Posted on 08/30/2006 4:01:59 PM PDT by Gucho
Soldiers of the 159th have conducted 500 missions helping save the lives of U.S. service members, coalition soldiers and the Afghan people.
U.A. Army Sgt. Dana Perdue, a flight medic for the 159th Medical Company (Air Ambulance,) keeps his eye on the engines of a Blackhawk helicopter during preflight checks at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Aug. 13, 2006. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Watson)
By U.S. Army Sgt. Eric Jensen
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Aug. 30, 2006 U.S. Army Spc. Gary Scott stands on the sun-drenched flight line with three Blackhawk helicopters resting behind him. What do you like most about your deployment? he is asked.
A voice bursts through the radio strapped to his waist. Medevac, medevac, medevac, it announces. The crew chief for the 159th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) bounds off to the aircraft with the rest of his flight crew to provide aid to people in need.
Soldiers of the 159th have been deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom for more than six months now. During that time, they have conducted 500 missions helping save the lives of U.S. service members, coalition soldiers and the Afghan people. The motto Anyone, anywhere, anytime, which can be read on the units recreation room, explains the units mindset.
We will go where we are called and accomplish our mission faithfully, says Maj. Robert Howe, 159th commander. Theres no different standard on any type of care we provide.
Roughly 700 patients have been flown into medical facilities by 159th DUSTOFF crews. Thirty percent of those are locals who are injured from crossfire in combat. More than 50 percent of the evacuation missions are in support of the Afghan people. The unit attributes its success to working together. From the soldiers in the operations center to the flight crews, everyone plays an important part in accomplishing the mission.
I never thought Id directly be affecting peoples lives, but Ive seen it, says Spc. Franklin Cornejo, flight operations specialist. Ive been to the patient ward and Ive seen how the flight crews help and the way we help the crews.
Operations personnel help the flight crews in a variety of different ways. They are responsible for processing the medevac requests that put the crews into action. They also coordinate approvals needed for the aircraft to leave on a mission.
Howe agrees. If it wasnt for that operations soldier giving us good information on the enemy, good information on the weather, we wouldnt be able to execute our mission and we wouldnt be able to get to that patient that needs our care.
The 159th is familiar with working together. Half the company served a yearlong deployment in Iraq, ending in February of 2004. Soldiers have noted that there is a distinct difference between flying missions in Iraq and in Afghanistan. In particular, Afghanistans mountainous terrain makes it one of the most challenging aviation environments in the area.
You cant replicate this environment anywhere in the world. You just have to fly in it, says Howe.
Aside from the rugged landscape, DUSTOFF crews identify other obstacles, such as weather and enemy activity, when taking to the air. The unit has come to expect that no mission is routine. In August of this year, a flight crew came under small-arms fire while rescuing an Afghan child. With the help of an escort helicopter, the gunman was subdued and the mission was completed. For the 159th, accomplishment of the mission means another life can be saved.
Captain Jason Davis, operations officer says, Anytime we get to do our job were making a tangible impact on somebodys life.
Doing its job is just what the 159th loves to do for anyone, anywhere and anytime.
U.S. Army Maj. Robert Howe, commander of the 159th Medical Company (Air Ambulance,) stands next to a Blackhawk helicopter at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Aug. 12, 2006. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Watson)
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld makes his way back to his vehicle after attending the 88th American Legion national convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, Aug. 29, 2006. (Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen)
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Coalition soldiers kill 18 'extremists' in Afghanistan
Training helps prepare troops for life and combat in a desert environment.
A convoy of Humvees, carrying 25th Infantry Division Special Troops Battalion soldiers, rolls through an improvised explosive device training lane in Kuwait. The soldiers are conducting training before moving into Iraq to support the division's mission there. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Daniel Bearl)
By U.S. Army Spc. Daniel Bearl
CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait, Aug. 30, 2006 Train as you fight. Its a common phrase heard in the Army, and for soldiers in Kuwait its a way of life. Prior to deploying from Schofield Barracks, 25th Infantry Division soldiers prepared for Iraq with months of training, training that would prepare and get them acclimated for life and combat in a desert environment.
Along with weapons, security and other training, 25th Infantry Division soldiers are now training on counter-improvised explosive device measures to combat one of the most prominent threats they will face during deployment.
