The Marines

A U.S. service member directs a landing craft, air cushion carrying Marines and equipment onto the beach in Djibouti on March 4, 2010. The Marines, who are assigned to Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment and Combat Logistics Battalion 24, attached to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are in the area to conduct training and live-fire ranges. DoD photo by Sgt. Andrew J. Carlson, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)

Mike Mizes punches William Petersen

U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) cadet Mike Mizes punches fellow cadet William Petersen during the USAFA's Wing Open Championships held at Clune Arena March 5, 2010, at the academy in Colorado. Mizes went on to defeat Petersen, both freshmen, by judge’s decision. (DoD photo by Bill Evans, U.S. Air Force/Released)

U.S. Sailors aboard the amphibious dock landing ship

U.S. Sailors aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) conduct qualification training drills on a .50-caliber gun mount system March 10, 2010, while under way in the Caribbean Sea. Fort McHenry is returning from participation in Operation Unified Response as part of the USS Bataan (LHD 5) relief mission, providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Haiti since a 7.0 earthquake struck the area of Port-au-Prince Jan. 12, 2010. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Darryl I. Wood, U.S. Navy/Released)

Future Immersive Training Environment

U.S. Marines from 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment walk through a scenario during a Future Immersive Training Environment (FITE) joint capability technology demonstration at Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 4, 2010. FITE is part of a broad U.S. Joint Forces Command campaign to enhance ground-based simulation through realistic, immersive training. (DoD photo by Sgt. Josh LeCappelain, U.S. Army/Released)

Face of Defense: Airman Draws Motivation From Father, Uncle

By Air Force Master Sgt. 
Scott T. Sturkol Special to AFPS

SOUTHWEST ASIA : After Sept. 11, 2001, Air Force Staff Sgt. Sparkle Reid was a different person. She was in one of the 2,973 families who grieved after losing a family member in the tragedy.

Reid lost her uncle, Louie A. Williams, when the World Trade Center towers came down. He worked on the 66th floor in the North Tower for the New York Port Authority as a paralegal. She had what she called "one of those deep cries."

On Feb. 27, 2009, Reid lost her father, Charles T. Reid, after complications from surgery. Again, she cried.

Now deployed as the nonappropriated funds custodian for the 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron at an air base in Southwest Asia, Reid said she looked up to both men.

"I looked up to them full of love and inspiration," the Queens, N.Y, native said. "My uncle really wanted me to finish school, so that inspired my enlistment.

"With my dad, he was so proud of me," added Reid, who is deployed from the 48th Force Support Squadron at Lakenheath, England. "He'd say, 'My baby girl is in the military.' We'd just started to rebuild our relationship when he passed. It hurt, a lot, to lose them both, but their deaths inspired me to be a better person. It inspired me to love and to forgive, because you never know when you won't have someone in your life anymore."

Reid has been in the Air Force for nearly seven years. Though she joined the military with the intention of furthering her education, she said, her service has given her even more.

"I have more stability in the military than I did as a civilian," she explained. "Originally, I wanted to go into the Army to be like my uncles and my dad. But my uncle told me, 'If you go, go to the Air Force.' There is a certain amount of pride that comes with being an airman. As far as being deployed, in my opinion, this is our real job. What we do at home station just prepares us to come here and complete our mission."

In her current job Reid prepares a quarterly budget and ensures inventories are completed and reported. She also completes financial statements, reconciles them and forwards them to theater command every month. She also purchases equipment for nonappropriated funds facilities.

"I have to make sure nonappropriated funds from self-generated activities are used to increase the quality of life and morale of our deployed airmen," Reid said.

Squadron leaders took notice, and nominated her for the honor she earned as the wing's "Warrior of the Week" for the week of Feb. 17 to 23.

"She's a hard-working airman and deserves the recognition for her can-do attitude every day," said Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Mark Miller, 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron first sergeant.

Reid appreciates the recognition, but she emphasized that her work is "all about the team" and that she'll continue to work hard and also try to complete some goals on her deployment.

The airman said the memory of her departed father and uncle inspires her to do the best job she can every day.

