The commander of the guided missile destroyer Truxtun has been relieved of duty after the Navy lost confidence in his ability to command.

The Navy took the action against Cmdr. Timothy R. Weber while it investigates him for allegedly being involved in an inappropriate relationship with a female officer who had been a member of his wardroom, the Virginian-Pilot is reporting. No charges have been filed against Weber.

Capt. Jeffrey Wolstenholme, deputy commander of Destroyer Squadron 22, has assumed temporary command, according to the paper.

Weber, who had commanded the Truxtun since July 2007, is being temporarily reassigned to administrative duties on the Naval Surface Force Atlantic commander’s staff.

Female Sailors will begin serving on submarines by the end of next year, with Naval Academy graduates leading the way, Navy leaders told a Senate committee.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Navy is in a good position to move forward with integrating women onto submarines.

"We think we learned a lot about integrating women in the services years ago, and those lessons are relevant today," Mabus said. Those lessons, he said, include having a "critical mass" of female candidates, having senior women to serve as mentors, and having submarines that don't require modifications: the SSBN ballistic missile and SSGN guided-missile subs.

Finally, Mabus said, "We have the lesson learned to make sure any questions are answered, ... and we're very open and transparent on how we'll do this. We think this is a great idea that will enhance our warfighting capabilities."

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates notified Congress on Feb. 19 of the intended change to Navy policy. Mabus had pushed for the change since taking office in May. Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, endorsed the change, saying in a statement released in September that his experience commanding a mixed-gender surface-combatant ship makes him "very comfortable" integrating women into the submarine force. The Navy changed its policy to allow women to serve on combatant ships in 1993.

"We have a great plan, and we're ready to go for the first women to come aboard in late 2011," Roughead told the Senate committee yesterday. In a prepared statement to the committee, he said the change would enable the submarine force "to leverage the tremendous talent and potential of our female officers and enlisted personnel."

Besides the incoming officers from the academy, the first women submariners will include female supply corps officers at the department head level, Roughead said. The change will be phased in over time to include enlisted female Sailors on the SSBN and SSGNs, he said. Women will be added to the Navy's SSN fast-attack submarines after necessary modifications can be determined, he said.

"This initiative has my personal attention, and I will continue to keep you informed as we integrate these highly motivated and capable officers into our submarine force," Roughead told the committee.

FORT BLISS, Texas - More than 50 veterans gathered to hear Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki speak about his goals to improve the quality of life for veterans at the El Paso VA Health Care System facility.

Shinseki, who is a member of President Obama's cabinet, was hosted by three local members of Congress, including Rep. Silvestre Reyes, Rep. Ciro Rodriguez and Rep. Harry Teague.

During Shinseki's visit, he toured the VA facility and the Fort Bliss National Cemetery, and he participated in a veterans roundtable before addressing the public on the purpose of his visit.

In his speech, he addressed three specific goals targeting programs affecting the nation's veterans: reducing the growing backlog of claims, improving the quality of VA healthcare facilities and reducing homelessness among all veterans.

Teague agreed that "there is a definite culture change happening within the area of veterans affairs."

Regarding the backlog, Shinseki has established four pilot projects: one in Pittsburgh; others in Little Rock, Ark.; Providence, R.I.; and Baltimore that will help the department identify how to simplify claims and minimize obstacles that keep veterans from registering with the VA.

As for the second goal, he shared that the 2011 budget, while under review, includes a financial increase for the Veterans Benefits Administration, which will allow for more medical personnel and better facilities.

Even though more than 131,000 veterans are homeless, Shinseki stressed he won't be able to take them all off of the street; rather, he spoke of the importance of opening up jobs and enhancing education for veterans, using new programming and funding, such as the GI Bill.

Shinseki said the Obama administration is planning to increase the Veteran Affairs budget by 15 percent in 2010, which is the largest increase in more than 20 years.

As for Shinseki's goals, Teague and the other congressmen said they have absolute confidence in his leadership and that he will accomplish all he can during his term.

"He openly addresses the hurdles we face in the VA," Teague said. "He's not trying to sweep them under the carpet."

"This country has indeed lost another hero, and my family has lost our beloved David."


Leonard Smith addressed about 1,200 people who came out to say goodbye to his son, Sgt. David Smith, 25.

"Your presence here today pays tribute to not only Sgt. David Smith, but to all of our fallen warriors who answered the call of duty willingly -- willingly -- and proudly served their country and made the ultimate sacrifice, and gave their lives so we could live in freedom," Smith said.

The funeral service at the Frederick Christian Fellowship drew Frederick High School graduates, East Carolina University students, Marines and countless others who remembered Smith's laugh, dance moves, stubbornness and love for his family.


