Indiana Free Press - Indiana By the People, For the People

Face of Defense: Future Airman Loses 160 Pounds, Gains Confidence

kpaul.mallasch — Sat, 3 Jan 2009 10:02:11 -0800

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Lindsey
Special to American Forces Press Service

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, Jan. 2, 2009 – For the past 15 months, Leo Knight-Inglesby has pushed himself beyond the limits he and his loved ones ever thought possible.

The 22-year-old Silver Spring, Md., native shed more than 160 pounds to meet the physical standard of Air Force enlistment, amazing his recruiter, family and friends.

"No one believed I would do it till I showed them the [enlistment] papers," Knight-Inglesby said. "My life has completely changed. Not only am I stronger, physically, I am mentally stronger and more confident."

Today, the former 351-pound college freshman noshes only on healthy food, limits his daily caloric intake and exercises at least five days a week. Although he maintains the same smile, he looks like a different person at about 190 pounds, his recruiter, Air Force Staff Sgt. Ty Lopez, said.

"He's well on his way to making his goal of 185 pounds before heading to basic military training," Lopez said.

Leo Knight-Inglesby, left, reviews his Air Force enlistment contract with his recruiter, Air Force Staff Sgt. Ty Lopez, in the Rockville, Md., recruiting office. The 22-year-old lost more than 160 pounds to join the Air Force. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ty Lopez
high-resolution image available.

Knight-Inglesby is scheduled to enter basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in March, but said he hopes to attend earlier if a spot becomes available.

The 317th Recruiting Squadron recruiter caught Knight-Inglesby's attention in the summer of 2007 while speaking about Air Force opportunities to a group of people near a local community college.

"I wasn't getting much interest out of anyone except an obviously overweight guy in the back of the group," Lopez recalled. "He asked me questions that I gladly answered in hopes that the other guys in the group would become interested. At the end of our conversation, Leo said he wanted to join."

The recruiter told the young man he looked heavier than the maximum allowable weight to enlist, and that at his height he needed to weigh under 202 pounds to join. A week later, Knight-Inglesby visited Lopez, tipping the recruiting office scale at 347 pounds and leading the future airman to a serious evaluation of his life.

"My uncle was overweight and had a massive heart attack, and I didn't want that to happen to me" he said. "I knew I had to get my life on track, and I wanted the benefits the Air Force offers."

The potential to travel overseas, especially to Germany, remains a powerful motivator for Knight-Inglesby, as does his father's encouragement to serve in the military. Both his grandfathers and father served in the Army, and his brother serves in the Navy.

The only issue that kept Knight-Inglesby from becoming an airman earlier was his girth, he said.

Lopez said Knight-Inglesby's weight loss gave him insight on the power of personal determination. When Knight-Inglesby proved he was serious about making the standard, Lopez joined him at the gym and helped the future airman continue when he reached a plateau in his weight loss at 220 pounds.

"We worked hard and he would never give up," Lopez said. "No matter how hard I worked him or how tired he got, he would keep going and ask for more.

"As a recruiter, we get hung up on time management," he continued. "I have 28 high schools and colleges to visit every month in addition to scheduled appointments. Applicants 15 to 20 pounds overweight say they want to join and that they'll lose the weight, then I never hear from them again. But based on Leo's case, now I'll think twice about not taking them seriously."

(Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Lindsey serves in the Air Force Recruiting Service public affairs office.)

Bush: End in Sight for War in Iraq

kpaul.mallasch — Sat, 6 Dec 2008 21:39:05 -0800

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, DC - The war in Iraq isn't over, but a successful end is in sight, thanks to hard work between the United States and Iraq, President George W. Bush said in his weekly radio address on Saturday, December 6, 2008.

"Earlier this week, Iraq's Presidency Council approved two landmark agreements that will solidify Iraq's democratic gains, affirm its sovereignty, and put its relations with the United States on a strong and steady footing," he said. "The first agreement that America and Iraq have signed is called a strategic framework agreement."

This pact sets out a common vision for U.S.-Iraqi relations in the years ahead, he said. Under this agreement, the two nations will work together to bring greater stability to Iraq and the region. That will include working to promote stability in the region through trade and investment as well as supporting Iraq's leaders and citizens.

"Only a few years ago, such an agreement was unimaginable," Bush said. "Terrorists were seizing new ground and using violence to divide the Iraqi people along sectarian lines and the nation was nearing the point of political collapse and civil war. Today, violence is down dramatically. The Iraqi military is growing in capability, taking the lead in the fight against the extremists, and working across sectarian lines.

"There is hope in the eyes of young Iraqis for the first time in many years," he added.

The second agreement, a status of forces agreement, has the primary purpose of ensuring the protection of U.S. troops and Defense Department civilians as Iraq begins to exercise greater sovereignty.

"It [also] lays out a framework for the withdrawal of American forces in Iraq," Bush said. "This withdrawal will take place in two stages."

The first stage will occur next year, when Iraqi forces assume the lead for security operations in all major population centers, while U.S. combat forces move out of Iraqi cities and into an overwatch role, Bush said. After this transition has occurred, the drawdown of American forces will continue to the second stage, with all U.S. forces returning home from Iraq by the end of 2011.

Bush acknowledged early differences of opinion about the initial decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power and the subsequent conduct of the war. But as the situation becomes more and more positive, he said, the country has an opportunity to adopt a new perspective.

"Americans should be able to agree that it is in our nation's strategic and moral interests to support the free and democratic Iraq that is emerging in the heart of the Middle East," he said.

The president also acknowledged the sacrifices made to reach this point, including long separations from friends and family, and for many, the ultimate sacrifice.

