Happy Birthday US NAVY!
1775 - This is the date that the Navy recognizes as it's "official" birthday.

The United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which the Continental Congress established on October 13, 1775 by authorizing the procurement, fitting out, manning, and dispatch of two armed vessels to cruise in search of munitions ships supplying the British Army in America. The legislation also established a Naval Committee to supervise the work.

All together, the Continental Navy numbered some 50 ships over the course of the war, with around 20 warships in active service at its maximum strength. After the American War for Independence, Congress disbanded the Continental Navy, released the seamen and officers, and auctioned off its warship fleet.

Later, the Constitution of the United States, ratified in 1789, empowered Congress "to provide and maintain a navy." Acting on this authority, Congress ordered the construction and manning of six frigates in 1794, and the War Department administered naval affairs from that year until Congress established the Department of the Navy on April 30, 1798.

In 1972, however, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) the late Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt authorized recognition of October 13, 1775 as our Navy’s birthday.

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234th US Navy Birthday Message

As delivered by ADM Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , The Pentagon, Washington DC.

On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and passed legislation creating what would become the United States Navy. America celebrates this day every year, marking the service, sacrifice and devotion to duty of our Sailors around the globe.
 
Over 45,000 Sailors are supporting joint, interagency, and multinational operations throughout the world – building, engaging, and securing – as always delivering peace through strength. 
 
They serve on nearly 200 ships and submarines underway at any moment providing critical capabilities for ballistic missile defense, counterterrorism operations, anti-piracy efforts, and humanitarian relief missions. Their impressive and persistent presence, however, would be impossible without the steady support of our Navy families. Without them, we could not accomplish a single mission.
 
On behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I congratulate you and your families on 234 years of proud Navy service.  Your rich heritage, combat readiness, and relentless tenacity make us very proud of you all.
 
Bravo Zulu and Happy Birthday, Shipmates!                                                 
                                                         
M.G. MULLEN
Admiral, US Navy

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WE GET LETTERS...
Here's a couple of emails to share from fans of TWS' power of connectivity...

HEY, really great layout...very eye-appealing...and I do know what I'm yakkin' on there 'cause in a 30-some-odd-years career as civilian and military "journalist" was frequently doing the "makeup" for civilian and military newspapers and a lot of balance and eye appeal involved. Appreciate more than I can say the "adventures" and acquaintances that glow among your "pages". TNX with great respect for the professionalism you folks manifest.
- MSgt. Howard A. Ellis, USAF, ret.

Just want to inform you guys I am currently deployed to Al Asad, Iraq on an IA (individual augmentee) billet where I have been since April 11 of this year. Please keep up the good work you guys have been doing for the past year and I do look forward to this site to keep in contact with past and present friends I have made in service to this great country. Thank you so very much.
- CPO(AW/SW) Steve Hodge, USN

Until next time...

Jon Yim
Editor

Featured Updates


Shadow Box Profiles
TogetherWeServed is proud to announce the launch of our new Shadow Box views - with a single preference setting you can make your profile available to friends and family in a neatly framed 'Shadow Box' presentation. This new display supersedes the older Public Profile view and can be previewed from within the site as well as by non-members (if you choose). An example of the format is shown below:

To enable your Shadow Box public view*, just visit Account Details on your profile page and turn on the flag marked "Allow Shadow Box View". You will be given an abbreviated URL that can be shared with friends and family such as:

http://army.togetherweserved.com/profile/1

By following that link they will be able to view your profile, without needing member access to TWS.

*Please note - public viewing of your shadow box profile requires full membership.

Army Sec'y McHugh puts Soldiers, families at center of agenda
Story by Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON -- Getting the Army's personnel aspects right is the most important job for its leaders, Army Secretary John M. McHugh said this month.

McHugh took office Sept. 21.

In many ways the Army is doing well, but more needs to be done as the service begins a ninth year at war, the secretary said during an interview in his Pentagon office.

Soldiers are performing their missions extraordinarily well, but they and their families are under enormous stress, McHugh said.

"I think the Army has done significant work in recognizing the challenges that have evolved over those eight years - everything from dwell time [at home stations between deployments] to the need to make more robust family support programs," he said.

The former congressman represented the upstate New York district that includes Fort Drum. He also served as ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. In that job, he made 14 trips to visit servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said it's a great honor to serve as Army secretary, and he is familiar with the challenges facing the service.

"Where appropriate, we want to focus on those initiatives that have been put into place," he said, "and continue to strive to identify others that can complete the job that I think all of us in this building understand."

Deployments are front and center with McHugh. He noted that Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. has done a lot of work on this so that currently, active-duty Soldiers spend a year deployed and about a year and a half at their home station before deploying again.

"[Casey's] plan is over the next few years to reach that 1-to-2 [ratio], and ideally over a much longer term, 1-to-3 for the active component and an ideal of 1-to-5 for the reserve components," McHugh said.

This will not happen overnight, he acknowledged. And like any plan, he added, it is subject to change and the issues of supply and demand. The plan will be affected by the situation in Iraq and, possibly, Afghanistan, the secretary said. If progress in Iraq continues, the command there can draw down forces faster. If President Barack Obama decides to add forces to Afghanistan, this also affects the dwell-time calculus, he said.

