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Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration? Where does it stand? (Post Osama Bin Laden) DoD Roundtable
Afghanistan will “bite you in the leg if you make assumptions”! Major General Jones at DoD Bloggers Roundtable The Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration program is an Afghan led process that has seen 500 fighters leave the anti-government forces (mostly Taliban) just in the last 60 days! According to British Major General Phil Jones the “numbers are rocketing up”! General Jones is in his fourth tour in Afghanistan and is the Director of the Force Reintegration Cell for the International Security Assistance Force. He spoke to the DoD Bloggers Roundtable this morning (or evening in Afghanistan). With the Reintegration in place for 10 months following the lead of President Hamid Karzai’s…
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“Let’s Move” How Healthy Are You and Your Military Family? – DoD Roundtable
We see it everyday! Sometimes in our own mirror, in family members, at the Exchange, at church/chapel, around town, while visiting family and at the doctor’s office: Many Americans including our children are overweight! We need to get active! The “Let’s Move” campaign is a national effort to improve our health and we need to get going! As the military order goes, “Move Out” on this one! “She said the campaign was focusing on three targets: Diet, Activity and Screen Time.” I am encouraged by the interest of our country’s leaders taking a stand because this is becoming a health care issue with record numbers of childhood diabetes, adult onset…
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Seems Comfort Is Not Immediate and Abuse is Prevalent
Music plays in my life like breezes in an open field, sometimes noticeable, often relaxing and at times bone chilling. I hear songs in the background without recognizing the words. I might know them; I did when I first added an album to a playlist, but now, they fit in. Robert’s desk was front row, front seat. Robert was Robert, not Robbie, Bob or Bobby: Robert. He would cringe when an unfamiliar person would call him Bobby. I saw it as I was the substitute teacher who was coming in February to finish the school year: 6th grade math and home room. Robert could not sit still. He would squirm;…
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“The Army In Your Pocket” – DoD Roundtable
Do you have a smart phone? How do you use it? Can you use the Apps on it? I have one and there are so many applications (ie Apps) that I can not keep up with them. It appears that Uncle Sam via the US Army is ready to use commercial technology to help our soldiers fight the wars and win the missions that our country’s leadership tasks them to do. “The Army In Your Pocket” came from Lt General Michael Vane during a Department of Defense Blogger’s Roundtable this morning. General Vane is the Director of the Army Capabilities Integration Center who answered my first question, “what were the…
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The Power of Women in Afghanistan is Growing! – DoD Roundtable
Imagine female pilots in the Afghan military! How about an Afghan Army Officer Commissioning Class of 29 women! Or 35% of the population of students attending college at Kabul University! As we spoke with Dr Jack Kem, Deputy to the Commander, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan this morning you could hear the excitement of his explanations of where the issues of “gender main streaming” were headed. Speaking primarily of military and police issues he was cautious about the progress but highlighted the successes and what they meant for the Afghan society as a whole. The Afghan constitution gives equal rights but a society impacted by illiteracy and fears is accepting…
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Virtual Reality and PTSD – DoD Roundtable
Our combat veterans see things with a different shade of glasses! Their survival instincts and experiences have highly toned their ability to react when facing combat situations. These same experiences and instincts are embedded into their brains upon their return from the combat arena and would surprise many Americans with little contact with the military or their families. These responses can lead to PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome) and the symptoms of heightened heart rates, high levels of awareness of surroundings, sweat, anxiety, fear of crowds, strong emotions and many others. Seeing or feeling circumstances similar to combat threats such as a pile of garbage along a road (IED location)…
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Critical Care for Our Heroes – DoD Roundtable
A Flying ICU! When one of our service members is injured we take care of them! The services have an entire system of combat rescue, medevac and airevac to move the heroes to hospitals with top notch facilities and medics to care for them. We all pray that no one has to be placed into this responsive system but knowing it is there and saving lives is reassuring. For part of my career I flew combat rescue and C-17s involved in these missions and know personally how seriously the aircrews and medical personnel take supporting our wounded heroes. During a Bloggers’ Roundtable we learned about an expanded role in the…
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TECHNOLOGY! IT IS SAVING OUR TROOPS LIVES! – DoD Roundtable
Technology is Saving Our Troops Lives! They come with names like Wolfhound and Duke! Sounds like the family pet but these names are lifesavers for our troops and they show how technology can save lives! MilitaryAvenue met with Colonel John “Buck” Surdu, military deputy for the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Communications-Electronics Center (CERDEC) during the DoD Roundtable as he excitedly described the capabilities of new equipment in the field. The colonel was pumped about saving lives and you could tell he was proud of his team’s efforts supporting the warfighters! So what is Wolfhound? Much like the famous dog this equipment has a great sniffer! In fact,…
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Operational Stress Control – How are You Doing? – DoD Roundtable
Are you feeling “stretched” as the holiday season and Christmas arrive? Do you have enough energy to bring the stretch of stress under control? Is your military family resilient? During 30 years of service and then retirement and watching a daughter with her husband in Iraq we have seen a lot “stretching” and it was great to hear Captain Lori Laraway, coordinator, Navy Operational Stress Control Program, talk to the Blogger Roundtable about means to help return the stretch to your rubber band of relationships, mental health and tools to keep you resilient! Are you in the Red? Green? Yellow? Orange? I so like this way of identifying how folks…
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“Remember those who gave their lives there” Korengal Valley, Afghanistan – DoD Roundtable
I spoke to heroes during this Roundtable! They defended us in a remote valley in Afghanistan and in the mountains around it. They fought a battle there on October 25, 2007 that resulted in the death of friends, injuries, moments of fear and terror. The responses of one man to the combat situation he found himself in earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor! Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta is the first person to receive the MOH since the Vietnam War who could receive it in person from the President. There have been others who received our nation’s highest decoration in our wars since Vietnam but unfortunately they were posthumously presented…
