Thursday, November 18, 2010

Program Easing Medical Separation Rolls Out Forcewide

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2010 - A pilot program that eases medical separation and speeds benefit payments for servicemembers too wounded, sick or injured to stay in the military will soon roll out to the entire force.

"We are proud that the disability evaluation system is making progress," a senior defense official said this week. "Our people are committed to not only expanding this faster disability system, but we are just as committed to making it even faster and fairer for our transitioning service men and women - our work here is not done."

John R. Campbell, defense deputy undersecretary for wounded warrior care and transition policy, said the Integrated Disability Evaluation System is a joint effort between the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments.

"The events in February 2007 around Walter Reed ... triggered the DOD and the VA to really take a look at what they had been doing," Campbell said during an interview this week. "That process then continued ... to where we are today."

The program will expand to all military medical sites across the services by October 2011, he said.

In the past, separating servicemembers got end-of-service physicals and final military treatment from local military medical clinics while still on active duty. After separation, troops seeking disability compensation would have to repeat the same examinations at VA facilities, and then wait weeks or months for a disability determination before they could request disability benefits.

"The legacy system ... had both DOD and VA as components, and the VA started only after the DOD [evaluation] was complete. So it took up to 540 days for the whole disability evaluation system to work," Campbell said.

The new program brings together VA and military medical separation processes while servicemembers are still on active duty.

Under the new system, wounded, ill or injured servicemembers receive medical evaluations by VA-certified doctors using VA guidelines, while DOD uses these exams to determine if a servicemember is able to continue in uniform.

The pilot program has been operating in 27 sites, and Campbell said the system now takes about 300 days to evaluate servicemember disabilities.

For servicemembers, the process is faster -- with only one set of examinations to complete –- and fairer than the previous system, Campbell said, with all evaluations done through one set of protocols.

Campbell said the net result for medically separated servicemembers is they can receive a disability rating while still on active duty, and receive disability compensation after their first full month in veteran status, the soonest allowable by law.

Results from the test sites have been great, he said.

"We're getting much higher satisfaction ratings ... from discharged servicemembers and their families," Campbell said. "[They say] this system is just far superior to the legacy system."

Giunta Salutes U.S. Troops' Service, Sacrifices

By Terri Moon Cronk

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2010 - Medal of Honor recipient Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore A. Giunta today refused to take sole credit for his actions in October 2007 on a remote mountainside in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, when he risked his life to save the lives of wounded comrades.

From left to right: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Army Secretary John McHugh, Medal of Honor recipient Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, his wife Jennifer Giunta, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston listen to Giunta's citation during his induction ceremony into the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon, Nov. 17, 2010. Giunta is the award's first living recipient since the Vietnam War. DOD photo by Cherie Cullen

(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Standing before his friends, family and superiors after Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates inducted him into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes here today, Giunta was a humble soldier.

"To have you all here at the nation's capital for an event like this, that's positive, but it is so bittersweet," the 25-year-old noncommissioned officer said. "We all have lost our friends, our loved ones, our sons, our brothers, people who are truly close to us."

Giunta said he has learned many lessons as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team's Company B [Battle], 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment. He also saluted the exploits of his Army predecessors.

"I've learned almost everything I've ever learned in the Army from the men in Battle Company," he said. "To the men in the past, to the men who have served in Vietnam ... all I could think of when I was growing up, or when I was [first] in the Army was, 'Man, if I could fill half the shoes those men left for us, I'll be doing OK for myself.' And now I'm standing here and I'm filling only half those shoes. This is just a different time. This is just a different period."

Giunta also saluted the fallen servicemembers who've sacrificed all for their country.

"To all the ones that can't be here -- not just one or two, but all of them -- not just from the 173rd, not just from Battle Company, but from all services, from the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, the Marines, the Coast Guard, the National Guard, the Reserves: Everyone who has ever given so much more than I ever know, I want to say thank you, right now, to those men and those women because without them, I'm nothing," Giunta said. "I haven't given anything compared to those who have given everything."

Giunta said he is honored but also awed by the Medal of Honor and the induction into the Hall of Heroes with 3,400 other Americans.

"I feel the pressure on my shoulders of all these great people who gave everything and they can't be here for the handshake and they can't be here for the congratulations," he said. "But I want to say congratulations, in a public forum among my friends, among my peers, among my seniors. Thank you."

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. said Giunta's squad members can attest to his quick actions in Afghanistan when he saved two fellow soldiers that night as insurgents closed in.

"From the day he joined our Army, seven years ago, Staff Sgt. Sal Giunta's leadership skills were readily apparent," Casey said. "He made sergeant in four years and was a veteran of two tours in Afghanistan by the time he was 22 years old. He is the embodiment of our warrior ethos, 'I will always put the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit, and I will never leave a fallen comrade.'"

Casualties in the Medal of Honor recipient's unit "would have been far greater if not for Sal Giunta's gallantry, quick action and sacrifice," Army Secretary John M. McHugh said at the induction ceremony. "He may credit his training, he may credit his confidence in those around him, but even those who were with him that day recognize the special qualities that we know make him an American hero."

McHugh recounted what one of Giunta's fellow soldiers said about him: "'He'll say he was just doing his job, but the reality is there are very few people in the world who would do what he did that night.

Family Matters Blog: Defense Centers of Excellence to Host Military Family Webinar

By Elaine Wilson

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2010 -
Because military families face many different challenges, the Defense Centers for Excellences is sponsoring a special webinar on Nov. 19 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The program is designed to connect family members with the support they need at the local, state and national levels. Register for the webinar "Family Support Strategies and Techniques."

