December 12, 2014
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STARS AND STRIPES
Volume 52 ©SS ©SS2014 2014 Volume6, 6, No. 52
F RIDAY,, D DECEMBER ECEMBER 12, 12,2014 2014 F RIDAY
Christmas at the White House House White First ladyinvites invites First lady military families military families to to kickkick off off holiday festivities holiday festivities Page2 2 » Page
A gold goldstar star bearing bearing the name the name of of1st 1st Lt.Lt. Robert Robert Kelly — Kelly — a Marine Marine who who waswas killedkilled in action actiononon Nov. Nov. 9, 2010 9, 2010 — hangs hangsonon thethe Gold Gold Star Tree Star Tree in the theWhite White House. House. Only Onlypeople people who who have have had had loved lovedones ones killed killed in action in action were were allowed allowedtoto hang hang a star a star on the on the tree. tree. M MEREDITH EREDITH TTIBBETTS IBBETTS /Stars and and Stripes Stripes
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December 12, 2014
STARS AND STRIPES • STARS
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Friday, December 12, 2014
COVER STORY
First Lady Michelle Obama, back and far left, talks with children during an event that honored military families at the White House.
First lady welcomes military children BY
STORY AND PHOTOS M EREDITH TIBBETTS Stars and Stripes
M
WASHINGTON ilitary families were welcomed into the White House to be among the first to view the holiday decorations and help the first lady decorate cookies. Children gathered in the State
Dining Room with Michelle Obama to glaze gingerbread men and meet the White House dogs, Sunny and Bo. Some of the kids seemed just as excited about meeting the dogs as decorating cookies. The first lady gave a few remarks to kick off the Dec. 3 event in the East Room, which was decorated with five Christmas trees, garland and more. “The holidays are a chance for us to
show what our country is grateful for this holiday season, and that’s really all of you, the military families who serve our nation proudly and give us all so much,” she said. In the Blue Room, the official White House tree stands 18 feet tall and nearly 12 feet wide. It is decorated in honor of the men and women in uniform. Decorations on the tree are patriotic and covered in ribbons. Children
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contributed cards that thank military families. Also among the 26 trees in the White House is the Gold Star tree. It is decorated with gold stars that each have the name of someone killed in action. Blank gold stars are on a table near the tree for visitors who have lost a loved one to fill out. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
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December 12, 2014 Friday, December 12, 2014
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STARS AND STRIPES • STARS
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PAGE 3
Animated replicas of “first dogs” Sunny and Bo are part of an interactive installation in the East Garden Room at the White House.
All the trimmings ’Tis the season to be jolly, and the Obamas have decked the halls of the White House.
The theme Garland and wreaths are part of “A Children’s Winter Wonderland.”
The military The Gold Star Tree at the East Entrance is dedicated to troops killed in action. Ceramic star ornaments are signed by Gold Star families. There’s a mailbox where visitors can drop off greeting cards to servicemembers overseas. The official White House tree in the Blue Room, “America the Brave,” has drawings from children in support of the military.
A gold star hangs from the Gold Star Tree in an area of the White House dedicated to servicemembers and their families. FROM PAGE 2
“No matter what you all have been going through, this is the thing that really keeps me going: You guys always, always step up,” Obama told the military families. “So many of you are the ones who are doing all the volunteering, more so than average Americans.” tibbetts.meredith@stripes.com Twitter: @mjtibbs
The big guy The official White House Christmas tree stands at 18 feet inside the Blue Room. The theme of the tree is “America the Brave” and it pays tribute to servicemembers.
A girl decorates a cookie during the event that honored military families. of “first dogs” Bo and Sunny.
The big house
The big dogs
More than 250 pounds of pastillage sugar dough, 40 pounds of Marzipan, 25 pounds of gum paste, 80 pounds of gingerbread dough and 25 pounds of sugar went into the 300-pound gingerbread house in the State Dining Room.
More than 1 mile of knotted black and white ribbon was used to make animated versions
For details about limited public tours of the White House, go to whitehouse.gov
The official indoor tree is 18 feet high, 12 feet wide.
