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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 3 V O L 4 3
President’s Message
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Chapter 16 Newsle er Organiza on and Responsibili es:
Editor: Glen Craig Sec ons: Message from the President: Dave Shell Treasurers Report: Kevin Pa on Sec. Rpt (Staff Mee ng Minutes): John Pa erson Sick Call/Obituary: Chaplain Butch Hall Blast from the Past: Glen Craig Special Recogni on: John Pa erson Upcoming Events: John Pa erson Calendar: John Pa erson Human Interest Story: Chapter at large SFA Na onal HQ Update: Dave Shell A er Ac on Report: Jim Lessler Membership Info: Roy Sayer Adver sements: Glen Craig
Suspense: Newsle er published (Web): 1st of each odd numbered month Input due to editor: 20th of each even numbered month Dra due to President: 27th of each even numbered month Final Dra due 29th of each even numbered month
Some mes less is more:
Please join with me in remembering those Chapter Members and friends who were lost to us this past year:
“Red” Davis, M-7059 Fred Fiedler
Hoa Chinh Dieu, A-2368 Hoan Cong Pham, A-2376
Tom Regan, D-3236 Tom Weeks, M-2927
Christmas Message From the Special Forces Associa on
Merry Christmas, a gree ng much heard this me of year, even though some groups want to outlaw this so innocent a gree ng, to them it implies exclusivity and insults….. insults who? Yes, it is the celebra on of a Chris an holiday, but Christmas has trans-‐cended that parameter,. Christmas has become the season of hope, there is no insult to other creeds or faiths it is a welcome, to all, to celebrate with us the our hope for the future. The future, with “wars, and rumor of wars”, dire predic ons of man destroying the earth, the earth destroying man, the world’s economy going off the cliff, and of course, predic ons of the end of the Earth, by a civiliza on long gone. Things have become so dire, so divisive, we are so helpless to stop the world events, one might think it is 1931, the start of the Great Depression, or 1933 with the rise of Fascism, Buchido, and Communism that would see millions of people slaughtered. One might think it think it was 1917 when most of the world was slaughtering each other in the “War to End All Wars”. For Americans one might think it was 1776 when most of our Army died of cold and starva on at Valley Forge, or 1777, when it was all repeated at Morristown, it might 1862 when sixty thousand Americans died at An etam, or maybe 1941 when America watched as the Japanese ran rampant through the Pacific, thousands of our men killed and captured. But each of those Christmases, no ma er how bleak, we had hope for the future, “Merry Christmas” those years was almost a prayer rather than a gree ng. And the hopes were realized, four years a er Morristown the Bri sh surrendered, four years a er Pearl Harbor, the war had ended. Each me the world looked bleakest, hope was on the horizon, just out of sight, that is why “Merry Christmas” will survive, it gives us that hope, no ma er your faith or tenet, Protestant, Catholic, Jew, even atheist, those two words provide hope for us all. I have read that my Irish Ancestor’s wish at Christmas was that the Vikings would come no more, one year they got their wish. So to all of you, even the Vikings, I wish you a “Merry Christmas.” For the Regiment Anything, Any me, Anywhere VR Jack Tobin President Special Forces Associa on
J. K. Wright Memorial Breakfast, 11-3-12
The following members were present: Ted Wicorek, Dave Shell, Jim Lessler (IMO Red Davis), Jay Lathrop, Carey Pennington, Tom Morgan, Ron & Marion Hale (IMO Bart Heimsness), and Nick Marvais (IMO Eulis Presley).
Dinosaur Luncheon 11/30/2012
Members Present: Ed & Erma Booth, Steve Kubiszewski, Glen Craig, Bill Frye, Butch Hall, Cpt. Ron, Harlow Stevens, Roland Nuqui, John Gebbie, Dave Shell, Mike and Joy Cassidy, Kevin Pa en, Gary Villanueva.
J. K. Wright Memorial Breakfast 12/1/2012
Members Present: James Yu-B, Glen Craig, Ted Wicorek, John Gebbie, Nick Marvais, From Chapter 43 Jerry Hampton (IMO Gary Wright), Gary Hampton.
Dinosaurs Luncheon 12-28-12 December's Dinosaurs luncheon was held at the Super Buffet in Dupont. The following members were present: Jim & Elaine Less-‐ler, Mike & Joy Cassidy, Bud Lawson, Wayne & Yoko Karvonen, John Gebbie, Butch & Regina Hall, Glen Craig, Kevin Pa on, Harlow Stevens, Eugene & Kiyono Williams, Bill Frye, Reiko Butler, Capt. Ron, Ed & Erma Booth, Walt Hetzler, Nick Marvais, Bill & Steph Gates, and Dave Shell. Represen ng Chapter 43: Jerry, Mi Hui, and Stacie Hampton, Skip E nger, and Ok Presley (Eulis Presley's widow).
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Pastor Butch’s Corner
Rising Above Our Limita ons Lizzie Johnson made thousands of bookmarks. At thirteen Lizzie injured her back in an accident, and she was to spend the rest of her life, twenty-seven more years, flat on her back. Her only view of the world was from a mirror mounted above her head.
But she s ll wanted to do a great thing with her life, so when she heard in those days that you could free an African slave for $40, she made a quilt and tried to sell it for $40. Nobody would buy it. So she turned to making bookmarks, and she raised $1,000 a year for each of the twenty-seven years remaining in her life. She gave every penny of that to projects in this world that go to building up rather than tearing down.
What about the quilt? One day a bishop from India was traveling through Illinois and she gave it to him. He took that quilt with him on his speaking tour around the country, and he told the story of Lizzie Johnson. Then he asked people if they would place an offering for missions in the quilt. He raised $100,000 for missions. You talk about how God creates miracles through modest efforts! One day a er Lizzie Johnson had died, her sister, Alice Johnson, heard that a man named Takuo Matsumoto was coming to Champaign, Illinois, to speak. He was one of the most prominent Japanese Chris ans a er the Second World War. He had been principal of the Methodist Girls’ School in Hiroshima during the bombing. In John Hersey’s book about tragedy, he is men oned prominently as one of the heroes of those days.
