US Military News: 11/23/05

U.S., Honduran Senior Enlisted Build Ties

By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service

SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras, Nov. 23, 2005 - The new senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his counterpart at U.S. Southern Command did a little international teambuilding on a visit here Nov. 22 and today.

Army Command Sgts. Maj. William J. "Joe" Gainey and Michael Balch met twice during the visit with Honduran army Command Sgt. Maj. Carlos Valle, the first sergeant major of the army in his country's history. Valle, Gainey and Balch also joined all of Joint Task Force Bravo in a four-mile Thanksgiving "fun run" at 5:45 a.m.

The three also enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the fixings at JTF Bravo troops in the dining facility. The command celebrated a day early so the troops could have an extended free weekend.

Valle, speaking through an interpreter, said his job is difficult because Honduras only started building a professional noncommissioned officer corps in 2000. The sergeant major of the army position was opened two years ago, he said.

"You guys are the greatest because the weapons don't fire themselves," Valle told a gathering of senior NCOs from throughout Joint Task Force Bravo. "The missile (firing command) might go through a computer, but somebody has to push the button."

Gainey, who has served as senior enlisted advisor to Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since Oct. 1, told Valle he understands the frustrations of being the first person to hold a new position. The important thing in bringing change is to take it a little bit at a time. Gainey's position was 15 years in the making but was only established this year.

"Take the race in paces, rather than sprinting to failure," he said.

Both men said it's important to set the stage for their successors. Valle said he is hoping to "plant proper seeds" for people who follow.

"We have a lot in common," Gainey said of Valle. "He's doing his thing first, and I'm doing my thing first, and we both must be successful for those that come behind us."

Valle shared his thoughts on why his country needs a professional NCO corps and challenges to building such a corps. "Officers always want to think with their heads, but things don't move if all you do is think," Valle said. "They need NCOs to react and do stuff."

Resistance to change among Honduran officers makes Valle's job more difficult. He noted that he tries to get officers to see that NCOs can take much of the work off their shoulders. In some cases in his army, "lieutenants are just looking to see if the bathrooms are swept," Valle said.

He said some Honduran officers have told him he'll never bring an NCO corps to the level of the U.S., but he disagrees. With the right work ethic and attitude, he believes his army can get there.

Balch, SOUTHCOM's senior enlisted advisor, offered to bring a team of officers and senior NCOs to Honduras to educate the country's officers on just what a professional NCO corps will do for their force. "Officers need to understand no one is trying to take their authority," he said.

Valle said he hopes to model Honduras's infant NCO corps on the U.S. model of parallel NCO and officer chains of command. Balch noted that leadership skills are a great strength of U.S. NCOs. The lowest soldier or highest leader can step into the next higher role when the mission calls for it, he said.

"It might be a steep learning curve, but that's the strength we have that's paid us dividends on the battlefield," Balch said.

But he cautioned Valle that U.S. experts don't expect Honduras' army to transform exactly like the U.S. Army, but to transform into something that allows Hondurans to best carry out their own missions.

As every NCO knows, caring for servicemembers in their charge is their greatest responsibility. Gainey and Valle seemed in lock-step on their views regarding caring for their troops.

"Even though it is difficult and I have to confront officers and convince them (of the value of NCOs), it's worth it -- soldiers come first," Valle said.

Gainey told Valle to instill in his NCO leaders that they must be a link between officers and soldiers. "If you want to know the heartfelt truth, ask Private Gainey," he said, meaning any junior servicemember. "He's not smart enough, or dumb enough, to lie to you."

He told of befriending an Iraqi sergeant major while assigned as senior enlisted advisor for Multinational Corps Iraq. "In that culture, a command sergeant major is more of an aide, a coffee maker," Gainey said. He said he went to that sergeant major's commander and educated him on how a sergeant major should be the eyes and ears of the commander and the voice of the soldier.

"You should insist that NCO leaders do what their soldiers are doing," Gainey told Valle. "If I ask a soldier to go over a wall, then I go over the wall, and if I ask a soldier to go into a fight, then I go into a fight."

