Dad receives son's military honor

[thedrifter]

Dad receives son's military honor


News Journal staff report

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MIFFLIN -- John W. Jeffries has been given the Navy and Marine Corps Medal on behalf of his son, Marine Lance Cpl. John W. Jeffries II, who drowned while attempting to save the lives of two fellow Marines off the coast of Okinawa on March 6, 2004.

The award citation, dated Jan. 27, was signed for the president by Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael W. Hagee.

It was presented to Jeffries at his home on Township Road 1097 near Mifflin in Ashland County recently by representatives from the Marine Corps.

Lance Cpl. John "Bud'' Jeffries II, a 2002 graduate of Madison Comprehensive High School, died nearly one year ago when he tried to save two fellow Marines who were trapped in an undercurrent while snorkeling in the East China Sea.

While the other men made it to safety, Jeffries, 20, was "overcome by the force of the currents and was pulled further out to sea, subsequently succumbing to the treacherous water conditions,'' according to the award citation.

"By his courageous and prompt actions in the fact of great personal risk, Lance Cpl. Jeffries reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps,'' it said.

Jeffries was a vehicle operator, Truck Company, Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific.

Hundreds attended Jeffries' funeral in Ontario on March 17. He was buried in Mansfield Cemetery.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Mullen Nominated for CNO
Navy News Service
March 02, 2005

WASHINGTON - Senior Navy leaders were quick to praise President Bush's nomination of Adm. Michael G. Mullen as the 28th Chief of Naval Operations.

Mullen's nomination was announced March 2 by the Department of Defense.

"Adm. Mike Mullen is a highly professional and effective leader who has served the Navy and our nation well throughout his naval career," said Secretary of the Navy Gordon England. "We worked together when he was Vice Chief of Naval Operations, and I look forward to working with him again in making our Navy strong and ready to meet future challenges."

Adm. Vern Clark, Chief of Naval Operations, echoed those comments, saying, "Adm. Mullen is a bold and visionary leader who has served his nation brilliantly for over three decades. Our Navy is truly fortunate to have him assume the watch."

"I am honored to be nominated to relieve Adm. Clark, an extraordinary man who has had a tremendous impact on our Navy and our nation these past five years," said Mullen. "I look forward to working closely with the Senate during the confirmation process."





Mullen was born in Los Angeles and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in Naval Science.

Early tours of duty at sea included the destroyers USS Collett (DD 730) and USS Blandy, (DD 943) and the guided-missile cruisers USS Fox (CG 33) and USS Sterett (CG 31).

He has commanded three ships, the gasoline tanker USS Noxubee (AOG 56), the guided-missile destroyer USS Goldsborough (DDG 20) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Yorktown (CG 48). He also commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2 and the USS George Washington (CVN 73) Battle Group.

Mullen's last command at sea was as Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet/Commander, Striking Fleet Atlantic. While there, he championed increased interoperability between U.S. and NATO naval forces, and spearheaded innovative approaches to the way U.S. carrier strike groups and expeditionary strike groups prepare for overseas deployment.

He has continued that focus on readiness and international cooperation in his current assignment. As commander of NATO's Joint Force Command Naples and Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe (CNE), he is leading efforts to further strengthen and expand multinational maritime partnerships.

"We do very little anymore as a solitary service at sea," Mullen wrote in his recently released CNE Guidance for 2005. "If the war on terror has taught us nothing else, it is that the future of national and international security lies in mutual cooperation, jointness and interoperability. Nobody goes it alone."

Mullen has also made it a priority to accelerate the transformation of naval forces in Europe, calling it "vital to keeping the terrorists on the run."

"The only constant in the Navy's future is change," he recently told Sailors at Naval Air Station Sigonella. "Change is hard. I know that. But we are up against a new and elusive enemy. The only way we can win is to transform, to change the way we think about war, as well as the way we fight it. Second place is not an option."

Mullen's major shore assignments include duty on the staffs of the Secretary of Defense and the Chief of Naval Operations. He has served as director of Surface Warfare (1998-2000); Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Requirements and Assessments (N8) from 2001 to 2003; and he was the Navy's 32nd Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) from 2003 to 2004.

Mullen holds a Master of Science degree in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School and is a 1991 graduate of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

U.S. Deaths In Iraq Rise To 1,500
Associated Press
March 3, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq rose to 1,500 after the military announced Thursday that a soldier was killed in action just south of the capital, an Associated Press count showed.

The latest fatality occurred Wednesday in Babil province, part of an area known as the "Triangle of Death" because of the frequency of insurgent attacks on U.S.- and Iraqi-led forces there.

In eastern Baghdad, two suicide car bombs exploded outside the Interior Ministry, killing at least two policemen and wounding five others, police Maj. Jabar Hassan said. Officials at nearby al-Kindi hospital said 15 people were injured in the blasts.

Hassan said the car bombers had been trailing a police convoy that was trying to enter the ministry. Iraqi security forces opened fire on the vehicles and disabled them before they could arrive at a main checkpoint outside the building, said Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman, an Interior Ministry spokesman.

"Casualties were very small because they didn't get to the checkpoint," Abdul-Rahman said.




Meanwhile, talks aimed at forging a new coalition government faltered Wednesday over Kurdish demands for more land and concerns that the dominant Shiite alliance seeks to establish an Islamic state, delaying the planned first meeting of Iraq's new parliament.

The snag in negotiations between Shiite and Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq came as clashes and two other car bombings in Baghdad on Wednesday killed at least 14 Iraqi soldiers and police officers - the latest in a relentless wave of violence since elections Jan. 30.

The group led by Iraq's most wanted terrorist, Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, purportedly claimed responsibility in an Internet posting for Wednesday's clashes and at least one of the bombings. It also claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing Monday that killed 125 people in Hillah, a town south of the capital.

National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie vowed the attacks would not derail the political process. "The Iraqi government will go after and hunt down each and every one of these terrorists whether in Iraq or elsewhere," he said.

The U.S. soldier killed Wednesday was assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and died "while conducting security and stability operations," the military said without elaborating.

As is customary, the name of the soldier was withheld pending notification of family.

U.S. troops are killed nearly every day in Iraq.

The latest death brought to at least 1,500 the number of members of the U.S. military who have died since the U.S.-led war in Iraq began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,140 died as a result of hostile action, according to the Defense Department. The figures include four military civilians.

Since May 1, 2003, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 1,362 U.S. military members have died, according to AP's count. That includes at least 1,030 deaths resulting from hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

The tally was compiled by the AP based on Pentagon records and AP reporting.

The U.S. exit strategy is dependent on handing over responsibility for security to Iraq's fledgling army and police forces. Forming Iraq's first democratically elected coalition government is turning out to be a laborious process.

Shiite and Kurdish leaders, Iraq's new political powers, failed to reach agreement after two days of negotiations in the northern city of Irbil, with the clergy-backed candidate for prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, leaving with only half the deal he needed.

The Shiite-led United Iraqi Alliance, which has 140 seats in the 275-member National Assembly, hopes to win backing from the 75 seats held by Kurdish political parties so it can muster the required two-thirds majority to insure control of top posts in the new government.

Al-Jaafari indicated after the talks that the alliance was ready to accept a Kurdish demand that one of its leaders, Jalal Talabani, become president. However, he would not commit to other demands, including the expansion of Kurdish autonomous areas south to the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

Kurdish leaders have demanded constitutional guarantees for their northern regions, including self-rule and reversal of the "Arabization" of Kirkuk and other northern areas. Saddam Hussein relocated Iraqi Arabs to the region in a bid to secure the oil fields there.

