Training Triggers Strength Gains for Wounded Troops

By Elaine Sanchez
Brooke Army Medical Center

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, Nov. 20, 2014 - Wounded and injured service members are getting pumped up about a cutting-edge strength training program at Brooke Army Medical Center here.

Johnny Owens, chief of the Human Performance Optimization Program, adjusts a setting on a tourniquet worn by Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Brandon Kothman during blood flow restriction training at the Center for the Intrepid's outpatient rehabilitation center, Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas. Owens implemented the groundbreaking program to help wounded service members build muscle strength and function. U.S. Army photo by Robert D'Angelo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

This groundbreaking program, called blood flow restriction training, or BFR, offers warriors huge gains from low-resistance exercise.

"I've seen some very dramatic results," said Johnny Owens, chief of the Human Performance Optimization Program at BAMC's Center for the Intrepid. "The training is proving a game-changer for our warriors."

Specialized Surgical Tourniquet

In BFR, a physical therapist applies a specialized surgical tourniquet to an injured limb to partially restrict blood flow during low-weight strength training. This signals the body to use fast-twitch muscle fibers typically set aside for high-resistance exercise such as heavy weight lifting, Owens explained.

As a result, the brain triggers an "anabolic cascade," he said, meaning substances such as human growth hormone are released at a higher-than-normal rate.

Results have been "very dramatic," Owens said, citing 30 percent to more than 300 percent strength gains.

"The best part is the results seem to happen very quickly -- within two to four weeks," he said.

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Brandon Kothman started BFR three months prior to knee surgery to build muscle strength and function, then resumed training immediately after. His surgeons told him he should be back running in nine months to a year, but thanks to the BFR, "I was running after three months and released back to full duty in six," he said during a recent ESPN interview.

This day at the Center for the Intrepid, he's lifting a 10-pound weight on a leg extension machine while wearing a tourniquet.

"It feels like I'm lifting 40 or 50 pounds," he said, slightly out of breath.

Building Strength Without Pain, Further Injury

Owens first learned of the training about three years ago when researching ways to help his patients with lower extremity injuries. He wanted to help them build strength quickly and effectively without the pain or risk of further injury to an already compromised limb.

"To get strong, you need to lift heavy weight, but warriors with severely damaged limbs often can't do that," he explained. "I wanted to find a solution that would prevent my patients from a frustrating recovery or even, in some cases, opting to amputate their leg due to a lack of strength gain over time."

Owens' enthusiasm for the training was tempered by a lack of research. It's been used sparsely in Europe and Japan, but he's yet to hear of a practical clinical application in the United States.

However, when some well-respected journals began publishing literature on its effectiveness, he pitched it to his bosses and decided to try it on himself. After six months of positive results and the green light from leadership, he implemented the program at the Center for the Intrepid. He's since used it to aid patients with upper and lower extremity injuries, as well as amputees.

Owens cited a recent case in which a patient showed a 372 percent increase in calf strength nine months after Achilles tendon surgery.

Potential to Benefit More People

Moving forward, Owens said, he and a team of Center for the Intrepid researchers are looking to see how BFR can benefit a variety of populations, such as those who have had knee surgery.

"Injuries can be just as devastating to a service member's military career as to a pro athlete's," Owens told an ESPN reporter. "If you can't carry a pack or run, you can't do your job. Tourniquet training has the potential to make a remarkable impact for recovering warriors."

On a wider scale, Owens said, he sees a tremendous benefit for civilian trauma patients, the elderly or anyone, including athletes, seeking a swift recovery from an injury. There's also a potential for home use, he said, but that would require a smaller portable unit.

Owens stressed the importance of proper application. His tourniquet system automatically monitors and maintains pressure, he explained, and is applied and monitored by a physical therapist. In other words, at this point, "don't try this at home," he said.

After using BFR successfully on more than 200 warriors in the past two years, Owens said, he's blown away by the results.

"The training has tremendous potential," he said.

Michael G. Vickers Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence

Michael G. (“Mike”) Vickers was nominated by President Barack Obama as the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USDI) on September 29, 2010, and was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on March 17, 2011. Secretary Vickers served as Acting USDI from January 28, 2011, to March 17, 2011, and as first and only Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity & Interdependent Capabilities (ASD SO/LIC&IC) from July 23, 2007 to March 17, 2011. His service has spanned the administrations of both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama.

As the USDI, Secretary Vickers is the principal intelligence advisor to the Secretary of Defense. He exercises authority, direction, and control on behalf of the Secretary of Defense over all intelligence organizations within the Department of Defense, including the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, and the intelligence components of the combatant commands and military services. Secretary Vickers is the Program Executive for the Military Intelligence Program. He is also dual-hatted as Director of Defense Intelligence in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and reports to the DNI in this capacity. He is the Department’s principal interface with the Central Intelligence Agency and other elements of the Intelligence Community, and represents the Department on intelligence and sensitive operations at Deputies and Principals Committee meetings of the National Security Council.

As ASD (SO/LIC&IC) from July 23, 2007, to March 17, 2011, Secretary Vickers had oversight of global operations, and served as the senior civilian adviser to the Secretary of Defense on counterterrorism, irregular warfare and special activities. He played a central role in shaping U.S. strategy for the war with al Qa’ida, and the war in Afghanistan. He had oversight of the core operational capabilities (strategic forces, conventional forces, and special operations forces) of the Department of Defense, as well as the functional combatant commands (United States Strategic Command, Special Operations Command, Joint Forces Command and Transportation Command). With the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he had oversight of the force application (maneuver and fires) joint capability area.

From 1973 to 1986, Secretary Vickers served as an Army Special Forces Non-Commissioned Officer, Special Forces Officer, and CIA Operations Officer. He had operational and combat experience in Central America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Central and South Asia. His operational experience spans covert action and espionage, unconventional warfare, counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, and foreign internal defense. During the mid-1980s, Secretary Vickers was the principal strategist for the largest covert action program in the CIA’s history: the paramilitary operation that drove the Soviet army out of Afghanistan. From 1996-2007, Secretary Vickers was Senior Vice President, Strategic Studies, at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

Secretary Vickers holds a Bachelor of Arts, with honors, from the University of Alabama, a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations/Strategic Studies from the Johns Hopkins University.

