Based on combat observations and medical studies by the US and British military it is becoming apparent that methamphetamine use among the terrorist population is on a dramatic increase. Used as a strategic tool methamphetamine offers those in the Iraqi Area of Operations a whole new trend of issues that compromise the safety of those combating terrorism. Whether operating as a contractor or a soldier the dangers associated with methamphetamine use among those you are fighting need to be addressed.
First reports of the drug appear to have come out of the Basra area. Known as “pinkies” the stimulant was in the form of a tablet.
Stimulants in the combat zone are nothing new. The fact that we are encountering them in the “War on Terror” should not surprise us in the least. The Germans used methamphetamine during World War II. We all heard of the blitzkrieg conducted by German forces during the early days of the war. German soldiers would march for days taking up large pieces of land and conquering everything in their wake. Everyone thought that the German soldier was some sort of “super” soldier that could not be stopped. They marched, fought and destroyed with little food or rest.
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Monday, April 23, 2007
Gates Expresses Condolences on Death of Yeltsin
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service
April 23, 2007 – U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, here for meetings with Russian leaders, expressed his sympathies on today's death of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin. "He was an important man in Russian history," Gates told U.S. and Russian reporters here.
Gates is in Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian leaders to discuss U.S. plans to deploy missile defense assets in Eastern Europe. From here, the secretary is slated to travel to Poland and Germany to meet with senior leaders on the topic.
Yeltsin was the first president of the Russian Federation. He served from July 1991 until December 1999.
"No Americans at least will forget seeing him standing on the tank outside the (Russian) White House resisting the coup attempt," Gates said, referring to the former president's public defiance of a communist coup just a month after he took office.
Gates noted that Yeltsin received him in the Kremlin during a 1992 visit.
"I think he was an important figure in Russia's evolution toward democracy," the secretary said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 23, 2007 – U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, here for meetings with Russian leaders, expressed his sympathies on today's death of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin. "He was an important man in Russian history," Gates told U.S. and Russian reporters here.
Gates is in Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian leaders to discuss U.S. plans to deploy missile defense assets in Eastern Europe. From here, the secretary is slated to travel to Poland and Germany to meet with senior leaders on the topic.
Yeltsin was the first president of the Russian Federation. He served from July 1991 until December 1999.
"No Americans at least will forget seeing him standing on the tank outside the (Russian) White House resisting the coup attempt," Gates said, referring to the former president's public defiance of a communist coup just a month after he took office.
Gates noted that Yeltsin received him in the Kremlin during a 1992 visit.
"I think he was an important figure in Russia's evolution toward democracy," the secretary said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
VoTech Grads to Pour Into Iraqi Labor Pool
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
April 23, 2007 – Graduates from Iraq's vocational and technical centers are creating a "pool of skilled laborers" that officials hope will reduce the country's staggering unemployment rates. The Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division and the U.S. Agency for International Development have teamed with Iraq's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to revitalize the VoTech centers, where students learn trades like electrical installation, computer operation, auto mechanics, welding and other construction trades.
"They take people that are unemployed currently, train them in a skill, and then provide them a job after they complete their training so they can continue to work and improve the economy," Navy Cmdr. Stuart Satterwhite, an operations officer in the Gulf Region Division, told reporters during an April 21 roundtable discussion in Iraq.
A vocational program was in place before Operation Iraq Freedom, and U.S. efforts to re-implement the system "have not done as well as we hoped," Satterwhite said. According to USAID, 20 percent of Iraqis are totally unemployed and 30 percent are "underemployed," working 15 or fewer hours per week.
But the Corps of Engineers and Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs are working to "bring the (VoTech) program back on line" to combat Iraq's "acute shortage of skilled labor," he said. "USAID currently runs three sites, and they've made great progress there already.
"There's a great opportunity for the construction trades to develop here in Iraq as rebuilding (occurs) throughout the country," Satterwhite added.
Upon graduating, students are piped into labor and service markets, bringing their technical expertise to construction sites, or receive micro-loans that help Iraqi entrepreneurs finance new businesses. Satterwhite gave a hypothetical example of an Iraqi student who studies sewing at the VoTech, then receives a micro-loan to set up her own seamstress shop after graduating.
To date, about 8,000 Iraqis have matriculated at the country's 23 VoTech centers, 11 of which are located in Baghdad. "If we were to take each of the vocational training centers right now and run one shift of classes per day, ... we could run 25,000 students through in a year," Satterwhite said.
"(We are) trying to maximize the capacity to develop a national vocational training program that's open to all Iraqis, so that everyone has that benefit to learn a skill so they can go out and be able to work in the economy and be able to provide for their families," he said.
Navy Cmdr. George Milla, deputy director with the 358th Civil Affairs Brigade, said efforts to modernize VoTech sites are occurring in southern Iraq.
"Our approach is to work with the minister of labor and social affairs at the national level and work with school directors at each site," Milla said. "(Directors) identify what their equipment requirements are, what their shortfalls or needs are, both in equipment they need to conduct the classes, and ... equipment or building rehabilitations they need to do in order to improve the site."
Site rehabilitation and other modernization projects will be bid to local Iraqi contractors, Milla said, stimulating economic competition among laborers within each district.
"We want the contractors from those districts to make the improvements to these sites," he said. "It helps the economy locally in that facet, along with assisting in the marketability of the Iraqi people who are going to those schools."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 23, 2007 – Graduates from Iraq's vocational and technical centers are creating a "pool of skilled laborers" that officials hope will reduce the country's staggering unemployment rates. The Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division and the U.S. Agency for International Development have teamed with Iraq's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to revitalize the VoTech centers, where students learn trades like electrical installation, computer operation, auto mechanics, welding and other construction trades.
"They take people that are unemployed currently, train them in a skill, and then provide them a job after they complete their training so they can continue to work and improve the economy," Navy Cmdr. Stuart Satterwhite, an operations officer in the Gulf Region Division, told reporters during an April 21 roundtable discussion in Iraq.
A vocational program was in place before Operation Iraq Freedom, and U.S. efforts to re-implement the system "have not done as well as we hoped," Satterwhite said. According to USAID, 20 percent of Iraqis are totally unemployed and 30 percent are "underemployed," working 15 or fewer hours per week.
But the Corps of Engineers and Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs are working to "bring the (VoTech) program back on line" to combat Iraq's "acute shortage of skilled labor," he said. "USAID currently runs three sites, and they've made great progress there already.
"There's a great opportunity for the construction trades to develop here in Iraq as rebuilding (occurs) throughout the country," Satterwhite added.
Upon graduating, students are piped into labor and service markets, bringing their technical expertise to construction sites, or receive micro-loans that help Iraqi entrepreneurs finance new businesses. Satterwhite gave a hypothetical example of an Iraqi student who studies sewing at the VoTech, then receives a micro-loan to set up her own seamstress shop after graduating.
To date, about 8,000 Iraqis have matriculated at the country's 23 VoTech centers, 11 of which are located in Baghdad. "If we were to take each of the vocational training centers right now and run one shift of classes per day, ... we could run 25,000 students through in a year," Satterwhite said.
"(We are) trying to maximize the capacity to develop a national vocational training program that's open to all Iraqis, so that everyone has that benefit to learn a skill so they can go out and be able to work in the economy and be able to provide for their families," he said.
Navy Cmdr. George Milla, deputy director with the 358th Civil Affairs Brigade, said efforts to modernize VoTech sites are occurring in southern Iraq.
"Our approach is to work with the minister of labor and social affairs at the national level and work with school directors at each site," Milla said. "(Directors) identify what their equipment requirements are, what their shortfalls or needs are, both in equipment they need to conduct the classes, and ... equipment or building rehabilitations they need to do in order to improve the site."
