Leadership Speakers Tout Community Partnerships

By Amaani Lyle

American Forces Press Service

MONTEREY, Calif.  – Leaders from each of the services shared their perspectives on how to maintain community ties in an era of efficiencies, stewardship and renewable energy pursuits at a conference here today.

Craig College, deputy assistant chief of staff, installation management; Rear Adm. Dixon Smith, Navy southwest region commander; Jim Holland, deputy for Air Force installation policy; and Dave Clifton, Marine Corps Installation Command deputy spoke at the installation leadership forum during the 2012 Association of Defense Communities Annual Conference.

College lauded initiatives such as The Community Covenant, an Army program designed to foster and sustain effective state and community partnerships with all services to improve the quality of life for soldiers and their families at both current and future duty stations.

“It’s this partnering relationship without the exchange of cash, without the exchange of contracts, that gives me some optimism as we look to things like municipal services … that we have already (a) framework of cooperation that will permit us to figure out how to bring (more) of those kinds of support groups,” College said.

Holland spoke about the community support the Air Force received through a partnership regarding the service’s recent decision to base the F-35 at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. The partnership is important not only to the aircraft arrival in fiscal 2015, but also in December 2014 when the Air Force will make its next F-35 basing decision.

Air Force bases throughout the nation have seen local community partnership surges in ventures ranging from resorts to hotels and even to hyperbaric chambers, Holland said, but the aviation aspect is one of the larger pieces of the budget puzzle.

“For every dollar that a barrel of crude goes up, the aviation fuel bill goes up $600 million … so you can see why we watch this,” he said.

The volatility of the market is huge, Holland explained, stressing the urgency of the service looking to the commercial sector to help carry the load for alternative fuels.

Clifton shared Holland’s sentiment regarding budgetary tides. “The pace and volume of change is enormous right now,” he said. “For leadership to have clear priorities, we need to have a good idea about what we can do differently.”

Clifton said the Marine Corps has pushed efficiencies, paring where feasible and adding where needed, specifically with the addition of 22,000 Marines for war, land acquisitions at 29 Palms, Calif., and the in-sourcing of information technology and security forces assets.

Smith, whose command is headquartered in San Diego, acknowledged the vitality of the job market for military, contractors and retirees in his domain.

“One in four jobs in San Diego exists either because the individual is in the military, or a civilian employee of the Department of Defense or a contractor.”

“We cannot do anything within a stovepipe; we have to work with the community,” he said.

With just six months in the region, Dixon said, he already has been asked to join the board for Cleantech Group, a San Diego-based organization in collaboration with about 200 eco-centric companies to develop green solutions for business leaders in the military and private sectors.

“Our military forces and installations are phenomenal stewards of the environment,” Dixon said.

San Diego Native with the U.S. Border Patrol to Accept Prestigious CBP Team Award

San Diego — Gerald Wilke, an Assistant Chief Patrol Agent (ACPA), with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Border Patrol, San Diego Sector, has been designated to represent team members and receive the CBP Mission Integration Award on their behalf. This award recognizes an important and successful team effort that demonstrates a cross-organizational approach when developing and implementing a solution to address a significant problem. ACPA Wilke will be presented with the award by the CBP Commissioner at the annual CBP 2012 Awards Ceremony today, in Washington D.C.

ACPA Wilke was a team member comprised of high level managers from a diverse group of San Diego based federal agencies formed to collaboratively address the increasing use of the maritime environment by criminal organizations as a method to smuggle drugs and people into the country.

The maritime domain is a high-risk environment that poses significant danger of death and serious injury to human life. Maritime smuggling vessels are often overloaded and not seaworthy. Maritime smuggling generally occurs at hours of darkness and vessel operators rarely use required safety equipment. Maritime vessel operators often intently smuggle during inclement weather and hazardous sea state to evade detection. The team successfully created and implemented a consequence delivery strategy specific to the San Diego region called the Maritime Safety Initiative (MSI) designed to prevent this unsafe and illegal maritime smuggling activity.

Under MSI, all illegal maritime migrants are formally removed, informed of the consequences of re-entering through the maritime domain, and then transported outside of the California corridor to be repatriated to Mexico. Maritime migrants that choose to illegally re-enter through the San Diego maritime domain are referred for prosecution for felony re-entry after deportation. Maritime smugglers are also targeted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for prioritized criminal prosecution.

ACPA Wilke said, “Each team member greatly contributed to the success in the creation, implementation, and execution of the Maritime Safety Initiative with a primary focus to promote the preservation of life at sea and the enforcement of U.S. laws.” He added, “The Maritime Safety Initiative demonstrates what can be accomplished when agencies work together and share resources to accomplish a common goal."

After the implementation of the MSI during Fiscal Year 2011, maritime smuggling trends have significantly decreased as witnessed by a reduction in maritime apprehensions from 867 apprehensions in fiscal year 2010 to 631 in fiscal year 2011.