Politicians had hoped to convene the new parliament by Sunday. But Ali Faisal, of the Shiite Political Council, said the date was now "postponed" and that a new date had not been set.

The Kurds, he added, were "the basis of the problem" in the negotiations.

"The Kurds are wary about al-Jaafari's nomination to head the government. They are concerned that a strict Islamic government might be formed," al-Faisal said. "Negotiations and dialogue are ongoing."

In another twist, alliance deputy and former Pentagon favorite Ahmad Chalabi was to meet Thursday with interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, whose party won 40 seats in the assembly. It was unclear why the meeting between the two rivals was taking place.

Both Allawi and Chalabi are secular Shiites opposed to making Iraq an Islamic state. Concerns over a possible theocracy are especially pertinent because the main task of the new assembly will be to write a constitution.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Almost 2,000 Marines turn out for bone marrow drive in Twentynine Palms

Nearly 2,000 Twentynine Palms Marines have turned out to help one of their own today. Many say they don't even know Lance Corporal Chris LeBleu. But the Marines we spoke to today say they wouldn't even have thought about missing today's bone marrow drive.

In two days, nearly 2,000 Marines and their family members have taken the needle in hopes of helping Lance Corporal Chris LeBleu.

LeBleu underwent a life-saving liver transplant last month. Now, he could die if he doesn't get a bone marrow transplant.

Many, if not most of the Marines like Nicholas Wahle, say they have never met LeBleu, but they feel the need to help anyway.

“We work together, we play together, in combat together, sleep together, shower together. It builds a bond that is sacred.”

Darrel Hammonds and his wife signed up to donate. Hammonds also says he's never met LeBleu, but for the same reason as Wahle, didn’t hesitate coming.

“He's a Marine, I'm a Marine. You do what you gotta do to help him out.”

Each vial of blood here represents one donor and one chance for life to be saved. Next the vials will be sent to be processed on the east coast. In four weeks, we'll find out if nay of them are a match with Lance Corporal Chris LeBleu.

If there are no matches, these donors and their marrow types will be registered on the Department of Defense's donor list and they could be contacted in the future, if they ever match up with anyone who needs a transplant.

Something these men and women say they'll do.

But all say they're hoping that their marrow matches LeBleu's now and they can save his life, before its too late.

Another marrow drive for LeBleu will be set up later this week at the Marine base in Camp Pendleton.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Army Mechanic May Lose Objector Status <br />
Associated Press <br />
March 3, 2005 <br />
<br />
SAVANNAH, Ga. - An Army mechanic who refused to deploy to Iraq for a second tour of duty - saying he had become opposed...

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Search For Bin Laden Faces Complications
Associated Press
March 3, 2005

WASHINGTON - Osama bin Laden remains Public Enemy No. 1 but recent developments raise questions about the ability of U.S. forces to track down the elusive terrorist and the resources dedicated to the hunt more than three years after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Fresh reminders of the unsuccessful search come as intelligence officials indicated this week that bin Laden has been in contact with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the top al-Qaida figure in Iraq, enlisting his help in planning attacks inside the United States.

Current and former government officials say there is no doubt that the Bush administration wants bin Laden "dead or alive," as the president said shortly after Sept. 11, 2001. But skills and dollars may fall short of desire.

Army Gen. John Abizaid, chief of U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week that bin Laden and the al-Qaida senior leadership have been "our priority target" since Sept. 11 but added, "It's important for all of us to know that military forces do best in attacking the network as opposed to looking for a specific person."

Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said in December 2004 "the trail has gone cold," and U.S. officials largely agree.




Bin Laden is believed to have evaded capture first during the 2001 battle of Tora Bora in Afghanistan and then by hiding along the Afghan-Pakistani border with his top deputy and a circle of supporters protecting him at all costs. Some experts believe he may also be spending time in Pakistani cities.

U.S. personnel including CIA paramilitary, contractors and some of the military's highly trained special forces have been on the hunt. In a recent report, the Congressional Research Service said 18,000 U.S. forces remain in Afghanistan, running down al-Qaida and Taliban, joined by thousands of Pakistani forces and agents.

Yet a former intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, wondered about recent decisions on U.S. resources. The official said intelligence and military assets were moved from Afghanistan to Iraq for the Jan. 30 elections there, and it's unclear whether they went back.

Asked to confirm the shift, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Venable said, "As a matter of security, we don't comment on operational matters."

The Pentagon consumes roughly 80 percent of the classified intelligence budget, estimated at $40 billion.

The No. 2 commander in Afghanistan, Maj. Gen. Eric Olson, recently said he was concerned that U.S. policy-makers will seize on an apparent drop in militant attacks to cut coalition troops to ease the pressure on forces stretched by their deployment in Iraq. Olson added that he did not anticipate any letup in the mission to find bin Laden.

Since the late 1990s, the government has debated how best to get the terror leader and what his capture is worth. In the 2001 Patriot Act, lawmakers authorized the State Department, through its Rewards for Justice Program, to pay more than $5 million.

In November, Congress authorized increasing the reward for information leading to bin Laden's killing or capture to $50 million. But Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hasn't boosted the reward.

State Department spokesman Lou Fintor said officials are constantly assessing the success of their efforts. "There are no plans at this time to raise the reward. It is at the discretion of the secretary," he said.

Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., who was behind the most recent rewards legislation, said the department is moving fast - "for the normal speed limit at the State Department" - in its consideration of the November legislation.

Kirk applauded other efforts under way, including a recent television, newspaper and radio campaign in four languages to remind Pakistanis about the reward. He was responsible for this legislation too.

Kirk advises patience. On a trip to Pakistan in January, when newspaper ads were running, he said U.S. officials were getting a dozen tips a day on al-Qaida's leadership - up from zero.

James Pavitt, head of the CIA's clandestine service until last summer, said he supports putting anything on the table to find bin Laden.

"That said, for the most part, it is hard for you and me to comprehend what that sort of money is," Pavitt said. "Imagine what it would be for the person in a position to give the tip. Would they be in the position to know the difference between $1 million, $5 million, $10 million?"

While the symbolic importance of capturing bin Laden remains high, Pavitt also stressed the importance of going after the network. "The issue is a network, and it is a network that is more diffuse than it was three-and-half years ago," he said.

Meanwhile, bin Laden continues to operate. He released a video addressed to the American people days before the November elections, appearing healthy, shaven and lit by studio lights.

Within the last several weeks, U.S. officials say bin Laden has been in contact with al-Zarqawi, who first pledged his loyalty to bin Laden in October. Al-Zarqawi is believed to run his own network in Iraq - aligned with al-Qaida and receptive to its cause but maintaining some autonomy.

Yet Vince Cannistraro, former head of the CIA's counterterrorism center, said the message may be good news: "If you've got to go to Zarqawi to ask him to do operations in the U.S., that sounds pretty desperate."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Rumsfeld Looks To Fill Key Posts
Associated Press
March 3, 2005

WASHINGTON - They might as well put up a "help wanted" sign at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has a number of important leadership posts to fill, including chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, top Navy and Air Force jobs and Rumsfeld's own policy chief.

The changes, all of which require approval by the Senate, will influence the course of the Bush administration's defense policies and the future shape of a military that is under great strain. They also will say a lot about Rumsfeld's vision for transforming the Pentagon bureaucracy.

