News of the Force - Tuesday, August 9, 2011 - Page 3

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News of the Force

Tuesday, August 9, 2011 - Page 3

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Civil Air Patrol's National Board plans election

    

    In just 11 days, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) will meet for its big annual conference, the National Board (NB). When the lights go out on this one, the CAP's national commander, Maj. Gen. Amy S. Courter's term is over.

    Courter took over four years ago on the eve of an NB meeting when she got the announcement that her predecessor, Tony Pineda, was being suspended (and subsequently removed) for corruption. Pineda was out, but that left a lot of his people in place.

    It's been a rough go for Gen. Courter, but she leaves with most of the entrenched corruption we've traced back at least a dozen years out of office and over on the shoulder of the road. Miracle of miracles, she has even managed to advance the CAP's programs considerably and measurably with her right hand while holding off the bad actors with her left - and probably wishing she were an octopus all the while. Let's hope the assembly gives her a long standing ovation, at least.

    There are two candidates competing to succeed Gen. Courter. They represent a pretty clear choice between putting the "Old Guard" back in place if Col. Fred Weiss wins, or a continuation of Gen. Courter's direction if the present national vice commander, Chuck Carr, wins. We're not suggesting that Col. Weiss is corrupt, and he may be a really fine dentist, but that requires very different skills from running a nationwide organization of 61,000 members. He really wasn't so strong when he held national office (appointed by Pineda). And, if its true that you're known by the company you keep (e.g., Ray Hayden), there are some concerns. Col. Weiss has mounted a fancy web site that looks like a corporate brochure but has little substance and a theme that could be stated, "Who needs leaders? Let technology manage the CAP." and, "That'll take money. I'll think of something."

    Carr hasn't really reached out to the membership much, which is a little concerning. On the other hand, the CAP's members don't vote, the NB (wing commanders on up) does. Perhaps he is directing his campaign to the level at which it will be decided? A ranking member told us, "In recent years, a lot of votes are decided in the Meet-the-Candidates night." But Gen. Courter does believe in succession planning, we understand, and in mentoring, and Carr has supported Gen. Courter through her last year, which is a great deal more than his predecessor, Reggie Chitwood, did.

    How many years has it been since CAP Insights' Ray Hayden was terminated from membership in the CAP? His "coverage," if you want to call it that, seems to get thinner and thinner and less and less accurate -especially since, it appears, he has lost sources on the the CAP's Board of Governors (BOG). Nevertheless, just as he took USAF exams for Pineda, Ray Hayden seems to think he could vote better than anyone who actually has the vote (and run the CAP better than anyone elected to serve and provide more worthwhile consulting on governance than Board Source, and speak for you better than you can speak for yourself.

    And how would Ray Hayden vote if he had the vote? Well, he doesn't think there should be any nominations from the floor because he somehow thinks Gen. Courter has one up her sleeve and would abandon her groomed vice commander to slingshot him into place. Hayden even thinks he knows who this person is - Karton.

    Just remember that so you can do an accuracy check in CAP Insights' predictions at the NB.

    Hayden, of CAP Insights, doesn't like either of the candidates for national vice commander, so if there were floor nominations for the vice commander's position, then CAP Insights would go for either former CAP Florida Wing commander Col. Chris Moersch - or Reggie Chitwood. Col. Moersch, in our experience, is a decent guy. But Reggie Chitwood?

    We seem to recall that in the last election, Chitwood solicited CAP Insights to support his campaign for national vice commander. And we seem to recall that when a little sun was shined on that, it helped to decide the election - and not in Chitwood's favor. And wasn't it decided that Chitwood could not keep his brigadier general's rank after that caper? So you have to ask yourself why any other candidate would want CAP Insights' endorsement and would want to link to its web site. And you have to ask yourself if this means Weiss would, in turn, support CAP Insights' vicious, personal attacks on the leadership, if Weiss believes Hayden should be hired for the governance work, and if, in general, Weiss thinks the world would be a much better place if Hayden ran it. Does this seem like a "Weiss decision" to you?

