From all of us here at TWS,
here's wishing you and yours a
safe and Happy New Year!

A NOTE FROM OUR CO-FOUNDER:

It's appropriate during this season to take a pause from our busy lives and consider those who are serving to benefit all of us, and those who are less fortunate.  It's true that times are tough all over right now, especially for the kids.  If you can find the time or the resources, please consider supporting a charitable organization in your community this holiday season.

You have all contributed to make 2009 a great year for TWS and we are proud to have you aboard and to continue being of service to you in the years to come.  So from all of us here at TWS to all you, Thank You!  Here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a most enjoyable Holiday Season! 

Semper Fidelis,

Major Wes Prater, USMC (Ret.)
Co-Founder/Administrator
TogetherWeServed.com

Jon Yim
Editor

$128.3B FOR IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN OPERATIONS
President signs 2010 defense budget into law

Story by Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON -- Defense officials are hailing passage of the fiscal 2010 budget that funds military programs and wartime operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and provides a military pay raise.

President Barack Obama signed the 2010 Department of Defense Appropriations Act into law Dec. 19 after the Senate approved it during a rare early Saturday session. The Senate passed the measure by an 88-to-10 vote.

The $636.3 billion legislation provides $128.3 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a 3.4 percent military pay raise.

The law also extends various authorities and other non-defense fiscal 2010 appropriations, White House officials announced. Most of those provisions involved temporary extensions of emergency unemployment and health-care benefits that had been set to expire.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates issued a joint statement Dec. 18, pressing the Senate for action.

"We strongly urge Senate passage of the Defense Appropriations Bill today, prior to expiration of the current continuing resolution," the statement said. "Passage today will provide important support for our foreign policy and national security priorities and ensure continuity of funding for our troops in combat and for all of the Department of Defense."

The House passed the legislation Dec. 16.

Brightening a Child's Day IT2 Calithea A. Williams, from the 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), presents a gift to a girl at the Shunko Gakuen Orphanage in Yokosuka, Japan, during a community service project. More than 80 local children received Christmas gifts from Sailors and their families. - Photo by MC1 David Mercil

Official lauds Yemeni government for taking on al-Qaida

Story by Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON -- The Yemeni government deserves praise for taking on the al-Qaida threat in that country, a Defense Department official said this month.

The Yemeni government took full credit for strikes against al-Qaida hide-outs and training sites Dec. 19. US officials have been concerned that al-Qaida has been increasing in Yemen.

“The fact of the matter is that Yemeni officials and government ought to be commended for taking on the al-Qaida threat that exists in their country,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. “Yemen has a growing al-Qaida threat and the government has taken the important steps to address it.”

The Yemeni government said the strikes were a success, but there has not been an accounting of casualties in the strikes.

The Defense Department has worked with Yemen to train their forces. The United States spent roughly $67 million to train Yemeni troops in counterterrorism operations, Defense Department officials said.

Meanwhile, there haven’t been “any substantial increases in our training with Yemen over the past few months,” Whitman said.

US training with Yemen runs throughout the year and includes land, air and maritime scenarios. These exercises generally are small-scale events that last a couple of weeks at a time. The number of trainers involved fluctuates depending on the training, Whitman said, noting the exercises do not run back to back.

Defense relations between Yemen and the United States are good. Yemeni servicemembers participate in the International Military Education and Training program and the United States has transferred military equipment and spare parts to the country.

In fiscal 2006, US Foreign Military Financing for Yemen was $8.42 million, International Military Education and Training was $924,000, and Non-Proliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining and Related Programs was about $1.4 million.

CJCS sends Holiday message to troops, families

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON -- Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, issued the following Holiday message:

As America celebrates this holiday season, our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen are serving around the world. Families and friends at home can enjoy the holidays in peace thanks to your sacrifice. In the midst of glad tidings, we honor your service and that of your families who serve along with you.

