It came down to the last play for the Gamecocks vs. the #2 team in the country... didn't happen, but still... we were supposed to lose brutally, and we didn't!
Wow.
Go Cocks...
28 September 2006
Some Me Time
It's about 0315... and yes, I'm up.
I actually set the alarm... why? Because AFN is actually carrying the game between Auburn and the Chickens (South Carolina).
Fully expected this to be a slaughter. And I'm a fan! But I am pleasantly enjoying this game...
House is quiet, M is sick a bit, but no biggie. But it's nice and relaxing. I'll be whupped tomorrow, and it's worth it.
GO COCKS!
I actually set the alarm... why? Because AFN is actually carrying the game between Auburn and the Chickens (South Carolina).
Fully expected this to be a slaughter. And I'm a fan! But I am pleasantly enjoying this game...
House is quiet, M is sick a bit, but no biggie. But it's nice and relaxing. I'll be whupped tomorrow, and it's worth it.
GO COCKS!
27 September 2006
AAFES Gas Prices in October
Finally, finally... we'll see some relief.
Effective 01 October, the new price for gas in Germany will be $2.72 per gallon.
This is a drop of 54 cents per gallon, and will be in effect for the whole month of October.
Kudos to AAFES, they say they flexed their normal pricing policy which would have reduced the price by 23 cents less. So, in recognition of the plummet that prices in the US are taking, they lowered it further.
Still high, but... whew, finally some relief. As "Stars & Stripes" says, AAFES is finally responding to the yawning gap between their prices and prices in the States.
Effective 01 October, the new price for gas in Germany will be $2.72 per gallon.
This is a drop of 54 cents per gallon, and will be in effect for the whole month of October.
Kudos to AAFES, they say they flexed their normal pricing policy which would have reduced the price by 23 cents less. So, in recognition of the plummet that prices in the US are taking, they lowered it further.
Still high, but... whew, finally some relief. As "Stars & Stripes" says, AAFES is finally responding to the yawning gap between their prices and prices in the States.
Farewell to the F-14
The F-14 Tomcat recently took it's ceremonial "last" flight... Read about it at Instapinch.
Well written.
(Plus, it's a good blog in general.)
Well written.
(Plus, it's a good blog in general.)
AAFES Gas
Gas is $1.80 in Missouri.
Gas is $3.26 for the military in Germany.
AAFES difference? $1.46 per gallon.
Gas is $3.26 for the military in Germany.
AAFES difference? $1.46 per gallon.
25 September 2006
More AAFES Ranting
Drudge has an image of a gas station having prices below $2 per gallon.
Current price of the cheapest AAFES gas in Germany? $3.16 per gallon. Want to have an octane level comparable to lowest octane of US? $3.26 per gallon.
Can anyone help AAFES explain this?
For review: AAFES sets gas prices monthly. It's allegedly based upon the Department of Energy's average price of gas for the previous four weeks.
(Note: The DOE average includes taxes - something AAFES promises us we do not pay.)
AAFES then adjusts the price further to compensate for the costs of administering its fuel coupon program and to offset prices on other products (it often uses diapers as an example).
My question is: How can AAFES manage their business? Any gas station in the US changes prices frequently, often several times a day. It's supply and demand at work. How can you manage and plan your business based on hoping that your cost of doing business doesn't fluctuate too much? I'll translate: Right now, AAFES is making a killing because gas prices have dropped yet they are maintaining high costs. Good for them. However, what about when it's the other way around (it has been known to happen)? Can you really ride out a whole month waiting for the opportunity to raise your price to match the cost of business? That's insane!
Eagerly awaiting 01 October so I can start saving money. All of this driving has put a serious dent in the ol' wallet... When Ellicia was in the hospital, I was putting between $80-$100 a day into the gas tank.
But hey, the diapers are cheap...
Current price of the cheapest AAFES gas in Germany? $3.16 per gallon. Want to have an octane level comparable to lowest octane of US? $3.26 per gallon.
Can anyone help AAFES explain this?
For review: AAFES sets gas prices monthly. It's allegedly based upon the Department of Energy's average price of gas for the previous four weeks.
(Note: The DOE average includes taxes - something AAFES promises us we do not pay.)
AAFES then adjusts the price further to compensate for the costs of administering its fuel coupon program and to offset prices on other products (it often uses diapers as an example).
My question is: How can AAFES manage their business? Any gas station in the US changes prices frequently, often several times a day. It's supply and demand at work. How can you manage and plan your business based on hoping that your cost of doing business doesn't fluctuate too much? I'll translate: Right now, AAFES is making a killing because gas prices have dropped yet they are maintaining high costs. Good for them. However, what about when it's the other way around (it has been known to happen)? Can you really ride out a whole month waiting for the opportunity to raise your price to match the cost of business? That's insane!
Eagerly awaiting 01 October so I can start saving money. All of this driving has put a serious dent in the ol' wallet... When Ellicia was in the hospital, I was putting between $80-$100 a day into the gas tank.
