By Army Sgt. Michael L. Owens 241st Mobile Public Affairs Detachment NEW ORLEANS, May 11, 2011 - Soldiers of the Louisiana National Guard's 769th Engineer Battalion are constructing sand-filled basket barriers in Morgan City, located about 70 miles east of here, as a precautionary measure against the rising Mississippi River.
"Flood waters may top the levee, so we are adding three more feet to the top of the levee in an attempt to keep water out of this residential neighborhood," said Army Staff Sgt. Christopher R. Samson, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the mission. The soldiers have constructed about 650 yards of Hesco, and about 60 percent of the barriers were filled with sand. The mission is to construct a total of 10,000 feet in the Morgan City area. Most of the Guard members have experience with Hesco baskets due to miles of constructed barriers in Grand Isle and Cameron Parish in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response last year. "These guys are moving fast," Samson said. "This is a lot of work for a 15-man team, but they are working hard and the experiences they have are showing in their progress." Army Spc. Thomas J. Mahfouz, a combat engineer with the 928th, is from the Morgan City area and was upbeat about this mission. "This is what being a citizen-soldier all is about," Mahfouz said. "This is where I am from, and this mission gives me a chance to help save my hometown." | ||
| Related Sites: Louisiana National Guard | ||
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Guard Works to Protect City from Flood
Friday, May 13, 2011
Malawi Exercise Supports U.S.-African Partnerships
By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service LILONGWE, Malawi, May 11, 2011 - A U.S. and Malawi Defense Force humanitarian medical exercise being conducted here is enhancing the partners' medical capabilities and their ability to work together in response to a future crisis or emergency response, the commander of the National Guard element providing command and control for the operation reported.
Malawi is a landlocked country located in southeast Africa. Lilongwe is the capital city. The goal of the exercise is for the two militaries to learn from each other as they forge close partnerships that benefit both nations, as well as the broader region, explained Army Brig. Gen. Robert Pratt, commander of the Illinois National Guard's 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade. "This is a great operation for us," Pratt said. "We are learning from each other, and we are both stronger because of that." The impact of MEDREACH 11 goes beyond patients treated and friendships formed, said Navy Cmdr. Jonathan Adams, exercise planner for U.S. Africa Command. The exercise, he said, is part of Africom's engagement in Africa that's aimed at strengthening partnerships and partner capacity. The ultimate goal, Adams explained, is to help African nations better support the African Union's Regional Standby Force concept so they can respond together in times of crises -- providing humanitarian assistance and disaster response, deploying peacekeeping forces or responding to a regional threat. "One of the far-reaching goals of Africom, in general, is to aid the Africans in dealing with African challenges," Adams said. The best way to accomplish that, he said, is through a robust exercise program built on strong military-to-military relationships. MEDREACH 11, led by U.S. Army Africa, is among 16 Africom exercises conducted this fiscal year alone. Many, like MEDREACH, he said, have a medical focus. The U.S. military has a long history of medical engagement in Africa, Adams explained. For nearly a decade, he said, U.S. European Command conducted medical exercises in Africa, deploying teams of doctors, dentists and support personnel to provide joint-combined medical training and humanitarian assistance. The standup of Africom has changed the focus of the exercise program, Adams said, noting the goal now is to strengthen relationships already formed while helping host nations' militaries build professionalism and capability. Adams said medical clinics and civic-action programs remain key pieces of the exercise planning. "But our major focus is on increasing the capabilities and our interoperability with the [African] medical forces that will be deployed for future operations," he said. Africom is striving to promote more regional military cooperation, Adams said, so African nations are better prepared to respond together to a regional crisis. MEDREACH 11 is a bilateral exercise, he said, with observers from Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and Lesotho expected to participate. "Our future goal is to have it truly be a multilateral, cooperative exercise," Adams said. "By proving our goodwill and showing the benefit of working with Africom, we hope to encourage more cooperation from the others at the same time." For example, he said, the Natural Fire exercise series in eastern Africa has brought together militaries from regional neighbors and the United States to focus on humanitarian and civic assistance, disaster relief and security. "That involves many partners from the eastern African region, not just one," Adams said. "And when we get that more truly established in other regions as well, that will be our big goal." Additional multilateral exercises are in the discussion or planning stages, he said. Such multilateral military-to-military engagement, he added, will posture African nations to better provide for their own security and crisis response. The African Standby Force was stood up to be an international, continental African military force envisioned to deploy during times of crisis in Africa under the direction of the African Union. All five African regions -- north, south, east, west and central -- are in the process of establishing regional brigades to support the concept. The success of this concept in supporting a secure, stable environment that prevents violent extremism from taking root affects far more than the African continent, Adams said. "A secure Africa improves security worldwide," he said. "By improving regional stability, we help to build the militaries and the governments that can prevent these [terrorist] sanctuaries from being created, and in the bigger scheme, reduce the effectiveness of the enemies who would do harm to us from those bases of insecurity." | ||||
| Related Sites: U.S. Africa Command U.S. Army Africa CIA Factbook: Malawi | ||||
|
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Virtual Worlds Form Defense Training Frontier
By Cheryl Pellerin American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, - Five years from now, if Frank C. DiGiovanni has his way, warfighters from every service will learn aspects of their trade on a world in cyberspace.
