WolfEagle1499's blog: "Good Reading for the Military"

Army’s ‘quick ship’ bonus proves popular Recruits receive $20,000 if they agree to leave within days Before future soldier Tyka Petty, right, leaves for basic training, she meets with U.S. Army recruiter Sgt. Harry Harper at the U.S. Army Recruiting Station in Upper Darby, Pa., on Aug. 8. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20453080/ By Josh White Updated: 10:53 p.m. ET Aug 26, 2007 More than 90 percent of the Army's new recruits since late July have accepted a $20,000 "quick ship" bonus to leave for basic combat training by the end of September, putting thousands of Americans into uniform almost immediately. Many recruits who take the bonus -- scoring in many cases the equivalent of more than a year's pay -- leave their homes within days, recruiters said. The initiative is part of an effort by Army officials to meet year-end recruiting goals after a two-month slump earlier this year. With the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the Army hopes the extra cash motivates those interested in joining or entices those just considering enlisting. The program began on July 25, and in three weeks the Army had enlisted 3,814 recruits using the bonus, according to the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox, Ky. Those recruits accounted for 92 percent of the 4,149 recruits who signed contracts between July 25 and Aug. 13. The $20,000 bonus is a hefty sum for many of the individuals the Army targets most aggressively: young men and women who have not settled on a career. The Army estimates that soldiers coming out of initial training are paid $17,400 a year on average. But the effort, experts said, could pose problems for the Army in the coming months, because those who might have helped fill recruiting quotas later this year or in early 2008 are instead joining now. ‘Do something better with my life’ Bethany Moore, 19, of Jessup, visited a recruiting station Wednesday, knowing that she wanted to sign up in the hopes of building a stable career. A 2006 graduate of Northern High School in Calvert County, Moore had worked a series of "regular jobs" and wanted to make a serious change. "I just wanted to do something better with my life," she said. Although she expected a six-month waiting period to go to basic training, she learned of the bonus and immediately accepted. She will ship out within a week. "It was a welcome surprise," Moore said. "And it's a lot of money." Military personnel experts said the signing bonuses are a transparent way for the Army to meet its annual goal of 80,000 recruits amid an increasingly difficult recruiting environment. They also said the rush to get people into uniform might have more to do with meeting numerical targets than with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, though many of those who join the Army face the possibility of deployment to combat soon. The Army hopes the bonus will increase its recruiting numbers for August, a month whose goals are among the largest of the year. The Army will announce the August numbers in early September. "The Army is intent on trying to meet its recruitment goals in terms of numbers by the end of the fiscal year, so they're doing just about anything they can to bring those numbers up," said Cindy Williams, an analyst at the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "To me it signals something that we've been seeing already from the Army, a trade-off in terms of quality and quantity. My sense is that right now, they're willing to take anybody who is willing to walk in the door and ship by Sept. 30." Army officials have lowered standards and increased waivers in recent years to meet their recruiting goals, in part to deal with the strain of the wars and to quickly expand the Army. But the Army has been more concerned with nose-diving public opinion about the war in Iraq and the role of "influencers" -- parents, teachers and coaches -- who have been increasingly unwilling to recommend the military as a career option to young people. The $20,000 bonus can be enticing, especially to those who lack a steady job, languish in debt or are worried about their future. Staff Sgt. Kevin Gordon, a recruiter in Glen Burnie, said a majority of the people who come into his office have already decided to join the service and then jump at the chance to leave now. "They have school loans, mortgages, they have family concerns," said Gordon, whose three recent recruits all took the bonus. "It's a great incentive because something like that leaves families in a good financial posture, and they feel a little more comfortable knowing their bills will be taken care of." The way the bonus works is simple: Recruits willing to ship out within the next month will receive $10,000 upon completion of basic training and advanced individual training. Then, over the course of their initial active-duty enlistment, they will receive $10,000 in even annual sums. For a young recruit with no college education, the bonus, which is taxable, could be the equivalent of a year of pay over the course of a three-year enlistment. And the recruit can still qualify for other sign-up bonuses. Stuck in a ‘dead end’ job The quick-ship bonus spurred John C. Davis III, 24, of East Baltimore to sign his enlistment papers