Face of Defense: Motivated Marine Succeeds in Afghanistan

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By Marine Corps Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde

2nd Marine Division

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan, Aug. 18, 2011 – Marine Corps Cpl. Austin Barton of Charleston, S.C., keeps his “ear to the ground” here as he monitors enemy activity to inform and safeguard his fellow service members.

Barton serves as the combat operations center watch chief with the 2nd Marine Division’s intelligence section here, analyzing activity in the division’s area of operations and briefing the intelligence section. He also acts as a liaison to ground commanders.

“I focus on what is going on in the battle space on a constant basis -- where the enemy is, where they are attacking,” Barton explained. “I have to analyze that and provide [an] operational picture to the intelligence section. While doing that, I also provide an intelligence picture to the operations side.”

Barton was recognized as his battalion’s noncommissioned officer of the 3rd quarter for fiscal 2011, but he had built a reputation for being a stellar Marine before deploying to Afghanistan in February, said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Richard Pinner, the collections chief for the division’s intelligence section.

Knowing this, Pinner said, Barton’s supervisors wanted him to assume high-profile tasks and responsibilities typically reserved for much higher-ranking Marines.

“He was put in the combat operations center, which is not a desirable billet; however, it’s something that has to get done,” said Pinner, who hails from Pensacola, Fla. “He was performing the duties and tasks of a lieutenant.”

Barton, 22, has served in the Marine Corps for five years. He is a former rifleman who switched to the intelligence field when he re-enlisted. His infantry experience, Barton said, has given him an ability to see through the eyes of Marines on the ground without actually being there, a skill that prepared him well for the intelligence field.

“Understanding what [the infantryman] is looking for and understanding what they’re seeing on the battlefield without actually being there aids you significantly when trying to provide an intelligence picture,” he said. “[It] really helps, because you have the opportunity to speak from both sides and bring that middle ground when ideas don’t meet.”

Barton’s job proficiency and leadership ability are well known in the intelligence section, said Marine Corps 1st Lt. Joseph Timoteo, the division’s intelligence operations center watch officer.

“Corporal Barton is the most intense and enthusiastic Marine that I’ve met in the [intelligence section],” said Timoteo, a Philadelphia native. “The longer he’s been here, the more enthusiastic he’s become about his job. Then he pushes that off on others, and it’s refreshing to see.”

Barton said his drive to perform comes from his love of being a Marine in what he believes is the pinnacle of any Marine’s career -- being deployed.

“My motivation comes from being out here [in Afghanistan],” he said. “Being deployed is the greatest part of [a Marine’s] career, because that’s when [they] are really affecting the rest of the world.”

Panetta Speaks on Need for Public Service

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

CAMP DWYER, Afghanistan, July 10, 2011 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta picked a perfect forum to speak about the benefits of public service here today.

The new defense secretary spoke to more than 250 Marines and sailors in the chapel of this camp. Here in the deserts of Helmand province the temperature outside was well over 110 degrees. Inside, it was a relatively cool 88 degrees.

The young Marines and sailors put up with the heat, dust, bugs, snakes and enemy activity.

Panetta thanked them for choosing country over comfort and spoke of his own journey toward public service.

“I’m a believer in public service,” Panetta told the service members. “My whole life has been dedicated to public service.”

He started on the journey as an Army 1st lieutenant during the Vietnam War era. He was elected to the House of Representatives from California in 1976 and was reelected nine times. President Bill Clinton appointed Panetta as the director of the Office of Management and Budget and later as White House chief of staff. President Barack Obama nominated Panetta as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, a post he held until he became defense secretary July 1.

“I think it’s important that people give something back to this country,” Panetta said. “I am the son of immigrants. Both my parents came from Italy. They made it clear to me that because of what this country was able to give them in terms of opportunity, it was important for their two boys to give something back to the country.”

The secretary said he used to ask his father why he had come to California from Italy when he didn’t have any money and spoke little English.