DiGiovanni is director of training readiness and strategy in the office of the deputy assistant secretary of defense for readiness. He's also a retired Air Force colonel and a senior aviator. "I'd love to see it happen in the next 18 months to two years," DiGiovanni said in an interview with American Forces Press Service. "Realistically, a full-up world is probably five years away." Over the next five years, the Defense Department will build that world in cyberspace, where the men and women of the armed forces will take another step forward in the transition from analog to digital technology that began with the public Internet and DOD websites. A virtual world is a computer-based simulated environment that's available 24 hours a day. Users create digital representations of themselves, called "avatars," that build out the world, creating content and communicating with each other. Second Life is one of many virtual worlds that exist in cyberspace. It opened in 2003, created by Linden Lab, a San Francisco-based company founded in 1999 by Philip Rosedale to create a new form of shared experience. Second Life residents -- 20 million and rising, from hundreds of countries -- build and own the world's digital infrastructure. This includes homes, vehicles, campuses of real-life universities, museums, nightclubs, stores, libraries, landscapes, games, islands, companies, government organizations and military bases. A handful of U.S. government agencies have facilities of varying complexity and interaction in Second Life. These include NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institutes of Health and its National Library of Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Homeland Security, the House of Representatives and more every day. The Defense Department's virtual world may be five years away, but the Army, Navy and Air Force all have public and private facilities in Second Life, and in other virtual worlds, including Teleplace and OpenSimulator. In Second Life, U.S. military activities take place on a growing collection of islands called "Military Islands." MiLands was established in 2008 by Doug Maxwell, formerly of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center and now science and technology manager for virtual world and strategic applications at the Army Simulation and Training Technology Center in Orlando, Fla. MiLands includes the Air Force Air Education and Training Command and Air University, the Naval Undersea Warfare Command and other Navy projects, a Marine Corps island, several Army groups and Coalition Island, a military hub. Each group uses Second Life for activities that include training, education, collaboration and research. DiGiovanni praises these efforts as "pioneering work done by the services and some people with great vision who really saw the potential" of virtual worlds for military uses. "But we felt it was ad hoc," DiGiovanni said. For the DOD virtual world experts are working on "a governance model that makes sense" in which everyone in the world can participate, DiGiovanni said, much like the Constitution allows American citizens to participate in their government. "A governance model allows you to take all the efforts that are going on and synchronize them, integrate them, so you have a comprehensive whole, and not four separate efforts," he added. "I don't want four separate worlds, I want one world ... to be able to leverage all that content building that's being done by everyone out there," the director said. DiGiovanni began thinking about emerging technologies when he was asked to develop a training environment that was available globally, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Some of the inspiration for virtual world military training came from massively multiplayer online games, such as Halo and Call of Duty, he said. "When you look at the ability to go to an online game, pick a team ad hoc, decide on the tactic and then start the game," DiGiovanni added, "that's when you think, if we can do that in the commercial world, the Defense Department needs a similar capability." A "perfect storm" of resource constraints, global repositioning of troops coming home from the Middle East, and competing demands for land, air and maritime training capability makes it critical to develop a virtual training capability, he said. Such an environment, DiGiovanni said, must be "augmented with some type of physical training to make sure that what you're learning in the virtual world can be exported to the real world." Virtual training can be very effective, he added, and can help people become much more proficient