Attention Military Spouses!!!!

November 25, 2006 on 3:51 pm | In Resources | No Comments

 Military Spouse Education Resource Guide Now Available

There is now a one-stop guide that offers information on starting your education, available scholarships and grants, and the many opportunities that are accessible to military spouses. NMFA has designed a Military Spouse Education Resource Guide to identify educational opportunities available to military spouses. Order your copy today.

Salute Miltary Families this Christmas

November 25, 2006 on 3:36 pm | In Support Our Troops | No Comments
 

America Supports You Member, Operation Homefront, and Wal-Mart Partner to Salute Military Families This Christmas
 

SANTA ANA, Calif., Nov. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ –

Operation Homefront, will today launch “Operation Christmas” with a generous donation by Wal-Mart . Operation Christmas, a campaign to spread Christmas cheer to military families with loved ones deployed overseas, will commence with six major events in military communities across the nation so military families may delight in Christmas activities as a break from their worries. Operation Homefront, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing emergency assistance to members of the military and their families, is a member of America Supports You, an outreach program launched by the Department of Defense to recognize and showcase citizens’ support for military men and women and to communicate that support to members of the Armed Forces and their families.

“Operation Christmas” festivities will include satellite and web links between military families and their deployed spouse or parent, visits and story-readings by Santa, tree-trimming, food, music and fun. Finally, every participating military family will leave the event with toys for their children and Wal-Mart gift cards as part of Wal-Mart’s nearly $500,000 total donation of gift cards, toys, and cash to Operation Homefront.

“Christmas is a wonderful time — but it can also be a difficult time for the families of those who courageously serve our country overseas,” said Pat Curran, executive vice president, Store Operations of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. “Operation Christmas gives us a chance to give a little back to those who sacrifice so much to preserve our safety and freedom.”

“Our mission is to spread holiday cheer to military families who need it, and it’s wonderful that Wal-Mart stepped up to the plate when we were looking for support,” said Meredith Leyva, Founder of Operation Homefront.

For the past eight years, Wal-Mart’s long-standing commitment to the U.S. military has included programs to help children deal with the stress of military life, pre-paid phone cards to deployed troops and morale-boosting message boards in-store.

“Wal-Mart has done a phenomenal job supporting organizations like Operation Homefront by stepping up to the plate with a generous donation and really embracing the Christmas spirit of giving,” said Allison Barber, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and architect of the America Supports You program. “Wal-Mart’s continued support for the America Supports You program and its many grassroots organizations like Operation Homefront makes it easier for Americans to come together to serve those who are serving us at home and abroad. The men and women of the armed forces have sacrificed greatly for our freedom and now we have amazing opportunities to thank them for their service.”

Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization that provides assistance to military families that have a family member deployed. According to Operation Homefront, there are more than 1.8 million spouses and five million children who are military dependents. For every 100 persons deployed, there are 65 spouses left at home, of which the vast majority (93 percent) are women. At any given time, upwards of 190,000 spouses (and their 467,000 children) are left to manage the household while a loved one serves on active duty.

Operation Christmas: A Celebration to Remember

For the families of those serving in six military communities, Operation Homefront with the generous support of Wal-Mart will host an exciting holiday celebration unlike any other — complete with Santa Claus, family tree trimming, arts and crafts, video games and more. Each child will receive a special toy from Santa, listen to Christmas classics and have the opportunity to take a photo with Mr. Claus himself.

Celebrations will be held near the following six military bases to accommodate as many military families as possible.

* Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, IL (November 22) * Norfolk Naval Base in Norfolk, VA (November 27) * Naval Air Station Base in Pensacola, FL (December 2) * Gulfport & Kessler Air Force Base in Gulfport, MS (December 7) * Randolph Air Force Base in Converse, TX (December 13) * Fort Stewart in Savannah, GA (December 20) Spreading Christmas Cheer

In an effort to raise awareness of the unmet needs of military families, ABC’s “Good Morning America” will broadcast live from the final three military celebrations. The top-rated national morning show will shine the spotlight on Operation Homefront and honor the troops who are serving overseas and their families who sacrifice so much, particularly during the holidays.