Our thoughts and prayers are especially with our wounded warriors, their families, and the families of the fallen. They bear solemn burdens often made heavier by absence. We all must do our part to honor them and ensure they do not shoulder their cares in solitude this holiday season. America’s finest families richly deserve the love and thanks of a grateful Nation, and we will never forget their sacrifice.

On behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and our families, I thank you for all you do for our country. We wish you and your families a joyful holiday season, and all of the blessings of a very happy New Year.

Sincerely,

M.G. MULLEN
Admiral, US Navy

AN UNOFFICIAL TRADITION CONTINUES
Volunteers place 16,000 wreaths at Arlington

Story by Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Photos by Bill Auth, USO

WASHINGTON -- The Arlington Wreath Project, an unofficial national tradition, prompted about 6,000 volunteers to wake up extra early in the morning to help place 16,000 wreaths on graves at Arlington National Cemetery.

An army of volunteers prepare to lay wreaths on graves at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA. The volunteers placed more than 16,000 wreaths in honor of the nation's fallen heroes

"It's really nice that America still remembers our troops," said Nikki Bunting, the widow of Army Capt. Brian Bunting, who died in Afghanistan in February 2009. She visited her husband's grave with their children, 2-year-old Connor and 5-week-old Cooper.

“It's a sad sight, but it's really beautiful. It reminds us that people care,” she said.

Morrill Worcester, president of Maine-based Worcester Wreath Company, started the tradition in 1992, although the seeds for the idea had been planted 30 years earlier. The cemetery’s hallowed ground first impressed Worcester in 1962, when the 12-year-old Bangor [Maine] Daily News paper boy had won a paper-sponsored contest and a trip to Washington.

“It struck me and I just never forgot it,” Worcester recently said about the cemetery. “It was just such a big place and the stones are all nice and straight. I saw the Tomb of the Unknown [Soldier] and the changing of the guard.”

Fast forward to 1992, when Worcester discovered his company had 5,000 surplus wreaths near the end of the season. He made arrangements to place the wreaths on graves at Arlington National Cemetery.

“The first 13 or 14 years of the Arlington Wreath Project I just did it because I wanted to do it and it was kind of a private thing,” Worcester said. “We didn’t want any publicity or anything else. We just did it.”

For more than a decade, he sponsored the Arlington Wreath Project, with the mission to “Remember, Honor, and Teach,” and managed to keep it small and relatively anonymous.

That is until 2005 when an Air Force photographer happened to capture an image of the annual honor. “Things just totally changed,” Worcester said.

After the photo hit the Internet and made its way around the world, the tradition grew exponentially. This year 151,000 wreaths were placed in more than 400 cemeteries across the country by 60,000 volunteers as part of Wreaths Across America Day. Individuals and companies sponsored all but 25,000 of the 151,000 wreaths, Worcester said.

“I love seeing the participation,” he said. “I’m very proud of the fact that I started it, but it’s certainly not me anymore.”

Worcester may love seeing the huge numbers of volunteers, but it presents interesting challenges for Wayne Hanson, who volunteers through the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C., to coordinate the Arlington Wreath Project. The Vietnam veteran also sits on the board of Wreaths Across America.

“We started off with just a handful of people helping Mr. Worcester put the wreaths down. It would take us the better part of a good day,” Hanson said. “People would hear about it and want to help, so we would end up with 2[00] or 300 volunteers as the years progressed.”

Though the mercury started out below 20 degrees and only climbed to the low 40s this year, it didn’t deter those wanting to honor the nation’s fallen heroes at the holidays.

"The community of surviving families and TAPS [Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors] are very grateful to Wreaths Across America, the USO, and other organizations for their support,” said Ami Neiberger-Miller, public affairs officer for TAPS. Her brother, Army Spc. Christopher Neiberger, was killed in action in Iraq in August 2007. “Our families know that their loved ones are not forgotten.

A mother speaks to her daughters about the value of freedom after placing a wreath on a grave during Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery. This was the 18th year that the Maine-based Worcester Wreath Company has donated wreaths to honor our country’s fallen servicemembers.

“Many families who bury their loved ones at Arlington National Cemetery do not live nearby, and so it means a great deal to them to know that America cares and is honoring the resting place of their loved ones," she added.