in the limited amount of time and space available with live resources. The Strategic Plan for the Next Generation of Training for the Department of Defense, published in 2010, DiGiovanni said, discusses "leveraging emerging technologies to enhance our training capabilities." The plan was fully vetted across all four services and signed by Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III, he added. Essential features of a technology-based training environment, the report says, include synchronizing "live and virtual training operations in near-real time to enable realistic simulation of sensors, replication of visual cues and platform interactions [among] live, virtual and constructive participants." DiGiovanni and his staff meet with industry experts and consult regularly with the technological pioneers who are building virtual capacity today for the military services. Carl Rosengrant, senior technical adviser for training readiness and strategy, said his office would soon receive the results of a study by industry experts to help DOD define the framework and tools needed to develop the Defense Department online world. When the report is written and vetted with technology experts in the military services, DiGiovanni said, "We think we'll be able to put the construct together that would allow us to build a world." American culture is well postured to lead a revolution in the use of the virtual training environment, DiGiovanni said. "I challenge everyone to put their pioneering spirit on," he said, "think about where technology can take us, and then let's go there together." (Issued on May 9, 2011) | ||
| Biographies: Frank C. DiGiovanni Related Sites: Video: Infantry Simulation and Training is Here (4:25) Related Articles: 'Virtual World' Helps With Post-traumatic Stress | ||
|
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Yudhishtar impressed Ms Nadya
 |
| The Capital City Minstrels performing at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi – inset Yudhishtar Singh Bedi. |
The Capital City Minstrels comprises people from all walks of life - professionals such as doctors, lawyers, architects, teachers, corporate executives and embassy personnel, of all ages and nationalities, from all the five continents, as diverse as French, German, South American, African, Chinese, Korean, Australian and Indian, all with one thing in common – their love of music. CCM’s repertoire spans a wide range; from the earliest choral music to the entire spectrum of western classical music, and opera to ballads, folk songs, Broadway musicals, rock, pop, jazz as well as Indian music arranged for choir performance.
CCM has performed more than 100 concerts since the early 1990’s at prestigious venues all over India . CCM as the choral group is known, believes that there is more to singing in harmony than simply hitting the right notes at the right time. This notion of harmony is evident in the coming together of people of different ages, from different parts of the country and, indeed, from different countries. Various professionals from different walks of life are part of CCM, with sundry races and religions coming together to blend their voices in song, in many languages. Zohra Shaw, Fellow of Trinity College of Music, London, founded this choir eleven years ago - in 1994. It is now headed by a talented group including Maxwell Pereira – ex Chief Commissioner of Police of New Delhi . The composer is the talented Russian Nadya V Balyan. Mr Pereira has promised to hold a performance in Punjab soon.
Yudhishtar - a young BioTechnology scientist from Ludhiana – has joined this group recently and has impressed Ms Nadya with his talent . He is the youngest member of this prestigious select group . His parents are doctors in the Christian Medical College and Hospital Ludhiana (Dr Harinder Singh Bedi and Dr Nandini Bedi – Cardiac and Paediatric Surgeons respectively) . Yudhishtar has been selected at the prestigious University of California in USA - he will be continuing his passion for music there along with his research . Mr Pereira believes that music has a strong binding and healing touch in this chaotic era and believes in encouraging the youngsters to get involved in music actively. Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria
Leaders Discuss Afghanistan Redeployment Challenges
By Karen Parrish American Forces Press Service FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, Afghanistan, May 10, 2011 - Task Force Currahee, composed primarily of soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team, will return to Fort Campbell, Ky., in the coming months.