ACPA Wilke will accept the CBP Mission Integration Award on behalf of team members Mark V. Dunbar with the U.S. Border Patrol, William P. Snyder and John E. Garzon with the Office of Field Operations, William Raymond, with the Office of Air and Marine, Michael P. Carney, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Michael Wheat, with the Assistant United States Attorney Office and Patricia L. Hill, with the United States Coast Guard.

Gerald, a San Diego native, served in the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division and Special Forces from 1980 through 1984 and later attended San Diego Mesa College. In 2010, he successfully completed a CBP Command Leadership Academy. Gerald has worked for the U.S. Border Patrol since 1986.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Developing Leaders is ‘Job One,’ Dempsey Tells ROTC Cadets

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

DURHAM, N.C.  – Service equities, the U.S. relationship with Iran and Pakistan, and the future of women in combat topped the questions put to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at a town hall meeting here yesterday with ROTC cadets.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey spoke to 400 tri-service cadets from Duke University, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University, St. Augustine College and Meredith College.

ROTC is a college-based officer-commissioning program that focuses on military leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning and professional ethics.

“Think about leader development as job No. 1 and you’re off to a good start,” the chairman told his audience.

Faced with a dynamic between the two world wars that is similar to the Pentagon’s transitional situation today, Army Gen. George C. Marshall invested most heavily in leader development, Dempsey said.

“He knew that if he had the right leaders, once things clarified he’d call upon them to get it right, and that’s what we’ve got to do,” he added. “It’s about leader development. That’s the biggest lesson we’ve learned.”

The chairman stood alone on the stage. He made the cadets laugh, told them stories and showed them a fast-moving music video of warfighters at work that boomed with the heavy-metal song “Indestructible” by the Chicago band Disturbed.

He reassured them that they had not missed their chance to test themselves on the fields of battle.

“You can see Iraq and Afghanistan stabilizing a bit as you sit there wondering what it means for you,” Dempsey said. “[But] your country, I would suggest, needs you more than ever now to get us through [this] period of transition.”

One cadet asked about complaints that Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan had been doing the same jobs as soldiers. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos has a “great vision” for a lighter, more austere Marine Corps that fundamentally establishes expeditionary capability as its core competency, the chairman said.

The Army lays claim to being both expeditionary and of campaign quality -- meaning they go and stay until the mission is over, Dempsey said. “And I think the distinction is important,” he added, “because here’s the truth: as joint forces, we really can’t do without each other.”

The individual service cultures are a great strength of the joint force, just as diversity is a great strength of the nation, he said. But enemies over the past decade have decentralized, syndicated to work together, networked to improve communication, and gone global, the general noted.

“To defeat a network we have to be a network, so one of the things we’re talking about in our emerging defense strategy is the next document that will be published, which is the Capstone Concept for Joint Operations,” the chairman said.

The title, he added, may refer to a global networked approach to warfare because even the conventional force has adapted. “It’s decentralized, it’s networked, and it’s syndicated with a lot of different partners,” he said.

If the Defense Department accepts the challenge to take a global networked approach between now and 2020, Dempsey said, “I think you’ll see each of the services change its organizing principles and … operating concepts to become networked.”

“I think the nation will be well served by that,” he added, “and we can be a little smaller and pull it off.”

In response to a question about the U.S. relationship with Iran, the chairman acknowledged it’s a difficult problem. “We haven’t yet fully grasped the complexity of the issues, … and that’s where I’m spending most of my time,” he said.

On U.S. dealings with Pakistan, Dempsey said his close personal relationship with that nation’s army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, is helping to get the two nations’ militaries through recent rocky relations brought on in part by the tragic deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers during a November NATO air attack.

Dempsey and Kayani, who once were classmates at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., spoke earlier this week about a U.S. Central Command report on the investigation of the attack.

“When things are most heated in the relationship,” the chairman said, “we have the ability to engage each other on the basis of a personal relationship.”

Another cadet asked about the status of a change in the rules that keep women from serving in combat. Removing such restrictions is a two-step process, Dempsey said.

“I’ll use the Army as an example,” Dempsey said. “If you are a military intelligence analyst, there are some restrictions about where you can serve in the battlefield. For example, you can’t be on a military training team.

“That is completely ludicrous,” he continued, “because that’s not the kind of battlefield on which we operate. It’s not linear; it is circular -- 360 [degrees]. We’re going to knock that out of the way, so if you’re a female soldier, sailor, airman or Marine, you serve where you’re needed.”

The second step is the more challenging one, he added, not just because of military rules but because the issue has attracted congressional interest. It involves lifting a ban on women serving in direct ground combat units -- tanks, artillery and infantry.

“I personally believe that on my watch … I think that will begin to change. … It’ll change on your watch, for sure, if it doesn’t change on mine,” the chairman told the cadets. “And I think we’ll be better for it.”