Brian Forse, Smith's brother-in-law and former sergeant, recalled several conversations they had about family while serving in Iraq together. He joked about a time during training when he had just been promoted to corporal and Smith decided to mess with him and ignore his orders to show who was really in charge.
Speaking in the packed church, Forse expressed his more personal feelings about Smith, saying he embodied all the qualities a Marine should have.
"I remember the spark I saw in your eyes when we talked about firefights and combat and what you might see in the fog of war; I always knew there was something special about you," Forse said. "I want you to know that I never doubted you, I always knew you would make the right decisions and react appropriately no matter what was presented to you. I was and still am proud to call you my Marine."

Smith's girlfriend, Kimberly Mott, also spoke to the group, saying he was the most loving man she'd ever met and cared more about his family than anything else in the world.

"He put his heart and his soul into everyone he ever knew," she said. "Every time he'd call home, he was just so eager to learn about everybody. He never wanted to tell me what was going on (in Afghanistan), his heart was here; how are they, how's my family?"

Kristen Forse, Smith's sister, said the ceremony was beautiful. Brian Forse said he thought it was a fitting tribute to Smith and thanked the Marines who served with him and Smith for coming out and showing their support.

"There's a comfort in the brotherhood we have. It kind of gives you peace," Brian Forse said.

Among the guests were Cpl. George O'Sullivan and Lance Cpl. Michael Hoey, who were injured in the Jan. 23 suicide bombing that killed Smith and two other service members in the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion Company B. Leonard Smith recognized them at the beginning of the funeral, and the guests thanked them for their service through a standing ovation.

Also at the funeral were Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and many top Fort Detrick officials. Leonard Smith works at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, and Fort Detrick showed sympathy to its employee by flying flags at half-staff for the past few days, as well as bringing out many soldiers to help serve food after the service. "I came to pay my respects to a Marine who served bravely and who, from everything I read in the newspaper, was well-loved by his community and his family, and who loved being a Marine," said Maj. Gen. James Gilman, commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command.

The snowy roads and the threat of more snow in the afternoon hampered the burial plans at Arlington National Cemetery. Smith's grave site was covered in more than two feet of snow, so the Marines performed an abbreviated ceremony in another part of the cemetery. They folded a flag to present to Smith's mother, Mary Jane McWilliams, played taps and gave a three-volley salute.

A few hundred people, many in two chartered buses, drove to the Virginia cemetery, with the funeral procession winding down I-270 and the Beltway. The Frederick County Sheriff's Office, accompanied by the Frederick Police Department and the Maryland State Police, blocked traffic for the procession throughout almost all of the two-hour ride. 

NORFOLK, Va. --- Lawyers for a Navy senior chief implicated in a hazing scandal in Bahrain say he's been smeared by "scurrilous allegations" and are mounting a vigorous defense in hopes that he can retire at full pay.

A three-member board convened Thursday to consider the retirement of Michael Toussaint, a master-at-arms who served as kennel master of the military working-dog unit in Bahrain from 2004 to 2006.

An investigation shortly after Toussaint left the unit documented more than 90 instances of hazing and abuse of junior personnel. Sailors told of being forced to eat dog treats, hogtied to chairs, locked into a feces-filled kennel and told to simulate oral sex during a training event.

The admiral who endorsed the investigation noted that the unit's senior enlisted leaders encouraged --- and in some cases instigated --- hazing. Toussaint received a nonpunitive letter of caution and was later promoted. He is assigned to Naval Special Warfare Group Two at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach.

Lt. Cmdr. Keith Lofland, one of Toussaint's two military defense lawyers, said Toussaint strongly denies any allegations of hazing, maltreatment or fraternization. 

"The only victim in this board is Senior Chief Toussaint," Lofland said, adding that Toussaint's accusers were disgruntled Sailors "who chafed under what can only be characterized as effective leadership."

Another Sailor implicated in the hazing killed herself in Bahrain as the investigation was wrapping up. Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Valdivia, who managed the kennel after Toussaint departed, died in January 2007, shortly after learning she might be disciplined for not reporting the hazing.

Last fall, after concerns surfaced about how the Navy handled the investigation and its findings, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead reopened the matter. Roughead rescinded Toussaint's re-enlistment, which would have had him serve through 2012. 

In October, the secretary of the Navy issued a letter of censure, and the Navy began processing Toussaint out of the service.

Officials decided not to court-martial Toussaint, citing the time that had passed since the original investigation and his being months away from qualifying for retirement.

The board --- two officers and a master chief petty officer --- spent Thursday reading hundreds of pages of background, including the original investigation as well as copies of Toussaint's awards, performance evaluations and letters of support from colleagues and family members. Today, the three men will hear testimony from witnesses.

The board will recommend at what paygrade Toussaint should retire, but the final determination will be made by an assistant secretary of the Navy.

One of the documents the board received was Toussaint's rebuttal to the secretarial letter of censure. In the 14-page letter, he denies directing personnel to participate in sexually explicit training exercises. He says he encouraged trainers to come up with realistic training scenarios and told them about situations he encountered as a master-at-arms.

"While I recall sharing a 'sea story' about a call that involved two Sailors involved in homosexual acts, I strongly deny ever dictating that any Sailor perform degrading or embarrassing acts of this kind," he wrote.
Toussaint also denied ordering someone to bend over a copy machine to get spanked.