on July 27, two days after the program began. Davis received a two-year college degree in graphic design in 2005 but has been stuck in a "dead end" job without much pay, loading tractor-trailers. He will ship out Wednesday after doing regular workouts with his recruiter in Towson, Staff Sgt. Brian Grotz. Davis will also get a $25,000 bonus for taking an Army position as a petroleum specialist, meaning he will have a year's salary in his bank account before he starts his first Army job. For Davis, who has 4-year-old twins and relies on his mother for help, the bonuses will give him a start on finding a nice place to live and a foundation for a graphic design business someday. "When I first heard about the bonus, I thought that I could really get my life in order," Davis said. "Pay some bills, put some money aside, help my mother. I was really going to go in anyway; I just wasn't planning to go this soon." Sgt. Willie Thomas, a recruiter in the Woodbridge office, said the quick-ship bonus is helpful as an eye-catcher, but he thinks that it is not enough to change attitudes about the military or the Iraq war. Although his office has a sign on its door advertising the bonus, he said it is one of the last things he mentions to a potential recruit. He says he emphasizes "Army benefits" above all else, such as a stable job, work experience and health care. "They would have to be really interested in the Army before I would mention the bonus," Thomas said. "I don't want anyone making a commitment based on $20,000. That amount of money doesn't last a lifetime." But James Hosek, a defense manpower expert at the Rand Corp., said that though the quick-ship bonus is a "very smart move" by the Army, it could attract people who are less motivated to be in the service. "There's a risk of bringing people in with lesser attachment or commitment to the Army," Hosek said. "Adding money will, for some people, sweeten the deal enough to persuade them to enter."

A year down and 3 months to go in Iraq Town of Tonawanda soldier trudges on http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/148769.html (If you go to the story on the Buffalo News Web Site, they have more pictures in an HTML Gallery. ) By Nathan S. Webster - SPECIAL TO THE NEWS Updated: 08/26/07 7:09 AM BAYJI, Iraq — Out here, on the garbage- strewn desert hardpan by the unused city railroad tracks, the early afternoon temperature on a thermometer probably reads about 130 degrees. It lies. Spc. Joseph Vergo, 21, from the Town of Tonawanda, trudges through that punishing Iraqi heat under some 90 pounds of gear and armor — even before factoring in the 27-pound, M- 240 machine gun strapped over his shoulders, and all the ammo that goes with it. In the early going of the day’s patrol, he takes up the column’s last spot, walking backwards at times, scanning the long and empty city streets for suspicious behavior. Outside the city limits, the patrol of a dozen soldiers from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Bridge Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, spreads apart. Squad leader Sgt. Matt Toups, 25, from Erath, La., hollers back to Vergo and another soldier to run up to the middle, so they can fill a gap with the heavy weapon. “I gotta headache now, all that running,” the other soldier mumbles, when their jog concludes. Walking out here is bad enough, but run for any distance and the heat becomes nothing less than the Devil’s right hand, pushing down with every hateful sunbeam. Under the gear, with the heat reflecting off the packed sand, it probably feels like 150 degrees. “Yeah, it’s awful,” Vergo says, and laughs, because what else is there to do. The soldiers laugh and joke about almost absolutely everything. That, and don’t let any one problem bother them too much — because plenty more problems are coming up right behind. A year is behind them, and there are about three more months to go. “Having patience is the number one virtue in the Army, and I’ve learned that a lot, since I’ve been out here,” Vergo says later, in the air-conditioned comfort of a guard tower observation point. “We’ve all been victims of the button pushers, and you can’t let them get you down.” Vergo makes clear he did not expect anything different. He did not join the Army two years ago for some desk job. He joined not in spite of Iraq, but because he knew that’s where he would end up going. “That’s pretty much why I joined. To do my part. Get some combat experience,” said Vergo, a graduate of St. Joseph’s Collegiate Insitute. “And if you’re going to join the Army, you got to be in the infantry. And if you’re going to be in the infantry, you might as well jump out of planes.” No parachute jumps have marked this deployment for the paratroopers. It’s been a year of frustration, anguish and small victories. The unit’s deployment was extended by three months, from 12 to 15, in a morale-sapping move. Snipers killed three soldiers. A change in mission And, the company’s mission has changed from the raids and combat assaults the infantryman loved to “engagements” and “reconciliation” with the populace — a must for the long term, but a hard sell to 20- something warriors. The company of paratroopers is based out of a Joint Security Station in downtown Bayji, where they work alongside Iraqi policemen, conducting