Salute to Freedom - Honoring Military Women, 2009 by GDW Designs inK

Salute to Freedom

INSIDE:

President Barack Obama Thanks Troops, Pledges Support GEN Ann E. Dunwoody, USA 1st Female Four-Star General COL Madeline Lopez, USAF Commander, DSC Richmond

We salute the role of women in the cause of freedom.

Vietnam Women’s Memorial 11th Annual NMAM VA Programs For Women Veterans Army: Promising Path for Women Tribute to Navy Women Female U-2 Pilots Lioness Program Roars

It is an honor for Raytheon to salute the brave women, past and present, who have served our country with courage and distinction, and to recognize the great strides made by women in all military services. Whether mechanics, nurses, pilots, generals or admirals, every branch of our military, at every level, is made stronger through your service. For over a century of commitment, we offer our admiration, our support and our thanks.

MAY 2009

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Education Section: The New GI Bill – Transferring Benefits – Guide to Active Duty Tuition Assistance

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Support Those Supporting America

H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

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From the Editor President Barack Obama

Colonel Madeline Lopez

Kathy Cutler, SES Deputy Commander, Defense Supply Center Richmond

Diane Carlson Evans President / Founder Vietnam Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Memorial Foundation

General Ann E. Dunwoody Commander, Army Materiel Command

Wilma L. Vaught: Paving the Way for Military Women

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Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State

Thanks Troops, Pledges Support By John J. Kruzel Commander, Defense Supply Center Richmond

Janet Napolitano Secretary, Dept. of Homeland Security

Robert Gates Secretary of Defense

Sloan D. Gibson President and CEO, USO

Women in Military Service to America Memorial

The Vietnam Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Memorial Foundation

Army Offers Promising Path for Women

Transcontinental adventurers. Endurance racers. Stunt riders. Engineers. Mechanics. Army dispatch riders. Dealership owners. Women. There from the beginning. There forever. To join this proud line, get in the saddle with our Rider’s Edge® training program. Details at www.harley-davidson.com. We care about you. Ride safely, respectfully and within the limits of the law and your abilities. Always wear an approved helmet, proper eyewear and protective clothing, and insist your passenger does too. Never ride while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Know your Harley® motorcycle and read and understand your owner’s manual from cover to cover. © 2008 H-D. Harley, Harley-Davidson, and the Bar & Shield logo are among the trademarks of H-D Michigan, Inc.

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General Ann E. Dunwoody: First Female Four-Star General By Robert Burns

Army’s Senior Black Female Aviator Retires By J.D. Leipold

Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes

National Statistics of Military Women

60 62

ICX Technology: Breaking the Chain ribute to Navy T Women’s Contributions By Mass Comm. Spc 1st Class Jen Smith

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Navy UTR Program S A L U T E T O f r ee d o m

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U.S. Navy offers Empowering Jobs Naval History Makers Brigadier General Patricia C. Lewis Assistant Surgeon General, USAF

Military Photographer: Not a Safe Job By Warren Wise

Gaining Altitude

Female U-2 Pilots: Gender Isn’t a Factor

By Katie Pesznecker

By Senior Airman Ross M. Tweten

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Wings Across America Changing Roles of Marine Corps Women Lance Cpl. Juan D. Alfonso

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Homeowner’s, renter’s, and boat coverages are written through non-affiliated insurance companies and are secured through Insurance Counselors Inc., the GEICO Property Agency. Some discounts, coverages, payment plans, and features are not available in all states or in all GEICO companies. Military discounts not available in all states or in all GEICO companies. • Government Employees Insurance Co. • GEICO General Insurance Co. • GEICO Indemnity Co. • GEICO Casualty Co. • These companies are subsidiaries of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. GEICO auto insurance is not available in Mass. GEICO, Washington, DC 20076. © 2008

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Brigadier General Angela Salinas Commanding General, Marine Corps Recruit Depot By Lance Cpl. Stefanie C. Pupkiewicz

Lioness Program Continues to Roar By Cpl. Jessica Aranda

Human Intel MOS Opens to Female Marines

Origins of Women in the Coast Guard

First Black Female USCG Aviator By Fanny S. Chirinos

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Where Are All Our Patriots By Duncan Munro, MSgt USAF (ret)

Vivien C. Crea: First Ever USCG Woman Vice-Commandant

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Women of the National Guard When Every Second Counts: Comtec Mobile Datacom

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Mother, Son Deploy to Kosovo Together By Army Spc. Lindsey M. Frazier

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By John A. Tilley

Lt. JG Jeanine McIntosh-Menze:

Gates Cites High Demand for Guards, Reservists By Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke

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Silver Star Recipients Eric K. Shinseki New Secretary of Veterans Affairs

America’s most reliable wireless network is reporting for duty.

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VA Reopens Health Care Eligibility Project Evergreen: Let’s ‘Buck It Up’ for Military Families

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American Military University

138

College Credit For Military Service

Educating Those Who Serve

USAF Women and Gulf War Syndrome

140

VA Programs For Women Veterans

144

Jones International University

146

Guide to Active Duty Tuition Assistance

More Benefits for Members By Staff Sgt. Olufemi A. Owolabi

154

University of Mary Degrees

Transferring GI Bill Benefits

158

Operation Gratitude:

160

Military Support Organizations

Women Vets Cashing In on the GI Bill New GI Bill:

By Gerry J. Gilmore

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GI Bill Education Benefits S A L U T E T O f r ee d o m

Upper Iowa University Meeting Demands of the Military Student Education—a Core Building Block to Military Contributions

Prepare You for the Future 100,000 Care Packages

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From The Editor

onoring military women is no small task, and to try to do so fully, within the small confines of this magazine would be an impossible task. Currently, there are more than a million and half women enlisted in military service. This number encompasses the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, as well as all branches of Reservists and Guards, with more women enlisting each day. Now, double that number to include the more than one million women veterans who have served our country with pride and dignity, and it is with humbled gratitude that we bring you this edition of Salute to Freedom: Honoring Military Women. Our country offers its citizens many choices, and the women you will read about have made the conscious choice to serve our country and to dedicate their lives to the choice of defending the rights and freedoms for which our nation stands. Within this publication are stories of strong, steadfast, courageous women who have changed the course of history with their leaps of faith and acts of bravery. By showing their ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action, they have lead by example. In 2008, women served in 93% of the hundreds of military occupational specialties in every arena except the direct ground combat roles such as Infantry, Armor, and Special Forces that are prohibited by Department of Defense assignment regulations. While regulations may be in place, the fact remains that military women still see combat – war is war. A female MP has to defend against the enemy while out on patrol, and she’s going to do just that, it’s her job. As well, a female jet fighter pilot must attack the enemy from the air, because it’s her job. 12

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Publisher

The proverbial glass ceiling is being slowly eliminated for women, allowing them to be recognized for their service and rewarded for their contributions and sacrifices to our nation. Amazingly, there is still a long road ahead in terms of equality for those women who have chosen the military path for their lives. It was not until late in 2008 that a women finally attained a four-star general ranking. The nomination and appointment of General Ann E.

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John D. Kerin President

Gabrielle D. Wood Editor-in-Chief

Karry Thomas Art Director

Deena Warner Web Master

Catherine Richmond V.P. Sales

Account Executives Bonita Elliott-Primous Bill Marriott Chris McCormick Jennifer Simmons Special Thanks to:

Dunwoody by President George Bush was just and long overdue for a woman who has given some 33 years of her life to the service and has no intentions of retiring anytime soon. She is an inspiration to women everywhere when you take into account the road on which she has traveled to make it to her present position in what has traditionally been ‘a man’s world’. Capable, able, inspiring and accomplished women, dedicated to their professions as United States Military Personnel, no matter the branch of service, the capacity of rank or the length of enlistment, are to be revered for continuing a proud and courageous legacy – we salute you.

G.D. Wood Editor-in-Chief

American Forces Press Service; Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes; Carolyn Blashek, Operation Gratitude; Marilla Cushman and Wilma L. Vaught, Women in Military Service for America Memorial; Dr. Irene Trowell-Harris, VA Women’s Center; Duncan Munro, MSgt USAF (Ret), NMAM; USO; Debra R. Bingham Chief, Public Affairs, Defense Supply Center Richmond; Melissa Bohan Army Materiel Command, Public Affairs; Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb, Media Relations Division, Army Public Affairs; Dennis J. Gauci, APR Chief, Media and Environmental Relations, Defense Logistics Agency Public Affairs; Cindy Gurney, COL, USA (Ret), Executive Director, Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation.

Photography provided by: Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, Dept. of Defense, Operation Gratitude, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, Library of Congress, Women in Military Service for America Memorial, Dept. of VA Women’s Center. Copyright © 2009 LaFayette Marketing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of editorial or images in whole or part is strictly prohibited without written permission from publisher. LaFayette Marketing Group, Inc., assumes no responsibility for advertisements or claims made therein. The publisher expressly disclaims any liability for inaccuracies or omissions of information contained herein whether occurring during the publication of such information for publication or otherwise. All trademarks, service marks, logos and registered trademarks are the sole property of respective owners. Disclaimer: Neither the Department of Defense nor any other component of the Department of Defense, nor any other government or military bodies have approved, endorsed or authorized this product or promotion, service or activity.

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PresIDENT barack obama

Obama Thanks Troops, Pledges Support By John J. Kruzel

Pres. Barack Obama

Photos: by Pete Souza

anuary 28, 2009 marked President Obama’s first visit to the Pentagon as commander in chief. During that visit he thanked U.S. troops and pledged to provide the resources they need to accomplish their missions. “I want to first of all thank all of our men and women in uniform, they are the best that this country has to offer,” Obama said after he and Vice President Joe Biden shook hands with a row of troops from all service branches who lined an E-ring Pentagon hallway. “All of you who are serving in the U.S. armed forces have my full support, and one of my duties as president is going to be to make sure that you have what you need to accomplish your missions,” he said. Obama said the first point he addressed with the Joint Chiefs – the senior-ranking officers of each military service branch – was

gratitude for the service and sacrifice of troops and military families, who he said were responsible for national freedoms that sometimes are taken for granted. He also suggested that he would relieve some of the pressure placed on the military by more evenly distributing responsibility among other U.S. government elements. “We have for a long time put enormous pressure on our military to carry out a whole set of missions, sometimes not with the sort of strategic support and the use of all aspects of American power to make sure that they’re not carrying the full load,” he said. “And that’s

Pres. Obama and Vice Pres. Biden shake hands with troops from all service branches at the Pentagon. 14

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something that I spoke to the chiefs about and that I intend to change as president of the United States.” “I know the chiefs are constantly thinking about what we need to do to make sure that people who are in uniform for the United States are getting the kinds of support that they need and that [their families need], and that’s something that I absolutely am committed to, and I know that Vice President Biden is as well,” he said. Some of the most urgent issues facing White House and Pentagon officials include the ways forward in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We’re going to have some difficult decisions that we’re going to have to make surrounding Iraq and Afghanistan,” Obama said. “Obviously, our efforts to continue to pursue extremist organizations that would do harm to the homeland is uppermost in our minds.” “I have every confidence that our military is going to do their job, and I intend to make sure that the civilian side of the ledger does its job to support what they are doing,” he added. During a meeting at the White House on his first full day in office, Obama directed key defense and military officials to plan for a “responsible military drawdown in Iraq.” The participants included Gates and Mullen, as well as Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command.

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Col. madeline f. lopez

Commander – Def. Logistics Agency Warner Robins

housands of great American women have answered the call to serve in the Profession of Arms and are serving proudly and admirably today across the globe in all our military service branches. To all the women who serve in the United States Armed Forces, thank you for your patriotism, commitment and selfless service. You are part of a proud legacy forged by military women who came before you. Your accomplishments today will inspire the next generation of women who will continue the tradition of defending this great nation. I grew up in the military, my father retired from the Army, and I knew from early on that I wanted to carry on the tradition of service to our great nation. Serving in the military offers countless opportunities for personal and professional growth. Knowing that the work I do

helps support other service men and women who defend our freedoms, is exceptionally rewarding. After 27 years of service, I continue to be impressed by their dedication, professionalism and bravery. Military women have been part of the nation’s defense since its inception. The Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., honors “the 2.5 million women who have served or who are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, starting with the

Col. Madeline F. Lopez

Col. Madeline F. Lopez is the commander of Defense Logistics Agency Warner Robins detachment at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. The detachment is part of the Defense Supply Center Richmond, DLA’s aviation supply and demand chain manager, and serves as forward presence at customer sites. Before coming to DLA, Col. Lopez served as the Chief, C-17 System Support Management Division, LT Directorate, Robins AFB, Ga. Col. Lopez leads a 265person organization helping to support our nation’s war fighters. While DLA has an extremely wide range of applications, the core mission is to supply products with a direct application to aviation. DSCR serves as the primary source of supply for nearly 1.2 million repair parts and operating supply items. Lopez received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Puerto Rico in 1981. In 1982, she graduated from the Aircraft Maintenance Officer Course, Chanute AFB, Ill. She graduated from the Squadron Officers School located at Maxwell AFB, Ala., in 1985. Her additional military training includes graduating from the Spanish Air Command and Staff College in Madrid, Spain in 1995. She also graduated from the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Ala. Col. Lopez has a Master of Business Administration in Management from Tarlton State University, Stephenville, Texas. In 2002, she received a Master’s in Strategic Studies from Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala. Col. Lopez’s awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, National Image Inc., Uniformed Service Medal and the 1997 AETC Lieutenant General Leo Marquez Award. 16

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American Revolution.” Dedicated in 1997, this national memorial has exhibits, collections of historical photos and documents, as well as a theater and an education center. The education center’s interactive computer database, the Register, enables service women to share their stories and photos, “creating an on-going record of history as it is made.” The stories told are as diverse as the women sharing them; it’s a wonderful glimpse into the past and an insider’s view into the world our military women live in today. As we celebrate two centuries of service by women in the US military, I encourage all of you who wear the uniform to share your story. No matter what you do, no matter where you serve, you are part of history and your contribution should not be forgotten. We must also continue to honor the legacy of those who served before us and remind ourselves, our families and fellow Americans that, Freedom has Never been Free.

Col. Madeline F. Lopez Defense Logistics Agency – Warner Robins

Del Monte is a proud supporter of all the hardworking women in the United States Military

Kathy cutler

Deputy Commander – Defense Supply Center Richmond (Defense Logistics Agency)

s we celebrate two centuries of women’s contributions to our military, we look forward to a bright future filled with limitless opportunities for young women. Since we entered the 21st century, women have made progress in entering non-traditional jobs throughout the Defense Department, and are progressing to higher levels than ever before. For a prime example of outstanding leadership of today’s women in the military, one only has to look to Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, who in 2008 became the Army’s first female four-star general. General Dunwoody acknowledged the generations of women who preceded her and their commitment to service that helped open the doors of opportunity for today’s women. We are all grateful to them. Possibly the greatest challenge to today’s military is embracing change. Change for us is driven by current military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, a new administration, and the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure legislation. We have to meet it head on, often with new information technology, new ideas and new people. In that regard, embracing change creates multiple opportunities for women, who comprise approximately 52 percent of the Defense Logistics Agency work force. In DLA and throughout DoD, women are making significant gains in professional

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and technical fields, and in the grades of GS-13 through Senior Executive Service. Women today are working in greater numbers in the fields of contracting, information technology, program management and many others, and they are making significant contributions. We are proud of them all. Since 2001, women have enjoyed strong, steady gains in supervisory positions at DLA and Defense Supply Center Richmond, DLA’s aviation supply and demand chain manager. The number of women in supervisory positions at DLA has grown from 662 to 925 during that time, and at DSCR from 127 to 196. The percentage of women in the supervisory force grew from 31.3 at DLA to 36.9. At DSCR, 52.7 percent of the supervisory force is women, compared to 46.7 percent in 2001. Women have played a major role in military aviation dating back to the late 1930s and the days of Amelia Earhart. In 1941, Jackie Cochran became the first woman to ferry a bomber across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1942 she began training women pilots for the Army, and in 1943 established the Women Airforce Service Pilots, who went on to great fame and glory during World War II and are remembered today by their acronym, WASPs. Although the WASP program ended in 1944, the women who braved the dangers associated with military aviation weren’t granted veteran status until 1979. Those women embraced change as perhaps no other generation in history. They left

Kathy Cutler the safety and comfort of their homes to learn how to fly and provide support to their nation when it was at war. The hardships they endured and the contributions they made are part of a legacy that is imbued in today’s women. The pioneering spirit of Jackie Cochran and other early women aviators lives on today in Iraq and Afghanistan. Women are fulfilling every role in military aviation, from ordering parts and contracting here in Defense Logistics Agency to changing engines on the flight line to hauling tons of cargo and dropping ordnance on terrorists. These brave women in today’s fight, and their male counterparts, are driving demand for aviation parts as never before experienced in DLA. Our women and men are embracing the changes associated with the increased demand in order to deliver the parts necessary to keep those aircraft flying and fighting. Support to those magnificent warfighters is our utmost priority.

Kathy Cutler, SES Deputy Commander Defense Supply Center Richmond (Defense Logistics Agency)

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proudly serving those who serve We at Unilever have a commitment to supporting the men and women serving our country

diane carlson evans

President and Founder Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation

o law has ever passed conscripting women into the Armed Forces or support services. Yet they served in abundance. We celebrate those first daring women, those shining beacons, who during more than two centuries have made it possible for women to press forward in service to our country. While building the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, veteran women sliced through decades of silence and transformed images and conversations about Vietnam affirming that women share the crucible of war. The striking image, cast in bronze, of three women in uniform and a wounded soldier, penetrated the public consciousness, and stunned the community at large. Women fought antagonists from every corner of America for a memorial they had earned the right to decades earlier. We challenged elite art critics, bigotry and in the end, altered a nation’s thinking in how it heals its wounds, how memory is shaped, and how history records women’s service. In 1993, finally, these heroic women, of the Vietnam Era, were visible to the world.

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Today, young and vibrant women dressed in desert camouflage and sand colored boots join us at the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, in Washington, DC. We invite them on Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day, to share their stories of service in Iraq, Afghanistan {and elsewhere} during our programs. Others just show up; most are quiet and observant - drawn to the Vietnam Women’s Memorial and the understanding and hugs given generously by Vietnam vets. These women wear different insignia and carry different tools than in previous wars. When on duty they carry, and use, weapons – unlike those women who preceded them, decades ago. Each generation inspires and leads into the next era, opening the doors for advancement and leaving their important legacies. Together with the contingents of military women, whose skilled and professional contribution reflects loyalty, courage, and fortitude, are thousands of civilian women as well – who throughout the history of our nation volunteered to serve in support of our Armed Forces. We counted on them then, and we still do today. The late Admiral William J.

Diane Carlson Evans Crowe, Jr., USN, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, left us with his inspiring words spoken at the dedication of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, “Perhaps the most enduring aspect of this memorial will be its impact on the future. It says something profound about what vigorous, courageous and determined individuals can do in times of crisis. What a marvelous example…it will be for coming generations of young American women. Hopefully it will inspire them to dream, to strive, to challenge adversity and not to be intimidated by peril. What a magnificent legacy for the women who served during the Vietnam War to leave to our great Republic. This moving monument finally completes the Vietnam circle by honoring the spirit and achievements of the women who participated in that effort. But more important, it will serve as a shining beacon for future generations of American women.” Those “future generations” Admiral Crowe spoke of, are serving around the world today. We are proud of them, and we must work hard to prove to them we care.

Diane Carlson Evans President and Founder Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation

Supporting Math and Science Education

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www.MathMovesU.com © 2009 Raytheon Company. All rights reserved. “Customer Success Is Our Mission” is a registered trademark of Raytheon Company. MathMovesU is a registered trademark of Raytheon Company. MATHCOUNTS is a registered trademark of the MATHCOUNTS Foundation.

general ann e. dunwoody

Commanding General U.S. Army Materiel Command

sion Support Command (DISCOM) Fort Drum, NY; the 1st Corps Support Command Fort Bragg, NC; the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC)/Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) Alexandria, VA; and the Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM) Fort Lee, VA. She most recently served as AMC’s Deputy Commanding General. Her key Staff Assignments include 82d Division Parachute officer; strategic planner for the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA); Executive Officer to the Director, Defense Logistics Agency; and Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics G-4. She deployed with the 82d as the

Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody

Photo: Spc. Matthew Thompson

eneral Ann E. Dunwoody assumed the duties as the U.S. Army Materiel Command’s Commanding General on November 14, 2008. AMC is one of the largest commands in the Army, with more than 61,000 employees in 149 locations worldwide, including more than 30 states and 50 countries. General Dunwoody received a direct commission as a Quartermaster officer in 1975, after graduating from the State University of New York at Cortland. She later earned a Master of Science Degree in Logistics Management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1988 and a Master of Science Degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1995. Her command assignments include: the 226th Maintenance Company Fort Sill, OK; 5th QM Detachment (ABN) Kaiserslautern, Germany; the 407th Supply and Service Battalion/ 782d Main Support Battalion (MSB) Fort Bragg, NC; the 10th Divi-

U.S. Army Gen. Ann Dunwoody, commander of the Army Materiel Command, tours Forward Operating Base Shank in the Logar Province of Afghanistan, Feb. 28, 2009, with the base command group. Dunwoody’s visit was to observe conditions and discover what the base needs to expand. 22

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Division Parachute Officer for Desert Shield and Desert Storm from September 1990 to March 1991, and in 2001, as 1st COSCOM Commander she deployed the Log Task Force in support of OEF1 and stood up the Joint Logistics Command in Uzbekistan in support of CJTF-180. As Commander of SDDC, she supported the largest deployment and redeployment of U.S. forces since WWII. Her awards and decorations include: the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster; Defense Superior Service Medal; Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Meritorious Service Medal with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster; Army Commendation Medal; the Army Achievement Medal; the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star; SWASM (2 campaign stars); and the Kuwait Liberation Medal. Her badges include the Master Parachutist Badge and the Parachute Rigger Badge. She was recognized as a 2001 Distinguished Alumni for Cortland State SUNY, designated as the 2004 recipient of the National Defense Transportation Association’s DoD Distinguished Service Award, and was the 2007 recipient of Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW) Distinguished Service Award. General Dunwoody has been married to Colonel Craig Brotchie, USAF (Retired) for 19 years. They have one puppy, Barney.

Adaptability. Flexibility. Resiliency. Agility. Agility salutes the women of the U.S. armed forces. Turns out weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a lot in common.

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Wilma vaught – paving the way for military women

Wilma Vaught: Paving the Way for Military Women

ilma Vaught, Brigadier General, USAF (Ret.), one of the most highly decorated military women in United States history, broke through many of the bureaucratic and gender barriers that faced women in the armed forces during her nearly twenty-nine year military career. The many “firsts” she achieved helped pave the way for thousands of other military women to be judged based on their abilities, and not their gender. In 1967, Lyndon Johnson signed into law a measure finally permitting women to be promoted to the level of generals and admirals. That same law also lifted the quotas that had been placed on women in achieving other ranks. Today, due to the efforts of General Vaught and others like her, women have much more equality and respect, although, as Vaught insists, much still needs to be achieved. After receiving her B.S. degree in Business from the University of Illinois, General Vaught enlisted in the Air Force in 1957. She rose through the ranks in the comptroller area, serving in Europe, Vietnam and various posts in the United States. Along the way, she achieved numerous distinctions. In 1966, she became the first woman to deploy with a Strategic Air Command bombardment wing on an operational deployment. In 1972, she was the first female Air Force officer to attend the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. In 1980, she became the first woman

promoted to Brigadier General in the comptroller career field. In 1982, she was appointed Commander, U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command, North Chicago, Illinois, the largest command, geographically, in the military. In addition, she served as Chairperson of the NATO Women

USAF (Ret) Brigadier General Wilma Vaught

Vaught with U.S. Sec. of Defense, Robert Gates as he signs the Memorial guest book. 24

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Wilma Vaught in the Allied Forces Committee and was the senior woman military representative to the prestigious Secretary of Defense’s Advisory Committee on Women in the Service. When she retired in 1985, she was one of only seven women generals in the Armed Forces, and only one of three in the Air Force. She has received numerous military decorations and other honors, including the Defense and Air Force Distinguished Service Medals, the Air Force Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and the Vietnam Service Award with four stars. She is also the first woman to command a unit receiving the Joint Meritorious Unit Award. But perhaps General Vaught’s most lasting contribution will be her successful efforts to establish the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation Inc. and raise funding to build the first major national memorial honoring women who have defended their country. As president of the foundation’s board of directors, Vaught spearheaded the campaign that raised over $20 million for the memorial. The memorial, standing at the main gateway to Arlington National Cemetery, is the first major memorial to honor the nearly two million women who have served in our nation’s armed forces. It stands as a place where the American people and visitors from around the world can learn of the contributions that thousands of American women have made to the military and to their country.

Hillary rodham clinton

Secretary of State

n January 21, 2009, Hillary Rodham Clinton was sworn in as the 67th Secretary of State of the United States. Secretary Clinton joined the State Department after nearly four decades in public service as an advocate, attorney, First Lady, and Senator. Secretary Clinton was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 26, 1947 to Dorothy Rodham and the late Hugh Rodham. She attended local public schools before graduating from Wellesley College and Yale Law School, where she met Bill Clinton. In 1974, Secretary Clinton moved to Arkansas, a year later then married Bill Clinton and became a successful attorney while also raising their daughter, Chelsea. She was an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law, and after working to strengthen the local legal aid office, she was appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 to serve on the board of the Legal Services Corporation, which she later chaired. During her 12 years as First Lady of the State of Arkansas, she was Chairwoman of the Arkansas Education Standards Commit-

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Photo: Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Ash Severe

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks prior to the beginning of a Veteran’s Day ceremony at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, N.Y., Nov. 11, 2008. 26

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tee, co-founded the Arkansas Advo cates for Children and Families, and served on the boards of the Arkan sas Children’s Hos pital, and the Child ren’s Defense Fund. In 1992, Governor Clinton was elected President of the United States, and as First Lady, Hillary Clinton became an advocate of health care reform and worked on many issues relating to children and families. She led successful bipartisan efforts to improve the adoption and foster care systems, reduce teen pregnancy, and provide health care to millions of children through the Children’s Health Insurance Program. She also traveled to more than 80 countries as a representative of our country, winning respect as a champion of human rights, democracy and civil society. Her famous speech in Beijing in 1995 -- when she declared that “human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights” – inspired women worldwide and helped galvanize a global movement for women’s rights. With Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, Secretary Clinton worked to launch the government’s Vital Voices Democracy Initiative. Today, Vital Voices is a non-governmental organization that continues to train and organize women leaders across the globe. In 2000, Hillary Clinton made history as the first First Lady elected to the United States Senate, and the first woman elected statewide in New York. In the Senate, she served on the Armed Services Committee, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Budget Committee and the Select Committee on Aging. She was also a Commissioner on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

As a Senator, Clinton worked across party lines to build support for causes important to her constituents and the country, including the expansion of economic opportunity and access to quality, affordable health care. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, she was a strong advocate for funding the rebuilding of New York and the health concerns of the first responders who risked their lives working at Ground Zero. She also championed the cause of our nation’s military and fought for better health care and benefits for wounded service members, veterans and members of the National Guard and Reserves. She was also the only Senate member of the Transformation Advisory Group to the Department of Defense’s Joint Forces Command. In 2006, Senator Clinton won reelection to the Senate, and in 2007 she began her historic campaign for President. In 2008, she campaigned for the election of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and in November, she was nominated by President-elect Obama to be Secretary of State. Secretary Clinton is the author of bestselling books, including her memoir, Living History, and her groundbreaking book on children, It Takes A Village. She and President Clinton reside in New York.

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Janet Napolitano

Secretary – Department of Homeland Security

anet Napolitano was sworn in on January 21, 2009 as the third Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Napolitano was mid-way through her second term as governor of the state of Arizona. While governor, Napolitano became the first woman to chair the National Governors Association, where she was instrumental in creating the Public Safety Task Force and the Homeland Security Advisors Council. She also chaired the Western Governors Association. Napolitano previously served for one term as the Attorney General of Arizona and served for four years as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona. Napolitano’s homeland security background is extensive. As U.S. Attorney, she helped lead the domestic terrorism investigation into the Oklahoma City Bombing. As Arizona Attorney General, she helped write the law to break up human smuggling rings. She has been a champion of law-enforcement and border security, as governor, she imple-

mented one of the first state homeland security strategies in the nation, and was responsible for the creation of the Arizona CounterTerrorism Information Center, a multi-agency intelligence fusion center that tracks and shares critical data used to keep our cities and our borders safe 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it was also the first state counter-terrorism center to be opened. As well, Napolitano spearheaded efforts to transform immigration enforcement. She’s also been a pioneer in coordinating federal, state, local and bi-national homeland security efforts, and presided over large scale disaster relief efforts and readiness exercises to ensure well-crafted and functional emergency plans.