The service also is looking at the number of deployments Soldiers make. Some Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have deployed four or five times. "We can't really consider number of deployments, but how they are dispersed across time," McHugh said.

The operational and personnel tempo of the early years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan clearly were unacceptable, McHugh said. But recruiting and retention numbers also tell a story. The Army is an all-volunteer force, he noted, and Soldiers who enlist know they are going to be deployed to a war zone.

"Everyone who is re-upping understands that," he said. "They have already been [deployed], and they are likely to go again, and yet the [re-enlistment] numbers are good."

McHugh said he always thanks new recruits when he meets them. "It's an all-volunteer military, and it does an amazing job, but it can't do it without people like you," he said he tells new Soldiers.

The retention rate suggests to leaders that Soldiers are willing to carry the burden. "But that's not enough; it can't be enough for us," McHugh said. "The issue is not can we do something - can we pile on more deployments, with short dwell times - but should we? And the answer is no."

Regardless of how many Soldiers are willing to step forward and do it again, "we want to make sure there's time for folks to come home, get their feet back on the ground, spend time with their families and enjoy life," he said. "That means extending those periods of dwell."

McHugh and Casey discussed this recently, and if Iraq continues in a positive direction, then the service can continue to extend the dwell time at home, the secretary said.

"I think that, more than anything, is what the troops and their families want," he said. "The chief has set goals, and as long as we are progressing toward them, that keeps the faith, and that's what we're all working to do."

The service isn't looking at a limit on the number of deployments a Soldier can make, McHugh said. "Rather, [we're looking at] constructing a responsible balance and support paradigm that is reasonable and well-tolerated."

McHugh said reserve-component Soldiers and the support the service provides them and their families has come a long way since 2001. "The Guard and Reserve are an irreplaceable part of the operating force, and we've made a lot of progress in resourcing them on that basis," he said.

"But there are still a lot of gaps, and [we're] still working it."

McHugh said when he gets off the plane to visit troops he cannot tell the difference between active-duty and reserve-component Soldiers. "I suspect the attitude of the regular Army about the reserves has changed as well. And that's all for the good," he said.

The reserve-component Soldiers - coming from every city, town and hamlet - also help to connect the Army to the nation, he said.

Defense Department officials are looking at the right size of the force as part of the Quadrennial Defense Review due out in January, McHugh said. "Is the Army the right size?" he asked. "There's no perfect answer to that question," he said, "because its predicated on knowing ... what is tomorrow going to look like? If we knew that, life would be a lot easier," he said.

"What we're trying to do is come to a reasonable baseline for end-strength, but equally important is to modernize the forces and reshape it to be able to respond to the broadest set of challenges," McHugh explained. "Budgets come and go, they rise and fall. We've got to ensure we have a strategy that provides a modern force, that's well-equipped, well-trained and able to go out there and meet the enemy whoever that enemy might be."

Communicating with Soldiers and families is an imperative for the service. "We have to communicate in ways that our people communicate," he said. "In this world of tweeting and YouTube and Facebook, we need to get into that. We need to use these new means of communications that our Soldiers and their families use to let them know what's available, demystify it and tell them how to participate."

The Army can't help Soldiers and families if they don't know about programs, he noted. "[We] can't help them if they don't hear about it, [and] can't help them if they don't understand it," he said. The secretary said he wants all Soldiers to understand the range of options and opportunities that exist in today's military. "This is a place where you can get the most relevant training on the most modern platforms and the educational opportunities of a lifetime," he said.

Finally, solders and families have to know what programs are out there to help them, and "what the Army family is ready, willing and anxious to do for them," he said.

"From the moment that they join the Army," he said, "they are a part of a team that cares, and that there's help for them whatever the challenge they've got in their lives."

Gates Calls on South Korea to Expand Security Role
Story by Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

SEOUL, South Korea -- Lauding progress toward transferring wartime operational control of South Korean troops to their own country in 2012, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates called on the longtime US ally to assume a larger security role on the Korean peninsula and beyond during his recent vist.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates gives his remarks to US, KATUSA and ROK soldiers during a town hall meeting at Yongsan Army Garrison in Seoul, South Korea. Gates was in South Korea to discuss a broad range of defense issues with local leaders. - DoD photo by MSgt. Jerry Morrison, USAF

Gates told a gathering of about 150 US and South Korean troops at Yongsan Garrison here that he’s impressed in strides the South Korean armed forces have made toward assuming the lead defense role in their national territory. These efforts, along with a bold modernization effort, have built a force he called “poised to lead the defense of your homeland and protect your nation’s security interests around the world.”

Gates called on South Korea’s political leaders to invest more in their country’s defense, at a level “appropriate to Korea’s emerging role as a contributor to global security, and commensurate with the threat you face on the peninsula.”

North Korea -- the impetus for the long-term US security commitment here -- has become increasingly lethal and destabilizing, he said. Though North Korea still has the capacity, although degraded, to strike south of the demilitarized zone, he noted, that threat pales in comparison to current developments that “threaten not just the peninsula, but the Pacific Rim and international stability as well.”

“Today, it is North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and proliferation of nuclear know-how and ballistic missile weapons and parts that have focused our attention,” Gates told the audience. “We do not today, nor will we ever, accept a North Korea with nuclear weapons. We will work, as an alliance and with other allies and partners, for the complete and verifiable denuclearization of North Korea.”