But hey, the diapers are cheap...
Extended Again
The 1st Brigade of the 1st Armored Division was recently extended for their tour in Iraq. I feel for these folks and their families.
They were extended last time around! Plus, the Alaskan Stryker Brigade was also recently extended.
Now, repeat after me:
We are not stretched thin.
We are not stretched thin.
We are not stretched thin.
(Hey, it worked for Dorothy...)
Why the latest extension? Because their replacement unit hadn't yet had their minimum 12 months "respite" time.
I don't have the answer. I wish we had a magical answer, but... there must be a better way...
They were extended last time around! Plus, the Alaskan Stryker Brigade was also recently extended.
Now, repeat after me:
We are not stretched thin.
We are not stretched thin.
We are not stretched thin.
(Hey, it worked for Dorothy...)
Why the latest extension? Because their replacement unit hadn't yet had their minimum 12 months "respite" time.
I don't have the answer. I wish we had a magical answer, but... there must be a better way...
A Column That Should Be On a Blog
In the 26 September 2006 European edition of the "Stars and Stripes", on page 13, you'll find a column that is extremely touching and heart-rending.
I wish I could copy it here, but it's not yet available for that. Click on the link and the whole paper will download... then you can jump to page 13.
I remember this feeling... but, I don't know if I've seen it put so eloquently.
Putting on your belt doesn't look quite the same, yet... so very familiar.
Edit: It's now available, so I'm posting it here. Originally in "Stars and Stripes"
Opinion: My respect for ‘quiet clay’ is loud and clear
By Dr. (Col.) W. Thomas Frank
European edition, Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Editor’s Note: This column appeared Sept. 26 on the Opinion page in the Mideast, European and Pacific editions.
It’s Sunday in Afghanistan.
I was sitting — completing some clerical task or other — when the patient administration clerk stood at the door.
“Sir, mortuary affairs needs a doctor.”
“What?” I replied. “The last place they should need a doctor is mortuary affairs.”
“No, sir. They need a doctor to sign some death certificates.”
Usually on a Sunday, I can finish my work a little early and take some time off in my hooch — watch a movie, read or nap. I was eager to do so now.
I walked to the ER to see if the doc there was busy. If not, he could do this. This is a task that would usually fall upon the ER doc, but I suspected he was engaged. The telltale sound of a chopper outside suggested more business was at hand. The doc in the ER was working on a wounded American soldier.
“All right, I’ll go,” I muttered, an irritated edge in my voice.
The mortuary affairs sergeant picked me up in his white van — unmarked except for a white placard in the window that declared “Mortuary Affairs” for all to see. We drove up the ironically named “Disney Drive” — which is, in fact, named for a dead American soldier rather than for the fairy tale king — until we came to the little plywood hut that is mortuary affairs.
Outside were several stacks of oblong aluminum boxes labeled “head” on one end and “feet” on the other. Inside the building was cool and it had a tiled floor — a distinctly unusual feature for these field buildings. The tile here of course has a purpose. It can be easily washed, and there is a drain in the center.
In the middle of the room were three stretchers on stretcher stands. On each stretcher was a body bag.
“Here you go,” said a soldier who handed me a clipboard with a piece of paper on it. A death certificate.
He walked over to the first bag and, without flourish, unzipped it and pulled it open. Before me lay a young man perhaps 19 or 20. His eyes closed. His uniform in tatters. The flesh of his face and torso seared a brown color but not blackened.
Across his chest and flanks, large patches of flesh hung off in loose swatches. There was a large wound in his lower left leg.
I picked up the clipboard and stared blankly at the form.
“Cause of death.” What was it? That leg wound clearly wasn’t the cause.
I asked the soldier to lift the head of the corpse so I would know if there was any obvious brain injury. No. The head was intact. His mouth and nose were clearly burned, however. The last gulps of air he took into his lungs were on fire. He died of “burns.”
The next bag was unzipped. I stepped back. It was a woman. I hadn’t expected a woman.
Her arms were reaching up in front of her, her fingers having a grasping aspect — as if they were trying to steal back life from the lifeless air around her.
Where her head should have been, there was only a chin. Her uniform blouse was pulled up a bit revealing a regulation brown T-shirt tucked into her trousers.
Her belt, I noted, was exactly like mine. Store-bought, nonissue variety. It was pulled tight — just the way she had done it yesterday morning. Tomorrow someone else would loosen it.
I picked up the clipboard. “Cause of death.” I obviously couldn’t write “head blown off.” I thought for a minute. “Traumatic brain injury.” I first printed, then signed my name.
In the clerk’s office of this girl’s hometown, three pieces of paper would likely summarize her life — a birth certificate, a marriage certificate and a death certificate.
Now the third bag was opened. This soldier looked younger. His face was less altered by death. Aside from a few places where his skin was scorched, his face looked like that of one asleep.
Strange, I thought. He looks a little like me.
