B*N*S*N1

One of the first-ever female Iraqi Police officers to attend and complete training at the Baghdad Police College proudly poses for a photo following the BPC’s latest graduation ceremony, Nov. 9. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Edwin L. Wriston, Joint Combat Camera Center - Iraq.

First females graduate Police College

Thursday, 19 November 2009

BAGHDAD – Fifty female Iraqi Police (IP) officers became the first women to graduate from the Baghdad Police College here, Nov. 9.

The new female officers and more than 1,000 male students culminated their training with a ceremony marking their successful completion of the rigorous nine-month training program.

Dozens of senior Iraqi political leaders, U.S. advisors, ambassadors, and special guests looked on as the massive class marched by in elaborate synchronization. Among the attendees were the Minister of Interior, Jawad Bolani; U.S. Amb. Patricia Haslach; Danish Amb. Mikael Winther; and, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq commanding general.

This class represents the first time that females have been able to attend and graduate from the nine-month police curriculum at the BPC. As college graduates, the women learned the basic skills needed to become police officers and were held to the same standards as their male counterparts. Twenty-seven have been to law school and many are mothers who must balance responsibilities at home with their new police duties.

Danish police Maj. Nana Shriver, an advisor to the High Institute at BPC, played an instrumental role assisting the women throughout the tough course. Shriver said that these women will add tremendous value and new perspective to the Iraqi Security Forces...

Read more here.

And I just had to share this one(call it B*N*S*N exxxxxxtra!):

American forces assist Iraqi businesswomen

Thursday, 19 November 2009 By Lt. j.g. Christopher Deluzio
Task Force Pathfinder

COB ADDER — Women here have struggled for centuries to carve out a life of their own. Even with the advent of democracy, that struggle continues, and only attention and assistance can improve the situation.

With that in mind, U.S. Soldiers recently visited a rug factory managed and staffed entirely by women in Gharraf, a town north of Nasiriah in Dhi Qar province. The factory employs more than 100 women, all experts in the art of weaving fine rugs.

The women proudly displayed their hand-woven rugs, some of which take more than three months of daily weaving to complete.

In addition to offering the rugs in local markets, the women will sell their rugs to Coalition forces at nearby Contingency Operating Base Adder.

Spc. Reya Russell, a civil affairs Soldier with Task Force Pathfinder, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, from Buffalo, N.Y., described the interaction with the women as, "an eye-opening experience."

"I experienced first-hand how these women are striving to be more self-sufficient in their society despite so much hardship," she said.

Many of her comrades on the visit shared her sentiments and were impressed by the women.

"The women took such great pride in their work," said Petty Officer 1st Class Paul Alde, of Jacksonville, N.C.

The factory has been in business since 1994, but only recently re-started operations. Though initially disrupted by the war, the improving security situation and renewed interest in their rugs has prompted the ladies to return to their work.

As the Army's first unit to perform the Advisory and Assistance mission in Iraq, an important part of 4-1's job is providing military support to building civil capacity in three southern provinces.

Women's initiatives – a vital part of that civil capacity – are an essential ingredient for promoting stability in Iraq.

Key to this mission is the cooperation between the provincial government, the Department of State-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams and the Soldiers on the ground with Task Force Pathfinder.

Built around the core of 2nd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, Pathfinder incorporates civilian experts, professional engineers and civil affairs units as it works hand-in-hand with the PRTs to develop projects and training programs that help the Iraqis address a wide range of concerns. (here)

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B*N*S*N2

Navy officer helps track down Taliban bomb-makers

A Military Operations news article

20 Nov 09

Part of the new Counter-IED Task Force in Helmand, Royal Navy Petty Officer Jane Watkins is using a biometric database system to help track down those who make and deploy the Taliban's deadly weapons.

Members of 63 Squadron RAF Regiment search the sand carefully for improvised explosive devices ahead of a patrol around Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan
[Picture: SAC Neil Chapman, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

After 20 years military service, Petty Officer Jane Watkins never imagined she would be playing a key part in fighting the threat posed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to British soldiers in Helmand province.

She is working as part of the newly set up Counter-IED Task Force and her specific role involves managing the Biometric Database Capture System (BDCS); a means of collating personal information on the Afghan population to aid security checks on civilians and help track down those who manufacture and deploy the Taliban's deadly homemade bombs. She said:

"I was given the chance to come to Afghanistan and leapt at it. It's important to do a job where you feel you are making a difference. It's early days but I can see great potential in the database for tracking down insurgents."..