Biography:

Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, USA [http://www.jcs.mil/bios/bio_gainey.html]

Related Sites:

U.S. Southern Command [http://www.southcom.mil/]

Joint Task Force Bravo [http://www.jtfb.southcom.mil/]

Honduras [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1922.htm]

Iraq Debate Normal in Democracy, Giambastiani Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2005 - The debate on troops in Iraq is healthy and part and parcel of being a democracy, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here Nov. 22.

But people must remember that America is in a test of wills with extremists, Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani said in an American Forces Press Service interview.

"Having a debate and a discussion on whether we ought to increase troop strength, decrease troop strength, withdraw, be more involved with international organizations, that's all a part of democracy," he said. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with all of that."

The U.S. military is around to protect people's ability to have that debate, he said. The admiral spoke of an instance when he attended the commissioning of a Trident missile submarine. He said a reporter pointed to protestors pouring blood on the street near the site and asked him what he thought. "I told him, 'I do what I do, so they can do what they do,'" he said.

He said the debates are fine, but Americans must realize that the terrorists are not going away, and the "test of wills is not going to stop tomorrow or next week."

Giambastiani said the United States is not going to lose anything militarily, but the test of wills is key to winning the war. "It's important for all of us to understand that," he said. "And although we have these debates and discussions, we have to go in with our eyes open and understand that it is a test of wills. Then, I think, we'll be all right."

Biography:

Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani, USN [http://www.jcs.mil/bios/bio_giambastiani.html]

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Vice Chairman Seeks to Meld Strategy, Budget Considerations

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2005 - Submitting the Quadrennial Defense Review to Congress along with the president's defense budget request in February, rather than in September as it has been in past years, is an attempt to bring together security strategy and fiscal considerations, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Nov. 22.

In an American Forces Press Service interview, Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani said this will make the process more coherent and able to respond more quickly.

The new QDR date will allow Pentagon planners to start working on program execution more quickly. "This is how you become the bulldog on the bureaucracy's ankle," Giambastiani said. "You grab it and keep chewing on it and make sure there is pressure on the system to institute what you just said you would do."

Since taking office in August, the admiral has been working night and day on the QDR and related processes. The review is a congressionally mandated report DoD undertakes every four years to look at defense strategy, force modernization, infrastructure needs and other aspects of the defense program.

With the emphasis today on transformation of the military, the QDR will not be a huge course-changing document for DoD. Rather, it will examine the relations among all aspects of strategy and resources and determine if they are in sync, Giambastiani said.

From lessons learned in combat to reviews of acquisition programs, the Defense Department already examines itself, and proposes changes as needed. "If you only do this every four years, you are making a big mistake for your institution," the admiral said. "You ought to be living, breathing and working on this every day."

Still it is a good process to examine the course of the institution, he said.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, said Giambastiani's job as vice chairman "will be the business of business."

"What he means by that is although I've been an operational commander for a substantial part of my career, I've also spent a substantial time on the business side," the admiral said. "It helps me in the Joint Requirements Oversight Council. It helps me with the Defense Acquisition Board, and it helps me as we work through the Quadrennial Defense Review."

He said this is not just an "inside-the-beltway" exercise. "There's a lot of substance in this," he said. "You can have all the strategies in the world, but if you can't execute on a day-to-day basis - how we do acquisition, how we resource projects, how we generate requirement and how we bring those processes together in a executable way - you are going to be unsuccessful."

There is a balance of resources and risks that must be maintained, Giambastiani said. "How do you bring all of these aspects together in a way where you can produce for the American people and for our national security the best product possible, within the taxpayer dollars we are given?" he asked.

Before becoming vice chairman, the admiral commanded Joint Forces Command and was NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation. He said that being a combatant commander gave him an appreciation of the "customer side" of the business. Being the man responsible for transforming the military "gave me an appreciation for how to approach the business," he said.

"As a military, we have always thought about changing and innovating," Giambastiani said. "Sometimes there is a lot of crust and rust and an inability to move as rapidly as necessary. That's why have to work on the culture (of transformation) constantly. We always must think of what needs to happen next. It's an unending process."

Biography:

Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani, USN [http://www.jcs.mil/bios/bio_giambastiani.html]

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Military Demographics Representative of America, Officials Say

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2005 - The U.S. military is not a "poor man's force."

That's the conclusion Defense Department officials reached following examination of enlisted recruiting statistics gathered over the past year.

"There is an issue of how representative of America is the force," said Curt Gilroy, the director of DoD's accessions policy in the Pentagon.