The Private Sector Resources Catalog

CBP U.S. Border Patrol Donates Computers to Sahuarita Unified School District

Tucson, Ariz. - Tucson sector Border Patrol agents and mission support personnel delivered computers to the Sahuarita Unified School District Thursday morning. The donation is part of the federal government's Computers for Learning program, which streamlines the transfer of excess and surplus federal computer equipment

Be Floodsmart: Buy Flood Insurance

LAREDO, Texas -- The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sponsoring a campaign to educate consumers about floods and flood insurance. The nationwide FloodSmart consumer campaign seeks to educate homeowners on protecting their homes and property from flooding, and on the need to understand that homeowners insurance will not cover damage from floods.

Private Sector Resources Catalog 2.0

Get e-mail updates when this information changes

In order to face the new threats and evolving hazards of today's security environment, we must develop and maintain critical homeland security capabilities at all layers of our society. We all share the responsibility to build all-hazards preparedness and resiliency into our way of life. As outlined in the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Report, this enterprise approach is composed of multiple partners whose roles and responsibilities are distributed and shared among a broad-based community with a common interest in the public safety and well-being of America and American society.

The Private Sector Resources Catalog 2.0, released November 15th, 2010, facilitates your organization's access to the resources you need to participate in the homeland security enterprise and help keep our country secure. The first to be targeted specifically towards private sector partners and encompassing the entire Department, this document collects the training, publications, guidance, alerts, newsletters, programs, and services available to the private sector across the Department. Recognizing the breadth and diversity of the available resources as well as the Department's continually evolving work, this catalog will be updated regularly to publicize new resources and increase private sector awareness.

Read the Catalog

•Read the full Private Sector Resources Catalog 2.0

(Links will be posted in following article later today.)

The Private Sector Resources Catalog is also available by individual chapter:

•Letter from Assistant Secretary Douglas A. Smith (PDF - 1 page, 179 KB)

•Department-wide Resources (PDF 32 pages, 376 KB)

•U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) (PDF - 3 pages, 443 KB)

•U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) (PDF - 1 page, 428 KB)

•U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) (PDF -4 pages, 475 KB)

•Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) (PDF - 2 pages, 428 KB)

•Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C) (PDF - 5 pages, 484 KB)

•Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (PDF - 4 pages, 525 KB)

•U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) (PDF - 3 pages, 460 KB)

•Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP) (PDF - 11 pages, 632 KB)

•Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) (PDF - 6 pages, 545 KB)

•DHS Privacy Office (PDF - 1 pages, 282 KB)

•Transportation Security Administration (TSA) (PDF - 7 pages, 553 KB)

•Appendix A – Key Contacts (PDF - 4 pages, 318 KB)

•Appendix B – Index (PDF - 8 pages, 536 KB)

.

NON-CHARGEABLE REST AND RECUPERATION (NCRR)

R 161736Z NOV 10

ALCOAST 556/10

COMDTNOTE 1500

SUBJ: LEAVE PROGRAM FOR

CERTAIN COAST GUARD MEMBERS IN UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND

(USCENTCOM) AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (AOR)

A. OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR PERSONNEL AND

READINESS MEMORANDUM DATED 28 JAN 2010, ESTABLISHMENT OF NON-CHARGEAB

1. THIS ALCOAST ANNOUNCES THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW ADMINISTRATIVE

ABSENCE CATEGORY, NON-CHARGEABLE REST AND RECUPERATION (NCRR) LEAVE,

FOR CERTAIN COAST GUARD MILITARY MEMBERS DEPLOYED TO THE USCENTCOM

AOR. NCRR LEAVE AUTHORIZATION ALIGNS COAST GUARD POLICY WITH

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) AND USCENTCOM. THE DOD NCRR PROGRAM WAS

ESTABLISHED TO ALLOW SERVICE MEMBERS TO TAKE REST AND RECUPERATION

(RR) FROM THE MOST AUSTERE AND DANGEROUS COMBAT ENVIRONMENTS WHILE

SAVING ANNUAL LEAVE DAYS FOR REINTEGRATION WITH FAMILY UPON RETURN

FROM DEPLOYMENT. THE LAND AREAS OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN HAVE BEEN

DESIGNATED RR LOCATIONS. ELIGIBILITY FOR THE NCRR PROGRAM HAS AN

EFFECTIVE DATE OF 05 OCT 2010. NCRR AUTHORIZATION IS NOT RETROACTIVE

TO ASSIGNMENTS SERVED PRIOR TO THIS DATE.

2. TO BE ELIGIBLE, SERVICE MEMBERS MUST BE ASSIGNED OR DEPLOYED TO

LAND AREAS OF IRAQ OR AFGHANISTAN ON A 12 MONTH DEPLOYMENT AND BE

PROJECTED TO SERVE 270 DAYS OR MORE IN COUNTRY. UP TO 15 CONSECUTIVE

DAYS OF NCRR IS AUTHORIZED. THIS AUTHORIZATION INCLUDES USE OF

GOVT-OWNED OR GOVT PROCURED TRANSPORTATION ON A SPACE-REQUIRED BASIS,

UNDER THE DOD RR LEAVE PROGRAM. NCRR CANNOT BE USED AT THE END OF

THE ASSIGNMENT/DEPLOYMENT. REGULAR LEAVE MUST BE USED AT THE

CONCLUSION OF THE ASSIGNMENT/DEPLOYMENT.

3. FOR QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS PROGRAM, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR

PERSONNEL SERVICES AND SUPPORT UNIT (PSSU). ANY PSSU WITH QUESTIONS

MAY CONTACT COMDT (CG-1221) MS. MAGGIE WOOSLEY AT 202-475-5391 OR

MARGARET.L.WOOSLEY(AT)USCG.MIL.

