Officials Urge Quick Action on Supplemental Funding Request

If Congress doesn't act by the Memorial Day recess on the fiscal 2008 supplemental budget request, the Defense Department may have to begin furloughing civilian employees by the end of June, OMB officials said.

The White House sent a $70 billion fiscal 2009 supplemental budget request to Congress on May 2 to carry the war effort past the end of the current fiscal year.

"We are urging Congress to move quickly on [the fiscal 2008 supplemental funding request] so that we don't have to take the disruptive steps that are necessary to reprogram funds and do things that make it hard for us to meet our obligations," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today.

Congress is scheduled to begin its Memorial Day recess May 26.

Civilian employee furloughs are a last resort, Whitman said, but might become necessary if Congress does not act. The department would make other financial shifts before considering furloughs, he said.

"First, you would do things like shifting personnel accounts so that the services would all reach depletion at the same time," Whitman said. The services would also examine operations and maintenance funds to see what they could slow or halt, he added.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said the military needs the supplemental appropriations bill passed before Congress leaves town for the Memorial Day recess.

"We stop paying soldiers on the 15th of June, and we have precious little flexibility with respect to that," Mullen said during an interview with Roll Call newspaper last week. "Clearly, that creates incredible constraints and difficulties for us."

DoD would get the lion's share of the $70 billion supplemental request President Bush submitted to Congress May 2, at $66 billion. Some $4 billion would go to the State Department and other international operations.

The 2009 supplemental request provides $45.1 billion to fund combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, $3.7 billion to expand the Afghan security forces, $2 billion for counterinsurgency training for the Iraqi security forces and $1.7 billion for the Commanders' Emergency Response Program in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The budget also covers increased fuel costs and funds to combat improvised explosive devices – the leading killer of Americans in Iraq.

The fiscal 2009 supplemental request also asks for $400 million for traumatic brain injury research and other psychological health issues for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gates: Purple Heart for PTSD 'Needs to Be Looked At'

"It's an interesting idea," Gates said when asked about the concept during a May 2 media availability at Red River Army Depot, Texas. "I think it is clearly something that needs to be looked at."

Gates' comment followed his visit the previous day to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he toured the post's Recovery and Resilience Center, which is using a holistic approach to treating troops with PTSD.

John E. Fortunato, who conceived of and runs the center, told reporters that awarding the Purple Heart to PTSD sufferers would go a long way toward chipping away at prejudices surrounding the disease. Because PTSD affects structures in the brain, it's a physical disorder, "no different from shrapnel," Fortunato said. "This is an injury."

The Army classifies PTSD as an illness, not an injury, so troops with PTSD don't qualify for the Purple Heart. That distinction is limited to troops killed or wounded in a conflict.

"I would love to see that changed, because these guys have paid at least as high a price, some of them, as anybody with a traumatic brain injury, as anybody with a shrapnel wound," Fortunato said.

Not recognizing those with PTSD with a Purple Heart "says that this is the wound that isn't worthy," Fortunato said. "And it is."

Fortunato said he'd also like to see a regulation prohibiting harassment of troops with PTSD, similar to regulations banning racial or sexual harassment. "Until there are sanctions that make a superior pay a price for harassing a soldier with mental health problems, I don't know that it will change that much."

Soldiers still get laughed at for seeking mental-health services or told that it will ruin their careers, he said. Some in the force view people with PTSD as weak, believing that if those with the disease "just sucked it up and soldiered on, [they would] could get over this," Fortunato said.

"The Army is making a lot of strides toward changing that, but it's a slow go, because it has to happen at the grassroots level," he said. "Like any other prejudice, it's hard to die."

During his visit to Fort Bliss, Gates announced a new policy in which combat veterans no longer have to acknowledge on their federal security clearance forms that they have received mental health care for combat stress. Gates said he hoped the policy would eliminate troops' concerns that seeking mentalhealth care can cause them to be denied a security clearance and threaten their careers. He also expressed hope it would take the stigma away from seeking treatment.

Gates called on senior noncommissioned officers to encourage their soldiers who need it to get care, and to let them know that doing so is a sign of strength, not weakness.

"All of you have a special role in encouraging troops to seek help for the unseen scars of war -- to let them know that doing so is a sign of strength and maturity," Gates told soldiers attending the Army Sergeants Major Academy, at Fort Bliss. "I urge you all to talk with those below you to find out where we can continue to improve.

"Those who have sacrificed for our nation deserve the best care they can get," he continued. "As I have said before, there is no higher priority for the Department of Defense, after the war itself, than caring for our wounded warriors."

Iraq to Form Committee to Document Iranian Interference

Ali al-Dabbagh spoke during a news conference with Multinational Force Iraq spokesman Navy Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll.

The Iraqi leader spoke after representatives of the Iraqi United Alliance party returned from Iran, where they met with officials in Tehran about Iranian interference in Iraq.

"The Iraqi government thinks the positive relationship with Iran is through the elected government," Dabbagh said through an interpreter. "There shouldn't be any financing [or] training for any other side outside the government."

Coalition and Iraqi officials have accused Iran of training and financing Shiite Iraqi militant elements that coalition military officials call "special groups." Iran also has smuggled arms -- including explosively formed projectiles designed to pierce armored vehicles -- into Iraq. Extremists are using these weapons against coalition and Iraqi security forces and against innocent Iraqi civilians, officials said.

Illegal militias are a large problem especially in Shiite areas of the country. "It is not possible that there is a parallel force outside the government," Dabbagh said. "No institute or party can share responsibility with the government. We should be a government of institutions that respect the law and not a government that allows militias and chaos."

Iraq wants good relations with Iran, and the visit by the Iraqi United Alliance members helped with that dialogue, the spokesman said.

"The mission has been successful, and both sides understand we need security and stability in Iraq," Dabbagh said. "There can be no stability in Iran unless there is stability in Iraq. That is the message that has been sent and received."

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has ordered a committee to document any Iranian interference in Iraq's affairs. "The committee will examine all allegations and prove whether this country is trying to interfere or not," Dabbagh said.

Multinational Force Iraq "is supporting all venues that lead to good dialogue and a peaceful resolution," Driscoll said.

The admiral also noted a downturn in high-profile al-Qaida attacks in Iraq in April. This reverses the trend since January. "These attacks are used by al-Qaida to try to incite sectarian violence," Driscoll said. "But by and large, I think the Iraqi people have rejected that failed ideology."

Al-Qaida is being squeezed out of Iraq, as the terror group neither holds swaths of territory nor controls cities, the admiral said. "But they do remain a very lethal threat and actively pursued out in Anbar, the Diyala River valley and up in Mosul," he said.

The U.S. drawdown continues on schedule, Driscoll said, with the last of the U.S. surge brigades set to leave Iraq by mid-summer.

"There will be a period of about 45 days where we are going to consolidate and evaluate the situation on the ground and then continue withdrawing troops," he said.

Any further U.S. withdrawal after the final surge brigades leave will be conditions-based, he noted. "[Commanders will] work closely with Iraqi security forces and with the government of Iraq to make that assessment," he said.

Miss Utah Credits Military Service With Her Civilian Success

In an interview on the "ASY Live" program on BlogTalkRadio.com, Stevens said her experience from November 2003 to April 2005 taking care of up to 40 patients on any given day at the Bagram Air Base medical aid station gave her the determination and adaptability that are paramount to her success in other aspects of her life.

"Being a solider, you are really trained to adapt to any situation," she said, "and it has really prepared me for civilian life."

Stevens, who serves in the Utah National Guard's 1st Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, joined the National Guard in 2001. She said her military life and her civilian life aren't as different as some people might think.

"A lot of people think these paths are so different and that I live a dichotomy, but there's a reason I am involved in both organizations," she said. "Both the military and the Miss America Association promote education [and] teach you to be a leader, think on your feet and stay in shape and, above all, to serve your country," she said.

During her service in Afghanistan, Stevens said, she developed a great deal of pride for her country, particularly for the women who serve in the military. During her deployment, she competed in the inaugural marathon race at Bagram and was the first woman to finish. Stevens now has completed 14 marathons, and she said the one in Afghanistan "was one of the toughest."

"Here I was a woman, running in a country where women were mistreated, defiled and oppressed. ... I was angered as I was running, but at the same time proud -- proud to be not only an American woman but an American soldier fighting for their worth," she said.

She said she thought of Afghanistan's women every step of the way, and it carried her to the finish line.

"We are making a difference," she said. "I know these women are realizing their worth, and some are taking a stand to determine their place in the world."

During her deployment, Stevens said, it was important to keep morale high for the continued strength of the force.

"I was there to take care of the physical injuries," she said, "but I also really saw the emotional side. I saw firsthand that keeping the morale high really helps our soldiers perform better."

"ASY Live" on BlogTalkRadio.com is part of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad. Stevens recalled the touches from home that helped her most during her deployment.

"Thoughtful gifts meant a lot to me -- favorite foods or an encouraging e-mail was great, [because] it meant so much that they took time to think about me," she explained. She took the importance of boosting morale a step further with her own personal cause to encourage her fellow servicemembers.

"Since we had electricity over there, I was like, 'Mom, send me a bread machine!' she said. "Whenever I heard they were having a rough day, I baked bread for the soldiers ... just to boost their spirits."

Another important memory of her deployment, Stevens said, was the opportunity to interact with local children despite the language barrier.

"You speak different languages; you've grown up in really different cultures," she said. "We would communicate with the kids by smiling and making funny faces."

Back in the United States after her deployment, Stevens acknowledged, she had the wrong idea about pageants before she got involved in that aspect of her life.

"All I thought these girls did was just wave their hand and look pretty, and that was not something I wanted to be associated with," she said.

That was before she learned that pageant titleholders can make a difference by their ability to serve as spokeswomen and form organizations. "I love to serve, I love to give back," she said. "That's why I am a soldier and a nurse."

The realization that a pageant title could help her make a difference, Stevens said, is when she "learned how to put on make-up instead of camouflage paint."

Stevens said she was impressed by the support she received from other soldiers when she decided to pursue the Miss America title.

"I have brothers and sisters around the world that are so supportive, and I know that whatever it is, they've got your back," she said.

During her pageant, she recalled, 100 soldiers were in the audience, cheering her on. "I didn't know half of them," she said, "but they came to support another soldier.

This continued support from her "family" of servicemembers is now an important part of who she is and will help keep her focused toward her next goal, said Stevens, who will hold her Miss Utah title until July.

"There is so much negative publicity on the news today, and optimism is important," she said. Looking forward, Stevens said, she will rely on her military experience and connection to maintain her optimism and carry her into her next endeavor.

"Wherever you go, if you wear the uniform or sport the military ID card, you connect with people immediately," she said. "I know that will always be a part of me."

(Jamie Findlater works in the New Media branch of American Forces Information Service.)

Face of Defense: Mom Remains 'Army Strong' Through Deployments

Army Spc. Ocie Terry, an administration specialist serving in Multinational Division Baghdad and assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's Company B, Special Troops Battalion, is a single mother of three girls. Her children -- Samantha, 6, Amari, 4, and Sunnieday, 2 -- are living with her mother in Jacksonville, Texas, during her deployment.

Terry, now serving in her scond deployment, has been in the Army for seven years and has called the Ivy Division home for her entire career. Army Lt. Col. Kerk Brown, officer in charge of the personnel section in the division headquarters, where Terry works, said he appreciates her work.

"She is an outstanding soldier, a superb combat multiplier that enables [this section] to take our work to the next level," Brown said. "Terry makes a real difference in the office with her attitude and work ethic. I can always count on her whenever we need something accomplished in and around the office.

"She is an asset to this team and is also a great mother to her three daughters," Brown continued. "I know being over here away from her young family is a difficult task -- it is for anyone -- but she handles everything with a positive attitude. I never see her without a smile on her face."

Terry, however, said she would not be able to handle the stress as well if it weren't for her No. 1 hero, her mother.

"It's great to have the support of my mom while I am deployed," Terry said. "I sent her flowers for this Mother's Day just to let her know I am grateful for her help while I am over here completing our mission."

Though Terry said that although she would love to be with her daughters, she knows she has an important role in helping the division acomplish its mission.