Though Hanson asks for a moment of silence for those who died in recent conflicts and are buried in Section 60, wreaths are not typically placed on those graves. This year, however, the USO asked to sponsor 1,000 wreaths specifically for that section, which is set aside for U.S. military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nearly 300 volunteers, including 125 military family members, helped place the wreaths in less than an hour.

The organization’s president noted that the gesture is meant to highlight the sacrifices made by all servicemembers, however.

"This effort is not about just Arlington National Cemetery," said Sloan Gibson, president of the USO. "The USO hopes to encourage Americans to recognize the service and sacrifice of veterans who are interred at veterans cemeteries across the country."

While the day concluded with 16,000 wreaths placed in under two hours, it actually began yesterday at the Pentagon, when Wreaths Across America expanded its mission again.

“We’re doing something, which is in addition to what we’ve done in the past,” Worcester said in an earlier interview. “We’re placing a wreath for every victim of 9/11 for the first time.

“There’s going to be a big decorated area at Battery Park in Lower Manhattan, and there’s going to be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Pentagon and another one at the field in Pennsylvania,” he added.

This is just a sample of some of the comments we regularly receive at TWS on how we help reconnect Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Guardians.

I am glad to have found this tool. I just started an hour ago and have already found 15 Marines that I had lost touch with.
- Sgt. Jon Simmons, USMC

It is taking some time to enter both my information and that of my father, but I hope to complete our profiles soon. And I appreciate your efforts (as well as the efforts of the other[s] involved) in creating and managing this website. I had only been signed up for one day before I received and email from someone I served with 27 years ago. Thank you.
- LtCol. Timothy Hardy, USAF (ret.)

HEY, really great layout...very eye-appealing...and I do know what I'm yakkin' on there 'cause in a 30-some-odd-years career as civilian and military "journalist" was frequently doing the "makeup" for civilian and military newspapers and a lot of balance and eye appeal involved. Appreciate more than I can say the "adventures" and acquaintances that glow among your "pages". TNX with great respect for the professionalism you folks manifest.
- MSgt. Howard A. Ellis, USAF (ret.)

Just want to inform you guys I am currently deployed to Al Asad, Iraq on an IA (individual augmentee) billet where I have been since April 11 of this year. Please keep up the good work you guys have been doing for the past year and I do look forward to this site to keep in contact with past and present friends I have made in service to this great country. Thank you so very much.
- CPO(AW/SW) Steve Hodge, USN

I want to personally thank you for this site and anyone else that assisted you in setting this up. The layout is awesome and the parameters with the drop down menus which include every unit, mission, location and time that has possibly existed throughout the Marine Corps, is remarkable. I have tried to locate past brothers and sisters over the past 20 years, with no avail. However, with this site it has been great in finding them. Thank you again for all the hard work.
- Cpl. Valerie D. Cubel, USMC

This site is jam packed! I see this will be a great place to work with to fill and share memories. I shall indeed work on this, make some time for this,very soon! THANK YOU, for your time and brains to set this up. I am sure the servicemen who are and will be using this will be grateful the rest of their lives. I appreciate you, and your staff (?), very much. May you, too, have blue skies and safe flying.
- LtCol. Joe Brezovic, USAF (ret.)

Mike Fishbaugh has helped me, and received some information on my dad!  Yeah! I am going to update his profile with what I have, but will share a bit with you here. He was with the 7th Engineer Battalion, Company D.  He was in Da Nang (on) December 12, 1968. And he received a Navy Achievment Medal with valor. And to think he never shared any of this...hmmm...
You all are the best, and I am so glad to be a member here.
- Jacqueline Gilbert, Marine Family

The Boss is Calling! PO3 Luis Tun-Ake receives a surprise telephone call from President Barack Obama at Forward Operating Base Sharana, Afghanistan. Tun-Ake is from Denver, CO and is serving with a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Paktika Province. - USAF photo by SSgt. Dallas Edwards

TWS is proud to announce the addition of AFLAC benefit eligibility for TWS Members at a discounted rate not available to the general public. This is the same coverage available from employers nationwide, offered to you by virtue of your TWS Membership!