DoD Intel Chief Describes National Security Challenges

By Amaani Lyle
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2014 - Protecting military networks is among many national security challenges the nation faces, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence said here yesterday.

In remarks at the Defense One Summit, Michael G. Vickers said the challenges, both unconventional and novel, are likely to be enduring and will require the attention of both the government and the private sector.

"Cybersecurity is a job for everybody," Vickers said. "It's something our companies worry about, and it's here now. It's a threat right now."

Vickers emphasized the importance of cybersecurity to defend the nation's critical infrastructure and in supporting combatant commanders in the new warfare domain. And adversaries can use cyber to their advantage, he noted.

Adversaries Can Use Cyber to Target U.S. Economy

"They can use this to gain economic advantage and ... erode our economic position over a long period of time without fighting a war, because national security ultimately derives from economic security and strength," he explained.

The undersecretary also cited familiar threats, such as China and its military modernization in East Asia, Russian aggression in Ukraine and the expansion of the global jihad. And although core al-Qaida has waned, he added, some of its affiliates have grown stronger. "Now we have the emergence of [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] ... the competition for leadership in the global jihad, and the threat of homegrown violent extremists," he said.

Other Challenges

Beyond cyber, Vickers cited other national security challenges, such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their associated delivery systems in Iran and North Korea, as well as broader instability in the Middle East and North Africa as the Syrian civil war persists.

"A lot of these areas intersect in various ways, both in instability and global jihad or regional rivalries and civil wars," he explained. "So it's an extremely challenging landscape."

4 Tips to Begin Healing Your Life

‘There is Always a Way Through’ Emotional Trauma,

 Says One Who’s on the Journey

Neglect. Abuse. Divorce. Addiction. These are just a few of the life experiences that can leave children emotionally bruised or worse, causing some to develop dysfunctional outlooks and behaviors that condemn them to perpetual self-victimization as adults.

“We not only perpetuate, but also protect the obstacles that stand in the way of our healing and happiness,” says Marta Maranda. “But there is always a way through, no matter what your situation.”

The author of “What It Looks Like,” (http://martamaranda.com/), a new memoir detailing her own journey of healing, Maranda says she continued to use the defense mechanisms she developed in response to childhood trauma far into adulthood, which only served to block healthy emotional growth. 

“As an adult decades after the initial abuse, I was still surrounding myself with similar trauma, and still reacting in the same ways to the trauma, even though those childhood survival tools no longer served me. Basically, the only one keeping me stuck in a dysfunctional and unfulfilling life was me.”

Maranda says she didn’t realize she played a part in her own dysfunction until the treatment of a family member for substance abuse caused her to think differently. 

“I don’t drink, use drugs, or have a sexual dysfunction. I’ve never even had a cup of coffee in my life,” she says. “So it was easy to look at everyone else as the cause of my problems.

“But during family therapy sessions, I finally realized that there are two dysfunctional people in an unhealthy relationship, and there is an entire dysfunctional family in an unhealthy family system.”

Maranda became a rarity: sober and voluntarily, she admitted herself into a five-week residential treatment center. That’s where her healing began.

“But I’m not done,” she says. “Healing involves tearing down all those dysfunctional coping mechanisms—fear, anger, denial, justification—and rebuilding your life piece by piece. I still have to do the work every day.”

She offers these tips for others whose past trauma has resulted in self-destructive thought and behavior patterns, such as a willingness to remain in unhealthy relationships or an over-reliance on comforts like food, drugs, or alcohol to soothe painful emotions.

•  Look inward for reasons, not outward for blame.
It’s easy to find other people or situations to blame for your problems. Even if the initial trauma was inflicted when you were at your most vulnerable, and by someone you should have been able to trust, at some point you have to take responsibility for your own life. “How are you contributing to the dysfunction in your life?” Maranda asks. “The decision to remain stuck in a dysfunctional life is yours. The responsibility to move forward toward healing and happiness is also yours.”

•  If you’ve done it, admit it.
Look fearlessly at the wrong you’ve done, at the pain you’ve inflicted on yourself and others through your own dysfunctional behavior, and admit it. “Only by owning it can you change it,” Maranda says. “And only through change can you heal.” Likewise, look kindly and with humility at the good you’ve done. Own all that is valuable about you, and build upon it.

•  Information, not shame.
The lessons of healing always come with a choice: information or shame? If you are doing your healing work properly—meaning completely breaking down every defense mechanism you’ve built to keep yourself blind to your own dysfunctional behavior—the realizations that you’ve caused others harm, pain, or even extreme damage will come. But eventually you have to choose between continuing to feel shamed, which leads to feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, or accepting the realizations as the information necessary to repair your life. “Much like a doctor needs to objectively understand what’s broken to diagnose a problem, so do you need to look objectively at your dysfunction and its consequences to heal it,” Maranda says. “Then use your healthy guilt feelings, not shame, as a reminder of what you can’t do again.”

•  Build a support system.
No one’s said it better than Einstein: You can’t fix a problem with the same broken mind that created it. Left to their own devices, many people who are convinced they need to change will still seek out environments that support their dysfunctions rather than strengthen their healing. “Change is hard, and healing isn’t always comfortable,” Maranda says. “That’s why people often find their way back to what they know, even if what they know is destructive or deadly.” Building a support system of people—whether family or friends, or from a therapeutic or spiritual community—whose perspectives get you out of your comfort zone and away from the dysfunction you know is essential for healing.

About Marta Maranda

Marta Maranda is a writer, businesswoman, and author of “What It Looks Like,” (http://martamaranda.com/). She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and undertook a year of post-graduate study in psychology. She is currently working on her second book.

