| ARMY OFFICIALS TOUT SUCCESS OF WARRIOR TRANSITION UNITS |
| I have had the opportunity to entertain Troops and Veterans in VA Hospitals across America. Joining me in those hospitals are some great entertainers; Jonathan Brant, Ron Hawking, Bill Archer, American English, Denise Brigham, Jimmy Niteclub, 7th Heaven, Instant Karma, Jim & Silvia Bender and many more. I have never witnessed bad conditions in any of VA's I have performed in, and believe me, I am looking for them. Recently, some readers have asked me about the condition of VA hospitals I have visited. Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl, Director, Army Public Affairs - Midwest, sent the below article to me this afternoon. Army Officials Tout Success of Warrior Transition Units By John J. Krunzel American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2008 - Before a major newspaper shed light on the sub-par outpatient conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, the hospital had appointed one soldier to track the recoveries of 200 wounded troops, an Army official said. But now, some 20 months after publication of the provocative series, the Army has three dozen Warrior Transition Units across the country dedicated to nurturing the wounded back to health and even into civilian life, Army Brig. Gen. Gary H. Cheek, director of the Warrior Care and Transition Program, said today. |
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| Jack Amberg - Thank You - Well Done |
| I want to congratulate Lt. Col. Jack Amberg for a job well done. Today is Jack's first official day as a retired Army Lt. Col. So, what do you think a man who served his country for 26 year might do on his first day as a civilian? Take the day off? Sleep in? Had breakfast in bed? Probably not. He most likely had breakfast with his family in Naperville, Illinois, kissed his wife goodbye as he sipped his last drop of coffee, drove the kids to school and headed to the office. I'll lay odds that Jack didn't remember it was his first day out of uniform until he looked at the calendar on the wall of his office. Jack is a personal friend of mine. I only met Jack 3-years ago, but sometimes it only takes that one meeting, and you are bonded for life; that's the way it is with Jack ... I think that's the way it is with most people who have met Jack throughout his long military career. Raised in Berwyn, Illinois, Jack's dad gave him a choice when the young, headstrong Jack turned 18 ... his dad (a Korean War Veteran) said; " Jack get into college, get a job or join the military ... tomorrow!!!" School didn't appeal to Jack at that time, so after interviewing with four of the five branches of our military, Jack enlisted in the Army. As fate sometimes plays an important role in our lives, Jack's life was no different. An Army officer suggest to the young recruit that he test for West Point Army Academy. Jack tested and passed!  LTC Jack Amberg speaks in Daley Plaza in Chicago. I can go on and on about Jack and his love and dedication to our Armed Forces and Veterans, but below is an official declaration, from the State of Illinois, about Jack Amberg. It reads; State Of Illinois General Assembly WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel John W. Amberg II entered the United States Army in 1982 and completed basic training at Fort Knox earning the Military Occupational Skill, 19D, Cavalry Scout; and WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel John Amberg holds a Bachelor's degree in Leadership from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Master's degree in Business Administration from Eastern New Mexico University; and WHEREAS, He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, the Public Affairs Officer's Course, the Combined Arms Services Staff School, the Field Artillery Basic and Advanced Courses, and holds the Airborne Badge; and WHEREAS, Serving as an Artillery Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg was stationed at Fort Hood (1995) and participated in an operational deployment to Kuwait; he also served as the deputy operations officer for the Artillery Battalion and was deployed to fight forest fires in Idaho and Montana in support of the United States Forest Service; and WHEREAS, Prior to his assignment at Fort Hood, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg served as a Gunnery Instructor for the Officer Basic Course at the Artillery School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; and WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg also was deployed to Desert Shield/Desert Storm (1991) from Neu Ulm, Germany as part of the 1st Infantry Division and WHEREAS, From 1997 to 2000 Lieutenant Colonel Amberg taught Military Leadership at the Reserve Officer Training Course (ROTC), New Mexico Military Institute at Roswell, New Mexico, and assisted the University in commissioning over 150 officers, the second largest commissioning source for United States Army officers, other than West Point; and WHEREAS, In 2001, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg attended the Command and General Staff College and then was assigned to the United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he served as the Secretary of the General Staff (SGS), and was responsible for the management of all administrative records for the students and staff for the Deputy Commandant;and WHEREAS, From January 2003 to March 2003, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg was deployed to Zamboanga City, Republic of the Philippines, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom; during the deployment, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg served as the principal PAO for the Joint Special Operation Task Force Philippines as they conducted humanitarian assistance and military missions for the United States Army; and WHEREAS, He was the Chief of Public Affairs for the United States Army Japan/9th Theater Support Command at Camp Zama, Japan; Lieutenant Colonel Amberg served as the principle PAO for the 2004 military desertion trial of the former Korean War Army Sergeant Charles Jenkins; Lieutenant Colonel Amberg, serving as the Army spokesperson, assured that the public understood the military trial was merely the United States Army enforcing the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) with one of its own; the case was internationally significant due to the personal interest of Japan's Prime Minister, Jerinichi Koizumi; and WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg arrived in Chicago in July of 2005 and participated in the Army's Training with Industry Program and has now retired as Midwest Director, United States Army Public Affairs, after serving 26 years in the military; and WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg played an instrumental role as a liaison between the United States Army and an array of non-profit charitable organizations dedicated to serving both veteran and current members of the area, and was vital in providing guidance to these organizations; andWHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg was central to the successful re-launch of the Purple Heart Cruise, a Chicago institution dedicated to serving the veterans of Illinois and America and provided assistance, advice, and council to the leadership of the hosting organization, Kup's Purple Heart Foundation; and WWhereas, Lieutenant Colonel Amberg will officially retire from the military on September 2008; therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate and recognize Lieutenant Colonel John Amberg for his dedication to the citizens of Illinois, for having accomplished all missions tasked to him and his respective units, and for having served this State and the nation honorably for 26 years and that we declare WOW! I hope every in Illinois enjoyed a happy "John Amberg Day" yesterday. I know the White Sox did! Jack Amberg is now working with The McCormick Foundation as the Senior Director of Veteran Affairs. Best of luck Jack ... you're the best! |
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| Chicago Remembers September 11th with Military Recognition Ceremony |
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| World Independence ... If You Want It America |
| After listening to most of the speakers of both the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention and how both parties want to lower all domestic costs and put Americans to work; You-Tube captured a perfect solution to (1) ending the current fuel-hikes, (2) putting more Americans to work, (3) lowering food and most domestic costs and (4) making America "energy dependent free." Take 3 1/2 minutes, click on the link below and it will BLOW YOU AWAY!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlfmvwxxgHM Congress, please listen and act NOW, or you may find yourself looking for new jobs very soon ... Change is coming to Washington D. C. ... it seems America and both candidates have had enough. |
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| SEPTEMBER 11TH ... NEVER FORGET |
 Who will ever forget where they were and what they were doing on September 11, 2001 when the world learned that Fundamentalist Islamic-terrorist had successfully attacked the World Trade Center in New York City, The Pentagon in Washington D. C. and crash-landed United Flight 93 in Shanksville, PA. We all learned later that day that the passengers on Flight 93 decided to take control back from the murderous hijackers and in the struggle, the hijackers crash-landed the plane in the field in Pennsylvania, and not into the intended target; the White House or The Capitol Building. The words "Let's Roll" took on a new meaning of patriotism. I remember seeing those words painted on tanks, Humvee's and on some walls of Coalition military bases in Iraq in 2004. It was only hours after the attacks before the names "al Qaeda" and "Osama bin Laden" were on everyone's lips. America united, and began the healing process. I had the honor of touring across America for one year with the firefighters of FDNY Engine Company 55, and I personally witnessed the healing of America. A few days after the attacks I remember watching TV, while tears rolled down my face, when members of the US Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, sang "God Bless America" together, with their arms around each other. .... My-my have time changed. Did we forget in 7-short years? I can close my eyes and see the second plane smashing into the South Tower, and as the plane exploded through the building, I remember thinking to myself, "Oh my God; how many people just died?" Did we forget in 7-short years? I can close my eyes today and still see the image of a young woman jumping to her death as she fell from the flames of the North Tower. I remember thinking; how horrible it must have been for her to choose to jump to her death rather than burn to death. Did we forget in 7-short years? I can close my eyes and see the people in New York holding photos of their missing loved-ones up to the camera, asking, "Have you seen him/her? Please call us if you know what happened to this person." Did we forget in 7-short years? I can remember sitting in FDNY Engine Company 55, and listening to the horrific stories from those American-Heroes, as they worked at Ground Zero, recovering body-parts with box-cutter wounds, dispelling any lunatic "conspiracy theories." Did we forget in 7-short years? I can close my eyes and still smell the "death" on a portion of a stair, from a stairwell of the North Tower, that my friend Cliff Russell (brother of lost FDNY firefighter, Stephen P. Russell E-55) keeps sealed in a plastic bag. Cliff would say, "That's what it smelled like, that's the smell of the death of thousands of people." Cliff Russell came to Iraq with us in 2004 and delivered one of the most powerful messages of thanks and hope to our Troops on the frontline. I cannot tell you the many times one of our Troops would say to me, after hearing Cliff speak during the show, that they could never equate the reason they were in Iraq and September 11th, until now. Cliff ... you, John Olivero, Vinny Forras and the brothers at FDNY E-55 are always in my thoughts. You are invited to Remember September 11th in a very special way 12:00-Noon On September 11th, I will be performing a few songs at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza at Wabash Plaza and Wacker Drive in Chicago. General William S. Wallace, a Chicago native and the Commanding General for the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, will administer the oath of enlistment to new Army recruits and reenlist several Soldiers during this ceremony that commemorates continued service to our nation on the 7th anniversary of September 11th. I invite all of you to join me in congratulating our Soldiers for volunteering to fight terrorism and congratulate our great Soldiers for reenlisting and continuing the fight against terror. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza in Chicago is one of the most beautiful memorials and parks in the city. (In case of rain, the event will be held at the Union League Club on Jackson and Federal Street.) 7:00 PM On September 11th, I will be in concert with my acoustic guitar in Memorial Park on the corner of Lincoln and Oakton Avenues in downtown Skokie, Illinois. The concert is free and it also honors our First Responders, Veterans and Troops. I'll be performing for about 90-minutes. Please join me and remember. (In case of rain, the event will be held at the Skokie Theatre, across the street from Memorial Park.) "We will bring our enemy to justice or we will bring justice to our enemy ... but either way, justice will be done!" President George W. Bush ~ September 18, 2001. NEVER FORGET! |
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| Gold Star Family Continues To Give To America |
Helping Wounded Warriors
In April of 2004, Roy and Georgette Frank received the worst possible news. Their son Phillip Frank, a hero-Marine, paid the ultimate price for American freedom in Iraq. The Frank's were not going to play the "blame-game." Their son loved his country and wanted to serve. On the day Phil departed to Iraq, he told his parents, "If I don't return, always remember; this is my choice and this is what I want to do." After a period of grieving, Roy and Georgette decided that they would honor their son by supporting his decision to serve America, and they have stepped up in a most honorable way, helping the men and women who sacrifice for all of us; our great Troops. They formed the "Heart of a Marine Foundation" in honor of Phil and picked a project. It started with orthopedic canes. They would setup their booth at as many events as they could handle, and solicit donations. With those donations, they would purchase the newest technology in orthopedic canes and send them to Bethesda and Walter Reed VA Hospitals. To date, over 1,000 canes have been sent.   Georgette and Roy Frank Phil Frank, USMC Next, they decided to help the Wounded Warriors, who somehow slip though the cracks when they returned home after spending time in VA's healing from their wounds. Although the list is small, some Veterans' paperwork doesn't follow them home and either does the funding that is suppose to help those wounded heroes. Georgette and Roy have donated over $100,000.00 to date, to make sure that the Veterans bills are paid, while they track down the glitch in the system and "right" the "wrong." Yes, they take care of their Marine family, but they have never turned down a Soldier, Sailor or Airman. If that isn't enough, they have reached new heights and are making a difference in ways nobody had ever thought possible. Friday I had the honor of being at a reception at Hines VA in Illinois, where Roy, Georgette and Phil were being honored for their latest project. I guess once they had their "Cane Project" and "Troops Support Project" rolling, they must have gotten a bit bored and searched for others ways to help our troops in Phil's name, or maybe Phil keep putting these ideas in their head, but whatever caused the launching of their latest project, I have to say they have out-done themselves. Roy Frank found a software company that has created "computer therapy" for Service Members with traumatic brain injuries; the most common wound in today war. We have figured out how to protect the body with armor, but the concussions from the explosions jar the brain and their is currently nothing that can be done to stop this type of injury ... but there is hope with this software. I spoke with the nurses at Hines VA who said it is almost a miracle; the computer becomes the therapist. The troops love it because they can spend as much time as they'd like, healing themselves at a faster rate then they had ever expected. One doctor told me that it truly is amazing how fast the wounded Veterans graduate to the next level. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn (Illinois highest ranking Troops supporter) honored the Frank's in an eloquent speech, pointing out that to date, the Frank's have donate 20-computers to Hines VA; a Level-One Brain Trauma Center, and are helping hundreds of Veterans, and they are currently working on getting computers and software to other Level-One brain trauma VA's across America. The Daily Herald columnist Eileen Daday, wrote the follow article ... THE DAILY HERALD
by: Eileen Daday
Helping, Training Military Families An Elk Grove-based foundation that formed to help military families now finds itself not only providing them support and financial assistance, but cutting-edge technology as well. Roy and Georgette Frank of Elk Grove Village started the Heart Of A Marine Foundation in 2005, after their son, Lance Corp. Phillip Frank, was killed near Fallujah in April 2004. Over the last two and a half years, they have sent countless care packages to deployed military, as well as 1,000 orthopedic canes to injured veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. Their most recent contribution arrived at Hines VA Hospital last month: 20 computers, including five laptops, and 20 professional versions of Aphasia software, designed to promote speech, language and cognitive development to victims of stroke and head injury. At Hines, its users are expected to be the increasing number of military personnel coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with traumatic brain injury. She points to the majority of vets she treats who have cognitive and memory attention deficits, as well as speech delays. In fact, an article in the January edition of the New England Journal of Medicine labeled traumatic brain injury as a "signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan." Specifically, the interactive Aphasia software gives many of the same prompts that a therapist would in working with a patient to advance independent speech, language and cognitive stimulation. There are multiple levels of difficulty, and the computer tracks each patient's progress, allowing for an individual program to be tailored to the needs of each vet. "The cool thing is that because it's on the computer, they can use it independently," Chalcraft says, "so that it increases their therapy and training, which leads to an increase in cognitive skills." Only recently have the advances made