"Throughout the past eight years, I've seen the tremendous talent and courage of those who wear the uniform," Bush said. "Their efforts have overthrown tyrants, made our nation safer, put terrorists on the run, and opened the door to liberty for more than 50 million people.

"Now, thanks to their work in Iraq and the courage of the Iraqi people, a hopeful new era is dawning for their democracy and ours," he said.

Bush also conveyed his appreciation for the American people's sacrifices.

"The battle in Iraq has required a large amount of time and a large amount of money," he said.

Bush added that he would attend the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia this afternoon, and said he was looking forward to spending time with "brave men and women of the United States military."

Source: US Department of Defense

Staying Power: Major Returns to Eradicate Explosives that Nearly Killed Him

kpaul.mallasch — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:56:05 -0800

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, DC – It's just after 5 on a weekday evening at Air Force Maj. Matthew Conlan's home in a leafy Northern Virginia subdivision. Conlan's son, Cameron, is home from college for the summer and playing with their dog in the three-story townhouse. Conlan's wife, Becky, just got home from work and is on the phone with a utility company.

The dog hears the familiar "click" as the electronic garage door opens and, like clockwork, he starts barking like crazy. The long-time family pet knows Conlan is home, and that it's almost time for their evening walk.

The Conlans' life, for the most part, appears to be normal. But like some 440 other airmen seriously wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Conlan and his family have struggled for normalcy. While on the surface, their life now looks like a slice of Americana, underneath the layers of Conlan's uniform, and behind the smiles on the faces of his family, lie the scars and memories of a bomb blast three years ago that nearly tore them apart.

Conlan grew up an Air Force "brat" immersed in the military. He was born in an Air Force hospital in France. He graduated from high school in Alaska. His father retired from the Air Force and his mother, too, spent some time in the service. His two brothers became Marines. So it was natural for him to sign up for the Air Force in 1989 after attending Air Force ROTC at Arizona State University, even though his father was against the idea.

Air Force Maj. Matthew Conlan walks through the cavernous tunnel system below his office in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Va. Conlan was injured in Afghanistan in 2005 and returned to active duty to work at the Air Force's counter-improvised explosive device office. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III
;high-resolution image

"He said, 'I served 20 years on active-duty so you wouldn't have to,'" Conlan recalls. "I said 'That's not true, Dad. You served 20 years so I would have the option to choose what I do with my life. And I choose to serve.'"

Conlan joined as an acquisitions officer and later transferred to civil engineering. He worked his way through the ranks in various assignments, and in 2005 was serving as the deputy airbase squadron commander at the Royal Air Force Croughton in Oxfordshire, England, when a deployment opportunity opened with the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron heading to Afghanistan.

Conlan volunteered. His wife, Becky, prior military herself, was supportive of his deployment. "She knows that's why I wear the uniform," Conlan said.

Staying With His Troops

On June 17, 2005, just outside of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Conlan was out with an explosive ordnance team collecting and destroying some of the thousands of unused munitions scattered across the country's landscape. Many artillery shells, landmines, grenades and other explosives remain from the country's near decade-long war with Russia that ended almost 20 years ago. The Taliban and other extremist groups often arm the munitions with homemade triggering devices and propellants to use in attacks against coalition forces.

Conlan's job as the expeditionary civil engineer squadron commander didn't require him to be "outside the wire" with the ordnance troops. His main job was to keep the old, 10,000-foot Soviet-built airstrip open.

Built in 1976 primarily as a landing strip for small fighters, the United States and other NATO forces were landing huge cargo planes there, as many as 50 flights per day.

"I loved it. It was one of those assignments where you actually see the results of your efforts," Conlan said. "Every time an aircraft landed it was because we were keeping that runway adequately maintained. It was literally falling apart. It was taking a lot of heavy use and it was just crumbling."

Not the kind of guy to give orders from behind a desk, Conlan, the only officer in the squadron of about 80, went out that day with a group of about 30 troops, ordnance experts and others, to help haul away the munitions. "Whatever my guys were doing, I'd be out there with them," he said.

'What the Hell Happened?'

"All this stuff was just lying around all over the place," he said of the munitions scattered about.

Conlan noticed an artillery shell mostly buried in the ground, nose first. One of the ordnance crew, Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Ramakka, dug around the shell to see if had been expended, or if it needed to be destroyed.

Ramakka and Conlan stood next to the shell talking for a few minutes. When they stepped away, a bomb exploded.

"I did not hear the explosion. It was all a visual sensation like somebody was flipping the lights off and on really fast," Conlan said. "I was falling, and as I was falling I was thinking, 'What the hell is going on?' And then I'm lying on the ground on my back and I'm thinking 'What the hell happened?'"

What Conlan didn't know at the time was that Ramakka had been standing upon a buried anti-personnel mine. It had activated when he stepped onto it. When he stepped off, it exploded. Officials later said that the mine was likely placed there by the Taliban because they knew the troops regularly collected the old munitions and that the artillery shell would attract the ordnance team's attention. In other words, it was a booby trap.

After the blast, Conlan lay in the dust, mud and blood trying to sort out what just happened.

"It was a very surreal experience," Conlan said. His vision was clear. He looked over at Ramakka.

"I looked and there's this leg waving around with no foot, and I'm like 'Oh crap.' Of course I used stronger language at the time," Conlan said.

Between them, there was a smoking hole in the ground.

Still stunned and not yet feeling any pain, Conlan said he then went into "self-assessment mode." His right leg was bent backwards, and there was hole in it with blood and bone oozing out. He couldn't straighten his left leg, so he ripped open a tear in his pants over his left thigh.