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STARS AND STRIPES • STARS
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ARMY
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December 12, 2014 Friday, December 12, 2014
‘ I’m asking us to go back to something
that was in effect when I was coming up, which was train, select and promote. ’
Command Sgt. Maj. Luther Thomas Jr. command sergeant major of the Army Reserve and U.S. Army Reserve Command
JENNIFER H. SVAN /Stars and Stripes
Command Sgt. Maj. Luther Thomas Jr., the command sergeant major of the Army Reserve and U.S. Army Reserve Command, speaks to reservists with the 7th Civil Support Command at a town hall Saturday at the command’s headquarters on Daenner Kaserne in Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Leader: Army Reserve must grow to shrink BY JENNIFER H. SVAN Stars and Stripes
DAENNER KASERNE, Germany — The U.S. Army Reserve needs to grow in order to then shrink the right way, says the organization’s top enlisted leader. The Reserve’s current authorized end strength is 205,000 soldiers. With the reserve topping off at just more than 196,000, that means there’s room to expand, Command Sgt. Maj. Luther Thomas Jr., the command sergeant major of the Army Reserve, said Saturday. He was speaking at a town hall in Kaiserslautern for reservists from the 7th Civil Support Command, the Army’s only Reserve command stationed entirely overseas. By 2019, however, the Army Reserve is slated to drop to 195,000 soldiers, Thomas said. Despite the future downward trajectory, he said the Reserve is still trying to fill its ranks. It is particularly keen
on retaining and bringing in soldiers with jobs for which there’s a current need. Those include fuel handlers, foreign language speakers and those working in military intelligence and psychological operations, to name some. “The reason you want to go up is so that you come down with quality” and retain the right mix of soldiers, Thomas said in an interview after the town hall. With the active Army undergoing an even larger drawdown — the force is scheduled to contract from 513,800 soldiers to between 440,000 and 450,000 by 2019 — more soldiers could be knocking on the Reserve’s door. Recently, 771 soldiers opted to leave the active Army early to join the Reserve as part of an “Active Component 2 Reserve Component” pilot program at Fort Hood, Texas, Thomas said. The program began in May and ended Sept. 30. Soldiers joining the Reserve retain
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certain benefits and can earn years toward reserve retirement. “You still have the camaraderie of being part of the Army family and you still have the opportunity to serve your country,” he said. The Reserve is working with the Army to ensure soldiers separated from active duty for performance or disciplinary issues don’t fly under the radar and get slots in the Reserve, he said, responding to a question during the town hall. It’s happened, but only with a “very, very small percentage” of soldiers, he said. “We’ve asked the Army to do more vetting” and to flag soldiers who may not be qualified for Reserve service, he said. Thomas said he’s working on a policy change aimed at reducing the Reserve’s backlog of 19,000 soldiers who are overdue for professional military education. “What we’re doing now is we select soldiers for promotion, pro-
mote them, and then we train them,” he said. “We’re putting people into leadership positions for which, educationally, we have not trained them.” “I’m asking us to go back to something that was in effect when I was coming up, which was train, select and promote,” he told reservists. “Soldiers will either go to school and get promoted or they’ll be separated from the service or they’ll be reduced in rank,” he said. Also contributing to the backlog is reservists who have been “flagged” for not meeting height and weight or physical training standards, Thomas said. “I know it’s difficult with soldiers coming one weekend a month, two weeks at a time throughout the year, but as a leader, you have to figure out … how do I motivate this soldier? How do I inspire this soldier to be all that they can be?” he said. svan.jennifer@stripes.com
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December 12, 2014 Friday, December 12, 2014
STARS AND STRIPES • STARS
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NAVY BY HENDRICK SIMOES Stars and Stripes