through the Aphasia software been applied to returning veterans. Heart Of A Marine supporters learned of its benefits from their contacts with the Marine Corps League in New Jersey. "We felt this was a great thing, and that the foundation should get involved with it," Roy Frank says. Foundation members are not done yet. Later this month they plan to supply computers and more Aphasia software to the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis, before approaching veterans' officials in North Chicago, Palo Alto, Calif.; Tampa, Fla.; and Richmond, Va. Like Hines, all are designated as Level II Polytrauma Centers, where traumatic brain injury patients are sent. Ultimately, Frank adds, they would like to implement the software in every VA trauma center in the country. "Our prayer is that this software get in the hands of the people who really need it," Frank says. For the Hines donation, they purchased the computers and software packages with Illinois grant money obtained from the Veterans Cash Lottery, but they will be funding the Minneapolis gift - and all out of state contributions - from the foundation. As you can see, they given a son and now they are giving a future in their son's name to American Veterans. |
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| Letters From The Frontline |
So often, we seem to get caught up in our daily routines here in America, and forget American's are fighting overseas on two-fronts, to preserve our freedom, ... I am just as guilty. Below is an email I received from LTC Scott Bleichwehl, the new director for the Midwest Office of Army Public Affairs. I feel connected to Scott as he was in our audience in February 2004 at Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq. Since his appointment to Midwest APA I spent some quality time with Scott and his family. Scott genuinely cares about his brother Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines and wants to make sure the "Real Story" is told about the great job our troops are doing overseas. LTC. Bleichwehl writes; Friends, It's often said that we don't get the full picture of events ongoing in Iraq. Below is a transcript from an interview with a Brigade Commander in Baghdad yesterday via satellite with media at the Pentagon. This transcript, and others like it, can be found On the Web @ www.defenselink.mil/Transcripts/ Rashid is an area of Baghdad which had high levels of sectarian violence, criminal acts and human rights violations prior to the surge. The mission in Rashid, as in many other parts of Baghdad and Iraq, is certainly not complete, but overall, conditions continue to improve. The information provided by the Brigade Commander below will give you his perspective as to how and why it's moving in that direction. The Iraqi's certainly are contributing to the solution as their military and civic institutions continue to improve, but they would not have the opportunity to do so if it weren't for the tremendous service and sacrifice of your Armed Forces and their families. Thank you for all you do to support them. Respectfully, Scott ///////////////////////////////////// Scott R. Bleichwehl Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Director, US Army Public Affairs Midwest Suite 2650 33 N LaSalle St Chicago Il. 60602 Office: 312 596-4420 THE INTERVIEW BRYAN WHITMAN (deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Public Affairs): (Off mike) -- Bryan Whitman. Can you hear me now? COL. MARTIN: Yes, I can hear you now. MR. WHITMAN: Very good. Okay. Well, we have good video on you, Colonel Martin, and we've got the press corps assembled here. And let me just thank you and welcome you into the briefing room. Colonel Ted Martin is the 1st Brigade Combat Team commander for 4th Infantry Division. Multinational Division-Baghdad is where he's operating. He's been in Iraq since April of this year, and this is our first opportunity to speak to him since he's been in Iraq in this format. He's at Operating -- Forward Operating Base Falcon in Baghdad today. And as is customary, he's going to give us an overview of what his unit's been doing and then take some of our questions here. So, Colonel Martin, again, thank you for joining us today, and let me turn it over to you. COL. MARTIN: Okay. Thank you very much. Good morning. My name is Colonel Ted Martin, and I've got the best job in the Army. I command the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division from Fort Hood, Texas. We're known as the Raider Brigade. The Raider Brigade is composed of more than 4,000 soldiers. My area of responsibility is the Rashid district. The Rashid district comprises the southern quadrant of Baghdad, and it's composed of a large and diverse population. The Rashid district is roughly the size of Orlando, Florida, and has the population of Dallas, Texas. Rashid sits astride the main north-south highway from Basra and serves as the gateway to Baghdad. The 1st Brigade Combat Team has been in Iraq for more than four months, and we are currently scheduled for a 15-month deployment. Today I will provide you with a report on our progress. Before I begin, however, I would just like to say that this is my third tour of duty in Iraq. I was with the 4th Infantry Division during the initial invasion in 2003 and returned again in 2005 as a member of the IED Defeat Task Force. I've seen phenomenal progress in that time. During this tour, for the first time, I've seen Iraqi security forces that can plan, prepare and execute first-class offensive operations. I've also seen a high level of trust and respect by the people of Rashid for their own army and police forces. The mission of my brigade is to protect the population. We accomplish this by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our Iraqi security force brothers defending the people of Rashid. Together, we conduct relentless offensive operations designed to kill, capture or drive from Rashid anyone who threatens the safety and security of the people we have sworn to protect. This is a straightforward mission and it translates into hours of backbreaking work in miserable conditions, patrolling alongside our Iraqi counterparts to defeat anti-government forces. Our hard work and sacrifices have paid off. There's been a measurable improvement in the security in the Rashid district since our arrival here in March. When we arrived, we averaged five attacks per day in the Rashid district. By July, we'd reduced that