Below his neck his uniform was in disarray. His skin was burnt. There was a large defect in his groin where his thigh joined the hip, both legs nearly separated below the knees. “Cause of death — burns.”
I stood back. It was so quiet. A poet once referred to a corpse as “quiet clay.” How odd, I thought when I first read it. How true, I thought, as I looked upon these three dead American soldiers. They never expected to die. Given a choice they would not be dead now.
They, like me, had read each day the names and number of the day’s dead in our newspaper, Stars and Stripes. They, like me, never thought their names would one day appear. They were driving down the road. They never saw the blast. Their vehicle was engulfed in flames. One had died in the explosion — instantly. The other two could not get out before being consumed by the fire. So now there were three dead American soldiers.
They were dealt a bad hand. Today I considered something I had never before given much thought — the fact that I, too, am playing at the same table.
I have six more months of hands to play. Six more months of hands to be dealt. Like me, they too were married. They too expected to return to their lives again. When they pulled their belts tight … they expected to loosen them again. Now someone else will loosen them.
I felt some shame for the frustration that I had expressed before coming here.
The driver took me back to the hospital. The duty physician and a couple of other docs were still working on our fresh casualties in the ER.
I finished my work at my desk without much heart and was surprised when the loudspeaker system announced there would be a fallen comrade ceremony in one hour. The bodies would be flown out today. I hadn’t expected that.
At the appointed time, I joined the commander and the sergeant major and we drove out to the airfield where a C-17 was waiting with the ramp down. The senior officers of the installation stood on the tarmac nearest the airplane, as they always do for these occasions.
All along the road for a mile or so — from mortuary affairs to the airfield — soldiers lined up to pay their respects to the “quiet clay” as it proceeded to the airfield. For these few minutes most, I suspect, were aware that we are all playing at the same table — and every day each of us is dealt a new hand. Soon we were called to attention and then, to the strains of the dead march, the colors passed by and the aluminum boxes were carried past, now draped with flags.
I go to ceremonies like this at least once or twice a week. But today was different. I had seen these soldiers — I knew what was in those boxes.
Usually, once the coffins have been brought up the ramp, we stand at attention on the tarmac, while the generals and a few of those who served with the dead go up the ramp of the airplane and pay respects at the boxes themselves. Today we went into the airplane, too, because two of them were medics.
Each person in the plane walked past the coffins and knelt — most in prayer. I rested my hand on each box and said to myself, “I’m sorry this happened to you.”
Tomorrow, when I cinch my belt, I will think of three dead American soldiers and I will think of my wife and my daughter and of home.
I wish I could copy it here, but it's not yet available for that. Click on the link and the whole paper will download... then you can jump to page 13.
I remember this feeling... but, I don't know if I've seen it put so eloquently.
Putting on your belt doesn't look quite the same, yet... so very familiar.
Edit: It's now available, so I'm posting it here. Originally in "Stars and Stripes"
Opinion: My respect for ‘quiet clay’ is loud and clear
By Dr. (Col.) W. Thomas Frank
European edition, Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Editor’s Note: This column appeared Sept. 26 on the Opinion page in the Mideast, European and Pacific editions.
It’s Sunday in Afghanistan.
I was sitting — completing some clerical task or other — when the patient administration clerk stood at the door.
“Sir, mortuary affairs needs a doctor.”
“What?” I replied. “The last place they should need a doctor is mortuary affairs.”
“No, sir. They need a doctor to sign some death certificates.”
Usually on a Sunday, I can finish my work a little early and take some time off in my hooch — watch a movie, read or nap. I was eager to do so now.
I walked to the ER to see if the doc there was busy. If not, he could do this. This is a task that would usually fall upon the ER doc, but I suspected he was engaged. The telltale sound of a chopper outside suggested more business was at hand. The doc in the ER was working on a wounded American soldier.
“All right, I’ll go,” I muttered, an irritated edge in my voice.
The mortuary affairs sergeant picked me up in his white van — unmarked except for a white placard in the window that declared “Mortuary Affairs” for all to see. We drove up the ironically named “Disney Drive” — which is, in fact, named for a dead American soldier rather than for the fairy tale king — until we came to the little plywood hut that is mortuary affairs.
Outside were several stacks of oblong aluminum boxes labeled “head” on one end and “feet” on the other. Inside the building was cool and it had a tiled floor — a distinctly unusual feature for these field buildings. The tile here of course has a purpose. It can be easily washed, and there is a drain in the center.
In the middle of the room were three stretchers on stretcher stands. On each stretcher was a body bag.
“Here you go,” said a soldier who handed me a clipboard with a piece of paper on it. A death certificate.
He walked over to the first bag and, without flourish, unzipped it and pulled it open. Before me lay a young man perhaps 19 or 20. His eyes closed. His uniform in tatters. The flesh of his face and torso seared a brown color but not blackened.
Across his chest and flanks, large patches of flesh hung off in loose swatches. There was a large wound in his lower left leg.
I picked up the clipboard and stared blankly at the form.