Alice Johnson remembered that her sister had given money to support the educa on of a young boy in Japan named Takuo Matsumoto, and she wondered if this was the same person. She resolved to go to Champaign to hear him speak, but she got sick that day and had to stay home. That night someone told Mr. Matsumoto about her, and he said, “You mean that she is Lizzie Johnson’s sister? All that I am I owe to Lizzie Johnson.” That night he went to see Alice Johnson, and he went from there to the cemetery to put flowers on the grave of a woman who could not leave her bed, who was weak and helpless, but who s tched up her love in bookmarks and quilts and said, “Thank you, God,” by loving others. Limita ons do not have to limit; if we don’t let them.
Maurice Trow (Red) Davis Jr
Maurice Trow Davis Jr. passed away in Portland, Oregon on Thursday October 11, 2012 at the age of 81. Because of his red hair, he was known to his friends as “Red”. Red was born in Red Bluff, California on September 20, 1931 and was the oldest of four brothers and one sister. He grew up in Northern California and moved to Oregon in 1977. Red received an Associate’s Degree from Shasta College in Redding, California. Red entered into the California Army Na onal Guard in 1950 and spent ten years in the Guard and Army Reserve before entering the Ac ve Army in 1960. Red served ten years in the Ac ve Army including three tours in Vietnam. He re red from the Army a er 20 years of combined service at the rank of Major with the U S Army Special Forces (Green Berets). Red worked as a tractor foreman and later a tour bus driver. Red learned several languages including Spanish, Thai, Lao an, Korean and Vietnamese. Red had a strong personality and could be very charming when he wanted to be. Red would want to be remembered as a hardworking man, who loved his family and served his country honorably. Red is survived by his wife Nancy, a er 59 years of marriage and six sons’, Trow, Pete, Chris, Jack, Shawn and Jeff. Red also had thirteen grandchil-‐dren and two great grandchildren. Red touched many people in his life and he will be missed.
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Thomas Ira Weeks
Tom Weeks 23 July 1938 - 19 Dec 2012. He was born in Portland, Maine. He joined the Army Oct 1961 and took Special Forces Weapons Training in 1966 serving 2 tours in RVN from Sept 67 to Sept 68 and Oct 69 to Sept 70. Tom re red from the Army as a CSM and also held a Reserve Commission as Major with Military Intelligence. On Saturday 22 Dec 2012, Tom Week's celebra on of life services was conducted in Olympia, WA and was a ended by well over 100 people. 1st Gp Abn was there in force headed up by CSM Harveston and a dozen other senior NCO's handling all the details. Chaplin Jake Robinson said his chosen words that related Tom Week's life. A special thanks to Chaplin Jake Robinson, CSM Har-‐veston and all the other members of 1st Gp who took the me to a end Tom Week's service on their Christmas vaca on.
47th Auburn Veterans Day Parade
A sunny, crisp fall Saturday morning on 10 November 2012, the City of Auburn honored soldiers, servicemen and women with its 47th Veterans Day Parade and Observance. The parade opened with the tradi onal Air Force military fly-over by a C-17 Globe-‐tro er III from McChord AFB. The two-hour parade – one of the largest of its type west of the Mississippi – stretched about a mile long as an es mated 20,000 spectators lined both sides of Main Street and cheered the par cipants on. According to City reports, there was close to 200 parade entries, and over nearly 6,000 parade par cipants including 16 members and family from
SGM John A. Larsen's wife TSURUKO passed away 12/26/2012 at 20:00 hours from an aneurysm.
Le ers, cards to: John A. Larsen
818 GLEN OAKS DR E SPANAWAY WA 98387-7905 [email protected]
SGM John Larson and Wife Tsuruko
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Viewing There will be a viewing for Mrs Tsuruko Larson at
WEEKS DRYER MORTUARY 220 South 134th Street
Tacoma, WA 98444
on January 03, 2013 from 4 - 8 PM
BURIAL Funeral will be January 4, 2013 @ 10:15 am
Tahoma Na onal Cemetery 18600 SE 240th St.,
Kent, WA, 98042.
CELEBRATION OF LIFE A celebra on of her life will be held January 4th 2013
From 1:30 - 3:30 PM
KABUKI Japanese Restaurant 2919 S. 38TH St, Suite 'B'
Tacoma, WA
( Located in Michael's Plaza)
Chapter XIV SFA. Chapter XIV members formed up behind Steve White leading on his vintage WWII 1941 Harley Davidson. Ron Rismon followed the troops with his Suburban carrying those that couldn’t walk the distance. A er the parade some of the mem-‐bers circled up for lunch at the Longhorn Barbecue.
Chapter XIV Par cipants included: Rob Wekell, Bo McFadden, Ted Wicorek, Harlow Stevens, Jim & Elaine Lessler, Glen Craig, Steve White, Ron Rismon , Jake Robinson, Carey Pennington, Ramiro Alonso, Mike Cassidy, Bill Gates and James – Yu-B and his wife.
Menton Days Menton Days was a great success with many ac vi es enjoyed by all. Among the Highlights were the VIP Shoot on 5 December and the Menton Ball on 7 December.
Mary Carpenter, Col Max Carpenter’s Mom VIP Shoot
Menton Ball
A Note From Chaplain Butch: When Kelli, said her bed me prayers, she would bless every family member, every friend, and every animal (current and past). For several weeks, a er we had finished the nightly prayer, Kelli would say, "And all girls." This soon became part of her nightly rou ne, to include this closing. Her father’s curiosity got the best of him and I asked her, "Kelli, why do you always add the part about all girls?" Her Response: “Because everybody always finish their prayers by saying ‘All Men’!”
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Chapter XVI Christmas Party This year’s Christmas Party sponsored by the Special Forces Associa on, Chapter XVI was held at 1st Gp Regimental Mess on Friday December 21, 2012. Pot Luck dishes were brought by the Chapter members. The Party was well a ended by a very apprecia ve lively group of over 100 people. Special thanks to Kevin Pa on for se ng up the Party, a job well done.
Military.com: Are Troops Paid Too Much?