Gates reiterated the US commitment to using the “full range of American military might” to provide extended deterrence. This includes everything from the nuclear umbrella to conventional-strike and missile-defense capabilities, as well as the continued U.S. military presence in South Korea.

But meanwhile, he added, the US-South Korean alliance needs to continue to evolve to stand up to mutual security commitments, including those beyond the Korean peninsula.

Gone are the days, Gates said, when South Korea deployed forces -- in Vietnam and Iraq, for example -- seemingly as a gesture for the United States.

“Going forward, Korea’s international military contributions should be seen as what they are: something that is done to benefit your own security and vital national interests,” he said. “The will and the ability of the Republic of Korea to act regionally and globally are entirely consistent with your obligation to lead the defense of this peninsula.”

DoD to Compensate 'Stop Loss' Troops
Story by SFC Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON -- The Defense Department will implement a new program this week to compensate former and current servicemembers for each month they involuntarily served from Sept. 11, 2001 to Sept. 30, 2009, a defense official said.

Congress approved an appropriation bill last summer, giving the department $534 million over the next year for an estimated 185,000 servicemembers affected by the “Stop Loss” authority since 9/11, said Sam Retherford, director for the department’s officer and enlisted personnel management office.

In an interview with the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service, Retherford explained that qualified servicemembers will receive $500 for each month served past their contracted end-of-service, resignation or retirement date.

“Stop Loss is very difficult,” he said. “Members have obligations and have intended periods of service, then they have plans for themselves and their families afterward. So we’re doing everything we can to discontinue the use of this authority and compensate our members.”

Survivors of servicemembers killed in combat or who died after their service will be allowed to make claims. Retherford said those families are entitled to the compensation and shouldn’t be forgotten. “We’ve asked the services to go out there and identify those who’ve passed away subsequent to their military service or in the conflict,” he said.

Those seeking claims have until Oct. 20, 2010 to do so. The services were directed to develop their own online application process and Web sites defining criteria, as well as their systems for seeking out those who qualify and may have lost contact with their service, he said.

Here’s where to get information from each service:

-- Army: https://www.stoplosspay.army.mil or e-mail to RetroStopLossPay@conus.army.mil

-- Navy: E-mail to NXAG_N132C@navy.mil

-- Air Force: http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/stoploss/

-- Marine Corps: https://www.manpower.usmc.mil/stoploss or e-mail to stoploss@usmc.mil

Servicemembers must have been discharged honorably, and have sufficient documents proving their case. Servicemembers who were affected by Stop Loss, but later decided to extend or re-enlist also qualify.

“You’ll have to submit documentation to show that you were Stop Lossed -- certificate of discharge, separation orders, retirement orders, memoranda from previous commanders or organizations,” Retherford said. “Even if you don’t have all the correct documentation, we encourage you to submit and articulate the claim, because the service may have the documentation.”

The process shouldn’t be difficult for most applying for claims. The military departments will verify eligibility to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. “So all the work will be done right up front,” Retherford said. “All DFAS will have to do is issue payment.”

For those who don’t have documents and believe they should qualify, the department included a provision in the policy memorandum that allows them to make their case through a memo from their former chain of command.

Locating former servicemembers and survivors is the most challenging aspect of the program, Retherford said, and the program was designed with that in mind. The department tasks each service to develop its own initiatives to seek out those who qualify.

“Getting the word out is our No. 1 challenge,” Retherford said. “Many are former members. Many have no obligation to the military anymore and are scattered across the world right now. Getting the word out for people to solicit the claim is our first challenge.”

The retroactive special pay isn’t an official end to the Stop Loss authority, but the department plans to phase out its use in fiscal 2011. The department retains the authority in case of a national emergency.

“In this case, we’ve been frustrated in our attempts to minimize Stop Loss because of the persistent and dynamic nature of the conflict,” Retherford said. “The secretary of defense has already established a plan, and we’ve reduced Stop Loss significantly.”

New Discounts added this month to our new links section on the TWS Home page highlighting Free and Deeply Discounted services for Soldiers.

The providers listed below have agreed to offer their services for free or at deep discounts to members of Army TWS - please take a look at what they have to offer.

If you or someone you know provide a product or service that you are willing to offer for free or at a deep discount to fellow Soldiers on TWS, please us know so that we can add your link to the TWS home page and possibly feature it in a future newsletter.  Please email the link(s) to  wtprater@togetherweserved.com

These are Free listings and not paid advertisements.

TWS is proud to announce the addition of AFLAC benefit eligibility for TWS Members at a discounted rate not available to the general public. This is the same coverage available from employers nationwide, offered to you by virtue of your TWS Membership!

Do you have a Plan B? No one likes to think about getting seriously ill or injured. That’s why it’s so crucial to have a Plan B. Your Plan B has a name:  AFLAC.

Click the banner above to find out how AFLAC can protect you and your family.

Among others...
If you or someone you know provide a product or service that you are willing to offer for Free or at a deep discount to the Sailors of TWS please let me know so that I can add you link on the TWS Home page and possibly feature it in a future Newsletter.