"It would be nice to be home with my kids this Mother's Day, but it is also important to be here protecting our way of life so that other Americans can enjoy this Mother's Day and many Mother's Days to come."

For this Mother's Day, Terry plans to have dinner with her girls over the Internet via a Web camera.

"This is just something I can do with my kids that helps shrink the distance between them and their mom," she said. "It's the next best thing to being there with them, and at least we can spend some time together and we can see each other."

Terry said she's proud of her service, but her favorite duty title is "mom."

"Being a mom is the best thing ever, and I would love to be home with my kids; but if being here in Baghdad means my kids and other American and Iraqi children can be safe, it's worth it," she said.

(Army Spc. Philip Klein serves in the Multinational Division Baghdad Public Affairs Office.)

Troops Conduct Operations in Afghanistan's Helmand, Khowst Provinces

In Helmand province, coalition forces were conducing searches of several compounds in the Reg District yesterday when militants engaged them with small-arms fire.

Coalition forces returned fire, killing an undetermined number of attackers and later detaining 22 militants accused of conducting anti-government operations. The soldiers also found several AK-47 rifles, ammunition vests, ammunition, mines, artillery shells, bomb-making materials and grenades. They were destroyed or removed.

In Khowst, Afghan and coalition forces killed several militants and detained seven more during a joint operation May 2.

Afghan and Coalition forces searched compounds in Sabari District targeting a Haqqani network militant cell building and planting improvised explosive devices. The targeted cell is known to have been involved in the March 3 car bomb attack against the Sabari District Center that killed two coalition soldiers and injured dozens.

The forces discovered grenades, ammunition and ammunition vests in the compounds.

From Combined Joint Task Force – 101 releases

Mullen Urges Academy Cadets to Become Leaders

First 100 Days of Combat Focus of New Army Handbooks

Army Col. Steven Mains, director of the Center for Army Lesson Learned, and Milton Hileman, a senior military analyst, explained that there was a small but clear rise in the number of casualties early in a combat deployment, concentrated in the first 100 days.

"It's not a new phenomenon that ... we just figured out and nobody had ever seen before, but it's something we could clearly show was the case in Iraq," Mains said.
"And so it drove us to say, well, what do they know at day 250 that they really need to know during those first 100 days?"

After an extensive interview process with approximately 1700 soldiers, Mains and Hileman said that there were three key elements to surviving the first three months; avoiding complacency, good decisions made by junior leaders, and the efficient staff processes at the battalion and brigade level for commanders.

"When we interviewed the soldiers one on one, we asked them to respond back to us as if they were talking to a fellow soldier," Hileman said.

Overall, the soldiers said they need to stay alert and stay attuned to the environment in order to survive, Hileman said. Avoiding complacency was a reoccurring theme among the soldiers interviewed, he added.

"Soldiers said that complacency in one way or another contributed to every casualty they saw," Hileman said. "It was little things like not following (standard operating procedures), not having all of your kit when you went out the gate on a mission, leaders not doing their pre-combat inspections, and leaders not being adaptive in the way they plan their mission."

Mains explained the original idea was to write one handbook for soldiers, but based on what soldiers told them, it grew into another handbook for junior leaders.

"The decisions the junior leaders make clearly affect survivability and mission accomplishment," said Mains. "And of course, they're not used to making those decisions because they're new in theater as well."

Soldiers expect to have good leadership at every level, Hileman said.

Hileman explained that to a soldier good leadership means willingness to lead from the front and having tactical experience.

"They certainly expect their leaders to share that same level of risk that they shared everyday when they went out on a mission," said Hileman. "They expect their leaders to set standards and enforce the standards every day."

Furthermore, Hileman said the soldiers told him that when they identified a weak leader, they tended to create their own informal chain of command.

The soldiers were also asked if they had the right training, and more than 70 percent said their unit was trained and ready to go.

Mains said that while most military handbooks would publish approximately 20,000 copies, the "First Hundred Days" soldiers handbooks have published more than 200,000 copies.

"We know that four countries are translating it for their own soldiers," said Mains. "And the other two handbooks are really close behind that."

Mains also said the Army is going to publish a handbook focused on transition teams. Transition teams are "not quite as focused on going on patrol and staying alive as a junior soldier might be, but they need to come in quickly and gain rapport with ... the guy that they're advising," he said.

(Navy Seaman William Selby works for the New Media branch of American Forces Information Service.)

Gates Applauds Efforts at Red River Army Depot

The depot, one of the military's largest facilities, has set records in turning around Humvees, Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks and Small Emplacement Excavator vehicles, and rebuilding transmissions and track and road wheels on Bradley fighting vehicles.

Gates walked through the tactical and combat vehicle production lines, watched Bradley transmission and 25-millimeter gun production and toured the rubber products division building.

"I come away impressed by the skill and the commitment of the men and women who work here, and also by the fact that by refurbishing and resetting this equipment, ultimately they save the taxpayers many millions of dollars every year," Gates told reporters after touring the facility.

"Red River has always come through during times of war," he said. "During the 1940s it ramped up for tank repair, and today it provides life-saving equipment for our fighting troops in Iraq and Afghanistan."

During his tour, Gates learned how applying Lean Six Sigma principles – a methodical approach used throughout industry to increasing efficiency and reducing waste – have speeded up restoring vehicles to like-new condition so they can be returned to the combat theater.

"Humvee production here has skyrocketed from about two Humvees a week in 2004 to an eye-popping 26 Humvees a day in 2006, and 32 a day now," Gates told reporters.

Assembly-line processes have cut to a fraction the time it takes to rebuild battle-damaged wheeled and tracked vehicles, explained Patton Tidwell, the depot's director for contracting. Vehicles move to each new station every 26 minutes, like clockwork.

"We broke complicated procedures into smaller, simpler tasks," Tidwell said. "It's enabling us to take care of warfighters in the field better every day."

The effort has won the depot numerous awards, including its second Singo Prize Public Sector Award for Excellence in Manufacturing and Achievement, in October. Business Week calls the award the "Nobel Prize for manufacturing."

As he toured the facility, Gates nodded hellos to and shook hands with workers he called the driving force behind Red River's success. Some, Gates noted, are fourth-generation employees following in the footsteps of those who cranked into high gear during World War II.

"Their dedication to our troops can be summed up by a placard that the workers place inside each vehicle," he told reporters. "It reads: 'We build it as if our lives depend on it. Theirs do.'"

The motto is ever-present at the depot, stamped onto metal silhouettes of a weapon-toting combat soldiers that stand like sentinels throughout the facility. "We use this to get our workforce focused on why we're here," Tidwell said. "It's a reminder of who we're working for."

For many, the mission here is highly personal. About 35 percent of the workers are veterans. Tim Perkins, chief of the Humvee maintenance division, retired from the Army with 22 years of service. Kenneth Lynn, a mechanic in the Bradley transmission facility, has a stepson with the Arkansas National Guard serving in Baghdad.

Many workers have volunteered for six-month rotations with Army Materiel Command's forward repair facility in Kuwait.

David May, who manages the depot's heavy and medium tactical division, said the importance of the work really hit home when his son, Army Pvt. Christopher May, told him he'd been issued a HMMT that had been refurbished at Red River.

The sentiment was echoed throughout the facility. Barbara Callaway paused from inspecting a rebuilt Bradley transmission system to reflect on why what she does matters. "We have to keep these Bradleys going. If this Bradley transmission goes out, these men and women can't get out of harm's way," she said. "We want to build the best possible transmission to keep them pace."

Gates thanked the depot workers and the Texarkana community that has supported the facility for decades for their "tireless support" of the men and women in uniform.

"People may question whether or not the nation is on a war fighting," Gates told reporters. "The people here at Red River Army Depot clearly are on a war footing."

Gates: Afghanistan Command Restructuring Worthy of Consideration

Responding to a reporter's question after touring Red River Army Depot, Gates called the idea that would extend U.S. control into southern Afghanistan "an interesting idea" to be explored.

He emphasized, however, that any change in the command structure in Afghanistan would requires consultation with the coalition partners in Regional Command South, and with consideration of any sensitivities they might have.

NATO took command in southern Afghanistan in mid-2006, and now has overall responsibility throughout the country.

"I think we need to look also at some of our own command and control arrangements," Gates said. "For example, does it continue to make sense to have two combatant commands involved in one country? And so there are several aspects to this that I think need to be looked at."

U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan fall under two commands. About 16,000 troops operate under the NATO International Security Assistance Force. Another 18,000 troops support the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom mission.

"We are basically just trying to see, 'How do you best provide for unity of command, and how do you have the most effective operations possible in Afghanistan?" Gates said. "But we won't do anything without prior consultation and agreement with our allies."

Face of Defense: Air Force Reserve Pilot Breaks Own Aviation Record

Face of Defense: Sailor to Meet Bone Marrow Donation's Recipient

Navy Chief Petty Officer Willie H. Corey, a submarine fire control technician, will be recognized for his participation in the National Marrow Donor Program.

Corey, a native of Newport News, Va., has been a donor on the NMDP's registry since fall 2006.

"When I found out that the potential recipient was a little girl, it was a no-brainer to donate; I have a daughter myself," Corey said. "The NMDP really respects the privacy of the recipient. They wouldn't tell me her name, but they told me her age. If both parties agree, identities are exchanged after 12 months."

For a successful transplant, the tissue type of a bone marrow donor or a cord blood unit needs to match the patient's as closely as possible. The closer the match, the better it is for the patient.

The NMDP is a nonprofit organization that facilitates marrow and cord blood transplants between unrelated people as a single point of access. It connects doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need to help more people live longer and healthier lives. A collaborative network of leading national and international medical facilities is involved in the marrow and cord blood transplantation process.

"Every day we have 6,000 men, women and children worldwide that search the NMDP registry for a life-saving match. These patients have leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases," Kristen Spargo, NMDP spokeswoman, said.

Earlier this year Corey and the bone marrow recipient were introduced over the phone. "I talked to her and her aunt. They sent me before and after photos from the operation. The positive changes in her were incredible."

(From a Naval Sea Systems Command news release.)

Guard Stands By to Help Storm-Lashed Missouri Residents

"The Missouri National Guard is prepared and ready to support the citizens of Missouri when called," Army Capt. Tamara Spicer, public affairs officer for the Missouri National Guard, said in a statement.

Up to 80 mph winds, rain and hail reportedly pelted areas north of Kansas City last night and early today. The storm uprooted trees, damaged homes and businesses and caused an areawide power outage. There have been no reports of fatalities, but several people were injured.

Parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas also experienced damage from heavy winds, hail and rain, according to news reports, and the storm system continues to move eastward across the nation's midsection today.

America Supports You: Organizations Join Forces for Military Families

Leaders Should Step Up, Receive Mental Health Care if Needed, Chairman Says

Video

"You can't expect a private or a specialist to be willing to seek counseling when his or her captain or colonel or general won't do it," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Pentagon news conference.

Mullen praised the Defense Department for changing a question on its security form that asks about applicants' mental health care. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced the change this morning. Officials believe the question's wording was needlessly preventing some people from seeking counseling.

The Standard Form 86, Questionnaire for National Security Positions, asks applicants to acknowledge mental health care in the past seven years. Officials said surveys have shown that troops feel if they answer "yes" to the question, they could jeopardize their security clearances, required for many occupations in the military. Applicants no longer have to acknowledge care for marital or grief counseling or care related to service in a military combat zone.

Mullen called it a "significant change" and a step in the right direction for DoD in reducing the stigma within its ranks associated with receiving mental health services.

"Psychological health and fitness is no different than physical health and fitness. Both are readiness issues. Both are leadership issues," Mullen said. "Good people, many of who have seen combat up close, ... whose courage is absolutely unquestionable, and who deserve only the best physical and mental health care we can provide, are actually willing to deny themselves that care out of the fear that doing so hurts them and their families in the long run. Nothing could be further from the truth."

The chairman said the long war in Iraq and Afghanistan has taken its toll on the minds of U.S. servicemembers, as well as on their bodies.

"Reaching out for help is, in fact, one of the most courageous acts and one of the first big steps to reclaiming your career, your life, and your future," he said.

Also on hand at the news conference was Army Dr. (Col.) Loree Sutton, chief of the newly formed Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.