DoD tracks "representativeness" - as Gilroy calls it - very closely. And representativeness can take a whole host of forms - race, education, social status, income, region and so on. "When you look at all of those, you find that the force is really quite representative of the country," he said in a recent interview. "It mirrors the country in many of these. And where it doesn't mirror America, it exceeds America."

The data shows the force is more educated than the population at large. Servicemembers have high school diplomas or the general equivalency diploma. More servicemembers have some college than the typical 18- to 24-year-olds. "To carry representativeness to the extreme, we would have to have a less-educated force or we would want a lower-aptitude force," Gilroy said.

The study is part of DoD's focus to bring the best recruits into the military. The services - who are responsible for manning, equipping and training the force - take this data and apply it to recruiting efforts.

The force is a volunteer force; no one is coerced into serving. The military is one option young people have after high school. Military service offers money for college - money a large segment of the population doesn't have. For those people, the military is an attractive option.

Many young people who don't yet know what they want to do see the military as a place to serve and decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives, rather than take a low-paying job or do nothing.

Critics say the U.S. military has too many African-Americans as compared to the population and not enough Hispanics or Asian-Americans. "We don't recruit for race," Gilroy said. "We have standards, and if people meet those standards, then should we say they are not allowed in because of race? That would be wrong."

The statistics show the number of African-American servicemembers is dropping. That concerns Gilroy and his office. The military is a leader in equal opportunity in the United States, he said, adding that few, if any, Fortune 500 companies can match the equal employment opportunity record of the military. The office is studying why young black men and women are not signing up.

The office also is studying the Hispanic population in America. Census records say Hispanics are the largest minority group in the United States. Young Hispanic men and women have a strong tendency to serve in the military, though so far, only the Marine Corps has been "able to break the code" to get significant numbers of recruits, Gilroy said.

On the socioeconomic side, the military is strongly middle class, Gilroy said. More recruits are drawn from the middle class and fewer are coming from poorer and wealthier families. Recruits from poorer families are actually underrepresented in the military, Gilroy said.

Other trends are that the number of recruits from wealthier families is increasing, and the number of recruits from suburban areas has increased. This also tracks that young men and women from the middle class are serving in the military.

Young men and women from urban areas are not volunteering, Gilroy said. In fact, urban areas provide far fewer recruits as a percentage of the total population than small towns and rural areas.

DoD and the services will use these statistics and more to craft their recruiting policies, Gilroy said.

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Pentagon Official Comments on Iraq Troop Levels

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2005 - Recent news reports that say major U.S. troop reductions in Iraq may occur next year are speculative in nature, a senior Defense Department official said today.

"When we have any major force adjustments, I think we've always been very good about making those decisions known to you," DoD spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters.

The Defense Department routinely prepares for possible contingencies, Whitman said, noting such planning could include increasing or decreasing troop levels in a certain geographic area. Currently, there are more than 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

"The United States military looks at the full range of things that could occur in Iraq and makes plans accordingly," Whitman said.

Whitman said military, political and economic conditions in Iraq all play into assessments about proper troop levels, and any adjustments made to U.S. force levels in Iraq are based on recommendations from commanders in the field.

"It remains something that the commanders continually assess, and as appropriate, will make recommendations as to the correct size and capabilities that the United States has in Iraq," Whitman said.

_______________________________________________________
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U.S. Soldier, Afghan Interpreter Killed by Roadside Bomb

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2005 - A U.S. servicemember and an Afghan interpreter were killed Nov. 22 when their up-armored Humvee struck a roadside bomb south of Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, military officials reported.

The soldier and interpreter were part of a re-supply convoy supporting forces conducting operations aimed at defeating enemy forces in the area at the time of the detonation, officials noted.

"We're saddened by our loss of our comrade and our thoughts are with his family especially at this time when we gather to give thanks for the blessings and liberties secured by the sacrifices such as those of this brave soldier," said Brig. Gen. Jack Sterling Jr., Combined Joint Task Force 76 deputy commanding general for support.

"This loss will not deter us from helping the Afghan people defend the ever-increasing recovery of this war-torn country from those whose only vision for Afghanistan is oppression, brutality and violence," Sterling said.

An investigation team was flown to the site. The name and unit of the servicemember are being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.