4. RADM RONALD T. HEWITT, ASSISTANT COMMANDANT FOR HUMAN RESOURCES,

SENDS.

5. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Kevin M. Pape, 30, of Fort Wayne, Ind., died Nov. 16 in Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

SUBJ: ENLISTED PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT YEAR 2011 (AY-11)

R 161803Z NOV 10

ALCGENL 197/10

SITREP FIVE

A. COMCOGARD PSC ARLINGTON VA 151912Z NOV 10/ALCGPSC 115/10

B. COMCOGARD PSC ARLINGTON VA 152034Z JUN 10/ALCGENL 089/10

C. COMCOGARD PSC ARLINGTON VA 241620Z SEP 10/ALCGENL 171/10

D. COMCOGARD PSC ARLINGTON VA 291522Z OCT 10/ALCGENL 192/10

E. COMCOGARD PSC ARLINGTON VA 291522Z OCT 10/ALCGENL 193/10

F. COAST GUARD PERSONNEL MANUAL, COMDTINST M1000.6 (SERIES)

1. REF A ANNOUNCED THE RESULTS OF THE 2010 CAREER RETENTION SCREENING

PANEL (CRSP), WHICH WILL RESULT IN ADDITIONAL BILLET VACANCIES IN

AY11.

2. DUE TO CRSP AND OTHER RECENT INITIATIVES, MORE THAN 300 BILLETS

HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE AY11 SHOPPING LIST. MEMBERS WHO ARE TOUR

COMPLETE IN AY11 ARE ENCOURAGED TO REVIEW THE SHOPPING LIST IN DIRECT

ACCESS TO NOTE THESE CHANGES.

3. MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO UPDATE THEIR ERESUME TO INCLUDE ANY

ADDITIONAL BILLETS FOR AY11. AS A REMINDER, MEMBERS MAY SUBMIT AS

MANY ERESUMES BY THE ERESUME DEADLINE AS DESIRED, BUT ONLY THE MOST

RECENT ERESUME WILL BE CONSIDERED. COMMAND ENDORSEMENTS ARE REQUIRED

FOR ANY SPECIAL DUTY POSITION AS DETAILED IN CH.4.C AND 4.E OF REF F.

MEMBERS WHO ALREADY RECEIVED AN AY11 COMMAND ENDORSEMENT FOR SPECIAL

DUTY POSITIONS IN PREVIOUS ERESUMES NEED NOT DUPLICATE THIS PROCESS.

MEMBERS ALREADY IN RECEIPT OF AY11 PCS ORDERS SHOULD NOT EXPECT TO

COMPETE FOR NEWLY PUBLISHED VACANCIES UNLESS SERVICE NEEDS DICTATE.

4. TO AFFORD MEMBERS ADDITIONAL TIME TO REVIEW THE SHOPPING LIST

UPDATES, THE ERESUME SUBMISSION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED FROM 26

NOV TO 03 DEC 2010. THIS EXTENSION APPLIES TO ALL RATINGS WITH THE

EXCEPTION OF AVIATION RATINGS.

5. MEMBERS SHOULD KEEP CURRENT ON AY11 AND RATING SPECIFIC SITREPS,

AS WELL AS VISIT THE EPM WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.USCG.MIL/PSC/EPM/ FOR

MORE RATING SPECIFIC GUIDANCE. A NEW SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT SOLICITATION

AND AN UPDATED BM AND OS SITREP WILL BE FORTHCOMING.

6. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.

7. RELEASED BY CDR N. S. NANCARROW, PSC-EPM-2.

Mullen Addresses Policy, Strategy Issues at Harvard

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 18, 2010 - The nation's top military officer discussed issues of military policy, strategy and the costs of war with a Harvard University audience here yesterday evening.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addresses the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., Nov. 17, 2010. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

"The logic of war is unforgiving -- and not always logical at that -- and may require policymakers to alter their strategic objectives or change their military approach," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told his audience. Celebrating its 375th anniversary next year, Harvard is the nation's oldest institution of higher learning.

Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a graduate of Harvard Business School's advanced management program, addressed a gathering of about 400 traditional and mid-career graduate students, undergraduates, faculty and members of the public during a John F. Kennedy School of Government Forum.

The United States was emerging from the Gulf War when he completed the advanced management program at Harvard in 1991, Mullen said. Since then, he said, the armed forces have been involved in operations ranging from full combat to disaster relief.

"But we must also scan the horizon for emerging trends as we confront today's challenges at full speed," the chairman said.

Mullen told the audience that during his 42-year military career he has formulated three conclusions about the proper use of modern military forces. First, military power may prove to be the best first tool of the state, but it should never be the only one.

Second, when military power is employed, it should, to the maximum extent possible, be applied in a precise and principled way.

"And third, we must recognize the process of matching military strategy to national policy is iterative," he said. "It must be constantly informed by events on the ground, adapting as necessary to defeat a thinking enemy and achieve our ends."

Policymakers should guide the conduct of war to achieve their political objectives, and the Constitution ensures civilian leaders, not the military, determine national policy and whether a war is worth fighting, the chairman said.

"My primary job is to advise the president -- the commander in chief -- of his military options as he sets policy and approves strategy," he said. "I do this candidly, but privately."

Mullen said he, the joint chiefs, and senior military commanders must be candid when called to testify before Congress, the elected representatives of the American people.

Senior military leaders, the chairman added, also "must be clear and direct" about the limits and risks of military power and what it can achieve within a given timeframe.

"This is all the more difficult," Mullen said, "because war is not predetermined, nor is it linear in shape. It never has been."