"There's this giant hole in there big enough to stick my fist in," Conlan said. "I remember sticking my fingers in there to see if there was blood spraying out. I was thinking that there's an artery there and I couldn't get a good look at what was going on."

By this time, members of the group began gathering around, offering up emergency medical treatment mixed with words of encouragement.

His crew gave him fluids and blood intravenously, snapped a field tourniquet on his right leg to keep him from bleeding to death, and called for a medical evacuation. And then the pain hit - pain so bad that Conlan couldn't describe it.

"You do go through all of those emotions," Conlan said. "'I'm going to die. I'm never going to see my wife and kid again.'"

He said he was angry at one point, "cursing a blue streak." This was not the way he wanted to leave Bagram Airfield. But, Conlan said, he knew his mission there was done.

At times, he also was talking and joking with Ramakka. "Anything to take your mind off of what was going on," Conlan said.

Surgery at Bagram returned blood flow to the right leg, cleaned the wounds and stabilized him. Conlan then had to break the news to his wife. He started the phone conversation by beating around the bush, talking about how the day started and the mission, but then reluctantly told her that he and Ramakka had been injured by the blast.

Conlan told her he'd probably lose the right leg because blood flow had been cut off for more than an hour. Becky asked to speak to a doctor. Her only concern was that Conlan come home alive.

"She's like 'I don't care about the leg. We can get him a new leg. I just want to make sure he's not going to die,'" Conlan said.

Conlan met his wife and son in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. A few days later they flew to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and then on to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Conlan would spend the next year recovering at Wilford Hall Medical Center, the Air Force's largest medical facility.

Conlan had a grapefruit-size chunk of muscle and bone blown out of his right leg, just below the knee, and a fist-size hole out of his left thigh. The artery was exposed there, but not damaged. There were other holes in his legs, one the size of a soda can and another the size of a silver dollar. He had burns on both legs, and blast damage on his hands, arms and face.

Doctors were not promising they could save his right leg, but they laid out an aggressive treatment plan to try.

It took 10 surgeries on his legs to get Conlan upright again. He had lost a lot of muscle on his right calf and inside left thigh. On his right leg, doctors rotated part of his calf muscles upward to make up for what was lost. Skin grafts and bone grafts were needed on both legs.

For months, Conlan had to wear an external bridging fixture that attached to his thigh bone and screwed into his shin to immobilize his right leg.

Becky's background in the military and experience in operating and emergency rooms proved useful as she helped with Conlan's care. "She could talk to them and understand everything that was going on," Conlan said.

Every day, Becky changed intravenous fluid bags, gave Conlan injections and changed bandages. Conlan's son took part in his care, too. Cameron would clean the area around the screws inserted into his father's leg.

Getting Back on His Feet

The Air Force changed Conlan's duty assignment to Lackland and shipped the family's belongings there. The family stayed in a Fisher House on the base, which Becky described as a "God-send," for a little more than a month and were later given on-base housing.

It was September 2005 before Conlan could start putting weight on his leg. By the middle of that month, he walked across the living room without help. Every day after, he made a little more progress in rehab.

"Once I put the crutch up, I pretty much didn't use it any more," he said.

At the start, Conlan couldn't lift his right foot up to walk. Because the nerves were so damaged, he probably would never be able to lift it, the doctors told him. Despite that negative prognosis, Conlan said he now has some function back.

"They tell me I shouldn't be able to do what I'm doing, but I'll take what I can get. I'm pretty happy with the way things have gone," Conlan said.

In November 2005, Conlan went back to work. A friend at Lackland's security forces center offered him a job. Nothing too demanding, he said. He still had rehab and numerous medical appointments. He went to work about 7:30 a.m. and went home at lunch time.

"That was a big deal for me. It was one more step towards normal -- getting back in the game," Conlan said. "It was just getting out of the house, and going somewhere and sitting at a desk and saying 'Okay, I'm at least back part time. I'm contributing to the mission.'"

In December 2005, doctors loosened the struts on the frame supporting his leg. About a month later, they removed the frame.

In May 2006, Conlan took a different job at nearby Randolph Air Force Base. It was in the civil engineer directorate and was "nearly full-time," Conlan said. Technically,

Conlan was assigned to the medical wing, and was working more or less as a volunteer. But he was an Air Force engineer and his fellow engineers thought it would be better if he was around. They didn't want him falling through the cracks, Conlan said.

It was about that time that Conlan started having trouble sleeping. When he did sleep he had bad dreams. During the day Conlan sometimes suffered from what he called "unfocused anger."

"I would go from going perfectly happy to completely pissed off for no reason. I couldn't tell you why I was mad," Conlan said.

Working through his recovery was not easy for anyone in the family, and his mood swings made it considerably less easy.

One day, Conlan came home to find Becky holding a piece of paper. "She said 'These are the symptoms of [post traumatic stress disorder] and you pretty much have all of them. And I can't help you with this. So you either go get help or I'm going to have to leave because I can't do this,'" Conlan said. "That caught my attention."

Conlan walked into Wilford Hall's psychiatric services and asked for care. They gave him medicine for his sleeping problems, and counseling for his PTSD.

Returning to Service

By late August 2006, Conlan was on self-directed physical therapy. He still had a host of other related medical appointments. But the time had come for his physical evaluation board. Would he be allowed to finish his career in the Air Force? At that point, Conlan lacked only a few years from reaching the 20-year goal he set for himself when he joined.

"It was like a mental thing with me. I wanted to finish what I started. I was that close," Conlan said. He wrote a letter to the Air Force board, asking that they allow him to stay on active duty. The Air Force, since the war began, has tried to be generous in its allowances to keep wounded servicemembers who want to stay in the service on active-duty. Remarkably, Conlan's board results came back that October with no duty limitation.