Week of December 03, 2012
According to the Congressional Budget Office, growth in military compensa on has exceeded private-sector wages by more than 25 percent over the last ten years. With the threat $500 billion in mandated defense cuts required by the so-called fiscal cliff, some "budget hawks" are asking if we are paying our servicemembers too much. The CBO suggests that the DoD could save mon-‐ey by reducing the rate of basic pay raises along with asking servicemembers and re rees to pay more for their Tricare benefits and to contribute to their re rement, which currently does not require troop contribu ons beyond serving 20 or more years.
Coburn, McCain Sway Senate to Bigger Military Rx Fees Tom Philpo | December 06, 2012 Late-hour speeches by Republican Sens. Tom Coburn (Okla.) and John McCain (Ariz.) on runaway military health costs led the Sen-‐ate Tuesday to shelve a defense bill amendment that would have spared family members and re rees more burdensome co-pays on drug prescrip ons filled off base. The ming of their opposi on, in the last hours of considera on of the 2013 defense authoriza on bill when amendments were only being approved by unanimous consent, allowed Coburn and McCain to block the Senate from suppor ng the so er House-
passed plan for raising prescrip on fees. There will be a second chance next week when House-Senate conferees iron out differences in separate versions of the defense
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bill. But Coburn and McCain, using fresh scoring of costs from the Congressional Budget Office, were able to raise new doubts among some senators over the long-term cost implica ons of adop ng the House plan. "This is paid for, but it is smoke and mirrors," Coburn told colleagues on the Senate floor. "We have used a trick…that will require [more funding for] the health account…which means we will not have $1.7 billion for naval exercises, for flight training, for tank training, for range training." That challenge got a strong endorsement from McCain, ranking Republican on the armed services commi ee, who repeated Rob-‐ert Gate’s words as defense secretary in 2010 that health costs "are ea ng us alive." "We are going to have to find ways to bring these costs under control and s ll, at the same me, provide our veterans with the benefits they have earned," McCain said, in arguing against the House plan which was presented as an amendment from Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). McCain a acked the no on that raising fees would harm readiness. "I know of no one who joined the military because of TRICARE, [though] I hear [it] from all the re rees…I have not yet met a single 18-year-old, including my own son who joined the Marine Corps, who said: 'Gee, I want to join the Marine Corps because of TRI-‐CARE.’ "No," McCain con nued, "they joined…to serve their country. They understand our obliga on to them is not to hand them a bankrupt Defense Department [where] all the costs are in things such as TRICARE and re rement benefits…so we can't provide them with what they need to fight." The reality is that pharmacy co-pays will rise this spring for family members and re rees. By how much will be determined by a House-Senate conference commi ee that will be mee ng next week behind closed doors. The Senate defense bill, passed 98 to 0, now has no language to block or alter the Obama administra on’s drug co-pay plan. Un-‐der it, drugs dispensed on base would stay free, and co-pays for generics in retail outlets would remain $5. But co-pays for brand names at retail on the military formulary would jump to $26 from $12. Non-formulary drugs, which cost TRICARE more, would no longer be dispensed at retail, only through mail order. Co-pays for brand names at mail order would pop to $26 from $9, but mail order prescrip ons usually are for 90 days versus 30 at retail. The administra on also wants co-pays adjusted by $2 annually un l they reach $34 in 2016. A er that, the pharmacy fees off base would be adjusted annually to keep pace with medical infla on. The House plan, which military associa ons helped to design, allows more modest ini al increases in drug fees and would e an-‐nual increases therea er to the percentage rise in military re red pay. This plan would at least match health cost savings of the administra on’s plan by requiring elderly beneficiaries to use mail order to refill maintenance drugs, at least for a year. The expec-‐ta on is that seniors will like the convenience and stay with mail order, saving TRICARE billions of dollars yearly in retail drug costs. But a Senate source said Coburn and McCain were able to derail the amendment so easily because the Congressional Budget Office had found it would cost a lot more money than expected a er 10 years if adjustments stayed ed to re ree COLAs rather than medical infla on. To address this, advocates agreed to have the COLA link sunset a er 10 years. But Senate leaders chose instead to avoid further ac on on the amendment. Steve Strobridge, director of government rela ons for Military Officers Associa on of America, said the Senate seemed primed to adopt the House-passed plan un l, suddenly, it fell vic m to "misplaced concerns" over its impact on health costs. Its opponents painted the amendment as maintaining the status quo, he said, when in fact it represents "significant concessions" with co-pay hikes and the mail order requirement for elderly. "These concerns about drug costs taking money away from other defense programs are completely, 100 percent bogus," Stro-‐bridge said. "The fact is the Pentagon has been using health care money to fund other things for the past several years. And the whole point of this amendment is that health care money should be used to fund health care." Defense officials earlier this year sought to reprogram $700 million from health care into other accounts. Strobridge said that would have brought total reprogramming of health dollars to $3 billion over the last three years, a period when defense officials insisted health costs are out of control. Coburn predicted the House-backed plan would become law because the "service organiza ons want us to do it. But it is not the right thing to do. We have to begin, as we nego ate to increase revenues from the very wealthy in this country, declining expens-‐es at the Defense Department. Everybody has to share [in controlling costs]. If they don't share now, they will share much more painfully in the future."
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'Heroes of Telemark'
Birger Stromsheim, Was born Oct 11, 1911 and died Nov 10, 2012 aged 101, was considered the greatest of the “Heroes of Telemark” who in 1943 launched a daring raid to destroy a crucial part of the Nazi atomic weapons programme.
