Archive for the ‘Military News’ Category
October 28, 2009 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 23, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Military News
Maybe we need a new military occupational specialty that calls for having Soldiers accompany all equipment being shipped across the sea to ensure things like this don’t happen again!
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Soldiers of the newly arrived 575th Aerial Support Medical Company discovered at Kandahar Airfield Oct. 1 that roughly $2 million worth of their company’s medical equipment had been stolen in transit.
The six overseas shipping containers left Fort Lewis, Wash., in June and were delivered Oct. 1 to the 575th ASMC here where they discovered the contents of four containers were missing. When opened, one or two of the containers held pallets of radio antennas not belonging to the unit, and the other containers were empty. One of the empty containers had once held troops’ personal items, such as mementos, electronics and military-issued gear.
“Even though all my Soldiers took a huge hit, you can’t see it when they do their jobs,” said Capt. Constantine Voyevidka, the 575th ASMC company commander.
Scheduled to open their clinic Oct. 15, the approximately 80 Soldiers of the 575th ASMC deployed with two missions. Primarily they plan to use their clinic to support American troops from units that do not have medical assets, currently about 50 percent of troops on KAF. A secondary undertaking is to send teams forward to provide medical support to forward operating bases and military locations throughout Regional Command-South.
“For now we can still support Kandahar Airfield like we need to,” said Voyevidka.
Besides medical equipment they still have, the company hopes to use supplies from a medical equipment warehouse next door, as well as acquire medical materiel being transferred from Iraq due to the troop drawdown. The command surgeon from the Joint Sustainment Command-Afghanistan has already pledged support to help the 575th ASMC replace supplies they need to accomplish their mission.
Thanks to Specialist Elisebet Freeburg for the story!
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October 21, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Military News, Veteran Benefits
I’m completely against giving special pays to people who signed a contract. Everyone that enlists into the military signs a contract that makes it crystal clear that regardless of how long you enlist for, you are undertaking an 8-year commitment. But, the entitlement society that we live in doesn’t want to just hold people to legal contracts they signed. Instead, we have to baby people because they were “extended” with stop-loss orders.
Now, I’m not completely against this pay. For example, I think that if a service member has already served their 8-year active duty and IRR commitment but were still stop-lossed, then they DO deserve that money. Absolutely! Because they were kept beyond their obligation. We’re not doing that. We’re giving extra money to ANYONE that was stop-lossed beyond their active duty commitment, regardless of how much time they still owed in IRR. Just insane.
Anyway, here’s the information you stop-loss troops are looking for.
The Defense Department announced today the services’ implementation plans to provide retroactive stop loss special pay. Active, reserve and former service members who had their enlistment extended or retirement suspended due to stop loss are eligible for this special pay, if they served on active duty between Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept. 30, 2009.
Service members may begin submitting their claim for retroactive stop loss special pay on Oct. 21, 2009. In accordance with the 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act, all applications must be submitted to the respective services no later than Oct. 21, 2010. Eligible personnel will receive a payment of $500 per month for each month (or any portion of a month) that a member was retained on active duty due to stop loss. Applicants for retroactive pay who are no longer in the military had to be honorably discharged, and for those who were stop lossed in fiscal 2009, may only receive payment from one stop loss authority – either the money appropriated for stop loss special pay in the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, or the money allocated for retroactive stop loss special pay in the 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act, but not both.
Service members must provide documented proof they were stop lossed with their claim. Family members of deceased service members should contact the appropriate military service for assistance in filing their claim.
Information on how to contact each of the services is listed below:
Army: Go to https://www.stoplosspay.army.mil or email RetroStopLossPay@CONUS.Army.Mil
Navy: Email NXAG_N132C@navy.mil
Marine Corps: Go to https://www.manpower.usmc.mil/stoploss or email stoploss@usmc.mil
Air Force: Go to http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/stoploss/
Stop loss provides a valuable and critical tool to quickly retain and generate forces to surge in a major conflict. However, as deployment schedules stabilize, the department must then adapt and minimize its use of stop loss. The secretary of defense announced in March a comprehensive plan to eliminate the current use of stop loss, while retaining the authority for future use under extraordinary circumstances.
