Gazing At The Flag - AllMilitary.com's Military Blog

Afghanistan Through the Eyes of Michael Ramirez

October 7th, 2009, by Flag_Gazer

I don’t often post on politics, but the current politics are adversely affecting out troops - people I know and care about.

It’s time for the President to lead - something he doesn’t seem to know how to do - but, when you have troops in the field and the generals ask for reinforcements, you provide them or you go home.

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FAce of Freedom ~ Chaplin Rememers 9/11 at the Pentagon

September 16th, 2009, by Flag_Gazer

Face of Defense: Chaplain Recalls 9/11 Attack on Pentagon

By Susanne Kappler Special to American Forces Press Service

FORT JACKSON, S.C., Sept. 11, 2009 - Eight years ago, Army Lt. Col. Henry Haynes, Pentagon chaplain, had just come out of a meeting and was on his way back to his office when he heard the news: A plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers in New York.

At first, he did not pay close attention to the events, said Haynes, now a colonel and the installation chaplain here. But when a second plane struck the other tower, people around the Pentagon started to realize the magnitude of what was happening. “One man said, ‘I bet we’re going to be next,’” he remembered. “I guess it was about a few minutes after that when all the sirens started going off in the building — because we were next.”

On Sept. 11, 2001, at 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 struck the west wall of the Pentagon, killing 64 people aboard the plane and 125 people in the building. “When the alarms went off, everybody ran out of the building, and smoke was pouring out of the western side of the building,” Haynes said. “There was total chaos and confusion, because nobody really knew what was going on.”

Haynes and his fellow chaplains didn’t have time to let what happened sink in. They set up an operations center outside the building to attend to victims, rescue workers and others in need.

“It was just a long, long day of trying to minister to and … take care of people who were hurting,” Haynes said.

In the days that followed, Haynes helped survivors and conducted prayer services. He also traveled across the country to attend memorial services for the victims — many of whom he had known personally.

“There was one fellow — we parked side by side every morning when we drove in to the Pentagon. And the reason I remember him so well was because he always read his Bible,” Haynes said. “I would get in at about 6 a.m. each morning … and he would be sitting there reading his Bible every morning. It really just sort of impressed me. “The fact that he was killed — it was just really emotional because I knew he was a very good person and very spiritual,” he continued. “But it was good to be able — when the parents asked me, ‘Did you know my son?’ — to say, ‘Yes, I knew your son. We frequently spoke.’ I told them that he read his Bible every morning and they liked that.”

About six months after the attack, Haynes was organizing the Pentagon’s National Prayer Breakfast and found himself in a tight spot when his keynote speaker canceled on short notice. “And a voice, like God, said, ‘Ask Brian,’” Haynes said. Brian Birdwell, now a retired lieutenant colonel, had just been released from the hospital two days earlier. He had been wounded in the attack, suffering severe burns, which covered more than 60 percent of his body and required more than 30 operations. To Haynes’ surprise, Birdwell agreed to speak at the event.

“And then [Birdwell] asked, ‘Should I wear my uniform?’ I asked, ‘Brian, can you get into your uniform?’ He asked, ‘Do you want me in dress blues?’ I said, ‘Brian, we’ll all be in dress blues. Come in your dress blues,’” Haynes recalled. “And so he came. He still had all the pressure bandages on and the grafts were on his body. He couldn’t stand on his own; his wife had to help him. But he came. And when Brian told his story, there was not a dry eye in the place.”

Despite all the evil that happened during 9/11, Haynes said, one of the positive results was the good it brought out in people. “It was just an outpouring of love from the American people,” he said. “Everybody was just supportive of one another. I’ve never seen anything quite like that before.”

Haynes said he feels privileged to have been in the Pentagon during 9/11 and serve those in need of spiritual support. Although it was a trying and tiring time, he said, his faith helped him meet the demands.

“I believe that God gives you strength. And I believe in the power of prayer. There was a lot of prayer going on,” he said. “A lot of people just wanted to hear some positive words. I felt like that was my duty. I had to do that. I had to be strong for my fellow comrades and employees in the building. “I believe that God prepares us for stuff, and I believe that God had me there for a reason.”

(Susanne Kappler works in the Fort Jackson, S.C., public affairs office.)

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911 Pentagon Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery

September 9th, 2009, by Flag_Gazer

An honor guard stands beside the casket containing the cremated remains
of unidentified victims from the attack on the Pentagon during a group funeral
at the Arlington National Cemetery September 12, 2002.