About Operation Homefront:

Operation Homefront provides assistance to military families while service members are deployed. Operation Homefront supports our nation’s troops by allowing them to focus on the dangerous mission at hand instead of the crises back home. Over the past five years, Operation Homefront has raised and distributed over $6 million in aid to more than 35,000 military families in all branches of the armed forces. The organization operates with a small national staff of ten that coordinates the efforts of 2,500 volunteers across the country.

About Wal-Mart:

Every week, more than 176 million customers visit Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, Sam’s Clubs or a subsidiary location in 13 countries around the world. In each of the countries where Wal-Mart operates, the company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of operating globally and giving back locally. Wal-Mart is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $270 million to local communities in the U.S. To learn more, visit http://www.walmartfacts.com/ , http://www.walmart.com/ or http://www.walmartfoundation.org/ .

About America Supports You:

America Supports You is an ongoing nationwide program that helps showcase American’s support for the men and women of the Armed Forces. Since its launch in November of 2004 by the Department of Defense, America Supports You has welcomed 225 member organizations and more than 20 corporate sponsors to its team. Many America Supports You team members support the troops by writing letters, sending care packages, helping the wounded when they return home, assisting military families, sending e-mails or simply extending kind gestures to the troops. To learn more about how you can support military personnel please visit http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/ .
Quelle: Finanzen.net / Aktiencheck.de AG

Military mothers yearn to be whole

November 25, 2006 on 3:20 pm | In Articles | No Comments
By Donna St. George

The Washington Post

Updated: 9:11 p.m. MT Nov 23, 2006

When they called her name, she could not move. Sgt. Leana Nishimura intended to walk up proudly, shake the dignitaries’ hands and accept their honors for her service in Iraq — a special coin, a lapel pin, a glass-encased U.S. flag.

But her son clung to her leg. He cried and held tight, she recalled. And so Nishimura stayed where she was, and the ceremony last summer went on without her. T.J. was 9, her oldest child, and although eight months had passed since she had returned from the war zone, he was still upset by anything that reminded him of her deployment.

He remembered the long separation. The faraway move to live with his grandmother. The months that went by without his mother’s kisses or hugs, without her scrutiny of homework, her teasing humor, her familiar bedtime songs.

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Boeing to Build New SCAR Helicopter

November 25, 2006 on 12:56 pm | In Articles | No Comments

By Harold Kennedy

The Air Force has awarded Boeing Helicopter, of Ridley Park, Pa., a contract worth a possible $15 billion to build 141 next-generation combat search-and-rescue helicopters.

The new helicopters would be HH-47s — updated versions of the CH-47 Chinooks that the Air Force has been flying for 50 years. They would replace a current, aging combat search-and-rescue fleet of 101 HH-G Pave Hawks.

Both the Pave Hawk and the HC-130 are obsolete and should be retired, said Air Force Reserve Col. Steve Kirkpatrick, commander of the 920 Rescue Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.

“The HH-60 is a great aircraft, but it is really limited,” he told a recent conference in Arlington, Va. “We need a helicopter with more cabin space and better performance in mountainous terrain.”

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Search and Rescue

November 25, 2006 on 12:53 pm | In Articles | No Comments

With U.S. forces heavily engaged in combat, peacekeeping and disaster-relief missions around the world, military search-and-rescue units are trying to figure out how to work more closely together while saving lives.Although the Air Force has primary responsibility for combat search and rescue, all of the services have units that conduct life-saving missions. To be successful, they frequently have to cooperate with each other — and after 9/11 and a series of natural disasters at home — with state and local first-responders.

The problem is that all of these organizations operate differently, said Air Force Reserve Col. Steve Kirkpatrick, commander of the 920 Rescue Wing at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.