The enemy "gets a vote" in deciding how he will respond to U.S. strategy, the chairman said, and while strategic estimates take into account the enemy's leaders, culture and will to fight, such estimates are exactly that.

"You don't know for sure how an enemy will respond, and even then, you can't be certain how long the war will last," Mullen said. "War, then, is discovery of a most-lethal sort."

The Taliban are a case in point, the chairman said. Will they continue fighting to overthrow the government of Afghanistan? Will they turn against al-Qaida and deny terrorists safe haven? How many "foot-soldiers" can coalition forces separate from extremist leaders?

"The reality is, we learn as we go," he said.

It often surprises strategists to find that their politically acceptable ways and means are insufficient to defeat a determined enemy, Mullen said.

"This reveals the creative tension within the policy-strategy relationship that makes the process necessarily iterative, and yet, ultimately triumphant," he said.

Wars are typically the most costly and destructive endeavors a nation may pursue, Mullen said, noting that the cost to the United States for World War II would amount to approximately five trillion of today's dollars.

"In terms of human cost, the toll was much higher, causing more than a million casualties, including nearly 300,000 combat deaths," he said. "All the while, President [Franklin D.] Roosevelt -- like all wartime presidents -- had to balance many other domestic and fiduciary concerns as well."

Achieving this balance is particularly acute in conflicts that are fought for more limited aims or in a more constrained environment, such as those the United States is fighting today, he said.

Mullen said three historical examples highlight how "the logic of war" can cause a change in strategy or military approach. For example, he noted, President Abraham Lincoln said at the outset of the Civil War that if he could save the union without freeing a single slave, he would.

However, after years of bloody conflict, "Lincoln chose to free the slaves, and then only after he knew he had enough military victories behind him," the chairman said.

The Korean War is likewise instructive, Mullen said. Following the successful landings at Inchon in September 1950, he said, the Truman administration developed a new policy goal of unifying the Korean peninsula under a democratic government. When the Chinese intervened and raised the costs of continued conflict, Truman reversed himself and went back to a goal of restoring the boundary at the 38th parallel.

"Finally, there is the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which shows in terms stark and clear why policymakers should approve military strategy," Mullen said. "When the generals recommended an invasion of Cuba, President [John F.] Kennedy refused, deeming it not worth the risk of nuclear war with the Soviet Union."

In each of these examples, the chairman said, military leaders provided their civilian masters with candid professional judgment in a constantly evolving strategy development process. And in each case, he added, a president decided what best served the national interest.

Mullen said that Dr. Ashton Carter, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, characterizes such interplay between strategy and policy as a continual process of "sense and adjust."

"That's a great way to put it, and we must recognize that our enemies are doing the same -- adapting to our strategy, as we adapt to theirs," the chairman said.

Mullen said the Cold War, a 40-year struggle against the Soviet bloc, offers a clear demonstration of national leaders' policy and strategy adaptation over time.

The Truman Doctrine gave way to the "New Look" policies of Eisenhower, Mullen said, while Kennedy's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis was followed within a decade by détente with the Soviet Union.

Finally, the tough Reagan doctrine of the early eighties ultimately yielded to Perestroika and Glasnost in the Cold War's closing chapters, he said.

"As we look back, the end of the Cold War seems inevitable, but to those of us who lived it, it was anything but," the chairman said.

Mullen emphasized that some of the biggest "leaps forward" during the Cold War -- opening relations with China, or brokering the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty with the Soviet Union -– "came when our leaders chose to shift approaches based on changing conditions."

Today, "our nation faces grave challenges that require that same courage and flexibility," Mullen said, "like executing a new START treaty with Russia, finishing our mission in Iraq, and striving for success in Afghanistan."

The correct strategy is being employed in Afghanistan, the chairman said. "I can assure you we have the strategy right," he said. "We have the right resources in place and we have the right leaders in charge. And we are committed to success."

President Barack Obama devoted an extraordinary amount of effort during the Afghanistan strategy review last fall to understand the fight and the direction he wanted that fight to take, Mullen said.

"Together, his national security team took a more narrow focus, identifying very clear goals to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan and to prevent their return to either country in the future," the chairman said, noting the strategy also shifted the military's emphasis to training and increasing the size of Afghan security forces so they can eventually take the lead in securing their country.

"Now, as many of you know, we will all be sitting down again next month to evaluate our progress one year later -- again recognizing the need to constantly assess performance," he said.

Mullen said he suspects that if any changes take place at all, they will be in specific areas of implementation rather than to the strategy itself.

"But the fact that the president wants this evaluation, and is willing to make changes should they be warranted, speaks volumes in my view on his firm belief in -- and understanding of -- the changing nature of war," Mullen said.

He said that while the Afghan people are feeling safer and the Taliban's momentum is slowed, "even this progress is not enough."

"Good governance must follow security gains, and while that is the case in some areas, it still lags behind in others," Mullen said. Ultimate success in Afghanistan, he said, will be achieved over time.

"I believe we will meet our operational objectives, just as we

[have] in Iraq," he said. "These wars will end. But we must be ever mindful that successfully ending wars is more difficult than beginning them."

The willingness to review, to reassess and re-decide, is not merely healthy, it is essential, Mullen said, noting, "The day you stop asking the hard questions is the day you start losing."

Mullen then asked the audience to remember the costs associated with "the lofty realms of strategy and policy." The questions aren't just theoretical, and they have real consequences, he said.

"The brutal truth is that this has been a tough fight, and tragically, we've lost some tremendous young men and women," the chairman said.

Servicemembers who do come home find their lives forever changed, "with consequences for our military and veteran health care system, our national employment and homeless rates, and who we are as a nation," Mullen said.

