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Adm. Mullen Discusses Policy on The Late Show

Filed under DoD News by on June 15, 2011 at 3:49 pm {no comments}

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shares a laugh with host David Letterman during an interview.

Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took to the late night circuit with a recent appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Mullen stressed how times are tough for service members, who compose 1% of the U.S. population, and wants America to help these veterans out when they return home from the battlefield.

“There’s a sea of goodwill out there that wants to make a difference in their lives. And so I’ve worked hard to try to focus on that. We’re only 1 percent of the population, and yet they’ve marched off to war and done what America has asked. They’ve done it as well if not better than ever in our history. And I’m very proud of them. We should, from my perspective, work hard to repay that debt,” said Mullen.

In addition, Adm. Mullen talked about Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, transitioning out of Afghanistan, and the situation in Iraq.

View the article this post was based on: “Mullen Discusses Afghanistan, Iraq, ‘Don’t Ask’ on Letterman” on Defense.gov

The Life of One American Flag in Iraq

Filed under DoD News by jtozer on June 14, 2011 at 11:12 am {no comments}

By Spc. Darriel Swatts

Pilot in Command Capt. Jeffrey Maxwell holds up a flag, that he is flying for a Soldier stationed on Camp Taji, Iraq, while flying an AH-64D Apache Longbow Attack Helicopter. (U.S. Army photo by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Allan Kidwell, 8-229th ARB)

Camp Taji, Iraq – Most people, when thinking of flying a flag, think of a flag majestically waiving atop a flag pole; however, the 8th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment, fly the flag a bit differently, they fly their flags inside an Apache attack helicopter while patrolling the skies of Iraq.

“The American flag is a great honor and a great symbol of our country; to have a flag that was over in combat, flown on a mission; it’s very powerful to a lot of people,” said 1st Lt. Michael Moran, an Apache pilot for B Company, 8-229th, based out of Ft. Knox, Kentucky, stationed on Camp Taji, Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn. “It’s a way we can give something back to those who have given to us and to show people back home that we appreciate them, by giving a large token of respect.”

The pilots of the 8-229th, deployed under the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade from Fresno, Calif., have been flying flags for people back home since their arrival in Iraq; they have logged more than 6,000 hours of flight time flying more than 250 flags.

“We started as soon as we got here; we took over from our predecessors and it has really exploded from there. We’ve flown flags for people from everywhere back home, the VFW, schools, employers, and even individual people,” said Maj. Alan Hardin, Task Force Tiger Executive Officer for the 8-229th. “I personally have flown a couple flags for people who mean a lot to me. It’s a way to let them know you’re thinking of them and to say thanks for what they do us back home. Sometimes we forget while we’re forward doing our job, as hard as it may be for us, it’s equally as hard if not harder for them back home.”

The flag flying program is open to any and all Soldiers stationed on Camp Taji with the Flying Tigers.

“I’ve flown tons of flags since we got here in late February, early March,” said Moran. “I enjoy flying the flags because it a way of showing respect to the people back home and it’s a way of thanking them for what they have done. When I’m out there flying that flag, I realize the importance of it all.”

(more…)

Episode #89: Weekly News Roundup for June 3

Filed under DoD News, Emerging Media by Ian Graham on June 3, 2011 at 2:28 pm {no comments}

In the “This Week in the DoD” podcast for June 3:

An outbreak of E. Coli in Germany has prompted Public Health Command Region–Europe and Europe Regional Medical Command health officials to encourage everyone to practice safe food preparation practices. Read more here.

President Barack Obama will award the Medal of Honor to Army Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry in a White House ceremony next month. Petry is the second living recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan, after Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta.

The president also announced who he’s chosen to replace Adm. Mike Mullen and Marine Gen. James Cartwright as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when they step down this September. Pending Congressional approval, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey will be the next chairman and Adm. James Winnefeld will be the next vice chairman.

The Space Shuttle Endeavour touched down this week at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla., after flying its final mission. The Endeavour and its crew delivered spare parts and imaging equipment to the International Space Station.

DoDLive is featuring stories about Department of Defense Community Partnerships. Groups around the world are teaming up with our allies’ military units to train together and learn from each other. These relationships are the foundation to strengthen ties with our neighbors at home and partners abroad. This week, we focused on a story about trilateral training with American, German and Greek forces on the island of Crete.

Listen to the podcast here.

