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.

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.

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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)

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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.)

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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.

New campus in Basra to strengthen Soldier resiliency

Courtesy of Captain Tanya Rosa

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

RELEASE 20100909-01                                                                                                                                                                       Sept. 9, 2010

New campus in Basra to strengthen Soldier resiliency

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

BASRA, Iraq – Nine years of persistent conflict have placed Soldiers under a number of stressors as they continue their mission. Physical demands, emotional stress, Family issues, spiritual challenges, and social hurdles can increase the demands of an already-stressful environment.

The Department of the Army is helping Soldiers develop their ability to be resilient and thrive in the face of these stressors with the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, and the 1st Infantry Division Headquarters deployed to Basra, Iraq, is working to improve the resilience of personnel in United States Division-South while they are still operating in a combat zone.

The first “resiliency campus” in southern Iraq was opened on Contingency Operating Base Basra with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 9. The facility is the second resiliency campus in Iraq, the first being opened on Camp Taji two days earlier by the 1st Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade.

The Basra resiliency center was designed to strengthen the ‘Five Pillars’ of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness for service members from all branches of the military. The pillars of fitness are physical, social, emotional, spiritual and family, each pillar matching a basic need for every person.

Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, the U.S. Army Director of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, was the guest of honor for the grand opening. She joined Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, the 1st Infantry Division commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj Jim Champagne, the 1st Inf. Div. senior noncommissioned officer, to cut the ribbon and pronounce the campus open to service members on Basra.

Brooks said the resiliency centers are a symbol of action taken on the idea of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness

“This is just a start,” Brooks said. “It really matters most when we apply [Soldier Fitness] internally and we apply it to each person we touch. Then, we will be fit.”

This was Brig. Gen. Cornum’s first trip to Iraq since she was captured by Iraqi forces and subsequently rescued two weeks later during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. She spoke about the importance of resilience in today’s Army.

“We want people who are physically fit, emotionally strong, and this is an opportunity,” Cornum said. “So take advantage of it. It’s only a building if people use it.”

The campus itself is made up of several buildings, each with its own purpose within the scope of CSF. There are internet systems to speak with Family, a bio-feedback room to help gauge stress, a spiritual reading room, a fully-functional gym and cross-fit area for Soldiers to improve their physical strength, and a ‘break room’ and classroom for Soldiers to continue their education or study on their own.

Cornum said the CSF Program helps Soldiers by allowing them to share experience and improve themselves.

“I think that what Comprehensive Soldier Fitness does is make people better able to face any challenge,” Cornum said.

“So they’re more amicable – they’re able to endure mission change without being resentful or being critical.

Brooks challenged leaders to learn and understand the five pillars of CSF so they could assess themselves and their Soldiers.

“This is a milestone, like so many things,” Brooks said. “We don’t end here, we begin from here.”

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: http://www.dangerforward.us.

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From Left, Sgt. Matthew Richards, of the 329th Forward Support Company, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, the United States Division – South commanding general, Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, the director of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, Sgt. 1st Class James Padilla of the 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, and Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Champagne, the USD-S senior noncommissioned officer., cut the ribbon to the entrance of the USD-S Resiliency Campus Sept. 9.

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Maj. Scott Williams, left, from the 1st Infantry Division surgeon’s office talks Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, director of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, through the use of a bio-scanner at the bio-feedback room of the Basra Resiliency Center Sept. 9. The center is open to all service members, providing support for the Five Pillars of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness. (Army Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs.)

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Sgt. Maj. Teddy Compton, the 1st Infantry Division personnel sergeant major, shows Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, director of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, through the physical wing of the Basra Resiliency Center Sept. 9. The center uses unique methods to help Soldiers become more physically and mentally fit. (Army Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs.)

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Sgt. Jose Carrera, a mental health noncommissioned officer with the 1st Infantry Division, shows 2nd Lt. Sterling Coleman, a medical operations officer with the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, how to use a massage chair at the new Resiliency Campus on Contingency Operating Base Basra Sept. 9. The facility is only the second of its kind in Iraq. (Army Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs)