Face of Defense: Brothers Reunite in Iraq

By Sgt. Brandon Little, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

April 4, 2008 - Throughout their military careers, Army Staff Sgt. Shane Hansen and his brother, Army Sgt. 1st Class Zane Hansen, have always been on opposite sides of the world. Over the years, as they got married, had children and were stationed in different places, they haven't had many chances to see each other. But an unexpected mission change, combined with a little good fortune, brought them together in Iraq.

Shane, who is stationed in Katterbach, Germany, deployed to Logistics Support Area Anaconda in July; Zane, who is stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, learned in November his unit also would deploy to Iraq.

When Task Force 12 received the mission of becoming the aviation task force for Multinational Division Baghdad, the Hansen brothers found their first opportunity to be stationed together.

"I was excited when I found out we would be here together, because the last time I saw (Zane), before this deployment, was at our parents' house in August of 2004," said Shane, a section sergeant in Company D, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment. "We usually get to see each other about once every five years."

Even though the brothers, natives of Wichita, Kan., live and work less than a half mile away from each other here, they still remain worlds apart.

"Right now, I'm working night shift, and (Shane) works day shift; it seems like every time my shift changes, so does his," said Zane, a platoon sergeant in Troop T, 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. "Since we've been stationed here together, we've only seen each other about three or four times."

"Our different shifts and different 'reset' days makes it difficult to see each other unless we really put forth an effort to going over to where the other one works," said Shane, who has been in the Army for 12 years.

Their families have mixed feelings about the brothers being stationed together in Iraq.

"Our wives are happy that we are stationed here together, because they feel we have someone to talk to," said Shane, a UH-60 Black Hawk maintainer. "Our parents don't like the idea of us being here together, because if something happens, it might happen to both of us; but our older sister isn't too worried about us being here."

Both brothers are on their second deployment; Zane previously deployed to Bosnia and Shane to Afghanistan. Zane joined the Army a little more than a year before Shane.

"When I joined the Army in 1994, I got stationed in Korea," said Zane, an AH-64D Apache Longbow maintainer. "When he joined the Army and got stationed in Hawaii, I was stationed in the states."

Communicating with each other was difficult for the first couple of years because there was no Internet access; but now, it's definitely gotten a lot better, Shane said.

Zane has been in aviation for his entire career, but Shane started out as a signal soldier.

"I really didn't like that job, and Zane would always tell me about his job and all of the cool things he did," said Shane. "He wasn't the only reason I chose this job, but he definitely helped me make my decision."

The brothers are living up to a long legacy of military service in their family. Their grandfathers served in the military during World War II. Their father also served in the Army; he joined shortly after the Vietnam War.

Growing up, they had plenty of good times mixed with a little bit of mischief, they said. Although they try to stay professional, and call each other "Sergeant Hansen" when around other soldiers, childhood memories sometimes resurface.

"All of (Zane's) soldiers want to know about him," Shane said. "Every once in a while, one of them will come up to me and ask me questions about him, and I'll give them a tidbit of information about some of the things he did growing up."

Shane has been selected for promotion to sergeant first class and said he would like to be stationed back in the United States in the future. Zane said he and his wife are discussing the idea of asking to go to Europe.

(Army Sgt. Brandon Little serves in the Task Force 12 Public Affairs Office in Multinational Division Baghdad.)

Soldiers Missing From the Korean War are Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

They are Capt. Edward B. Scullion of Norfolk, Va; and Pfc. Elwood D. Reynolds of Schoolfield, Va.; both U.S. Army. Reynolds will be buried April 18 in Danville, Va., and Scullion will be buried this summer in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.

Representatives from the Army met with Scullion's and Reynolds' next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.

Both men were members of A Company, 32nd Infantry Regiment, then attached to the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), 7th Infantry Division. The team was engaged against the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, from Nov. 27-Dec. 1, 1950. Both soldiers died in late November as result of intense enemy fire, but their bodies were not recovered at the time.

Between 2002 and 2005, joint U.S. and Democratic People's Republic of Korea teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), conducted excavations of three burial sites near the Chosin Reservoir. The sites correlate closely with defensive positions held by the 31st RCT at the time of the Chinese attacks. The teams recovered remains there believed to be those of several other U.S. servicemen. Analysis of the remains recovered from the sites led to the identification of 10 individuals, including Scullion and Reynolds.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory and JPAC also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in both Scullion's and Reynolds' identification.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

Gates Leaves NATO Summit Pleased With Outcomes

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

April 4, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today that he is pleased with the results of the three-day NATO summit that wrapped up today. "I think, all in all, it was a very successful summit from the standpoint of the alliance," Gates told reporters on the flight from Bucharest, Romania, to Muscat, Oman, the next stop on his overseas trip. "I think most of the leaders walked away from the summit feeling like it had been quite a successful summit."

Gates said the three biggest accomplishments were the alliance's recommitment to its International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan, the declaration of support for a missile defense system in Europe, and voting to enlarge the alliance and accept up to five more countries.

"In 2006, when the alliance signed up for the ISAF mission, I think the reality is ... maybe none of us really understood what we were getting into as an alliance -- that the nature of the mission would change from what (we) anticipated it was likely to be to being much harder and taking much longer," Gates said.

Now, he said, the alliance has signed on to add forces and continue its work in Afghanistan with its eyes wide open.

"In full knowledge of the toughness of the challenge, the allies unanimously signed to and recommitted to the Afghan mission and -- in the words of (French) President (Nicolas) Sarkozy -- signed up to win," Gates said. "For my money, that's a huge deal, given a lot of the challenges the allies have faced, (and) given the difficulties some have at home politically in terms of this mission."

Gates also said agreement on the wording for an Afghanistan vision statement that details the alliance's direction there over the next few years was an important result of the summit conference.

Troop commitments also came from the allies. The French announced a battalion's worth -- about 700 troops -- would take on part of the mission. Gates said other nations also made commitments for troops and special teams. In addition, NATO committed to building an equipped Afghan army to 80,000 troops by 2010.

The United States went into the conference pushing hard for NATO to invite Croatia, Albania and Macedonia to join the alliance. Croatia and Albania were invited. Macedonia was not; Greece objects to Macedonia's name, believing it represents a claim to the Greek state of the same name. Gates called that a "disappointment," but said he hopes the country will work out its differences with Greece.

The United States also wanted the alliance's membership action plan -- a first step toward membership -- extended to the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukraine, a measure that did not pass.

"Everybody knew going into the summit that there was strong opposition to providing MAP for Georgia and Ukraine," Gates said. Some members questioned whether democratic reforms in the two countries have taken root and whether their political systems are stable. Georgia also has unresolved disputes with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, he said. However, NATO did agree on a statement supporting the two countries' eventual participation in membership action plans and directed further work with the countries.

In December, NATO nations' foreign ministers will reevaluate their progress and have authority to allow Georgia and Ukraine to start the MAP process.

"I think that, given where some of the parties were when we came into the summit, getting the single declarative statement that Georgia and Ukraine will become members of the alliance was a significant achievement," Gates said, "because it took it out of the realm of 'whether' and put it into the realm of 'when,' with a clear implication that 'when' is sooner, rather than later."

In missile defense, getting the alliance to agree to the statement that ballistic missile proliferation is a developing threat to NATO territories and populations was a success, especially in light of many countries' wariness of what Russia's reaction would be, Gates said. In its declaration, NATO supported plans for developing a NATO missile defense system that would link with a proposed U.S. system to provide protection from all ranges of ballistic missiles.

Russia has vehemently opposed U.S. plans to develop such a system.

"I think we've made it pretty clear to our allies that we've really bent over backward to be open and really bring the Russians into this thing and to make them a partner," Gates said. "And if they didn't want to be a partner, then to have it completely transparent so they didn't need to worry about their own security."

Still, after gaining approval of the enlargement and missile defense measures, Gates said the test would be in whether the United States could still have amenable talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin today during the NATO-Russian Council.

