Ea g l e ’ s view U.S. Army 2nd Recruiting brigade
Winter 2013
Team Eagle adapts mentally, physically to fy13 changes
INSIDE 2 Command Corner 4 Brigade News 7 Feature 8 Army News 10 Upcoming Events & Activities
With the effects of constrained resources and budget restrictions making their way to units, Team Eagle teammates, friends and family have pulled together to achieve Mission success. Above, Team Eagle Fitness Session participants complete a teambuilding exercise to reinforce the importance of teamwork and physical fitness.Col. Michael A. Faruqui says of the changed operating environment, “Our success [as top-performing recruiting brigade] demands the added urgency and responsibility to adapt to our environment.”
command corner US. Army 2nd Recruiting Brigade Winter 2013 Commander Col. Michael A. Faruqui
Commander: Don’t Wait! The Cheese is Moving
Team, I recently had the opportunity to conduct an Officer Professional Development training within one of our Battalions on Spencer Johnson’s, “Who Moved My Cheese.” The book provides some key tenets useful today as we negotiate the obstacles and challenges within this maze called recruiting. Our environment has changed. Achieving Mission will be even tougher due to stringent guidance from the Department of Defense to begin planning for constrained resources in the near term making the book’s lessons more relevant. Business as usual will not be the standard for our Army as we move through these turbulent times. First, I’d like to acknowledge your great work in building the Best Army that has ever marched on this planet. Our nation, our families and our teams have benefited from the security provided by you and the sacrifices of your families. But, the environment is changing.
Command Sgt. Major Command Sgt. Maj. Milton Rhodie Chief, Advertising & Public Affairs Chris Putman Public Affairs Specialist / Editor Antonia Leonard Public Affairs Specialist Vickie Evans
Eagle’s View is authorized by AR 360-1 for members of the U.S. Army and their Families. Contents of this publication are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army, or the U.S. Army Recruiting Command. Eagle’s View is published quarterly by the Advertising & Public Affairs Office, U.S. Army 2nd Recruiting Brigade. Please mail submissions and letters to the editor to: ATTN: Editor, A&PA U.S. Army 2nd Recruiting Brigade, 3435 Snooper Road Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898; com: (256) 450-9544, fax: (256) 450-9517. e-mail address: antonia.leonard2.civ@mail. mil or 2bde-apa@usarec.army.mil. Eagle’s View is currently distributed electronically and will be sent to everyone on the brigade distribution list and those whom have requested a copy. Deadline for submissions for the Spring 2013 edition is April 19
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Col. Michael A. Faruqui Brigade Commander
ADAPT, MIGRATE OR DIE
Charles Darwin introduced his theory of evolution over 150 years ago. His research proved if a species or organism fails to adapt to its environment, it must either migrate (move to a “high” ground) or die. This basic understanding of evolution contains sage advice for us all: We must adapt. We MUST become resilient and ensure our teams do, too. In “Who Moved My Cheese,” Spencer Johnson identifies the threats of organizational adaptation. Our toughest enemy is complacency. Complacency is the belief, or expectation, that what happened in the past predicts future outcomes. The 2nd Recruiting Brigade leads as the top-performing recruiting brigade in the Nation. Our success demands the added urgency and responsibility to adapt to our environment in our Command Mission. Small Unit Recruiting provides us with the current opportunity to learn, adapt and prove our true resiliency. To start the process, take a look at our current operations conduct and reject arrogant attitudes toward our past and present success. Ask yourself: What we can do better? Are we truly doing everything possible to prospect for the best qualified individuals to join our team? The cheese has moved and we need to move with it. The time for relying on walk-in and call-in traffic to make our mission is long gone. We need to put that paradigm to rest. Today, assess the environment, use our superior tools, and provide guidance to our teammates to help them find the best qualified young men and women to join our ranks. It will be hard work but it must be done because there is no more Easy Cheese. This is a call to empower YOU, as part of Team Eagle, to find the NEW Cheese. We cannot afford to wait! We are the tip of the spear and we must continue to lead and provide insights to help others find their way through the maze. ~Eagle 6
csm: Training essential to mission success