The reason, Conlan said, was that he had worked up to walking three miles. It hurts, he said, but he can do it.

"Their rationale was if I can walk that far, I could run 100 yards in an emergency," Conlan said. "They're probably right. If somebody was shooting at me I could probably run 100 yards. It wouldn't be pretty. It wouldn't be fast, but I could probably do it."

In September 2006, Air Force officials began setting up an office in Washington, D.C., to counter improvised explosive devices, otherwise known as roadside bombs. They called Conlan and said they needed a civil engineer and asked if he would be interested.

It was a desk job, at Air Force headquarters. But Conlan knew his days in the field were over. And he would be helping the Air Force buy the right products to combat the radio-controlled bombs that the enemy is using against U.S. forces.

After talking it over with Becky, Conlan accepted. He wanted to keep others from having to endure what he had.

Conlan still has pieces of the Afghanistan landscape embedded in his nose, face and ears. Small fragments of sand and rock continue to work themselves out of his skin. He has been called a "medical marvel." Doctors never thought he would keep his leg. They never thought he would move his foot. But, today, Conlan can lift his foot, and his leg is still there.

He can't run because his knee won't take it. Errant bone is growing in his leg -- a phenomenon common in blast victims in this war -- and grating against his bones, and osteoarthritis has set in. Eventually, Conlan will have to have his knee replaced. His foot needs realignment, but doctors can't fix that until they replace the knee.

Conlan weaves sometimes when he walks, and when he gets tired, his limp is more pronounced. He is in pain every day.

Still, he hops on his Yamaha Majesty 400 cc scooter and rides about 35 miles to work everyday. He used to ride a motorcycle, but since the blast, Becky has vetoed anything that requires a foot break. His Yamaha has all hand controls. He's put 19,000 miles on the bike since his assignment here.

In the afternoons, Conlan escapes from his desk and for physical therapy walks a couple of miles through the cavernous tunnel system of shops and restaurants below his office in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Va. He stretches and does leg lifts and other exercises in the stairwell at work. At night, he walks his dog.

"I was sitting there one day and I told my wife, 'Man, I've got ugly legs now.' And she's like 'Yeah, but they are your legs,'" Conlan said. "I've got wicked-cool scars."

Conlan also is active in speaking to military groups and commanders about PTSD and the signs to watch for. He hopes speaking out will help break the stigma attached with asking for help.

"I've got nothing to lose," Conlan said. "I'm very vocal about talking about it because it is a problem."

Conlan also still keeps in touch with Ramakka, who also is back on active-duty wearing a prosthetic leg and teaching at the Air Force's explosive ordnance disposal preliminary course at Lackland.

To this day, Conlan said he regrets none of his choices - his choice to serve, to deploy, to go out with the troops that day and his choice to remain on active duty. He will retire next May with his 20 years of service.

"We are returning people to duty, and life does go on and your career doesn't necessarily end," Conlan said. "Yeah, I'm going to have physical limitations for the rest of my life, but I firmly believe that my decision to go out that day was the right decision. I absolutely belonged out there with my guys.

"That's the way I choose to lead," he said.

Report Card on American Youth Shows Hole in Moral Ozone Getting BIgger

kpaul.mallasch — Tue, 2 Dec 2008 07:13:22 -0800

Survey of 29,000 high school students reveals entrenched habits of dishonesty in the workforce of future - stealing, lying, and cheating rates climb to alarming rates

LOS ANGELES, IN - Josephson Institute's 2008 Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth, a report on the attitudes and conduct of 29,760 high school students, reveals entrenched habits of dishonesty in today's young people - and that doesn't bode well for the future when these youngsters become the next generation's politicians and parents, cops and corporate executives, and journalists and generals.

STEALING.

In bad news for business, more than one in three boys (35 percent) and one-fourth of the girls (26 percent) - a total of 30 percent overall - admitted stealing from a store within the past year. In 2006 the overall theft rate was 28 percent (32 percent males, 23 percent females).

Students who attend private secular and religious schools were less likely to steal, but still the theft rate among non-religious independent school students was more than one in five (21 percent) while 19 percent who attend religious schools also admitted stealing something from a store in the past year.

Honors students (21 percent), student leaders (24 percent) and students involved in youth activities like the YMCA and school service clubs (27 percent) were less likely to steal, but still more than one in five committed theft.

Twenty-three percent said they stole something from a parent or other relative in the past year(the same as 2006) and 20 percent confessed they stole something from a friend. Boys were nearly twice as likely to steal from a friend as girls (26 percent to 14 percent).

LYING.

More than two of five (42 percent) said that they sometimes lie to save money. Again, the male-female difference was significant: 49 percent of the males, 36 percent of the females. In 2006, 39 percent said they lied to save money (47 percent males, 31 percent females).

Thirty-nine percent of students in private religious schools admitted to lying as did 35 percent of the students attending private non-religious schools.

More than eight in ten students (83 percent) from public schools and religious private schools confessed they lied to a parent about something significant. Students attending non-religious independent schools were somewhat less likely to lie to parents (78 percent).

CHEATING.

Cheating in school continues to be rampant and it's getting worse. A substantial majority (64 percent) cheated on a test during the past year (38 percent did so two or more times), up from 60 percent and 35 percent in 2006. There were no gender differences on the issue of cheating on exams.

Students attending non-religious independent schools reported the lowest cheating rate (47 percent) while 63 percent of students from religious schools cheated.

Responses about cheating show some geographic disparity: Seventy percent of the students residing in the southeastern U.S. admitted to cheating, compared to 64 percent in the west, 63 percent in the northeast, and 59 percent in the midwest.