patrols alongside them like this one. The presence in the city is meant to show the Americans are ready and able to work with local security forces. More importantly, the U.S. soldiers give the Iraqis the breathing space they need to establish credibility among their own countrymen. But the soldiers, now used to being mortared every other day, see themselves as stationary targets at their station — not an infantryman’s usual identity. In the first months of the deployment, back in late 2006, the company would detain suspected Sunni insurgents and feel some sense of accomplishment. Now, their company commander meets with some of those very same former Baathists for tea — at homes where Saddam Hussein almost certainly hid, when he was on the run in 2003-04. “Maybe it makes sense to the higher-ups,” Vergo said, “but it doesn’t make sense to us.” Their commander, Capt. Tim Peterman, 32, from Roy, Utah, readily understands his soldiers’ deep cynicism. The stated mission of the infantry is “close with and destroy the enemy.” But here, the enemy is shadowy and elusive al-Qaida-affiliated terrorists, known as the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), wishing to govern Iraq with a Taliban-style theocracy. If former Baathists are willing to work with Americans to stop that from happening, then that’s what has to be. To Peterman, it does make sense. “You’ve got to have resolve. Counter-insurgency takes a long time, and it’s hard for my troopers to see they’re making a difference. They are,” Peterman said. “I know the soldiers don’t trust the Iraqis, and I don’t want them to. The toughest thing they can do is the right thing, not doing raids, but getting out and meeting people.” Hope for progress A comparison Peterman agrees with is the end of World War II, when the United States worked with former Nazis against the Soviet Union. By shaking hands with former Sunni insurgent leaders in 2007, the United States is showing that the 2003 war is truly over — and a more clear-cut battle against al-Qaida terrorism can begin. Peterman sees what he hopes is progress, because he leads the meetings with locals that soldiers like Vergo intensely dislike. When speaking with Peterman, the tribal sheikhs are engaged and interested in the plan formulated by top U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus to form “neighborhood watch” groups that will eventually become Iraqi army forces. In theory, this will build local control from the street level up, rather than waiting for help from the still-ineffectual central government. And since this policy of peaceful engagements began in earnest, back in March, “significant activities” in the sector — mortars, kidnappings, IEDs and shootings — have dropped from March’s 76 to 39 in July. Numbers, though, mean very little to the soldiers on patrol. They carefully walk through a series of three-story apartment buildings, and Toups motions upwards to Vergo and the rest. “Keep an eye out on those roofs,” he says. Vergo speaks as matter-offactly as most of the infantryman, but he is not nearly as boisterous as some. They complain all day, but all their complaints cease the moment they leave the relative safety of the security station. They focus on their mission and the safety of each other. Vergo says it just isn’t possible to describe or explain exactly what a day out here is like, with the heat, the threats and the rough living conditions all adding up to one long hard stretch. “I can’t make people see things the way I see it,” he said. “But all the struggles I’ve faced, I’ve definitely matured as a person.” Attack outraged Iraqis Today’s patrol, before it got to the bleak desert outskirts, saw the soldiers introduce themselves to children and teachers at a school — including a small boy who lost both legs to an al-Qaida roadside bomb. Indiscriminate tragedies like that have motivated local Iraqi leaders, who have no love for Americans, to realize the United States is not their greatest threat. The final straw may have been a June 25 suicide bomb attack on the Joint Security Station. Five Americans were slightly wounded, but 27 Iraqi policemen died. Local Baathists who would not have cared about American deaths were outraged over the murders of their fathers, sons and brothers. Violence like that is what ISI brings, Peterman tells them through a translator and the sheikhs nod and murmur in agreement, or at least not dispute. If this new reconciliation works, it could be the beginning of what allows U.S. forces to leave Iraq. Vergo expects he’ll get a chance to find out. His enlistment isn’t up for several more years. “I’m probably coming back here in another year or so,” he said, since he anticipates another deployment for the 82nd before his enlistment is up. “I’ll see what kind of results all this had then.” He doesn’t mind the patrols, doesn’t mind the hard living. That’s all part of the infantry. But he hopes no one thinks U.S. ideas and beliefs will ever come to Iraq. “These people like their old ways,” he said. “They don’t want a Wal-Mart.” Freelance photojournalist Nathan S. Webster of Stratham, N.H., was recently embedded with the 82nd Airborne in Iraq. He is a graduate student in the University of New Hampshire’s Master of Fine Arts in Writing program and an instructor in first-year writing.