Team, Congratulations to all selected for Meritorious promotion at the 1st Quarter Selection Board. Your job well done for the Brigade has earned you recognition and advancement to the next stage of your career. The team is counting on your continued leadership throughout the way ahead. The second half of 2013 fiscal year is quickly approaching and promises to be tougher than the first. We have been faced with new obstacles and our resources have been further constrained. Yet,even when faced with such challenges, I have faith that Team Eagle will achieve its mission. Earlier in the year, I traveled the battle space to observe the trainingprovided to our team by our confident and competent leaders. Training is essential to our understanding of our operating environment. I encourage you to continually assess the training needs and opporCommand Sgt. Maj. Milton Rhodie tunities in your area of operation. The key to our Brigade’s success Brigade Command Sergeant Major is recognition of our areas for improvement and the addressing them through training. It is the best way to equip and prepare ourselves for our current challenges and those that may arise in the future. As we approach the end of the school year, our current opportunity for training should focus on our Future Soldiers scheduled to graduate this year. It is our duty to ensure they meet the necessary requirements and prepare them for their training this summer. In closing, I would like to thank you and your family members. In times of challenge it is your support, hard work and dedication that ultimately keep the Brigade strong and successful. ~Eagle 7
chaplain’s blessing
“I’m Ok and You’re OK”
The United States Army has come a long way since I enlisted 36 years ago. Though it strives to recruit a diverse, formidable, unified force, it was once common to hear whispers around the barracks to effect of, “Did you know Sgt. Joe is Mormon?” or “Spc. Smith’s Dad is a pastor of a snake handling church!” The division in culture was apparent and often uncomfortable but we remained united by our commitment to protect and serve our Nation. Today, as society grows more global, our Troops are more diverse than ever. Virtually all ideas, beliefs, faiths and practices are brought to the table. Yet, although our Army values the benefits of our diverse backgrounds, I still come across Soldiers who find adjusting to the presence of emerging differences in Faith troublesome and difficult. We still find challenge in accepting each other’s differences. About five years ago, during my assignment as chaplain in a basic training unit, there was a confrontation between a drill sergeant and a Jewish Soldier in the dining facility. The drill sergeant approached the Soldier and sternly ordered him Suryia the Orangutan and Roscoe the Blue Tick Hound, though a naturally unlikely pair, are best friends. Their friendship proves even the most unlikely pair of individuals can become great to remove his kippah, naïve to its religious and cultural implications. In the weeks friends. Above and bottom left pictures via SuryiaandRoscoe.com that followed, the incident made national headlines causing a very tense atmosphere around the battalion. America demanded to know, ‘How could this happen in a country that prides itself in pluralism?’ The answer was quite simple: As our nation and military grew to include more cultures, backgrounds, races and religions, we failed to understand and accept each other. I realized this had to change. We, as a military force, must educate ourselves and grow to understand our fellow Soldiers. Then, I began to assess and overcome my own struggle with accepting others who may differ socially, ethnically or religiously from me. In the process, I learned to use the statement, “I’m OK and you’re OK,” to affirm my new outlook. The phrase means, ‘I am comfortable with you being different and I accept that you are different. In return, I hope and pray that you are comfortable and accepting of who I am, too.’ Through adopting an ideology that incorporates the importance of diversity in society and our Armed Forces, I found my own faith renewed and stronger than ever. Not long afterward, I experienced a first in my Military career. I was directly supervising a fellow chaplain of equal rank who happened to be Muslim. Our offices were not only in the same building, they were across the hall. We could not avoid each other nor our religious differences. In years past I might have tried to get away with telling myself, ‘It will be alright as long as he stays in his lane and I stay in mine.’ Instead I said, ‘I’m OK and he’s OK.’ I accepted him as he was. The result? He accepted me, too, and we had a great working relationship. We always had each other’s backs even though we are different in most every way: He is tall and I am short; He is athletic and I am not; He is Black and I am White; He is Muslim and I am Christian, and to this day, he is my friend and I am his. Accepting others for their differences is a lesson Jesus teaches through Matthew 22: 35-40: “Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus said to them, “ ‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” With renewed appreciation of each other’s differences and value for diversity among our teammates, we pray: “Lord, God, help me to be less judging and more caring to those who are different than I am. Help me to not confront others with a need to change them but to be kind, considerate and respectful. Amen.” ~Courtesy of Chaplain (Maj.) Douglas Gibson, 2nd Recruiting Brigade Chaplain
2nd Brigade Mission Team Eagle leads and recruits qualified men and women throughout our area of responsibility to provide the strength of the Army and Nation. 2nd Brigade Vision Team Eagle - consisting of Soldiers, Civilians, Families, and Community Partners - is an adaptive network of committed, values-based leaders that supports the growth of our next “Greatest Generation,” while taking care of our most precious asset...People.