While still governor, Napolitano campaigned for President Obama. 28

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Janet Napolitano Although she faced a great many challenges in her first year as Arizona’s governor, including a billion dollar deficit, Napolitano managed to meet the hurdles head on. Her innovative thinking and programs saw an erasure of the deficit within the first 356 days and was achieved without raising taxes or cutting funding for public schools or other vital services. Also during that first year in office, she tackled a problem that had been ignored for too long in Arizona – the under-funding of the agency that cares for abused and neglected children. She began a series of reforms of the state’s Child Protective Services that continue to this day. Under her leadership, the state has begun the phase-in of voluntary full-day kindergarten. Under that program, every parent in every family in Arizona would have the choice of sending their children to full-day K. Napolitano graduated from Santa Clara University in 1979, where she won a Truman Scholarship, and received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 1983 from the University of Virginia School of Law. After law school she served as a law clerk for Judge Mary M. Schroeder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit before joining the law firm of Lewis and Roca.

robert gates

Secretary of Defense

from entry-level employee to Director. He served as Deputy Director of Central Intelligence from 1986 until 1989 and as Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser at the White House from January 20, 1989, until November 6, 1991, for President George H.W. Bush. Secretary Gates joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1966 and spent nearly 27 years as an intelligence professional, serving six presidents. During that period, he spent nearly nine years at the National Security Council, The White House, serving four presidents of both political parties. Secretary Gates has been awarded the National Security Medal, the Presidential Citizens Medal, has twice received the National

Robert Gates

Photo:Cherie Cullen

n December 1, 2008, Presidentelect Obama announced that Robert Gates would remain in his position as Secretary of Defense during his administration, reportedly for at least the first year of Obama’s presidency. Gates is the fourteenth Cabinet member in history to serve under two Presidents of different parties. One of the first priorities under President Barack Obama’s administration for Gates will be a review of U.S. policy and strategy in Afghanistan. Gates, sixth in the presidential line of succession, was selected as designated survivor during Obama’s inauguration. Secretary Gates was sworn in on December 18, 2006, as the 22nd Secretary of Defense. Before entering his present post, Secretary Gates was the President of Texas A&M University, the nation’s seventh largest university. Prior to assuming the presidency of Texas A&M on August 1, 2002, he served as Interim Dean of the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M from 1999 to 2001. Gates served as Director of Central Intelligence from 1991 until 1993 and is the only career officer in CIA’s history to rise

Gates takes the time to meet with U.S. Soldiers during a trip to the Middle East. 30

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Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, and has three times received CIA’s highest award, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal. He is the author of the memoir, From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insiders Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War, published in 1996. Until becoming Secretary of Defense, Dr. Gates served as Chairman of the Independent Trustees of The Fidelity Funds, the nation’s largest mutual fund company, and on the board of directors of NACCO Industries, Inc., Brinker International, Inc. and Parker Drilling Company, Inc. Dr. Gates has also served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the American Council on Education, the Board of Directors of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, and the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America. He has also been President of the National Eagle Scout Association. A native of Kansas, Secretary Gates received his bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary, his master’s degree in history from Indiana University, and his doctorate in Russian and Soviet history from Georgetown University. In 1967 he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and served for a year as an intelligence officer at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

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Sloan d. Gibson

USO President and CEO

loan D. Gibson was elected by the USO World Board of Governors to become the 22nd President and Chief Executive Officer of the United Service Organizations (USO), effective September 1, 2008. The USO was founded in 1941 by President Franklin Roosevelt to integrate the efforts of multiple agencies supporting U.S. troops in World War II, and has been lifting the spirits of our service men and women ever since. Today, the USO operates more than 130 centers around the world, and provides an array of services supporting service members and their families. Prior to joining the USO Gibson spent more than 20 years in banking in Charlotte, N.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Birmingham, Ala. In 2004, he retired from AmSouth Bancorporation, a New York Stock Exchange traded corporation, where he was serving as Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer. During his tenure as CFO, AmSouth was added to the S&P 500. Gibson also has a long history of service and leadership with a variety of not-for-profit organizations. In 2002, he chaired the United Way campaign in Central Alabama, which raised more than $30 million. Gibson is a 1975 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He earned both Airborne and Ranger qualifications and served as an infantry officer in

the U.S. Army. He earned a Masters in Economics from the University of Missouri in Kansas City and a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Gibson and his wife, Margaret are the parents of two grown daughters.

Sloan D. Gibson

USO Mission Since World War II, the USO has been a steadfast supporter of military personnel around the world. While times have changed, the USO mission has remained the same: to boost the morale of service members and serve as the link between them and the American people. Today the USO delivers its programs and services to 1.4 million active duty service members and 1.2 million National Guard and Reserves as well as their families at more than 130 centers located worldwide. The USO reaches out through: •

Airport centers, welcoming weary military travelers with a place to rest and the ability to familiarize themselves with their new surroundings • Family and community centers, promoting intercultural understanding and orientation to unfamiliar locations • Mobile USOs, reaching out to troops in remote and sometimes unstable locations

Since World War II, the USO has supported our military personnel around the world. 32

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USO celebrity entertainment tours bring volunteer celebrities to entertain, lift morale, and express the gratitude and sup-

port of the American people. A nonprofit, congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support USO activities. The USO is not part of the U.S. government but is supported by the President of the United States and the Department of Defense. Each president has been the Honorary Chairman of the USO since its inception. The USO operates more than 130 centers worldwide with the unwavering support of dedicated staff and members of the World Board of Governors who bring the knowledge and expertise essential to the USO’s continued ability to deliver high-quality programs and services to our men and women in uniform. For more information about the USO visit www.uso.org.

women in military service for america memorial

hether you come to see the exhibits portraying American servicewomen, to find a relative in the computerized Register, to appreciate a spectacular view of monumental Washington, D.C., or simply to enjoy a moment of reflection in the Hall of Honor, you will not be disappointed with your visit to the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. Visitor’s to the Women’s Memorial, will experience the inspiration, sacrifice and dedication of the some 2 million women who have served the nation’s military since 1776. Their stories unfold through:

• •

film presentations, in the 196-seat theatre, depicting the roles women have played in America’s military history; exhibits showcasing artifacts, text and memorable images donated by servicewomen and their families; the Hall of Honor which provides recognition to those women who have served with particular sacrifice, distinction and achievement, specifically those women who died in service, were prisoners of war or were recipients of our nation’s highest award for service and bravery;

•

the computerized Register which places the names, records of service, photographs and memorable military experiences of individual service women at the public’s fingertips; and the gift shop and world’s only bookstore dedicated solely to publications by and about military women.

Hall of Honor

Photos courtesy of Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation.

•

Theater

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Memorial Drive The entrance to Arlington National Cemetery begins near the Lincoln Memorial at the eastern edge of Memorial Bridge, extends across the Potomac River, and ends at an impressive semicircular Gateway. The Gateway, Memorial Drive and Memorial Bridge were designed by McKim, Mead and White as a single project and dedicated on January 16, 1932, by President Herbert Hoover. Memorial Bridge embodied a symbolic link binding the North and South together, just as its axis joins two national emblems-the Lincoln Memorial and the Robert E. Lee Memorial at Arlington House. Connecting the bridge to the cemetery gates is a parkway known as Memorial Drive, intersected by a rotary intersection with the George Washington Memorial Parkway. At night, as visitors approach Arlington Cemetery along Memorial Drive, the eternal

women in military service for america memorial The thickness of the wall ranges from 2’-6” to 3’-6”. The Central Niche contains accent panels and coffers of red Texas granite. In the top center of the niche is a base-relief of the Great Seal of the United States. On the north side of the Great Seal is the seal of the Department of the Navy and on the south side is the seal of the Department of the Army. Using the symbols of passage, light and water, the architects of the Women’s Memorial, Marion Gail Weiss and Michael Manfredi, restored and brought new meaning to the gateway hemicycle. It had been a retaining wall, a barrier that literally held back the earth and established a change of level between the land of the living, extending towards Washington and the land of the past behind the hemicycle.

Memorial Bridge

Visitor’s to the Women’s Memorial, will experience the inspiration, sacrifice and dedication of the some 2 million women who have served the nation’s military since 1776. flame which marks President John F. Kennedy’s grave is visible on the hillside. Memorial Drive, ends at an entry court which is now the Women’s Memorial. There are monuments located along Memorial drive that are not formally part of Arlington National Cemetery. These include the Seabees Memorial, The United Spanish War Veterans Memorial, the monument to Admiral Richard Byrd, The 101st Airborne Division Memorial and the Mechanized Armor Memorial. Memorial Bridge, Memorial Drive, the Women’s Memorial and monuments, which line the drive and Arlington House, are all within the jurisdiction of the National Park Service of the US Department of the Interior. The Hemicycle At the western end of the Women’s Memorial Court of Valor is a semicircular retaining wall, the Hemicycle, which rises thirty feet and is 226 feet in diameter. The Hemicycle was originally intended to be the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. Although dedicated in 1932, it was never completed.

A view of Arlington National Cemetery and the Women in Military Service to America Memorial in Arlington, Va. Photo: Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol

In the center of the Hemicycle is a large semicircular niche which measures 20 feet across and 30 feet high. The basic building materials of the Hemicycle are reinforced concrete, faced with Mount Airy Granite.

Ceremonial Gateway From the Court, roads lead both north and south through a pair of large ornate wrought iron gates. On the north is Schley Gate named after Admiral Winfield Scott Schley.

Continued on Page 36

The Court of Valor: a 30-foot high curved neoclassical retaining wall stands at the entrance. H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

women in military service for america memorial Continued from Page 35

On the south side is Roosevelt Gate named in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt. At the center of each gate is mounted a gold wreath, thirty inches in diameter. Set within the wreath on the Roosevelt Gate is the seals for the US Marine Corps and the US Army. Within the wreath on the Schley Gate are the seals of the US Navy and the US Coast Guard. (When the gates were installed, the United States Air Force had not been formed, so its seal does not appear.)

Exhibit gallery with skylights

Original Structure A close look at the McKim, Meade and White original drawings reveals empty niches, a fountain, inscriptions and a drawing of a woman, none of which were included in the final contract. This omission suggests the architects were ambivalent about the meaning of the wall. Symbolically, and in a larger sense, this ambivalence was reflected throughout our society. In many respects, the country was ambivalent about women who have been pivotal in our nation’s defense and who found it difficult to break through barriers-visible and invisible to assume full

cal Rome, as well as being the symbol of the United States.

Photo: Gerry J. Gilmore

Symbols and Architectural Detailing The Classical Revival style of the Hemicycle and Entry gates makes use of many symbols and architectural detailing deeply rooted in the Greek and Roman Periods. The wrought iron gates contain decorative elements easily identified with the classical period. Examples include the Acanthus leaf and honeysuckle ornament, helmet of Minerva (Athena) and the Roman pike used as pickets. The wall is composed of base, pier or pilaster, spandrel, architrave, frieze and cornice. The upper terrace is formed by the turned balusters of the upper balustrade. The central Niche contains every element expected in this style of architecture. A pediment proportioned in the method of Vitruvius tops this composition. Decorative elements include the symbolic laurel and oak leaf wreaths used to honor valor and sacrifice. There are Greek key patterns, rosettes, tridents and faces. The ceremonial urns topping the pylons recall Roman sacrificial urns. The heroic sculpted eagles at the gate houses are commonly associated with classi-

ing in a collective harmony of purpose. The individual voices are brought together and come to rest in the 80 ft. reflecting pool. As a unified, reflective voice in spirit, they are the center of this new gateway to the cemetery. The reflecting pool pulls the Memorial together by bringing together the individual stories and voices into one collective history.

Fountain and Reflecting Pool The fountain and reflecting pool, located in the front of the Memorial, bring together light and water symbolizing life. The women’s “voices” are captured in the arch of quotations etched into glass tablets, but also through the sound and movement of water. The fountain in the central Niche has more than 200 jets of water. Together the jets create sound representing individual voices of women blend-

Retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Anna Der-Vartanian places some rose petals into the reflecting pool at the Memorial. Der-Vartanian, who joined the Navy in 1943, became the Navy’s first woman master chief petty officer, the highest enlisted grade.

Aerial view of Memorial

partnership, opportunities and recognition. But with the construction of the Women’s Memorial, their stories are finally told. The blank niches became clear opportunities to create passages or gateways, where one could ‘break through a barrier,’ and, in passing to the upper level, gain a new horizon once again. Here one can look into the land of the living or back at the land of the past. This passage and ascension can be marked at several points along the monolithic hemicycle wall. Today, visitors come to the Hemicycle to recognize and pay tribute to women who Continued on Page 38

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women in military service for america memorial served this nation, exercising full citizenship in defending our country. The Women’s Memorial stands in lasting recognition of all women who have served, are serving and will serve in our nation’s defense. The Register The individual stories of servicewomen past and present are contained in the Register which is appropriately located along the historic axis of the Mall. This historic line is visible outside the Memorial with grey cobblestones running East and West along Memorial Drive. Inside the Education Center, this historic axis is visible in polished black granite from behind the Great Niche through the Register Room.

the story of servicewomen past and present unfolds at the Women’s Memorial. The Education Center, with its 16 exhibit alcoves, memorializes the collective and individual histories of servicewomen, from the America Revolution to the present. This 33,000 square foot facility houses a 196seat theater; a computerized interactive Register; a Hall of Honor; conference room; gift shop and exhibit gallery. An estimated 6,000 witnessed the

Example of service era display Photo: Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden

Continued from Page 36

Quotations Quotations etched into an arch of glass tablets represents a collective journal of women’s voices. The journal’s pages are spread open on the upper terrace. Like a floating horizon above the space below, the women’s voices are etched in glass. The tablets are inscribed with quotations by and about women who served--a story for everyone to read. History President Reagan signed legislation authorizing the Women’s Memorial in Washington, DC or its environs into law on November 6, 1986. The Memorial is at the historic Grand Entrance and Hemicycle at the gateway to Arlington National Cemetery. The Hemicycle, dedicated in 1932, was restored and renovated by the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation and hailed as an elegant solution to integrating a new purpose with an historic structure. An essential design element is the creative and imaginative use of water, light and passage as symbols of women’s military accomplishments. Text and images amplify these accomplishments as

Elaine D. Harmon, a former pilot of the Women Airforce Service Pilots program, walks through the “Fly Girls of World War II” exhibit.

Unveiling Hestor memorial

Memorial’s groundbreaking ceremonies on June 22, 1995. Construction began in March 1996. The Memorial was dedicated

Service women registry room 38

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on October 18, 1997 by Vice President and Mrs. Gore; distinguished guests; Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, USAF, (Ret.) and President of the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation; and thousands of active duty servicewomen, women veterans and their families and friends. The Women In Military Service For American Memorial Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit, charitable organization that depends on the donations of individuals, corporations, organizations, and state and local governments to equip and maintain the Education Center, theater and exhibit areas, expand the permanent artifact collection, and continue to locate and register eligible women. You can learn more about the Women In Military Service For America Memorial, how to access the archives and oral history collection, schedule a tour or get information on how to register an eligible servicewoman, past or present, by visiting its website at www.womensmemorial.org or by calling 800-222-2294 or 703-533-1155. The Memorial is open every day except Christmas, 8 a.m.ñ7 p.m., 1 Apr to Sep 30; and 8 a.m.ñ5 p.m., 1 Oct to 31 Mar.

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the vietnam women’s memorial foundation

The Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation D

uring the Vietnam era, over 265,000 women served their nation in uniform and in civilian support roles. Nearly 11,000 women served in country. They completed their tours of duty and made a difference. Some gave their lives. Eight military women and 59 civilians died during the Vietnam War. The dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall) in 1982, and two years later the Three Servicemen statue, started a nationwide movement toward healing the wounds of the Vietnam War. Noticeably absent in those Memorials was a recognition of the vast and essential role of women during that trying period. Incorporated in 1984, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Project sought to promote the healing of women veterans of Vietnam through the placement of a Memorial on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D. C. The Project’s mission also included identifying the military and civilian women who served during the

Vietnam War, educating the public about their roles, and facilitating research on the physiological, psychological, and sociological issues related to their service. There were enormous barriers to the Project’s success. Many did not understand, or appreciate the contribution of the women who served in such roles as nurses, physicians, air traffic controllers, transportation and supply workers, USO entertainers, Special Services, and Red Cross workers. Many could not understand why a memorial was needed and why the existing memorials did not adequately reflect the historical reality of women’s service or recognize their contributions. The Three Servicemen statue, without a woman, underscored the prevailing national belief that only men served: that only men bear the wounds of war. It took an exhausting campaign to educate the public, their representatives in Congress, journalists and government agencies that the existing memorials were incomplete without recognition of the role of women.

Eight military women died in Vietnam and are placed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall). 1LT Sharon Lane was the only woman who died as a result of hostile fire. 40

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Hundreds, even thousands joined the campaign led by the women themselves. The Project gave women veterans a voice. It helped them tell their stories through print and electronic media as well as in person. As more and more women read and heard their sisters’ stories, they came forward themselves. Many of these women had never before shared their personal stories with others – the pain was too deep. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush signed legislation authorizing placement of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial on the Mall. Following a design competition and multiple reviews by government bodies, New Mexico artist Glenna Goodacre’s design was finally approved. On November 11th, 1993, the first memorial recognizing the service of women during wartime was dedicated on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Vietnam Women’s Memorial is a bronze sculpture in the round portraying three Vietnam-era women, one of whom is caring for a wounded male soldier. It stands 6’8” tall and weighs one ton. The Memorial’s sculptor deliberately portrays these figures in a manner open to the interpretation of those experiencing it. While one woman may be caring for a soldier, the others may represent many different types of roles, perhaps looking to the sky for air evacuation helicopters. One figure kneels with a helmet. The sculptor says this of the figures: “The kneeling figure has been called ‘the heart and soul’ of the piece because so many vets see themselves in her. She stares at an empty helmet, her posture reflecting her despair, frustrations, and all the horrors of war. The soldier’s face is half-covered by a bandage, creating an anonymous figure with which veterans can identify. Even though he is wounded, he will live. I want this to be a monument for the living.” Eight yellowwood trees surround the Memorial representing the eight military women who died while serving in Vietnam.

the vietnam women’s memorial foundation

Glenna Goodacre prepares the Memorial in clay at her Santa Fe studio.

The Memorial is revealed at the Dedication November 11th, 1993

The Memorial itself faces the apex of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial completing the circle created by the Wall, Three Servicemen, and The Vietnam Women’s Memorial. In addition to recognizing the role of women, the Memorial serves the families of the fallen, and the men who served as well because it acknowledges that women provided comfort, care, and a human touch for those who were suffering and dying. The Project’s mission continues beyond the dedication of the Memorial. Now named the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation, this 501c(3) non-profit relies on donations from the public to continue its missions to Vietnam Women’s Memorial, Copyright 1993, Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation, Inc., Glenna Goodacre, Sculptor.

sustain the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, to identify and honor the hundreds of thousands of American military and civilian women who served, to educate the public about women’s roles, to facilitate research on these women and their families regarding the effects of their service, and to promote healing. Each Memorial Day and Veterans Day, the Foundation presents Vietnam: In Their Own Words – Storytelling at the Vietnam Women’s Memorial. On those days of remembrance of those who served the nation during wartime, hundreds gather at the Memorial to hear selected women, men, family members, and many others tell their stories and discuss the meaning of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial to them. Anyone interested in sharing their story should contact the Foundation at vwmfdc@ gmail.com or call toll free 866.822.8963. Over 13,000 Vietnam era women have identified themselves to the Foundation providing contact and service information. While guarded closely for privacy, this information enables the Foundation to assist organizations seeking women to participate in public or educational events. Through this database women have found the friends with whom they served, veterans have found women who cared for them when they were wounded, and veterans groups have been able to notify their members of reunion opportunities. This strengthening network of those who served plants the seeds of healing among the men and women who served and bear the scars of their service, and all of those who lost loved ones or who live today with someone coping with the scars of service. The Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation is the voice of the women who served. We advocate for veterans services for women. We represent the women to government agencies and the media. We respond daily to queries from media, educators and Continued on Page 42

H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

the vietnam women’s memorial foundation eration of women veterans is returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Proportionally, their numbers are much higher than during Vietnam because so many additional occupational specialties are open to women than in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Many have seen combat. They look to women veterans of Vietnam for guidance as they readjust to postwar life. The Foundation includes veterans of the Global War on Terror in its activities at the Vietnam Women’s Memorial and works with others at every opportunity to assist this new generation of warriors. Vietnam veterans ascribe to one universal truth. Never again will the warrior pay the price for an unpopular war. They stand with today’s warrior as he or she fights for readjustment services, for health care, for rights and privileges that enable them to return to their pre-war status physically, emotionally, and economically healthy. The efforts of Vietnam veterans have opened doors for today’s veterans. Women’s centers in Veterans Administra-

Mementos left at the Memorial are archived at the Smithsonian Institute.

academic and government researchers to ensure women are studied. Today’s war on terror magnifies this imperative. A new gen-

The Memorial honors the women, military and civilian, who served during the Vietnam era. These veterans of Army Special Services march at the Memorial during its 15th Anniversary. Photo: Lee Phan

students, film-makers, and veterans groups regarding women’s service during the Vietnam era. Through our efforts women’s stories are publicly shared with historical accuracy. An unanticipated effect of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial has been its role as a catalyst to the study of the role of this Memorial in shaping the national conscience. The Foundation assists researchers from around the world as they study the effects of wartime service on the women and their families. We are committed to ensuring that all possible effort is made to learn from experience so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past and that women receive the services they need to ensure their health and well being. Early research by the Centers for Disease Control did not include women in their studies. We’ve collaborated with

Photo: Lee Phan

Continued from Page 41

Foundation President, Diane Carlson Evans embraces a woman wounded in Iraq during the recent celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the dedication of the Memorial. 42

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tion hospitals didn’t exist after Vietnam, they do now. Counseling services were not open to women immediately after Vietnam, they are now. The history of women’s service was not included in the historical lessons of the War; it is now. During Vietnam, veterans returned to their homes through a gauntlet of ridicule and hostility, today’s veterans are honored. Vietnam veterans vow, never again, and through their efforts, this nation strives to keep that vow. You can help the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation support the women who served in Vietnam and the women who are serving today through your donation. Contact the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation at 1735 Connecticut Av. NW 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20009, 866.822.8963, vwmfdc@gmail.com. Visit our award winning website: www.vietnam womensmemorial.org.

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army: promising path for women

Army:

Promising

path for Women Newly arrived Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps recruits, Fort Des Moines, Iowa, 1942.

omen serving in the U.S. military have come a long way since the years of World War II, when American women began serving more formally in their country’s military. “Women have fought in battles ever since battles have been fought,” said Sgt. 1st Class Lori Kobylanski, equal opportunity advisor for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. “Unfortunately they have had to do so illegally. The battlefield has always been male dominated. If women wanted to fight beside men they had to do so in disguise or by chance. Women would dress as men to fight, or women responsible for bringing Soldiers water or food would pick up a weapon and fight.” During the 1940s, women began integrating themselves into the armed services formally when the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps and Women Appointed for Volunteer 44

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L–R Gen. Benjamin S. Griffin, Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody and Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey J. Mellinger salute during Dunwoody’s welcome ceremony as the AMC deputy commanding general.

army: promising path for women Emergency Service were founded, allowing women to serve in a military manner. The WACC and WAVES allowed women to contribute to the fight, mostly in a medical capacity. It was not until 1973, when the draft for the Vietnam War ended, that women were allowed to fall into the ranks alongside men. Today, more than 229,000 women serve on active duty. As the war on terror carries on, women serving in all armed forces continue to break barriers on the battlefield. In a predominantly male institution, the women of the military have worked hard to earn the respect of their male counterparts. “Twenty years ago there were not a lot of women in the Army who could help mentor you,” said 1st Lt.

Photo: Eric Hortin

Sgt. Lisa Morales (right), 11th Signal Brigade, won NCO of the year 2008 and went on to become the first female NETCOM Soldier to win Forces Command NCO of the year.

Lori Instahl, platoon leader for 3rd Platoon, 585th Engineer Company, based in Fort Lewis, Wash. “The percentage of women in the Army is at an all-time high and still rising. If you have questions, there are plenty of women you can turn to now for answers.” Adaptability has played a huge role in that. More and more women are choos-

ing to serve their Nation in today’s Army and our Women Soldiers are indisputably a key part of what makes America’s Army the Strength of the Nation. Today, Women in America’s Army comprise about 15.4% of the 1,060,000 Soldiers. Women’s roles in the Army have expanded steadily. Twenty years ago, only 52% of Army occupations were open to Continued on Page 46

•

Women have been an essential part of the Army team since the War for Independence. In 1942, Congress approved creation of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (became Women’s Army Corps or WAC) and 150,000 women served during World War II. These were the first women within the ranks of the active Army. In 1948, women (WACs) were integrated into the Regular Army with full benefits. • Today women Soldiers make up 15.4% of the Total Army (164,000 women). • Women Across the Total Force: 43% Active Army / 30% Army National Guard / 27% Army Reserve. • Women serve in 93% of all Army occupations. 98% of officer specialties are open to women. • The current Department of Defense assignment policy governing occupations for women in the military was set in 1994. It guides the Army’s assignment policy, which gives women the opportunity to serve in any officer or enlisted specialty or position except those where the primary mission is to engage in direct ground combat. • Positions closed to women Soldiers are primarily Infantry, Armor, Combat Engineer and Special Forces. • Women make up nearly one third of the Soldiers in medical, legal and public affairs occupations. • A priority initiative of the Army is support for Families. More than 45% of women in the Army are married; about 13% are single mothers. • Divorce rates for women in the Army are substantially below national norms – in some age groups (such as 20-30 year olds), the rate is half the nation’s average. • Army education and skill training benefits have attracted to the Army many of the women who serve. Today, a qualified young woman can expect generous stipends and tuition assistance to earn undergraduate and advanced degrees. Women who join the Reserve Officer Training Corps can receive scholarships that cover all college costs for an undergraduate degree, before entering the Army as newly commissioned officers. • Men and women in the Army are paid equally for every occupation, based on rank and time of service. • Women accounted for 12.5% of those selected for promotion to Brigadier General on the list released 15 July 2008.

H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

Photos: DoD

army: promising path for women

Staff Sergeant Shawntel Lotson was deployed near Baghdad from April 2003–April 2004, and Camp Taji from Feb2005–Feb 2006. She worked repairing construction equipment as well as in corrections at Camp Taji.

Spc. Sorimar Perez, 32, is one of the first two females to become Avenger crewmembers, a Military Occupational Specialty restricted to males until October 2006. Photo: Kevin Young, the Cannoneer

Command Sgt. Maj. Cynthia Pritchett is the first female command sergeant major of a sub-unified combatant command, Here she prepares for a CNN interview in Kabul at Camp Eggers.

Command Sgt. Maj. Jenny Clement (left), 1st Battalion, 19th Field Artillery is the first female command sergeant major in the Field Artillery.

Army is committed to assuring women are afforded the kind of opportunity that builds a better Army and also strengthens individual women in many arenas, especially through: • • • • • • •

Education Talent Realization Leadership Training Financial Stability Job Security and Benefits Family Support Social Structure

In every arena that affects a woman’s life, the Army is dedicated to the goal of making the Army a great choice for women. Paths to opportunity in the Army are many. Some women choose the Army over another post-high school job. Others choose the Army during college or after. Either way, the Army is in the business of developing leaders. Today more than 50% of college enroll-

Continued from Page 45

women. In 2008, women served in 93% of the hundreds of military occupational specialties in every arena except the direct ground combat roles (such as Infantry, Armor, Special Forces) prohibited by Department of Defense assignment regulations. Essential to the Army team are women who literally fulfill hundreds of different kinds of jobs. Many are very skilled or professional services roles, with compensation equal to or better than similar jobs in the private sector. Women fill 30% of the medical positions and 30% of the legal positions in the Army. Across the American workplace, women still are paid less than men for the same work. Not 46

S A L U T E T O f r ee d o m

Essential to the Army team are women who literally fulfill hundreds of different kinds of jobs. Many are very skilled or professional services roles, with compensation equal to or better than similar jobs in the private sector. in the Army – where pay rates for women and men in the same job are the same, based on rank and time in service. Women in America’s Army say they value meaningful and exciting opportunities to serve the nation at the same time that they are meeting personal and professional goals. The

ees in professional schools are women. Many could have that education financed by the Army – not only for undergraduate, but also for graduate degrees. Professional opportunities exist throughout a wide variety of fields in the Army and 98% of officer occupations are open to women.

Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody: First Female

By Robert Burns

General Photo: Petty Officer 2nd Class Molly A. Burgess

all it breaking the brass ceiling. Ann E. Dunwoody, after 33 years in the Army, has ascended to a peak never before reached by a woman in the U.S. miliU.S. Army Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody addresses the audience during her promotion ceremony in the Pentagon. tary: four-star general. At an emotional promotion ceremony, in November 2008, Dunwoody looked back Dunwoody, whose on her years in uniform, said it was a credit to husband, Craig Brotchie, the Army — and a great surprise to her — that served for 26 years in she would make history in a male-dominthe Air Force, choked ated military. up at times during a “Thirty-three years after I took the oath as speech in which she a second lieutenant, I have to tell you this is not said she only recently exactly how I envisioned my life unfolding,” she realized how much her told a standing-room-only auditorium. “Even accomplishment means as a young kid, all I ever wanted to do was to others. teach physical education and raise a family. “It was clear to me that my Army experience was just going to be a two-year detour en route to my fitness profession,” she added. “So when asked, ‘Ann, did you ever think you were going to be a general Gen. Dunwoody being pinned by Gen. George W. Casey (left) and officer, to say nothing about a her husband Craig Brotchie. four-star?’ I say, ‘Not in my wildest dreams.’ “This promotion has Federal law excludes taken me back in time like women from combat jobs, no other event in my entire which is the typical path to life,” she said. “And I didn’t four-star rank in the military. appreciate the enormity of However, in 2005, Dunwoody the events until tidal waves became the Army’s top-rankof cards, letters, and e-mails ing female when she received started coming my way.” the promotion to lieuten“I’ve heard from men and ant general (three stars) and women, from every branch of became the Army’s Deputy Gen. Dunwoody recites the oath of office to Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey during her promotion ceremony in the Pentagon Nov. 14, 2008. Chief of Staff, G-4 (logistics). service, from every region of 48

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Photos: Petty Officer 2nd Class Molly A. Burgess, U.S. Navy

general ann e. dunwoody

Hal Dunwoody stands in recognition during his daughter’s promotion ceremony in the Pentagon. He is also a decorated veteran of World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War. Photo: Isidro Reyna

our country, and every corner of the world. I’ve heard from moms and dads who see this promotion as a beacon of home for their own daughters and an affirmation that anything is possible through hard work and commitment.” “And I’ve heard from women veterans of all wars, many who just wanted to say congratulations; some who just wanted to say thanks; and still other who just wanted to say they were so happy this day had finally come.” On that same day, at Fort Belvoir, Va. — her birthplace — Dunwoody was sworn in as commander of the Army Materiel Command, responsible for equipping, outfitting and arming all soldiers. Just five months ago, she became the first female deputy commander there. Dunwoody, 55, has made it clear that she feels no need for special acclaim for her historic achievement. “The recognition makes her a little bit uncomfortable from the standpoint of the gender aspect — that we’re making a big deal

Photo: Petty Officer 2nd Class Molly A. Burgess

general ann e. dunwoody

(that) she is the first female general officer,” Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said in announcing that Defense Secretary Robert Gates would attend the promotion ceremony. When nominated by President George W. Bush in June 2008 for promotion to four-star rank, Dunwoody issued a statement saying she was humbled. “I grew up in a family that didn’t know what glass ceilings were,” she said. “This Continued on Page 50

Gen. Dunwoody is applauded, as she becomes the new commander of Army Materiel Command. With her, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. (center) and outgoing AMC commander Gen. Benjamin S. Griffin. H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

general ann e. dunwoody Continued from Page 49

What Dunwoody nomination only reaffirms what I have known to be really wanted to do was jump out of airplanes, true about the military throughout my career — and the Army seemed that the doors continue to a safe option to do that. open for men and women The Quartermaster in uniform.” Corps offered women There are 21 female that opportunity, so she general officers in the chose the career field. Army — all but four at the Upon graduation in 1975, one-star rank of brigadier. she received a direct It was not until 1970 that commission as an Army the Army had its first onesecond lieutenant. star: Anna Mae Hays, “It was my generachief of the Army Nurse tion of women who came Corps. in at that time who were all Women now make first in their field,” she said. up about 14 percent of the “We are talking about Ann active-duty Army and are Dunwoody today, but the allowed to serve in a wide women that came in with variety of assignments. me were all first because They are still excluded they were into integration from units designed priof the Army, too — first marily to engage in direct signal platoon, first maincombat, such as infantenance platoon.” try and tank units, but Dunwoody said she their opportunities have belongs to an “entire genexpanded over the past eration on that journey that Ann Dunwoody (right) during a Women’s Officer Training Course in Sept. 1975. two decades. had helped make integration of women a reality.” While it may be month during her senior year, a lot of money unusual for a woman to rise to the top in the Dunwoody came into the Army the year Saigon fell — and the Vietnam War ended — in the 1970s, and only a two-year commitArmy, it’s not unusual for a Dunwoody. The leaving the military exhausted, under-funded, ment to the Army. family has four generations of West Point and beset with drug and discipline problems. graduates, including Ann Dunwoody’s father “In the mid-’70s, I don’t think it mattered and brother. if you were a male or female,” she said. “It was Dunwoody hails from a family of military what we refer to now as the broken Army. I men dating back to the 1800s. Her father, think we were all challenged with instilling the 89-year-old Hal Dunwoody — a decorated discipline and reinforcing the standards.” veteran of World War II, the Korean War and At the same time, women faced the chalVietnam — was in the audience, along with the lenge of integrating themselves into the Army. service chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force Dunwoody received her Army commisand Marines, plus the Joint Chiefs chairman, sion after graduating from the State UniverAdm. Mike Mullen. sity of New York in 1975. But unlike her father, West Point was not Her first assignment was to Fort Sill, as an option for the young Dunwoody when she supply platoon leader in June 1976, and she left for college in the early 1970s. The Womremained at Sill in various positions until she en’s Army Corps — or WAC — was about to was sent to quartermaster officer school at be phased out as women were integrated into Fort Lee, Va., in July 1980. the Army. ROTC and the service academies She later served in Germany and Saudi had not quite opened up to women. But the Arabia. transition from a draft Army to an all-volunAfter graduating from the Command teer force was creating opportunities. and General Staff College in 1987, she was As a junior at the State University of assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C., where she New York at Cortland, Dunwoody decided became the 82nd Airborne Division’s first to try the College Junior program, a women’s female battalion commander. officer orientation course. She has numerous decorations, includHer interest was physical education, but ing the Distinguished Service Medal and 2nd Lt. Ann Dunwoody (left) sits with one of her classmates at Fort McClellan, Ala in 1975. Defense Superior Service Medal. joining the Army program meant $500 a 50

S A L U T E T O f r ee d o m

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army’s senior black female aviator retires

Army’s Senior Black Female Aviator Retires by J.D. Leipold

olonel Christine B. Knighton (“Nickey”) served as the Director, Training Development for the Soldier Support Institute at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Her previous assignment was in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Military Personnel Policy as Assistant Director of Officer and Enlisted Personnel Management. She advised Senior Department of Defense Leadership on officer plans and policy for the 250,000 Officers assigned to Army, Navy, Marine Corps and the Air Force. Colonel Knighton is a native of Benevolence and Cuthbert, Georgia. Upon graduation from Randolph County Comprehensive High School in 1975, she attended Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and graduated in 1979 as a Distinguished Military Graduate with a Regular Army Appointment. She was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps. Upon completion of the Quartermaster Officer Basic Course, Colonel Knighton attended flight training at Fort Rucker, Alabama graduating in August 1980. She was branch transferred to the Transportation Officer’s Corps and completed the Aviation Maintenance Officers’ Course and the UH-1H (Huey) Helicopter Test Pilot Course at Fort Eustis, Virginia in 1981. Back in 1980 Col. Knighton became just the second black woman in the United States to earn the right to wear aviator wings within the Department of Defense and the 52

S A L U T E T O f r ee d o m

first from her home state of Georgia, an accomplishment that didn’t go unnoticed by then-President Jimmy Carter who personally congratulated her on the achievement. Col. Knighton also holds the distinction of commanding a tactical combat arms unit, specifically, 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Bn., 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas from 1996–1998.

Until August 2008, Knighton was the senior black female aviator on active duty within DoD. Now, with more than 29 years Army service, she has retired. Looking back Knighton admits she had no idea she’d wind up in the Army, much less make the service nearly a three-decade career. That all began, when in 1975 while on a student loan, she left her rural small-town Continued on Page 54

Army Aviation pioneer and then – Capt. Christine B. “Nickey” Knighton was in 198 0 the second black woman to complete aviation training with in the Department of Defens e.

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UH-1H Huey Helicopter Continued from Page 52

to study home economics across the border in Alabama at Tuskegee Institute, today Tuskegee University. Then the Army just kind of happened. “I initially joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps out of curiosity and for the additional credits so I signed on because it was a freshman elective,” she said. “I spent my first year studying very hard in the library, in the dormitory and the classroom and the result was I got very good grades, so I was encouraged by the ROTC department to apply for a scholarship because they’d never had a woman apply for one, so I did.” Curiosity about the Army turned into necessity because going into her second year of college, funding became an issue. She’d applied for financial assistance through the institute and simultaneously applied for the ROTC scholarship. She recalled receiving the letters on the same day - both approvals for funding, but the ROTC offer was a full scholarship and an opportunity not often open to women. “So I had a decision to make - do I go home or back to school with an Army obligation?” Knighton added. “It’s amazing how things work out. My mother who was a textile worker and a single parent had a big part to do with my decision. She would talk about the Women’s Army Corps and I tried to get her to make the choice for me, but she refused because she knew that would be the decision I would have to live with.” Cadet Knighton said she found diversity in the Army from the very beginning of her Tuskegee education; because one of the mili54

S A L U T E T O f r ee d o m

tary science professors insisted on it, Tuskegee’s cadre was racially integrated with noncommissioned and commissioned officers. “I think that helped prepare me for the real Army,” she said. “You go to some historically black colleges and universities and the entire cadre is black, but that doesn’t really help prepare you for the real world. “The military professor in charge of preparing the cadets for summer camp was Caucasian and he actually told us what we were going to be up against as students from a black college going into an integrated environment,” Knighton added. “He prepared us for orienteering competitions with students from all over the South and other colleges so when we got to summer camp, it wasn’t a surprise to see the diversity of people you don’t normally see on your college campus every day.” When Knighton went off to Fort Rucker in southern Alabama for flight training, she said she was pretty much accustomed to what life was like outside the fort’s gates. Life was more of a challenge being only the second black woman to make it through flight training, part of which she attributed to the fact that women in 1980 weren’t allowed to serve in combat arms roles. She was a quartermaster seeking to be a pilot. “I think I may have used some of the negativity as a motivator to say, ‘I’ll show you’... that’s the way I grew up,” she said. “I grew up in a single-parent household, so I already started out at a disadvantage, but my two sisters and I were encouraged to do whatever we felt we wanted to do, to follow our dreams and not allow ourselves to be held back by limitations.”

It has been 60 years since integration hence diversity – was made possible due to Executive Order 9981, signed by President Harry Truman on July 26, 1948. The order called for equal treatment and opportunity. “I don’t think we can lose sight of where we are and how far we’ve come and I don’t think it’s something we can afford to take for granted either,” she said. “If we take diversity and integration for granted, one day we’ll look around and see an officer corps that’s not reflective of its enlisted corps, with women and people of different colors and backgrounds. “Diversity is very important, especially if you look at the places we are going to be in the future, such as the U.S. Africa Command,” Knighton said. “It’s important for us as a nation to model for the world what it’s like to get along as a people.” In July 2008, Knighton was presented with the Tuskegee Airmen Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. Military Award for her noteworthy professional achievements throughout her career. Her awards and decorations include award of the Defense Superior Service Medal, six Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals, an Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, two award of Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Army’s Senior Aviator Badge and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Staff Badge. She also holds the Order of Saint Michael for outstanding contributions to Army Aviation. Knighton is founder of a public service non-profit organization active in southwest Georgia. Since 1990, SHAPE Self-esteem, Harmony, Awareness, Pride and Education has provided undergraduate educational opportunities for high school seniors. She is also a past vice president of the Bessie Coleman Foundation, an organization committed to sponsoring and promoting careers in aviation in the military as well as private and commercial sectors. Articles Women in the U.S. Army: www.Army.mil/women African Americans in the U.S. Army: www.Army.mil/africanamericans 60th Anniversary of Armed Forces Integration: www.Army.mil/integration www.Army.mil

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America’s T

Heroes

he Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes (CSAH) was created to provide a way for individuals, corporations and others to help severely wounded and disabled Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans and their families rebuild their lives. Rebuilding lives. Restoring hope. Disabled American Veterans of the War on Terror must struggle every day to overcome life-changing sacrifices such as the loss of a limb, significant burns, and the reality of being in a wheel chair. The mission of CSAH is to help the people who have given so much on our behalf overcome these obstacles and resume a productive and fulfilling life through programs targeted to their specific needs. Founded in 2004 as a non-partisan 501(c) (3) organization, CSAH is the leading non-governmental provider of emergency financial relief to wounded soldiers from Operation Enduring Freedom/ Operation Iraqi Freedom and their families. You can help by means of direct tax-deductible donations, participating in events that raise money, giving your time, as well as corporate sponsorships. 95.6 percent of all money contributed goes directly to programs that help service members and their families. And because we verify our eligibility requirements with the Department of Defense, incidences of fraud are rare to non-existent. It takes all of us. When we work together, the results of our efforts are clear. The men and women who are heroes on the battlefield return home to be heroes to their families and communities. How We Support Our Troops Since its inception CSAH has provided more than $22 million dollars in direct financial relief to disabled American veterans from the global War on Terror, more than all other non-profits that help recently wounded veterans combined. We are helping these brave men and women and their families rebuild their lives in many ways. For some, it’s paying bills because the financial strains of the adjustment are so overwhelming. For others, it’s a computer so they can continue their education. And for some it’s as simple as getting out and going to a concert to break to monotony of rehabilitation. There are five key programs targeted to the specific needs of returning heroes: 56

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• • • • •

Emergency Financial Aid – Direct financial aid to disabled American veterans and their families in crisis. Family Support Network – Including concerts, sporting events, special outings to help reunite families; and therapeutic day camp for children of wounded soldiers. Wounded Hero Career Network – Programs that assist wounded Vets (and their spouses) in transitioning from their career in the military to exploring options in the civilian workplace. Homes for Wounded Heroes – Disability-adapted homes that are nearly cost-free for wheelchair-bound and blind veterans. Road to Recovery Conference – An all-expense paid educational and service event for wounded heroes and their families

CSAH is supporting our troops and meeting the needs of hundreds of wounded and disabled American veterans of the War on Terror, one hero at a time. CSAH has proudly provided nearly 11,000 cases of aid to severely injured and disabled American veterans and their families through its five programs targeted to their specific needs. How to apply for assistance If you or a loved one need assistance please apply online, email us, or call us today at 914-432-5400 or visit us on the web at www.saluteheroes.org.

statistics of women in the military

Statistics of Women in the Military Women Veterans as of Sept. 2008 State

Women State Veterans

number of women serving

Women Veterans

Alabama. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,155 Nebraska. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,051 Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,232 Nevada. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,771 Arizona. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,246 New Hampshire . . . . . . . . . . . 8,741 Arkansas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,126 New Jersey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,739

Number of Women Serving Active Duty as of 9/2008. Reserve and Guard as of 6/2006. ACTIVE DUTY

Army Marine Corps Navy Air Force Total DoD Coast Guard

California. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166,984 New Mexico. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,149

Total

Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,207 New York. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65,556

Connecticut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,353 North Carolina. . . . . . . . . . . 66,916 Delaware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,282 North Dakota. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,464 Dist. of Columbia. . . . . . . . . . 3,867 Ohio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60,334 Florida. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138,342 Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,688 Georgia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79,390 Oregon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,103 Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,296 Idaho. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,108 Illinois. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55,990 Indiana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,599 Iowa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,511 Kansas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,517 Kentucky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,853 Louisiana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,661 Maine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,132 Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47,949 Massachusetts. . . . . . . . . . . 26,818 Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45,209 Minnesota. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,945 Mississippi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,486

Pennsylvania. . . . . . . . . . . . . 63,418 Rhode Island. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,094 South Carolina. . . . . . . . . . . 34,158 South Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,735 Tennessee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,009 Texas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148,960 Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,474 Vermont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,710 Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88,082 Washington. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54,287 West Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,485 Wisconsin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,746 Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,286 Puerto Rico. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,182 Terr./Foreign. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,625

Missouri. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,685

Total Women Montana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,777 Veterans. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,802,491 58

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Women

Total

% Women

73,902 12,090 50,008 64,137 200,137 4,626 204,763

543,647 198,505 332,228 327,379 1,401,759 39,849 1,441,608

14.5% 6.9 % 14.5% 19.0% 15.2% 11.6% 14.9%

RESERVE & GUARD

Women

Total

% Women

Army Reserve Marine Corps Reserve Navy Reserve Air Force Reserve Total DoD Coast Guard Reserve

43,083 1,1881 14,400 17,838 77,202 1,137 78,339

186,140 39,226 70,632 74,942 370,922 8,039 378,961

23.1% 4.8% 20.4% 23.8% 20.8% 14.1% 20.7%

Army National Guard

44,978 18,853 63,831

339,884 105,150 444,994

13.2% 17.9% 14.3%

Reserve Total

Air National Guard

National Guard Total

(More than 90% of all career fields in the armed forces are now open to women)

Number of Female POWâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s during individual military conflicts Civil War. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 World War II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Desert Storm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Operation Iraqi Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Number of Women who served in the military conflicts Civil War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Unknown Spanish-American War. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,500 World War I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,000 World War II (era) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400,000 Korea (in theater) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,000 Vietnam (in theater) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,500 Grenada (deployed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Panama (deployed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 770 Desert Storm (in theater) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,000 Information courtesy of the US Coast Guard, Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Thank you to the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation, Inc. (800) 222-2294 / hq@ womensmemorial.org / www.womensmemorial.org

icx technologies

breaking the chain O ver the course of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, the U.S. has seen the threat of improvised explosives devices (IEDs) increase exponentially. In 2002, coalition forces encountered 22 IEDs in Afghanistan. By 2006, that number increased to 1,730. In Iraq, these statistics are much higher. (Source: Left of Boom Series, Washington Post; September 2007) The IED problem isn’t region specific. IEDs have been employed in one fashion or another for decades. In the U.S., we’ve seen the brutal impact of such devices in the first World Trade Center attack and the Oklahoma City bombing. For insurgent and terrorist organizations, IEDs have become the weapon of choice. These groups don’t have the numbers, technology or war fighting capability to engage an organized military in conventional warfare, so they resort to asymmetric tactics that they hope will exploit the perceived vulnerabilities of the larger force. The successful use of IEDs has drawn the attention of the U.S Government and industry experts seeking to counter their effectiveness. ICx Technologies, a leader in explosives detection research, has been developing

detection solutions for over a decade. As the IED threat developed, so too did the ICx concept of IED interdiction. ICx first deployed the combat proven Fido® XT with troops in Iraq in 2005. That same year, ICx partnered to deploy the Fido as a robotic payload. The Fido OnBoard is still the only explosives ‘sniffer’ capable of being mounted on the end of a robotic arm. However, detecting actual explosive devices is only part of the answer. An IED is merely the end prod-

uct of a larger network of enemy operations. Once an IED is emplaced, it is extremely difficult to detect due to very little physical, electrical or chemical signals. To defeat the threat, we must break the chain of events that lead to successful IED deployment. There are far more IEDs than bomb-makers. By pinpointing those persons involved in the construction, transport 60

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and deployment of IEDs, U.S. and Coalition forces can dramatically impact the number of IEDs in the field. Through the confident use of effective explosives detection devices, like the Fido, troops can break the IED chain. To mitigate the threat of IEDs, detection solutions must be sensitive, portable and flexible in their application capabilities. The Fido meets and exceeds these requirements. In addition, ICx subject matter experts, working with troops, are continuously analyzing the contemporary operating environment and effecting changes to meet evolving threats. As operations in Iraq and Afghanistan change over the coming months and years, it is expected that the IED threat will continue. Terrorists and insurgent groups will continue their asymmetric tactics, emplacing IEDs and melting back into the community. Small, portable explosives detectors will continue to be required to go after the bomb-makers and

their network. Likewise, remote explosives “sniffing” capabilities will also be necessary to improve standoff detection of emplaced IEDs. As the fight changes, ICx will continue its leadership role in explosives detection techniques and sensors, providing U.S. and Coalition Forces the best solution possible.

N SELECTED SENSOR

SUSPECTED VBIED

COMMAND LOG >>COMMANDER: Viper1, move forward and clear route of potential IED’s >>VIPER1: Roger, deploying robot with Fido OnBoard. There’s a suspicious vehicle we’re checking out. >>COMMANDER: Roger.

EXPLOSIVE DETECTORS FIDO ONBOARD

IRAQ Mosul Baghdad Tikrit Balad Fallujah Taji Alkut Tallil Ramadi

EXTRA SENSORY DETECTION. When a warfighter doesn’t have the whole picture, he requires a sensor that goes beyond his current capabilities. Canines have been a large part of the answer for IED Defeat, but they can’t be everywhere. The Fido line of explosives detectors provide 24/7 canine capability in the palm of your hand – or on your robot.

www.icxt.com/fido

Canine comparable sensitivity Immediate response

FIDO XT

Ultra fast recovery 24/7 operation

DEPLOYED FIDOS AFGHANISTAN Kabul Kandahar Salerno Bagram Baylough Mizan Qalat

SPECS

FIDO FASTGATE

FIDO PAXPOINT

Robot capable

tribute to navy women’s contributions, service

Tribute to Navy Women’s Contributions, Service Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Mark O’Donald

By Mass Communication Spc 1st Class Jen Smith

U.S. Navy Master-at-Arms 1st Class Terri H. Ellis, 2008 Sailor of the Year for the amphibious assault ship USS Battan (LHD 5), prepares to recite the Pledge of Allegiance for a crowd of thousands in Boston, Mass., July 4, 2008.

“Do you understand how phenomenal that is, that you are in an organization where you get to serve in a way you find fulfilling?” Photo: Mass Communication Spc 2nd Class Matthew Leistikow

avy Expeditionary Combat Command Sailors shared lessons learned from senior leaders, including one of the Navy’s highest ranking female officers. As the guest speaker, Rear Adm. Sharon Redpath, vice commander for NECC and commander for Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, spoke to the Sailors about the advances of women in the Navy during the past 100 years. “We’re here because of all the groundwork that our fore bearers did,” said Redpath, one of the first female Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) graduates following Adm. Elmo Zumwalt’s 1972 “Z-gram” allowing women entry into the ROTC program. “All the women who came before us and struggled through, breaking that ground we’re here based on what they did.” Currently approximately 15 percent of the fleet is made up of women, serving in all rates, aboard all platforms, except as part of submarine crews or SEAL teams.

Rear Adm. Sharon H. Redpath greets Yeoman 2nd Class Greer Fredericks on her return from a deployment with other Sailors assigned to Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group (NAVELSG) after serving customs inspections and cargohandler missions supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. 62

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asked Redpath of the female expeditionary Sailors. Within NECC’s force, women are serving in explosive ordnance disposal, diving, Seabee, civil affairs, combat camera, expeditionary intelligence, expeditionary training, expeditionary logistics and expeditionary security units around the globe. In 2008, two female Navy commanders deployed to lead two of the six provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan. This marked the first time female Navy commanders have led teams charged with making significant differences in the everyday lives of Afghans. Additionally, in the course of completing their duties, expeditionary women are being awarded decorations that, at one time, only went to men because women were not allowed in the combat zones. Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Jackey Bratt, a photojournalist assigned to NECC’s Combat Camera, received a Bronze Star for her support of Army forces during her last deployment in Iraq. Women have served the United States Navy since before World War I when the Navy Nurse Corps was established in 1908.

During the war, they served as yeomen, or “yeomanettes” as they were known at the time, due to the shortage of men available to serve in clerical positions. More than 11,000 women enlisted by the end of December 1918. The yeomanettes of World War I not only served in administrative and clerical positions, but they also served as translators, draftsmen, fingerprint analysts, ship camouflage designers and recruiters. By the end of July 1919, all but 4,000 were released from active duty and continued their service on inactive reserve status until the end of their four-year enlistment. At that point, there were no women in the Navy, except for nurses, until 1942. Mildred McAfee became the first female commissioned officer when she was sworn in as a Naval Reserve lieutenant commander and the first director of the WAVES, or Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. During World War I, women were only allowed to be members of the enlisted ranks, but during World War II, the Navy allowed women to be commissioned officers. Within a year, 27,000 women were wearing Navy uniforms. This time they were not just limited to the secretarial jobs left behind by the men fighting on the front lines. World War II saw

Photo: Mass Communication Spc 1st Class Tiffini M. Jones

tribute to navy women’s contributions, service

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead congratulates a young woman, one of the new Navy recruits who enlisted during the 109th annual Army/Navy football game.

women serving in aviation communities, judge advocate general corps, communications, intelligence, science and technology. By the end of that war, the Navy had 8,000 female officers and 80,000 enlisted totaling approximately 2.5 percent of the total U.S. Navy. “Once that train got rolling down that track with any kind of speed, we really started rolling,” Redpath said. “And we haven’t stopped yet. “I think [the Navy] changed the social fabric of America. I think this has been a forcing function for other social mobility and changes across our nation.” Redpath, one of only nine female flag officers serving in the Navy Reserve Force, challenged the men and women in the room to continue the forward movement of women’s equality. “It’s really important that we keep ourselves focused on what has happened in the past and not get too wrapped around the axle when you don’t think it’s moving fast enough,” she said. Take a look at how far we’ve come and ask what can you do to Captain Mildred H. McAfee (Horton), USNR (1900-1994) keep that train going?”

In the 63 years following the end of World War II, Navy women have risen through the ranks to become commanding officers of ships, admirals and overall equals to their male counterparts. Women began attending the Naval Academy in 1976. They have been assigned to non-combatant sea duty since 1972 and to all ships since 1994. They serve as admirals, commanding officers, command master chiefs, seamen, airmen and everything in between. Some of them are even mothers, wives, and the wives of other service members. But they are all women, and they serve their country as honorably as the men who stand beside them. Currently, expeditionary females are deployed with their shipmates around the globe in support of the maritime strategy. As one of the Navy’s type commanders, NECC centrally manages the current and future readiness, resources, manning, training and equipping of approximately 40,000 expeditionary Sailors, including individual augmentees Redpath challenged these Sailors, men and women -- to mentor their junior females by “pushing boundaries.” “To make their careers successful, push the boundaries for all the women coming after you. You can’t accept ‘no’,” she said. “You have to question, ‘why’? You don’t have to be unpleasant, but you have to push.” For more news from Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/necc/.

H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

utr program keeps crew connected to kids There is usually a next-day turnaround on the tapes, according to Young. “MWR [Morale, Welfare and Recreation] donated 500 VHS tapes to the program, which is just awesome,” Young added. Young also reminds Sailors that the program is not just for parents to read to their children. “If you have a niece or a nephew or maybe a child you used to baby sit, then you can also use the program to keep in touch,” he said. There are currently 39 time slots available each week. The filming sessions are held Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1400-

UTR Program Keeps Crew ConneCted to Kids

Photo: Cryptologic Technician 2nd Class Christopher T. Smith

he United Through Reading program (UTR) which first launched aboard USS Nimitz in 2003, offers the crew another way to keep in contact with loved ones, especially their children, as they sail farther away from home. UTR is a program founded by the Family Literacy Foundation (FLF) to keep parents and children connected while parents are deployed. The UTR program allows Sailors to read a bedtime story to loved ones and add a personal message while being videotaped. The Sailors then send the tapes home to their children. Seeing a loved one’s face helps children with the bonding process, assures them that their loved ones are okay, and helps children learn the rhythm of their Sailor’s voice, according to the United Through Reading Web site. Additionally, the program ensures the children have a familiar face reading to them,

which not only keeps them thinking, but keeps them connected intellectually and emotionally as well. Nimitz’s UTR program is managed by the Religious Ministries Department and facilitated by the Nimitz photography lab. “This is just one more way to strengthen our family by keeping in constant contact,” said Chaplain (Lt. Cmdr.) Ed Pease, a UTR program manager. “Sailors sign up for a time slot, they show up and either bring a book of their own or we provide them with one to read,” said Pease. “The FLF, the Nimitz ombudsman and the command library have donated many of the books available.” The Nimitz photo lab provides the technical support for the program. “There are four videographers who work to support the program,” said Lt. j.g. Matthew Young, a UTR program manager and division officer for the photo lab. “They are there to videotape each session. Then they take the footage and dub it onto VHS tape, so parents can send the tape home.”

Photo: Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Paul D. Williams

By Journalist Seaman Kristine DeHoux USS Nimitz Public Affairs

Pacific Ocean – Master-at-Arms 1st Class Mary Mcquain of Parkersburg, W. Va., reads to her children as she is videotaped aboard USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19). 64

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Djibouti, Africa - Construction Mechanic Thomas Weber, left, and Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Heather Glietz unpack the hundreds of donated books to be used for Naval UTR Program.

1600 in the library classroom (03-118-10-Q) and again from 2200-2400 to accommodate the night crew. Each session lasts 20 minutes. “The program has been very well received by the crew, judging by the number of people who have signed up,” said Pease. In the first week of the program, Pease said there was about 75 percent participation, and the last two weeks had 100 percent participation, with the time slots for the fourth week filling quickly. “If the need arises for us to start shooting more sessions,” said Young, “we’ll certainly do so.” The program, which began as an experiment, is now in its sixth year and is being made available to an increasing number of crewmembers that are deployed around the globe.

Photo: Chief Photographer’s Mate Chris Desmond.

U.S. Navy offers empowering jobs

U.S. Navy offers Empowering Jobs Master-at-Arms Seaman Treva Christian is a key member of the Naval Support Activity (NSA) Mid-South Police Force. She and her shipmates are the first line of defense aboard the small naval base located just north of Memphis, Tenn. The Master-at-Arms (MAA) force is responsible for the safety and security of the base personnel and property. Their duties range from traffic safety to crime prevention as well as the base security posture for prevention of terrorist acts.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician hink blowing stuff up is just for guys? Think again. Women in the Navy can become Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians (EOD techs). EOD techs protect and save lives by rendering safe both foreign and domestic explosives.