MANAMA, Bahrain — The U.S. Navy is one step closer to outfitting ships with lasers that officials say can hit air and surface targets with precision. Although the laser weapon system is still in the testing phase, Navy personnel and officials — from the operator directing the laser beam to the chief of naval operations — are excited about what it can do. The laser weapon system, known as LaWS, was installed during the summer on the 43-year-old USS Ponce — an afloat forward staging base deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet — to evaluate how the system handles a rugged maritime environment. The laser is a directed-energy weapon that can target both air and surface targets — either with lethal or nonlethal force, depending on the power setting. Over the years, researchers have made significant improvements to the weapon’s ruggedness, range and power and beam quality. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said the weapon could be a game changer. “Imagine you take this … you double or triple the power on this, you’re going from a close-in weapon system to cruise-missilelike weapons system to ballistic-defensetype weapon system,” Greenert told Stars and Stripes after visiting the Ponce and seeing the laser firsthand. The Ponce provided a test platform to see how well the laser could hit targets from a moving platform subject to unstable conditions at sea. Officials were pleased with the initial testing of the system. “For the most part, each event went as planned or better than planned,” said Capt. Dale Maxey, who was the commanding officer of the Ponce during the installation and testing. The crew fired at mock-up surface and air targets. “It proved to be very effective against UAVs,” Maxey said, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles. The laser can blind sensors, target electronics or destroy
Laser focused
The Navy has been testing the $40 million laser weapon system aboard the USS Ponce, an afloat forward staging base deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet, to see how it will hold up to the rigors of a maritime environment. PHOTOS
BY
HENDRICK SIMOES/Stars and Stripes
Navy encouraged by performance of LaWS during test on USS Ponce a target with precision. For example, officials said, to destroy a target, the laser can be fired at its fuel tank. But officials say one of most useful features doesn’t involve firing the laser at all. The system can track targets at a greater distance than other shipboard equipment — including at night. “It’s great as far as determining what a contact is doing,” said Lt. j.g. Katie Woodard, the officer in charge of the laser weapon system aboard the Ponce. “We have a
great optic system on there. “It gives us more time to deal with contacts,” she said, referring to any object that may be approaching the ship from the air or water. Lt. Kristofer Kalstad supervised the initial use of the weapon aboard the ship. “This brings so much more to the table than just a weapon system, defensive or otherwise,” he said. The laser is operated by a single person from a station inside the ship’s combat information center.
“The operator requires skill. It’s not as automated as some systems because it’s early on,” Maxey said. An operator can move and fire the laser using a hand controller similar to ones used with popular gaming consoles. “There is an art to the operator,” Maxey said. While the laser was briefly tested two years ago on the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey in San Diego, the Ponce is the first deployed ship to include it in its arsenal. The sailors who work with the laser aboard the Ponce
are charged with developing procedures for its use and maintenance at sea. “We put it out here specifically to learn additional things, to test tactics, to find out how the environment affects it,” Maxey said. Kalstad said the system has “exceeded expectations.” Its ability to perform in a harsh maritime environment of sea spray, dust and sand has diminished some of the “very serious concerns” that existed before the installation. Maxey said the laser gives the ship a “superb defensive depth” that allowed him to sleep better at night. The Ponce’s defensive arsenal includes Phalanx close-in weapon system gun mounts and the 25-mm machine gun system. Maxey said the laser doesn’t replace those weapons, but that it’s an “excellent addition.” Officials said a single laser shot costs about $1 in energy costs — compared to the high expense of using projectile weapons. The laser isn’t cheap, though: It cost about $40 million to develop. The U.S. Navy won’t be installing its new laser weapon system on ships throughout the fleet any time soon, despite the initial success aboard the Ponce. The system is still in the experimental phase, and testing on the Ponce will continue for an undetermined period. In addition, the laser and its components — generators, coolers and various other components — require quite a bit of space. “I would put a LaWS on every ship,” Greenert said, “if I could miniaturize it and fit it.” simoes.hendrick@stripes.com Twitter: @hendricksimoes
The system was used to cut a hole through this metal plate, which sits in the captain’s office aboard the Ponce.