"Secretary Rumsfeld is gradually putting his stamp on the entire Pentagon in terms of who has power and what ideas prevail," said Loren Thompson, a private analyst who closely watches the Pentagon and the military services.

At the top of the list is Rumsfeld's hunt for a successor to Gen. Richard Myers as chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Myers is due to retire in September, and Rumsfeld also must replace the vice chairman, Gen. Peter Pace, who is considered a leading candidate to move up to the top spot.

Myers, 63, and Pace, 59, have headed the Joint Chiefs since Oct. 1, 2001, at the start of the global war on terrorism. Pace would be the first Marine to serve as Joint Chiefs chairman and only the second vice chairman to be promoted to the top spot. Myers was the first.




Besides Pace, a name often mentioned inside the Pentagon as a potential Joint Chiefs chairman is Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, commander of Joint Forces Command and a former senior military aide to Rumsfeld.

A more immediate concern is getting a new civilian chief of the Air Force, which is suffering what a senior official of that service, Marvin Sambur, recently described as a leadership vacuum. James Roche quit under fire as secretary in January, and since then the second-in-command, Peter B. Teets, has been the acting secretary as well as top deputy.

Teets, who also is director of the National Reconnaissance Office, which buys and operates all U.S. space-based reconnaissance and intelligence satellites, has said he plans to quit this month.

Rumsfeld has recommended to President Bush that he nominate Navy Secretary Gordon England to replace Roche as Air Force secretary, according to two officials familiar with the plan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the White House announcement is pending.

England has followed an unusual path in the Bush administration. He started as Navy secretary in May 2001, then switched to the No. 2 spot at the Department of Homeland Security in January 2003, only to return to the Navy post nine months later after President Bush's choice for that job, New Mexico oilman Colin McMillan, died from what authorities called suicide by gunshot.

Many believe the England choice reflects Rumsfeld's desire to improve relations with Congress.

"The secretary is working hard to select capable individuals to recommend to the President who can be nominated and confirmed quickly so as to sustain momentum in this important work," said Lawrence Di Rita, Rumsfeld's top spokesman, who himself may be leaving this year.

On Wednesday afternoon the Pentagon announced that Bush had nominated Adm. Michael Mullen to replace Adm. Vern Clark as the Navy's top uniformed officer. Clark recently put in his retirement papers and said he wants to leave this summer. Mullen is head of U.S. Navy forces in Europe.

Among other top positions that are coming open in the months ahead:

- Douglas Feith, the undersecretary of defense for policy and one of the architects of the administration's strategy for toppling the Saddam Hussein regime, recently announced that he intends to leave by summer.

- Gen. John Jumper is due to finish his four-year term as Air Force chief of staff in September. Possible replacements include Gen. Michael Moseley, the deputy chief of staff who ran the air campaign at the start of the Iraq war, and Gen. Paul Hester, commander of Pacific Air Forces.

- Rumsfeld's chief liaison with Congress, Powell Moore, left his post as assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs in January and no one has been nominated to replace him. This is a key position for Rumsfeld as he and his staff press for passage of Bush's $401 billion defense budget and cope with criticism of the Pentagon's handling of the Iraq war.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Saddam's Lawyer Tries To Delay Tribunal <br />
Associated Press <br />
March 3, 2005 <br />
<br />
TOKYO - Saddam Hussein's chief lawyer said Thursday that the murder this week of a judge appointed to a tribunal to try...

[thedrifter]

March 07, 2005

A half-hour to a harder body



For a no-fuss, no-frills workout that is short on time and big on results, combine 15 to 20 minutes of cardio with 10 to 15 minutes of strength and resistance training three to four times per week, says personal trainer Sean Kenny (www.anythingfitness.com).
Kenny is certified by the American Council on Exercise and is a master member of the IDEA Fitness Professionals Association and National Strength and Conditioning Association. He consults with health clubs, corporations and individuals across the country.

“Even on the tightest of schedules, you can work out,” he says. “The important thing is to do something and do it consistently.”

For people wanting to lose or control weight, the top form of exercise is cardiovascular, he says.

“If you truly have limited time, and you ask, ‘Do I do the weights, do I do the strength, or do I do the cardio?’ Do the cardio. That is the most important form of exercise.”

Ideally, you should aim for 20 minutes of sustained movement in your cardio, he says.

“If you only have 30 minutes for your entire workout, you want to spend 20 minutes doing cardio,” he says. “The more muscle you use, the more calories you burn. Weight management is the No. 1 reason people do cardio.”

A sustained effort means elevating and sustaining your maximum heart rate in beats per minute. To get that number, subtract your age from 220.

“You don’t want to go over that,” Kenny says. “That would be too exciting.”

Keep your heart rate between 65 percent and 85 percent of the maximum heart rate number, “regardless of what you are doing — swimming, biking, running, etc.,” Kenny says.

For the other 10 to 15 minutes of your workout, do muscle-building exercises. Body-weight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, bends and thrusts, dips, squats and lunges help build and tone muscle and require minimal equipment. Kenny recommends the full-body exercises shown below to round out your program and firm up your soon-to-be beach body.

— Jessica Lawson

Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 07, 2005

Get back in shape!
Get off the sofa and get your summer body

By Jessica Lawson
Special to the Times


It’s time to be all you used to be. Are you ready? Let’s get to it.
First, your complete fitness program must include aerobic exercise, muscular strength and endurance conditioning and stretching, according to the American Council on Exercise.

Aerobic exercise is great for your cardiovascular system and an important part of weight management. Muscular conditioning improves strength and posture, reduces risk of lower back injuries and contributes to weight management. Flexibility exercises maintain joint range and reduce the risk of injuries and muscle soreness.

A program that combines these three elements will get you back in shape.

No quick fixes

However, it won’t happen overnight, or without real commitment and effort. If you can devote 30 minutes to aerobic exercise three to four days a week, and 20 to 30 minutes of strength and endurance conditioning at least two to three times a week, you’ll be amazed at the results. In just a few weeks, you’ll drop weight, build muscle and improve your endurance. And who knows, you might max your next fitness test.

Dr. Cedric Bryant is the chief exercise physiologist at the American Council on Exercise. He’s also a former strength and development coordinator for the Corps of Cadets at West Point and helped develop the Army’s Master Fitness Program in the mid-1980s.

He encourages those re-committing themselves to a fitness program to be motivated but realistic.

“Don’t look for quick fixes,” Bryant says. “Go low and go slow. It’s important for people to realize that they didn’t lose that level of fitness and gain that weight overnight. A person who has been really inactive and has lost a significant level of conditioning may have to start with 10 or 15 minutes of activity and gradually build up to 30 minutes.

“The key is for people to find activities they find enjoyable, because they are going to be more likely to stick with those types of activities,” he says.

Bryant also says to find a gym buddy, if possible.

“Try to get support of other individuals to help encourage you to maintain your exercise habit, whether it’s an exercise partner or a fellow soldier or family member who wants to commit to getting more fit,” he says. “You can increase your odds of sticking with the program more consistently.”

The best method for cardio is to do a whole-body activity that can be performed in a rhythmic fashion over an extended time, Bryant says. Example: jogging.

“You can do bench stepping. You could jump rope,” he says. “The key is to move in a rhythmic, continuous fashion.”

You should try to “accumulate” a minimum of 30 minutes of that activity each day, Bryant says.

