Archive for October, 2009
October 31, 2009 By LL
Posted in Uncategorized
I have CJ’s permission to post my review here because Captain Chesley Sullenberger has military piloting experience and it coincides with the military content of this website. ~~Thanks, CJ, for your indulgence.
I was recently offered the opportunity to read “Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters” by Chesley Sullenberger with Jeffrey Zaslow. If you are unaware of who Capt. Sullenberger is, he is the airline pilot, known as Capt. Sully, who put that airplane down in the Hudson River in January 2009. We all saw the stunning images of this huge airplane floating on the water with passengers standing on the wings and ferries gathered around like sheep herding dogs, nosing in to save people.
So I want to start off asking you a question.
What kind of pilot would you like to have in the cockpit if things go squirrelly on you?
Words that come to MY mind are calm, deliberate, fast-thinking, analytical, experienced.
The passengers of US Airways Flight 1549 had all that in spades. Capt. Sully is well versed in many previous air accidents and has many years experience as a pilot. He understands the whys and whats of what happened in a lot of cases. He saw firsthand, with his military experience, some accidents and how easy it is to panic or to lose situational awareness. So he is a very self-contained man.
But that analytical, dry breakdown of facts and scenarios bleeds through in his writing. I had a hard time reading this book.
There were interesting tidbits of information scattered throughout the book. But the overall pace, language, and feel of the book was very hard for me to deal with. I prefer fiction to non-fiction to begin with. Fast-paced, action-oriented. That’s the style and kind of person I am anyway. But Sullenberger is very stolid. He comes across as impervious to feather-ruffling.
From beginning to end, we get very little feel for his emotional state. I thought his first solo flight would be one of those “woo-hoooooooo” things, ya know? With him being so young, age 16 I believe, I thought he’d let that youthful enthusiasm leak through and draw the reader in. But that was nowhere to be found.
Capt. Sully is very honest about his admiration of previous pilots, the man who taught him, his wife, the passengers, and his crew. He very much downplays his “heroism,” and comes across as uncomfortable with, but accepting of his current status as That Amazing Pilot Who Saved 155 Lives By Landing a Freakin’ Jetliner in the HUDSON.
Despite the writing style, I was interested in some details left out of the public stories. Capt. Sully has access to the cockpit voice recorder, so he can fill us in on what was happening between himself and his First Officer, Jeffrey Skiles. He takes us through the incredibly short timeline, literally seconds, of how he made the decision to put the plane down in the river. He talks about the letters from strangers or witnesses or even family members of those on his plane. All of this stuff is interesting and gives us a view of the lives he’s touched.
If you enjoy reading a first hand account of an amazing feat of piloting, go ahead and get this book. It is filled with stories of previous piloting successes and failures and could give you a glimpse of how fantastic his landing was, in the big picture. One thing he points out is that pilots are not even trained on how to land on water because 1–it is so rare and 2–it has only been done successfully a few times so there is little data on the “right” way to do it. Capt. Sully did his landing only on instincts and a general knowledge of those who had gone before and those who had done it. That right there is a good reason to go through the exercise of reading his account.
His book can be found here and it might make a good gift for those people in your life who enjoy non-fiction and who have an interest in flying or piloting.
For me, I learned a few things that I would never have known and so I don’t think it was wasted time to read Captain Sullenberger’s book. In the end, I know more about the airline industry (he makes some very pointed remarks about cost-cutting and potential effects of those measures) and I know that out there exists pilots who love what they do and with whom my life and the lives of my loved ones are cherished over the multi-million dollar cost of a jetliner. That actually gives me a lot of comfort considering how much I dislike flying and giving up my self-determining power to a stranger.
I feel weird ending this with a cheesy rating system, but out of 5 stars, I’d probably give it 3 for content alone. So that’s pretty good considering I’m a tough cookie to impress. 
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By Claire
Posted in Spouse and Family
Do you have a fun night of candy hunting planned with your little ones? If so, here are some tips for general safety as well as tips for avoiding flu contamination since this year the numbers are up a little.
The following general safety comes from the CDC:
- Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible.
- Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
- Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.
- Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat.
- Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you.
- Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent skin and eye irritation.
- Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.
- Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses.
- Only walk on sidewalks or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.
- Wear well-fitting masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls.
- Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats unless you know the cook well.
- Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult. Otherwise, stay outside.
- Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.
Flu Safety (various sources):
Don’t allow children to reach into bowls of candy, instead keep your hands clean and pass it out yourself — there is less risk for cross cotamination that way.
Keep hands away from eyes, nose and mouth.
Carry some antiviral/antibacterial liquid hand sanitizer or sanitizer wet cloths with you. Have your children clean hands in between homes if they use the doorbell, touch the door handle.
If your child has been sick be sure she has been without fever for a minimum of 24-hours before she attempts to go out anywhere. If she must miss out on the fun, come up with a creative way to cheer her up like having a small treasure hunt through the house looking for small toys and small amounts of candy.
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By Claire
Posted in Spouse and Family
I know that the opinions on the H1N1 vaccine is widely varied. I know my own feelings toward all of this is somewhat conflicted as well. Questions like “Should I get it? What about my kids?” really need to be explored with a trusted physician who knows you and your child’s health concerns, and if you read anything on the vaccine please be sure it is factual and not merely opinion.
There are a lot of legitimate questions about the vaccination, but I have also heard a lot of paranoid speculation that is unfounded as well.
The CDC has a lot of good, matter of fact, information about the vaccination — including information about the fears of the neurological issues that are linked to the old H1N1 vaccine.
I encourage you to read the CDC FACT SHEET, and talk to your Dr. You should have the vaccine available to you very soon, if you have not already had the choice of taking it yet.
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 21, 2009) — H1N1 vaccinations are expected to be available in November for active-duty servicemembers and their families, according to the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command.
The best protection against both seasonal influenza and H1N1 — better known as swine flu — is vaccination, Army medical officials said. They said vaccines are safe, effective, and have minimal risk profiles.
Army medical authorities urge everyone who is eligible to receive the vaccine to be immunized as soon as it becomes available.
Vaccine for active-duty personnel will be coming directly from the military vaccination suppliers and should begin to be available the first week of November, according to NARMC. Vaccines for family members will be coming from state health departments and may even be available prior to active-duty vaccinations, officials said.
Vaccinations for active-duty members and families are coming from the same manufacturers, but from different suppliers, authorities said. Vaccine supplies will arrive at different times, making it likely that servicemembers and family members will receive their vaccines at different times, officials said.
Initial supplies will be provided to those at highest risk: Pregnant women, household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age, health-care and emergency medical services personnel, all people from 6 months through 24 years of age, and persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza.
Sufficient novel H1N1 vaccine should be available for everyone by the end of the year, officials said.
In the meantime, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommend that all hospitals deny entry to visitors who are sick with H1N1. Military medical authorities discourage those with symptoms of influenza from visiting hospital patients.
Symptoms of influenza include fever together with sore throat, cough, runny nose or other upper respiratory symptoms that resemble “chest colds.”
Medical authorities say the fever should be gone for at least 24 hours before considering any visit to a hospital patient.
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October 30, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Military History, Military News
Catchy title huh? Well, it’s true. Then-Capt. John “Jack” Nicholson, veteran of the Vietnam War, was awarded the Silver Star for actions over 40 years ago.
Dec. 27, 1963 had already been a devastating day.
Of the 240 men then-Capt. John “Jack” Nicholson was with, only 39 were able to walk away from an eight-hour battle with the Viet Cong.
But for Nicholson, the night wasn’t over.
He would lead his men to save the lives of nine people.
The Struble native’s actions that evening were honored this week at Fort Myer, Washington D.C. — more than 45 years later — where he was awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest U.S. military honor.
Nicholson is now a retired Brigadier General. To read more of General Nicholson’s story, check out the Le Mars Daily Sentinel.