Photo: Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Edward N. Vasquez

What else do EOD techs do? EOD techs routinely work with the U.S. Secret Service and State Department, helping to protect the President, Vice President, and other American and foreign officials and dignitaries. They support the U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Customs Office, FBI, and state police bomb squads. EOD

Operations Specialist 2nd Class Jody Heflin, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Five (EODMU-5) instructs members of the Singapore Navy in the proper use of a global positioning unit onboard Naval Base Guam. 66

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techs also assist in planning and enforcing security at large world events, such as the Olympics or world–leader summits. EOD techs eliminate explosive ordnance hazards that jeopardize operations in support of national security and military strategies. They locate, evaluate, disarm, and sometimes detonate bombs, missiles, mines, and other explosives. Their job takes them all over the world, helping to clear minefields, preparing coastal areas for amphibious landings, and providing intelligence about potential threats both here in the States and abroad. How do I get to be an EOD tech? In the Navy, you’re encouraged to achieve. With a lot of training and practical field experience, EOD techs learn skills such as diving and parachuting, and they also need to know how to handle electronics, a variety of explosives, and high–tech equipment. Following Basic Training, EOD candidates spend almost a full year in various training sessions designed to prepare them for emergency situations. Considering that these technicians handle almost any kind of bomb from land mines to nuclear war devices and can arrive on the job site from air, sea, or land, EOD training is physically and mentally challenging. But this is one of the Navy’s many positions where you’re actively involved in saving lives, helping people, and being a heroine all at the same time. For more

Photo: Seaman Brian M. Brooks

Photo: Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Chad R. Erdmann

U.S. Navy offers empowering jobs

Aviation Structural Mechanic 1st Class Miles Simmons gets sprayed with Oleoresin Capsicum spray by Masterat-Arms 1st Class Esslin Joiner during a naval security force sentry course aboard USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7).

dered if there was an avenue available to you. The Navy lets women follow their dreams.

Master–At–Arms You knew what you wanted to be even as a young girl. You saw the uniforms, heard the sirens, and respected their protective presence in your neighborhood. You dreamed of being a police officer, but you won-

What is an MA? Master–at–Arms, or MAs, are the Navy’s police force. They enforce, protect, and serve by providing law enforcement, physical protection, and anti–terrorism measures for the entire Navy community, on land and at sea. As a female MA, you earn the same respect and pay, and receive the same job opportunities as men do.

Photo: Photographer’s Mate Airman Stephen Early

Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Dana Loney uses a CO2 bottle to attack a mock electrical fire aboard USS Constitution. This is part of a unique damage control training exercise geared towards the Navy’s only wooden ship.

information visit the section on EOD technicians.

Aviation Technician 2nd Class Carren McMillan adjusts and aligns an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) transponder aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). IFF enables a pilot to distinguish enemies or friendly aircraft in flight.

What do MAs do? MAs work wherever there’s a Navy presence. They organize and train personnel assigned to security and overseas shore patrol duties, conduct crime prevention programs, operate Navy brigs (jails), assist in crowd control and confrontation situations, and handle and care for dogs that detect narcotics and explosives. Any Master–at–Arms position is open to women. What kind of specialized training do MAs have? Candidates participate in six weeks of specialized training at academies such as the Law Enforcement/Master–at–Arms (LE/MA) School at the Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC) located in San Antonio, Texas. During their time there, MA candidates go through intensive training in all aspects of police work. They need to learn crime scene investigation methods, such as how to locate

H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

Continued on Page 68

Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class David Hoffman

U.S. Navy offers empowering jobs

Master-at-Arms 1st Class Sonia Liverpool, attached to the Expeditionary Training Command (ETC), discusses the best way to check identification during port security training aboard High Speed Vessel (HSV) 2 Swift.

and assemble any physical evidence. When the evidence leads to suspects and victims, students learn how to question and gather further information that can help solve the crime. And, if suspects confess or provide information leading to their arrest, the MAs–in–training need to know the law, how to restrain and handcuff the perpetrators, and when and how to use the right amount of force. Another part of the training consists of computerized firearms simulators with digitized video training scenarios that mimic potential hazards on the job. This training system is used as a tool to measure the Sailor’s judgment in the use of force, decision– making skills, and marksmanship. On–the-Job Training Once students receive their diploma, they will be assigned to a security detachment, on land or at sea, under the guidance of a Field– Training Officer. The Field–Training Officer acts as a mentor for the new MAs, providing the specific procedures for that command. New security police officers, women as well as men, will normally assume duties that could include guarding gates at facilities around the world, flight–line security, base security patrol, or fence–line security. With time, MAs will then have the opportunity to enter various Phase II training programs, which will add to their abilities. Eventually, most security policemen assume a field specialty, such as military working dogs, investigations, mobile security force, or corrections, and they develop expertise in that 68

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area. In the Navy, women have the same opportunities as men to explore their interests as an MA. Cool tools for MAs Technology is another very important tool that MAs have at their disposal. For example, Naval Station Pearl Harbor security now has an X–ray device that scans commercial vehicles requesting entry onto the base for

Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jennifer A. Villalovos

Continued from Page 67

potentially dangerous materials. Once the vehicle is scanned, specially trained MAs analyze the images for contraband, such as illegal weapons. The X–ray helps save the MAs time, makes incoming vehicle waits at the gate shorter, and provides the entire base with a stronger sense of security. And, if you’re interested in canines, Military Working Dogs (MWDs) are highly trained team members with capabilities that, in many ways, make them valuable members of the law–enforcement team. They can sniff out explosives and narcotics, have superior hearing ability, and can help control suspects with a show of teeth and a menacing growl. MAs who become MWD handlers must train with their dogs so they learn to work together as a team. The best–suited MWD breeds are Belgian Malinois and German shepherds. Their keen sense of smell and overall temperament make them a better choice than bigger, stockier–built breeds. MAs are extremely valuable members of the Navy, continuously working to preserve order and discipline and to maintain the all–important core values of honor, courage, and commitment. So if you’ve always wanted to be a police officer but thought the job might be unavailable to you as a woman, the Navy offers you the opportunities you’ve been looking for.

Master-at-Arms 3rd Class Lisette Latorre, of the Naval Security Force, K-9 Unit, trains with her military working dog Anna in a detection proficient trail and training exercise.

Naval History makers

Naval History Makers

Vice Adm. Patricia Tracey

ice Adm. Patricia Tracey smiled as she ends 34 years of distinguished naval service as the highest ranking woman ever in the Navy. She ended her last tour of duty in 2004 as Director, Navy Staff (DNS) where she directed a staff of over 1200 personnel in support of the CNO, VCNO and headquarters support functions. Photo: Chief Photographer’s Mate Johnny Bivera Vice Admiral Tracey was the first and only woman in the U.S. Navy to achieve the rank of Vice Admiral and her position as the Chief of Naval Education and Training and the Director of Training on July 10, 1996. A native of The Bronx, New York, Vice Admiral Tracey graduated from the College of New Rochelle with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics, completed Women’s Officer’ School, and was commissioned as an Ensign in 1970. She also earned a Master’s degree, with distinction, in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Her initial assignment in the U.S. Navy was to the Naval Space Surveillance Systems where she was qualified as a Command Center Officer and Orbital Analyst. Her first command tour was at the Naval Technical Training Center at Treasure Island,

California, followed by a staff position with the Chief of Naval Personnel as the head of the Enlisted Plans and Community Management Branch. She served as Commanding Officer of Naval Station Long Beach, then the second largest homeport of the Pacific Fleet. Vice Admiral Tracey became a Fellow with the Chief of Naval Operations’ Strategic Studies Group at the Naval War College in 1992. She was assigned as Director for Manpower and Personnel on the staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Prior to that, she served as Commander, Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, home of the Navy’s only boot camp. The admiral’s personal decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service, three Legion of Merit Awards, and three Meritorious Service Medals and the 1998 Living Legacy Patriot Award in recognition of her accomplishments and those of the outstanding women of the United States Navy.

he U.S. Navy marked a milestone Oct. 31, 2003 when Rear Adm. Deborah A. Loewer became the service’s first warfare-qualified woman to be promoted to admiral. As the vice-commander of the Navy’s Military Sealift Command, headquartered in Washington, D.C. She was second in command of a global transportation agency with a workforce of more than 8,000 and a fleet of more than 120 active ships, whose primary mission is to move U.S. military cargo for deployed U.S. forces in times of war and other national crises. Loewer’s selection to flag rank is the culmination of nearly 27 years of impressive leadership experience at sea and ashore. She commanded Navy ships at sea and served in top military assignments at the White House Situation Room, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense. Rear Adm. Loewer’s career began in the mid-1970s at a time when women were barred by law from serving aboard Navy

Rear Adm. Deborah A. Loewer

ships. Since then, she has accumulated several record-breaking firsts for female and male naval officers alike, beginning with her graduation as the top female student at the male-dominated Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., in 1976 where she was commissioned an ensign. She graduated second in a class of 110 students after serving as the first female battalion commander at OCS. Rear Adm. Loewer’s personal awards included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (two awards), Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards), Joint Meritorious Unit Award (two awards), Navy Unit Commendation (two awards), Navy “E” Ribbon (four awards), National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon (two awards), Coast Guard Special Operations Ribbon and the NATO Medal. She retired in October 2006 after 30 years of outstanding service.

H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

Patricia c. lewis – it’s all about the people

By Austin Camacho, DOD Health Affairs

hen it comes to her opinions on the military, Brig. Gen. Patricia Lewis started off on the opposite side of the fence. During her college years in the 1970s, Lewis protested the Vietnam War long and hard. But after noticing that less and less of her friends were coming home from the battlefield, her perspective shifted. As her general opposition to the armed forces began to subside, her love affair with the Air Force began. In 1979, she received a direct commission into the Air Force Medical Service Corps. Now, looking back, she says that joining the military was the best thing she ever did. “When I joined, remember there were very few females in health care, let alone any other minorities,” she said. “I just said, ‘I’ll keep doing it as long as I’m having fun.’” Now, one year away from retirement, Lewis is still having fun and continues to disregard gender as an obstacle. According to her, the only real hurdle is balancing her responsibilities as assistant surgeon general of the Air Force, chief of the Medical Service Corps and as a mother. “I’m a work enthusiast — I love work and I love my family,” said Lewis. “Trying to balance that has always been difficult. I think today’s airmen do a better job balancing family – and I applaud them for that.” That balance, she says, is imperative to uphold because the military is all about people, whether it’s the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, or their families. She considers herself fortunate to be in a leadership position, where she can help cultivate the future leaders of Air Force health care the same way she was cultivated. “I needed that leadership to get me where I am today,” she said. “And I needed every staff sergeant, every civilian [and] every contractor that helped push me along the way. Otherwise I couldn’t do this.” Although she is leaving the Air Force next year, she retires knowing that she has left 70

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her mark on the more than 60,000 officers, enlisted, civilian and reserve personnel in the Air Force Medical Service and the 75 military treatment facilities that it supervises. But, she says, there were many other ways she helped make a difference that may not make the headlines. “You know, you ask questions like, ‘What do you contribute, what do you get out of the military?’ Anybody who serves in the military has made a difference,” she said. “I don’t care where you serve in the military, whether you’re an airman on the flight line or an airman in the cockpit. You are making a difference; this country will be better off because you did what you did.” Brig. Gen. Patricia C. Lewis is Assistant Surgeon General, Strategic Medical Plans and Programs, and Chief of the Medical Service Corps, Office of the Surgeon General, Bolling Air Force Base, D.C. As the Air Force Medical Service senior

“I’m a work enthusiast — I love work and I love my family. Trying to balance that has always been difficult. I think today’s airmen do a better job balancing family – and I applaud them for that.” programmer, General Lewis’ key responsibilities are integrating, analyzing and defending the Defense Health Program and medical elements of Air Force funding during the Program Objective Memoranda, Program Budget Decision and Program Decision Memorandum. She provides expert consultative leadership for all of the Air Force Medical Service. The Medical Service supports

the activities of 39,000 personnel serving 2.6 million beneficiaries through 75 medical treatment facilities worldwide with a budget of $6.3 billion. In her dual role as Chief of the Medical Service Corps, General Lewis is the senior healthcare administrator in the Air Force and responsible for accessions, development and management of 1,100 healthcare administrative professionals in the corps.

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MILITARY PHOTOGRAPHER: NOT A SAFE JOB

Military Photographer:

Not a Safe Job By Warren Wise

taff Sgt. Stacy Pearsall of the Charleston Air Force Base was named Military Photographer of the Year for 2007. Pearsall, of the 1st Combat Camera Squadron, is the first woman to win the honor twice. She first won in 2003. In all, there were 1,757 entries in the military photographer category worldwide. Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Pearsall joined the military in 1997. Following tours at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska and Royal

Pearsall taking in the view from high over Baghdad. 72

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Air Force Base Molesworth, England, she was assigned to her current unit, 1st Combat Camera Squadron, Charleston, S.C. “Driving in Baghdad, Iraq was like playing Russian roulette with a hand gun,” explained Pearsall. “If a roadside bomb went off, then it was my time to go. Flying in the helicopters over Iraq had a false sense of security. I always felt more at ease in a Black Hawk then I ever did in an up-armored hummer on the roads. The irony in it all was that the risk of getting shot down was about 75 percent higher then hitting an improvised explosive device on the roads. Still, the view from the skies offered a better look at the country than the city streets ever did. When I was taking pictures from 500 feet, I felt invincible. Iraq always looked more promising from that height too.” Pearsall rode in a convoy of military vehicles north of Baghdad last April when the lead vehicle struck an improvised explosive device and the convoy was ambushed. Soldiers raced to help the wounded while the convoy was struck again by a rocket- propelled grenade. They hurried wounded soldiers back to the ramp on Pearsall’s vehicle where she was manning a machine gun. With adrenaline pumping and others yelling for her help, Pearsall lurched forward to assist the wounded soldiers. The communication cord from her helmet was still attached and her sudden forward movement brought her off her feet.

Photo: USAF Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall

Pearsall, outside of her home unit at Charleston Air Force Base.

In this photo by Pearsall U.S. Marine Cpl. Steven Jacobs and Sgt. Earnest Robke show the Djiboutian Police how to move in teams of two through a hallway intersection during training at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti.

She managed to help the wounded soldiers and didn’t realize until later how severely she hurt her neck. It was the second time she was wounded. The first happened in 2003 from another incident involving an improvised explosive device that first injured her neck. After 10 years in the military, the Canton, S.D., native is trying to figure out her career. “This has been my whole world for 10 years,” she said. “I love my country, and I love what I do. I have to start thinking about my body and my well-being.” Her husband understands her passion. He is Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway, who is stationed Iraq and also is a combat photographer who has won awards for his work. “It’s a friendly competition,” Pearsall said.

gaining altitude

Gaining

Altitude By Katie Pesznecker

n the day Samantha Weeks was born, American women weren’t allowed to be fighter pilots. That didn’t matter: By age 6, she knew it was her destiny. Weeks is a 1997 graduate of the Air Force Academy. She served with the 12th Fighter Squadron as a flight commander and instructor pilot, flying the F-15C/D “Eagle,” and has flown missions for the 94th Fighter Squadron over Iraq. And now her job is to tear across the skies in an F-15 at speeds nosing 1,000 mph, just as she’d always dreamed. So the fact that Weeks became only the second woman in the history of the Air Force Thunderbirds to fly with the team is really just a fantastic bonus. The Thunderbirds are the Air Force’s elite — pro pilots whose dazzling fighter-jet aerobatics dazzle at air shows across the world. They are the rock stars of the aeronautics world, fast fliers in custom-made uniforms with autograph-ready attitudes who embody Photo: Lance Cheung

Maj. Weeks prepares to climb into the cockpit of her fighter-jet.

Maj. Weeks provides more than an autograph when a fan gives her a hug during a special needs air show. 74

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the iconic thrill and skill of the American fighter pilot. Weeks is beyond thrilled to be a part of that. “It’s an amazing honor and I’m definitely humbled by the experience,” said Weeks, who was stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base for two years before becoming a Thunderbird. A pilot doesn’t make any more money as a Thunderbird. But the appointment does include a custom-made uniform, complete with one’s name embroidered on the chest. Past ensembles have come in fire engine red and a sleek blue-and-black number. Weeks’ regulation olive-green flight suit hangs loosely on her athletic 5-foot-7-inch frame, but she’s heard the Thunderbirds garb is considerably more tailored.

The Thunderbirds gig also means loads of traveling. Between March and November each year, Weeks will hit the road with the massive Thunderbird entourage that includes the six star fliers, two additional pilots, four more officers, and a support staff that tops 100. In any given show, four pilots form the tight diamond formation while two others zip around the perimeter. Weeks will be one of the zippers. As the opposing solo pilot, Weeks and her sleek F-16 will maneuver through aerial routines that are sometimes downright freaky. Picture the two jets barreling straight for each other only to roll at the last minute and narrowly avoid collision: One of those will be Weeks. And she’s cool with that?

Photo: Tech. Sgt. Sean M. White

gaining altitude

Thunderbird solo pilots team up to perform their trademark calypso pass.

sides, but Weeks will be the second female pilot — not that she makes an issue of it. “It doesn’t make it any more special or different to me,” she said. “All I want to do is be an Air Force officer and a fighter pilot and serve. The recruiting the Thunderbirds do for the Air Force is invaluable. And having been part of the Air Force for 26 years, I really felt it was a great opportunity for me to give back.” That’s right. She said “26 years.” Weeks has been in the service for nine years, but she automatically counts the years spent with her Air Force father. Her romance with flying started at age 6, when her dad, part of maintenance crew, took her with him across the ocean on a KC-135. “We got to refuel some fighters that they were dragging across the ocean, and I was

The Thunderbirds are the Air Force’s elite – pro pilots whose dazzling fighter-jet aerobics amaze audiences at air shows across the world. “Yup,” she said, smiling brightly. “Some of it is an illusion, so it will be interesting to see what really makes that illusion for the crowd.” A downside to Weeks’ new job will be time spent away from her husband, Curtis, an Air Force intelligence officer. The couple met in Turkey, both deployed there for Operation Northern Watch, patrolling the northern no-fly zone of Iraq. They’ve been married almost five years. “And the weirdest thing is we grew up an hour and half away from each other, so I probably watched him play high school football,” Weeks said.

A proud pilot.

Ask her husband about his job, “and he’ll tell you he types for a living,” Weeks said. So in their household, her job packs the edge. Some might fret over the danger of a spouse flying a fighter jet, but Weeks’ husband, she said, is all “that’s cool honey” about it. “You have to try for anything you want,” Weeks said. “You’ll look back on it if you don’t try. So even if you fail, you’ve put your best foot forward and you still tried.” Weeks learned she got the job about three weeks ago, when a routine debriefing was halted for the phone call. Interruptions are never allowed — unless someone really, really important is calling. On the other end of the line: Gen. Robert Keyes, commander of Air Combat Command and all fighting Air Force in the United States. A major honcho, for sure. “I definitely had some adrenaline, butterflies,” Weeks said. “His comment to me was: ‘Hey, Combo, I have a job opening for you next year. Do you want to take it?’ And I said, ‘Uh, yes sir!’ “ Combo is Weeks’ call sign. She won’t say why. Ask, and she blushes deep pink, clear to her blond roots, just shakes her head and looks to Capt. Kelly Jeter, Elmendorf Third Wing spokeswoman, for help. “It’s a typical fighter pilot story,” is all Jeter will say. There have been several female Thunderbirds on the enlisted and public affairs

Maj. Weeks dives her F-16 Falcon straight down to show center while performing the Split S maneuver upon takeoff during a practice show.

lying in the ... part of the plane where you look at the fighter below and refuel them,” she said. From there, the boom extends to the jet below. “I was about 10 feet from the fighter pilot in his aircraft,” Weeks said, “and I thought that was the neatest thing I’d ever seen, and I needed to do that when I grew up.” Weeks believes she was born at the right time so that could happen: That was 1976, the year women were first admitted to the Air Force Academy. The year she entered the Academy, 1993, women got permission to fly fighters. “I just think everything had been lining me up so I could do what I always wanted to do,” she said. “My life had come full circle. Now I’m that fighter pilot at the other end of that boom.”

H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

Female U-2 Pilots: Gender Isn’t a Factor

Female U-2 Pilots: Gender Isn’t a Factor of military, with an unmatched upper hand on the enemy by providing high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to commanders. “After we’ve completed a mission and landed the aircraft, it’s rewarding to know that

By Senior Airman Ross M. Tweten, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

Photo: Sr Airman Levi Riendeau

n its 50 years of flight, only six women pilots have been at the controls of the U-2 Dragon Lady. Three of those six are currently in the Air Force, and two of those three are currently fighting in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, flying with the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing’s 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, the only U-2 squadron in Southwest Asia. Maj. Merryl Tengesdal and Capt. Heather Fox, both U-2 pilots with the 99th ERS and deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., continue to add to women’s and the U-2’s history, while fighting the war on terror 70,000 feet in the air. From these altitudes, Major Tengesdal and Captain Fox, along with their 99th ERS wingmen, provide other warfighters with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance of the battle space. Since its introduction in 1957, the U-2 and the men and women who support it have provided the United States and all its branches

degree of trust in these officers, as they face tough decisions every day to keep our pilots and aircraft safe while executing the mission; and they do it admirably.” Fewer than 850 Airmen have piloted the U-2 since its introduction. According to Cap-

Capt. Fox stands while Sr Airman Roric Ongaco and Staff Sgt. Lisa Tetrick, attach the torso harness to her suit. She was preparing to fly a reconnaissance mission from an air base in Southwest Asia. 76

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we’ve helped the forces on the ground, and kept them safe,” said Captain Fox. “Even after 50 years, the U-2 has a significant impact on the mission.” According to Lt. Col. Thomas Engle, 99th ERS commander, the U-2 is an unforgiving aircraft which requires exceptional airmanship to fly, and is arguably the most difficult aircraft in the world to land. Pilots are carefully screened before being accepted for training, to include a three-sortie interview profile to determine the applicant’s aptitude for flying the “Deuce.” Fewer than half of the candidates invited to interview eventually get qualified to fly combat reconnaissance missions in the aircraft. Missions in excess of nine hours wearing a full-pressure suit while flying at extreme altitudes are very fatiguing and require a high degree of professional commitment. “Major Tengesdal and Captain Fox are both experienced U-2 instructor pilots bringing a high level of maturity and skill to the 99th ERS,” said Colonel Engle. “I place a high

Photo: Master Sgt. Rose Reynolds

Photo: Sr Airman Levi Riendeau

Capt. Fox receives 100% oxygen while Senior Airman Roric Ongaco monitors her suit pressure.

An Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady flies a training mission.

tain Fox, the small number of women whose names are on that list is just another number. “To be perfectly honest I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” she said. “The aircraft flies the same for women as it does for men. I’m just glad I’m a part of an aircraft with such a great mission.” According to Major Tengesdal, every contribution in the military is important to winning the war on terrorism. “As a pilot, all that matters is the mission, no matter if you’re male or female,” she said. “We get it done out here, and I’m happy to be a contributing member of this team. It’s an honor to be a part of the U-2 heritage.”

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wings across america

n inspirational, cutting-edge, digital history project, educating and motivating generations with the incredible history of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, WASP of WWII, first women in history to fly America’s military aircraft. WASP ON THE WEB Wings Across America’s WASP website, with 2,000 pages of resources, games, videos, audio, photos, articles, and primary records. The site, which won “Yahoo Pick of the Week,” was reviewed in the New York Times. A priceless online resource, WASP on the WEB is linked by PBS, Britannica and NASA. www.wasp-wwii.org “I have the utmost respect for all members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots. They were hard working, dedicated pilots who served our country well, playing an important part during the war. ‘Wings Across America’ will be invaluable in preserving the WASP history and teaching the current and future generations of their proud history.” —Chuck Yeager, BRIG. GEN., USAF, Ret. DIGITAL VIDEO ARCHIVE Wings Across America’s most priceless resource: digital video interviews with 114

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WASP, most in their own homes. This archive will eventually be encoded and uploaded as searchable video information, containing 300 hours of footage. Still in the fundraising stages, this project has gained international recognition from The Voice of America, the Pentagon Channel and the Air Force News.

YOU CAN HELP build this valuable, educational resource of tomorrow by supporting Wings Across America: www.wingsacross america.us/wings “Thank you so much for your truly remarkable efforts in documenting the history of the Women Airforce Service Pilots. You are breaking new ground in this educational effort that will inspire and captivate generations to come. The WASP were and still are my role models.” —Eileen M. Collins, COL, USAF (Ret.) Former NASA Astronaut FLY GIRLS OF WWII Wings Across America’s inspirational traveling WASP exhibit, showcasing the history of the WASP. Display is filled with stories, video, photos, quotes and authentic WASP uniforms and memorabilia. www.wingsacross america.us/flygirls WINGS ACROSS AMERICA 1819 River Street Waco, Texas 76706 254.772.8188 fax: 866.275.4064 Wings Across America — a non profit, 501c3 project at Baylor University Contact: Nancy Parrish, Director nancy@ wingsacrossamerica.org www.wingsacrossamerica.org

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changing roles of marine corps women

Changing Roles of MaRine CoRps WoMen

Photo: Lance Cpl. Juan D. Alfonso

Cpl. Chaquitta C. Lambert memorizes a drill card before marching her squad on the Camp Foster Parade Deck while at the Camp Foster Corporals’ Course.

Cpl. Maria T. Holman restrains Chris, her military working dog, during a controlled aggression exercise, at the Military Working Dog Kennel on Kadena Air Base. Holman recently returned from Iraq where she earned a Combat Action Ribbon. 80

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In 1996, Lt. Gen. Carol Mutter made history by becoming the first female Marine and second woman in military history to earn the rank of lieutenant general. Today, female Marines serve in 93 percent of all military occupational fields, according to the Woman Marine Association’s official Web site. Female Marines have Cpl. Valerie Gavaldon (right) helps Cpl. Roxanne Cox (left) adjust the front gone through more than their site post on her M16A2 service rifle during the live-fire portion of their trainshare of hardships on the road ing at Camp Korean Village, Iraq. to proving their place in the Corps, said 1st Lt. Veronica L. For many female Marines, being a Connolly McDowell, the training officer for Marine has nothing to do with gender. It is a Combat Logistics Battalion 4, 3rd Marine calling to serve – something that transcends Logistics Group. But their accomplishments gender or racial differences. It’s about pride have not been in vain. and service to country. “There isn’t a rear area anymore,” said Connolly McDowell, who served as a convoy commander in Iraq. “When I went to boot camp, the drill instructors always told us, ‘Don’t expect to be treated any differently than male Marines.’ They were right. When I was enlisted, I went to field operations and deployed just as frequently as any male. It wasn’t about who was male or female; it was about being Marines.” Some Marines remember a time when females weren’t expected to deploy at all, much less find themselves fighting alongside male Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sgt. Erin Rios greets her son, Mikey, on Camp Foster, after “Women in the Marine Corps have returning from a nearly seven-month deployment to Iraq. stepped up and taken the lead by volunteerToday’s female Marines deploy as often as male Marines.

Photo: Staff Sgt. Raymie G. Cruz

AMP FOSTER, Okinawa — For almost a century, women have been an integral part of the U.S. Marine Corps. Their role has changed significantly since 1918 when women were allowed to join the Corps. Today’s female Marine has more opportunities than she did back then. What began as a Corps of non-deployable reservists who served as secretaries, cooks or nurses is now a part of the regular Marine Corps serving in almost all occupations. Their history began in 1918 when Opha Mae Johnson, the woman credited as being the first female Marine, was accepted into the Marine Corps Reserves. Twenty-three years later, Capt. Anne Lentz became the first female commissioned officer and Pvt. Lucille McClarren became the first female active duty Marine. Since then, women have climbed through the ranks and earned their position in previously unattainable occupational fields.

ing for billets and being much more aggressive than in the past,” said 1st Sgt. Suzie M. Hollings, the company first sergeant for A Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Butler. “When I was a lance corporal, they weren’t asking for female Marines to be stationed with division or (force service support group) units. It wasn’t our role to deploy. Today, a female lance corporal is no different than a male lance corporal. I’ve seen some amazing things from female Marines, and it’s only going to get better with time.”

Photo: Lance Cpl. Juan D. Alfonso

By Lance Cpl. Juan D. Alfonso

FN makes the WEAPONS that make HISTORY. 2009 The FN SCAR, now military-type 1914 -1918

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The design collaboration of John M. Browning and FN produces autoloading pistols, the BAR and belt-fed machine guns which help the Allies defeat the Central Powers in WWI.

Browning-designed automatic riﬂes, pistols, and machine guns made by FN and many other manufacturers are critical to the war effort. Once liberated from German occupation FN is tasked with refurbishing more than two million U.S. small arms from the European Theater of Operation.

The U.S. Military adopts both the FN MINIMI Squad Automatic Weapon (M249) and the FN MAG 58 General Purpose Machine Gun (M240). FN opens a plant in Columbia, South Carolina to build small arms for the U.S. Military.

designated the MK 16 (5.56mm) and MK 17 (7.62mm), along with the FN EGLM, MK 13 (40mm) are being fielded with USSOCOM in 2009. The MK 16 and MK 17 are the first full and openly competed assault rifles by the U.S. Military since 1965. The MK 16 and MK 17 have been designed from the ground up with operator input. The weapon system’s modularity allows the operator to tailor the weapon to meet the needs of any mission.

For more than 100 years Fabrique Nationale has successfully equipped generations of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines of the United States and its Allied nations. From legacy systems like the BAR, M2HB .50 caliber machine gun and Hi Power autoloading pistol designed by John M. Browning, to today’s cutting-edge M240, M249, GAU-21 and the recently-adopted USSOCOM SCAR, FN stands at the leading edge of battlefield weapons. That’s why 70% of the small arms used by the U.S. Military today proudly bear the FN mark of quality.