Site rehabilitation and other modernization projects will be bid to local Iraqi contractors, Milla said, stimulating economic competition among laborers within each district.
"We want the contractors from those districts to make the improvements to these sites," he said. "It helps the economy locally in that facet, along with assisting in the marketability of the Iraqi people who are going to those schools."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Gates Asks Russia to Partner on Missile Defense Development
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service
April 23, 2007 – The United States intends to be prepared for future threats and is inviting Russia to become a partner in a defensive endeavor, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. "We now face new threats that require new strategy for both deterrence and defense," Gates told U.S. and Russian reporters. "Moreover, the ever-increasing pace of technological innovation, combined with the proliferation of mass destruction and delivery systems, means the threats we face now may be much more ominous in 10 to 20 years.
"Indeed, who can say in 2007, what states or groups may have such capabilities in 2017?" he asked.
Gates came to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior defense leaders to discuss U.S. plans to deploy missile defense assets in Eastern Europe. He said the main focus of his trip was to continue developing responses to the challenges posed by weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile proliferation.
Following his first meeting with Defense Minister Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov at the Russian Ministry of Defense, Gates said he would reiterate in all his meetings that the United States is willing to "explore cooperation with Russia across a full spectrum of missile defense activities."
"We could potentially work together," he said, "to experiment with new concepts and technology, conduct research and development on missile defense systems and components, to share early warning data, to promote stability and to improve the capabilities of our forces to conduct successful, cooperative missile defense operations during peacekeeping or other joint military operation."
Gates reassured the Russian defense minister that the U.S. plan for missile defense is not aimed at Russia or any particular country.
"They are oriented against potential aggressors in the Middle East and Southwest Asia whose leaders could someday use a handful of ballistic missiles in an attempt to blackmail Europe and America and sow chaos and sap our collective will," he said.
President Bush believes "the deployment of missile defense is an essential element of our broader efforts to transform our defense and deterrence policies and capabilities to meet the new threats we face," Gates said. "To that end, the United States is responding with a comprehensive political, diplomatic and military strategy that includes working with our allies and partners in other countries.
"We invite Russia to join our defensive endeavor as a partner," he said. "We've agreed an expert group will continue our discussions on ballistic missile defense and other subjects of mutual interest and concern."
Gates thanked the Russian defense minister for hosting their first meeting. The secretary said he found it "to be quite valuable as we engaged in honest and frank discussion of current challenges and opportunities in the world and the ways in which we can jointly address them."
"The days of the Cold War are over," he said, "and no one can seek to return to them. In today's post-Cold War yet still challenging world, no longer is it presumed that one side must win and one side must lose when addressing specific issues. When both the United States and Russia work together, both countries and others win. The inverse is just as true: When we fail to work together, both countries may lose."
Serdyukov said he hopes the negotiations with Gates would make a significant contribution to the further improvement of regional and global security.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 23, 2007 – The United States intends to be prepared for future threats and is inviting Russia to become a partner in a defensive endeavor, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. "We now face new threats that require new strategy for both deterrence and defense," Gates told U.S. and Russian reporters. "Moreover, the ever-increasing pace of technological innovation, combined with the proliferation of mass destruction and delivery systems, means the threats we face now may be much more ominous in 10 to 20 years.
"Indeed, who can say in 2007, what states or groups may have such capabilities in 2017?" he asked.
Gates came to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior defense leaders to discuss U.S. plans to deploy missile defense assets in Eastern Europe. He said the main focus of his trip was to continue developing responses to the challenges posed by weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile proliferation.
Following his first meeting with Defense Minister Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov at the Russian Ministry of Defense, Gates said he would reiterate in all his meetings that the United States is willing to "explore cooperation with Russia across a full spectrum of missile defense activities."
"We could potentially work together," he said, "to experiment with new concepts and technology, conduct research and development on missile defense systems and components, to share early warning data, to promote stability and to improve the capabilities of our forces to conduct successful, cooperative missile defense operations during peacekeeping or other joint military operation."
