Category Archives: Military News

Message From the 38th Chief of Staff of the Army

Posted on September 7, 2011 by CJ| Leave a comment


Gen. Raymond Odierno hands a coin to Spc. Aaron Smith of the 17th Fires Brigade. Odierno was visiting COB Basra to present coins to the Soldiers of the 17th FB after attending briefings at its headquarters as part of a battlefield circulation. Photo by SSG Adam Stone.

Today, Army General Ray Odierno was sworn in as the 38th Chief of Staff of the Army in a ceremony at the Pentagon. Odierno is a 1976 graduate of West Point and has served in the army for more than 34 years. He also served as the Commanding General of US forces in Iraq. Today, he released the following statement to Soldiers:

I am honored and humbled to be your 38th Chief of Staff. Over the last 10 years our Army has proven itself in arguably the most difficult environment we have ever faced. Our leaders at every level have displayed unparalleled ingenuity, flexibility and adaptability. Our Soldiers have displayed mental and physical toughness and courage under fire. They have transformed the Army into the most versatile, agile, rapidly deployable and sustainable strategic land force in the world. Our Army is the Nation’s force of decisive action, extremely relevant and highly effective for a wide range of missions. Trust is the bedrock of our honored Profession – trust between each other, trust between Soldiers and Leaders, trust between Soldiers and their Families and the Army, and trust with the American people.

Today is like no other time in our history. We remain at war, and our top priority is to win the current fight. It is also a time of uncertainty and historic change. We face a multitude of security challenges, such as transnational and regional terrorism in places like Yemen, Somalia, North Africa and Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas. We have the uncertainty of the Arab Spring, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and challenges of rising powers. All of this is underpinned by fiscal constraint.

Despite the challenges, we confront the future from a position of great strength. Our Army will continue to be the best equipped, best trained, and best led force in the world. The strength of our Nation is our Army; the strength of our Army is our Soldiers; the strength of our Soldiers is our Families. This is what makes us Army Strong.

Along with the Secretary of the Army, in the coming weeks I will share thoughts on our way forward. This includes sustaining our All-Volunteer Army, providing depth and versatility to the Joint Force, and ensuring flexibility for defense of our interests at home and abroad.

I am proud to serve in your ranks, filled by great men and women that willingly serve our country. You are courageous, confident, competent, and compassionate. You live our Army Values 24/7 in all you do. Discipline, high standards, and fitness are your watch words. You are the best our country has to offer. I look forward to seeing you as I visit your camps, posts, stations, and operating bases. Thank you for your steadfast dedication and loyal service to our Nation.

//Original Signed//
Raymond T. Odierno
Chief of Staff, U.S. Army

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Remembering 9/11- The shutdown of Air Traffic

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Troy| Leave a comment

The video below shows the animation of air traffic over the USA on the morning of Sept 11th, 2001. As the events happened that morning, you can see the air traffic go from over 3000+ flights in the air at one time to near nothing.

 

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Posted in Military News, Video

The impact of Gen Petraeus

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Troy| 1 Comment

He is without a doubt the most widely-known and popular military leader of our generation. Today GEN David Petraeus retires from 40 years in uniform. Of course he is not gone for good, as he starts a new job next week as the head of the CIA.

The Washington Post has brought together 4 people that knew the General well to reflect on him and his legacy.

Check  it out at http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-washington/post/the-impact-of-gen-david-petraeus-in-four-takes/2011/08/30/gIQAEc0urJ_blog.html

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Posted in Military Life, Military News

Google Introduces Free Gmail Calls Home for All U.S. Service Members

Posted on August 30, 2011 by CJ| 1 Comment

Google understands the sacrifices of our troops and have just introduced a program to provide all U.S. Service Members with FREE calls home using Gmail.

We understand that it’s not always easy or affordable for our troops serving overseas to call friends and family at home, so starting today we’re making it completely free for all uniformed military personnel with valid United States Military (.mil) email addresses to call the United States, right from Gmail.