“Research has consistently shown that it doesn’t have to be in one session,” he says. Three or four days of aerobic activity is fine for general health maintenance, Bryant says. But if you’re trying to lose weight, aim for four or more days a week.

“If your concerns are just general fitness and well-being, it’s 30 minutes a day. If your goal is weight loss, you should try to strive for 60 minutes of activity,” he says. “Try to shoot for four to five days per week.”

Don’t underestimate the value of flexibility training, either, Bryant says.

“Flexibility is important, especially for military people,” he says. “They are going to often be required to get in all types of body positions ... and flexibility training is how we improve our joint range of motion.”

One method is to incorporate flex training during the cool-down of your aerobic sessions, making your workouts more efficient. Bryant recommends basic flexibility exercises.

“You want to stretch the hamstrings and lower back just because of the high incidence of shortness and tightness in those areas,” he says. “A basic sit-and-reach stretch is an effective way of improving joint range and motion in those areas. Hold it for 30 seconds, and do four to six repetitions of those 30-second holds. You should find with each successive hold, you can increase the level of stretch.”

One at a time

Richard Cotton is the chief exercise physiologist at www.myexerciseplan.com. He agrees with the cardio, strength training and flexibility troika but says people who are getting back into shape might want to focus on one area at a time or reduced combination of the three.

“You don’t have to start out with all three right at the beginning,” Cotton says. “That can be overwhelming. Start simple, and keep it as simple as you can.

“There are phenomenal benefits to 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic, 10 to 15 strength and five to 10 stretching,” he says. “That’s an example of a minimal habit that can be really beneficial. For weight loss, it’s ideal to get up to more.”

Having commitment to your newfound fitness is key, Cotton says.

“It’s important to give it the attention you give other things in your life,” he says. “Get it on a calendar. Schedule your exercise. Decide the days you are going to exercise, and give yourself the same respect in keeping those exercise appointments that you give everyone else in keeping appointments.”

Strength conditioning must include a full-body workout, Cotton says. It can involve calisthenics (body-weight exercises), free weights or machines. Just be sure that the strength training includes exercises for every major muscle group, including the arms, chest, back, stomach, hips and legs.

Ideally, you should learn three or four exercises for each muscle group, he says. Not only will it promote progressive growth, but it also will keep you from getting bored with your program.

“Variety is the spice of exercise,” he says.

Cotton advocates calisthenics, because they can be done any time, anywhere.

“Push-ups, crunches, dips, pull-ups, squats, lunges, back extensions ... all those are body-weight exercises,” he says.

Stuck in the field? Don’t worry that there are no barbells or weight machines.

“Pick up a rock and do your curls ... find a branch to do your pull-ups,” he says. “You don’t have to worry about [the] weight of the rock, just do it until you can’t anymore.”

For best results, Cotton says strength training must be done at least once a week and, ideally, twice a week to build muscle. For someone in better shape, he says, two to three times a week is fine for muscle maintenance.

If you do use weights, here’s a good guideline: The American Council on Exercise advises starting with a comfortable weight at which you can complete eight reps. Gradually add more until you can do 12. For greater conditioning, add more weight and/or more reps in sets of eight to 12, when the exercise becomes easy.

Certified personal trainer Sean Kenny has been training clients for more than 10 years. Founder of Anythingfitness.com, Kenny says that whether you hit the weights or hit the dirt, it doesn’t matter — just get your muscles pumping.

“Anything that applies resistance to a muscle will work,” he says. “It can be cans of food, water jugs. Two cups of water equals one pound. The muscle doesn’t know if it’s a free weight or a can of pork and beans.”

Jessica Lawson is a freelance journalist living in Virginia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in history. She owns a ThighMaster and is a devotee of the Jane Fonda Workout. She may be reached at jlawson@atpco.com.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

March 07, 2005 <br />
<br />
60 pounds the hard way <br />
Sailor gets in shape by finding a strategy he can stick with <br />
<br />
By Deborah Funk <br />
Times staff writer <br />
<br />
<br />
Weighing in at 250 pounds, with a waist measuring...

[thedrifter]

Military changes basic training
By Gannett News Service

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WASHINGTON — Prompted by increasingly sophisticated insurgent attacks, the military is revamping its training programs to create some of the most realistic combat exercises ever for troops headed to battle.
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At training bases across the USA, the Army and Marine Corps are teaching new troops the types of skills they might have gotten in the past only from combat or advanced training courses:
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• The Army has begun using “live fire” drills at Fort Jackson, S.C., its largest basic training post, to teach recruits how to survive ambushes on convoys and to counterattack guerrilla fighters. In the new exercises, recruits ride in open-air, 5-ton trucks and fire live ammunition at pneumatic pop-up targets. In most basic training before now, troops shot only at stationary targets on a firing range. The Army will expand the drills to all five of its basic training bases by spring.
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• The Army has transformed Fort Polk, La., into a scale model of Iraq, converting 18 training sites there into replicas of Middle Eastern towns and villages. It has contracted with hundreds of Iraqi-Americans to portray insurgents, police and religious leaders in combat exercises. The role players are a mix of Arabic-speaking Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds from Houston, Detroit and Washington.

The Marine Corps offers detailed instructions to all Marines heading to Iraq on how to recognize and thwart remotely detonated bombs, known as improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. They are trained on the use of electronic jammers to block insurgents’ ability to explode the bombs with cell phones or garage-door openers.
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• The Army has begun teaching recruits in basic training how to fire an M-16 rifle while wearing full body armor and how to shoot at moving targets from standing and kneeling positions.
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The Army last year began training recruits for the dangers of traveling in convoys and fighting in cities. The new tactics, developed by studying the practices of Iraqi insurgents, have been prompted by the limited time many new troops spend in the Army and Marines before seeing combat.
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Col. Kevin Shwedo, who monitors basic training trends from Fort Monroe, Va., said the Army is moving to fill gaps discovered from combat reports. “A lot of it has to do with what is going on in the theater (area of military operations) that is potentially neglected,” he said. “We asked ourselves, ’Are we thoroughly preparing for that environment?’ In many cases, the answer was no.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Reserve Marines trade in books for combat boots
Submitted by: II Marine Expeditionary Force
Story Identification #: 2005225132153
Story by Capt. Julianne H. Sohn



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Feb. 15, 2005) -- Most college students just read about Operation Iraqi Freedom in the news or study about it in class, but then there are some who take part in it as United States Marines.

Lt. Col. Donald Jim, a graduate student at Arizona State University and a detachment commander in the 5th Civil Affairs Group, is one of these students who found himself in class one moment and deploying to Iraq the next.

The 45-year-old Phoenix native is one of many reserve Marines activated to deploy for OIF 04-06. He will serve with a newly formed Marine Corps civil affairs unit, which will work with Iraqi community leaders to help rebuild infrastructure in Iraq.

“I got a phone call in about December of 2004 from the commanding officer with the Environmental Services Division based out of Marine Forces Reserve,” said Jim, who is pursuing a Masters degree in emergency management.

At the time he was activated, Jim was the commanding officer for Detachment B, Environmental Services Division, based in Phoenix.

“Two years ago I heard about this program from a friend of mine from the Phoenix Police Department,” said Jim, who is Navajo. “It was an online cohort program, but because of deployments I had to put it on hold twice.”

Prior to being activated for OIF, Jim was activated for Joint Task Force Alaskan Road last year and the year before. This pushed back his estimated date of graduation to 2007. Despite the delay, the faculty at his school was supportive.

