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  Apr il 2009 • www.arm y.mi l The Ofcial U.S. Army Magazine Life as an Army 'brat' The military through children's eyes Army values a way of life Soldier's family survives Hurricane Katrina Believe in tomorrow Help for families of critically ill children 'Deal or No Deal' Soldier competes in popular game show April: Month of the Military Child * Kids' Puzzle—Page 27 * 2009 Earth Day Poster enclosed

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   April 2009 • www.army.mil

The Ofcial U.S. Army Magazine

Life as an Army 'brat'The military through children's eyes

Army values a way of lifeSoldier's family survives Hurricane Katrina

Believe in tomorrowHelp for families of critically ill children

'Deal or No Deal'Soldier competes in popular game show

April: Month of the Military Child

* Kids' Puzzle—Page 27

* 2009 Earth Day Poster enclosed

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[ On the Cover ]

oddlers rom the Fort Bliss MainChild Development Center paradedown Haan Road in a decorated wagon during the Red, White andBlue parade to honor the Army's233rd birthday last year.

[ Coming Next Month ] May 2009 - Honoring the Fallen

  APRIL 2009 • VOLUME 64, NO. 4Soldiers

Children from various child development centers enjoy a day of water games at Kelly Park, Fort Bliss, Texas.

  L  a  c  e  y

  J  u  s  t  i  n  g  e  r

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Defense Media Activity-Crystal City | Soldiers Magazine | 2511 Jefferson Davis Hwy , Box 31 | Arlington, VA 22202-3900 | (703) 602-0870 | DSN 332-0870 | Fax (703) 602-8314 | http://www.army.mil/publications/soldiersmagazine

Departments

   F   e   a   t

   u   r   e

   S   t   o   r   i   e   s

 

My Army Benefts

Operation ribute to Freedom

FOCUS

03

15

32

Children talk about what it's like growingup with parents in the Army.

04Life as an Army 'brat'

Simulator helps teens in Europe learn todrive.

08Teen driving 

Critically ill military kids and their ami-lies relax and have a good time.

11  A reason to believe

 An Army mother and her son surviveHurricane Katrina.

20  Army values

Contents

 After being called to attention, a"squad" from 555th Engr. Bde.'sdeployment camp sounds off withits company motto. Photo by Spc.Lindsey M. Bradford

Te U.S. Army Space and Missile DeenseCommand protects the homeland.

24Defending America from space

 A Soldier competes in a popular V gameshow.

28'Deal or No Deal'

(Above photo) Military kids play a boardgame in Ocean City, Md., during aBelieve in Tomorrow retreat weekend.The weekend was organized so militaryfamilies with sick children could relaxand bond with each other. Photo cour-tesy of Believe in Tomorrow.

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2 www.army.mil/publications 

The OfcialU.S. Army Magazine

Soldiers (ISSN 0093-8440) is published monthly by the Army Chie o Public Aairs

to provide inormation on people, policies, operations, technical developments,

trends and ideas o and about the Department o the Army. The views and opinions

expressed are not necessarily those o the Department o the Army.

Send submissions and correspondence to Editor, Soldiers magazine, Soldiers

Media Center, Box 31, 2511 Jeerson Davis Hwy., Arlington, VA 22202-3900.

Phone: (703) 602-0870, or send e-mail to [email protected].

Unless otherwise indicated (and except or “by permission” and copyright items),

material may be reprinted provided credit is given to Soldiers and the author.

 All uncredited photographs by U.S. Army.

The Secretary o the Army has determined that the publication o this periodical

is necessary in the transaction o the public business as required by law o the

department. Funds or printing this publication were approved by the secretary

o the Army in accordance with the provisions o Army Regulation 25-30. Library

o Congress call number: U1.A827.

Periodicals postage paid at Fort Belvoir, Va., and additional mailing ofces.

Individual subscriptions: Subscriptions can be purchased through the Super-

intendent o Documents, U.S. Government Printing Ofce, Washington, D.C.

20402, (202) 512-1800 or online at: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/collections/ 

subscriptions/index.jsp.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Arlington address above.

Soldiers magazine is distributed based on unit commanders’requirements. Commanders and publications officers canorder Soldiers through the Army Publishing Directorate athttps://ptclick.hqda.pentagon.mil.(Requires CAC authentication).

To start or change your unit subscription, enter the Initial DistributionNumber (IDN) 050007.

SOLDIERSMEDIA CENTER

The Army is our nation’s greatest resource in deense o our homeland.

Every day Soldiers and civilians perorm acts o valor. The heroic

acts perormed on the battlefeld and the acts o kindness rom

humanitarian eorts demonstrate the strength o the Army. We want

to tell your story. To fnd out how the Soldiers Media Center can

tell your story, contact your unit public aairs ofcer or send your

submissions via e-mail to:

[email protected](703) 602-0870

 We Want Your Story

: 2009—36S/80013

Secretary of the Army: Hon. Pete Geren

Chief of Staff: Gen. George W. Casey Jr.

Chief of Public Affairs: Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner

Soldiers Media CenterCommander: Col. Ricky R. Sims

Print Communications StaffEditor in Chief: Carrie McLeroyManaging Editor: David Vergun

Soldiers Magazine Writer/Editor: Elizabeth CollinsSoldiers Magazine Writer/Editor: Jacqueline M. Hames

 ARNEWS Editor: Gary Sheftick  ARNEWS Writer: J. D. Leipold

 ARNEWS Writer: C. Todd Lopez 

Visual Information Staff Art Director: Peggy Frierson

Graphic Designer: LeRoy Jewell

Printing: Gateway Press, Inc., Louisville, Ky.

Recipient of Awards of Magazine Excellence

NAGC Blue PencilCompetition

2004

Thomas Jefferson AwardsOutstanding Flagship

Publication 2004 - 2006

Thomas Jefferson AwardsOutstanding Flagship Writer

2007Heike Hasenauer

Magazine archives: http://www.army.mil/publications/soldiersmagazine

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Soldiers • April 2009  3

Earth Day Letter

goes here

•  Personalized Benefit Calculations

•  Survivor, Retirement & Deployment Planning

•  Over 150 Federal & State Benefit Fact Sheets

•  Benefit Counselors on Call

•  Where to Change & Get Benefits, Legal Advice, Medical Appointments

•  Links to All Major Military Installations

MyArmyBenefits has your benefits – all of them.

http://myarmybenefits.us.army.milYour one stop for up-to-date benefits information

The official benefits website for the U.S. Army • Comprehensive and up-to-date • In English and Spanish

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4 www.army.mil/publications 

Story & photos by Elizabeth M. Collins

4 www.army.mil/publications 

Campers line up for the military-style obstacle course at Operation Purple’sCamp Sandy Cove in High View, W.Va., a summer camp for military kids.

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Soldiers • April 2009  5Soldiers • April 2009  5

CONSAN moving. Di-culty making and keepingriends. Parents who may leave

or months at a moment’s notice. Extraresponsibilities. Loneliness. Missedbirthdays and holidays. Constantear that this time mom or dad

might never come home.Tese are the hallmarks o lie as a military “brat,” said Army kids at an OperationPurple summer camp or mili-tary children. But with thesedrawbacks come immensepride, patriotism, maturity andstrength, along with a nationaland oten global outlook.

Created in 2004 by the Na-tional Military Family Association,Operation Purple’s ree camps aredesigned to help military brats relaxand have un, while bonding withother kids who understand the rigorso watching parents march o to warand moving every ew years.

“It’s really un and I think it helpsa lot o kids whose moms or dadsare in the Army,” said nine-year-old Abigail Zipperer. “We talk and stu.Sometimes at school, a lot o kids don’tknow what it’s like to have your parentsin the military. And you move a lot and

you have to make new riends all overagain. And they don’t know how youeel i something happens.”

 According to organizers, about10,000 kids attended 62 camps in 37states and territories last year, up rom4,000 kids and 37 camps in 2007.Campers participated in such activi-ties as trapeze, archery, skateboarding,horseback riding, gymnastics, sel-deense, drama, air rife and chess.

Organizers also planned military-

centric activities to help the kidsunderstand what their parents do or aliving, said im Glass, program direc-tor at Camp Sandy Cove in High View, W.Va. Obstacle courses and team-building exercises like guiding a blind-olded riend through a second series o obstacles refected military training anddiscipline.