    The Civil Air Patrol is a private, Congressionally-chartered corporation that acts as an Auxiliary of the U. S. Air Force when requested by the Secretary of the Air Force. Headquartered at Maxwell AFB, Ala., its Web site is at www.gocivilairpatrol.com .

 

U.S. Army general to helm Chinook crash investigation

By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service

    

    U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Colt will conduct the investigation of the crash of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan that killed 38 U.S. and Afghan service members, U.S. Central Command officials announced today.

    Colt, the deputy commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division, will begin his duties immediately. Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, the Central Command's commander, appointed Colt.

    Officials in Afghanistan believe a Taliban rocket-propelled grenade shot down the Chinook as it brought 25 Navy and Air Force special operations personnel to an Aug. 6 firefight in eastern Afghanistan's Wardak Province. It was the deadliest single incident in the decade-long war in the country.

    Central Command officials would not discuss the parameters or scope of Colt's investigation.

    Before arriving at Fort Campbell, Ky., Colt served as commander of the Joint Unmanned Aircraft Center of Excellence at Indian Springs Airfield, Nev. Colt is an Army aviator who served with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and both of the 101st Airborne Division's aviation brigades.

 

Soldier sharpens technical skills

By Staff Sgt. Robert DeDeaux, USA, U.S. Division-North

U.S. Army Spc. Luz Natalia Gonzalez enters a vehicle after conducting security operations outside a police station in Kirkuk, Iraq, July 31. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Robert DeDeaux)

 

    Kneeling next to the exit ramp, U.S. Army Spc. Luz Natalia Gonzalez readied her M249 squad automatic weapon. As the vehicle halted on a crowded street in Kirkuk, Iraq, Gonzalez emerged and scanned the area before signaling other personnel to exit the vehicle and move into a nearby police station.

    Due to the demanding operational tempo of her Military Police platoon, Gonzalez, assigned to the "Punishers" Provincial Police Transition Team, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, mastered her tactical skills while on her first deployment in support of Operation New Dawn. "As a soldier, being a Punisher has made me who I am today," said Gonzalez, who hails from Providence, R.I. "I never thought I would be this good this early, and I know I owe that to the experiences I've had being in this platoon."

    Gonzalez progressed quickly through the MP ranks despite having less than two years of service. Conducting multiple missions into the city each week, Gonzalez said the missions she performs in the Punisher platoon develop her as a soldier. "She was a little timid a first," said U.S. Army PFC Renee Cummings, a fellow Punisher and gunner from the Bay Area, Calif. "She came off as shy, but as the missions continued, she really showed her aggressive side."

    U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Richard Medina, an MP squad leader, said he saw potential in Gonzalez. "When she came to my squad, I made her my driver," he said. "It's a big responsibility, but I knew she could handle it."

    When on the ground, Gonzalez must handle communications among Medina, the platoon, the gunner and the rest of the convoy. Several months ago, Medina said, he got to see for himself that Gonzalez was ready for any challenge. "On a routine visit, we came upon [a roadside bomb] on one of the routes," he said. "There was a lot of confusion between civilians and the Iraqi security forces already present, so I dismounted to assess the situation, leaving Gonzalez to relay the communications. She had to keep me informed as to what the gunner saw and updated everyone else on what was going on, all while ensuring the convoy was moved to a safe distance," Medina continued. "She was calm and clear; she kept a level head. I knew then she was a soldier that could be trusted with greater responsibility."

    The Punishers conduct weekly training seminars and crime scene investigation classes, provide guidance and assistance to their Iraqi counterparts and meet with police chiefs and other law enforcement individuals.

    Gonzalez said she conducts patrols and deals with the same dangers as infantry soldiers. "I'm just like any and every other Punisher," she said. "Despite the difficulties of the mission at hand, I know I have to do my part so everyone else can do theirs."

    U.S. Army Lt. Col. Stephen Hughes, chief of the Provincial Police Transition Team, said he's impressed with the unit's MPs. "They have all of the soldier skills you would find in an infantry unit, but they also have law enforcement training and are prepared to fight like infantrymen."