"Seeking help is a sign of strength," the Army psychiatrist said. Early intervention is the key to successful care, she noted, and leaders are looking at ways to change the stigma attached to getting mental health care in hopes that troops will come sooner than later.

"Stigma is really just a toxic, occupational, work-related hazard. For any other such hazard, we would take immediate action. That's what we're doing," she said.

Plans are in the works for senior military officers to be part of a national awareness campaign aimed at reducing the stigma. In the campaign, officers will come forward as having received care in an effort to demonstrate a "top-down" approach to mental health care.

"We can change the policy. We can talk about how important it is. But ultimately, troops and families want to see leaders walking that walk," Sutton said.

She said DoD officials hope this change will remove some of the fear that has blocked servicemembers from getting care they know they need, but are afraid to get.

Army Col. Patricia Horoho, commander of the Walter Reed Health Care System, compared psychological fitness to physical fitness.

"Our goal is to build resilient forces and families, both physically and mentally," Horoho said. "Just as we encourage our servicemembers to work out and maintain physical fitness, so too we must encourage them to go to the psychological 'gym' to maintain their psychological health."


DoD security officials said no one has been denied a security clearance based solely on the fact they received mental health counseling, but the perception that receiving care would jeopardize a security clearance, combined with the stigma of having to acknowledge the care on the form, may have been preventing some from receiving needed care.

About 1 million security forms are submitted annually within the Defense Department. Of those, less than 1 percent receive unfavorable determinations based solely on mental health issues, officials said. Of those denied, factors besides simply receiving counseling are considered.

Gates Views Massive Expansion Effort at Fort Bliss

Army Maj. Gen. Howard Bromberg, the post commander, gave Gates a tour of the $4.1 billion expansion program that will bring an additional 30,000 soldiers to Fort Bliss by 2012.

The lion's share of the incoming troops will be "Old Ironsides Division" soldiers moving from Germany as part of the Defense Department's global reposturing strategy and the Army's modularization effort.

Gates told military family leaders and community supporters last night that he considers the building boom nothing short of "awesome."

"Today, this post –– which encompasses an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, and most of which is in New Mexico -- is transforming itself to serve a nation and a military facing the strategic challenges of this century," Gates told the group.

He called the Fort Bliss expansion part of a wider transformation effort across the military to ensure the Army, and the military as a whole, can protect the security, prosperity and freedom of Americans for the next generation.

A six-year construction boom that began in October 2006 will transform stretches of mesquite brush and sand dunes on the post's eastern side into state-of-the-art living and training facilities.

Ultimately, the expansion will include new headquarters and administrative spaces, aircraft hangars, arms rooms, unit storage facilities, barracks, dining facilities, fitness centers, medical and dental facilities, motor pool areas, maintenance facilities, and wash racks, Clark McChesney, director of the post's transformation office, told American Forces Press Service.

Gates toured one of the first facilities to be completed for the incoming 1st Armored Division's 1st Brigade yesterday. The first of the unit's soldiers already are at Fort Bliss, with the rest to arrive in time for the brigade's official activation Aug. 16.

The secretary noted that $207 million of the expansion funds will go toward new construction at three training range complexes in New Mexico. The plan will tap into space and capabilities at neighboring White Sands Missile Range, N.M., collectively offering 800,000 acres of on- and off-road maneuver area, McChesney said.

"Future expansion means that the ties between the region's installations -- Fort Bliss, Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range -- will also continue to grow," Gates said. "This region will continue to be known by the twin hallmarks of partnership and cooperation."

A brigade combat team to be based at White Sands will share Fort Bliss's "robust new training facilities," he noted.

Another big part of the expansion is dedicated to housing, child-care facilities, shopping areas and other quality-of-life facilities for the incoming soldiers and an expected 40,000 family members, he said.

Gates told senior noncommissioned officers attending the Army Sergeants Major Academy earlier yesterday that he decided to temporarily delay moving some 1st Armored Division troops to Fort Bliss partly because their housing facilities weren't yet ready for them. "It would have been unacceptable for soldiers and their families to live and work under those conditions," he said.

Because the post is smack in the middle of El Paso, one of Texas' biggest cities, success of the expansion depends heavily on cooperation with state and local officials, McChesney said. That includes not just the city and county government, but also five local school systems expected to absorb about more than 12,000 school-age children from Fort Bliss, business developers, homebuilders, realtor associations and transportation officials, among others.

Gates said he's impressed by the local community's support and the way its citizens have embraced the incoming soldiers and their families.

"The mayors of El Paso, Las Cruces and Alamogordo and their respective chambers of commerce have been partnering with the Army to try to prepare for this growth," he said.

He noted that the post's welcome center is permanently staffed by a team from the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce that helps arriving soldiers and their families find housing and arrange for their children's schooling and child care.

"As the population of Fort Bliss continues to grow, the residents of West Texas and New Mexico have stepped up to welcome the newcomers," Gates said. "And I know you will continue to do so as the post population increases by an astounding 300 percent by 2012."

Gates Calls Families, Community Supporters 'Power Behind the Power'

Speaking to local and military family group leaders at the Officers Club, Gates praised Fort Bliss soldiers who, along with their comrades throughout the military, have been "giving their all" in the fight against extremism.

That's been possible, he said, because of the support troops receive from their families, as well as the support they and their families get from their community.

Gates pointed to the key role families play in their soldiers' success and the day-to-day challenges they endure during long deployments.

"America owes a great deal to those who are 'the power behind the power' -- the spouses, children, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters of our men and women in uniform," he told the group. "They, too, make a contribution and pay a price in the cause of protecting our country."

They demonstrate "grace and patience and an amazing ability to organize and rely upon one another" when their loved ones are gone, he said.

"Army families take care of their own, and Fort Bliss families are no exception," he said. "They are strong. They endure. They are bound together by their shared experiences, by sacrifice, and by the pride they rightly feel in the noble work their soldiers do."

Gates thanked to the local community that recognizes that contribution through support to Fort Bliss soldiers and their families.

This support has been particularly evident during the post's expansion, during which the community has welcomed the incoming 1st Armored Division soldiers with open arms, and local businesses and educational groups have rallied to assist, he said.

Meanwhile, individual volunteers have made contributions to the Fort Bliss community that Gates said "don't always get the attention they deserve." They range from helping families prepare their tax forms to decorating barracks doors for single soldiers returning home from Iraq.

"I can tell you that every bit of help matters," Gates told the group. "This is a tough time for our troops and their families. What you do is noticed and deeply appreciated."

Civilian appreciation for the military wasn't always so evident, Gates said. He recalled El Paso Mayor John Cook's description of his own homecoming experience from the Vietnam War, when a protestor threw an egg at his bus.

Determined not to let that happen when the 1st Cavalry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team and 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, returned to Fort Bliss, Cook hosted a "Welcome Home Heroes Parade" through downtown El Paso in February. Thousands of local residents turned out to cheer on the 4,000 troops and honor the 31 cavalry troops killed during the deployment.

The American people are divided about the war, Gates conceded. "Yet despite this, Americans are united in their admiration of our men and women who have volunteered to serve at such a challenging time," he said.

Gates called it "heartwarming" to see gestures of support and simple thank yous to the troops. "The appreciation is real; it is sincere; and it bridges any political divide," he said.

All Americans look forward to the day when every deployed soldier can return home, Gates said, noting that he expects continued force reductions in Iraq in light of the improved security situation there.

"Until then, Fort Bliss soldiers and families and this generous community will continue to step up and do right by this country and by each other," Gates told the group. "We are, after all, members of the same family -- the American family. You all have my deepest appreciation and gratitude."

Community and family members said they felt honored that Gates came to thank them personally for their support.

"This is the coolest thing. Having him come here is a really big deal for El Paso," gushed Cindy Ramos-Davidson, chief executive officer of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. "The military and civilian communities here are intertwined. We all support each other."

Michi Carl, a Fort Bliss school liaison and Army wife, said it felt good to hear Gates pay tribute to military families. The Army has made huge strides in its support for military families, she said, particularly since Operation Desert Storm in 1991, and continues moving in the right direction.

"Now things are phenomenal, and they are getting better all the time," she said. "Spouses and families are listened to."

Just as gratifying, she said, is seeing the secretary recognize the local community for its support for Fort Bliss and its soldiers. "This community is amazing," Carl said. "The community truly cares."

Nations Must Work Together to Confront Extremists, Chairman Says

"In this extraordinary time of fast-paced change, the challenge of violent extremism underpinned by radical ideologies threatens our way of life every day," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told the 1,500 members gathered at the gala reception and dinner at the National Building Museum. "Those challenges are not Israel's or America's alone: They belong to the world, and it will take the world ... to face them and overcome them."

The committee is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of modern Israel. The group long fought for the establishment of Israel, but it was only after the horrors of the Holocaust that the United Nations acted in 1948.

The committee honored members of the Israeli National Defense University who attended the dinner.

"Tonight is a bittersweet evening. We gather to remember the horrendous loss of life, the millions of futures snuffed out during the 'Shoah,'" Mullen said, using the biblical word meaning "calamity" that has become the standard Hebrew term for the Holocaust, the genocide of some 6 million Jews during World War II by Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime in Germany.

"We should never forget -- the world should never forget -- the high price of freedom paid by the Jewish people," the chairman said. "The world can never pay that price again."

But, he noted, the gathering also recognized a triumph of the Jewish people: the birth of Israel. The United States was the first country to recognize the Jewish state, and America has supported the nation through wars in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973. The United States also has worked with Israel to chart a path to peace between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbors.

Israel is a thriving democracy, has a vibrant economy and fields a powerful military, the chairman said. "Israel's strength is firm," he said. "For 60 years now, we have firmly stood beside you as you have fought to stay free, and we will stand beside you always."

The Middle East remains the biggest security threat on the globe, Mullen said, and Iran is at the core of those troubles.

"Iran is a regional spoiler that is bent on egregiously undermining efforts to stabilize the Middle East," the admiral said. "Their irresponsible influence extends well beyond Iran's borders. Their pursuit of nuclear arms, their sponsorship of terrorism and the perfect nightmare that is the nexus of the two, is a threat to Israel and throughout the region.

"To the degree that Iran continues to operate undeterred and unchecked," he continued, "peace, security and stability in the Middle East will remain elusive."

Central Asia is another area of concern. Mullen said the Taliban is on the offensive in Afghanistan, and a stiffening of resistance has taken place, especially in the southern part of the country. The April 27 assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai is just the most recent example of the dangers in the nation, Mullen said.

"Afghanistan is an economy-of-force mission, where we do what we can," he said. "But doing what we can is not doing all we should." The chairman said the recent U.S. deployment of 3,500 Marines to Afghanistan is a start, but not enough.

"We need more international involvement; we need more NATO nations to contribute more," he said.

The chairman shared the dais with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, and he complimented the French for their deployment of 1,400 troops to help in training the Afghan army and France's promise of more to come.

The United States and Western nations also face danger from the federally administered tribal area in Pakistan, Mullen said. Al-Qaida and the Taliban are using the area to regroup and retrain, and "I believe they are preparing to launch attacks against the United States and Western interests," the nation's top military officer told the audience.

All nations must work with Pakistan's new government to address the challenges in the tribal area, he added.

The chairman also praised the military personnel from around the world who have come together to fight the forces of radical extremism.

"I am always mindful, as we all should be, that the opportunity to gather here this evening is made possible by the thousands of men and women -- Americans, yes, but also from many other countries -- who every day serve, many of them in harm's way, all over the world," he said.

American Jewish Committee Executive Director David A. Harris echoed the praise.

"We know that today and every day our precious liberty is safeguarded not by ideals and laws alone, but by men and women in uniform risking their lives to keep us safe," Harris said. "We know the burdens borne by these brave sons and daughters of America and of our allied forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and on other battlefields. Their service today -- as in years past -- humbles us, inspires us and fills us with gratitude."

The lessons of the past are that "ignorance, bigotry and extremism cannot be ignored or they will spread like cancer across the land, leaving fear, destruction and tyranny in their wake," Mullen said. "We have seen the results of complacency -- the lives lost to the ravages of Nazism and other forms of radical extremism throughout history."

Mullen said responsible nations of the world must stand together and "never, ever let that happen again -- not to the Jewish people, not to the American people, not to anyone in the world."