"I think most of us felt that President Putin's comments today were businesslike," Gates said. "I wouldn't say they were particularly conciliatory, but by the same token, they also weren't aggressive, either."

Gates will land in Muscat tonight. The country provides a lot of support to the United States, Gates said. It has been 22 years since Gates has traveled here, and four years since a U.S. defense secretary has visited.

MILITARY CONTRACTS April 4, 2008

ARMY

Harris Corp., Rochester, N.Y., was awarded on Jan. 10, 2008, a $118,898,154 firm-fixed price contract for high-frequency radio installation kits and installation and training services. Work will be performed in Rochester, N.Y., and is expected to be completed by Jan. 9, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Dec. 20, 2007, and one bid was received. CECOM Acquisition Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity (GS-35F-0163N).

Unit Company, Anchorage, Alaska, was awarded on April 3, 2008, a $29,930,714, contract for construction of a new antenna addition, a new weather vestibule, relocating a previously removed fuel storage tank, and expanding the area within the security fence at an existing defense satellite communication system facility. Work will be performed at Fort Greely, Alaska, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 30, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on Dec. 17, 2007, and three bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Alaska, is the contracting activity (W911KB-08-C-0004).

Craft-Tech Manufacturing, Holbrook, N.Y. was awarded on April 2, 2008, a $6,743,125 firm-fixed price contract for 62,500 punch plates for Mine Resistant Armored Protected (MRAP) vehicles. Work will be performed in Holbrook, N.Y., and is expected to be completed by Feb. 28, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. 10 bids were solicited on Jan. 4, 2008, and four bids were received. U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, Warren, Mich. Is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0347).

USSOCOM

Integrated Directives Incorporated of Oxford, Mich., is awarded a $47,266,462. indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract for special forces training in support of U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Army Special Forces Command and the Acquisitions and Contracting Office, U.S. Army Special Operations Command. The work will be performed at Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Lewis, Wash.; Fort Carson, Colo.; Fort Campbell, Ky.; and other locations throughout the United States and Germany. The contract is expected to be completed by April 30, 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was awarded through competitive procedures set aside for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses. The solicitation was posted on FedBizOpps and 11 proposals were received. The contract number is H92239-08-D-0003.

AIR FORCE

Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio, is being awarded a contract for $34,362,411. This action will provide for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear technical analysis related to training and readiness directorate functions for Commander Navy Installations Command. The National Agency Technical Homeland Defense and Homeland Security Geospatial Information Systems, technical collection and Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance/incident awareness and assessment, and intelligence analysis for North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command. At this time $647,632 has been obligated. Offutt AFB, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-00-D-3180, Delivery Order: 0538).

Data Link Solutions Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a contract for $25,814,110. This action will provide repair of 26 National Stock Numbers (NSNs) for the multifunctional information distribution system. Platforms associated with the NSNs include, but are not limited to Joint Interface Control Officer Support System, F-15, F-16, F-22, B-1B and B-2. At this time no funds have been obligated. Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8539-08-D-0002).

Boeing Launch Services of Huntington Beach, Calif., is being awarded a modified contract for $20,000,000. This contract modification will authorize Boeing to perform demonstration testing on a rebuilt RS-68 engine, labeled 10009. The launch and range systems wing is currently tracking several "low-medium" risks on the RS-68 engine. The government has authorized work under the Assured Access to Space initiative to develop hardware that will reduce or element these risks and increase the reliability of the RS-68 engine. In order to certify this hardware as flight worthy, a certain number of tests must be performed. At this time $20,000,000 has been obligated. El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8816-06-C-0001, Modification Number P00026).

Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. of Herndon, Va., is being awarded a cost plus fixed fee contract for $17,514,399. The National Agency Technical Homeland Defense and Homeland Security Geospatial Information Systems, technical collection and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance/incident awareness and assessment, and intelligence analysis for North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command (NORAD and USNORTHCOM). At this time $174,000 has been obligated Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380, Delivery Order: 0249).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Carter Industries, Inc., Olive Hill, Ky.* is being awarded a maximum $16,125,000 firm fixed price contract for combat vehicle crewman's universal camouflage pattern coveralls. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There were originally 3 proposals solicited with 2 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is December 30, 2008. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM1C1-08-C-0022).