“Cause of death.” What was it? That leg wound clearly wasn’t the cause.
I asked the soldier to lift the head of the corpse so I would know if there was any obvious brain injury. No. The head was intact. His mouth and nose were clearly burned, however. The last gulps of air he took into his lungs were on fire. He died of “burns.”
The next bag was unzipped. I stepped back. It was a woman. I hadn’t expected a woman.
Her arms were reaching up in front of her, her fingers having a grasping aspect — as if they were trying to steal back life from the lifeless air around her.
Where her head should have been, there was only a chin. Her uniform blouse was pulled up a bit revealing a regulation brown T-shirt tucked into her trousers.
Her belt, I noted, was exactly like mine. Store-bought, nonissue variety. It was pulled tight — just the way she had done it yesterday morning. Tomorrow someone else would loosen it.
I picked up the clipboard. “Cause of death.” I obviously couldn’t write “head blown off.” I thought for a minute. “Traumatic brain injury.” I first printed, then signed my name.
In the clerk’s office of this girl’s hometown, three pieces of paper would likely summarize her life — a birth certificate, a marriage certificate and a death certificate.
Now the third bag was opened. This soldier looked younger. His face was less altered by death. Aside from a few places where his skin was scorched, his face looked like that of one asleep.
Strange, I thought. He looks a little like me.
Below his neck his uniform was in disarray. His skin was burnt. There was a large defect in his groin where his thigh joined the hip, both legs nearly separated below the knees. “Cause of death — burns.”
I stood back. It was so quiet. A poet once referred to a corpse as “quiet clay.” How odd, I thought when I first read it. How true, I thought, as I looked upon these three dead American soldiers. They never expected to die. Given a choice they would not be dead now.
They, like me, had read each day the names and number of the day’s dead in our newspaper, Stars and Stripes. They, like me, never thought their names would one day appear. They were driving down the road. They never saw the blast. Their vehicle was engulfed in flames. One had died in the explosion — instantly. The other two could not get out before being consumed by the fire. So now there were three dead American soldiers.
They were dealt a bad hand. Today I considered something I had never before given much thought — the fact that I, too, am playing at the same table.
I have six more months of hands to play. Six more months of hands to be dealt. Like me, they too were married. They too expected to return to their lives again. When they pulled their belts tight … they expected to loosen them again. Now someone else will loosen them.
I felt some shame for the frustration that I had expressed before coming here.
The driver took me back to the hospital. The duty physician and a couple of other docs were still working on our fresh casualties in the ER.
I finished my work at my desk without much heart and was surprised when the loudspeaker system announced there would be a fallen comrade ceremony in one hour. The bodies would be flown out today. I hadn’t expected that.
At the appointed time, I joined the commander and the sergeant major and we drove out to the airfield where a C-17 was waiting with the ramp down. The senior officers of the installation stood on the tarmac nearest the airplane, as they always do for these occasions.
All along the road for a mile or so — from mortuary affairs to the airfield — soldiers lined up to pay their respects to the “quiet clay” as it proceeded to the airfield. For these few minutes most, I suspect, were aware that we are all playing at the same table — and every day each of us is dealt a new hand. Soon we were called to attention and then, to the strains of the dead march, the colors passed by and the aluminum boxes were carried past, now draped with flags.
I go to ceremonies like this at least once or twice a week. But today was different. I had seen these soldiers — I knew what was in those boxes.
Usually, once the coffins have been brought up the ramp, we stand at attention on the tarmac, while the generals and a few of those who served with the dead go up the ramp of the airplane and pay respects at the boxes themselves. Today we went into the airplane, too, because two of them were medics.
Each person in the plane walked past the coffins and knelt — most in prayer. I rested my hand on each box and said to myself, “I’m sorry this happened to you.”
Tomorrow, when I cinch my belt, I will think of three dead American soldiers and I will think of my wife and my daughter and of home.
24 September 2006
Finally - The Kittens Win
So happy the kittens, er... Carolina Panthers, finally won a game. As with teams named Carolina that play football (see my other favorite team, the Chickens, South Carolina Gamecocks), even a win had to be down to the wire... down to the last seven seconds or so.
Sigh.
But a win is a win, and it's nice to finally have one.
Didn't get to actually see the game (AFN didn't carry it), but was able to follow it via the Internet game services.
Now, next week... well, the Chickens will be devoured like they were served at KFC and the Kittens? Who knows... who knows...
Sigh.
But a win is a win, and it's nice to finally have one.
Didn't get to actually see the game (AFN didn't carry it), but was able to follow it via the Internet game services.
Now, next week... well, the Chickens will be devoured like they were served at KFC and the Kittens? Who knows... who knows...
23 September 2006
66 Countries
I am stunned. So many visitors from so far away to our little corner of the Net. Curious what brings you by? Did a search for "Afghanistan" (used to be more accurate once upon a time)? Curious, curious...
Where are you from?
Will you be back?
What brought you here?
Where are you from?
