Rumsfelds Praise Volunteers' Support of Troops

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2006 - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and his wife, Joyce, met here today with representatives of nonprofit organizations that support U.S. servicemembers.

Prior to speaking at the Council of Foreign Relations, the secretary talked with participants attending a summit meeting of the Defense Department's America Supports You program.

"It is something that the troops really do appreciate," Rumsfeld said of the volunteers' work. He also expressed his "thanks to people like you that make a decision and do it."

"Nothing is too good" for America's military, Mrs. Rumsfeld told the ASY volunteers later at the summit meeting at the America's Society building. "I love that I got the chance to be with you," she said.

Created about 13 months ago, America Supports You recognizes citizens' efforts to support U.S. servicemembers and their families. About 190 grassroots groups across the country now work with America Supports You, conducting citizens' letter-writing campaigns, mailing care packages and providing other services for deployed U.S. servicemembers and those serving at home.

A series of ASY summit meetings is being held in cities across the country. The first was held in Atlanta on Feb. 10. The next summit meeting is slated to be held in Chicago.

Jim Wareing, who runs the nonprofit group "New England Caring For Our Military" from Methuen, Mass., presented Rumsfeld with a copy of a patriotic-themed auto license plate.

People in the U.S. military are the best in the country, Wareing said in explaining why he works on behalf of ASY and other servicemembers' groups. "Without them, we wouldn't be here."

Wareing is working to get Massachusetts to adopt the plates. He said that's likely to occur, because he's finding no trouble obtaining the requisite 3,000 people to register for the new plates.

Allison Barber, the senior Pentagon official who oversees ASY, said that summit meetings like the one here are important because they give a personal touch to the program.

"If we stay in the Pentagon and never get out where the grassroots groups are actually doing the work," she explained, "then we will create some kind of bureaucratic program that won't help anybody."

Sue Langlie, executive director for education for the McLean (Va.) Bible Church and Ken Fitzgerald with the Susan Davis International marketing firm were guest speakers at the summit. Langlie discussed how to motivate volunteers, among other personnel topics.

"I think that there is something unique about volunteers," Langlie said, "because they're driven not by the money but by the purpose." And ASY's purpose "is so overwhelmingly wonderful," she said.

Fitzgerald talked about how ASY grassroots groups can work with the media to get their message out. Supporting the military, he said, cuts across political lines. Fitzgerald said most people "are looking for ways to participate" in troop-support programs.

"Supporting servicemembers supports our democratic way of life," Fitzgerald said.

During her address, Barber announced that the New York-based Ad Council will join the America Supports You program in one of several new ASY-related events slated this year.

The Ad Council will launch a nationwide ASY print and radio public service campaign that's scheduled to kick off during the first week of March, she said. This is the first time the Ad Council has supported a troop-oriented message campaign since the Korean War, she noted.

Barber announced some other America Supports You events slated for this year, including:

- A nationwide Weekly Reader program for grade school age children that starts in April;
- A Pentagon concert on May 5 featuring actor-musician Gary Sinese and his "Major Dan Band";
- A May 6 welcome-home event for returning troops held at Camp Lejuene, N.C.;
- An America Supports You-themed Armed Forces Day on the third Saturday of May; and
- A Memorial Day parade down Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.About 2 million children in grades 3 through 6 will participate in the Weekly Reader program that will be available at 93,000 elementary schools, Barber said.

"The whole purpose of this campaign is to teach kids how to support the troops," Barber said. America Supports You, she emphasized, isn't a military recruiting campaign.

"It's a campaign that helps kids understand the value of serving their country," she said.

The Checkers fast-food chain also has joined the America Supports You team, Barber said, noting the firm will participate in promotions with ASY grassroots groups.

Last year's Pentagon Freedom Walk conducted to remember the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks was a huge success, Barber said. About 15,000 people participated in that event, she said, and plans are being made to have similar Freedom Walks in every state this fall.

Biography:

Donald H. Rumsfeld [http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/rumsfeld_bio.html]

Related Site:

America Supports You [http://www.americasupportsyou.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/Feb2006/20060217_4242.html.

====================================================

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.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

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Chairman Cites Continued Progress in Afghanistan, Iraq

By Steven Donald Smith
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2006 - Noting "incredible" strides for democracy in Afghanistan and pointing out continued progress in Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today told a National Press Club audience here that U.S. efforts in those countries are bearing fruit.