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brigadier general angela salinas

Brigadier General Angela (Angie) Salinas Commanding General, Marine Corps Recruit Depot/ Western Recruiting Region

rigadier General Angela Salinas is the highest-ranking female Hispanic in the Marine Corps and the first Latina selected to the rank of Brigadier General. Salinas began her military career when she enlisted into the Marine Corps in May 1974. Following recruit training at Parris Island, S.C., she served as a legal services clerk until 1977 when she was selected for the Enlisted Commissioning Program and commissioned a second lieutenant in December 1977. She has commanded at every rank and has served as Series Commander, Woman Recruit Training Command, Parris Island, South Carolina, Commanding Officer, Headquarters and Service Company, 1st Maintenance Battalion, Camp Pendleton, CA, Commanding Officer, Recruiting Station Charleston, West Virginia, Commanding Officer, 4th Recruit Training Battalion and Commanding Officer, 12th Marine Corps District, San Diego, CA. She served in a variety of staff positions throughout the Marine Corps serving as a legal officer with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Cherry Point, N.C. Executive Officer Headquarters Company and Battalion Oper-

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ations Officer, Woman Recruit Training Battalion; Adjutant, 3rd Maintenance Battalion, Okinawa Japan, Adjutant, 1st Maintenance Battalion, Camp Pendleton, Executive Officer, Recruiting Station West Virginia, Major’s Combat Service Support Ground Monitor, Deputy, Special Assistant for General/Flag Officer Matters, Joint Staff, Assistant Chief of Staff, Plans and Policy, G-5, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Depot Inspector Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, CA, Operations Officer, Marine Corps Recruiting Command and Chief of Staff, Marine Corps Recruiting Command, Quantico, VA. In June 1989, Brigadier General Salinas assumed command of Recruiting Station Charleston and became the first woman in the Marine Corps to command a recruiting station. In June 1992, she became the first woman assigned as a combat service support ground monitor responsible for the assignments of over 1000 senior officers. She was the first female assigned as a plans and policy

officer for a major combatant command in 1999 and in May 2001 when she assumed command of the 12th Marine Corps District, became the first woman to serve as a recruiting district commanding officer. She is the first woman to command the Marine Corps Recruit Depot/Western Recruiting Region in San Diego. Brigadier General Salinas is a 1976 graduate of Dominican College of San Rafael, Ca., where she received her B.A. in history. She received her master’s from the Naval War College in 1992. She is a graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School, the Naval War College’s Command and Staff College and the Army War College. Her personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with gold star in lieu of second award, the Meritorious Service Medal with 2 gold stars, the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal with gold star, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal with 2 gold stars. She has received Meritorious Service Awards from the Federal Employed Women (FEW), the National Image, Latina Style Magazine, and the Molly Marine Award from the Woman Marine Association. She received recognition for her leadership by the Navy League and recognized as a “ground breaker” by Women In the Military for Service to America and has been named as one of the top100 most influential Hispanics in the country and one of 80 most elite women.

lioness program continues to roar

Photo by: Lance Cpl. Jessica Aranda

Cpl. Samantha Garza, a motor transportation mechanic with Marine Air Control Squadron 1, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), engages the target with the instruction of range coach, Sgt. Nicholas Meche. Photo: Cpl. Shawn Coolman

ABBINIYAH, IRAQ — As automatic rifles produce repeated pops at the slow-steady, squeeze of their triggers, the desert sun beats intently on the backs of Marines lying in the prone position, protected by a layer of combat gear. After unloading, they remove their helmets revealing a mess of untied hair and smartly sweep it back to regulated perfection. The training excursion, outfitted to prepare them for increasing the security of Iraq’s cities across the region, lasts a week and afterwards the Marines become a part of the Lioness Program. The Lioness Program, an all-female search team, first started a few years ago to provide culturally-sensitive search methods to the Iraqi women, who account for approximately 50 percent of the country’s population. The Lioness team consists of service members from several subordinate units of I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), including 1st Marine Logistics Group and 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. “The mission of the Lioness program is to eliminate potential threats brought in by women,” said Gunnery Sgt. Jeanette Fulgen-

cio, the chief instructor for the program. “We are looking for weapons, any type of explosive device and large amounts of money.” In a culture where many women still cover their faces due to religious beliefs, it is disrespectful for a male to search females. The Lioness program was started so that Iraqi women could be searched in a way that wasn’t against their culture.

Cpl. Jennifer San Martin, 24 searches an Iraqi woman as she travels through the checkpoint in Haditha City, Iraq. Her guardian angel, Cpl. Tracy R. Hauk, provides security as she conducts the search. 84

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“In the Iraqi culture, it’s disrespectful for a male to just look at the females,” said Cpl. Jennifer San Martin, 24, a Lioness attached to 3rd Bn., 23rd Marines, who is from Katy, Texas. “And that’s where we come in. We’re here to reach out to the Iraqi females, because male Marines can’t search them and can’t really even speak to them.”

Photo: Staff Sgt. Raymie G. Cruz

By Cpl. Jessica Aranda 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward)

Although it is normal to see women in leadership positions in the U.S., it is quite uncommon in Iraq. “Not only does it give the Iraqi females a sense of equality, it gives a sense of equality to a lot of females in the military,” added San Martin while searching a female. “A lot of females (in the military) don’t get to do what we are doing.” San Martin’s partner, who provides security while the searches are being conducted, Cpl. Tracy R. Hauk, 21, has similar thoughts. “We’re out here with the grunts (infantryman) everyday and in the line of danger proving to the males that we can hack it, too,” said Hauk, who is from Fenton, Mich. The trend to transition the country from Coalition force control to Iraqi control is prevalent here as well.

Female Marines training for the Lioness Program, watch as police officers from a police transition team demonstrate the proper procedures to search people for weapons at Camp Korean Village, Iraq.

The Lionesses work alongside of infantry units throughout al-Anbar province, posting at entry points to prevent any suspicious individuals from causing violence in the area.

“I volunteered because I wanted to get as close to combat as I could,” said Lance Cpl. Tiffany Jameson, a radio operator with 9th Communications Battalion, I MEF. As the mission of the military continues transitioning to the roles of advisor and supervisor to the Iraqis, the mission of the Lionesses adjusts as needed. Recently, they have begun training Iraqi women to search other females entering the checkpoints. The intent of training the Iraqi women is to one day pass on the responsibility of security to Iraq’s own people. “Each day we are on post, we are teaching Photo: Lance Cpl. Jessica Aranda

Photo: Cpl. Jessica Aranda

lioness program continues to roar

Lance Cpl. Taylor Fleischmann, an intelligence analyst with 1st Marine Logistics Group, looks on as a guardian angel during a makeshift entry control point exercise during Lioness training at the Advanced Infantry Training Center.

Lance Cpl. Kirstin Rawlins stages her bags on the flight line at Al Asad, before flying to Camp Korean Village, Iraq, to train with 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and begin her 30-day security cycle in the Lioness Program. Rawlins is a warehouse clerk with Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd MAW.

Cpl. Jacqueline Parker, the supply warehouse noncommissioned officer for Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 374, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), aims in with the AK-47 during shooting drill. During training for the Lioness program, Marines shot various weapons systems including the M240G Medium Machinegun, Squad Automatic Weapon an AK-47.

Upon completion of the training, small them and we are proving that we are not here teams are sent to different cities across the to harm them,” said Miller. “We’re here to make region, to support the efforts of various opertheir country a more peaceful place.” ating units. “My favorite part of the training was definitely the control point,” said Sgt. Tawni Miller, a generator mechanic with 1st Marine Headquarters Group, I MEF. “It opened my eyes to all the possible threats we could encounter.” For the most part, the Lioness Program is an all-volunteer duty, comprised of Marines from a myriad of Marines with the Lioness Program refill their rifle magazines during the live-fire portion of their training at Camp Korean Village, Iraq. job fields. H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

Photo: Staff Sgt. Raymie G. Cruz

Photo: Lance Cpl. Jessica Aranda

Throughout the week of training, the Marines learn a variety of skills vital to their upcoming missions. Along with language classes from interpreters, the Marines practice takedown maneuvers from the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, combat lifesaving techniques and put everything together at a mock control point.

human intel mos opens to female marines

Human Intel MOS Opens to Female Marines

By Lance Cpl. Stefanie C. Pupkiewicz

Changes in warfare and strategy have made exclusion of females obsolete. he counterintelligence and human intelligence military occupational specialty was officially opened in September 2008 to female Marines. Marines need to have a level of maturity to be in counterintelliThe MOS was formerly closed to females because CI/HUMINT gence because they deal with highly classified material and play a vital specialists were embedded directly with combat units, but changes in role in the war theater, the CI recruiter said. warfare and strategy have made the exclusion of females obsolete. Personality is a large part of working in counterintelligence, he added. Applicants need to be personable and able to speak easily to “There is no real reason to keep them out,” said the Okinawa CI recruiting officer in charge. “We can work people. They also need to be accepting of it so they don’t have to do that combat misother cultural views because they will be sion.” The opening of the MOS has been dealing with people from different cultures. talked about and coordinated for a year. A captured insurgent could know • U.S. Citizen The field will support a nine percent a plethora of information, including the female workforce, according to the OIC. nature and location of future attacks on • 21 years of Age CI specialists interrogate detainees coalition forces or Iraqi citizens. • A corporal, sergeant or and suspected terrorists and secure eviDuring the training exercises, the staff sergeant dence within conflict areas so it can be Marines have to implement their underused later in court, he said. standing of the Iraqi culture to build rapport • Personable, non-judgmental Females will have most of the responwith role players acting as local citizens. personality sibilities, as male CI specialists except “You cannot ignore the culture- that males will embed with infantry units, the CI is paramount,” the CI recruiter said. “If you recruiter said. ignore the culture, you are going to disrespect the people and shut off Marines can enter the field from any MOS if they meet the that flow of information.” requirements, he said. An example of adhering to the culture that is included in the trainMarines interested in becoming a CI specialist must be 21 years ing is asking the man of the house for permission to enter. If the CI/ HUMINT Marines make the mistake of asking the woman in the home old by the end of the CI school and be a corporal, sergeant or staff for permission, a conflict would ensue making it harder for the Marine sergeant. A staff sergeant cannot have completed more than two tours to gather information. of duty. “It’s always (difficult) trying not to ruin rapport and not burn bridges,” one Marine said, noting that one small mistake can negate weeks or months of progress in a community. The Marines also face strong language barriers during their training. Role players who speak a second language such as Spanish use it during the training scenarios. This forces the Marines to communicate through a translator; similar to how they operate in Iraq. Other qualifying requirements include U.S. citizenship and a minimum general technical score of 110 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, said the CI recruiter. After the requirements are met and a preliminary background screening is completed, the Marine will go before a formal board to determine the Marine’s suitability for the MOS. Typically, the Marine will receive orders and familiarize themselves with their unit before attending a 17-week school, said the recruiter. After school, specialists can expect to attach to teams heading to Iraq and Afghanistan as there is no real substitute for the operational CI specialists interrogate detainees and suspected terrorists and secure evidence. experience, said the CI recruiting OIC. Photo: MSGT Cintron

Some Qualifying Requirements

S A L U T E T O f r ee d o m

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origins of women in the coast guard

Origins of Women in the Coast Guard Coast Guard Women at Sea by Andrea Mistretta

by John A. Tilley

omen have been performing Coast Guard duties longer than there has been a Coast Guard. At least one professional ancestor of the modern female Coast Guardsman predated the federal government itself. In 1776, John Thomas joined the Army to fight in the Revolutionary War. His wife, Hannah, took over his job as

keeper of Gurnet Point Light House, near Plymouth, Mass. The oldest root of the modern Coast Guard’s institutional family tree can be traced back to Aug. 7, 1789, when the new Congress appropriated funds for “the necessary support, maintenance and repairs of all lighthouses, beacons, buoys and public piers ... within any bay, inlet, harbor, or port of the United States, for rendering the navigation thereof easy and safe.” The first female federal employees probably were lighthouse keepers. Along with the position of keeper went a house, usually built into the base of the light tower, and a plot of land on which the keeper’s family was expected to keep livestock and grow vegetables. The position of keeper did not require much education, training, or

Painting depicting Ida Lewis, keeper of the Lime Rock Lighthouse, rescues two men on March 29, 1869. 88

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mechanical skill; it demanded dedication, stamina, patience, and a willingness to work for a low salary. It was just the sort of job, in the social atmosphere of Victorian America, for a woman. There seems to have been no official policy regarding the hiring of women to work at lighthouses. The early records are skimpy, but two modern researchers, Mary Louise Clifford and J. Candace Clifford, found the names of 138 women who were employed as lighthouse keepers between 1828 and 1947. The majority were the wives or daughters of keepers or other Lighthouse Board employees who died on the job. In the early 20th Century the number of female lighthouse keepers declined steadily. Steam-driven foghorns replaced the old fog bells, and oil lamps gave way to electric lights. A 1948 issue of The Coast Guard Bulletin commented that these technological improvements had “placed the duties of keepers of lighthouses beyond the capacity of most women.” The last of the woman light-

Pres. Woodrow Wilson created the Coast Guard in 1915.

house keepers apparently was Fannie Salter, who lived at Turkey Point Light, Md., from 1925 to 1947. The Coast Guard was created Jan. 28, 1915, when President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional law consolidating the Revenue Cutter Service and the Life Saving Service. The new service was to operate under the Department of the Treasury during peacetime, and to be absorbed by the Navy upon declaration of war. A little more than two years later, the latter provision was put into effect when the United States declared war on Germany. During WWI, the Navy enlisted women in the Naval Reserve with the rating “Yeoman (F)” and the popular label “Yeomanettes,” to fill clerical positions. Its policy was extended to the Coast Guard; however, personnel records from WWI contain scarcely any references to the Coast Guard Yeomanettes. Nineteen-year-old twin sisters Genevieve and Lucille Baker transferred from the Naval Coastal Defense Reserve to become the first uniformed women in the Coast Guard. With the war’s end the Coast Guard Yeomanettes, along with their Navy and Marine Corps counterparts, were mustered out of the service. At the onset of WWII, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a law creating the Women’s Reserve of the Coast Guard. The purpose of the act was, “to expedite the war effort by providing for releasing officers and men for duty at sea and their replacement by women in the shore establishment of the Coast Guard, and for other purposes.” The Women’s Reserve was to be modeled on the one the Navy had created a few months earlier. Two Navy restrictions were carried over to the Coast

Pres. Franklin Roosevelt signed law creating Coast Guard Women’s Reserve.

Photo by Rudi Williams

origins of women in the coast guard

Pictured at 105 years old, Dorothy Stratton established the Coast Guard Women Reserve – “SPARs”.

were assigned as recruiters and dispatched throughout the country. In the middle of 1943, the Coast Guard set up its own indoctrination facility in what had been the Biltmore Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla. The slogan “Train under the Florida sun” was added to the recruiters’ propaganda arsenal and during the next 18 months, more than 7,000 SPARs received their basic training at Palm Beach. On Sept. 27, 1944, Congress revised the law prohibiting WAVEs and SPARs from serving outside the continental United States. Henceforth, SPARs with good records who requested such duty could be stationed in American overseas territories. The war in Europe was almost over by this time, but about 200 SPARs were sent to Alaska and 200 more to Hawaii before VJ Day.

The Coast Guard was created Jan. 28, 1915, when President Woodrow Wilson signed a congressional law consolidating the Revenue Cutter Service and the Life Saving Service. Guard. Women were not to serve outside the continental United States, and no woman, officer or enlisted, could issue orders to any male serviceman. The Women’s Reserve would come to be known by an acronym based on the Coast Guard motto: “Semper Paratus - Always Ready.” By early 1943 the WAAC and WAVE recruiting posters on post-office walls and telephone poles were joined by placards urging women to “Make a Date With Uncle Sam” and “Enlist in the Coast Guard SPARs.” Initially the Coast Guard applicants had to be between 20 and 36 years old (the upper limit for officers was 50) and have no children under the age of 18. Enlisted women had to have completed two years of high school and officers two years of college. “Married women ‘may enlist provided their husbands are not in the Coast Guard. Unmarried women must agree not to marry until after they have finished their period of training. After training, a SPAR may marry a civilian or a serviceman who is not in the Coast Guard.’” A SPAR who became pregnant “must submit her resignation promptly.” The first 153 enlisted SPARs and 15 SPAR officers were former WAVEs who agreed to be discharged from the Navy and join the Coast Guard. Several of them

Though the Women’s Reserve continued to exist as a separate entity on paper, the Coast Guard of the 1950s had scarcely any recognizable policy regarding women. In 1950 Eleanor L’Ecuyer, a former SPAR who had graduated from law school after WW II, responded to an announcement that the Coast Guard was offering commissions to former reservists who had done addiContinued on Page 90

ADM Chester Bender

H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

Photo: Rudi Williams

Photo: PA3 Kimberly Wilder

origins of women in the coast guard

L – R Capt. Jean Butler, first woman graduate of Coast Guard Academy, 1980; Capt. Beverly Kelley, first woman commanding officer afloat, 1979; Capt. Carol A. Rivers, first woman commanding officer of a port security unit, who participated in Operation Desert Storm.

Continued from Page 89

and five were aircraft pilots. Female enlisted strength in the same year stood at 1,747, including 85 enlisted women at sea. A 1990 study entitled “Women in the Coast Guard” led to a systematic effort to identify gender-related concerns and problems. The Coast Guard now has a Women’s Advisory Council consisting of nine officers and senior enlisted women who advise senior officers and civilian administrators on policy matters. The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, or DACOWITS, addresses the concerns of the Coast Guard as well as DOD’s. The women consulted during the preparation of this article were unanimous in their assertion that the Coast Guard is ahead of the other armed services in its policies toward and treatment of women. Another consistent theme among Coast Guard women is an intense dedication to their profession.

Photo: Rudi Williams

tional work in college. She was appointed an ensign - and was thereupon “placed in limbo” because the service had no billet for her. In the 1960s individual reserve units did their own recruiting, and businessmen who held reserve officers’ commissions sometimes talked their secretaries into enlisting. But the Vietnam War gave the Coast Guard a surplus of qualified male applicants, and the service made little systematic effort to attract women. In the early 1970s, with ADM Chester Bender as commandant, the Coast Guard came to the forefront of American military policy regarding women. All the armed services were adjusting to several important national phenomena: civil rights legislation, the end of the Vietnam War, and the women’s Cmdr. Melissa L. Rivera was recognized for her heroic actions as a movement. The Army, Navy and Air H-60 Jayhawk helicopter pilot when she saved the lives of crewForce wrung their hands and held men aboard a burning fishing boat in the Bering Sea. back the tide as long as they could. The Coast Guard, though not without reluctance, accepted it. A congressional law, passed in 1973, ended the Women’s Reserve as a separate entity. In the same year the service opened its officer candidate program to women, thereby becoming the first American armed service to do so. In the spring of 1977, under the urging of Secretary of Transportation Brock Adams, the Coast Guard decided to conduct an experiment by assigning women to sea-going ships. BM1 Holly Wiggins, of Coast Guard Station Annapolis, navigates a 41-foot utility boat near a bay inlet. 90

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Photo: PA1 Pete Milnes

Coast Guard Color Guard march during a wreath laying ceremony.

The high-endurance CGCs Morgenthau and Gallatin were selected to receive 10 enlisted women and two female officers each. During the next few year’s women were assigned virtually every duty to which their ranks entitled them. In 1983, LCDR Melissa Wall, then a LTJG, took command of Loran Station St. Paul, Alaska, with a complement of 26 - all males - serving under her. By 1983, of 129 women officers in the Coast Guard, 35 were serving aboard seagoing vessels

where are all our patriots? Kathleen Renee’ DeSpain-Moore, a busy mom from Sacramento, California is the Founder/Executive Director of Rebels With A Cause (RWC). Each year she organizes the annual “Capitol to Capitol Ride Across America.” This 15-day parade of patriots by the “Rebels With a Cause” trek across America on their motorcycles from Sacramento to Washington, DC in support of our troops and to honor Memorial Day. Alice Wax is the widow of a WWII veteran, is the founder of National Military Appreciation Month. Alice is an inspiring woman who recognized that we needed a month to reenergize patriotism in America. Through her efforts the United States Congress passed a Bill in 1999, designating each May as National Military Appreciation Month. Using appropriate means to establish incentives for Federal, State, and local governments and private sector entities, this month will encourage everyone to sponsor and participate in programs giving the nation a time and place upon which to focus, draw attention, and express our appreciation and

Shauna Fleming, Founder of A Million Thanks.

Where Are All Our Patriots? By Duncan Munro, MSgt USAF (Ret) National Military Appreciation Month

ometimes I begin to think patriotism is almost dead until I learn about people who serve from the heart. Although they didn’t raise their hand and enter military service, they too earn the same respect as they’ve made a heartfelt choice to make a difference for America. With May being designated as National Military Appreciation Month, there are some special individuals who immediately come to mind. I’ll begin with the young lady from Orange County, California - In May 2004, Shauna Fleming was only 16-years old, yet she launched a campaign called “A Million Thanks” to collect and distribute letters to the troops. By October, less than seven months after she began, Shauna received her millionth letter -- a handmade card from a high school student in St. Charles, Mo. On Nov. 17, Shauna presented a card to President Bush in the Oval Office. Since the beginning, she has

succeeded in encouraging others to write and send not one million, but over two million letters of support to our troops. Lizzie Palmer, a 15-year old high school girl from Ohio took the initiative and choreographed the acclaimed “Remember Me” video. This poignant piece of work depicts the faces of service members who are fighting the war on terror and the family members whose lives will never be the same from the loss that war brings. Since its airing in November of 2006, this video has been watched more than 26 million times.

thanks to our military family. These are only a handful of Americans out there who truly support this great country from the heart. Who are the other thousands of patriotic men and women out there? National Military Appreciation Month is all about those who serve and have served. It’s a full month dedicated to honor our military, veterans, and patriots. If you know someone, please share them with us through our official website at www.nmam.org. We’re looking to highlight these people as inspirations who help breathe patriotic life in America.

H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

Vivien s. crea: 1st ever woman uscg vice-commandant

Vivien S. Crea: 1st Ever Woman USCG Vice-Commandant

ivien S. Crea, Vice Admiral, United States Coast Guard, is 25th ViceCommandant of the Coast Guard under Admiral Thad W. Allen, the Commandant of the Coast Guard. Vice Admiral Crea holds the second highest position in the Coast Guard, and she is the first woman to do so. She is the former Commander of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, and was confirmed by the senate to her historic post in June 2006. As second in command of one of the United States Armed Forces, she is the highest-ranking woman in the history of the US Military. As Lieutenant Commander, she became the first woman from any service, as well as the first service member from the US Coast Guard to serve as the Presidential Military Aide. She carried the nuclear football for President Ronald Reagan for three years. On June 2, 2006 VADM Vivien S. Crea became the Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard, making her the first woman ever to

is responsible for efficient and effective daily functioning of the Service, development of Coast Guard policies, mission execution, and mission support delivery. As the Component Acquisition Executive, Vice Admiral Crea provides acquisition program management oversight and guidance to ensure regulatory and statutory requirements are fulfilled for all acquisitions. She chairs the Coast Guard’s Flag and Senior Executive Leadership Council and is pre-designated by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security as the National Principal Federal Official for an outbreak of the Pandemic Flu and similar nation-wide biological events. Vice Admiral Crea is the Coast Guard’s “Ancient Albatross,” the longest serving, active-duty Coast Guard aviator. The Coast Guard is a multi-mission, maritime service within the Department of Homeland Security and one of the nation’s five armed services. Its core roles are to protect the public, the environment, and US economic and security interests in any maritime region in which those interests may be at risk, including international waters and America’s coasts, ports and inland waterways. The Coast Guard has 39,000 active-duty and

VADM Vivien S. Crea

More than 30 years ago, VADM Crea joined the Coast Guard and she later became the first female aircraft commander, first woman to command an air station and the first woman to hold flag rank. serve as a deputy service chief in any of the US Armed Forces, she is also the Agency Acquisition Executive. VADM Crea, formerly the Atlantic Area and the Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic commander, has seen quite a few Coast Guard “firsts” in her long and distinguished military career. More than 30 years ago, VADM Crea joined the Coast Guard and she later became the first female aircraft commander, first woman to command an air station and the first woman to hold flag rank. She has flown the HC-130 Hercules turboprop, HH-65 Dolphin helicopter and Gulfstream II jet. The three-star admiral’s previous assignments also include Chief Information Officer and Director of Research and Development for the Coast Guard; Chief, Office of Programs (budget development and advocacy); Com92

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manding Officer, Air Station Clearwater, FL; Executive Assistant to the Commandant of the Coast Guard; Commanding Officer, Air Station Detroit, MI; Operations Officer, Air Station Borinquen, PR; and Coast Guard Aide to President Reagan. As Vice Commandant, Crea is second in command and Chief Operating Officer of the Coast Guard, she oversees the operations management of the organization and

Official Flag of the Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard

8,100 Reserve members worldwide. In the Coast Guard, all jobs and opportunities are open to women. To learn more about the Coast Guard or the Coast Guard Reserve, visit www.uscg.mil.

The Fort Belvoir, VA, native is an MIT Sloan Fellow and holds master’s degrees from MIT and Central Michigan University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas. Her military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (four awards), and the Meritorious Service Medal, among others.

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lt. j.g. jeanine mcintosh-menze: first black female uscg aviator Photo: PA2 Jennifer Johnson

Lt. j.g. Jeanine McIntosh-Menze First Black Female USCG Aviator By Fanny S. Chirinos

S A L U T E T O f r ee d o m

As the first African American female to successfully complete flight training and be assigned as a pilot, McIntosh-Menze was stationed at Air Station Barbers Point, Oahu, where she first flew this C-130 Hercules aircraft.

brother, said he was initially surprised at her decision to join the Coast Guard, but could not be prouder of his sister. His concern is following in his sister’s footsteps. “Right now it can’t be done,” McIntosh said. “I’m her younger brother, so I’ll have something to do in the future to match up to her. It’s going to be hard. She’s made history.”

Photo: PA2 Andrew Kendrick

to witness the event, including her uncle, Michael Larrow, from Jamaica. “Jeanine’s story is one of a humble person who worked hard to make something of herself, and we’re all extremely proud,” Larrow said. “It’s an inner drive that made her accomplish this dream and I hope this will inspire the ladies to follow in her footsteps.” Maurice McIntosh, her 23-year-old

Photo: PA2 Jennifer Johnson

une 24, 2005 was a very proud day for many people. As Lt. j.g. Jeanine McIntosh-Menze smiled from ear to ear as her father, Conrol McIntosh, pinned golden wings on her uniform, she became the first black female U.S. Coast Guard aviator in history. McIntosh-Menze, then, 26, said the experience made her aware that barriers still exist for blacks and women in general. Although her name will be inscribed in history books, McIntosh said the experience was also quite humbling. “I’m just really honored,” McIntoshMenze said, after the winging ceremony at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. “There’s no other word for it.” McIntosh-Menze said she always knew flying was her passion, but the road toward her dream was not always smooth. She was initially unable to pass the vision test because of her 20/400 vision. Photorefractive keratectomy surgery was successful and she was awarded a slot in the pilot training program. McIntosh-Menze then had to overcome her fear of the water. “Overcoming my fear was one of my biggest accomplishments,” she said. “Conquering so many personal struggles prepared me for the mental drive necessary to complete the extremely challenging training regimen.” The pilot training included learning the instrumentation, flight patterns and completing missions. McIntosh began her training at the base in January and completed it a few weeks ago. Coast Guard Lt. Jason Flennoy helped McIntosh-Menze get into the program and took a detour from his cross-country move from Arlington, Va., to San Francisco to attend the winging ceremony. “It’s beautiful to watch her make history,” Flennoy said. “One, she’s an officer in the Coast Guard and two, she’s an aviator. She’d always say failure was not an option for her.” Members of McIntosh’s family flew from New York, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Florida

Top Left: McIntosh-Menze answers reporters questions following officiating ceremony held at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, TX. Bottom Left: Ready for flight, McIntosh-Menze sits at the controls of a Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft used for service related missions throughout the Pacific region.

women of the national guard

Women of the National Guard Lieutenant Sylvia Marie St. Charles Law, who received her commission in January of 1957. By the end of 1957 the Air Guard had 42 female nurses. The Army Guard, however, had only 11 nurses working in its 468 authorized positions. By 1960, only 56 women were included in a total Army Guard force of 401,765 personnel.

Photo: Petty Officer 3rd Class Cynthia R. Zarate

s the National Guard reorganized its units after World War II, none of its ranks included women. Because of the Guard’s dual federal and state mission, there was no central authority to grant women access to its ranks. Starting in the mid-1950s, some Air Guard commanders received permission from the National Guard Bureau to employ female “augmentees”, drawn from the Air Force Reserve, to work in their medical units. This policy permitted women officers to conduct “traditional” stateside training in Guard medical facilities. If these units were mobilized, the women would return to their Reserve “parent” organization and the Guard’s readiness for deployment would be compromised. It was clear that women needed be allowed to serve directly as members of the Guard in order to maintain unit preparedness. In July 1956, Congress enacted passage of Public Law 845, authorizing female officers in the National Guard. New York Air Guard Captain Norma Parsons joined the 106th Tactical Hospital, becoming the National Guard’s first female member. The Army Guard’s first woman soldier was First

women and officers, not in the Nurse Corps, were made members of the WAC. By 1978, with women integrated throughout the Army, the WAC was no longer needed. The Army Guard counted 13,353 officers and enlisted women among its ranks by 1978. With the advent of the all-volunteer force during the 1970s, women worked in many of the combat support and combat service support fields. Women were maintaining aircraft and ground vehicles, operating trucks and heavy construction equipment, and working in the battalion headquarters of some Army Guard artillery units in addition to many previous personnel, finance, and medical positions. By the time the Gulf War began in 1991, more positions for women had opened up. This included jobs that put them in direct combat

Airman Mirna Gonzales updates a flight deck status report Operation Southern Watch in the Persian Gulf.