"So at this school and community that personify leadership, service and a commitment to others, I say to you that this will be the defining public policy challenge of this era," the chairman said. "We need your help now, and when you graduate, in supporting our returning warriors, their families and the families of the fallen, whether in your free time and or in your professional life."

Mullen recited a quote from John F. Kennedy: "'A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.'"

The chairman then thanked his audience for "remembering, honoring and supporting our men –- and our women –- in uniform, and their families who have given us so much."

Biographies:

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen

SUBJ: MEDICAL READINESS UPDATES

R 161457Z NOV 10

ALCOAST 555/10

COMDTNOTE 6010

A. COAST GUARD PERIODIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT (PHA), COMDTINST M6150.3

B. COAST GUARD MEDICAL MANUAL, COMDTINST 6000.1(SERIES)

1. THIS ALCOAST ANNOUNCES CRITICAL MEDICAL READINESS UPDATES FOR

COAST GUARD (CG) MILITARY PERSONNEL.

2. PERIODIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT (PHA):

A. IAW REF A ALL CG MEMBERS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A PHA DURING

THEIR

BIRTH MONTH PERIOD. AS OF 31DEC10 ALL CG MEMBERS WITHOUT A CURRENT

PHA WILL TURN RED IN COAST GUARD BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE (CGBI).

B. ALL CG MEMBERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE FLEET HEALTH RISK

ASSESSMENT (HRA) TOOL DURING THEIR PHA. THE NEW FLEET HRA WEBSITE

IS:

HTTPS://NMCPEH-WEB2.MED.NAVY.MIL/PLS/NEWHRA/HRA (ALL IN LOWERCASE).

REMEMBER TO LOG IN USING YOUR UNIT OPFAC.

3. MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS:

A. PER THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT (NDAA) FOR FISCAL

YEAR 2010, ALL MILITARY PERSONNEL WHO ARE DEPLOYED IN CONNECTION WITH

AN EXPEDITIONARY DEPLOYMENT IAW REF B (E.G., PATFORSWA) MUST COMPLETE

A MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT DURING 4 TIME FRAMES (WITHIN 2 MONTHS

BEFORE DEPLOYMENT, BETWEEN 3 AND 6 MONTHS AFTER RETURN FROM

DEPLOYMENT, BETWEEN 7 AND 12 MONTHS AFTER RETURN FROM DEPLOYMENT, AND

BETWEEN 16 AND 24 MONTHS AFTER RETURN FROM DEPLOYMENT).

B. IN ORDER TO ADHERE TO THE NDAA REQUIREMENT, THE CG WILL

SYNCHRONIZE MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS WITH EXISTING READINESS AND

DEPLOYMENT-RELATED HEALTH ASSESSMENTS WHENEVER POSSIBLE. THE FIRST

MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT WILL BE COMPLETED WITH THE PRE-DEPLOYMENT

HEALTH ASSESSMENT, DD-2795, THE SECOND ASSESSMENT WILL BE COMPLETED

WITH THE POST-DEPLOYMENT HEALTH REASSESSMENT, DD-2900, THE THIRD AND

FOURTH ASSESSMENTS WILL BE COMPLETED DURING THE MEMBERS SUBSEQUENT

PHAS.

C. DETAILED GUIDANCE ON COMPLETING THE MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS

IS

AVAILABLE FOR MEDICAL OFFICERS AND INDEPENDENT DUTY HEALTH SERVICES

TECHNICIANS (IDHS) ON THE COMDT (CG-1121) WEBSITE:

HTTP://WWW.USCG.MIL/HQ/CG1/CG112/CG1121/DEFAULT.ASP. SELECT THE

DEPLOYMENT HEALTH TAB. ALL MEDICAL OFFICERS AND IDHS MUST COMPLETE

THE TRAINING LOCATED ON THE DEPLOYMENT HEALTH CLINICAL CENTER WEBSITE

AT HTTP://WWW.PDHEALTH.MIL.

4. DEPLOYMENT HEALTH ASSESSMENTS:

A. CGBI WILL SOON INCLUDE DEPLOYMENT HEALTH ASSESSMENT METRICS

BASED ON PARTICIPATION IN AN EXPEDITIONARY DEPLOYMENT. THESE METRICS

WILL DISPLAY RED, AMBER OR GREEN DEPENDING UPON WHETHER A MEMBER IS

DELINQUENT, PENDING OR UP-TO-DATE (RESPECTIVELY) WITH THEIR

POST-DEPLOYMENT HEALTH ASSESSMENT (PDHA), DD-2796 OR POST-DEPLOYMENT

HEALTH REASSESSMENT (PDHRA), DD-2900.

B. THERE ARE OVER 1500 CG MEMBERS WHO ARE DELINQUENT WITH THEIR

PDHA OR PDHRA OR BOTH. ONCE THE DEPLOYMENT HEALTH ASSESSMENT METRIC

GOES LIVE IN CGBI, CLINICS SHOULD EXPECT QUESTIONS FROM CG MEMBERS

REGARDING THE DEPLOYMENT HEALTH ASSESSMENT PROCESS.

C. CLINICS SHOULD REFER MEMBERS TO CHAPTER 6 OF REF B WHICH

DETAILS THE APPROPRIATE STEPS MEMBERS SHOULD TAKE TO COMPLETE THEIR

DEPLOYMENT HEALTH ASSESSMENTS VIA THE ELECTRONIC DEPLOYMENT HEALTH

ASSESSMENT (EDHA) DATABASE. CLINICS SHOULD ENSURE THAT ALL MEDICAL

OFFICERS HAVE ACCESS TO THE EDHA IN PREPARATION FOR EVALUATING CG

MEMBERS FOR THEIR DEPLOYMENT HEALTH ASSESSMENTS.