"The progress in Afghanistan has been incredible," Marine Gen. Peter Pace said. "They now have not only a freely elected president, but a parliament as well. They are going about the business of building their own country in a way that makes you proud."

The chairman said he travels to Afghanistan about every six months, and every time he goes back he sees "the enormous changes that the Afghan people and the Afghan government are providing for themselves."

Pace noted that with the aid of 26 coalition countries, Afghan children are now regularly attending school, business prospects are growing, and citizens are participating in the democratic process.

In Iraq, the general said, a lot of work remains to be done, but great strides have been made over the past year.

"A year ago, there were just a handful of Iraqi army battalions that were in the fight," he said. "Today there are over 130, a battalion being 500 to 600 guys."

And the Iraqi armed forces are taking over more responsibility and more territory, he added. "So as the combined armed forces of the coalition and more and more of the Iraqi security forces provides stability in the country, the Iraqi government can step forward and take hold of their future," he said.

Pace also pointed to the January and December 2005 elections, the October referendum, the writing of the new Iraqi constitution, and establishment of a new government, as further evidence of progress in Iraq.

Looking ahead beyond Afghanistan and Iraq, the chairman spoke about the importance of the recently issued Quadrennial Defense Review and the National Military Strategy. He said a lot of wargaming was done to determine the best way to deal with current and future terror threats, and future natural disasters.

"I know that I personally as vice chairman and then as chairman spent literally thousands of hours sitting with my civilian and military counterparts discussing where we were, what the challenges are for the future and how we're going to meet those challenges," he said. "I was proud to be able to report to the Congress that both in the case of the Quadrennial Defense Review and in the case of the National Military Strategy, your military is fully ready to succeed."

Pace was asked to define the term "the Long War," which is now widely using to refer to the war on terror.

"The Long War refers to the fact that in all the terrorist campaigns that we have known about, the terrorist campaign has lasted 10, 20, 30 years, and therefore there is no reason to believe that these terrorists would have a time span in their minds of anything less," the chairman said.

He emphasized that this does not mean that the United States will be engaged in the exact same types of operations in 20 years, but "free peoples, free governments, are going to need to continue to be alert and proactive against terrorist cells," he said.

Pace used the analogy of a city police department that cannot eliminate crime, but keeps the crime rate down to a level that allows society to function.

"The community of nations will be able to keep the number of terrorist incidents down below the level at which all of our freedom-loving societies can function and provide the kinds of services that we want for our people," the general said.

Pace was asked about the recent U.N. report that calls for the closure of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He criticized the report because its authors never visited the base.

"When you write that kind of report and have that kind of impact and haven't been to the place you're reporting about, there's something wrong with that," he said.

Pace stressed that the report is inaccurate in its depiction of the Guantanamo facility and the treatment of detainees being held there.

"Guantanamo is a facility that is run in a humane way," he said. "It has been the policy of the United States -- it is now and will continue to be -- that we will treat detainees humanely."

Biography:

Gen. Peter Pace, USMC [http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/pace_bio.html]

_______________________________________________________
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/Feb2006/20060217_4241.html.

====================================================

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.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
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Reserve Components Honor Seven Family Readiness Programs

By Rudi Williams
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2006 - The reserve components' top family readiness programs for 2005 were honored today during the Defense Department's 5th annual awards ceremony in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes.

"The DoD Reserve Family Readiness Awards were established in 2000 to recognize the top unit in each Reserve component that demonstrates outstanding family readiness while maintaining superior mission readiness," master of ceremonies James Scott, DoD's reserve affairs director for individual and family policy, told the attendees. "Family readiness is a key component of mission readiness, and robust family readiness programs have greatly enhanced the deployability of the Guard and Reserve."

Scott noted the critical role the reserve components are playing in the global war on terrorism and the unprecedented need to deploy them far from home for long periods. "Improved family readiness programs and command emphasis have enabled Guard and Reserve families to be prepared when the servicemember is called to active duty," he said.

Scott said each reserve component carefully selected its winner from among a large pool of deserving nominees. The nominees were forwarded to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs for final approval.