Kids practiced writing letters andpostcards to help them keep in touch with deployed parents, made hero post-

ers o their parents and got a true taste

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6 www.army.mil/publications 

o military lie with Meals-Ready-to-Eat, whichreceived mixed reviews.

“It makes you eellike that’s what (ourparents) are doing soyou can do it too,”

said Katherine Riley, 12, whose ather had recently returnedrom Iraq.

 Army kids also said that no matter what, they know their moms and dads

are real-lie superheroes.“My mom’s my 

hero since orever,because even beorethe war she was always

a strong person,” said16-year-old Jeremy Beale.

“She graduated whenshe was about my age.

 And knowing that thisis her third time over, it’s

 just amazing to me that the Army would send her threetimes and she would just keep

going.” Jeremy’s mother is currently 

on her third deployment toIraq, and his ather has alsodeployed. Jeremy said that hisparents worked hard to keep

rom deploying at the sametime, but that he’s closer tohis mother, so having hergone is particularly hard.

 Although she tries tocall every day, and both hisgrandmothers live withthe amily, he said it isn’tthe same. No amount o phone calls, emails, lettersor packages can make upor a missing parent.

“It was really hard because my dad doesn’t really do all o the takingcare o and stu—it was normally 

my mom,” Jacob Gaz, 11, said.“Te hardest part was just

not having herthere. Like whenyou accomplishedsomething—you justcouldn’t tell her.”

Like Jeremy, Jacobhad grandparents who

tried to ll the void when his mother was deployed to Kuwait in 2005, al-though Jacob said he also tried to look out or his little brother.

In act, when one parent is gone,an older sibling like Jacob or Abigail’solder sister Audrey, 13, oten has to

take up some o the slack. With her mother oten busy as aamily readiness group leader, Audrey said she became almost a second parentduring her ather’s two deployments.She sometimes cooked dinner, shecleaned the house with Abigail and shepotty-trained her baby brother.

“Being an Army kid is denitely dierent than being your normal, aver-age kid,” she said. “We go through alot tougher situations that require us tohave certain things like courage and theability to withstand pressure. And youhave to be responsible, denitely.”

“You have to be prepared oranything, because anything can happenand you have to be prepared or badthings and good things,” added Abigail.

 Audrey said that she got angry  when her ather let-angry at him,angry at the situation and angry ingeneral. It just wasn’t air, she said, buther mother would remind her that herather didn’t start this war. She should

be angry, her mother said, with thepeople who did.

“We’d cry and get sad, but we knewthat we couldn’t change it. We couldn’tsay, ‘You can’t do this.’ It was his job.He had to do it,” said Audrey.

Most o the kids had a special,treasured momento to help them stay connected to their absent parent asthey counted down the days and cried when they had to add more days asdeployments were extended.

 Jacob has a bear with his mother’spicture that he would look at when hemissed her badly. Katherine wore ananklet her grandmother had engraved with “Capt. Gerald B. Riley, be sae,come home soon.” Te two Zipperergirls received stued animals withrecordings o their ather’s voice romBuild-a-Bear.

“I’d press the hand and the mes-sage came up. It’s dead now because Ipressed it so much when I was upset

6 www.army.mil/publications 

M i l i t a r  y  k i d s   p r e  p a r e  t o  l a u n c h  t h e i r  k a  y a k s .

 Audre y  Z ipperer  (  le f t ),

 1 3, and o t her m i l i tar y

 

 k ids  learn  horse bac k r

 id ing.

S i x t e e n - y e a r - o l d  J e r e m y  B e a l e  p r a c t i c e s  a r c h e r y .

 A n  A r m y 

 k i d  t a k e s

  t r a p e z e  l

 e s s o n s  a t

  O p e r a -

 t i o n  P u r p

 l e ’ s  C a m p

  S a n d y  C

 o v e  i n  H i g

 h  V i e w, 

 W.  V a.,  a  s u m m e

 r  c a m p  f o r

  m i l i t a r y  k

 i d s.

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Soldiers • April 2009  7 

and I still sleep with it. It’s really spe-cial. Tat helped a lot,” said Audrey.

Te kids also agreed that the uncer-tainty and conusion o deployments was exacerbated by requent moves andstarting over in schools that might nothave many other military kids. Civilian

kids might try to understand what it’slike to send a parent to war, but it’simpossible, they said.

“Some people think that startingover is pretty much something thatthey would want to do,” said Jeremy.“Starting over’s not always the greatestthing. Tis last move was the hardestbecause I moved right in the middleo middle school. Going to school o base was a little dierent because mak-ing riends with military kids wouldbe easier because they have somethingin common. It’s a little weird becauseyou don’t know what to say to kids oryou don’t know i they have military parents. You’ve just got to wing it.

“It’s just cool, having riends again who have parents who have beendeployed and stu like that,” he said o the camp.

 Jeremy’s mother actually deployedin order to avoid moving him in themiddle o high school.

Like Audrey, he said it’s useless to

get mad or expect his parents to change who they are. He said that he’s grateulto have parents he can be proud o,especially when many kids don’t haveparents at all.

“Army kids are ull o pride,”agreed Audrey. “Especially with ourparents. I’m very proud o my dad. Helooks to me or support and love andcomort.Tey can’t help their job. Tey can’t help what they do. We might notlike them going overseas and stu, but

 we have to know that that’s what they signed up to do. Tey signed up tohelp protect our country. We just haveto say, ‘Okay, I love you so much. I’mso proud o you all the time.’”

Families interested in 2009 Opera-tion Purple Camps can visit: www.nmfa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=opdefault or more inormation or toapply.v 

Soldiers • April 2009  7 

Elizabeth M. Collins is a former Army brat.

 An Army kid rests on top of a Bradley at Op-eration Purple's Camp Sandy Cove in High View, W.Va. The front of his shirt reads: "GotFreedom?"

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8 www.army.mil/publications 8 www.army.mil/publications 

EENAGERS are learning todrive in the rain, in the og,even on narrow mountain

roads at night. Tey’re driving whiletheir riends talk and laugh behindthem and even while their cell phonesring. But because o new technology,their lives are in no way at risk.

Tey are the rst students to useone o Installation Management Com-mand-Europe’s new driving simulators.en simulators, including one here at

Supreme Headquarters Allied PowersEurope, were installed throughout theregion to enhance Driver’s Educationprograms or teenagers o service-members and Department o Deensecivilians.

 At rst glance, students arepumped by the multi-panel monitors, which include a rearview mirror, sidemirrors and a lielike perception o peripheral vision. Once they get behindthe wheel, however, they’re aced with

all the complexities o an automobile.Gavin Wainwright, the ather o 

three teenagers, was glad to hear thatU.S. Army Garrison Benelux was get-ting one o the simulators. “I thought it was one o the best things they broughtto the community in a long time,” hesaid. “I know it’s a lot better than whatI went through.

“I was considering sending one sonback to the States last year so he couldgo through drivers’ training and then

get his license,” he said. “It would be alot more expensive to send him therethan this inaugural program, which isree.”

His sons, Gavin Jr. and Justin, were among the rst graduates o theDriver’s Education course. About mid- way through the course, Justin hoppedin the simulator, buckled up and askedthe teacher to challenge him on the winding mountain pass.

He chose to use the simulator in

manual mode, orcing him to shit ashe went up and down hills. While hecompleted the two-minute exercise with no aults, toward the end o thelesson, he was startled by a suddencurve with no guardrails. Had he beengoing too ast, he would have sliddown the side o the mountain.

“I think it (the simulator) makesthem more aware o some o the

challenges o driving,” his dad said.“Tey’re learning how to be deensiveas well as oensive and how to balancethat behind the wheel.”

Kregg Kappenmon agreed. He hastaught driver’s education or eight yearsand said this simulator adds a real-ism that he’s never been able to teachbeore.

He can add weather elements, which require drivers to use their wip-ers and adjust their speed so they don’t

Story by Christie Vanover

teens in Europe learn to driveSimulator helps

8 www.army.mil/publications 

 C.T  o d  d 

L  o p ez

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Soldiers • April 2009  9Soldiers • April 2009  9

hydroplane. He can change the driverom small towns to reeways, orcingkids to merge into trafc. He can evenadd elements o surprise like deer andkids running into the street.

“Te rst time they see it out there,it won’t be the rst time,” he said. “It’svery, very, very realistic. It gets them toeel the car.”

Caleb Crotts, another graduate o the class, happened to ace the test onthe reading that day, but when he gotin the simulator, he aced an elemento surprise. As he was driving, someoneon the side o the road opened their cardoor unexpectedly.

