“My grandfather served in World War II, and both my uncles are Vietnam vets,â€Â said Valerio, a squad leader here with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. “My brothers also serve in the army.â€ÂHaving served in the Marine Corps Security Forces, Valerio said he likes teaching young Marines. Though he always knew he would end up in the military, Valerio said the Marine Corps’ “dragon slayerâ€Â commercial convinced him to become a Marine. Valerio said he wanted to emulate a member of his family who serves as a Marine infantryman, known in military vernacular as a “grunt.â€Â “My brother-in-law is with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, and is a ‘grunt,’â€Â said Valerio, a 22-year-old native of Phelps, New York. “I knew I wanted to be an infantryman and I told the recruiter I would do nothing else.â€Â After completing basic infantryman training Valerio was given the opportunity to receive advanced training when he elected to work in security forces rather than a regular infantry line company. “As a ‘Security Forces’ Marine,â€Â Valerio said, “I went to the Urban Assault Leader’s Course, Joint Fires Observer Course, Infantry Squad Leader’s Course, and a ton of other schools.â€Â Lance Cpl. Ryan Kinne, a team leader with Company K, said he appreciates Valerio’s mentorship. “He will teach you anything you want to know, if you ask,â€Â said Kinne, a 21-year-old native of San Antonio. “He’s given us classes on calling for fire, medical evacuation procedures and lots of other things.â€Â Valerio said his teaching style is anything but conventional. “I like to use physical training to teach Marines,â€Â he said. “We might go on a run and I can tell when everyone needs a break, so I’ll stop and teach them something important.â€Â Valerio said he also incorporates other types of physical training into his instruction, like carrying a litter and other tasks Marines may have to perform under fire. In Afghanistan, Kinne said, Valerio’s training sessions have had a positive impact on the battlefield. “We have taken casualties and we have had to transport them to a landing zone and call in a casualty report,â€Â he said. “That’s where the training paid off.â€Â Kinne said Valerio’s “peopleâ€Â skills help him to connect with his Marines. “He is very well-spoken,’ Kinne said of Valerio. “He can explain something no matter who you are.â€Â Other Marines who know Valerio, like Lance Cpl. Joshua Matthews, a team leader with Company K, say his physical courage, military skills and teaching ability have gained him the respect of his subordinates and superiors. But Valerio also has earned his Marines’ trust because of his moral courage, Matthews said. “My favorite thing about him as a squad leader is that he sticks up for his Marines,â€Â Matthews said of Valerio. “Even at the risk of getting himself in trouble, he has stood beside Marines that he thought were in the right.â€Â Sept. 3, 2010: By Marine Corps Cpl. Ned Johnson- Regimental Combat Team 2

Serving as the director of the Air Component Coordination Element in Iraq, the director of the force strategic engagement cell for U.S. forces in Iraq, and the 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force-Baghdad, Detachment 2 commander, Maj. Gen. Joseph Reynes Jr. has watched the number of servicemembers in Iraq decrease from 148,000 to almost 50,000, and the number of airmen decrease from more than 12,000 to fewer than 6,000.Reynes explained the mission the Air Force has had in Iraq during his 18-months-plus tenure."We've provided timely and precise air mobility," he said. "We've had 24/7 unblinking [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] to cover and work with our joint force partners. And then, of course, we've had kinetic and non-kinetic operations at the discretion of the commanders in support of their missions."It's been an awesome mission that we've executed over and over again, and we've just gotten better every day," the general added. U.S. forces in Iraq have transitioned from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn. And, although the Air Force's mission in Iraq will mostly stay the same, Reynes said, it will continue to evolve. "What's evolved is how we translated those missions, and how we've drawn down at the same time," Reynes said. "[We're] executing the same missions, 24/7, 365 [days a year], in support of the ground force commander. And they've done that while we've done one of the most historic drawdowns, while executing the mission at the same time." Moving into Operation New Dawn means adapting to a smaller footprint for U.S. airmen and growing capabilities for Iraqi airmen, the general said. It's a new beginning for Iraq, he said, noting the Iraqi air force has grown from 1,500 airmen and 28 aircraft two years ago, to 7,000 airmen and more than 100 aircraft now. The Iraqi air force is expected to grow to more than 10,000 members by 2012, Reynes said. Meanwhile, he said, Iraqi airmen are beginning to move onto bases such as Joint Base Balad, and Ali and Sather air bases. "We'll continue to support and do the same missions we've done, but at the same time we're handing more and more off to our Iraqi partners," Reynes said. "And over the next year, you're going to see more partnering with our Iraqi brothers and sisters, but also we'll be doing more training. "[It's a] mission they want to do and execute," he said of Iraq’s airmen. "And we're working with them to ensure they are the best they can be." As the drawdown continues, about 6,000 U.S. airmen will remain in Iraq, Reynes said. The Air Force footprint has gotten smaller, he said, but airmen will retain the same capabilities to execute a variety of missions in support of ground forces. "Operation New Dawn really doesn't change anything for our airmen," Reynes said. "They are still going to be executing the same missions as they were before, but there will be fewer airmen. We're still going to be providing ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance].â€Â We're still going to be providing timely and precise cargo and passenger movement. And of course,â€Â he continued, “every day and every night there are going to be aircraft airborne, just in case kinetics are needed, and in more cases, just for that presence over the battlefield for 24/7, 365 [days a week] overwatch." While doing all of this, airmen will be training Iraqi airmen throughout the country so they can completely take over the mission by the end of 2011, the general said. "Airmen will be partnering with our Iraqi brothers as we develop the Iraqi air force, as we continue to work to develop those partnerships and engagements with our Iraqi brothers and sisters as we move toward end of mission," he said. Sept. 1, 2010: By Air Force Staff Sgt. Sanjay Allen- Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq

Hanson still faces the everyday challenges of cerebral palsy – a condition that can affect brain and nervous system functions such as movement, learning, hearing, seeing and thinking. As a member of the Sioux Falls, S.D.,-based 196th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Dakota Army National Guard, Hanson’s condition doesn’t restrict his ability to perform and support the mission of his unit in Afghanistan.“When people saw me, they saw something that was not normal and they figured that I was exactly that,â€Â said Hanson, of Sioux Falls. “Instead of finding out what I could do, they assumed I couldn’t do anything – until I proved them wrong.â€Â As a member of the 196th, Hanson serves as the office manager for the directorate of resource management on Camp Phoenix, which provides construction, commodity and service contract management and funding oversight for 11 military bases in Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul. “I am so impressed by John's determination and dedication to serve,â€Â said Brig. Gen. Theodore Johnson, the 196th’s commander. “He plays an important role in the resource management directorate and it’s an honor having him on the 196th’s team.â€Â However, Hanson’s journey to being able to serve in Afghanistan was no easy task. During his first attempt to join the National Guard in 1995, he was denied eligibility by a physician at the Military Entrance Processing Station. Hanson is affected by a specific type of cerebral palsy known as spastic diplegia, a form that impacts the lower extremities with little to no effect to the upper body. Hanson knew it would be difficult to join the military with the physical limitations his condition caused to his legs and feet. However, he was determined to join, and continue the long line of military service within his family. “I wanted to feel a part of something that is not only a great organization, but also part of my family,â€Â Hanson said. “My father was in the National Guard, my uncle was in the Air Force, one grandfather was a lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, and another served as a Marine. Call it not only a sense of duty and honor, but a way to live up to the example set by the people who surrounded me.â€Â After being denied by the military doctor, Hanson persisted, and worked with several civilian physicians to improve his mobility and become medically eligible – enduring surgeries and physical therapy – never giving up on his dream. “After every time I went to MEPS, and I was stopped, I worked at that one roadblock until I found a way to push over it and pass it,â€Â said Hanson. “It took lots of support from family, friends and co-workers. They all knew it was a dream of mine to wear the uniform of the U.S. Army and I was going to do whatever it takes.â€Â Hanson said his determination to serve also was influenced by veterans in his home community. “The [American] Legion hall in my small hometown of Badger, S.D., is named after my great-uncle that was lost at sea after the Dec. 7, 1941, attacks,â€Â he said. “Along with that, I grew up surrounded by the World War II veterans in town; the stories and the camaraderie was another big driving force to be a part of the military.â€Â Finally, in 2006, Hanson was able to join the ranks of the South Dakota Army National Guard by working with his two civilian physicians and the MEPS doctor. Hanson’s doctors were able to prove he was medically fit for duty, and eventually, the initial medical disqualification was overturned. “I can not speculate how [my doctors] came to their reasoning. I think the fact that they have known me and have been a witness of the progress and achievements I have made my entire life might have had something to do with it,â€Â Hanson said. “Let's just say the feeling I had when I graduated from South Dakota State University after four years was nothing compared to the feeling the day I went to MEPS and took my oath of enlistment,â€Â he added. Along with serving in the National Guard, Hanson also works back home in Sioux Falls as a firefighter, paramedic and a rescue scuba diver. “Specialist Hanson is always upbeat and ready to do whatever needs to be done,â€Â said Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Carroll, a member of the 196th. “When working with others he knows how to keep things fun and yet still get our job done to the highest standard.â€Â “I think the only issues I really had [with people,] was them ‘judging a book by its cover,’â€Â Hanson said. “I’m just glad to show them that no matter what, if you put your mind to it and work at it, any dream can come true.â€Â Aug. 31, 2010: By Army Sgt. Matthew Nedved- Task Force Rushmore Public Affairs

Button, the commander of Detachment 9 - Operational Support Airlift, 78th Aviation Troop Command, Georgia Army National Guard, spent the evening certifying his son, Army Warrant Officer 1 Daniel Button with Company A, 1st of the 171st Aviation Battalion, to fly at night with night-vision goggles as part of his readiness-level training.The training requires a helicopter pilot to get certified to fly during the day and night, and with NVGs at the unit level. After initial certification, pilots are required to perform NVG flights one hour every 45 days. “This is one of the proudest moments in my life as a dad,â€Â Gary Button said. “It is the first time my son and I are flying; not only as father and son, but as pilot and co-pilot.â€Â Daniel Button, who recently graduated from flight school, said the opportunity to fly with his father is both exciting and nerve-racking. I feel a little pressure flying with him for the first time,â€Â the younger Button said. “I want to do well and make him proud of me.â€Â I'm already so proud of you,â€Â the elder Button told his son. The mission is for the younger Button to fly north toward the North Georgia Mountains, and once the sun has gone down, don his NVGs and continue on with the mission. Daniel Button also must fly in formation with other Black Hawks pilots wearing NVGs.

 

[caption id="attachment_3707" align="alignleft" width="300"] Chief Warrant 5 Gary Button, Detachment 9-Operational Support Airlift commander, reviews the pre-flight check list with his son, Warrant Officer 1 Daniel Button, a pilot with Company A, 171st Aviation before heading out on their first flight together. Courtesy photo[/caption] I was up practicing last night, so I feel confident tonight’s flight will go smoothly,â€Â the younger Button said. He’ll be deploying to Iraq with the 171st later this fall. This is his second deployment. His first was with the 82nd Airborne Division as a medic in 2004. He said he is excited about deploying as a helicopter pilot this time. Aug. 30, 2010: Written By: Georgia Army National Guard