USO Honors Servicemembers’ Leadership

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2011 – Medal of Honor recipient Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer, a Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan in August, a soldier and an Air Force search-and-rescue team member who repeatedly exposed themselves to enemy fire to save their wounded comrades, and a Coast Guardsman who led maritime security operations in the Persian Gulf received the USO’s most prestigious leadership award last night.

The USO presented its George Van Cleave Military Leadership Awards at its 50th annual gala here to one member of each service who demonstrated outstanding commitment and exceptional service, sacrifice and achievement.

In addition to Meyer, this year’s recipients included Army Sgt. 1st Class Ty Carter, the late Navy Chief Special Operator Brian Bill, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael A. Brait, and Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Jason Mortiz.

Here are their stories:

Army Sgt. 1st Class Ty Carter, a section leader assigned to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, was honored for distinguishing himself while serving as a scout in Afghanistan. When his fellow soldiers and a nearby combat outpost came under attack from a battalion-sized enemy force, Carter, a specialist at the time, ran repeatedly through heavy enemy fire to bring critical ammunition to his position.

Armed only with only an M4 carbine, he beat back the assault force for several hours. Despite being wounded, he disregarded his own personal safety to assist a critically wounded comrade. He administered first aid and carried the wounded soldier through withering enemy fire. Throughout the battle, Carter exposed himself to the enemy no fewer than six times as he crossed treacherous ground where eight fellow soldiers were killed.

Carter’s cavalry troop is slated to deploy next spring.

Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer , who received the Medal of Honor during Sept. 15 ceremonies at the White House, is the third living recipient of the nation's highest honor for valor since the Vietnam War and the first living Marine honoree in 41 years. Deployed twice for combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, Meyer gained national attention for his heroic actions in Afghanistan’s Kunar province with an embedded training team.

Entering a “kill zone” five times during a six-hour firefight with well-armed insurgents, Meyer extracted the bodies of four fallen comrades, evacuated the wounded and provided essential aid despite his own extensive shrapnel wounds. Ultimately, he single-handedly turned the tide of battle, saving the lives of 13 U.S. service members and 23 Afghan soldiers.

In addition to heroism, presence of mind amid chaos and death, and unselfish devotion to his comrades in the face of danger, Meyer also demonstrated a deep sense of humility. When President Barack Obama honored him, Meyer requested simultaneous commemorative services at other locations to honor the memory of his colleagues killed during the ambush.

Chief Special Warfare Operator Brian Bill was one of 30 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan Aug. 6 when a Taliban fighter shot down their helicopter during a mission to rescue Army Rangers locked in an intense firefight.

His USO honor, however, was presented for the way he lived his life -- personifying exceptional leadership, team spirit, courage and heart.

Graduating from Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL Training, the world’s most difficult military training, he quickly excelled as a SEAL operator in combat, coordinating and leading 60 direct-action missions, often under fire. After completing a seven-month advanced SEAL Operator Selection Course, Bill earned three Bronze Star Medals with the combat “V” device for Valor. Quoting from his second Bronze Star citation, “As an assistant team leader and sniper on a helo/vehicle interdiction mission, his instant quick thinking ensured the safety of the helo assault force and resulted in elimination of all the enemy fighters.” As noted in his third Bronze Star citation during Operation Enduring Freedom, during a night raid against a heavily barricaded enemy position, Bill fought his way under fire to pull a teammate back to safety.

Bill was honored as a gallant warrior who fought with valor and died with honor.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael A. Brait was honored for demonstrating exceptional leadership and heroism as a special tactics combat controller in Afghanistan. He has maintained more than 3,000 hours of combat search-and-rescue coverage for an elite special operations force and provided helicopter services for 48 resupply missions, including crucial humanitarian assistance to a local Afghanistan village.

During a four-day operation in an insurgent village, Brait was the lead joint terminal attack controller for a combined U.S. Army Special Forces operational detachment. In that role, he conducted a critical nighttime water resupply for severely dehydrated forces, despite extreme heat and the threat of enemy ambush. The following morning, he responded to an attack on naval special forces, using an overhead Predator and Hellfire missile against the insurgents. While under heavy machine gun fire from multiple locations, he helped evacuate injured personnel while continuing to identify and attack enemy forces.

Brait also trained 140 Afghan soldiers on the front line of the U.S. security effort and led a six-month training plan to prepare combat-ready troops. For his bravery and leadership, he received the Bronze Star, Joint Service Commendation Medal and tAir Force Combat Action Medal.

Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Jason Mortiz distinguished himself as a leader and superior performer while assigned to Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, 5th U.S. Fleet, as the force intelligence officer in support of maritime security operations throughout the region.

His duties included monitoring and analyzing terrorism, smuggling, narcotics and geo-political issues for command decision-making. Moritz also coordinated training and advisory missions with counterpart services throughout the region. The Iraqi program he helped develop and implement was the first of its kind for the new Iraqi military. He was lauded for increasing the command’s situational awareness of regional events, for his sensitivity to the region’s volatile political infrastructure, and insight into cultural and local issues and for superb teamwork.

Moritz’s awards and decorations include three awards of the Coast Guard Commendation Medal. He is currently assigned to the U.S. Coast Guard, Sector New York as a command duty officer.

Face of Defense: ‘Soldier of the Year’ Leads by Example

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 2, 2011 – She is, by one measure, the best soldier in the Army: a first sergeant -- the enlisted leader of an Army company -- and single mother, who stands about 5 feet tall and whose personal email address includes the moniker “short dawg.”

But according to the troops, commanders and civilians who work alongside her, 1st Sgt. Monekia Denkins’ influence far exceeds her physical stature.

Denkins, recently chosen as Army Times newspaper’s 2011 Soldier of the Year, received some two dozen unsolicited letters in support of her nomination for that award. Fellow members of the South Korea-based 201st Signal Company wrote of her tolerance, guidance, mentorship and motivation and leadership.

Denkins’ leadership style is indicated within many nomination letters that describe her attitude toward rank. As one letter put it, “On a weekly basis we held meetings in the conference room and [Denkins] would start it out the same: ‘Everyone take off your rank. In this room rank doesn’t matter, for we are family and everyone has a voice. If anyone has anything they need to get off their chest, now is the time, for once we walk out of this room we speak with one voice.’”

Denkins and Army Capts. Keila Sanchez-Erazo and Gary Jones, her current and former company commanders with the 201st, spoke with American Forces Press Service during Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta’s visit here last week. Denkins introduced Panetta to the crowd at a town hall gathering, addressing them as “leaders.”

“I refer to all of my soldiers as leaders, because leaders must believe in themselves -- people must believe in themselves,” she told AFPS. “My soldiers are referred to as leaders, not by rank, … because I want them to be able to go out there and be able to accomplish any mission.”

Denkins said she considers it her job to show soldiers what right looks like.

“I am the example. My commander is the example,” she said. “Beyond that, I make them face their fears head-on.”

Poor leaders are those who don’t meet established standards, she said.

“There’s one standard. You can always rise above the standard, but you don’t drop below. … It’s not an 82nd Airborne [Division] standard, it’s not a Fort Bragg standard, it’s not a Korea standard. It’s the Army standard that we compete against,” Denkins added.

She admitted the letters supporting her nomination surprised her.

“Really and truly, I thought they all hated me because of how I am,” she said. “But when you’re part of a team, you’ve got to push people to the point where they feel very uncomfortable. … When they’re uncomfortable and they can face it and overcome it, there’s no better feeling. You can see it in their faces that they believe they can accomplish anything.”

The first sergeant said during 20 years in the Army, she never has worried about being liked.

“When we have to fight and win tonight, [‘like’ is] not going to get us there,” she said. “It’s not about likership, it’s about military leadership.”

Sanchez-Erazo, who commands the 201st, said that while Denkin’s soldiers may not say so to her face, they truly admire the ability that she has to build them up. “She finds ways to make them believe in themselves,” the captain said.

Jones, former 201st commander, said Denkins not only leads her troops through their military tasks, but supports them in life challenges as well. For example, he said, one soldier in the company, a 19-year-old “super troop,” tested positive for HIV about a year ago.

“Absolutely outstanding soldier,” he said. “When he was first diagnosed, it was a very, very difficult time for him. The person that he went to was First Sergeant Denkins.”

During the three weeks before the soldier returned to the United States, Jones said, Denkins was by his side, helping him to cope with the news and the difficulty of sharing it with his family.

“There are so many leaders today who have a false sense of care,” he said. “You see the stories about toxic leadership -- leaders who only care about their careers. But she never looks up; she always looks to the soldiers.”

Denkins said the other soldiers in the unit never knew about that soldier’s condition, and he returned to the United States with his dignity intact. “I wanted him to concentrate on getting better, because this is not a death sentence,” she said, noting that she asks herself how she’d want to be treated when a tough situation arises. And when she faces a “point of no return” situation, Denkins said, her first thought is to turn it around.

“One human life lost is way too many, because one person can affect thousands,” she said. “So I’ve got to figure out a way to turn a situation around. I don’t sleep well at night, because I’m always thinking. I always want to make it better.”

Denkins admitted her time as a first sergeant has made her look at herself in a new light. Jones and Sanchez-Erazo build her up by challenging her to take better care of herself, she said.

“They see something that I haven’t taken time to look at, and that’s me,” she said. “I’m the last person to get fed.”

Denkins was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2008, and while she admits to not always taking her medicine as she should, she doesn’t let the condition slow her down. Jones said he once carried the first sergeant to the emergency room, where she was told to take three days off. Denkins was back at work later that morning, he added.

As a single parent, Denkins said, her 18-year-old son, Marquel, has had to get by on the “not a lot that’s left” when her duty day ends.

