TV Personality Montel Williams Served in the Navy, Marine Corps

 Feature// 9th February 2022 | By David Vergun DOD News

A Marine poses
for a photo

Montel Williams is perhaps best known for his TV appearances from 1991 to 2008 on "The Montel Williams Show." Williams, born in Baltimore on July 3, 1956, also served in the military, enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1974 and later graduating from the Naval Academy in 1980 with a degree in engineering and a minor in international security affairs. 

He then served 18 months in Guam as a cryptologic officer for naval intelligence. His next assignment was as a cryptologic officer with the Naval Security Fleet Support Division at Fort Meade, Maryland.  

After 22 years of military service, he retired from the Navy with the rank of lieutenant commander.  

On the last episode of "The Montel Williams Show," Navy Capt. Kenneth J. Braithwaite II, director of Joint Public Affairs Support Element Reserve, presented Williams with the Navy's Superior Public Service Award. 

"It was an honor to be able to award a true patriot like Mr. Williams," Braithwaite said. "This award signifies his genuine gratitude for military service. He has a definite understanding and appreciation of what sailors and Marines sacrifice, something he knows well from his own military experience." 

During annual holiday shows in his television program's long run, Williams reunited deployed sailors with their families. In 2006, he and a production crew flew to the U.S. Central Command 5th Fleet area of responsibility to tour Iraqi oil platforms and meet with deployed sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. 

A group poses for a photo

His program frequently highlighted the efforts of nonprofit organizations that support service members. Throughout his 17 years on television, Williams continuously shared with audience members and viewers the importance of supporting the military and recognized sailors' and Marines' sacrifices in service to their country. 

"During the entire run of my shows," Williams recalled, "I would do two or three shows dedicated to the military every single year. I went back and forth to the Persian Gulf multiple times while my show was on the air, taking messages to family members."  

Men talk during a ship tour

Shortly after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999, Williams established the Montel Williams MS Foundation to further the scientific study of MS, provide financial assistance to select organizations and institutions conducting research, raise national awareness and educate the public.  

"My responsibility is to my fellow man," he said. "We are not here for self alone ... what I can do for mankind is much greater than what I can do for myself, and that's why I try my best. That sounds lofty and all that, but that's my purpose." 

Besides doing "The Montel Williams Show," he was an actor in several military-themed shows. He portrayed a Navy SEAL, Lt. Curtis Rivers, in three episodes of the TV series "JAG."  

He also produced and starred in a short-lived TV series called "Matt Waters," which appeared on CBS in 1996. In it, he played an ex-Navy SEAL turned inner-city high school teacher. 

Two men bond during a gathering

In 1997 he played Air Force Lt. Col. Northrop, a nuclear missile silo commander, in the fictional movie "The Peacekeeper."

Courtesy//Source: US Department of Defense

Sunlit Sail: special Moments of Life and Travel

 Evaluation exercises aboard a patrol boat in San Diego 

Photo Courtesy US Department of Defense 

Internet: 21st February 2021: (USA Defense Department//Seven Seas News)::

Sailors assigned to Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 11 participate in evaluation exercises aboard a patrol boat in San Diego, Feb. 24, 2021.

Photo By: Navy Chief Petty Officer Nelson Doromal Jr.

President, First Lady Salute Troops, Vets, Families

12/25/2013 05:58 AM CST                                                                 Wed, Dec 25, 2013 at 5:42 PM

American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 25, 2013: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama today wished all Americans a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and provided special holiday greetings and thanks to U.S. military members, veterans, and their families for their service and sacrifice to the nation.  The Obamas also employed the president's weekly address to the nation to remind Americans to visit the Joining Forces website to find ways to give back to military families. The First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, launched the Joining Forces campaign in April 2011 to rally national support from all sectors of society to honor and support service members, veterans and their families. The President and the First Lady also said that during this holiday season all Americans should come together to find ways to support U.S. service members, veterans and their families, and to keep working to be good parents, friends, neighbors and citizens in their communities. Here is the text of the President's and First Lady's weekly national address remarks: THE PRESIDENT: "Hello everybody, and Happy Holidays." THE FIRST LADY: "We know how busy this time of year is for everyone, so we're not going to take much of your time. "But we did want to take a moment to wish you all a Merry Christmas, from our family to yours." THE PRESIDENT: "This is a season for millions of Americans to be together with family, to continue long-held holiday traditions, and to show our gratitude to those we love. And along the way, some of us might even watch a little basketball or eat some Christmas cookies, too." THE FIRST LADY: "Here at the White House, over the past few weeks, we've had about 70,000 people from all across the country come visit us and look at our holiday decorations. "This year's theme was, 'Gather Around: Stories of the Season.' "And in every room of the house, we tried to tell a story about who we are as Americans and how we celebrate the holidays together. "And we made certain to highlight some of the most powerful stories we know -- the stories of our outstanding troops, veterans, and military families and their service and sacrifice for our country." THE PRESIDENT: "Our extraordinary men and women in uniform are serving so that the rest of us can enjoy the blessings we cherish during the holidays. But that means many of our troops are far from home and far from family. They're spending some extra time on the phone with their loved ones back home. Or they're setting up video chats so they can watch as the presents are opened. So today, we want all of our troops to know that you're in our thoughts and prayers this holiday season. "And here's the good news: For many of our troops and newest veterans, this might be the first time in years that they've been with their families on Christmas. In fact, with the Iraq war over and the transition in Afghanistan, fewer of our men and women in uniform are deployed in harm's way than at any time in the last decade." THE FIRST LADY: "And that's something we all can be thankful for. "And with more and more of our troops back here at home, now it's our turn to serve -- it's our turn to step up and show our gratitude for the military families who have given us so much. "And that's why Jill Biden and I started our Joining Forces initiative -- to rally all Americans to support our military families in ways large and small. "And again and again, we have been overwhelmed by the response we've gotten as folks from across the country have found new ways to give back to these families through their schools, businesses, and houses of worship." THE PRESIDENT: "That's the same spirit of giving that connects all of us during the holidays. So many people all across the country are helping out at soup kitchens, buying gifts for children in need, or organizing food or clothing drives for their neighbors. For families like ours, that service is a chance to celebrate the birth of Christ and live out what He taught us -- to love our neighbors as we would ourselves; to feed the hungry and look after the sick; to be our brother's keeper and our sister's keeper. And for all of us as Americans, regardless of our faith, those are values that can drive us to be better parents and friends, better neighbors and better citizens." THE FIRST LADY: "So as we look to the New Year, let's pledge ourselves to living out those values by reaching out and lifting up those in our communities who could use a hand up. THE PRESIDENT: "So Merry Christmas, everyone. And, from the two of us, as well as Malia, Sasha, Grandma, Bo ..." THE FIRST LADY: "And Sunny, the newest Obama." THE PRESIDENT: "We wish you all a blessed and safe holiday season. THE FIRST LADY: "Happy holidays everybody, and God bless."  Video published on 17-05-2012  Courtesy:BarackObamadotcom// YouTube