Gates reassured the Russian defense minister that the U.S. plan for missile defense is not aimed at Russia or any particular country.
"They are oriented against potential aggressors in the Middle East and Southwest Asia whose leaders could someday use a handful of ballistic missiles in an attempt to blackmail Europe and America and sow chaos and sap our collective will," he said.
President Bush believes "the deployment of missile defense is an essential element of our broader efforts to transform our defense and deterrence policies and capabilities to meet the new threats we face," Gates said. "To that end, the United States is responding with a comprehensive political, diplomatic and military strategy that includes working with our allies and partners in other countries.
"We invite Russia to join our defensive endeavor as a partner," he said. "We've agreed an expert group will continue our discussions on ballistic missile defense and other subjects of mutual interest and concern."
Gates thanked the Russian defense minister for hosting their first meeting. The secretary said he found it "to be quite valuable as we engaged in honest and frank discussion of current challenges and opportunities in the world and the ways in which we can jointly address them."
"The days of the Cold War are over," he said, "and no one can seek to return to them. In today's post-Cold War yet still challenging world, no longer is it presumed that one side must win and one side must lose when addressing specific issues. When both the United States and Russia work together, both countries and others win. The inverse is just as true: When we fail to work together, both countries may lose."
Serdyukov said he hopes the negotiations with Gates would make a significant contribution to the further improvement of regional and global security.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Medical Transcription Ideal Career for Military Spouses, Navy Vet Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2007 – When Leslie Slusarski got out of the Navy in 1979, her fast-paced military lifestyle didn't change. Her husband, Walter, was a weapons officer for submarines, so her family still had to move every 18 months or so. Slusarski was able to find a rewarding career that meshed well with her lifestyle -- medical transcription, which she says other military spouses should consider.
Medical transcription is an in-demand, technically oriented career field that can be done from almost anywhere, said Slusarski, who has worked in the career field for 28 years.
"I was able to be at home with my kids, and I always had a job," Slusarski recalled of her medical transcription career while her husband served in the Navy.
Medical transcription "worked out great for me," she said.
People in the medical transcription field translate and transcribe patient medical records, including diagnoses, treatments, prognoses and outcomes from oral to written form on paper or electronically, according to the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity, formerly known as the American Association for Medical Transcription.
Slusarski, an 18-year resident of Bremerton, Wash., served five years as a Navy corpsman. Her husband retired after 25 years in the Navy, many of those spent aboard a submarine.
After leaving the Navy as a petty officer 2nd class, Slusarski found administrative work -- and her medical transcription career -- at a doctor's office.
"They just asked me to transcribe some tapes one day, and it went from there," she recalled.
Slusarski performed medical transcription work at doctors' offices and hospitals for the first part of her career, she recalled. Later, the interfacing of computers and the Internet enabled her to work from home.
The medical transcription field has evolved from a time when practitioners would use audiocassette tapes, typewriters and carbon paper, Slusarski said.
"Now we use a digital dictation system, (and) everything is done over the Internet," she said. "It's all routed and printed electronically."
Today, during her daily at-home work routine, Slusarski accesses a secure computer connection to transcribe medical records from physicians' real-time audio notations. Completed transcriptions are automatically moved into electronic medical records files and printed, she said.
"You press the 'finished' key and the computer takes care of it from there," Slusarski said. "The server routes it to printers and to electronic folders, as needed."
The medical transcription career field is especially attractive to military spouses who experience frequent moves, she said, because they can take their jobs with them. "You can continue with your company when you move and won't have to start all over again," Slusarski pointed out.
And, since most companies allow employees to complete their daily transcription work within 12 hours, time-conscious military spouses usually have plenty of time to attend to their children's needs and other business.
Military spouses interested in the medical transcription career field should contact the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity or other medical transcription associations and get a mentor, Slusarski suggested.