Will you be back?
What brought you here?
Ads
I've broken down and added advertising to the blog. I've held out. I always wanted my little corner of the Net to be just my diary and place to share experiences.
But, it's another revenue stream source, and... we need it, so:
Please take a look at the ads you see and from time to time, should you see something interesting, please click on the advertisement. Those advertising will thank you... and so will we.
(I feel so dirty, but... anyway, back to blogging.)
But, it's another revenue stream source, and... we need it, so:
Please take a look at the ads you see and from time to time, should you see something interesting, please click on the advertisement. Those advertising will thank you... and so will we.
(I feel so dirty, but... anyway, back to blogging.)
22 September 2006
Blog of War
Finished the book, Blog of War, recently. First off, for those that might want to find it at a book store, you can always use the ISBN - 0743294181.
This book really took me home. It's a compilation of dispatches from quite a few of the milblogs that are out there. Quite a few of them are blogs I've visited from time to time.
It's absolutely amazing how detailed their writing is. Yes, it's filled with lots of coarse language and gruesome details, but what else would you expect from what is essentially a collection of personal diaries of combat veterans?
Some of the posts that really grabbed me on one level or another were Saving Specialist Gray and Taking Chance. Very moving... but then, so many of them were.
I could not put this book down. There were parts that were eerie, when I would read an excerpt from a blog that was clearly (to me, anyway) referencing an event that I'd been connected to (in one way or another) and recognizing the link.
I wish I could buy a copy for everyone I know.
This book really took me home. It's a compilation of dispatches from quite a few of the milblogs that are out there. Quite a few of them are blogs I've visited from time to time.
It's absolutely amazing how detailed their writing is. Yes, it's filled with lots of coarse language and gruesome details, but what else would you expect from what is essentially a collection of personal diaries of combat veterans?
Some of the posts that really grabbed me on one level or another were Saving Specialist Gray and Taking Chance. Very moving... but then, so many of them were.
I could not put this book down. There were parts that were eerie, when I would read an excerpt from a blog that was clearly (to me, anyway) referencing an event that I'd been connected to (in one way or another) and recognizing the link.
I wish I could buy a copy for everyone I know.
Whoops... Shouldn't Have Read That
I was browsing through the archives (not really important why, but was looking for a name) and came across this one.
It's listed as one of the "Fan Favorites" and I've often received compliments on the writing of it, but... to be honest, I haven't read it in a long time.
Wish I hadn't. Not so much because of remembering the death of my buddy... for one, that never really goes away, and it's not something you avoid.
Surprisingly, it was for all the other stuff that came back. Vividly. Just the sense of being in Kandahar and Afghanistan. The shop, the office, the people. Heat, smells, the gravel.
Guess there's a difference between recollecting and casual rememberance.
And I wonder how guys who've really been in the thick of it handle it. Gee, my time in the Stan was fairly tame, all things considered. Lots of things I'd like to forget... lots, but...
And then, while prepping this post, I noticed the date on the old one. Has it really been a year?
Sigh.
It's listed as one of the "Fan Favorites" and I've often received compliments on the writing of it, but... to be honest, I haven't read it in a long time.
Wish I hadn't. Not so much because of remembering the death of my buddy... for one, that never really goes away, and it's not something you avoid.
Surprisingly, it was for all the other stuff that came back. Vividly. Just the sense of being in Kandahar and Afghanistan. The shop, the office, the people. Heat, smells, the gravel.
Guess there's a difference between recollecting and casual rememberance.
And I wonder how guys who've really been in the thick of it handle it. Gee, my time in the Stan was fairly tame, all things considered. Lots of things I'd like to forget... lots, but...
And then, while prepping this post, I noticed the date on the old one. Has it really been a year?
Sigh.
More on Landstuhl
Some remarkable events occurred while we were at Landstuhl, though it's such a big hospital, we were completely oblivious to them at the time.
In the maternity ward, the staff used the wonderful tools of the Internet to connect Mother and newborn daughter with the father serving in Kuwait. You can read the story here.
Also, the men of Easy Company, popularlized as the "Band of Brothers" in the HBO miniseries, are touring some sites in Germany. On the 21st, they were in Landstuhl. I so wish we would have had time and the opportunity to meet these trueheroes... And what honorable men they are to take their time to visit our Soldiers today. I visited their website and noticed that they'd even posted a small tribute to our Illesheim pilots who died in the recent training accident.
These men are well and true heroes of our time. May we one day live to uphold their virtues and may we never need men like these again.
In the maternity ward, the staff used the wonderful tools of the Internet to connect Mother and newborn daughter with the father serving in Kuwait. You can read the story here.
Also, the men of Easy Company, popularlized as the "Band of Brothers" in the HBO miniseries, are touring some sites in Germany. On the 21st, they were in Landstuhl. I so wish we would have had time and the opportunity to meet these trueheroes... And what honorable men they are to take their time to visit our Soldiers today. I visited their website and noticed that they'd even posted a small tribute to our Illesheim pilots who died in the recent training accident.
