them whenever they wish to speak to him.

“The lead agent, however, has indicated a desire to complete initial aspects of the investigation in Romania before speaking with the Marine.”

After the investigation is finished, Morgan said, an Article 32 hearing of evidence could be held to determine whether VanGoethem should face a court-martial.

Morgan said he doubted that any legal proceedings against VanGoethem would begin until after the December holidays.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Oliver North: No More Heroes?

Washington, D.C. - "It's stuff you hear about in boot camp, about World War II and Tarawa Marines who won the Medal of Honor," Lance Corporal Rob Rogers of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment told the Army Times. Corporal Rogers was describing the actions of his fellow Marine, Sgt. Rafael Peralta, a Mexican immigrant who enlisted in the Marine Corps the day he received his green card.

Most readers of this column probably haven't heard about Rafael Peralta. With the exception of the Los Angeles Times, most of our mainstream media haven't bothered to write about him. The next time you log onto the Internet, do a Google search on Rafael Peralta. As of this writing, the Internet's most used search engine will provide you with only 26 citations from news sources that have bothered to write about this heroic young man. Then, just for giggles, do a Google search on Pablo Paredes. Hundreds of media outlets have written about him. The wire services have blasted his story to thousands of newspapers. Television and radio debate programs gladly provide the public with talking heads that can speak eloquently on the actions of Pablo Paredes.

You see, Pablo Paredes, a Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class, did something the liberal elites consider "heroic" and the media consider "newsworthy" - he defied an order. Last week, Paredes refused to board his ship bound for Iraq along with 5,000 other sailors and Marines. He showed up on the pier wearing a black tee shirt that read, "Like a Cabinet member, I resign."

We know this because Petty Officer Pablo Paredes had the courtesy and forethought to notify the local media that he would commit an act of cowardice the following day. Perhaps he hoped to follow the lead of another famous war protestor who went on to become a U.S. Senator and his party's presidential nominee by throwing away his military medals. Petty Officer Paredes stopped short of trashing his military I.D. in front of the cameras because he said he didn't want to be charged with the destruction of government property. The media, we are promised, will continue to follow this story intently.

It is a shame that the media focus on such acts when they could tell stories about real heroes like Rafael Peralta who "saved the life of my son and every Marine in that room," according to Garry Morrison the father of a Marine in Peralta's unit - Lance Cpl. Adam Morrison.

On the morning of November 15, 2004, the men of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines awoke before sunrise and continued what they had been doing for seven days previously - cleansing the city of Fallujah of terrorists house by house.

At the fourth house they encountered that morning the Marines kicked in the door and "cleared" the front rooms, but then noticed a locked door off to the side that required inspection. Sgt. Rafael Peralta threw open the closed door, but behind it were three terrorists with AK-47s. Peralta was hit in the head and chest with multiple shots at close range.

Peralta's fellow Marines had to step over his body to continue the shootout with the terrorists. As the firefight raged on, a "yellow, foreign-made, oval-shaped grenade," as Lance Corporal Travis Kaemmerer described it, rolled into the room where they were all standing and came to a stop near Peralta's body.




But Sgt. Rafael Peralta wasn't dead - yet. This young immigrant of 25 years, who enlisted in the Marines when he received his green card, who volunteered for the front line duty in Fallujah, had one last act of heroism in him.

Sgt. Rafael Peralta was the polar opposite of Pablo Paredes, the Petty Officer who turned his back on his shipmates and mocked his commander in chief. Peralta was proud to serve his adopted country. In his parent's home, on his bedroom walls hung only three items - a copy of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and his boot camp graduation certificate. Before he set out for Fallujah, he wrote to his 14-year old brother, "be proud of me, bro...and be proud of being an American."

Not only can Rafael's family be proud of him, but his fellow Marines are alive because of him. As Sgt. Rafael Peralta lay near death on the floor of a Fallujah terrorist hideout, he spotted the yellow grenade that had rolled next to his near-lifeless body. Once detonated, it would take out the rest of Peralta's squad. To save his fellow Marines, Peralta reached out, grabbed the grenade, and tucked it under his abdomen where it exploded.

"Most of the Marines in the house were in the immediate area of the grenade," Cpl. Kaemmerer said. "We will never forget the second chance at life that Sgt. Peralta gave us."