A scene from 'Heroes of Telemark' Photo: ITV/ REX FEATURES
Stromsheim, then 31, was the oldest of a team of six Norwegians trained by the Special Opera ons Execu ve (SOE) and parachuted into the Telemark region, in southern Norway, to blow up the Norsk Hydro plant. Set atop an icy ravine at nearby Vemork, the plant produced heavy water, or deuterium oxide, that was central to German hopes of mastering the atomic chain reac on which would lead to a Nazi bomb. An a empt had already been made to blow up the plant the previous October, when a separate four-man team of Norwegian com-‐mandos had been dropped in to Telemark as an advance party for 30 Royal Engineers. But foul weather had led to a series of crash-‐es as the Bri sh soldiers were towed into the area in gliders, with the result that some died instantly, and those who escaped were captured by the Gestapo, tortured, and eventually executed. The failure had alerted the Nazis to poten al sabotage plots, and as a result security was increased at Vemork: mines were laid and floodlights illuminated the only approach – a bridge across a 660 ravine. Such was Allied concern about the plant, however, that despite these measures, a second bid to destroy the plant was quickly pre-‐pared. Opera on Gunnerside, as it became known, was led by Joachim Ronneberg. Then aged just 23, he looked up for reassurance to Stromsheim, one of four explosives experts in the team and an expert skier who spoke good English and German. “Birger was the oldest man in the group and was almost like a father to us,” said Ronneberg. “He was a very calm and balanced person, who was extremely valuable.” Just a er midnight on February 17 1943 the Gunnerside team were dropped by parachute into Telemark, where they were to meet the surviving four-man Norwegian team from the previous autumn’s failed mission. Once again, however, appalling weather intervened, and they landed 18 miles away from the drop zone. Stromsheim and his col-‐leagues were forced to spend five days struggling through snowstorms and freezing temperatures on langlauf skis before finally mee ng up with their compatriots. Together they set off for Vemork at 8pm on February 27. The plant, perched at the top of a thickly-forested ravine, appeared im-‐pregnable, with Germans guarding the bridge that led to its entrance. The commandos, however, decided to climb down one side of the ravine, cross the icy River Maan at its base, and climb up the other side, following a railway track that led into the plant. Arriving at the top of the ravine, a radio operator (Knut Haugland, who later took part in Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki expedi on) was le behind to report if anything went wrong, while the other nine abandoned their skis and began the perilous descent, frequently sinking up to their waists in the snow. It was close to midnight before they managed to get to the other side, red and soaked to the skin. Leaving another Gunnerside member, Hans Storhaug, with his Tommy-gun trained on the Germans guarding the bridge, the other eight began their assault on the plant. At exactly 30 minutes past midnight, one member of the party ran forward with bolt-cu ers to force open the gate while Stromsheim and the six remaining saboteurs held back and provided cover. Once the gate was opened, a covering party took up firing posi ons inside the plant while Stromsheim and the three other explo-‐sives experts headed through another gate to the basement door, behind which lay the electrolysis chambers that produced the
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crucial heavy water. This door was supposed to have been le open by a Norwegian mole who worked in the plant – but he had been too ill to go to work that day. Confronted by this unexpected barrier, the explosives team split into two pairs to look for oth-‐er ways in. Ronneberg and Fredrik Kayser found an entrance through a cable duct, crawling in to surprise a Norwegian caretaker, whom they held at gunpoint while they began to lay their charges. Meanwhile, Stromsheim and Kasper Idland had found a window at the back of the basement. Unaware that Ronneberg and Kayser were already in, Stromsheim decided they had no choice but to risk aler ng the Germans by smashing their way through. Ronneberg had laid half the necessary charges when he heard the sound of breaking glass. Kayser swung round with his Tommy-gun ready to fire before realising the noise came from their fellow saboteurs. Stromsheim helped place the remaining charges while Ronneberg laid the fuses. Though they had ini ally planned to give them-‐selves two minutes to get away, the risk of the German guards arriving was such that they instead placed 30-second Bickford fus-‐es, despite knowing that this would not give them enough me to get clear of the plant before the explosion. The tension was heightened further when, just as the fuses were being set, the caretaker announced that he had misplaced his glasses and refused to leave without them. Though desperate to make their escape, the commandos proceeded to spend pre-‐cious moments in the search for the spectacles – which were soon located. The foolhardiness of this benevolence was demon-‐strated when they heard footsteps approaching – but fortunately it was another Norwegian civilian, who was ordered to put his hands above his head while the fuses were lit. Kayser counted to 10 and then told the two civilians to run for their lives, while the raiders rushed out into the night. In the event they need not have worried. There was only a dull thud as the charges went off, too muffled to alert the guards, but it sent around 1000lbs of heavy water across the floor and down the drains, . “The explosion itself was not very loud,” recalled one of Stromsheim’s colleagues. “It sounded like two or three cars crashing in Piccadilly Circus.” By the me the guards discovered what had happened, the Gunnerside team were already back across the gorge. Stromsheim, Ronneberg, Idland, Storhaug and Kayser then headed back into the snowstorms on a 250-mile cross-country ski to the safety of neutral Sweden. Back in Britain, SOE chiefs would later deem Opera on Gunnerside the most successful act of sabotage of the Second World War. For his part, Stromsheim was described in his military file by Ronneberg as “beyond doubt the best member of the party”. Birger Edvin Mar n Stromsheim was born in the central Norwegian port of Aalesund on October 11 1911 and worked as a build-‐ing contractor before the war. He spent the early months of the German occupa on building quarters for German soldiers but was determined to get to Britain to join the Special Opera on Execu ve’s team of Norwegian commandos. He and his wife Aase travelled by boat to the Shetlands in September 1941 and Birger Stromsheim was soon being trained at a succession of SOE bases in weapons’ handling and street-figh ng. The most important prepara on he received was at Sta on XVII, the explosives-training base at Brickendonbury in Her ordshire, where a full-scale model of the basement of the Norsk Hydro plant was built. For his part in the raid, Stromsheim was awarded the Bri sh Military Medal; the Norwegian St Olav Medal; the US Medal of Free-‐dom; and the French Legion of Honour and Croix de Guerre. The success of Opera on Gunnerside convinced the Nazis to relocate their heavy water project and move their remaining stores of potassium hydroxide, from which heavy water was dis lled, away from Vemork. The chemical was loaded on a ferry, Hydro, but this was sunk by another Norwegian resistance opera on, finally sealing the fate of Germany’s atomic weapons programme. The events of the two opera ons were so daring that they was made into the film, The Heroes of Telemark (1965), starring Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris – though the par cipants were far from complimentary about Hollywood’s a en on to detail. Stromsheim subsequently took part in Opera on Fieldfare, which in late 1943 and early 1944 sent him and other Norwegian com-‐mandos, including Ronneberg, back into Norway to disrupt German supply lines in the event of an Allied invasion. A er the war, Stromsheim returned to building and was involved in prepara ons for Norwegian “stay-behind” units in the event of a Soviet invasion of his country. Birger Stromsheim’s wife predeceased him. He is survived by a son and a daughter.