"I like the small-town feeling this deployed base has and it will help me work to complete at least half of my Community College of the Air Force degree and to study for [promotion to] technical sergeant," Reid said. "I know my dad and my uncle would be proud of me for what I'm doing on this deployment. It's their inspiration that keeps me going."

(Air Force Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol serves in the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing public affairs office.)

                                                (Issued on :March 5, 2010)  

Remembering Gen. Frederick C. Weyand

Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA) Gen. George W. Casey Jr. presents a folded American flag to the daughter of Gen. Frederick C. Weyand during his interment ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu Feb. 27, 2010. Weyand, who died Feb. 10, 2010, at the age of 93, served through three wars during his 38 years of active duty in the Army. His final assignment was as the 28th CSA. (DoD photo by Myles Cullen/Released)

U.S., Philippine Troops Fight Insurgent Bomb Threat

Posted on Tue, at 08:53:00 -0600

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden 
American Forces Press Service
 COTABATO, Philippines : Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Stutzke looked over the rock quarry from a distance as three explosions boomed. Gathered around him was a team of Philippine army explosive ordnance disposal soldiers gleaming with pride from their work that briefly charred the clear afternoon sky.
Just minutes before, Stutzke completed a training session for his Philippine counterparts and some U.S. Army soldiers on how to properly construct dynamite for an electrically charged remote detonation. For the Philippine troops, the Feb.20 exercise was a rare opportunity to conduct hands-on training with real explosives and basic EOD tools.
Though the Philippine troops train frequently to learn new techniques to dispose of roadside bombs and unexploded ordnance, they seldom have the tools to do so safely, Stutzke said. The Philippine military, including its EOD units here in central Mindanao, lack sufficient funding and fundamental equipment such as bomb suits, detection robots or expendable explosives to train with, he explained.

"I think we need to better equip [the Philippine forces], Stutzke said. "If you don't have any of the basic tools to work with, you can't do your job. Well, you can't do your job safely."

This is especially true for the Philippine EOD teams, as they are among the busiest and most at-risk soldiers in their force.

Forgotten ordnances -- or remnants of war, as U.S. troops from Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines here describe them -- are abundant after years of terrorist actions and past wars on Philippine soil. For this reason, competent and properly trained EOD troops are vital to the nation's decade-long counterinsurgency fight.

Philippine EOD teams have found terrorist cache sites of explosives used for roadside, motorcycle and car bombs. Two U.S. Army Special Operations soldiers lost their lives to a roadside bomb in September, which was the deadliest attack on the American military here since 2002. Philippine troops are targeted on a weekly basis, however, often resulting in injuries or death.

"[Improvised explosive devices] are a significant threat, because they're easy to make," Stutzke said. "And training [the Philippine EOD soldiers] is very important, because there's so much ordnance available in the region for insurgents to get their hands on. The best way to get rid of that threat is through joint training and disposals."

U.S. EOD troops spend as much time as possible assisting and training their Philippine counterparts, and often lend them equipment such as metal detectors, which has led to some recent successes in the area.

Both militaries also work together educating the local populace on how to identify and report bombs and unexploded ordnance, said Stutzke, a native of Midland, Ga.

Stutzke recalled a recent situation that could have been fatal to the Philippine EOD troops. A grenade was reported in a public building, and the Philippine soldiers disarmed and disposed of it without a bomb suit or protective gear.

"They went up and did their job, and that's how good they are," he said. "That's one thing not a lot of people realize: They're very confident and efficient, and they have the knowledge. But they could be better and much more safe if they had funding for equipment."

Filipino army Capt. Francis Senoron echoed Stutzke's sentiments.

"The problem with the Philippine army is we have very limited resources," Senoron said. "We have limited supplies and must come up with our own creative ways to disrupt IEDs."

Senoron and his troops have encountered more than 100 bombs and pieces of unexploded ordnance since 2008, he said. He and many of his comrades have been injured multiple times, he said, but he added that security and protecting innocent civilians is more important than his own safety.

"The local populace is very supportive to our efforts," he said. "We've conducted awareness programs for our civilians, so they know what to do if they find an IED. Because of our civilians, we're able to accomplish our mission, and I hope this will continue in the future."