Monthly Archives: September 2011

USAG (Ger) Grafenwoehr — What to expect when you arrive

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Claire| Leave a comment

As I have shared some other aspects of my recent trip to and stay in Bavaria, I also wanted to share some little tid-bits of wisdom my daughter in law, Brittney, has collected to share with other spouses.  Some of this is very Graf specific, but some of it can easily apply to any of the USAG Germany stations. It helps to know things… and debunk myths that are common, such as the Autobahn has no speed limit. That is not true (sections of it have no posted speed limit, but there are frequent speed limit zones).
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Posted in Spouse and Family

Tomorrow night on Episode #161 of You Served Radio

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Troy| 1 Comment

This week’s show on You Served Radio is another one you don’t want to miss. Hey I serious here, tell your friends, family, co workers, everyone. You are missing out if you don’t listen to this show. First up we have Special Forces Major Rusty Bradley who a Special Forces ODA Team Commander in the Kandahar area in 2006 amongst many other years. Rusty wrote a book about this one particular tour titled the Lions of Kandahar that I am currently reading and I can tell you it is a must-read if you want to even have an idea about what our operators do on the battlefield in the Global War on Terror.
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Posted in MilBlogger Interviews, Why We Serve, You Served Radio

Photo of the Day – Leading The Way

Posted on September 26, 2011 by CJ| Leave a comment

Ask most any Senior NCO in the Army about the state of the NCO Corps and he’ll probably tell you he isn’t impressed. I’m not impressed. Come to think of it, I haven’t been impressed with ANY form of Army leadership in quite some time. I don’t know what happened, but we’ve lost the art of taking care of Soldiers and the few of us who genuinely care and want to enforce standards (not GFI-type standards) are fed up and leaving in droves.

When I became a Sergeant, I was assigned to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fort Irwin, CA. I went through the best NCO Induction Ceremony I’ve ever seen. The NCO Induction ceremony is meant to welcome young Soldiers to the ranks of the Non-commissioned Officer Corps. When you pin on those Chevrons, you become a new Soldier – a leader. However, I haven’t seen an NCO Induction Ceremony conducted in about eight years. I know they do here and there, but they are largely absent from our force. It’s depressing and shows a lack of pride in who we are.

So, it was good to see this photo from SFC Mary Perez of the 101st Airborne Division ceremony recently here in Afghanistan.


Sgt. Socorro Garcia, an administrative NCO with the 101st Sustainment Brigade, prepares to step through the archway of the newly promoted non-commissioned officers during a ceremony at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.

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Retiree Benefits for the Military Could Face Cuts

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Troy| 4 Comments

As Washington looks to squeeze savings from entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare, another program, the health and pension benefits of military retirees is also growing rapidly .   Military pensions and health care for active and retired troops now cost the government about $100 billion a year, representing an expanding portion of both the Pentagon budget and the national debt, which together finance the programs.  The intense push in Congress this year to reduce the debt and the possibility that the Pentagon might have to begin trimming core programs like weapons procurement; research training and construction have suddenly made retiree benefits vulnerable.  Although this article calls military health and pension benefits a Social Welfare program- this is a gross misrepresentation. Continue reading →

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Posted in News, Veteran Benefits

Obama Proposes TRICARE Changes

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Troy| Leave a comment

President Barack Obama has made a proposal for changes in TRICARE which include requiring military retirees to pay an annual fee for TRICARE-for-Life health insurance.  TRICARE pharmacy co-payments would also be restructured under the deficit reduction plan.  The deficit plan reportedly reduces $4.4 trillion from the $14.7 trillion federal deficit over 10 years through a combination of spending cuts and increased tax revenue.  The TRICARE plan allegedly would provide a savings of $6.7 billion over 10 years by establishing “modest annual fees” for members of TRICARE-for-Life (TFL).  Continue reading →

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Posted in Veteran Benefits

Photo of the Day – Raw Power

Posted on September 25, 2011 by CJ| Leave a comment

We have these things here in Kandahar as well. They’re loud as hell when they take off in a hurry, but that’s the sound of freedom! I almost feel bad for the recipients of our air superiority. This photo was taken at Bagram Airfield by Senior Airman Krista Rose.


An F-15E Strike Eagle from the 389th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron takes off here in support of Operation Enduring Freedom Sept. 20, 2011. The F-15 is a dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. It can penetrate enemy defense and outperform and outfight any current enemy aircraft.

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Photo of the Day – Mashallah

Posted on September 24, 2011 by CJ| Leave a comment

I love sharing photos taken of our troops interacting with Afghan children. I don’t really have anything to add to this photo by Capt. Michael Newman except that it destroys the extreme liberal, hippie myth of our troops being murderers, baby killers, etc.

Spc. Brad Falde, a cavalry scout with 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, welcomes a student to his first day of school Sept. 18. The boy walked at least 3 miles to reach the new school near the Shah Wali Kot district center.

In case you were wondering, “mashallah” is loosely translated to mean “wonderful” in Pashtu.

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Gold Star Mother’s Day, Observed

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Claire| Leave a comment

Tomorrow, Sunday September 25 is Gold Star Mother’s Day. I say it’s the official day we pay our respects to the ladies whose sons or daughters served and died while serving their nation in times of war or conflict. Really though, we should observe them daily. If you know a Gold Star mother, please call her tomorrow. Let her hear your voice as you speak a word of gratitude and acknowledgement of her sacrifice and the burden she bears every moment of her life. Let her know you remember, and will never forget.

Here’s some history and a poem for this special day.

Each year the United States president is requested to issue a proclamation to: call on US government officials to display the nation’s flag on all government buildings; and to call on people to display the flag and hold appropriate meetings at homes, churches, or other suitable places on Gold Star Mother’s Day to publicly express the love, sorrow, and reverence those who are Gold Star mothers and their families. Continue reading →

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Posted in Spouse and Family

Photo of the Day – Pandion Haliaetus

Posted on September 23, 2011 by CJ| Leave a comment

I’d seriously like to know what Marines that actually use these things think of them. Personally, I think the concept of the V-22 Osprey is impressive. I stop whatever I’m doing each time I see one take off from Kandahar. No other plane in the inventory comes close to what this plane/helicopter hybrid does and watching go from vertical takeoff as a chopper into horizontal plane mode is just plain cool. This picture isn’t from here, but I’ve been wanting to write something about these odd planes.

Marines from 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment train on assault operations using the V-22 Osprey Sept. 19 at Fort Pickett. More than 900 Marines and sailors are taking part in the Deployment for Training Exercise Sept. 6-23. The battalion is scheduled to attach to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit as its Battalion Landing Team a few days after the training is complete. Photo by Cotton PuryearSmall

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Photo of the Day – Shock Jock Troopers

Posted on September 22, 2011 by CJ| Leave a comment

Some of my favorite times in the military occurred at Ft. Irwin where I had the privilege to run a daily radio show. We billed it as the “Morning Show At Lunch” since it was a mix of music and crazy banter. I had a good command that allowed me to take a longer lunch, which I used to volunteer at the post radio station. The “Munch and Crunch Lunch Hour” was a hit and had a good 2-year long run. Radio is one of those jobs I could see myself doing for the rest of my life after the military.

My co-host and I even had the opportunity to visit a popular rock station in Las Vegas to hone our craft and see how professionals do it. In this photo by Capt. Melody Faulkenberry, retransmission Team Chief SPC DeEsta Sheldon, of Company C, 4-1 Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, receives on the job training from Shawn Rock of 101.5 KROCK. KROCK is based out of Manhattan, KS, near Fort Riley.

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Posted in Photo of the Day