This was just brought to my attention, by a good Friend: Heartsound

I know a lot of us on FuBar also have pages on MySpace, so Please read this. And maybe think about changing your MySpace page around or just watch out for this Scam. Oh, and another thing. Anyone that is or was in the Military knows how Families are really contacted. But people outside our little family DON'T, that make easy targets for Scammers BTW: People like this make me SO SICK!!!! -------------------------------------------------- I had some REALLY heartbreaking news today...that my friend was KIA.This was not just any friend...this was my puppy love boyfriend. The news came from a message that I received from his wife on my MySpace page from her Myspace page. It was a VERY accurate letter as far as she was telling me that his dad had been informed at his job today,naming where he worked and what he did and that he was working out arrangements so that I could go with him when he went to go be with her.It was also VERY accurate when "she" said that I was one of the first people she thought of and needed to talk to and she wished I had a phone...but she wouldn't be able to answer the phone for awhile because she was going to be gone today needing to be around friends and not wanting to answer the phone. Well,I called his dad tonight after another friend of mine pointed out some things that didn't seem right in "her" description of how the military handled the notification.His dad IMMEDIATELY put me at ease and let me know that he had talked to his son just 45 minutes ago and he was FINE.His daughter in law has now completely shut down her Myspace page because she was getting calls today about her husband with condolences...she had to turn off her ringer. Well,it seems that someone broke into her Myspace page (it is a whole thing where she clicked on a message she got from them in her email to connect to Myspace and they sent her to a fake sight. People find it really easy to do this with myspace but they usually do it to use your sight to send spam to your friends. I am really tired...it has been a long night.I cannot explain to you the emotions I am going through right now. I don't know who would have thought that this was funny or what they had to gain by doing this...but it is SICK. I wanted to let you all know what was going on.If you are on Myspace make sure that you go directly to the sight and not use a link to get to your page.Her and I are going to work on this tomorrow and see what we can do.She has been spending a lot of time letting friends know that her husband IS NOT DEAD. Watch out for scammers...this one is SICK. -

I read this in a bulletin & had to blog it. Please let me know if there are any other Support Web Sites & I'll add them. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> How can I send a message or show support for our Soldiers? http://www.military.com/ WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Dept. of Defense is responding to queries from thousands of Americans who are again asking what they can do to show their support for service members, especially those serving overseas in this time of war? The following are websites for several organizations sponsoring programs for members of the Armed Forces overseas. While it would be inappropriate for DoD to endorse any specifically, service members do value and appreciate such expressions of support: Donate a calling card to help keep service members in touch with their families at Operation Uplink at http://www.operationuplink.org/ Send a greeting via e-mail through Operation Dear Abby at http://anyservicemember.navy.mil/ or http://www.OperationDearAbby.net Sign a virtual thank you card at Defend America http://www.defendamerica.mil/nmam.html Army Emergency Relief at http://www.aerhq.org/ Navy/Marine Relief Society at http://www.nmcrs.org/ Air Force Aid Society at http://www.afas.org/ Coast Guard Mutual Assistance at http://www.cgmahq.org/ Support the American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services at http://www.redcross.org/services/afes/ Volunteer at a VA Hospital http://www.va.gov/vetsday/ to honor veterans who bore the lamp of freedom in past conflicts. Support families whose loved ones are being treated at military and VA hospitals through a donation to the Fisher House at http://www.fisherhouse.org You can also go to any Veteran Organzational Site too: Disabled American Veterans: http://www.dav.org >>>>New Added Links OPERATION GRATITUDE: another Package Site http://www.opgratitude.com/howtohelp.php?page=individual Military Wives Web Site: http://www.militarywives.com/ Another Support site with links for Sailors, Airmen or Marines, even Coasties: www.anysoldier.com Reach out to military families in your community, especially those with a loved one overseas.