Related Sites: Weekly Address: The President and First Lady Wish Everyone a Happy Holiday Season Weekly Address Video Joining Forces Photo Essay: U.S. Soldiers Conduct Christmas Bundle Drop in Afghanistan Holiday Video Message from President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's Holiday Message Dempsey Family Sends Holiday Wishes to Troops Battaglias, Veterans Issue Joint Holiday Message Related Articles: First Lady Lauds Military Families for Toys for Tots Work Dr. Biden Hosts National Guard Christmas Tree Dedication First Lady, Military Families Preview Holiday Decorations Thousands of U.S. Personnel Serve Overseas During the Holidays Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden Pay Tribute to Veterans Dr. Biden Attends Veterans' Education Support Events First Lady, Dr. Biden Vow to Continue 'Joining Forces' Dr. Biden, USO Join Forces to Provide Warrior Care Packs

President Obama Explains the Shutdown

 Wed, Oct 9, 2013 at 11:29 PM

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

President Obama Explains the Shutdown Yesterday, eight days into the Republican government shutdown, President Obama spoke from the White House about the need for Republicans in Congress to stop threatening another recession just to sabotage Obamacare, stop demanding ransom just for doing their jobs, and just vote to reopen the government. He talked about the toll this shutdown is already taking on our country and the economy, and warned against the dire consequences of a default if Congress doesn’t act to prevent an economic shutdown. Keeping the government running and paying the nation’s bills aren’t bargaining chips or a matter of negotiation – they’re a fundamental part of Congress’s job. Here’s how the President put it yesterday: "If you're in negotiations around buying somebody's house, you don't get to say, 'Well, let's talk about the price I'm going to pay, and if you don't give the price then I'm going to burn down your house.' That's not how negotiations work.... In the same way, members of Congress -- and the House Republicans in particular -- don't get to demand ransom in exchange for doing their jobs. And two of their very basic jobs are passing a budget and making sure that America is paying its bills." Watch the President’s statement here, and then pass it on to your friends: As the President has made clear -- and the press has reported -- the government could be reopened, today, with the votes of reasonable Republicans and Democrats if Tea Party Republicans would allow a simple yes-or-no vote on a Senate-passed compromise bill to fund the United States government. It’s time for Congress to just vote and end this government shutdown now.

Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansari

Interacting with the students

The Vice President, Shri Mohd. Hamid Ansari interacting with the students from the University of Houston, USA, in New Delhi on May 31, 2013. (PIB)            31-May-2013

First Lady Hosts

05/09/2013 10:40 PM CDT                                                    Fri, May 10, 2013 at 9:06 AM
Military Mother's Day Tea at White House
By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2013 - First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, hosted 170 military mothers and their children at the White House today for a formal Mother's Day tea. First Lady Michelle Obama, center, Dr. Jill Biden, right, and Britain's Prince Harry applaud military families, May 9, 2013, in the East Room of the White House at the Joining Forces Mother's Day Tea. DOD photo by Terri Moon Cronk.  The event was part of the Joining Forces campaign, which provides support and opportunities for military families. It brought military moms, their mothers and kids from around the country to the White HOuse, Obama said.The guest list also included Lilibet Hagel, wife of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel; Patty Shinseki, wife of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki;the first lady'smother, Marian Robinson; and the military spouses of the year from each of the services, the National Guard and the Coast Guard. In addition, Britain's Prince Harry also made a surprise visit. "Today we have some of the most extraordinary moms here with us -- active-duty troops and military spouses from all across the country," Obama said. "You help our country soar. When somebody needs you – your family, community or your country -- ... you answer the call every time," she said. Following the first lady's remarks, while mothers remained in the East Room drinking tea made from chamomile grown in the White House garden, the children went to the State Dining Room where they made cards and crafts for Mother's Day. The 50 children, ranging in age from 6 to 13 years, made their gifts with help from the first lady, Biden, Prince Harry, military personnel and White House staff, among others. When the youths re-entered the East Room bearing their gifts, Prince Harry emerged with them, bringing the crowd to cheers and applause. Following two deployments to Afghanistan, Prince Harry has since "focused on honoring the sacrifices and service of veterans and military families," especially as the war there is drawing down, Obama said. "[Prince Harry] has spent a lot of time supporting wounded warriors and families of the fallen," she said. The prince will also attend the 2013 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo., where injured service members will compete in a variety of sports at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and Air Force Academy as part of his U.S. trip. "When he heard about this tea and all of you, he wanted to be here to personally thank you for your service," Obama said. In support of service members, their families and veterans, Obama told the audience that the Joining Forces initiative is a "forever proposition" that will continue with succeeding presidents. Obama and Biden established Joining Forces in June 2011 to mobilize backing from every sector of society to help these individuals find work and other resources. "I hope you know how much your country appreciates you," the first lady told the audience. "People across America have your backs ... from everyone here at the White House and the Department of Defense ... to doctors, college professors, community and faith leaders. It's because of you and what you've given this country."

