Archive for January, 2009
January 30, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
I absolutely LOVE these stories. They always bring a tear to my eye as I see the look of joy and happiness in these kids’ faces.
DAYTON — Gabriel Hurles was so engrossed in the cupcakes his mom brought to class for his sixth birthday Wednesday that he didn’t notice the enormous wrapped box that came in shortly after.
“That’s one big giant present,” his classmate Jacob, 6, alerted him. “See what you got, Gabriel.”
Gabriel peeled back the wrapping paper, then jumped back in surprise, letting out a yelp.
“Hi daddy,” he said.
Then he let the rest of the Sutro Elementary School kindergarten class in on the surprise: “It’s my dad.”
For pictures and the rest of the story, check out the Nevada Appeal article.
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By Claire
Posted in Spouse and Family
We are gearing up for deployment. We don’t know when. We don’t know any of the specifics. All we know is time in garrison has been cut very short, and we can count on saying good-bye again much sooner than we had anticipated. I am already gearing myself up by fleshing out the new fears cropping up for me.
Fear of the known, fear of the unknown, fear of what lies ahead, fear of what will be left behind, and some fear that wasn’t there with Iraq. Even though I am working through those fears and handling them better with each passing day, I have other struggles that are a residual affect of being in a very close and primary kinship with a Veteran who is preparing for another deployment.
I struggled being out in public sometimes with the first deployment. As a matter of fact I have set up house and decided to stay inside as much as possible this time too. Time spent outside will be doing yard work or running. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time refinishing old furniture (a hobby I acquired with the first deployment), taking up kickboxing again, and anything else that will allow me to get rid of some of the anxiety and fear that can be consuming. Hobbies and exercise occupied my mind and my emotions for a while. It kept me at home and out of the stores and the general public.
When I walk through malls, stores or other such places during some holidays like Independence Day or Memorial Day, I find myself on the edge of tears. When I watch the news I want to scream some days. I am sick of hearing the constant bad news. I am sick of them referring to soldiers like they are just numbers to be reported. I can’t seem to get myself past this grief reaction some days.
It’s all way too real for me now, but it hasn’t always been that way. There was a day and time where I thought for a moment about the meaning of our flag, the meaning of our Constitution and our Country’s history and rich heritage. Really though, I was just living and doing, buying, making and enjoying — you know doing the things that we assume make us American.
Last Memorial Day, I was waiting for Mike to come home. He was in transit and somewhere between Baqubah, Balad, Kuwait and the US. I was anticipating the empty seats on the plane that would fly them back through that passage and onto American soil. The unit he served in took more loss than any other in the Brigade. I had my own private memorial service for each of the men we lost. They were never nameless, faceless statistics to me or the other family members of the men in that unit.
His unit spent more time outside the wire than in. He was exhausted, and vicariously I was too. That Memorial Day, I walked through the store and passed isle upon isle of stuff for people to buy, and decorating those isles were small plastic flags. A grief laden anger began to well up inside of me. I touched a plastic flag picnic table cover and I thought “Is this what he fought for this year? Is this what we buried our sons for? We take this symbol that we cover their coffins with and eat on it?” I couldn’t hold the tears back. I walked quickly out of the store, my face red and wet and my sobs quietly choked back. I probably looked insane to the shoppers around me. I don’t care.
The cost of freedom is not calculated at the store or in the economy. The benefit of freedom is not either. I am free today to write these words, to express my anger, joy, fear and ideas because there are defenders who defend my right to do so. I worship every Sunday according to my beliefs as a Christian, and I sit under the teachings of a man of God who preaches scripture without fear of being imprisoned for it — though his words would cost him his life in other places.
Our soldiers do not give us our freedom, but rather they are the guardians and defenders of that very God given trait. God made man free, but our military fights to keep those who would deny us that right at bay and in check. That is what what I must reflect on daily. I must remember moment by moment, that my beloved son is fighting for that — not the rest of the white noise in our media that tries to infilitrate what the meaning of being an American is all about. I must continually reflect on the freedom that God gave me, and remember with respect and love those who have preserved it for us. In doing that I think I can find even more reason to embrace that protecting my freedom is a soldier’s job, but living as a responsible and decent American is mine.