“I went to see my professor, who is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel,” Jim said. “He was supportive and told me that when I get back that I would pick up where I left off. No penalties.”

Not only was his school supportive, but his family and friends were as well. The Marine, who is married and has two children, has a rich military history.

“I’m a third-generation Marine,” Jim said. “My father is a retired master gunnery sergeant and my great uncle was also in the Marine Corps. He was a member of the Towering House Clan. He was a code talker.”

Jim is also not the only Arizona Marine who left school to join the 5th Civil Affairs Group. Two Marines from Detachment B, ESD, are also going to Iraq.

Sgt. Josh Macey, 28, from Flagstaff, and Staff Sgt. David J. Altmanshofer, 33, from Arondale, are also deploying. Both will be putting their environmental specialist skills to work with the civil affairs unit.

Macey, a junior at Northern Arizona University, found out a week after Thanksgiving right around finals, but didn’t tell his friends or school immediately.

“I kind of kept it a secret,” said Macey. “The school I go to is very liberal, but there were some antiwar protests.”

The environmental science major finally told a friend and soon most people knew that he was leaving.

“One of my professors came up to me and wished me good luck,” Macey said. “Some people were even giving me cards. It was something I didn’t expect.”

But the hardest person for Macey to tell was his wife, Kristen, 28, who is a veterinarian. When she came home from work, the Marine asked her to sit down and broke the news.

“Before we got married, she knew I was a Marine,” he said. “I asked her, ‘you have to be okay with that’ and she was. She understands and anyone who is married to a Marine understands what we do and what the possibilities are.”

At first Kristen cried, but later she was more surprised that it took so long for Macey to get activated considering she was expecting him to get called up after Sept. 11.

Altmanshofer, a senior in business management at the University of Phoenix, also was concerned about telling his fiancée and mother.

“They totally supported me,” Altmanshofer said. “They were kind of surprised at the short notice and they had the attitude that they would take it as it comes.”

The Arondale native only has two classes left to complete his degree and then he is considering going onto a MBA. He was also working with Honeywell in the aviation industry. Both his school and work were very supportive although he did have to allay one of his classmate’s fears.

“I told her, ‘there is nothing to worry about,’” Altmanshofer said. “’Sure it will be dangerous, it’s a matter of just taking care of yourself and working through your training and everything will be fine. And I will see everyone when I get back.’”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Sniper gets Bronze Star for risks he took in Iraq
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By Mac Daniel
Boston Globe Staff
March 3, 2005

A couple of rusting steel plates and a thin layer of sandbags his only protection, Staff Sergeant Steve Reichert lay down 60 feet atop an oil tank as his patrol rolled below into Lutafiyah, Iraq.

Three days earlier in the same spot, tracer bullets fired by insurgents began whizzing around him. ''They knew we were up there," said Reichert, a 25-year-old scout sniper from Medfield who honed his skills target shooting at the Medfield Sportsman's Club starting at age 13. ''But it was a good spot to cover patrols and see what's going on in the town."

With his .50-caliber rifle pressed close to his shoulder, Reichert was his patrol's eyes as about 20 fellow Marines entered a maze of unknowns. It was last April, and the town south of Baghdad was in the midst of Arba'een, a Shi'a religious holiday. In military terms, he was in a guardian-angel position.

By the end of the day, Reichert became a hero, hitting an insurgent machine gunner from more than a mile away with a gun meant to disable tanks, not humans. His feat turned the tide in the ensuing firefight that last month won him one of the Marine Corps' highest honors, the Bronze Star with a combat V for valorous action, one of 336 awarded by the Corps for service in Iraq.

As the patrol moved toward the town, Reichert said, he saw the usual debris littering the road. But a strange reflection around a dead animal in front of the patrol's path drew the eyes of Reichert's spotter, Corporal Winston Tucker.

Improvised explosive devices, the roadside bombs that are killing many American troops, are often disguised. So Reichert radioed his patrol leader, who radioed back shortly later, confirming two thin wires leading from the dead dog.

''They'll put them in anything that looks normal," Reichert said in a phone interview from Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Thirty minutes later, a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at the patrol followed by shots from a machine gun and small arms. Scanning a puzzle of rooftops, Tucker finally saw a man firing an AK-47 at the Marines.

With little time to calculate an accurate wind speed, Reichert took his best guess, aimed, and fired, hitting his target on his second shot from what was later found to be 1,614 meters away, more than a mile. Marine officials later said Reichert's accuracy was a deciding factor in the outcome of the firefight.

Still, it wasn't over.

Reichert's spotter saw three men climbing some stairs before ducking behind a brick wall. Reichert quickly calculated the range and fired through the brick. All three dropped.

Three more men, one with a weapon slung on his back, were seen climbing on top of a building near two Marines who had become separated from their patrol. Reichert fired, the enemy turned back, and the Marines rejoined their squad.

Back where it all began, specialists in explosives and other Marines near the dog carcass began to take heavy fire from all directions. But when Reichert began giving them cover fire, the Marines mistakenly began shooting at Reichert.

Reichert tried to call off the Marines, but he couldn't get anybody on the radio.

The friendly fire finally stopped, but the firefight lasted most of the afternoon, making it impossible for anyone from the patrol to pick up Reichert and his spotter, who were left isolated atop the oil tank until after dark.

''He risked his life for his fellow Marines," reads his commendation.

Reichert, for his part, called his shot dumb luck. His sniper's rifle is intended to blast holes in armored vehicles and aircraft turbines. ''When you're going up against smaller targets," he said, ''that's when luck comes into play."

Luck was nowhere near Reichert two months later. In a Humvee patrolling an area south of Fallujah, a roadside explosive was detonated, sending shrapnel into Reichert's head. He was the only Marine on board who was seriously injured. When he talks about it today, he nonchalantly says: ''I got blown up."

Reichert, who joined the Marines at age 19, plans to medically retire from the Marines when his tour is up next year. He still suffers 70 percent deafness in his right ear and 30 percent in his left. He has constant headaches.

He is looking for jobs in Europe with his Russian-born wife, Ira. He said he'll probably be working for another government agency, declining to say more.

''I'll still be shooting for as long as I can see," he said, ''but as far as sniping goes, I've had enough. After I was almost killed, this whole thing changed. I didn't feel too good about what was going on with me, so I've had enough basically. Besides, it's the right time for a career change."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Rumsfeld looking to fill numerous key posts
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By Robert Burns
ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 2, 2005

WASHINGTON - They might as well put up a "help wanted" sign at the Pentagon.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has a number of important leadership posts to fill, including chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, top Navy and Air Force jobs and Rumsfeld's own policy chief.

The changes, all of which require approval by the Senate, will influence the course of the Bush administration's defense policies and the future shape of a military that is under great strain. They also will say a lot about Rumsfeld's vision for transforming the Pentagon bureaucracy.

"Secretary Rumsfeld is gradually putting his stamp on the entire Pentagon in terms of who has power and what ideas prevail," said Loren Thompson, a private analyst who closely watches the Pentagon and the military services.

At the top of the list is Rumsfeld's hunt for a successor to Gen. Richard Myers as chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Myers is due to retire in September, and Rumsfeld also must replace the vice chairman, Gen. Peter Pace, who is considered a leading candidate to move up to the top spot.

Myers, 63, and Pace, 59, have headed the Joint Chiefs since Oct. 1, 2001, at the start of the global war on terrorism. Pace would be the first Marine to serve as Joint Chiefs chairman and only the second vice chairman to be promoted to the top spot. Myers was the first.