average to 1.5 attacks per day. As a reference point, in the same security district there were 824 attacks in July of 2007 with a daily average of 27 attacks, making Rashid one of the most dangerous places in Iraq. I believe this reduction in violence is a direct result of the conditions set by the success of the surge in forces and combat power. We built on this success and have seen a dramatic reduction in violence in the past four months. For example, we have reduced the number of attacks from 122 in April to 48 in July. This represents a 61 percent reduction. The daily attack average was four in April and has been reduced to 1.5 in July. Additionally, there were 18 rocket and mortar attacks in April and only three in July of 2008. This represents an 83 percent decrease. Regarding the IED, there were 69 attacks in April and 37 in July, and this is a 46 percent decrease. When we look at direct-fire attacks, we saw 30 in April and five in July. This represents an 83 percent decrease. What this reduction in violence in Rashid district has allowed me to do is to shift my focus from kinetic operations to enabling the improvement of essential services and to continue to improve the capabilities of our Iraqi security force partners. It is my firm belief that the decisive defeat of the special group criminals and militias in May and June of this year has opened a window of opportunity for us to make substantial and lasting improvements in the Rashid district. I would like to talk for just a moment about my Iraqi security force counterparts. I've seen substantial improvement in the performance of the Iraqi security forces. They are well equipped, well led and very aggressive. They performed exceptionally well during offensive operations against the militias. The fact is, the Iraqi security forces are increasingly carrying the load in southern Baghdad. In partnership with Iraqi security forces, our forces have detained 56 al Qaeda in Iraq operatives in the past four months. We continue to pursue them relentlessly. We have captured more than 170 special group criminals associated with the Jaish al-Mahdi militia. Intelligence reporting indicates that these criminals have received reports -- support from elements in Iran. Our task now is to exploit the opportunities provided by these operations and to prevent the enemies of Iraq from returning to make life miserable for the good people of Rashid. Seizing on the improved security conditions, we are pursuing reconstruction progress -- projects to improve the quality of life for the Iraqi people. To date, we have completed 22 projects valued at more than $5 million. Currently, we are managing 78 active projects valued at more than $45 million. We've also proposed an additional 117 projects valued at more than $26 million. Each product -- project is coordinated with the Rashid district council leadership to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the people. I'm very proud of the work my soldiers have done working hand-in-hand with the Rashid district council. In closing, I'd like to thank the American public for their support. We receive care packages from family, friends and caring and patriotic people that we've never met from all across America, from an elementary classroom in Frankfort, Kentucky; Cub Scout Pack 773 in Houston, Texas; volunteers from Operation Gratitude from Encino, California and many others. Thank you very much. At this time, I'm prepared to take your questions. MR. WHITMAN: All right. Well, thank you for that overview. And we'll get right into it. And we'll let Jeff start us off today. Q Hi, Colonel. Jeff with Stars and Stripes. Just a really quick housekeeping question. I think you said initially attacks had dropped from an average of 5 in April, 5 per day, to 1.5 per day in July. But later I thought I heard you say it had dropped from 4 per day to 1.5 per day. Can you kind of clarify that? COL. MARTIN: Yeah. If I confused you there, it should be -- it's averaging right at 5 attacks per day when we arrived. It's down -- (off mike) -- a day now. MR. WHITMAN: Go ahead, Al. Q Colonel, it's Al Pessin from Voice of America. You mentioned that some of the folks you've captured have gotten support from Iran. Can you tell us what the time frame of that support was? Is that still going on? And what sort of support are they getting? COL. MARTIN: Well, I can only speak for the Rashid district. But I can guarantee you that we have found Iranian-made munitions inside of the Rashid district. Upon arriving into the battlespace in March of this year, pretty much we coincided with the uprising of the Special Group criminals. We started uncovering caches. Some of these, we uncovered through reconnaissance operations, through active patrolling. But many of them were -- actually the people of Rashid district called in on our tip lines. And just as an example, within the last two weeks, we found a cache of munitions hidden inside of a water tank. That was a combined operation between the national police and my forces in the vicinity of the town known as Abu T'shir. Inside of that water tank, we found 107-millimeter rockets that were clearly Iranian made. Now, I am not an expert on munitions. I rely on the experts, in the explosive ordnance disposal company and the other assets we have in Baghdad that can determine the origin of these weapons. So in this case, we found rockets which had obviously been used or been planned to be used against the people of Iraq; Iranian-made, I believe, February 2008. Q And just to clarify, I'm sorry, exactly when did you find those? And through your interrogations of these people, have you got some sense of whether this Iranian support is continuing even now? COL. MARTIN: Well, that's the -- again I can only speak for the Rashid district. And we did not capture anybody who was associated with that particular cache. But we could tell from what was in it. It was rifles, rockets, mortar rounds. And both the rockets and the mortar rounds were determined by the explosive ordnance disposal folks as being Iranian-made. MR. WHITMAN: Go ahead. Q Colonel, my name is David Morgan. I'm with Reuters News Agency. You say that there were 42 attacks in July. Can you rank for us, please, the threats that you face in terms of the actors that are taking part in these attacks? And when you say that you've shifted away from kinetic operations, does that mean that you're making progress towards an -- becoming