A huge success...
TWS Persons Locator Service

Last month, we announced and launched the TWS Persons Locator Service and we're happy to report that it's been a resounding success in a very short time! 

There have already been dozens of "buddy finds" over the last few weeks, from all services, so we thought it useful to repeat the announcement this month to ensure maximum exposure.

This service is free for all Full TWS Members.  Regardless if the person you're looking for is registered on TWS or not, odds are we can help you find them!  Our TWS PLS Team is headed by retired USAF SMSgt. Jim Franklin and former USMC Cpl. George Reilly.  TWS' PLS uses only publicly available information sources. 

A special PLS form will be installed on the left hand Home Page shortly; however, you can submit your request to personlocator@togetherweserved.com. Please limit your request to only one submission at a time.

Please supply the following information on the person you are seeking as accurately as you can. Your submission will be acknowledged along with an approximate turnaround time to respond. Your search will be conducted as thoroughly as possible and chances of a successful find depends on the accuracy of information you supply.

REQUIRED INFORMATION:
First Name
Middle Name
Last Name
Approximate Year of Birth
City/State Born or Raised
Single or Married
Name of Spouse
Year Last of Contact
Last Known Address
Service Branch
Last Known Rank/Paygrade
MOS/AFSC/NEC/NOC
Home of Record (if known)

And if you've used PLS, please let us know how you liked this service!

President lauds heroism of 11th ACR troopers in Vietnam
Story & photo by Nate D. Herring
Special to The Bayonet

WASHINGTON -- During a recent White House ceremony, President Barack Obama praised Vietnam veterans of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment for their heroism in rescuing Soldiers from another unit trapped near the Cambodian border.

The Presidential Unit Citation was presented to veterans from Troop A, 1st Squadron, 11th ACR, for their heroic actions March 26, 1970. They came to the aid of Soldiers from Charlie Company, 2-8 Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, who were facing more than 400 enemy fighters.

As these men will tell you themselves," Obama said, referring to more than 80 veterans of the 11th ACR in attendance, "this isn't the story of a battle that changed the course of a war. It never had a name, like Tet or Hue or Khe Sanh. It never made the papers back home. But like countless battles, known and unknown, it is a proud chapter in the story of the American Soldier."

"These men might be a little bit older and a little bit grayer, but make no mistake, these Soldiers define the meaning of bravery and heroism," Obama said.

"Now, some may wonder: After all these years, why honor this heroism now?" Obama asked. "The answer is simple. Because we must. Because we have a sacred obligation. As a nation, we have an obligation to this troop. Their actions that day went largely unnoticed -- for decades..."

The Presidential Unit Citation is the highest award that a military unit can receive.

That day Charlie Company had stumbled upon a massive underground bunker of North Vietnamese troops, Obama explained, and was in danger of being overrun.

Veterans from Alpha Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, listen to President Obama speak at a White House honors ceremony this month. Their unit received the Presidential Unit Citation for heroism during the Vietnam War while rescuing members of Charlie Company, 1st Cavalry Division, who were trapped by enemy fighters.

"It's the story of how this team of some 200 men set out to save their fellow Americans. With no roads to speak of, they plowed their tanks and armored vehicles through the thick jungle, smashing a path through bamboo and underbrush, mile after mile, risking ambush and landmines every step of the way, and finally emerging from the jungle to the rescue -- what one member of Charlie Company called "a miracle."

More than 20 men from Alpha Troop were wounded and at least two were killed during the ensuing battle.

Retired Capt. John Poindexter was the commander of the troop at the time of the battle and was instrumental in recommending the unit for the citation.

"The real value of the Presidential Unit Citation is that it addresses the heroism of all veterans equally," he said.

Poindexter's quest began several years ago when he wrote a book about the battle and recognized that many men from the troop received individual awards but the unit was never recognized.

"For me receiving this citation gives a sense of fulfillment. I knew we deserved it, but I didn't know if we would receive it," he said.

Eighty-six Troop A veterans were in attendance at the ceremony. Alpha Troop became one of about only 100 recipients of the Presidential Unit Citation.

Retired Sgt. Maj. Richard E. Richards, who already received a Bronze Star for his involvement in the battle, traveled from San Angelo, Texas, to receive the award.

"It means so much to all Vietnam veterans to receive this award," Richards said. During my visit to Washington, I saw the Vietnam Memorial for the first time and saw friends and it gave me closure. This whole experience has been emotional."

Today the 11th ACR serves as the opposing force at the National Training Center and the regimental commander, Col. Paul Laughlin, and Command Sgt. Maj. Martin Wilcox were there from Fort Irwin, Calif., for the ceremonies.

The White House ceremony was followed by an award presentation at the Pentagon.

Executive Order Bans Texting While Driving for Feds
Story by Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON -- In an executive order issued Oct. 1, President Barack Obama banned federal employees from text messaging while behind the wheel on government business.

"With nearly 3 million civilian employees, the federal government can and should demonstrate leadership in reducing the dangers of text messaging while driving," Obama said in the order. "A federal government-wide prohibition on the use of text messaging while driving on official business or while using government-supplied equipment will help save lives, reduce injuries, and set an example for state and local governments, private employers, and individual drivers."