Elsewhere, volunteer firefighters and firemen from NATO's Headquarters International Security Assistance Force extinguished a small fire in a building at Camp Eggers in the Afghan capital of Kabul today, officials said.

There were no injuries or mission disruptions as a result of the fire. Officials said an inadvertent spark from contractors, who were welding on the building's roof, may have ignited the fire.

"Our Camp Eggers volunteer firefighters responded as seasoned professionals to their first fire," said Col. Jim Yonts, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan spokesman. "Their training drills have built the discipline and skills needed to keep this headquarters functioning in spite of emergencies, be they large or small.

"The ISAF fire department's rapid response provided the necessary backup capability to ensure our operations continue uninterrupted," Yonts continued. "They are our partners in every sense, and we're grateful for their assistance."

Camp Eggers is named in honor of Army Special Forces Capt. Daniel Eggers of Cape Coral, Fla., who was killed May 29, 2004, when his vehicle swerved to avoid a mine and was hit by a roadside bomb near Kandahar, Afghanistan.

In the air war over Afghanistan, coalition aircraft flew 20 close-air-support missions Nov. 22 to coalition and Afghan troops, reconstruction activities and the conduct of presence route patrols, Air Force officials said.

Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II jets and a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle provided close-air support to coalition forces in contact with enemy militia near Orgun-E. Three Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft also flew missions in support of operations in Afghanistan, officials noted.

Air Force C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III transports provided intra-theater heavy airlift support, helping sustain operations throughout Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa. The more than 165 airlift sorties included about 28,000 pounds of civic aid airdropped in central Afghanistan.

(Compiled from Combined Forces Command Afghanistan and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news releases.)

Related Sites:

Combined Forces Command Afghanistan [http://www.cfc-a.centcom.mil/]

U.S. Central Command Air Forces [http://www.centaf.af.mil/]

_______________________________________________________
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the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
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Persistent Presence Creates Secure Environment, Spokesman Says

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2005 - Operations that have been ongoing in the Iraq's Anbar province since September have had a significant impact nationwide and have limited the ability of terrorists to conduct suicide attacks, a U.S. military spokesman said today in Baghdad.

Since operations began, 700 terrorists have been killed and 1,500 have been detained in Anbar, said Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. Also, 243 weapons caches have been found and 440 mines and improvised explosive devices have been found and cleared, he said.

The U.S. and Iraqi militaries have left behind a persistent presence in the province, ensuring a secure environment for citizens to participate in the democratic process, Lynch said. Iraqis are scheduled to elect a permanent government under their new constitution Dec. 15.

Securing the environment is one main goal of the operations, Lynch said, along with defeating terrorists and foreign fighters, disrupting the movement and communications of insurgents, and restoring Iraqi control of the border.

Throughout the operations, military officials think through the humanitarian aspects of the missions, Lynch said. In Anbar, more than 6,000 families have been displaced due to operations, but there was a plan for those civilians before operations began, he said.

"The civilians were taken out of harm's way," he said. "They were nourished and cared for during the conduct of the operations, and now they have returned home."

Attack levels across Iraq have been decreasing in recent months, Lynch said, and the U.S. and Iraqi militaries control the supply routes, limiting the movement of terrorists.

Through these operations, al Qaeda in Iraq leadership has been weakened, forcing fugitive Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to be more active and bringing him that much closer to capture, Lynch said.

"We come close to Zarqawi continuously," he said. A $25 million reward awaits the provider of information that leads to Zarqawi's death or capture.

Related Site:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

_______________________________________________________
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Iraqi Soldiers Capture Insurgents, Disarm Roadside Bombs

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2005 - Iraqi army troops from the 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, captured three insurgents Nov. 22 in Baghdad, military officials reported.

Officials said the military-aged suspects were apprehended after they threw a CD containing sniper video footage from their vehicle at a traffic-control point and tried to turn around and get away. Iraqi troops questioned the three men, who admitted attacking coalition forces in Baghdad, Fallujah and Najaf, officials said. The men and materials were taken into custody pending further investigation.

Elsewhere in Iraq, Iraqi troops from the 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division, discovered two roadside bombs Nov. 22 near Iskandariyah.