JC Produce, West Sacramento, Calif.* is being awarded a maximum $10,724,670 fixed price with economic price adjustment, total set aside contract for fresh fruit and vegetables support. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and USDA Schools. This proposal was originally DIBBS solicited with 2 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is September 17, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM300-08-D-P028).

Carter Industries, Inc., Olive Hill, Ky.* is being awarded a maximum $5,995,840 firm fixed price contract for combat vehicle crewman's tan coveralls. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Marine Corps. There were 3 proposals originally solicited with 2 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is November 30, 2008. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM1C1-08-C-0021).

NAVY

Bell-Boeing Tiltrotor Team, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded $15,516,616 for ceiling priced order #0260 against previously awarded contract (N00383-03-G-001B) for repairable and consumable spare components for the CV-22 aircraft. Examples of parts to be purchased are valve module-brake, air data unit, hand wing unit (manual), ramp door actuator, and torque link subassembly. Work will be performed in Hurst, Texas, and work is expected to be completed July 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not awarded competitively. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.

Bell-Boeing Tiltrotor Team, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded $12,160,515 for ceiling priced order #0259 against previously awarded contract (N00383-03-G-001B) for repairable and consumable spare components for the CV-22 aircraft. Examples of types of parts to be bought include rod end assembly, slip ring assembly, fairing assembly, blade assembly, and link assembly. Work will be performed in Hurst, Texas, and work is to be completed July 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not awarded competitively. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity.

Solid State Scientific Corp.*, Hollis, N.H., is being awarded $7,499,807 for a ceiling price delivery order against a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-07-D-0006) for the development of the Multi-Function Technology Demonstration (MFTD) module as a Hostile Fires Indication (HFI) sensor. The delivery order will also include integration of the module into the AN/AAR-47 missile warning sensor, in direct support of the FY08 Joint Capabilities Technology Demonstration (JCTD). Work will be performed in Hollis, N.H., and work is expected to be completed in April 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Soldiers Remember Medal of Honor Recipient in Iraq

By Sgt. Jasmine Chopra, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

April 4, 2008 - He was a husband, father, soldier and leader, but today Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, the 3rd Infantry Division's 51st Medal of Honor recipient was remembered here simply as a hero. U.S troops held a remembrance ceremony the courtyard where five years ago to the day, Smith gave his life in defense of others.

On April 4, 2003, Smith was setting up a short-term enemy prisoner of war holding area near the Baghdad International Airport when his unit was attacked by enemy soldiers.

Outnumbered, with wounded soldiers and damaged vehicles, Smith told his men to get back, as he manned a .50-caliber machine gun from the exposed turret of an armored personnel carrier damaged by rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. He fired at the enemy and unleashed some 300 rounds allowing his other soldiers to reorganize and mount an attack. Smith and his men defeated the enemy. During the attack Smith fell mortally wounded.

A disciplined, no-nonsense platoon sergeant with the division's Company B, 11th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, Smith received the nation's highest award for bravery in 2005.

"He was a soldier who took care of soldiers ... he lost his life doing it," said Brig. Gen. William Grimsley, who commanded the 1st Brigade Combat Team at the time of Smith's death.

Now the deputy commander of the 4th Infantry Division, Grimsley recommended Smith for the Medal of Honor. He was one of several leaders who knew Smith and took time out from operations today in order to attend the ceremony.

In 2003, Capt. Christopher Doerr, of the 3rd Infantry Division's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, was a 23-year-old brand-new second lieutenant.

"I'll always treasure the fact I got to serve with and know Sgt. 1st Class Smith," Doerr said.

He admired Smith's expertise, precision and dedication to mission accomplishment.