an overwatch operation as opposed to a combat operation? COL. MARTIN: I didn't understand the first part of your question. I'm sorry. Q Can you rank the threats that you are facing in Rashid district in terms of the groups that you are seeing carry out attacks? COL. MARTIN: Sure. That's a fair question. If I was ranking the attacks, the number one threat to my soldiers and to my partners in the Iraqi security forces are improvised explosive devices emplaced by special group criminals who operate as part of the illegal militias in Baghdad. Q What's their motive? What are they trying to achieve? COL. MARTIN: Well, I think it's clear they're trying to destabilize the government of Iraq as they continue to build capacity and capability here. I think they want to undermine the government, and they're using the neighborhoods of Rashid as a battlefield. I'm pretty confident that we've denied them that capability. Just looking at the types of attacks that the -- that my soldiers and my counterparts in the Iraqi security forces face, they've dwindled in weeks. And a lot of that is due to the aggressive actions of both my soldiers and the Iraqi security forces. When I say kinetic operations, I mean offensive patrolling designed to interdict the enemy either in placing their improvised explosive devices, discovering their caches -- or the caches, and disrupting them in their meeting places, a variety of different ways we do that. But the best way we do that is we get tips from the local people. The biggest ally I have on the battlefield today are the people of Iraq. They provide us great intelligence, and that is played out in the number of raids, denial patrols that we conduct to keep the enemy from -- able to influence a particular area. And since May and June, we've seen that dwindle to almost -- you know, to the low numbers that you see now. Make no mistake, they're still a threat to my soldiers and to my Iraqi security force counterparts, but there's been tremendous progress made in just the last four months. I am -- I couldn't be happier with the performance of my soldiers and my Iraqi security force counterparts. MR. WHITMAN: Let's just go one, two, three -- (off mike). Q Yeah. This is Kernan Chaisson with Forecast International. The GAO has talked about the MRAP program, saying that in order to get the vehicles to the field, multiple manufacturers were used, and as a result, there's the potential for problems with maintenance, sustainability, training and that sort of thing. Has your unit received its full complement of MRAPs? Are they all from the same company? And have you experienced any problems as a result of them being so new? COL. MARTIN: Sure. I'm in a heavy brigade combat team. My primary mode of transportation on the battlefield are tanks, Bradleys and howitzers. We do have our fair share of MRAPs. I think they're fantastic pieces of equipment. I currently have 136 MRAPs. There are, I think, three or four different varieties. Just like there's different varieties of Humvees, there's different varieties of MRAPs. We have some of the larger troop-carrying ones and some of the smaller versions. My operational readiness rate is -- maintained over 90 percent since I arrived in country, and I don't see that falling off. There's not a reliability problem with the MRAPs. I'm very pleased with the -- both the MRAPs and the maintenance support I've received at Forward Operating Base Falcon. It's a good piece of equipment. MR. WHITMAN: Go ahead. Q This is Jim Mannion from Agence France-Presse. I was wondering if you could talk about how durable you think this decline in violence is in your sector and how you would go about judging that. COL. MARTIN: Sure. That's interesting you use the word "durable," because our commanding general had challenged us to achieve sustainable security in Baghdad, and I thought, as I arrived in the country, that was a pretty lofty goal, a tough mission. And we went after that. Just before -- I guess just about a week ago, I was talking to the commanding general, and I told him I think we're on the cusp of achieving durable security. So we share the same word. I think that what I'm seeing right now in Rashid -- and again, I'm -- my view goes back to 2003, when I first arrived, through 2004 and again in 2005, and I've been studying this area since October of last year. There's been a phenomenal change in the security situation in Rashid district. And I don't want to speak to all of Baghdad, because that's not my area of operation. But in the southern quadrant, what I've seen is, I've seen the people come forward now and not accept militias. This really broke in the May-June time frame. There seemed to be a wedge that was placed between the people and the insurgents and we tried to exploit that. And we've exploited that by continuing to improve the effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces. We also went all-out on our clearance operations to take away the base of support, and by that I mean he can't fight unless he has access to munitions. A signal that I see in the Rashid district is the quality of the improvised explosive device. When we see the Iranian-made explosively-formed projectile, we know that the pipeline has not been cut off. Less and less do we see these specific anti-armor improvised explosive devices. We're seeing homemade explosives, low quality, and many that have improper initiation systems. So not only are they -- have they not been very effective in the past 45 days, that -- we've actually been able to discover more. That means that the quality foot soldiers of the enemy have either been killed, captured or driven away and now the amateurs are at work in our area. Now, that is not to say that there's no threat to our soldiers, because frankly it's -- the improvised explosive device is very deadly. And complacency, when it sets in, is a big danger to our soldiers. So I would say that we're aggressively pursuing the IED threat. And what I'm seeing on the battlefield right now is telling me that there has been a fundamental shift in the security situation in Iraq and we are moving out fast to exploit that. Q Could I follow up? MR. WHITMAN: Sure. Q What would you have to see to go beyond it being on the cusp of durable security to being durable security? What more are you looking for? COL. MARTIN: Well, as a military man, I'm pretty conservative. I'm going to look at the battlefield and I'm going to have to feel