5. FOR QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO THIS MESSAGE, CONTACT CDR ERICA

SCHWARTZ, COMDT (CG-1121) AT (202) 475-5172 OR

ERICA.G.SCHWARTZ(AT)USCG.MIL. FOR OPERATIONAL MEDICINE QUESTIONS

CONTACT CAPT JEFFREY SALVON-HARMAN (HSWL OPMED) AT (757) 628-4331.

6. RADM MARK TEDESCO, DIRECTOR OF HEALTH, SAFETY AND WORK-LIFE, SENDS

7. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.

SUBJ: ALCGRSV 065/10 - AY2011 CONSOLIDATED MAJOR RESERVE COMMAND

R 171826Z NOV 10

SCREENING PANEL (CMRCSP) RESULTS

A. COMCOGARD PSC ARLINGTON VA R 241443Z SEP 10/ALCGRSV 052/10

1. THE RESULTS OF THE CMRCSP ANNOUNCED IN REF A HAVE BEEN APPROVED.

THE FOLLOWING OFFICERS, LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER, HAVE BEEN

FOUND TO BE BEST QUALIFIED AMONG THOSE ELIGIBLE FOR ASSIGNMENT TO

MAJOR RESERVE COMMAND FOR ASSIGNMENT YEAR 2011. ACTUAL ASSIGNMENTS

WILL BE MADE BY THE SENIOR RESERVE OFFICER ASSIGNMENT PANEL

SCHEDULED TO CONVENE MAR 2011.

A. O-5 PSU COMMAND (8 SELECTED)

NO. RANK NAME EMPLID

(1) CDR ARNOLD, MICHAEL K. 1099927

(2) CDR CARABALLO, JOHN M. 1075179

(3) CDR CLARK, DANIEL W. 1073372

(4) LCDR DANKO, TIFFANY G. 1091080

(5) LCDR DECKER, TIMOTHY W. 1079217

(6) LCDR FINK, CHRISTOPHER E. 1077916

(7) CDR KRINGEL, TOMAS A.. 1117418

(8) CDR ROBINSON, JAMES P. 1047158

2. THE PANEL WAS CHARGED WITH SELECTING THOSE ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES

IT DEEMED BEST QUALIFIED TO COMMAND. TO MEET SERVICE NEEDS,

SCREENING PANELS ALWAYS SELECT MORE OFFICERS THAN THE NUMBER OF

AVAILABLE POSITIONS. OFFICERS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT SCREENING

DOES NOT EQUATE TO ASSIGNMENT. AS ALWAYS, NEEDS OF THE SERVICE

WILL GUIDE ACTUAL ASSIGNMENTS AND OFFICERS SCREENED MAY ROTATE INTO

OTHER IMPORTANT, NON-COMMAND BILLETS WHERE THEIR EXPERIENCE WILL

BEST SERVE THE NEEDS OF THE COAST GUARD.

3. THE PANEL CONSISTED OF THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS:

CAPT MARK S. HEMANN, USCG DOG

CAPT ANDREW S. MCKINLEY, USCGR D9

CAPT STEVEN H. POPE, USCGR LANT

CDR HELEN K. TOVES, USCG COMDT CG-7512

CDR THOMAS I. MACDONALD, USCG DOG DG-33

CDR MICHAEL J. FERULLO, USCGR PSU 305

4. ALTHOUGH THE PROCEEDINGS OF A SELECTION PANEL, INCLUDING ITS

DELIBERATIONS AND CRITERIA FOR SELECTION, CANNOT BE DISCLOSED TO

ANY PERSON WHO WAS NOT A MEMBER OF THE PANEL, PANEL MEMBERS DO HAVE

VALUABLE INFORMATION THAT CAN BE SHARED REGARDING THE GENERAL

SELECTION PROCESS AND ITS FAIRNESS AND EQUITY. QUESTIONS REGARDING

THE PANEL PROCESS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO CDR ROBERT HANLEY, CG PSC-

RPM, AT (202) 493-1702, EMAIL ROBERT.T.HANLEY(AT SIGN)USCG.MIL.

5. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED

CONTROLMAN RATING FORCE MASTER CHIEF, DCRFMC, SELECTION

R 171129Z NOV 10

ALCGENL 198/10

SUBJ: CONTROLMAN RATING FORCE MASTER CHIEF, DCRFMC, SELECTION

1. I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT DCCM DUANE F. WIEGARDT HAS BEEN

SELECTED TO SERVE AS THE NEXT RATING FORCE MASTER CHIEF FOR THE

DAMAGE CONTROLMAN RATING.

2. DCCM WIEGARDT HAS DEMONSTRATED A HIGH LEVEL OF COMMITMENT TO OUR

CORE VALUES OF HONOR, RESPECT AND DEVOTION TO DUTY BY HIS OUTSTANDING

PERFORMANCE DURING A 24-YEAR COAST GUARD CAREER.

3. I WOULD LIKE TO COMMEND ALL APPLICANTS FOR THEIR PAST SERVICE,

DEDICATION TO THE COAST GUARD, AND WILLINGNESS TO SERVE IN THIS VERY

DEMANDING AND KEY DAMAGE CONTROLMAN POSITION.

4. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.

5. RELEASED BY CDR N. S. NANCARROW, EPM-2.

Veterans' Reflections: 'A Means to Another End'

By Ian Graham
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2010 - Chris Harris didn't see the military as an end, but rather as a means to another end, when he accepted an ROTC scholarship to Duke University.