Besides Pace, a name often mentioned inside the Pentagon as a potential Joint Chiefs chairman is Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, commander of Joint Forces Command and a former senior military aide to Rumsfeld.

A more immediate concern is getting a new civilian chief of the Air Force, which is suffering what a senior official of that service, Marvin Sambur, recently described as a leadership vacuum. James Roche quit under fire as secretary in January, and since then the second-in-command, Peter B. Teets, has been the acting secretary as well as top deputy.

Teets, who also is director of the National Reconnaissance Office, which buys and operates all U.S. space-based reconnaissance and intelligence satellites, has said he plans to quit this month.

Rumsfeld has recommended to President Bush that he nominate Navy Secretary Gordon England to replace Roche as Air Force secretary, according to two officials familiar with the plan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the White House announcement is pending.

England has followed an unusual path in the Bush administration. He started as Navy secretary in May 2001, then switched to the No. 2 spot at the Department of Homeland Security in January 2003, only to return to the Navy post nine months later after President Bush's choice for that job, New Mexico oilman Colin McMillan, died from what authorities called suicide by gunshot.

Many believe the England choice reflects Rumsfeld's desire to improve relations with Congress.

"The secretary is working hard to select capable individuals to recommend to the President who can be nominated and confirmed quickly so as to sustain momentum in this important work," said Lawrence Di Rita, Rumsfeld's top spokesman, who himself may be leaving this year.

On Wednesday afternoon the Pentagon announced that Bush had nominated Adm. Michael Mullen to replace Adm. Vern Clark as the Navy's top uniformed officer. Clark recently put in his retirement papers and said he wants to leave this summer. Mullen is head of U.S. Navy forces in Europe.

Among other top positions that are coming open in the months ahead:

-Douglas Feith, the undersecretary of defense for policy and one of the architects of the administration's strategy for toppling the Saddam Hussein regime, recently announced that he intends to leave by summer.

-Gen. John Jumper is due to finish his four-year term as Air Force chief of staff in September. Possible replacements include Gen. Michael Moseley, the deputy chief of staff who ran the air campaign at the start of the Iraq war, and Gen. Paul Hester, commander of Pacific Air Forces.

-Rumsfeld's chief liaison with Congress, Powell Moore, left his post as assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs in January and no one has been nominated to replace him. This is a key position for Rumsfeld as he and his staff press for passage of Bush's $401 billion defense budget and cope with criticism of the Pentagon's handling of the Iraq war.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Exhibit displays boots of the fallen
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By Elizabeth Fitzsimons
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
March 3, 2005

It's one thing to read about members of the U.S. military who have died in Iraq. It's quite another to see a pair of combat boots laid out for each one.

More than 1,400 pairs will be displayed next week in San Diego and Escondido as part of the nationally touring exhibit "Eyes Wide Open." The boots are tagged with a person's name, rank and home state.

The memorial includes a wall of names belonging to 11,000 Iraqi civilians who have been killed by violence since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003. These people are represented by everyday men's and women's shoes.

The American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization based in Philadelphia, established the exhibit. It can been seen Wednesday at the County Administration Building in San Diego and March 10 at Grape Day Park in Escondido.

"The intent . . . is to really bring to light the cost of war, that each set of boots represents a human being who was part of a community," said Pedro Rios, a San Diego committee organizer.

"Eyes Wide Open" began in January 2004 and has traveled to 45 cities. In each, family and friends of military personnel bring personal artifacts and small flags to customize the exhibit.

Most of the boots have been rented from military surplus stores, Rios said. A small number were contributed by families of the fallen men and women, such as the boots of Marine Lance Cpl. Jesus Suarez del Solar.

Suarez, 20, was killed by a cluster bomb outside Baghdad in March 2003. After Suarez died, his father, Fernando Suarez del Solar of Escondido, became an anti-war activist.

Suarez has traveled with the exhibit to seven cities and has said his hope is that "more and more people in San Diego understand the human cost of this war."


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines seize weapons cache in Fallujah



Fallujah, Iraq, Mar. 2 (UPI) -- A large cache of weapons including rockets and artillery shells was seized Wednesday by Marines near the Iraqi city of Fallujah.

First Marine Expeditionary Force officials said an Iraqi civilian led them to the hidden arms, which included six AK-47 rifles, a large number of mortar rounds, various rockets and 15 South African-made 155 mm artillery shells.

An artillery shell was used to construct an improvised-explosive device that was uncovered in a separate incident by Marines who were cleaning out a school in Fallujah. The Marines said the shell was encased in cement.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Bulldozers going into battle
March 03,2005
ERIC STEINKOPFF
DAILY NEWS STAFF

Treacherous city fighting in Iraq calls for new measures, military officials say, and Marine reservists at Camp Lejeune are learning all about it.

And what they're using are bulldozers or vehicles known as M9 armored combat excavators. Drivers are practicing with the ACE - not only on traditional missions to build or breach tank berms and traps, but also in some relatively new tactics of urban warfare.

"It's basically an armored bulldozer," said Capt. John Knapp, an aerospace engineer at the Naval Air Depot in Havelock, who commands Bravo Company after being called to active duty in January. "It's armored, so there is protection for the operator. Everyone knows bulldozers are slow, but the ACE can do a fairly good job of keeping up in a convoy."

These and other models of bulldozers have typically been used to forge trails for armor, trucks and Humvees to follow, but in the battle of Fallujah last fall, their mission was to take down buildings.

"You can take down enemy positions or destroy a building without damaging the entire neighborhood," said Gunnery Sgt. Patrick Holt, who was brought to Lejeune to train the reserves.

"If you use explosives, you might damage other structures or other people," added Gunnery Sgt. Steve Brubaker, another trainer. "The idea is to save the civilian population as best you can."

Knapp is one of about 140 reserve Marines in the three engineer platoons and one headquarters platoon of Bravo Company, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion who will be working alongside the active duty 2nd Marine Division in Iraq this month.

Two of the engineer platoons are training in California. The headquarters platoon and one engineer platoon are training at Camp Lejeune. The headquarters platoon includes heavy equipment operators, vehicle drivers, mechanics, electricians, communicators and operations specialists.

Holt, 35, from Flaherty, Ky., and Brubaker, 45, from Derby, Kan., are both heavy equipment instructors. It costs less to send them to Lejeune than to process the entire 4th Combat Engineer Battalion's drivers through the school at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

Brubaker said the ACE weighs about 36,000 pounds, so it can be flown in on a cargo plane. Once on the ground, the driver opens an apron in the front and scoops up thousands of pounds of dirt as ballast in a bowl in the front. This protects the driver from land mines and gives the vehicle enough weight - a total of about 54,000 pounds - to move large objects.

The roar of diesel turbines and exhaust filled the air as they fired up several ACEs in a football-field sized patch of dirt they call "the pit" on Camp Lejeune.

Helmeted drivers could barely be seen in their cockpit-like compartments where each driver wears two sets of hearing protection, one over the other.

The ACE can travel 35 mph.

Lance Cpl. Jeremy Smith, 21, of Lancaster, Ohio, and his fellow students were impressed with what the ACE can do. In the classroom they were told it was responsible for more confirmed kills in Iraq than any other piece of equipment.

"If you have a building with insurgents on the roof and you can't get in, they'll have a (bulldozer) drive right through the building and it'll come right down," said Smith, who laid underground wire in residential subdivisions before he was called to active duty.