More than one in three (36 percent) said they used the Internet to plagiarize an assignment. In 2006 the figure was 33 percent.

IT'S WORSE THAN IT APPEARS.

As bad as these numbers are, it appears they understate the level of dishonesty exhibited by America's youth. More than one in four (26 percent) confessed they lied on at least one or two questions on the survey. Experts agree that dishonesty on surveys usually is an attempt to conceal misconduct.

Despite these high levels of dishonesty, these same kids have a high self-image when it comes to ethics. A whopping 93 percent said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character and 77 percent said that "when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know."

A complete set of data generated by the survey is available at http://charactercounts.org/programs/reportcard.

This report addresses honesty and integrity and is the first based on the extensive data gathered. Additional reports, to be issued in the coming months, will focus on violence, drug use, and other issues. Some will analyze the impact of sports, religious convictions, and other factors on young people`s values, attitudes, and behavior.

Following a benchmark survey in 1992, Josephson Institute has conducted a national survey of the ethics of American youth every two years. Data was gathered through a national sample of public and private high schools. Surveys were conducted in 2008. For the general questions (over 20,000 responses), the accuracy is well within +/- 0.007 or 0.7%; for breakdowns of 10,000 the accuracy is +/- 0.98%; and even when there are just 1,000 responses, the accuracy is +/- 3.1%. Almost all standard errors of differences are much less than 1% for even small samples. These statistics have been verified by the Department Chair, Decision Sciences & Marketing, Graziadio School of Business & Management, Pepperdine University.

Source: Press Release

Six Charged in Marijuana Distribution Investigation

kpaul.mallasch — Tue, 2 Dec 2008 07:52:34 -0800

LONDON, KY - The United States Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation jointly announced today that four USP McCreary County Inmates and two others were charged in two separate federal indictments. The defendants were charged with conspiring to distribute marijuana, providing a prohibited object to an inmate, and an inmate in possession of a prohibited object.

The indictments allege that 33-year-old Rico Mallard Crump and 25-year-old Ronnie Lynard Morrow, both inmates at the prison, conspired with their girlfriends to distribute marijuana. Shirley Munsey and Shelia T. Collins, both of Charlotte, N.C. provided marijuana to Morrow and Crump during a visit to the prison.

Crump and Morrow were charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and possession of a prohibited object. Collins and Munsey were charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and providing a prohibited object to an inmate.

Another Indictment accuses inmate Doug Rogers, 38 and Samantha Lee Ann Farmer of Oliver Springs, Tenn. of the same offenses listed above. The indictment alleges that on September 6, 2008, Farmer provided her boyfriend, Rogers, with marijuana.

Farmer was charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and providing a prohibited object to an inmate, while Rogers was charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and possessing a prohibited object.

The investigation preceding the Indictment was conducted by the Bureau of Prison and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick H. Molloy.

A court date for the defendants hasn’t been set by the Court in London, Ky. If convicted, all the defendants face a maximum prison sentence of five years each.

However, any sentence following conviction would be mposed by the court after consideration of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of sentences.

The indictment of a person by a grand jury is an accusation only, and that person presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Bush Hails Passage of New U.S.-Iraq Security Pact

kpaul.mallasch — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:14:40 -0800

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, DC - President George W. Bush and other senior U.S. officials hailed the new U.S.-Iraq security pact that was approved by Iraqi lawmakers in Baghdad on Thursday, November 27, 2008.

The two-part security pact consists of a strategic framework agreement that establishes the foundation of a long-term bilateral relationship between the United States and Iraq, as well as a status-of-forces agreement that stipulates how U.S. forces are affected by Iraqi laws.

A majority vote of Iraqi legislators in attendance approved the new security agreement. The passage of the pact "affirms the growth of Iraq's democracy" as well as its "increasing ability to secure itself," Bush said in White House statement issued yesterday.

"Two years ago, this day seemed unlikely - but the success of the surge and the courage of the Iraqi people set the conditions for these two agreements to be negotiated and approved by the Iraqi parliament," Bush continued in the statement. "The improved conditions on the ground and the parliamentary approval of these two agreements serve as a testament to the Iraqi, Coalition, and American men and women, both military and civilian, who paved the way for this day."

Both agreements take effect Jan. 1, 2009. They replace a UN mandate authorizing the U.S. military presence in Iraq that's slated to expire Dec. 31, 2008. The new security pact is slated for review and final approval by Iraq's Presidency Council, Bush said.

"As the two agreements move to Iraq's Presidency Council for final approval," Bush said in the statement, "we congratulate the members of the Council of Representatives for coming together to approve these historic agreements that will serve the shared and enduring interests of both our countries and the region."

The strategic framework agreement establishes principles of U.S.-Iraqi cooperation in the realms of politics, defense, diplomacy, security, culture, economics, energy, health and environment, law enforcement and judiciary functions, and information technology and communications.

The 30-article status-of-forces agreement, known by the acronym, SOFA, acknowledges that the U.S. troop presence in Iraq is temporary and at the request of the sovereign Iraqi government. Article 24 of the SOFA requires U.S. forces to withdraw from all Iraqi territory no later than Dec. 31, 2011. U.S. combat forces in Iraq also are required to withdraw from Iraqi cities, villages and localities no later than June 30, 2009.

The U.S.-Iraq SOFA agreement also stipulates that U.S. forces may not search Iraqi homes or other real estate properties without an Iraqi-government-issued search warrant, except during the case of combat operations.

The two security agreements "formalize a strong and equal partnership between the United States and Iraq," U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker and Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, said in joint news release issued yesterday.

The pact also provides "the means to secure the significant security gains we have achieved together and to deter future aggression," Crocker and Odierno continued. "They establish a framework for cooperation in the fields of defense, political relations, economics, trade, culture, education, the rule of law, health, the environment and science and technology."