Text messaging, or 'texting,' encompasses more than simply sending a text message via a handheld communication device. It also includes reading from any handheld or other electronic device, including for the purpose of SMS texting, e-mailing, instant messaging, obtaining navigational information, or "engaging in any other form of electronic data retrieval or electronic data communication," the order said.

The order defines driving as "operating a motor vehicle on an active roadway with the motor running." This includes the time the vehicle is temporarily stationary because of traffic, a traffic light or stop sign or other cause.

"It does not include operating a motor vehicle with or without the motor running when one has pulled over to the side of, or off, an active roadway and has halted in a location where one can safely remain stationary," Obama said in the order.

While the order applies specifically to federal employees, it also asks contractors to follow suit, and encourages civilians to adopt the same measures while operating their own vehicles.

Agencies are being directed to implement this order through the consideration of new rules and programs and re-evaluation of existing programs. Agency heads are urged to conduct education, awareness and other outreach for federal employees about the safety risks associated with texting while driving.

"These initiatives should encourage compliance with the agency's text messaging policy while off duty," Obama said.

Agencies have 90 days to take appropriate measures to implement this order, adopt measures to ensure compliance with the ban on text messaging -- including disciplinary action for violations -- and notify the transportation secretary of the measures undertaken.

Agency heads may exempt certain employees, devices or vehicles that are engaged in or used for protective, law enforcement or national security responsibilities or on the basis of other emergency conditions, the order says.

- What was your best duty station or assignment and why?
- What is the recipe for that good chow you know how to make out of an MRE?
- Where's the coldest beer in Korea?
- Do you have any tips about keeping healthy, or things to watch out for if you have a disease?

These are just a few of the topics that are covered by the many Forums on Army TWS. Our forums provide you, the members, a variety of places to discuss with other members the many topics we have in common. Those members still on active duty would probably like to know about good assignments when they make out their "dream sheets" or talk to their Retention NCOs.

Those who have worked as Retention NCOs or served on a selection board might want to provide a few tips for members in preparing to talk about their next assignment.

If you have a disease like diabetes, what tips can you give others about the disease and things to watch out for with diabetes? Encourage a fellow Soldier to keep on top of a health problem so he stays with us for a long time.

These are but a couple of topics that are available for you to offer advice, warn others about, discuss with other Soldiers...or just vent your frustrations.

So pull up a foot-locker and start shooting the breeze, the forums are for YOU!

Soldier Beats Breast Cancer With Early Detection
Story by Air Force LtCol. Ellen Krenke
Special to The Bayonet

ARLINGTON, VA -- A California Army National Guard supply NCO diagnosed with breast cancer is cancer-free today, and she credits early detection with her new lease on life.

With a yearlong deployment right around the corner when she got her diagnosis, Army SSG Elizabeth Cowie opted for an aggressive treatment plan that would get her back to her unit quickly.

“As soon as people hear the word ‘cancer,’ they have the worst thought in mind,” Cowie said. “That’s really not the case these days. There are treatments available, and with early detection, everything can happen with a little better outcome. So, early detection is really the key.”

Her gamble paid off.

“I went from diagnosis to cancer-free in 30 days, with very little interruption in my life,” Cowie said. She deployed with her unit to Kuwait in 2007, and since that time has followed up every six months to ensure she’s still OK.

During pre-mobilization training at Camp Atterbury, Ind., Cowie had an ultrasound after something was spotted on her mammogram. Through the Tricare military health care plan, she found a breast care specialist in Indianapolis, who did a biopsy. Three days later, she found out that she had Stage 0 breast cancer, “which is very, very early,” Cowie said.

The specialist said breast cancer usually is caught at Stage 2 or 3. “I thanked my lucky stars that someone looked close enough at the mammogram,” Cowie said.

Once diagnosed, Cowie discussed her timeline with her surgeon and oncologist. Her unit would be leaving Camp Atterbury in 30 days.

The doctors explained the options available to her, which included a new treatment available “that I was a good candidate for,” Cowie said. MammoSite is a five-day targeted radiation therapy that uses a high daily dose of radiation.

In this 2006 file photo, California Army National Guard SSG Elizabeth Cowie (left), credits early detection with remaining cancer-free two years after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

“So, that is what I chose to do,” Cowie said. “I was really committed to my deployment, being so far into the training. It was not an option for me personally to back out and say, ‘Hey, I have to go home.’ I made a commitment to these troops and to this unit to see this through as long as the military would let me.”

Cowie was treated twice a day for 15 to 20 minutes for five days. “It was pretty aggressive, but … I consider myself pretty lucky to have caught it so early,” she said. “I am a perfect example of [early detection].”

Throughout her ordeal, Cowie said, she was supported by her biological family and her Guard family.

“My family understands my dedication to duty,” she said. “But the call to Mom was a little scary for me. I put it off until I absolutely had to. I didn’t want them to worry. They are already worrying that I’m deploying, so now I had to give them something else to worry about.”

Cowie said her family offered support and didn’t get overly emotional. “That was the support that I really needed, because I wanted to stay focused. I didn’t want to go into the negative thoughts. … I just couldn’t go there.”

With her Guard family, it was a little different. Cowie’s commander and first sergeant were men. “It was a little tricky at first,” she said, “but they were so great.”