“My father used to say it was because ‘your mother and I thought we could give our children a better life,’” he said. “I think that’s the American dream. My wife and I want it for our three sons. It’s what you want for your children. It’s what your children will want for their children – to be able to say you gave them a better life.”

“Through public service I think we can make a difference to try to make sure that the lives of our children are better,” he said.

He told the Marines and sailors that they were doing a great job in Afghanistan.

“You have my commitment that I will fight for you in Washington,” he said. “You are willing to fight for that American dream, fight to give our kids a better life, but most of all fight for a government of, by and for all people.”

Allen Vows to Emulate Petraeus’ Leadership

By Lisa Daniel

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2011 – If he becomes the new commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John R. Allen said he’ll seek to equal the strong leadership of his predecessor, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus.

“If confirmed, I will seek to emulate General Petraeus’ resolute leadership,” Allen said today during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Petraeus appeared before the committee last week for his confirmation hearing to become President Barack Obama’s CIA director, replacing Leon Panetta, who becomes defense secretary on July 1.

“I assure you, I will do whatever I can to provide our forces with everything they need in Afghanistan and [for them] to arrive home safely,” Allen said.

The general told the senators he did not participate in military recommendations that led to Obama’s decision this month to bring home all 33,000 U.S. surge forces from Afghanistan by September 2012, but he agrees with it. The redeployment of 10,000 of those troops this year will begin next month.

“The troops that will be redeployed in July represent the fulfillment of the president’s commitment to both resource the strategy he enunciated at West Point [in December 2009], but also to demonstrate to Afghan leadership the urgency of increased Afghan national security force strength and capability to assume its proper role in securing Afghanistan,” he said.

Allen noted that 68,000 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of NATO forces will remain in Afghanistan after the surge forces redeploy. He added under questioning that it will be enough to continue counterinsurgency operations there, and that if confirmed, he will monitor the drawdown closely.

“It is my intention, as commander, to monitor that progress,” he said. “Should I become concerned that our ability to accomplish our objectives is threatened, I will give forthright recommendations up the chain of command.”

Allen recently became a special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after serving as deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Afghanistan and Iraq theaters. He was the deputy commanding general of Multinational Force Iraq – West and commanded the II Marine Expeditionary Force in Anbar province, Iraq, from 2006 to 2008.

If confirmed as commander in Afghanistan, Allen said he looks forward to serving again with Ryan Crocker, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and the new ambassador in Afghanistan, and will “fully synchronize” military and civilian efforts there.

Based on his recent time in Afghanistan, Allen said, he agrees with assessments that U.S. and NATO forces have made significant progress there, but that challenges remain.

Afghan and coalition forces control much of the battle space in Afghanistan, including the capital of Kabul, which consists of one-fifth of the population, as well as other population centers in Kandahar and Helmand provinces, the general said.

Military operations increasingly are being led by Afghan forces, which are on track in a surge of their own to meet a goal of 305,000 troops later this year, Allen said.

Asked about the importance of Afghan forces taking over security, Allen said, “It’s essential to the strategy.”

The Afghans also are making much progress in getting Afghan men to leave the insurgency and reintegrate into Afghan society, the general said. About 1,900 Afghan men have been reintegrated from the insurgency and about 3,000 more are waiting reintegration, he said.

Still, “there are significant challenges” in Afghanistan, Allen said, including the need for more operational training and literacy education, and the need to get rid of government corruption in Afghanistan and insurgent safe havens in Pakistan. NATO still needs about 480 more trainers for Afghan troops, he said.

“There are significant challenges, but I believe in the current campaign, … the objectives are attainable,” he said.

Face of Defense: Lance Corporal Provides Leadership

By Marine Corps Cpl. Adam Leyendecker

2nd Marine Expeditionary Force

PATROL BASE WOLFPACK, Afghanistan, April 28, 2011 – “Fire and forget” in military jargon refers to a weapon that doesn’t require further guidance to reach the intended target after launch.