"Being involved with the local association, you're able to meet other transcriptionists and military spouses in the same situation that you're in," she said. "It helps that there's somebody there who understands the military lifestyle."
The departments of Defense and Labor are collaborating with the AHDI and the Medical Transcription Industry Association to promote the medical transcription field as a viable career for military spouses.
Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, discussed how education and networking with other government and civilian organizations can assist military spouses in obtaining satisfying, rewarding careers at a medical transcription association and education seminar last night in Jacksonville, Fla.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2007 – When Leslie Slusarski got out of the Navy in 1979, her fast-paced military lifestyle didn't change. Her husband, Walter, was a weapons officer for submarines, so her family still had to move every 18 months or so. Slusarski was able to find a rewarding career that meshed well with her lifestyle -- medical transcription, which she says other military spouses should consider.
Medical transcription is an in-demand, technically oriented career field that can be done from almost anywhere, said Slusarski, who has worked in the career field for 28 years.
"I was able to be at home with my kids, and I always had a job," Slusarski recalled of her medical transcription career while her husband served in the Navy.
Medical transcription "worked out great for me," she said.
People in the medical transcription field translate and transcribe patient medical records, including diagnoses, treatments, prognoses and outcomes from oral to written form on paper or electronically, according to the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity, formerly known as the American Association for Medical Transcription.
Slusarski, an 18-year resident of Bremerton, Wash., served five years as a Navy corpsman. Her husband retired after 25 years in the Navy, many of those spent aboard a submarine.
After leaving the Navy as a petty officer 2nd class, Slusarski found administrative work -- and her medical transcription career -- at a doctor's office.
"They just asked me to transcribe some tapes one day, and it went from there," she recalled.
Slusarski performed medical transcription work at doctors' offices and hospitals for the first part of her career, she recalled. Later, the interfacing of computers and the Internet enabled her to work from home.
The medical transcription field has evolved from a time when practitioners would use audiocassette tapes, typewriters and carbon paper, Slusarski said.
"Now we use a digital dictation system, (and) everything is done over the Internet," she said. "It's all routed and printed electronically."
Today, during her daily at-home work routine, Slusarski accesses a secure computer connection to transcribe medical records from physicians' real-time audio notations. Completed transcriptions are automatically moved into electronic medical records files and printed, she said.
"You press the 'finished' key and the computer takes care of it from there," Slusarski said. "The server routes it to printers and to electronic folders, as needed."
The medical transcription career field is especially attractive to military spouses who experience frequent moves, she said, because they can take their jobs with them. "You can continue with your company when you move and won't have to start all over again," Slusarski pointed out.
And, since most companies allow employees to complete their daily transcription work within 12 hours, time-conscious military spouses usually have plenty of time to attend to their children's needs and other business.
Military spouses interested in the medical transcription career field should contact the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity or other medical transcription associations and get a mentor, Slusarski suggested.
"Being involved with the local association, you're able to meet other transcriptionists and military spouses in the same situation that you're in," she said. "It helps that there's somebody there who understands the military lifestyle."
The departments of Defense and Labor are collaborating with the AHDI and the Medical Transcription Industry Association to promote the medical transcription field as a viable career for military spouses.
Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, discussed how education and networking with other government and civilian organizations can assist military spouses in obtaining satisfying, rewarding careers at a medical transcription association and education seminar last night in Jacksonville, Fla.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Wounded Warriors Hit Links in Full Swing
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2007 – In golf jargon, a "handicap" refers to the number of strokes that separates an amateur golfer from a pro. On the Woodmont Country Club driving range here April 20, the term described a more literal disadvantage. "It's just an obstacle," said Tom Willard, a novelist and a former Army paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division whose left arm was amputated after he was shot five times in Vietnam. With the aid of the "Amputee Golf Grip," a prosthetic device Willard invented, he has continued driving, pitching and putting through the years.
"You can go over the obstacle, under it, around it or through it," he said. "And 'through' is the best way to go."