I checked this out at: http://www.snopes.com/rumors/soapbox/charlie2.asp Status: True. This is what Charlie Daniels, famed musician, writes regarding his Guantanamo Bay trip. ---------------------------------------------------- Charlie Went Down to Gitmo I've just returned from the Guantanamo Bay (Cuba) Naval Air Station base where we did three shows for the troops and toured several locations around the post visiting with some of the finest military personnel on planet earth. The kids seemed to really enjoy the shows and especially liked "This Ain't No Rag, It's A Flag" and "In America." We had a great time with them. We saw Camp X-Ray - where the Taliban detainees are being held - only from a distance, but I picked up a lot of what's going on there from talking with many different people. The truth of the matter is that this operation is under a microscope. The Red Cross has an on-site presence and watches everything that goes on very closely. The media is not telling you the whole truth about what's going on over there. The truth is that these scum bags are not only being treated humanely, but they are probably better off health-wise and medically than they've ever been in their lives. They are fed well, able to take showers and receive state-of-the-art medical care. And have their own Moslem chaplain. I saw several of them where they were being treated in a state-of-the-art medical facility. Now let's talk about the way they treat our people. First of all, they have to be watched constantly. These people are committed and wanton murderers who are willing to die just to kill someone else. One of the doctors told me that when they had Talibans in the hospital the staff had to really be careful with needles, pens and anything else which could be used as a weapon. They also throw their excrement and urine on the troops who are guarding them. And our guys and gals have shown great restraint in not retaliating. We are spending over a million dollars a day maintaining and guarding these nasty killers and anyone who wants to see them brought to the U.S.A. for trial is either out of their heads or a lawyer looking for money and notoriety. Or both. I wish the media and the Red Cross and all the rest of the people who are so worried about these criminals would realize that this is not a troop of errant Boy Scouts. These are killers of the worst kind. They don't need protection from us, we need protection from them. If you don't get anything else out of this soapbox, please try to realize that when you see news coverage much of the time you're not getting the whole story, but an account filtered through a liberal mindset with an agenda. We have two fights on our hands, the war against terror and the one against the loud-mouthed lawyers and left-wing media who would sap the strength from the American public by making us believe that we're losing the war or doing something wrong in fighting it. Remember these are the same people who told us that Saddam Hussein's Republican guard was going to be an all but invincible enemy and that our smart bombs and other weapons were not really as good as the military said that they were. They also took up for Bill Clinton while he was cavorting around the Oval office with Monica Lewinsky while the terrorists were gaining strength and bombing our Embassies and dragging the bodies of dead American heroes around the dusty streets of Somalia. It's a shame that we can't have an unbiased media who would just report the truth and let us make up our own minds. Here I must commend Fox News for presenting both sides much better than the other networks. They are leaving the other cable networks in the dust. People want to be told the truth. Our military not only needs but deserves our support. Let's give it to them. The next time you read a media account about the bad treatment of the Taliban in Cuba, remember what I told you. Been there, done that. Footnote: I got an e-mail from a rather irate first cousin of mine the other day who has a daughter who's a lawyer, and she seemed to think that I was painting all lawyers with the same brush. Please understand that I'm not doing that at all. That would be like saying that all musicians were drug addicts. There are a lot of good and honest attorneys out there. I happen to have one of them. But it seems that they never get any airtime. It's always the radicals who get their opinions heard, who fight the idea of the military tribunals and cite The Constitution and the integrity of America as the source for justifying their opinions. Well, first of all The Constitution says, "We the people of the United States," it doesn't