JENNIFER LOPEZ AND IGGY AZALEA TO PERFORM “BOOTY” AT THE 2014 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS®

Los Angeles, CA (November 19, 2014) - dick clark productions and ABC announced today that international superstar Jennifer Lopez and top-nominated artist Iggy Azalea will perform “Booty” for the first time together on television on the 2014 American Music Awards.  They join a line-up of must-see artists including 5 Seconds of Summer, Mary J. Blige, Garth Brooks, Charli XCX, Fergie, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Imagine Dragons, Jessie J, Lil Wayne, Lorde, Magic!, Nicki Minaj, One Direction, Sam Smith, and the evening's host, Pitbull.  Additional stars slated to present throughout the evening include Uzo Aduba, Jhene Aiko, Elizabeth Banks, Aloe Blacc, Lauren Cohan, Gavin DeGraw, Ansel Elgort, Jamie Foxx, Becky G, Brantley Gilbert, Danai Gurira, Lucy Hale, Ella Henderson, Julianne Hough, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Kira Kazantsev, Heidi Klum, Mary Lambert, Rose McGowan, Danica McKellar, Pat Monahan, Olivia Munn, Kevin O'Leary, Pentatonix, Tracee Ellis Ross, Taylor Schilling and Meghan Trainor. The 2014 American Music Awards will broadcast live from the NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23rd (8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on ABC.  Additional performers and presenters will be announced soon.
 
Jennifer Lopez is an award-winning singer, actress, fashion designer, entertainer and icon who has established herself in both music and film.  She is a successful recording and touring artist with record sales in excess of $75 million and a cumulative box office gross of over $2 billion. Lopez is one of the most influential female artists in history.  As an artist, fashion icon, entrepreneur, and a philanthropist, Jennifer Lopez has been named Forbes magazine’s most powerful celebrity and People Magazine’s first Most Beautiful Woman in the world.  Jennifer Lopez is a global icon and the ultimate triple threat.
 
The 2014 American Music Award nominations were announced last month, revealing six nominations for Iggy Azalea--the most of any artist.  Other top contenders include John Legend, Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams, who each earned five nominations, and Lorde who earned four. 
 
As always at the American Music Awards, artists will be honored in the genres of Pop/Rock, Country, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Alternative Rock, Adult Contemporary, Latin, Contemporary Inspirational, Electronic Dance Music, as well as categories for Top Soundtrack, New Artist of the Year Presented by Kohl’s, Artist of the Year and Single of the Year. For a full list of nominees visit AMAvote.com.
 
American Music Awards nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected in Billboard Magazine and on Billboard.com, including album and digital singles sales, radio airplay, streaming and social activity. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Entertainment and Next Big Sound.
 
The American Music Awards is voted on by the fans. Winners will be determined through online and Twitter voting.  Voting began on October 13 for all categories except New Artist of the Year Presented by Kohl’s. Fans can vote once per day at the Coca-Cola AMA voting site, AMAvote.com, as well as once per day via Twitter by including the nominee’s name, category name and #AMAs within a tweet.  
 
Voting for New Artist of the Year Presented by Kohl's opened on November 1 and will remain open throughout the first hour of the ABC live broadcast on November 23, with the winner being announced in the final hour. Fans can vote via AMAVote.com and Twitter.
 
Preceding the ABC broadcast for the 6^th consecutive year will be the “Coca-Cola Red Carpet LIVE! @ The 2014 AMAs” pre-show. The show will be hosted by Lance Bass, Chelsea Briggs, Kandi Burruss, Gavin DeGraw, Franke Grande, Taryn Manning, Jordin Sparks, Morgan Stewart and Ted Stryker, and will feature performances by this year’s hottest emerging artists including Becky G, Ella Henderson, Katy Tiz, Mary Lambert and R5. Live coverage will stream online for fans worldwide starting at 5:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. PT on November 23.  The live stream can be watched at ABC.com, TheAMAs.comand yahoo.com.
 
Once the show starts, the full digital experience kicks into high gear on ABC.com and the WATCH ABC app for smartphones and tablets.  Sponsored by Kohl’s®, the “AMAs Backstage Live” on WATCH ABC is designed to be the ultimate complement to the live telecast.  Beginning at 8:00 PM ET, WATCH ABC viewers nationwide can choose between four different live feeds that deliver insider viewpoints into all the action happening on the show and backstage: Kohl’s Director’s Cut, Backstage and the Press Room. Verified pay TV viewers in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Fresno, Raleigh-Durham and Philadelphia can also access a live stream of the full awards show as part of WATCH ABC’s regular service. Once aired, the full show will be available on demand via WATCH ABC for 14 days.
 
The 2014 American Music Awards partners include Cumulus, Music Choice, Shazam, Time Warner Cable and Yahoo.
 
The 2014 American Music Awards is produced by dick clark productions. Allen Shapiro and Mike Mahan are Executive Producers, Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco are Co-Executive Producers, and Larry Klein is producer.
 
For the latest American Music Awards news, exclusive content and more, be sure to follow the AMAs on social and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #AMAs.
 
About the American Music Awards
The American Music Awards features performances from today’s hottest artists and presents fan-voted awards in the categories of Pop/Rock, Alternative Rock, Country, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Adult Contemporary, Contemporary Inspirational, Latin, EDM, Soundtrack, Single of The Year, New Artist of the Year Presented by Kohl’s, and Artist of the Year.  The American Music Awards pays tribute to today’s most influential and iconic artists.  The show is produced by dick clark productions and is seen in more than 160 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.theamas.com,www.dickclark.com or abc.go.com/shows/american-music-awards.

About dick clark productions
dick clark productions (dcp) is among the world's largest producers and proprietors of televised live event programming. dcp produces perennial hits such as the "American Music Awards," "Golden Globe Awards," "Academy of Country Music Awards," "Billboard Music Awards," and "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest." Weekly television programming, includes "So You Think You Can Dance" from 19 Entertainment, a division of CORE Media Group, and dick clark productions; as well as "Rising Star" and the upcoming “Boom!” from Keshet DCP, the joint venture between Keshet International (KI), the global distribution and production arm of Keshet Media Group, and DC Media, the parent company of dick clark productions (dcp). In 2014, dcp will debut the "American Country Countdown Awards" (FOX), “Hollywood Film Awards (CBS) and "The PEOPLE MAGAZINE Awards" (NBC). dcp also owns one of the world's most  unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with more than 55 years of dcp's award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances, and legendary programming. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.
 