Several disabled golf instructors like Willard joined Disabled Sports USA with its partner program Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project in offering 10 wounded servicemembers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., the "First Swing" golf seminar here. In 2007, the partnered programs will sponsor more than 70 events in 19 different sports in 14 states.
"There is no tool better than sports to get people active again, self-confident again and to believe in themselves again after they've become disabled," said Kirk M. Bauer, executive director of Disabled Sports USA, who lost his leg in Vietnam when a grenade detonated nearby.
"(Wounded servicemembers) teach all of us that no matter what life throws at you, if you've got the right opportunities and the right attitude, you can overcome that and go on and lead a very active and a very successful life," he said. "But you have to move forward, and you have to believe in yourself. That's what they're teaching all of us."
In the country club ballroom, wounded vets listened as Bob Buck, the executive director of Eastern Amputee Golf Association, explained various prosthetic golfing devices and adaptive equipment. He suggested putter extensions for above-knee amputees who have difficulty bending over, specially-designed gloves for golfers with hand injuries, and clubs with swiveling heads that allow a golfer to swing from a seated position if necessary.
Buck said the Eastern Amputee Golf Association has a 3,000-person mailing list that includes 1,100 amputees, sponsors eight 36-hole tournaments, conducts golf clinics around the country, and currently gives 18 scholarships to amputee servicemembers or their children. Through a donation by Buck's associate, Don Boyd, each of the wounded vets would receive a set of clubs as a parting gift and as incentive to keep swinging.
Having received a prosthetic right leg in 1970 after a car accident, Buck is proof that amputee golfers can excel on the links. "I was about a 12 handicap before I lost my leg at age 28, and I've been as low as a four since then. My swing has probably improved," he said.
Army Sgt. 1st Class David Cook, from Westchester, Ill., said he was excited to try golfing for the first time since his right leg was amputated below the knee five weeks ago. Sitting in a wheelchair with his amputation site wrapped in a bandage, Cook had set his sights low.
"I wish I had my prosthetic so I could stand up and hit the ball," Cook said. "I'm just looking forward to getting back out there. Realistically, I'm not going to be able to hit the ball since I don't have the other foot yet."
"You'll be surprised," Buck interjected.
In a convoy of golf carts, the disabled veterans and their instructors wheeled around freshly cut fairways, and onto the driving range that overlooked a lightly down-sloping pitch. During the sunny afternoon, flags indicating various distances downrange flapped in the breeze.
Cook drove his "Golf Xpress" single-rider cart to a spot on the range next to a shiny pyramid of golf balls, and then rotated his seat 90 degrees to face the stack. Rising from the seat, Cook hopped on his left foot and used a six-iron to fish a ball from the top of the pyramid. Then he hopped into swinging position.
"I've never done this before," he said, still hopping. Balancing himself, Cook began his backswing. His club shaft was nearly parallel to the ground before he drove the iron toward the ball.
Upon contact, a large earthy divot flew almost as far as the ball. Then Cook launched a low line drive that hooked into the trees just off the fairway for his second shot.
On his third swing, Cook hit a picture-perfect iron shot that sailed straight down the range and rolled near the black-and-white checkered flag marking 120 yards.
"Now I liked that one," Cook said after firing off an equally clean drive that breezed well past the checkered flag. "I could do this every day."
Willard took a break from instructing to sneak in a few shots using a six-iron he gripped with his prosthetic device. He then stepped back and observed the other golfers' progress. "It's not here or here that's important," Willard said, pointing to his arm then to his leg.
Motioning towards his heart, he said, "It's about what's in here."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2007 – In golf jargon, a "handicap" refers to the number of strokes that separates an amateur golfer from a pro. On the Woodmont Country Club driving range here April 20, the term described a more literal disadvantage. "It's just an obstacle," said Tom Willard, a novelist and a former Army paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division whose left arm was amputated after he was shot five times in Vietnam. With the aid of the "Amputee Golf Grip," a prosthetic device Willard invented, he has continued driving, pitching and putting through the years.