“Weather is usually the big hazardtalked about in the book,” he said,admitting that he didn’t know how torespond to the situation. He veered to

the let and passed the car saely withan acceptable reaction time, but aternishing the drive, he immediately 

asked Kappenmon i he was supposed to swerveor stop.

It’s that immediate lesson thatKappenmon said is invaluable. Addi-tionally, everything the students do inthe trainer is recorded, so Kappenmoncan evaluate their driving patterns,reactions and habits to help them prog-ress throughout the course.

Because o that eedback, Kappen-mon said students learn early on thatthis isn’t a video game. “I get results,”he said, and rom those results, com-bined with 18 tests based on his lectureand videos, students either pass or ail.

“My philosophy is they must have80 percent or better,” he said. “I don’t want anyone out there with my amily,i they scored less. Do you?”

Te next Driver’s Education coursescheduled or the spring is completely lled up. Kappenmon is working withChild and Youth Services on SHAPEto schedule summer classes and tocoordinate programs or teens at USAGSchinnen and USAG Brussels. v

Christie Vanover works for USAG Benelux Public

Affairs.

 Ater students were quizzed on a chapter o their text, instructor Kregg Kappenman discusses theanswers. Kappenman has taught driver’s education or eight years.

 Ater teens fnish a run through the driving simulator,they receive instant eedback about their peror-mance. The teacher uses the eedback to analyze astudent’s perormance throughout the course.

Justin Wainright, 18, nearly slips o a mountain pass

while driving in the simulator. Scenarios like thesemake the digital training experience invaluable toteens learning to drive in Europe.

Caleb Crotts tries a more challenging coursethat presents elements o surprise along theroute. Through each phase, he aims at fnishingwith zero aults.

The simulator is accurate down to theinstrument cluster. It displays speed, rpm,miles traveled and indicators or blinkersand high beams. It will also warn studentsi they are low on uel or i they have abattery or oil problem.

 C h r i s t

 i e  V a n o v e r

Christie Vanover

Christie Vanover

Christie Vanovertie Vanover

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10 www.army.mil/publications 

www.army.mil/facesofstrength

The Nation’s strength starts here.

On the bleak day in 2003 when David Smith learned o his ather’s

death, he told his mother that Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith

must have lost his lie to save other Soldiers. Months later, David

was the one into whose hands President Bush placed SFC Smith’s

Medal o Honor. As David had surmised, the frst such tribute

o Operation Iraqi Freedom honored his ather’s extraordinary

act o heroism, one that spared the lives o numerous wounded

Soldiers. David continues to honor his ather’s memory by reaching

out to console other children who have lost their parents to war.

Now a member o his high school’s JROTC unit, David is making

plans to join the Army and echo his ather’s legacy o service.

David Smith

The Nation’s strength starts here.

When 11-year-old Dominick Smith grows up, he wants to be a

NASA engineer, or a pro basketball player, or a Soldier. This son

o Soldiers lives as boldly as he dreams. Culturally adaptable

and trilingual, Dominick is a model student. Highest among

his commendations is the President’s Award, which honors

academic excellence and exemplary citizenship. His parents,

Sergeant First Class Katina Smith and Master Sergeant Eddie

B. Smith, Jr., are very proud o him and would be pleased i he

decided to one day join the Army. His strength o mind, spirit

and character attest to the values Army lie has taught him.

Dominick Smith

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Soldiers • April 2009  11

 A reasonto believe w 

hen tir 14-yar-old so Joy as diagosd itStag II hodgki’s Lym-

poma last summr, Filipia Corpuzad r usbad, Sgt. 1st Class Jud

Corpuz, odrd at ty r go-ig to do.

not oly r ty orrid addvastatd, ty ad aotr prob-lm: t Corpuzs r statiod iGrmay, ar rom amily, rids admdical car or tir so.

 witi to days, atr ad soad b mdvacd to waltr Rd Army Mdical Ctr i wasigto,travlig o t sam pla as ijurdSoldirs, il Corpuz ad r yougr

so orgaizd tir mrgcy mov tot Stats.

 Atr iitial tratmt at waltrRd, Joy as trasrrd to Joshopkis hospital i Baltimor or a

bo-marro trasplat. ev atr as discargd, Joy ad to rmai iti 10 miuts o t ospital. TCorpuzs’ duty statio as aour aay. Ty did’t ko r totur.

Tat’s r Bliv i omor-ro cam i. Foudd i 1982, torgaizatio provids ousig iti alkig distac o t ospital adamitis, ad orgaizs u, tic-ig activitis or amilis o critically 

Story by Elizabeth M. Collins

11

   E   l   i  z  a   b  e   t   h   M .

   C  o   l   l   i  n  s

Courtesy of Believe in Tomorrow

(Above) Artist’s drawing of the Believe in Tomorrow House at Pinnacle Falls near Henderson, N.C., which will soon be completed for military families with sickchildren. (Below) Ninth-grader Joey Corpuz works on his homework in the apartment Believe in Tomorrow lent to his family while he recovered from a bone-marrow treatment. A tutor came several times a week to help him keep up with his classmates. The organization’s logo is also below.

Soldiers • April 2009  11

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12 www.army.mil/publications 

ill cildr, givig military amilispriority. It also as rspit ouss i tmoutais ad alog t Marylad-Dlaar coastli r amilis itsick cildr ca go to rlax ad av agood tim. O ous i Oca City,Md., ad o udr costructio it Asvill, n.C., ara, ar or mili-tary amilis xclusivly.

“I av o gratr admiratio ta

or tos m ad om o ar it military ad t ardsips tosamilis dal it,” said Bria Morri-so, oudr ad ci-xcutiv ocro Bliv i omorro. “Tr asa dsir to provid support to tosamilis o support us ad it bcamappart tat tis as t rigt tigto do. It’s ot asy to s somo mak-ig all kids o sacrics i tir livs, o, i additio, ar also dalig ita cild o is critically ill.”

h addd tat i t past yar,

a umbr o t amilis Bliv iomorro srvd ad atrs o rdployd. “It’s ard oug or ay amily to av a cild o’s critically ill. Tat producs ormous strsss ot amily ad is a vry draiig xpri-c. O top o tat, avig a dad ormom o’s dployd rally maks it atrmdous ardsip.”

 Accordig to amily car maagr

 Jacki Valdras, t ardst part o r job is dcidig o gts to stay i t32 spacs availabl or ospital ous-ig. S maks t dcisio it tcild’s doctors ad social orkrs (ousually rr t amily to Bliv iomorro), ad actors i tir amily situatio, distac rom om, diago-sis ad tratmt.

“w alays av a log ait listad it’s a rustratig job somtims b-caus you at to lp vryo. Tat’s

 y ’r rally committd to takig

t most critical kids i t most li-tratig situatios rst ad y  ’r costatly rvaluatig amiliso a cas-by-cas basis o o rally ds to b r t most ad mayb ic amilis ar i t gratst crisis,”s xplaid.

Maj. Ross Carto said did’tv ko about t military prr-c. no o said aytig to im,

but did odr o ty maagdto gt i immdiatly atr is sv-yar-old so Luk as diagosd it abrai tumor.

“Bcaus military popl ar travl-lig rom all aroud t coutry adar rqutly dislocatd rom t typo support otr popl av via bigmbddd i commuitis, or Blivi omorro to giv tm priority ispomal, ot oly at t ospitals,but i tir rtrat locatios as ll.

Familis ar abl to mt i a plac ad

HOSPITAL HOUSING

• e Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House at Johns Hopkins,

Baltimore

• e Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House at St. Casimir,

Baltimore

RESPITE FACILITIES

• e Believe In Tomorrow House By e Sea, Ocean City, Md.

• e Believe In Tomorrow House On the Bay, Ocean City, Md.

• e Believe In Tomorrow House on Fenwick Island,Fenwick Island, Del.

• e Believe In Tomorrow House on Wisp Mountain,

McHenry, Md.

• Coming Soon: e Believe In Tomorrow House at Pinnacle Falls,

Hendersonville, N.C.

12 www.army.mil/publications 

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Soldiers • April 2009  13

av som amily tim,” Carto said.Bliv i omorro provids

kitcs complt it ood patrisad utsils. Svral tims a k,commuity groups com by itamily-styl dirs. Tr ar gamad tlvisio rooms, ad Bliv iomorro stafrs rqutly orgaizactivitis lik movi igts ad arts adcrats, or brig i massag trapists

to lp t patits ad tir partsrlax.