Face of Defense: Soldier Balances Army Duty With Motherhood

By Army Sgt. William Howard
1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

FORT CARSON, Colo., Nov. 20, 2014 - Balancing duties as a soldier and a mother of three, one of whom is a special needs child, is just one of the challenges Army Sgt. Shanna Rodriguez has faced in her life.

Army Sgt. Shanna Rodriguez a mother of three, serves as a health care specialist at Fort Carson, Colo. Her middle child suffers from a rare metabolic disorder. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. William Howard  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Rodriguez, a health care specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, entered service much later in life than most soldiers.

Rodriguez said the spark to enlist ignited when her Marine father shared his photo album with her when she was 12 years old, but her plans changed when she married her high school sweetheart and started a family. Her husband joined the Army in 2000, and she raised their three sons during his service here and his foreign deployments.

Then when her second-eldest son turned 8 years old, he was diagnosed with Sanfilippo syndrome by an Army doctor and given a life expectancy of 12 to 20 years. Sanfilippo syndrome is metabolism disorder that makes the body unable to properly break down long chains of sugar molecules called glycosaminoglycans.

'I Can't Protect Him From It'

"To find out that your son has something that there's no treatment or cure, that hit us really hard," Rodriguez said. "As a parent, you want to protect your kids. I can't protect him from it. There's nothing that I can do."

She said she and her husband suffered through a gamut of emotions but eventually realized the need to focus on their son's life.

"He's here and he's healthy, and regardless of what the doctors are telling me, he's still my son and I'm going to treat him just like my other children," Rodriguez said. "Since that day, we don't care about the little things. We just want to give him the best while he is here."

Rodriguez's husband was honorably discharged from the Army in 2007 and the family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, where she worked as a 911 dispatcher. She said she lost her medical insurance when the city started going bankrupt.

Army Enlistment

In early 2010, Rodriguez decided to enlist in the Army so her husband would be able to spend time with their children and to get medical coverage for her son.

To get her ready for joining the military, Rodriguez's former noncommissioned officer husband helped her drop from 220 to 176 pounds over 10 months so she would be able to meet Army enlistment requirements. She enlisted as a health care specialist in April 2011 and was stationed here in December 2011, where she continues to improve her fitness.

"I love the discipline and the Army organization as a whole," she said.

Rodriguez graduated with honors from the Fort Carson Warrior Leader Course last month, sang the national anthem at her graduation, and her essay, "Warrior Ethos Goes Beyond the Battlefield," was published in the post newspaper.

"I think that all of the commitment and dedication it took to raise her children, coupled with her professionalism, created a rare soldier," said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jermaine Davison, her battalion's command sergeant major.

Plans a Career in Army Counterintelligence

Rodriguez said she plans to pursue a career in Army counterintelligence and to enjoy every moment with her sons. Her youngest is 12, her son with Sanfilippo syndrome is now 17, and her eldest is 18 and currently talking with military recruiters.

"She has a very deep and profound life story that has brought her to this point," said Army Sgt. Matthew O'Neil, a health care specialist with Company C, 4th BSB, 1st SBCT, 4th Infantry Division, who worked with Rodriguez. "She's one of the things that is right about the Army."

 

mypubliclands: A beautiful combination of fall foliage and...

A beautiful combination of fall foliage and snow-capped peaks at the Conway Summit Area of Critical Environmental Concern, California, to kick off your Wednesday.

Take a drive along the BLM-managed Conway Summit ACEC and experience spectacular mountains, valleys, lakes, streams, and volcanic mountain chains. The dramatic display of well-preserved geologic features covers volcanic, glacial, erosive, and structural processes.

From Conway Summit pass, there’s a breathtaking view of Mono Lake - a salt water lake fed by streams. And just south of Mono Lake are the Volcanic domes, including Panum Crater, Mono Crater Chain, and Inyo Crater.

Learn more about this unique location:http://on.doi.gov/1zQZYOn

Photo by Bob Wick, BLM

Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission Marks Ten Years of Discovery

11/20/2014 11:00 AM EST

On Nov. 20, 2004, NASA's Swift spacecraft lifted off aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., beginning its mission to study gamma-ray bursts and identify their origins. Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous explosions in the cosmos. Most are thought to be triggered when the core of a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel, collapses under its own weight, and forms a black hole. The black hole then drives jets of particles that drill all the way through the collapsing star and erupt into space at nearly the speed of light. Astronomers at NASA and Pennsylvania State University used Swift to create the most detailed ultraviolet light surveys ever of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, the two closest major galaxies. Nearly a million ultraviolet sources appear in this mosaic of the Large Magellanic Cloud, which was assembled from 2,200 images taken by Swift's Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) and released on June 3, 2013. The 160-megapixel image required a cumulative exposure of 5.4 days. The image includes light from 1,600 to 3,300 angstroms -- UV wavelengths largely blocked by Earth's atmosphere -- and has an angular resolution of 2.5 arcseconds at full size. The Large Magellanic Cloud is about 14,000 light-years across. Viewing in the ultraviolet allows astronomers to suppress the light of normal stars like the sun, which are not very bright at such higher energies, and provides a clearer picture of the hottest stars and star-formation regions. No telescope other than UVOT can produce such high-resolution wide-field multicolor surveys in the ultraviolet. Pennsylvania State University manages the Swift Mission Operations Center, which controls Swift's science and flight operations. Goddard manages Swift, which was launched in November 2004. The satellite is operated in collaboration with Penn State, the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and Orbital Sciences Corp. in Dulles, Va. International collaborators are in the United Kingdom and Italy, and the mission includes contributions from Germany and Japan. Image Credit: NASA/Swift/S. Immler (Goddard) and M. Siegel (Penn State)

National Guard Responds to Historic Western New York Snowfall

By Army Col. Richard Goldenberg
New York National Guard

BUFFALO, N.Y., Nov. 20, 2014 - For some 375 or so members of the New York National Guard called out to assist in western New York's snow emergency, the biggest impression was the stark differences in snowfall across the various locations where a storm blowing off Lake Erie dumped up to 6 feet of snow.