"You can go over the obstacle, under it, around it or through it," he said. "And 'through' is the best way to go."
Several disabled golf instructors like Willard joined Disabled Sports USA with its partner program Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project in offering 10 wounded servicemembers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., the "First Swing" golf seminar here. In 2007, the partnered programs will sponsor more than 70 events in 19 different sports in 14 states.
"There is no tool better than sports to get people active again, self-confident again and to believe in themselves again after they've become disabled," said Kirk M. Bauer, executive director of Disabled Sports USA, who lost his leg in Vietnam when a grenade detonated nearby.
"(Wounded servicemembers) teach all of us that no matter what life throws at you, if you've got the right opportunities and the right attitude, you can overcome that and go on and lead a very active and a very successful life," he said. "But you have to move forward, and you have to believe in yourself. That's what they're teaching all of us."
In the country club ballroom, wounded vets listened as Bob Buck, the executive director of Eastern Amputee Golf Association, explained various prosthetic golfing devices and adaptive equipment. He suggested putter extensions for above-knee amputees who have difficulty bending over, specially-designed gloves for golfers with hand injuries, and clubs with swiveling heads that allow a golfer to swing from a seated position if necessary.
Buck said the Eastern Amputee Golf Association has a 3,000-person mailing list that includes 1,100 amputees, sponsors eight 36-hole tournaments, conducts golf clinics around the country, and currently gives 18 scholarships to amputee servicemembers or their children. Through a donation by Buck's associate, Don Boyd, each of the wounded vets would receive a set of clubs as a parting gift and as incentive to keep swinging.
Having received a prosthetic right leg in 1970 after a car accident, Buck is proof that amputee golfers can excel on the links. "I was about a 12 handicap before I lost my leg at age 28, and I've been as low as a four since then. My swing has probably improved," he said.
Army Sgt. 1st Class David Cook, from Westchester, Ill., said he was excited to try golfing for the first time since his right leg was amputated below the knee five weeks ago. Sitting in a wheelchair with his amputation site wrapped in a bandage, Cook had set his sights low.
"I wish I had my prosthetic so I could stand up and hit the ball," Cook said. "I'm just looking forward to getting back out there. Realistically, I'm not going to be able to hit the ball since I don't have the other foot yet."
"You'll be surprised," Buck interjected.
In a convoy of golf carts, the disabled veterans and their instructors wheeled around freshly cut fairways, and onto the driving range that overlooked a lightly down-sloping pitch. During the sunny afternoon, flags indicating various distances downrange flapped in the breeze.
Cook drove his "Golf Xpress" single-rider cart to a spot on the range next to a shiny pyramid of golf balls, and then rotated his seat 90 degrees to face the stack. Rising from the seat, Cook hopped on his left foot and used a six-iron to fish a ball from the top of the pyramid. Then he hopped into swinging position.
"I've never done this before," he said, still hopping. Balancing himself, Cook began his backswing. His club shaft was nearly parallel to the ground before he drove the iron toward the ball.
Upon contact, a large earthy divot flew almost as far as the ball. Then Cook launched a low line drive that hooked into the trees just off the fairway for his second shot.
On his third swing, Cook hit a picture-perfect iron shot that sailed straight down the range and rolled near the black-and-white checkered flag marking 120 yards.
"Now I liked that one," Cook said after firing off an equally clean drive that breezed well past the checkered flag. "I could do this every day."
Willard took a break from instructing to sneak in a few shots using a six-iron he gripped with his prosthetic device. He then stepped back and observed the other golfers' progress. "It's not here or here that's important," Willard said, pointing to his arm then to his leg.
Motioning towards his heart, he said, "It's about what's in here."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Pace Speaks With Servicemembers in Afghanistan
By Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher, USAF
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2007 – Extensions, training and congressional support topped the list of topics discussed at a town hall meeting here yesterday with Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pace and his senior enlisted advisor, Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, addressed servicemembers from all service branches and answered questions as part of a visit to the air base.