Do you have a Plan B? No one likes to think about getting seriously ill or injured. That’s why it’s so crucial to have a Plan B. Your Plan B has a name:  AFLAC.

Click the banner above to find out how AFLAC can protect you and your family.

Among others...

If you or someone you know provide a product or service that you are willing to offer for Free or at a deep discount to the Sailors of TWS please let me know so that I can add you link on the TWS Home page and possibly feature it in a future Newsletter.  Please email the link to me at admin@togetherweserved.com

Construction starts on first Joint High Speed Vessel

Story by Team Ships Public Affairs

WASHINGTON -- Workers at the Austal USA shipyard started fabrication of the first Joint High Speed Vessel this month in Mobile, AL.

Artist's concept of the new Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV). - Image courtesy Austal USA

"This is an important milestone for our program which brings us one step closer to delivering this critical asset to both the Army and the Navy," said CAPT George Sutton, the Strategic and Theater Sealift Office program manager for the Navy's Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. "Considerable investments in the Austal shipyard, coupled with the implementation of proven commercial technology, gives me high levels of confidence in the shipyard's ability to execute the program."

To pave the way for the start of fabrication, the JHSV program completed an extensive Production Readiness Review on Oct. 20. The ship's design maturity and readiness, the availability of materials and components, and the shipbuilder's ability to successfully start fabrication were all closely evaluated. Following the review, the Navy granted authorization for the company to begin construction.

Austal's recently constructed Modular Manufacturing Facility will eventually provide a five-fold increase in the company's existing construction capacity. This facility will have the ability to build both the Littoral Combat Ship and JHSV.

The JHSV program is procuring high-speed transport vessels for the Army and the Navy. These vessels will be used for fast intra-theater transportation of troops, military vehicles and equipment. The ship's large volume, high transport speed and inherent flexibility makes it a key asset for humanitarian and disaster relief, allied partnership and other outreach efforts.

The JHSV program merges the previous Army Theater Support Vessel and the Navy High Speed Connector, taking advantage of the inherent commonality between the two programs. To leverage the Navy's extensive experience in surface ship acquisition, PEO Ships has taken the lead on acquisition of both the Army and Navy high speed transport vessels.

The first JHSV, an Army vessel, is expected to be delivered in fiscal year 2012.

REMEMBERING PEARL HARBOR DECEMBER 7, 1941 The forward magazine of USS Shaw (DD-373) explodes during the second Japanese attack wave. To the left of the explosion, Shaw's stern is visible, at the end of floating drydock YFD-2. At right is the bow of USS Nevada (BB-36), with a tug alongside fighting fires. - US Navy photo, courtesy National Archives

'A BLAST OF BAD NEWS'
Pearl Harbor veteran recalls 'Day of Infamy'

Story & photo by Emily Brainard
Special to TWS Newsletters

FORT RUCKER, AL -- Curt Head remembers Dec. 7, 1941 vividly. The then-20-year-old Navy petty officer second class and his shipmates had just finished breakfast around 8 a.m. and were considering attending a local football game when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

The young boatswain's mate, aboard the cruiser USS San Francisco (CA-38), said he and his crew joined Sailors from a neighboring battle cruiser, USS New Orleans (CA-32), in firing at Japanese planes.

Head recalls slicing his deck knife through canvas canopies to free stored guns to use against the incoming enemy aircraft. He assisted in clearing the gangway of a broken-down milk truck blocking passage.

Though listening to the first bomb drop "was a blast of bad news," Head said living through the war taught him "to see the good in life" since.

Curt and Louetta Head look over memorabilia of Curt's Navy service at their home near Fort Rucker, AL. Curt served as a boatswain's mate aboard the cruiser USS San Francisco (CA-38) on the morning of the December 7, 1941 attack on Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Head believes honoring Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on December 7 is important because of the sacrifices military members made during the "day that shall live in infamy." Many World War II veterans are no longer living, leaving the few remaining men and women, like him, to carry on their legacies.