"Under the circumstances, I doubt that I would have interfered if this event were characterized as modest 'birthday' spankings," he wrote. "However, if this occurred in an offensive or coercive manner, I would have taken action immediately to end it."

The rebuttal contains testimonials from more than two dozen Sailors, many lauding him for bravery during combat last year in Afghanistan. Some of them are expected to testify today. Also on the witness list: Sailors who say they were targets of Toussaint's abuse in Bahrain.

Although the hearing is in a Navy courtroom and will include testimony given under oath, it is not a court-martial. Only Toussaint's retirement pay is at stake.

Retiring as a senior chief would bring Toussaint about $25,100 this year. A newly retired chief petty officer would collect about $22,800, and a petty officer first class about $19,500.

SAN DIEGO — An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Sector San Diego transported an injured Navy Seal from San Clemente Island to Naval Medical Center San Diego.

The Coast Guard received the request for medevac stating that the 22-year-old man had a dislocated jaw.
The helicopter launched from Sector and transported the man from Branch Medical Clinic on San Clemente Island, Calif., to the Naval Medical Center.

EL PASO --- In a culture enamored of superheroes and the glory of war, people unhappy with their status in life increasingly are falsifying claims of military service.

Watchdogs say they cannot keep up with reports of phonies wearing combat medals they did not earn and uniforms implying dangerous duties they did not perform.

"Sometimes I'm getting 20 to 50 inquiries a day," said Steve Robinson, a former Navy SEAL who works to expose false claims of membership to that elite group of rigorously trained sailors.

Nearly all of the inquiries alert him to impostors.

In January 2002, four months after terrorists attacked the United States, a group called AuthentiSEALs received 1,182 reports of people claiming to be SEALs, Robinson said. "Three of them were real SEALs," he said.

AuthentiSEALs disbanded in 2005 as reports flowed in and exhausted volunteers dropped out, Robinson said. He is the last of eight original group members who checked out such claims.

Robinson estimates there are at least 300 impostors for every real Navy SEAL, and he believes the numbers are growing.

"They are more and more outrageous," Robinson said. "There are people who want a piece of that respect, and they want it Wal-Mart cheap and McDonald's quick."

Storylines in books and movies about the feats of Navy SEALs end up in fakers' tales. Video games provide skeletal facts about weapons and tactics that also find their way into those fabrications, he said.

In the 1990 movie "Navy SEALs," starring Charlie Sheen, a SEAL-team sniper shooting from a rooftop goes by the radio call-sign "God."

"I have lost track of the number of times I have heard that," Robinson said. "These things really resonate with those people who aren't who they want to be or where they want to be in life."

Headlines also provide cues. Last year when SEALs shot dead three Somali pirates holding an American cargo-ship captain hostage on the Indian Ocean, reports flowed in of "heroes" claiming to have squeezed off one of those shots, Robinson said.

Other red flags include stories in which the teller is the only survivor, which means no witnesses. And there is the ever-popular "black ops," which means you cannot verify the tale with military authorities because the information is classified, Robinson said.

He uses a time-tested list that he said has been squared with Navy archives. Information about which class a SEAL trained in and the names of his classmates are not classified, he said. Those details, or lack thereof, often expose fakes, he added.

Many of the reports Robinson receives are passed along from Mary Schantag, a founding member of P.O.W. Network. The network has a list of 3,600 phonies, she said, and it continues to grow.

"We call it an epidemic," Schantag said. "It has gotten worse since 1991."

That year marked the end of the first Gulf War and an attitude change from the days of Vietnam.

"Since then, it's gotten more popular to be a veteran," said Schantag, who has been tracking phonies for more than 20 years. "And we are starting to see younger and younger guys.

"They say they were wounded in Iraq or wounded in Afghanistan or that they rescued (former prisoner of war) Jessica Lynch. We always have one or two of those. It's just getting more and more bizarre."

The network receives between 30 and 50 calls or e-mails on phonies every week, Schantag said. It is getting more cases involving falsified records.

One alleged faker has been "trying to get himself a Medal of Honor," America's highest award for combat valor, Schantag said. "Over the years, he has been adding paperwork. He tells them, 'This was missing,' and he sends in paperwork that they insert without authenticating."

But records from his file at the National Personnel Records Center in Missouri did not match those in his file at the National Archives and Records Administration in Maryland, according to a 2008 Army Times story. The Pennsylvania man was allegedly trying to upgrade a Distinguished Service Cross and a Silver Star, which also appear to be based on falsified documents, to a Medal of Honor.

A trained eye finds small discrepancies, Schantag said. Identifying numbers sometimes do not match times or historic formats. But the obvious clues like white-out and different type styles are gone. Blank documents, including medal certificates with official headings and formatting, can be purchased for a small price, she said.
"They show up at (Veterans Affairs) carrying those records, and they just say that their records haven't caught up with them," Schantag said.