Read more of this B*N*S*N story here.

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B*N*S*N3

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Denise Jelinski-Hall, the new senior enlisted leader assigned to the Office of the Chief, National Guard Bureau, is seen at the 2009 Joint Senior Leadership Conference at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., on Nov. 19, 2009, moments after Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley announced her appointment. The third senior enlisted leader to the CNGB, Jelinski-Hall is the first Air Guard member and the first woman to fill the role. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)

McKinley selects new NGB senior enlisted leader

By Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke
National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va. (11/19/09) – Gen. Craig R. McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, announced today the selection of a new senior enlisted leader for the National Guard Bureau.

Chief Master Sgt. Denise Jelinski-Hall of the Hawaii Air National Guard will be the third senior enlisted leader assigned to the Office of the Chief, National Guard Bureau. She will be responsible for advising McKinley on enlisted affairs of the 457,000 Soldiers and Airmen of the Army and Air National Guard.

“This was a very tough decision, because of all the very well-qualified candidates who applied for this position,” McKinley said. “Chief Jelinski-Hall will be a welcome addition to my staff.”..

Reads more here.

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B*N*S*N4

11/12/2009 - A U.S. Soldier speaks to residents during a walk-and-talk through a market in Nassir Wa Salaam, Iraq, Nov. 12, 2009. During the walk through, the Soldiers, who are assigned to 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment (Manchus), 4th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, spoke to merchants about market access problems and distributed micro-grant packets for economic development aid. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Edwin L. Wriston, U.S. Navy/Released)



11/17/2009 - The Seawolf-class attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) transits the Pacific Ocean Nov. 17, 2009, as an HH-60H Seahawk helicopter from the “Chargers” of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 14 flies alongside and the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), right, and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga (DDH 181) follow. The U.S. Navy and Japanese vessels are participating in Annual Exercise 2009, a bilateral exercise designed to enhance the capabilities of both naval forces. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John M. Hageman, U.S. Navy/Released)

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Wednesday Hero

Staff Sgt. Dennisur Thompson


Staff Sgt. Dennisur Thompson, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, overcompensates a left turn while on a driving simulator as a part of the Save a Life Tour in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

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Stars and Stripes : Stripes Holiday messages

A great idea:

Stars and Stripes Holiday Day Messages are now open for submissions!


Visit the Stripes Holiday Messages website to submit a Holiday Message to a loved one. Messages submitted before Nov 27th will appear in the newspaper according to our publishing schedule.

It is REALLY easy, so be sure and check it out!

H/T Carla.

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Every Day Hero

Meet Major Robert Nesbit, Jr:

In the military you adapt to the mission and the hours. For Army MAJ Robert Nesbit Jr., that meant performing about 99% of his missions at night. He was deployed to Iraq from June 2006 to September 2007, as a troop commander.

"Over the course of the tour there were more than a few tough nights,” said Nesbit. "But there was one single night that stands out.” That incident led to him being awarded both an Army Commendation Medal with Valor device and a Purple Heart. It also was part of the reason he received the Bronze Star.

In October 2006, Nesbit was stationed in Baghdad with the 1-14th Cavalry. His squadron was in a neighborhood known as Abu-Dichir, and his mission was to "create a ‘safe neighborhood’ in the squadron’s battle space.”

"At the time there was a lot of violence directed by the insurgents against the local population and we were trying to protect them,” explained Nesbit.

One of the things Nesbit and his team of about 80 soldiers did was place concrete barricades across streets to prevent vehicle access.

"Emplacing concrete barriers always attracted a lot of attention which was part of why we normally operated at night,” he continued.

"On Oct. 22, 2006, we [the Troop Team Task Force] were en-route to start our mission for the night when the Stryker I was on was blown up in an ambush. There were four of us on board who were wounded, said Nesbit.

"Long story short, I got the other three soldiers medivaced off of the battlefield. Even though I was hurt, I chose to stay in the fight. Not for any sense of heroics, but rather, I felt as the commander as long as I physically could still move the soldiers deserved for me to stay and command,” Nesbit continued.

"A lot went into it, and it was a long night, but we got the ambush defeated,” he said.

All of the unit’s equipment was recovered, and they were able to return to their Forward Operating Base.

"The next night I was back out leading the mission. I was awarded the Purple Heart for being wounded that night, and I was awarded the ARCOM w/V for continuing to fight while wounded,” he stated. "There were other nights and other fights, but that one certainly stands out for me personally,” Nesbit concluded.

