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Respect the Sacrifice of Military Families

February 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Respect the Sacrifice of Military Families

The decision to join the military is one that takes a great deal of thought and some serious option weighing. A soldier’s family doesn’t always have a say in this choice and has to wait for the soldier to return. This can be a difficult time not knowing where the soldier is or when they will return. The more support that the family has the easier the task of making it through will be. This means that they will need help from the local community to help them make it through the tough times. This can be done in a number of ways, from putting together pot lucks to helping with day to day activities like car pooling and other similar helpful tasks.

In addition to the help provided by the community the military will also help the families through the process by providing emotional support if needed and any other added help the family may need. There are support groups for the family members to help them deal with the not knowing and the status of the soldiers. It can be difficult for family members to handle the household duties on their own while their soldier is away. The support of the military along with community support can go a long way to helping the family make it through these difficult times and to create a foundation for the family to hang on to while they are missing their soldiers. Taking time to reach out to a military family will go far to show them that the country is behind the soldiers and the family of the soldiers and their sacrifices. This is important to keeping everyone on the same page when it comes to protecting the country.

Filed Under: Family and Friends, Military, Security Tagged With: ,

Military Family Support is Vital to The Soldier’s Safety

February 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Military Family Support is Vital to The Soldier’s Safety

The soldiers that are sent to war are not the only ones who have to go through a difficult time. The families they leave behind have a tough job. They are required to try and keep their families together and maintain a positive attitude even though they often have no idea where their solider is and if they are safe. This is a huge task both emotionally and simply physically being able to manage an entire house on their own without the support of their soldier. This is one of the reasons that these families need the support of the community. They need to know that the community has their concerns and needs in their thoughts and are willing to help in any way that they can.

Supporting the family members of the military is in effect supporting the soldiers. They need to know that their family is safe and being cared for in their absence in order to focus on their jobs. This can be taken care of by the community supporting the families in any way that they can. The community can support the families of the military by helping them with some of the basics like everyday shopping and baby sitting and even just taking the time to see if they are in need of anything. Knowing they have support if they need it can mean a lot to these families. They also could benefit from such things as fundraisers and the occasional pot luck to show that they have the support of the community in any way that it is needed. This bit of relief can help them get through the unknowing and the worry that comes with being a military family.

Filed Under: Military, Security Tagged With: ,

The Social Media Home Front

December 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment

It’s well known that soldiers can fire a gun and follow orders. But now soldiers are posting blogs and following tweets. With the advent of social media and internet marketing, the US military is hopping on board the social networking bandwagon.

Military blogs are one of the best ways to stay in the know with soldiers around the world. An insider’s perspective, and on-the-ground look at life in the military is now within reach of anyone at a computer. There is a network of military blogs that are endorsed by the US military, but written by deployed personnel in all branches of the military, as well as veterans, reserves, and spouses and family members of the deployed. Readers can follow their favorite blogs to receive updates on the life of a soldier in the front lines in Afghanistan, in the guerrilla lines in Iraq, or deployed on any other mission. There is a blog for almost any current deployment.

It’s possible to “friend” on Facebook any of the US military branches, such as the US Navy, which maintains a Facebook group with interesting videos, photos, and news clips. Many Navy servicemembers and family members will post on the wall to say hello to each other.

The US Army is now undergoing a social media campaign that will allow the Army to interact with civilians and wider society with more ease. One of the major benefits of social media is community-building. Although virtual, social media networks allow family members and servicemembers to join together and share their thoughts, hopes, and fears with each other.

Many units of the US military already have e-newsletters that have been in print and/or published online. But social media allows for a dialogue, so that the military’s readership can now give feedback and express their opinions with more ease than ever before.

Filed Under: Recruitment, Security Tagged With: , ,

Air Force Squadron from North Pole, Alaska, Signs Off as Santa

December 7, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Not too many civilians think of the Air Force as Santa Claus’s Workshop. Oftentimes the Air Force, along with all other branches of the US military, are considered by society as defense and security corps – not humanitarian service workers. But the 354th Air Force Squadron stationed in Alaska has been spreading Christmas cheer – and counteracting negative stereotypes- for over 50 years.

The squadron responds to hundreds of children’s Christmas letters to Santa, postmarking them from the North Pole, which is a little town in which the Air Force base is located. The program is officially called Santa’s Mailbag, and any kids that write to Santa at 1 Santa Claus Lane in North Pole, Alaska, will receive a response.

In December 2010, the Colonel of the Air Force base joined the community in hoisting a new marker for the legendary North Pole in the center of town -a giant candy cane. Community leaders bundled up and weathered the cold in order to take some pictures and celebrate the new pole.

Originally, the Squadron received and responded to letters from those in their families, or other military families. But now that so many little ones are sending along their wish lists, the military receives support from the community.