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crossword A PC PUZZLE By Kenneth Holt ACROSS 1 Analyze grammatically 6 Pen fillers 10 Bring down 15 “Acid” 18 Homeric epic 19 Lake near Reno 21 Warms up 22 Expert fighter pilot 23 Spanish cellist/ conductor 25 Desert green spot 26 Without delay 27 Formerly, formerly 28 Lively spirit 29 Mall attraction 31 Make invalid 33 Skirt length 35 British noble 36 Fixed payment 37 Like careful language 43 Basketball stadium 44 A flat, thick piece 45 Feared fairy-tale females 49 Becomes tangled 51 Old phone feature 53 ___ gin fizz 54 Antlered beast 55 Broke a fast 56 Ache for 58 Great way to listen 62 Flu fighters 64 Bulldog booster
65 Ghost’s word 66 Post-lather step 67 They have subsidiaries 74 Colgate competitor 77 It may have a general assembly? 78 Short pencil 79 Play divisions 83 Mnemonic device 87 Jeans fabric 89 Ump’s call 90 Rink surface 91 Bay in the stable 92 Enlarge, as a hole 94 African hunting expedition 96 Particularly suitable for children 99 Sandpaper particles 101 Play a set with the band 102 Where motorists should be extra careful 107 Greek goddess of the moon 110 Clock pointer 111 Barely gets by 112 Foundation garment of yore 113 It’s on the game clock 114 Get high 116 Drive 120 Old American competitor 121 Lute’s cousin 123 Mule, at times 126 Uneven? 127 Airs for December
128 Biker’s path 129 Black, in Barcelona 130 “Comin’ Thro’ the ___” 131 Make a statute 132 Apple source 133 Washington’s successor DOWN 1 Snowman prop 2 Apple spray 3 Barbecue entree 4 Place of hard labor 5 Tokyo, formerly 6 Slanted printing 7 Cape Canaveral grp. 8 Genghis ___ 9 Costa del ___ 10 Program of 7-Down 11 Hillside near a loch 12 Loser to DDE, twice 13 Web-making part of a spider 14 Fragrance 15 “Pineapple Island” 16 “Dilbert” creator Adams 17 “Malcolm in the Middle” brother 20 English Lit assignment 24 Basic monetary unit of Ghana 30 Compass line 32 Courage, so to speak 34 Europe’s “boot” 35 Temporary home for Napoleon 36 Vacuum-tube gas
37 Legal aides 38 Address an audience 39 Crowbar or jimmy 40 Buzz the astronaut 41 Form of “lie” 42 Acting part 46 “As ___ on TV!” 47 Architectural annexes 48 Hebrides terrier 50 Crystal-ball gazer 52 One at work 53 “Go no further!” 57 Brown brew 59 A Smothers brother 60 Madden 61 Credit card name 63 Basilica area 68 Money dispenser 69 Kind of bed 70 Auto 71 Pepless 72 Convent resident 73 Heron cousin 74 Adam’s firstborn 75 Puerto ___ 76 First garden 80 Raccoon relative 81 City of a famous shroud 82 Bite like a bee 84 Extensive learning 85 Burrowing rodents 86 Mare meal 87 Sock-mender’s oath? 88 En ___ (together) 93 Archaic exclamation 95 Cracked 97 Chimps and
orangutans 98 Land around a mansion 100 Excessive sweetness 103 Need for water 104 Zodiac animal 105 Hapless 106 Stew vegetable 107 Cast member 108 Behaving like a ruffian 109 Barter 113 After-bath powder 114 “The Lion King” character 115 “The Grapes of Wrath” extra 117 Gulf of ___ (arm of the Baltic) 118 Bacterium 119 Winged god of love 122 Common iced drink 124 “Wherefore __ thou ...” 125 “Messenger” compound
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10
ALASKA EDITION
December 12, 2014
December 12, 2014 Friday, December 12, 2014
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More victims report sex assaults to military BY JENNIFER HLAD Stars and Stripes
Nearly 20,000 troops were sexually assaulted last year, according to estimates based on an anonymous survey released Dec. 5, a decrease from 26,000 in 2012, when the Pentagon last conducted the survey, but virtually identical to the 2010 estimate. At the same time, the percentage of victims who reported crimes increased from 11 percent in 2012 to 24 percent in 2014, according to the report. While the Department of Defense believes the results show “substantive, comprehensive progress” in combating the crime, critics of the military justice system called the numbers “appalling.” Every two years, the military conducts an anonymous workplace- and gender-relations survey of thousands of active and reserve troops, asking how many have been sexually assaulted in the previous year. The percentage of respondents who say they have experienced unwanted sexual contact is then applied to the total number of troops in the military, creating the estimate of how many troops have been sexually assaulted. Additionally, the Pentagon releases data each spring about the sexual assaults that have been reported to law enforcement and commanders. There is always a significant gap between the number of sexual assaults estimated to have occurred and the number reported. In 2012, when 26,000 troops were estimated to have been sexually assaulted based on the anonymous survey results, just 3,374 had reported. The number of reported sexual assaults increased dramatically to 5,061 — up 50 percent — in 2013, then increased by 8 percent in 2014. Previous anonymous surveys have been administered by the DOD, but this year’s survey was conducted by the Rand Corp., which used the formerly used questionnaire for a random sample of troops, and a redesigned survey for other troops. The Rand study esti-