Retired Navy Cmdr. Chris Harris stands at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., July 15, 2010. DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby

(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Now, 26 years after retiring as a Navy commander, he looks back on his career fondly, even if he didn't expect to be a career sailor.

"At the time I went in, I didn't know if I was going to stay, but I ended up getting there and enjoying it and spent 20 years doing a lot of different jobs and having a good time," Harris said.

Harris was here with his grandchildren, seeing the sights and touring the memorials on the National Mall. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial holds special significance, he said, because he spent 21 months in Vietnam during the mid-1960s.

"The grandkids haven't been here before. That's why we're here today," Harris said. "They need to understand that a lot of people sacrificed a lot in the past for the fact that they have the freedoms they have today. They need to understand that these memorials are here for those people."

Now a resident of Chocowinity, N.C., Harris said the Navy lived up to its old promise: Join the Navy and see the world. His career in the Navy's Supply Corps took him to Italy, Thailand and Japan, in addition to Vietnam. But it wasn't the variety of locales that made his career exciting, he said. Rather, it was the variety of tasks he was assigned.

"It's an amazing experience to go out and do a lot of different things and get a lot of responsibility early in your career," he said. "My time in Vietnam is a case in point. I was a young [lieutenant junior grade] at the time over there, and I was running a lot of food service operations and feeding a lot of troops. You can't always do things like that as a civilian."

Harris went to Vietnam twice -– once aboard a ship on a six-month tour and once ashore for 15 months in 1966 and 1967. He was assigned to be a food service officer, something he'd never done before. Learning on the job can be harrowing for anyone, he noted, let alone having the responsibility of feeding thousands of hungry sailors in the Da Nang area and supplying forward operators near the demilitarized zone of the then-divided country.

"I went over there with no experience in food service, but found out that you can run a food service organization letting the technical people handle a lot of the work, and I looked after the people and organization," he said. "It was interesting from that perspective."

It was this aspect of the job -- being put into a place initially unfamiliar and forced to adapt -- that stuck with him, he said, noting that it helped him to appreciate the value of education. Today's servicemembers, he said, shouldn't take opportunities for education for granted and should appreciate the chances they get to learn.

"The best thing I can tell people who are serving in the Navy right now is to do your job well, learn from your experience [and] advance," he said. "You can always study in the Navy and get better educated and get more diverse jobs, more responsible jobs, and move up the ladder. Be involved, and enjoy what you're doing."

Though Harris said he didn't plan to do anything in particular on this year's Veterans Day, he keeps today's servicemembers in mind and hopes many veterans can come home safely to celebrate with him in the future.

"We're mindful of the fact that there are still a lot of troops serving and a lot of people are dying, and we remember them at that time," he said.

Harris said young people should consider the military as a viable career option. Although he didn't initially intend to spend 20 years in uniform, he said, he has no regrets about his decision to serve. As a parent and grandparent, he added, he encourages young people to look into ROTC or enlistment as, at the very least, a good first step in a career.

Choosing a military career is "a very good way to go," Harris said.

("Veterans' Reflections" is a collection of stories of men and women who served their country in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and the present-day conflicts. They will be posted throughout November in honor of Veterans Day.)

DOD Identifies Army Casualties Nov. 14 in Kunar province

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of five soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died ,Nov. 14 in Kunar province Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked their unit with small arms fire.

Killed were:

Spc. Shane H. Ahmed, 31, of Chesterfield, Mich.

Spc. Nathan E. Lillard, 26, of Knoxville, Tenn.

Spc. Scott T. Nagorski, 27, of Greenfield, Wis.

Spc. Jesse A. Snow, 25, of Fairborn, Ohio.

Pfc. Christian M. Warriner, 19, of Mills River, N.C.

They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

SUBJ: PA1 CRITICAL VACANCY SOLICITATION

R 171617Z NOV 10

ALCGENL 200/10

1. PSC-EPM-2 IS SOLICITING CANDIDATES FOR THE FOLLOWING VACANCY:
RANK POSITION NUMBER UNIT          CITY/STATE
PA1 00030362        CG NTL STRIKE FRC CTR ELIZABETH CITY, NC
2. INTERESTED CANDIDATES SHOULD RESPOND TO THE POC VIA EMAIL NLT
22NOV10. EMAILS SHOULD INCLUDE A COMMAND ENDORSEMENT ADDRESSING
MEMBERS QUALIFICATIONS AND SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS BACKFILL
REQUIREMENTS.
3. IF THERE ARE NO VOLUNTEERS, ALL RECENTLY ADVANCED OR MEMBERS ABOVE
THE CUT FOR PA1 WILL BE CONSIDERED.
4. POC: CWO3 MARTIN ANTUNA (202) 493-1287 OR,
MARTIN.ANTUNA(AT)USCG.MIL
5. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.
6. RELEASED BY CDR N. S. NANCARROW, PSC-EPM-2.

