DOD Identifies Service Members Killed In CH-47 Crash

                 The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of 30 servicemembers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.  They died Aug. 6 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed.

The following sailors assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed: 

•                 Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, of Shreveport, La., 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Master Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, Calif., 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Ark., 
•                 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Kraig M. Vickers 36, of Kokomo, Hawaii,  
•                 Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Brian R. Bill, 31, of Stamford, Conn., 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) John W. Faas, 31, of Minneapolis, Minn., 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Kevin A. Houston, 35, of West Hyannisport, Mass., 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Matthew D. Mason, 37, of Kansas City, Mo., 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas, 
•                 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician Chief Petty Officer (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist/Diver) Nicholas H. Null, 30, of Washington, W.Va., 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Robert J. Reeves, 32, of Shreveport, La., 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) Heath M. Robinson, 34, of Detroit, Mich., 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Darrik C. Benson, 28, of Angwin, Calif. 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Parachutist) Christopher G. Campbell, 36, of Jacksonville, N.C., 
•                 Information Systems Technician Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist/Freefall Parachutist) Jared W. Day, 28, of Taylorsville, Utah, 
•                 Master-at-Arms Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) John Douangdara, 26, of South Sioux City, Neb., 
•                 Cryptologist Technician (Collection) Petty Officer 1st Class (Expeditionary Warfare Specialist) Michael J. Strange, 25, of Philadelphia, Pa., 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL/Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist) Jon T. Tumilson, 35, of Rockford, Iowa, 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Aaron C. Vaughn, 30, of Stuart, Fla., and 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Jason R. Workman, 32, of Blanding, Utah.  

 The following sailors assigned to a West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit were killed: 

•                 Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 1st Class (SEAL) Jesse D. Pittman, 27, of Ukiah, Calif., and 
•                 Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL) Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, of Saint Paul, Minn. 

The soldiers killed were:  

•                 Chief Warrant Officer David R. Carter, 47, of Centennial, Colo.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Aurora, Colo.; 
•                 Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Nichols, 31, of Hays, Kan.  He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan.; 
•                 Sgt. Patrick D. Hamburger, 30, of Lincoln, Neb.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), Grand Island, Neb.; 
•                 Sgt. Alexander J. Bennett, 24, of Tacoma, Wash.  He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan.; and 
•                 Spc. Spencer C. Duncan, 21, of Olathe, Kan.  He was assigned to the 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), New Century, Kan. 

The airmen killed were: 

•      Tech. Sgt. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Fla.; 
•      Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, Calif.; and 
•      Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Zerbe, 28, of York, Pa.  

                All three airmen were assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, N.C. 

                For more information about the sailors, media may contact Lt. Arlo Abrahamson at 757-763-2007 or 757-620-3109. 

                For more information on Carter, media may contact the Colorado National Guard public affairs office at 720-250-1053. 

                For more information on Nichols, Bennett and Duncan, media may contact the 11th Aviation Command public affairs office at 502-626-5746 or 502-851-3466. 

                For more information on Hamburger, media may contact the Nebraska National Guard public affairs office at 402-309-7302 or 402-309-7303. 

                For more information about the airmen, media may contact the Air Force Special Operations Command public affairs office at 850-884-5515.

Missing World War II Soldiers Indentified

From:  U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) 

 The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced Monday that the remains 12 U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.                    They are Army Air Forces 1^st Lt. Jack E. Volz, 21, of Indianapolis; 2^nd Lt. Regis E. Dietz, 28, of Pittsburgh, Pa.; 2^nd Lt. Edward J. Lake, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; 2^nd Lt. Martin P. Murray, 21, of Lowell, Mass.; 2^nd Lt. William J. Shryock, 23, of Gary, Ind.; Tech. Sgt. Robert S. Wren, 25, of Seattle, Wash.; Tech. Sgt. Hollis R. Smith, 22, of Cove, Ark.; Staff Sgt. Berthold A. Chastain, 27, Dalton, Ga.; Staff Sgt. Clyde L. Green, 24, Erie, Pa.; Staff Sgt. Frederick E. Harris, 23, Medford, Mass.; Staff Sgt. Claude A. Ray, 24, Coffeyville, Kan.; and Staff Sgt. Claude G. Tyler, 24, Landover, Md. The remains representing the entire crew will be buried as a group, in a single casket, Aug. 4 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.  Eight of the airmen were identified and buried as individuals during previous ceremonies.  Shryock, Green and Harris were also individually identified and will be interred individually at Arlington on the same day as the group interment. 
                  These 12 airmen were ordered to carry out a reconnaissance mission in their B-24D Liberator, taking off from an airfield near Port Moresby, New Guinea, on Oct. 27, 1943. Allied plans were being formulated to mount an attack on the Japanese redoubt at Rabaul, New Britain.  American strategists considered it critical to take Rabaul in order to support the eventual invasion of the Philippines.  The crew's assigned area of reconnaissance was the nearby shipping lanes in the Bismarck Sea.  But during their mission, they were radioed to land at a friendly air strip nearby due to poor weather conditions.  The last radio transmission from the crew did not indicate their location, and in the following weeks, multiple searches over land and sea areas did not locate the aircraft. 
                  Following World War II, the Army Graves Registration Service conducted investigations and searches for 43 missing airmen, including these airmen, in the area but concluded in June 1949 that they were unrecoverable.
                  In August 2003, a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) received information on a crash site from a citizen in Papua New Guinea while they were investigating another case.  He also turned over an identification card from one of the crew members and reported that there were possible human remains at the site of the crash.  Twice in 2004 other JPAC teams attempted to visit the site but were unable to do so due to poor weather and hazardous conditions at the helicopter landing site.  Another team was able to successfully excavate the site from January to March 2007 where they found several identification tags from the B-24D crew as well as human remains. 
                  Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA - which matched that of some of the crewmembers' families - in the identification of their remains.
                 Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died.  At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans.  Today, more than 73,000 are unaccounted-for from the conflict.
                  For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO website at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call 703-699-1169.    