    Despite the rigorous mission requirements, Gonzalez said, she is grateful for everything she learned during this deployment. "I always knew I would come into the Army," she said with a smile, "and I'm glad my first experience was as a Punisher."

    Related site: U.S. Forces-Iraq .

 

Today in History

    On Aug. 9, 1945, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki, Japan, instantly killing an estimated 39,000 people. The explosion came three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

    Read more of Today in History on our web site, http://newsoftheforce.org .

 

NOTF Lite

    As Joshua Seto, 27, and his fiance, Cara Christopher, walked to a local grocery store in Chandler, Ariz., last week for refreshments, he tried securing her pink handgun in the front waistband of his pants. The gun fired, striking Seto's penis and continuing through his left thigh. The bleeding started immediately and was heavy, according to police dispatch recordings released Sunday. "He is still conscious, there is just a lot of blood," Christopher, 26, told 911 operators and dispatchers when the accidental shooting occurred last Tuesday. One operator told Christopher to apply direct pressure to the wound with a dry towel or T-shirt, but to avoid looking at the wound. "I did look at it," Christopher said. "It's pretty bad." When the emergency call first went through, Chrisopher was asked if they needed paramedics, she said yes. "He's still coherent and everything but he's bleeding quite a lot," she said. In the wake the accident, police are warning armed residents to use holsters, not waistbands. The movies and TV shows, like Sons of Anarchy, that show tough guys with guns shoved into their jeans are not realistic, Chandler Police Detective Seth Tyler said on Sunday. The cops and robbers of the silver screen most likely use rubber weapons, which weigh far less than the real things, Tyler said. "Whenever you handle a firearm, whether you are a novice or experienced, always treat firearms as though they are loaded," said Tyler, a spokesman for the department. "If you are going to carry a handgun on your person, use a holster, not your waistband." Meanwhile, it is not clear if Seto has been released from the hospital or suffered any permanent damage, Tyler said. "He is recovering," Tyler said. He may possibly face charges, too, Tyler said Sunday. Tyler was unsure of the type of gun, or whether it had a safety that was off.

    The IRS says 1,470 millionaires paid no federal income taxes in 2009. Where did the money go? Tax "expenditures" (otherwise known as deductions, write-offs, subsidies or loopholes), charities, municipal bonds and tax payments to foreign governments, according to a recent IRS report that ABC News noticed over the weekend and that the Los Angeles Times picked up today. More than 235,000 taxpayers earned $1 million or more in 2009, with 8,274 making more than $10 million, the Internal Revenue Service said. All told, there were 140 million taxpayers. The non-partisan Tax Policy Center reported last month that 46% of American households (known as "units") actually will not pay federal income taxes for this year nor will receive refunds. That's because of low incomes, credits for children or other dependents, or exemptions. Meanwhile, the IRS today issued a "reminder" to "U.S. taxpayers hiding income in undisclosed offshore accounts": All of you sneaky people are "running out of time to take advantage of a soon-to-expire opportunity to come forward and get their taxes current." The deadline is Aug. 31.

    Authorities in Malibu, Calif., say actor Francesco Quinn, the son of Academy Award-winner Anthony Quinn, has died. He was 48. He collapsed on Friday on the Malibu street where he lived. One of Quinn's most memorable roles was as a raspy-voiced soldier named Rhah in the Oscar-winning Vietnam War drama Platoon. He also appeared in the television shows JAG, 24 and The Shield. His agent, Arlene Thornton, tells the Los Angeles Times that Quinn apparently died of a heart attack but the cause of death hasn't been officially determined. Quinn's father won two Academy Awards and starred in Lawrence of Arabia.

    The minute Philippa Charlotte Middleton stepped onto the red carpet at her sister's royal wedding, she became a star. "There was almost a gasp across the world," says Ashley Pearson, royal watcher and journalist quoted in toay's TLC cable special, Crazy About Pippa (9 ET/PT). The phrase on everyone's lips, says Pearson: "Who's that girl?" It's Kate Middleton's younger sister, Pippa, 27. Or Pip, as her family calls her. With her winsome smile and demure but sexy Alexander McQueen dress, Pippa catapulted into pop-culture fame, stealing a slice of the spotlight at Kate's April 29 wedding to Prince William.