"Those of us who can must lead and must fight for a world where the parents of every faith, every race, every color can raise their children to a higher standard of living and a better life in a stable environment," he said.

Gates Says Question in Iraq is 'What's the Endgame?'

Gates spoke at a news conference after touring the Restoration and Resilience Center at the West Texas base.

Gates said Iraq will require a residual U.S. presence for years. "I think the question is, at this point, not whether or not we should be in Iraq. We are there," the secretary said. "The question is, what's the endgame?"

The U.S. government and coalition allies in Iraq have to manage the final phases of the Iraqi conflict in a way that doesn't "leave us with a bigger problem in Iraq than we started with," the secretary said.

U.S. officials have said throughout the war that the goal in Iraq is to have a democratically elected, representative government in place that is an ally in the war on terror, is not a threat to its neighbors and yet can still defend itself. Gates said defense leaders have to manage the process in such a way that American servicemembers pull back from the major combat role, turning that mission over to increasingly capable Iraqi security forces.

"My own view is, we are going to require a residual presence in Iraq, of some size, for a period of years, as a stabilization force to help go after al-Qaida, [and] to continue training Iraqis," Gates said. "But I think that, despite our impatience as we enter the sixth year of the war, we still have to handle the end of the war and the end of our participation in major combat in a sensible and thoughtful way."

Gates said he approves of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sending a delegation to Iran to discuss that nation's support of terrorism in Iraq. "I think it's a very important step, and I think that the Iranians do care about what the shape of their future relationship with Iraq will be," Gates said.

He said the delegation will force the Iranians to make a choice to either support or subvert the Iraqi government. "For a Shiite prime minister to send a delegation to Iran, presumably to confront the Iranians with that kind of a choice, I think, is a healthy development," Gates said.

The secretary also received a briefing on the implications of the base realignment and closure process -- Fort Bliss is scheduled to receive between 20,000 and 25,000 soldiers, civilian employees, and family members by 2011 -- and spoke at the Army Sergeants Major Academy.

Leaders Should Step Up, Receive Mental Health Care if Needed, Chairman Says

"You can't expect a private or a specialist to be willing to seek counseling when his or her captain or colonel or general won't do it," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Pentagon news conference.

Mullen praised the Defense Department for changing a question on its security form that asks about applicants' mental health care. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced the change this morning. Officials believe the question's wording was needlessly preventing some people from seeking counseling.

The Standard Form 86, Questionnaire for National Security Positions, asks applicants to acknowledge mental health care in the past seven years. Officials said surveys have shown that troops feel if they answer "yes" to the question, they could jeopardize their security clearances, required for many occupations in the military. Applicants no longer have to acknowledge care for marital or grief counseling or care related to service in a military combat zone.

Mullen called it a "significant change" and a step in the right direction for DoD in reducing the stigma within its ranks associated with receiving mental health services.

"Psychological health and fitness is no different than physical health and fitness. Both are readiness issues. Both are leadership issues," Mullen said. "Good people, many of who have seen combat up close, ... whose courage is absolutely unquestionable, and who deserve only the best physical and mental health care we can provide, are actually willing to deny themselves that care out of the fear that doing so hurts them and their families in the long run. Nothing could be further from the truth."

The chairman said the long war in Iraq and Afghanistan has taken its toll on the minds of U.S. servicemembers, as well as on their bodies.

"Reaching out for help is, in fact, one of the most courageous acts and one of the first big steps to reclaiming your career, your life, and your future," he said.

Also on hand at the news conference was Army Dr. (Col.) Loree Sutton, chief of the newly formed Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.

"Seeking help is a sign of strength," the Army psychiatrist said. Early intervention is the key to successful care, she noted, and leaders are looking at ways to change the stigma attached to getting mental health care in hopes that troops will come sooner than later.

"Stigma is really just a toxic, occupational, work-related hazard. For any other such hazard, we would take immediate action. That's what we're doing," she said.

Plans are in the works for senior military officers to be part of a national awareness campaign aimed at reducing the stigma. In the campaign, officers will come forward as having received care in an effort to demonstrate a "top-down" approach to mental health care.

"We can change the policy. We can talk about how important it is. But ultimately, troops and families want to see leaders walking that walk," Sutton said.

She said DoD officials hope this change will remove some of the fear that has blocked servicemembers from getting care they know they need, but are afraid to get.

Army Col. Patricia Horoho, commander of the Walter Reed Health Care System, compared psychological fitness to physical fitness.

"Our goal is to build resilient forces and families, both physically and mentally," Horoho said. "Just as we encourage our servicemembers to work out and maintain physical fitness, so too we must encourage them to go to the psychological 'gym' to maintain their psychological health."


DoD security officials said no one has been denied a security clearance based solely on the fact they received mental health counseling, but the perception that receiving care would jeopardize a security clearance, combined with the stigma of having to acknowledge the care on the form, may have been preventing some from receiving needed care.

About 1 million security forms are submitted annually within the Defense Department. Of those, less than 1 percent receive unfavorable determinations based solely on mental health issues, officials said. Of those denied, factors besides simply receiving counseling are considered.

Coalition Forces in Iraq Kill, Detain Terrorism Suspects

During operations in Iraq today:

-- Coalition surveillance teams in the Tigris River Valley, 85 miles south of Mosul, saw armed men entering a vehicle behind a targeted building. Coalition aircraft engaged the vehicle and killed five of them. The vehicle then erupted with secondary explosions, indicating that weapons and ammunition likely were inside. Ground forces killed an additional suspected terrorist in the raid and detained another.

-- An air weapons team used a Hellfire missile to engage and kill three enemy fighters in a vehicle around 2 a.m. in northeastern Baghdad. Earlier in the evening, coalition forces saw the men placing a homemade explosive before fleeing in the vehicle.

-- Coalition aircraft struck a known Iranian-backed senior "special groups" leader in the Sadr City section of Bagdad at 2:17 p.m. The leader is responsible for criminal acts against Iraqi citizens and coalition forces, according to military intelligence. It is unclear whether the air strike injured or killed the targeted suspect, officials said.

-- Troops captured an alleged suicide-car-bombing associate in Abu Ghraib, 10 miles west of Baghdad, and another man believed to be preparing to carry out a suicide attack.

-- Iraqi and coalition forces in Tuz, some 50 miles south of Kirkuk, detained two suspected terrorists while targeting an individual believed to have long-standing ties to the local al-Qaida in Iraq network.

-- Coalition troops captured two wanted individuals in Mosul during a raid targeting associates of al-Qaida in Iraq leaders.

-- Coalition forces captured an alleged bombing network associate in Beiji.

In Iraq yesterday:

-- Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, came under indirect fire and heavy machine gun fire from a vehicle in northeastern Baghdad. The soldiers retaliated and killed seven attackers.

-- Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, saw enemy fighters loading multiple rockets onto a launch sled in Sadr City at about 3 p.m. The soldiers engaged the men before they could fire the rockets, killing five of them. About 20 minutes later, troops killed another man as he attempted to recover the rockets, which coalition forces later destroyed.

-- Attackers in Sadr City fired rocket-propelled grenades at soldiers from 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment. The soldiers returned fire and killed three enemy fighters.

-- Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, received rocket-propelled-grenade and small-arms fire while emplacing barriers in northeastern Baghdad. The troops returned fire and killed three enemy fighters.

-- Soldiers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, operating an unmanned aerial vehicle, witnessed two armed men, including one bearing a rifle on the rooftop of a house. Soldiers fired one Hellfire missile from the UAV, killing both enemy fighters and destroying their weapon.

-- Enemy fighters attacked soldiers with small-arms fire in northeastern Baghdad around 8:10 p.m. The soldiers retaliated and killed two attackers.

-- Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, positively identified an Iranian-backed "special groups" operative with an RPK machine gun. Acting in self-defense, the soldiers returned fire and killed the individual.

-- Troops captured a wanted man and detained an additional suspect while targeting al-Qaida in Iraq operatives in Baghdad's Mansour neighborhood. The wanted man is believed to be associated with an al-Qaida in Iraq leader responsible for car bombing and suicide attacks in the Iraqi capital.

-- Coalition forces captured two suspected al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists in Mosul, using information gleaned from an April 21 operation. One suspect is a wanted man allegedly associated with several senior terrorist leaders in the city.

-- Iraqi and coalition forces nabbed an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq operative in Kirkuk and an additional suspected terrorist. The alleged operative is believed to have ties to senior terrorist leaders both in Kirkuk and Mosul.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

Look Out for, Communicate Troops' Needs, Gates Tells Senior NCOs

"From my vantage point, you are in the best position of anybody to give a sense, up and down the chain of command, of how things are going -- which programs are working, which aren't, and what else can be done," Gates told Army master sergeants, first sergeants and sergeants major attending the Army Sergeants Major Academy here.

"I hope you will continue to listen to your men and women and advocate for them in the strongest possible manner possible," he said.

Gates told the soldiers of Class 58, which graduates May 22, that he will continue to seek the candid advice and counsel of enlisted troops at all levels and will continue his regular lunches with every service's senior enlisted advisor. And while he's seeking to hear from them, Gates said, he hopes the NCOs will serve as his conduit to the troops so they know the Defense Department is working to support them.

Gates said he shares soldiers' frustration over past mistakes and the pace of improvements. "Things happen too slowly. It takes too long for decisions made at the Pentagon to get implemented on posts and bases," he said. But as he pushes to break through red tape and bureaucracy, Gates said, he's looking to senior enlisted leaders to let troops in the field know about changes to come.

"You are also in the best position to make it clear, down the chain, that the department is actively engaged in trying to work to improve the quality of life for our servicemen and women," he said. "This is a critical point that all of our troops need to know if we are to maintain the morale of the force in the years to come and if we are to continue to recruit the best and brightest America has to offer."

Gates urged the senior NCOs to ensure soldiers know he recognizes and appreciates their service.

"I hope you will express to them that I am aware of how much has been sacrificed," he said. "And I consider it my solemn duty to do right by the men and women who risk their lives for our country every day."

The Army Sergeants Major Academy is the top rung in the Army's enlisted professional military education system, and focuses on turning senior NCOs into leaders. The nine-month course prepares new and prospective sergeants major for duties as senior NCOs in positions throughout the Defense Department and allied nation's forces.

Defense Secretary Affirms Commitment to Quality-of-Life Issues

Gates told senior noncommissioned officers attending the Army Sergeants Major Academy here that he watched a You-Tube video of a barracks at Fort Bragg where soldiers who had just returned from Afghanistan were staying. "The conditions were appalling," Gates said. "Soldiers should never have to live in such squalor."

The defense secretary said leaders must approach the issue proactively. "It is the duty of every commander, indeed everyone responsible for our men and women in uniform, to ensure that our troops have decent living conditions," Gates said. "And if the local resources aren't available to make the necessary improvements, it is the leader's responsibility to alert the chain of the command."

Gates insisted that "current needs must not be sacrificed to future capabilities." That applies, he said, whether the need is proper treatment of wounded warriors, or getting mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles or more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets into the theater, or decent housing at home.

Gates noted that the Army will spend some $18 billion over the next six years to improve housing, especially for enlisted troops. Much of that construction will take place here at Fort Bliss, which is expected to grow by an additional 30,000 soldiers and 40,000 family members.

The secretary delayed the movement of units from Germany because housing wasn't yet ready for them and he wanted to avoid a duffle-bag shuffle in temporary facilities. "I thought it would be unacceptable for soldiers and their families to live and work under those conditions," he said.

As the Army builds new facilities, Gates said, it can't neglect existing ones.

Noting that 56 percent of active-duty forces are married and 44 percent have children, Gates said the Defense Department "needs to be more family-friendly -- to adjust to reality, but also because it is the right thing to do."

He applauded sweeping initiatives being advanced in the Army Family Covenant that seek to give troops and their families "a quality of life that is commensurate with their service."

Gates said he supports increased educational benefits, including an updated Montgomery GI Bill that will enable servicemembers who don't use their benefits to pass them to a family member.

This idea, which Gates said he first heard while meeting with Army spouses at Fort Hood, Texas, was among initiatives President Bush advocated in his State of the Union address in January, the secretary noted.

The mission has wide bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. "I believe the Congress will act before too long," Gates said.