Head continued his service to the nation in the 1942 Guadalcanal campaign. He sustained severe injuries during a battle that November and was later awarded the Purple Heart.

After his military stint, he made contributions to local Army efforts aiding Fort Rucker, AL, Soldiers. His Ozark home is surrounded by many open acres, and in the 1960s, he allowed Army student-pilots to land in his fields for training.

Head said he was paid $21 a year for his hospitality, but he didn't do it for the money. After noise complaints from neighbors; however, Head shut down his makeshift landing pads several years later.

Now 88, Head spends his days with his wife of 66 years, Louetta, and their daughters, Barbara Nafzigger and Carolyn Buchanan, visiting from Oregon and Mississippi, respectively.

Louetta said his Pearl Harbor experiences helped shape her husband into the man he is today - an extremely proud American.

Her father is a stellar example not only to his family, but to all military members past and present, Nafzigger said.

"He's the perfect example of patriotism and support for his country," she said. Buchanan believes her father's combat adventures formed his character, morals and role as "a perfect father."

Even though rotary aircraft no longer land or take off in his backyard, Head supports today's troops. His advice to Soldiers (and Sailors) is to "carry on" and perform their jobs to the best of their abilities. It's the same effort he put in many decades ago during the Pearl Harbor bombing.

Santa's Flight Deck Helper LT Jon Sunderland directs aircraft operations dressed in a Santa suit aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) on Christmas Day somewhere in the North Arabian Sea. - Photo by MC1 David Mercil

 

REPORT CARD RELEASED
Transparent look at quality & safety gives VA high marks

WASHINGTON -- For the second consecutive year, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has released a “hospital report card” as part of VA’s effort to provide the public with a transparent accounting of the quality and safety of its care.

“This report demonstrates VA’s determination to be open and accountable,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “As a health care organization, transparency of information is essential to providing quality care for our Veterans.”

In addition, for the first time, data from both the 2008 and 2009 reports will be available to the public in machine-readable format on Data.gov.  To empower Veterans and the public at large to track quality, safety and access to Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities, VA’s hospital report cards include raw data on care provided in outpatient and hospital settings, quality of care within given patient populations, and patient satisfaction and outcomes.

VA issued its first facility-level report on quality and safety in May 2008.  As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to open government and accountability, VA highlights its rigorous quality programs and actions taken to address the issues VA identified from the last report.

The report gives the health care system high marks, with VA facilities often outscoring private-sector health plans in standards commonly accepted by the health care industry.

“Patient-centric care is our mission,” said Shinseki. “As Secretary, I am committed to continuing to meet and surpass our high standards of care each and every day.”

In addition to allowing VA to demonstrate the quality and safety of its care, the report card provides opportunities to enhance health services.

Some of the marked improvements that VA showed in 2009 include:

• Smoking cessation counseling provided to 89 percent of Veteran patients, a 6 percent improvement from 2008; and

• Among all ages at risk, 94 percent of Veterans received a pneumonia immunization, a 4 percent improvement.

The report notes there is more to be done for women Veterans.  To address this priority and provide women Veterans with the highest quality care VA has implemented several initiatives, such as placement of women advocates in every outpatient clinic and medical center, and creating a “mini-residency” program on women’s health for primary care physicians. 

The report also found minority Veterans are generally less satisfied with inpatient and outpatient care than other Veterans.  In addition to targeting outreach efforts to these Veterans, a minority Veteran program coordinator has been placed in every medical center. 

“VA’s hospital report card will become a valuable resource of information for Veterans, stakeholders and the department.” said Shinseki.  “It will allow VA’s health care system to be forward looking and focused on advancement.”

VA’s 2008 and 2009 hospital report cards can be found at http://www.va.gov/health/HospitalReportCard.asp.

A huge success!
TWS Persons Locator Service

We recently announced the new TWS Persons Locator Service and we're happy to report that it's been a resounding success in a very short time! 