Related Sites: Joining Forces

California Air National Guard Battles Raging Wildfires

05/06/2013 09:16 AM CDT                                                       Mon, May 6, 2013 at 7:02 PM

From a National Guard Bureau News Release PORT HUENEME, Calif., May 6, 2013 - The California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing is providing two specialized firefighting C-130J aircraft and crews to assist with wildfires raging across the state. A C-130J from the California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing is prepared for possible use against wildfires. The aircraft from the California Air National Guard is equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems, or MAFFS, and can drop up to 3,000 gallons of fire retardant. Courtesy photo  Acting on a request for support from state emergency agencies, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. directed Army Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, California's adjutant general, to provide the support.Baldwin also authorized air tanker base operations to be staged out of Channel Islands Air National Guard Station here, where the C-130Js are stationed, allowing shorter response times for all civilian and military aircraft working the fires in Ventura County. The air tankers will land and reload with fire retardant at the Guard station, which is within five miles of the fires. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection members are working with Air National Guard airmen to get the tanker operations up and running. "Wildfire season is upon us, and our Guardsmen are in the fight," Baldwin said. "When the lives and property of our fellow Californians hang in the balance, our tireless training and coordination with [the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection] pay great dividends." The 146th Airlift Wing has responded to numerous state and federal firefighting missions in the past, but this is the first time the wing's flightline will be used as a tanker base. "California is no stranger to wildfires," said Chief Ken Pimlott, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "Our well-exercised and long-standing relationship with the California National Guard allows for rapid, effective deployment of these additional resources during times of elevated fire activity." The California Air National Guard's C-130J aircraft are equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System II, which is capable of dropping up to 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant. The system slides into the back of an aircraft, and water or retardant is released through a nozzle on the rear left side of the plane. MAFFS equipment and aircraft are activated to supplement U.S. Forest Service and civilian air tankers during periods of high wildfire activity throughout the nation. "The activation of California Air National Guard aircraft equipped with MAFFS strengthens our firefighting arsenal as needed and is a timely addition to current resources considering the extended heat and wind conditions we anticipate through the weekend," said Mark Ghilarducci, secretary of the California Emergency Management Agency, which is responsible for overall coordination of the state's response to major emergencies.

Related Sites: California Air National Guard

At Israel's Holocaust Memorial

Hagel Lays a Wreath in Remembrance 04/21/2013 03:35 PM CDT By Cheryl Pellerin American Forces Press Service JERUSALEM, April 21, 2013 - On the first afternoon of two days of talks with military and government officials here, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel toured Yad Vashem, Israel's living memorial to the Holocaust, and in the Hall of Remembrance laid a wreath on a stone crypt containing ashes of Holocaust victims. Hagel walked the solemn and evocative displays of the Holocaust History Museum with his son Ziller and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, later calling the institution "important, inspirational and beautiful." Yad Vashem was established in 1953 as the world center for documentation, research, education and commemoration of the Holocaust, Nazi Germany's murder of 6 million Jews during World War II. After Hagel's visit to the museum, he participated in a memorial ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance, visited the Children's Memorial and signed the Yad Vashem guest book. Then, sheltered by the building from a steady rain, Hagel took a few moments to speak with reporters and museum guests. Thanking those who have made the institution possible, the secretary said of Yad Vashem, "I've brought my son Ziller with me on this trip and I particularly wanted him to accompany me here for this experience." Such institutions and museums are created as a tribute to generations of the past and in particular victims of the past, he said, "but maybe more importantly these institutions are built to instruct future generations." The secretary added, "They come together at an intersection that is important for all of us as one dimension or responsibility for each person. There is no more poignant, more touching, more effective way to tell a story than this reality, as painful as it is." "We must prepare future generations in our time here for a clear understanding that we must never allow this to happen again." After Hagel signed the guestbook, he read his inscription to the audience. "For my friends of Israel," the secretary read, "thank you for this magnificent institution, reminding all mankind of the depths of evil but also the promise and hope and courage of man -- a beautiful and important tribute to those victims of the past and an instruction and reminder for the generations of the future. [Signed,] your friend, Chuck Hagel, United States secretary of defense." Today's visit was part of a 6-day trip to the Middle East, Hagel's first as defense secretary. He will make stops in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates before returning to the United States April 26.