To start making free calls, follow these 2 steps:

Step 1: Add your .mil address to your Google Account:

Sign in on the Google Accounts homepage.
Click Edit next to ‘Email addresses.’
Add your .mil email in the ‘Add an additional email address’ field.
Click Save. You will receive an email at your .mil address.
Open the verification email and click the verification link.
Step 2: Click the ‘Call phone’ link in your chat roster and use the dialpad to make calls. You may be prompted to install the Voice & Video Chat plugin.


Now, obviously, you have to be a user of Gmail’s free services to use them. I’ve been using Gmail for years thanks to the superb security it offered over my previous Yahoo emails. I’ve since completely ceased using Yahoo for anything since it’s nothing but a hotbed of viruses, spam, and scams.

Even better than free calling back home, family and friends can call us for a mere $.02 per minute! Which shouldn’t cost much because once they call us, we can just call back for free so in the end it doesn’t really cost much and helps bring the troops that much closer to home.

And don’t forget that for friends and family at home in the U.S., calling troops abroad is as little as $.02/minute.

Similar to free calling within the U.S., free calling to the U.S. for service members will be available for at least the rest of 2011.

We recognize and appreciate the sacrifices U.S. troops make when they serve abroad, and we’re proud to help make it a little bit easier for them to stay connected and hear a familiar voice.

I’m hoping they expand this program until we come home, but in the meantime we have the next three months!

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Army To Cut 8,741 Civilian Employees

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Troy| Leave a comment

Army Secretary John McHugh on 11 July ordered leaders throughout the Army to immediately start cutting their staffing to help meet former Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ mandated efficiency initiatives. The Army is losing $834 million in operations and maintenance funding as part of those cuts as the Army plans to cut 8,741 civilian jobs by October 2012.  An execution order issued 4 August said agencies would have 30 days to brief Army leaders on how they plan to achieve these cuts, and what progress they have made.  There are many people that appose these job cuts to include Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-MD and The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents Defense Department civilian employees.  To learn more about these job reductions, please go to: http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20110804/PERSONNEL02/108040304/1001

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Posted in Military News

Due Recognition

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Troy| Leave a comment

A little boy from Kansas is having to deal with a lot right now. For one thing he has lost his father in Afghanistan. His dad was one of the crew members on the downed Chinook a couple of weeks ago that took 31 American lives.

But he also is trying to come to grips with why his father’s service seems to be overlooked.

A young boy in Kansas was among millions in America who watched the horrifying news this past weekend about the Chinook that went down in Afghanistan’s Wardak province.

That boy in Kansas soon found out that his father, a U.S. Army pilot, was aboard the doomed helicopter.
In the midst of his world shattering, he could not understand why the Navy SEALs drew so much attention. There were 30 Americans on board that Chinook. Why wasn’t anyone mentioning his father, a chief warrant officer with Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 155th Aviation Regiment?

To him and his family, units, branches of service, rank or job speciality does not matter. They lost their loved in combat and for a little kid who now has a big hole in his heart and life I can see why he doesn’t understand why some seem to value some lives more than others.

I am glad CNN carried this story so at least little Braydon could see in at least in some media stories that his Dad mattered just as much.

Read the whole story at http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/09/afghanistan.pilot.son/

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Posted in Military News, Spouse and Family, Wall of Honor, Why We Serve

President Obama to Award Medal of Honor to Marine

Posted on August 12, 2011 by CJ| Leave a comment


On September 15th, President Barack Obama will award Dakota Meyer, a former active duty Marine Corps Corporal, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. He will receive the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions while serving as a member of Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8, Regional Corps Advisory Command 3-7, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on September 8, 2009 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He will be the third living recipient – and first Marine – to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. He and his family will join the President at the White House to commemorate his example of selfless service.

Dakota Meyer was born in Columbia, Kentucky on June 26, 1988, attended local public schools, and graduated from Green County high school. In 2006, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at a recruiting station in Louisville, Kentucky, and completed his basic training at Parris Island Recruit Training Depot later that year.