Wednesday Warfighter: Test Pilots of the 640th are Final Authority for Flight

Filed under DoD News by on June 1, 2011 at 8:30 am {no comments}

Maintenance Test Pilot Chief Warrant Officer Bill Vanek of Bravo Company, 640th Aviation Support Battalion, performs a systems check on a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter at Camp Taji’s airfield on May 16, 2011.

By Spc. Matthew A. Wright, 40th Combat Aviation Brigade

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – The maintenance test pilots of the 640^th Aviation Support Battalion thoroughly check the 40^th Combat Aviation Brigade’s helicopters after maintenance has been performed, ensuring that aircraft are airworthy and safe to fly in the skies of Iraq.

“Our mantra is: It is broken,” said Chief Warrant Officer David Clark of Bravo Company, 640^th ASB, and a native of Fresno, Calif. “We want it (the helicopter) to break on our flight, not on a real mission.”

The 640th ASB from Los Alamitos, Calif. is a National Guard unit that falls under the 40^th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), which is on a yearlong deployment in Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn.

The 640^th is tasked to support more than 200 helicopters in theater that belong to seven battalions in the CAB. Its test pilots work long hours, striving to ensure that the brigade’s helicopters will return to base safely after each mission.

Chief Warrant Officer Bill Vanek, a Helena, Mont. native, experienced an engine failure while conducting a test flight during pre-mobilization training at Fort Hood, Texas. As he flew a UH-60 Black Hawk on the test flight, he pulled back on the throttle during a maximum power check on the engine, and suddenly the engine died. With quick thinking, he restarted the engine still in flight and was able to continue his mission. The experience is not common, but comes with the territory, he said. (more…)

Soldiers Donate Hair to Children in Need

Filed under DoD News, Emerging Media by jtozer on May 24, 2011 at 9:00 am {2 comments}

By Sgt. Joseph A. Vine, USF-I PAO, story from www.army.mil

Staff Sgt. Amaryllis Rivera, a unit supply sergeant with the HHC 325th Military Intelligence, gets her hair cut during Operation Shear Love, at Camp Victory, Iraq. (Photo by Sgt. Joseph Vine, USF-I PAO)

CAMP VICTORY – Troops on Victory Base Complex participated in Operation Shear Love, in which they donated their hair to Locks of Love.

Locks of Love is a not-for-profit organization that provides hair pieces to children with medical hair loss.

This is the first Locks of Love donation drive that has occurred in Iraq, said Tech. Sgt. Amber Hotzfeld, an intelligence analyst, Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Detachment – Iraq, and one of the organizers of the event who donated 11 inches of hair.

All of the troops, who each donated a minimum of 10 inches of hair for a total of almost eight feet, did so with their hearts going out to the children who need the hair more than they do.

According to Locks of Love, the program meets a need that goes beyond superficial beauty. They provide a service that can help children rebuild their self esteem and regain normalcy in their lives.

“My friend’s daughter was diagnosed with a Stage-2 Wilms Tumor a year ago,” said Hotzfeld. “She had her left kidney and a 10cm tumor removed, and (she) went through 18 weeks of chemotherapy. She’s doing great now and is cancer-free. I wanted to do this in her honor for being such a brave girl.”

“I thought that this was a perfect way to support cancer research,” said Spc. Teri Stadther, a badging specialist with Alpha Troop, 2-116 Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, who donated 10 inches of hair. “I hope that my hair will help a child find a bit of joy and comfort in knowing that others are supporting and cheering for them. I plan on doing it again in the future.”

“This the first time I’ve done anything like this,” said Spc. Nicole Apontequiles, an administrative clerk, deputy commanding general of operations command action group, United States Forces – Iraq, who donated 15 inches of hair. “I was thinking about it for a long time, but didn’t have the opportunity until now.”

Hotzfeld said that due to logistics and the drawdown of forces, this is the only Operation Shear Love in which she will be able to organize and participate.

“Your hair means so much more to the kid who doesn’t have hair than (it does) to you,” she said.

“This is a beautiful cause,” said Staff Sgt. Amaryllis Rivera, a unit supply sergeant with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 325th Military Intelligence, who donated 13 inches of hair. “I really wish more people were willing to participate.”

“I would encourage everybody to find a foundation that they care for — something that pulls at their heart and jump in with both feet,” said Stadther. “It will bring you such pride knowing that for somebody else, your little act of kindness will bring them great joy. Plus, it’s just hair, and you can grow yours back.