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October 19, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Military News, Patriotism
When Sergeant First Class Gregory Stube volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan in 2006, the Special Forces trained medic was expected to fill a civil affairs role. When he was asked to serve as the medic for an upcoming mission, he knew he had no other choice than to help the 3rd Special Forces Group. It was a decision that would change the course of the rest of his life.
On Sept. 6, 2006, as Stube was en route to set up a triage area for Soldiers wounded during the five-day Operation Medusa in Kandahar, his vehicle was hit by a remotely detonated improvised explosive device. A one-pound piece of shrapnel penetrated his leg, traveling through his pelvis and abdomen.
Despite his injuries, the NCO continued to focus on accomplishing the mission and the welfare of his fellow Special Forces Soldiers, even crawling out of the burning wreckage to fire his weapon at the enemy. Also, because he remained conscious throughout the incident, he was able to guide his fellow Soldiers through the care he needed, a benefit of his medical training. Reflecting on the day, Stube said he was not heroic, simply focused on self-preservation.
After being airlifted to Germany and eventually flown to Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, Stube had a long road to recovery ahead of him. In the past three years, he has undergone 17 procedures and surgeries. As a result of the shrapnel injury, Stube suffered devastating internal injuries, in addition to third-degree burns on his lower back and legs.
Throughout his recovery, he has chosen to focus on his capabilities instead of disabilities. The Soldier could have medically retired from the Army, but chose to use his story to help others. Stube is committed to helping other wounded warriors and their families get the care and support that they need.
“I’ve been very well cared for, and so, now I have to occupy myself in any way I can to continue to support that system and make sure that Soldiers who are wounded behind me get the same kind of treatment that I did,” said Stube.
A native of Memphis, Tenn., Stube is currently assigned to the Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office at Fort Bragg, N.C., and lives in Cameron, N.C., with his wife Donna and their young son, Gregory Jr. The Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal recipient has more than 21 years of service in the Army, and followed in the footsteps of his father, who served in the Navy during Vietnam.
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By CJ
Posted in Military News, Uncategorized
If you haven’t seen this on Blackfive, you should:
Senators diverted $2.6 billion in funds in a defense spending bill to pet projects largely at the expense of accounts that pay for fuel, ammunition and training for U.S. troops, including those fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an analysis.
Among the 778 such projects, known as earmarks, packed into the bill: $25 million for a new World War II museum at the University of New Orleans and $20 million to launch an educational institute named after the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat.
Really… Taking money meant for bullets and fuel for soldiers risking their lives in battle so you can build monuments to yourselves…
Have you no shame?
Senator Kennedy lived a free and prosperous life that he had been able to achieve based upon the blood and sweat that everyone like me who has served have used as the currency to pay for that freedom; and yet members of his party feel it necessary to insult me, say that my sacrifices are in vain and that the cause of freedom is no longer something worth buying with the fluids of my precious life.
Read the rest at Blackfive.
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October 16, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Military History, Military News
On Tuesday, October 20th at 11:45 am EST, the President will hold a recognition ceremony to honor Troop A, First Squadron, 11th Armored Combat Regiment of the U.S. Army, recipients of the Presidential Unit Citation for actions in the Republic of Vietnam.
The citation recognizes Troop A’s extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry on March 26, 1970 when it volunteered to rescue an American infantry company surrounded on the Cambodian border by an overwhelming enemy force. The determined enemy had resisted hours of aerial and artillery bombardment and was expected to destroy or capture the 100 American infantryman within hours.
Eighty-six Troop A veterans will be in attendance to receive the unit honor from the President at the White House in recognition of their exemplary service and personal sacrifice nearly four decades ago.
The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy on or after December 7, 1941. The unit must display such gallantry, determination, and esprit de corps in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions so as to set it apart from and above other units participating in the same campaign.
Allons!!
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October 6, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Military News
As you know, our troops were overrun in Afghanistan. Eight were killed and many injured in the assault that that affected everyone. I found this at “Cow Pastures to Kosovo“:
Like so many of you my heart has been heavy since the news of the attacks on our posts in Afghanistan on Saturday. The families of the Fallen are first and foremost in my thoughts and prayers. May God give them strength and comfort as they prepare to lay their loved ones to rest and may they always know that there are many of us out here who will ALWAYS remember their sons, brothers, fathers and husbands.
