DOD creates controversy with new Distinguished Warfare Medal

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=119290>
Panetta Announces Distinguished Warfare Medal.

This new award is causing quite a stir among veterans (see here and here), as it is set to outrank the Bronze Star and Purple Heart in the order of precedence. It is meant to reflect the changes to modern warfare, including the use of drones and cyber warfare. This leads me to raise the question in the poll below.

For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots

I received information about this resource a few weeks ago and have meant to post it up here. For Love of Liberty tells the story of African-American contributions to America’s military history. The website will be closing soon, due to an apparent lack of funding, so go there soon to check out photos and other materials. I am making available chapters of the documentary and the film, including facilitator guides, so that this information is available to educators. Below is information about this program.

The website:

http://www.forloveofliberty.net/

You can download the facilitator guides at this link: (I have attached them for you)

http://www.forloveofliberty.net/educators/facilitators-guides

For Love of Liberty Documentary Links:

Chapter 1: Introduction

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8MH2M6FT

Chapter 2: The Revolution

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DCBNTI26

Chapter 3: The Civil War

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=91G9WPUR

Chapter 4: WWI

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XNCBIKH9

Chapter 5: WWII

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SJKIMAZG

Chapter 6: The Korean War

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=65YPE8LZ

Chapter 7: The Vietnam War

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=G9YJT4V2

Chapter 8: The Middle East

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LM5DB80G

Chapter 9: Conclusion

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BQ98URBM

Play All:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S6EG13VM

You can view photos here.

Please check out this information and consider showing it to students.

Combat Stress Clinic named after fallen Soldier

Courtesy of Captain Tanya Rosa

United States Division – South
Media Release
HQ, USD-South
Basra, Iraq
APO AE 09374
VOIP: 858-4087

RELEASE 20100910-01                                                                                                                                                                      Sep. 10, 2010

Combat Stress Clinic named after fallen Soldier

By Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. PAO

BASRA, Iraq – The new Combat Stress Clinic on the American base at Basra International Airport was named in honor of Sgt. Brandon Maggart in a ceremony Sept. 10.

Maggart, who served with Battery A, 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, was killed in an Aug. 22 rocket attack.

The clinic, which was recently refurbished, provides a place for Soldiers to meet with mental health professionals to deal with the stress that comes with operating in a combat zone. Controlling stress is an important part of the military’s overall fitness, and the support center aims to help Soldiers cope.

The Combat Stress Clinic renovations, under the direction of Sgt. Sonja Young, a behavioral health technician with the 162nd Area Medical Support Group, were completed the day before the attack. After helping the Soldiers in Maggart’s unit, Young, a San Antonio native, advocated that the new CSC be named after him.

Lt. Col. Pamela Breedlove, the commander of the Combat Stress Clinic, said Maggart’s leadership was the reason behind his name being placed on the clinic.

“As Sgt. Maggart truly exemplifies the Army Values, Soldier Resiliency, and the tenets of combat stress control,” said Breedlove, a Topeka, Kan., native. “Sgt. Young advocated that the new clinic area be dedicated in his name.”

Before the renovations, the CSC was an unattractive place for Soldiers to visit. The building would often become too hot inside to be comfortable, and thin walls kept many discussions from being confidential.
The building was improved by adding new air conditioning units, increasing the thickness of the walls, and remodeling the inside of the clinic.

Sgt. Jose Carrera, a Phoenix native serving as the 1st Inf. Div. behavioral health NCO, said the improved atmosphere helps Soldiers open up to the staff.

“Staff members are able to do their job better,” Carrera said. “Just by improving the environment of the clinic helps improve the Soldier’s [ability] to open up and be able to disclose more things the staff can use to help.”
Breedlove said the renovations to the clinic help her and her Soldiers do their jobs more effectively.

“We’re here for all Soldiers,” Breedlove said. “It is our role to do what we can to help Soldiers and return them to duty.”

