LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST MONDAY Niagara Orleans and Genesee Counties

Hazardous Weather Outlook

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
745 PM EST SUN DEC 5 2010

NYZ001-002-011-070045-
NIAGARA-ORLEANS-GENESEE-
745 PM EST SUN DEC 5 2010

...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST MONDAY
NIGHT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN NEW YORK.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES...
AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN
BUFFALO CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BUF

Lake Effect Snow Warning - Niagara County

 

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY
1001 PM EST SUN DEC 5 2010

NYZ001-002-011-061115-
/O.CON.KBUF.LE.W.0007.000000T0000Z-101207T0500Z/
NIAGARA-ORLEANS-GENESEE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...NIAGARA FALLS...MEDINA...BATAVIA
1001 PM EST SUN DEC 5 2010

...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST
MONDAY NIGHT...

A LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST
MONDAY NIGHT.

* LOCATIONS...NIAGARA...ORLEANS...AND GENESEE COUNTIES.

* TIMING...THROUGH MONDAY EVENING.

* ACCUMULATIONS...6 TO 12 INCHES...TOTALS TAPERING OFF IN FAR
  WESTERN PORTIONS OF NIAGARA COUNTY.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 15 TO 30 MPH.

* VISIBILITIES...UNDER ONE HALF MILE AT TIMES.

* IMPACTS...DIFFICULT DRIVING CONDITIONS IN MODERATE TO HEAVY
  SNOW AND BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN LAKE EFFECT SNOW THE WEATHER CAN VARY FROM LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW
IN NARROW BANDS TO CLEAR SKIES JUST A FEW MILES AWAY. IF YOU WILL
BE TRAVELING ACROSS THE REGION BE PREPARED FOR RAPID CHANGES IN
ROAD AND VISIBILITY CONDITIONS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF
WEATHER INFORMATION FOR THE LATEST UPDATES.

Update

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Obama: Servicemembers Prove America's Best Days Lie Ahead

Obama: Servicemembers Prove America's Best Days Lie Ahead By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2010 - The bravery, resolve, expertise and commitment of American servicemembers proves that America's best days lie ahead, President Barack Obama said at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan today. Obama thanked American servicemembers and civilians for their sacrifices during a visit to the headquarters of Regional Command East. The command, built around the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, is responsible for some of the toughest territory in Afghanistan. Obama arrived at Bagram and met with Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry. The president visited the Bagram hospital and awarded five Purple Heart medals to wounded servicemembers there. He then met with a platoon of 101st Airborne troopers who lost six soldiers Nov. 29 when an Afghan Border Police trainee opened fire on them. Obama spoke to more than 3,500 servicemembers in a hangar at the base. He thanked them for their service and said they are part of an unbroken line of Americans "who have given up your comfort, your ease, your convenience, for America's security." The president traced the sacrifices of previous generations of Americans who'd also found themselves serving in war during a season of peace. "They did it for the same reason that all of you do," Obama said. "Because the freedom and the liberty that we treasure, that's not simply a birthright. It has to be earned by the sacrifices of generations -- generations of patriots, men and women, who step forward and say, 'Send me.'" A year ago, the president ordered a surge of 30,000 more American troops into Afghanistan. Some 95,000 U.S. servicemembers and thousands of American civilians now serve in Afghanistan. "Thanks to your service, we are making important progress," the president said. "You are protecting your country. You are achieving your objectives. You will succeed in your mission." The NATO effort has halted the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan, the president said, as NATO and Afghan government forces have reclaimed and held large swaths of the nation. "You're going on the offense, tired of playing defense, targeting their leaders, pushing them out of their strongholds," he said. Obama told the servicemembers and civilians they can be proud that because of their efforts and sacrifices, Afghanistan today has a more hopeful future. Progress is slow, the president acknowledged, and has come at a high price. "So many of you have stood before the solemn battle cross -– the display of boots, a rifle, a helmet -– and said goodbye to a fallen comrade," Obama said. "This year alone, nearly a hundred members of the 101st have given their last full measure of devotion. There are few days when I don't sign a letter to a military family expressing our nation's gratitude and grief at their profound sacrifice." Obama said the servicemembers in America's military come from every conceivable background and unite to serve a greater cause. "Through your service, you demonstrate the content of the American character," he said. "Some people ask whether America's best days lie ahead or whether our greatness stretches back behind us in the stories of those who've gone before. "When I look out at all of you, I know the answer to that. You give me hope," he continued. "You give me inspiration. Your resolve shows that Americans will never succumb to fear. Your selfless service shows who we are, who we always will be, united as one people and united as one nation, for you embody and stand up for the values that make us what we are as a people." He said the United States of America is not defined by borders, but by a common creed eloquently stated in the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that we are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are the right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness." That creed, Obama told the servicemembers, is what Americans have fought for through history and are fighting for in Afghanistan. "And that belief is more powerful than any adversary," he said.