Capt. Norma Parsons 96

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In October 1961, then President John Kennedy mobilized 44,371 Army Guard members in response to the Berlin crisis. Included in this mobilization were 17 women nurses – the first time Guard women had been mobilized. The Air Guard mobilized 21,067 people, but there is no record indicating how many were women. Throughout the 1960s almost all of the jobs open to military women were in the medical field, and only to officers. But the status of Guard women began to change. On November 8th, 1967, Public Law 90-130 authorized the enlistment of women in the National Guard. All Army Guard enlisted

roles, such as fighter and helicopter pilots, and command positions, which exposed some female leaders to direct enemy fire. Such was the case for PFC Charla Shull, a member of the Missouri Guard’s 138th military Police Company. Her company was on a routine training mission in Panama when Operation Just Cause began on December 19th, 1989. Her unit came under direct enemy mortar fire, making her the first Guard woman to come under combat fire. During the Gulf War, hundreds of Guardswomen deployed to Saudi Arabia where they performed various tasks to support the Allied effort to remove Iraqi troops from Kuwait. Of the 34 active

Tammy Duckworth

Photo: Staff Sgt. Vanessa Valentine

duty Guard members who died in the Gulf, eight were women. Tammy Duckworth was a commissioned officer in the United States Army Reserve in 1992 and chose to fly helicopters because it was one of the few combat positions open to women. She was promoted to Major in the Illinois National Guard and is an Iraq War veteran. She was awarded an Air Medal and an Army Commendation Medal. Her patriotism compelled her to become the Democratic nominee for the Illinois House of Representatives. Tammy described herself as a “fiscal conservative and social

moderate.” While she lost by a small margin of 2%, her valor and thoughtfulness were rewarded in November of 2006, when she was appointed director of the Illinois Veterans’ Affairs Department. After the Gulf War, women began assuming key leadership positions in the Guard. In 1991, Wisconsin’s Sharon VanderZyl was promoted to brigadier general, becoming the first flag officer in the Army Guard. In 1997, then Lieutenant Colonel Martha Rainville, from the 158th Fighter Wing made National Guard history. Major General Martha T. Rainville was the first woman in the 360-year history of the National Guard to serve as a State adjutant general. As the adjutant general, she served as the Inspector General and Quartermaster General of the 4,600 members of the Vermont Army and Air National Guard. As the head of the State Military Department, General she managed five divisions within that Department, including the Executive and Administrative; Property and Installations; Budget Accounting; Air Maintenance and Veterans Affairs Department. As the head of these Departments she managed a state appropriation of $2.4 million and a federal budget of $82 million. After 27 years of military service, Martha Rainville retired and is now FEMA’s Assistant Administrator, National Continuity Programs, responsible for providing federal agency leadership for the federal executive branch Continuity of Operations (COOP), Continuity of Government (COG) and Contingency Programs.

Photo by 1st Lt. Amanda Straub

women of the national guard

Oregon Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jo Turner (left) and Spc. Cheryl Ivanov are battle buddies who stick together and help each other cope with the emotional and mental stress of combat operations in Afghanistan.

Tally Parham, a white-collar litigator, and petite 37-year-old hardly fits the Top Gun stereotype: She is the only woman in her squadron (the Swamp Foxes of the South Carolina Air National Guard; her call sign is “Vixen”) and is one of about 50 women who fly fighter aircraft in any Air National Guard or active U.S. Air Force unit. “When I began my career, being a female fighter pilot was not much different from being a woman bond trader or lawyer early on, when women were integrating into those professions,” she says. “There was a tradition that these professions were for men, and there was a lot of bravado, a lot of ego.” When she enlisted in 1996, a recruiter told her that her ambition to fly a fighter was “cute.” Cute hardly describes the missions she’s flown. Parham enforced the “no-fly zones” over Iraq from Turkey in 2000 and from Saudi Arabia in 2001. In 2003 she was ordered to the tiny Persian Gulf state of Qatar, where she was based for the opening months of the second Gulf War. Today, women comprise about 10 percent of the Guard – more than 35,000 soldiers. They serve all over the world, whenever and wherever needed.

Most days Tally Parham practices law, but she is also the first, and currently, the only female F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft pilot, assigned to the 157th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EFS), South Carolina Air National Guard (ANG), with the call sign of “Vixen,” gives the thumbs up signal from the cockpit of her aircraft, as she prepared for a mission in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.

1st Lt. Lauren Diskell reads an aerial map while flying her KC-135 Stratotanker during a practice aerial refueling mission near the Mariana Islands. KC-135s refuel the B-52 Stratofortressess that support the U.S. continuous bomber presence in the Pacific region. Lt. Diskell is deployed from the 106th Air Refueling Squadron of the Alabama Air National Guard. H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

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Mother, son prepare to deploy to kosovo together

Mother, Son Prepare to Deploy to Kosovo Together Photo: Spc. Lindsey Frazier

By Army Spc. Lindsey M. Frazier

any mothers sit at home and wonder what their deployed son or daughter is doing, hoping everything is all right and waiting for the next phone call. Some might see a mother deploying with her son as a great thing, but what onlookers might not think about is what is left back home. Army National Guard Spc. Roschell Eaton’s younger son, Devlin, a high school senior, is staying with his grandmother while she deploys with her elder son, Spc. Jason Hutchins, also an MP in the 3175th. Eaton and her sons have never been apart; it has always been the three of them. She has raised the boys on her own since Jason was a toddler. “We’re best friends,” Eaton said with a sigh. “But sometimes you have to leave the ones you love to do what you love.” Eaton served eight years in the Navy before joining the Missouri Army National Guard. She began missing the camaraderie that she had in the military when she would watch Jason come home in his uniform, and in 2006, after a 12-year break from the military, she decided it was her time to get back in. “While I was in advanced individual training, my mom called me and told me she joined the Guard,” Hutchins said. “She talked about joining, but I didn’t think she really would.” In addition to being military police in the same company, mother and son were in the same platoon before the deployment started. And they’re not the only military members of their close-knit family. Devlin, the younger brother, joined the Army National Guard last year and completed basic training the summer before his senior year. He will continue on to AIT for military intelligence as soon as he graduates from high school this month. “It’s really cool having my mom in my unit; it made us even closer than we were before,” Hutchins said. “The part that is hard is leaving my brother behind.” The hard part, Eaton said, is that she won’t be home to be Mom. She said she has always been a mother first, but being a 100

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Army National Guard Spc. Roschell Eaton and her son, Spc. Jason Hutchins, both from 3175th Military Police Company, train at Camp Atterbury, Ind., for their upcoming deployment as part of Kosovo Force 10, Multinational Task Force East.

mother has to come second, since the Army is now first, she acknowledged. As she expressed her pride in being a mother, she paused, turned her head to the side and looked away. Taking deep breaths was all she could do to keep the tears from falling. The moment hit her as she thought of not being there for the special moments in her younger son’s life. “He graduates high school this year, and there’s prom,” she said softly. “I want to be

there for the big things and the little things. Devlin says he understands. He said that I was there for his basic training graduation, and that meant more to him than anything.” Eaton smiled as she regained her composure. With a big grin, she said, “My boys and me are a tight trio.” Knowing both of her sons are safe, and not sitting on the couch wondering about them, is the best thing she could ask for, she said.

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gates cites high demand for guard’s, reservists domestic mission the Guard and reserves receive the same equipment as the active force,” Gates said. “For [fiscal] 2009, the base budget request included $6.9 billion to continue to replace and repair the National Guard’s equipment.” Gates said the Commission on the National Guard and Reserve, a panel created by Congress four years ago, has also helped to ensure that both reserve components are better trained, manned, and equipped for this new era. “We have taken, or are taking, action on more than 80 percent of the commission’s recommendations,” Gates said. For example, the panel suggested a combined pay and personnel system to fix problems that arise when Guard and Reserve members shift from the reserve pay system to the active duty system. Gates said the Defense Department now is launching that integrated system. Shortly after he became the secretary of defense, Gates implemented mobilization policies that are more predictable and conducive to unit cohesion. “I have tried to ease, to the extent possible, the stress on our reserve components,” he said. “We have provided greater predictability as to when a Guard member will be By Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke recovery, and other duties increased by almost deployed by establishing a minimum standard 60 percent in 2008 as compared to 2007.” of 90 days’ advance notice prior to mobilizahe National Guard must be able to To compensate, the Defense Department tion. In practice, on average, the notification meet its domestic responsibilities in time is about 270 days. has “substantially increased” support for the addition to its operational missions, “There is no longer Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told the a 24-month lifetime Senate Armed Services Committee. limit on deployment,” “The demand for Guard support of civil he continued, “but each authorities here at home remains high,” Gates mobilization of National said in a statement to the committee. “For Guard and Reserve example, the ‘man-days’ that Guardsmen have troops is now capped at spent fighting fires, performing rescue and 12 months.” The goal is five years of dwell time for one year deployed. “We have made progress towards this goal, but are not there yet,” Gates Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 163rd acknowledged. Mechanized Infantry, Montana Army National He added that the Guard return to their drop point following a day of ratio of dwell time to fire fighting. mobilization for the Army National Guard this fiscal Guard and Reserve, year is just over 3-to-1. which for decades Finally, Gates said the percentage of had been considArmy soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan ered a low priority who are Guardsmen or reservists is currently for equipment, trainabout half what it was in the summer of 2005. ing and readiness, “Reliance upon the reserve component the secretary said. California Air National Guard Capt. Joanne Peros of the Guard’s 146th Aeromedical for overseas deployment has declined over “Today, the Evacuation Squadron checks on a role-playing patient awaiting air evacuation during a mass casualty exercise. time,” he said. standard is that

Gates Cites High Demand for Guard’s, Reservists Domestic Mission

Photo: ANG Sgt. Dennis W. Goff

Photo: USAF Master Sgt. Eric J. Peterson

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silver star recipients

Silver Star Recipients Army Specialist Monica Lin Brown of the 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, a 19-year-old medic from Lake Jackson, Texas became the first woman in Afghanistan and only the second female soldier since World War II to receive the Silver Star. Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province in April 2007. Brown was part of a four-vehicle convoy patrolling near Jani Kheil when a bomb struck one of the Humvees. “We stopped the convoy. I opened up my door and grabbed my aid bag,” Brown said. “Ammunition going off inside the burning Humvee was sending shrapnel in all directions.” She said they were sitting in a dangerous spot. “I did not really think about anything except for getting the guys to a safer location and getting them taken care of and getting them out of there. So, we dragged them for 100 or 200 meters, got them away from the Humvee a little bit,” she said. “I was in a kind of a robot-mode, did not think about much but getting the guys taken care of.” After the explosion, which wounded five soldiers in her unit, Brown ran through insurgent gunfire and used her body to shield wounded comrades as mortars fell less than 100 yards away. The military said Brown’s “bravery, unselfish actions and medical aid rendered under fire saved the lives of her comrades and represents the finest traditions of heroism in combat.”

Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester

ince WWII there have only been two women to be awarded the Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest medal for valor; one in 2005, and one in 2007. Both women, under the age of 25 were fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan when their ‘time to act’ was upon them. Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester of the 617th Military Police Company, a National Guard unit out of Richmond, Ky., received the Silver Star, along with two other members of her unit, Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein, and Specialist Jason Mike, for their heroic actions during an enemy ambush on their convoy. Hester was the first woman since WWII to be awarded the medal. Commanding general of the Multi-National Corps-Iraq, Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, spoke at the award ceremony on June 16, 2005. After the presenting the medals, Vines remarked that each would have a special place in history and the U.S. Army. Hester’s squad was shadowing a supply convoy March 20 when anti-Iraqi fighters ambushed the convoy. The squad moved to the side of the road, flanking the insurgents and cutting off their escape route. Hester led her team through the “kill zone” and into a flanking position, where she assaulted a trench line with grenades and M203 grenadelauncher rounds. She and Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein, her squad leader, then cleared two trenches, at which time she killed three insurgents with her rifle. 104

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Army Specialist Monica Lin Brown

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eric k. shinseki

Eric K. Shinseki New Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Ret. General Erik K. Shinseki

n his choice of General Shinseki, President Barack Obama brought to his cabinet someone who symbolizes the break Mr. Obama seeks with the Bush era on national security. General Shinseki, testifying before Congress in February 2003, a month before the United States invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime, said “several hundred thousand soldiers” would be needed to stabilize Iraq after an invasion. In words that came to be vindicated by events, the general anticipated “ethnic tensions that could lead to other problems,” adding, “and so it takes a significant ground force presence to maintain a safe and secure environment.”

The testimony angered Donald H. Rumsfeld, the defense secretary at the time, whose war plans called for far fewer troops. With the subsequent years in which Americans battled ethnic insurgents, and after President Bush agreed in January 2007 to a “surge” strategy of more troops, General Shinseki was effectively vindicated, and military officials, as well as activists and politicians, publicly saluted him. By then, however, General Shinseki had been marginalized on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and quietly retired from the Army. Shinseki took the oath of office on January 21, 2009 as the Nation’s seventh Secretary of Veterans Affairs, assuming the leadership of the Department of Veterans Affairs following confirmation by the Senate. “The overriding challenge I am addressing from my first day in office is to make the Department of Veterans Affairs a 21st century organization focused on the Nation’s Veterans as its clients,” Shinseki said. Shinseki plans to develop a 2010 budget within his first 90 days that realizes the vision of President Obama to transform the VA into an organization that is people-centric, results-driven and forward-looking.

Key issues on his agenda include smooth activation of an enhanced GI Bill education benefit that eligible Veterans can begin using next fall, streamlining the disability claims system, leveraging information technology to accelerate and modernize services, and opening VA’s health care system to Veterans previously unable to enroll in it, while facilitating access for returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. Shinseki, a former Army Chief of Staff, takes the reins of a 284,000-employee organization delivering health care and financial benefits to millions of Veterans and survivors under a $98 billion budget authorized this year through networks of regional benefits offices and health care facilities from coast to coast. Born in 1942 on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, Shinseki graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1965. He served two combat tours and was wounded in action in Vietnam. He served with distinction in Europe, the Pacific and stateside, eventually becoming the Army’s senior leader from June 1999 to June 2003. Retired from military service in August 2003, Shinseki’s military decorations include three Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts. Shinseki succeeds Dr. James B. Peake as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

In 2001 Joint Chiefs of Staff photographed in the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gold Room. L – R U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations Vernon Clark, U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers, U.S. Air Force, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Henry H. Shelton, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael E. Ryan, and U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James L. Jones Jr. 106

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VA To Offer Health Care to Previously Ineligible Veterans

VA Reopens Health Care Eligibility

he Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced its plans to re-open enrollment in its health care system by July 2009 to about 265,000 veterans whose incomes exceed current limits. The change affects veterans whose incomes exceed the current VA means test and geographic means test income thresholds by 10 percent or less. Congress provided funds in VA’s fiscal year 2009 budget to support the new enrollment. In 1996, Congress established a priority-based enrollment system for VA and a uniform package of medical benefits for all enrollees. The legislation opened enrollment in VA’s health care system to all eligible veterans and required that each year the Secretary of Veterans Affairs assess veterans’ demand for services and determine if the necessary resources are available to provide timely, quality care to all enrollees. Enrollment for the lowest priority of the eight groups—veterans who are not being compensated for a military-related disability and who have incomes above a set threshold—was suspended on January 18, 2003, although veterans in that priority group who were already enrolled for care were permitted to remain enrolled. VA originally suspended enrollment for Priority 8 veterans because it was unable to provide all enrolled veterans with timely access to its health care due to a tremendous growth in the number of veterans then seeking enrollment. VA now plans to reopen enrollment for a portion of these veterans without compromising the Department’s ability to provide high quality health care services to all enrolled veterans who are eligible for care.

The change affects veterans whose incomes exceed the current VA means test.

VA’s computer systems are being modified to accommodate the changes, and the Department is preparing communication and education materials to ensure that Congress, veterans service organizations, and the public are aware of the coming changes. The

Veterans eligible due to hardship can avoid co-pays applied to higher-income veterans. 108

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VA recognizes that many veterans will feel the effects,” said former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. “Therefore, it is important that eligible veterans learn of the many ways VA has to help them afford the health care they have earned.” Veterans whose previous income was ruled too high for VA health care may be able to enter the VA system based upon a hardship if their current year’s income is projected to fall below federal income thresholds due to a job loss, separation from service or some other financial setback. Veterans determined eligible due to hardship can avoid co-pays applied to higher-income veterans. Qualifying veterans may be eligible Qualifying veterans may be eligible for enrollment and for enrollment and receive health care at no cost. receive health care at no cost. rule will take effect by Also eligible for no-cost VA care are June 30, 2009. most veterans who recently returned from a For veterans combat zone. They are entitled to five years struggling financially of free VA care. The five-year “clock” begins due to a job loss or with their discharge from the military, not their decreased income, the departure from the combat zone. VA offers an assortEach VA medical center across the country ment of programs that has an enrollment coordinator available to can relieve the costs of provide veterans information about these health care or provide programs. Veterans may also contact VA’s care at no cost. Health Benefits Service Center at 1-877-222 VETS (8387) or visit the VA health eligibility “With the downwebsite at www.va.gov/healtheligibility. turn in the economy,

USAF Women and gulf war syndrom

USAF Women and Gulf War Syndrome

ore than 80 percent of a sample of Air Force women deployed in Iraq and other areas around the world report suffering from persistent fatigue, fever, hair loss and difficulty concentrating, according to a University of Michigan study. The pattern of health problems reported by 1,114 women surveyed in 2007 and 2008 is similar to many symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome, the controversial condition reported by veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War. “It is possible that some unknown environmental factor is the cause of current health problems and of Gulf War Syndrome,” said U-M researcher Penny Pierce. “But it is also possible that these symptoms result from the stress of military deployment, especially prolonged and multiple deployments.”

Symptoms included headaches, muscle pain and stiffness.

“Women now comprise approximately 15 percent of our nation’s armed forces,” Pierce said. “And since the Persian Gulf War, combat roles for women have expanded substantially. This study is an attempt to understand the impact of deployment and war-related stressors on the health of military women.” The Air Force women surveyed by telephone and through mailed questionnaires 110

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were drawn from a stratified, random sample and deployed at least once since March 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Half of those sampled served in the theater of war and half served elsewhere; half had children under the age of 18 still living at home; half were active duty, a quarter in the Reserves and another quarter in the National Guard. The median age of participants was 36 years, and 45 percent were married. About 36 percent had a dependent child at the time they were sent overseas. About 70 percent were white.

Women serving in the theater of war were more likely to report physical health problems than those serving elsewhere. However, the differences were small, suggesting the deployment-related stressors of family separation and disruption of social support systems played a critical role in developing stress-related physical problems. Asked if they experienced any of a list of symptoms persistently in the past year, 89 percent of those surveyed reported suffering from fatigue, 85 percent from difficulty concentrating, 83 percent from fever, and 83 percent from hair loss. In addition, 35 percent reported suffering from muscle pain and stiffness, 29 percent from irritability, 26 percent from loss of energy and 25 percent from headaches. In general, it was found that those in the reserve and guard reported more physical symptoms than active duty personnel. Enlisted women reported more health problems than officers did. In most cases, women serving in the theater of war were more likely to report physical health problems than were than those serving elsewhere. But in many cases, the differences were small, suggesting that deployment-related stressors such as family separation and disruption of social support systems may play a critical role in developing stress-related physical problems. In an earlier analysis of data from the study, presented at the American Psychologi-

85% of women suffered from inability to concentrate.

cal Association conference it was found that about 20 percent of the women surveyed reported at least one major symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTDS). “Deployment itself is a major stressor,” she said. “The whole person is deployed – body, mind, and spirit. We don’t know the precise biological mechanism, but it is generally accepted now – perhaps more so than it was in the early 1990s when Gulf War Syndrome was first reported – that persistent levels of heightened stress take a major toll on physical health. “By identifying problems early, I hope our findings will guide policy-makers and health care professions to design interventions to support service members and their families.” The study is part of an on-going research program on women veterans funded by the TriService Nursing Research Program. For more information: Women Veterans Project website: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/ afwomen/home and U-M Institute for Social Research: http://www.isr.umich.edu

Irritability, loss of energy and loss of hair were reported.

va programs for women veterans

VA Programs for Women Veterans

A has responded to the growing number of women veterans by targeting programs to meet their unique health-care needs. A Veterans Health Administration office to address women’s health issues was first created in 1988. Public Law 102-585, Veterans Health Care Act of 1992, authorized new and expanded services for women veterans, including counseling for sexual trauma on a priority basis; specific health services for women, such as Pap smears, mammography, and general reproductive health care (including birth control and treatment of menopause) at many VA medical facilities. In addition to preventive services, the high quality medical services available to women veterans include primary care, gender-specific care, reproductive health care, and evaluation and treatment for osteoporosis. The Veterans’ Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996 expanded services further to include maternity and infertility benefits. In fiscal year 1997, the Under Secretary for Health appointed the first full-time Direc-

tor for the Women Veterans Health Program. The program provides a comprehensive system of cost-effective medical and psychosocial services for women. This Women Veterans Health Program has as its mission to promote the health, welfare and dignity of women veterans, and their families, by ensuring equitable access to timely, sensitive and quality health care. The VHA system— made up of 154 hospitals and 875 clinics—is the nation’s largest health care system, providing care to millions of eligible veterans nation wide. The July 17, 2006 issue of Business Week declared that the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) health

care system delivers the best medical care in America. The article praised VHA for its lower costs, higher quality and safety, and the computerized medical record system that allows data sharing among all facilities. The article goes on to say, “if you want to be sure of top-notch care, join the military.” Another surprising secret about Veterans Administration’s (VA) health care is the Women Veterans Health Program. Women are the fastest growing segment of eligible VA health care users. Women currently represent 15 percent of the active duty force, 20 percent of new military recruits and 17 percent of National Guard and Reserve forces. Presently women represent 5.5 percent or about 1.7 million of the 24.4 million veterans nation-

Women Veterans Health Program promotes the health and welfare of veterans and their families.

Services for women veterans include primary care as well as gender-specific care. 112

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wide. This number is projected to increase to 10 percent by the year 2010. Women veterans account for about 1 in every 100 adult female patients in the United States today and the majority are seen outside of the VA health care system. Few clinicians, however, know about women’s history of military service or the possible impact of that service on their physical and mental health or quality of life. Women have participated in every conflict in the U.S., beginning with the War for Independence. Often disguised as males in those early conflicts, women have a long and distinguished record of service to their country and are now a vital and integral component of our military. In the current conflicts in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom), about 10 percent of troops are women and they are exposed to combat conditions that earlier generations of women veterans seldom experienced.

va programs for women veterans

VA provides gender-specific healthcare.

Services for women in VA date back to 1982 when a Women Veterans Advisory Committee was appointed to address the inequalities for women veterans. The Veterans Health Care Act of 1992 allowed the VA to dramatically improve its programs for women veterans and move toward a goal of establishing state-of-the-art facilities and programs that focus on women’s health. This helped create an environment that is warm, comfortable and private. The legislation authorized VA to provide gender-specific services and general reproductive health care and sexual trauma counseling to eligible women. It also authorized eight Comprehensive Women’s Health Centers located in Boston, MA, Southeast PA, Durham, NC, Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA, Minneapolis, MN, and Tampa, FL.

Women Veterans Health Program Strategic Plan ensures that women veterans receive the care they need.

Services for women have steadily expanded and improved. VA has responded to the growing number of women veterans by targeting programs and facilities to meet their unique health care needs. Today, the Women Veterans Health Program extends to all VA facilities with comprehensive health care for women veterans as the rule, rather than the exception. The Women Veterans Health Program Strategic Plan guides efforts to ensure that women veterans receive the care they need. As part of the strategic planning process, the program identified and developed

our mission and vision. The program mission is: Promote the health, welfare and dignity of women veterans, and their families, by ensuring equitable access to timely, sensitive, quality health care. Our vision is: Improve the health of the Nation by providing the highest quality services for all eligible women who served in the military. The strategic plan, now in its second five-year cycle, has produced outcomes that show success in the quality of care being delivered. The Women Veterans Health Program provides a full range of medical and mental health care services, including: • • • • •

• • • •

Newly arrived Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps recruits, at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, 1942.

Preventive health screening Primary care Gynecology services Reproductive health care including maternity care and infertility evaluation Screening, counseling, and treatment for sexual trauma, substance abuse, post taumatic stress disorder and domestic violence Homeless programs Vocational rehabilitation Patient education Research

MENTAL HEALTH AND SEXUAL ABUSE COUNSELING VA is committed to assist women veterans with a wide range of mental health and psychosocial services. The services include sexual trauma counseling, substance abuse treatment, and evaluation and treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which includes women Continued on Page 114

H o n o r i n g M i l i ta r y W o m e n

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va programs for women veterans Continued from Page 113

veterans Stress Disorder Treatment Teams. In addition, there are programs for homeless women veterans, victims of domestic violence, and Vocational Rehabilitation. Public Law 102-585 in 1992 authorized VA to include outreach and counseling services for women veterans who experienced incidents of sexual trauma while serving on active duty in the military. The law was later amended and authorized VA to provide counseling to men as well as women. The Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act of 1999 extended the provision of counseling and treatment services to veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma through December 31, 2004. Women veterans seeking assistance may call 1-800-827-1000 for referral to a trained sexual trauma counselor. In addition, every VA Medical Center has a Women Veterans Program Manager who is available to assist women veterans. Women veterans interested in receiving care at the VA are encouraged to contact the nearest VA Medical Center and ask for the Women Veterans Program Manager. This most recent war has seen an unprecedented number of women experiencing the same situations as their male counterparts, not only in combat, but also upon returning home. They can face both physical and emotional readjustment. VA operates a variety of specialized outpatient post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) programs, including seven outpatient Women’s Stress Disorder and Treatment Teams. Forty-four Returning Veterans Outreach, Education and Care

VA assists women veterans with a wide range of mental health and psychosocial services. 114

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VA is treating women veterans with multiple traumas.

programs were established in an effort toward early identification and management of stress-related disorders. The National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has come to be viewed as a world leader in PTSD research. Current research is being done on the unique issues and behaviors specific to women deployed to a war zone so that VA can gear programs accordingly. For the first time, VA is treating women veterans with multiple traumas, including loss of limbs and traumatic brain injury. These veterans, who most likely would have died in previous wars, face many challenges in their recovery. VA has established “polytrauma centers” to focus on the immediate rehabilitation of these soldiers located in Minneapolis, MN, Palo Alto, CA, Richmond, VA and Tampa, FL. In addition there are 207 community Veterans Centers nationwide specializing in readjustment counseling for veterans. Started in response to the Vietnam war, many Veterans Centers now have a designated Global War on Terror (GWOT) outreach person whose job is to provide presentations to returning veterans regarding VA and Veterans Center services available to them (particularly counseling for readjustment issues, PTSD, and Military Sexual Trauma (MST)). These outreach workers are GWOT veterans themselves. Unfortunately, a number of veterans, both male and female, have experienced sexual trauma during their military service. A program, originally established to treat women who were victimized, immediately identified that men have suffered this indignity as well. VA provides priority health services and mental health counseling and treatment for all eligible veterans who have experienced MST. It is important to know that MST counseling is available even if a woman did not report the incident when it took place.

VA is concerned about MST because any type of trauma can have lasting effects on physical and mental health. Trauma counseling can help veterans to better cope with a past experience of MST and to regain their confidence, self-esteem, and hopefully, improve their quality of life. This MST program is but one example of improvements made as a result of the efforts of the Women Veterans Health Program that have also improved the quality of care for men. As another example, focus on improving privacy for women consumers has resulted in changes that have improved the environment of care for male veterans as well. Every VA Medical Center has a Women Veterans Program Manager who helps women with establishing their eligibility, understanding their benefits, and getting their health care in the VA system. The VA Women Veterans Health Program continues to recognize the unique needs of those women who have served and strives to provide them the quality care that they so richly deserve. EDUCATION AND TRAINING VA is the largest health care system providing education and training to health professionals. The Women Veterans Health Program aims to enhance the equity and quality of health care for women veterans and to promote information exchange and training of healthcare providers to meet the health needs of women veterans more comprehensively. Training methodologies include Women’s Health Fellowship Programs, Resident training, Allied Health academic training, video/ Continued on Page 116

Trauma counseling can help veterans to better cope with a past experience.

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va programs for women veterans

VA is the largest health care system providing education and training to health professionals. Continued from Page 114

satellite training, clinical updates in contemporary women’s health issues, mini-residencies, sensitivity training and customer service. RESEARCH Since May 1991, VA policy has required that all applicants for VA research funding must consider and document the inclusion of women in proposed studies. Current women veterans’ research initiatives include aging, breast and other cancers, chronic diseases, reproductive health, mental health, substance abuse, and women’s health services and systems. COMPENSATION FOR WOMEN VETERANS VBA has assigned Women Veterans Coordinators in all VA Regional Offices to assist women veterans with development of claims.