Army Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy, left, New York's adjutant general, congratulates Spc. Alan Pericak of the New York Army National Guard's 152nd Engineer Company, Nov. 19, 2014, following his successful mission to drive New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo through areas paralyzed by historic snowfall. Pericak, from West Falls, N.Y., is part of the governor's mobilization of more than 340 National Guard soldiers and airmen from area units to assist local authorities with snow removal or traffic control across regions of western New York hit by a historic snowstorm. U.S. Army photo by Maj. Mark Frank  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo initially called up than 240 soldiers and airmen Nov. 18 to assist the city of Buffalo and Erie County in the response to the historic snowfall. Within 24 hours, that number grew to the 375 expected on duty today.

The storm swept across Lake Erie on Nov. 17, creating bands of snowfall familiar to western New York residents, but dramatic in the amount of snow to pile up in just hours.

Lancaster, New York, just east of Buffalo, recorded more than 5 feet of snow by yesterday. But just 6 miles away, the Buffalo airport -- outside the heaviest band of lake effect snow -- received less than 4 inches.

"We are deploying the National Guard to ramp up efforts to keep western New York residents safe and to assist storm recovery efforts in any way possible," Cuomo said. "Travel bans and advisories remain in effect, and I urge drivers to stay off the roads so that our state agencies and the National Guard can assist those that need help."

Interstate Closed, Cars Stranded

The storm forced the state to close the New York State Thruway, Interstate 90, from Rochester west to the Pennsylvania state line. Some 100 cars were reported stranded along that 140-mile stretch of the highway.

The initial response included engineer soldiers and equipment of the 152nd Engineer Company in Buffalo and the 827th Engineer Company from Horseheads, New York, who deployed front-end loaders, Bobcats and dump trucks to assist in snow removal operations beginning the evening of Nov. 18 in support of Erie County Emergency Management.

The task force was led by Army Lt. Col. Jim Freehart from Troy, New York, commander of the 153rd Troop Command Headquarters, a Buffalo-based Army National Guard unit. Additional staffing for the joint task force came from nearby Niagara Falls in the New York Air National Guard headquarters of the 107th Airlift Wing.

The engineers were in action right away the night of Nov. 18, assisting the New York State Police and the New York State Thruway Authority in freeing a stranded bus carrying the women's basketball team players, coaches and relatives from Niagara University.

"It was an amazing feeling," Rene Polka, the director of women's basketball, told news reporters after the rescue. "It was dark when we first became trapped early Tuesday, but when the sun came up we saw how bad it was. Then it literally did not stop snowing all day, so we thought we might have been trapped for a lot longer."

Initial Response Forces

The engineers were joined by National Guard initial response forces from the 107th Airlift Wing at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station and the 642nd Aviation Support Battalion from Rochester. The two units worked throughout the day yesterday to provide traffic control or assist in critical snow removal.

The two elements provided 40 personnel and 10 Humvees to assist the county's response efforts.

Airmen from the 107th Airlift Wing helped clear heavy snows yesterday from the roof of the Eden Heights Assisted Living Facility in West Seneca, New York. West Seneca experienced more than 4 feet of snow in just the first 24 hours of the storm.

The New York National Guard doubled those initial response forces yesterday with the call to two more elements from Syracuse -- the 174th Attack Wing and 27th Brigade Combat Team -- to deploy and join the task force today and assist as needed.

"We've brought in hundreds of National Guard personnel, and we will be bringing in more to impart, supplement, but also to relieve the existing personnel," Cuomo said in a news conference yesterday. "This is going to be a multiday event, given the weather pattern, so we're planning a four [to] five day workload, and we're adjusting accordingly."

The quick reaction of New York National Guard resources lies primarily in the creation of winter response force packages that each major command resources each year. These packages were then quickly relocated to western New York to assist local authorities.

Snow Removal Trucks

Joining that force to assist the Department of Transportation were two snow removal trucks from the 174th Attack Wing, along with additional operators from the Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing from Scotia, New York. The trucks partnered with local highway department resources with snow removal of key roadways. The Oshkosh H-Series blower vehicle can throw as much as 5,000 tons of snow an hour as far as 200 feet.

More than a dozen support missions were completed for the city and county in the first 36 hours of response, clearing snow from roofs of buildings at risk, transporting nurses to key medical facilities to ensure continued service, removing snow from entrances to disabled home, assisting in the recovery of stranded motorists, providing traffic control to law enforcement to keep vehicles from closed roads and highways and assisting in the large-scale clearance of vast amounts of snow to create access for first responders.

Snow Removal Missions

Adding manpower to the physically demanding snow removal missions on many critical flat roofs covered by heavy snow, 50 additional soldiers from the Troy-based 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters also join the force, arriving today.

Emergency responders' request for high-axle vehicles led the Joint Force Headquarters to alert the 53rd Troop Command to deploy an addition 35 Humvees with some additional 70 military police soldiers from Buffalo's 105th Military Police Company to assist in traffic control as directed by local officials from the Erie County Emergency Operations Center.

With weather forecasts showing continued snowfall through tomorrow and a warming trend through the weekend that highlight flooding concerns, New York National Guard leaders said they expect to maintain a strong presence in the Erie County Emergency Management Office.

BROADWAY, TV, AND MOVIE STAR PERFORMS UNFORGETTABLE SONGS ON “KRISTIN CHENOWETH: COMING HOME”

 

BEST BET/ TV HIGHLIGHT

 

BROADWAY, TV, AND MOVIE STAR

PERFORMS UNFORGETTABLE SONGS ON

“KRISTIN CHENOWETH: COMING HOME”

NOVEMBER 28 AT 9 PM ON PBS SOCAL

 

Join Emmy® and Tony® Award-winner Kristin Chenoweth as she goes home to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, to perform music from her career on “Kristin Chenoweth: Coming Home” premieringFriday, November 28 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCaL.