it in my gut. And I've got quite a bit of time here in Iraq and I've had different feelings in my gut. But right now, my gut is telling me that if we're not there, we're close. And I think to actually say that the security is durable in my district, I need a little bit more time to convince myself. Again, I said I'm very conservative here. I don't want to -- I don't want to make a rash judgment on what I'm seeing, because, you know, it's easy to get disappointed in a combat zone. But I think, with the attitude of the people -- and that's what's different, the attitude of the people. These people are reaching out. They're opening their stores back up. They're participating more in the government. And the Rashid district council's one of the best in Baghdad. I have a great relationship with District Council Chairman Mr. Yaqoub. I see that Mr. Yaqoub and the Iraqi security force brigade commanders, of which there are three in this area -- he's got a great relationship with them. So the voice of the people is shared between both the security forces and the governing forces in Rashid. And I've never -- frankly, I've never seen anything like that. And that is enabled by the blanket of security, the hard-fought and hard-won blanket of security that's been provided in the Rashid district. And I'll be honest; a lot of that success is because of the quality of the Iraqi security forces that we're seeing. MR. WHITMAN: Jim -- (off mike). Q Sir, Jim Garamone from American Forces Press Service. A lot of your guys in your brigade are on their third deployment to Iraq. How is that affecting them, I guess, is the first question. And the second one is, you're -- you were talking about the projects that you started. I guess it adds up to about $76 million that you've started or proposed. Is the Iraqi government putting money into the district too? COL. MARTIN: Yes, sir, I'll answer your first question first. In this brigade combat team, approximately 40 percent of my soldiers have at least one deployment under their belt. Many are on their third tour. For example, the -- my security detachment staff sergeant that is responsible for my personal security is on his third tour. He's a combat infantryman. He's -- by the time he's done, he will have 38 or 39 months in the combat zone. And like many other soldiers in the brigade combat team, these deployments do take a toll on the soldiers and their families. And I think if we think about it for a minute, the real burden here -- I mean, it's very difficult for the soldiers in Iraq. It's just -- it's tough. But I think it's a little bit tougher on the families back home because, you know, their loved ones are deployed to a combat zone. The uncertainty, missing all of those special moments with your family, I mean, that takes a toll. But we've done a lot to close that gap, and if I think back to OIF 1 and what we had available to maintain connections with the folks back home, it's dwarfed by what we have now. I mean, the Army -- the Department of Defense has gone all out to do the best that we can to maintain good connections between the deployed soldier and the family back home. Just a couple of examples I could tell you about is -- in my particular brigade area, I have 15 combat outposts or joint security stations in addition to Forward Operating Base Falcon. So more than 60 percent of my brigade is forward-deployed to a small company-sized outpost. And really, that's what makes us so successful, our connection with the people. But even at those isolated outposts, we've got Internet connectivity, we've got telephone connectivity, we have mail delivered every other day. And what that does is it allows those soldiers, after a hard day or night of fighting in the field, when they come in they can knock out a quick e-mail back home and say, "Hey, I'm okay." And just knowing that their loved one is okay is a great thing. Additionally, we have Internet cafés at the larger forward-operating bases, webcams, things like that. I'd also like to say that I think the Army's learned quite a bit since OIF 1. I think we went into -- I know my squadron -- I was a squadron commander in OIF 1. We thought we had broken the code on providing a good environment for the families back home, but now what I have, like I said, dwarfs what we had in OIF 1. I have a 52-soldier rear detachment. I have full-time hired support to help families out when they need help back at Fort Hood, Texas. And all these things combined, I think, make it so that we can better weather this 15-month deployment. And what's the Iraqi government kicking in? Is that -- (pause). Q Yeah. The second part, Colonel, was -- (pause). MR. WHITMAN: Okay, we kind of stepped on each other there. Colonel, the second part of the question had to do with the reconstruction efforts and if you could talk to the Iraqi government's participation in funding of Iraqi construction and development. COL. MARTIN: Okay, sure. Well, there's two kinds of CERP. CERP is the Commanders Emergency Response Program money. You've probably heard about that before. And that's how we're able to apply funds to emergency projects in order to improve the security situation and build the infrastructure here in Iraq. Of all the projects that I mentioned, I didn't mention that I've got about $82.5 million in U.S. funds through Commanders Emergency Response Program money that's either planned or already been spent. Additionally, I've got 84 projects that are funded by what is called ICERP, and the "I" stands for "Iraqi"; "CERP" hasn't changed. And right now I have about $19.5 million that's been funded by the Iraqi government. And I think that in the future, you're going to see more and more of the projects funded by ICERP. So that's the direction that we're going. Q Can I just ask a quick follow-up? Colonel, one of the things -- going back to the personnel assets. One of the things that's in discussion here is that the service members serving overseas don't have a chance to vote. Do your guys know about the absentee ballot situation? COL. MARTIN: Oh, yes, they sure do. I've got a voting officer. Actually, my brigade adjutant is the voting officer for the brigade combat team. And every battalion has a voting officer. Every company has a voting officer. We have a primary and an alternate. It's also a very strong message from the command, from the commanding general all the way down to the company commander. We ensure that every soldier has