Through a combination of classroom and practice lane training, soldiers are learning about this common enemy tactic and how to prevent or react to it.
This is outstanding training, said one of the counter-IED trainers in Kuwait. (Names of the course instructors are withheld for security purposes.) Its what all soldiers need.
Soldiers who are likely to encounter IEDs, because of frequent convoys or patrol missions, spend more than eight hours in the classroom and in practical exercises. All of their instruction is executed in the hot Kuwaiti sunshine, where temperatures frequently reach 120-degrees Fahrenheit, or more, during the day.
This is the best training Ive had for anything like this, said Sgt. Johnathan Wallis of 25th ID Special Troops Battalion. Were actually here in the desert, and the trainers have a lot of knowledge.
The classes and training lanes are operated by Military Professional Resources, Inc., a collection of former officers and noncommissioned officers who specialize in military training. Training lanes includes a variety of scenarios involving intersections, buildings, bridges and other factors to complicate a soldiers reaction to an IED attack on a convoy.
During the lanes, soldiers in the training unit rotate through leadership positions so that each has a chance to experience the decision-making process necessary for reacting to an attack.
Lanes training took several weeks to construct, said one of the IED trainers at the site.
"The whole focus is to give the soldiers an overall view of how to act in these situations, he said, adding that when soldiers get to Iraq, they will receive additional training. This is the most realistic and current training these guys are ever going to see.
By Spc. Chris Erickson, USA - Special to American Forces Press Service
HOLIDAY, Fla., Aug. 30, 2006 A new middle school named in honor of a Florida soldier who earned the Medal of Honor for heroism in Operation Iraqi Freedom was dedicated here Aug. 25.
The dedication of Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith Middle School came a year after Smith was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 4, 2003. Thats the date his unit, the 11th Engineer Battalion, was attacked by enemy forces near Baghdad International Airport while the unit was building a prisoner-of-war holding area.
Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division, students, faculty, family and members of the local community gathered at the school to celebrate Smiths legacy.
Col. Mark McKnight, 3rd Infantry Division chief of staff, said naming the school after Smith is a fitting honor.
I think its very appropriate, McKnight said during his remarks at the ceremony in the schools gymnasium. Smith wasnt born a hero, he was developed a hero; and part of that development is your school experience. What an honor and a lasting tribute to a Medal of Honor winner to name a school in his legacy, because theyll develop Medal of Honor winners in this school. They may not earn them on the field of battle, but theyll earn them in communities, churches, and government, so I think its great.
Other soldiers in attendance agreed dedicating the school to Smiths memory was a wonderful act by the community, although some said they felt that Smith was such a humble soldier, he would have shunned the recognition.
Im very glad that they did it, said Sgt. 1st Class Glenn A. Goody, an operations sergeant with 3rd IDs 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. It is an honor for him to have a school thats going to affect so many children. Sergeant 1st Class Smith wouldnt have liked all the fuss. To him, he was doing his job.
Smiths widow, Birgit, agreed that her husband wouldnt have sought the attention. If he were here today, he would be explaining he was only doing his job, she said. He was a modest man who did not enjoy being in the spotlight.
When his unit was attacked, according to the Medal of Honor citation detailing his horoism, Smith quickly organized a hasty defense consisting of two platoons of soldiers, a Bradley fighting vehicle and three armored personnel carriers. As the fight developed, Smith braved hostile enemy fire to personally engage the enemy with hand grenades and anti-tank weapons, and organized the evacuation of three wounded soldiers from an armored personnel carrier struck by a rocket-propelled grenade and a 60 mm mortar round.
Fearing the enemy would overrun their defenses, Smith moved under withering enemy fire to man a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on a damaged armored personnel carrier. In total disregard for his own life, he maintained his exposed position in order to engage the attacking enemy force, the citation reads.
Smith continued to fire on enemy forces, reloading the machine gun three times, before he was killed by enemy fire.
Those who knew Smith remember him as a noncommissioned officer who demanded a lot from his soldiers, but produced dedicated, disciplined troops as a result.