The chairman began the meeting by congratulating the troops and commending them on their actions during the Taliban's attempted spring offensive. "This year's spring offensive, you all have them trying to figure out what they're going to do next," Pace said.
He took questions on a variety of topics and attempted to settle concerns about media and congressional support for the troops and the war effort. "The American people are with you," he said. "There are Americans who support the war and Americans who do not. They all support you.
"If you go all the way back to 2001 and remember the initial attacks on Afghanistan and in 2003 the attacks on Iraq, there was 24-hour coverage," he continued. "Over time, the amount of time on TV allocated to the war has gone down. What gets on television is the bombs going off, not the well being dug. We can either wring our hands about this or realize what the environment is and adjust to it."
Despite what troops might hear on television, Congress continues to support them in the field, Pace said. "Our Congress has continued to fund everything we ask for," he said. "They will come to whatever compromise they need to come to, to give us what we need. That's why you're here: to protect the right to have those kinds of debate."
The chairman said troops can help shape that debate by talking to people when their deployments are complete. "When you come home, talk to some group in your hometown," he encouraged. "If all of us do that, there will be more Americans who get a bit of information here and bit there."
Pace also addressed the recently announced extensions that soldiers in U.S. Central Command, which includes Afghanistan, will now serve. "We did it to stop the just-in-time decisions," he told the troops, "to stop telling people they'll be home for 12 months and then nipping away at that."
The general added that he understands the sacrifices soldiers and their families are making. "It really is the families sacrificing the most here," he said. "You know when you're in danger. They don't, so they think about you in danger a lot."
At the end of the town hall meeting, Pace shook all the servicemembers' hand and thanked them for their sacrifices. "I don't know how to thank you properly," he said. "You're making a difference."
(Air Force Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher is assigned to the Regional Command East Public Affairs Office.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
April 22, 2007 – Extensions, training and congressional support topped the list of topics discussed at a town hall meeting here yesterday with Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pace and his senior enlisted advisor, Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, addressed servicemembers from all service branches and answered questions as part of a visit to the air base.
The chairman began the meeting by congratulating the troops and commending them on their actions during the Taliban's attempted spring offensive. "This year's spring offensive, you all have them trying to figure out what they're going to do next," Pace said.
He took questions on a variety of topics and attempted to settle concerns about media and congressional support for the troops and the war effort. "The American people are with you," he said. "There are Americans who support the war and Americans who do not. They all support you.
"If you go all the way back to 2001 and remember the initial attacks on Afghanistan and in 2003 the attacks on Iraq, there was 24-hour coverage," he continued. "Over time, the amount of time on TV allocated to the war has gone down. What gets on television is the bombs going off, not the well being dug. We can either wring our hands about this or realize what the environment is and adjust to it."
Despite what troops might hear on television, Congress continues to support them in the field, Pace said. "Our Congress has continued to fund everything we ask for," he said. "They will come to whatever compromise they need to come to, to give us what we need. That's why you're here: to protect the right to have those kinds of debate."
The chairman said troops can help shape that debate by talking to people when their deployments are complete. "When you come home, talk to some group in your hometown," he encouraged. "If all of us do that, there will be more Americans who get a bit of information here and bit there."
Pace also addressed the recently announced extensions that soldiers in U.S. Central Command, which includes Afghanistan, will now serve. "We did it to stop the just-in-time decisions," he told the troops, "to stop telling people they'll be home for 12 months and then nipping away at that."
The general added that he understands the sacrifices soldiers and their families are making. "It really is the families sacrificing the most here," he said. "You know when you're in danger. They don't, so they think about you in danger a lot."
At the end of the town hall meeting, Pace shook all the servicemembers' hand and thanked them for their sacrifices. "I don't know how to thank you properly," he said. "You're making a difference."
(Air Force Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher is assigned to the Regional Command East Public Affairs Office.)
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
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