The Santa pen pal program is not the only humanitarian service that the Air Force participates in. Air Force members based in Japan participate in Operation Christmas Drop, an airlift of toys and supplies to South Pacific islanders in need. Every Christmas, the islanders get excited to see the aircraft coming to drop the toys - an important symbol of charity and reconciliation in the wake of World War II.
The humanitarian services that the Air Force and other branches of the military participate in are just one of the main goals of the US military, and just another reason why recruitment and participation into the military is so widely appreciated.

Filed Under: Navy, Security Tagged With: , , ,

Coast Guards and Not the Baywatch type

November 18, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Seal of the United States Department of Homela...
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Coast Guard is one of the national organizations, armed military force, assigned with Customs and Security duty along with law enforcement powers and take part in search and rescue tasks as well.
Few of the main responsibilities of the coast guards are search and rescue, ensuring the safety of vessels in the territorial waters, maintaining sea marks, border control and the are entrusted with the duty to enforce maritime laws of the country. Also being a Military force, they are responsible for defending the harbors, patrolling the seas and naval counter intelligence during the wartime. The coast guards will be having Ships , fixed wing aircrafts, helicopters etc at their disposal.
The duties of the coast guards may vary depending upon the country. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a law enforcement agency as well as a military body. USCG has a wide variety of resources at their disposal, which includes Ships , which are traditionally called as Cutters and patrol boats, They maintain a fleet of around 210 aircrafts ranging from Dolphin Helicopters to C-130 Hercules military transport plane. The USCG operates under the department of Homeland security during the peacetime and can be transferred to the command of department of Navy by the president during the time or war. USCG have jurisdiction over both territorial as well as international waters for carrying out law enforcement operations.
USCG established new command knows as deployable operations group (DOG) specializing in anti terrorism and law enforcement. It enables supply of specialized force units for deployment to various units that come under dept of Homeland security and Dept of defense. The Coast guard reserve has around 8500 reservists.
Her Majesty’s Coastguard in UK is purely a search and rescue unit, the customs and law enforcement comes under the jurisdiction of UK Border Agency and they lease life boats, tugs and aircraft through private organizations or government.

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Filed Under: Navy, Navy Facts, Security Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

US Marine Corps, the best of the best

November 17, 2010 by Leave a Comment
The Marines roundup Viet Cong suspects in Le M...
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United State Marine Corps (USMC) is a part of US Armed Forces, combined armed task force, trained for amphibious warfare. They are among one of the seven federal uniformed services of the US. They are a part of the US Dept of Navy as they train, and make use of the US navy infrastructure for logistical and transportation purposes. USMC has been a part of every armed conflict America has got involved in since its inception. USMC has around 203000 marines in active duty and around 40000 as reserve.
Their areas of responsibility include defending and capturing advanced naval bases and other land based operations, developing tactics and equipments for amphibious landing purposes and other duties as directed by the president of United States. Marines are basically expeditionary forces used in various quarters of ground combat at many instances. They play a vital role in the affairs of the national security because of their capabilities as an amphibious, expeditionary and air-ground combined arms task force.
USMC traces back to the days of the War of the American Revolution where 2 battalions of Continental Marines were raised for the first time and since then they have been a part of many battles ranging from the First Barbary War against the pirates of Barbary in the year 1801 to the present day Operation Iraqi Freedom. The longest of all the wars faced by the USMC was the Vietnam War, where they took part many important battles and also devised various non conventional techniques of counter insurgency against Viet Cong and also as military advisors for Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps.
I Marine Expeditionary force along with 3rd Infantry division of the US Army spearheaded the invasion of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and they ended their role in the Iraq on 23rd Jan 2010 after handing over the responsibilities to the US Army.

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Filed Under: Military, Security Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Silent Impact

September 28, 2010 by Leave a Comment
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in Washi...
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If you want to make a point of moving through life living impacting experiences, you don’t have to visit India during Kumbh Mela or live through an event like the anti-Chinese uprising in Indonesia from 1996 through 1999. Life abounds with ways to see and understand the dynamics of human failures and triumphs. All you have to do is open your eyes.

One short visit to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. will push your mind into silence. It is not a place to go for pro-war or anti-war sentiment. That is not the point. In fact, to make the point in words is wrong. You simply must experience it yourself and walk away from it with feelings you may never have dealt with before. That is an impact that creates growth no matter what your political views.

For the most sobering effect, go in the dead of winter when it’s ten below zero. If you have the choice of time, do it on a clear windy day. You can see the wall in countless photographs in books and magazines. That doesn’t cut it. You have to go. When you arrive, you will be greeted by vets who dedicate part of their lives to helping visitors find the names of friends or relatives. They can tell you the section of the wall to find a given name. Even if you know of no one on the wall, take the paper and pencil they offer and choose a man or woman and make a rubbing of the name. Stay silent. Look at the letters, flowers and personal belonging that have been left by visitors whose sons or daughters are on the wall.

When you walk away, don’t talk. Let it sink in. Each person will have an entirely different mind opening in wordless feelings. Take that with you on the plane when you fly home. When you are being served your little bag of nuts and ginger ale, take the rubbing out and look at it without thought. The result of this experience will last for the rest of your life.