 

With a classically trained voice set off by a gift for acting and comedy, Chenoweth appears at a state-of-the-art theater that now bears her name, performing Broadway, television and film songs like “Popular” and “For Good” fromWicked, songs from her acclaimed performances on “Glee” and beloved music from Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera and many more. Backed by a 13-piece orchestra led by Musical Director Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Chenoweth is joined by song and dance friends from Broadway in a program sure to be unforgettable.

 

About PBS SoCaL

PBS SoCaL is PBS for Greater Los Angeles serving as Southern California’s largest classroom, its largest stage for the arts, and most trusted information source. With its three unique broadcast channels, PBS SoCaL HD (KOCE), PBS SoCaL Plus and PBS SoCaL World, PBS SoCaL provides award-winning programs like Frontline, NewsHour, NOVA, Nature and Masterpiece, as well as local productions including Studio SoCaL and LAaRT.  As the flagship PBS station inSouthern California, PBS SoCaL National Productions works with filmmakers to develop programs and series to distribute nationally each year. Through community outreach initiatives including PBS SoCaL Education, PBS SoCaL provides local schools access to new media materials that engage students in 21st century learning.  Explore the future of PBS in Southern California at www.pbssocal.org

TECHNOLOGICAL EDGE

11/19/2014 06:53 PM CST

Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work, right, discusses defense topics with Marcus Weisgerber, global business reporter for Defense One, an online publication, at the Defense One Summit in Washington, D.C., Nov. 19, 2014. Work answered questions on the Defense Department's budget and how the United States would keep its technological edge in the coming decades.

Work Looks to Industry to Maintain Technology Edge

By Amaani Lyle
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2014 - In remarks at the Defense One Summit here today, Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work stressed the importance of engaging industry, services and the Defense Business Board in maintaining the United States' technological edge in coming years.

Work noted the challenge of balancing resources and requirements against the landscape of what he called an "especially chaotic" drawdown and a persistent continuing resolution over the past five years.

"The temporal aspects of this strategy are going to be much more challenging than in the past," Work said. "And we're going to have to do rapid prototyping ... or we will continually lose ground."

Budget Uncertainty Threatens Advances

Speaking on acquisition and technological advances, Work described the Defense Department's focus across the decades, from the 1950's nuclear weapons, 1960's space, 1970's stealth and microelectronics, 1980's large-scale systems of systems into current systems that can face asymmetric challenges.

But efforts to increase base-level demonstrations, exercises and prototyping, Work said, can by stymied by budget uncertainties.

Work said that in response to those uncertainties, the department will seek to enhance its effectiveness through the Defense Business Board, which includes former chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers and captains of industries.

"They're now an operational arm directly associated with my deputy chief management officer and they're going to help us benchmark against civilian business practices," Work said.

So far, the DoD has been able to annually identify some $26 million in savings from duplication of contracts, administrative costs and other expenses over five years through these internal analyses, he said.

"That gave us great confidence that as we look at the broader defense agencies we were going to find significant savings," Work said.

TV LEGEND BOB BARKER FUNDS ‘LION’S SHARE’ OF SUCCESSFUL MISSION TO SAVE CIRCUS ANIMALS IN PERU

Los Angeles, US and Lima, Peru: Philanthropist and multi Emmy award-winning TV legend Bob Barker has generously donated $500,000 to fund the ‘lion’s share’ of an epic mission by Animal Defenders International (ADI) to help enforce the Peruvian Government’s wild animal circus ban and relocate the animals in what will be largest rescue of its kind ever undertaken.  

Following months of work all over Peru, including trucking animals hundreds of miles across the Andes, ADI has just this week emptied the last wild animals from Peru’s traveling circuses as part of this record-breaking mission.

30 African lions are now in the care of ADI – 21 at their Spirit of Freedom Rescue Center near Lima and 9 in Colombia (following Colombia’s ban), which are due to join the Lima group for the Spirit of Freedomairlift to the US. The lions are being prepared for their journey to their forever home at a sanctuary in Colorado. Although the main operation is completed, ADI has asked the public to be on the lookout for any sightings of now-illegal wild animals in circuses and let them know immediately, so that they can also be relocated.

ADI is also relocating 9 primates from circuses and the illegal wildlife trade to sanctuaries in the Amazon.

The legendary US game show host, Bob Barker said “I am delighted and honored to be able to play a part in this important rescue mission. Circus animals suffer terribly and, thanks to ADI, Peru’s wild circus animals are being freed from their cages and chains and have a brighter future ahead of them. It is the US’ shame that such acts are still permitted here.”

Peru’s ban on wild animal circuses was secured in 2012 following an ADI undercover investigation of cruelty in animal circuses and a joint campaign involving Peru’s animal protection groups. The cornerstone of the successful campaign was a two-year ADI undercover investigation, which revealed the widespread suffering of circus animals in South America. The shocking exposé led to public outrage and calls for action across the continent. Nationwide bans followed in Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and El Salvador, with other countries considering taking action.

Many of the circus animals rescued by ADI have lived brutal lives in terrible conditions, some in isolation, others in severely overcrowded cages. The animals are often in need of veterinary treatment – like Pepe, a rescued spider monkey, who underwent surgery to repair the damage done when the circus snapped off his canine teeth. Despite his brutal treatment, Pepe is gentle and trusting of his new caregivers. Many of the lions have suffered smashed and broken teeth as a result of brutality.

The substantial donation from the former Price is Right host has helped fund the construction of quarantine facilities and veterinary care and, when the animals are ready to travel, will also help pay for their flight to freedom. ADI is raising more funds to relocate all of the animals and build facilities for the monkeys in the Amazon sanctuaries.

Jan Creamer, President of ADI, said “Bob Barker’s overwhelming generosity allows ADI to free circus animals in Peru from a life of deprivation and suffering – Bob Barker is truly a hero for the animals, all over the world.”