184 people perished in the attacks at the Pentagon
64 are buried in Section 64 at Arlington - an area that looks at the Pentagon
A group burial of the unidetified remains took place
on September 12, 2002 in the same location
The marker for the remains is a five sided marker with each name

I have visited this section of Arlington. The Memorial is a gathering place for mementos, pictures, letters, painted rocks. It is a very powerful place.

Click on Pictures to read the names clearly

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September Eleventh ~ Major Dwayne Williams

September 9th, 2009, by Flag_Gazer

Major Dwayne Williams

March 19, 1961 - September 11, 2001

US Army

Major Dwayne Williams was working in the Pentagon the day terrorists flew United Flight 77 into the side of the building. He is survived by his beautiful wife, Tammy, a son Tyler, 17, a daughter Kelsie,13. He is also survived by his parents, Pearl Williams and Horace Williams, and three brothers, Air Force Staff Sgt. Troy Williams in Germany, Army SFC Kim Williams in Arizona and Roy L Williams, a writer for the Birmingham News.

Major Williams was a paratrooper, a Ranger, served in the Persian Gulf War. He was in the Army for 18 years and had graduated from the University of North Alabama before enlisting in the Army in 1984. His awards and decorations include: Bronze Star, two Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Army Good Conduct Medal. After his death, he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Medal of Merit.

But, there is more to the story of the life of Major Dwayne Williams. He was a man of deep faith and love for God. He loved his fellow human beings and reached out to help them and encourage them at all times. He loved his wife, his children, his parents, his brothers. He had a laugh that, once heard, would never be forgotten, and a smile that lit the path for all who saw it. He loved his antique green mustang. He spent time keeping in touch with his friends with email and IM. He reached out to all, bringing love, help, encouragement, humor and laughter to all around him. He filled his space in life with great things.

I have been honored to do this Fifth Anniversary Tribute to Major Dwayne Williams. Learning about him has been a blessing in my life, and I have learned so much about the goodness that you left behind in the multitude of lives you touched so deeply. I am a better person for knowing about you. My faith is deeper from learning about you and your family. I am only sorry that I will never know you in this life - I would have liked you very much. But, it is an honor to know you now. I will never forget you and I will always keep your family in my prayers. I have no doubt that you now walk with God.

Major Dwayne Williams - The Memorials

http://gazingattheflag.blogspot.com/2006/09/major-dwayne-williams-memorials.html

Major Dwayne Williams - A Family Remembers

http://gazingattheflag.blogspot.com/2006/09/major-dwayne-williams-family-remembers.html

Major Dwayne Williams - His Friends Remember

http://gazingattheflag.blogspot.com/2006/09/major-dwayne-williams-friends-remember.html

Major Dwayne Williams - A Final Farewell

http://gazingattheflag.blogspot.com/2006/10/final-farewell-and-god-speed.html

Editor’s Note - The tributes for Major Williams were written for the 5th Anniversay of the September Eleventh attacks, but I remember him each year.

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911 Pentagon Memorial at the Pentagon

September 9th, 2009, by Flag_Gazer

The Pentagon Memorial

The interactive web site - http://www.pentagonmemorial.net/home.aspx

There is a remarkable video hosted by Gary Sinise, preview shown on the site.
It is available for purchase, also available flags flown at the dedication.

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Dedication of the PFC Thomas Tucker Memorial Statue

August 26th, 2009, by Flag_Gazer

“A nation that does not honor its heroes will not long endure.”
-Abraham Lincoln

Photos by SGT Eric Rutherford, Oregon National Guard

Three years after PFC Thomas Lowell Tucker was murdered in Iraq (here and here and here and here), the community of Madras, Oregon, led by his friends and classmates, K’Lyn Bush and Lyndasy Hessel, dedicated the memorial project they have worked so hard on. They have sold t-shirts, bracelets, bricks for the memorial walkway and had all kinds of fundraisers. They have rallied the community to support their project. Donations came in dollars and cents, as the children and teens were the biggest donors and fundraisers. On Sunday, their dream to honor their friend for the long term came true.

On Sunday, August 23, the PFC Thomas Lowell Tucker Memorial Statue was dedicated in Friendship Park in Madras, Oregon. The dedication ceremony was very moving and very warm. Everyone there had a few tears hiding behind their smiles as this magnificent statue of PFC Tucker reaching out a hand to a young Iraqi girl was unveiled. It will sit on the corner of US Highway 97 until the new City Hall is built in the same location. It will then be a focal point of the entry of the building.