Crocker and Odierno congratulated the Iraqi government and its elected representatives "for making these agreements possible," according to the joint release.

Source: US Department of Defense

National Resource Directory Helps Wounded Warriors

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:49:11 -0800

By Jamie Findlater
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, DC – A Web-based network of support for wounded warriors, veterans and their families, as well as the families of the fallen, has sprung from a collaborative effort by the departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs.

The National Resource Directory will include information on care coordinators, health care providers and support partners, Dr. Linda Davis, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, said during an “ASY Live” interview today on BlogTalkRadio.com.

“Working with wounded ill and injured servicemembers and their families, there [are] many resources and individuals available to help them,” Davis said. “We needed one source that can tell us where everyone in the country is who wants to help our wounded warriors and their families.”

The directory is part of a larger effort by the departments to improve wounded warrior care. Davis said research showed that in the military hospital alone, servicemembers received offers from 35 people for 38 types of support.

“While the families did appreciate that, they also found it confusing,” she said. “They didn’t know who to call at the right time in the right place for the right service. The family oftentimes becomes the primary caregiver 24/7/365, and that is extremely stressful, both physically and emotionally.”

To help them navigate the system, servicemembers and their families are assigned a care coordinator who ensures the recovery team works together jointly and collaboratively. Each recovering servicemember has an individualized recovery plan with personal and professional goals.

Previously, Davis said, emphasis had been placed on recovery in the hospital. These plans focus more on what happens after they leave, she explained.

“Our challenge was to get people to not only survive, but to thrive in their new conditions that will be facing them for the rest of their lives,” she said. “We wanted to focus more on community reintegration, and to do that, we needed even more partners to be engaged.”

To facilitate the coordination of these plans and ensure a smooth community reintegration, the directory is inter-linked to these personalized online plans to facilitate accessibility to available resources.

“Say you are populating the plan and the servicemember is talking about returning to Aurora, Kan., and needs housing adaptation and special tutoring for their autistic special needs child,” Davis said. “You can go into the directory and contact both the governmental and nongovernmental organizations in and around Aurora and line up appointments and personnel to be of support way before the servicemember goes back to Aurora.”

Davis noted that while the federal government has a lot of benefits and services available to servicemembers, it also is important to take state, county and locality benefits into consideration.

“If you are choosing where to relocate your family, you may be interested to know that a certain township has a benefit for veterans,” she said.

The relevance of information in the National Resource Directory goes far beyond solely wounded illness, injury, and recovery services, Davis said. Many of the sections are very useful to any servicemember and their family, she noted.

“We have already had several other programs wanting to connect and use the directory, especially in the area of benefits and compensation,” Davis said. “Here, you will find not only what’s available through the DoD Disability Evaluation System and the VA disability compensation programs, but things like Social Security benefits, life insurance and video libraries. … We have sections on how to file claims, on unemployment benefits, and benefits for retirees.”

In addition to the directory’s Web site -- http://www.nationalresourcedirectory.org -- a toll-free phone number, 800-342-9647, is available.

The Web site is expanding, Davis said, and visitors can suggest additional programs by clicking on “Suggest a Resource.”

Launched Nov. 17, the site already has received a lot of positive feedback, she said.

“We had a very enthusiastic response in San Diego when we started the site,” Davis said. “We found that a lot of organizations feel the need for this, and they have been trying to develop one on their own. In fact, we were excited today to find that there was a story of the directory being covered in the Netherlands.

“We have servicemembers throughout the nation and around the world and we hope that this directory can serve as a global tool for anyone supporting wounded servicemembers and their families.”

(Jamie Findlater works in the New Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)

Navy Thanksgiving Day Message 2008

kpaul.mallasch — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:58:53 -0800

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, DC – In his 2008 Thanksgiving Day message released today, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted the wartime similarities between today and the proclamation of the national holiday 140 years ago.

Here is the text of Mullen's message:

Citing the many blessings bestowed upon the United States, these timeless words were delivered by Abraham Lincoln in his 1863 proclamation establishing Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday:

"It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise ..."

It is humbling indeed to recall that in the thick of the Civil War – rife with conflict, dark with turmoil, and bloody with loss – American families at home and abroad were encouraged to reflect upon the bounty, opportunities, and liberties of their Nation. And give thanks they did.

This year, as we once again set apart and observe a day of thanks, nearly 280,000 service men and women are currently deployed across the globe, fighting our Nation's wars and defending our way of life. Let us remember those who are serving abroad and unable to celebrate with their loved ones.

Let us also honor their families, especially those of the fallen, who endure yet another gathering with an empty chair at the table, and one less hand to hold. We should present our thanks to them – and for them – with words, deeds, and open arms.

On behalf of my family, and those of the Joint Chiefs, I offer my heartfelt gratitude to you and your families for your service and sacrifice. Together, you help us rise above the challenges of our day, and make thanksgiving and praise possible once more for the whole American people.

Wounded Warrior Diaries: Army Wife Enlists, Escapes Death on Afghan Mountain

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:49:05 -0800

By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, DC – Many wounded warriors who have served in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom have paid the price for their participation in combat. Depending on that price, many view not only themselves as a hero, but those who were lost.

"I was just doing my job. I think we all were," said former U.S. Army Spc. Susan Downes, who was injured in late 2006 while serving a one-year deployment to Afghanistan. "You know, heroes, I think we all deserve that title. I mean, we're going over there and putting our lives out there. You know, we're getting injured for the people here."