The first bomb consisted of a 130 mm round with a three-foot detonation cord. The second bomb was found in a pre-existing hole with wires protruding from a 152 mm round and two propane tanks. The bombs were neutralized, and no injuries or damages were reported.

Task Force Baghdad soldiers detained three suspected terrorists during an early-morning Nov. 22 raid in southern Baghdad. Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry, also found multiple passports along with an 82 mm mortar round while searching the house of the terror suspects.

A large amount of money and weapons were found when a joint Iraqi and U.S. force launched an offensive against a terrorist hideout near Bayji, Iraq, officials said today.

More than 30 suspected terrorists and a large cache of money, weapons and material were captured during the joint operation, which was launched Nov. 21 under the name of Operation Old Baldy. Participants in the operation included soldiers from 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, and "Rakkasans" from the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

An air-assault mission was launched on Bayji Island, a 10-square-kilometer landmass splitting the Tigris River north of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown. The island has served as an isolated hideout for terrorists and criminals in the past, officials said.

"Bayji Island was a previously untouched area, and we wanted to send a clear message to the insurgents: There is no safe haven" in the Rakkasan area of operations, said Lt. Col. Randy George, commander of Task Force Leader.

George said the soldiers swept onto the island before dawn Nov. 21 in UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade. Over the next 36 hours, the Iraqi and American soldiers conducted searches of the island, uncovering stores of enemy weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades and improvised-explosive-device-making material.

"This operation instilled confidence in our Iraqi counterparts, and served to further strengthen our partnership with the Iraqi Army," said George, referring to the Rakkasan partnership with 4th Iraqi Army Division soldiers.

In other news, nine terrorists were captured after a Nov. 22 roadside bomb attack near Balad that wounded a soldier from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. The nine men were detained after two of them tested positive for explosives residue. The bomb was made from a 155 mm artillery round and was hidden alongside the road. The wounded soldier was taken to a local military medical facility. No report was available on the soldier's condition.

About 200 Iraqi army soldiers and 250 U.S. soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team attached to the 2nd Marine Division kicked off Operation Lions Nov. 22 in the Tammim area of southern Ramadi, officials said.

Operation Lions follows Operations Panthers and Bruins, both of which were conducted in different parts of Ramadi. "These operations involved Iraqi army and coalition forces clearing sections of the city in order to disrupt the insurgency and set conditions for successful elections on Dec. 15," a spokesman said.

"Terrorists operating in Ramadi continue to try and influence the local Iraqi citizens through murder and intimidation tactics," the spokesman said. "Terrorists linked to the Abu Musab al-Zarqawi network in Ramadi have vowed to prevent the local citizens from participating in the democratic process and exercise their right to vote."

Since Nov. 16, Iraqi and U.S. forces have killed 32 insurgents and seized and destroyed four large weapon caches. The caches included surface-to-air-missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, numerous rockets, mortar rounds, artillery rounds, hand grenades, landmines, small arms, small-arms ammunition and various IED-making equipment.

"The Iraqi army has been the main effort in many of our operations," said Col. John L. Gronski, combat team commander. "They continue to exhibit professionalism and resolve in securing their country."

Also, 84 detainees were released today from internment facilities after having their cases reviewed by the Combined Review and Release Board, officials said.

The Iraqi-led board, which was established in August 2004, consists of nine members -- two members each from the Ministries of Human Rights, Justice and Interior, as well as three senior officers from the multinational forces.

To date, the board has reviewed the cases of more than 21,700 detainees, recommending more than 12,000 individuals for release, officials noted.

In the air war, coalition aircraft flew 42 close-air-support missions Nov. 22, including support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities, officials said.

An Air Force Predator, an advanced-concept technology demonstration aircraft, provided close-air support to coalition troops in contact with insurgents near Hit.

Officials said 10 Air Force and Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, Task Force Baghdad, and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news releases.)

Related Sites:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq [http://www.mnstci.iraq.centcom.mil]

U.S. Central Command Air Forces [http://www.centaf.af.mil/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2005/20051123_3433.html.

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Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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Top Enlisted Advisor Impressed With Gitmo Troop Quality, Dedication

By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, Nov. 23, 2005 - At the tail end of his first visit here, the recently appointed senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said he's "happy with the quality of people you see here."

Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. "Joe" Gainey said he is impressed with the dedication he witnessed during a brief visit Nov. 22.