This year, the Military Officers Association of America joined Reserve Affairs in honoring the outstanding family readiness organizations. Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, presented the award -- an engraved commemorative plaque and a signed certificate of appreciation. The association's president, retired Navy Vice Adm. Norb Ryan, made a special presentation to each recipient: a $1,000 check, the first year a monetary award was given. Ryan also presented the winners with a certificate and an association memento.

The Army National Guard winner is the2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, 32nd Infantry Brigade Separate (Light) from Appleton, Wis.

"This unit has been deployed to Iraq since June of 2005 - about 620 members are currently deployed," Scott noted. "The Family Readiness Group has helped to ease the uncertainties and concerns of families by providing information support, quality of life programs and assistance in personal matters."

Calling the Family Readiness Group "the best in the Army National Guard," Scott said the group established an effective phone-tree notification process and ensured that families were enrolled in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. The group also created an e-mail database and an interactive Web site.

The Army Reserve winner is the 10th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 108th Division, from Jacksonville, Fla. "This unit, a health services training organization, demonstrated mission and family readiness during the 2005 mobilization and deployment, by ensuring 100 percent of all soldiers' spouses were contacted and provided with all pertinent information," Scott said.

The Family Readiness Group also helped ensure that all families had individual family-care plans prior to deployment, he noted. "The unit's Operation Yellow Ribbon program has been a tremendous morale boost for the soldiers and their families, ensuring all family members of deployed soldiers receive all the necessary care and help while the soldier is deployed," Scott said. "Twenty-five members of this unit are scheduled to be deployed in April."

The winning Naval Reserve unit was the Electronic Attack Squadron 209 based at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. The combat-experienced Naval Air Reserve squadron's members provide more then 45 percent of the total deployed man-days per year, Scott noted. "The squadron is committed to ensuring the families are ready for deployment," he said. "The ombudsman plays a significant role in developing and fostering family readiness and is fully engaged with the command."

Scott said the unit's strong family readiness program keeps all families informed and updated, and a comprehensive sponsor program highlights the squadron's efforts.

For the Marine Corps Reserve, the winner is the 1st Battalion, 14th Marines, 4th Marine Division, Alameda, Calif. "This unit has devoted all available resources, funding, time and manpower to enhance the family readiness and key volunteer training programs," Scott said.

Noting that the command has units in seven different geographical locations, Scott said every unit reinforces the same core values and enthusiasm for the family readiness program, with particular attention for pre-deployment preparation.

"Less than 1 percent of the battalion could not deploy due to insurmountable family circumstances," he noted. "With a population as diverse as its mission, covering 10 states and speaking more than 10 different languages, the unit has an active relationship with Military OneSource for interpreter needs, including translation of newsletters, Web pages and live telephone interpreters." Military OneSource is a Web-based guide for servicemembers and their families seeking assistance of all kinds.

The Air National Guard winner is the 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno, Calif. The wing's family program coordinator and the numerous volunteers have provided a reliable resource for all wing members and their families during both combat and peacetime missions, Scott said.

"Through their tremendous efforts and involvement in unit activities, such as deployments, exercises and wing morale events, they ensure each member is ready and able to perform their mission," he continued. "The wing Operation Ready Families program is dedicated to ensuring the availability, coordination, preparation and dissemination of relevant and reliable information to ensure all unit and family members are knowledgeable and prepared."

The Air Force Reserve winner was the 315th Airlift Wing based at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. Scott said the 315th Airlift Wing Family Support Office supports more than 2,500 reservists and their families 365 days a year, 24 hours a day with a staff consisting of one director and five reservists.

He said the office goes above and beyond, ensuring all servicemembers returning home from deployments are met upon arrival, briefs family members at the airport or airfield on reunion issues, and makes follow-up contact within 30 days. "This superior family support program targets the needs of the airmen and their families ensuring that they are ready for deployment and families are well supported in the members' absence," Scott said.

"The 'Hearts Apart' program helps families stay in contact while deployed to keep lines of communication open and lower the stress of separation."

For the Coast Guard Reserve, the winner was Port Security Unit 307 from St. Petersburg, Fla., the second consecutive year and the fifth time PSU 307 has received this award, Scott noted. The unit credits its family support and ombudsman program with contributing positively to both retention and readiness, he said.