Biographies: Chuck HagelRelated Sites: Special: Travels with Hagel Yad Vashem Related Articles: Hagel: United States Committed to Israel's Security Hagel's First Middle East Trip to Seal Historic Arms Deal

Veterans Full Employment Act of 2013

04/17/2013 06:59 PM CDT                                                                   Thu, Apr 18, 2013 at 4:43 AM
First Lady Joins Maryland Governor at Veterans' Bill Signing

By Amaani Lyle American Forces Press Service ANNAPOLIS, Md., April 17, 2013 - First Lady Michelle Obama joined Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley today at the State House here as the governor signed into law the Veterans Full Employment Act of 2013. The Defense Department collaborated in development of Maryland's comprehensive bill, designed to streamline credentialing and licensing procedures for service members, veterans and their spouses. "We have asked them to risk their lives in combat, manage dozens of peers, operate complicated machinery, oversee millions of dollars of assets and save lives on the battlefield," Obama said. "And then, when they come home, we're also asking them to repeat months of training for skills they've already mastered. So we have to ask ourselves: how does this make sense?" The first lady said enacting the bill represents more than merely "eliminating a few bureaucratic headaches" for veterans and their spouses. "This is about improving the financial security for thousands of military families," Obama said. "It's about giving veterans and their spouses an opportunity to build their careers and create a better future for their children." As part of their Joining Forces initiative, in February, the first lady and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, addressed the National Governor's Association as part of a call to action to bring millions of veterans into the civilian workforce. "With the Iraq war over [and] the war in Afghanistan winding down, more than a million service members are going to be hanging up their uniforms and transitioning back to civilian life," Obama said. "And that comes on top of the hundreds of thousands of veterans and military spouses already out there looking for work." While the first lady noted much progress in veterans' employment over the past few years, she acknowledged that there is still more work to do. As of March 2013, roughly 783,000 veterans were unemployed and looking for work, including 207,000 post-9/11 veterans. "We need more businesses to make big, bold commitments to hire and train our veterans and military spouses," Obama said. "We need more hospitals ... colleges and employers from every sector to recognize our veterans' and military spouses' unique skills and experiences and give them a fair shot at a job." Prior to the bill-signing, Obama visited the U.S. Naval Academy, where she ate lunch with midshipmen and met with a number of health care professionals who have served the country for years and mastered highly technical, high-demand skills. Introducing the first lady at the State House was 23-year Navy veteran and former Senior Chief Petty Officer Andrew Heit, who suffered a traumatic brain injury while on active duty. Heit said he experienced anxiety about pursuing a degree. "Even though I served this country for more than two decades as a radar tech, an avionics electronics technician and an avionics instructor, I was unable to receive even a single college credit with all of my military experience and numerous formal training courses I completed on active duty," Heit said. "Legislation that's being signed today will ensure the well-deserved recognition of our country's veterans' efforts of service and acknowledge their military experience and their formal training received while serving our country." The legislation, Heit emphasized, will remove the barrier of time. "It will help shorten the time required to complete the desired degree by allowing credit for the often-expensive knowledge [veterans] have gained during their military service," Heit added. Maryland joins a growing list of states that have taken legislative or executive action to help service members, veterans and their spouses get the credentials they need to successfully transition to the civilian labor market. "Your bill here in Maryland is one of the best bills we have seen in the entire country," Obama said. "You're helping our veterans obtain professional credentials ... earn college credit ... and making it easier for military spouses to continue their careers as they transfer to your state." O'Malley also addressed the plight of veterans before signing the bill. "These individuals should never come home, after overcoming all the barriers they have for us, and face barriers to employment, barriers to licensing, barriers that prevent them from keeping a roof over their children's heads and providing them with a loving home with economic security and dignity."

Related Sites: Joining Forces

Face of Defense:

Army Civil Engineer Serves in Afghanistan

By Karla Marshall Army Corps of Engineers, Afghanistan Engineer District South KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, April 1, 2013 - Linda Murphy said her passion to use her expertise to help Afghans improve their quality of life caused her to trade-in her designer pumps for some steel-toed boots. Afghanistan-deployed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civilian employee and civil engineer Linda Murphy, right, meets with Afghan Minister of Energy Ishmael Khan as part of her duties as the Afghanistan Engineer District-South Water and Infrastructure program manager. Courtesy photo  Murphy is a civil engineer, and she serves here as chief of the Water and Infrastructure Project Management Branch with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineer District South.Competition spurred Murphy from a young age, she said. "My best friend and I were always competing in math grades and science fairs," she said. Those experiences, she said, taught her the value of working hard, living up to promises and commitments, and doing her best. So following her dream, she said, was not scary or particularly difficult. "I liked architecture but my best friend's dad was a Purdue University engineering alumnus and he convinced many of us from our high school to go into engineering at Purdue," Murphy said. Pursuing engineering at Purdue was a logical choice for Murphy, who said she figured out in high school that she wanted to be self-sufficient. Murphy reasoned that attaining a science, technology, engineering and math degree would help ensure that her future was wide open and that she'd always be employed. After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., Murphy began her career as an engineer with the USACE Louisville District in Louisville, Ky., in 1983. Working her way up through the ranks at her home district, Murphy was chief of the Civil Project Management and Programs Branch of the Louisville District when she deployed to Kandahar Airfield in January 2012. "Now that I had gotten both my daughters off to college as fairly self-sufficient women, I decided to deploy to provide assistance to the women and men of the coalition forces and particularly to the women and men of Afghanistan," she explained. "I knew that I could contribute to the mission and grow as a person at the same time." One year later Murphy doesn't regret that decision and she has opted to extend an additional nine months to manage one of the South District's most challenging programs. She leads a team of project managers who oversee construction projects that directly contribute to the improvement of Afghanistan's infrastructure. Water and electricity availability, bridges and roads, university facilities and medical clinics all fall under Murphy's purview and leadership. "I have never been one to back down from a challenge," she said. "Working in Afghanistan has broadened my experiences, allowed me to do something outside my comfort zone, and given me a greater appreciation for what I have back home." In addition to a successful career with the Corps of Engineers, four of Murphy's best female friends are also engineers at the Louisville District. Having that core group of friends, Murphy said, has made her career a rewarding one. "For young women, engineering probably doesn't seem like a very glamorous career but if they are given opportunities to see engineers at work, ask questions, and are encouraged to enjoy math and science, more would probably show interest," Murphy said. "I am grateful that my core group of friends shares a similar background with me. As women who are engineers, we look for opportunities to mentor younger women and share our careers with them." The important thing is to be passionate about what you want to do, Murphy said. For her, coming to Afghanistan has enabled her to continue her passion. She believes that she and her fellow women engineers deployed to Afghanistan all serve for a common purpose and goal which emulates the Corps of Engineers' motto, -- Essayons, which means "Let Us Try." "We are daughters, sisters, aunts, nieces, mothers, and even grandmothers -- coming together here for one cause -- to make a contribution for a better future for not only the women of Afghanistan but for everyone here," Murphy said. "And like our Corps' motto states, -- we will try. We will try our hardest."

Related Sites: NATO International Security Assistance Force

Demolishing unserviceable ammunition

03/27/2013 07:36 PM CDT                                                Thu, Mar 28, 2013 at 5:37 AM

U.S. Marines demolish unserviceable ammunition, unexploded ordnance and other military items in Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 17, 2013.

 Demolishing unserviceable ammunition

Globemaster III aircraft lands

Runway during exercise Red Flag

A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft lands at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., as three F-15C Eagle aircraft assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, hold short of the runway during exercise Red Flag 13-3 Feb. 25, 2013. Red Flag is an advanced aerial combat training exercise held four to six times a year to train pilots from the U.S., NATO and other allied countries for real combat situations. (DoD photo by Lawrence Crespo, U.S. Army/Released)  02/25/2013 - 
VIRIN: 130225-F-NK166-828

Chairman's Enlisted Advisor

Inspires Army Junior ROTC Cadets

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr. American Forces Press Service ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 22, 2013 - Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spent this morning talking to Junior ROTC cadets here. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, center, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks to Army Junior ROTC cadets at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., Feb. 22, 2013. DOD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.  The sergeant major spoke to students in the Army Junior ROTC program at T.C. Williams High School, known for marching in President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration parade and for the film "Remember the Titans," based on the 1971 merger of the city's three public high schools.Battaglia told the cadets that he and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, got the idea for today's visit when they used the school's football stadium recently to film a Super Bowl message to be broadcast to service members overseas. He commented on the Junior ROTC Cadet Creed that is on display at the school. "If you follow that as gospel, it tells me that you are living by standards and rules for yourself and have some goals or objectives for yourself," the sergeant major told the cadets. "And it also shows me teamwork." Using a PowerPoint presentation, Battaglia showed the cadets the U.S. military's oath of enlistment. "We, in the military, have oaths and creeds as well," he said. "This is our oath. We all take it. I took that oath 33 years ago." Battaglia noted that the cadet creed and the enlistment oath have common denominators. "We all live by an oath, by a creed, and things that guide us along the way," he said. "That's pretty amazing." All 2.3 million troops and their families live by the same oath, he added. "I hope that as you may have memorized it and know it by heart, it means more than just being able to say it by memory," Battaglia said. "There's a whole lot of substance in there, and it's really important for you to understand, as it is for us -- because what that means to us ... is that I'm willing to give my life for the protection of you. That's pretty serious, isn't it?" The sergeant major said when he reflects on what the oath of enlistment means, it's "a whole lot more than just a paragraph of words." "So I really hope that you can comprehend your creed ... as establishing a standard and value for you to get better and grow into being contributors," Battaglia said. "Whether it's just contributing to your neighborhood or the whole city, youth are the next leaders of our nation." No other job requires the oath service members take, the sergeant major said. "It's a serious profession that you join, and you're starting to [build] that footprint right now," he told the cadets. "I'm happy to see and hear that, because you are the future of our nation." Battaglia said he believes JROTC is a "great stepping stone" to continued success in life. "Regardless of whether the armed forces is your choice, you're going to have to survive in life," he said. "There are so many options and opportunities out there for you." The sergeant major said he has tried to follow two "golden" rules throughout his life: to do his job to the best of his ability, and to follow orders. "I found that those two golden rules allowed me to stay out of trouble ... and avoid temptation when that came about," he said. Following his remarks and a recital of the Junior ROTC Cadet Creed by one cadet, the group asked the sergeant major questions about his military career, including his 25 ribbons. Battaglia said seeking recognition and awards is not important, because they will come with hard work and commitment. "The thing that I probably learned [most] in the infantry is teamwork," he said. "You just can't do it alone -- there's no way. And that's not just fighting for your nation. That's doing anything. You just don't want to do it by yourself. It's all about teamwork."