Unfortunately, unlike Pablo Paredes, Sgt. Rafael Peralta will get little media coverage. He is unlikely to have books written about him or movies made about his extraordinarily selfless sacrifice. But he is likely to receive the Medal of Honor. And that Medal of Honor is likely to be displayed next to the only items that hung on his bedroom wall - the Constitution, Bill of Rights and his Boot Camp graduation certificate.

Yes, Virginia, there are still heroes in America, and Sgt. Rafael Peralta was one of them. It's just too bad the media can't recognize them.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Rumsfeld to personally sign all condolence letters
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, December 17, 2004

WASHINGTON - Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will begin personally signing condolence letters sent to families of troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, after receiving criticism over his use of mechanical signatures.

In a statement provided to Stars and Stripes on Thursday, Rumsfeld tacitly admitted that in the past he has not personally signed the letters, but said he was responsible for writing and approving each of the 1,000-plus messages sent to the fallen soldiers' families.

"I have directed that in the future I sign each letter," he said in the statement.

"I am deeply grateful for the many letters I have received from the families of those who have been killed in the service of our country, and I recognize and honor their personal loss."

In a separate statement, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said, "In the interest of ensuring timely contact with grieving family members, he has not individually signed each letter."

Department of Defense officials for the past few weeks had said only that the content of the letters was private.

But several families of troops killed overseas said they were sure the notes they received had not been signed by hand, and said they were angry that Rumsfeld was not paying attention to their loss.

"To me it's an insult, not only as someone who lost a loved one but also as someone who served in Iraq," Army Spc. Ivan Medina told Stripes.

"This doesn't show our families the respect they deserve," said Medina, a New York resident whose twin brother, Irving, was killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq this summer.

Illinois resident Bette Sullivan, whose son John was killed in November 2003 while working as an Army mechanic in Iraq, was incensed when she, her son's wife and her grandchildren received the exact same condolence letter with the apparently stamped signature.

"If each family receives two copies, how many signatures does that amount to?" she asked in an e-mail response to Stripes. "I can understand the use of stamped signatures for his brothers' mementos, but for those of his wife and children and mother? No, no, no."

Retired Army Col. David Hackworth, an author and frequent critic of the Department of Defense, publicly criticized Rumsfeld in a syndicated column earlier this month for not reviewing each KIA letter personally.

He called the fake signatures "like having it signed by a monkey."

"Using those machines is pretty common, but it shouldn't be in cases of those who have died in action," he said. "How can [DOD officials] feel the emotional impact of that loss if they're not even looking at the letters?"

Hackworth said he objected to using the stamped signatures for promotion and commendation letters as well, but said not personally handling the condolence letters is a much more serious offense.

Family members had expressed similar concerns to Stripes about President Bush's signature on his condolence letters, but Allen Abney, spokesman for the president, said that Bush does personally sign the letters sent from the White House.

Secretary Rumsfeld's statement

Statement by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on condolences to servicemembers and their loved ones, as provided to Stars and Stripes:

"It is a solemn privilege of the many of us in the Department to meet with U.S. forces and families who have experienced injury or death in the defense of our country.

"During visits with wounded forces and their families at Walter Reed Army Hospital or at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center, I have drawn inspiration from the dignity and resolve of these wonderful young Americans and their loved ones.

"Over the past years, my wife, Joyce, and I have met with several hundred wounded troops and their families during visits to intensive care units, therapy facilities, and their rooms in military hospitals in the United States and abroad.

"During visits to military installations, I have met with still others during their visits to the Pentagon.

"Joyce and I also have met together and individually with spouses and children of those killed in action.

"At the earliest moment in the global war on terror, I determined that it is important that military families who have lost loved ones in hostile actions receive a letter from me directly.

"I wrote and approved the now more than 1,000 letters sent to family members and next of kin of each of the servicemen and women killed in military action. While I have not individually signed each one, in the interest of ensuring expeditious contact with grieving family members, I have directed that in the future I sign each letter.

"I am deeply grateful for the many letters I have received from the families of those who have been killed in the service of our country, and I recognize and honor their personal loss."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Retiree Aids Soldiers With 'Kool' Drink While Deployed
By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16, 2004 -- Army Reserve Sgt. Terri Doughty made an important discovery while stationed for 12 months in Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom: Kool-Aid and hot water taste pretty good together.

Doughty, an administrative clerk for the 444th Personnel Services Battalion, said soldiers in her unit were desperate for anything that would make their bottled drinking water -- scorched by the 107-degree desert temperatures -- bearable.