Cap ve U.S. soldier safe despite terror label, Haqqani commander claims (AP/CBS) ISLAMABAD - A U.S. soldier held by Afghan militants will not be harmed despite the Obama administra on's decision to declare his alleged captors a terrorist group, a senior member of the Pakistan-based Haqqani network told The Associated Press on Saturday. However, the United States and NATO can expect stepped up a acks, he said.
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The commander, who spoke by telephone from an undisclosed loca on, denied that the Haqqanis held the only American prisoner of war of the Afghan conflict, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, as the U.S. believes. He did however say that Bergdahl was a cap ve of another branch of the Taliban, and denied earlier reports that the 26-year-old soldier from Hailey, Idaho, was in danger. "I deny the remarks . . . that this will endanger the life of the American soldier," the commander said, speaking on condi on he not be iden fied because field commanders fear being targeted if their iden es are known. "We are not cowards and we consider it as coward to harm prisoners," he said. The U.S. says that Bergdahl has been held by the Pakistan-based Haqqanis since 2009. However, the commander suggested he was with militants on the other side of the Afghan-Pakistan border. "The American soldier is with the Emirate center (a reference to Taliban based inside Afghanistan) ... The Americans also know it." He said the Taliban leadership council previously issued instruc ons to its commanders, including those belonging to the Haqqani network, not to harm prisoners. From his home in Idaho, the soldier's father Bob Bergdahl welcomed the assurances but was cau ous. "That's great news, but we're very careful about the informa on we digest," he told the AP. "I'll have to validate that and check that." The elder Bergdahl said the commander's promise not to mistreat prisoners "was the posi on of the Emirate even before my son was taken prisoner." The senior Haqqani member's comments contradict a Reuters report published Friday, which quoted a Haqqani commander saying that the new terror label would bring "hardships" on the prisoner of war. "Un l now we treated him very well but this move by the United States will of course created (sic) hardships for him," the com-‐mander reportedly told Reuters. The new terror classifica on will likely have at least some consequences. The same source who told The Associated Press they would not mistreat Bergdahl said the network is planning a series of retaliatory a acks against U.S. and NATO soldiers in Afghani-‐stan. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the organiza on's military commander, is seeking permission from Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar to stage a blitzkrieg of a acks against U.S. forces in Afghanistan, he said. "He (Sirajuddin Haqqani) wants to carry out 80 to 100 a acks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan and 20 a acks on other NATO mem-‐bers," said the commander in retalia on for the designa on. He repeated earlier statements that the Haqqani network answered to Mullah Omar and was not separate from the Taliban organiza on. But once Mullah Omar signs off on the ac ons, the commander said, "we have our consulta ve and military council which plans a acks." The commander claimed that the Obama administra on had been in touch with the Haqqani network last year as part of its efforts to broker a peace deal ahead of the withdrawal of U.S. military troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. "(U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham) Clinton should have the courage to tell the Americans about their contacts and even talks with us," he said. Congress insisted Clinton deliver a report on whether the Haqqanis should be designated a terrorist organiza on by Sunday a er a string of high profile a acks on U.S. and NATO troops. The U.S. had resisted the terrorist designa on because of fears it could jeopardize reconcilia on efforts between the U.S. govern-‐ment and insurgents in Afghanistan
This image from a video released by a Taliban affiliated group on Nov. 24, 2010 shows cap ve U.S. Army Spc. Bowe Bergdahl along-‐side his suspected captor, Mullah Sangeen Zadran. / CBS
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SANGER: Honor ma ers in the military Petraeus scandal impacts troop culture By Maj. Kurt Sanger Monday, November 26, 2012 Top of Form
In recent weeks, errant judgments and ac ons of current and former general officers of the U.S. military such as Gen. David H. Petraeus have raised ques ons about the nature of military leadership. Media, government officials and the American public have ques oned the cost the na on incurs when we dispense with gi ed leaders due to their personal transgressions. Many believe it is bad for the United States when we lose an accomplished general officer over a private indiscre on. Others believe that the armed forces should not be led by generals who commit acts for which captains and sergeants would be separated from the ser-‐vice, administra vely disciplined or even criminally prosecuted. There are consequences for opera ng under either paradigm, and we can expect consequences from how much weight we give character or performance. This will impact the conduct not only of our generals, but of all service members. It is important to re-‐member why the military is different from other American ins tu ons, and why a premium is placed on honor. Most U.S. ins tu ons value the bo om line: sales, profits, wins and championships. Normally, we do not balance the moral quali-‐es of CEOs, athletes and entertainers against their performances. As long as performance is maintained, most outstanding per-‐
formers can get away with less-than-honorable ac ons. Those who argue that a competent general should be protected despite personal failures believe the bo om line is what ma ers most in America. Tradi onally, a different metric has been used to judge military performance. Appraisals of troops are not limited to the results of their efforts. For example, along with overall performance, Marine Corps fitness reports measure courage, ini a ve and ability to set the example for fellow Marines. Service members are taught to do the right thing and to do it in the right way for the right reasons. The bo om line is more than results. It is a reflec on of the honor of those who create that line and the manner in which they create it. Since 2001, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, support for new governments and establishing legi macy has been vital to long-term U.S. strategic interests. Elimina ng corrup on and demonstra ng respect for the rule of law have been top priori es. Amer-‐ican conduct in military opera ons has set the example and created precedents by which these nascent governments may meas-‐ure their conduct and evaluate the way they will be rewarded or punished by the interna onal community. Any incidents of im-‐propriety — or the appearance of it — among U.S. troops reduces our ability to use moral persuasion as a tool to influence foreign leaders. President Hamid Karzai’s statements a er Afghan civilians have been killed, some mes mistakenly, some mes inten on-‐ally, have reflected the diminished moral influence of the United States in his country. There is a ripple effect of command conduct on subordinate troops. The words, ac ons and a tudes of military leaders, especially commanders and senior enlisted leaders, trickle down and are repeated throughout a unit. In a 2008 ar cle in The New Yorker, “The Kill Company,” writer Raffi Khatchadourian drew a direct, plausible connec on between the aggressive statements of an ar-‐my brigade commander and illegal killings commi ed by his most junior troops. Every unit has a climate, some aspects of which are unique to that unit, whether an en re army, a ba alion, a platoon or a 10-
member squad. Every member of the unit contributes to the climate, but none more than its leader. When the leader deviates from the established standard, some subordinates will see this as permission to deviate as well. This sets a new standard for oth-‐ers. A leader without a substan ated moral character cannot begin to correct a subordinate who has seen the leader break rules. Stanford Law School fellow Andrew K. Woods iden fied the importance of correc ng even minor flaws at the Camp Bucca prison in Iraq in 2008, which held more than 20,00 detainees at that me. Its commander, U.S. Army Col. James B. Brown, went out of his way to retrieve a piece of used chewing gum off the ground to dispose of it properly. “If I let one of my soldier’s hairs get out of place,” the colonel said, “I know abuse [of detainees] is not far behind.” Before we re-evaluate the importance of honor against capability, we should keep in mind that the personal character and ac ons of our leaders have enduring impacts on troops, coali on partners and the public. One reason troops are trusted with deadly weapons is that the American people know they are trained, expected to be honorable and held accountable when they are not. If excep ons are made for officers because of past achievements, there’s no telling whether that trust will remain. If the armed forc-‐es ever lose that trust, we can count on the honor of the military and its bo om line to be affected, regardless of the proficiency of its leaders.