Army Col. Sean M. Jenkins, brigade and task force commander, said the biggest challenge is ensuring all 4,200-plus soldiers get any help they need. For members of an airborne infantry unit, it isn't easy seeking help for post-combat stress or for personal or domestic issues, the colonel said. "Type-A personalities, 6-foot-2 and bulletproof -- most Currahees put themselves in that category," he said. "We've got to break through that." Responsibility for seeking needed care rests on the individual soldier, Jenkins said, but leaders at all levels have to ensure their soldiers know there is no stigma attached to asking for help and that they know what help is available. For 90 to 120 days after returning to Fort Campbell, the colonel said, soldiers can expect a tough period of adjustment. His plan is to educate leaders down to the squad and team level about how best to help their soldiers make that adjustment. As the deployed soldiers return, new troops and their families will be arriving, Jenkins said, noting up to 1,400 new Currahees will begin assignments at 4th Brigade over the next several months. The religious support teams can help to educate young leaders in how to help their soldiers, and also can work with families and family support groups, Jenkins said. Some of the religious support teams will redeploy early to help manage the transition as the troops return home, the colonel said, adding that he plans to maintain a comfortable rhythm for soldiers coming out of Afghanistan. "We will go back, we will do the seven-day integration, and we will be in a battle rhythm the entire time," he said. Jenkins said he will maintain regular report times for duty and daily physical training as soldiers reset at Fort Campbell before unit block leave starts in September. This will give troops a routine they're comfortable with, and will help to establish a normal sleep cycle at home, he explained. The military improves mission performance not only through technology, tactics and procedures, Jenkins said, but also through mindset. Resources are available to assist soldiers in their return to garrison and family life, he added, but the mindset they need is that it's their responsibility to use those resources. "We want to be proactive back there, we don't want to be reactive," the colonel said. "It is a collective effort." The brigade's senior enlisted leader, Command Sgt. Maj. William R. Hambrick Jr., told the assembled religious support teams their work is critical to the unit's success. "We've been deploying in this war on terror for a long time," he said. "We've been pushing these soldiers hard. But you are the people who advise the commanders on the pulse of the companies and battalions." Returning home is a risky time for soldiers, Hambrick said. In the past, drunk driving accidents and incidents of spouse and child abuse have spiked following Army redeployments. "That's because we let those soldiers go with a high-five at the ramp when we got home," he said. "We don't do that any more." Soldiers make the U.S. Army the best in the world, he said, and the effort the brigade chaplains are putting into managing redeployment issues demonstrates how the Army "gets after an issue" to keep the force strong. "When we put our minds to something, we always succeed," he said. | ||
| Related Sites: 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division NATO International Security Assistance Force Related Articles: 101st Troopers Help Safeguard Paktika Province | ||
Gates Urges Graduates to Consider Public Service
By Fred W. Baker III American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON: U.S. public servants are the most dedicated, capable and honest in the world, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today during a commencement ceremony at Washington State University, in Pullman, Wash.
Gates choked up briefly when recalling his most recent tenure as defense secretary, saying he will be forever thankful for the opportunity to lead today's military. And he was still visibly emotional in his closing as he issued a challenge to the 2,350 graduates. "And so I ask you ... will the wise and the honest among you come help us serve the American people?" Gates asked. Gates' plea came in contrast to earlier jokes about life within the Washington, D.C., beltway, as he often does in his speeches. "It's a special pleasure to be with you here today, especially since it gives me an excuse to get about as far away from the other Washington as one can get within the continental Unites States," Gates joked. Gates also joked about parents who will continue to shell out money even after their children graduate. And he acknowledged that he was the only obstacle between the graduates and their graduation parties. So Gates kept his promise to keep his speech short. But he packed the 15 minutes he spoke, with praise for the sacrifices of those who serve their country in and out of uniform. He quoted billionaires and film directors, an opera star and an actress, presidents and their parents. It was in his own words, however, based on a lifetime of public service, that the seriousness of the message crept. Now, more than ever, the United States needs the talents of its best and brightest, he said. "You are graduating in challenging times, of that there is no question," Gates said, citing a decade of war, a period of wrenching economic turbulence and a huge budget deficit and national debt. Gates said it is no surprise that recent polls show a souring of the public mood, with many Americans pessimistic about the trajectory of our country. But, Gates said, he has lived through times when such pessimism was as prevalent. In 1957, when Gates was a freshman in high school, the Soviet Union launched its Sputnik 1 into