"We were in the desert," she said. "We didn't have ice, we didn't have refrigeration, and the water was so hot, you couldn't drink the stuff. But we'd mix it with Kool-Aid, and at least it was palatable."

That's when she met Ralph Hansen, a retired Air Force technical sergeant, who now works for the U.S. Strategic Command's Combat Support Directorate at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

After reading a message Doughty posted on a Web site thanking a friend for sending a canister of Kool-Aid, Hansen decided to help out too. He e-mailed Doughty asking what to send. She replied, "Send a canister of Kool-Aid."

That wasn't enough, however; he wanted to do more.

Hansen said he posted in the Web site's forum that others "over in harm's way" needed help. He asked anyone responding to send Kool-Aid among a short list of other necessities the soldiers requested. Within hours, more than 50 people responded to help, he said.

In the meantime, Hansen went to the commissary, gathered up as many flavors of the powered drink mix as he could find, and shipped an entire case to Doughty and her unit. "Operation Kool-Aid" had begun.

Over the next few months of the campaign, hundreds of boxes would arrive, and Hansen said he was joined by hundreds of people who sent in everything from Kool-Aid to beef jerky to coffee, books and games.

Doughty said that when she opened her first box, she was thrilled at what she found. "I couldn't believe that this person whom I really didn't know went out of their way to me a case of Kool-Aid," she said. "He was like, 'My hero.'"

She said each time a package from Operation Kool-Aid arrived, it was like "Christmas in July."

"It was just like a little piece of home was coming to us in these boxes," she explained. "It was big morale booster, and gave you that much more motivation. It's like, 'I'm not out here forgotten.'"

She noted that one lady in Nebraska and a man from Michigan even sent homemade fudge.

"Homemade fudge is terrific any time, but to get it so far away from home is awesome," she said. "For someone to take the time to make homemade fudge for us, how do you thank somebody like that?"

Doughty said that soon there were so many boxes of goods coming in that she started distributing the surplus to other units deploying to the theater, a task that was made easy because she worked in the detachment's post office.

Hansen pointed out that he never expected Operation Kool Aid to grow as it has and to draw so much attention.

He said that since the operation started a year ago, he estimates more than 14,000 pounds of goods have been shipped to servicemembers in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Hansen, who served in the desert, said he knows exactly what the soldiers in the Middle East are going through. "I've been there," he said. "The loneliness and isolation, that's why it's important that we let them know they are not forgotten."

Hansen said deployed servicemembers "don't realize how many people are thinking about them, and that millions of people are supporting them."

"They need to know we are here. And if there is something you need, let us know." he continued. "Don't ever let it get cross your mind that we are not supporting you or thinking about you, because we are."

After a year of working together, Hansen and Doughty finally met at a gathering near Atlanta. Hanson said he "broke down in tears."

"We were both hugging and crying," he said. "It was super to finally get to meet her in person, and to find out how really appreciative she was for everything we sent."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

America Supports You: 'Homes for Our Troops' Breaks Ground
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16, 2004 -- Joining a groundswell of support for American troops serving in the war on terror is an organization dedicated to making severely disabled veterans' lives a little easier at home.

"Homes for Our Troops" is a nonprofit organization that builds new or adapts existing homes for severely disabled veterans. The modifications to a home can include ramps, wider doorways, and lower sinks and counters. The homes will be built to accommodate injuries that include loss of limbs, spinal cord injuries, and full or partial paralysis.

The group is set to break ground on its first specially adapted home, for Massachusetts National Guardsman Sgt. Peter Damon and his family, currently of Brockton, Mass., on Dec. 19. The new home will be in nearby Middleboro, Mass. Damon lost his right arm above the elbow and his left hand and wrist.

His home has been made possible through donations of cash, building materials and labor.

"The soldiers are proud and do not ask for anything in return," Homes for Our Troops officials said in a recent news release, "but people who care for them have contacted us telling us of their desperate situation resulting from their injuries."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Guard Triples Enlistment Bonuses
USA TODAY
December 17, 2004

WASHINGTON - In response to continued recruiting difficulties, the National Guard is tripling the cash bonuses it will pay for some new recruits and for current Guard soldiers willing to re-enlist, the Guard's top general said Thursday.

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, unveiled new initiatives intended to boost the Army National Guard's lagging personnel rolls. Blum briefed reporters at the Pentagon.

Among the initiatives:

* A $15,000 bonus for new Guard recruits who have served in the military, triple the previous figure.