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January 28, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
J.D. Pendry is a retired Sergeant Major for whom I have a lot of respect. I’ve asked him a few times for leadership advice from one senior NCO to another when I felt like I couldn’t turn to my own Senior NCO leaders. He’s walked the walk and can talk the talk.
I’ve gotten a few emails in the past (none recently) with similar statements. When the first “stimulus” bill hit and I was against it, I received a similar email than the one J.D. recently got:
“Greetings J.D.
So sorry to hear about your heel problem.. I do hope that with your military retirement plan that the VA. hospital was ready …waiting and was there for you. Of course this is a benefit that is a social program to the people who served this great country as you did..”
J.D. let’s the man have it. Check out his response.
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January 25, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
A new emblem has been created that will serve to honor and remember the sacrifices of military service men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice to their nation.
CHESAPEAKE, Virginia — A flag that commemorates military men and women who died in service to their country is the subject of a petition to the Department of Defense and United States Congress for national recognition. Honor and Remember Inc., a Chesapeake-based non-profit organization, is circulating a petition to have the “Honor and Remember Flag” officially sanctioned as a national flag. The new emblem would fill a void in the officially recognized assemblage of American symbols.
“In the more than 200 years since our nation’s founding, 1.6 million men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice in wars and conflicts as members of the United States military,” said George Lutz, founder of Honor and Remember Inc. “Yet there is no tangible national symbol by which we honor these heroes, nothing to remind us daily that they should not be forgotten, nothing to say thank you.”
An unveiling ceremony for the Honor and Remember Flag was held on Monday, May 26, 2008, at the MacArthur Memorial Museum in downtown Norfolk. Congresswoman Thelma Drake was a special guest at the event, which included remarks from George Lutz, the flag’s originator. The ceremony also featured the singing of the national anthem, the ODU color guard and the raising of the Honor and Remember Flag.
The Honor and Remember Flag combines stars used by the military to designate service, an eternal flame and a folded American flag in its design, which is intended to evoke reverence and appreciation for the lives cut short in service to America. The goal of the petition effort is to have the flag flown continuously at all official governmental venues and by every household that wishes to honor those who gave their lives in service to their country.
“Our goal is to collect one point six million signatures on a petition that will be delivered to the Department of Defense and then to Congress, requesting that the Honor and Remember Flag be officially designated as a national flag. We want one signature for every life lost in service to our country,” said Lutz.
“The idea for the Honor and Remember Flag was the result of losing my own son in the Iraq War,” said Lutz. “Tony was killed by a sniper in December 2005, while he was on patrol in Fallujah. Our family went through all of the stages that follow such a tragedy: shock, grief , numbness and acceptance. But as I visited other families who lost young people in the war and as I attended the funerals of other fallen service men and women, it occurred to me that there was no lasting, tangible symbol that these families could use to honor their lost loved one. There are two things that parents long for when they lose a child this way. First, they want their child’s death not to have been in vain and secondly, they want their child’s sacrifice to be remembered.”
The Honor and Remember Flag is displayed online with an electronic petition, available at http://www.honorandremember.org/. So far, Lutz has received enthusiastic support and encouragement from various military and veteran representatives and organizations. Nevertheless, he intends to gain grassroots support for the Honor and Remember Flag through this petition.
One important goal of Honor and Remember Inc. is to place a personalized Honor and Remember Flag in the hands of every living parent who has lost a child in service to America.
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January 23, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
I have the response post to the NFL’s decision to escort the military honor guard out of the stadium up on A Soldier’s Perspective. I personally spoke with Greg and also received a separate email on this issue, different than the ones in the comments section.
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By Claire
Posted in Spouse and Family
I met Dee through the connections my husband and youngest son have down at the local recruiting station. Her Husband is a 1st Sergeant and has worked with both of my guys at one point or another. I wanted to interview a Recruiter’s wife because I know that too often people, in general, don’t realize how many hours Recruiters put in at work. Recruiters’ families also face the strain of possible deployment and changing stations. In this day and age, they may even face some public harassment over their job (Berkeley, Code Pink, etc.)