There have already been dozens of "buddy finds" over the last few weeks, from all services, so we thought it useful to repeat the announcement this month to ensure maximum exposure.

This service is free for all Full TWS Members.  Regardless if the person you're looking for is registered on TWS or not, odds are we can help you find them!  Our TWS PLS Team is headed by our staff veterans, Air Force SMSgt. Jim Franklin and Marine Cpl. George Reilly. 

TWS' PLS uses only publicly-available information sources to conduct searches. 

A special PLS form will be installed on the left-hand side of the Home Page shortly, but you can submit your request to personlocator@togetherweserved.com - please limit your request to only one submission at a time.

We ask that you supply the following information on the person you are seeking as accurately as you can. Your submission will be acknowledged, along with an approximate turnround time for our response. Your search will be conducted as thoroughly as possible, and chances of a successful find depends on accuracy of information supplied.

PLEASE SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING DETAILS TO START YOUR SEARCH:
1. First name
2. Middle name (if known)
3. Last name
4. Date of birth (if known)
5. City/state the person was born/raised in
6. Single or married
7. Name of spouse (if known)
8. Year of last contact
9. Last known mailing address
10. Service branch
11. Last known rank/paygrade
12. MOS/AFSC/NEC/NOC
13. Home of record (If known)

Please let us know how you like this service!

END OF THE COMBAT STORES SHIP ERA
Navy says goodbye to USNS San Jose 

From Military Sealift Command Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR -- Military Sealift Command combat stores ship USNS San Jose (T-AFS 7) marked the close of 39 years of service to the Navy fleet in a shipboard ceremony Dec. 18 in Pearl Harbor.

The event paid tribute to the ship and the hundreds of Sailors and Civil Service Mariners who

USNS San Jose (T-AFS 7) prepares to come alongside the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74)  for a replenishment-at-sea earlier this year.

have served as its crew over the past three decades, ensuring that San Jose played its part in keeping the Navy's fleet at-sea, on-station and combat-ready by delivering vital supplies to deployed warships worldwide.

San Jose will be deactivated from the Navy in January 2010 and is the last of eight combat stores ships to deactivate from MSC's Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force. These ships delivered food, spare parts, mail, fuel and other supplies to Navy ships at sea. San Jose and five other combat stores ships were originally crewed by Sailors until they were transferred to MSC in the 1990s and shifted to Civil Service Mariner crewing. The others came directly to MSC from the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary in the early 1980s.

San Jose transferred to MSC in October 1993. During its service, San Jose conducted countless underway replenishments with Navy combatant ships operating in support of missions, most recently in providing logistics support to Navy ships in the Arabian Gulf supporting both Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

San Jose has also supported US disaster response and humanitarian assistance missions. In 2005, San Jose provided logistics support to the hospital ship USNS Mercy as it played a key role in international efforts to provide assistance to victims of the December 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia.

"All of the crews who have served on board USNS San Jose have set and maintained the highest standard of excellence in underway logistics to our Navy," said CAPT Jerome Hamel, the commodore in charge of MSC's combat logistics force ships operating in the Eastern Pacific.

The combat stores ships are being replaced by the newly built Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo/ammunition ships. To date, eight of an expected class of 14 dry cargo/ammunition ships have been delivered to the Navy.

"Being here to recognize these ships and the professional merchant mariners who sail them is appropriate," said Hamel. "These mariners will now move into the future with the Lewis and Clark-class ships that will continue to support the fleet and take on new missions and roles as fresh challenges arrive."

The nearly 600 foot-long San Jose completed its final mission Dec. 3, when it returned to port in Pearl Harbor with a crew of 120 civil service mariners and a 40-member military detachment. The Dec. 18 ceremony marked the end of the ship's operations. A majority of the crew will disembark the ship following the ceremony and the official deactivation will take place in mid- to late January 2010.

VACCINE STILL SAFE, SAY OFFICIALS

Potency issue forces pediatric H1N1 vaccine recall

Story by Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON -- Some supplies of a pediatric version of the H1N1 vaccine have been voluntarily recalled because they are slightly less potent than the manufacturer indicated, officials said today.