In 2010, he completed his active duty commitment and currently serves in the Inactive Ready Reserve of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve as a Sergeant. He is a highly skilled Marine infantryman and Scout Sniper who is also trained as a Combat Lifesaver. At the time of his deployment to combat duty in Afghanistan he was serving as a Turret Gunner and Driver.

While on active duty, he deployed twice to the combat theater, serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan. During 2007, he deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom with Third Battalion, Third Marines, and during 2009-10, he deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.

His military decorations include: a Purple Heart Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with “V” device for valor, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and Good Conduct Medal. His other awards and decorations include the Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one bronze campaign star, Iraq Campaign Medal with one bronze campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, NATO ISAF Afghanistan Medal, and a Rifle Expert Badge (3rd Award) and Pistol Expert Badge (2nd Award).

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Army Stresses Caution, Education to Combat Social Media Scammers

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Troy| Leave a comment

The Army authorizes the use of social media in both official and personal capacities, but threats are always present so education is key.  The number of scam artists utilizing social media has increased, so the US Army is stressing caution in the use of such media as FaceBook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  These scam artists are determined to steal personal information, impersonate Soldiers and try to acquire sensitive information, even those of deceased Soldiers.  In 2009, the Robin Sage Experiment effectively demonstrated how people respond to social media scams so the following are some tips to prevent having personal information acquired by the wrong people:

1) do not share information that you do not want to become public;

(2) verify a “friend” request by phone or other means before allowing access;

(3) look closely at all privacy settings; (4) be careful about what you post about your life — you cannot control where the information goes;

(5) be cautious when listing job, military organization, education and contact information;

(6) always ensure that information posted online has no significant value to the enemy;

(7) closely review photos to make sure they do not give away sensitive information;

(8) talk with family about operations security and what can and cannot be posted;

(9) create different, strong passwords for each online account.

For more information, see the Army Social Media Best Practices fact sheet at: http://www.slideshare.net/DepartmentofDefense/army-social-media-best-practices and the Army Social Media Handbook 2011 by clicking: http://www.slideshare.net/USArmySocialMedia/army-social-media-handbook-2011

 

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Posted in Military News, Military Strategy, Scams and Fakers

Military to Calculate Radiation Exposure in Japan

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Troy| Leave a comment

According to Rear Adm. Michael H. Mittelman, the U.S. Pacific Command’s top surgeon, the U.S. military plans to calculate radiation doses received by each of the approximately 61,000 U.S. personnel living and working in Japan during this year’s nuclear disaster.   He has been holding town hall meetings on bases in Japan telling residents about the individual radiation dose assessments, which will be compiled in a register and added to medical records.  Their exposures are very low, but they are also part of this disaster so this is the responsible thing to do and if there is ever a question, 20 years from now, they can go back and look at what their potential dose was.  To read the full article, please go to: http://www.military.com/news/article/military-to-calculate-radiation-exposure-in-japan.html?ESRC=eb.nl

 

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Posted in Military News

How could this have happened

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Troy| 1 Comment

After spending over 22 years in uniform I can tell you that the Army is pretty anal when it comes to securing weapons. It is not something taken lightly, with many processes and procedures in place that check and balance the storing and issuing of weapons.

So to say that I am perplexed as to how this could have happened, is an understatement. I have to assume it was an inside job, but they again I wonder how stupid a soldier could be to think the Army would not miss 27 weapons.

More than two dozen assault rifles have been stolen from a Southern California military base, and investigators sought the public’s help as they looked to arrest suspects and recover the weapons, federal officials said Friday.

Twenty-six AK-74 assault rifles and one Dragunov sniper rifle were stolen from a supply warehouse at Fort Irwin in San Bernardino County on July 15, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says in a statement.

Some arrests have been made and one rifle has been recovered, but the agency is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to further arrests, the statement said.

Read the whole story at http://www.military.com/news/article/27-rifles-stolen-from-fort-irwin.html

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Posted in Military Life, Military News