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Stolen Valor Law 2.0 Passes in Senate Dec 04, 2012 Military.com| by Bryant Jordan A law designed to punish those who boast ba lefield medals for heroics they never performed passed the Senate on Monday, marking the second bid by Congress to outlaw lying about war records. The first so-called Stolen Valor Law was declared uncons tu onal in June by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that lying about military service was protected speech. This me around lawmakers have anchored the law on lying about awards and decora ons for "tangible benefit or personal gain," not strictly lying for the sake of lying. The bill was filed by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., a Vietnam combat veteran, shortly a er the high court knocked down the original 2006 law. "For someone who has not served to come in and get material benefit from something they did not do is just not right," Webb said in an interview with Norfolk TV sta on WTKR in July, when he filed the legisla on that is now set to become part of the 2013 Na onal Defense Authoriza on Act. The House of Representa ves already passed its own version of the law, so final language has to be worked out before it can be signed. Under the Senate version anyone found guilty of viola ng the Stolen Valor law would be fined and possibly jailed for not more than 6 months, or both. The House version would put violators in jail for up to a year. The new law states that benefits include any provided by the local, state or federal government for military service, earn a job, run for elec ve office, or a ain an appointment to a board or posi on on a non-profit. Webb's bill was cosponsored by Sen. Sco Brown, R-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn. The 2006 version of the Stolen Valor Act made it a crime to make any false statements claiming military awards and decora ons. A California man, Xavier Alvarez, was convicted of viola ng the law for claiming to have earned the Medal of Honor. He was or-‐dered to pay a $5,000 fine but appealed the case up to the Supreme Court, which struck it down. Webb and others argued the law is necessary to protect the integrity of military decora ons, since those who earn them are held in high regard by the public. False claims of receiving such medals or serving in the military, the bill language states, "are especially likely to be harmful and material to employers, voters in deciding to whom paid elec ve posi ons should be entrusted, and in the award of contracts." "Military service and military awards are held in such great respect that public and private decisions are correctly influenced by claims of heroism," the bill states, arguing that making false claims about military service and heroism are "an especially noxious means of obtaining something of value."
The Shariah Threat to America
Wednesday, 26 Dec 2012 01:32 PM By Fred Grandy There is a great deal of misinforma on circula ng with regard to shariah and the threat it poses to America and western civiliza on. Some misinformed observers and members of the Muslim Brotherhood liken concerns over shariah to prejudice and bigotry, but the facts say otherwise. Terrorism experts in the law enforcement, military and intelligence communi es have cited shariah as the jihadists’ enemy threat doctrine in an intensive study called “Shariah: The Threat to America,” a scholarly, 352-page book based on authorita ve sources of shariah, or Islamic law. While shariah does include “prayer and fas ng” and “worship” as Thomas cites, it is also an all-encompassing legal and poli cal code that covers aspects of life that have nothing to do with religion. Perhaps most importantly, unlike other forms of religious law, such as canon law and Jewish law, shariah is the only form of reli-‐gious law extant that is also meant to apply to people of other faiths, i.e. non-Muslims. The threat from shariah has nothing to do with prejudice or bigotry. The threat from shariah is real and mul faceted. Some claim that shariah is no threat to the American legal system, but research shows such a threat does exist. Just as shariah has gradually become embedded in the legal systems of many European na ons over the past genera on, it is beginning to be found in U.S. court cases. An ini al study by the Center for Security Policy en tled “Shariah Law and American State Courts: An Assess-‐ment of State Appellate Court Cases,” examined 50 cases from 23 states that involved conflicts between shariah and American state law. The study’s findings suggest that shariah has entered state court decisions, in conflict with the Cons tu on and state
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public policy. This incursion of shariah into U.S. court systems usually manifests itself in the form of foreign law from na ons such as Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Syria and other predominantly Islamic na ons. As a result, four states, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arizona and Kansas, have passed into law “American Laws for American Courts,” legisla on. Several more states are considering American Laws for American Courts. Unlike Oklahoma’s infamous cons tu onal amendment, American Laws for American Courts does not ban shariah. American Laws for American Courts protects individual, fundamental cons tu onal rights by preven ng courts from applying foreign law when the applica on of that foreign law in the case at hand would result in the viola on of a fundamental cons tu onal right, such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, due process and equal protec on
Among the organiza ons clouding the issue on shariah is the Saudi-backed Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). ISNA was named as an unindicted co-conspirator and revealed to be a Muslim Brotherhood affiliate in the U.S. vs. Holy Land Founda on, the largest terrorism financing prosecu on in American history. ISNA was co-founded in 1981 by Sami Al-Arian, a man who is now in federal prison a er having been convicted on terrorism charges as a member of Pales nian Islamic Jihad. According to two reports in the San Francisco Chronicle, the other co-founder of ISNA, Mahboob Khan, twice hosted Ayman al-Zawahiri on fundraising trips here in the USA. In addi on, a regional representa ve for ISNA, Abdurahman Alamoudi, was found to be a chief fundraiser for al-Qaida here in the USA and was convicted on terrorism charges. Alamoudi founded the Islamic Society of Boston using ISNA’s tax-exempt, non-profit status. ISNA board member Muzammil Siddiqi told the San Francisco Chronicle in June 2001 that he “supported laws in countries where homosexuality is punishable by death." Siraj Wahhaj, who served as vice president of ISNA, is on record as suppor ng all aspects of shariah, including its call for brutal punishments like the removal of one's hands as the penalty for the , and death by stoning as the penalty for adultery. According to Wahhaj, such harsh measures are wholly jus fied by Islamic scripture as he preached in a May 1992 sermon: “I would cut off the hands of my own daughter [if she stole] because Allah stands for Jus ce.” On another occasion, Wahhaj stated: “If Allah says 100 strikes, 100 strikes it is. If Allah says cut off their hand, you cut off their hand. If Allah says stone them to death, through the Prophet Muhammad, then you stone them to death, because it’s the obedience of Allah and his messenger — nothing personal.”