"He was an expert engineer, the best in the battalion," Doerr said. "The way he motivated his soldiers, they didn't necessarily like him, he wasn't their friend, but he made them train to standard.

"It all makes sense now, why he pushed us, why we did the things we did. Now we are here because of that," Doerr said.

Smith had been in combat when he was a young private first class in Desert Storm. In Kuwait, just days before invading Iraq, Doerr asked Smith to tell him what war was going to be like.

"He said, 'war is hell,' and he showed me that first hand," Doerr said. "He laid it all on the line and that was not a fluke ... he was concerned for the safety of his men and others and he put that above his own personal safety, and I think you've got to say he's a hero for that."

More than 200 people attended the remembrance ceremony, including Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of Multi-National Corps – Iraq, who in 2003 was the deputy commander for maneuver for the 3rd Infantry Division.

Large-scale pictures showed Sgt. 1st Class Smith in desert camouflage uniform days before the battle. Diagrams, mounted on an armored personnel carrier like the one Smith used, detailed his heroic action. Visible from the courtyard was the bullet-riddled tower that the enemy had fought for but failed to seize.

A bugler played Taps and, after the ceremony, soldiers walked the site and reflected on the sacrifice he had made for our country.

(U.S. Army Sgt. Sgt. Jasmine Chopra is assigned to the Multinational Division - Center Public Affairs Office.)

Fulcher, Mock and Prins

Editor's Note: One of the authors is a former servicemember.

April 4, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added three police officers from California law enforcement agencies.

Dean Fulcher grew up in the state of Michigan along the southern shores of Lake Superior. Upon completion of high school, he spent four years in the United States Marine Corps in the aviation and intelligence fields. After serving honorably for four years, he left the Marine Corps and was hired by the Santa Ana Police Department (California), where he currently holds the rank of homicide detective. Dean Fulcher is the author of The Grand Island Adventure.

According to the book description of The Grand Island Adventure, “An edge-of-your-seat adventure novel for young adults. The Grand Island Adventure follows three teenagers trapped on an uninhabited island pursued by a band of criminals who have freed their leader from prison. The three will need the latest in technology, their wit and commitment to one another to escape a certain death.”

James Mock spent 19 years with the Torrance Police Department (California). He current works as a teacher for law enforcement related occupations, on both a volunteer and professional basis. James Mock has worked street narcotics, major narcotics, and was certified as a Drug Recognition Expert in 1992. After his retirement he was certified as a DRE instructor. He currently teaches DRE, the DRE instructor course, DRE recertification classes for many States, for the California Narcotic Officers’ Association, and for various law enforcement and related agencies in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. James Mock is the author of Basic Latent Print Development.

According to one review, Basic Latent Print Development, “can be used as a training text for new employees or can be read by beginners. Many instructors use it as a primer for basic latent print development college classes. Sections cover: How latent prints are deposited, Investigating the Crime Scene, Which powders to use, How to lift and preserve the latent prints. There are simple to follow sketches on how to powder a surface and how to tear and lift with tape.”

Sergeant John Prins is a 27-year member of the Torrance Police Department. He has served the Torrance Police Department in many capacities, including as a patrol officer, crime scene investigator, detective, background investigator, SWAT officer, and K-9 handler. John Prins is the author of Torrance Police Department.

According to the book description, “The Torrance Police Department dates to May 23, 1921, when city trustees appointed Ben Olsen as city marshal and, shortly thereafter, hired Byron Anderson as night watchman. The efforts of these men were devoted to dealing with thieves, keeping the peace, and “declaring war on speedsters.” From such humble beginnings, the Torrance Police Department has grown into the fourth largest municipal law enforcement agency in Los Angeles County. Its position as the anchoring police force of the South Bay section of the county and its reputation as an innovator in crime fighting have been firmly established over time. Today, with a total of 242 sworn and 100 support personnel, the highly regarded Torrance Police Department serves more than 142,000 inhabitants in 21 square miles.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 930 police officers (representing 391 police departments) and their 1944 police books in 33 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.