Dakota Meyer blasts Army brass in new book
By Dan Lamothe
Staff writer
Army Times
Posted : Monday Aug 20, 2012
WEST MILFORD, N.J. — During one of the Afghan war’s ugliest battles, Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer was nearly taken prisoner at gunpoint but fended off his would-be captor by beating him to death with a baseball-sized rock, according to the Marine’s forthcoming book.
That is among several revelations in “Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War.” It chronicles the disastrous Sept. 8, 2009, battle in Ganjgal, a mountainside village in Kunar province where U.S. Marines and soldiers, and their Afghan counterparts, were pinned down under fire for hours. The book, due to be released Sept. 25, is co-authored by Meyer and Bing West, a best-selling writer and former Marine infantryman.
Throughout the book, Meyer, a sergeant in the Marine Corps Individual Ready Reserve, takes aim at several targets — especially the Army officers he blames for allowing members of his team to die that day. He describes perceived flaws in the mission’s planning, outlines how officers at a nearby base refused to send help and questions why an Army captain who fought alongside him, Will Swenson, still hasn’t received any valor award despite being recommended for the Medal of Honor nearly three years ago.
read more here
Monday, August 20, 2012
Fort Hood soldiers have to worry about budget cuts on top of everything else
Fort Hood looks at sequestration
Staff report
Army Times
Posted : Monday Aug 20, 201
Ongoing reductions to the active Army and the possibility of even deeper cuts from sequestration were among soldiers’ top concerns during a two-hour town hall conducted by leaders at III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas.
Lt. Gen. Don Campbell, commanding general of III Corps and Fort Hood, said he is optimistic that the installation will not see dramatic changes because of its status as a premier Army post.
“I don’t believe you’ll see a large number of cuts at Fort Hood,” he said. “We have received no guidance on sequestration, and until we receive guidance, we will continue to evaluate the situation with Forces Command and the Department of the Army.”
Fort Hood is one of the Army’s largest installations and is home to the 1st Cavalry Division.
The town hall took place Aug. 14, and leaders fielded more than 200 questions via Facebook and phone. In addition to budget cuts, other issues of concern to soldiers and their families included housing and traffic congestion.
Sequestration, however, was one of the hottest topics during the town hall, with soldiers concerned about the impact of across-the-board defense cuts that could begin in January if Congress and the White House fail to agree on a deficit reduction plan.
The looming $500 billion in defense cuts – which would happen in addition to cuts that are already being made – could slash everything from personnel to programs and health benefits.
read moe here
Staff report
Army Times
Posted : Monday Aug 20, 201
Ongoing reductions to the active Army and the possibility of even deeper cuts from sequestration were among soldiers’ top concerns during a two-hour town hall conducted by leaders at III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas.
Lt. Gen. Don Campbell, commanding general of III Corps and Fort Hood, said he is optimistic that the installation will not see dramatic changes because of its status as a premier Army post.
“I don’t believe you’ll see a large number of cuts at Fort Hood,” he said. “We have received no guidance on sequestration, and until we receive guidance, we will continue to evaluate the situation with Forces Command and the Department of the Army.”
Fort Hood is one of the Army’s largest installations and is home to the 1st Cavalry Division.
The town hall took place Aug. 14, and leaders fielded more than 200 questions via Facebook and phone. In addition to budget cuts, other issues of concern to soldiers and their families included housing and traffic congestion.
Sequestration, however, was one of the hottest topics during the town hall, with soldiers concerned about the impact of across-the-board defense cuts that could begin in January if Congress and the White House fail to agree on a deficit reduction plan.
The looming $500 billion in defense cuts – which would happen in addition to cuts that are already being made – could slash everything from personnel to programs and health benefits.
read moe here
Wyoming National Guard repeating "resiliency" failure
This is stunning! First, Resiliency Training is not new and it began under Battlemind. This is and has been a failure because by the time they get to the good parts of this "plan" the soldiers have stopped listening. They were told they could train their brains to be "mentally tough" which ends up telling them they are weak. It tells them that if they end up with PTSD, it is their fault because the didn't train right so when they look at the others they were with when the trauma hits them but not their buddies, they believe it is their fault. The suicide numbers, attempted suicides and the "deaths still under investigation" are proof of that. The fact that less than half of the soldiers needing help actually ask for it after all these years proves that one too.
Military Suicide Numbers Climb, Wyo Guard Seeks Solutions
By: Karen Snyder
Suicide statistics for the military are sobering. The Associated Press reports that, so far this year, more soldiers have died by their own hand than in combat in Afghanistan.
New techniques for working with soldiers are being offered now, that, according to Wyoming National Guard Public Affairs Officer, Lt. Col. Samuel House, are designed to give soldiers and their families new tools to deal with adversity and combat stress.
It’s called “Resiliency Training” and House says the Wyoming Guard is working to train the trainers and bring it here to Wyoming.
read more here
Georgia National Guard officer "mayor" in Afghanistan
Former Ga. officer keeps peace in Afghanistan
BY JOE JOHNSON
THE ATHENS BANNER-HERALD
ATHENS, Ga. -- He once helped keep the peace locally as an Athens-Clarke police officer. Now, Todd Perkins makes sure things run smoothly as a "mayor" in Afghanistan.
That's the title the Georgia National Guard lieutenant colonel was given as garrison commander of New Kabul Compound.
Like a mayor, the 41-year-old Oconee County resident's main job is to make sure the about 1,000 people living at the fortified outpost within Afghanistan's capital city are kept safe and receive essential services.
"We make quality of life improvements and we manage facilities that belong to the government, which I guess the mayor has a role in that kind of stuff," Perkins said during a satellite telephone interview last week.
A native of Florida, Perkins joined that state's National Guard while attending the University of Florida, where he earned a bachelor's degree. He followed up with a master's degree in public administration at Piedmont College. Perkins was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Guard in 1992.
read more here
BY JOE JOHNSON
THE ATHENS BANNER-HERALD
ATHENS, Ga. -- He once helped keep the peace locally as an Athens-Clarke police officer. Now, Todd Perkins makes sure things run smoothly as a "mayor" in Afghanistan.
That's the title the Georgia National Guard lieutenant colonel was given as garrison commander of New Kabul Compound.
Like a mayor, the 41-year-old Oconee County resident's main job is to make sure the about 1,000 people living at the fortified outpost within Afghanistan's capital city are kept safe and receive essential services.
"We make quality of life improvements and we manage facilities that belong to the government, which I guess the mayor has a role in that kind of stuff," Perkins said during a satellite telephone interview last week.
A native of Florida, Perkins joined that state's National Guard while attending the University of Florida, where he earned a bachelor's degree. He followed up with a master's degree in public administration at Piedmont College. Perkins was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Guard in 1992.
read more here
Kid Rock helps Afghan war vet get house
Kid Rock helps Afghan war vet get house
Posted : Monday Aug 20, 2012
MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich.
Kid Rock has helped surprise an injured soldier with a new, custom-built home that the musician helped finance.
Rock and others were on hand Saturday to present the suburban Detroit house to Army Sgt. Davin Dumar and his wife, Dana. Dumar was released Friday from a military hospital.
Dumar lost a leg and injured his arm in Afghanistan in 2011.
read more here
Posted : Monday Aug 20, 2012
MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich.
Kid Rock has helped surprise an injured soldier with a new, custom-built home that the musician helped finance.
Rock and others were on hand Saturday to present the suburban Detroit house to Army Sgt. Davin Dumar and his wife, Dana. Dumar was released Friday from a military hospital.
Dumar lost a leg and injured his arm in Afghanistan in 2011.
read more here
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