3 • Eagle’s View
brigade news staff Briefs
All-American Bowl 2013
Money & Budgeting Tools With New Year’s resolutions on your mind, you may be taking stock of your finances. Whether your goal is to pay off debts, start a savings plan for your children’s college education or gear up for a comfortable retirement, Military OneSource has the information, tools and resources to put you on the right financial path. Visit http://www.militaryonesource.mil for more information. Staying SHARP... Any Soldier that has received 80 hour SHARP Training prior to arriving in your battalion is instructed to complete the DD Form 2950, SHARP Credentialing Packets and continue to help victims of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault. New A&PA Chief Team Eagle welcomes Mr. Chris Putman, the new Brigade A&PA Chief. You can reach him for support at 256-450-9543.
4 • Eagle’s View
From left to right: Dr. Liz Brent, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama shoots with the Army Marksmanship Unit (Photo by Brian Lepley, USAREC); A Soldier-Hero coaches a 2013 Army All-American Band Member at the push-ups competition during the first AllAmerican Challenge (Photo by Antonia Leonard, 2nd Recruiting Brigade Public Affairs); Centers of Influence Liz Brent, Peter Caspari, Rob Medina and Joy Thrash gather for a group photo with 2nd Recruiting Brigade Command Sgt. Maj. Milton Rhodie, USAREC Commanding General Maj. Gen. David Mann, 2nd Recruiting Brigade Commander Col. Michael Faruqui and USAREC Command Sgt. Maj. Todd Moore (Photo courtesy of GoArmy); U.S. Army All-American Bowl West vs. East teams with coaches before the Jan. 5, 2013 game. Team East defeated West, 15-8, in the 13th annual game. (Photo courtesy of GoArmy.)
brigade news Winter safety tip: coffee can car survival kit By Mickey Gattis, Adapted from USAREC Winter Safety Briefing Guide
Taking a mini-vacation may be just what many of us need to help us make it through the last weeks of Winter. If you are thinking about packing up and hitting the road for a weekend getaway, be sure to keep supplies near in the event of an emergency. A Coffee Can Car Survival Kit contains all the necessities and can be easily assembled using household items. Here is how to make your own: •Punch 3 equidistant holes in the top of a 2-3 pound coffee can •Cut a 60” piece of twine or heavy string into three 20” pieces. •Tie 3 large safety pins to each piece of string. (In the event of an emergency, the safety pins may be attached to car roof interior to suspend can over a candle for warmth.) •Fill coffee can with the following supplies for use in the event of a roadside emergency: - Packets of soup, hot cocoa, tea, bouillon cubes, etc. - 1 small package of nuts & fruit-flavored candy - 2 packages of waterproof matches - Solar blanket or 2 large plastic leaf bags to reflect body heat When complete, place a stocking cap over the kit. Carry the completed kit in the passenger compartment of car, not the trunk, so it is easily accessible. Kit contents may be modified to include items such as sleeping bags/blankets, mittens, boots, radio, first aid supplies, etc.
2nd Recruiting Brigade, FY13 1st Quarter Brigade Awards Regular Army NCO of the Quarter: SSG Natalie Allen, ATL BN Army Reserve NCO of the Quarter: SFC Daniel Dechenne, JAX BN Center Commander of the Quarter: SFC Edwin Joseph, JAX BN First Sergeant of the Quarter: 1SG Sung Kim, RAL BN
Congratulations!
A Coffee Can Survival Kit can be talored to your needs or ideas. Photo Courtesey of SoloRoadTrip.com
Technology corner... Updating the Global Address List of Enterprise Email Migration From ARISS Bulletin, Jan.