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October 29, 2009 By Troy
Posted in Charities/Contests
This October, every major television network has agreed to focus on public service, volunteering, and participating in the community. As a part of this effort, ServiceNation – a coalition of 200 organizations committed to promoting public service – has launched an exciting new contest. They are looking to find America’s best “service heroes,” individuals who go above and beyond to make a difference in their communities. I figured that since many who read this blog know someone in the military, that there would be no shortage of potential nominees. It is worth a second to check out the link below.
http://www.servicenation.org/page/s/heroes
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By Claire
Posted in Charities/Contests, Spouse and Family
The 2010 Military Spouse of the Year is accepting nomination for 15 more days. Nominations are open for all spouses of members in all branches of the US Armed Forces. Please see the following for how you can nominate your favorite military spouse:
We’re looking for the best in the community. The leaders, the volunteers, the spouse who commits her time or his voice to our causes.
For the third straight year, Military Spouse magazine will name the “Military Spouse of the Year” (MSOY) on Military Spouse Appreciation Day. As past winners have, the Military Spouse of the Year will represent the sacrifice, patriotism, professionalis and altruism that embody this community of 1.1 million current and 20 million former military spouses.
Nominate yourself, your best friend or the person you admire most.
Please see their website for nomination instructions and applications.
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October 28, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Military News
Marine Corps veteran and now-former Foreign Service officer Matthew Hoh has resigned from his position because he fails “to see the value or worth” of continued engagement in Afghanistan.
“It is with great regret and disappointment I submit my resignation from my appointment as a Political Officer in the Foreign Service and my post as the Senior Civilian Representative for the U.S. Government in Zabul Province…I did not enter this position lighltly or with any undue expectations nor did I believe my assignment would be without sacrifice, hardship or difficulty. However, in the course of my five months of service in Afghanistan, in both Regional Commands East and South, I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States’ presence in Afghanistan. I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end. To put simply: I fail to see the value or worth in the continued U.S. casualties or expenditures of resources in support of the Afghan government in what is, truly, a 35-year old civil war.”
I have reservations about the intentions of Mr. Hoh and find it hard to believe he didn’t move into the post with a pre-conceived agenda. After all, he refers to U.S. involvement as an “occupation” similar to the Soviet Union. He mentions that Afghanis don’t want our system of government. Really? Is that why record numbers of citizens have voted in every election we’ve secured since we invaded the country in 2001? I find that hard to believe. If they didn’t want our system of government they wouldn’t be protesting the last election results! They’d just accept the Taliban style of governing and just accept it. What Mr. Hoh neglects to inform us is exactly what kind of government, then, that the Afghanis do “want.”
Hoh used the same tactics in his letter that the rest of the anti-war crowd used in Iraq to explain the insurgency there.
“The U.S. and NATO presence and operations in Pashtun valleys and villages, as well as Afghan army and police units that are led and composed of non-Pashtun soldiers and police, provide an occupation force against which the insurgency is justified.”
In other words, the reason there is violence in Afghanistan is because we are there. It’s our fault! He continues,
“The United States military presence in Afghanistan greatly contributes to the legitimacy and strategic message of the Pashtun insurgency. In a like manner, our backing of the Afghan government in its current form continues to distance the government from the people. The Afghan government’s failings, particularly when weighed against the sacrifice of American lives and dollars, appear legion and metastatic…”
Another blame America first defeatest? I think so. Hoh uses the entire anti-war playbook. He questions why we go into Afghanistan but not other nations where terrorists are located. Remember when the anti-Iraq War hippies were complaining that we didn’t go into the Sudan or other nations?
Hoh is worried about how we’re assisted a failed and corrupt state without recognizing a primary mission of the conflict there, which is to train the government and military how to operate without corruption. Our military and government expend great amounts of energy to defeat a mindset that, worse than that of Iraq, has been ingrained in the Afghan culture for centuries. His letter says, “if we bear our military and financial contributions [because of poverty and corruption in] Afghanistan, we must reevaluate and increase our commitment to and involvement in Mexico.” This is a non-argument as Mexico didn’t – yet – train and send terrorists to kill thousands of Americans (drugs excepted). Apples and oranges, but the media is reporting it lock step, of course.
I question Mr. Hoh’s intentions. I’ll be keeping an eye on this. As is customary with this White House, they are feigning ignorance about yet another big story that is a potential black eye to the President’s strategy in Afghanistan – or lack of one!
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By CJ
Posted in Military News
Congress has approved the posthumous award of the Medal of Honor to a Maui man who died fighting in the Korean War.