"It's also good for destroying obstacles - cement and brick walls are like cardboard," Smith said. "The only thing that will stop it is if the exhaust gets plugged."

The tactic is particularly effective when used against insurgents firing from Iraqi constructed buildings, said Cpl. Grayson Chreitien, 22, of Barboursville, Va., a college student who was working in construction when he was called to duty.

"If you take out a corner of a mud hut, the whole building comes down," Chreitien said.

Contact staff writer Eric Steinkopff at esteinkopff@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, Ext. 236.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines arrive in Norway for Exercise Battle Griffin
Submitted by: Marine Forces Europe
Story Identification #: 200531174935
Story by Master Sgt. Phil Mehringer



HAIA, Norway (March 1, 2005) -- The depth of the snow near the field training area during Exercise Battle Griffin stands nearly 2 meters. The temperature is a crisp, steady, 12 degrees Fahrenheit - brrrrr!

Although the sun is lengthening its daily routine in and around central Norway, dangerous conditions are extreme. Teams have been out testing the snow and electronic transmitters have been issued to all land force participants in case of an avalanche.

In these conditions, just getting to the training ranges is a success.

The Marines of Marine Air Ground Task Force 25 assembled near the city of Trondheim in preparation for the 180-kilometer road march to the field-training site near the town of Bodo. The 1,200 Marines arrived in Norway, departing from 31 cities and 20 states to support the exercise. They married up with equipment stored in caves in the region, spent a few days adjusting to the climate, and started the drive north.

The Command Element for MAGTF 25 is Headquarters Company, 25th Marine Regiment, led by Col. Joseph L. Osterman, based out of Worcester, Mass. The bulk of the Ground Combat Element is 2d Bn, 25th Marine Regiment with Marines from Company D, 4th LAR in support.

The Aviation Combat Element consists of six F/A-18s from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 112 and two KC-130s from Marine Aerial Refueling Squadron (VMGR) 234. Supporting units belong to Marine Air Control Squadron 23 and Marine Air Support Squadron 6. Combat service support is provided by Marines from 4th Force Service Support Group.

"We must take every opportunity to capitalize on the multinational dimension of the exercise to improve interoperability, while ensuring that safety is paramount," said Osterman. "No training objective is worth unnecessary risk and the loss of personnel and equipment."

For the next several weeks, the area of Bodo, Norway, will play host to nearly 10,000 military members from 15 nations, participating in an exercise testing a multinational task force's ability to respond to humanitarian crises in a cold weather environment. There will be several more thousands of military persons at sea, conducting simulated embargo control and mine operations.

The scenario developed for the exercise is similar to what NATO forces experienced during the Kosovo campaign. Ethic tensions boil to a point and the UN delivers a Security Council resolution to send NATO troops to establish security and stabilize the area.

"My intent is to maximize our training opportunity in a joint and combined environment, focusing on MAGTF doctrine and the full spectrum of warfare", added Osterman.

Battle Griffin is a Norwegian invitational exercise conducted yearly, rotating from different regions of the country. The exercise is scheduled to conclude March 9, when the Marines will retrograde to their stateside-based units.

For additional information about the Marines participating in Battle Griffin 2005, click the following link: http://www.battlegiffin.no

Ellie

[thedrifter]

No. 217-05
Mar 01, 2005
IMMEDIATE RELEASE




National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of March 2, 2005



This week, the Navy announced an increase, while the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard had a decrease in the number of reservists on active duty in support of the partial mobilization. The net collective result is 1,115 fewer reservists mobilized than last week.

At any given time, services may mobilize some units and individuals while demobilizing others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. Total number currently on active duty in support of the partial mobilization for the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 155,112; Naval Reserve, 4,071; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 10,461; Marine Corps Reserve, 12,999; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 723. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel, who have been mobilized, to 183,366 including both units and individual augmentees.

A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel, who are currently mobilized, can be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2005/d20050302ngr.pdf.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

DoD Works to Improve Care, Transition for Wounded Troops


By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2005 – The military’s goal is to provide world-class care from injury on the battlefield through its stateside medical facilities, a top Army medical official said here today.

Maj. Gen. Joseph Webb Jr., the Army’s deputy surgeon general and chief of staff of its medical command, testified with six other military officials before the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on military personnel.

“It’s certainly the goal of the Army Medical Department to provide world-class care from the point of injury on the battlefield all the way back to return to duty,” he said. “That’s always been our goal, always will be and we want to take every step of that way treating our servicemen with dignity and compassion.”

Four servicemembers injured in the global war on terrorism also testified, and they agreed the medical care they received was excellent. The administrative side of the coin, however, received far fewer accolades.

The four, one member from each service, made up the first panel to testify before the subcommittee. All had tales that reflected the commitment of seamless care from the battlefield to the hospitals that Webb spoke of.

Marine Sgt. Christopher Chandler said pain management was the only glitch he experienced in his care and transition back to active duty as an amputee.

But when it came to how their cases were handled administratively, the servicemembers related incidents of failure to notify family members of their injuries, facilities ill-equipped to handle an amputee patient and in one case, a reserve sailor being denied the limited duty status he needed to get timely follow-on medical care.

Chief Warrant Officer James Keeton with the Arkansas National Guard said he discovered the first of several administrative shortcomings in his case when he called his family from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where he was taken from Iraq with an irregular heartbeat and a bronchial condition.

“The system, as it began to separate the administrative functions from the medical functions, unraveled at Landstuhl,” Keeton said. “It was there I found out my family had never been notified. When I called my children to tell them that things weren’t as bad as they originally thought, … they said, ‘Well, Dad, what are you talking about?’”

His experience continued upon his arrival to Fort Hood, Texas, where he was told to see a cardiologist. Instead, an internist saw him for his heart condition. The internist scheduled some follow-up appointments and sent him on his way. He was also to have been assigned a care manager to help him transition back into his rear detachment unit. That individual was not at work that day, and there was no backup. To top matters off, he said, his rear detachment had not been notified of his impending arrival.

“Essentially, I spent two days roaming around Fort Hood by myself trying to get situated … back into the system for the rear detachment,” Keeton said

All four panelists agreed that some sort of briefing on what they could expect to happen in the event they were injured would be helpful.

The two reservists on the panel, Keeton and Navy Chief Petty Officer Anthony Cuomo, also expressed their concern that reservists and guardsmen are treated differently from their active duty counterparts administratively. Both cited problems with obtaining follow-on care.

This also was a concern for Air Force Senior Airman Anthony Pizzifred, who testified that while he was considered an Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom patient, his care was excellent. There was a marked difference in his care once he returned to active duty status, though, he said.

“In my case, Air Force hospitals were not equipped or knowledgeable on amputee follow-on care and … ordered all my treatment through Army medical centers,” Pizzifred said. “However, I was referred to an Army medical center which also lacked experience in treating amputee patients.

“I understand that these types of injuries were uncommon prior to the war,” he continued, “but I believe physicians need to get more training and experience on amputee victims prior to patients arriving at any medical center.”

Vice Adm. Gerald Hoewing, chief of Navy personnel, said the services – the Navy in particular – are working to address these issues.

“These men and women have displayed their total commitment, and they certainly deserve everything we can do for them,” he said. “It’s our honor and our duty to provide them the maximum support possible and help them cope with these challenges associated with recovery from their injuries.”

The Air Force is concerned about making sure servicemembers’ families don’t slip through the cracks should a loved one be injured.