Complete report, fact sheet and the defense secretary’s recommendations at stripes.com mated about 20,000 victims of sexual assault, while the estimate based on the previous methodology was 19,000. Rand experts said the survey was designed to address criticism of the DOD’s earlier surveys. Among other things, researchers said, it utilized a larger sample size, simplified wording of key questions and made a distinction in its measures between instances the military classifies as crimes and those classified as workplace equal opportunity violations. The spiking number of sexual assaults grabbed the attention of several lawmakers, who in the past two years have been debating how best to deal with the crimes and to prevent more in the future. Several reforms championed by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., took effect a year ago, and after seeing initial accounts of the report, she issued a statement saying the combination of
increased reporting and decreased assaults was “exactly the combination we’re looking for.” “I’m sure there’s more work to do, and I’m anxious to hear how victims feel about the services and support offered to them when they report an assault,” McCaskill said. But Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who this week renewed a push to remove the authority to prosecute sexual assault and other serious crimes from the victim’s chain of command, said some of the numbers should be a “screaming red flag.” “For a year now, we have heard how the reforms in the previous defense bill were going to protect victims and make retaliation a crime,” she said. Instead, 62 percent of people who said they reported sexual assaults also said they were retaliated against for speaking up, Gillibrand said — the same number as last year. Gillibrand said the numbers illustrate why the number of victims who report crimes remains low, and called the prevalence of sexual assault and
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unwanted sexual contact in the military “appalling.” There is no other mission in the world for our military where this much failure would be allowed,” she said. “Enough is enough. Last December, the president said he would give the military and previous reforms a year to work and it is clear they have failed in their mission.” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel did order several new training and assaultprevention measures in a memo that accompanied the report. A new, installation-centered study will “customize” sexual assault-prevention measures at a number of bases to determine which policies and procedures are most effective, Hagel said. “This effort will identify installation and community risk factors for sexual assault and develop associated actions leadership can take to mitigate sexual violence,” he wrote in the memo. A plan for the study is due on Jan. 30. Hagel also ordered “first line” supervisors throughout the DOD to undergo training in the responsibility of bosses in sexual assault prevention and response programs. The new training applies to all junior officers, junior enlisted supervisors and civilian employees that supervise military members. Hagel also ordered new procedures for installation commanders to prevent reprisals and retaliation for reports of sexual assault, and ordered service branch secretaries to publicize the report findings “in an interactive manner.” Hagel said the report showed the DOD is having some success in fighting sexual assault but that more effort is needed. “While our report to the president demonstrates progress, as we all know, our work is not complete,” he wrote in the memo. “We must remain persistent and relentless in our efforts to eradicate sexual assault from the military.” Stars and Stripes reporter Chris Carroll contributed to this report. hlad.jennifer@stripes.com
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PACIFIC
Navy report calls for protection of WWII wreck BY M ATTHEW M. BURKE Stars and Stripes
A recently released Navy report says the wreck of the USS Houston — sunk by the Japanese off the Java coast at the outset of World War II — is leaking fuel and being picked clean of metal and dangerous munitions by salvagers and divers, creating a potential ecological disaster and endangering the remains of sailors and Marines entombed there. The Houston was sunk in Banten Bay along with Australia’s HMAS Perth on March 1, 1942, in what was later dubbed the Battle of Sunda Strait. The ship went down with more than 1,000 aboard and as much as 350,000 gallons of fuel and diesel oil. Fewer than 400 people survived. U.S. and Indonesian navy divers checked the wreckage in June during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training 2014 exercises. It was the Navy’s first formal site assessment since the ship’s discovery decades ago. The Naval History and Heritage Command worked with the navies during the dive. “The operation produced convincing evidence that the wreck of Houston, which serves as the final resting place for hundreds of sailors, contains potentially live ordnance, is seeping oil and is also being irreparably damaged by the unauthorized disturbance of the site,” said the final report on the assessment, released last month. It called for protective measures to avoid “increased risk of desecration of human remains, serious structural damage to the wreck, and adverse environmental effects.” The assessment was performed by Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1, Company 1-5, which began its work in Banten Bay on June 10 with support from the USNS Safeguard, according to the report. They completed 14 dives, with the Indonesian navy participating in several. They were tasked with documenting battle damage as well as the orientation of the vessel and its debris field, along with environmental hazards, ordnance and any visible human remains. Much of the vandalism and theft was observed in the area of the exposed port side. Navy officials said they are coordinating with Indonesia to stop the desecration of the Houston, which has become a popular dive spot. Paul Taylor, an NHHC spokesman, said Indonesian naval units will continue to chase off suspicious people spotted near the wreck and make ar-