Ty do atvr is cssary tolp t amilis avoid day-to-day or-ris ad aoyacs. w t porat o o t ouss t out or a day i Sptmbr, or xampl, Morrisov t to pick up ic or Corpuz sos could kp r so’s mdici cold.

“I’m glad tat popl tik aboutts tigs,” said Corpuz. “wyou’r i tis kid o situatio, you’v

vr tougt about it. ‘wat ar

goig to do?’ I askd o o t urss.‘ho log is tis goig to b?’ Ssaid, ‘90 to 120 days.’ ‘Ar you srious?’I said. ‘I’m drivig tat muc vry day?’ Parkig bor, staydi t ospital or a k, as lik $60. Ad t you av your gas. Tat’s alot o moy tat you ca us som- r ls. Tat’s a lot o covic.”

“I lik it. It’s kid o lik a vaca-

tio om aay rom my o om.It’s bttr ta t ospital,” said Joy, o addd tat t bst part as tat could at is mom’s cookig adot ospital ood. A tutor v camsvral tims a k so Joy ould’tall bid i scool.

Bliv i omorro mad a tougsituatio muc asir, said Carto,bcaus k tat atr droppdis i Lisa ad Luk of o Moday morigs ( t rturd to ork 

or t rst o t k), ty ould b

tak car o util rturd.“O o t grat tigs about t

Bliv ous as tat tr r otramilis tr o r goig trougt sam tig. It as trmdously lpul to our amily to (avoid) toutlay ad xps o a otl. It asgrat tat ty ad popl o cam iad providd ood a coupl o igts a k, bcaus tat allviatd xps.

It as grat tat ad a kitc togo to r could prpar our oood so did’t av to at out all o t tim, but t most importat tigtr as t support rom sig otramilis goig troug t sam tig,”said Carto.

Bcaus Luk as i suc badsap, t Cartos r’t abl to visito o t rspit acilitis, but Blivi omorro brougt a vacatio totm. T orgaizatio ould r-

qutly av tickts or t Baltimor13

(Left) Military kids play a board game in OceanCity, Md., during a Believe in Tomorrow retreatweekend. The weekend was organized so militaryfamilies with sick children could relax and bondwith each other.

(Right) Military kids relax during a game of min-iature golf in Ocean City, Md., during a Believe inTomorrow retreat weekend.

(Background) The view off the back deck of the

Believe in Tomorrow House On the Bay in OceanCity, Md. The house was built so military familieswith very sick children could take relaxing breaksfrom the hospital. (Photos courtesy of Believe inTomorrow)

Soldiers • April 2009  13

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14 www.army.mil/publications 

Oriols, ad drivrs to tak amilis outto attractios lik t zoo, t natioal Aquarium or t Maritim Musum.

“T amilis ottims ar soocusd o ospital tratmt tat ty do’t vary rom tat,” said Morriso.“But ty ca, ty’r couragd

to gt out or tos braks. Our staf is traid to rcogiz strss, rcogiz  amilis ar i a positio rty ca do tigs ad t kid o -courag tos amilis to do tat. May o t amilis srv ar’t tikigo goig to t aquarium. Ty ar’ttikig o goig to dir. Ty rally d to b kid o gtly couragdto do so. It taks tir mids aay rom pai ad strss.”

h addd tat tr’s also plty or amilis to do at t rspit ouss.Byod just rlaxig ad joyig tocarot or moutai scry, ami-lis ca joy mals at local rstaurats,miiatur gol, go carts, parasailigad surg, all complimts o localbusisss.

From t arcitctur to locatio tourisigs ad pait colors, t oussar all dsigd to promot rlaxatioad lp amilis ad kids orgt aboutdoctors ad ospitals. T sort vaca-tios ca giv amilis t strgt to

go o ad ac t xt stags o trat-mt, Morriso xplaid.

O military amily drov all t ay rom xas to Marylad to visito o t bac ouss, ic Morri-so said igligts t d or rspitousig atioid. T orgaizatio ats to xpad to otr locatios itlarg military populatios suc as txas coast, Florida paadl, Arizoaad Soutr Calioria.

“So our military iitiativ rally is

to mak sur tat ar providig tbst srvic possibl to military amilisad tat ’r gttig tm i vry quickly, tryig to avoid ay aitiglists tat occur i our acilitis. Ad it’s orkig vry ll. Our rtrat acilitisar ull. Ty costatly av amilisrom waltr Rd or rom Portsmoutnaval hospital or rom otr ospi-tals,” said.

For mor iormatio, visit Blivi omorro’s wb sit at .bliv-

itomorro.org.v14 www.army.mil/publications 

The back garden at the Believe in Tomorrow Children’s House at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. (Inset) Therent-free Believe in Tomorrow Children’s House at St. Casimir in Baltimore, where military families whohave children with life-threatening illnesses have priority to stay while their children are undergoing treat-

ment at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

   E   l   i  z  a   b  e   t   h   M .

   C  o   l   l   i  n  s

Courtesy of Believe in Tomorrow

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Soldiers • January 2009 15

LEAVE NO SOLDIER’S STORY UNTOLDOperation Tribute to Freedom wants to tell your story.

We’re looking for Soldiers who’ve served or are currentlyserving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Nominate yourself, a friend or another Soldier in your unit.

Stories will be featured in Faces From the Front or OTF Soldier Story.

Send an email with your nomination [email protected].

Operation Tribute to Freedom is a program of the U.S. Army Office of 

the Chief of Public Affairs designed to share with the American public 

the stories of Soldiers who have or are currently serving in OperationEnduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom. OTF works in partner- 

ship with PAOs throughout the Army to tell the Army story.Faces From the Front is a weekly news product

distributed to national, local and social media.

OTF Soldier Story is a weekly newsletter

distributed to Army communicators.

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16 www.army.mil/publications 

The Army in Act ion

On Point

16 www.army.mil/publications 

MANNHEIM, GermanySpc. Jon Kruskamp, 72nd Signal Battalion, ensureshis little buddies are set for a merry-go-around ride atthe German-American summer fest. Traditionally, one

morning of the annual fest is dedicated to children fromnearby German and U.S. military communities.

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Soldiers • April 2009  17 Soldiers • April 2009  17 

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army news

18 www.army.mil/publications 

Through its Sexual Harassment and AssaultPrevention and Response Program, the Army 

hopes to change command climates to make victims o sexual assault eel more comortablereporting the crime.

During a meeting with members o the press Jan. 26, Secretary o the Army Pete Geren dis-cussed the Army’s eorts to reduce sexual assault

 within the ranks, a crime he said that is not justan assault on a person, but on the whole Army.

“Soldier-on-Soldier violence, blue-on-blue—sexual assault is a crime everywhere, butin the Army it is a crime that is more than just

a crime against the victim. In the Army it is a crime against the core values that bind our Army together,” Geren said.

Geren has approved unding to provide 15special-victim prosecutors—which will be lledrom within the ranks by those that have proventhemselves as especially eective prosecutorsand who also have experience in sexual assaultprosecution.

Brig. Gen. Rodney Johnson, the provostmarshal general o the Army, said the service willadd an additional 30 special investigators to be

assigned at 22 o the Army’s largest installationsto assist Criminal Investigation Command agentsin investigating sexual assault crimes.

 An additional seven “highly qualied experts”are also coming aboard, Johnson said, to providetraining and assistance to CID agents.

“We in CID already have highly skilledagents investigating these crimes,” Johnson said.“But bringing the civilian expertise onboard willsimply be a valuable tool to glean insight and a resh perspective in many areas.”— C. Todd Lopez, ARNEWS v

The XM-360 120mm cannon or the Mounted Combat System, part o the Army’s Future CombatSystems, carries up to 27 shells that are or a mechanized loader to pull into the cannon. Theautomated system means Soldiers do not need to hand-load the heavy shells. Coupled with otherFCS technology, the MCS will also bring beyond-line-o-sight capability to the battlefeld.

T

he lightweight Future Combat Sys-

tems XM-360 120mm cannon—designed to sit atop the new MountedCombat System—was test-red in Aberdeen, Md., Jan. 22.

Te XM-1202 Mounted CombatSystem is one o eight new vehicletypes that the Army is developingthrough its FCS modernization pro-gram. Te FCS vehicles will be lighterand more mobile than current Army combat vehicles; yet ocials promisethey will have greater lethality andsurvivability.