After you have been migrated to Enterprise Email you will need to update your Global Address List (GAL) information. To update your GAL information follow the steps listed below. • Log into MILConnect at the following link: https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect/faces/pages/home.jspx • Click OK when the Self-Service Consent Monitor information screen appears. • Select Common Access Card (CAC) tab and then click the Login button. Select your Email certificate and click OK. Enter your PIN if prompted • After you are logged in, you will see several tabs. Click on My Profile tab and then click the Update and View My Profile link to complete the update process. • The next screen will contain several tabs based on your current status. You may see tabs for Personal Information, Retired, Civilian, Con- tractor, or Military. Click on each tab and complete the required information. While some of the information will be pre-populated, you will need to update any required fields that have missing information. The Personal Information tab is self explanatory and the Retired tab should already have your information. • When you update the Civilian or Military tab use the available drop downs to select your Duty Organization as United States Army and Duty Sub-organization as “TRADOC United States Army Recruiting Command”. Complete any additional required fields and once you are finished click the Submit buton at the bottom of the screen. • The user guide discussing the different actions on migrating to Enterprise E-mail has been updated with these instructions and can be found at: http://ikrome.usaac.army.mil/documents/25521/29549/Enterprise+EMail+Migration.pdf
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brigade news
Army Recruiters Carry Nation’s Colors at Super Bowl XLVII
Recruiters from the New Orleans Army Recruiting Company carried the Nation’s Colors as part of the Joint Forces Colored Guard before the Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3, 2013. The experience was particularly special for Staff Sgt. Lester Scott. He explains, “I have been deployed twice, both for one year each. I missed my baby’s birthdays and other special events. The Super Bowl was the only event that I requested off while overseas, knowing that we were all watching together,” said Scott. “Something about this football game brings us all together no matter what is going on. This game has meant the world to me by connecting me to home and now I get to be a rifle man next to the American flag. It is an honor.” (Photo By: Jennifer Villaume, Baton Rouge Battalion Public Affairs)
Congratulations to the following Team Eagle NCOs selected for Meritorious Promotion: Staff Sgt. (P) Emerson J. Baezulloa
Jacksonville BN
Staff Sgt. (P) Sean M. Cox
Montgomery BN
Staff Sgt. (P) Shawn M. Wilderson
Baton Rouge BN
Staff Sgt. (P) Travis E. Repass
Raleigh BN
Staff Sgt. (P) Karl F. Miller
Tampa BN
Sgt. (P) David G. Eckert
Raleigh BN
Sgt. (P) Brian A. Harrison
Jacksonville BN
Sgt. (P) David M. Lott
Miami BN
6 • Eagle’s View
Eagles on the Street
What are your recruiting resolutions and goals for the remaining FY13? “I have three recruiting goals for the year. First, I’d really like to develop a super COI for the Company that can help leverage local and regional support for our recruiting efforts. Second, I’ve noticed that the recruiting environment is so busy and can be distracting. I’ve decided to focus on the basics and helping my centers do them well. Lastly, I’d like to focus on giving my Future Soldier Leaders more tools and ideas for how to make Future Soldier training fun, engaging and effective. Instead of boring Future Soldiers with the same routine, I want Future Soldiers to look forward to attending training each week.” CPT Daniel Hudalla, Company Commander, Athens Company, Atlanta Battalion “My recruiting resolutions as Company First Sgt. are to ensure all Soldiers depart USAREC as more developed leaders than when they arrived and to show upward mobility of the Company exceeding the mission. My goal is to show we have not just met the standard but exceed it.” 1SG Boles, Company First Sergeant, Atlanta Company, Atlanta Battalion
feature
Team Eagle Keeps New Years Resolutions Real Through Group Fitness Routine
Above: Sgt. Brenton Grierson leads teammates, friends and family members through a Team Eagle Group Fitness Session circuit. Sessions are held each Wednesday at Pagano Gym on Redstone Arsenal. form 11:30-12:30. Botton Left: Team Eagle Fitness Session leaders Sgt. Brenton Grierson, 2nd Recruiting Brigade Chaplain’s Assistant, and Capt. Jodie Minor, 2nd Recruiting Brigade HHC Commander. (Photos by Antonia Leonard, 2nd Recruiting Brigade Public Affairs).