******************
Her name is Dee, and her husband serves our Country in the US Army. His ranks is Sergeant First Class, and he serves as a Recruiter. Dee is an Army wife and a mother.
This is her story:
Tell us a little bit about how you stay connected to the Military community while you are not living near a military base… and what are the benefits and drawbacks to Recruiting duty?
Honestly, I only really communicate with other wives in the recruiting office. I am not an active participant in spousal support groups or anything. It’s not that I don’t support my husband, but it’s just that I have so much other stuff going on. If I need support, I just reach out to my friends and family.
The benefits of recruiting duty are that he is able to come to Drs. appointments with me and our daughter whenever we need him to. He is also able to watch her often while I am at work outside of the home. With recruiting, he is allowed more flexibility than I would think he would have with any other job. For example, if I need him to come home early one night during the week unexpectedly, then he is usually able to do that. Where as, if he were at another job, I would think that he would have to stay there until the work was complete.
There are more drawbacks than benefits. The list would begin with the long hours that recruiters work, typically from 9a to 9p. However, there are nights when he gets home earlier, given that the office is producing enough contracts for the month. There are many Saturdays that there is a community event that they are required to work.
What state/base are you living in/on right now? Ever lived overseas? We do not currently live on a base, but we live in Tn. We have never lived OCONUS.
Have you ever served in the armed forces?
No
What degrees, hobbies, interests do you have?
I actually have my degree in Elementary Education, but I do not currently teach. I love to scrapbook and keep in touch with friends and family through Myspace.
What do you like most about being a military spouse?
My husband has a job that is recognized with honor. He works long hours for the sake of our Country and our family, and not many people are willing to do that. Aside from the pride associated with being a spouse, we have wonderful medical benefits, and great pay. Although my husband has his masters, I doubt he would make the money he makes at any other job.
What do you like least (other than the obvious deployment)?
Mainly, just the long hours.
Has there been a time when you were faced with something very stressful related to military life (like deployment, pending deployment, injury, et?) How did you cope?
When we first started dating, his unit was mobilized to Ft. Campbell. Everyone kept thinking that they were going to have to go to Iraq, but they ended up staying at Ft. Campbell. Still yet, I was scared, this was all new to me. I asked his Captain a lot of questions, and he assured me that he would do his best to keep him safe. Honestly, the faith that I had in God and his Captain helped me cope with the thought of him going overseas. Fortunately, he never had to go to Iraq that time!!
Do you have any advice for other military spouses who are just starting out?
Learn as much as you can about the military, ask questions, write things down. Talk to a military chaplain if you are scared, unsure, or concerned.
If you had to list the top three most vital characteristics that a spouse needs to possess to be a successful and well adjusted military spouse, what would those be?
Don’t be selfish, because chances are, your spouse is going to be away from you a good majority of the time. Be understanding, your spouse has a stressful job, they are putting the lives of others before their own. Be organized, if you face a deployment, or even if you don’t, there are many things that you need to have in order should you be in charge of your finances, health care, wills, and etc.
5 Comments »
January 22, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
The NFL has allowed the military troops presenting the national colors at the Super Bowl to stay and watch the game after the ceremony since 2002. The military plays a large role in most of the Super Bowls, providing color guards, fly-overs, and paratroopers that land on the field during opening ceremonies. But, this year, those troops are being snubbed by the NFL.
My youngest Marine called me this morning. In the course of the conversation he made mention of being part of the Color Guard for the ceremonies at the Super Bowl. He has been part of other Color Guards at other games and has been able to enjoy the entire game after presenting the Colors. HOWEVER, this will not be the case this time. The 12 man/women color guard will be presenting the Colors and then will be escorted out of the stadium and therefore not allowed to see the game. Steven and the 11 others are quite upset about this and have asked that I see if I could contact someone and have that changed.
Read the entire post at The Thunder Run.
I called the Super Bowl Host Committee to inquire about this and was told that it was an NFL decision. The Committee is claiming to have nothing to do with it. But, they provided me with a point of contact at the NFL. After being passed around, I was put in contact with a PR rep, Joanna Hunter, who refused to answer her phone or return my calls. I left several messages explaining who I was and requesting an interview with the league on this decision. I also sent emails. Both avenues were ignored.