After explaining her situation, Cowie said, her Guard leaders told her it was her decision and that they would support her either way. “I thought about it for two seconds, and said, ‘I’m staying,’” she recalled. “They were a big, big help to me.”

The hardest part was continuing to lead her soldiers, Cowie said. “As an NCO, you always have to lead from the front. With this, that’s a little difficult. There were days that were a little harder for me. But I knew my soldiers looked up to me. I had to make sure that I was still [there] for my soldiers, and at the same time still taking care of myself.”

Cowie, who is a 15-year veteran of the Army Reserve and the Army Guard, said the experience gave her a greater appreciation for the research being done to cure all forms of cancer. “Little did I know how much new treatments would mean to my life,” she said.

Throughout her battle, Cowie was in contact with her surgeon and oncologist every day.

“I was committed to making this happen,” she said. “The whole team knew what our end goal was.” Being cancer free was paramount, she added, “but also to not totally lose what I had going on with the deployment.”

Cowie said she knew she may have to follow the unit later if she wasn’t able to stick to the timeline, but that she had no other doubts about the path she chose.

“When things fall into place, you have to believe that someone is out there watching out for you, and that there is a plan ahead of you and you are on the right course,” she said.

Your thoughts from the ATWS Forums
VOICES

WE ASKED: "What was your favorite duty station or PCS assignment?"

YOU REPLIED:
Vilseck, GE
I was in 1-63rd Armor in Vilseck 97-99. Best hidden spot in Germany. Nuremburg is 45 minutes out, Frankfurt 3 hours. The town of Vilseck has enough stuff there you won't go crazy. Get out to the small villages in Bavaria to actually get a feel for the surrounding area.
- SFC Donald McElroy (AR)

Fort Ord, CA
I loved the assignment so much. I built a site in memory of the fort.
http://nimst.tripod.com/cgi-bin/FORTORD.html
- SP4 C. Craig Coomer (AG)

Augsburg, GE
I was stationed at Augsburg 85-87.  I was also at Darmstadt, Babenhausen, Heilbronn, and Heidelberg, and I have to agree, though Heidelberg was nice, Augsburg was the best. The housing areas were not completely segregated, I could walk from my quarters about two blocks into the German neighborhood and catch the strassenbahn to go downtown. In an hour or two on the autobahn you could be in Munich or the Alps, it was great.
- LTC Mike Bunting (FA)

Fort Sherman, PN (former Canal Zone)
Otherwise known as JOTC, Jungle School, Green Hell, The hole in the wall!  If you've ever been there, I don't need to explain...if you haven't, there's no need to try. Lush green jungle surrounded by the Carribean, scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing.  It was a virtual tropical paradise.  There is not a day go by that I do not think of that beautiful place and how much I wish I could have spent the rest of my life there!
- SFC Mark Breymeyer (IN)

Bangkok, TH
I was assigned to the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences in Bangkok, Thailand from Sept 2005-July 2008. I didn't know the place existed until I came down on orders for it. It was great, we lived on the economy, only had 27 people in the unit, wore civilians clothes to work, were attached to the US Embassy and the closest Army Post was Camp Zama, Japan. That was a 6 hour flight away. It was the closest thing you can get to being a civilian while still in the Army.
- SFC Mitchell Smart (MD)

McDill AFB, FL
This assignment is one of many best kept secrets in the Army. At this duty station, it's ALL NCOs -- no E-4s or below. My unit is JCSE, it's an airborne DoD unit. It's normally three years, but if you are Airborne you can request to be extended for a 4th year. It's located right smack in the middle of South Tampa. After your time here is up, you would already earned a joint-service acheivement and joint commendation medal. Nice place if you like working with other branches.
- SSG Issac Moore (OD)

Johnston Island (Atoll), US Minor Outlying Islands
JI was THE place to be...Water, diving, fishing, the gym, outdoor movies, the chow hall, the Point House, the clubs, those great noodles in the styrofoam cup...mudslides, kite flying on the airstrip, Banana Thursdays and Prime Rib Mondays.
- SGM Antoinette Ross (MP)

Vincenza, IT
Best assignment I ever had hands down. I was there from 2002-2006 with the 173d Combat Support Company and loved every minute I was there in Italy. The travel opportunities are great and the location is only a 45 minute train ride from Venice. I would pack my stuff and head back today if they told me I could go. My wife loved the area and the shopping and we were taking tours every free weekend that we could (Germany, Croatia, Poland, Switzerland, ECT.)  Caserma Ederle is a small post and a lot of people are crammed into a small area, the only downfall, but besides that you will never regret your decision to go there.
- 1SG Robert Neumann (AD)

European Stars & Stripes
I guess the last assignment in the service was my best.  Having been assigned for duty with Stars and Stripes newspaper in Europe as the Military photo supervisior. Civilian clothes and assignments traveling all over Europe, covering stories of all types. Car assigned for all our travel, except when I flew into Berlin and came back thru the East German and Russian area on the Military Train. Called it quits after 21 years traveling with Uncle Sam.
- SSG Wayne Dixon (MI)

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RECRUITING GOALS MET OR EXCEEDED
Services Show Record Recruiting Year
Story by Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON -- The military services’ active and reserve components notched record recruiting numbers and signed up the highest-quality recruits ever in fiscal 2009, senior defense officials said today.