A Couple of our local regional MIA's are now identified, returned home and given proper recognition.

Do Not Use Veterans as Pawns in a Dangerous Political Game

Received today from the Congressional Committee on Veteran Affairs

IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2011                       CONTACT: Amy K. Mitchell (202) 225-3527

Miller: “Do Not Use Veterans as Pawns in a Dangerous Political Game”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Rep. Jeff Miller, issued the following statement on the latest tactic in the debt crisis debate:

“Taking care of America’s veterans has been, and always will be, one of this country’s highest priorities. Many questions have been raised recently regarding the debt crisis and what will happen to America’s veterans come August 2. As of today, the Administration has yet to provide clarity to these men and women. This is a serious situation and it requires a serious response.

Why would the President invite some of the largest Veterans Service Organizations to the White House under the guise of discussing the details of reaching the debt limit on August 2nd, and not assure them that veterans will continue to receive funding whether or not an agreement is reached? Why would the President not offer assurances to the men and women who wore this country’s uniform, but instead unapologetically attempt to use veterans as pawns in a dangerous political game? 

Under the Budget Control Act of 2011 put forth by Speaker Boehner, and consistent with the ideals and priorities for veterans outlined in the House-passed budget resolution, veterans programs will continue to be adequately funded. These are the facts. Through the Budget Control Act, veterans will also continue to receive the best care and services possible from the Department of Veterans Affairs.  

We have made great strides in meeting the needs of veterans of today, while keeping our promise to yesterday’s veterans

For more news from the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, please visit:

Veterans.House.Gov

Find us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/HouseVetsAffairs

Follow us on Twitter at: @HouseVetAffairs and on YouTube at: YouTube.com/HouseVetsAffairs

Setting the Record Straight: Veterans and The Path to Prosperity

I am posting this information from the Congressional Veterans Affairs Committee in order to offset the 'fear-mongering' of the Democratic 'Progressive" Caucus.. aka Liberals or Socialists

Setting the Record Straight

The Path to Prosperity increases America’s funding for services and benefits earned by veterans. Of the $6.2 trillion in spending reductions included in The Path to Prosperity, not a single dollar comes from veterans programs or services.  Under the House-passed budget, spending for veterans will increase from $128.3 billion in FY2012 to $164.4 billion in FY2021, providing $155 million more than the President has requested. This is the only area of discretionary spending in the House-passed budget to see significant growth across the budget window

Myth 1: The House-passed budget seeks to end advance appropriations for veterans programs.

Fact: The Budget Resolution passed by the House authorizes $52.5 billion in advance appropriations for FY 2013, a record level of funding for veterans health programs. The House recently passed an appropriations bill providing that full amount. Veterans health programs are not the programs referred to on page 37 of The Path to Prosperity, because these advance appropriations are specifically authorized in law, namely the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009. There are no savings from veterans programs assumed in the $6.2 trillion in spending reductions under The Path to Prosperity and no proposals for changing how appropriations for those programs are handled.

Myth 2: The House-passed budget seeks to end enrollment in veterans health programs for Priority Group 7 and 8 veterans

Fact: The Path to Prosperity provides full funding, including authorization for advance appropriations, for the Veterans Health Administration. This will allow VA to provide medical care for a record number of veterans and eligible dependents. The budget proposes no restrictions on any priority groups’ access to VHA and it assumes no savings from changes to veterans benefits or programs.

Everyone.. let's get the word out about the facts!!  Main Strean Media is not reporting the complete truth,.. I have never in my life witnesses such 'Yellow Journalism" as we are seeing at this time.