These men are well and true heroes of our time. May we one day live to uphold their virtues and may we never need men like these again.
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
Well, we recently returned from a brief pilgrimage to Landstuhl. With the recent drawdowns, it's also now the only hospital around.
It's about a four hour drive from our base, so it takes a bit of a journey to get there.
We went for a couple of reasons. One, to get another set of brain lobes looking at her case. Another, was to be able to discuss her case in full English sentences. Lastly, to integrate her case with the military health knowledge system.
Overall, a successful trip.
More later...
It's about a four hour drive from our base, so it takes a bit of a journey to get there.
We went for a couple of reasons. One, to get another set of brain lobes looking at her case. Another, was to be able to discuss her case in full English sentences. Lastly, to integrate her case with the military health knowledge system.
Overall, a successful trip.
More later...
Army Plans to Cut Family Programs
From Stars & Stripes:
Expect more cuts in family support programs, Army warns
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, September 22, 2006
WASHINGTON — Army officials have told base commanders to prepare for even deeper cuts in family support programs and other non-war-related expenses next fiscal year.
In June, the Army announced cuts in base discretionary spending and other non-war expenses to offset unexpected costs associated with military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even after Congress approved supplemental military funding in response, service officials said they would continue to curb spending.
And although the fiscal 2007 defense budget is still being debated in Congress, Army officials already have warned base commanders that they’ll likely face more belt tightening under next year’s budget because of the ongoing combat operations.
“The time of having as much money as bases want for everything they want to do is gone,” said Stephen Oertwig, spokesman for the Army Installation Management Agency. “We don’t know what the exact budget will be, but we know it will be a very austere budget.”
On Thursday, military family advocates warned that further cuts in vital family support programs could jeopardize military readiness by distracting soldiers.
“When families need these programs the most, they shouldn’t be asked to do without,” said Joyce Raezer, director of government relations for the National Military Family Association. “Those soldiers need to know that their families are being taken care of.”
The House Armed Service Committee’s ranking Democrat, Missouri’s Rep. Ike Skelton, said the Army received about $500 million less for base maintenance and programs this year because of the unexpected extra war costs.
Raezer said she’s already heard concerns from military spouses worldwide about the cuts. At Fort Bragg in North Carolina, families have seen cuts in staff at the base child-care facilities. At Fort Campbell in Kentucky, the hours and staff at the Family Readiness Assistance Center have been scaled back.
In Germany, several teen internship programs at Friedberg and Giessen Army facilities were canceled, leaving more than 40 dependents without planned summer jobs.
Raezer said other problems, such as shorter dining hall hours and part-time military spouses losing their on-base jobs, are widespread.
Oertwig said commanders have been open and honest with military families about the potential program cuts, to help them prepare for the changes.
“Our local commanders know what their audience needs, and it’s their job to balance the issues on a tight budget,” he said. “It’s not something that’s being ignored. All of our commanders are doing the best they can to take care of these families.”
House and Senate negotiators are currently finalizing the 2007 Defense budget and are expected to complete their work in the next few days.
Expect more cuts in family support programs, Army warns
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, September 22, 2006
WASHINGTON — Army officials have told base commanders to prepare for even deeper cuts in family support programs and other non-war-related expenses next fiscal year.
In June, the Army announced cuts in base discretionary spending and other non-war expenses to offset unexpected costs associated with military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even after Congress approved supplemental military funding in response, service officials said they would continue to curb spending.
And although the fiscal 2007 defense budget is still being debated in Congress, Army officials already have warned base commanders that they’ll likely face more belt tightening under next year’s budget because of the ongoing combat operations.
“The time of having as much money as bases want for everything they want to do is gone,” said Stephen Oertwig, spokesman for the Army Installation Management Agency. “We don’t know what the exact budget will be, but we know it will be a very austere budget.”
On Thursday, military family advocates warned that further cuts in vital family support programs could jeopardize military readiness by distracting soldiers.
“When families need these programs the most, they shouldn’t be asked to do without,” said Joyce Raezer, director of government relations for the National Military Family Association. “Those soldiers need to know that their families are being taken care of.”
The House Armed Service Committee’s ranking Democrat, Missouri’s Rep. Ike Skelton, said the Army received about $500 million less for base maintenance and programs this year because of the unexpected extra war costs.
Raezer said she’s already heard concerns from military spouses worldwide about the cuts. At Fort Bragg in North Carolina, families have seen cuts in staff at the base child-care facilities. At Fort Campbell in Kentucky, the hours and staff at the Family Readiness Assistance Center have been scaled back.
In Germany, several teen internship programs at Friedberg and Giessen Army facilities were canceled, leaving more than 40 dependents without planned summer jobs.
Raezer said other problems, such as shorter dining hall hours and part-time military spouses losing their on-base jobs, are widespread.
Oertwig said commanders have been open and honest with military families about the potential program cuts, to help them prepare for the changes.