“It’s not a good balance,” she acknowledged. “I spend more time at work, … but when I am with my son, it’s quality time. And I will back him up, and I push him to do anything he can do.”

Her soldiers have asked her son how he can live in the same house with her, Denkins said, and his response is it’s easy “if you do what you’re supposed to do.”

“I believe that it starts at home,” she said. “I am a very disciplined person -- I always tell everyone, it’s the small things that will trip you up. What I say to my soldiers, my son gets 40 times over.

“I’ve never had a problem with my son, not once,” she continued. “Marquel is a blessing to me -- he’s very, very disciplined. He’s very respectful.”

Denkins has been selected for promotion to sergeant major, and she’s slated to attend the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy next year. Denkins said she considered retiring a while back, but has decided against it.

“I was actually getting a little disgruntled,” she said. “When you start seeing stories about toxic leaders, I take that personally, because I am a leader. For those who are out there who don’t want to do the right thing, I think they should be the ones who retire.”

Denkins said she’s looking forward to attending the academy.

“I want to do my best, because if you don’t have to worry about Denkins, that’s one less soldier you’ve got to worry about.”

Denkins said she has seen the standing of women in the military improve during her career.

“Now, as far as sitting at the table with the males, we’re coming a long way,” she said. “We’re noticing there are females that go into combat, they get into situations, and they survive.” She added some advice for other women in uniform.

“Don’t let somebody tell you that you can’t do something because you’re a female,” she said. “Stay grounded, focus, and you can achieve anything that you want to if you believe in yourself. But it starts with you.”

National Guard Association honors Wisconsinites

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Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

Two Wisconsin residents - a National Guard officer and a civilian - received awards today (Aug. 29) at the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) annual convention in Milwaukee.

Capt. Jason Crabb, of Verona, chief of future operations with the Wisconsin National Guard Joint Staff, is one of six national recipients of the Theodore Roosevelt Leadership Award for Company Grade Officers. A Wisconsin Air National Guard member for 14 years with three years in the active component Air Force, he spent many years as the officer in charge of the Wisconsin National Guard's Joint Operations Center. His performance in that role prompted his nomination.

"It's an honor and a privilege to receive this award," he said. "I'm glad to have the opportunity to represent Wisconsin on our home turf."

Lt. Col. David May, with the Wisconsin National Guard's operations directorate for military support, has supervised Crabb for nearly three years in the Joint Operations Center.

"When I saw the award, Jason was the first one I thought of," May said. "He's an outstanding leader. He understands operations, he's a strategic thinker, he's mature beyond his years and has the experience to back him up."

According to the award citation, "His ardent and steadfast efforts, combined with shrewd resource management and development of assigned personnel, has enabled the Wisconsin Joint Operations Center to grow into a robust and mature asset critical to the Wisconsin National Guard's response capability."

Crabb said the award is not an individual achievement, noting that outstanding officers and noncommissioned officers are responsible for a successful Joint Operations Center.

Jennifer Van Kirk, of Brookfield, a partner in the Milwaukee law firm Peckerman, Klein and Van Kirk since 2009, is one of five national recipients of the Patrick Henry Award. A Wisconsin National Guard Family Program volunteer since 2004, Van Kirk has served in several volunteer positions and on the Family Program's state advisory council. In 2010 she was named to the Pro Bono Honor Roll for providing pro bono legal services to service members, veterans and families of service members in Wisconsin.

"Those who know me well know that I am rarely speechless," she said. "However, I am at a loss for words because of the magnitude of this recognition. The National Guard family, both service members and volunteers, is filled with kind and hardworking people, full of integrity and courage. To be chosen by that same National Guard family, and nominated by people for whom I have great respect, is an unparalleled honor for me."

Van Kirk said she volunteers because she enjoys helping families and service members, and has enjoyed opportunities to learn, observe deployment training, and hear Gen. William Casey, Jr., former Army Chief of Staff.

"I have also had the distinct pleasure of meeting amazing service members, family members and volunteers who will be my lifelong friends," she said.

Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, said both recipients deserved their awards.

"The Wisconsin National Guard is blessed to have individuals such as Capt. Crabb and Ms. Van Kirk who embody the dedication and devotion of our organization," Dunbar said. "The bedrock of the National Guard rests upon professionalism, volunteerism and family. Without those vital components, we could not succeed in our mission to safeguard community and country."

The Theodore Roosevelt Leadership Award, first presented in 2006, recognizes the achievements and dedicated service of Army and Air junior officers who demonstrate outstanding leadership and professionalism in their service to country and community. The Patrick Henry Award, created in 1989, recognizes local officials and civic leaders who distinguish themselves by exceptional service to the U.S. Armed Forces, the National Guard or NGAUS.

The 133rd NGAUS Convention is a three-day conference including keynote speakers, discussion on important legislative issues, and access to the largest defense industry trade show. The event began Saturday (Aug. 27) at the Frontier Airlines Center Exhibit Hall in downtown Milwaukee.