space, and Americans feared being left behind in the space race. Even more cause for worry was being left behind in the missile race, he said. In the 1970s the nation went through another period of questioning its place in the world, brought about by the angst over the Vietnam War and the OPEC oil embargo, followed by sky-high inflation and equally high interest rates, he said. And in the late 1980s America's growing fiscal and trade deficits left many worried that we would soon be taken over by Japan, Gates added. "I lived through each of these periods of declinism when many were convinced America was stuck in a downward spiral," Gates said. "And yet, after meeting the many challenges we faced head on, our nation emerged from each of these periods stronger than before, and I am convinced we will do so again. "Indeed today, as throughout our history, this country remains the world's most powerful force for good. The U.S. will, I am convinced, remain the indispensable nation, and our country will be able to adapt and overcome once again as it has in the past," he said. However, especially in times of fiscal constraint, the United States must come up with innovative solutions to the challenges it faces. "It is precisely during these trying times that America needs its best and brightest young people from all walks of life to step forward and bring their talents and fresh perspectives to bear on the challenges facing this country," Gates said. "Because while the obligations of citizenship in any democracy are considerable, they're even more profound and more demanding as citizens of a nation with America's global challenges and responsibilities, and America's values and aspirations," he said. Gates encouraged the graduates to find out what drives them, to find their passion and to pursue it with all of their energy and commitment. But he asked that they consider spending at least part of their careers in public service. "You will have a chance to give back to the community, the state, or to the country that has already given you so much," he said. Gates said that he understands that with today's political rhetoric, public service may not be appealing. "I understand that it can be disheartening to hear today's often rancorous and even tawdry political discourse," he said. "Too often those who chose public service are dismissed as bureaucrats or worse. And in many cases politicians run for office running down the very government they hope to lead." "Cynicism about the people and the institutions that govern and protect our country can be corrosive," he said. The secretary said he worries that too many of brightest young Americans, normally engaged in volunteerism, turn aside careers in public service. "There is another aspect of public service about which Americans hear very little," he said. "The idealism, the joy, the satisfaction and fulfillment." Gates, who served under eight U.S. presidents, said he has worked with political appointees and career civil servants of the highest quality, acting with steadfast integrity and love of country and what it stands for. The secretary applauded the efforts of today's all-volunteer military, saying that "over this past decade doing one's duty has taken on a whole new meaning and required a whole new level of risk and sacrifice." But, he added, "to serve our country you don't need to deploy to a war zone or a Third World country or be buried in a windowless cube in gothic structure by the Potomac River. "You don't have to be a CIA spy, or an analyst, a Navy SEAL who tracked down and brought down the most notorious terrorist in the world," he said. "Whatever the job, working in the public sector at some level offers the chance to serve your fellow citizens as well as learn the inner workings of our government and build skills that will stand you in good stead in facing other challenges in your career and in your life," he said. Gates said the graduates live in a time of "great necessities" when the America cannot avoid the challenges of addressing its domestic problems, or the burdens of global leadership. "The stakes are unimaginably high," Gates said. "If, in the 21st Century, America is to continue to be a force for good in the world, for freedom, justice, rule of law, and the inherent value of each person, then the most able and idealistic of our young people -- of you -- must step forward and accept the burden and the duty of public service. "I promise you that you will find joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment," he said. Gates' wife, Becky, is a Washington State University graduate and member of the College of Liberal Arts Advisory Council. Their son, Brad, is a 2003 graduate of the university. Gates has plans to retire in the state. (Issued on May 7, 2011) | ||
| Biographies: Robert M. Gates Related Sites: Photo Essay: Gates Speaks at Washington State University Commencement Washington State University | ||
Monday, May 09, 2011
This is a curable type of cancer....save Twinkle
6yr old Twinkle (Hospital Number: C7313514) presented with a large swelling on her neck for the last 2 months. She was admitted 1 week ago and lymph node biopsy revealed Hodgkins Lymphoma (a type of blood cancer). This is a curable type of cancer with appropriate treatment with ABVD chemotherapy.
Her father is a daily wage labourer with 4 children who earns less than Rs 2500/- per month. The estimated expenditure of the treatment is approximately Rs. 1, 00,000/- over 6 (six) months.
This is to request the well wishers to come forward to help this girl. You may please contact Clinical Haematology, Haemato-Oncology & Bone Marrow (Stem Cell) Transplant Unit, CMC, Ludhiana. Phone number: 0161-5037957, email: cmcbmt@gmail.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)