“Our local commanders know what their audience needs, and it’s their job to balance the issues on a tight budget,” he said. “It’s not something that’s being ignored. All of our commanders are doing the best they can to take care of these families.”
House and Senate negotiators are currently finalizing the 2007 Defense budget and are expected to complete their work in the next few days.
21 September 2006
A Sad Day in Illesheim
From the "Stars and Stripes" website...
Two soldiers killed in helicopter crash at Grafenwöhr
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, September 21, 2006
September 21 update from The Associated Press:
BERLIN — The U.S. Army on Thursday identified two American soldiers killed in a helicopter crash during a training mission in southern Germany.
Chief Warrant Officer Timothy R. Breneman and Chief Warrant Officer Terry M. Thomas, both of the 1st Armored Division’s 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, were killed in Tuesday night’s crash at the Grafenwöhr Training Area, the Army said.
Breneman, 36, was piloting the AH-64D Apache Longbow, and Thomas, 31, served as the co-pilot gunner.
Thomas died at the scene of the crash, and Breneman died nearly two hours later at the university hospital in Regensburg. The
soldiers’ hometowns were not immediately available.
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Two 1st Armored Division soldiers were killed late Tuesday night when their Apache Longbow helicopter crashed in a heavily wooded part of the training area, officials said Wednesday.
The soldiers were assigned to 1st AD’s 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and were based at Illesheim Army Airfield, Germany. Their names were being withheld pending notification of next of kin, 1st Armored Division officials said in a statement issued Wednesday.
Maj. Wayne Marotto, 1st AD’s public affairs officer, said the cause of the crash was under investigation. No other personnel were injured in the accident, he said.
“The Army is a close-knit family and the loss of our own affects all of us. A tragedy of this type is felt by each and every member, but we will pull together to help our own. We wish to express our deepest condolences to the family members of the two pilots,” he said.
“I can assure you the Army will conduct a thorough investigation in the hope something like this will never happen again.”
The 12th CAB has been at Grafenwöhr since Sept. 5 conducting annual aerial gunnery exercises. The training involved Apache crews training on a series of qualification tables to test their ability to engage and destroy targets with the helicopter’s weapons, Marotto said.
“The entire brigade continues to conduct Iron Warrior convoy live-fire training on the ground, but aerial gunnery has been temporarily suspended in light of the aircraft accident,” he said.
Joint Multinational Training Command spokesman Chuck Gordon said the aircraft was training on Grafenwöhr’s Range 301 when the accident happened.
“It went down in the area of ranges 301 and 305,” he said.
JMTC did not have information about where the aircraft began its flight. Aircraft operating in the training area often take off from Grafenwöhr Army Air Field, but helicopters are able to take off and land from many different places in the training area.
JMTC refused a request to visit or photograph the crash site on Wednesday.
“The aircraft went down in heavily wooded terrain within the impact area. It is also heavily ‘dud-ed.’ In other words, there is a great amount of unexploded ordnance from years past training,” Gordon said.
The terrain and ordnance created a delay for rescue crews in getting to the aircraft, Marotto said, but recovery efforts were under way Wednesday.
The helicopter crash is the second accident involving U.S. aircraft in Germany this month.
Last week, an Air Force F-16 fighter jet based at Spangdahlem Air Base crashed while on a training flight in western Germany. The pilot ejected safely.
The pilot in that crash had to ditch his plane after a landing gear malfunction. The aircraft crashed near the village of Oberkeil, the Air Force said. U.S. Air Force officials are investigating.
Rest in Peace, Sirs.
Two soldiers killed in helicopter crash at Grafenwöhr
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, September 21, 2006
September 21 update from The Associated Press:
BERLIN — The U.S. Army on Thursday identified two American soldiers killed in a helicopter crash during a training mission in southern Germany.
Chief Warrant Officer Timothy R. Breneman and Chief Warrant Officer Terry M. Thomas, both of the 1st Armored Division’s 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, were killed in Tuesday night’s crash at the Grafenwöhr Training Area, the Army said.
Breneman, 36, was piloting the AH-64D Apache Longbow, and Thomas, 31, served as the co-pilot gunner.
Thomas died at the scene of the crash, and Breneman died nearly two hours later at the university hospital in Regensburg. The
soldiers’ hometowns were not immediately available.
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Two 1st Armored Division soldiers were killed late Tuesday night when their Apache Longbow helicopter crashed in a heavily wooded part of the training area, officials said Wednesday.
The soldiers were assigned to 1st AD’s 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and were based at Illesheim Army Airfield, Germany. Their names were being withheld pending notification of next of kin, 1st Armored Division officials said in a statement issued Wednesday.
Maj. Wayne Marotto, 1st AD’s public affairs officer, said the cause of the crash was under investigation. No other personnel were injured in the accident, he said.
“The Army is a close-knit family and the loss of our own affects all of us. A tragedy of this type is felt by each and every member, but we will pull together to help our own. We wish to express our deepest condolences to the family members of the two pilots,” he said.