    Lionsgate has just announced that it will remake the 1987 classic film Dirty Dancing, which starred Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Kenny Ortega, who choreographed the original film (and also worked on High School Musical and Michael Jackson's This Is It), will direct the remake. And, for those of you familiar with Dancing's soundtrack, the remake will incorporate classic songs from the 1960s and hits from the original film. "The opportunity to direct Dirty Dancing is like returning home for me," Ortega said in a press release. "Growing up in the '60s on the dance floor helped define me as a person and as an artist. Patrick Swayze set the bar for men dancing in the movies as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire did before him. I believe everywhere you look there is evidence that the talent is out there and I can't wait to begin the process of discovering the next breakout triple-threats." No release date was announced.

    "Bats out of hell" have driven a Scotland woman out of her dream home. Bats transformed the roof space above woman's home into a roost in the Peterculter area of Aberdeen.

    Did you know people look at Kanye West like he's Hitler? Performing at the Big Chill music festival over the weekend, the All of the Lights singer complained that others treat him as if he's a crazy person or the Nazi leader. "And once again, I wake up, and I'm a monster," West said. "And I walk through the hotel and I walk down the street and people look at me like I'm f***ing insane, like I'm Hitler. One day, one day a light will shine through and one day people will understand everything I ever did, ever said, was to throw myself on the blade for the sake of someone else, for the sake of people.'" We'd let you finish, Kanye, but Hitler had one of the best narcissistic crybaby rants of all time.

    Today's words of wisdom from Alec Baldwin's Twitter feed: "Buy and read a newspaper every day. In print or online, there is information in newspapers you will never get from other media."

    Diana Nyad has bailed out of her Cuba-to-Florida swimming attempt. "It's over," a tem member tweeted after the marathon swimmer, 61,decided the winds and currents were too strong after 29 hours in the water.

    Residents in a Port Richey, Fla., neighborhood got a taste of excitement yesterday morning after a visit from an aggressive alligator. A trapper was called out to the neighborhood after the gator was spotted underneath a car. The animal became aggressive and tried eluding the trapper. At one point the gator made a dash for the front door of a residence, where two children were watching from the other side. After about 15 minutes, the trapper was able to secure the gator, which measured about five feet long.

    A Lakeland, Fla., mother has been arrested for child abuse after family members said she bit her son. Police investigated 26-year-old Ann Marie Kane after Department of Children and Families (DCF) officials reported three adult-sized bite marks on her son. According to an arrest report, Kane admitted biting the boy in the past because he was biting his siblings. Thew DCF has investigated Kane several times in the past. They removed the children from her care during the most recent investigation. She's being held in the Polk County Jail.

    Drug dealers may have wiped out an entire, uncontacted Amazon tribe. Brazilian authorities have found no signs of the isolated tribe since an attack on a guard post.

    Since officially announcing his presidential candidacy in May, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has gained a reputation for being a social media powerhouse and the runaway leader of the GOP "Twitter Primary." But further examination of his Twitter presence this week, by several media outlets including OhMyGov, is calling the actual strength of Gingrich's social media standing into serious question.

    According to Mobiledia.com, after Aug. 28 it will become illegal for Missouri teachers to become Facebook "friends" with their students. Instead educators will be allowed to maintain public "fan" pages where students can stay connected to them, just not necessarily friends with them.

With the race for the White House heating up and other Clinton-era relics like Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum throwing their hats into the ring, the erstwhile "Domestic Goddess," Roseanne Barr, has decided the time is right for a presidential run of her own...seriously.

    And here are five rules for men to follow for a happy life, as posted on a cowboy's tombstone in Logan, Utah: 1. It's important to have a woman who helps at home, cooks from time to time, cleans up, and has a job. 2. It's important to have a woman who can make you laugh. 3. It's important to have a woman you can trust, who doesn't lie to you. 4. It's important to have a woman who is good in bed, and likes to be with you. 5. It's very, very important that these four woman don't know each other.

 

 

  

 

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