Sergeant 1st Class Smith was one of those guys you thought of as Superman, said Staff Sgt. Robert P. Puckett, a platoon sergeant with Co. E, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, after the school ceremony. In my opinion, there is nothing they could ever do to commemorate him -- there is no dedication worthy. However, I think its a great thing theyre doing here. Hopefully, it will reflect on the students, and the students will grow up to be good people in the world.
Smiths widow said naming the school after her husband will keep his legacy alive.
The naming of the new middle school after him assures that the community where he grew up will never forget his name and the bravery he displayed at the battle at the Baghdad International Airport, she said. It was an important battle that had to be won so coalition forces could bring stability to a city of chaos. A city where citizens, for their entire life, never had the opportunity to make their own decisions and choices as we do here in the United States. My husband is a man worthy of being remembered.
She expressed the hope that students attending the school would learn about Smith and try to be like him. I hope they find encouragement to try and emulate his character, his selflessness, his action of bravery, loyalty and devotion to a cause greater than himself, and especially his desire to inspire those around him to be better people, she said.
This is not the first time Smith has been honored in his hometown. The Holiday post office has been dedicated to Smith, and in November 2003 the former Simulation and Training Technology Center in Orlando, Fla., was renamed in his honor.
The school opened for about 850 students to attend the first day of classes Aug. 8. Among them was Smiths son, David, who began the seventh grade here.
(Army Spc. Chris Erickson is assigned to the 129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
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U.S. Navy Capt. Matthew C. Gratton
Navy Reserve Medical Corps Capt. Matthew Gratton receives congratulations from Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. John C. Harvey Jr. in Cleveland, Aug. 28, 2006. Gratton earned a Bronze Star for his duties as commander of a medical detachment serving with the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines in Al Anbar province, Iraq. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Sheehan)
By Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Sheehan - Navy Office of Community Outreach
CLEVELAND, Aug. 30, 2006 Capt. Matthew C. Gratton, a Navy Reserve Medical Corps officer, was presented the Bronze Star for his actions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, during a ceremony here Aug. 28.
Although Gratton lives and works in Kansas City, Kan., he regularly drills as the commanding officer of a medical unit at Navy Operational Support Center Cleveland. He received the medal for actions performed as battalion surgeon with the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines in the Al Anbar province of Iraq while deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
This award, said Gratton, is really a representation of the hard work performed by my people.
Gratton was responsible for the health and welfare of 1,700 Marines, sailors, and Iraqi soldiers based in two camps and three firm bases. He organized and supervised more than 1,700 medical visits at battalion aid stations and provided specialized medical care to more than 1,000 patients. He provided trauma care to more than 150 wounded-in-action, who were evacuated to Camps Haditha and Hit. On May 7 alone, he supervised, treated, and stabilized 11 casualties wounded in combat from a coordinated improvised explosive device attack in Haditha.
The ceremony was conducted along the shores of Lake Erie at the decommissioned submarine and now museum USS Cod. Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. John C. Harvey Jr., presented the Bronze Star. Other attendees included Grattons wife, Joanne, many of the corpsmen who were deployed with him, sailors from the Navy Operational Support Center, and numerous Clevelanders, including Mayor Frank G. Jackson.
Of course Im very proud, said Joanne, not only of my husband, but also of all the men who went over there. Theyre family to us.
The Bronze Star is awarded to any person who, while serving in or with the U.S. military, distinguishes himself though heroic or meritorious achievement, while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States.
(Photos & Article)
By 2nd BCT PAO, 1st Arm. Div.
Aug 30, 2006
By COMBINED FORCES COMMAND AFGHANISTAN, COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
Aug 30, 2006
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan Combined Joint Task Force 76 received the first of several new combat vehicles Aug. 29 designed to increase the defense against improvised explosive devices.
Troops in Afghanistan received three new Armored Security Vehicles, known as ASV-150s and will receive several more later this week.
Were very excited about this new capability to protect our troops and perform operations, said Lt. Col. Jeff Perkins, force management officer for CJTF-76. If everything goes well, well receive the remainder of the new ASV-150s later this year.
The platform of the ASV-150 sits much higher than the militarys staple troop carrier, the HUMMV, and all four sides of the new vehicle are angled to better deflect explosions from the ground.
The ASV-150 weights about 30,000 pounds, has an 8.3 liter, six cylinder turbo automatic Cummins engine capable of 828 foot pounds of torque, and a six speed Allison transmission. The ASV seats a crew of four.