Courtesy of R. Dana Charles
The USS Houston in 1942 in what would become one of the last photos taken of her. utilized in salvage or archaeological rests if possible. operations to excavate through and “Representatives from both counremove compacted sediment,” the tries are determined to do what they report said. “The condition of the can to protect and preserve the site, dredge indicates it has been present on located a mile off Indonesia’s coast,” Taylor wrote in a statement to Stars and site for some time, while it is still being weighed down by a rectangular metal Stripes. “It has the attention of both our frame and what may be an adjacent navies, and we take any such disturcinder block, suggesting its continued bance very seriously.” use.” Taylor said the Navy will plan folThey also documented the absence of low-up dives to monitor any continued damage and will work with Indonesia to most portholes on the exposed port side. Divers also observed piles of shells see what “cultural, educational, deterand ordnance on the exposed port side rent and enforcement efforts might be near a secured bag to haul it out and employed to discourage disturbance.” casings and ordnance in the vicinity of Last year, Frank Craven — an the dredge. Australian diver with family ties to “As no assessment has been conthe HMAS Perth — dove on the site ducted on and took a any of the trumpet and seemingly several other intact pieces artifacts from The ship needs to be left of ordnance, the wreck, alone and not disturbed nor any such ordhe told Stars nance must and Stripes. intruded upon by ANYONE. be presumed He returned John Keith Schwarz active, and some artiUSS Houston CA-30 Survivors Association therefore facts to the & Next Generations potentially a Houston and public safety handed the hazard,” the trumpet over report said. to the Navy; Taylor said the removal of old amit’s in the possession of the NHHC in munition is of grave concern due to the Washington. danger, and the amount of fuel on board According to the report, divers is also a concern. documented missing rivets and large The ship — one of 17,000 ship and metal pieces of the hull. More disturbing was the documentation of tools used aircraft wrecks worldwide — went to pillage the ship, including a rudimen- down with as much as 350,000 gallons of fuel and diesel oil, the report said. tary surface-supplied oxygen delivery Preliminary estimates suggest about a system to support local divers during quarter of the oil was lost due to battle prolonged underwater operations, a damage. dredge that permitted access inside the Divers documented oil slicks on the hull and a new hacksaw, which indisurface, the report said, requesting furcated recent vandalism. ther study to fully grasp the problem. “Dredges of this type are commonly
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Taylor said a Navy panel took up the issue in September and is “continuing to work toward response recommendations” for the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy. Divers documented no human remains or evidence that remains had been tampered with. However, they said the remains in and around the ship are at risk if the vessel’s destruction continues. “It is likely that any human remains, if extant, might be preserved within the hull or buried in the adjacent sediment, rather than exposed on the deck or port side of the hull,” the report said. The Navy has generally maintained a policy of letting sailors and Marines lost at sea remain with their sunken vessels, which they consider to be hallowed war graves. The report recommended a lengthier site survey to assess battle damage versus theft, public safety and environmental concerns, and possible security measures. John Keith Schwarz, a representative from the Houston’s family group, the USS Houston CA-30 Survivors Association & Next Generations, said the report confirmed long-held suspicions about salvage and environmental damage to the ship. “The ship needs to be left alone and not disturbed nor intruded upon by ANYONE,” Schwarz wrote in an email to Stars and Stripes. “We call upon citizens of all nations to respect and to leave undisturbed the final resting place of those courageous American and Australian crewmen of USS Houston (CA-30) and HMAS Perth who are ‘still standing watch over Sunda Strait,’ ” his group said in a statement last year. burke.matt@stripes.com
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ALASKA EDITION
code breaker In these Code Quotes from America’s history, each letter given is a code consisting of another letter. To solve this Code Quote, you must decode the puzzle by replacing each letter with the correct one. An example is shown. A ‘clue’ is available if you need extra help. Example: G E O R G E W A S H I N G T O N Is coded as: W J A M W J G I T C X Z W F A Z HCC TRPA HITUA ABHA ABZ LZMZSAUJE JO ABZ AZHMBUEVP JO MBLUPA