He told several servicemembers they should take pride in their mission. "Display the pride that you have in your service, because pride is contagious," he told two senior petty officers he met at Camp Delta, the U.S. military detention facility for enemy combatants captured in the global war on terror.

Leaders of Joint Task Force Guantanamo and troops Gainey met here went to great pains to debunk what leaders here call misrepresentations widely reported by civilian media outlets.

For instance, guards here were earnest in discounting reports that guards or interrogators disrespected copies of the Koran, the Muslim holy book. "It's very strictly enforced; we do not touch this," Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Mack Keene, the first sergeant of Camp 2/3, an area of Camp Delta, said as he pointed to a copy of the Koran hung in "a place of honor" in an unoccupied cell.

A short while later, Gainey asked another guard if he would ever touch a detainee's Koran. The guard, an Army sergeant first class, appeared to recoil in shock at the suggestion. "Oh no, Sergeant Major," he responded.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. Angel Febles, the joint task force senior enlisted advisor, pointed out that no interrogation room at any Guantanamo Bay facility has a toilet. His comments were in reference to an oft-reported claim that a Koran was flushed down a toilet during an interrogation. "No interrogation rooms have anything capable of flushing a Koran," he said.

"As far as (the detainees') religion goes, we do the best we can to ensure that they can observe it," Keene said.

He explained to Gainey that during prayer call five times a day in keeping with Muslim practice, guards place a "prayer cone," a traffic cone painted bright yellow with "P" stenciled on it, in the center of each cell block as a signal for the guards to maintain silence out of respect.

Keene said he has faith in the professionalism and restraint of the guard force at Guantanamo Bay. "I have guards that come in and work this block, and (sometimes they get) covered in urine and feces," he said. "They come out and wash their (uniform top) off and go back in, and they never lose their cool."

He said detainees attempt to assault guards at least once a week. In fact, Keene added, the morning of Gainey's visit a detainee tried to head-butt a guard. On hearing of the attempted assault, Gainey asked what the response from guards was.

"He was assisted to the deck," Navy Chief Petty Officer Ronald Cloutier Jr., a platoon leader at Camp 2/3, responded, using the Navy term for floor to describe the proper law-enforcement technique for dealing with a violent prisoner.

Cloutier told Gainey he is impressed because the Navy deployed sailors here individually and in small groups from throughout the service and they have built a cohesive unit. "The sailors that are here want to be here," he said.

He attributed this cohesion to good training, enforcing standards and strong leadership.

"Adherence to standards is so important," Army Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Balch, U.S. Southern Command senior enlisted advisor, said. Balch accompanied Gainey here. "Any mishap would have international ramifications," he said.

"What you do is so important," Balch told several sailors. "We just can't slip one inch."

Navy Chief Petty Officer Pamela Branum, the senior enlisted leader for the detachment hospital, dismissed reports that hunger-striking detainees are being violently force-fed by inserting large and unsanitary nasal feeding tubes without lubricant or anesthesia.

She said the tubes are tiny -- 4 millimeters, officials said -- and flexible and are always inserted using lubricant and local anesthetic, as is common medical practice. "That's our standard operating procedure," she said. "And we don't waver from it."

Gainey visited several base facilities and sought out junior enlisted troops at each stop. During a tour of Camp America, a junior enlisted billeting area consisting of prefabricated one-room "hooches," Gainey came across a group of young servicemembers conducting an impromptu jam session.

As Gainey approached, the troops stopped playing their music out of embarrassment, but the sergeant major encouraged them to continue. He even "played" along on a percussion instrument.

"We're just trying to bring a little bit of Tijuana to Gitmo," one servicemember said, using the popular sobriquet for the island base.

At every point, Gainey provided words of encouragement. "The next master chief petty officer of the Navy could be in this room," he told some two dozen sailors assembled at the base's new detainee mental-health facility.

"I'm very proud of each of you," he said. "And I'm proud to be a part of your team."

Biography:

Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, USA [http://www.jcs.mil/bios/bio_gainey.html]

Related Sites:

Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba [http://www.nsgtmo.navy.mil/nsgtmohome.htm]

Joint Task Force Guantanamo [http://www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil/]

U.S. Southern Command [http://www.southcom.mil/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2005/20051123_3432.html.

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