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Filed Under: Recruitment, Security, Service Tagged With: , , ,

Parallels in Human Chaos

September 26, 2010 by Leave a Comment

From 1912 to 1914 Albert Einstein lived in Zurich. In 1914 Vladimir Lenin moved to Zurich. The two men actually visited the same coffee shop to do their individual work. In 1916, Lenin wrote Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism. In 1917 several astronomers at Mount Wilson Observatory said they had disproved Einstein’s theory that gravity bent light. One theory had supposedly come to light while another theory of light had failed.

In 1919, Lenin recorded eight speeches against anti-Semitism, bringing his views of anti-prejudice to light. In 1919, Albert Einstein’s theory that gravity bent light was proved to be correct. Fellow Noble laureate, Paul Dirac stated that this was-probably the greatest scientific discovery ever made.- Both were events of the deepest gravity.

Both men were staunch anti-capitalist socialists. Both were openly vocal about their opinions. One discovered that gravity bends light while the other stressed the gravity of light being bent in one political direction. Lenin eventually died for his views from a combination of ill healing gunshot wounds from two failed assassination attempts further complicated by three strokes. He died at age 53 and his legacy turned gravely dark in the history that followed. At age 54, Albert Einstein found out that there was an assignation bounty on his head in Germany for $5,000.

One man became a political activist deeply involved in the stirrings of a political revolution trying to bring light to the peasants. The other became a scientific activist, promoting new ideas in light physics. One avoided death in war the other became that death.

Why so many parallels? Why the vague passing of two lives briefly entwined in neutral Switzerland during humanity’s greatest upheaval? There are no answers. Both men are despised by some and revered by others. No one understands why so many brilliant and controversial scientists and politicians blossomed simultaneously. Lenin and Einstein were only two of many. These events do show one thing about humanity: how utterly fragile it is and how balance is such a critical thing to maintain especially during times of chaos. Accident or lesson?

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Filed Under: Reserves, Security Tagged With: , , ,

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

September 16, 2010 by Leave a Comment
U.S. Declaration of Independence ratified by t...
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“All men are created equal; they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights; among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” American Declaration of Independence, right? Yes and no. That statement is a part of the Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam against Japan and France.

Yes, it was borrowed, but the ideals are not borrowed. They are fundamental truths that if humans are given the right to rule themselves, less ambiguous realties occur. People take care of themselves and they do not punish themselves unrealistically for monetary gain. People prefer happiness over agony.

Some of the greatest supporters of human rights were also soldiers. There is no need to list them. You can look them up by the droves. Some stand out as national heroes and are forever in the eyes of historians such as Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower. But leave the word hero out of the formula. Eisenhower is revered on American soil and despised by not just a few Japanese.

Perception is created by political actions muted by forgotten facts and reinvented by those who want the general populace to believe in certain things even if they might not be true. The facts? Eisenhower was a person endowed by his creator with certain inalienable rights. The rest is history and history tends to be written by those in control of power.

As of December 31, 2009 1,421,668 people are on active duty. That’s a quote from Wikipedia. Did you notice they used the word people? One retired American colonel fought in the Vietnam War. He was a helicopter pilot. He was shot down three times and walked away. You could make this man into a hero. He has all the stats but he is an unknown. The reality is that he is a very good man. He grew up in a small Idaho town, ran on the track team and had a family. People. You can find reflections of him in Mongolia, India, Vietnam, Columbia, and Russia. Vets are people created with certain inalienable rights. Don’t let political views mute that fact.

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Filed Under: Recruitment, Security, Service Tagged With: , ,

Travel Websites, Car Insurance Online, and Obama’s Campaign Point to Changes in Society

August 7, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Today, people can get almost anything online. There’s little doubt the Internet has changed U.S. society, and many people would say the world’s society. Things that would have taken hours of leg work to do now take minutes. For example, you can research a destination, compare prices for a trip, book your travel arrangements, and print your boarding pass for the plane all from your home computer. If you know where you want to go, the process takes less than half an hour to complete. Forms that auto-fill with your information further reduce the time it takes.

People are even buying car insurance online. In the past, car insurance agents would schedule a meeting with a person to go over the benefits of signing with a particular company. Agents had to meet with clients to sign paperwork. Now a person can get everything from quotes to actual policies by using the Web. Electronic signatures have replaced physical ones.

Businesses, organizations, and people all use the Internet for marketing. President Obama took advantage of Facebook and other social networking sites to connect with a new generation of voters who have never known life without the Internet. Through his use of the Web, people felt a connection to the candidate. Research has yet to determine how large a role the Internet played in Obama winning the presidential election.

It would be difficult for a person to find an area of society the Internet hasn’t affecfted. Society now expects to have vast amounts of information available in a split second. Friends can find one another and stay connected through social networking sites, and single people can look for love online. With the way the Internet has affected every society, the world is in fact getting smaller. People who live in India can meet people who live in Indonesia, and companies can have workers all across the globe.

Filed Under: General, Security, Technology Tagged With: ,
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