“The Air Force has one way of doing things; the Army has another,” he told a recent conference in Arlington, Va. The same is true of the Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and civilian emergency services. “We have to work on a standard game plan.”

Search-and-rescuers from all of the services and some civilian agencies gathered at the conference, sponsored by the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement, to discuss common problems and possible solutions. High on their list of imperatives was improving their ability to conduct joint operations amid the often-frantic circumstances of life-saving missions.

Kirkpatrick cited two major, back-to-back events when multi-organizational cooperation was critical. The first occurred in June 2005 while the 920th was deployed to Afghanistan. “A Navy SEAL (sea, air and land) reconnaissance team was surprised and overwhelmed by a larger enemy force, and an MH-47 helicopter sent to rescue them was shot down,” he recalled. All 16 on board the chopper —- SEALs and Army special operations aviators — were killed. The entire recon team was missing.

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Military OneSource

November 25, 2006 on 12:44 pm | In Resources | No Comments

Sign up now for the Special Needs Parent Toolkit Webinar.  This new DoD toolkit has important information needed for families navigating the maze of medical and special education services, community support, and benefits and entitlements. Register here.

Air Force Times article

November 25, 2006 on 12:41 pm | In Articles | No Comments

 Sikorsky files protest of Air Force CSAR choice

By Vago Muradian
Staff writerSikorsky Aircraft on Nov. 17 protested the Air Force’s decision to award Boeing a $15 billion contract to supply the service’s future combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) helicopters.

Sikorsky filed the protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which adjudicates government contracting decisions. Once a protest is lodged, all work on a program is halted until the GAO issues a final ruling.

Company spokesman Ed Steadham confirmed the protest.

“Sikorsky seeks to ensure the selection process accurately evaluated the characteristics and performance of its HH-92 helicopter,” he said.

Sikorsky’s HH-92 competed against Boeing’s HH-47 and the US101 by Lockheed Martin, AgustaWestland and Bell Helicopter Textron for the contract to build 141 helicopters to replace the Air Force’s Sikorsky HH-60G helicopters starting in 2012.

Lockheed also is expected to protest Boeing’s Nov. 9 win by the close of business Nov. 20. Lockheed spokesman Greg Caires declined to comment on a protest, saying the company had been debriefed by the Air Force and was “assessing the data provided.”

The Air Force pick is even coming under fire from some search-and-rescue airmen, who are baffled that their 22,000-pound HH-60Gs are going to be replaced not by another medium-lift helicopter, but by a massive heavy-lift aircraft. The Chinook tips the scales at 54,000 pounds.

Search-and-rescue crew members have long complained that their HH-60s are too small, but they also like the helicopter’s agility, which they call key to survival.

They wanted a helicopter that was larger than the HH-60, but say that while the HH-47 is a fine aircraft, it is simply too large, lumbering and loud for the mission.

The decision even caught Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and service chief Gen. Michael “Buzz” Moseley off guard. When briefed Nov. 7, both questioned why a heavy-lift helicopter had been picked to replace a medium-lift aircraft, sources said.

The answer, sources said, was that the evaluators made a straight choice on quantifiable capabilities without valuing categories that could be viewed as subjective.

Supporters of the US101 and the HH-92 argue that their aircraft are quieter, more agile and have lower operating cost than the larger HH-47. The HH-47 won because it can carry 27,000 pounds of fuel and cargo — has longer unrefueled range and a higher operating altitude than the other aircraft. That extra payload also would prove handy in noncombat missions such as disaster relief.

Air Force officials also have said that the HH-47, which has been in service some four decades, would arrive sooner and is a less risky choice than the US101 and HH-92.

Wynne and Moseley decided to stand by the choice to avoid giving the impression of undue command influence on the acquisition decision, sources said. Both men have stressed that the helicopter decision would be made fairly and unimpeachably to help rebuild confidence in the Air Force acquisition system, which was tarnished by the Darleen Druyun affair.