LZPRCAP UE ABZ SRLZPA SHALUJAUPT, UE ABZ TJPA PMLRSRCJRP OUIZCUAW
AJ SRDCUM ALRPA, HEI UE ABZ DZPA AWSZ JO MUAUKZEPBUS. VLJXZL MCZXZCHEI
Hint: This governor of New York set a record by issuing eight vetoes in his first two months in office, a habit he would continue. Last week’s answer: “We must be ready to dare all for our country. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.” President Dwight D. Eisenhower Name:
word search
sudoku
Created with TheTeachersCorner.net Word Search Maker
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MENORAH SHAMASH PIRSUMEINISSA Hanukkah PUREOIL RESTRAINT Menorah DEVOTION Chanukah FEELINGS PURITY Kislev
CHANUKAH CHARITY DIASPORA EIGHTDAYS HARMONY Pirsumei Nissa BONDING Diaspora MOTIVATIONS LIGHT Miracle
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KISLEV DREIDEL MIRACLE LOVE AMBITION Restraint Feelings RECEPTIVENESS Harmony Motivations HEART
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Previous week’s answers
Heart Purity Light
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Suggestions for the readers High costs threaten vets’ on your holiday shopping list access to hepatitis C drug
I
Emily’s investigative instincts, and solving t’s time for carols on the radio, cards in the mystery could bring the pair together. the mailbox and Christmas shopping. My The authors create sympathetic and attractive idea of the best gift for almost anyone on characters, and I admit I especially liked that my list is a book. Just ask my family. the protagonist was once a columnist for Stars Here’s a roundup of some of the books that and Stripes. have crossed my desk in the past few months. “Move and Other Four-Letter Words,” by One might just fit someone on your list or find a Joan Brown. So you think you’ve heard it all place on your own wish list. “My Special Force,” by Heather Means: This when it comes to moving stories? Not until you’ve read this book by Air Force wife Joan is the true story of Heather Means, who lost Brown. Subtitled “Memoir of a Mobile Marher Army husband, Ryan, not to combat but to riage,” this book is the author’s look back at her cancer. Heather wrote this book using Ryan’s family’s military adventures from the 1950s letters, emails and journals, as well as her own to the 1980s. It was a different time, both in to convey the spirit of the dynamic, funny and national attitudes toward military service and adventurous man she lost. The story is flat-out honest at every turn, and Heather refuses to the level of conveniences and draw any comforting conclusions about losing SPOUSE CALLS benefits available to military the person she loved most. In the end, however, families. From overseas the reader will still be inspired by Heather’s moves with the family to her decision to live when she felt like dying too, husband’s service in Vietknowing that a full life is what Ryan wanted for nam, the author uses a light her and their two daughters. This book lives up touch and a sense of humor to its subtitle: “The Warrior Who Taught Me to paint a picture of military the Meaning of Life and Love.” life in an earlier era. She of“Right Side Up: Finding Your Way When fers no complaints, but pride Military Life Turns You Upside Down,” by in her husband’s service, as Judy Davis: Maintaining a steady course amid well as her family’s. Military the twists and turns of military life is not easy. Terri Barnes spouses of any age will enjoy In this guide, Judy Davis these stories and feel a kindraws on her own experiences Join the conversation with Terri at ship with Joan and her family. as an Army wife, mom and stripes.com/go/spousecalls “Iraq Dreams,” by Gerald businesswoman to present Alessio: This story about an strategies for coping with the #44 challenges of military life and Army reservist who returns building a solid emotional foundation. Easy to injured in mind and body from Iraq is fictional, read and practical to use, this book includes but depicts some of the real struggles of returnexercises and directed journaling for personal ing veterans. Rick Garcia loses his leg to battle application of the principles. “The book isn’t and feels like he’s losing his life to post-traumeant to be one size fits all; it’s what size fits matic stress. On top of that, a divorce might you,” says Judy. “Discovering what that is cost him his family. The author, a retired psyfor you is part of the process.” A good gift for chologist, drew on his experience to write this someone who wants to start the new year with book, saying, “There were some individuals I a new perspective. had the privilege of working with whose stories “Your Gift to Me,” by Bonnie Bartel Latino have stuck with me. I was often impressed with and Bob Vale: This one is fiction, just right … the courage they showed in fighting through for the romance-lover with military ties. It’s their difficulties.” Could be a good choice for a sweet story about Emily Meade, a journalthose who’ve had similar struggles, and anyone ist whose military aviator husband was killed wanting a better understanding of them. in combat. Years later, when Emily meets Air Force pilot Ted Foley, she’s drawn to him, but doesn’t want to risk another painful loss. A Terri Barnes is the author of “Spouse Calls: Messages series of suspicious military air mishaps sparks From a Military Life.