* A $15,000 bonus for Guard soldiers who will re-enlist for six years, also three times the previous amount.

* A $10,000 bonus for recruits who have never served in the military, up from $6,000 and now the largest bonus the Guard has offered such recruits.

"These are big incentives. We're putting our money where our mouth is," Blum said.





The Guard and Army Reserve are struggling with recruiting problems related to the Pentagon's reliance on part-time military personnel to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. About 40% of the 148,000 U.S. troops in Iraq are Guard and reserve soldiers. In peacetime, Guard and reserve troops usually train one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer. But thousands are now serving full-time combat tours of a year or more.

"We're in a more difficult recruiting environment," Blum said. "There's no question."

The National Guard's new measures come on the heels of a second consecutive month of poor recruiting results. In November, the Army Guard fell about 1,000 recruits short of its goal of 3,925. The shortfall follows an even larger gap in October, when the Army Guard missed its target by more than 30%. The military's recruiting year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

The Army Guard needs to recruit 63,000 new soldiers this year. Last year, it missed its target of 56,000 by almost 7,000 recruits.

Blum said that the Army Guard is supposed to have 350,000 soldiers but now has 340,000. For many years, Blum said, Guard commanders had covered shortfalls in troop levels by padding their rosters with soldiers who had exited the Guard. Blum said he has banned that practice to have an honest accounting of how many Army Guard soldiers are available across the country.

The Army Guard and Army Reserve have been under great strain since 9/11. Almost a third of the Guard -- 102,876 soldiers -- is mobilized for duty around the world. Since the war on terrorism began, Blum said, the Army Guard has averaged about 100,000 soldiers on active duty every day.

In addition to strains on personnel, the war effort has taken a toll on equipment.

Blum said that the National Guard will need $20 billion over the next three years to replace equipment that is outdated, damaged or has been left in Iraq for units rotating through. Part of the need for the additional expenditure, Blum said, is the Army Guard's unique mission as a state and federal force.

In peacetime, Guard units remain under the control of their state's governor. Those troops are needed for homeland security and disaster response. Among the new equipment needs are trucks, radios and aircraft so that units can train and be available for state missions.

To bolster its rolls, the Guard is adding 1,400 new recruiters, bringing its force to a total of 4,100 across the nation. The Guard has added 480 so far. All 1,400 should be in place by February.

The Army Reserve, another part-time force, is also under strain.

On Monday, Lt. Gen. James Helmly, the Army Reserve's top general, told The Dallas Morning News that Army Reserve recruiting was in "precipitous decline." Helmly said that the downturn, if not reversed, could generate discussion of a return to a military draft.

The Army Reserve said it received approval this week to offer bonuses identical to those Blum outlined Thursday.

Ellie

[Husker35]

Only in the Army would a guy who is a supply specialist not want to go back to Iraq. The idiot had his own family member shoot him in the leg, what a loser. This guy doesnt know what war is. He should talk to all of the ground pounders who would give their life to be there. I hope they nail him to the wall.

[thedrifter]

Desertion charges a rarity in military
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By Robert Gehrke
The Salt Lake Tribune
Dec. 17, 2004

WASHINGTON - Legal proceedings against Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun are scheduled to begin next week as the West Jordan Marine defends himself against charges of desertion, a rarely used section of military code.

Defense Department records show that, on average, more than 5,600 soldiers have disappeared each year from their units and been termed deserters by the Pentagon. Yet few are charged with the crime, according to those familiar with the U.S. military justice system.

"How many do we charge? Hassoun. That's one in a long, long time. We just don't do it," said Maj. Doug Powell, a spokesman for the Corps. "It's extremely rare."

The Pentagon classifies thousands of soldiers as deserters, either because they leave their unit or they fail to report for duty. In 2003, nearly 5,000 soldiers in the Army, Air Force and Marines were administratively classified as deserters.

That number has been dropping since 2001, when more than 6,200 were designated deserters. The figures for 2004 were incomplete, and the Navy could not provide annual desertion totals.

However, labeling a soldier a deserter for administrative purposes is largely a bookkeeping measure, reflecting that the soldier failed to report for at least 30 days.

Being charged with desertion is rare. More often, soldiers who are apprehended or return to their unit are charged with being absent without leave (AWOL) or else their cases are handled administratively.

"The difference between desertion and AWOL is the intent to remain away permanently, and proving someone intended to remain away permanently is not easy," said retired Maj. Gen. Michael Nardotti, who was the Army judge advocate general from 1993 to 1997.