Related Sites: NATO International Security Assistance Force

Miami jeweler sentenced to 10 years for Ponzi and bank fraud schemes

 

MIAMI - Luis Felipe Perez, 38, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was sentenced to prison earlier today, following an investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
United States District Judge Paul C. Huck sentenced Perez to 10 years in prison for securities fraud in connection with a $40 million Ponzi scheme and five years in prison in connection with a $12 million bank fraud scheme. The sentences will run concurrently and will be followed by three years supervised release, which includes one-year of home confinement. Additionally, Judge Huck ordered Perez to pay restitution in the amount of approximately $10 million.
From approximately 2006 through mid-2009, Perez solicited funds from approximately 35 individuals in exchange for promissory notes or oral loan agreements. Perez falsely informed investors that they would be investing in his jewelry businesses or in pawn shops that were located in New York City. In fact, however, only a small portion of investor money was used for Perez's jewelry businesses and none of the money was ever invested with any pawn shops. According to the charges, Perez also promised investors high returns from these investments of between 2% to 10% monthly, which would result in 24% to 120% paid annually. Perez created an unsustainable Ponzi scheme in which he used the monies collected from new investors to pay the returns promised to the earlier investors.
When prospective investors told Perez that they did not have money available to invest with him, he referred them to a Certified Public Accountant named Berta Sanders, who pleaded guilty on Oct. 28 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud with Perez.
Once Perez referred the investors to Sanders, she prepared fraudulent loan applications, which were submitted to Wachovia Bank on their behalf. These false loan applications contained false information about the borrower's business income, assets, and accounts receivable. Sanders also prepared false tax returns, bank statements, and personal financial statements in connection with the line of credit applications. Sanders received a fee of approximately 10% of the loan amount in exchange for her services and paid a portion of these fees to Richard Garcia, a Wachovia loan officer, as compensation for his assistance in preparing and processing the fraudulent applications. Garcia pleaded guilty to bank fraud conspiracy on Nov. 1.
Once the borrowers received the proceeds from the fraudulent loan applications, they invested most of the funds in Perez's Ponzi-scheme. When Perez's Ponzi scheme ultimately collapsed in May 2009, most of the fraudulent loans obtained from Wachovia subsequently defaulted as well.
Most of Perez's investors never recovered their investments, while Perez made millions of dollars and lived an extravagant lifestyle that included a multi-million dollar home, expensive cars, and international travel. The loss created by Perez's participation in these fraudulent activities is approximately $37 million.
The investigation was conducted by ICE HSI in Miami, the City of Miami Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew K. Levi and Richard Gregorie.

Small Business Assistance

Next Vendor Outreach

December 16, 2010
Registration December 9, 2010
12:00 noon.
Reserved for Veteran-owned Businesses

Small businesses are a vital part of our national strength. Our job is to ensure these companies have a fair opportunity to compete and be selected for Department of Homeland Security contracts.

Virginia man living on federal lands sentenced to 18 years for child pornography

 

NORFOLK, Va. - A Virginia was sentenced in Norfolk federal court to 18 years in prison for transportation and possession of child pornography. Daniel Allen Oswald, 60, of Virginia Beach, Va., pled guilty to the charges on July 20, 2010. This investigation was led by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
"The victimization of children for sexual purposes is one of the most heinous criminal acts imaginable," said John P. Torres, special agent in charge of the ICE HSI office in Washington, D.C. "Today's sentencing illustrates the serious nature of crimes that exploit children. For this reason, ICE will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners and through ICE initiatives such as Operation Predator to aggressively pursue child predators and bring them to justice."
According to court documents, Oswald was identified by ICE after the Surrey County North Carolina Sheriff's Department requested ICE's assistance in obtaining a search warrant, who was then living on federal lands on Back Bay Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach. ICE identified two minor girls who Oswald had been molesting and producing child pornography with over the course of several years.
This investigation is part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers.
ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-866-DHS-2ICE      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

NRC ISSUES FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR INDIAN POINT NUCLEAR PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION

December 3, 2010 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has issued its final supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) for the proposed renewal of the operating license for Indian Point Nuclear Generating Units 2 and 3 located in Buchanan, N.Y., located 24 miles north of New York City.