By Antonia Leonard 2nd Brigade Public Affairs Specialist
The average body must create a deficit of 3,500 calories before it sheds one pound of body weight. That should give any fading 2013 New Year’s resolution a quick reality check. For those in need of some additional motivation, consider picking up a work-out buddy. Or, follow the lead of Sgt. Brenton Grierson, 2nd Recruiting Brigade Chaplain’s Assistant, and Capt. Jodie Minor, 2nd Recruiting Brigade HHC Commander, and start a weekly group exercise session. Grierson and Minor created the Team Eagle Fitness Session to motivate those interested in personal fitness to mix-up their routine. Across the street from the 2nd Recruiting Brigade building, Soldiers and civilians meet at the neighboring Pagano Gym each Wednesday from 11:30-12:30 for a full-body circuit training workout. The idea for the weekday workout session stemmed from break-time conversations between Capt. Minor and Sgt. Grierson about their fitness routines at the Brigade Headquarters. It was not long before informal personal fitness routine comparisons turned into a rough draft for an exercise circuit. After fine-tuning the first workout, Minor invited Brigade personnel, family members and friends to the first Team Eagle Fitness Session lead by Sgt. Grierson. Grierson says of volunteering to take the lead, “Personal fitness has always been a passion of mine and I hope to one day have a civilian
career as a personal trainer. Motivating others motivates me. When I see someone meet their goal, it pumps me up and pushes me to achieve my own personal best.” Five months since the first session, there is now a core group that looks forward to participating in the fitness session each week. The sessions begins with a brief warm-up to stretch and mentally prepare. Then, Grierson demonstrates how to safely and effectively complete each exercise in the 12-station circuit. “When choosing the order of exercises, I try not to put two exercises that work the same muscles in a row to avoid burning those muscles out. A well designed circuit provides a full-body workout with a low risk for injury,” he explains. Once all are ready and familiarized, participants spread out among stations. Repetitions of each exercise are completed for a timed interval until a whistle is blown - signaling to all that it is time to rotate to the next station. When a second whistle is blown, participants begin repetitions of the next exercise. The process continues until all have rotated through the circuit three times. To finish the workout, everyone gathers for a final teambuilding exercise before cooling down. The gym is filled with words of encouragement throughout the session. “The original goal of the program was to increase morale and to encourage personal fitness improvement throughout the Brigade,” says Minor, “but we found that the comradery that was built, through what grew into a teambuilding experience, is what brings people back each week.” All members, friends and family of Team Eagle are invited to attend the weekly sessions. Those interested in implementing a group circuit training workout in their own area should keep these words of advice from Sgt. Grierson in mind: “Focus on putting together 12 easily repeated but challenging exercises that will provide a full body workout. Have fun and don’t get discouraged if you don’t see a big turn out the first week. If only one other person shows up, consider the effort a success.” For exercise ideas and motivation, visit the 2nd Recruiting Brigade’s Facebook for the list of exercises included in the Team Eagle workout on Wednesday afternoons at www.facebook.com/Army2ndRecruitingBDE .
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army news
SMA Explains Way Ahead for Women in Combat Dempsey signed a memo Jan. 24, paving the way for more women to serve in direct combat roles and in more military occupational specialties, or MOSs, that are now open only to males. The memo rescinds the 1994 DOD “Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule,” which states in part: “Service members are eligible to be assigned to all positions for which they are qualified, except that women shall be excluded from assignment to units below the brigade level whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground.” The memo does not spell out which MOSs will be open to women. Rather, it directs the services to provide their implementation strategies to the DOD by May 2013. Implementation will begin this year and be completed by Jan. 1, 2016. Chandler said that once the decision was made by the secretary of Defense and the president to open more positions to women, it’s now every Soldier’s duty to carry this out and to ensure “it’s done within the spirit and intent (of the order) and to the best of our ability.” Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III recognizes Soldiers for their achievements during his visit, Jan. 29, 2013, to the “This to me goes back to your commitment to the the Noncommissioned Officer Academy in Charlottesville, Va. During his visit with the NCOs, he fielded a number of questions, including one on his views of women in combat. (Photo Credit: David Vergun) Profession of Arms and what you’ve chosen to do when By David Vergun you took that oath, which is to be a United States Army Army News Service Soldier,” he added. The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command is now “What do you think about women in combat reviewing the five closed career fields: armor, artillery, infantry, combat (specialties)?” asked a sergeant at the Noncommissioned engineers and special forces. Those reviews include physical requireOfficer Academy here yesterday. ments necessary to perform the job. Chandler provided some examples “Tell me what you think,” Sgt. Maj. of the Army of how he thinks the standards might be reviewed. Raymond F. Chandler III replied during a Q&A chat with “I’m a tanker by background and from the armor school some 50 NCOs at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal perspective they say the highest physical requirement is to load the gun Center & School, on the campus of the University of Viron