Gates Asks Senior NCOs to Encourage Troops to Seek Mental Health Care

Video

As part of that effort, Gates asked the senior leaders' help in getting troops who need it to seek combat-related mental health care.

"Our country, in recent years, has asked a tremendous amount of you and those who serve with and under you, and everyone has risen to the occasion," Gates told the senior noncommissioned officers, all attending the Army's top NCO school and bound for sergeant major and command sergeant major jobs in the force.

He conceded that "no one expected major combat operations in Iraq to go on this long" and cited the challenges: "multiple and sometimes extended deployments, the stresses of battle, the wounds of war, both seen and unseen."

"All of this has taken its toll on our troops and their families," Gates said. Yet, he noted, morale remains high, "testimony to the extraordinary honor, courage and resilience of those who serve, as well as the leadership and mentoring provided by the senior NCO corps."

But that high morale can't be taken for granted, Gates said. "I know I am preaching to the choir when I tell you that, as senior leaders, we must all be ever cognizant of stress on the force -- stress that has been greatly increased in recent years," he said.

Gates outlined measures being taken to reduce that stress and improve soldiers' quality of life.

Combat deployments are being reduced from 15 to 12 months in light of changes on the ground and gains made. Gates expressed hope that conditions on the ground will enable force levels in Iraq to reduce further by the year's end. A more sustainable deployment rotation will be adopted within the next year or so, with the active force serving two years at home after every one year overseas.

"From my perspective, we are trying to strike a balance: to reduce the tempo of deployment without compromising our strategic objectives or national security," Gates said.

The United States is growing its ground forces and will add 7,000 troops to the Army as part of a five-year, 65,000-troop expansion. The Marine Corps is getting larger too and will complete its 27,000-member expansion next year, two years ahead of schedule.

"With a larger pool of soldiers and forces available, individual soldiers and their units should be deployed less frequently, with more dwell time at home," Gates said.

The secretary cited vast improvements in emergency care on the front lines and in the Army medical system. Since last year's revelations of what he called "deplorable outpatient conditions" at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Gates said, he has focused a lot of time and energy on the system of care for wounded warriors.

"We have made great strides, even though more remains to be done," he said.

New warriors-in-transition campuses are revolutionizing the way wounded warriors are getting medical treatment and rehabilitation, he said. With an NCO with them throughout the process, wounded troops get help navigating the full range of support available for their families.

Gone are the days, Gates said, when wounded warriors are considered "permanently broken."

"The reality is that these extraordinary young men and women are far from broken," he said.

The Defense Department also is emphasizing care for troops with post-traumatic stress disorder, Gates told the NCOs, but he admitted that not all are getting the treatment they need.

In addition to new screening procedures that will help ensure no one "slips through the cracks" of the care system, the department is actively working to eliminate the stigma associated with PTSD, he said.

As part of that effort, Gates announced earlier today that the Defense Department will no longer require people who have received treatment for combat-related stress to report it on Standard Form 86, the government security-clearance form.

"Mental health treatment in and of itself will not be a reason to revoke or deny a clearance," Gates told the soldiers. "We hope this will encourage more men and women in uniform to seek help."

Gates called on the NCOs, the "backbone of the military," for help in getting soldiers who may have hesitated in the past to step forward to now get the care they need.

"All of you have a special role in encouraging troops to seek help for the unseen scars of war -- to let them know that doing so is a sign of strength and maturity," Gates told the group. "I urge you all to talk with those below you to find out where we can continue to improve.

"Those who have sacrificed for our nation deserve the best care they can get," he continued. "As I have said before, there is no higher priority for the Department of Defense, after the war itself, than caring for our wounded warriors."

Gates Announces Security Question Change

America Supports You: Organization, Football Legend Partner for Troops

United We Serve is teaming with football legend Herschel Walker and therapist Jerry Mungadze to offer "Managing Life After Combat." The seminar will take place May 25 in Killeen, Texas, and registration with United We Serve is required.

The goal is to offer support to military members and veterans with valuable information about combat stress and its symptoms, along with the effect it has on families' lives. For Walker, the subject is personal. He has been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, commonly known as "multiple personalities."

"We just want to help them understand that they may go through some rough spots. Their families will be lost as to what they can do to help them," Walker said. "We want to give them as much information and support as we possibly can."

Though an injury prevented him from serving, Walker said, he has a deep love and devotion to servicemembers. This seminar, he said, is a way to serve his country now by supporting the men and women who have.

Mungadze, who has worked in the field of trauma recovery for more than 20 years, said psychological trauma, such as the sights of war, can affect the way the brain processes information. This can result in uncharacteristic behaviors that affect the lives of servicemembers and their families.

"We want to give this information to those that need it, and follow up with free weekend retreats through United We Serve that encompasses the whole family," Mungadze said. "If they need additional information, we can hold a workshop for these families at no charge and help meet their needs. We just want them to know that we are here for them, and want to honor their efforts."

United We Serve offers free family retreats for the military, and has programs specifically designed to help meet the needs of active and reserve-component servicemembers and their families.

It's also a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home or abroad.

(From a United We Serve news release.)

U.S. Strikes Known al-Qaida Target in Somalia

The strike was near Dusa Mareb, north of the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

U.S. officials would not confirm news reports that the strike killed Aden Hashi Ayro, the head of al-Qaida in Somalia, nor the means used in the strike.

"When you have something like this, there is a certain amount of analysis that goes on," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman. "While you are conducting that analysis, you want to be careful not to provide any information that potentially could be of use to the enemy."

Whitman said the strike is an example of U.S. policy in the war on terror.

"We will pursue terrorists worldwide," he said. "The U.S. is committed to identifying, locating, capturing and, if necessary, killing terrorists wherever they operate, train, plan their operations, or seek safe havens."

News reports said the strike killed eight people. U.S. officials have no information that substantiates any civilians being killed or injured. As a general rule, U.S. planners seek to minimize any affect of such strikes in civilians, a U.S. Central Command official said, noting that in many cases, planners abort a strike rather than endanger civilians.

Face of Defense: Chaplain's Journey Leads to Meeting Pope

At the time, he had no idea his journey would lead him into the priesthood, the military or the opportunity to shake the pope's hand.

The road from Guadalajara was not short, and life in Los Angeles was not easy, Bautista said. Living with friends, working all day and attending English-as-a-second-language classes at Evans Community Adult School at night, Bautista focused on the chance to bring his family to the United States.

"There wasn't much time for fun," Bautista said. "I worked carpentry from 7:30 to 3:30; from 5 to 7, I worked at a car wash; and from 7:30 to 9, I went to ESL classes."

After four years, Bautista's family was able to join him, and he was able to turn his attention to new goals.

Because he worked so much, Bautista hadn't focused on graduating from high school until he decided to enter the priesthood, a journey that would take 11 years to complete.

Bautista started attending church with a girl he liked, but ended up finding much more.

"I had stopped going to church," Bautista said. "I had to fight off the pressure and temptations that come to young men. I wasn't always perfect, but I had to get back on track. I enjoyed church and the sermons, and before I knew it, I was getting involved."

Bautista's interest coincided with a new initiative by then-Archbishop of Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Michael Mahoney. The cardinal established Casa Reina de Los Angeles, or House of our Lady Queen of Angels, as a place for young men who wanted to enter the priesthood but either didn't have their high school diploma or needed to perfect their English.

Bautista studied hard for two years to earn his high school diploma and perfect his English. He spent a year studying for college-level classes, four years earning his college degree, and four years earning his divinity master's degree.

On June 5, 1999, Bautista was ordained a priest and was assigned to St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Van Nuys, Calif. In 2001, Bautista was assigned to his next church, St. John of God in Norwalk, Calif. Two of his parishioners, a Marine and soldier, died in Iraq.

At their memorial service, busloads of Marines came from Camp Pendleton, Calif., to attend. Some of them told Bautista how they didn't always have access to attend Mass when they were deployed in Iraq.

"I'm saying Mass, and I look up and thought of them serving without Mass," Bautista said. "I thought to myself, 'I need to put my words into action.' I would always say, 'Let's pray for those serving,' but it was time to act."

Bautista received an endorsement from the Los Angeles archdiocese and was released to the Archdiocese for the Military. In January 2006, he entered the Chaplain Corps with the Navy.

Then a lieutenant, Bautista served as the Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, chaplain for 13 months in Iraq's Anbar province. Bautista was the only priest stationed at his unit's base at Taqaddum, but said what mattered most was finally being able to minister to those he had prayed so long for.

"One of the most memorable times in Iraq was when a sergeant was going into surgery," Bautista recalled. "He asked me to hold his hand until he went under, and I knew this is what ministry is about."

Bautista said he doesn't consider the priesthood a job, but rather, his vocation and what he is dedicated to.

"A job is something you are hired to do," Bautista explained. "A vocation is love for God and what you've been called to do."

Bautista said Marines and sailors can tell when a chaplain is acting only as an officer and isn't ministering.

"You have to be an officer as well as a chaplain," Bautista said. "But it'd be sad if they only recognize you as an officer. A ship that doesn't float isn't living up to what it's supposed to be, just as a minister that doesn't minister isn't living up to their potential. You have the title, but you're not living up to it. Marines can see through that."

While ministering in Iraq, Bautista received an early invitation from the military archdiocese to attend Mass during Pope Benedict XVI's recent visit to the United States. Amid shouts of "Viva la Papa," Bautista watched as the pope arrived at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

"It was my oasis," Bautista said. "It was nice to go from the desert to a sea of clergy, faithful people and peace."

The next day, the chaplain attended the pope's Mass at Nationals Park in Washington and heard the leader of the world's Roman Catholics talk about being a witness of faith.

"[The pope] said those of hope must live different lives," Bautista said. "We must point the way for others. Being seen as different is how people will recognize you as a person of faith."

After the pope's historical Mass, Bautista took meeting the pope into his own hands. He walked up past the security lines as the pope was walking off the stage. With outstretched arms, the pope grabbed his hand and shook it.

"I felt like a teenage kid. I was giggling and so emotional," Bautista said. "The effect this man has on people is unreal."

The pope reached out to Bautista not only physically, but also spiritually, the chaplain said, and even gave a message in Bautista's native tongue. He said, "Paz a ustedes," or "Peace be with you."

"What made it so emotional was that he was reaching out to you," Bautista said. "I felt like he was speaking directly to me, like he was reaching out to me personally."

Bautista said it was a beautiful gift to meet the pope and be surrounded by clergy.

Although Bautista has appreciated every minute of his time as a chaplain, he said he eventually will be called back to serve in Los Angeles. He said he wants Marines and sailors never to think their dreams are too high or far away.

"I want them to know that every step they take, even the littlest step, is one step closer," Bautista explained. "I am an immigrant from Mexico who didn't speak English, and I never thought I'd become an officer in the Navy."

(Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Meghan McNabb serves with 2nd Marine Logistics Group.)

DoD Changes Security Clearance Question on Mental Health

The Standard Form 86, Questionnaire for National Security Positions, asks the applicant to acknowledge mental health care in the past seven years. It does not ask for treatment details if the care involved only marital, family, or grief counseling, not related to violence by the applicant, unless the treatment was court-ordered.

Officials said surveys have shown that troops feel if they answer "yes" to the question, they could jeopardize their security clearances, required for many occupations in the military.

As of April 18, applicants no longer have to acknowledge care under the same conditions, nor if the care was related to service in a military combat zone. The revised wording has been distributed to the services and will be attached to the cover of the questionnaire. The revised question will not show up printed on the forms until the department depletes its pre-printed stock later this year, officials said.

DoD security officials said no one has been denied a security clearance based solely on the fact they received mental health counseling, but the perception that receiving care would jeopardize a security clearance, combined with the stigma of having to acknowledge the care on the form, may have been preventing some from receiving needed care.

"Our people see it as a major blemish on their record. It is one of the highest reasons given on these surveys for why people don't seek mental health care," David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said. "We want to be sure that our people are in good shape both mentally and physically."

About 1 million security forms are submitted annually within the Defense Department. Of those, less than 1 percent receives unfavorable determinations based solely on mental health issues, Rebecca Allen, deputy director of DoD security, said. Of those denied, factors besides simply receiving counseling were considered, she said.