The report concluded there are no environmental impacts that would preclude license renewal for an additional 20 years of operation. Indian Point Units 2 and 3 are two pressurized-water reactors whose current operating licenses expire Sept. 28, 2013, and Dec. 12, 2015, respectively.

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc., submitted an application to the NRC on April 23, 2007, to extend Indian Point's Unit 2 and 3 licenses by 20 years. Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant has a term of 40 years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC would be extended until 2033 and 2035, respectively. As part of its environmental review of the application, the NRC held public meetings near the plant to discuss the review process and the draft version of the environmental impact statement. The agency solicited comments from members of the public, local officials, representatives of state and federal agencies and tribal governments. Indian Point's draft environmental impact statement received the most comments of any license renewal application received by the NRC.

 The final publication encompasses three volumes - with Volume 2, discussing the public comments, in three separate parts - and totals more than 2,200 pages. The average SEIS for a license renewal application totals about 480 pages in a single volume. The NRC staff has completed both its environmental and safety reviews for the license renewal application. The agency staff documented its safety review in its safety evaluation report on Aug. 11, 2009, and NRC's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) reviewed it on Sept. 10, 2009. Following the issuance and publication of the Indian Point final SEIS, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel (ASLBP) , NRC's independent adjudicatory body, will establish a hearing schedule and conduct a public hearing concerning contested issues for the Indian Point license renewal application. Indian Point's final SEIS is available on the NRC's website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1437/supplement38/ and can be viewed in the NRC's ADAMS online documents system at http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/adams/web-based.html by entering the following corresponding accession numbers for Vol. 1, ML103350405; Vol. 2, ML103350438, ML103360209, ML103360212 and Vol. 3, ML103350442 in the search window. Help in using ADAMS is available by contacting the NRC's Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at PDR.Resource@nrc.gov . Indian Point's license renewal application is posted at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/indian-point.html. Additional information about the license renewal process is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html. Documents related to Indian Point's license renewal application are also located at the following locations: The White Plains Public Library, 100 Martine Ave., White Plains, N.Y. ; the Hendrick Hudson Free Library, 185 Kings Ferry Road, Montrose, N.Y., and the Field Library, 4 Nelson Ave., Peekskill, N.Y. More information on the ASLBP is located on the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/organization/aslbpfuncdesc.html.