Navy Names Littoral Combat Ship Little Rock

IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

No. 616-11
July 15, 2011

 

Navy Names Littoral Combat Ship Little Rock

                Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today that the next freedom-class littoral combat ship (LCS) will be named the USS Little Rock (LCS 9).
                Little Rock is the second ship to bear the name of the capital city in Arkansas. The USS Little Rock (CL-92/CLG-4/CG-4) was originally a Cleveland-class light cruiser that served after World War II, and was one of six to be converted to a Galveston-class guided missile cruiser. She was decommissioned in 1976 and now holds a place of honor as a museum ship in Buffalo, N.Y
                Little Rock will be designed to defeat growing littoral threats and provide access and dominance in the coastal waters.  A fast, agile surface combatant, the LCS provides the required war fighting capabilities and operational flexibility to execute focused missions close to the shore, such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and surface warfare.
                The LCS Class consists of two different hull forms, the Freedom variant and Independence variant – a semi-planing monohull and an aluminum trimaran – designed and built by two industry teams; Lockheed Martin and Austel USA.  These seaframes will be outfitted with reconfigurable payloads, called mission packages, which can be changed out quickly as combat needs demand.  These mission packages are supported by special detachments that will deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors in support of mine, undersea and surface warfare missions.
                Little Rock will be 378 feet in length, have a waterline beam of 57 feet, displace approximately 3,000 tons, and make speed in excess of 40 knots.  The construction will be led by a Lockheed Martin industry team in Marinette, Wis.
                Additional information about Freedom class Littoral Combat Ships is available online at http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=1650&ct=4 .

Mchugh Strengthens Arlington National Cemetery Management, Oversight

Mchugh Strengthens Arlington National Cemetery Management, Oversight

FORMER SENATORS DOLE, CLELAND WILL LEAD INDEPENDENT PANEL

                Secretary of the Army John McHugh today announced sweeping changes in the management and oversight of Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) following completion of a months-long probe by the Army's Inspector General.
                 "While the Inspector General's (IG) team found that ANC employees – under an extraordinarily high operational tempo of 27 to 30 funerals a day – performed their jobs with dedication and to a high professional standard, they also found them hampered by dysfunctional management, the lack of established policy and procedures, and an overall unhealthy organizational climate," McHugh said.  "That ends today."
                 McHugh ordered the investigation following allegations of lost accountability of some graves and poor record keeping, among other issues.  The Army released its investigation findings at a Pentagon news conference today.  The investigation followed an earlier inspection and management review ordered by McHugh's predecessor, former Army Secretary Pete Geren, which McHugh expanded shortly after taking office.  Those findings were also released today.
                 "Both reports pointed to the lack of established policies and procedures, a failure to automate records, and long-term systemic problems," he said.
                 As part of a series of corrective measures, McHugh established the newly-created position of Executive Director (ED) of the Army National Cemeteries Program, whose duties will include oversight of cemetery management, reviewing and updating policies and procedures, and implementing corrective measures outlined in the investigation and inspection reports.  McHugh appointed Kathryn Condon to serve as ED.  Condon previously served as the senior civilian for Army Materiel Command - overseeing one of the largest commands in the Army, with more than 60,000 employees in 149 locations worldwide.
                 Among a host of other changes and initiatives, McHugh is establishing an Army National Cemeteries Advisory Commission, which will include officials from outside the Army to regularly review policies and procedures, and provide additional guidance and support.   McHugh has enlisted the services of former senators and Army veterans Max Cleland and Bob Dole to begin that effort.
                 Dole represented Kansas in the Senate for three decades, and in 2007 co-chaired a commission investigating deficiencies at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.   In addition to serving as senator from Georgia, Cleland is a former head of the Department of Veterans Affairs and currently serves as secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission, which oversees American burial grounds in foreign countries, including the American cemetery and memorial in Normandy, France.  Both are decorated Army veterans.
                 ANC Superintendent John Metzler Jr., will remain in his post supporting funerals and ceremonial activities until July 2 - when he retires from federal service.  However, Metzler will now report directly to the new executive director, and has received a letter of reprimand from McHugh based on the IG's findings.
                 At McHugh's request, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is providing a detailee while the Army conducts a nationwide search for a new superintendent.
                 Patrick K. Hallinan, director of the Office of Field Programs for the VA, who is responsible for the development and implementation of National Cemetery Policy, will be temporarily reassigned to ANC as its superintendent.   Hallinan has more than 31 years of cemetery service, and currently has oversight responsibilities for 130 national cemeteries.
                 The cemetery's deputy superintendent was placed on administrative leave pending a disciplinary review in the wake of the findings.
                 "Arlington National Cemetery is the place where valor rests, a place of reverence and respect for all Americans," McHugh said.  "The Army recognizes its sacred responsibility to ensure America's confidence in the operation of its most hallowed ground, and to the heroes for whom this is their final resting place.  I believe these changes will do just that."
                 In addition to Arlington National Cemetery, the Army National Cemeteries Program includes the Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery in Washington, DC.
                 The IG's report and other documents are located on the Web at http://www.army.mil/arlington.

                 For additional information, call Army Media Relations Division at 703-614-1742 or 703-697-2564.