the tank,” he said. “So you’ve got to be in the seated position, take ginia. “This is important by the way. It’s a great question.” about a 60-pound projectile, hold it, turn your body and put it in the gun “I don’t have a problem with this,” said the sergeant. within five seconds, (12 times in a minute). That’s their highest physical “People who are able to meet the same standards should requirement. have the same possibilities, however, I believe there should “Now we’re going to assess that to make sure it’s still accube one standard.” rate, because that requirement is about 30 years old. And if it is (still Chandler nodded his approval of the sergeant’s accurate), then that will be the requirement for everyone when we open analysis. “As an Army, we should be seeking the best qualithat MOS,” adding that these standards will be gender-neutral. fied and most talented individuals and match them against Chandler then offered an example from the infantry occupational series. the requirements for the Army, regardless of gender,” “Their highest performance requirement is to carry 128 Chandler said. “So if you’re the best-qualified to be an 11 pounds,” he said. “Now where does that number come from? Twelve Bravo (infantryman) and that’s what you want to do, then I pounds for uniform, about 60 pounds for body armor and the rest is in say ‘go for it.’ your assault pack. You’ve got to be able to carry that weight and con “The most important thing people need to take duct a road march a certain distance and be able to move directly into away from this is that this is about managing talent,” he combat. continued. “This is about us finding the best-qualified WOMEN, continued on page 11 people to do the jobs that we need them to do in the Army, for the Army to be successful in supporting the nation.” The topic about women in combat military occupational specialties came up because Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin
8 • Eagle’s View
army news
SMA on budget: ‘Priority to warfighters’ By: David Vergun American News Service
Sequestration is a “huge concern for us,” said Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III. SEQUESTRATION If sequestration kicks in, a lot of programs could be affected, he told about 50 sergeants major who were attending a new legal orientation course at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center & School on the campus of the University of Virginia, Jan. 29. Sequestration, part of the Budget Control Act of 2011, includes deep cuts to defense that could begin March 1 if Congress cannot come to agreement on budget cuts required by their vote last year. “Everything is on the table,” Chandler said, from a reduction in permanent change-of-station moves and new construction to cutbacks in professional military education and temporary duty assignment funding, even for programs like the Department of the Army’s Best Warrior Competition. Army civilians could be affected as well, he added. “The last thing we want to do is to furlough employees,” but it is being considered, he said. There’s a lot of tradeoffs to consider and the Army is going to have to figure out what stays and what goes, he said, “but (Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno’s) top priority is on the warfighter.” Senior Army leaders have also repeatedly expressed strong commitment to wounded warriors and Army families. BUDGET, continued on page 11
Community leaders impressed by Army medical, support facilities By: Jorge Gomenz, USAREC American News Service
Photo Credit: Mr. Jorge Gomez (USAREC) Capt. Michael Caspers, talks with a community leader about his experience completing the Army Ten-Miler. Educators and community leaders from across the country had the opportunity to tour Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and the Center for the Intrepid and participate in an installation management briefing during Army All-American Bowl week activities.
Few community leaders understand how the Army trains physicians, cares for the wounded, feeds Soldiers and sustains a high quality of life for Soldier Families. During pregame activities of the U.S. Army All American Bowl, 50 selected centers of influence from throughout the nation toured Fort Sam Houston Jan. 3. “The intention was to provide these civilian leaders an opportunity to see the Army as it is,” said Col. L. Wayne Magee Jr., U.S. Army 5th Recruiting Brigade commander. “We didn’t need to talk about the technology we use for training, they were able to handle simulators and perform (virtual) surgical operations themselves. They were able to talk directly with our wounded warriors and ask them tough questions.” During the tour, community leaders visited the Simulation Center of the Brooke Army Medical Center. The simulators are used to train basic medics to cardio fellowships and everything in between. Visitors could practice cutting tissue on a virtual laparoscopic machine while others could see the reaction of dummies groaning when an bronchoscope was inserted. Anna Gilmore, a premedicine stustudent
student adviser at Emory Career Center in Atlanta, has seen many simulation laboratories in her career but none compare to BAMC. “A lot of schools may have one or two but the fact that [BAMC] has a wide range of simulators is impressive,” Gilmore said. The medical facility also did not correspond to the misperceptions that are sometimes circulated in the public, she said. “You hear in the news about how run down the medical facilities are for Soldiers and it’s definitely not the case here,” Gilmore said. “It’s one of the nicest hospitals I’ve been in.” Community leaders visited with wounded warriors at the Center for the Intrepid, dedicated to providing the best rehabilitative care. They heard from Soldiers who lost limbs and regained the ability to walk and run with the support of high-tech prosthetics. CFI patient Capt. Michael Caspers lost his right leg below the knee after stepping on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in August 2011. FACILITIES, continued on page 11
Find more Army news on-line at www.army.mil/news/ . winter 2013 •