Biographies: Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. BattagliaRelated Sites: Army Junior ROTC Cadet Creed

A letter by Dr. Asok Samanta

Sun, Feb 17, 2013 at 10:36 PM
US imperialism involved in illegal regime changes
To
The President,
IDBD

(People round the world must rise up to build powerful organized well-coordinated anti-imperialist movement to stop the murderous run of world imperialism led by US imperialism)

Dear Sir,
As you know, we are passing through a time when in the absence of mighty socialist camp led by the USSR, the imperialists-capitalists headed by US imperialists, unable to come out of the insoluble crisis they are ridden with, are on a rampage, pursuing their hegemonistic aspirations, overlordism and brigandage with impunity. Alongside military invasion and illegal occupation of others’ territories, they are now conducting their loot and plunder through neo-colonial route of exporting finance capital and ruling either by installing a puppet government or by forcing the governments of the weaker nations to be pliant with and subjugated to their dictates . They are also causing economic blockade or resorting to escalated violence to circumscribe the weaker nations. For more than six decades now, US imperialism in particular has been directly and indirectly involved in all types of illegal regime changes employing assassinations, bombings, sabotage, terrorism, electoral fraud and such other black means. Whenever the US imperialists can no longer use and abuse a peripheral country, they first attempt to employ open (or white) measures (diplomatic, political, economic, military, etc.) to force a necessary change in the national political leadership of the target state. However, when they fail to attain this objective using “white” or overt actions then, they do not hesitate to initiate, conduct and pursue “black reconnaissance” actions against its perceived and identified enemy targets, or threats to its global strategic interests. Black reconnaissance actions are primarily hidden in the dark and kept from the public, secret and clandestine in nature. They are almost always illegal and violate accepted international principles and norms. Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras, Haiti, have all borne the brunt with variance in degree. Somalia has been victim of the US imperialism-designed “nation building process” and ‘‘kind of humanitarian mission”. The NATO air raid in Kosovo, undertaken without the authorization of the Security Council and largely by using US forces to save the victims of so called ‘ethnic cleansing’ by President Slobodan Milosevic was soon  proved  to  be  a  step  towards fragmenting the Balkan states and deepening  imperialist  strangulation. 
For last three decades, the US imperialists along with their allies like Zionist Israel and British imperialismhave targeted West Asia obviously with a view to having total control of the rich oil fields. USA and its imperialist allies invaded and occupied Iraq on a completely trumped-up charge of possession of weapons of mass destruction. After the occupation of Iraq, USA has tried to keep its stranglehold on the country by installing a puppet regime on the one hand and by instigating ethnic strifes and violent conflicts between religious communities on the other. On the dark pages of human history which record the worst instances of naked aggression of big powers over smaller nations, Afghanistan has been a recent hapless inclusion. The war-monger US imperialists, the chieftain of the world capitalist- imperialist forces, have pounced upon this poor country with such venom and cruelty and have brought about such murderous devastation of human life and property, that have shocked and worried the peace –loving people of the entire world, not to speak of their inflicting unfathomable sufferings upon the Afghan people themselves.Having established control over Iraq and Afghanistan, USA is now turning its attention to other countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Central to US strategy in Middle East is unqualified support to Zionist Israel and to set it up as a bulwark against the surging tide of nationalism and anti-imperialism in the Arab countries; side by side, the US is lending support to the autocratic, tyrannical and despotic rulers in the Arab countries who perpetrate the most ruthless repression on the people, but protect the US interests.For a long time, US imperialists have been using Israel in subduing the most legitimate and just demand of homeland of the Palestine people. In Libya and Syria they are fomenting troubles through agent provocateurs. They are setting up their agents to destabilize the governments through violent armed actions under the cloak of ‘fighting for democracy’.  In the name of providing humanitarian aid to the people under attack from Muammar Gaddafi’s government in Libya, and giving logistic assistance to the forces fighting Gaddafi they, under NATO banner, US imperialists launched a full-scale air-war on Libya and savagely assassinated Gaddafi with the help of so called National Transitional Council (NTC), an organization propped up and backed by the agents of reaction with the blessings of US imperialism and its associates. Alongside a direct armed assault and creating ‘fifth columnists’ inside Libya, the US imperialists also pressed into action the International Criminal Court (ICC) which is increasingly being used as a tool by the Pentagon and Western imperialist powers in their bid to establish direct control over the  huge natural resources of Africa and West Asia.After having demolished Libya, the US imperialists and their allies have now chosen Syria. The present turmoil of Syria was perpetrated and monitored by none other than the US imperialists, towing their allies behind them. It is revealed in the media that just like Iraq and Libya, $6 million was handed out to Syrian groups aligned with US imperialism by the Bush administration after 2006 with a view to ensuring fall of the incumbent Syrian government. Lebanon is also on the radar of the US imperialists. Just the other day, Zionist Israel bombed the territories of Syria. So is Iran who along with socialist North Korea and Cuba has been included by the US rulers in their “axis of evils”. It is reported in The New York Times that US is carrying out secret military and air strikes in Yemen. Sudan, the oil-rich mineral-rich East African country is now a prime target of the US imperialists. 
This is how the imperialist web now extends over the entire globe. How could the imperialist powers particularly the US imperialists be so unbridled in their pursuit of international gangsterism and hegemonism? The answer lies in the qualitative change in the international correlation of forces following sad dismantling of mighty socialist camp due to revisionist conspiracy aided and abetted by capitalist-imperialist powers. So long the socialist camp existed, it, notwithstanding certain limitations and shortcomings, worked as a bulwark of anti-imperialism and peace. Had the bipolar world existed, the US imperialists and their allies would not have the nerve to undertake such dastardly activities with alacrity, unleash a reign of terror round the globe and openly threat the countries or political personalities not seeing eye to eye with them of dire consequences. Cowardly acts like summarily executing political opponents openly and boastfully would not have been that easy and go unchallenged. One would have observed that since collapse of the USSR and Eastern European socialist states in 1989-1991, US imperialists have launched five wars of invasion — in Iraq twice, in Yugoslavia in 1999, in Afghanistan in 2001, and now in Libya.It is pertinent to mention that Indian capitalism has also assumed imperialist character, given rise to a financial oligarchy by merger of industrial capital with banking capital and is exporting finance capital abroad to exploit cheap labour and raw material. Thus, the Indian monopolists have become junior partners of world imperialism and in order to fulfil their aspiration to become a formidable power in central and south Asia, they are increasing tilting towards the US camp, entering into nuclear treaty with them, undertaking joint military exercises and backing US design to target Iran, North Korea and other regimes opposed to US imperialism.