"The perception was unfounded. There was no reason to be concerned about seeking mental health counseling from a security clearance standpoint," she said. "Answering yes has never been a sole reason ... for denying a security clearance. It would be the resulting information that would develop during the adjudication phase that may ... result in an unfavorable determination."

But an Army Inspector General's report last year said soldiers were hesitant to get counseling because of the fear of losing their security clearances. A recent Rand Corporation survey also supported those claims, officials said.

When determining a person's ability to manage classified information, though, officials consider the "whole person." There has never been from the security aspect a stigma associated with seeking mental health counseling, Allen said.

"We view that as a very positive measure," Allen said. "There is nothing wrong with seeking assistance for a mental issue, just as there is nothing wrong with seeking assistance for a physical issue.

"There is every reason to seek treatment when you need it, ... and it will not be a bar to your successfully receiving a security clearance," Allen said.

Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said the stigma of receiving mental health care comes in many forms within the military.

"One is that people are afraid they are going to lose friends. They're afraid they're gong to lose their chance at promotion. [Or that] if you show weakness will you be a good leader? Will people follow? Or will you be seen as someone who is out to just get a desk job?" he said.

But, Casscells said, mental health counseling is for all ranks, and has not stopped the progression of many senior military officials.

"We've got guys here with one, two, three stars on their shoulders who have had counseling. And they feel they've benefited by it," Casscells said. "It's your duty to do that. It's your opportunity to grow as a person. It's your opportunity to prove yourself as a leader."

Gates Honors Military Service of Past, Present, Future

Official Emphasizes Diplomacy as Best Means of Dealing With Iran

Morrell called news reports claiming the Defense Department is conducting new planning for wartime operations against Iran patently wrong.

"Let me make this abundantly clear," he told reporters traveling here with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. "There are no new directives, no new plans in the works, no efforts to plan for a possible war with Iran."

Morrell said contingency planning is continually ongoing regarding all threats or potential threats, but said none regarding Iran indicate anything out of the ordinary.

The U.S. focus remains on diplomatic and economic pressure to get the Iranian regime to stop interfering in Iraq and the region as a whole, Morrell said. He reiterated Gates' and Joint Chiefs Chairman Navy Adm. Mike Mullen's assertions, however, that no option is being taken off the table, "including the military option."

Morrell said recent signs of Iranian meddling in Iraq, including the discovery of Iraqi-made munitions with 2008 date stamps, prove Iran is not making good on its promise to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to stay out of Iraq's affairs.

The United States has "long recognized Iran as a real problem in Iraq," he said.

Morrell said there's no concrete evidence that Iran has increased its activity in Iraq, "although we certainly see evidence that it continues."

America Supports You: Radio Program Gives Troops a Voice

Voice of the Troops debuted on News Talk KFYI last year as a monthly feature created by Dave Whitten, one of the original and current hosts. The show later moved to KFNX and evolved into a weekly Sunday feature.

"The philosophy is simple: We want to give a voice to those boots on the ground and hopefully be an outlet our servicemen and women can use to get their message out from the front lines," said Whitten, who currently hosts the show with retired Army Lt. Col. Dawn Lake, who served in Afghanistan.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Noel T. "Tom" Jones, commander of 56th Fighter Wing here, was a special guest on Voice of the Troops, helping the station kick off its fourth program. Questions asked of the general during the show included local topics such as the importance of the Barry M. Goldwater Range, encroachment issues and training in military operations areas. When Whitten asked Jones about his most harrowing combat experience, the general spoke of a night sortie he was involved in during Operation Desert Fox.

"We were bombing the Republican Guard barracks in the center of Iraq. There were anti-radiation missiles being shot at the surface-to-air missile sites, and when missiles hit ground, everybody woke up," he said. "There was a lot of triple-A (anti-aircraft artillery), and it was pretty eye-opening."

Listeners can tune into Voice of the Troops between 7 and 8 p.m. Mountain Time on Sundays to hear airmen, soldiers, sailors and Marines talk about their personal or combat experiences. The program streams live at www.1100kfnx.com.

(Air Force Maj. Miki Gilloon serves in the 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office.)

Iraqis Reject Extremist Violence, Coalition General Says

"We increasingly see a commitment to economic development and reconstruction. That is the path that leads to prosperity and the broadest opportunity for all Iraqis to share in it," said Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, in a news conference.

In places where Iraqi citizens have rejected the violence, people are returning to their homes and capitalizing on improving local security conditions, he said.

Southern Baghdad neighborhoods such as Yusifiyah, Mahmudiyah and Latafiyah have seen the return of more than 10,000 of the nearly 19,000 who left after being forced out by al-Qaida.

Bergner cited several other local-level signs of progress in the country.

In Zatia, a local company recently finished building two windmills used to pump water from wells for drinking and irrigation, providing water for 150 local families.

In Iskanidriya, an area formerly known as the Triangle of Death, fish farms and hatcheries are being rebuilt with the help of micro-loans. The local industry was nearly destroyed by al-Qaida.

East of Salman Pak, other agriculture sectors are being revitalized. There is a recent growth in bee keeping and honey production, new techniques in land management, and programs for date palm inoculation, Bergner said.

Despite the progress, however, Iraqi and coalition forces face tough fighting ahead, he said. Coalition forces remain on the offense against al-Qaida, pressuring their network and limiting their safe havens and operating bases.

"Iraqi security forces and the Sons of Iraq (a citizen-security group) are increasingly the first line of defense in this campaign," Bergner said.

Yesterday, al-Qaida operatives attacked a small village near Baqouba. The Sons of Iraq fended off the terrorists until the Iraqi security forces could join the fight and launch a counteroffensive. Twelve terrorists were killed. One member of the Sons of Iraq was killed, and several were wounded, Bergner said.

"We are continuing to pursue al-Qaida terrorists, targeting their leaders, disrupting their lines of communication, and denying them safe havens in Iraq," the general said.

Coalition forces have been working closely with the Iraqi security forces and government to secure parts of Baghdad's embattled Sadr City district to deliver essentials such as water, food and fuel to the people there.

In recent weeks, attackers have increased their rocket and mortar attacks, killing about 40 people in Baghdad and injuring 370 others, the general reported.

"We are responding appropriately to these lethal attacks. As we do so, we use precision strikes and take every precaution to limit the damage," Bergner said. "The fact that the nature of these criminals is to operate from civilian neighborhoods, and thereby place innocent civilians at risk, makes this a complex and difficult challenge whether in Basra, Baghdad or other communities."

Bergner said coalition operations in the area are targeting groups and weapons that are killing Iraqi people, endangering the Iraqi seed of government and endangering neighborhoods in Baghdad.

"We continue to help the government of Iraq to improve the security situation, take the appropriate responses to the violence that's being perpetrated by these groups and, at the same time, assist in the provision of services in an environment that's very difficult," Bergner said.

Joint efforts between coalition forces, Iraqi forces and the Iraqi government have established a Combined Civil-Military Operations Center that provides a central point for the citizens of Thawra, the southern portion of Sadr City, to process claims and request essential services and aid. It also coordinates reconstruction projects for the district.

Short-term projects include installing street lighting, removing trash and rubble, fixing sewage disposal, and distributing food, medical supplies, and small generators and reconstruction supplies.

Over the next three months, plans are to refurbish three medical clinics, revitalize the Jamila wholesale food market, issue business micro-loans, and renovate schools.

The operation will expedite some $2.5 million worth of aid and reconstruction investment beginning in the secured areas of Thawra, Bergner said.

Face of Defense: 'Sgt. Ken' Urges Enlisted Leaders to Stress Fitness

Navy Re-establishes 4th Fleet to Promote Future Interoperability

"The Navy, and probably the Department of Defense, recognized the importance of the region to the south of the United States that includes the Caribbean and western side of the Atlantic and the eastern side of the Pacific and all our partners down there," Navy Rear Adm. James W. Stevenson Jr., commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, said in a teleconference with online journalists and "bloggers."

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced the 4th Fleet's re-establishment April 24.

The 4th Fleet will man, train and equip U.S. ships deploying to Latin America, Stevenson said. He added that it will be patterned after the 5th Fleet and the Navy component of U.S. Central Command.

"The Navy, by re-establishing the 4th Fleet, is serious about the countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America, and ... we're very mindful of the 40 percent of U.S. trade that goes on with those countries and the 50 percent of the oil imports from that region," Stevenson said. "I think that the other navies and coast guards recognize that, and they would view that as a positive step."

With headquarters in Mayport, Fla., the new U.S. 4th Fleet commander also will command U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, which will retain the mission as the Navy component for U.S. Southern Command.

"The area of operations within the Caribbean [and] Central and South American waters will be under the operational and tactical control of the 4th Fleet," Stevenson explained. "[This includes] its aircraft, submarine, surface ships and personnel."

The U.S. 4th Fleet originally was established in 1943 to protect the United States against raiders, blockade runners and enemy submarines. It was disestablished in 1950, when its responsibilities were taken over by U.S. 2nd Fleet. While its missions may evolve over time, Stevenson said, the new 4th Fleet's objectives are to keep the economic sea lanes of communication free and open.

"In this area, ... there are no conflicts on the seas or anything like that," he said. "And so, we're focused on building relationships and trying to improve the interoperability of our partner navies and coast guards in the region."

Stevenson said building on the cooperative maritime strategy for the 21st century will include core competencies such as humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and theater security cooperation. The admiral said he believes amphibious forces are among the best assets he has to help in carrying out the theater's objectives, as they typically have enormous capacity to bring in equipment for military-to-military training.

Stevenson added that he looks forward to using that capability later this year when USS Kearsarge and USS Boxer deploy on humanitarian missions.

"Kearsarge and Boxer will be primarily a humanitarian assistance type of load-out, in that doctors and dentists and nongovernmental organization people will embark, and we're going to try and perform medical assistance [and] medical training within the Caribbean and also Central and South America," he said.

The Norfolk, Va.-based Kearsarge will visit about 12 different ports in the Caribbean, and will focus on the northern portion of South America and a few ports in Central America. Boxer, based in San Diego, will visit eight ports in the eastern Pacific.

Stevenson said the Navy's forward presence and the ability to sail anywhere, any time and sustain itself will be a benefit to the region, especially when that region is faced with natural disasters such as earthquakes, mudslides, forest fires and flooding.

Amphibious units provide "the perfect platform" for those types of missions if they're postured correctly and officials keep a sharp eye on indications of impending natural disasters, Stevenson said.

(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg is assigned to the New Media branch of American Forces Information Services.)

Claims Program Helps Residents Recoup Losses

Maliki Unifies Iraqi Government in Stand Against Insurgents

Gates pointed to Maliki's Iraqi-led crackdown against Shiite militias, primarily Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's militia, known as the Mahdi Army, or Jaysh al-Mahdi.

While conceding that operations in and around the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City have seen more U.S. and Iraqi casualties, Gates said part of it is because coalition and Iraqi forces are operating in new areas. Another part is because of mixed messages Sadr is sending to his militia.

"For the last number of months, Sadr has had a ceasefire on his followers. And while he has not ended that ceasefire, he has made statements that certainly some Jaysh al-Mahdi and special groups have interpreted as the go-ahead to attack coalition forces," he said.

U.S. and coalition officials use the term "special groups" to describe enemy fighters who are trained, bankrolled and supplied by Iran.

"And so, as we work our way around Sadr City, which we have basically stayed out of," Gates said, "we are encountering ... heavy combat."

Gates said the situation represents a conflict between the Iraqi government and "lawless elements that do not want to be part of the political process."

"I think everyone has made clear that if the Sadrists are willing to participate in the political process, that they would be welcome in that process," Gates said.

Meanwhile, Maliki's actions are supported within the Iraqi government, the secretary said.

"What is intriguing is that, because of the way the prime minister has taken on the Jaysh al-Mahdi and special groups in Basra and some of these other gangs, the rest of the Iraqi government that has not exactly been known for its unity has, in fact, unified behind Prime Minister Maliki," Gates said. "He has gotten the vocal support of virtually all elements of the government, and partly because they see him acting against a sectarian group that they were concerned he wouldn't act against."

Among Iraq's neighbors, "at least all but one have taken positive notice," as well, Gates said, in a reference to Iran.