Marine Corps Capt. Christopher L. Buck, commanding officer for E Company, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and a native of Perry, Mich., refers to one of his Marines as a “fire-and-forget weapon.”

Buck described Lance Cpl. Zach R. Mullin, a team leader in 1st Platoon, E Company, and native of Clio, Mich., as a Marine who understands the commander’s intent.

“You tell him what to do, and he’s gone,” Buck said. “He’s one of those guys you hope stay in.”

Even at this early stage in his Marine Corps career, Mullin has earned the trust of the Marines around him.

Mullin’s maturity and leadership “are well above his present rank,” Buck said. “He is one of the best team leaders in the company.”

Mullin, who attended Clio Area High School, helped to develop pattern analysis for E Company’s area of operations during the unit’s deployment. He also was effective in gathering intelligence because of his ability to successfully communicate with Afghans, sometimes without the help of an interpreter.

“He made the local Afghan communities feel comfortable with the Marines, which resulted in him gathering important intelligence,” said Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Daniel R. Cushman, platoon sergeant for 1st Platoon, E Company, and native of Madison, Wis.

Mullin gives credit for his success to the hardworking Marines who surround him.

In their first firefight, the toughness of his team was exemplified when fellow point man, Marine Corps Lance. Cpl. Steven Martinez, a native of Santa Barbara, Calif., took cover and immediately returned fire.

Mullin also cited a time when Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Nicholas W. Sainz, an assistant team leader in 1st Platoon and a native of La Habra, Calif., showed the platoon’s constant vigilance when he spotted an observer before the insurgents were able to execute an attack.

Mullin said after E Company’s mission is complete in Afghanistan he will go home to his wife, Madison.

“The hardest part about being deployed is being away from her,” he said. “If I could find a way to bring her in my main pack, I could do this for years.”

Missouri Guard ADT’s Leadership Academy works toward transparent government

By Rachel Knight

Missouri National Guard

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – As the Missouri National Guard’s Agribusiness Development Team continues to work with its Afghan hosts on improving the region’s agriculture and business infrastructure they’ve added teaching the importance of transparency in government to the process.

Army Maj. Gen. Stephen L. Danner, adjutant general, said that because previous Missouri Guard teams have addressed the province’s baseline needs of food and economic security, the current team can build on those foundations through the establishment of the Leadership Academy.

“Economic security is second only to physical security, and the establishment of the academy is proof of the great progress our teams have made since 2007,” Danner said.

“We have transitioned from providing the skills to the Afghan people to teaching those skills. The business and general public administration skills that the Afghan people and their leaders are learning from the academy will greatly improve life in the Nangarhar Province.”

The Leadership Academy will help Afghans through monthly training classes, agriculture extension agent mentoring, cash-for-work projects and training support packages. To make sure that Missourians were meeting the province’s needs, the team worked closely with Safi Mohammed Hussein, the director of agriculture, irrigation and livestock, to identify topics and training.

The cash-for-work project is the most prominent component of the academy, said Col. Michael Fortune, Agribusiness Development Team IV commander. The projects maximize the impact of classroom training by allowing Afghan agents to identify, nominate and manage these small projects that do not cost more than $5,000.

“While the total dollar amount for each project is small, much can be accomplished in a country where the average laborer makes only $3 per day,” said Lt. Col. Raymond Legg, agriculture team chief.

Every new project is a step forward for the region and the academy, Fortune said. The projects are nominated by villagers, reviewed by district governance officials, and approved by Safi.

“The most commonly submitted cash for work projects are irrigation, karize and canal cleaning, and repair,” said Legg. “These projects increase the district’s agriculture capacity by increasing essential water inputs allowing the Afghans to farm previously underutilized farmland.”

Throughout the process, National Guardsmen work closely with the Afghans to teach management and supervisory techniques.

“While the agriculture extension agents are very knowledgeable about the problems of the district, they require mentoring in identifying and planning suitable cash for work projects within the capabilities of villagers to complete,” said Capt. John Paluczak, agriculture section officer in charge.