But the freedom-loving people of the world cannot remain a mute spectator to this overlordism, brigandage and gangsterism of the world imperialist powers headed by US imperialism nor should they be duped by the incessant imperialist propaganda. The imperialist sharks will be unbridled in their tyranny if there is no organized people’s resistance against all their felonious acts. Just as they did in Libya, the US imperialists and their allies will sneak into every country under this or that pretext, implement their nefarious designs, pit one section of the people against another fomenting divisiveness centring on religion, ethnicity or such other count to buttress their heinous agenda, overpower countries not falling in line with them by unleashing military attack and plotting killing of political opponents. One after another country would fall to such imperialist machination spelling doom to mankind.When the US imperialists and their associates are merrily indulging in all kinds of criminal acts and trying to cover them with panoply of cooked up alibis and charade of ‘restoring democracy’, the obvious question people should ask is who are they to determine what kind of rule would prevail in any other country? It is the exclusive preserve of the people of a country to decide what nature of governance they would like to have. Even if rulers of a country perpetrate genocide, it is upto the people there to develop powerful democratic movement or if the situation so warrants, a strong resistance movement to dissuade or dislodge the incumbent repressive regime. Democratic minded people of the world can also develop strong international public opinion against such crimes and extend moral support to such movement so as to create pressure on the culprit regime for stopping the ghastly activities. There are international diplomatic codes, existence of international bodies like International Court of Justice or even UNO, notwithstanding considerable dilution in their roles and their sickening obedience to the wishes of the US imperialists and their allies, to look after such matters. What is the propriety of the US imperialists and their cohorts to arrogate to themselves the power of functioning as international gendarme and nakedly meddle into the internal affairs of any country and that too by moving armed troops? If such be the case, what would be the fate of the lofty concepts of freedom, sovereignty, territorial integrity and independent state then? Is it to be assumed then that all these concepts are slated to vanish into thin air because the US imperialists have now emerged as a superlord by dint of their brute military might and hence ordained to write a new doctrine of democracy which is tantamount to meek unquestioned surrender to their sermons and fiats? If any ruler of any country does anything wrong, runs an autocratic regime, it is up to the people of that country to decide how he should be dealt with, what punishment should be meted out to him. History will judge his actions. Same is the case with Libya. Wherefrom do the US imperialists and their cohorts who in their own countries are brutally suppressing democratic movements, muffling voice of dissent and practising fascist dictatorship under the garb of parliamentary democracy, flouting and disobeying all democratic norms, codes and practices, derive the authority to militarily intervene in Libya or Iraq and engineer a regime change by murdering Gaddafi and Saddam? 
We are to keep in mind that what these imperialist despots fear most is the united conscious people’s movement. People must act and act decisively. True, in the situation obtaining, people apparently seem to be having no weapon to halt the murderous run of the imperialist sharks, to thwart the sinister imperialist machination of “humanitarian intervention with daggers drawn” or “trigger-happy export of democracy”. But that weapon has to be developed in right earnest, the invincible weapon of asserting of people’s power in right form. Of late, there have been spontaneous upheavals of people against pro-imperialist regimes in Egypt and Tunisia. Undeterred by the bullets and brutality of the autocratic regime and defying the long-continuing repressions that they have dreaded so far, lakhs of oppressed Egyptians from all sections of the society including women congregated at the Tahrir Square of Cairo and other parts of the country in the last week of January, 2011 to demand an end to thirty long years of President Hosni Mubarak’s most oppressive rule, fully backed, geared and protected by the army, and restoration of democracy. This spontaneous militant people’s protest which spread like wildfire across the country and virtually assumed the character of a mass uprising was greeted throughout the world as “Arab spring’. Such people’s protest agitations ought to surge forth in other countries of West Asia and Africa where dictatorial rules are in operation, the surging people’s protests have not crystallized in that manner. Most importantly, in order to lead all these protest agitations to their logical culmination, it is essential that the toiling people overcome all hurdles and hassles to close their ranks and develop well-organized powerful movements along the right track, build their own instruments of struggle right from the grassroots level rising above all differences and divisions and give birth through struggle to appropriate revolutionary leadership to spur them on to accomplish the goal. Simultaneously, a mighty militant global people’s movement needs to be developed against imperialism, particularly US imperialism by coordinating the anti-imperialist movements in the different countries and involving all anti-imperialist forces. Any attack on any country must be considered by the people of fellow countries as an attack on all of them by the US imperialists.  Hence, it should be incumbent on the anti-war peace-loving democratic minded patriotic people of all countries to rise up against any such attack, resist and repel with all might.  In other words, it would just not be an expression of solidarity but beyond that--unleashing action spurned by a sense of oneness.  The enemy would know that if it targets one particular country, the people of the entire region would retaliate and strike back.  If such co-ordination and fraternity among the fighting people of Latin America could be developed, it would not only give fillip to the democratic movements in each country but would also enfeeble the enemy to a great extent. And it is also of immense importance to understand that unless the various anti-imperialist people’s struggles grow and develop under correct revolutionary leadership, they will not be led to their logical culmination and might either be aborted midway or end in a half-baked and truncated way and the imperialist conspirators, sly and wicked to the bone, would cunningly exploit the accumulated grievances of the people in those lands for implementing their ‘humanitarian mission” of “planting democracy” through imbedded “agents” shored up as “pro-democracy” fighters. This alone can resist the marauding acts of imperialism, and save the world from this scourge of imperialist terror and oppression. We call upon all anti-imperialist peace-loving people to come forward and shoulder the task of releasing the desired people’s movement to thwart imperialist prowl with due expediency. 