Lighter and more survivable ve-hicles are required to combat a growingarray o new and more sophisticatedthreats, ocials said. Greater speed andmobility, coupled with better surveil-lance and reconnaissance capabilities,can enhance operational eectiveness, while improving survivability, they said.

Composite FCS armor, orinstance, which is being developedat Aberdeen, provides better armor

protection at signicantly less mass and weight.

Maj. Cli Calhoun, assistantproduct manager or the MountedCombat System, said the test-ring is

one o several that would occur over

a ew days that would bring the totalnumber o ring trials or the cannonto 1,000. Te weapon, he said, is sig-nicant because it is as powerul as theone mounted on the M1-A2 Abramstank—also a 120mm gun—but comesin with signicant savings in weightand provides automation that willhelp prevent the loss o lives.

“Te Mounted Combat Systemis going to eature an automaticammunition-handling system,” Cal-houn explained. “Our current orce Abrams has a crew o our men—agunner, tank commander, driver andloader. On the MCS, there’s a crew o three men—an automated loadertakes care o that loading unction.Coupled with other FCS technology,the MCS will also bring beyond-line-o-sight capability to the battleeld,”Calhoun said.

“In the current orce, a tank canengage everything it can see out toabout three kilometers—i you can see

it you can engage it,” he said. “Withthe MCS, you are going to be ableto—through the network—engagetargets beyond line-o-sight.”— C. Todd Lopez, ARNEWS v

Army tests cannon for FCS Mounted Combat System

Army striving to decrease sexual

assaults, increase reporting

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From the Army News Service and Other Sources

Soldiers • April 2009  19

P

resident Barack Obama met with

Sgt. Maj. o the Army Kenneth O.Preston and the senior enlisted advisorso other services to hear concerns roma boots-on-the-ground perspective inthe Oval Oce in January.

Te initial White House meet-ing was an opportunity or Obama toestablish relationships with the mostsenior enlisted noncommissioned o-cers o the military, Preston said.

Tis was reportedly the rst timea commander in chie held an ocialmeeting with senior enlisted leaders.Previous presidents normally met withthe joint chies o sta.

“I don’t know o any other presi-dent sitting down with the senior en-listed advisors,” Preston said. “It sendsa big message o his support o themilitary and really shows that he wantsto connect with all our servicemembersout there.”

Preston told Obama his biggestconcern in the Army was stress on theorce.

Preston also acknowledged theselfess service and sacrice Soldiers

and their amilies make through re-enlistment.

“Soldiers are re-enlisting and stay-ing with the team,” he said. “We canall be very proud o Soldiers and theirsupporting amilies as they continue to

volunteer and serve our country.”Preston said it was coincidental

but good that his initial meeting withObama happened during this “Year o the NCO” in the Army.

“It speaks to what we’re trying todo in the Army to recognize the valueand the contributions o our noncom-

missioned ocers,” he said.—Lance D. Davis, ARNEWS v

President meets with senior NCOs

Sgt. Maj. o the Army Kenneth O. Preston stands behind President Barack Obama at theCommander-in-Chie’s Inaugural Ball as Obama addresses the audience o active-dutyand reserve military and invited guests at the National Building Museum.

   C .

   T  o   d   d

   L  o  p  e  z

Raytheon technicians show the Laser CenturionDemonstrator to members o White Sands MissileRange Navy and Test Center leadership. The sys-tem mounts a high-powered laser onto a Centurionweapons platorm to provide area deense againstartillery, missile and other aerial threats.

   D  r  e  w

   H  a  m   i   l   t  o  n

The Army has been testing a new 

 weapon system known as the LaserCenturion at White Sands MissileRange, N.M.

Te system combines radar andthreat-detection technology with

the latest in laser weapons. Te new laser is designed to replace the 20mmcannon on the Navy’s Phalanx systemand the Army’s Centurion system.

Te Phalanx is an air- and missile-deense system used on nearly every ship in the feet. Converted to betransported and red rom a trailer,it is also used by the Army to providedeense rom air and missile threatsas well as deense against mortar andartillery attacks.

Initial tests with the demonstra-tor have been positive. Te laser hasproven capable o rapidly penetratingarmor plating even when not at ullpower, and system setup has been easy.

“We are excited to be testing

system capabilities by shooting downmortar rounds…” said Sal Rodriguez,senior fight test engineer, White SandsMissile Range detachment.

Since the laser does not use any kind o solid shot like the cannon, itcan be used to better deend populatedareas without the ear o the “20mmshower” that conventional air-deenseguns cause when their bullets all back to earth.—Drew Hamiltonv

White Sands testing new laser weapon system

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 20 www.army.mil/publications 

New Orleans on Aug. 29, breachingthe levee our miles rom Watson’sparents’ house. Her parents, Tesma and Henry Fulton and brother Kirk,

 who had moved to the French Quarteror saety, were orced to pile theirbelongings into a truck and ee.

“Tey started throwing stu intothe truck, trying to get out—my dadell,” Watson said. “When they got to

me, he was all broken up, they werehysterical.”

Te Fulton amily went on theroad in hopes o reaching Watson’shouse in Mississippi, but became lostalong the way, Watson explained. Shehad been calling her amily and tryingto nd out where they were, but noone was answering.

“No one thought to bring thecharger or charge the phones,” Watsonsaid. So, instead o waiting around to

nd out what was going on, Watson,like any good Soldier, took action. Shegot in her car and went to nd them.

“Finally, between two and threeo’clock in the morning, I got a collectcall rom somebody at a gas station(saying) that she had my amily there.

 And I picked them up and broughtthem to my house,” Watson said.

Starting over

Te rebuilding process is alwaysdifcult, both physically and emotion-ally, but returning to the scene o thedestruction was more devastating to

 Watson and her amily than the actualevent. She and her ather returned tothe Fulton house in New Orleans tosee what kind o damage had beendone.

“A lot o what we saw, you know, was kind o worse than what we saw in Iraq, because o bodies oating (in

Story by Jacqueline M. Hames

 a way of life ! 

SERGEAN 1st Class ara 

 Watson and her son Xavierhave survived a hurricane andbraved the tribulations o 

show business, and throughout, Army  values have helped them with bothtriumph and disappointment. Tey hope their story will encourage othersto continue to reach or their dreams,come hell and high water.

Currently in the Active Guard andReserve, Watson has been in the Army or a total o 19 years. Originally romNew Orleans, her two children, Xavierand Chantell, lived with their grand-parents and uncle there when she wasstationed in Iraq rom 2004-2005. In

 August o 2005, Watson picked up herchildren and brought them to her duty station in Clarksdale, Miss. Ten theunthinkable happened.

Hurricane Katrina roared into

  Aerial views o the areas still fooded twoweeks ater Hurricane Katrina struck in andaround New Orleans.

   S   t  a   f   f   S  g   t .   R   i  c   k  y   A .

   M  e   l   t  o  n

 20 www.army.mil/publications 

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Soldiers • April 2009  21

the water) and stu like that,” Watsonsaid.

 Watson described the house aspitch black in the early aternoon,slime and decay covering the walls,oor and the contents o the house.Tey wore ace masks, gloves andrubber boots in order to just go inside.Henry hesitated, unwilling to go in,and or the rst time ever Watson saw 

her ather cry. She explained that thethought o all the hard work he putinto the house and the amily businessbeing washed away in the hurricane

 was just too much.Te Henry S. Fulton Ceramic

ile Company trucks and businessdocumentation were lost to the hur-ricane, Watson said, and the customtile Henry had added to the house wasruined.

Once inside, Watson pointed a 

digital camera into the dierent roomsand, unable to see what was in the

 viewnder, snapped pictures at ran-dom. She and her amily nally saw the extent o the damage when thepictures were uploaded to a computerback in Clarksdale.

“When I showed them to my mom, she had a big gasp or breath,”

 Watson said, describing her amily’s

reaction to the pictures. “My momsaid when she saw the home she spent35 years o her lie in, the tears beganto ow like a river.”

Te living room, which had a big-screen television and a collectiono VHS tapes that were special toTesma, was completely unsalvage-able. In pictures you can see the water-line where the ood sat at 12 eetbeore they patched the levee, Watsonexplained.

Tesma and Henry’s room wasin total disarray, with the televisionturned over, and the specially designed

 wallpaper and bed rame destroyed.“Te king-size mattress was

inated with water and it looked like a big balloon,” Watson said.