"The unit's efforts to minimize the impact of mobilization on families included quickly resolving pay and benefit issues, providing routine legal assistance, holding a family day for members and family members, and preparing a monthly newsletter," Scott said. "While deployed in response of Hurricane Katrina, they used e-mail and voice mail to communicate current information directly to family members."

Hall called the awards ceremony "one of the most important events that I go to, because it honors volunteers, honors people that care for our families and are an immense help."

"So to get these seven winners here and to have all the officials here is the highlight of my year," he said, "because they do such a job in supporting our young men and women."

Calling the seven award recipients "the best of the best," Hall said, "we think family readiness, support of our families and support of the troops is one of the most important things we do. So we look nationwide in all seven components and all the family readiness programs throughout, and these seven are truly the best of the best."

Hall said the volunteers who work family readiness programs make a big difference. "Part of our challenge is that guardsmen and reservists live all over; they don't just live around the base," said Hall, a retired two-star admiral. "So to reach those families in remote areas requires extraordinary efforts. Many times a battalion or a brigade would be drawn from five states, so you might have five states worth of families to take care of. So they're truly making a difference."

He noted that, among a host of other things, family readiness groups help families with benefits and help them with medical issues. "They don't replace the chain of command, but they augment the chain of command," Hall noted.

"If there are family emergencies that people need help with, or loans for ... all sorts of things that families might need," he said. "If the car breaks down while the servicemember is gone, there's somebody at the other end of the line who cares and wants to help. That makes an enormous difference."

Hall said the Guard and Reserve represent about 45 percent of the military, which equates to about 1.1 million servicemembers. "There are 125,000 mobilized, and we've had more than 200,000 along the way, so they're making a tremendous difference in this international war on terror," Hall noted.

Related Sites:

Thomas F. Hall [http://www.dod.mil/bios/hall_bio.html]

Reserve Affairs [http://www.dod.mil/ra/]

_______________________________________________________
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/Feb2006/20060217_4236.html.

====================================================

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.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

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Two Saved, Rescuers Seek 10 More After Helos Crash Off Horn of Africa

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2006 - Two crewmembers have been rescued and the search continues for 10 others after two U.S. H-53 military helicopters crashed in waters off Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, a Defense Department spokeswoman reported today.

Though some initial reports say both were U.S. Marine Corps helicopters, the spokeswoman could confirm only that they were U.S. helicopters and that they were part of Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa.

The helicopters were on a night training mission over the Gulf of Aden when the crash occurred, the spokeswoman said, adding that an investigation will be conducted to determine why the helicopters went down.

The military flies various versions of the Sikorsky H-53.

_______________________________________________________
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/Feb2006/20060217_4239.html.

====================================================

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.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
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Laying Peace Foundation Comes With Obstacles, Bush Says

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2006 - The chance to "lay the foundation of peace for generations to come is not without obstacles," President Bush told an audience in Tampa, Fla., today.

The president had arrived in town earlier in the day to meet with senior leaders at nearby headquarters for U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command, both key components in the fight against terrorism.

Terrorists continue to attack innocent people in their attempts to return the Middle East to a terrorist stronghold, Bush said. They also believe the United States is soft and weak and will eventually give up.

"In order to win the war against the enemy, you got to understand the nature of the enemy," the president told the civilian audience. "First of all, these people are cold-blooded killers, people who will kill the innocent in order to achieve a tactical objective and a strategic objective.

"They have no conscience. You can't negotiate with these people. You cannot reason with them. You must bring them to justice." Secondly, he said, these terrorists have an ideology that allows no dissent, no different point of view and "no sense of history other than their dim view of history."

"They've made it clear (they think) it's just a matter of time before we vacate parts of the world that they can then occupy in order to be able to ... plot attacks against the United States of America," he said.

The president said that scenario would not happen, and outlined the U.S. strategy to win the war on terror.

"The best way to deal with this enemy is to defeat them overseas so we don't have to face them here at home, and to stay on the hunt," he said, adding that efforts also are being made to cut off access to funding. "It makes it kind of hard to operate when you can't get (to) your bank accounts full of money."

Denying terrorists safe haven is the second part to the strategy, he said. The United States is leaning on governments to help with this key element by declaring that harboring terrorists makes the government as bad as the terrorists themselves.