Another concern, she said, is oral history projects, which rarely authenticate the stories collected. On one federal project, numerous phonies were exposed, Schantag said. The official response was to remove references to unearned medals but to leave the stories, she said.

"It's the rewriting of history," Robinson said. And throughout history, those who actually face enemy fire are few, he said. "For every person who goes into harm's way, there are eight to 24 in the rear with the gear and the beer," Robinson said. "The people who go on patrol with the intention of finding the bad guy and ruining his weekend --- that percentage is very small."

Because the United States is at war, these watchdogs do not expect the number of phonies to drop off soon.
"Twenty years from now, some people are going to say, 'I wish I had put my life on the line to defend freedom,' " said retired Maj. Gen. J. Michael Myatt, the Marines' Memorial Association chief executive officer.

That's when they will feel the temptation to join a new generation of phonies, he said. 

The Veterans Administration is pushing for expanded rural health care for veterans, increased funding and attention to female veterans' health needs and ending veterans' homelessness as part of a $125 billion budget proposed by the White House for fiscal 2011. The budget also includes funds to be used for speeding up the processing of disability compensation claims and completing the automation of GI Bill applications.

"Our budget proposal provides the resources necessary to continue our aggressive pursuit of President Obama's two over-arching goals for veterans," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki said yesterday in a statement. "First, the requested budget will help transform VA into a 21st century organization. And second it will ensure that we approach veterans' care as a lifetime initiative, from the day they take their oaths until the day they are laid to rest."

To speed up disability claims, the White House is proposing boosting processors by more than 4,000. The VA received 1,014,000 claims in 2009 and anticipates 1,319,000 in 2011, in part because of the agency's expansion of the number of diseases now automatically attributed to exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, according to the VA.

The budget, an $11 billion increase over the current year's, includes $60.3 billion in discretionary spending, mostly health care, and $64.7 billion for entitlements, largely disability compensation and pension, the VA said.


Also included in the budget is $44 million to complete an automated system for processing applications for the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Spokeswoman Katie Roberts told Military.com Monday that the project is on target to be finished by December.

One of the biggest items in the budget is $4.2 billion to eliminate and help reduce homelessness among veterans. The figure includes $3.4 billion for core medical services and $799 million for specific homeless programs and expanded medical care, according to the VA, which says that 131,000 vets are homeless on a typical night.

In addition, the proposed 2011 budget includes $5.2 billion for mental health care and suicide prevention, a $410 million increase over the current year's appropriation that would be used to expand inpatient, residential and outpatient mental health services. The plan also calls for making mental health services part of primary care and specialty care. The VA said in a statement that the money will permit the continued expansion of programs for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, and for diagnosing and treating mental health problems and preventing suicides.

Among veterans eyed for expanded care under the 2011 budget are those living in rural America and women.
The budget includes $250 million to beef up health care access to an estimated 3.2 million vets living in rural areas. Some of the money will go toward expanded use of home-based primary care and mental health services, but it will also include an additional $42 million for the VA's "telehealth" program, which permits health care providers to monitor patients daily via phone and telephone-based data transmission. Currently the VA has 35,000 vets in the telehealth program.

With the number of female veterans growing rapidly and many turning to the VA for health care, the agency intends to appropriate $217.6 million to meet the medical needs of women. This is $18.6 million more than is currently being spent on women-specific health programs.

Last U.S. veteran of World War I turns 109

Washington (CNN) -- The last surviving U.S. veteran of World War I, former Cpl. Frank Buckles, turns 109 on Monday and is still hoping for a national memorial in Washington for his comrades.

Buckles is expected to deliver remarks during a quiet celebration Monday afternoon at his home in Charles Town, West Virginia.

But the old "Doughboy" -- as World War I American infantry troops were called -- has already been outspoken in recent years, urging congressional lawmakers to give federal recognition and a facelift to a run-down District of Columbia memorial in an overgrown, wooded area along the National Mall.

In December, at 108, Buckles testified on Capitol Hill as lawmakers considered whether to fund renovation and give the site "national" monument status. But rival legislation seeks the "national" designation for a 1920s-era memorial located in Kansas City, Missouri.

Congress has not yet decided on the legislation.

In 2008, the old soldier came to Washington and visited that 1930s-vintage District memorial. In his wheelchair, helped along by a military aide, he slowly crossed the cracks in the flagstone walkway, and saw the cracks in the marble gazebo.

Still sharp at only 107, he noted during that visit that the names engraved along the gazebo's marble walls are only of those who hailed from District of Columbia.

Buckles that day also met with then-President George W. Bush at the White House and Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon.

Later in 2008, Buckles was the guest of honor at Veterans Day ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. He said he considers it his duty to represent his fellow soldiers.

 
Oldest WWI Vet : Frank Buckles

EL PASO --- Charles Ferguson Herring's biography says he was a state senator, a federal prosecutor, a confidant of former President Lyndon B. Johnson and a war hero.

But his claim of receiving combat medals, including the Navy Cross for exceptional valor in World War II, is now in question.