Some pre-filled syringes [of the vaccine] for infants from 6 months to 35 months of age were recalled because the antigen content was slightly lower upon distribution than when it was created, said Army Lt. Col. Patrick Garman, director of the military vaccine agency.

"So it's slightly less than what the manufacturer is saying," Garman added. "It's a non-safety issue. It's a potency issue, or a strength issue."

Antigen is the active ingredient in the vaccine that stimulates an immune response and results in protection against influenza.

The drop in effectiveness is so small that the effected vaccines that have been distributed will still provide an adequate immune response, Garman said.

While revaccination isn't necessary, it's important to understand that anyone under the age of 10 requires two doses of the vaccine to be fully immunized, he added.

"These individuals that were given the pre-filled syringe ... they don't need a third vaccination," Garman said. "That first one counts and after a month goes by they should still come back in and get their second dose."

About 800,000 doses distributed throughout the United States were recalled. Some of those doses were distributed to military treatment facilities and given to military children.

They are as protected against H1N1 as any other child who has received only one of the two doses required, Garman said.

There are other multi-dose products available for the younger population, he added. One, another injectable, is good for those aged 6 months to adult. The younger patients still would receive the vaccine in two 0.25 milliliter doses, but adults would receive only one 0.5 milliliter dose.

"Another product is the intranasal product, which some parents really like," Garman said. "You ... spray it up your 2-year-old's nose and they're protected."

It's approved for those from 2 to 49 years.

"What we were able to check rather quickly on the [recalled supply] was the stuff that was going to the uniform personnel, because that comes directly to us," said Bryan G. Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Public Affairs.

Military facilities receive their vaccinations from the state in which they are located. They are inspecting their supply to determine whether they received any of the recalled vaccine, Whitman added.

Sanofi Pasteur Inc. is the manufacturer of the recalled supplies and initiated the testing and voluntary recall of the prefilled syringes.

BRINGING A BIT OF LIGHT & HAPPINESS
Website Moms send Holiday gifts to Nimitz strike group Sailors

Story by MC2(SW) Joseph H. Moon
USS Nimitz Public Affairs

ABOARD USS NIMITZ, At Sea -- Sailors deployed on board the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) received 6,000 boxes filled with holiday gifts from mothers of service members on Christmas Day.

Deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, members of Nimitz' chief's mess organized the distribution of the gift boxes donated from members of Navyformoms.com to the entire Nimitz Strike Group.

"They are sending them as a morale boost to support us," said Chief Ship's Serviceman (SW/AW) Lori Mitchell, leading chief petty officer of S-3. "They want to give each Sailor a couple of gifts, a game, or something to boost their spirit during the holiday season."

USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Sailors sort through some 34,400 pounds of mail delivered to the strike group on Christmas Eve. - Photo by MC1 David Mercil

Gift boxes arrived filled with candy, snacks, a tooth brush and toothpaste and a card telling each Sailor how much their devotion to duty is appreciated during the holiday season.

"I know a lot of people, including myself, that are spending their first Christmas away from home, and it's nice to know that people care," said Quartermaster 2nd Class (SW) Brittany Addair, Navigation training petty officer.

Navyformoms.com was created for the mothers and loved ones of those who are currently serving in the US Navy. It is a forum where they can discuss issues and concerns.

"As the wife of a prior service member who had to spend Christmas without his family, I know how lonely it is and how some must be feeling like they've been forgotten," said Navyformoms.com member Cat Williams.

"I feel like I'm bringing a bit of light and happiness to someone who not only needs it, but deserves it," she said.

Navyformoms.com was launched in March 2008 and is managed and sponsored by Navy Recruiting Command.

"I am very lucky to have my daughter home for Christmas, but I know that there will likely come a time when she can't come home because of her duties to her ship," said Williams. "When that happens, I can only hope that others will be as kind to her and her shipmates, to let them know they aren't forgotten."