The 2010 National Defense Authorization Act includes a provision to award the medal to Pfc. Anthony T. Kahoohano-hano for his “acts of valor” during combat in Korea. The bill for the act has been forwarded to President Barack Obama, who was expected to sign it today in the White House Rose Garden.
Kahoohanohano, who already was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, served with Company H, 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, during the Korean War.
According to the Military Times’ Hall of Honor, Kahoohanohano was in charge of a machine-gun squad in the vicinity of Chup’a-ri, Korea, on Sept. 1, 1951.
On that day, his squad faced a numerically superior enemy force. And, as American forces undertook a limited withdrawal, Kahoohanohano ordered his men to take up more secure positions to provide covering fire for fellow troops.
Then, although he had been wounded in the shoulder, he stayed behind, gathered gre-nades and ammunition and fought the enemy alone. He continued fighting until his ammunition was gone, and he engaged in “hand-to-hand” combat until he was killed.
His stand inspired his comrades who launched a counterattack to completely repulse the enemy.
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration and is given to those who risk their lives “above and beyond the call of duty.” Most medals are awarded posthumously.
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a person in the U.S. Army.
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October 26, 2009 By Troy
Posted in Life in the Military, MilBlogger Interviews, Milblog Conference, You Served Radio
Blog World Expo (BWE) this year was something else. I was amazed at how much I got out of it, but kind of wish I would have gotten a chance to get to more of the other panels and keynotes besides the milblog track. I flew in on Wednesday night with my wife and we eventually got to our hotel (the Luxor). Thursday was the day for the milblog track and I knew where I would be for the entire day.
One thing about either BWE or the milblog conference in D.C. is that it gives me a chance to catch up with many of my friends in the milblog world. All year long I exchange phone calls, emails or (private milblog group) postings with my friends and fellow milbloggers, but it is always nice to see them in person and give them a hug or handshake.
We had a fairly good showing of milbloggers at this year’s BWE. There was Matt, Mr. Wolf and Laughing Wolf from www.blackfive.net, Boston Maggie from http://bostonmaggie.blogspot.com/, Chuck Z from http://tcoverride.blogspot.com/. Barmy Mama from http://deltasierrahotel.net/, Household 6 from http://armyhousehold6.com/, DeltaWhiskey1 from http://www.deltawhiskey.us/, Toby Nunn from http://tobynunn.com/, Mr, Mrs Greyhawk from http://www.mudvillegazette.com, my good friend and co-host CJ from here and http://www.soldiersperspective.us, and many others. There were even some that came in virtually like OldBlue from http://www.afghanquest.com who called in from Afghanistan to participate in a panel.
CJ and I were both at BWE to represent the You Served Blog and Radio show and were both very thankful for VA Mortgage Center’s support for us and this event. Besides making sure that CJ and I got to the conference, VAMC also sponsored the refreshments during the milblog track. I know that does not sound like much, but in fact it is and was a lifesaver. All day we had drinks, coffee, water, pastries, snacks, cookies, etc. catered to the room for anyone attending the track to partake in. Rather than having to go and search and buy food and drinks, the panelists and observers of the milblog track only had to stroll to the back of the room.
The panels went great despite having some last minute cancellations by some members. CJ and I were live blogging the best we could during the panels either by writing tweets on the You Served Twitter account at www.twitter.com/youserved or by blogging here. We conducted some interviews and just did some networking with different milbloggers. CJ and I were on the same panel with Scott Henderson from www.mediasauce.com and thanks to Rick Calvert from BWE, we took a last minute idea and performed a first. We broadcast our panel live on the first hour of the You Served Radio Show. With Marcus running the show and switchboard from his home, CJ and I were able to call into the show and make the first hour the entire panel. This allowed our normal listeners the chance to virtually be there for at least one panel. As the panel ended, Marcus took back over the show and ran it for the 2nd half.
Over the next couple of days we hung out on the expo floor, mostly at the US Army Accessions Command sponsored Milblog Lounge. Unlike the other booths on the floor that were normal booths, USAAC had their table of SWAG to give away along with several nice leather couches that anyone could come and relax on, get on the Internet, snack on pastries or enjoy some other refreshment. This was a great place for milbloggers to drop their computer bags, relax and just congregate. Not far from the milblog lounge was a booth by the National Guard Bureau, The Bob Woodruff Foundation, and of course Soldiers’ Angels.