This is not the first time that Bob Barker has provided ADI with financial assistance to enable them to rescue and relocate animals in distress. In 2011, Barker donated nearly $2 million to fund ADI’s rescue of two groups of circus lions and other animals in Bolivia and construction of facilities at two sanctuaries in the US. The mission, known as Operation Lion Ark, is documented in the multi award-winning action-adventure movie LION ARK, which has recently been signed into global distribution with world-leading ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

A total of 28 countries worldwide have banned the use of all or wild animals in circuses, with similar prohibitions under discussion in several more. In the US, ADI is working to end the use of wild animals in traveling circuses through the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act (TEAPA).

ADI welcomes donations to help care for the animals and fund their flights to the US, free from suffering: DONATE US $http://bit.ly/1iztQbj

SUMMIT ANSWERS

11/19/2014 05:00 PM CST

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, answers questions during the Defense One Summit in Washington, D.C., Nov. 19, 2014. The discussion, hosted by Defense One Executive Editor Kevin Baron, covered topics related to the purpose of today's military and national security.

Services Look to New Ways to Recruit, Retain Personnel

By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2014 - All the services are looking at different ways to attract and retain the best recruits for the military, and that may include some form of interrupted service, the chief of naval personnel said here today.

Speaking with Defense One's Stephanie Gaskell at the organization's summit, Navy Vice Adm. Bill Moran said the millennial generation poses new recruiting and retention challenges.

"We're dealing with a generation of folks who view the world differently than when I grew up," Moran said. "The personnel system we have in place today is based, really, on a post-World War II model, with some adjustments along the way. I do think it is time we rethink how we manage our people."

Current Generation Wants Varied Experiences

The way the current generation thinks about service and careers is different, and the Defense Department would make a mistake not recognizing those difference, the admiral said. "What we've learned from talking to a lot of men and women in this generation [is that] they want to see more experience both inside and outside service organizations."

They want the experience of working in the military or the police or other service organizations, Moran said, but they also want to experience life in private enterprise as well. "Our system is pretty much an 'up-or-out system,'" he added. "You join and you either join for a career or you join for a short tour and move on. I don't think we can afford to do that in the future."

Moran said he has had conversations with his Army and Air Force counterparts on changing the way the services manage their forces.

"If you have a generation of young men and women who aren't ready to commit to a career at the five-year or eight-year point, we generally just say, 'Thank you for your service' and move on," he said. "I'm not sure we can afford to do that in the future."

Among Ideas: Off- and On-ramps for Service

Recruiting and training people costs a lot of money, the admiral noted. "I would like to see us to move toward a system that allows people to have an off-ramp from service -- to get a new job, start a family, see what the world is like on the other side -- and then have an on-ramp to come back," he said.

The services would save a lot in training costs, the admiral said. "We would get a more mature, experienced sailor," he added. "Those are the kinds of things we are looking at. Corporate America and other big businesses are also looking at this."

Sailors doing their jobs at sea or at the front have excellent morale, the admiral said, but those farther back do not have the same esprit.

Making deployments more predictable would go a long way toward raising all sailors' morale, he said. Sequestration spending cuts have played a role in this unpredictability, he said, but the service is working toward fixing that problem. Still, he added, it will take four or five years to build this into the fleet.

SNOW REMOVAL

11/19/2014 01:09 PM CST

A New York National Guard airman assists in snow removal efforts from the roof of the Eden Heights Assisted Living Facility in West Seneca, N.Y., Nov. 19, 2014. The airman is assigned to the 107th Airlift Wing based in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq

From a U.S. Central Command News Release

TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 19, 2014 - U.S. and partner-nation military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq over the last three days, U.S. Central Command officials reported.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, fighter and bomber aircraft conducted six airstrikes against ISIL, and one U.S. airstrike targeted a network of veteran al-Qaida operatives known as the Khorasan Group, officials said.

Five airstrikes near Kobani destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL staging area and three ISIL-occupied buildings, and also suppressed two ISIL fighting positions and struck two tactical units and a large ISIL unit.

An airstrike southeast of Hasakah damaged a crude oil collection point operated by ISIL. In northwestern Syria near Haram, a U.S. airstrike struck and destroyed a storage facility associated with the Khorasan Group, whose members are plotting attacks against the United States and its allies, Centcom officials said.

Strikes in Iraq

Separately, U.S. and partner nation military forces conducted 24 airstrikes against ISIL terrorists in Iraq over the last three days, using attack, fighter, bomber and remotely piloted aircraft.

Thirteen airstrikes near Kirkuk destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, seven ISIL staging areas, an ISIL mortar position, and an ISIL bulldozer and front-loader. Seven airstrikes near Mosul struck five ISIL tactical units, damaged a roadside-bomb factory, and destroyed an ISIL mortar position, three ISIL vehicles, an ISIL occupied building, an ISIL artillery piece and an ISIL artillery mover.

Three airstrikes near Bayji struck three ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL-occupied building and an ISIL vehicle. An airstrike near Fallujah struck an ISIL tactical unit.

All aircraft returned to base safely, Centcom officials said, noting that airstrike assessments are based on initial reports.

Part of Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the terrorist group ISIL and the threat they pose to Iraq, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project power and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the United States, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

 

USO to Exhibit Wounded Warriors' Art Therapy

By Terri Moon Cronk
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2014 - The USO's new therapy program provides wounded warriors with artistic outlets to help them express their wartime experiences.

The USO's Art as Therapy Program is for those suffering from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Participants' creations will be exhibited at tomorrow's Warrior Care Month Rehabilitation Expo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Apex 1 and 2 of the Pentagon's second floor.

Skill-building Workshops for Wounded Warriors

Ashy Palliparambil, an art therapist in charge of the USO Art as Therapy Program, said Nov. 17 that a variety of workshops are offered at the USO Warrior and Family Care centers at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Wounded, ill and injured service members and their families can take part in what Palliparambil calls skill-building workshops at the centers, to help them build skills through painting, drawing and photography while "finding ways to communicate their experiences and stories of war."