Basic armaments for the new vehicle include mounts for the MK 19 automatic grenade launcher and a modified version of the M2 50 caliber machine gun.
ASV-150 (M1117) Capabilities
Weight 29,500 pounds (fully uploaded)
Dimensions: length 237 inches
Curb weight 26,200 pounds
Width 101 inches
Height 102 inches
Ground clearance 18 inches
Performance: Speed 63 mph
Acceleration 0 to 20 in 7 seconds
Range @ 40 mph 440 miles
Turning diameter 55 feet
Gradient 60 percent
Side slope 30 percent
Vertical wall 24 inches
Fording 60 inches
Power Train: Engine Cummins 260 hp/828 lb-ft
Transmission Allison MD 3560, 6 speed, 1 rev
Transfer case single speed
Axles Rockwell R-611, independent
Tires 14.00 R20XZL, Run flat inserts
Suspension fully independent with coil springs
Armaments MK 19, M-2
Air Transport C-130 roll-on/roll-off, C-17 carries 6, CH-53 sling load
Photo available at http://www.cfc-a.centcom.mil/ .
By Staff Sgt. Amy Robinson - Air Combat Command Public Affairs
Aug 29, 2006
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. -- "The U.S. Air Force JOVIAL Program Office has closed due to lack of funding."
To some, the announcement posted on the Web site may have little or no significance, but for those familiar with the E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system, the closure could mean problems for the future of command and control.
The Air Force's E-3 Sentry, commonly referred to as AWACS, is a modified Boeing 707/320 that provides surveillance, command and control to U.S., NATO and allied commanders.
In order to gather both broad and detailed battle information in real time, the AWACS computing system relies on software containing more than 350,000 lines of JOVIAL code - a code in need of an upgrade.
"While state-of-the-art in 1977, the software design now represents the single largest bottleneck in systems development," said Maj. Brady Ries, Air Combat Command E-3 program element monitor. "Finding JOVIAL programmers is a task in itself; however, even if enough JOVIAL programmers could be found to rewrite large blocks of code, the system architecture design doesn't lend itself to changes and is very difficult to upgrade."
The E-3 was scheduled to be replaced by Northrop Grumman's E-10 MC2A, however, due to budget restrictions, there's no longer a funded replacement.
"It's the only self-contained system with look-down radar, low-level coverage and the mobile Battle Management and Command and Control capability to support 'kick-down-the-door' type operations," said Major Ries.
Without a projected replacement, an upgrade to the E-3's computing system is necessary, and, is currently in the works.
The upgrade, known as the Block 40/45 Modification Program, is the largest upgrade in the 20-year history of AWACS. Not only will Block 40/45 allow programmers to upgrade hardware and software regularly, the program's upgrades will also establish a network for wide-band communications and even enable AWACS to integrate information from the Air and Space Operations Center, Major Ries said.
Although the program is currently in the testing phase, the amount of time it will take to update the entire fleet will significantly impact the cost of the program.
"Right now, 40/45 is a funded program, but the profile drags it out so long, that it's a very cumbersome program," said John Shelton, Air Combat Command E-3 assistant program element monitor.
Though the Block 40/45 upgrade is entering the test phase now, it enters limited-rate production in 2009 and full-rate production in 2012, Mr. Shelton estimates it will be another nine to 10 years before the upgrades are complete.
"That's a long time to drag out an upgrade," Mr. Shelton said. "Again - it's funded now, but it's definitely not an ideal time frame."
The time frame Mr. Shelton estimates is not ideal because as the program continues, costs rise.
"If you install all your airplanes before 2015, then your program costs stop there," he said. "If you keep it out to (2019), everything that you're doing to install, to produce, to manage the program, is extended for four more years."
In addition to overhead costs to run the program, Mr. Shelton said the price of parts also increases as the number of parts purchased decreases. For example, if a company produces 25 parts a year, that part will be less expensive than if that same company only produces 10 parts per year.
Another concern with the duration of Block 40/45 is "vanishing vendors," where at some point and time, suppliers stop supporting old equipment because there isn't enough demand for it.