Blue & Gold victory over Army! Midshipmen from the US Naval Academy celebrate the Navy's 17-3 victory over the US Military Academy during the 110th Army-Navy college football game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Navy now leads the all-time series with a record of 54 wins, 49 losses, and seven ties in the annual clash with the Army Black Knights. - Photo by MC1 Brien Aho

A SANCTUARY OF SOLACE
USO offers respite from traveling frenzy

Story & photo by Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

BALTIMORE -- As the rest of Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport bustled with holiday travelers Dec. 23, its USO Lounge offered military travelers -- many returning home from overseas deployments -- a welcome sanctuary of solace.

The lounge is conveniently positioned near the international departure gates on the airport's lower level. Yet, to the dozens of servicemembers who took refuge here, it felt a world away from the frenzied holiday travelers, beeping airport carts and blaring overhead speaker announcements.

Marine Gunnery Sgts. Nao Lewis and Rachel Gause, both transiting home from Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, were relieved to arrive at the festively decorated lounge shortly after their Air Mobility Command charter flight landed at 1 a.m.

Baltimore-Washington International's USO Lounge offers military travelers a respite from crowded airport terminals, particularly during the holiday season.

They'd already been traveling for days. Their flight from Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, was delayed after a record-breaking snowfall brought East Coast airports to a standstill. Now, all that stood between them and their families at Camp Lejeune, NC, was a 15-hour layover before a short connecting flight.

Gunny Lewis couldn't think of any place better to wile away than hours than at the USO.

"This is a nice, quite place, where they let you take a load off your feet," he said, looking up from his laptop computer as he took advantage of the USO's free Wi-Fi service. "It's quiet here. It's a place you can feel comfortable and know your stuff is safe."

Three paid staffers, reinforced by an army of 230 volunteers, keep the lounge bustling from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and through the night whenever an AMC flight arrives in the late or early-morning hours.

When a severe snowstorm hit during the past weekend, the lounge went into 24/7 operations, using every bit of floor space to accommodate stranded military travelers. The airport management offered up additional space, and volunteers poured into the facility to pitch in any way they could.

Airman Ronald Carr, who just finished Air Force basic military training, grew up in a military family that taught him to appreciate the USO.

"It's good to know that this is basically an all-volunteer operation, with a volunteer staff and donations that keep it running," he said. "It makes me feel good about my service, knowing that people care about what I do."

Army PFC Taylor Walther, a California National Guardsman returning home for a holiday break from training at Fort Eustis, VA, said he's already had the chance to check out several USO facilities, and never walks away disappointed.

"They're all good. When you go there, they're all friendly, they all tell you to help yourself and make yourself at home," he said.

"Home" is exactly how Mississippi Army National Guardsman Jamie Peters, returning home via BWI airport from a deployment in Afghanistan, said he feels when he steps foot into a USO facility.

"They treat you just like family when you come in," he said. "They give you a place to watch TV, use the wireless or just relax. They're really a blessing to us."

"When you go into a USO, you get a welcoming sense," said Army SPC Gerald Reed, a reservist from Upper Marlboro, MD, traveling with his 2-year-old daughter, Chris, to spend the holidays in Raleigh-Durham, NC.

"It's a friendly environment, staffed by overall, good people."

Among them is Geraldine Verrier, who started volunteering at the Baltimore USO when her Army Reserve husband deployed to Yemen shortly after 9/11. Eight years later, she still spends one morning each week at the lounge, greeting military travelers and showing them amenities that include a baggage storage room, reclining lounge chairs, an Xbox video game system and a children's room.

"We're here to provide them some peace and tranquility, and to make sure they know someone cares about them and wants to help make them comfortable," Verrier said. "It can be a small thing - even just making a cup of coffee for them. But you never really know how much that cup of coffee might mean to them."

Twyla Hirrilinger has spent a lifetime of volunteer service, but said she'd be pressed to find a more fulfilling way to give of her time, or to a more appreciative group to serve.

"When (the troops) come in here, they thank me just for being there. It gives you chills," she said. "I just love doing this. Being here makes me feel happy."

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