Government Contracts

CONTRACTSDEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Meridian Medical Technologies, Columbia, Md., is being awarded a maximum $116,180,667 firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract for nerve agent antidotes. Other location of performance is in Missouri. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is Dec. 31, 2011. The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SPM2DP-11-D-0002). Hess Corp., Woodbridge, N.J., is being awarded a maximum $70,199,170 firm-fixed-price contract for electricity. Other locations of performance include Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Using service is Navy. There were originally 97 proposals solicited with 13 responses. The date of performance completion is Jan. 31, 2013. The Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity (SP0600-11-D-8017). Direct Energy Business, LLC, Pittsburgh, Pa., is being awarded a maximum $10,728,624 firm-fixed-price contract for electricity. Other location of performance is in Illinois. Using service is Navy. There were originally 97 proposals solicited with 13 responses. The date of performance completion is Dec. 31, 2012. The Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity (SP0600-11-D-8018).NAVY Lockheed Martin Corp., Owego, N.Y., is being awarded a $45,779,349 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of two cargo unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and pre-deployment readiness activities in support of cargo UAS services in Afghanistan. In addition, this contract provides for required modifications of the UAS's. Work will be performed in Owego, N.Y. (90 percent), and Bloomfield, Conn. (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2011. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals, with two offers received. Contract funds in the amount of $45,779,349 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-11-C-0013). Frontier Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., Irvine, Calif., is being awarded a $29,935,037 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of two cargo unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and pre-deployment readiness activities in support of cargo UAS services in Afghanistan. In addition, this contract provides for required modifications of the UAS's. Work will be performed in Irvine, Calif. (50 percent), and Mesa, Ariz. (50 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2011. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals, with two offers received. Contract funds in the amount of $29,935,037 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-11-C-0014). U.S. Information Technologies Corp.*, Chantilly, Va., is being awarded a one-year $12,452,120 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-price and/or firm fixed-price level-of-effort task orders for information technology technical support services for the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC). This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $63,659,512. At this time, $351,710 has been obligated. Work will be performed primarily at the contractor's location; MSC headquarters in Washington, D.C.; and Military Sealift Fleet Support Command in Norfolk, Va., as required. Work is expected to be completed by Nov. 21, 2011. If all options are exercised, work could continue until Nov. 21, 2015. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via a small business set-aside solicitation, and five offers were received. The solicitation was posted to the Military Sealift Command, Navy Electronic Commerce Online and Federal Business Opportunities websites. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting authority (N00033-11-D-6505). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded a $9,500,000 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-02-C-6324) for continued post-delivery technical support for Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System (RAMICS) units. This contract will be used to modify and/or repair delivered hardware; modify or build new RAMICS system components to resolve producibility, obsolescence, and end-of-life issues and update the technical data package with respect to the changes implemented; provide maintenance of delivered hardware as well as provide software maintenance required and provide the software upgrades and modifications required to optimize the performance of RAMICS; and provide required engineering services consisting of systems engineering; configuration and data management; quality assurance; manufacturing; test and evaluation; generating of presentations, white papers, trade studies; and development, tracking and updating of metrics. Work will be performed in Melbourne, Fla., and is expected to be completed by September 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City, Fla., is the contracting activity. BAE Systems, Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded a $6,898,595 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-06-C-4408) for the USS Port Royal (CG 73) repair availability. This repair availability modification will consist of repairs to numbers 1A and 1B gas turbine intake bulkhead and deck, fuel oil storage tank top repair, superstructure cracks repair, and 06-level deck crack repair. Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is expected to completed by February 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $142,467 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & IMF, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity.AIR FORCE United Launch Services, Littleton, Colo., was awarded a $21,226,443 contract modification which adds the fleet standardization program core effort to the evolved expendable launch vehicles launch capability contract. At this time, $1,300,000 has been obligated. SMC/LRK, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8816-06-C-0002; P00219). Boeing Aerospace Operations, Oklahoma City, Okla., was awarded a $20,000,000 contract for engineering sustainment support for the C/KC-135 series aircraft fleet. At this time, zero dollars have been obligated. OC-ALC/GKCK, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8105-11-D-0002). Hawker Beechcraft Corp., Wichita, Kan., was awarded a $15,209,720 contract which will provide two Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350ER. At this time, $15,209,720 has been obligated. 645 AESG/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-11-C-4008). Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., McLean, Va., was awarded a $10,805,781 contract modification which will provide an additional year of systems engineering and integration support of the launch and test range system. At this time, $6,800,000 has been obligated. SMC/LR, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8811-10-C-0006; P00012). Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., was awarded an $8,806,988 contract modification which will incorporate the dual operations capability into the existing engineering, manufacturing and development contract for the space-based infrared system high component. At this time, $8,806,988 has been obligated. SMC/ISK, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04701-95-C-0017; P00659).*Small businessU.S. Department of DefenseOffice of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