Right now, Master Sgt. Greg Wilson, E-3 airframe manager, is working on replacing one of the aircraft's low-power filters, which will become obsolete within the next seven to eight years. To combat this problem, Sergeant Wilson is preparing to process a modification to test a similar filter into the airframe so there won't be a shortage in 2014.
"We really have to project a way ahead on parts we're going to have problems with down the road," Sergeant Wilson said.
Although aircraft cannibalization may offer cheaper replacement parts for some airframes such as the F-15, the E-3 does not have a similar alternative. Because every AWACS in the Air Force is operational and is scheduled to remain operational through 2035, aircraft cannibalization is not an option.
"The bottom line is: if we can't maintain and we don't upgrade the systems capabilities of the E-3 AWACS, we've created a gap in Air Force combat capability," Major Ries said.
Soldiers from the 103rd Field Artillery As they train on Fire Missions (Their scheduled AT) and as they man Surveillance Posts (Assist The Border Patrol) in Arizona, near the US Mexico border. (U.S. Army photo by SGT J Cervone Rhode Island National Guard Public Affairs Assistant)
By Gerry J. Gilmore - American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2006 The United States is fighting terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq to keep its pledge to the people there and to prevent future attacks on America, Vice President Richard B. Cheney said at a troop rally at an Air Force base yesterday.
We maintain forces in those countries because were a nation that keeps its word and because we understand what is at stake in that part of the world, Cheney told servicemembers gathered at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.
Following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, American and allied military forces displaced despotic regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, respectively.
President Bush told Americans after 9/11 that the struggle ahead would be global in nature, that it would be lengthy and difficult, that it would require our best effort and unfailing resolve, Cheney recalled. This, he said, is how the war against terror began.
During the past five years some of the toughest, most urgent duties have come to our men and women in uniform, Cheney said. Fortunately for America, youve never let us down, and the nation has an awful lot to be grateful for.
The Taliban and al Qaeda elements were defeated in Afghanistan between Oct. 7, 2001 and March 2002. A U.S.-coalition military campaign was launched against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on March 20, 2003. It resulted in the fall of Saddams regime on April 9, 2003.
Afterward, the United States promised it would assist Afghans and Iraqis in establishing their new democratic institutions, Cheney said. This, he said, would help build the freedom that leads to peace in the long run.
Today, regenerated terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq want to overthrow those new democratic governments, Cheney said, and theyve undertaken a campaign of violence and murder to achieve their aims. And, Iraq has become the central front in this phase of the war, he said.
Cheney acknowledged that expressing views on issues is an integral component of American democracy. But he drew the line regarding some opinions about how the United States should proceed in Iraq.
There is a difference between healthy debate and self-defeating pessimism, the vice president said. We have only two options in Iraq victory or defeat.
Terrorists only understand force and must therefore be militarily defeated, Cheney said, pointing to past failed U.S. government efforts tried prior to 9/11 that attempted to address terrorism through diplomacy.
This is not an enemy that can be ignored, or negotiated with, or appeased, Cheney said. Therefore, the United States has taken the offensive, he said, to pre-empt possible future attacks and to track down and defeat terrorists wherever they may be.
Any retreat from this policy, Cheney said, would put civilized nations at peril. To illustrate his point, he noted the recent failed terrorist plot that sought to down commercial airliners as they flew over the Atlantic Ocean en route to the U.S. from Great Britain.
Either we are serious about fighting this war or we are not, Cheney said. And the enemies of America need to know: We are serious, we will not let down our guard.
America will soon mark the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks that killed more than 3,000 innocent people, Cheney said. Since then, the people and the government of the United States have answered violence with justice, honor and moral courage, he said.
Those ideals and the desire to confront oppression, Cheney pointed out, are embodied in American democracy and are embraced by its citizenry, to include the members of the U.S. armed services.
America is a good, and decent, and generous country, the vice president said. The ideals that gave life to this nation are the same ideals we uphold at home and that we serve abroad.
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Vice President Cheneys Remarks at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.
UPDATE BY:Jim Williams.....Tropical Depression Ernesto is moving through central Florida . Our current feature is Miami,Florida,as Ernesto affected the area thismorning. As Ernesto moves into North Florida you can track weather obesrvations right here . There will be no live in house coverage on Ernesto , but you can watch our live cam right here as Ernesto's feeder bands move through south Florida.
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