(Ed Note - Please, read the next post down about the ceremony)

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Attending the Dedication of PFC Thomas Tucker’s Memorial Statue

August 26th, 2009, by Flag_Gazer

PFC Tom Tucker was from the rural community of Madras, Oregon. Three years later, you still see signs like this in the community. This is a community that has rallied together and promised to never forget. August 23, 2009, slightly more than three years after Tom’s death, they unveiled a memorial statue to be placed in front of the new City Hall.

US Route 97 is a north-south highway running from the Canadian border to northern California through the middle part of the states.The Patriot Guard Riders and Oregon Veterans arrived in force. They lined the street holding flags and acted has crossing guards and traffic control throughout the event. Veterans and active duty troops were everywhere.

The Posting of the Colors was done by the Madras High School JROTC Color Guard. These young men were magnificent at their job - so respectful, so serious, so proud. The mayor, Melanie Widmer, led the Pledge of Allegiance. Jennifer Davis sang the National Anthem in a voice so sweet and powerful. Chaplain Rex Auker, USN, Ret. led the Invocation.

Foster Kalama, played ‘The Spirit Within’ on the flute. It was so beautiful. And, while he was playing, two hawks circled above. Tom Brown talked about the proud and strong lineage of Jefferson County Veterans.

Then, we were treated to a speech, “Why Memorials are Important” by Bob Maxwell - notice the blue ribbon at his throat. He is Oregon’s only living Medal of Honor winner, and he spent his life as a teacher of the youth of Central Oregon. It was a moving speech.
Mack Gardner, LTC, US Army, Ret., read a poem called ‘Save Them a Place.’

The statue was unveiled. The military, represented by dozens of uniformed troops, presented a drawing by Michael Reagan. He does portraits of fallen troops as a gift to families. Major General Raymond Rees, The Adjutant General, Oregon, made the presentation.

The fund raising continues. They are selling bricks to honor veterans. The bricks will be the pavers around the statue when it is placed.

Tom’s commander, Colonel Todd Ebel, US Army, made some Remembrance Remarks. He talked about the nobility of the American soldier and Americans… about our generosity, how we always reach out to people, just as Tom is doing in this statue.

The Benediction was from Pastor Jim Leach and the Bagpipes playing Amazing Grace were played by Dave Fischer & Suzan Jenson.

It was a memorable day.

Bricks are still available for purchase, if you would like to honor a Veteran or Soldier. They are $40. If anyone is interested, let me know and I will send you the information for ordering.

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The Mission That Never Ends ~ Air Force Pararescue Jumpers

August 19th, 2009, by Flag_Gazer

Senior Airman Jelly Larsen, pararescueman of the 64th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron scans his sector as the rest of his element team enters a building during a training exercise here Aug. 4. The 64th ERQS provides combat search and rescue support to coalition forces in the Iraqi theater of operations.
Photo by SrA Andria Allmond

Senior Airman Jelly Larsen, pararescueman of the 64th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron scans his sector as the rest of his element team enters a building during a training exercise here Aug. 4. The 64th ERQS provides combat search and rescue support to coalition forces in the Iraqi theater of operations.
Photo by Chris Hubenthal-Magarian

The Mission That Never Ends: Downrange Pararescue Jumpers Keep Training

332nd Air Expeditionary Wing
Story by Andria Allmond
11 August 2009

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — “Is she alive?”

“Copy. Still alive.”

The pararescuemen load their patient onto the litter, carrying her off to the safety of an awaiting vehicle.

But the mission isn’t over; this mission never really ends.

It’s a crisis-action training scenario — one of the many exercises employed by Air Force pararescuemen, the only members of the Department of Defense assigned the primary mission of recovery and medical treatment of personnel in friendly and hostile environments.

“Readiness is a major Air Force term that a lot of conventional military folks strive for - to be combat-ready,” said Tech Sgt. Bob “Scarecrow” Roberts, a pararescue jumper with the 64th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron at Joint Base Balad. “Once our PJs are out of the pararescue pipeline, they are ready to start the initial familiarization training. After completion of IFAM, and under supervision, they can perform all tasks civil, combat or any other situation that presents itself - they are ready to deploy. But, the training never stops.”

Training is a way of life for these U.S. Air Force Special Forces operatives, whose training program possesses the highest drop-out rate in the entire U.S. military special operations community.