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By Regina Taylor Brigade Family Advocacy Program / SHARP Representative
On Jan. 2, 2013, President Obama signed the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. The act includes 19 amendments designed to significantly reform Department of Defense sexual assault and sexual harassment policies. The NDAA is one of the primary vehicles used by Congress to mandate change on a range of military issues from the total number of troops to retiree benefits and everything in between. This landmark bill also achieved an unprecedented number of legal sexual violence provisions and represents the culmination of more than 18 months worth of relentless advocacy work by the Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN). SWAN is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advocacy of women veterans’ needs through policy reform and direct services. Since its establishment in 2007, SWAN has developed relationships with key members of Congress to provide bipartisan legislative recommendations to both the House and Senate to improve the welfare of service women and women veterans. In 2012, a record number of provisions based on SWAN’s policy agenda were legislated. As a result, improvements were made to military policy addressing sexual assault, sexual harassment and health care for service women and military families. While the NDAA provides numerous provisions to protect and support service women, women veterans and their families, some of specific initiatives of the law include: * Prohibition of military recruitment of convicted sex offenders * Mandatory separation of convicted sex offenders * Insurance coverage for abortions in cases of rape or incest for service women and military family members
10 • Eagle’s View
*Retention of restricted report documentation for 50 years by request of the victim * Creation of “Special Victims Units” to improve case investigation and provide specialized support for victims of child abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault cases * Permission for victims to return to active duty after separation to help prosecute sex offenders * Creation of a panel consisting of military and civilian members to examine DOD investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of sexual assault case processes * Requirements for training on sexual assault prevention in precommand and command courses for officers *Mandatory notification to all military personnel of the options available to correct military records containing retaliatory personnel action related to a report of sexual assault or sexual harassment * Requirement for DOD to establish a policy on comprehensive sexual harassment prevention and response Reform of DOD policy through legislature can be a difficult, complicated and lengthy process. In the interim, SWAN uses policy education opportunities, military leadership engagements, civil rights coalitions and the direct services it provides to military women to make institutional change happen and to ensure current DOD policies are properly implemented and fairly practiced. If you are a military woman in need of legal help or guidance, SWAN can be contacted at: Service Women’s Action Network 220 East 23rd Street, Suite 509 New York, NY 10010 1-888-729-2089 HelpLine@servicewomen.org
Upcoming Events and Activities FEBRUARY Feb. 20-21: Feb. 20: Feb. 21:
DCG Training: Tampa, Jacksonville, Atlanta Bn Cdrs Baton Rouge Battalion CTB Montgomery Battalion CTB
MARCH Mar. 15: Mar. 19-24: Mar. 21-24:
Training Standdown Day Strong Bonds, Atlanta Battalion Strong Bonds, Montgomery Battalion
APRIL Apr. 2: Apr. 23-28:
Brigade SATB Strong Bonds, Montgomery Battalion
WOMEN, continued from page 8 “Is that still accurate?” he asked rhetorically. “We’re going to assess that. Do you need to be able to march 20 kilometers in six hours? Is that what we expect every infantryman to do?” “Many of these physical requirements are very old, so we’ve got to confirm that those requirements still exist and is it a reasonable expectation for all people to be able to perform the tasks associated,” he added. Chandler said TRADOC is assessing not only the five closed MOSs but also other MOSs. He said those assessments “will be a very deliberate process” and plans for implementation should be ready to present to the secretary of Defense by May. In addition to the MOS assessments, Chandler said the Army will be “continuing our nine-brigade pilot that we’re working on to expand the role of women from a unit perspective and we’re going to expand that and incorporate the Army National Guard and Army Reserve and other brigades across the Army as we expand the opportunities for our female Soldiers.” Chandler advised that before Soldiers start asking a lot of detailed questions about the assessments and standards they “wait and let TRADOC do their job.”
BUDGET, continued from page 9 CONTINUING RESOLUTION The continuing resolution is another concern, Chandler said. Since Congress did not approve an Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2013, the Defense Department has been operating under a continuing resolution and will continue to do so at least through March 27. Because most operating funding was planned to increase from fiscal year 2012 to fiscal year 2013, but instead is being held at fiscal 2012 levels under the continuing resolution, funds will run short at current rates of expenditure if the continuing resolution continues through the end of the fiscal year in its current form, according to a Jan. 10 DOD memorandum. The continuing resolution prevents the Army from transferring money, Chandler said. “So you’ve got a lot of money in OCO, or overseas contingency operations, but because we’re under a CR, we can’t spend it where we need to. We don’t have the flexibility we need. So that means if you’re not a deployed unit or a next-deploying unit, we’re going to ramp back your money and go from there.” Army leaders “are right now in a place where their backs are up against a wall,” he said. “There are three (valves) that can be turned,” he explained. “One is force structure, how many people we have in the Army. The next one is readiness, and then modernization.