“We’re proud of our very professional and compassionate family liaison officers and casualty assistance representatives,” said Lt. Gen. Roger Brady, Air Force deputy chief of staff for personnel. “These are highly trained professionals who are with the families from the point they are initially notified. And they stay with them … as long as they are needed. This relationship is critical to properly taking care of our families.”

The care of servicemembers not only involves medical treatment, but often the transition back into civilian life. Each service has a program to help wounded servicemembers with their transition back into civilian life.

“For those Marines that decided that they would want to return home … we would help that transition and make it as seamless as possible,” Marine Lt. Gen. H.P. Osman, deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, told the subcommittee. “In particular, we’re working very closely with our associates in the (Veterans Affairs Department) to make sure that happens.”


Ellie

[thedrifter]

U.S. Soldier Fights To Keep Home While In Iraq




Wife Says Bank Threatens To Foreclose On Sergeant's House, Sell Belongings


UPDATED: 7:54 pm EST March 1, 2005

OSAWATOMIE, Kan. -- A Kansas soldier who is on active duty in Iraq is also fighting for his home.

A bank is trying to foreclose on Sgt. Steve Welter's house in Osawatomie, which is illegal. It is a violation of a 64-year-old federal law to foreclose on a soldier's property while he or she is at war.
Welter has been fighting in Iraq since September. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo Home Mortgageis threatening to foreclose on the house where his wife and three children live.

"And he's fighting in a war. And yet an American company is trying to take our home," said Keira Welter, Steve's wife.

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Actreads in part: "No sale, foreclosure or seizure of property ... shall be valid if made during the period of military service."

On Aug. 12, 2004, Welter got his active duty orders for Iraq and he sent it to the mortgage company.

But Keira Welter said the letters and demands kept coming.

"The (Veterans Affairs) Housing unit of Kansas sent (Wells Fargo) the papers three weeks ago on a Thursday. The next Tuesday, they filed the foreclosure proceedings on us," Keira Welter said.

She's worried the family will lose more than the house.

"They want to sell everything ...They want to sell my house and all my possessions in it," Keira Welter said.

She said the worst aspect are the phone calls. Once, Keira Welter's daughter, 10-year-old Krysha, answered the phone.

"And I said, 'My daddy's in Iraq.' And they hung up," said Krysha Welter. "I was scared because I thought they'd come for us because they knew our daddy is gone."

"And then I looked at the caller ID. It said Wells Fargo," Keira Welter said.

Before Steve Welter left for war, he was a Lawrence, Kan., firefighter. In 2003, he won a Firefighter of the Year award. The department is holding his job for him when his tour of duty is over.

Keira Welter said the family's financial problems started during Steve's Army training. She said the military paychecks are smaller than his firefighter salary.

Steve Welter once wrote Wells Fargo a desperate letter, Keira said. The letter read: "Please consider that I am fighting for this country and everyone's way of life."

Before the incident, the Welter credit history appeared to be good, KMBC-TV in Kansas City, Mo., reported.

"I paid extra money each month, to reduce the principal, so we could pay it off in 17 years instead of 30," Keira Welter said.

Wells Fargo issued a written statement to KMBC about the Welter case: "We are working directly with the customer to resolve any issues that have affected their situation. Based on information we have received in the last two weeks, we believe the immediate concerns have been resolved."

Keira Welter said she is skeptical about any assurance from Wells Fargo. She said Veterans Affairs has also received such assurances, and so has U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts' office.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

World Champion Red Sox Visit Wounded Troops at Walter Reed
By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, March 3, 2005 – In the typical glare of publicity that surrounds professional athletes and presidents, baseball’s world champion Boston Red Sox were President Bush’s guests March 2 at the White House.

But before going to the airport to fly back to the team’s Fort Myers, Fla., spring training home, the Red Sox traveled below the radar for a low-key visit to wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here.

Army Pfc. Paul Skarinka of Whitman, Mass., suffered a compound open fracture of his left leg, a left hip wound and nerve damage to both arms in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood on Sept. 13, 2004, while serving with the 1st Cavalry Division’s C Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment. He was hospitalized at Walter Reed while the Red Sox made their way to the team’s first world championship since 1918.

“I kept scaring the hell out of my roommates because I was yelling so much,” the 25-year-old chemical warfare specialist said with a laugh. “The nurses could hear me down the hall.”

Emotions were high throughout the postseason, he explained, because the team had flirted with greatness time and again, only to fall short, usually in devastating fashion. “I was waiting for something bad to happen,” he said. “History repeats itself. When they were down to the Yankees three games to none (in the American League Championship Series), I just said, ‘Oh, no, not again!’ It sounds bad saying it, but it’s the truth.”

The meeting room was full of brave men, but probably none as brave as Army Spc. Manuel Moquete. He showed up wearing the cap of the archrival New York Yankees. “A colonel stopped me and said, ‘I don’t know if they’ll let you in there with that hat,’” he said with a smile. “But it can’t be worse than coming back from Iraq.”

Moquete was two weeks away from the end of his one-year tour in Iraq when he was wounded by a car bomb in Tikrit. “I go to all the hot spots,” joked the New York City native. “I go to Tikrit sometimes, and sometimes I come here to the Boston Red Sox.” His tie to the team could be that he went to the same high school as Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez in the city’s Washington Heights neighborhood.

One patient, a Milton, Mass., native, missed a portion of the visit. He was just waking up after surgery when his wife, Gina, and best friend, Tony Viano, excitedly told him the Red Sox were visiting.

“I told the nurses they’d better hurry up,” said Army 1st Lt. Philip Dow, who was wounded by a car bomb southwest of Baghdad while serving in Iraq with D Company, 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. He said he spoke with many of the players and found them “very down to earth.”

“It’s amazing,” Dow said from beneath a well-worn Red Sox cap. “Here were these superstars saying it’s an honor to meet me.”

The bonding was total. Interspersed with laughter and baseball banter, the Red Sox players, coaches and front-office staff listened to the soldiers’ stories with rapt attention and growing admiration. “These are my heroes,” right fielder Trot Nixon said. “These guys go over and protect my very freedom on a daily basis, and they don’t even know who I am.”

Relief pitcher Alan Embree echoed Nixon’s sentiments about the troops. “They’re the reason why we get to do what we do,” he said. His empathy for the troops has a family tie, Embree added, noting he has a cousin now serving in Iraq.

Both players said they especially were impressed by the positive attitude they noticed in all the wounded troops they spoke with. “I’m sure they have their difficult times, and I couldn’t imagine what they’ve been through (being wounded) in Iraq or Afghanistan,” Nixon said.

“They did it for me, they did it for Alan, they did it for the next guy, and that’s something special,” he said. “That’s why I hold our American military men and women in such high regard for what they do.”

Catcher and team captain Jason Varitek said for him, visiting the wounded troops was “about as humbling a thing as you can do.”

“We deal with a game; they deal with life,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing that comes to mind – how much I appreciate what they do for us. They fight for our country and do the things asked of them by our country, and what we do is on such a small scale compared to what they do.”

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2005/lowres_20050303152428_skarinka-wakefield.jpg

Army Pfc. Paul Skarinka of Whitman, Mass., poses with Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield and the World Series trophy during a March 2 visit by baseball’s reigning world champions to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. Skarinka, a lifelong Red Sox fan, said he drove his hospital roommates “crazy” during the team’s postseason run to its first world title since 1918. Photo by John D. Banusiewicz

Ellie