During the atermath o the storm,the AGR helped Watson and her am-ily. Her commander at the time sent a 

support team to New Orleans to help with the citywide clean-up process,and provided assistance to Watson’samily specically, she said. He alsohelped in any way he could with herather’s hip surgery and medical careor her brother Kirk Fulton, who

 was diagnosed with pulmonary lungdisease.

“A lot o credit goes to my unit atthe time,” Watson said. “I had goodSoldiers, really good Soldiers,” she

 New Orleans, Louisiana 

Sgt. 1st Class Tara Watson and her amily pose ater her graduation at the University o Phoenix stadium in Arizona.Pictured rom let to right are mother Thesma Fulton, ather Henry Fulton, brother Kirk Fulton, Watson and her twochildren, Chantell and Xavier Watson. Watson was taking online courses with the University o Phoenix when thehurricane hit and had to stop in order to take care o her amily. Eventually, she was able to return to school andgraduated with an associates degree in general studies, July 7, 2007.

Soldiers • April 2009  21

 C

 o ur  t   e s y o   S  g t  .1  s t   Cl   a s sT  ar  aW a t   s on

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 22 www.army.mil/publications 

said, explaining that her ofce wouldoten tell her to go home and that they 

 would take care o things while she was gone.

“Without the Army working withme I would not have been able to leavemy job and deal with the amily stu.

Tey gave me time to take care o my amily,” Watson said.In addition to physical help and

basic care, Watson elt the Army prepared her emotionally as well. Teleadership philosophy o “be, know,do” and other values taught by the

 Army gave Watson the strength toendure.

Te ramework o “be, know, do”comprises the core Army values andoutlines the physical, mental and

emotional attributes or character— what a leader must be. Interpersonal,conceptual, technical and tactical skillsare what a leader knows, and the com-bination o the “be” and “know” ormthe “do” portion o the ramework,according to Army Field Manual 6-22,

“Army Leadership.”“I had to pass on the bag, I hadthe riends, I had the support o thecommunity,” Watson added.

 Xavier agreed, praising his mom asthe strength o the amily.

“I watched my mom try to holdthe amily together and I realized how strong-minded she is since being inthe military,” he said. “I think any normal person would have just criedand cried, but not my mom; she put

the weight o the amily losing thehome, amily business and vehicles onher shoulders.

 Watson had been taking onlinecourses at the University o Phoenix beore the hurricane hit. When thestorm made landall, she had to put

her schooling on hold to help heramily. Happily, Watson was able toreturn to her studies soon ater andgraduated with an associate’s degree ingeneral studies in July 2007.

“I don’t know how she did it, butbecause the Army instills such strong

 values in them, they are ‘Army Strong’at work and at home,” Xavier added.

Hollywood philosophy  Xavier, an aspiring actor, has taken

his mother’s example to heart and

Henr y and  T hesma Ful ton's be

droom in Ne w Orleans a f ter  t he  w

a ters o f 

Ka trina  had receded.  T he  w

all paper and bed  frame  were specia

ll y designed 

 for  t he  famil y and comple tel y des tro yed during  t h

e s torm. 

(Right) The living room of the Fulton house in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina.In the top right of the picture the water line is visible.

C                              o                      u                      r                      t                            e                      

s                              y                      

  o                      f                               S                              

        g                      t                            .       

1                             s                      t                             C                              

l                              a                      s                      s                      

T                              a                      r                      a                      W                              

a                      t                            s                      

o                      n                      

“With those family values that were instilled in me withthe military, you know, it gave me the strength to keepgoing...”

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Soldiers • April 2009  23

used the “be, know, do” philosophy tohis advantage. A month ater Katrina,

 Xavier and his amily moved to Deca-tur, Ga., and there he began his actingcareer in local dramas and musicals,he said. He’s gone on to have parts incommercials and other proessional

perormances.“Now I’m doing proessional work, Screen Actors Guild eligible,” Xavier said, adding that Army valuesand philosophy helped him reach thatgoal.

“Knowing how to adjust to a roleis the biggest part,” Xavier said o acting. “It’s easier to be a character i 

 you know how to nd the similaritiesand dierences between you and thecharacter.”

 Xavier also emphasized that actinghas to be something you really wantto do. Letting your personality shinethrough while still being integratedinto the character is very important—

 you must be one with the role, headvised.

“Once you be and know thecharacter, then you can ulll the rolecondently. Acting can’t be absorbed;

 you have to just show up to the audi-tion, become the character and just doit,” Xavier said.

Te young actor said that thehurricane has taught him never to takelie or granted and to use his talent toinuence other people to achieve theirgoals.

“My message is ‘reach or the

dream,’” Xavier said. “Tat is my tagline.”

ogether, Watson and her son have written a book about their experi-ences with Hurricane Katrina and thedierent ways it changed their lives.Te book, entitled “Weathering the

Storm: A Young Actor’s Journey toHollywood,” chronicles their amily’sexperiences with Katrina and beyondthe storm. Xavier also gives a ew pointers on acting, resumes and audi-tions. Troughout the chronicle, thephilosophy o “be, know, do” plays animportant role.

“We just hope that our story willencourage other kids” who have beenthrough Katrina, Watson said. “It’s allabout reaching or the dream.” v

N av yP  e t   t   y O  f  c er 1  s t   Cl   a s sB r i   enA h  o C

 o u r  t   e s y o f   S  g t   . 1  s t   C l   a s s T  a r  a W a t   s o n

 New Orleans, Louisiana 

Soldiers • April 2009  23

Soldiers ride along in a U.S. Coast Guard anboat as it cruises the fooded streets o NewOrleans looking or survivors ater HurricaneKatrina swept through, submerging mucho the city under more than six eet o water.Department o Deense units mobilized insupport o humanitarian relie operations inthe Gul Coast region.

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 24 www.army.mil/publications 

the United States.

In a high-security area o Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs,Soldiers assigned to the 1st Space Bde.’s53rd Signal Battalion gain access tothe Deense Satellite CommunicationSystem Certication Facility, only aterentering phone-booth-like “portals” with security badges and access codes.Te building is tucked behind a giantgol-ball-like radome, one o severalthat rise more than 30 eet rom thedesert oor.

Security is extremely tight herebecause, “nobody in the governmenttalks without these guys,” said 1stSpace Bde. Command Sgt. Maj. KevinMcGovern. “Tey acilitate conversa-tions rom the president o the UnitedStates to Soldiers in the sandbox androm ships crossing the Atlantic orPacic oceans.”

“Te Soldiers check the health and welare o satellites to ensure there’s nobreak in connectivity and that com-

munication signals traveling via the

HE Colorado Springs, Colo.,

landscape is home to majesticblue-grey mountains dotted

 with deep green pines that traverseridges, spilling down to grassy knollsand desert brush.

In addition to its natural beauty,the Colorado Desert is home to criticaldeense assets, including elements o the U.S. Army Space and Missile De-ense Command/Army Forces StrategicCommand, the Army service compo-nent to U.S. Strategic Command.

Soldiers and Army civilians as-signed to SMDC/ARSRA’s 1stSpace Brigade and 100th MissileDeense Bde., and their joint-servicecounterparts, track the locations andavailability o satellites that provide lie-saving imagery to commanders both athome and in combat theaters.

 Additionally, they monitor missilelaunches worldwide, operate early missile-warning systems and allowthe launch o interceptor missiles that

 would down a ballistic missile targeting

satellites are within specied (security)

parameters,” added battalion operationsnoncommissioned ofcer, Sgt. 1st ClassRobert Lewis.

Te 1st Space Bde. also encompass-es the 1st Space Bn., a unit o active Army and Reserve Soldiers, who caninterpret Global-Positioning-Systeminormation “as no other group can,”said Lt. Col. om James, 1st Space Bn.commander.

More than 100 ofcers are dedi-cated to providing inormation rom

space assets, according to James. Tisincludes Soldiers rom the 1st SpaceBn., 1st Space Company’s Joint acticalGround Stations, which provide early missile warning.

Te battalion’s 2nd Space Co.includes 10 space support teams thatsupport corps and higher headquartersaround the world, added SMDC/AR-SRA spokesman Mike Howard.

 Additionally, the brigade’s Com-mercial Exploitation eam, currently 

deployed to Iraq and Aghanistan,

Story by Heike Hasenauer

53rd Signal Battalion Deense Satellite Commu-nication System radome in the Colorado Desert.(all satellite imagery rom NASA)

 24 www.army.mil/publications 

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Soldiers • April 2009  25

117th Signal Battalion satellite systems op-erator/maintainer Spc. David Wilde adjusts asatellite antenna atop a building in ColoradoSprings, Colo.