On another note, my great friend and troop support partner, Bob Connolly and I have been in direct contact with the unit’s CSM after learning that the base was destroyed and the men lost all of their belongs except the clothes on their backs. The Army is working to replace uniforms for the men. But they need assistance with other personal items. And they NEED TO KNOW that we are thinking about them over here, too.
Please contact [Cow Pastures to Kosovo] IMMEDIATELY to help fill their “needs” list below.
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September 30, 2009 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in Military News, Veteran Benefits
Small veteran-owned contracting firms already struggle to compete against larger outfits for lucrative government projects.
But a House bill meant to help those veterans obtain surety bonding will actually do more harm than good, an industry figure recently told the U.S. House Veterans Affairs subcommittee.
The measure, H.R. 294, is called the “Veteran-Owned Small Business Promotion Act of 2009.” It would allow small veteran-owned contractors to obtain performance and payment bonds for federal construction projects that are half the normal size.
Lynn M. Schubert, president of the Surety & Fidelity Association, told the subcommittee in late September that the legislation would actually hurt the veterans who lawmakers sought to help.
Schubert testified that reducing the bond amount would not affect availability or make a small veteran-owned contractor more competitive. In fact, reducing the bond amount would actually expose taxpayers to harm because of “additional costs and subcontractors and suppliers to the risk of nonpayment if there is a default,” she told the subcommittee.
Surety bonds are three-way agreements between surety companies, project owners and contractors. Performance and payment bonds ensure that work is performed as specified by a contract and that the winning contractor pays all subcontractors, suppliers and laborers as detailed by the contract. These bonds are required for all federal projects in excess of $10,000.
Instead of altering the bond amount, Schubert suggested that lawmakers look for more impactful ways to help veteran-owned businesses. Chief among those avenues is boosting contractors’ access to capital and collateral.
She also urged the subcommittee to push for federal regulations that would subdivide construction contracts into bite-sized pieces, which would enable small veteran-owned contractors and other fledgling firms the opportunity to succeed.
“Small veteran-owned contractors should be permitted to joint venture with larger contractors, using the larger contractor’s surety bond relationship to obtain the bonds for the project and develop an independent relationship with the surety for future projects,” Schubert said.
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September 28, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Military News, Top Posts, Veteran Benefits
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has authorized checks for up to $3,000 to be given to students who have applied for educational benefits and who have not yet received their government payment. The checks will be distributed to eligible students at VA regional benefits offices across the country starting Oct. 2, 2009.
“Students should be focusing on their studies, not worrying about financial difficulties,” Secretary Shinseki said. “Education creates life-expanding opportunities for our Veterans.”
Starting Friday, Oct. 2, 2009, students can go to one of VA’s 57 regional benefit offices with a photo ID and a course schedule to request advance payment of their education benefits. Because not all these offices are located near students, VA expects to send representatives to schools with large Veteran-student bodies and work with Veteran Service Organizations to help students with transportation needs.
A list of those VA regional offices is available at www.vba.va.gov/VBA/benefits/offices.asp.
“I’m asking our people to get out their road maps and determine how we can reach the largest number of college students who can’t reach us,” VA’s Under Secretary for Benefits Patrick Dunne said. “Not everyone has a car. Not everyone can walk to a VA benefits office.”
Although VA does not know how many students will request emergency funds, it has approximately 25,000 claims pending that may result in payments to students.
The funds VA will give to students now are advance payments of the earned benefits for education benefits. This money will be deducted from future education payments.
VA officials said students should know that after this special payment, they can expect to receive education payments on the normal schedule — the beginning of the month following the period for which they are reimbursed.
“This is an extraordinary action we’re taking,” said Shinseki. “But it’s necessary because we recognize the hardships some of our Veterans face.”
More than 27,500 students have already received benefits for housing or books under the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, or their schools received their tuition payments.
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September 27, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Military News, Patriotism, Top Posts
A few years ago when I was stationed in the DC area, I had the opportunity to attend the “Time of Remembrance” ceremony near the White House at the National Mall.
The purpose of the tribute is to bring together the families of America’s fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan and to acknowledge the sacrifice they have made. Families were brought together from across the country. This tribute, held on the grounds of the Washington Monument, honors those who have died in service to their country and the families they left behind.
You can see more photos from this year’s moving event at Army Live.
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