Herring died in 2004 at age 89, and his grave is in an honored place reserved for people whose actions defined Texas history and culture. Governors, signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence and artist Tom Lea, an El Paso native, all are buried at the Texas State Cemetery.

Herring was eligible for burial there because of 17 years of service as a Democratic state senator from Austin. He worked for Johnson when the future president was a congressman, and he managed the Austin headquarters for Johnson's successful Senate campaign. Herring was U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas during 1951-55, making him the region's top prosecutor.

Herring served in the Navy during World War II. However, his stories of combat injuries and heroism appear to be false.

His online biography, posted by the Texas State Cemetery, states that Herring received the Navy Cross, three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star before leaving the service as a lieutenant commander. The Navy Cross is the second-highest decoration for combat valor, behind only the Medal of Honor.

"His official biography is one of the worst war stories I've ever seen," said Doug Sterner, creator of a Web site chronicling the actions of people who received the nation's top medals for combat valor. Sterner used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain Herring's military records.

Those records state that Herring left the Navy Reserve in 1953 as a lieutenant junior grade, two ranks below lieutenant commander, after 10 years of service. The records also show no medals related to combat duty for Herring.

He did receive medals for participating in campaigns in the Pacific and the Philippines.

Charles F. Herring Jr., who lives in Austin, said his father legally changed the spelling of his name in 1963 from "Hering" to "Herring" and suggested there may be more than one set of military records. However, he said, his father used the more common spelling of "Herring" as long as he could remember.

"We know that our father fought in the South Pacific, as a landing craft commander at invasions at Leyte Gulf and elsewhere," the younger Herring said in an e-mail. "He was lucky to come back alive, and his family is proud of his service."

Herring said that most surviving family members were not alive during the war, have no personal knowledge of the events and have not seen the records.

"If he misstated his record in any way, that would be very sad for us and others," Herring said. "We would regret that and want any misstatement in the record corrected."

Sterner's Web site is used by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to help verify requests for specialized license plates related to military service. Sterner and his wife, Pam, were the force behind the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, a law sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo.

That law makes it easier to prosecute people who falsely claim to have received military medals.

"It's not just the lower-level people who do this stuff," Doug Sterner said.

Sterner also works with other organizations, including the Legion of Valor, which was founded in 1890 and chartered by Congress in 1955. The legion collects information on people who have received the nation's highest medals, including the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross.

Donald Mason, the legion's national commander, said the records provided by Sterner indicate that Herring's biography is fraudulent.

"This is a most egregious case of stolen valor, " Mason wrote in an e-mail to Sterner. "I will strive to expunge from all official Texas records any reference to Mr. Herring's fraudulent claims of combat action and decorations."

Last summer, Mason called the office of Speaker of the House Joe Straus at the State Capitol in Austin. Mason said he chose Straus because of his support of veterans. An attorney in Straus' office told him there was not enough evidence to proceed, Mason said.

"The speaker's office is still working on this issue," said Tracy Young, a spokeswoman for Straus.

She said the office's legal staff is looking for documentation. If it finds evidence that the claims are false, the documentation will be forwarded to staff members of the Texas State Cemetery, she said.

Mason, a retired Navy master chief petty officer, said anybody making false claims should be exposed. He said fraudulent claims of heroism diminish the sacrifice made by people who fought and died in combat.

"We're such a unique organization, and there's only about 540 of us nationwide," said Mason, who received a Navy Cross during the Korean War. "It's an honor and a responsibility to protect and recognize the members."

SANTA RITA, Guam - Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 Sailors participated in a continuing effort to beautify the Asan Beach Unit of the War in the Pacific National Historical Park on Guam.

Chief Naval Air Crewman (AW/NAC) Tracy Moran said Sailors and their family members have been working with the National Park Service each Saturday for one month to clean up the beach and give back to the island community. Moran said the goal is to complete the work in Asan and move on to other parks.

"Not only is it good for the junior troops to get out and get some community service under their belt, but it also gets them down here to see what actually happened in this park during World War II and makes them appreciate the island and history that it has," Moran said.

Moran said being at the park also helps Sailors better understand their military heritage and the military's close ties to the island.

"Part of their evaluation is on naval history and what better place to learn that than at Asan Park," he said. "As a chief, it's my job to teach naval history to the troops, so as they're coming up in ranks they can carry that on to the next generation." 

Memorials at Asan Beach Unit commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of those who died fighting to liberate the island from occupying forces more than 60 years ago.

Naval Air Crewman 2nd Class (AW/NAC) Nathan Gardner said he's proud to take part in the effort to preserve the history of the island and the military.

"There are a lot of visitors from all over the world that come out here to see World War II monuments and see the history that this island does have so it's nice to have it nice and clean for people to see," Gardner said.

Gardner said helping to beautify the park is also a way of paying homage to the military personnel and civilian residents who died in World War II.

"I would hope that if they could come back and see it now that they would be proud," he said.
Chantell Kinney, an HSC 25 spouse, joined her husband, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (FMF) Kirklin Kinney in the cleanup.