Each project also comes with a detailed tracking system so that the team can gauge its effectiveness. The system also makes the program as transparent as possible.

“In Afghanistan, relationships are everything,” Paluczak said. “When the agent operates in a transparent manner, the farmers of the district create a long-lasting relationship built upon trust and mutual respect. The perception of openness and transparency establishes the foundation upon which the people perceive the agent and how they are going to treat the agent.”

A more transparent system will also cut down on corruption, Paluczak said.

“The agriculture extension agents need to be seen by farmers and villagers as the most honest, uncorrupt and transparent members of the government,” Fortune stressed during a monthly training class. “Agents are the most visible sign that government is working for the people in rural areas.”

Each project is an opportunity to better the region through increasing its agribusiness capabilities and demonstrating effective, honest government, Paluczak said.

“Agribusiness team members identify key concepts they believe will have a large, long-term impact on Nangarhar agricultural production,” said Paluczak.

“We are currently developing training support packages on small bag silage, composting, drip irrigation, row cropping, experimentation and windbreaks so that agriculture extension agents can spread these basic concepts throughout the community to allow farmers to increase their yields.”

Challenges aren’t limited to the projects themselves. There are major language and literacy gaps that the team must overcome to be successful. For example, the literacy rate in Afghanistan is just over 28 percent.

“Because most Afghan farmers are illiterate, the flip charts consist mostly of pictures with some words,” Palczuk said. “Finally, the booklet tells a story through pictures of how to do what the training support package describes. There are some words, but it is meant to be taken home by the farmers to use as a reference when they implement the new practice.”

All products must also be translated from English to Pashto.

Despite those challenges, the program and the Agribusiness Development Team’s mission have so far been successful, Danner said.

“When we fielded our first Agribusiness Development Team in 2007, we knew we would face some difficult challenges – but we also knew we would overcome them,” Danner said. “Our Afghan partners are committed to progress, and we are proud of our Guardmembers who are on the ground helping them in this time of transition.”

Gates Welcomes Afghan Leaders for Inaugural Forum

By Lisa Daniel

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2011 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates welcomed Afghanistan’s defense and interior ministers to the Pentagon today for the first of what officials expect to be regular meetings to sustain an effective long-term military-to-military leadership relationship.

The U.S.-Afghanistan relationship “is bonded in the blood of our sons and daughters,” Gates told Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and Afghan Interior Minister Besmillah Khan Mohammadi before the three men and their senior staffs began their meeting.

The administration of Afghan President Hamid Karzai already has made much progress, and the Afghan national security forces have made “tremendous progress” in helping to secure the country, Gates said. The growth of Afghanistan’s army and national police and their increasing ability to lead security operations has been “truly impressive,” he added.

More than 5,000 Afghan forces have been killed in action since 2006, the secretary noted, adding that their sacrifice is “something we appreciate and honor.”

Wardak said the Afghan casualties “are our patriotic duty,” and added that Afghans are “extremely grateful for the sacrifices of your sons and daughters who fought from so far away.”

“I strongly believe that our greatest tribute to them will be to realize the objectives of those brave soldiers who paid the ultimate price,” he added.

Afghans have “profound gratitude and everlasting appreciation” to the United States, Wardak said. He added to Gates, “We are thankful for your personal engagement and leadership, … and I believe we will prevail.”

Afghan leaders are looking for a closer and stronger relationship with U.S. leaders, Wardak said. “Whatever we have achieved, we could not have accomplished without your support,” he said.

Afghanistan had only a very basic foundation when U.S. forces began operations there in the fall of 2001 to drive out the Taliban, and clear progress has taken place since then, Wardak said.

Though plans call for Afghanistan’s security forces to be responsible for the entire country’s security by the end of 2014, Afghanistan still will need U.S. help, Wardak said. “I do strongly believe that for Afghanistan to survive in that very volatile region, we need your help beyond 2014,” he said.

The meeting was the first of the U.S.-Afghanistan Security Consultations Forum, which Gates said he established “as an institution beyond 2014,” when U.S. military forces are scheduled to leave Afghanistan.