With struggling greetings
Dr. Asok Samanta
Vice-President, Medical Service Centre
Member of All India Anti-Imperialist Forum
14th Feb. 2013


2 days nationwide continuous general strike

A protest Demonstration on 4th March 

2nd day of nationwide strike at Ludhiana

Struggle for human rights

"I Am Rising...": Anoushka Shankar

An open debate on violence against women at Ldh

India’s Informal Economy and Foreign Investment

A letter by Dr. Asok Samanta

Cybercom Commander Calls

02/13/2013 02:00 PM CST             Thu, Feb 14, 2013 at 1:40 AMCybersecurity Order First Step
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2013 - The cyber security policy President Barack Obama announced during his annual State of the Union address is a step toward protecting the nation's critical infrastructure, the commander of U.S. Cyber Command said here today.

Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, also director of the National Security Agency, joined senior U.S. officials from the White House and the Commerce and Homeland Security departments to discuss strengthening the cybersecurity of the country's critical infrastructure.

"We need a way of sharing information between government and industry -- both for information sharing and hardening our networks," he said. "I think what we're doing in the executive order tackles, perhaps, the most difficult issue facing our country: How do we harden these networks when, across all of industry and government, those networks are in various states of array? We've got to have a way of reaching out with industry and with government to solve that kind of problem."

The general said the new cybersecurity policy is important to strengthening the country's defenses against cyberattacks. "The systems and assets that our nation depends on for our economy, for our government, even for our national defense, are overwhelmingly owned and operated by industry," he explained. "We have pushed hard for information sharing."

Private-sector companies have the information they need to defend their own networks in a timely manner, he said. "However, information sharing alone will not solve this problem," he added. "Our infrastructure is fragile." The executive order Obama signed to put the new cybersecurity policy into effect sets up a process for government and industry to start to address the problem, the general said.

But although the president's new executive order helps to bring about some solutions, Alexander said, it isn't comprehensive.

"This executive order is only a down payment on what we need to address the threat," he said. "This executive order can only move us so far, and it's not a substitute for legislation. We need legislation, and we need it quickly, to defend our nation. Agreeing on the right legislation actions for much-needed cybersecurity standards is challenging."

The executive order is a step forward, though, because it creates a voluntary process for industry and government to establish that framework, Alexander said.

"In particular, with so much of the critical infrastructure owned and operated by the private sector, the government is often unaware of the malicious activity targeting our critical infrastructure," he said. "These blind spots prevent us from being positioned to help the critical infrastructure defend itself, and it prevents us from knowing when we need to defend the nation."

The general noted government can share threat information with the private sector under this executive order and existing laws, but a "real-time" defensive posture for the military's critical networks will require legislation removing barriers to private-to-public sharing of attacks and intrusions into private-sector networks.

"Legislation is also necessary to create incentives for better voluntary cooperation in cyber standards, developments and implementation," he said, "and to update and modernize government authorities to address these new cyber threats."

Alexander warned that potential cyber threats to the United States are very real, pointing to recent examples.

"You only have to look at the distributed denial-of-service attacks that we've seen on Wall Street, the destructive attacks we've seen against Saudi Aramco and RasGas, to see what's coming at our nation," Alexander said. Now is the time for action, he said, and the new executive order takes a step in implementing that action.

In his role as director of the NSA, Alexander said, he is fully committed to the development of the cybersecurity framework.

"We do play a vital role in all of this, and in protecting DOD networks and supporting our combatant commands and defending the nation from cyber-attacks," he said. "But we can't do it all. No one agency here can do it all. It takes a team in the government."

And the government cannot do it by itself, either, he added. "We have to have government and industry working together as a team," he said.

Biographies:
Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander 

Related Sites:
Executive Order: Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity
Special Report: Cybersecurity 
U.S. Cyber Command