mention any other country. And, secondly, as far as integrity is concerned, I don't think some of these folks would know integrity if it bit them in the posterior. ---------------------------------------------- Origins: The Prisoners at Camp X-Ray above-quoted essay was written by Charlie Daniels, the popular singer-songwriter. He penned this opinion piece upon his return from his first trip to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba to entertain U.S. troops in late March 2002 and posted it on his web site in the Soapbox section, where it appeared under the title "The Straight Scoop." This is not the first of Mr. Daniel's essays to have found its way into online lore — another of his articles was also widely circulated in e-mail, one written in response to the controversy arising over his song, "This Ain't No Rag, It's a Flag." (You can view our write up about it here.) Charlie Daniels' descriptions of the physical condition and behavior of the prisoners he observed at Guantanamo Bay were similar to those of others who had visited or been assigned to that site: Inside cellblocks, "the troops have feces and urine thrown at them all the time," said Navy Lt. Bruce Crouterfield, the base's Baptist chaplain. "Troops who come through here feel like they're getting slugged in the chest when they should get patted on the back," said Crouterfield, who acknowledged he wouldn't flinch at the death penalty for some prisoners here. "But they have to come back to work every day and treat the Quran with respect and make sure the detainees' needs are met." Descriptions of detainees hurling cocktails of feces and urine at guards, or spitting on them, were volunteered during almost every interview with military officials. The method is to "save up" human waste in Styrofoam food containers and launch them at opportune moments, they said. No feces or urine was evident during a two-minute walk through a cellblock that military escorts billed as a surprise visit. Camp commanders said that was because the cellblock's 31 inmates are among those classified as "moderately compliant." Regardless of their status, the prisoners were fed three meals a day and had access to decent medical care. Medical care and three squares a day aside, some critics considered the prisoners' treatment inhumane; the spartan conditions detainees were initially housed under provoked criticism from human rights groups and were decried in the American press. When Charlie Daniels wrote his essay, the detainees were incarcerated at Camp X-Ray, a temporary holding facility near Guantanamo Bay. Inmates were kept in tin-roofed 8x8 cells that resembled dog runs: chain link fencing on a concrete base, open on the sides to the elements. They slept on foam pads placed on concrete floors in cells containing chemical toilets or buckets. At least every two days prisoners would be taken from their cells for all of 15 minutes of exercise. The detainees have since been moved to nearby Camp Delta, a permanent detention center erected for this purpose. The 8x6.66 cells have beds and walls and windows, flush toilets and running water, but can still be described as austere: Most cellblocks in Camp Delta are rectangular prefab structures that from the outside resemble mobile homes. Prisoners are locked inside 8-by-6.8-foot cells that line both lengths of the prefabs and are separated by green, metal-mesh walls. Cell windows are open to the elements, covered only with the same mesh whose links are large enough to let in Guantanamo's ubiquitous gnats. Each cell has a squat-toilet and sink. Inside one cellblock, a visitor saw prisoners clad in tan jumpsuits, to designate them "moderately compliant," and black flip-flops. Most were olive skinned and bearded. Each seemed in his own world, so much so that the place almost evoked an asylum for the mentally ill. Those stationed at Gitmo (a popular slang term for the base at Guantanamo Bay) had the unenviable task of guarding approximately 600 prisoners, many of whom would turn on their captors when given the opportunity. (In November 2000, a member of al-Qaeda jailed in New York plunged a sharpened comb into the eye of a Metropolitan Correctional Center guard.) Ergo, the powers that be worked out it was best if little opportunity for killing was afforded the prisoners, hence the bare bones approach to housing. Now that the detainees have been moved to Camp Delta, a move that brought alleviation of the worst aspects of their incarceration, most Americans have forgotten about the men being held at Guantanamo Bay. Because no one seems to know what to do with them, forgetting may be the easier course.