 

AFSOF Warrior

November 25, 2006 on 12:27 pm | In Articles | No Comments

Brigadier General (S) Michael W. Callan

Commander, Air Force Special Operations Forces

Air Force Special Operations Command

Brigadier General (S) Michael W. Callan is the commander, Air Force Special Operations Forces, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla. As the warfighting headquarters for AFSOC, AFSOF is responsible for supporting the U.S. Special Operations Command and AFSOC commander’s strategic, operational and tactical objectives across the full range of military operations. AFSOF works in concert with USSOCOM in directing all Air Force special operations air taskings during contingencies or wartime.

Callan entered the Air Force in 1981 as a Reserve Officer Training Corps graduate. He is a command pilot with more than 4,200 flying hours. He was the assistant deputy director for special operations for the Joint Staff prior to assuming his current duties. He also commanded the 71st Flying Training Wing, Vance Air Force Base, Okla. In addition, he held a number of flying and staff positions to include instructor/flight examiner pilot, USAF and U.S. special operations action officer, and senior military assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy.

Callan’s military awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Aerial Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Kosovo Campaign Medal with one oak leaf cluster and the NATO Medal.

Interviewed by Editor Rodney Pringle

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I’ll be home for Christmas if only in my dreams…..

November 25, 2006 on 12:04 pm | In Support Our Troops | No Comments

We will be PCSing from Kirtland AFB to Moody AFB during the Christmas holidays. I’m still looking forward to this Christmas. Starting off in a new place with a new future in DH’s job. There will be plenty of boxes to open even though they weren’t filled by Santa’s elves but from TMO’s shippers. It will still be a wonderful Christmas because we will be together as a family.

Unfortunantely, there are others who won’t have that blessing of being with those they love. There are many soldiers that are forgotten during this time of year. Soldier’s Angels is announcing “Holidays for Heroes-Christmas 2006″. Send the gift of love to a solider that is in a combat area this year. Thank you and many blessing to you and those you love.

~ Denise

Christmas poem to remember and share…

November 25, 2006 on 11:33 am | In Poems | No Comments

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY FRIEND

‘Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
In a one-bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney, with presents to give
and to see just who in this home did live. 

As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand.
On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.

With medals and badges, awards of all kind,
a sobering thought soon came to my mind.
For this house was different, unlike any I’d seen.
This was the home of a U.S. Marine.

I’d heard stories about them, I had to see more,
so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.
And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor in his one-bedroom home.

He seemed so gentle, his face so serene,
Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine.
Was this the hero, of whom I’d just read?
Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan.
I soon understood, this was more than a man.
For I realized the families that I saw that night,
owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.

Soon around the Nation, the children would play,
And grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year,
because of Marines like this one lying here.

I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.
Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye.
I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.

He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice,
“Santa, don’t cry, this life is my choice
I fight for freedom, I don’t ask for more.
My life is my God, my country, my Corps.”

With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep,
I couldn’t control it, I continued to weep.

I watched him for hours, so silent and still.
I noticed he shivered from the cold night’s chill.
So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,
and covered this Marine from his toes to his head.
Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold,
with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold.
And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride,
and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn’t want to leave him so quiet in the night,
this guardian of honor so willing to fight.
But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure,
said “Carry on, Santa, it’s Christmas Day, all secure.”
One look at my watch and I knew he was right,
Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi and goodnight.

©Copyright circa 1991 by James M. Schmidt
(As printers in the December 1991 issue of the USMC magazine, Leatherneck)

Written by former Marine Corporal James M. Schmidt, in 1987 when stationed in Washington D.C., it was pounded out on a typewriter while awaiting the commading officer’s Christmas holiday decoration inspection.  It was originally title “Merry Christmas, My Friend”, and was an instant success that reportedly brought tears to the eyes of the barrracks Commander who ordered it distributed to everyone he knew. It appeared in the barracks publication Pass in Review in December 1987 and Leatherneck Magazine in December.

I found this poem on Blackfive Blog. Thank you for sharing this wonderful poem with us. 

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