It is the first time that all active services and reserve components met or exceeded their numerical recruiting goals and exceeded their recruit-quality benchmarks since the start of the all-volunteer force in 1973, Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy, told Pentagon reporters.

While Carr acknowledged that the current economic downturn probably is having a positive effect on recruiting, he also pointed to the sterling efforts of military recruiters for the superb results and noted the military deployed a robust bonus program in which 40 percent of recruits received an average bonus of $14,000.

The recruiting success achieved in fiscal 2009 is even more impressive, Carr said, considering that 70 percent of today’s high school graduates – the military’s target recruiting pool – go on to college upon graduation. In the 1980s, he noted, only about half of American high school students went on to college.

A rising propensity for young people age 17 to 24 to be obese, Carr said, also complicates the military’s recruiting mission.

“If we look back to the 1980s, one in 20 young people were obese,” Carr said, as compared to today’s ratio of 1 in 4 young people being categorized as obese. “And, that creates a tighter constraint as you seek to find fully qualified recruits,” he added.

However, he said, the number of waivers issued to recruits with medical or conduct issues is trending downward.

Here are the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force recruiting results for fiscal 2009:

• -- The Army had 70,045 accessions, making 108 percent of its 65,000 goal.
• -- The Navy had 35,527 accessions, making 100 percent of its 35,500 goal.
• -- The Marine Corps had 31,413 accessions, making 100 percent of its 31,400 goal.
• -- The Air Force had 31,983 accessions, making 100 percent of its 31,980 goal.

• -- The Army National Guard had 56,071 accessions, making 100 percent of its 56,000 goal.
• -- The Army Reserve had 36,189 accessions, making 105 percent of its 34,598 goal.
• -- The Navy Reserve had 7,793 accessions, making 101 percent of its 7,743 goal.
• -- The Marine Corps Reserve had 8,805 accessions, making 122 percent of its 7,194 goal.
• -- The Air National Guard had 10,075 accessions, making 106 percent of its 9,500 goal.
• -- The Air Force Reserve had 8,604 accessions, making 109 percent of its 7,863 goal.

Attrition losses in all reserve components are among the best in recent years, officials said.

Carr also attributed current recruiting success to the “Millennial” demographic of young people that includes those born between 1978 and 1996. Generational studies show, he said, that these young people – who’ve lived during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States – are more inclined to perform public service.

Additionally, Carr said, Congress continues to provide the Defense Department with sufficient funding to sustain the all-volunteer force.

Studies also show that young people can make a good living in the military, Carr said, as compared to their civilian peers with equitable workplace experience and education qualifications. Generous pay raises provided to junior officers and mid-level noncommissioned officers in recent years, he noted, have boosted those servicemembers’ earning capacity.

“It has been a banner year for recruiting,” Curtis L. Gilroy, director of accession policy, told American Forces Press Service and Pentagon Channel reporters during an Oct. 9 interview at the Pentagon.

Gilroy, too, saluted the “outstanding” performance of the services’ military recruiters. His directorate is a component of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Fiscal 2009’s crop of recruits also represents the best quality ever, Gilroy said, noting 96 percent of active-duty recruits and 95 percent of reserve-component recruits possessed a high school diploma. The Defense Department benchmark for recruits with high school diplomas is 90 percent. Studies show, he added, that 80 percent of servicemembers with high school diplomas complete their initial term of service.

Gilroy said 73 percent of active recruits and 72 percent of reserve-component recruits scored average or above average on the Armed Forces Qualification Test. The AFQT measures an individual’s math and verbal ability, which indicates aptitude for military service. The department sets a benchmark of 60 percent of all recruits scoring at or above the 50th percentile on the AFQT.

“As you can see from these numbers,” Gilroy said, “the services have far exceeded those benchmarks” in fiscal 2009 for signing up recruits with high school diplomas and those with average or better AFQT scores. Increased capabilities demonstrated by the majority of the nearly 300,000 active and reserve component recruits signed up in fiscal 2009, he added, will result in higher performance in the field and will enhance readiness.

A TRUE HALLOWEEN STORY
Army family experiences living in haunted quarters
Story & photos by Melissa Bower
Fort Leavenworth (KS) Lamp

FORT LEAVENWORTH, KS -- When the Muñoz family moved to the Rookery at 14 Sumner Place last February, they knew it was an unusual house.

At first, things began to disappear. Anne was moving in with her four boys when she thought she misplaced her cell phone. Then the remote control to their digital video recorder was gone. Then the family's wireless phone disappeared.

On a Friday night, the family went out to eat and LTC Carlos Muñoz remembers looking through his wife's purse. The next morning, the cellphone, the remote control and the telephone were all mysteriously stacked neatly in Anne's purse.

The two homes that make up the Rookery, 12 and 14 Sumner, are not only the oldest homes in Kansas, built in 1827, but are also said to be one of many Fort Leavenworth's haunted buildings. Dozens of homes and buildings throughout post have been reported as having ghosts or other unexplained phenomena.

The Friends of the Frontier Army Museum organizes a Haunted Walking Tour of post each year around Halloween as a fundraiser for the museum.