Hagel Submits Senate Resolution to Designate August 16, 2007 "National Airborne Day" http://hagel.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=219506&Month=2&Year=2007 February 15th, 2007 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) introduced a Senate Resolution today designating August 16, 2007 as “National Airborne Day.” August 16, 2007 will be the 67th Anniversary of the first official jump by the Army Parachute Test Platoon. The resolution was co-sponsored by Senators Reed (D-RI), Clinton (D-NY), Burr (R-NC), Reid (D-NV), Snowe (R-ME), Kerry (D-MA), and Gregg (R-NH). It will be referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration. “Over the last 67 years, U.S. airborne forces have performed important military and peace-keeping operations throughout the world, including Operation Iraqi Freedom. August 16th is a day to celebrate and thank Airborne veterans and Airborne units for their tireless commitment to our Nation's defense and for the ideals of duty, honor and country they embody,” Hagel said. On June 25, 1940, the War Department authorized the Parachute Test Platoon to experiment with the potential use of airborne troops. The Parachute Test Platoon, which was composed of 48 volunteers, performed the first official Army parachute jump on August 16th. The success of the Platoon led to the formation of a large and successful airborne contingent that has served from World War II until the present. Members of the 82nd Airborne Division Association have recognized Hagel for his efforts to designate the date as “National Airborne Day.” Since 2004 Hagel has introduced, and the Senate has passed, a Senate Resolution designating August 16th as “National Airborne Day.”

Hagel Reintroduces Bill to Aid Military Families http://hagel.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=219519&Month=3&Year=2007 March 20th, 2007 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) joined Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) today in reintroducing the “Military Retiree Survivor Benefit Equity Act.” This legislation would allow qualifying surviving spouses of military service members to receive survivor annuities—without being offset—from both the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Department of Defense. “America owes a great debt of gratitude to our professional service members. It is important to remember that years of devoted service also affects not only service members, but their families. This legislation will ensure that surviving military spouses are guaranteed access to the benefits that were earned and purchased by the service of their loved one,” Hagel said. Currently, when a retired service member passes away from a service-related disability, the surviving spouse may be eligible to receive 1) Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) paid by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and 2) Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) which is paid by the Department of Defense. Under current law, DIC payments to surviving spouses are deducted from their SBP payments. Therefore, most surviving spouses of disabled military retirees find that their DIC payments cancel out their SBP benefits. This legislation would allow surviving spouses who qualify for both to receive full DIC and SBP payments. Hagel and Bill Nelson introduced similar legislation in the 109th Congress.

HAGEL, CLINTON INTRODUCE RESOLUTION MARKING 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MILITARY ORDER OF THE PURPLE HEART Senators also reintroduce legislation to support National Purple Heart Recognition Day http://hagel.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=219525&Month=4&Year=2007 April 12th, 2007 - WASHINGTON, DC - Senators Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) today are introducing a resolution to recognize the 75th Anniversary of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and to commend all recipients of the Purple Heart for their demonstration of heroism on behalf of the United States. Also today, the Senators reintroduced legislation to support “National Purple Heart Recognition Day,” which honors all of those brave service members who were severely injured while serving their country and who were awarded a Purple Heart. “The men and women of our armed forces who have received the Purple Heart have gone above and beyond the call of duty in order to help preserve America’s freedom. The sacrifices made by these men and women have helped create and strengthen the nation we live in today. ‘National Purple Heart Recognition Day’ is an appropriate way to honor their enormous sacrifices,” Senator Hagel said. ‘National Purple Heart Recognition Day’ reminds all Americans of the tremendous sacrifices our brave men and women in uniform have made in the defense of our nation and also reminds us of the valor and service of all our veterans. I am proud to once again support this honor and to recognize the efforts of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and all that it has done to sustain and encourage support for Purple Heart recipients,” said Senator Clinton. The Purple Heart was established on August 7, 1782 in Newburgh, NY, during the Revolutionary War, when General George Washington issued an order establishing the Honorary Badge of Distinction, otherwise known as the Badge of Military Merit, or the Decoration of the Purple Heart. The legislation supporting a “National Purple Heart Recognition Day” requests that the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to conduct appropriate ceremonies, activities and programs to demonstrate support for people who have been awarded the Purple Heart medal. The Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) was founded in 1932 to protect and promote the mutual interests of Purple Heart recipients. MOPH is made up exclusively of Purple Heart recipients and is the only veterans’ service organization that is comprised strictly of combat veterans. The resolution both honors the courageous veterans who have been awarded the Purple Heart and encourages the American people to learn more about the Purple Heart and the duty, honor and courage that it symbolizes. The Order of the Purple Heart for Military Merit, commonly known as the Purple Heart, is the oldest military decoration in the world in present use. The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the President of the United States to members of the Armed Forces who are wounded in conflict with an enemy force, or while held by an enemy force as a prisoner of war, and posthumously to the next of kin of members of the Armed Forces who are killed in conflict with an enemy force, or who die of a wound received in conflict with an enemy force. There are over 1,535,000 recipients of the Purple Heart Medal approximately 550,000 of whom are still living.