The forum included Michèle Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy; Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and other defense officials to discuss building long-term cooperation between the two countries, as well as issues of immediate importance, according to a Defense Department statement.

The secretary said he hopes the forum would meet twice a year to discuss shared expectations for Afghanistan, to set specific goals and objectives, and to demonstrate to others in the Central Asia region that the U.S.-Afghanistan partnership is putting Afghanistan on a path of improvement.

The meetings included a review of security gains across Afghanistan in 2010, particularly in Helmand and Kandahar provinces, where improved security provided by a surge of Afghan and NATO forces has enabled greater Afghan freedom of movement, commerce, and development, officials said.

Talks focused on how to build on those gains this year, officials added, particularly in transitioning security to the Afghans.

Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan told reporters that the leaders would meet for several hours today.

“This is looking to the future for a sustained and enduring relationship with Afghanistan as a country, but also with the Afghan security forces,” he said.

The Afghan ministers and Gates also will discuss the gains of the last year and what needs to happen in the future to continue the progress, Lapan added.

“What will it look like past 2014?” he said. “These discussions will look beyond at what our relationship will be and what U.S. military support will be needed after that date.”

(Jim Garamone of American Forces Press Service contributed to this report.)

Mullen: Army Looks to War College for Leaders

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2011 – If the military takes care of its people and their families, then the future will be assured no matter what it brings, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told students at the Army War College today.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen spoke at the Commandant’s Lecture Series at Carlisle Barracks, Pa. He told the students that they cannot underestimate the scope of the change the military has been through in the past 10 years.

”We’re depending on leadership in these extraordinarily challenges times,” he said. The past decade has changed the services and now is the time to sort through that change to answer the question of “who we are right now,” he said.

The military has gone through rough times in the past decade, he said. He challenged the students to examine the change and see if “the ethical compass is true, is our overall compass true? Where are we going in the future? What have our young ones … learned about us that we need to address as leaders, and what do we need to teach them as they mature? Are we keeping our best young officers?”

The chairman said that as budget time approaches, most people measure it in the missions given and the equipment bought. “The missions and stuff make no difference in our health in the future,” he said. “(Our future is) guaranteed in terms of good health if we keep the right people.”

One fundamental change in the military over the last decade is the role that military families have played and the relationship of the services with those families. He said a ground forces junior officer in 2001, has probably deployed five or six times in the past decade, forcing families to cope with long absences.

The services have put in place programs to help families and redeploying personnel. But as budget pressures begin to grow – and they are growing now, Mullen said – the family programs are the first to unwind.

“I don’t want to do that,” he said. “I think we would do that at our peril. The challenges keep coming and we can’t seem to get them off the plate.

In yesteryear an issue would come up, we’d deal with it as a country and we’d move on,” Mullen added. “Now the plate isn’t getting any bigger, but they won’t go away. You as the future leaders of our military must understand it.”

The chairman discussed the nature of the change and the issues around the world. He told the students – almost all of whom served multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan – that the military must continue to change and adjust.

He said they need to examine all of the world. The preponderance of resources today flow to U.S. Central Command, Mullen said. As it should with American troops are involved in two conflicts there. “But this means there is an inability to invest in small ways in other parts of the world, and if this continues, this can be very dangerous,” he said.

He told the students that American forces will be out of Iraq at the end of the year, and said those who served there should be proud of the work they did. “There is a night and day difference every time I visit,” he said. Iraq has formed a government and they are dealing with politics and not with war as they move forward.

The major U.S. effort is now, of course, in Afghanistan. “In a very tough fight, but it’s better there,” Mullen said. “But as I said many times it’s not just security, there has to be a level of legitimacy in the government of Afghanistan. That’s got to be created over the next three to four years.”

Mullen also praised the efforts of Army Lt. Gen. William Caldwell’s NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan. He said they have built the training infrastructure, trained the instructors and developed the curricula for the Afghan Army and police. “On average we have 30,000 to 35,000 trainees at one time,” he said. “Two years ago that number was miniscule.”