Along with the physical preparation, including ruck marches, mountaineering, scuba diving, rock climbing, all-terrain vehicle operations, hand-to-hand combat and land navigation, PJs participate in extensive medical-trauma training, which eventually rewards them with a nationally-recognized paramedic certification.

“Our medical training takes about seven months, with classes every day non-stop,” said Senior Airman Asher Woodhouse, 64th ERQS pararescueman, who has spent the last two years accomplishing a series of tasks working toward his five-level certification. “We continually get hands-on training by working in [civilian] fire departments, emergency and operating rooms. We also put ourselves through scenarios and situations that focus on the type of patients we will most likely see.”

This medical training can be integrated into two types of ground scenarios employed by PJs.

“The first of the two types of ground training scenarios is a deliberate-plan rescue scenario,” said Capt. Travis Shepard, 64th ERQS combat rescue officer. “During this kind of mission, the course of action is prepared over 24 hours or more. The other is a crisis-action mission. In crisis action, the planning is limited to 20 minutes or less and is a response to an event that has just occurred. The focus of it is time and team management, to watch a guy under pressure and see how he handles stress.”

Training in a combat zone requires these highly-regarded warriors be primed for real-world alerts at all times.

“There is the added tension that we can be training one minute and the next be called to recover someone who was injured and in harm’s way,” said Woodhouse. “We have to step up our game while we’re here because we never know when something bad is going to happen.”

While most deployed Airmen pause their upgrade training while deployed, that’s not an option for PJs.

“We only have a small number of pararescuemen world-wide and if we were to wait, we wouldn’t have the ability to cover alerts in theater,” said Roberts, a PJ with 15 years of service.

The training not only helps ensure their skills are compatible, but it also creates the synergy necessary for them to help people in need as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“I need to know I have them right behind me when I’m going into a room, down a fast rope or into a building where I’m picking up isolated personnel,” said Roberts. “I need to know that [the team] is absolutely with me. I’d give my life for any of these guys.”

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Medics Aid Afghans in Remote Villages

August 12th, 2009, by Flag_Gazer

Army Spc Chad E Brown, a combat medic with the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment,
cleans an Afghan girl’s burned leg, July 24, 2009, at Forward Operating Base Baylough
in Afghanistan’s Zabul Province.

Army Spc. Chad E Brown, examines a girl in a village
in the Deh Chopan district of Afghanistan’s Zabul province.
(Click on picture to enlarge, and note the clothing & jewelry on the child)

Army Spc. Chad E Brown examines a boy’s wound in a village in the Deb Chopan district of Afghanistan’s Zabul province.
All photos by Spc Elisebet Freeburg, U. S. Army

Medics Aid Afghans in Remote Villages

By Army Spc. Elisebet Freeburg
Special to American Forces Press Service

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Aug. 3, 2009 - Two medics of the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, are using their medical skills not only to help their fellow soldiers, but also to aid local Afghans.

Army Spcs. Chad E. Brown of Red Oak, Texas, and Rodrigus I. Purdiman of Cairo, Ill., both assigned to Forward Operating Base Baylough in Afghanistan, said they are dedicated to helping ill or injured Afghans.

“The impression we try to leave is that America is here to help them in their lives and not to hurt them in any kind of way,” Purdiman said.

Purdiman and Brown rotate their duties, with one medic managing the forward operating base aid station, while the other medic accompanies soldiers on daily patrols. Most of the patrols trek through mountainous terrain to villages in the Deh Chopan district of Afghanistan’s Zabul province.

“When we’re on patrol we provide aid — humanitarian aid or first aid — for citizens,” Brown said.

On occasion, villagers will approach the soldiers to ask for medical care. But typically, the patrol leader will ask village leaders if anyone is ill or injured. The medics aren’t always able to treat some patients solely with supplies from their aid bag.

“The hard part is they don’t like to come in, for whatever reason, on their own,” Brown said. “But I’ll urge them to come into the aid station and let me take care of them a lot better than in the field.”

Baylough’s aid station contains basic wound-cleansing equipment and bandages, as well as pain medication. The most high-tech piece of equipment in the station is an oxygen tank, Brown said.

Even though helicopter flights to Baylough often are sporadic due to enemy fire, the aid station never has exhausted its medical supplies. Brown monitors supply levels, keeping about four weeks of supplies on hand.

“We’re able to do what we’re trained to, with what we have, but there’s a lot of improvisation,” Brown said.

Burns, especially among children, are the most common injuries the medics said they see in the remote villages around Baylough. Since there is no electricity, villagers use fire for everything from cooking to a light source. The medics have treated burn victims ranging from infants to 10-year-olds.