“I can assure you the Army will conduct a thorough investigation in the hope something like this will never happen again.”
The 12th CAB has been at Grafenwöhr since Sept. 5 conducting annual aerial gunnery exercises. The training involved Apache crews training on a series of qualification tables to test their ability to engage and destroy targets with the helicopter’s weapons, Marotto said.
“The entire brigade continues to conduct Iron Warrior convoy live-fire training on the ground, but aerial gunnery has been temporarily suspended in light of the aircraft accident,” he said.
Joint Multinational Training Command spokesman Chuck Gordon said the aircraft was training on Grafenwöhr’s Range 301 when the accident happened.
“It went down in the area of ranges 301 and 305,” he said.
JMTC did not have information about where the aircraft began its flight. Aircraft operating in the training area often take off from Grafenwöhr Army Air Field, but helicopters are able to take off and land from many different places in the training area.
JMTC refused a request to visit or photograph the crash site on Wednesday.
“The aircraft went down in heavily wooded terrain within the impact area. It is also heavily ‘dud-ed.’ In other words, there is a great amount of unexploded ordnance from years past training,” Gordon said.
The terrain and ordnance created a delay for rescue crews in getting to the aircraft, Marotto said, but recovery efforts were under way Wednesday.
The helicopter crash is the second accident involving U.S. aircraft in Germany this month.
Last week, an Air Force F-16 fighter jet based at Spangdahlem Air Base crashed while on a training flight in western Germany. The pilot ejected safely.
The pilot in that crash had to ditch his plane after a landing gear malfunction. The aircraft crashed near the village of Oberkeil, the Air Force said. U.S. Air Force officials are investigating.
Rest in Peace, Sirs.
16 September 2006
Home
Brought Ellicia home today.
13 days in the hospital. Solitary confinement hell, I have to tell you. She was climbing the walls and threatening to tie the sheets together and climb out the window. She'd have done it, too. Don't blame her.
It's so difficult in a German hospital. Especially for Americans who don't know the language. And the farther from base, and the support center, it's worse.
Her luck, she has it all. Far away, no language, stuck.
Can't watch TV, unless you want to live on CNN International. And since one of her hospital days was 11 September, you can imagine what that was like to watch.
You can read... as long as the drugs and boredom allow you to concentrate...
Word puzzles...
I left her with my iPod... it helps, but like most things becomes tiresome.
Cell phones are verboten, so she has to keep it hidden...
Food? Uh oh... let's not get started on that.
And anyone to talk to? No, not really.
So, after awhile, you've done all of your activities, and you're left alone... waiting for the next soul to walk in who speaks five words of English, craving those five words, desperate for a sixth or seventh.
Waiting for the next too-brief visit from anyone who might come and visit...
And then you stare at the walls, and think.
Not the best in this situation. And after 13 days...
Anyways, we're ecstatic to have her home. Yes, she moves slowly... the right leg is pretty much shot. It supports weight, but she has to move it like a peg leg.
Don't let her handle any breakables...
And she is showing signs of the side-effects of the treatment... Twice a day, she gets what we call "brain freeze", where she's just... gone for an hour or so. She can't concentrate. Not really able to think, so we sit her somewhere and wait for her to "come back".
Don't care. It may seem like I'm now a father of four, but... my friend is home... and I can sleep a bit better.
Now, to keep her here.
13 days in the hospital. Solitary confinement hell, I have to tell you. She was climbing the walls and threatening to tie the sheets together and climb out the window. She'd have done it, too. Don't blame her.
It's so difficult in a German hospital. Especially for Americans who don't know the language. And the farther from base, and the support center, it's worse.
Her luck, she has it all. Far away, no language, stuck.
Can't watch TV, unless you want to live on CNN International. And since one of her hospital days was 11 September, you can imagine what that was like to watch.
You can read... as long as the drugs and boredom allow you to concentrate...
Word puzzles...
I left her with my iPod... it helps, but like most things becomes tiresome.
Cell phones are verboten, so she has to keep it hidden...
Food? Uh oh... let's not get started on that.
And anyone to talk to? No, not really.
So, after awhile, you've done all of your activities, and you're left alone... waiting for the next soul to walk in who speaks five words of English, craving those five words, desperate for a sixth or seventh.
Waiting for the next too-brief visit from anyone who might come and visit...
And then you stare at the walls, and think.
Not the best in this situation. And after 13 days...
Anyways, we're ecstatic to have her home. Yes, she moves slowly... the right leg is pretty much shot. It supports weight, but she has to move it like a peg leg.
Don't let her handle any breakables...
And she is showing signs of the side-effects of the treatment... Twice a day, she gets what we call "brain freeze", where she's just... gone for an hour or so. She can't concentrate. Not really able to think, so we sit her somewhere and wait for her to "come back".
Don't care. It may seem like I'm now a father of four, but... my friend is home... and I can sleep a bit better.
Now, to keep her here.
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