"Wherever we are, it's home," she said. "We need to get out into the community and get to know people and take pride in where we are."

HSC 25 is the Navy's only forward deployed vertical replenishment squadron providing deployed ships a rapid, safe and versatile means of resupplying diminishing stores. In addition, HSC 25 provides 24-hour search and rescue and medical evacuation services for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. 

WASHINGTON --- The Pentagon is mobilizing a massive relief effort to help Haiti earthquake victims, but there are worries that the response will still take days to be in place.

The military’s efforts are at the front end of what President Obama said Thursday would be a $100 million U.S. commitment to Haitian relief.

But it is taking time to get there. The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson was expected to arrive Thursday afternoon but now will not be there until today. The USNS Comfort, a hospital ship, hasn’t left the port of Baltimore yet because it still needs to collect supplies and personnel.

While the assessment teams are still conducting their review of the need in Haiti, mostly in Port-au-Prince, near the epicenter of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake, there is a clear need for medical assistance.

The aircraft carrier arriving today has three operating rooms, several dozen hospital beds and can produce fresh water. The Bataan amphibious ship also possesses some medical assets and is being outfitted with more. But it is the Comfort hospital ship, with its 250 hospital beds and 12 operating rooms, that would appear to meet the most pressing need in Haiti.

A week for hospital ship to get there

Pentagon officials say that ship, one of the Navy’s two hospital ships, won’t leave Baltimore until this weekend and not arrive until sometime at the end of next week.

“It’s a slow moving vessel, it’s an older vessel, so it will take about a week to get down there once it gets all crewed up,” said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman.

Ground troops are also being sent, including a brigade of about 3,500 Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C., and about 2,000 Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in Camp Lejeune, N.C. The mission of the ground forces remains unclear, as the relief effort unfolds and government officials wait to see if any civil unrest would require an American ground presence.

Pentagon officials say the Army unit will arrive in Haiti by the end of the week. The Marines, who will arrive on the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group ships, will wait offshore and only go into Haiti depending on what occurs.

Obama: U.S. moving 'as quickly as possible'

“Even as we move as quickly as possible, it will take hours, and in many cases days, to get all of our people and resources on the ground,” Obama said at a news conference at the White House Thursday, his second meeting with the press about Haiti.

Roads remain impassable, the main port is “badly damaged,” and poor communications pose major challenges, he said.

“None of this will seem quick enough if you have a loved one who’s trapped, if you’re sleeping on the streets, if you can’t feed your children,” Obama said. “But it’s important that everybody in Haiti understand, at this very moment, one of the largest relief efforts in our recent history is moving towards Haiti.”

The U.S. will likely be the largest contributor to relief, and military officials say it takes time to assess the need and move in those supplies and assets that are most needed. But the enormity of the effort lends itself to feeding a perception that the military bureaucracy gets in the way.

Frustration at logistical challenge

Pentagon officials themselves seemed to express frustration at the logistical challenge they were confronting. Gen. Douglas Fraser, head of U.S. Southern Command, briefing reporters Wednesday, said the initial assessment team would “finally” arrive later that afternoon.

Fraser, who is new at Southern Command but now finds himself at the forefront of the military’s relief effort, is expected to update reporters on the situation in Haiti later Thursday.

Meanwhile, Pentagon officials disagree with any contention that the U.S. military is moving too slowly.

“I just don’t subscribe to that premise,” said Whitman. “I think the U.S. military has been very forward leaning on this and in terms of moving assets and anticipating requirements.”

Other officials point out that it took the hospital ship Comfort five days to mobilize and get underway after Hurricane Katrina. For the Haiti earthquake, they say, it's taking just half that long.

The Navy recently announced revisions to its Family Care Plan policy, which includes a new deployment deferment option for eligible Sailors. Under the new policy, Sailors who are required to complete a family care plan and may be deployed to an area authorized imminent danger pay are allowed to request a deferment of deployment due to unforeseen circumstances. Support for caregivers designated in Family Care Plans is available Navy-wide through Fleet and Family Service Centers, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Military One Source, base Child Development Centers, Navy Operational Support Centers and community and family support groups. For more information, visit the Navy Personnel Center's Family Care Plans webpage.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2009 – President Barack Obama has nominated Navy Vice Adm. James A. “Sandy” Winnefeld Jr. to be the next commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

If approved by the Senate, Winnefeld would receive his fourth star. He currently is director of strategic plans and policy at the Joint Staff and senior member of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Military Staff Committee.

Winnefeld would be the second sailor to command NORAD, the U.S.-Canadian command charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America. He would succeed Air Force Gen. Victor E. “Gene” Renuart Jr. in both jobs.

Both commands are based in Colorado Springs, Colo.

U.S. Northern Command stood up Oct. 1, 2002, to provide command and control of Defense Department homeland defense efforts and to coordinate defense support of civil authorities in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.