an opportunity to vote. And it's not a matter, I mean, I can access the Internet anyplace in the battlespace. And personally I've taken on as a mission that every single soldier will get a ballot. Whether they choose to vote or not, that's their call. But it will be in their hand, and then they will have time to vote. And I think they will. Q Thanks. Q Sir, it's Meredith MacKenzie from Talk Radio News. A question about the 45-day period of review. How is that affecting the Iraqi security forces in your area? And what else is being looked at as that 45-day period continues? COL. MARTIN: Well, I wouldn't get stuck on the 45-day period. When the earlier question was asked, you know, when am I going to say that the security is durable, I said I'm pretty conservative when it comes to this. So when I say 45 days, 45 days could be 60. It could be 30. But you know, day after day after day, if I keep seeing the same thing and I'm very aggressive in the way we conduct reconnaissance in the area, you know, I'll be more than likely to make the switch and tell my commanding general that, you know, with my own two eyes, this is what I've seen. Now, how has that affected the Iraqi security forces? I'll tell you, since the combat in May and June against the militias, I've seen a marked increase in their -- what word am I looking for here -- confidence, their confidence. You know, when you get into a scrap, and many of these are relatively new soldiers. They're battle-tested now and they have a certain level of confidence. I would say that they're not cocky. But they're confident and they're confident in themselves and their leaders and their equipment. And that confidence also, I think, inspires the people of Rashid. At least that's what I've seen. And that -- it's kind of hard to put my finger on what I'm seeing. Maybe I'm not articulating it well enough. But what I'm seeing is a level of confidence that I've never seen before and a willingness to take a risk, you know, to open the store, to transit the area, to drive around to, you know, spend a little money on better clothes. I'll tell you, that's one thing I've noticed. When the security situation is better, people dress better. And I'm seeing a lot of that in the area; a lot of little intangible things that you really can't put your finger on. But I think the biggest thing I've seen is, you know, the people of Rashid, they trust the Iraqi security forces. And that is a big leap. Q (Last thing ?). MR. WHITMAN: Yeah. After the question, the colonel has to leave. Q Sure. Just a quick follow-up. When you said make the switch, does that mean to recommend that Iraqi security forces take over most of the operations? COL. MARTIN: Well, actually, there's a couple of terms that we use. You know, we are in a shared battlespace. In fact, if you look at the Rashid district, not only is my brigade there; there are three Iraqi security force brigades, which is about the combat strength of a U.S. Army division. So we deconflict how we conduct operations by a couple of terms. One term that -- where -- we use is tactical overwatch. And what tactical overwatch means is who has the lead for security in a particular neighborhood, for example. Currently I have lead in all areas of the Rashid district. What we're moving towards rapidly here is probably by the 15th of August, I will have two battalion -- two Iraqi security force battalion landowners that are in tactical overwatch. Additionally, I'll have three mechanized battalions that straddle Route Irish, as I mentioned in the beginning of my talk to you. It's the main north- south route into Baghdad. They will be in tactical overwatch. So I predict that by the end of August we'll have five of the 13 battalions in my area in tactical overwatch. Depending on the security situation, the level of the training of the soldiers and of course the call of the commanding general, we may be able to transition more battalions. That's the way we adjust here. We -- we're not on a timeline. We're not under any pressure. But when I'm ready to transition to tactical overwatch, I work with my security force counterparts, and we make that decision, and then we move on from there. MR. WHITMAN: Well, Colonel Martin, we have reached the end of the time that we've allocated for this. And -- but before we bring it to a close, I'd like to throw it back to you, in case you had any last, final thoughts for us. COL. MARTIN: Well, sure, I appreciate your questions. I hope I was complete in my answers to you. It's a real honor for me to be -- to serve as the commander of the Raider Brigade Combat Team. There's a lot of families back home that are away from their loved ones over here, and the sacrifices that they're making -- they're on our mind every day. We try our best to safeguard these soldiers and ensure that they get the mission done. They've done great work. They've defeated both AQI and special group criminal militias in Rashid district, and we're exploiting those victories by improving the quality of life for the people of Baghdad. So I'd like to give a special thank-you to our families and friends back home at Fort Hood, Texas. Your love, support and understanding is all we need to make it through each day. So thank you very much, and God bless you all. MR. WHITMAN: Well, thank you, and we hope to talk to you again soon. |
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| JOE CANTAFIO & the 101st ROCK DIVISION - LIVE - IN CONCERT featuring SGT. DARRIN DOMKO! |
"Joe Cantafio is one rare person with an unquenchable need to make right the things that are wrong in the world. He does it one person at time, converting sobs of sorrow into tears of healing, and, eventually smiles once again. He was once just another headline in our newspaper to me. But, by following his quests, I can honestly say Joe has touched my life in a way that seldom occurs when you're a journalist and see so many things go bad. Joe is one of the few things I know will always be right and true. I hope I have the honor of calling him my friend for the rest of my life." - James Fuller, The Daily Herald |
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| Utah Celebrates with their Army Reserve - Hooah! |
PRESS RELEASE: July 17, 2008 - Salt Lake City, Utah |
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| Sears Holdings (Sears/Kmart/Lands End) Sign Statement of Support for Our Military |
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