"You probably can count on both of your hands" the number of desertion charges filed in the past several years, Nardotti said.

Under the military's code of conduct, however, prosecutors can show desertion by proving that the accused soldier was trying to shirk hazardous duty. That probably will be the course of action the government takes with Hassoun, said retired Brig. Gen. David Brahms, staff judge advocate for the Marine Corps commandant from 1985 to 1988.

There have been a few high-profile desertion cases in recent months as some soldiers refuse to serve in Iraq.

In May, Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia was sentenced to a year in prison for desertion after refusing to return to Iraq. Mejia claimed conscientious objector status after he said he saw Iraqi civilians killed and prisoners abused during his deployment.

And in September 2003, Marine Reservist Stephen Funk was acquitted of desertion, but convicted of being AWOL after refusing to report for duty in Iraq when his unit was activated. He served six months in prison and since his release has been an outspoken peace activist.

Marine prosecutors will begin presenting their case against Hassoun on Tuesday at a pretrial hearing at Camp Lejeune, the North Carolina Marine base, which is home to Hassoun's unit. The government alleges Hassoun, a translator in a Marine anti-terrorism unit, took his service pistol and a Humvee and disappeared from Camp Fallujah in Iraq on June 20. He was initially classified as a deserter, but the status was changed to captured after video surfaced a week later of a blindfolded Hassoun with a glinting saber above his head.

Hassoun was reported killed on July 3, but the group that claimed to have taken him captive said the reports were false and on July 8 Hassoun mysteriously appeared in Tripoli, Lebanon.

Hassoun has not spoken about the episode, except in a brief statement in July where he denied deserting his post, insisting he was captured and held against his will. After a five-month investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Hassoun was charged with desertion and theft of military property.

At Hassoun's hearing next week, an investigating officer will hear the evidence presented by the prosecutor, Maj. Stephen Keane. The investigating officer will forward a recommendation to Hassoun's commanding officer, Brig. Gen. Mastin Robeson, who will decide whether to convene a court-martial or handle the matter administratively, which could take several weeks.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is continuing to investigate what happened to Hassoun from the time he left the military base until the time he mysteriously appeared in Lebanon. That case would determine if any classified information was divulged.

That inquiry may take some time because of the demands on the intelligence agencies involved.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Fund Aids Wounded Marines' Families During Road To Recovery

Hundreds of Marines returning from the war in Iraq (news - web sites) face long-term rehabilitation and recovery

The Semper Fi Fund is helping wounded Marines and their families during their recovery. Five months into his second deployment, Cpl. Alex Sargent, like so many 3rd battalion 1st Marines from Camp Pendleton, wound up in the Battle for Fallujah.


His mission was to conduct house-to-house searches for insurgents and weapons. During a second sweep to see if they had missed anything, Sargent found out they had.


"I went in with a few other guys to clear this one house ... we went in and there was a guy waiting for us and he saw us before we saw him," Sargent told 10News.


The two Marines with Sargent were killed. Sargent was hit in the arm and leg with AK-47 bullets


When Maura Sargent, Alex Sargent's bride back in Maine, heard the news that her husband was injured, she practically jumped on a plane to the West Coast.


"From the moment I heard, I had to drop everything. I packed in five minutes and essentially my life stopped on the East Coast," Maura Sargent said.


The Sargents had to pay for plane tickets, hotels and other transportation. Plus, Alex Sargent would have an extended stay in the hospital. Luckily, the Semper Fi Fund helped the Sargents.


"Whether it's for the mother, father, sister or brother, (the goal) is to keep the family at the bedside," said Karen Gunther, one of the founders of the Semper Fi Fund.


Gunther was a nurse at the medical center at Camp Pendleton with a husband who is a Marine. She felt she could be in the same position as many of the Marines she was seeing, so an idea was born.


"Strangers are sending in large donations -- small to large -- it takes all of that to keep it going but every day we're surprised," Gunther said.


The Sargents applied for help from the Semper Fi Fund and got it.


"It's like, 'Mom, I'm kind of in a bind. I need some money.' (And she says,) 'Here's a check,'" Alex Sargent said about the fund.


In addition to helping families, Gunther is trying to establish a Semper Fi Christmas Fund to give any sailor or Marine in the hospital at Christmas time a gift of $500.


For more information or to donate online, visit the Semper Fi Fund Web site.

Ellie