Downes doesn't regret her participation in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, but rather she welcomed the chance to serve her country after her husband was medically discharged in late 2004. Soon after his discharge, Downes made the decision to don the Army uniform and follow in her husband's footsteps. She enlisted on Dec. 29, 2004.

"I missed the military lifestyle. I missed the friendships that [I] made. Just the whole camaraderie … everybody together," Downes said. "I wanted something … more from my life."

Transforming From ‘Girlie Girl' to Soldier

Soon after Downes joined the U.S. Army, she underwent six months of training and was sent to Afghanistan to serve a one-year deployment. Then in her early twenties, Downes had to undergo a major transformation from what she calls her "girlie-girl" days of high school. After her training, she was assigned to the 18th Military Police Brigade's 95th MP Battalion, 230th Military Police Company in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

"The excitement … that I was serving my country because of the war and everything and I knew I would probably be deployed [as an] MP," Downes said. "I knew that when I signed up and I was ready to go because… it would make me feel proud of myself [for] serving the country and going over there and doing what I thought … was right and what I needed to do."

Her career choice as an MP was rooted from her desire to join the FBI. "I had this whole big plan, go serve for five years … take some school while I was in there, and maybe go [criminal investigative division] … and, after that, try the FBI," said Downes.

But, as plans often do, they changed for Downes on Nov. 28, 2006 when she was severely wounded in combat while deployed to Afghanistan's Lowgar province, about an hour south of Kabul. She had just returned from a two-week R&R.

"The day I was injured I had actually gotten back from R&R like two days earlier," added Downes. "[My supervisor] asked me to volunteer for a mission, and I accepted as a gunner. And, it was a good morning, it was a peaceful morning."

Downes added that most people probably don't comprehend the beauty of Afghanistan. "Believe it or not, Afghanistan has some really pretty scenery," said Downes. "[On the day I was injured,] the snow was already coming down and I felt really great that morning. I had a lot of motivation, I guess because I was back with my unit and I was happy to actually go back out again."

Army Spc. Susan Downes holds an Afghan girl during her tour there in 2006. Downes was seriously wounded there in November 2006 when the convoy she was riding in ran over a bomb. Courtesy photo
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

And, as fate would have it, on her unit's last mission to the area, she suffered such severe injuries that many of the medics tending to her believed she might die.

A Life-changing Moment

On the morning of Nov. 28, snow was accumulating quickly and the temperature was falling.

"About 30 minutes into the mission, all I remember is actually getting cold because the snow had started to fall down really fast," added Downes. "And, I was fixing my neck gator up and that's the only thing I remember."

Downes, who was in the lead Humvee that morning, was in the only vehicle of the three-vehicle convoy that was destroyed in the roadside bomb blast.

Downes and an Afghan interpreter survived the blast, but two others -- Staff Sgt. Michael A. Shank, 31 of Bonham, Texas and Spc. Jeffrey G. Roberson, 22, of Phelan, Calif. – were killed.

Downes believed that her survival was largely due to how she was positioned in the Humvee. "In the truck, I was the lead gunner. [I] had the .50 calibar … [and] I was standing up," she said. "I never sit down because you can't really get any kind of good security when you're sitting down. I think if I had been sitting down in that truck that day, I wouldn't be here."

When the lead armored Humvee was struck, the vehicle flipped on its side, pinning Downes. "The gunner's shield was actually on top of my legs holding me down in the truck," she said.

Several members of her unit attempted to pull her from her pinned location, but were only able to remove her after her unit collectively assisted in lifting the one-ton Humvee.

Once Downes was removed from her pinned location, she would not only lose both of her legs from the knee down, but would also suffer several setbacks before receiving medical treatment, namely, a four-hour wait for a MedEvac due to hazardous weather.

"They refused MedEvac because we were in the mountains and the snow was coming down pretty hard. It was a blizzard pretty much by then," Downes said.

The Longest Day

The unit's only other option to save Downes' life was to transport her to the nearest NATO hospital, and eventually to Bagram Air Base in Kabul. On the first leg of the six-hour convoy to the nearest hospital, she had lost nearly all of her blood supply. Upon arrival to the NATO hospital, the medics discovered that the hospital had run out of Downes' blood type -- O negative.

Downes said the medic in charge had to make a life or death decision for her: He gave her O positive blood in attempt to keep her body warm during the remaining convoy to Bagram.

"The medic in charge that day actually made that decision … so he could keep my body warm," Downes said. "But either way, he said I could have died, but he wanted to at least keep my body war enough until we got to Bagram."

Not only did Downes survive the bomb blast, but she endured 10 hours of life and death survival. For her, the guiding force to remain in the fight was her two children, who were living stateside with their father.

"I knew I had something to live for so, I think having my children, I think that really is what, you know, kept me alive, kept me fighting," Downes said.

Downes remained at Bagram for a few days prior to her transfer to Landstuhl, Germany. On Dec. 3, she was transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center here where she remained in rehabilitation for the next year and a half.

While at Walter Reed, an occupational therapist introduced Downes to the idea of using a therapy dog.

"I'm an advocate about these dogs. I want to get every solider a dog. It is … one of my main goals," Downes said.

Since leaving rehabilitation, Downes and her family and her therapy dog, Leila, have moved back to her hometown of Tazewell, Tennessee. Prior to her move back to Tennessee, Downes was hired by a local construction company to manage their administrative department.

Downes now has new goals for herself. "I want to go back to school. I like graphic design, and that's what I want to go into," she said.

(Editor's note: This is the first in a series of Wounded Warrior Diaries. Navy Lt. Jennifer is assigned to the New Media Directorate of the Defense Media Activity)

Wounded Warrior Diaries: Canine Handler Battles Injuries to Return to Duty

kpaul.mallasch — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:06:04 -0800

By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, DC – Despite losing a leg in combat, Army Sgt. Chris Alvin Burrell is focusing on his rehabilitation to one day return to what he calls his "normal day of work."