'Rear D' Moves Into High Gear as Tragedy Strikes

By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2010 - When Army Maj. Bradd Schultz, rear detachment commander for the 101st Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team, got a middle-of-the-night phone call from Afghanistan earlier this week, he knew the news wasn't going to be good.Six soldiers from the brigade's 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, were killed Nov. 29 in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province –- reportedly at the hands of an Afghan border police officer. The soldiers killed were Sgt. 1st Class Barry E. Jarvis, Staff Sgt. Curtis A. Oakes, Spc. Matthew W. Ramsey, Pfc. Jacob A. Gassen, Pfc. Austin G. Staggs and Pfc. Buddy W. McLain.The deaths bring the losses since the "Curahee Brigade" deployed to Afghanistan in August as the final element of the troop surge to 13."It's the worst kind of call you can get," Schultz said of receiving the news. "But I know, when that phone rings, this is it. This is why we are here. This is our time to do it right."Schultz leads the "Rear D," a 54-person skeletal staff that remained at Fort Campbell, Ky., when the brigade deployed.The Rear D performs a broad range of missions, from maintaining property and equipment to untangling deployed soldiers' pay and legal problems. In addition, since the brigade deployed, the detachment has trained more than 450 soldiers, many of them fresh out of advanced individual training, to join the brigade in Afghanistan.But these missions take a back seat to what Schmidt called the Rear D's most important calling: taking care of families and honoring the fallen. As they juggle myriad missions, he said, they never lose sight of the needs of deployed soldiers' families, particularly families of troops killed.So the Rear D moved into high gear after getting word of the latest casualties. Following painstakingly thought-out procedures, they went to work to support the families of the fallen, as well as those of their deployed comrades-in-arms.The Rear D arranged for the next of kin to be notified, delivering the heartbreaking news personally to families living in or near Fort Campbell, and serving as casualty assistance officers to provide administrative assistance and ongoing support. "We want Currahees taking care of Currahees," Schultz said.For families living outside the area, the Rear D made contact with notification teams and casualty assistance officers to provide any support required.Meanwhile, Schultz consulted his list of family care team volunteers -- spouses from the brigade specially trained to come to a family's side immediately after being notified of their loved one's death. The team, which is deployed to the home only if the family requests it, arrives with a box of household staples, a shoulder to cry on and helping hands to do whatever the family needs, from straightening up the house to prepare for visitors and answering phone calls to walking the family dog.The idea, Schultz explained, is to ensure there's no gap between when a family receives notification and either their personal support network or the official military support network arrives. "We drop this devastating news on them, and we don't want to leave them," he said. "We will work to make sure someone is there as long as they need them."While tending to the families, the brigade's Rear D also is working to provide its fallen soldiers the honor they deserve. A Rear D team processes paperwork for each casualty, ensuring that any awards earned during the deployment are ready to be presented in time for the funeral.And as the remains of the fallen Currahee soldiers arrived at Dover Air Force Base, Del., late Dec. 1, the Rear D prepared to dispatch several of its members to escort them to their funeral or burial sites and to represent the command at their funerals.Schultz recognized the devastation of the soldiers' deaths to the entire brigade, but particularly to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment. The squadron has lost eight soldiers since deploying in August. Army Capt. Ellery Wallace, its company commander, and 20-year-old Pfc. Bryan Raver were among the first, killed by a rocket-propelled grenade almost immediately after they arrived in Afghanistan.Just as the squadron has suffered, so, too, have its family members, Schultz said. So on Dec. 1, as families struggled with news of the six casualties, the Rear D organized a "Caring Hearts" session to provide information and comfort. Joined by post chaplains and counselors, the team explained what happened, read messages sent by Army Col. Sean Jenkins, the brigade commander, and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Hector Santos, and gave the families a chance to grieve together and talk openly about their feelings."These families have really been though a lot," Schultz said. "Some of these families are really torn up, and we were able to sit and, as the Currahee family, talk about it."Schultz and his Rear D soldiers spend the vast majority of their time providing a vital link between forward-deployed troops and their families and helping families deal with issues that arise during the deployment. "These guys are really at the front of leading the families through," Schultz said of his team. "Every day, we deal with something new and different."During the first month of the brigade's deployment, the Rear D handled more than 100 family issues, although Schultz said that number has dropped as families adjust to the deployment. But regardless of how busy he and his soldiers get, Schultz said, they drop everything to tend to families' needs or concerns."We are the problem solvers in the rear detachment," he said. "If we don't take care of the families that are here and that come to us for help, we are failing."Early in the war, deploying units often left their weakest members behind to serve in the Rear D, not fully recognizing the consequences, Schultz said. "They quickly realized that if you don't man your rear detachment properly, you are going to have issues with your home front," he said.Schultz praised the professionalism of his Rear D soldiers, most of whom are seasoned combat veterans and all hand-picked by their commanders for their strengths.He admitted that most, given the choice, would prefer deploying over serving in the Rear D. "You joined the Army to support and defend the Constitution of the United States," he said. "You don't join the Army to stay back here in the rear, dealing with all these issues. You would rather be out maneuvering."Schultz, who had been slated to attend a military school rather than deploying, said he did the unthinkable by volunteering to serve as Rear D commander. It allowed him to continue serving the Currahee, and also to remain at home with his children while his wife is deployed with the NATO International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Afghanistan."When I was named for the job, I think every field grade officer in the brigade sighed with relief," Schultz said.Although they're not on the front lines, the Rear D soldiers play a critical part of the war effort through support for Currahee families, Schultz said."If you can go day to day without worry about anything at home, it takes away those distractions so you can focus on the mission," he said. "And if something happens, you don't have to worry about your families sitting back here by themselves. You know that someone is here for them and is going to step in."Schultz underscored the importance of the Rear D mission to his soldiers the day he took charge. "I told them on Day One: They don't make movies about the rear detachment. They don't write books about the rear detachment. Nobody even knows we exist."But if we don't do our job right," he continued, "our soldiers aren't going to be focused on what they need to be focused on." Related Sites:101st Airborne Division, 4th Brigade Combat TeamCasualty Announcement

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Matthew T. Abbate, 26, of Honolulu, Hawaii, died Dec. 2 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 1st Marine Division public affairs office at 760-725-8766.U.S. Department of DefenseOffice of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)