Other workshops involve short-film creation, open-art studio sessions, combining musical scores with poetry readings, and the Combat Paper workshop.

The Combat Paper workshop, she explained, is the artistic process of deconstructing military uniforms into pulp to create paper, which service members use for design purposes.

"There's something extremely cathartic in the physical aspect of deconstructing a uniform," she said.

Service Members Write Their Stories

A writing forum is combined with uniform deconstruction, so the injured troops can write their stories, Palliparambil said. Both the Combat Paper exhibit and stories then culminate in a presentation to the public at one of two area venues, she added.

When service members read their stories and share their art with a public audience, Palliparambil said, it helps their healing process and educates the civilian sector about what troops can experience during times of war.

"To have someone be a witness to their story plays an important role in their recovery," she explained, adding that examples of the Combat Paper workshop will be on exhibit at tomorrow's expo.

As a nonprofit organization, the USO relies on other nonprofits in its art and music program, such as Combat Paper New Jersey, which provides the uniforms, Palliparambil noted.

"The USO doesn't have a lot of resources, so it partners with other organizations to offer programs like these that are powerful for the service members," she said.

Family members -- caregivers and children -- are also integral to helping service members recover from the wounds of war, Palliparambil said. For that reason, she offers children's art programs and resources for caregivers.

Those who provide care to service members can participate in their service members' projects, take Palliparambil's art classes, and meet with other caregivers to share resources through the program.

"The caregiver is important for their experiences, but also in the recovery of whole family," she said.

Dempsey 'Encouraged, but Pragmatic' About Iraq

By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2014 - Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey is "encouraged, but pragmatic" about progress in Iraq to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attended the Defense One Summit here today. He spoke about his recent trip to Iraq, where he met with U.S. service members and Iraqi and Kurdish leaders.

"The new [Iraqi] leaders inherited deep structural disarray," the chairman said. "They are going to need a combination of courage, luck and leadership to manage their way through this."

It will also take time, he said. The new Iraqi government has dismissed a number of military leaders and seeks to appoint more competent leaders from all sectors of Iraq to replace them.

Iraqis Gain Some Tactical Success

Iraq's security force is having some tactical success in pushing ISIL away from Baghdad, Dempsey said.

"Over the next few months, with the help of our advisors and the training effort we have started as well as the military campaign from the air, I think there will be progress on the ground," the chairman said. "They are doing much better, but they have some deep structural vulnerability that must be fixed."

Looking back on his career, the general said this is his third time in Iraq. He was a battalion commander in the first Gulf War, a division commander and the commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and now he's facing the problems with ISIL.

It's the Iraqi's Campaign

"This one is different," Dempsey said. "Instead of grabbing ahold of it and owning it, and gradually transitioning back, we're telling [the Iraqis] from the start that this is about you. This has to be your campaign."

The chairman gave as an example an incident he saw when he visited Iraq last weekend. Iraqi forces, he said, called U.S. officials with a request for an airdrop on Mount Sinjar. The Americans pointed out that the Iraqis have airlifters -- C-130Js -- and had the needed supplies.

"Turned out all they needed was the expertise to rig the parachute extraction system that would do the airdrop," he said. "That's the right answer. They do what they can do and we fill the gaps they have in capabilities."

Meanwhile, the chairman said, the United States has a strategy to go after ISIL.

"I've got a 10-page document from the National Security Council," Dempsey said. "I've got a 503-page document from U.S. Central Command. I've got 190 planners down there in Tampa from 30 nations. We have a strategy."

However, that strategy is "going to change" and it "will change often," he said.

The objective -- to defeat ISIL -- will not change, Dempsey said.

General Martin E. Dempsey Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

General Martin E. Dempsey becomes the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after serving most recently as the Army’s 37th Chief of Staff from 11 April 2011 through 7 September 2011.

Past assignments have taken him and his family across the globe during both peace and war from Platoon Leader to Combatant Commander.  He is a 1974 graduate of the United States Military Academy and a career armor officer.  

As a company grade officer, he served with the 2nd Cavalry in United States Army Europe and with the 10th Cavalry at Fort Carson.  Following troop command he earned his Masters of Arts in English from Duke University and was assigned to the English Department at West Point.   In 1991, GEN Dempsey deployed with the Third Armored Division in support of OPERATION DESERT STORM.  Following DESERT STORM, he commanded 4th Battalion 67th Armor (Bandits) in Germany for two years and then departed to become Armor Branch Chief in US Army Personnel Command.  From 1996-1998 he served as the 67th Colonel of the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment.  Following this assignment as the Army’s “senior scout” he served on the Joint Staff as an Assistant Deputy Director in J-5 and as Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. From September 2001 to June 2003, General Dempsey served in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia training and advising the Saudi Arabian National Guard.  In June of 2003, General Dempsey took command of the 1st Armored Division in Baghdad, Iraq.  After 14 months in Iraq, General Dempsey redeployed the division to Germany and completed his command tour in July of 2005.  He then returned to Iraq for two years in August of 2005 to train and equip the Iraqi Security Forces as Commanding General of MNSTC-I.  From August 2007 through October 2008, GEN Dempsey served as the Deputy Commander and then Acting Commander of U.S. Central Command.  Before becoming Chief of Staff of the Army, he commanded US Army Training and Doctrine Command from December 2008-March 2011. 

General Dempsey’s awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Distinguished Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star with “V” Device and Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Action Badge, and the Parachutist Badge.  In addition to his Masters’ Degree in English, he holds Masters’ Degrees in Military Art and in National Security Studies. 

General Dempsey and his high school sweetheart Deanie have three children: Chris, Megan, and Caitlin. Each has served in the United States Army.  Chris remains on active duty.  They have five wonderful grandchildren:  Kayla and Mackenna by Chris and daughter-in-law Julie, Luke by Caitlin and son-in-law Shane, and Alexander and Hunter by Megan and son-in-law Kory.  Chris and Julie are expecting their third child this fall.