Carrera described the CSC and caring for the needs of the Soldiers under stress as a force multiplier.

“When you have Soldiers coming in and are able to receive the treatment they need, they go back to their units and become more resourceful, more effective, and therefore able to carry out the mission,” Carrera said.

The clinic is situated across from the Troop Medical Clinic and is open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

From left, Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, the United States Division – South commanding general, Lt. Col. Pamela Breedlove, the Combat Stress Clinic commanding officer, and Capt. Lloyd Sporluck, commander of Battery A, 5^th Battalion, 5^th Air Defense Artillery Regiment,  unveil the placard dedicating the facility to Sgt. Brandon Maggart Sept. 10. (Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1^st Infantry Division Public Affairs.)

Spc. Devin Swanson, a Soldier in Battery A, 5^th Battalion, 5^th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, left, and Staff Sgt. Joshua Medina, also with 5-5 ADA, stand beside the plaque to commemorate the dedication of the Combat Stress Clinic Sept. 10. The clinic is used to help Soldiers deal with stress of a combat zone. (Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1^st Inf. Div. Public Affairs.)

For queries, contact the United States Division – South Public Affairs at USD-S_PAO@iraq.centcom.mil; by phone at (Iraqna) 0790-194-2865 or 770-263-9379. For more USDS news, visit our website: www.dangerforward.us.

New commander of U.S. forces in Iraq visits Basra

Courtesy of Captain Tanya Rosa.

United States Division – South
Media Release
HQ, USD-South
Basra, Iraq
APO AE 09374
VOIP: 858-4087

RELEASE No. 20100908-01                                                                                                                                                   September 8, 2010

New commander of U.S. forces in Iraq visits Basra

BASRA, Iraq – One week after assuming command, the senior U.S. Army commander in Iraq visited United States Division-South Sept. 8.

Gen. Lloyd Austin, commanding general of United States Forces-Iraq, toured Basra’s business center, the new resiliency campus, and the USD-S headquarters.

The visit was Austin’s first to Basra since he took command of USF-I on Sept. 1.

Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, commanding general of USD-S and the 1st Infantry Division, took Austin to the business center where he was briefed by Basra Provincial Reconstruction Team leaders on the economic way ahead for the province.

“This is what creates true change for the country,” Austin said. “When we get the economy going, we get people investing; this is really, really important work.”

Austin then got a preview of the Basra Resiliency Campus, which is scheduled to open Sept. 9. The campus features areas that help Soldiers focus on developing the five pillars of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness: physical, spiritual, emotional, social and Family.

“This is very impressive; you’ve managed to draw a lot of things together here,” Austin said of the facility. “I appreciate the hard work and the care that you’ve put in.”

After touring the campus, Austin went to the USD-S and 1st Inf. Div. headquarters, where he received an update on operations in southern Iraq, a critical piece of the civil capacity puzzle in Iraq due to its vast oil fields and ports on the Persian Gulf.

After the brief, Austin honored 10 USD-S Soldiers by presenting them with coins, an Army tradition for recognizing troops.

20100908-A-3544S-001
Gen. Lloyd Austin, commanding general of United States Forces-Iraq, returns the salutes of Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks (right) and Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Champagne at the Basra airfield Sept. 8. Brooks and Champagne serve respectively as the commanding general and senior noncommissioned officer of United States Division-South and the 1st Infantry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Smith, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

20100908-A-3544S-038
Sgt. Maj. T.R. Compton, the personnel sergeant major for United States Division-South and the 1st Infantry Division, leads Gen. Lloyd Austin, commanding general of United States Forces-Iraq, on a tour of the Basra Resiliency Campus Sept. 8. Compton designed the portion of the campus that focuses on developing physical resilience. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Smith, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

Fallen Soldier honored by unit, friends

Courtesy of Captain Tanya Rosa

United States Division – South
Media Release
HQ, USD-South
Basra, Iraq
APO AE 09374
VOIP: 858-4087

RELEASE 20100911-01                                                                                                                                                                      Sept. 11, 2010

Fallen Soldier honored by unit, friends.

By Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. PAO

BASRA, Iraq – Sgt. Brandon Maggart was sleeping when the sirens went off August 22. Seconds after the warning, a rocket struck the roof of his housing unit on Basra,. Fellow Soldiers of the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment rushed to his side providing medical aid. He was removed from the room and rushed to the troop medical clinic emergency room.

Brandon Edward Maggart, 24, a husband and a father from Liberty, Mo., serving his second deployment as an air defense artilleryman with the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, was pronounced dead on arrival.

Four days later, a memorial was held for Maggart at the post chapel. Hundreds of people came to say farewell.

On the stage, his commander, fellow NCOs, and Soldiers stood side-by-side to talk about Maggart. From Capt. Lloyd Sporluck, commander of Battery A, 5-5 ADA, to Staff Sgt. Simon Cannon, Maggart’s platoon sergeant, the message remained the same: he was a man of character and a person to aspire to be like.

“Brandon was a man whose life could be summed up in one word: excellence,” Sporluck said. “In my years of military experience, I’ve never met a man of greater character.”

Spc. Kandise Phillips, one of Maggart’s Soldiers, remembered her NCO’s contributions.

“As we all know, Sgt. Maggart was a great NCO, leader and friend,” Phillips said. “Spending the last eight months with him, I have learned he was just a kid. He loved to make everyone laugh and was always trying to make the most of every day.”

“Every time I had a question or needed something fixed, Maggart was usually the first person I asked,” said Staff Sgt. Richard Hauser, a platoon sergeant with Battery A. “In addition to being a great Soldier, Brandon was one of the rare people you meet that single-handedly raised the morale of the people around him.”

The ceremony continued with a rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’, sung by Chief Warrant Officer Cynthia Choo, liaison with the 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, and Sgt. Shina Richburg, a counter rockets and mortars system operator with the 1st Infantry Division.

The end of the ceremony was marked by the last role call, where 1st Sgt. Billy Lingar, senior NCO of Battery A, called the names of the sergeants in attendance. When he reached SGT Maggart’s name, he called three times with no response. Outside the chapel three volleys of a 21-gun salute were fired to mark the passing of Maggart.

At the end of the ceremony, each row stood and offered final respects to Maggart. As the line continued, the small memorial stand was soon covered with coins and personal effects as the Soldiers and officers offered tribute to the fallen Soldier.

Maggart is survived by his wife, Teresa, and his three year-old son, Blake.

20100824-A-7921H-001
Capt. Lloyd Sporluck, the commander of Battery A, 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, speaks to the assembled Soldiers and leaders at the memorial ceremony for Sgt. Brandon Maggart at the Contingency Operating Base Basra chapel Aug. 24. (Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

20100824-A-7921H-002
Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, the United States Division – South commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Champagne, senior noncommissioned officer of USD-S, pay their respects to Sgt. Brandon Maggart at the Contingency Operating Base Basra chapel Aug. 24. Maggart, a member of Battery A, 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, is survived by his wife and son. (Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs.)

20100824-A-7921H-003
First Sgt. Billy Lingar, the Battery A, 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment senior noncommissioned officer, salutes the memorial to Sgt. Brandon Maggart after the ‘Last Role Call’ during a ceremony at the Contingency Operating Base Basra chapel Aug. 26. The Last Role Call, followed by a 21-gun salute, is an expression of honor for Soldiers who fell in service to the country. (Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs.)

Courtesy Photo
Sgt. Brandon Maggart, 24, an air defense artilleryman with the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, was killed in a rocket attack on Contingency Operating Base Basra Aug. 22. He is survived by his wife and son. (U.S. Army photo)

For queries, contact the United States Division – South Public Affairs at USD-S_PAO@iraq.centcom.mil; by phone at (Iraqna) 0790-194-2865 or 770-263-9379. For more USDS news, visit our website: www.dangerforward.us.