He received the Bronze Star for his service, work ethic and leadership as the troop commander during this deployment. (here)

Thank you for your service, Major.

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B*N*S*N1

Found the following on the NG site. Putting any politics aside, this woman's story is interesting:

VA official celebrates ‘Alive Day’ with crew

By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, (11/11/09) - As the nation honors its past and present servicemembers on this Veterans Day, many who have worn the uniform of their country will reflect on their service’s creed and what it means to them.

One wounded warrior drew strength from the Soldier’s Creed during some of the darkest days in her recovery.

Maj. L. Tammy Duckworth, an Army National Guard helicopter pilot and the Veterans Affairs Department’s assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs, taped copies of the Soldier’s Creed outside her door and across from her bed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here as she struggled to recover from injuries she suffered in Iraq in 2004.

These are the words she said helped her survive:

“I am an American Soldier. I am a Warrior and member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army values. I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade. I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself. I am an expert and I am a professional. I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat. I am guardian of freedom and the American way of life. I am an American soldier.”

“For me, the Soldier’s Creed was critical to my survival after I was injured,” Duckworth said. “When I woke up and I was going through everything I was going through in an intensive care unit and when I finally went to my room, they just had my name on the outside of my door. And, I wanted people to know that a soldier was in this room.

“I put that creed outside of my door because that is what I lived by,” she continued. “I put it on my room on the wall opposite of my bed so that I could read it every day, and on the days when I didn’t think I could make it.”

This year, the day after Veterans Day, Duckworth and the Black Hawk crew that was with her the day their helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade will get together to reminisce and celebrate their “alive day” -- a day known to wounded warriors as the day they were wounded and lived.

“We get together once a year on ‘alive day’ to celebrate survival, to celebrate a new birthday,” she said. “That day will be stuck in our minds for the rest of our lives. It can be a really sad day or it can be a really happy day, and we chose to make it a happy day.”...

There is more on this column here.

Then, I found this:

L. Tammy Duckworth

M. Spencer Green/Associated Press

L. Tammy Duckworth is the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs. She was mentioned as a posssible secretary of veterans affairs in the Obama administration, as well as a contender for United States senator from Illinois, but she was not chosen for either position.

She is a disabled veteran of the Iraq war, where she lost her legs when the helicopter she was flying was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade on Nov. 12, 2004. She became an advocate for veterans while still a patient at Walter Reed Medical Center, and she began speaking out — before Congress and later in an unsuccessful bid for Henry J. Hyde’s former seat in the House — about unmet needs regarding health care, employment and housing.

Still a major in the Illinois National Guard, she has credibility with other service members (especially other Iraq veterans), whom she often refers to as “my buddies.” The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs claims more than $70 million in new initiatives during her nearly two years in the post as of late 2008...(more here)

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B*N*S*N2

Isn't that a wonderful smile?

The cutline says:

Window Seat

A young girl stares out the window of the Hojarat School for Boys and Girls watching the school's grand opening celebration in Basrah, Nov. 5. Photo by Spc. Samantha Ciaramitaro, Joint Combat Camera Center-Iraq. (here)

I *could* go all political, but no. I'll just say that pictures like this ARE the epitome of B*N*S*N.

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B*N*S*N3

Staff Col. Abbas, 3rd Brigade, 29th Iraqi Army Division, meets one of the young Iraqi children who benefited from the wheelchairs the 29th IA brought to Rutbah, Oct. 25. Photo courtesy of the 82nd Airborne Division.


Iraqi Army delivers wheelchairs, supplies

12th November, 2009
82nd Airborne Division release
CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE — American troops aren’t the only ones conducting goodwill missions here, as Iraqi troops are out in force to win the hearts and minds of the people.

Earlier this month, Soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 29th Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division, entered the town of Rutbah to distribute school supplies and other needed items.

The goodwill mission was planned and executed without any U.S. or Coalition involvement.

Staff Col. Abbas met with the educational director and visited every school in Rutbah. During the visits, he distributed notebooks, crayons and pencils to help the schools meet their supply shortfalls.

Abbas visited more than seven schools, interacting with local officials and residents as the Soldiers of 3-29 provided security.

In addition to school supplies, the Soldiers brought wheelchairs to help the physically disabled.

U.S. forces were conspicuously absent from the event, a sign of the successful training partnerships with American troops designed to foster self sufficiency in Iraq's Security Forces, said 1st Lt. Troy Yard, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division (Advise and Assist Brigade).

"From start to finish the Iraqi Army was in the lead both tactically and logistically," he said.

(source)

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