During the next two days CJ and I were very busy, which kept at least me from making many other panels. Besides walking the floor and getting my free SWAG, and enjoying the company of friends and milbloggers, we also conducted several interviews. CJ and I were both armed with Flip-up HD video camera and voice recorders walking around interviewing people. We also were both interviewed several times by different media outlets. I have a great interview with the guys behind Chad Vadar, interviews with non-milbloggers like Zac Johnson, and several others that will go up over the following weeks.
Besides getting free stuff from the booths, I must say I learned a lot about multiple opportunities for milbloggers or bloggers in general by talking with the vendors. There were multiple booths who’s focus was on soliciting bloggers to write for them and paying the bloggers to do so. I think 100% of the ones I talked to expressed deep interest in mibloggers as they don’t have many filling that genre. Some pay by the word, and some pay by the posting. There were also many booths that dealt with doing more podcasting and video in blogs. Personally I think that is where blogs are maturing to. We are an instant gratification society and many people would rather watch a video blog than read a normal blog.
One person who was there pushing podcasting an that I got the opportunity to meet was TV talk show host, Crank Yankers voice person and overall comedian Adam Corolla. Besides meeting the Chad Vadar guys, the chance to meet Adam was great. There were several other famous folks I met, but will save that for my blog at www.bouhammer.com.
VAMC has committed to sponsor the milblog track in the future and I am very glad of that. I think the You Served Blog and Radio show has become a major force in the new media space and the milblog space in general.
Since I did so many interviews with people during the time there, I will wait and post those interviews and let them speak for themselves. Again, look for them over the next week or two now that I am back on a permanent laptop.
We have several on-loan guest bloggers coming up here on You Served as a result of BWE and our next big event will be the milblog conference in Apr/May timeframe. Stay tuned and stay informed.
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By tmunson
Posted in Guest Blogger
I recently was alerted to a situation of a “wounded warrior” .. now this shouldn’t really surprised you because of my work with HASMO. I was a little ticked off because of all the soldiers I see who fight for higher disability ratings, services, etc.
This situation definitely had NOTHING to do with combat related injuries much less even being in the Army. This soldier was listed under the Warrior Transition Brigade by the Army. I’m not sure why but I’m assuming that the Army didn’t know how to classify him.
I can’t go into the various specifics for several reasons, including privacy reasons… but this soldier was diagnosed with a disease during Individual Entry Training (Basic/AIT) . It had nothing to do with anything that he did or was asked to do during that time. The Army paid for all his medical care and treatment in order for him to get better, so that he could serve.
I understand the reasons why the Army placed him in the WTB unit but should the Army have to pay disability for this soldier? We hear stories of so many warriors with combat related injuries who don’t get what they need. They deserve to have what they are asking for. They went to war and fought for their country.. they did what the country asked them to do.
Why are we giving special benefits,etc to soldiers that don’t have combat or mission related injuries. I have read or heard some many stories of soldiers who are dealing with the effects of PTSD and other issues and can’t get what they need.
This particular soldier, let’s call him Jason… is getting out of the Army and got a job that was specially created for “wounded warriors”. How is this fair? He’s not a wounded warrior… he doesn’t have a physical or mental disability. He was given a clean bill of health and can get almost any job he wants. He is using these particular benefits of the Army’s Wounded Warrior program to his advantage because I’m guessing he feels the Army owes him something.
The kicker is that this soldier didn’t get sick because of anything that the Army or his country asked him to do. While I feel bad for him and his specific situation, but I don’t think its fair or the right thing to do.
I think its a load of horse hockey. I feel that the benefits of being in WTB and the wounded warrior job program should be available to those that are just that… WOUNDED warriors. (mentally and physically)
What do you think?
Tammy Munson is an Army Wife whose husband is deployed to Afghanistan. She is also mom to 2 daughters, blogger, social media geek and lover of techie stuff. You can read more about her at her blog, ArmyHousehold6.com
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