Islamic scholar Stephen Schwartz has described ISNA as "one of the chief conduits through which the radical Saudi form of Islam passes into the United States." These hardly seem like the kind of people who should be leading interfaith outreach in the USA.
Republic of Vietnam Special Forces Associa on
Of Washington State
INVITATION You are cordially Invited to
Lunar New Year (year of Snake) Celebra on Dinner
(The Green Berets) On Saturday January 12th 2013
6:30 p.m. to midnight
At Venus Chinese Restaurant
7101 M.L.King Jr. Way S. 98118
Tel: 206-453-3498 Your present is a great honor to our
RVN Vietnam Special Forces Associa on.
Chuyen Nguyen VN/SF/Assn. President
RSVP: Before January 5th 2013, call Thai Phan 206-235-1364 or E-mail [email protected]
Suggest donate $30.00 per person, please make check payable to: Thai Phan 3252 NE 104th St. Sea le, WA 98125-7825
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Direc ons to Venus Resturant
Coming from the North Coming From the South
Take I-5 South to exit 161 Alboro Place Take I-5 North to exit 157
At the intersec on turn Le to Swi Ave. S. Merge to the Le onto Mar n Luther King Jr Way S.
Take a Right on Swi Ave S. to Graham St. Proceed to King Plaza on the Le (2.5 miles)
Take a Le on Graham St to M. L. K. Jr. Way S.
Take a Le on MLK Jr. Way S. (0.5 miles)
To King Plaza
While You Are Here! Cold water currents coming down the Canadian coast and warm water coming up from California mix together off Washington, and the nutrient rich water pours into the Strait of Juan De Fuca and Puget Sound with dal change. The result of this is spectacular and unique marine life. The world’s largest octopuses live here! Color and variety surpass most other areas of the world. Sure, warm water is great and most of the world’s scuba diving is arguably the same fish, coral, nudibranchs etc. Here we have to hassle with dry suits or worse, wet suits, but the reward is worth the effort. Winter can be spectacular because of be er visibility, less algae, kelp and li le runoff from the rivers. Fish and shellfish are also more visible. I've dived pre y much all over the world, from the Caribbean to the China Sea, Java, The Indian Ocean, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico, and my favorite is the Pacific Northwest by far! If you are either military or civilian scuba qualified for open water and are interested in diving while you are here in the northwest, give me a call. Mike Cassidy 360-825 -0356.
Dona ons to Special Forces Associa on, Chapter XVI Dec 2012: Bob Dimond made a $100 dona on to the Chapter In Memory Of Fred "Snow White" Fiedler.
Blast From the Past Soviets take over in Afghanistan Dec 27, 1979: In an a empt to stabilize the turbulent poli cal situa on in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union sends 75,000 troops to enforce the in-‐stalla on of Babrak Karmal as the new leader of the na on. The new government and the imposing Soviet presence, however, had li le success in pu ng down an government rebels. Thus began nearly 10 years of an agonizing, destruc ve, and ul mately fruitless Soviet military interven on in Afghanistan. Ironically, Karmal overthrew and murdered another Afghan communist, Hafizullah Amin, to take power. Amin's government be-‐came unpopular and unstable a er it a empted to install a harsh communist regime, declared one-party rule and abolished the Afghan cons tu on. Muslims in the na on rejected his rule and formed a rebel force, the Mujahideen. When it became apparent that Amin could not control the rebellion, Soviet troops intervened and put a puppet ruler, Karmal, into power. For the Soviets, poli cal turbulence in this bordering na on, which was viewed by some officials as a poten ally useful ally pursuing its interests in the Middle East, was unacceptable. The Soviet interven on cost Russia dearly. The seemingly endless civil war in Afghanistan resulted in thousands of Soviet dead and untold monetary costs. It also brought an abrupt end to the era of détente between the United States and the Soviet Union that began during the Nixon years. In response to the Soviet interven on, President Jimmy Carter withdrew the SALT II agreement from considera on by Congress. The treaty, which had been signed in June 1979, was de-‐signed to establish parity in nuclear delivery vehicles between the United States and the Soviet Union. Carter also halted grain shipments to the Soviet Union and ordered a U.S. boyco of the 1980 Olympics that were to be held in Moscow.