Timothy J. Delaney Named Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Division at the Los Angeles Field Office

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Director Robert S. Mueller, III named Timothy J. Delaney special agent in charge of the FBI’s Criminal Division at the Los Angeles Field Office. Mr. Delaney most recently served as section chief for the New Agent’s Training Program Section in the FBI’s Training Division. In this role, he was responsible for the development and delivery of training programs for new special agents.

Mr. Delaney completed new agent training in Quantico, Virginia in 1991. He worked in the New York Field Office for nine years, where was assigned to the Manhattan office and investigated a variety of white-collar crime matters.

After serving in New York, Mr. Delaney was promoted to unit chief at FBI Headquarters in the Criminal Investigative Division’s Health Care Fraud Unit from July 2000 to December 2004. He oversaw the efforts of more than 400 investigators and managed a budget of more than $114 million. In this role, he was also a frequent lecturer on health care fraud at major conferences and training sessions.

From January 2005 to June 2008, Mr. Delaney served as assistant special agent in charge in the Miami Field Office. He managed division’s white-collar crime, cyber, and civil rights programs. In addition to this, he oversaw the efforts of special agents and intelligence analysts. While in Miami, the division dismantled criminal enterprises resulting in convictions of Washington, D.C. lobbyist Jack Abramoff, several county commissioners, and three police corruption rings.

Mr. Delaney is a native of Queens, New York. Prior to the start of his FBI career in 1991, he graduated from Sienna College in Albany, New York with a degree in accounting. He worked in investment banking at Banque Paribas in New York City and served five years in the U.S. Army Reserves, leaving as a first lieutenant. Mr. Delaney is married and has three children.

Senior Wisconsin Army Guard leaders visit basic training recruits

By 1st Sgt. Vaughn R. Larson

112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Basic training is where most Soldiers first learn about the "battle buddy" concept - a partnership where two Soldiers watch out for each other in training, combat and non-combat environments. This mutually beneficial arrangement provides accountability, safety and companionship.

If two is good, two dozen might be even better. Last week, senior Wisconsin Army National Guard leaders visited 24 of their young Soldiers assigned to the same basic training company at Fort Benning. Ga., to see the "buddy platoon" concept in action.

According to Lt. Col. Eric Killen, recruiting and retention battalion commander, the buddy platoon is not a new concept, but the Wisconsin Army National Guard has not employed it since 1985.

"In fact, I was a member of a buddy platoon in 1985," Killen recalled. "Maj. Gen. Raymond Matera, the adjutant general, came to visit us."

The idea is to ease the sometimes daunting transition from civilian to Soldier by surrounding young recruits with others that may be in their same National Guard unit or from the same hometown.

"[The Recruiting and Retention Battalion] decided to bring it back as we felt it would be a good way to provide our Soldiers instant camaraderie and a support structure," Killen said.

The concept may have merit, considering that the 24 buddy platoon recruits will be high school seniors less than a week after graduating basic training.

"The sense I got ... was that they liked being in a buddy platoon," Killen said, adding that the recruits he asked liked having someone at basic that they knew, and indicated the buddy platoon system should continue.

"I'm actually having fun with it," Pvt. Jonathan Huston of Algoma, Wis. - a member of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry in Green Bay - said about boot camp.

"I've been learning a lot," added Pvt. Jordan Hauge of Willard, Wis. - a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry in Arcadia, Wis.

"It's been fast, but hot," said Pvt. Stephan Shambrook of Argyle, Wis. - a member of Troop C, 105th Cavalry in Reedsburg, Wis. "I can't wait until we're done. Overall, it's hard, but if I could choose to do it over again, I would."

All three indicated that they are considering serving for 20 years. Hauge said he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Jim Hauge, a World War II veteran who served more than 20 years in the Army.

Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, commander of the Wisconsin Army National Guard, commended the Wisconsin National Guard recruits during the visit.

"The fact that you signed up while our country is actively engaged in two wars says a lot about your character," Anderson said. "Thank you."

State Command Sgt. Maj. George Stopper told the recruits that they had matured as a result of good leaders who guided them to the right path. He urged them, once they return to the Recruit Sustainment Program before attending their advanced individual training courses next summer, to help their fellow recruits.

"Take the time to share what you've learned," he said.

32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Command Sgt. Maj. Rafael Conde cautioned the recruits - who all belong to subordinate units of the 32nd Brigade - that their classmates will seem different.

"When you get back, you'll have changed," he said. "You'll be a Soldier. When you get back to school, you'll see things that will make you shake your head. You're different, so relax and let it go."

Huston indicated that he would feel like a "tough guy - superior to my peers" upon his return to high school. Hauge said he felt he would be "more developed" than his classmates.

"We'll have accomplished more than our friends," Shambrook said.

Conde told the recruits he was proud to wear the same uniform. Col. Martin Seifer, 32nd Brigade commander, noted that less than one percent of Americans wear the uniform of the Armed Forces.