Soldiers rom the 117th Space Battalion monitor missile tests in ColoradoSprings, Colo.

Soldiers • April 2009 

   H  e   i   k  e   H  a  s  e  n  a  u  e  r

   H  e   i   k  e   H  a  s  e  n  a  u  e  r

 25

uses the theater’s largest repository o 

commercial-satellite imagery to providecommanders with critical situationalawareness, Howard said.

Support teams that transorm rawdata rom satellite imagery into detailedmaps are also supporting commandersin the Horn o Arica, or which thenewest unied combatant command,U.S. Arica Command, was recently established, James said.

 At an exercise at Schriever AFB,a ve-member crew o active-duty 

Colorado Guard Soldiers rom the100th Missile Deense Bde. sat gluedto computer monitors at individualre-control stations inside the MissileDeense Agency’s Missile Deense Inte-gration and Operations Center.

“Our job is to destroy interconti-nental-ballistic missiles in midcoursethat target the United States or ourallies,” said Maj. Martin Bortolutti,missile-deense element director orthe Ground Missile Deense System

trainer.

In the training scenario, a threat

country in northeast Asia “launched”several ICBMs into deended areaso the continental United States andHawaii, said Lt. Col. Mark Emmer,MDA division chie or war games andexercises.

Based on the crews’ rules o engage-ment, they’ll destroy those threats withthe help o the brigade’s 49th MissileDeense Bn. at Fort Greely, Alaska,and a joint-service network o ground-and sea-based interceptors, Bortolutti

explained.During the exercise, the crew simu-

lated notiying elements o the North American Aerospace Deense Com-mand and the U.S. Northern Com-mand, to validate the “threats” andconer on the best tactics to “eliminate”the threats, said Bortolutti.

 Actual tests o theater-missiledeenses are conducted jointly romVandenberg AFB in Caliornia andSMDC/ARSRA’s missile-deense

test acility at Kwajalein Atoll, one

o the Marshall Islands in the Pacic

Ocean, Howard said.SMDC/ARSRA picked up the

 Army’s Blue-Force racking missionin 2000, said Col. odd Day, chie o plans, SMDC/ARSRA.

“We provide the location o riendly orces and track missilelaunches rom around the world,” said Jon Busick, operational support andreadiness lead or Blue Force rackingat Peterson AFB, in Colorado Springs.He added that most o the ederal

employees and contractors at the acil-ity are military retirees who understandthat operational support is critical to warghters.

Five years ago, “we tracked threedevice types and 155 devices,” saidBusick. “oday we track 18 devicetypes and 70,000 devices, or transmit-ters, on 32 monitors, versus the ormersix.”

 Why the increase? “rackingSoldiers down to the battalion level

 was OK beore. Now the Army wants

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 26 www.army.mil/publications 

The U.S. Army Space and Missile Deense Commandconducts a missile test over the Pacifc Ocean.

 26 www.army.mil/publications 

to take that down to the squad andplatoon level,” Busick explained.

Te BF crews who monitor trooppositions don’t need to know who’sgoing to be in harm’s way, Busick said, just that the combatant commanderhas all the inormation he needs toknow what could happen and make

inormed decisions.Te inormation is accessiblebecause satellites and sensors are com-ing into the BF center, going out tocommanders in the eld and returningto the tracking center to veriy what was received—thereby traveling aroundthe world twice in a matter o seconds,Busick said.

 As critical as the real-time inorma-tion is to commanders downrange, it was equally crucial ollowing HurricaneKatrina in New Orleans. BF crewsprovided imagery rom satellite, groundand airborne sources that allowedresponders to track such things as waterdepth and contaminants in the water.Tey were also able to provide criticalinrastructure inormation, Day said.

 Among the command’s other as-sets are the Space and Missile DeenseFuture Warare Center, Space andMissile Deense Battle Lab, Director-ate o Combat Development, and theSimulation and Analysis Directorate.

“Because o our Future WarareCenter and the technology researchand development that takes place inHuntsville, Ala.—home o Headquar-ters, SMDC/ARSRA—we can em-ploy incredible technologies to combatanything our adversaries are thinkingabout doing to us,” said McGovern.

One o the command’s developingtechnologies is the High-Altitude-Long Loiter, added Day. esting o theinormation-providing sensor, which

 would be located between 65,000 and100,000 eet above ground to provideinormation rom a nonorbiting-satel-lite mode, will be conducted in 2013.

In addition, better launchers,interceptors and sensors are all on thehorizon to protect America and its al-lies rom threats, Day said.

“Tis is just the tip o the iceberg,”echoed McGovern. Space is a wide-open rontier; “there are many capabili-ties yet to be exploited.”v

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Soldiers • April 2009  27 

Spring weather is

unpredictable and can

be hazardous.

These months can be cold

and stormy with heavy rain,

lightning, wind and ice.

Although many experience

mild spring weather, we must plan

 for the unexpected.

Find and circle each

of the words on the list. 

Color the Easter Bunny

and his eggs!

www.ready.army.mil

-

T N T T H G U O R D L L I H C

O G A T H U N D E R S T O R M

H A E E V A P O R A T I O N G

R L H N O I T A S N E D N O C

I E E M E T E O R O L O G Y G

A N O I T A T I P I C E R P I

M O I S T U R E R E D O O L F

M E T N E C I B L I Z Z A R D

R C R F O R E C A S T M E Y D

E A L U H T I W A R M H L S I

D R C R S C S M B R E E Z E D

N R U I I S R O C H L R Z N O

U S Y A C O E F R D H E I L O

H L H F T L L R E F R A R O A

T R T S T O I F P B R M D V N

METEOROLOGY

EVAPORATION

BREEZE

CONDENSATION

THUNDERSTORM

MOISTURE

PRECIPITATION

THUNDER

PRESSURE

DRIZZLE

BLIZZARD

ICICLE

FORECAST

GALE

STORM

RAIN

DROUGHT

FLOOD

HOT

CHILL

ICE

FROST

HEAT

WARM

FAIR

DRY

 Spring weather  word search 

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 America’s Army real action herofgure o Zedwick

DEAL? NO DEAL?Story by Jacqueline M. Hames

“Deal or No Deal” host Howie Mandel gestures at the camera while contes-tant Sta Sgt. Matthew Zedwick looks to his on-stage guests. Zedwick said

Mandel was a “pretty nice guy” and was really excited to have newlywedsZedwick and Kristin on the show.

NB  C P h  o t   o: T r  a eP  a t   t   on

OR

www.army.mil/publications  28

Soldier competes in popular game show! 

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Soldiers • April 2009  29

SAFF Sgt. Matt Zedwick, an Iraqveteran and the only living SilverStar recipient in the Oregon

National Guard since World War II,competed in a special holiday airing o “Deal or No Deal,” in December. Hisappearance on the show was prompted

by his impressive career as a Soldier,especially when he rescued ellowSoldiers ater insurgents ambushed hispatrol.

Zedwick joined the Guard in1998, straight out o high school. Hisdecision to join was inuenced by hisgrandathers and several uncles, whohad served previously.

“It was somewhat o tradition, butit wasn’t required,” Zedwick laughed.“For me it was a way to take my ownindependence and do something ormysel, kind o like a passage to man-hood.”

During a deployment in 2004, hispatrol came under enemy ambush on June 13—a Friday.

Te patrol inspected an asphaltactory a little ways o the road they  were traveling on, but something didn’teel right.

“It looked a little peculiar becausethe shop was actually closed,” Zedwick explained. Te patrol continued on

ater the inspection and soon saw avehicle parked on the side o the road.

Zedwick, who was driving thatday, heard the call over the radio to“steer wide,” and veered away rom thevehicle. As he was making the turn, theother vehicle exploded.

It was an improvised explosivedevice.

“From what I heard rom the ve-hicle behind me, it lited me up like 10eet in the air,” spinning the Humvee

around so it aced the opposite direc-tion. Ater the explosion, the Humveecaught fre and Zedwick was takingsmall-arms fre rom insurgents. Hechecked or a response rom his squadleader and received one, but the gunner was not responding.