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., saw the high-dollar request from WASHINGTON — A new the VA earlier this year. In drug holds the potential to July, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., cure hepatitis C in tens of and Sen. Chuck Grassley, thousands of veterans but will R-Iowa, asked Gilead to exrequire billions of dollars in plain why the high U.S. price new spending to cover the — $1,000 per pill — differs cost, Department of Veterans from that in other countries as Affairs officials told a Senate well as from a previous U.S. panel last week. estimate. The department has Sanders criticized Gilead requested $1.3 billion from for the prices and reaping Congress to buy Sovaldi, a large profits while veterans drug approved last year for face possible rationing due to the treatment of the potenthe expense, calling it a moral tially deadly liver disease. But issue. According to the senathe money will buy treatment tor, Gilead bought the origifor only about 30,000 infected vets, while as many as 114,000 nal company that developed Sovaldi for $11 billion and might need it, said David Ross, director of the VA’s HIV, stands to make about $200 billion on the drug. hepatitis C and public health “What we are looking at pathogens programs. Sovaldi requires a shorter is very clearly an excessive treatment period and has fewer profit and a lot of that profit is side effects and a higher cure going to be paid by the taxpayrate than previously existing ers in this country,” Sanders maintenance treatments that said. are long and painful and someGilead Sciences declined to times require liver transplants. testify. Gilead spokeswoman Providing it to all the veterans Michele Rest told Stars and at the current price of more Stripes that the drug is worth than $500 per pill could cost the expense because it simplithe VA another $2.6 billion. fies and shortens treatment to The VA has cut its cost just eight weeks and can help for the drug in half through patients avoid the cost of treatnegotiations with the company ing liver disease. that owns Sovaldi, Gilead SciIt offers a “cure at a price ences Inc., but is still asking that will reduce hepatitis C for more than $1 billion in new treatment costs in the shortfunding to begin treatments, term and deliver significant said Michael Valentino, pharhealthcare savings to the macist and chief consultant healthcare system over the to the VA Pharmacy Benefits long-term,” Rest wrote in an Management Services. email response. For now, the department The ranking Republican on is shifting money to provide the Senate committee stood up Sovaldi to vets who request it, for the pricing. he said. Sen.let’s Richardstart Burr, R-N.C., Veterans, especiallyTogether those said companies such as Gilead from the Vietnam War, are take large financial risks and planning for your infected with hepatitis C at a higher rate than the rest of the navigate a testing-and-approval “valley of death” when future. population. Research family’s sugdeveloping new drugs. gests that many contracted the “Innovation is expensive … virus before it was recognized I think the one thing we agree through blood transfusions on is we don’t want to give up and other medical care; other Name, approved designation innovation,” Burr said. factors are intravenous drug Agent, Life of attacking prices, use common during the war,New YorkInstead Insurance Company he said Congress and the VA the fact that the VA generally CA/AR Ins Licshould # (if applicable) look at how much could serves a lower socioeconomic be saved in the long-term by Address class, and that transfusions treating veterans known to were saving lives on the Phone # have hepatitis C. battlefield in great number Email for “I believe the price of this the first time. The Senate Veterans Affairs particular drug should be looked at on the macro level,” Committee called the Dec. 3 hearing after the chairman, Burr said. Stars and Stripes
Live your life with theirs in mind.
Max D. Lederer Jr., Publisher Terry Leonard, Editor Robert H. Reid, Senior Managing Editor Tina Croley, Managing Editor for Content Amanda L. Trypanis, U.S. Edition Editor Michael Davidson, Revenue Director CONTACT US 529 14th Street NW, Suite 350, Washington, D.C. 20045-1301 Email: stripesweekly@stripes.com Editorial: (202) 761-0908 Advertising: (202) 761-0910 Michael Davidson, Weekly Partnership Director: davidson.michael@stripes.com Additional contact information: stripes.com
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This publication is a compilation of stories from Stars and Stripes, the editorially independent newspaper authorized by the Department of Defense for members of the military community. The contents of Stars and Stripes are unofficial, and are not to be considered as the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, including the Defense Department or the military services. The U.S. Edition of Stars and Stripes is published jointly by Stars and Stripes and this newspaper. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the DOD or Stars and Stripes of the products or services advertised. Products or services advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.
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