Hagel Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Improve VA Services for Blind Veterans Authorizes Scholarship Program for Students Seeking Training in Blind Rehabilitation http://hagel.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=219541&Month=6&Year=2007 June 21st, 2007 - Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) introduced legislation today that would help the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) meet the increasing demands of today’s blind veteran population. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), both members of the Senate Veteran Affairs Committee, joined Hagel as original cosponsors of the legislation. The legislation directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a scholarship program for students seeking a degree or training in the area of blind rehabilitation. Recipients of the scholarship would be required to work at least three years in the VA system. “Service members sacrificing for our country in a time of war should be assured that they will receive the best medical treatment and rehabilitation available, without having to wait months or years due to staff shortages. Rehabilitation training for those who have lost their eyesight enables them to function in their surroundings and live more independently. This legislation would encourage students to enter employment in an under-populated medical field, while also serving our nation’s veterans,” Hagel said. Between March 2003 and April 2005, sixteen percent of all casualties evacuated from Iraq had associated eye injuries. In the coming years, the blind and low-vision veterans’ population is expected to grow by forty percent. In 2006, a provision in the annual veterans benefits bill expanded the pool of individuals serving our veterans as Blind Rehab Outpatient Specialists (BROS). Today, the VA employs 30 BROS. Unfortunately, there are not enough counselors certified in blind rehabilitation to provide the growing number of blind or low-vision veterans. This has caused a long waiting list for admission at the ten VA Blind Rehabilitation Centers.

Senate Passes “Wounded Warriors Act” Provides Comprehensive Approach for Treatment of Wounded Service Members http://hagel.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=219548&Month=7&Year=2007 July 12th, 2007 - Washington, D.C. - The United States Senate passed today by a vote of 94-0 the “Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act” as an amendment to the FY2008 National Defense Authorization Act. U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) was a cosponsor of the amendment. The amendment would provide for an overhaul in the medical and disabilities systems at the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to better care for service members wounded in service to the country. “This is common sense legislation that is long overdue. Our current system to treat wounded soldiers is overburdened by more patients than it was prepared to help. This amendment will provide the comprehensive approach necessary to ensure that the best resources and care are provided to our service members and their families who have made tremendous sacrifices on behalf of our country,” Hagel said. The amendment would overhaul the current military medical and disabilities systems at DoD and the VA in the following ways: • Requires DoD and VA to jointly develop a comprehensive policy on the care and management of service members’ transition; • Requires the use of VA standards when determining disability ratings; • Authorizes $50 million for improved diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of members with Traumatic Brian Injury (TBI) or PTSD; • Authorizes medically-retired service members with disability ratings of 50% or higher to receive the active duty medical benefit for three years after leaving active duty; • Authorizes military and VA health care providers to provide urgent and emergency medical care and counseling to family members on invitational travel orders; • Establishes a DOD and VA Interagency Program Office to develop and implement a joint electronic health record; • Requires the Secretary of Defense to establish standards for housing for military out-patients and for military hospitals, clinics and specialty care facilities; • Increases the minimum severance pay for those separated for medical reasons; and • Provides concurrent receipt of military retired pay and disability pay.