This is an embarrassment for the league. The troops have done so much for the League and the League has done a lot for the troops. The problem I have with this isn’t the point that the troops can’t watch the Super Bowl for free. It’s the point that the troops are providing a service during the Super Bowl and getting the shaft for it.
Bruce Springsteen (*cough, hack, wheeze) and the E Street Band is playing at the half-time show. I wonder if they will likewise be escorted off the field after their performance. More likely, the band will enjoy either sideline access or luxurious box seats free of charge.
The military should swiftly pull their support from the NFL and not allow the troops to present the colors if they are going to treated this way. I will personally be boycotting any advertisers of the Super Bowl until they admit their mistake and switch positions immediately.
If I get a response to my inquiries, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, send them your thoughts. The NFL Commissioner is Roger Goodell. His email address is Roger.Goodell2@nfl.net and you can call his office at (212) 450-2000 or (212) 450-2027.
14 Comments »
By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
Since I travel a lot as a result of my military duties, I thought I’d take a few moments to help my fellow Soldiers that also travel on official orders. I’ve learned many of these tips through personal trial and error. I am also a trained and certified Defense Travel Authority. Hopefully, they will help someone in their upcoming travel.
#1 – Keep a TDY folder for each trip. Inside the folder, you should keep your orders, your travel itinerary, any OPORDs related to the trip, and all your receipts. This will make your settlement so much easier when your trip is over. Also, get a small business card folder where you can keep all your membership cards (see tip #7).
#2 – Make sure that your orders are finalized. It’s important to ensure that you are able to review your orders PRIOR TO any travel. That way you know what your per diem is, maximum hotel rates if staying on the economy, and whether or not you are authorized a rental car or other forms of transportation. If you travel without finalized orders and haven’t received a VOCO (vocal order), you run the risk of not getting reimbursed for certain expenses incurred during your trip. Also, you’ll need these orders if the airline tries to charge you for checking a bag. Most airlines do not charge active duty troops traveling on orders. Also ensure that your authorization request is submitted well in advance of your travel, preferably as soon as you know you have to travel.
#3 – Check to ensure that your government travel card is active and working. It’s a terrible feeling when you go buy dinner or pay for gas for your rental and your card is declined. You can do this by visiting a local gas station and purchasing a small item like gum or a soda or taking out a cash advance for your travel. If it works, you’re good to go. Make sure you do this relatively close to your departure date.
#4 – Pack your bags at least two days prior to traveling. Review the Operations Order (OPORD) to ensure that you pack everything you’ll need during your trip. If you’re going to a school, check out the school website and download the packing list. By packing two days early, you can identify if you’re missing anything and you still have a day to go out and purchase anything you’re missing. You destination may or may not carry what you need. It doesn’t hurt to create a checklist as soon as you are informed of the travel and check it off as you pack.
#5 – Print off your boarding pass ahead of time. If you travel often you know that the lines can get long. If something happens on the way to the airport and you arrive later than you anticipated, you don’t have to worry about checking in. It’s already done. Which leads to the next point…
#6 – Arrive early. The general rule is one hour prior to your flight departure. Depending on your airport, this may or may not be enough time to account for delays. If there’s an accident that stalls traffic or you’re traveling on a heavy traffic day, this time will get eaten up quickly. I recommend arriving NO LATER THAN 90 minutes prior to your departure. You won’t be running through the terminal or cursing the security line because your flight is about to depart. If you are able to smoothly get through check-in and security, you can use the extra time to catch up on some reading or take a nap.
#7 – Join all the airline, hotel, and rental car clubs possible. Because the military pretty much decides where you will sleep, what airline you will fly on, and which rental car company you will use, it’s important that you have a membership with ALL of them. A few years ago, the rules changed to allow servicemembers to keep the points, miles, and other benefits that travelers get through repeated travel with a particular company. For example, I almost always fly on US Airways and recently earned enough miles to get “Gold Status”. I now get free First Class upgrades, if available, when I travel. I have enough points saved up to take my family on a week-long vacation and not have to pay for a hotel while I’m there. I also get free upgrades to rental cars. Other Soldiers think it’s because I’m a First Sergeant that I get all these perks, but it’s really because I make sure that everything I do is accumulated for future benefits.