Gates Calls Arrival of Second Carrier in Gulf 'Reminder' of U.S. Presence

Gates did not specifically name Iran when responding to a reporter's question about the arrival this week of USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf.

"The size of our naval presence in the Gulf rises and falls constantly," he said. "This deployment has been planned for a long time. I don't think we will have two carriers there for a protracted period of time. So I don't see it as an escalation. I think it could be seen, though, as a reminder."

Pressed by another reporter, Gates denied that heightened Defense Department criticism of Iran means it's laying the foundation for a military strike.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters last week that recently manufactured Iranian weapons found in and around Basra, Iraq, prove that Iran continues meddling in Iraq in ways that hamper progress and put U.S. and Iraqi lives at risk.

Mullen said at an April 25 Pentagon news conference that he's "increasingly concerned about Iran's activity, not just in Iraq, but throughout the region.

"I believe recent events, especially the Basra operation, have revealed just how much and just how far Iran is reaching into Iraq to foment instability," he said.

Mullen said he believes diplomatic, financial and international pressure is the best way to pressure Iran to reverse course. But "we are not taking any military elements off the table," he said.

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq who is in line for the top U.S. Central Command job, is preparing a briefing that details Iran's activities. That report is expected in the next couple of weeks.

Gates told reporters last night that he does not believe there's been any significant increase in Iranian support for the Taliban and others opposing the government in Afghanistan. "There is, as best as I can tell, a continuing flow, but I would still characterize it as relatively modest," he said.

The nature of the Taliban threat has changed, he said. Large-scale firefights against Afghan and coalition forces have evolved into terrorist acts, many using improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers. Gates noted that Afghan President Hamid Karzai narrowly escaped such an attack on his life earlier this week when Taliban gunmen attacked a military parade in Kabul.

The secretary said he views the latest tactics as a sign that the Taliban recognizes the strength and firepower of the coalition forces they're up against in Afghanistan. "They are changing their tactics, and we will have to clearly continue to adapt our tactics as well," he said.

Gates: Counterdrug Partnership Big Step in Building U.S.-Mexican Ties

Gates told reporters last night that his "very cordial, very open talks" with Gen. Guillermo Galvan, Mexico's defense secretary, Secretary of Government Juan Mourino and Foreign Relations Secretary Patricia Espinosa concentrated on the merits of the "Merida Initiative."

President Bush proposed the plan, which would channel $1.4 billion to Mexico over several years to confront cartels and other criminal organizations, after meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon in October in Merida, Mexico.

Bush requested an initial $500 million for equipment such as helicopters and surveillance aircraft to support the Mexican military's drug-interdiction activities. While conceding that the initiative has no link to wartime operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gates said funding for it was included in the fiscal 2008 supplemental request to secure the money quickly.

Because Mexico is "clearly interested in building the civil side of this struggle," the next $450 million of Merida Initiative funding would go toward increasing civilian law enforcement and security agency capabilities, Gates said. That money is included in the fiscal 2009 budget request.

Although the State Department will manage the program, the Defense Department would train and support the forces involved.

Gates expressed confidence that the initiative will win congressional support and hope that the first of the funds will be approved by Memorial Day.

"I think it is very important for the United States Congress to fund the Merida Initiative," he said. "Mexico is one of our two closest neighbors. We have a shared concern and a shared threat in the drug cartels. It is in the United States' interest to enhance Mexico's ability to deal with these cartels, and this is, in my view, a wise investment of American money."

Failure of Congress to approve the funding "would be a real slap at Mexico," the secretary said. "It would be very disappointing, and it clearly would make it more difficult for us to help the Mexican armed forces and their civilian agencies deal with this difficult problem," he said.

Gates applauded Mexico's ongoing counterdrug efforts, and emphasized that, while the United States wants to help Mexico, it has no intention of overstepping its bounds.

"The focus there is enabling Mexico to go after the cartels. There aren't going to be any U.S. combat troops or anybody like that down here as part of this," Gates emphasized. "This is a challenge that Mexico has taken on, and we ... will do what we can to support it."

The United States will take the lead from the Mexican government to determine what support it needs, he said.

Ultimately, helping Mexico helps the United States, Gates said. "It is in our interest that our friends have greater capabilities to protect their own security and to take care of transnational criminal activity such as the drug cartels," he said. "It is in our interest, because we have shared interest, to enhance the capabilities of the Mexican armed forces."

Gates called the effort a move forward in strengthening the "still relatively young" U.S.-Mexican military relationship in a way that respects Mexico's sovereignty and recognizes Mexican sensitivities. "I would say that the relationship is limited, but both sides are looking for opportunities where we can cautiously grow it," he said.

More educational exchanges and expanded information sharing are two potential growth areas Gates said he and the Mexican leaders discussed today. "We just have to take it a step at a time and explore what the opportunities are for expanded cooperation," he said.

Gates said he was surprised to learn that he was the first defense secretary to visit here in 12 years and "doubly surprised" that the visit was the second ever by a U.S. defense secretary.

A senior defense official traveling with Gates called the visit another step forward in the two countries' evolving and increasingly cooperative relationship. "This is an unprecedented opportunity to continue our pattern of engagement," he said. "We are at the beginning phases of building a more elaborate system of cooperation with the Mexican military, and we are still trying to figure out what they would like us to do."

Gates is slated to lay a wreath today at the 201 Fighter Squadron Memorial that honors the Mexican squadron that fought with the United States during World War II.

General Acknowledges Shortfall, Pledges Fixes for Fort Bragg Barracks

"It is my responsibility for maintaining barracks throughout the Army," Brig. Gen. Dennis E. Rogers, deputy director of operations and facilities for U.S. Army Installation Management Command, in Arlington, Va., said today during a roundtable discussion with Pentagon reporters.

"Folks, we let our soldiers down, and that's not like us," Rogers emphasized to reporters. "That's not how we want America's sons and daughters to live, and there's no good excuse for what happened."

Earlier this month, the father of one of the Fort Bragg-based soldiers uploaded a video onto an Internet Web site that depicted a clogged bathroom drain and profuse peeling paint inside a 1950s-vintage barracks that housed his son and some other 82nd Airborne Division soldiers who recently redeployed to Fort Bragg after a duty tour in Afghanistan.

However, work orders had already been submitted to correct the barrack's discrepancies that were identified in the video, Rogers said. Most of the shortfalls, he added, had been corrected before the video's posting.

"The flaking paint condition was, in fact, ugly. ... We have scraped that paint off, and the surfaces are being repainted," Rogers said.

The clogged and flooded drain in the bathroom floor was reported and repaired immediately, he said.

Twenty-three other 1950s-style barracks are in use on Fort Bragg, and all of them are slated for demolition within the next five years as new barracks are constructed, Rogers said. There are no health or safety issues with those older barracks, he added.

There is a process in place at Army posts worldwide in which older barracks in use are maintained until they are torn down, Rogers reported. That process failed at Fort Bragg, he acknowledged.

The older barracks used to house soldiers "are looking worse and worse, so we're getting the new barracks on line as soon as possible," Rogers said.

Senior Army leaders directed garrison commanders worldwide to walk through and inspect their barracks April 26-27, Rogers said. The feedback is still being examined, and a report may be ready as early as sometime next week, he said.

"We got most of those barracks looked at," Rogers said, noting some rooms were unavailable for inspection until residents had returned from four-day passes.

Meanwhile, Army garrison commanders and command sergeants major have made an assessment that soldiers are housed in accordance with Army standards, Rogers said. On-the-spot corrections have been made to bring unsatisfactory barracks living conditions into compliance with Army standards, he noted.

Installation Management Command's top enlisted person, Command Sgt. Major Debra L. Strickland, accompanied Rogers at the roundtable. Strickland will chair a noncommissioned officer forum that will provide an NCO perspective on Army barracks issues, Rogers said.

Taking care of soldiers, including ensuring their living quarters meet Army standards, is an NCO's primary task, Strickland told reporters.

"The noncommissioned corps has the basic responsibility for the welfare of our soldiers," Strickland pointed out.

More than 10,800 of Fort Bragg's 51,000 soldiers live in barracks or post family housing units, according to installation officials.

Coalition Forces Kill Three Terrorists, Detain 12

-- Coalition forces targeted a suspect wanted for aiding foreign terrorists at a suspected terrorist safe-house about 60 miles north of Baghdad. Forces killed three armed terrorists there, and five others were detained.

-- Coalition forces nabbed four suspects in Mosul.

-- In Beiji, about 100 miles south of Mosul, forces captured the leader of a car-bomb cell along with two others.

In operations around Iraq yesterday:

-- In Baghdad, an aerial weapons team and an M1A2 Abrams tank crew killed seven enemy fighters in the Sadr City district. The aerial weapons team fired a Hellfire missile, killing four, and the tank crew shot a main round, killing three.

-- Forces targeted two vehicles and killed 10 terrorists near Khalaf Al Mahd. They detained one suspected terrorist and destroyed a weapons cache he was guarding nearby.

-- Citizens in the Diyala province fended off an attack from al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists, killing 12. Members of the local "Sons of Iraq" citizen security group fought against the enemy attack. One Sons of Iraq member was killed, and three were wounded. Several civilians were wounded in the attack.

-- In Abu Ghraib, forces targeted a terrorist with ties to al-Qaida leaders in Baghdad. Three terrorists were detained.

-- Forces caught a suspect associated with terrorists involved in al-Qaida media operations in the Rasafah neighborhood in Baghdad.

Soldiers confiscated several weapons caches in separate actions yesterday:

-- Forces confiscated numerous weapons and gear in the New Baghdad security district of eastern Baghdad, including 38 AK-47 assault rifles, three SKS rifles, a pistol, four helmets, and vests.

-- Soldiers recovered a cache holding 10 rocket-propelled grenades, two launching tubes, a suicide vest, two grenades, a 105 mm round, two 60 mm mortar rounds, and an unknown amount of homemade explosive in western Rashid.

-- While patrolling the New Baghdad area of eastern Baghdad, soldiers uncovered a cache holding 20 mortar rounds and six rocket-propelled grenades.

In other operations across Iraq on April 27:

-- Soldiers seized munitions and detained a man from Iraq's most-wanted list in Baghdad's Rashid district.

-- Soldiers detained another man from Iraq's most-wanted list in the Zubaida community. They also found a rocket launcher and rocket rigged with detonation wire during a patrol there.

-- Forces found a cache southwest of Baghdad. The cache held 80 machine-gun rounds, four 69 mm mortar rounds, a 120 mm mortar round and two bags of homemade explosives.

-- Soldiers discovered an emplaced roadside bomb and a rocket with launcher in two places in the Rashid district of the Iraqi capital. A 107 mm rocket was recovered, and an armor-piercing explosively formed penetrator was found during a combat patrol in the Abu Tshir community.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

Sesame Street Coaches Kids Through Parent's Deployments, Returns

Sesame Workshop, the makers of Sesame Street, today released "Talk, Listen, Connect: Deployment, Homecoming, Changes," a video workshop that aims to aid children in understanding and unbundling the tangle of complex emotions many feel in the midst of a mother's or father's tours of duty away from home, and even broaches the difficult subject of dealing with a parent's debilitating war injury.

"This follow-on DVD to talk about the changes, dealing with new medical injuries -- living in the 'new normal' -- is tremendously important," Army Col. Loree K. Sutton, chief of the newly created Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, said here during the workshop launch at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial.

More than 80 percent of those surveyed said the first installment of Sesame Workshop's military outreach effort -- which covered all phases of deployment -- was incredibly effective, Gary E. Knell, president and chief executive officer of Sesame Workshop. "And they really wanted us to also go to the next step to deal with two issues," he added, referring to multiple deployments and changes, especially mental or physical injuries parents suffer while deployed.

To help keep the program authentic to children's experience, an advisory committee composed of members of military families and advocacy groups, child psychologists, educators and other experts offered perspective to Sesame Street creators throughout production.

The show's creators also vetted the program through "real world" military families and adapted it according to their feedback, said Jeanette Betancourt, vice president for content design at Sesame Workshop's education and outreach division.

In the original script, for instance, writers used broad strokes to paint an effusive reunion between Elmo, a red, furry and perpetually 3-year old character, and his fresh-from-the-front-lines father. After seeing a rough cut of the scene, the advisors recommended tweaking the script to reflect a greater emotional range.

Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, said the first treatment failed to capture the emotional complexity of the reunion.

"In the original version, they had [Elmo] all excited and enthusiastic and happy. It's sort of what you expect if you really don't know how hard it is when somebody's been gone for a while and you're so anticipating their returning," Arsht said in an interview. "And yet there's this (worry), 'Is he going to be the same?' You know, all those mixed emotions."

The creators heeded their feedback and re-wrote the scene to be more three-dimensional and true-to-life, through what she described as "powerful adjustments" in the script. The effects of such realism are evident, she said: "You cannot watch these DVDs without crying."

Arsht said the anxiety arises, in part, because children feel ambivalent about the growth and progress they make in the midst of their parent's absence.

"The child has been growing; they can do things they couldn't do before. They don't know whether to be proud about that, or to think that the dad's going to feel bad that he didn't get to see that happening," Arsht said, describing a common reaction of 3- to 5-year olds, the show's target demographic.

According to statistics, some 700,000 children of military members are under the age of 5. Through Sesame Street's lovable characters, the program manages to teach young children about painful subjects in a medium that speaks to them.

In one scene, Rosita, a cheerful, bilingual blue monster from Mexico, sees her servicemember father return home in a wheelchair after an injury he suffered during deployment.

"Initially she's angry. Her emotions emerge. And what Sesame Street is able to do is turn the conversation to what is the same, what the parent can do," Arsht said. "If he can't kick the ball -- which he couldn't -- he can catch the ball.

"It's elementary," she continued. "But it carries a much bigger message than the words themselves convey."

Elmo and Rosita are the best venues for relaying such tender messages because they are trusted by young audience members, said Barbara Thompson, the director of DoD's military community and family policy office and advisory board member.

"The children will listen and resonate with their message," she said. "Sesame Workshop captured the right message and how to say it in a very sensitive way. It's a well-done resource for our families."

Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit education effort, has been doing these special projects since its inception in 1968. The group has done outreach projects on subjects like early literacy, asthma, lead poisoning, going to the doctor and school readiness.

Performed in English and Spanish, the workshop will not air on television but will be distributed free to schools, child care programs and family support centers, thanks to a gift from Wal-Mart stores and other sponsors. The DVD kit or downloadable video is available at the Military OneSource Web site, www.militaryonesource.com.

The previous Sesame Street workshop, a broader installment entitled "Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families Cope with Military Deployment," covered all phases of deployment, from predeployment to homecoming. A separate Sesame Street program, "When Parents Are Deployed," was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program.

Face of Defense: Air Force Photographer Becomes Marine Infantryman

Politicized Military Would Lose Public Trust, Official Says

"If we do appear to be influenced by our own views or our own understanding of how things should be, we're going to lose the public trust," Army Col. Shawn Shumake, director of legal policy within the Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, told the Pentagon Channel. "We're going to lose the confidence that's so important and that the military has maintained for so many years."

To reinforce the military's apolitical position, the Defense Department has renewed its emphasis on the rules limiting what troops may or may not do within the political arena, Shumake said.

The new version of a department-issued directive titled "Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces" became effective Feb. 19 and replaces the previous version, released in August 2004. It adds two sections that discuss candidacy and campaigning issues pertaining to former military members, retirees and current military reservists running for elected office.

Under certain circumstances, some reserve-component members can run for or hold elective political office, Shumake said in an interview with American Forces Press Service. Yet, there is "a right way and a wrong way to do that," he stressed, noting the new language describing those issues.

The directive outlines specific rules pertaining to cases of regular, retired and reserve-component servicemembers holding elective or appointed office within the U.S. government, Shumake said, including elected positions with state, territorial, county or municipal governments.

In addition, the revised directive requires military members holding such positions to apply for and secure the approval of their individual service secretaries. Shumake noted that the requirement for service secretarial approval depends on the length of the servicemember's call or order to active duty.

Active-duty servicemembers are strictly prohibited from campaigning for political office or actively taking part in a political campaign -- even behind the scenes -- and the revised directive specifies what active-duty members may or may not do regarding political activities, he added.

"The reason behind the limitations on political activities is the military has to be seen as exercising unvarnished military judgment," Shumake told the Pentagon Channel. "We've got to make sure that the people understand that the military is not influenced by the events of the day and what could be considered partisan politics."

Servicemembers with questions about the rules affecting partisan political activities or participation are encouraged to talk to their commanders for guidance.

Troops in Iraq Kill Terrorists, Capture Suspects, Seize Weapons

During operations in northeastern Baghdad yesterday:

-- Iraqi and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers manning a checkpoint retaliated against a large group that attacked them around 6:35 p.m. with small-arms fire. The U.S. component of the combined force used 120 mm fire from M1A12 Abrams tanks and small-arms fire, killing 22 attackers and forcing the rest to flee. No U.S. or Iraqi soldiers were harmed or killed.

-- While on dismounted patrol around 6 p.m., 4th Infantry Division soldiers from 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, were attacked with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. Soldiers providing a cordon engaged the attackers with 120 mm tank rounds and machine-gun fire from an Abrams tank, killing seven.

-- Soldiers from 1-68th Armor Regiment killed five attackers who had fired rocket-propelled grenades in the course of three separate operations.

-- An aerial weapons team killed a man after he attacked soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team with small-arms fire around 8:30 a.m. In the same area about two hours later, soldiers from 1-68th Armor Regiment killed another man after he attacked their checkpoint with small-arms fire.

Elsewhere in Iraq yesterday:

-- Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team returned fire and killed two attackers in a group that attacked a combat outpost with small-arms fire in eastern Baghdad around 3:15 p.m..

-- Coalition forces killed one enemy fighter and uncovered an explosives cache in Baghdad's Rashid district. During the engagement between the ground force and armed attackers, a 14-year-old child was injured in the crossfire. He was treated at a coalition medical facility then released to the care of his family.

-- Soldiers with 3rd Iraqi Army Division advised by U.S. Special Forces soldiers detained six suspected insurgents in Bulayj during an operation to disrupt insurgent networks operating in the area.

In operations April 26, separate tips led Multinational Division Center soldiers to weapons caches in Mahmudiyah, near a patrol base about 20 miles south of the Iraqi capital. The cache contained improvised explosive device-making materials. Another cache, uncovered at a house near the Qaqa apartments in Mahmudiyah included six mortars, a 107 mm rocket, a 57 mm projectile, ball bearings and other explosive-making materials, and an IED that consisted of blocks of TNT.

Elsewhere, Iraqi soldiers discovered a large cache containing mortars, rockets and IED-making materials northwest of Yusufiyah. Troops turned over the contents of the cache to a coalition force explosive ordnance disposal team for controlled detonation.

In operations April 25 and 26, Iraqi security forces advised by U.S. Special Forces soldiers killed three men during an operation to prevent special groups violence in Hussayniya, and Iraqi special operations forces operating in Jazeera Desert nabbed the two suspected weapons smugglers.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

Coalition Treats Afghans in Medical Outreach Effort

America Supports You: Silver Star Families Plan Day of Remembrance

This year, Silver Star Families of America, which began the grassroots movement, is hoping all 50 states will remember and honor their wounded and ill veterans May 1 to kick off Military Appreciation Month.

"While we want every state to join with us, this year we are going to the cities and asking them to help," Janie Orman, the organization's president, said. "We wanted 50 cities across the United States to hold ceremonies and remember our honored wounded."

Cities across the nation are responding "beyond our expectations," Orman said.

"To date we have received proclamations from 44 states, the District of Columbia and 89 cities, with more coming in every day," she said. "It has been a long time since I have seen such an outpouring of love and respect."

Silver Star Families of America is a banner organization, similar to Blue Star Mothers of America and American Gold Star Mothers. Since its founding three years ago, the organization has given out thousands of Silver Star Service banners and certificates to wounded U.S. veterans from all wars wherever they live.

The tradition of the Silver Star banner for the wounded and ill goes back to 1917 and lasted for years until it faded into history. Silver Star Families of America brought back this tradition so that every time someone sees a Silver Star banner in a window or a Silver Star flag flying, they remember the sacrifice of wounded servicemembers.

The Silver Star Service banner and flag fly at military hospitals, Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities and combat support hospitals.

"We hope everyone will take a minute to reflect on the sacrifices of our wounded and ill soldiers on May 1," Orman said. "I also invite everyone to hold their own ceremonies or banner presentations."

Silver Star Families of America is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home or abroad.

JCOC Experience 'Invaluable,' Participants Say

Traveling throughout Central and South America talking to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines and seeing firsthand the U.S. military's role in the region: priceless.

"You can't put a price on that," said Dan Simons, president of The World Company in Lawrence, Kan. "It's off the charts."

Simons and about 50 other participants in the 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference wrapped up their week-long journey to parts of the U.S. Southern Command area of operations here last night with a dinner and an opportunity to chat with the command's top officer, Navy Adm. James Stavridis. Miami serves as the headquarters for the command.

The JCOC is the Defense Department's oldest outreach program. In this trip, participants traveled to Brazil, Cuba, Honduras, Colombia and here. The U.S. Southern Command area encompasses more than 30 countries and covers about 15.6 million square miles.

During the conference, participants stood on the deck of the USS George Washington and witnessed hair-raising night landings on the nuclear aircraft carrier up-close. They fired machine guns in Cuba, rode in helicopters in Honduras, and rappelled off towers in Colombia.

The civic and business leaders toured maximum-security detainee facilities in Guantanamo Bay, sped across the Keys in super-fast U.S. Coast Guard drug interdiction boats and saw what a jungle cocaine lab looks like.

And while all are quick to say those experiences were exhilarating, stimulating, and sometimes frightening, being able to talk with U.S. servicemembers was the highlight of the trip, they said. SouthCom is home to more than 1,200 military and civilian personnel from all services. During the trip, the group dined in a Navy's ship's galley and chatted with sailors. They shared field rations with soldiers and airmen and talked about military life with Marines.

"I leave with a real sense of pride, and am just in awe of the men and women who serve," said Saul Kaplan, executive director of Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, Providence, R.I.

This is the first time a JCOC has toured Southern Command since the program began in 1948. And it is the first JCOC to see more of the U.S. military's "soft power," or humanitarian assistance and other aid-oriented missions. This group got to talk about drug eradication efforts with Colombian police who risk their lives spraying the coca plants across the country. They delivered school supplies and soccer balls to children in Honduras. They talked with the doctors who provide the medical care for the detainees at Guantanamo.

Many of the participants said that they're returning from the trip with a deeper understanding of the importance of the region to U.S. national security interests.

"We tend to think of the military as arms and defense. We saw the human heart of the military and the focus and concern for all people," said Rebecca Upham, head of the Buckingham Brown and Nichols School in Cambridge, Mass.

And as the event wrapped up, the business leaders and educators talked about how they could spread the word of what they saw in their travels. Entrepreneurs penciled thoughts on paper for upcoming speeches, and authors sketched out ideas for upcoming seminars. No one is leaving without a sense of urgency to tell their story on some scale within their communities.

Simon said the trip gave him new appreciation for the efforts of U.S. servicemembers. He admitted he had become somewhat apathetic regarding their service, because it did not have a direct, personal impact. Now he is going to work with United Service Organizations on an upcoming project, and is also teaming with a nonprofit organization to sponsor races to be held across the country on Sept. 11.

"I could have been working on this for a couple of years," he said.

Michael Roberts, the chairman and chief executive officer of The Roberts Companies in St. Louis, said his experiences on the trip will be part of his regular speeches. As an entrepreneur and author, Roberts regularly speaks to businesses and on college campuses such as Harvard.

"In those environments, I can say to them what the military is about from a humanistic perspective, as opposed to a strict warring and defense operation," Roberts said.

Roberts used a sports analogy to sum up his impressions of the military's use of soft power: "The best defense is a good offense." He said the humanitarian missions of the military, such as building schools, countering narco-terrorism and providing health care to impoverished countries, is a side of the military most people do not know about.

In the end, the trip was a call to action for him and the others, Roberts said.

"We need to do what we can to spread the word about the humanitarian mission of the U.S. military," he said. "We do have a 'good neighbor' policy. And the world is our neighbor."