Winnefeld is an ROTC graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and has served as a naval aviator. He served with two fighter squadrons and as an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School.

He commanded Fighter Squadron 211, the USS Cleveland and the USS Enterprise. He commanded the “Big E” during Sept. 11, 2001, and launched aircraft in support of Operation Enduring Freedom against al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

He commanded Carrier Strike Group 2/Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Before taking his current job, he served as the commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, NATO Allied Joint Command Lisbon and Striking and Support Forces NATO.

Renuart has commanded Northcom and NORAD since Oct. 1, 2007. He was commissioned in the Air Force in 1971, and served in the United States, Europe, Southwest Asia and the Pacific. Renuart served as the director of operations for U.S. Central Command during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was responsible for helping to plan and execute all joint and allied combat operations.

Renuart also served as the director of strategic plans and policy before serving as senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- USS Reuben James (FFG 57) completed its material inspection by the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) Dec. 18.

Reuben James' crew successfully wrapped up an intensive weeklong assessment of the ship's equipment and spaces. Although the inspection lasted only a week, it signified the pinnacle of months of hard work and attention to detail that had been invested by her crew.

The purpose of INSURV is to examine the ship's damage control abilities, safety, habitability, material condition and overall shipboard readiness to ensure its readiness for battle.

INSURV inspectors of multiple technical backgrounds came aboard Reuben James Dec. 14 with the sole intent of assessing the equipment and spaces for each of the ship's departments. Although INSURV inspections are traditionally a relatively stressful and arduous evolution for most ships to undergo, this inspection proved to be an even more daunting task for the crew of given the age of the ship.

Reuben James was commissioned March 22, 1986, rendering her one of the oldest frigates in the fleet.

Needless to say, the upkeep and maintenance of a 23-year old ship is far more challenging than most of the newer and more technologically advanced ships on the waterfront.

Nonetheless, the crew proved that neither age nor outside doubt could hinder them from success. After a grueling initial 2 days of inspection, the ship did very well on many of its checks, but took a number of noteworthy hits.

However, in the face of challenge, the crew stood true to the ship's name and battled back with a vengeance on day 3, many working into the wee hours of the morning to prepare for the critical inspections for the day to come. In the end, the hard work and dedication of the crew paid off as INSURV gave its final blessing of combat readiness for the upcoming deployment.

"Reuben James never walked away from a challenge and neither does this crew," said Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Joe Naman. "They look adversity in the face, lower their shoulder, and charge ahead."

This attitude was highly visible throughout the crew.

"INSURV brought the ship together. I was dead tired during day 2, but I took my second wind and did what I could to help my fellow Sailors," said Information Systems Technician 1st Class (SW) Jose Ramirez. "It's like we went to battle and the entire crew fought together. After going through INSURV I feel I can go into battle with this crew any day."

With a successful INSURV inspection now behind them the crew of USS Reuben James will be enjoying a much deserved holiday stand down, after which they will proudly display their ship's battle readiness while forward deployed.

It is not a short term problem because high unemployment rates are causing many qualified people to join the military. But retired generals and admirals say if the problem continues, national security could be in jeopardy when the economy improves.

Staff Sgt. Terrence Pugh's isn't fighting in a war zone. But on this college campus, his mission is anything but easy. Pugh is looking for new Army recruits. He says many people consider the military when they have no other options.

"Most people are not really interested in joining any branch of service really until life gets them in a bind," he said.

Vernika Givens is a single mom and unemployed. The Army offered Givens and her daughter a future.
"Medical benefits, a steady paycheck. I can get college money and I can save some money for her when she gets older," Givens said.

Givens is one of only a small group of Americans who qualify for the military.
 
The Army says seven out of 10 people who apply cannot pass a reading and math test.
A report released by Mission Readiness, an organization of retired military leaders, finds 75 percent of young Americans between 17 and 24 are unfit for the military.

The reasons: they did not graduate from high school, have a criminal background or are physically overweight and out of shape.

Mission Readiness says the military is currently meeting if not exceeding its recruitment goals largely because of the economic downturn. But many retired generals fear that there may be a shortage of qualified recruits when the economy improves.

"Our national security in the year 2030 is absolutely dependent on what's happening in pre-kindergarten today," Retired Navy Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett said.

Barnett says research shows children enrolled in a quality pre-kindergarten program raises their high school graduation rate by 44 percent.

"Those are the most sensitive years of their life, the years when you can really get them socially, emotionally, physically, any skill you want with them to make them a child who can succeed," Ricky Gleen said.

Gleen teaches at an early childhood development school called Centro Nia in Washington. He says students drop out of school and get in trouble with the law because they lack problem solving skills and self-esteem.

The Mission Readiness report finds students who do not get a quality early childhood education are 70 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime by the time they turn 18.

Gleen says every activity here teaches skills to help students make better life choices.

"They have a sense of self. They have a sense they can make it. They have a sense that they can solve problems," he said.

Gleen's school also teaches students the value of education, how to eat right and exercise.