This was Mullen’s third trip to the Army War College, and he spoke of his 43-year career. “To cycle from the war we were in when I was first commissioned, to the wars we are in in the last decade in a position of leadership has truly been an extraordinary opportunity,” he said. “It’s been a great ride.”

New Strategy Calls for Redefined Leadership

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2011 – The first revision in seven years of the National Military Strategy calls for redefining leadership in a changing world.

The document released here today is the first revision since 2004 of the ways and means that the military will advance U.S. national interests. It builds on the 2010 National Security Strategy and the objectives in the latest Quadrennial Defense Review.

“Our military power is most effective when employed in support and in concert with other elements of power as part of whole-of-nation approaches to foreign policy,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote in the strategy. “This strategy is designed to meet the expectations of the American people that their military reflect the best of this great nation at home and abroad.”

Changing leadership in this whole-of-nation concept is key to the strategy. “This strategy acknowledges the need for military leadership that is redefined for an increasingly complex strategic environment,” it says. Military leadership will emphasize mutual responsibility and respect and will require a full spectrum of leadership approaches – facilitator, enabler, convener and guarantor.

The National Military Objectives are designed to counter violent extremism, deter and defeat aggression, strengthen international and regional security and shape the future force.

Violent extremism directly threatens Americans, their way of life, and America’s vital interests, the strategy says. Al-Qaida is the main group, and it remains a threat. The military will continue to work with NATO and allies in Afghanistan to pursue the Taliban, strengthen the Afghan government, and train and equip Afghan security forces.

Violent extremists work in other parts of the globe from Colombia to Indonesia and Chechnya to Somalia. The international community must address the root cause of driving people toward extremism, the strategy says. Operations to kill terrorists buy time but aren’t decisive, it says.

“We must continue to support and facilitate whole-of-nation approaches to countering extremism that seek and sustain regional partnerships with responsible states to erode terrorists’ support and sources or legitimacy,” the strategy says.

Deterrence is not just a strategy left over from the Cold War. As long as nuclear weapons exist, the United States must maintain a credible deterrence force against weapons of mass destruction.

But deterrence doesn’t always work, and the military mission must remain to fight and win wars. The United States must counter potential adversaries with anti-access and other strategies that include defending space and cyberspace.

The biggest change in the strategy is the emphasis on strengthening international and regional security. Under the revision, the United States can stand alone if needed, but the strategy sees the future in coalitions. U.S. forces will remain globally positioned, and be able to use foreign bases, ports and airfields.

The United States will continue to work with responsible countries and in alliances. NATO will remain its bedrock alliance, but Americans will work with the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other groups to promote military-to-military relations.

A senior military official speaking on background said the Asia-Pacific will be of greater importance. “There are two rising powers – India and China – and a number of regionally powerful nations,” he said.

There may be a migration of U.S. capabilities in the region. “That may not necessarily mean more troops, but the distribution may change,” he said.

People are the beating heart that put sinews into the strategy. “To shape the future force, we must grow leaders who can truly out-think and out-innovate adversaries while gaining trust, understanding and cooperation from our partners in an ever more complex and dynamic environment,” the strategy says.

Leaders must be flexible, agile and adaptable, it says.

The strategy also reminds that nations incur a debt to those who serve. “Just as our service members commit to the nation when they volunteer to serve, we incur an equally binding pledge to return them to society as better citizens,” it says. “We must safeguard service members’ pay and benefits, provide family support and care for our wounded warriors.”

Face of Defense: Soldier Returns After Mentoring Afghans

By Army Sgt. Christopher Oster

479th Field Artillery Brigade, Division West

FORT HOOD, Texas, Dec. 17, 2010 – A soldier with the 479th Field Artillery Brigade’s 3rd Armor Battalion, 395th Regiment based here recently returned from Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he had helped to train and mentor Afghan soldiers.