This declaration was reinforced with action, Bush said.

"When a president says something like, 'If you harbor a terrorist, you're equally as guilty as the terrorists,' those words mean nothing unless you act upon them," he said. "And I said that to the people of Afghanistan, the Taliban. They didn't listen, and so we acted."

When Saddam Hussein refused to "disclose and disarm," Bush said, he suffered the serious consequences he was promised if he failed to comply, Bush said.

"Removing Saddam Hussein has made America safer and the world a better place," he said.

Another key to the strategy of winning on the Iraq front of the war on terrorism is training the Iraqis to defend themselves, Bush said. "In order to achieve our objective, the Iraqis are going to have to fight the enemy," he said.

Coalition forces are making progress on this front, he said. Iraqi forces are improving and able to take over more and more responsibility for their own defense, and a command and control structure is being put in place, he added.

"As this military's getting better and better, we're turning over a lot of territory to the Iraqis," Bush said. "They now have two divisions ... that are capable of taking the fight nearly on their own."

Though the training mission is progressing successfully, Bush said, he would not be swayed by outside influences when it came to troop levels committed to the global war on terrorism.

"The troop levels will be decided by this administration, and this administration is going to listen -- not to politicians -- but to the commanders on the ground (about) what we need on the ground in order to win this deal," he said.

The president said the United States will, in the short term, succeed in Iraq. But there has to be a long-term strategy to win the war on terrorism as well, he added.

"That long-term strategy is to liberate people and give them the chance to live under the greatest system of government, and that's democracy," he said. "Make no mistake about it. We're going to win the war on terror."

Related Site:

President Bush's Remarks [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060217-4.html]

_______________________________________________________
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/Feb2006/20060217_4238.html.

====================================================

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.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

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Troop Levels in Iraq Must be Balanced Carefully, Officials Say

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2006 - The level of U.S. forces in Iraq must be balanced so as not to create an occupying force, but to still be effective and able to maintain a secure environment, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told a House of Representatives committee here yesterday.

"No country wants foreign forces permanently in their country; we have no desire to have our forces permanently in that country," Rumsfeld said at a hearing of the defense subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. "The goal is to have sufficient forces."

Having too many U.S. forces in Iraq could create a feeling of occupation and influence more people to join the cause of the insurgents, Rumsfeld said. But another real risk is the Iraqis developing a dependence on the U.S. for their basic needs, he added. American troops have a can-do attitude and will help with anything that needs to be done, but the ultimate goal is for Iraqis to take responsibility for their own country, he said.

"We're not there to do nation-building," he said. "They're going to have to build their own nation. It's going to be an Iraqi solution, ultimately."

No easy solution exists to finding the right balance of troops in Iraq, Rumsfeld said, but the military commanders in the area are working on it, and the troop levels have always been what they requested and the Joint Staff has agreed to.

Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed Rumsfeld's comments, saying that since he became a member of the Joint Staff in 1991, military leaders, not civilians, have determined the size of the force.

"Not once have I felt any pressure to give anything other than my best military advice, and the troop levels that are there now and that have been there in the past have been based on that best military advice by the uniformed members of the armed forces, who are responsible to this nation for making those kinds of recommendations and choices," Pace said.

Both Rumsfeld and Pace lauded the progress being made in Iraq. The Iraqi security forces have dramatically increased in capability since last year, and with U.S. support, will continue to grow, Pace said. Rumsfeld pointed to the functionality of the country, citing the development of a stock market and a free press.

Violence still occurs every day in Iraq, but the terrorists have been defeated many times in their attempts to disrupt the political process, Rumsfeld said. Work remains to be done, and the process will not always be a pretty picture, but the terrorists will be defeated because they must be, he said.

The alternative, he said, is turning Iraq, along with its vast resources, over to terrorists. "I think the thought of that is just fundamentally unacceptable," he said.

Biographies:

Donald H. Rumsfeld [http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/rumsfeld_bio.html]

Gen. Peter Pace, USMC [http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/pace_bio.html]

Related Article:

Military Needs Flexibility to Fight Terror, Rumsfeld Says [http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Feb2006/20060216_4224.html]

_______________________________________________________
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/Feb2006/20060217_4237.html.

====================================================

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.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

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