The goal is that they can continue to apply what they have learned here when they get older.

Some of them may even decide to join a high school Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps class like this one.

"I really like the sense of team and leadership and friendship," Jamie Whitaker said.

Whitaker has good grades, is on a swim team and plans to join the U.S. Air Force.

The military wants to see more possible recruits like Whitaker. And the retired military leaders with Mission Readiness are pushing Congress for one billion dollars a year for up to 10 years to fund more early childhood development programs.

"It is a long term investment," Arne Duncan said. "It is not something that pays off overnight. It is absolutely the right investment we can make."

Duncan is the Secretary of Education. He adds, if nothing is done, America's national security will be at risk.

Release Date: 12/18/2009 3:17:00 PM
From Team Ships Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy officially accepted delivery of the future USS Independence (LCS 2) Dec. 18 during a short ceremony in Mobile, Ala. Independence is the second littoral combat ship delivered to the Navy, and the first LCS of the General Dynamics variant. LCS is a new breed of U.S. Navy warship with versatile warfighting capabilities, capable of open-ocean operation, but optimized for littoral, or coastal, missions.

"Today marks a critical milestone in the life of the LCS 2," said Rear Adm. James Murdoch, the LCS program manager in the Navy's Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. "The Navy and our industry partners have worked diligently to deliver a much-needed capability."

Prior to delivery, the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) conducted Acceptance Trials aboard LCS 2 on Nov. 13-19, and found the ship's propulsion plant, sea-keeping and self-defense performance to be "commendable," and recommended that the chief of naval operations authorize delivery of the ship following the correction or waiver of cited material deficiencies.

Between now and sail away in February 2010, the contractor will correct most of the trial cards received during trials. Any remaining cards will be corrected during scheduled post-delivery maintenance availabilities including the post-shakedown availability scheduled for completion in 2011.

Delivery is the last shipbuilding milestone before commissioning, scheduled for Jan. 16 in Mobile, Ala.
The LCS class is designed from the keel up to deliver efficient capability, capacity, and flexibility to the warfighter. Independence, a high-speed aluminum trimaran, is designed to defeat asymmetric "anti-access" threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft. The 417-foot Independence will be outfitted with reconfigurable payloads, called mission packages, which can be changed out quickly. These mission packages focus on three mission areas: mine counter measures, surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare.

PEO Ships is responsible for the development and acquisition of U.S. Navy surface ships and has delivered eight major surface ships to the fleet since the beginning of 2009. PEO Ships is working in conjunction with its industry partners to achieve steady production for all programs to increase production efficiencies and leverage cost savings. Delivering high-quality war fighting assets ¯ while balancing affordability and capability ¯ is key to supporting the Navy's Maritime Strategy and building the Navy's 313-ship force structure. PEO Ships is committed to delivering quality ships at an affordable price.

A simulated jet crash was conducted Dec. 10 to test the coordinated efforts of base fire and rescue with the City of Virginia Beach emergency services outside of the Oceana gates for the first time.

The drill, located at the Princess Anne Athletic Complex off Dam Neck Road, was planned to add a new complex element to training for military and city firefighters and emergency response personnel.

“All the drills run on the base in the past have been to train Oceana personnel on how to handle different type of disasters, whether man-made or natural and we have incorporated the city emergency team to supplement,” said John Heistand, installation training officer. “This exercise was different, so the city was the first responder to a location outside the base and our personnel came to help them control the situation.”

Heistand explained the areas where city firefighters are most knowledgeable such as structure fires, is helpful training to firefighters from the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Fire & Emergency Services. On the other hand, the drill at the Princess Anne Athletic Complex simulated a jet crash and provided training for the city firefighters who are not as familiar with that scenario.

“That says a lot about the City of Virginia Beach, letting us write the scenario and helping us with training in their jurisdiction,” he noted.

The 90-minute drill involved a simulated jet crash which left two pilots ejected and four “bystanders” in the park with second and third degree burns. Four calls were placed to 911 and dispatch was put out for the city emergency response. The police helicopter was sent out to search for the pilots, while firefighters controlled the blazing jet and rescue squad personnel tended to the four injured bystanders. Oceana then sent a crash truck, structural pumper, medical squad, security contingency, fire chief, command duty officer (CDO) and the air operations duty officer (AODO).

“Being prepared is the key to success,” said Regional Public Safety Director Capt. John Fristachi. “The challenge is the different languages of both emergency teams… but they are working smoothly together in progression of the series of drills. They’re doing a great job with their capabilities and expertise, bringing confidence to the scenarios.”

Heistand reaffirmed the success of the drill and noted, as with all drills, lessons learned will be incorporated in future scenarios.

“After each drill, the stacks of paperwork with all the logistics is reduced to a simple explanation for reference,” he said. “We start from scratch each time without going back to the last drill for help. That way we are on top of it every time and no more prepared than if it were a real situation.”

More drills are in the works as early as next spring, with plans to use more off-base locations to continually keep both city and base EMS and fire personnel ready for anything.