While 9-year-old Ryan Muñoz does his homework, the family's cat Missy lounges in a chair at 14 Sumner Place, Fort Leavenworth. Since moving into the Rookery, the Muñoz family has witnessed paranormal activity, such as seeing Missy's hair stand on end - except in a hand-shaped spot on her back - the cat appeared to be invisibly held in-place and afraid.

Anne Muñoz said she was pleased to make her home at the Rookery one of the haunted tour stops this year. She said there would be a storyteller in her furnace room, where tourists would see the home's historic hand-hewn logs that form floor joists. Historians estimate the trees were cut in 1827, which means they could have been growing during the Revolutionary War era.

However, Anne said she wouldn't be surprised if tourists experienced some type of unexplained event in her house. They've had so many occurrences they can't even remember them all, she said. There are sounds of a door opening and footsteps going up the stairs, sounds of furniture moving across the floor upstairs, doors that are locked open by themselves and lights turn on by themselves.

One night, Anne noticed the light had been left on in the basement after she had told her son to turn it off. They went down a second time to turn off the light, but when they reached the top floor, it was on again.

Whatever presence is in her house doesn't seem to mind people, but doesn't seem to appreciate the Muñoz family pets - especially the cats. The family has noticed their pets being let outside when no one is in the house. When their small cat, Lucy, tried to sleep on the bed one night they heard loud banging for hours.

Once, Anne noticed her large cat, Missy, at the top of the stairs not moving, as though she were being held down by something. The cat's hair stood on end except for one spot on her back about the size of a hand.

Anne said at first they weren't sure what to believe. They came up with excuses, such as the furnace making noise, the wind blowing against the house or the foundation settling. But there were some things they couldn't explain.

"We're trying to debunk it instead of, you know, just saying 'Oh, it's a ghost.' We just haven't been able to explain it," she said. "So that's why we're just saying it's something abnormal."

The youngest son, Ryan, 9, is always trying to come up with debunking theories, Anne said, and Ryan said he hasn't experienced anything unusual.

The Muñoz family isn't the first occupant of 14 Sumner to report unexplained events. People have reported hearing noises from an old woman, a man and an angry girl. Some speculate the old woman is Mary Pinkney Hardy MacArthur, the mother of GEN Douglas MacArthur, who lived in the house with her son for a short time. An addition on the north side of the house is where she lived, and indeed that is where the family reported hearing noises.

Around Memorial Day, Anne was cleaning house to get ready for visiting relatives. She had received a notice that maintenance workers would be coming to her house. She opened the door that led downstairs to the furnace room to grab some cleaning supplies. A man's face appeared near the bottom of the staircase in the doorway that leads to the furnace room.

Assuming he was part of the maintenance crew, Anne said, "Oh, hey," grabbed her cleaning supplies and closed the door. The man smiled at her. The next day, the real maintenance crew showed up. They didn't know anyone matching Anne's description - a pointy face, moustache and salt-and-pepper hair. Anne was worried that one of the tourists interested in the Rookery had come in unannounced or that someone may have broken into her house.

Anne Muñoz explains how she mistook one of the Rookery's ghosts to be a base maintenance worker when she spotted him looking through a doorway at the bottom of the stairs.

It wasn't until she was looking through the book "Fort Leavenworth: Gateway to the West," by J. Patrick Hughes that she realized the man she saw might have been a ghost. She recognized his picture almost immediately - MAJ Edmund Ogden, the quartermaster of Fort Leavenworth from the mid-1800s.

Sons Adam, and Erin have learned to sleep with music on so they don't have to listen to noisy footsteps in each other's bedrooms at night. Anne said each boy hears footsteps in his brother's room, but not his own. The footsteps continue through both rooms when the door adjoining their rooms is open, but stop when the door is shut.

Carlos said this isn't his first experience with a haunted house. His family's ancestral home in Mexico is known to be haunted and one of his homes growing up in El Paso, Texas, was also haunted.

He said he wouldn't have moved his family into the house if he were worried about their safety. The first day he came to visit, sunlight was pouring in all the windows and the house was warm and inviting.

"If the house was not a nice house, it wouldn't have survived," he said.

One ghostly presence seems to care about the family's well being. It's a Muñoz family joke that if someone "gets mouthy" to mom, a ghost might punish them.

One of the boys had received new track shoes and was arguing with his mom the night before a meet. The next morning, his shoes were gone. They were missing for days until a relative found them in a corner in the furnace room. Another one of the boys was arguing with his mom one night and the next morning couldn't find his boots. He left his boots in the living room on the main floor and they were missing moments later. The boy apologized to the ghost, saying he would be late for church if he didn't find the boots. He turned the corner, and the boots were underneath the dining room table.

The oldest son, Ian, was getting ready to leave for college and arguing with his mom. When she warned him about the ghost, he thought it was funny. He placed his wallet and keys next to the computer and in the morning, his debit card was missing from inside his wallet. They know he used it that night, because he bought books online. The debit card still has not been found.

The Muñoz' love their historic home, even with its haunted quirks. They plan to stay at least until the end of their assignment in January 2011. They enjoy sharing their home with others, and like to have visitors who were previous occupants -- especially if they're still living.

 

- Mark Baker

Sincerely,
The ATWS Administration Team
http://army.togetherweserved.com