“We’ve turned the modernization one down about as far as we can go. We’ve either killed programs, or we’ve extended programs. And so we really can’t do much more in the modernization arena. “Then you’ve got readiness,” he said, which includes training. “We’ve got a fiscal restraint memo that the Army sent out saying we’re going to cut way back on about everything we can do over the next several months” in the way of readiness. These include curtailing temporary duties and professional training that are not mission critical.” “And then the other one is force structure,” he said, meaning the total number of Soldiers in all Army components. “Depending on which direction Congress goes is really going to determine how large of an Army we have or how ready an Army we’re going to have. We just don’t have an answer right now.” WHAT SOLDIERS CAN DO Chandler then called on the sergeants major to take action individually; urging them to answer their elected officials if they ask how sequestration will affect military members that they represent. “(Tell them) ‘we’re in a pretty bad hurt box that we just really can’t change. It’s out of our control. We really need your help.’ And that’s going to carry weight.” Following his visit with the sergeants major at the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center & School, Chandler visited about 50 Soldiers who were attending the Noncommissioned Officer Academy there. During a question-and-answer session with noncommissioned officers, or NCOs, a sergeant asked Chandler about the impact a reduced budget might have on the retention of “professional NCOs.” Chandler replied that the Army will continue to retain the best qualified Soldiers and will continue to challenge them. He had a warning, however. Chandler told the NCOs that in these times of fiscal uncertainty, they must exert leadership and initiative. “I challenge you as a leader, and you as a leader can challenge your subordinates,” he said. “Even in tough times you can be creative, adaptive and agile as leaders and inspire your Soldiers to want to stay as part of the team. Leadership is the key ingredient.” He cited examples of things NCOs might do if they have a limited budget, which he categorizes as “getting back to the basics,”such as physical readiness training, language skills that aid deployments, and warrior tasks and battle drills. “These are low cost, but important squadlevel training events that maintain some level of readiness in our units,” he said. “I have full faith and confidence that our Soldiers and leaders will rise to this challenge.”
FACILITIES, continued from page 9 “My experience here in BAMC has been fantastic. All my medical care and needs were attended to. I never felt like I was shorted of any care,” Caspers said. “I went from being able to walk with a prosthesis to running in the Army Ten-Miler.” Joy Thrash, a North Carolina defense business executive, is a three-time runner on the Army’s Ten-Miler. She has only been able to achieve a 12-minute mile and remarked at how Caspers has been able to run a 9-minute mile. “As I’m running [in the Ten-Miler] these gentlemen and ladies with the prosthetics would pass me. It’s just humbling for them to be doing what they are doing. It’s hard for you to say you can’t run,” Thrash said. The civilian leaders were afforded the opportunity eat lunch alongside Soldiers at an Army dining facility. Even for the senior Army leaders who accompanied the COIs, the dining event demonstrated how the Army has modernized its supporting facilities over the past generations. That served as a launching pad onto an in-depth discussion of how Army installations create a home environment to Soldiers and their Families. Maj. Gen. John Uberti, Installation Management Command deputy commanding general for support, and Maj. Gen. David Mann, U.S. Army Recruiting Command commanding general, hosted a forum with garrison leaders and Families via video teleconferencing. The testimony of a Fort Drum family receiving care through the Exceptional Family Member Program demonstrated the Army treasures its family members, said Richard VonAncken, a high school principal in Rio Rancho, N.M.“In order for a Soldier to be successful he has to feel comfortable that his family is being attended to,” VonAncken said. “That session (VTC) allowed you to see that the Army has a lot of foresight in preparing for (various) situations.” Even Minnifield who considered himself familiar with the Army was impressed by how much the Army builds around the family. “What I’m most pleased with is that there’s a supportive network that allows for any Soldier to achieve the level of success that he or she desires,” Minnifield said. “So many of our young people have wonderful dreams but don’t know how to connect the dots. The Army gives them (young people) the platform to connect the dots.” The IMCOM deputy commanding general thanked the community leaders for taking the time to visit the installation and learn how the Army applies mission readiness to all facets of family life. “It is your Army,” Uberti said to the community leaders. “Help us find ways for you to connect the Army to America and keep it strong.”
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