These coordinators have been trained to assist in handling claims for gender-specific conditions and claims based on sexual trauma. Regional office staffs make women who file claims based on sexual trauma fully aware that they can receive priority care for personal trauma counseling at a VA Medical Center even if they do not have a VA disability rating. For more information, call 1-800-827-1000. NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMINISTRATION Women veterans discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces under conditions other than dishonorable are eligible for burial in a VA national cemetery. For more information, call 1-800-827-1000 and speak with a Veterans Benefits Counselor.

Women Veterans Program Managers help with establishing eligibility and understanding benefits. 116

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Current women veterans’ research initiatives include aging, breast and other cancers.

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS The estimated population of women veterans as of 2001 was 1.6 million, or about 7.2 percent of the total veteran population. 10.26% of the 22.8 million veterans who use VA for healthcare are women. Currently, women make up 14.8 percent of the active duty military force and approximately 22.8 percent of the reserve force. By 2010, they are expected to represent over 14 percent of the total veteran population. Fifty-six percent of women veterans who use VA are less than 45 years of age. Sixty-two percent of women veterans are less than 45 years of age. For more information about the Women Veterans Health Program, please visit us at www.va.gov/wvhp.

Women Veterans Coordinators are available to assist with claims and paperwork.

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women veterans cashing in on the gi bill

Women Veterans: Cashing In on the G.I. Bill

ducational attainment is a crucial dimension of the social and economic status of an individual. Not only are there countless intangible rewards to education, but also education affects life chances in general, and income and employment in particular. Data from the American Community Survey 2006 showed that women veterans fare well with respect to their educational attainment: 72 percent of women veterans had at least some college experience; 40 percent of those had at least a bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree. A relatively small proportion, 4 percent, had no high school diploma, which can be explained by the education requirements for military service. Approximately 24 percent finished high school as the highest level of education. In general, women veterans get on better than male veterans. For example, 57 percent of male veterans had at least some college and 11 percent had less than a high school diploma (compared to 72 percent and 4 percent, respectively, for women). This difference can be explained, in part, by the older age dis118

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tribution of male veterans. That is, many male veterans entered the military service at a time when the education requirements were not as high as they have been in recent years. During WWII, for example, it was not uncommon for men to be drafted out of high school. And due to extenuating circumstances, many did not go back to school after the war to finish. The G.I. Bill The G.I. Bill started in 1944 and has been heralded widely as one of the most successful government programs in our Nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history. It enhanced the lives of countless veterans and their families, helping to establish a strong middle class in the United States after WWII. Before the war, college and homeownership were, for the most part, unreachable dreams for the average American. Thanks to the GI Bill, millions who would have flooded the job market instead opted for

education. In the peak year of 1947, veterans accounted for 49 percent of college admissions. By the time the original GI Bill ended on July 25, 1956, 7.8 million of 16 million World War II veterans had participated in an education or training program. Continued on Page 120

As of March 2007 242,590 women veterans have used the G.I. Bill.

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women veterans cashing in on the gi bill Continued from Page 118

Millions also took advantage of the GI Bill’s home loan guaranty. From 1944 to 1952, VA backed nearly 2.4 million home loans for World War II veterans. While veterans embraced the education and home loan benefits, few collected on one of the bill’s most controversial provisions—the unemployment pay. Less than 20 percent of funds set aside for this were used. In 1984, former Mississippi Congressman Gillespie V. “Sonny” Montgomery revamped the GI Bill, which has been known as the “Montgomery GI Bill” ever since, assuring that the legacy of the original GI Bill lives on, as VA home loan guaranty and education programs continue to work for our newest generation of combat veterans. In 2008, the GI Bill was updated once again. The new law gives veterans with active duty service on, or after, Sept. 11 2001, enhanced educational benefits that cover more educational expenses, provide a living allowance, money for books and the ability to transfer unused educational benefits to spouses or children. Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits are payable for training pursued on or after August 1, 2009. No payments can be made under this program for training pursued before that date. Approved training under the Post-9/11 GI Bill includes graduate and undergraduate degrees, and vocational/technical training. All training programs must be offered by an institution of higher learning (IHL) and approved for GI Bill benefits. Additionally,

GI Benefits cover vocational/technical training. 120

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Speak to a Veterans Benefits Counselor today – 1-888-GI-BILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).

tutorial assistance, and licensing and certification test reimbursement are approved under the Post- 9/11 GI Bill. Those who are also eligible for chapter 30, 1606 or 1607, may be eligible to pursue training for on-the-job training, apprenticeship, correspondence, flight and preparatory courses under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Dependents and Spouses of active duty service members as well at Veterans who have bravely served their country are now able to share some of their benefits within their family. In November 2007 Congress set into motion a program where you can transfer part of your Active Duty Montgomery GI Bill benefits. You are able to designate a portion of your family to use money from your MGIB bill to attend the same standard of colleges that you would qualify for if you yourself chose to go to university. This is a brand new program and one long overdue. It is a good benefit for those who have a larger family, and will allow the education and advancement of education goals for members of the family besides the service member. This is a program that has been created to help retain service members and it is one that provides incentives soldiers to re enlist and to stay in the military. The need for retaining soldiers has risen with the War on Terror, and there are many different methods for keeping soldiers in and interested. This is especially true in specialties and MOS designations that are facing critical shortages. So this transfer benefit has some restrictions. If

Successfully vocationally rehabilitated women vets stand to increase their income by six-fold.

a soldier does not select the transfer option when they initially decide to enlist, then they cannot use the transfer option until they are ready to possibly reenlist, and it does not become available until they actually agree to another enlistment period. The same kinds of VA Montgomery GI bill education funds that are accessible for the service member are available to their spouse or dependent, under the conditions mentioned above. Up to 18 months or in other words, up to 1 ½ of the benefits that are available to the service member can be transferred to their spouse or their children/dependent to use. This is a feature that many in the Armed Forces say is long overdue, and promises to be a lucrative benefit for many service members.

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new gi bill plan gives members more benefits percentage goes up.” According to a release by the Veterans Benefits Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C., the fact sheet gives an illustration of how the new plan works. It provided the following scenarios as examples:

New GI Bill Plan Gives Members

•

More Benefits

• By Staff Sgt. Olufemi A. Owolabi 47th Flying Training Wing public affairs

ligible service members and veterans will soon be able to enjoy an increase in educational benefits and entitlements under the new GI Bill plan, which takes effect next year. The new GI Bill plan, now called the Post-9/11 GI Bill, is a new benefit providing educational assistance to members who have served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001. The Post-9/11 GI Bill plan is scheduled to take effect August 1, 2009. Under the new plan, eligible individuals will receive a percentage, as determined by the length of creditable active-duty service. The amount of tuition and fees will not exceed the most expensive in-state public institution of higher education. Eligible individuals will also receive a monthly housing allowance equal to the basic allowance for housing payable to a military E-5 with dependents in the same zip code as the school, and a yearly stipend of up to $1,000 for books and supplies. The housing allowance and stipend for books and supplies is not payable to individuals on active duty. Also, the housing allowance is not payable for those training at less than half time. “The new plan is going to be a wonderful benefit for eligible members and veterans because it gives them more funding and options to go to school,” said Christine Engel, Education and Training chief at Laughlin Air Force base. “It is also going to be a wonderful retention tool for the Air Force.” Under the new plan, members could receive up to 36 months of entitlement, depending upon the amount of creditable active duty served since 9/11. “If they have at least 90 days, members could get 40 percent,” Mrs. Engel said. “As they have more time in service, the

U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka at a rally in support of the New GI Bill. Akaka is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support. He is a veteran of World War II and was a beneficiary of the original WWII GI Bill.

Photo: Staff Sgt. Olufemi A. Owolabi

Christine Engel, education and training chief at Laughlin Air Force Base shows Staff Sgt. Ronda Thomas, 47th Force Support Squadron, a pamphlet describing the benefits offered by the new GI Bill plan. 122

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If tuition and fees charged for full time is $6,700 and the highest in-state tuition and fees is $7,000, a member, who served for three years on active duty and separated and in school for a full-time program, would be eligible for $6,700 for tuition and fees, the monthly housing allowance, and $1,000 for books and supplies. A member, who spent 12 months of active-duty service in the guard or reserves and in school for a full-time program, would be eligible for $4,020 (60 percent of $6,700) for tuition and fees, $600 (60 percent of $1,000) for books and supplies stipend, and 60 percent of the monthly housing allowance.

Ms. Engel stated, “With the new plan, the financial amount members will receive will be based on where they are going to school and where they live; whereas with the old plan, it is only one flat amount.” With the current Montgomery GI Bill, members need at least two years time-in-service to be eligible for the benefits, and they must contribute $1,200 to the plan. With the new plan, a member qualifies for the program with at least 90 days of creditable active duty service that is post 9/11 to be able to utilize it, and there will be no fee for it. Other facets of the new program-- education benefits do not discriminate between officers and enlisted personnel. It also provides for a transferability option for family members. Policy and procedures have yet to be written and must be authorized by DoD. “Based on the initial information available from the Veterans Administration, this plan will be very beneficial in helping veterans achieve their academic and educational goals,” said Dr. Robert Carpenter, Chief of the Force Development Flight. “Although we do not have all the details regarding the bill, we will certainly publicize any forthcoming information as it becomes available between now and August 1, 2009, the date the Post-9/11 GI Bill becomes effective.” Members should visit www.gibill.va.gov for more information on the new Post-9/11 GI Bill plan and other education benefits.

Empire State College joins Salute to Freedom in honoring the achievements of women in the military

Invest in Yourself While Serving Your Country Empire State College offers accredited associate and bachelor’s degrees that meet the needs of military personnel across the globe. Whether you study online or onsite, Empire State College will help you maximize your military tuition dollars and earn your degree. Study anytime and anywhere through our Center for Distance Learning, onsite at our Fort Drum Unit, through one of our partnership programs, or at any of our 35 locations throughout New York state whether you’re on base or deployed. Our military services include: • Special tuition rate with all fees waived for military personnel • In-state tuition rates for family members and veterans • No onsite residency requirement • Dedicated administrative and support staff • Experienced and dedicated academic advisement • Easy access to resources and information on our web site • Online application, registration and bookstore Our partnerships include the Air Force AU-ABC Program, Army National Guard and AutoDP, GoArmyEd and Navy College Program Distance Learning Partnership (NCPDLP). We’re also a member of Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC).

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transfer gi bill benefits to spouses, children

TRANSFER

GI Bill Benefits to Spouses, Children By Gerry J. Gilmore

he Pentagon provided proposed legislation to Congress to make it easier for service members to transfer GI Bill education benefits to their spouses or children and to increase the tuition ceiling amount paid by the program. The ability for service members to transfer their Montgomery GI Bill education benefits to spouses exists now, but it’s an either/ or re-enlistment option, with most service members choosing bonuses when they sign up for another “hitch.” “The law allows transferability in limited circumstances,” explained Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy. “Specifically, you must have six years of service completed and agree to serve four more. “But, that’s not what limited it,” he continued. “What limited it was that it was presented as an option along with other incentives.” The Pentagon’s proposal, he noted, removes the limiting requirement for reenlistment of at least four years.

The current Pentagon-endorsed proposal on Capitol Hill recommends increasing the GI Bill tuition ceiling from about $1,100 a month to about $1,600, Carr said. That figure, he said, dovetails with current average college tuition costs. The initial GI Bill was used when America had a conscripted military force that had many more members and a much-higher attrition rate, Carr pointed out. With today’s volunteer force, it is necessary that “we should provide a fair education benefit and be attentive to retention,” Carr said, noting extreme care should be taken to retain the noncommissioned officers who form the backbone of the military. “If we provide the average national [college tuition cost] and then leave it to the veterans to make their choices, that’s not unreasonable, given that we have a competing concern about sustaining seasoned NCOs to lead a larger military,” Carr said. Before World War II, college and home ownership were mostly unreachable for the average American. Because of the GI Bill, millions of veterans earned college degrees,

Bill Carr, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for military personnel policy. 124

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thus preventing a flood of the post-war job market. Millions of World War II veterans also used their GI Bill benefits to buy houses with federally guaranteed mortgage loans. By 1947, veterans accounted for nearly half of college admissions. By the time the original GI Bill ended in 1956, 7.8 million of 16 million World War II veterans had participated in an education or training program. The Defense Department enrolls service members to receive Montgomery GI Bill benefits, but the Department of Veterans Affairs implements and manages the program. The VA pays the tuition bills. About 97 percent of today’s service members enroll for GI Bill benefits, and

Pres. Roosevelt signed the original GI Bill in 1944.

slightly more than 70 percent actually use them. That’s the highest usage rate of any GI Bill in history. “If we retain well, then we have a seasoned force, Carr observed, noting just one in eight service members re-enlisted after their first hitch during the draft era. Today, nearly 50 percent of service members re-enlist after their initial term of service, he noted. “That matters, because that produces the experience profile that produces the experienced NCOs,” Carr said. “And, with the weapon systems that we’ve bought, that’s all that’s going to work in keeping them maintained and operating.” In short, providing original-style GI Bill benefits for today’s all-volunteer force would create “an exodus” of service members and “a performance concern” across the military, Carr said.

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”I highly recommend the Pocket Campus Program to any military personnel who wish to continue their educational goals even while their military duties may keep them from participation in more traditional educational formats. The flexibility of the program will allow them to overcome almost any barrier to continued education caused by military commitments.” R.N., CMSgt, USAF Very convenient and easy to use. I can work on the course no matter where I am in the world! L.L., CPO, USN

The University of West Florida is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, and Doctor of Education degrees. Individuals who wish to contact the Commission on Colleges pertaining to the accreditation status of the University may write the Commission at 1886 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, or call (404) 679-4501.

gi bill education benefits

GI Bill Education Benefits T he Education Service administers the following benefit programs. The following is an overview of those program descriptions. If you need additional assistance, please call 1-888-GI-BILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) to speak with a Veterans Benefits Counselor. Active Duty GI Bill Eligibility General Eligibility • • • •

You must have first enlisted on or after July 1, 1985 You must have had a pay reduction of $1,200.00 You must have had continuous active duty equal to or greater than your initial enlistment period Some VEAP participants were able to convert to the GI Bill during special conversion programs

Rules for Early Discharges – Persons who were discharged early for the following are eligible for GI Bill entitlement for a time period that is the same as the number of months served. • •

Reduction in force Disability

• • •

Hardship Physical or mental condition which interfered with duty Medical condition that existed prior to service

Persons discharged for Convenience of the Government must serve 20 months of a 2-year enlistment or 30 months of a 3-year enlistment to be eligible for GI Bill benefits. If you are recalled to active duty immediately notify your school and the VA, you may be able to keep the benefits you’ve already received and you may be eligible to extend your ending date for benefits. Reserve GI Bill Eligibility There are two reserve GI Bills, Chapter 1606 for regular drilling reservists and Chapter 1607 for reservists who have had extended mobilizations after September 11, 2001. The eligibility differs for each program, basic eligibility requirements are: Chapter 1606: • • •

Must be an active drilling reservist Completed IADT High School Diploma or Equivalent

MGIB-SR program may be available to you if you are a member of the Selected Reserve.

• • •

Good standing in your unit Remain in a drilling status Have at least a 6 year obligation

Chapter 1607 - all of the above qualifications apply - PLUS: •

You must have performed full time active duty service for at least 90 consecutive days after 9/11/01

Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty (MGIB-AD) The MGIB program provides up to 36 months of education benefits. This benefit may be used for degree and certificate programs, flight training, apprenticeship/on-thejob training and correspondence courses. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances. Generally, benefits are payable for 10 years following your release from active duty. This program is also commonly known as Chapter 30. $600 Buy-up Program Some service members may contribute up to an additional $600 to the GI Bill to receive increased monthly benefits. For an additional $600 contribution, you may receive up to $5400 in additional GI Bill benefits. The additional contribution must be made while on active duty. For more information contact your personnel or payroll office.

A recall to active duty may place your benefits in retroactive status.

Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR) The MGIB-SR program may be available to you if you are a member of the Selected Continued on Page 132

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gi bill education benefits or Inactive National Guard) to pay into the â&#x20AC;&#x153;buy-upâ&#x20AC;? program. For more information contact your personnel or payroll office.

Increased benefits can go as high as $5400. Continued from Page 130

Reserve. The Selected Reserve includes the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve and Coast Guard Reserve, and the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. This benefit may be used for degree and certificate programs, flight training, apprenticeship/on-the-job training and correspondence courses. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances.

Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP) VEAP is available if you first entered active duty between January 1, 1977 and June 30, 1985 and you elected to make contributions from your military pay to participate in this education benefit program. In doing so, your contributions are matched on a $2 for $1 basis by the Government. This benefit may be used for degree and certificate programs, flight training, apprenticeship/on-the-job training and correspondence courses. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances. Summary of Benefits Under the Educational Assistance Test Program (Section 901 of Public Law 96-342) Section 901 is an Educational Assistance Test Program created by the Department of Defense Authorization Act of 1981 (Public Law 96-342) to encourage enlistment and reenlistment in the Armed Forces. Benefits

Check the VA website for specific eligibility information.

are available to individuals who entered on active duty after September 30, 1980, and before October 1, 1981 (or before October 1, 1982, if entry was under a delayed enlistment contract signed between September 30, 1980, and October 1, 1981). NOTE: Although Public Law 96-342 established a beginning date for the test program as October 1, 1980 the military service departments did not start offering the test program to new enlistees until December 1, 1980. Air Force Eligibility Requirements for Section 901; All three of the following criteria must have been met to establish eligibility for this benefit. Continued on Page 134

$600 Buy-up Program Some reservists may contribute up to an additional $600 to the GI Bill to receive increased monthly benefits. For an additional $600 contribution, you may receive up to $5400 in additional GI Bill benefits. You must be a member of a Ready Reserve component (Selected Reserve, Individual Ready Reserve, 132

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Photo: Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Molly A. Burgess

Reserve Educational Assistance Program (REAP) REAP was established as a part of the Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005. It is a new Department of Defense education benefit program designed to provide educational assistance to members of the Reserve components called or ordered to active duty in response to a war or national emergency (contingency operation) as declared by the President or Congress. This new program makes certain reservists who were activated for at least 90 days after September 11, 2001 either eligible for education benefits or eligible for increased benefits.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, left, Gwen Bates, center, a military spouse, and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao pose with other military spouses after signing a proclamation for an initiative to fund career education opportunities for military spouses, Nov. 14, 2007.

UMUC values your service Patricia Clark, Sergeant, U.S. marine corps

Undergraduate student, information technology

University of Maryland University College (UMUC) salutes all the women who have been serving in the U.S. military for over a century. And for more than 60 years, UMUC has served as the leading provider of higher education to the U.S. military by offering our award-winning on-site and online classes and exceptional student support. Starting or finishing your education while serving your country has never been more manageable. Enroll today. • More than 150 classroom and service locations around the world • Classes offered on-base or online • In-state tuition rates for active-duty

• Scholarships exclusively for military servicemembers, family members and veterans • No SAT, GRE or GMAT required

servicemembers and spouses

Call 877-275-8682 Visit umuc.edu/excellence

University of Maryland University College

gi bill education benefits Continued from Page 132

grams, apprenticeship, and on-the-job train• ing. If you are a spouse, you may take a correspondence course. Remedial, deficiency, • and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances. Special Restorative Training is available to persons eligible Apprenticeship and OJT Program Benefits can put you on the right track. for DEA benefits. The Survivors’ and Dependents’ Department of VeterEducational Assistance ans Affairs. For active duty you can receive ans Affairs may prescribe special restorative Program (DEA) up to $935 dollars monthly, and if you are elitraining where needed to overcome or lessen Section 301 of Public Law 109-461 adds a the effects of a physical or mental disability for gible for Reserve MGIB funding you can still new category to the definition of “eligible the purpose of enabling an eligible person to receive up to $263 dollars per month. That person” for DEA benefits. The new category pursue a program of education, special vocais over $14,000 dollars available within two includes the spouse or child of a person who: tional program or other appropriate goal. years for OJT or job training, and apprenticeMedical care and treatment or psychiatric • VA determines has a service-connected ship program of training. treatment is not included. permanent and total disability; and For Veteran GI Bill members the proSpecial Vocational Training is also avail• At the time of VA’s determination is a gram pays benefits depending on the amount able to persons eligible for DEA benefits. member of the Armed Forces who is of time that they are enrolled in the program. This type of program may be approved for an hospitalized or receiving outpatient The Veterans Administration pays Selected eligible person who is not in need of Special medical care, services, or treatment; and Reserve GI Bill program participants on Restorative Training, but who requires such • Is likely to be discharged or released a reduced scale compared to active duty a program because of a mental or physical from service for this service-connected service members. To qualify for VA apprenhandicap. disability. ticeship program benefits you have to meet certain qualifying conditions: You have to be Persons eligible under this new proviNational Call to a full time employee, on hour wage or salary sion may be eligible for DEA benefits effecService Program not on commission. You must be under direct tive December 23, 2006, the effective date This National Call to Service Incentive prosupervision at least half of the time, the trainof the law. gram requires a participant to perform a ing must lead to an entry level position, the DEA provides education and training period of national service to be eligible for training program must be reported and docopportunities to eligible dependents of veterbenefits. It is a Department of Defense proumented, you have to be hired within the last ans who are permanently and totally disabled gram that is administered by VA. 24 months, your program must be at least six due to a service-related condition, or who died months long to become fully trained. You also during active duty or as a result of a service Apprenticeship And must not have previous job experience in the related condition. The program offers up to 45 OJT Program Benefits field and you can work for any employer, primonths of education benefits. These benefits If you have served in the military and are eligivate, state, local or federal government. ble for the MGIB program, either active duty may be used for degree and certificate proYou are eligible for these benefits under or selected reserve, the GI Bill under either the Reserve GI bill then you are eligible program or the Active Duty program. To for funding that will support On the Job qualify you have to be recently hired or proprogram benefits and moted, be within your last day of service apprenticeship. This within the last ten years, and you need to be offers a different way an active member of the Guard or Reserve to use your VA and GI (for the Reserve GI bill component). Bill training and eduSo if you are otherwise qualified and you cation benefits that have began an apprenticeship or job, you some of the normal should consider applying for this Montgomchannels. If you are ery GI Bill program. This is a program that is entering into trainnot well known, and in some cases the Vetering for a new job, you ans Administration will pay for OJT training for can receive training retroactive service for the last 12 months. funds and benefits that you collect from the Contact your local VA office Special Restorative Training is available to persons eligible for DEA benefits. Department of Veterfor more information. •

Must have enlisted between December 1, 1980 and September 30, 1981. Enlistment must have been in one of the following Air Force Specialties: 20723, 20731, 20830, 46130, 46230A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, or Z, 46430, 81130 Enlistment must have taken place at one of the following locations: Beckley, WV; Buffalo, NY; Dallas, TX; Fargo, ND; Houston, TX; Jackson, MS; Louisville, KY; Memphis, TN; Omaha, NE; Philadelphia, PA; Seattle, WA; Sioux Falls, SD; Syracuse, NY

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How do you earn your degree wHen you’re always on tHe go? At Kaplan University, our approach is to provide education that meets the needs and demanding lifestyles of today’s students. We use new tools and explore new technologies to bring quality learning to those who are interested in a future full of possibilities. We also recognize the challenges servicemembers, their spouses, and veterans face—already balancing the responsibilities of family and career. These dedicated, disciplined leaders have talents that are needed more than ever before in military and civilian careers.

Kaplan university—a different scHool of tHougHt ➜ More than 100 online degree and certificate programs accessible wherever Internet service is offered ➜ Military counselors to assist in making the most of prior learning* and military benefits ➜ Tools to help you fine-tune your career focus ➜ Online tuition rates reduced up to 34% for military veterans, 53% for active duty, and 10% for

military spouses ➜ Selected by Military Advanced Education magazine as one of America’s top 20 military-friendly colleges and universities†

Kaplan University is a proud member of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Consortium and is regionally accredited. See our website for more information. *See University Catalog for Transfer of Credit policy. †

MAE magazine, 2008 Top Colleges and Universities, December 2008, volume 3 issue 6.

Call our Military Student Support Center at 866.583.4412 or visit www.freedom.kaplan.edu

american military university

Educating Those Who Serve

ounded in 1991 to provide accessible, affordable education to our military service members, American Military University is proud today to educate more than 30,000 military members – many of whom are women who are deployed around the globe. Sheree Anderson, an Education Coordinator for AMU, notes, “Women are playing an increasing role in today’s military – serving in more positions and receiving greater leadership opportunities.” Ms. Anderson is a retired Chief Master Sergeant of the U.S. Air Force. “I especially salute the trailblazers who helped pave the way for women such as myself, creating the opportunities for service that are available today. The countless untold stories of personal sacrifice and triumph are a source of personal pride.” American Military University has helped women in the military achieve their education goals while tackling the many challenges they face in their service missions and personal lives. On this occasion, we are proud to share one of the many inspirational experiences. We hope it will inspire you to relentlessly pursue your dreams.

A single mother of three, Roch says she could have faced a setback with her studies in August of 2008, but she persevered. She had been experiencing severe headaches and other symptoms and was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. Today she is successfully coping with her symptoms and looks forward to using her degree hopefully to earn a position with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, giving back to those who have helped her so much. She will be the first in her family to earn a master’s degree. She is especially proud of what she is teaching her children. “My kids think it’s exciting that mommy has more homework than they do and they look up to me in a new light,” says Roch. “I have been able to give my children more goals to strive for and more dreams to dream.” Of Rebecca’s achievements, Anderson had this to say, “We salute you, Rebecca. Your drive and determination have inspired us in our mission to ensure our service members receive the education they deserve”.

American Military University has helped women in the military achieve their education goals while tackling the many challenges they face in their service missions and personal lives.

Rebecca Roch: Master’s Degree, Public Administration In 2007, Rebecca Roch was awarded service-connected disability for an injury sustained during Reserve duty. She had joined the Connecticut Army National Guard in 1992, while still in high school – a family tradition – and served until 2001. “With this award I was given the opportunity to continue my education, something I thought I would not be able to do,” Roch says. A friend referred her to AMU. “I researched AMU and saw it was founded by military personnel and had instructors with prior military service who were now working in government positions”, she says. “I enrolled and absolutely loved it.” Roch will graduate this spring with a master’s in public administration with a concentration in security management.

A retired Marine Corps officer and instructor in an effort to provide affordable and convenient education to the military, founded AMU in 1991. 30,000 of AMU’s 40,000 students serve in the military, making AMU one of the largest providers of higher education to the Armed Forces. The University offers more than 70 online undergraduate and graduate degree programs in mission-related areas such as homeland security, national security, intelligence, and emergency and disaster management. AMU is a member of the regionally accredited American Public University System. Rebecca Roch will graduate with a Master’s Degree in the spring of 2009. 136

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30,000 military students can’t be wrong. Find out why.

AMU is a member of the regionally accredited American Public University System.

Military Advanced Education’s 2008 Military Friendly Colleges & Universities Honoree

Push your mind. Advance your career.

LEARN MORE AT

www.amuonline.com

OR CALL

877.777.9081

college credit for military service

College Credit for Military Service

our military service has likely earned you college credit. Many schools and colleges award military students credit towards a degree based on training, coursework, and occupational specialty. You’ve worked hard in the military – now you can save tuition dollars and classroom time! Pursuing your college degree can be the best career move you can make, but it can also be very expensive and time consuming. That’s why claiming credit for your military experience is vital. Applying your military experience credits could save you as much as $600 and 5 months on a typical 3-credit college course. Best of all, using these college credits costs you nothing; you’ve already earned them! The American Council on Education (ACE) was created in 1942 to recognize the educational value of military training and experience. Since that time ACE has continuously evaluated military schools, correspondence courses and occupations to determine the amount and level of academic credit each should be awarded. Through ACE, you can take academic credit for most of the training you have received, including Basic Training. The ACE military evaluations program is funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) and coordinated through DANTES. Visit the ACE Military Programs website to see how much credit you may have earned, www.acenet.edu.

(Application for Evaluation of Learning) to report their military training and experience. NAVY and MARINE CORPS The Navy and Marine Corps use the SMART system, https://www.navycollege.navy.mil/ transcript.html. This system automatically captures your training, experience and standardized test scores. SMART Homepage AIR FORCE The Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) automatically captures your training, experience and standardized test scores. Transcript information may be viewed at the CCAF web site. COAST GUARD The Coast Guard Institute (CGI) requires each Service member to submit documentation of all training (except correspondence course records), along with an enrollment form, to receive a transcript. VETERANS Under most circumstances, Veterans are eligible to use their former service branches transcript program. However if you are not

eligible for AARTS, SMART, CCAF, or CGI systems, you will need to fill out form DD-295 and provide your DD-214 Discharge Document to receive credit or your experience. Applying Your ACE Credits In most cases, ACE-recommended credits will be used to fulfill your free-elective requirements, but each college determines the number of credits they will accept, and how they will be applied toward your degree. In fact, some schools may even choose not to grant any credit for military experience. That is why it is critical to shop around for the most “military friendly” school available. One Last Money-Saving Tip Have all of your official transcripts from previous colleges and service branches sent to your new school for evaluation, before you start taking any classes. Many students’ waste valuable time and money taking classes that are unnecessary duplications of previous courses, because they signed up before their military and prior college transcripts were completely evaluated. For more information go to www.earmyu.com

Claim Your ACE credits The first step to claiming the credits you have earned is to request a transcript from your military service. Each service will provide unofficial personal copies and send schools an official copy of your transcript at no charge. Each service branch has their own system for recording your military education and experience credits. ARMY The Army uses the AARTS system, which automatically captures your academic credits from military training, and Standardized tests. The AARTS system is available to enlisted soldiers only, go to http://aarts.army.mil. Army Officers must use the form DD 295 138

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Your military experience can save you tuition money and classroom time.