"My main focus right now is to heal properly and quickly in the right timeframe, and just make sure I'm healed to where I can return to duty," said Burrell, who is assigned to the 16th Military Police Brigade's 108th MP Company, Airborne Air Assault on Fort Bragg, N.C.

Prior to his injury, Burrell was an MP in Iraq. The best part of the job, he said, was working with the military dogs, which is something he hopes to return to soon.

"I love my job as a canine officer. Dogs are my life. It's something that I do great," Burrell said. "I've talked with a lot of people and I'm in the process of working my way back to Fort Bragg to get back with a dog and go back to my normal day of work."

Army Sgt. Chris Burrell is focused on his rehabilitation since losing a leg in an explosion in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood on Dec. 26, 2007. He hopes to return to his job as a canine handler. Courtesy photo
high-resolution image available.

Waking Up With a Bad Feeling \

Getting back to "normal" is something Burrell has been focusing on ever since his life changed the day after Christmas in 2007. He woke up that morning and had a bad feeling about the day, he said.

"I had a feeling that morning, I just didn't know what it was. But, at the time, you kind of just got to brush it off, because if you start worrying about things, then you just get tunnel vision," Burrell said. "Then you can't focus on the mission that's at hand, and then you jeopardize the mission.

"So, the main thing is just to stay focused, make sure you do your job, take care of your soldiers and drive on."

Burrell was in the lead vehicle of a four-vehicle convoy when it was struck less than a half mile from the forward operating base.

"It was a really bad area we were going through," he said. "We were travelling into Sadr City, which is pretty much the stronghold of the militia at the time. It was always really, really imperative that we were always on our game, aware of all our surroundings at all times."

Sometimes it took as long as 90 minutes to work their way through Sadr City, he said.

"We tried to travel through what we call mahalas, which are like back alleys," Burrell said. "A lot of times, you won't find too much of a threat in there. Sometimes you will … maybe small arms fire. We tried to stay off the main streets… because …we were having a high volume of [enemy attacks] at that time."

As the convoy approached an overpass, Burrell had an eerie sensation.

"We traveled it numerous times before, but there's just so much trash, so much debris and things that are just everywhere underneath this overpass on the side of the streets, it's just really, really hard, and I wouldn't say impossible, but it's nearly impossible to keep an eye on everything that's happening that entire time," said Burrell.

"Everything Was Black"

As the convoy proceeded at no more than five miles per hour assessing the surroundings, everything went black.

"I didn't hear an explosion. The next thing, I know, everything was black," Burrell said. "I could hear my driver, Specialist Erin Neilson, yelling to me that we needed to get out of the vehicle because it was on fire."

But Burrell couldn't move. He didn't have the strength to exit the burning vehicle.

"The whole series of these events were kind of like picture frames," he said. "Everyone started exiting my vehicle. My gunner dismounted, grabbed his weapon and pulled up a fighting stronghold position to take cover for us. My driver had exited the vehicle to assess the situation. Our vehicle was just crushed. We were hit by a triple charge; three different charges of an EFP [explosively formed penetrator]."

The triple charge had demolished the vehicle. "One of them came through, went straight through the middle of the door. We don't know how that didn't kill me," Burrell said. "One hit underneath of my seat, went through the side of the vehicle and blew up the battery box, which is what caught on fire … and just destroyed the vehicle."

Burrell added that the third charge is what took off his leg. "All of them were on my side of the vehicle, came in between the front wheel well and the doorframe where there's no armor at all," he said. ""It came in at an angle, and you could see from the pictures where it came through. It came through at an angle, it just took off my knee, and went directly straight up through the roof."

About the time everyone was exiting the vehicle, Burrell was pulled out of the back passenger door because his door wasn't usable.

"I remember being pulled out in a lot of pain," he said. "I remember looking at the vehicle and the vehicle was engulfed in flames. I don't know how anybody came out of that," he remembers thinking.

Once Burrell was removed from the burning vehicle, one of his friends, assisted in applying a tourniquet, which Burrell believes saved his life.

From Heartbreak to Lofty Goals

After Burrell was taken back to the FOB, he had asked about the three others in his vehicle. Everyone had survived the explosion. The only person injured was the interpreter.

"The interpreter, who was in the back seat, actually had a heart attack when it happened," added Burrell. "He ended up quitting on us that night. I don't blame him for that. You know, it was a rough day."

After initial treatment at the base, Burrell was later transferred to Balad where a nurse broke the news about the loss of his left leg.

"I was so distraught," he said. "I was angry, I was upset, and I was heartbroken. There [were] just so many emotions going through me at the time. It was really rough."
After treatment at Balad, Burrell was transferred to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and eventually to Walter Reed Army Medical Center here for follow-on treatment.

Burrell is still at Walter Reed, but hopes to get back to Fort Bragg before January
Burrell has set some other lofty goals. "Some goals and high marks I've set right now, of course, is just to be able to … fight the battle so that I can return to duty … in a timely manager and go back to doing what I love, which is working with dogs and being a canine handler."

He also has set high goals in his personal life by recently participating in the New York City Marathon, riding a hand-crank bicycle.

Burrell added that his overall goal is just to be able to return to his normal life and be accepted by society.

"I would just challenge each person not to use ignorance as an excuse, or not to be scared, [or] feel awkward in front of a wounded warrior, but to just comfort them and then just act like they're a normal human being," he added.

(Editor's note: This is the third in a series of Wounded Warrior Diaries. Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg works in the New Media Directorate of the Defense Media Activity).