“It’s hard to work on the kids, especially the young ones,” Brown said.

The medics also have treated Afghans injured by explosives. If the wound is minor, the medics are able to treat it there. For more serious injuries, they request a medevac for transportation to the forward surgical team at Forward Operating Base Lagman or to the Kandahar Airfield hospital. Brown said he was trained to insert chest tubes and sew sutures at a NATO-sponsored medical patrol course in Germany, making him able to stabilize patients for up to 72 hours while awaiting evacuation.

Both medics said the language barrier makes treating civilians difficult. They always work with an interpreter, but there is no guarantee of an exact translation, Purdiman said.

(Army Spc. Elisebet Freeburg serves in the Joint Sustainment Command Afghanistan public affairs office.)

********
The Afghans dress their children in such bright and sparkly clothing - quite remarkable.
Gratitude to our troops for their compassion and care.

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Year of the NCO ~ 1SG Troy Steward

August 5th, 2009, by Flag_Gazer

1st Sergeant Troy Steward

1st Sgt. Troy Steward

Age: 40
Current Unit: 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment, 27th Brigade Combat Team
Current Position: Senior Infantry NCO
Component: New York National Guard
Current Location: Buffalo, N.Y.
Hometown: Amherst, N.Y.
Years of Service: 21

The annual celebration of the Army’s Birthday brings about a reflection on the traditions and legacy of service to country. One of the proudest traditions the Army can recognize, is the generations of families that have volunteered to serve over its 234 years. 1st Sgt. Troy Steward is one generation of a family that has answered their call to duty repeatedly.

A 21-year veteran of the Army, Steward is the son of a Green Beret who served three tours in Vietnam. After high school, Steward followed in his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the Army. Now an NCO just as his father was, Steward takes his role as a mentor and leader seriously. His example was so strong, that after 9/11, his son, John Aisel, signed up to serve in the same unit of the National Guard as his father, thus adding another chapter to the Steward’s legacy of service. The family’s call to duty has put each of them in harm’s way whether it be in Vietnam, Afghanistan or Iraq, but the common experiences have ultimately strengthened them as a family.

During his own deployment to Afghanistan from May 2006-2007, Steward led a 15-person team of Soldiers embedded with an Afghan battalion. He was responsible for mentoring the Afghan troops and conducting in combat operations. On September 9, 2006, a day which Steward has nicknamed his “Alive Day,” an improvised explosive device (IED) went off approximately 25 feet behind his truck, and killed several other American and Afghan troops in his unit. Steward, who later learned that he was the insurgents’ target that day, says that it was hard to lose his fellow Soldiers, regardless of their nationality. He had trained and mentored those men, and the loss was personal. For his meritorious service and involvement in more than 100 missions during his year-long deployment, Steward was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

For Steward, his journey as an NCO and Soldier has been well worth the ride. Even though he has been approached on multiple occasions to attend Officer Candidate School, he says he prefers to be an NCO.

“Being a Noncommissioned Officer means that I have the best job in the military,” Steward says. “I have the chance to work closely with younger enlisted Soldiers and mold them into future leaders.”

A leader on the battlefield and in his home, Steward never pressured his sons about joining the Army, but was proud his eldest chose to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps. Although they never deployed together, Steward still mentored and prepared his son for his deployment. When Steward returned home from Afghanistan in the summer of 2007, he was able to pass on first-hand knowledge to his son, who was preparing to deploy in January 2008. The day before Aisel deployed, Steward was able to pin sergeant stripes on his son thus adding another generation of NCOs to their family line. After six years in the Army, including a year-long deployment, Aisel completed his service and is now pursuing a college degree.

Steward and his wife, Christine, currently reside in Buffalo, N.Y., where they live with their three younger sons. She is a leader with the New York National Guard’s Family Readiness Group. As a civilian, Steward works for an information technology company working to prevent identity theft, and plans to retire from the Army in the fall of 2009.

From the Army site: http://www.army.mil/-news/2009/07/31/25301-year-of-the-noncommissioned-officer—spotlight-nco/?ref=home-spot3-title

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I had the wonderful opportunity to be one of the many supporters Troy had while in Afghanistan. We were penpals and sent pancake mix and spices and ‘cookables’, as his unit was mostly on their own. I am proud to know Troy!

Troy has a wonderful blog www.bouhammer.com - and, it is the place for current news and analysis on Afghanistan.

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