"I'm looking forward to having you in our formations and being part of the Red Arrow," he said.

Face of Defense: NCO Leads by Example in Iraq

By Army Spc. Andrew Ingram

U.S. Division North

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq, July 21, 2011 – Army Sgt. Cynthia Philip prides herself in mentoring soldiers as she serves her third deployment with the 1st Cavalry Division’s Company E, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, supporting Operation New Dawn.

“I care about my soldiers,” said Philip, a training noncommissioned officer who hails from Albuquerque, N.M. “Looking out for them is my No. 1 priority. I do my best to do the right thing every day so I can be a good example for them.”

Philip, originally one of the battalion’s signal support specialists, assumed the role of training NCO to maintain up-to-date training and awards records for Company E soldiers and is able to display leadership by example.

“When I first started working in the training room, things were very disorganized,” she said. “A lot of our soldiers’ paperwork was outdated or wrong, so right now we are just trying to get everything organized and corrected.”

Her company commander, Army Capt. John Mohundro, said he has come to trust and rely on Philip to consistently get the job done.

“Sergeant Philip is probably the best junior NCO in our company,” said Mohundro, a College Station, Texas, native. “She is very intuitive and is able to solve a lot of issues before [we] even realize there is a problem.”

Philip stands out as a soldier who strives to go the extra mile and figure out new ways to assist the mission in addition to her assigned tasks, Mohundro added.

“Even as a junior NCO, Sergeant Philip took the role of the headquarters platoon sergeant,” he said. “Then she assumed the role of training NCO because she wanted to make sure the soldiers were properly taken care of, and she keeps adding jobs to her repertoire without giving any up.”

Mohundro said he doesn’t know how Philip handles it all, but that it’s impressive.

“She really loves soldiers,” he said. “She has been able to guide and mentor a few soldiers who were displaying some problems, and thanks to her, they are out in other units and doing very well.”

Philip stands out as a role model and mentor for the junior enlisted soldiers of the company, many on their first deployment, said Army Pfc. Maria Teresa Alvarez, a chemical operations specialist with Company E.

“It is very important for us to have female mentorship,” said Alvarez, who calls Maui, Hawaii, home. “It makes this deployment a little bit easier, because we know that she has been through all of this before. Sometimes females need mentors that can understand their unique problems, and I’m glad we have Sergeant Philip.”

Philip said she looks forward to seeing her soldiers grow and succeed as the deployment continues.

“I have a great group of soldiers,” she said. “No matter what mission they give us, no matter how impossible it seems, somehow we always get it done. The soldiers in this company surprise me every day, and I am proud to be a part of this unit.”

Robert Foley Named Special Agent in Charge of the Administrative Division at the Washington Field Office

Director Robert S. Mueller, III named Robert. D. Foley special agent in charge of the Administrative Division at the FBI Washington Field Office. Mr. Foley most recently served as section chief of the Employee Development and Selection Program, Human Resources Division, at FBI Headquarters (FBIHQ).

Mr. Foley entered on duty as an FBI agent in September 1996 and was assigned to the Bridgeport Resident Agency, New Haven Division. While in Bridgeport, he investigated gangs and narcotics matters. He was also a member of the New Haven Division SWAT team and served as a firearms instructor. Mr. Foley transferred to the San Juan Division in 1999, where he investigated police corruption, gangs, and narcotics crimes.

In 2003, he was promoted to supervisory special agent at FBIHQ and served as an agent attorney in the Office of General Counsel, then worked in the Criminal Investigative Division’s Public Corruption Unit. In 2005, he transferred to the Tucson Resident Agency, Phoenix Division, as a supervisory special agent.

Shortly after, he was appointed as senior supervisory resident agent of the Yuma and Lake Havasu Resident Agencies. In this position, he supervised all FBI investigative programs, primarily counterterrorism matters, public corruption, and Indian Country crimes.

In 2007, Mr. Foley returned to FBIHQ as unit chief of the transfer unit, Human Resources Division. In 2008, he was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Louisville Division’s Criminal Branch, eight resident agencies, and the administrative program. In 2009, Mr. Foley was appointed in the senior executive service and returned to FBIHQ as section chief of the Customer Service Section, Human Resources Division.

Mr. Foley is from Massachusetts and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rhode Island College. He received a Master of Science in business administration from Boston University and a Juris Doctor from the New England School of Law. Mr. Foley is licensed to practice in Massachusetts. Prior to the FBI, he served in the U.S. Army as an aviator. He is married and has a daughter.

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.

Philip Selton Named Special Agent in Charge of the Intelligence Division at the Washington Field Office

Director Robert S. Mueller, III has appointed Philip A. Selton special agent in charge of the Intelligence Division at the Washington Field Office. Mr. Selton most recently served as section leadership in the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters. He oversaw management of overseas FBI terrorism cases and FBI personnel assigned to the Department of Defense Combatant Commands.