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Amid lawsuits, Pentagon already has program to prep women for combat Published December 01, 2012 SAN DIEGO – As another lawsuit was filed this week challenging the Defense Department’s ban on women serving in combat, the agency was already into a year-long experiment in which thousands of combat posi ons are being made open to female service members. The goal of the project is to slowly integrate women to combat and gauge the impact such a social change would have on the military's ability to fight wars. No branch is likely to feel that change more than the Marine Corps. The small, ght-knit force is the most male of the armed services and prides itself on having the toughest and most aggressive warriors. The Corps historically has higher casualty rates because it is considered to be the " p of the spear," or the first to respond to conflicts. It also was among the last military branches to open its doors to women, forming the first female Corps in 1943, according to the Women's Memorial in Washington D.C. But changing mes are challenging the tradi ons of the force, long likened to a brotherhood. Modern warfare has put women in combat like never before over the past decade, even though a 1994 policy bars them from being assigned to ground combat units below the brigade level, which were considered too dangerous since they are o en smaller and closer to combat for long-‐er periods. The suit filed Tuesday is the second this year by female service members and included to Marine. The plain ffs argue gender barriers unfairly block them from promo ons open to men in combat. The lawsuits are intended to accelerate the military's slow march toward li ing the ban that plain ffs allege has barred women from 238,000 posi ons. Defense officials say they recently opened 14,500 jobs to women, and they need to move cau ously to ensure the change will not disrupt war-‐me opera ons.
Marine 1st Lt. Brandy Soublet was one of 45 female Marines assigned this summer to 19 all-male combat ba alions. She said some Marines ini ally eyed her pioneering presence in the all-male ba alion with skep cism. "The way that I would describe it to friends and family was it was kind of like I showed up to work in a costume," said the 25-year-old logis cs from Twenty-Nine Palms, a remote desert base east of San Diego, where she has a desk job. "They stared a li le bit but a er a while it wasn't like that anymore." That experience may play out on bases and boats worldwide as the Pentagon levels the ba lefield. The Corps earlier this year opened its grueling infantry officer training school to female Marines and surveyed 53,000 of its troops with an anonymous online ques onnaire about the impact of erasing gender barriers. Survey results are expected to be released soon a er review by the defense secretary. Only two female Marines volunteered for the 13-week infantry training course at Quan co, Va., and both failed to complete it this fall. No women have volunteered so far for the next course offered in January, officials said. Soublet said she was nervous she would feel unwelcome in the combat engineer ba alion. Six months into her historic assignment, she said she has been treated equally. "I have heard, you know, whisperings, like `Hey, before you got here we decided to maybe take down some pictures and clean up our language a li le bit,' but other than that, they haven't really expressed anything to me," said Soublet, who will remain two years in her ba alion and is expected to deploy with them to Afghanistan this spring. The Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos said he met with the top leaders of the 19 ba alions and told them to establish the proper command climate. The early steps of assigning females to ar llery, tank, combat engineer and other all-male ba alions have been successful, but there may be some anxiety if women join infantry, Amos said. Camp Pendleton combat Marine Carlos Laguna, who le the Corps in 2011, agreed. "The screams of women, they have a big psychological effect on men. A woman just has a different pitch," said Laguna, who suffers from post-trauma c stress disorder a er two tours in Iraq. "If we're in a firefight and a woman is shot or lost her arm, male Marines like me would want to stop and help. It's our nature to help women." The survey addressed those concerns, asking males if they would be distracted or "feel obligated to protect female Marines." It also asked whether women would be limited because of pregnancy or personal issues. Female Marines were asked if they would feel pressured to suppress their femininity. Former Marine Capt. Kristen Kavanaugh, who runs The Military Acceptance Project, a San Diego-based organiza on promo ng equality in the services, found those ques ons offensive.
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HURT FEELINGS REPORT For use of this form, see FM 22-102; the proponent agency is TRADOC
DATA REQUIRED BY THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974
AUTHORITY: 5 USC 301, Departmental Regulations; 10 USC 3013, Secretary of the Army and E.O. 9397 (SSN)
PRINCIPAL PURPOSE: To assist whiners in documenting hurt feelings, and to provide leaders with a list of soldiers who require additional counseling,
NCO leadership, and extra duty.. ROUTINE USES: For subordinate leader development IAW FM 22-102. Leaders & whiners should use this form as necessary.
DISCLOSURE: Disclosure is voluntary, but repeated disclosure may result in a DA Form 779-1A, Report of Wall To Wall Counseling
PART I – ADMINISTRATIVE DATA A. WHINER’S NAME (Last, First, MI) B. RANK/GRADE C. SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER D. DATE OF REPORT
E. ORGANIZATION F. NAME & TITLE OF THE PERSON FILLING OUT THIS FORM
PART II – INCIDENT REPORT A. DATE FEELINGS WERE HURT B. TIME OF HURTFULNESS C. LOCATION OF HURTFUL INCIDENT D. NCO OR OFFICER SYMPATHETIC TO WHINER
E. NAME OF REAL MAN/WOMAN WHO HURT YOUR SENSITIVE
FEELINGS
F. RANK/GRADE G. ORGANIZATION (if different from 1e above)
E. INJURY (Mark all that apply) 1. WHICH EAR WERE THE WORDS OF HURTFULNESS SPOKEN INTO?
LEFT RIGHT BOTH
2. IS THERE PERMANENT FEELING DAMAGE?
YES NO MAYBE
3. DID YOU REQUIRE A “TISSUE” FOR TEARS?
YES NO MULTIPLE
4. HAS THIS RESULTED IN A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY?
YES NO MAYBE
F. REASON FOR FILING THIS REPORT (Mark all that apply)
I am thin skinned The Army needs to fix my problems Two beers is not enough
I am a wimp My feelings are easily hurt My hands should be in my pockets
I have woman/man-‐like hormones I didn't sign up for this I was not offered a post brief
I am a crybaby I was told that I am not a hero Someone requested a post brief
I want my mommy The weather is to cold All of the above and more
G. NARRATIVE (Tell us in your own sissy words how your feelings were hurt.)
PART III -‐ AUTHENTICATION a. PRINTED NAME OF REAL MAN/WOMAN b. SIGNATURE c. PRINTED NAME OF WHINER d. SIGNATURE
We, as the Army, take hurt feelings seriously. If you don't have someone who can give you a hug and make things all better, please let us know and we
will promptly dispatch a "hugger" to you ASAP. In the event we are unable to find a "hugger" we will notify the fire department and request that they
send fire personnel to your location. If you are in need of supplemental support, upon written request, we will make every reasonable effort to provide
you with a "blankey", a "binky" and/or a bottle if you so desire.
DA FORM IMT WF1, APRIL 2009 EDITION OF APRIL 1989 IS OBSELETE