#8 – Don’t answer the door in a hotel or motel room without verifying who it is. If a person claims to be an employee, call the front desk and verify the individual and their purpose prior to opening your door.
#9 – Keep your room organized. By keeping your room organized it’s much easier to notice if something has been going through your belongings. You will also be able to notice if anything is missing much quicker and you’ll be more likely to have it recovered quicker.
#10 – When in your room, always use the dead bolt and slide latch to your door. Know where all the emergency exits are in the hotel and look up procedures for dialing out of your room in case of emergency. Some hotels require you simply dial “0″ and others require a short two- or three-digit number.
#11 – File your voucher immediately after returning from your trip. Do not wait. Just because regulation gives you five days to file doesn’t mean you have to wait that long. By keeping the folder discussed in #1, all your receipts and information is already located in ONE place and will make settling your travel much quicker. I make it a rule that my TDY is not complete until I file my voucher. So, I submit it the day I return.
#12 – If you use the Defense Travel Service (DTS) to file your authorizations and vouchers, scan your receipts, don’t fax them. Faxing receipts takes longer and you’re more likely to have issues with legibility. By scanning your receipts, you can upload them directly into the voucher and they are easier to read. This means that your voucher is less likely to get kicked back because someone can’t make out your charges.
#13 – Pay attention to your claims. DTS automatically applies the per diem rate to your hotel expenses. If you don’t manually adjust your voucher to reflect actual costs, it’s just going to get kicked back and take longer to get reimbursed. Double-check all your expenses prior to clicking “Sign”. Again, if you keep a TDY folder, this is much easier.
#14 – Consolidate your expenses. Anyone that has stayed in a hotel recently sees the large number of taxes that are tacked onto a night’s stay. Be easy on the poor shlub (like me) who has to review your voucher and combine all these taxes into ONE expense. I hate seeing vouchers with 20 different entries because they separated each individual tax. So, instead of wasting so much time on this one voucher, I’ll clear all the other ones first that made my life easier by combining their common expenses.
#15 – Follow through. Once you’ve sent your voucher or authorization, follow up on it. This goes back to rule #2. Make sure that your voucher is moving through the chain so you can get reimbursed as quickly as possible. DTS has a habit of not always notifying the traveler that their voucher or authorization was kicked back.
These are just some of the tips I can think of. I could really go on and on, but if you follow these simple rules, your travel will be a breeze. If you have other tips, please leave them in the comments.
1 Comment »
By Troy
Posted in Podcast
We have several great guests on the You Served Radio show tonight, starting at 7Pm EST over at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved. They come from various background which will allow us to talk a variety of topics. Tonight our guests include:
My good friend and a person who supported me in Afghanistan, Elaine Miller, MSN, RN-BC – Civilian Case Manager at BAMC. Recently Awarded the National Case Manager Award of Service Excellence. Elaine received the prestigious Award of Service Excellence, one of just two major awards presented at the annual Case Manager educational event and expo. Elaine serves as a clinical preceptor and skills-lab instructor, developed and facilitated nursing, nutrition, ethics, and home health courses. She has also written several nationally published articles on subjects ranging from obesity and home health, to diabetes nutritional support and wound healing.
We will also have Howard M. Layton – author of “Love and Sand“. Love and Sand focuses on the author’s wartime experiences in the RAF and the impact they had on his life during and after the war. Layton’s war time career was spent in the Middle East and North Africa. The book opens with the dramatic aftermath of a raid on an Italian airfield in Abyssinia, flown from the Yemen by No.203 Squadron.
Last but not least we will have motivational speaker, Mr. Nelson Lauver – author and founder of “The American Storyteller” (www.theamericanstoryteller.com) will be on the show to talk about his current initiative.
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January 20, 2009 By Troy
Posted in Life in the Military, Military News
I would like to think that Americans would sign up to defend our country and serve it out of family tradition, a sense to serve, or plain old patriotism. But sometimes it takes not being able to earn a paycheck in order to do it. I mean you may get shot at, maimed, or killed; but hey at least you can put beans on the table….hopefully. Click below to read the whole story.
http://www.military.com/news/article/bad-economy-aiding-recruiting.html
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