SUBJ: MKC AY11 PATROL FORCES SOUTHWEST ASIA (PATFORSWA)

R 171908Z NOV 10

ALCGENL 202/10

RE-SOLICITATION
A. CG PERSMAN, COMDTINST M1000.6A (SERIES)
B. U.S. COAST GUARD LAW ENFORCEMENT COMPETENCY QUALIFICATION
INSTRUCTION, COMDTINST 16247.3C
C. CG WEIGHT AND BODY FAT STANDARDS PROGRAM MANUAL, COMDTINST
M1020.8G
1. PSC-EPM-2 IS SOLICITING CANDIDATES TO FILL THE FOLLOWING POSITION
IN PATROL FORCES SOUTHWEST ASIA (PATFORSWA):
00005725   CGC BARANOF   EPO    MKC
2. THIS MESSAGE TARGETS AN MKC FOR A ONE YEAR PCS DEPLOYMENT TO BEGIN
IN THE SPRING OF AY11. MEMBER WILL BE REQUIRED TO ATTEND
PREDEPLOYMENT TRAINING IN FEB 2011. MEMBERS NEAR OR ABOVE THE CUT FOR
MKC MAY ALSO APPLY. HOWEVER, THEY WILL BE CONSIDERED ON A
CASE-BY-CASE BASIS.
3. ASSIGNMENT CRITERIA: APPLICANTS MUST BE:
     A. 18 YEARS OF AGE AT DEPLOYMENT DATE.
     B. TOUR COMPLETE IN AY11 (NOT UNDER ORDERS), AY12, OR AY13.
     C. SUITABLE FOR OVERSEAS ASSIGNMENT IAW REF A, CH 4.H.3.
     D. A U.S. CITIZEN
     E. ELIGIBLE FOR A SECRET CLEARANCE OR HIGHER.
     F. MUST MEET OBLISERV REQUIREMENTS (15 MOS FROM RPT DATE).
     G. MUST HAVE COMPLETED TASK 1-01, PHYSICAL FITNESS STANDARDS, OF
REF B, WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF 01 FEB 11.
     H. MUST MEET COAST GUARD WEIGHT STANDARDS IAW REF C.
     I. MUST HAVE A PREVIOUS BASIC OR PRACTICAL QUALIFICATION ON A
9MM
OR SIG .40 CAL.
     J. MBR MUST MEET QUALIFICATIONS AND HAVE AN ENDORSEMENT FOR EPO
AS PER CH. 4.C.7 OF REF A.  IF MEMBER ALREADY POSITIVELY SCREENED FOR
EPO AFLOAT IN AY11, THEY NEED NOT DUPLICATE THIS PROCESS.
4. ASSIGNMENT PROCEDURES:
     A. INTERESTED MBRS SHOULD SUBMIT A COMMAND ENDORSED EMAIL TO THE
POC NLT COB 28 NOV 10. THE EMAIL SHOULD INCLUDE THE SUBJECT LINE: MKC
PATFORSWA RE-SOLICITATION.
     B. THE COMMAND ENDORSEMENT MUST MEET THE CRITERIA BELOW.
     C. MBRS SHALL COMPLETE THE OVERSEAS SCREENING CHECKLISTS IAW REF
A, CH 4.H.2 ASAP.
5. COMMAND ENDORSEMENT CRITERIA: PATFORSWA ENDORSEMENTS SHOULD
ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING:
     A. VERIFY THAT MBR MEETS ALL ASSIGNMENT CRITERIA ABOVE.
     B. LIST MBRS SMALL ARMS QUALIFICATIONS AND MOST RECENT
CERTIFICATION DATE. IF MBR HAS NOT QUALIFIED ON A PDW, AND M-16 OR
M-4, ENDORSEMENT SHOULD ADDRESS MBRS POTENTIAL TO QUALIFY PRIOR TO
ARRIVAL TO FEB 2011.
     C. BACKFILL CONCERNS: COMMANDS SHOULD KEEP IN MIND THAT
RECEIVING
AN IMMEDIATE BACKFILL IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE. THE COMMANDS BACKFILL
REQUEST WILL FACTOR INTO THE CANDIDATE SELECTION PROCESS. ADDITIONAL
GUIDELINES FOR COMMAND ENDORSEMENTS CAN BE FOUND AT OUR WEBSITE.
6. TRAINING AND PCS: ALL PERSONNEL SELECTED FOR THIS DUTY WILL BE
REQUIRED TO COMPLETE PDT. DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE.
7. EPM PATFORSWA WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.USCG.MIL/PSC/EPM/PATFORSWA.ASP.
8. POC: MK ASSIGNMENT OFFICER - CWO4 AL GAROFALO:
ALBERTO.GAROFALO(AT)USCG.MIL, OR (202)493-1248.
9. ALL QUESTIONS REGARDING THE OPERATIONAL NATURE OF THIS
ASSIGNMENT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO TRATEAM EAST STAFF - YNCM LINDA
KENTCH AT LINDA.S.KENTCH(AT)USCG.MIL, OR (757)295-2234.
10. RELEASED BY CDR N.S. NANCARROW, PSC EPM-2.
11. INTERNET RELEASED AUTHORIZED.

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Weather Conditions and Forecast for today: (Scroll Down for Forecast)


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Today...Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers this morning then showers becoming likely this afternoon. Highs in the mid 40s. West winds 5 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Tonight...Mostly cloudy. Rain showers likely early...ending as wet snow showers. Little or no snow accumulation. Lows around 30. West winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.

Friday...Partly sunny. Highs in the mid 40s. West winds 5 to 15 mph becoming southwest.

Friday Night...Partly to mostly cloudy. Windy with lows in the mid 30s. Southwest winds 15 to 30 mph. Gusts up to 40 mph.

Saturday...Mostly cloudy. Late morning highs in the lower 40s... Then temperatures falling into the upper 30s. West winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph becoming northwest.

Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy. Lows around 30.

Sunday...Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 40s.

Sunday Night...Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Lows in the lower 40s. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Monday...Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers. Highs in the mid 50s.

Monday Night...Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers. Lows in the mid 40s.

Tuesday...Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers. Highs in the mid 50s.

Tuesday Night...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain showers and scattered snow showers. Lows in the mid 30s. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.

Wednesday...Partly sunny with a chance of rain showers and scattered snow showers. Highs in the lower 40s. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.