“My door was on fre, and theonly way I could get out was to kick through it,” Zedwick said. Onceoutside, Zedwick ran to the oppositeside o the vehicle and pulled his squad

leader ree. While rescuing the squad

leader, Zedwick saw that the gunner—a good riend o fve years—was dead.

Other vehicles in Zedwick’s patrollaid down suppressive fre while heperormed the rescue. Insurgentsbegan fring mortars on them, but they ell short o their position. Just as the

patrol was getting into a deensibleposition, another IED went o. Teexplosion injured another Soldier try-ing to help Zedwick.

Te patrol was trapped in the open,on a barren landscape that stretched“several hundred meters in both direc-tions,” with only their vehicles orcover, Zedwick said.

“Tere was nowhere to hide,” hesaid.

Once Zedwick got his squad leaderto saety, he ran back to the burningHumvee and retrieved some sensitiveitems, another radio and weapons.He and other Soldiers rom the patrolloaded the wounded onto an opera-tional vehicle and moved south o the“kill zone.” Tey set up security, usingthe Humvee or cover, where they  waited until reinorcements came andneutralized the threat.

Once the immediate danger passed,the wounded were medevaced rom thescene.

“Tat’s when I ound out I was in- jured. I had so much adrenaline goingthrough my body I didn’t know what was going on, I just reacted,” Zedwick 

said. He had taken a large piece o shrapnel to the wrist.Zedwick was awarded both

the Purple Heart and the Silver Star orpulling his squad leader and anotherSoldier rom the burning Humvees.o honor his achievements urther, the Army has incorporated Zedwick as acharacter in the America’s Army RealHeroes program—complete with hisvery own action fgure.

Zedwick said he believes his experi-ence with the America’s Army RealHeroes program helped him become acontestant on the show. He said the ac-tion fgure seemed to intrigue produc-ers, and he soon ound himsel on thepopular game show’s set, bumping fsts with Howie Mendel.

                                                                                                                                                    N                                                                                                                                                    B                                                                                                                                                    C 

                                                                                                                                                     P                                                                                                                                                    h

                                                                                                            o                                                                                                                                           t                                                                                                            o 

                                                                                                        :                                                                                                                                                    T

                                                                                                            r                                                                                                            a                                                                                                               e 

                                                                                                                                                    P                                                                                                            a   

                                                                                                                                          t                                                                                                                                          t                                                                                                            o                                                                                                             n

Sta Sgt. Matthew Zedwick and wie Kristin enter the “Deal or No Deal” set instyle. The two-hour special aired Dec. 25, 2008.

Soldiers • April 2009  29

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30 www.army.mil/publications 

Zedwick appeared on the show with his wie Kristin to compete or atop prize o $1 million. In addition tohis wie, Zedwick’s brother Dan andriend Ryan uttle joined him on stageto provide support. Several riends,

amily members and ellow Soldiers were in the audience cheering him on.

“Te show was really un,” Zedwick said, though he was “cooped-up” in agreen room with only soda and energy drinks to sustain him and his on-stageguests until flming.

Zedwick thought that the showprobably wanted to keep him energizedor flming, which took three hours.

 According to the “Deal or NoDeal” Web site, 26 sealed cases con-

taining various amounts o money are presented to the contestant. Tecontestant picks one to keep or bargainaway as he chooses, in hopes that thechosen case contains a large amount o money.

 Ater each round in which a prede-termined number o cases are opened,“the Banker” makes the contestant anoer. I the amounts eliminated romthe remaining 25 cases are small, theoer gets higher with each round. I 

the amounts are high, the oer coulddisappear all together.

Zedwick won $227,000 in prizemoney on the show, and believes hemade a good deal. Tere was only $400

in the case he chose to keep at thebeginning o the game.

“I think I made an excellent deal. Ater knocking out the million bucksor the frst choice, I think I did pretty  well,” he laughed.

 A ull-time student, Zedwick plansto use the winnings to help pay orcollege, where he is studying businessand marketing with a minor in military science.

“I’m not going to go out and

splurge,” he said.He also intends to save a portion

o the money, and wants to donatethe rest to charities that hold a specialmeaning or him.

“I am going to donate some o it toa scholarship und, a charity (in honor)o some o the guys who served in ourbattalion who lost their lives there, ortheir children. And also, my gunner—there is a skate park named ater himas a memorial. I was going to invest alittle bit in that,” Zedwick said.

For more inormation on Zedwick’sparticipation in America’s Army RealHeroes, visit http://www.americasarmy.com/realheroes.v

30 www.army.mil/publications 

 T hen-1s t Ca valr y Di vision 

commander Ma j. Gen. Pe te

r C hiarelli a wards Sg t. Ma

 t-

 t he w  Zed wick, o f Cor vallis

, Ore.,  t he Sil ver S tar Meda

l, Feb. 8, 2005,  for  his  heroi

ac tions under enem y a t tac

k. 

S                              t                            a                      f                              f                              S                              

        g                      t                            .       R                              e                      b                             

e                      k                             a                      h                             -              m                      

a                      e                      B                              r                       u                      n                      s                      

 J i  m M a cMi  l  l   an

Sgt. Matthew Zedwick (let)and a ellow Soldier fght inthe streets o Naja, Iraq, Aug. 16, 2004. Sporadic butheavy ighting continuedthrough the day and intothe evening, with insurgentsfring, rockets, mortars andsmall arms. U.S. orcesresponded with tanks, Brad-ley ighting vehicles andhelicopter air strikes.

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Soldiers • April 2009  31www4.army.mil/yearofthenco 

Year  of the NCoI will exercise initiative by taking appropriate action

in the absence of orders.

2009

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Story by Elizabeth M. CollinsFocus on People

M ASER Sgt. Lance Milstedis many things: Soldier,teacher, husband, ather and

actor. And in a recent production o  Walt Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,”in La Plata, Md., the Deense Inorma-tion School instructor took on a roleenhanced by his military bearing andcondence: Gaston, Belle’s egomaniacalsuitor.

Milsted had a presence on stagethat director Joseph Stine thoughtcame rom his military bearing. Steinpointed out that several other service-members rom the Navy and Air Force were also participating in the cast andorchestra.

“You denitely have to have the airo condence about you to have thepresence that he has on stage,” addedMichael Mickey, who played Beast inthe production. “It’s nice to see mem-

bers o the military being active outsideo just serving the country. It’s nice tobe able to see how they live other than what we see in the papers and on V.”

Milsted agreed that lie inuenceshis roles, but said that because Gaston was so overblown, he could just haveun with the role. He said he usually prepares or the role by walking aroundmaking up new lyrics to his title song.

“For example, I would walk aroundand sing, ‘No one hikes like Gaston,

rides bikes like Gaston.’ It allows meto think o unny things that Gaston would do, instead o ocusing my at-tention on me and, really, it’s caughton. Te only ear is that some nightduring the show, we’ll actually sing the wrong words,” he said.

 Ater taking to the stage in middleand high schools, Milsted was ableto pursue his love o acting even aterstarting a career as an Army broadcastervia a theater at Fort Carson, Colo.,

Becoming Gaston

called the “Little Teater.”He said it was a great way to add

some variety to his rst years in the Army.

“I think the big one is to combatboredom, especially as a younger Sol-dier,” said Milsted, who once dreamedo joining the Soldier Show. “For me,it got me out o the barracks, it keptme associated with people I liked. We

shared the same passions or music andperorming and being silly or being se-rious or putting on something that al-lowed people to experience something. Which is still why I enjoy it today. Fora single Soldier, it’s something to dobesides sit in the barracks and watchV or play video games, not that thosethings are bad in and o themselves.”

He said it’s a great outlet, and orSoldiers at new duty stations, the bestplace to nd out about local theaters is

usually the Family, Morale, Welare andRecreation ofce.

Not only did his love o perormingprobably inuence his decision to be-come a broadcaster, Milsted said it alsohelps in his current job at DINFOS.He said it’s easier to teach when you’realready used to getting up in ront o people.

“I think, in theater, you get used

to being in ront o people and youdenitely have to lose your inhibi-tions, especially i you’re going to walk around in tights and a black wig,” hesaid. “You really get comortable with who you are. So it’s helped me be ableto communicate with olks on theplatorm and be animated in class andhopeully present the material in a way the students will remember. I enjoy teaching because I like sharing thatinormation.”v

Master Sgt. Lance Milsted as Gaston is surrounded by admiring ladies in a production of “Beauty andthe Beast.” Photo courtesy of Master Sgt. Lance Milsted and the Port Tobacco Players.

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