San Diego City Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Government and Military Education Department has been providing educational excellence to military and government agencies both nationally and regionally since 1977. As one of our nation's top providers of education and training to the Department of Defense and other government agencies, we offer more than 100 comprehensive programs ranging from high-tech to basic skills and military-specific to professional development. To learn more about how we build the training that moves your organization forward, visit www.sdmilitaryed.org.

San Diego City College Military & Government Education 1313 Park Boulevard San Diego, CA 92101 877.645.3378 In Honor of Major Megan McClung USMC, KIA Ramadi, Iraq December 6, 2006

Upper iowa university

Meeting the Demands of the

Military Student

or over 151 years Upper Iowa University has been proudly serving the men and women in America’s Armed Forces. Beginning with the Civil War and extending to modern day, our university has a rich and proud heritage of supporting the military student and transitioning veteran.

In 1973 Upper Iowa launched an external degree program, one of the first in the United States. Today this self-guided, independent study program continues to enable service members stationed around the world with an opportunity to continue their education without having to attend class or have consistent internet access. Deployed military members can work via the U.S. mail or email, depending on their access and location. During the 1990’s, Upper Iowa University established off-campus learning centers on several military installations in order to provide accelerated and convenient degree completion opportunities for service members. These locations included Fort Riley, Kansas; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; and Fort Polk, Louisiana. More recently, we began to offer classes at the U.S. Naval Support Activity and U.S. Coast Guard facility in New Orleans. Today, Upper Iowa University has 15 off-campus learning centers in five different states. In 1999, Upper Iowa began online program delivery. The program has continued to grow both in enrollment and national reputation. This is evidenced by the fact that Upper Iowa was recently named as one of the top military-friendly colleges and universities by Military Advanced Education. Our online program is delivered in accelerated 8-week terms enabling military personnel to quickly navigate their course work while meeting the many demands of military life. 140

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The flexibility of Upper Iowa’s distance learning programs makes them a terrific fit for active duty as well as transitioning service members. They have two options to continue with their education goals and can select the best delivery program based on their preferred learning method and the demands of their current assignment and/or family situation. No matter where military personnel are stationed around the globe, Upper Iowa University can

meet their educational needs. Students can study at any time and from anywhere. We offer a tuition discount for all actively serving members of the military. The discount is extended to spouses and military retirees and their spouses. Additionally, we work hard to ensure that our admissions staff, academic

advisors and financial aid counselors are well trained and understand military and veteran’s benefits in order to provide our military students with first-class customer service. As a regionally accredited university, Upper Iowa University applies progressive transfer policies for previous college credits and credits awarded through CLEP and DSST examinations. We also recognize and award maximum credit from military schools and military occupational specialties so students enter the program with as many requirements satisfied as possible. Upper Iowa University’s vision is to be recognized and respected as an exceptional and ascending institution of higher learning, developing global citizens who become lifelong learners prepared for leadership within society. To this end,

our university will continue to support and meet the educational goals of the men and women in America’s Armed Forces. For more information regarding this military friendly school, please visit www.uiu.edu/military.

UIU offers accelerated and convenient degree completion opportunities to service members.

www.uiu.edu/military

Upper Iowa University enhances your leadership by offering quality degree programs. • Regionally accredited • Multiple course delivery options with flexible start dates - Independent Study - Online • Ranked in top 10 percent of nation’s Online Educational Database online programs - (OEDb) 2009 • Maximum credit for your military training and transfer credits, CLEP & DSST exams • Military spouse scholarship program • Member of SOC, GoArmyEd, and NCPDLP

Top military-friendly school - MAE magazine

UPPER IOWA UNIVERSITY

1-800-603-3756 • www.uiu.edu/military On Campus • Distance Education • U.S. & International Centers

Colorado State University Salutes YOU . . . And thanks you for your service.

Advanced Distance Degrees for You and Your Family Undergraduate Degree Completion Agricultural Business – B.S. Fire and Emergency Services Administration – B.S. Human Development and Family Studies – B.S. Liberal Arts – B.A.

Graduate Degrees Adult Education and Training (AET) – M.Ed. Agricultural Extension Education – M.Agr. Master of Business Administration – M.B.A. Civil Engineering – M.E. Community College Leadership (CCL) – Ph.D. Computer Science – M.C.S. Educational Leadership, Renewal and Change – M.Ed. Educational Leadership, Renewal and Change – Ph.D. Engineering Management – M.S., M.E. Integrated Resource Management (IRM) – M.Agr. Materials Engineering – M.E. Merchandising – M.S. Music Therapy – M.A. Rangeland Ecosystem Science – M.S. Statistics – M.S. Systems Engineering – M.E.

Graduate Certificate Sustainable Military Lands Management

or more than 40 years Colorado State University has been delivering quality distance programs bringing flexibility and convenience to adults with careers and families. Programs are delivered online, mixed media, or a combination of both. ★ ★ ★ ★

Fully-accredited programs AACSB accredited MBA program No residency requirements 2 to 4 year program format

Visit www.learn.colostate.edu or call 1-877-491-4336 CONTINUING EDUCATION

jones international university

Education– a Core Building Block to Military Contributions

Jones International University® (JIU®) Highly Values the Contributions of the Military JIU greatly appreciates the efforts of the military and has consequently put in place a set of military scholarship programs that help active duty, reservists, National Guard, veterans, DOD employees and retirees achieve their educational goals. One of the core building blocks to making a significant military contribution is education, which has become increasingly more important as jobs have become more complex and demand increased knowledge and skills. Whether seeking promotion, job enhancement, personal fulfillment or post military employment, education is a core ingredient. Top 10 Online University Jones International University is a regionally accredited* online university that was recently named one of the Top 10 Online Universities in the world by Best and Worst Online Degree programs based upon a five point criteria of faculty, economics, accreditation, administrative leadership and current student/gradu-

ate value. Students choose from associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate and certificate programs in business and education. Teresa Dooling’s Experience Shows the Value of a JIU Education “I began my masters program for education in December of 2006. I finally finished in November of 2008. I am a reservist that spent many years on active duty. I also am a spouse of an active duty service member currently stationed in a small rural area that does not offer many opportunities for graduate education. I decided that Jones International University is a wonderful university for the military. The online setting allows a person to “go to school” even if they have to work split shifts or overnight without having to drive anywhere. A person

does not have to find a babysitter or wait for their active duty spouse to come home. Furthermore, the online setting offers better flexibility for scheduling a very busy schedule. Soldiers and their family members do not have to make special arrangements for field time or deployment; just take the laptop with you and you can still do your work. The teachers are great. They work with the students and treat them like partners in their education. They are very informative and helpful; they place the student’s success as a priority. The Forum offers a great way to interact with your fellow classmates and to give one’s own opinion. JIU is the perfect match for anyone that possesses self-discipline. The fast pace classes are well developed and challenging. The classes assess learning through course projects and Forum discussions. The requirements for each class and each assignment are clearly stated and easy to understand. I would strongly recommend that all soldiers and their family members consider Jones International University as their online university choice.”

* Jones International University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and a member of the North Central Association. The HLC can be contacted at www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org or 800.621.7440. 144

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Photos courtesy of Department of Defense

First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at Arlington National Cemetery’s Women in Military Service for America Memorial Center.

Women throughout military history have played a significant and vital role in safeguarding our freedom. Their contributions have been numerous and sustained during peace time and armed conflict. Michelle Obama recently highlighted achievements of military women throughout U.S. history in an address at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Center at Arlington National Cemetery. Mrs. Obama said, “These women and thousands of others set a standard of excellence that enables women who serve today to take on even greater responsibilities”.

ONLINE EDUCATION AT ITS

BEST

Named a TOP 10 online university and TOP 30 military-friendly university • Affordable education – Military tuition assistance rates for undergraduate degrees – Military Undergraduate Book Program – 20% scholarship for graduate programs • Regionally accredited • 98% recommendation rate by students

CALL AN ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR TODAY

JONES INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

866.427.1308 • www.JIUmilitary.com *Jones International University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association. The HLC may be contacted at www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org or by calling 800.621.7440. Photos courtesy of Department of Defense

guide to active duty tuition assistance

Guide to Active Duty

TUITION ASSISTANCE

here are different versions of the Montgomery G.I. Bill for both active duty and reserves. Additionally, all of the active duty services, and many of the reserve services offer Tuition Assistance (TA) to help pay for college courses while in the military. As of October 1, 2002, all of the branches of military service began offering 100% TA for courses taken while on service members were on active duty. However, there are limitations. All of the Services limit TA to $4,500 per year, per individual. Additionally, there are limits on the amount of TA available per semester hour. Guard/Reserve Tuition Assistance Both the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard offer TA. The Army National Guard allows 100% TA not to exceed $250 per semester hour, up to $4,500 annually. The Air National Guard offers 100% TA not to exceed $250.00 per semester hour, or $166 per quarter hour, up to $1,000 annually. Additionally, many states offer additional education benefits for members of their National Guard (National Guard is controlled –for the most part–by the individual States, not the Federal Government, so

benefits can vary widely from state-to-state). The Air Force Reserves give 100% TA for undergraduate degree programs. Tuition assistance is limited to $250 per semester hour, or $166.67 per quarter hour, up to $4,500 annually. For graduate degree programs, the Air Force Reserves offer 75% TA, limited to $187.50 per semester hour, or $125 per quarter hour, with a $3,500 annual maximum. The Army Reserves offers 100% TA for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Tuition assistance cannot exceed $250 per semester hour, or $166.67 per quarter hour, up to $4,500 annually. The Coast Guard Reserves offer TA for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Tuition assistance cannot exceed $250 per semester hour, or $166.67 per quarter hour up to $4,500 annually. The Navy and Marine Corps Reserves do not offer a Tuition Assistance Program, at present. However, (for all of the reserve service), military members who are called to active duty under Title 10 – Federal Call up – get the same TA benefits as their active duty counterparts. That means, for example, that a Reserve Marine, called to active duty, would be eligible for the Marine Corps Active Duty Tuition Assistance Program.

TA can offset the high cost of text books. 146

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TA makes schooling more affordable.

Army College Tuition Assistance Program Soldiers now have more money to pay for their education because of changes to the Department of Defense’s tuitionassistance policy. The Army’s TA program will pay up to the new cap of $250 per semester hour of credit and an annual ceiling of $4,500 to soldiers enrolled in a post-secondary school. The policy also covers textbooks if they are included in the school’s tuition rates. Under the old policy, the tuition-assistance grant was up to 75% of tuition, capped at $187.50 per semester hour and $3,500 a year. There is a misconception that the new TA will always cover 100% of tuition. However, the Army will pay 100% only if the institution’s fees are $250 per semester hour or less. If the fees exceed $250, the Army will not pay more to cover the difference. Enrolled soldiers may also draw funds from their Montgomery GI Bill. Active-duty soldiers can receive up to $32,400 for 36 months or more of service. Continued on Page 148

Lewis University Offers Two

Online Graduate Degree Programs Nursing

Public Safety Administration

Offered in an accelerated format and online, the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree is designed to provide the professional nurse with requisite knowledge and skills to assume leadership roles in Nursing Administration and Nursing Education.

The 36 credit-hour Master of Science in Public Safety Administration provides a concise, accelerated, and contemporary course of study that is unique, flexible, and relevant to the changing needs of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public safety practitioner. It is designed to help those who are preparing to manage police, fire, emergency medical, and private law enforcement services in our society.

(Master of Science)

Program Outcomes Graduates in Nursing Administration are prepared to function as leaders in the administration of nursing services and patient care services to improve the delivery of healthcare and the practice of nursing. Graduates in nursing administration incorporate skills gained in the financial, economic, human resources and organizational components of management. Graduates in Nursing Education are prepared to assume faculty roles in nursing education programs, and educator roles in staff development, continuing education and community education in municipal, managed care and private sector environments. The nursing education specialization provides students with the skills in curricular design: instructional methodology, program evaluation and educational research that help them become valuable and highly marketable members of the education and nursing professions.

(Master of Science)

Concise, accelerated courses of study will help you take the next step in your career. Lewis University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

For further information, e-mail grad@lewisu.edu or

phone (815)

836-5610

guide to active duty tuition assistance

TA is an important benefit to service members looking to further their education. Continued from Page 146

Soldiers enrolled in the MGIB, and who have also been on active duty for at least two years, can elect to use part of their MGIB entitlement to cover tuition costs that exceed the TA cap. This add-on benefit is called “Top-Up”. The TA Program was introduced in 1947 to showcase the Army’s commitment to educating its soldiers, officials said. Navy College Tuition Assistance Program Tuition assistance is an important benefit for sailors pursuing education during their off-duty time. The TA program provides a significant opportunity and is a strong commitment to the professional and personal development of our sailors. The Navy will pay 100% of tuition costs and all required fees charged by educational institutions for course enrollments, with the following stipulations: A. Payment for tuition and fees will not exceed $250.00 per semester hour. B. There will be a fiscal year funding limit of 12 semester hours (or equivalent) per individual. C. Tuition Assistance will cover fees that are published, mandatory and charged for course enrollment. TA funds will not be used to purchase textbooks or reading materials. Waivers to semester hour limits will be considered for exceptional circumstances. 148

S A L U T E T O f r ee d o m

Waiver requests must be submitted via the applicant’s commanding officer to NETC and must contain the following: • • • • •

•

Name, rank/rate, social security number/ designator; Additional semester hours requested; Course title(s) and description(s); Current degree program; Semester hours completed to date and required to complete current degree program; Transcripts from current degree program (summary is acceptable if request is submitted via rmg); Commanding officer’s justification for exception.

Since program funding is limited, all hands are highly encouraged to pay close attention to benefit usage and to make maximum use of voluntary education programs (NCPACE, GI Bill, etc.) And the college level examination program (CLEP). By passing CLEP examinations covering more than 150 subject areas, sailors may earn one-third or more of the credits required for a college degree. Additionally, DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) carry American Council on Education (ACE) college credit recommendations, which may be accepted for individual degree programs. Service members should explore all off-duty education options by visiting local navy college offices or calling the navy college center toll-free at 9221828 or 1-877-253-7122 between the hours of 0600 - 2100 (CST), 7 days a week or visit www.navycollege.navy.mil.

Air Force College Tuition Assistance Program Air Force personnel can take advantage of a new Department of Defense TA policy that pays 100% of the cost of tuition for off-duty courses. The policy pays tuition costs and mandatory fees for up to a maximum of $250 per semester hour, or $750 per three-hour course. The policy also includes a $4,500-peryear TA ceiling. Prior to 2002, only instructional fees were paid, such as a lab fee for science courses. The amended policy allows for all costs to be paid as long as the total cost falls under the authorized total, the student doesn’t have to pay any money out of (his or her) pocket. Tuition assistance still cannot be used to pay for textbooks unless they are included in an academic institution’s published tuition rates. Marine Corps Tuition Assistance Program All active duty marines (to include selected Marine Corps Reserve enlisted Marines on continuous active duty) are eligible for TA per policies established herein. Tuition assistance is authorized for officers only if they agree to remain on active duty for two (2) years after completing the TA funded course. Eligibility and funding for active duty members of other military services are established in accordance with the other military services’ TA policy. Tuition Assistance Funding Policy Tuition Assistance funds are authorized up to 100% of tuition, instructional fees, laboratory fees, computer fees and mandatory course enrollment fees combined, not to exceed $250 per semester hour equivalent and $4,500 per individual per fiscal year. Mandatory course enrollment fees are those refundable fees charged by the institution that are directly related to the enrollment in a course offered by that institution. Service members are responsible for the portion of tuition and other costs not funded by TA. Funding combinations for the various voluntary education programs will not exceed the fiscal year cap. Continued on Page 150

Earn your degree

ONLINE

while you serve. DEGREE PROGRAMS: • Business Administration • Business Oﬃce Systems and Support: Executive Assistant • Child Development • Computer Information Technology : e Server Specialist & Applications Developer • Computer Information Technology: Personal Computer Support • Criminal Justice • Logistics Technology • Management • Oﬃce Technology: Executive Assistant

ONLINE CAMPUS

military.dcccd.edu 1-888-468-4268

guide to active duty tuition assistance

TA availability includes distance learning courses. Continued from Page 148

A semester hour is the equivalent of 15 clock hours. Tuition assistance will fund a maximum of $16.67 per clock hour. A semester hour is the equivalent of .66-quarter hours. Tuition assistance will fund a maximum of $166.67 per quarter hour. Tuition for courses less than or equal to 18 weeks in length will be funded up front. Tuition for courses longer than 18 weeks, or self-paced courses will be reimbursed to the student following successful completion of the course. Tuition for study leading to a valid high school credential or diploma will be fully funded (100%) up to a maximum of $4,500 per individual per year. Tuition Assistance funds are authorized for vocational-technical, undergraduate, graduate, independent study, and distance learning programs. Courses must be offered by institutions accredited by agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education. Tuition assistance funds are authorized for study toward a certificate or degree at a higher academic level than that currently held by the service member. If the academic institution requires prerequisites, TA may fund up to nine (9) semester hours or equivalent of those prerequisites for the next higher academic level of study. The service member must provide the education officer with an official letter from the institution listing required prerequisites. The education officer shall determine if funding is warranted and shall retain the letter on file. Service members eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) may use their MGIB benefit to offset that portion of tuition and

related fees not covered by TA. Members enrolled in MGIB must clearly print “TA TopUp” across the top of the TA authorization and forward a copy to their veteran’s administration regional office. All first time Top-Up applicants must also forward a MGIB application, VA Form 22-1990. Service members will work with VA directly for settlement. Although MGIB may be used to offset TA, TA is not authorized to offset that portion of MGIB not paid by VA. There must be a TA dollar contribution in order for TA top-up to apply.

The TA program was introduced in 1947. 150

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Tuition Assistance funds are not authorized for continuing education units, developmental courses, or preparatory courses. Tuition Assistance funds are not authorized for courses that end after the service member’s EAS (discharge date). Tuition Assistance funds are not authorized for books. Tuition Assistance is not authorized for personnel awarded a punitive discharge, in confinement, on appellate leave, or awaiting administrative separation, other than honorable or general discharge under honorable conditions. Tuition Assistance is not authorized for service members convicted by foreign or domestic courts, serving sentences in foreign prisons, or pending administrative vice punitive discharges. Tuition Assistance funds will be recouped from the service member for failed courses, incomplete courses, or courses from which the member voluntarily withdrew. Recoupment for duty related withdrawals may be waived for a service member. The service member must submit proof, such as TAD or PCS orders, and a letter endorsed by his or her commanding officer. The Education Officer will determine if a duty waiver is warranted. Recoupment for undergraduate grades of “F” and graduate grades of “D” and below will not be waived. An individual must have no more than two outstanding grades at any given time. An outstanding grade is defined as a grade not received within 30 days after the completion date of a course. All first time students must complete a “TA Orientation” class (College 101) prior to using TA. Marines on major installations may access the course at local education offices. Marines at remote sites (Non-Marine Corps installations) may access the course via www.usmcmccs.org, Lifelong Learning, Military Tuition Assistance or www.usmc-ccs.org/perssvc/ per_serv_main.html, (Lifelong Learning), Military Tuition Assistance. Remote on-line users will receive a certificate of completion. This certificate will be faxed to the appropriate Lifelong Learning (LL) Center with the initial TA request for processing and authorization. Marines with a GT of 99 and below must complete the test of adult basic education with scores of 10.2 and higher to receive TA. If the test score is not satisfactory, marines must complete military academic skills program prior to receiving tuition assistance. To continue using Tuition Assistance, Marines must have a written degree plan before exceeding 12 semester hour equivalent courses.

seek your

Dream Let a degree from Wayland help you follow your dreams! � Associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees � ONLINE bachelor’s degree coming Fall 2009 � Completely ONLINE master’s degrees in: �

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We salute women servicemembers and veterans. We applaud our own students who are earning degrees while serving their country and handling many of lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other responsibilities.

Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degrees include leadership and business ethics, global leadership, and community leadership. Accelerated bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degrees include concentrations in criminal justice and forensic science, computer technology, security administration, leadership and more. Special military tuition rates are available. Ask about opportunities to earn credits for military and other experience.

Vanessa Johnson, US Army Veteran and Duquesne University Student

Mary Jane Snyder, Military POC snyder1@duq.edu 1.800.283.3853 www.leadership.duq.edu/mil

university of mary

University Of Mary Degrees Prepare You for the Future

ith the advent of online degree programs, the options for earning a college degree are endless. The challenge is finding a quality school with the right program to suit one’s individual needs. The University of Mary School of Accelerated and Distance Education offers accelerated, flexible undergraduate and graduate degree programs at 18 sites throughout the United States and online. These degree programs are adaptable and allow military students who begin on-site to move to an online delivery system if deployed or transferred.

Flexibility and individualization are among the U-Mary advantages cited by Captain Paul Smith, U.S. Army, one of the first to earn his MBA through the Fort Riley, Kansas, site. “When I was sent to Kuwait for three weeks, I was able to take one of my courses as an independent study, keeping me on track to get my MBA.” The University of Mary has held continuous accreditation since 1969 giving potential students peace of mind knowing that the programs will provide top-notch training, regardless of the area of study. 154

S A L U T E T O f r ee d o m

With years of experience comes a keen understanding of the unique needs of adult learners. The University of Mary has structured its programs in a “cohort” format where students earn their degree with a group of adult student peers. Classes are typically five to seven weeks in length, allowing students to earn their degree in as few as 15 months. Classes are led by faculty who hold master’s or doctorate degrees, many of whom are leaders in their specialty. U-Mary’s online degree programs are well-suited to military and civilian careers. Four bachelor’s programs are available online: accounting; management with concentrations in criminal justice and human resources; marketing; and nursing. Online master’s programs are available in strategic leadership; project management; MBA

with concentrations in accountancy, health care, human resource management, and management; and nursing, with concentrations in nurse administrator and nurse educator. Highlights of specific services for military personnel include: • • •

• • •

Each student is assigned a personal advisor for the duration of their studies Acceptance of military credits toward an undergraduate degree At the graduate level, after the Armed Forces Tuition Assistance Program has been applied, U-Mary will scholarship the remainder of the tuition A veteran’s affairs officer who can provide assistance on veteran’s affairs matters Collaboration with GoArmyEd.com Participation in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program

“The University of Mary is excited about the Yellow Ribbon Program,” says Vice President for Enrollment Services Brenda Kaspari. “We are committed to being a participant in this program because it is one small way we can thank those who have served, and those who continue to serve, our country. U-Mary is committed to helping military personnel earn their degree and create a brighter future for themselves and their families.” For more information on University of Mary programs, call 1-800408-6279, ext. 8128, email sade@umary. edu, or visit www. umary.edu/sade.

They’ve been there

Dr. Brian Kalk

Major, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret) 1987 – 2007 University of Mary Graduate Program Facilitator

Wayne Maruska

U.S. Army 1969 – 1976 University of Mary Adult Learning Counselor and Graduate Program Advisor

Situation

Advancement in life requires an advanced degree.

Mission

Earn a college degree.

Execution

Enroll in a University of Mary accelerated degree program.

At the University of Mary our staff and facilitators know where you’re coming from — they’ve been there. You don’t always know where you’re going to be. We can support your pursuit of a degree regardless of your assignments or where you may be deployed. Some degrees can be earned in as few as 15 months. We’ll cover your flanks because we want you to earn your degree and advance your career. You’ve served us. Let us serve you.

800-408-6279, ext. 8353 www.umary.edu/sade

Sending Thanks to U.S. Service Members

HELP US SEND 100,000 CARE PACKAGES TO U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS THIS YEAR 10 EASY WAYS TO HELP 1 Write Letters, Letters and More Letters! Please include your address or e-mail in each letter so the recipient can choose to write back. 2

Send us Your Easter and Halloween Candy!

3 Create Beautiful Craft Projects to include in the care packages. 4

Search On-line and Earn Money. GoodSearch.com is a Yahoo-powered search engine that will donate a penny per search to Operation Gratitude.

Donate a Wish List item. Go to www.opgratitude.com/wishlist for a list of requested and needed items.

Donate Financially. Each Operation Gratitude package costs $11 to send. A donation of any amount is greatly appreciated.

Donate Your Vehicle through Cars 4 Causes and support Operation Gratitude. Donations are tax-deductible.

For more information on these and other ways to help, go to www.operationgratitude.com

For donation and volunteer information, please email: opgrat@gmail.com

Buy or Sell on EBAY: Sellers can designate 10-100% of auction proceeds to Operation Gratitude.

Phone Information: 818-909-0039

6 PhonesForGood.com will donate $50 for every new cell phone purchase. Send up to 5 Care Packages When You Buy just 1 New Cell Phone! 7 Recycle Old Cell Phones & Ink-Jet cartridges for cash! Call GRC: 877-744-3601.

Operation Gratitude is a 501 (c) (3), volunteer organization that sends care packages of items and letters addressed to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed overseas. Our mission is to put a smile on a service memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face and to express to all Armed Forces the appreciation and support of the American people. Please send donations to: Operation Gratitude; 16444 Refugio Road; Encino, CA 91436. All donations are tax deductible as provided by law.

show that you care – support our troops

Show that YOU Care Support Our Troops A

ny Soldier Inc. started in August 2003 as a simple family effort to help the soldiers in one Army unit. Due to overwhelming requests, on 1 January 2004 the Any Soldier® effort was expanded to include any member of the Armed Forces in harm’s way. To make a donation or send a package visit www.anysoldier.com. Operation Care Package is a volunteer public charity, dedicated to the mission that no Hero serving our Nation should be forgotten. Their goal is to support our Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen through care packages and letters of encouragement. Learn how you can help by visiting www.operationcare packages.org. Operation Hero Miles: The program allows troops stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan to fly home on leave for free. It also gives family members of wounded servicemen and women free plane tickets to visit their loved ones recovering at military hospitals across the country. To learn how you can donate your unused frequent flyer miles visit: www.heromiles. org/index.html. Operation Gratitude seeks to lift troops’ morale, and bring a smile to their faces by sending care packages to service members overseas. OPERATION GRATITUDE care packages contain food, toiletries, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation, all wrapped with good wishes of love and support. To participate visit: www. opgratitude.com. 160

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“Gifts from the Homefront”. Send a gift certificate to an individual military family member, friend or loved one. They can use it for Exchange Catalog and Exchange Online Store purchases, and at any AAFES retail and food facilities around the world including those supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Visit: www.aafes.com/docs/homefront.htm. “Operation USO Care Package”. With a donation of $25 you can sponsor a care package and include a personal message of support and encouragement. These USO Care Packages include requested items such as pre-paid worldwide phone cards, sunscreen, and travel size toiletries. To make a donation go to: www.usocares.org/donate. The Gift of Groceries program helps meet the family needs of our Guard and Reserve troops fighting the war on terrorism. Go to www.commissaries.com/ certificheck. “Operation Uplink” keeps military personnel and hospitalized veterans in touch with their families and loved ones by providing them with a free phone card. To donate a calling card visit: www. operationuplink.org. Packages From Home works to send care and comfort packages to deployed American military heroes who are stationed in active duty theaters around the world, as well as to facilitate activities that elevate morale of all veterans. To donate, go to www.packagesfromhome.org.

Send correspondence: The “Stars and Stripes” newspaper includes a daily “Messages of Support” section giving family and friends of deployed service members a chance to pass along greetings, announcements, and words of encouragement. Such messages (LIMITED TO 50 WORDS OR LESS) will be printed on a first-come, first-run basis. Messages may be sent to: messages@stripes.com. Visit Stars and Strips at www.stripes.com. Make a donation: Army Emergency Relief: www.aerhq.org Navy/Marine Relief Society: www.nmcrs.org Air Force Aid Society: www.afas.org Coast Guard Mutual Assistance: www.cgmahq.org Special Operations Warrior Foundation: www.specialops. org/?page=Make_A_Donation American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services: www.redcross.org Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors: www.taps.org National Military Family Association: www.nmfa.org Purchase a Patriot Bond: www. treasurydirect.gov Volunteer your time at a VA Hospital to honor veterans who bore the lamp of freedom in past conflicts.

Rise through the ranks

with

Columbia College.

Accredited. Adaptable. And so affordable. The FINRA Investor Education Foundation is a partner in the Department of Defense Financial Readiness Campaign.

Columbia College, founded in 1851, is a charter member of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium.

(800) 231-2391 www.ccis.edu/military

Salute to Freedom

INSIDE:

President Barack Obama Thanks Troops, Pledges Support GEN Ann E. Dunwoody, USA 1st Female Four-Star General COL Madeline Lopez, USAF Commander, DSC Richmond

We salute the role of women in the cause of freedom.

Vietnam Women’s Memorial 11th Annual NMAM VA Programs For Women Veterans Army: Promising Path for Women Tribute to Navy Women Female U-2 Pilots Lioness Program Roars

MAY 2009

www.raytheon.com

Education Section: The New GI Bill – Transferring Benefits – Guide to Active Duty Tuition Assistance