"Our primary mission was to mentor the Afghan National Army on their noncommissioned officers’ battle course, the equivalent of our senior leadership course,” Army Sgt. 1st Class Rogelio Fulinara said.

Most of the Afghan soldiers were trainers and already knew how to train their soldiers, Fulinara added, and just needed assistance with planning.

Fulinara worked closely with NCOs of the 205th Afghan National Army Corps before moving to Camp Darulamen to assist in starting up a new Infantry Battle School for the Afghan army.

As time went on, Fulinara said, the soldiers learned to work more closely together and allowed each other to work at their full potential.

When he returned home from his deployment, Fulinara said, he had the opportunity to surprise his children.

"The first thing I did when I got home was scare the kids,” he said. “The kids were being rowdy, and I burst in the door. It was like shock and awe."

Since returning home, Fulinara said, he is enjoying spending more time with his family and looking forward to his 16th wedding anniversary.

DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Leadership and Experience of the ANP

Maj. Gen. Stuart Beare, Deputy Commander – Police, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan (NTM-A), participated in a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable on Tuesday, Oct. 5. As the Afghan National Police (ANP) has grown quickly in number of police officers, the organization lacks experienced officers to take on leadership roles. Beare addressed the current leaders of the ANP and how DCOM-P plans to increase leader development into the future through increased courses of instruction and mentoring programs.

Why We Serve: Navy Lieutenant Promotes Volunteerism

By Meghan Vittrup
American Forces Press Service

July 26, 2007 - Growing up in Mobile, Ala., Judith L. Lemley never imagined being in the military. But after graduating with a bachelor's degree in secondary education, Lemley was inspired to follow in the footsteps of her father and enlisted in the Navy. "My father was proud of his time in the military, and he spoke highly of it," Lemley, now a Navy lieutenant, said.

Lemley enlisted 15 years ago and received her officer commission after completing the Limited Duty Officer Program.

Lemley has deployed four times on ships in the Persian Gulf and recently returned from a seven-month tour to Afghanistan, where she helped train Afghan National Army soldiers to use and maintain field radios.

The Afghan soldiers' training also incorporated cryptography to secure communications. It also established automatic link systems so soldiers could communicate without having to change wavelengths throughout the day.

After taking initiative and looking over program cost projections, Lemley was able to carve out $240 million, saving 41 percent over initial projections, when she realized things were being purchased haphazardly.

"I came in and said, 'Nope, I'm going to take this over," Lemley said. "And I carved it out, and I said, 'You know what? This is what we are going to do. We are not going to buy all this excess; we are going to trim the fat and make it happen.' And that's what we did; we stayed focused. What you save in one area someone can always use in another."

Lemley is one of eight servicemembers who served in Iraq, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa selected to share their individual stories to Americans across the country through the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" public outreach program.

The "Why We Serve" program was initially the idea of Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The program began in fall of 2006. Groups that comprise two military servicemembers from each branch are selected to participate in the program for about 90 days.

"My experience will only help other people grow and stir interest to support the troops, and that's what it's about," Lemley said.

Holding a leadership position in the military, where women only make up a small percentage, can be a challenge. But training Afghan soldiers in a country where women and men are not treated equally can be intimidating, she said.

"The part I find fulfilling is that I did have to meet with (Afghan National Army) generals and colonels on an almost daily basis, and I was the one who kept the key to the kingdom because I fielded all communication equipment," Lemley said. "They found out early on that they couldn't yell at me and order me around. But as a woman, I learned all you have to do is stand your ground and be logical. Women do have value and can make sound decisions."

Lemley said she wants Americans to know that job satisfaction and challenging work are key components of success. "Job satisfaction is the most critical thing," she said. "Respect yourself, and others will respect you."

Lemley also said she wants people to understand the importance of volunteerism and of supporting the troops.

"I want Americans to know that the servicemembers are trying to do as we've been directed, and we really need their support," Lemley said. "Whether they agree with the war or not, we are Americans trying to protect their safety and security in the United States, and we would greatly appreciate their support."