Mr. Selton started his FBI career as a special agent in 1996, and was assigned to the Newark Division. He worked in the organized crime squad with investigations focused on La Cosa Nostra. In 2002, he was promoted to supervisory special agent. While in this role, he supervised a drug squad targeting Mexican, Colombian and Caribbean criminal enterprises. Later he became the supervisor of an organized crime squad that targeted non-traditional criminal enterprises.

In 2005, Mr. Selton was promoted to unit chief in the FBI Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters and was promoted shortly after to assistant section chief. As assistant section chief, he was responsible for the Counterterrorism Division’s units program managing all al-Qaeda related FBI investigations in the continental U.S.

Mr. Selton was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Cleveland Division in 2007. He was responsible for the management of counterterrorism, cyber, security, additional programs and the Toledo Resident Agency.

Prior to his career in the FBI, he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., and was commissioned as an Army officer. Mr. Selton served five years in the Army, including deployments to Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait as part of Operation Desert Storm. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for combat operations in Iraq. After serving in the military, Mr. Selton worked as a stock broker for four years.

Mullen: New Army Officers Should be Soldiers, Statesmen

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WEST POINT, N.Y., May 21, 2011 – The newly commissioned officers of the U.S. Military Academy’s Class of 2011 should strive to be soldiers as well as statesmen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at the academy’s commencement here today.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told the 1,031 graduating cadets they will be members of a team that has helped to bring about success in Iraq, progress in Afghanistan, and the support the United States and its allies are providing over Libya as it works to ensure security around the globe.

“You’re going to be expected to support and to encourage and to lead that team almost from Day One,” Mullen said. “That’s a tall order, and hard enough all by itself, but today I’m going to give you another assignment.”

That assignment, he explained, is to understand their responsibilities extend beyond their purely military duties.

“I’m going to ask you to be statesmen as well as soldiers,” Mullen said. “I’m going to ask you to remember that you are citizens, first and foremost.”

Among the cadets who received commissions as second lieutenants today, joining “the Long Gray Line” of academy graduates -- are 310 minorities, 225 women, 10 international cadets and 20 combat veterans who served in Afghanistan, Iraq or both. Since its founding in 1802, West Point’s 67,000 graduates have included Gens. Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. and David H. Petraeus.

As a Navy admiral addressing future Army officers, Mullen said getting to know the men and women of the Army has been one of the great privileges of his tenure as chairman.

“In this current job, we have become very close to the Army as we have worked hard to understand our soldiers and the demands placed on them and their families,” he said.

“It’s an Army tempered by 10 years of combat, an expeditionary force that has literally rewritten just about every rule and every scrap of doctrine it follows to adapt to the reality it now faces,” he added.

Though not much bigger than it was on 9/11, the admiral noted, the Army now is organized around brigade combat teams instead of divisions, deploys more modular and flexible capabilities than ever, and “can kill the enemy swiftly and silently one day and then help build a school or dig a well the next.”

Today’s Army has surged to the fore of national consciousness, Mullen said, “not by being a bulwark, but rather by being an agent of change.”

The Constitution stipulates that through their elected representatives the people will raise an Army and maintain a Navy, Mullen told the cadets. The American people, he added, “will determine the course the military steers, the skills we perfect, the wars we fight. … We therefore must remain a neutral instrument of the state, accountable to our civilian leadership.”

Because it is obliged to preserve the institutions that preserve it as a fighting force, the chairman said, it is not enough to deploy or fight or serve “unless we serve also the greater cause of American self-government and everything that underpins it.”

Such service, Mullen said, also obliges Army officers to help the nation’s citizens comprehend the full weight of the burden they carry and the price they pay when they return from battle.

“This is important,” the admiral said, “because a people uninformed about what they are asking the military to endure is a people inevitably unable to fully grasp the scope of the responsibilities our Constitution levies upon them.”

As a soldier and a citizen, a military officer’s constitutional responsibility is to “promote the general welfare in addition to providing for the common defense,” Mullen said.

Mullen quoted Gen. of the Army Omar N. Bradley, the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to illustrate that point: “Battles are won by the infantry, the armor, the artillery and air teams. … But wars are won by the great strength of a nation -– the soldier and the civilian working together,” he said.

“It’s not enough that you graduate from here and learn your skill and lead your troops,” Mullen told the Class of 2011. “You must also help lead your nation, even as second lieutenants.”

Soldiers will win wars around the world, he said, by working alongside civilians and with other government departments, with international forces, and with contractors and nongovernmental agencies.

At home, he added, soldiers will win wars by “staying in touch with those of your troops who leave the service, by making sure the families of the fallen are cared for and thought of and supported, by communicating often and much with the American people to the degree you can.”

Mullen reminded the cadets that service members also are the American people as voters, Little League coaches and crossing guards.

“We are grateful for who you are and all that you will do for the Army and shoulder to shoulder with your fellow citizens, the chairman said, “for the nation and the world.”