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Army Spc. Joshua Fillingane and his wife, Army Spc. Andrea Fillingane, teach proper needle-chest decompression techniques to soldiers July 25, 2010, at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Gaelen Lowers[/caption] JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – Making sure all 5,200 soldiers in the 103rd Sustainment Command’s 3rd Sustainment Brigade, are qualified in combat lifesaving is a daunting task, but Army Spc. Joshua Fillingane and his wife, Army Spc. Andrea Fillingane, make it look easy.

“They work well together,â€Â said Army Staff Sgt. Michael Tindal, a brigade emergency care noncommissioned officer and Manning, S.C., native. “You can see their teamwork during the class. They take things from their relationship at home and bring them to work.â€ÂJoshua, the brigade’s primary combat lifesaver instructor and a Fairmont, Minn., native, met Andrea, an aid station specialist and Austin, Texas, native, while attending advanced individual training in 2007. “In AIT, we didn’t really hang out a lot,â€Â Andrea said. “He flirted with me and asked me out, but I told him no. But once we went home to our reserve units, I found out that I actually missed him.â€Â Joshua said he and Andrea started dating over the phone. “She decided to visit for four days and never left,â€Â Joshua said. “We were married a couple months after that.â€Â A few months after their marriage, they both went into active duty. They said being married has helped them both at home and on the job. “I know what he’s best at, and he knows what I am best at,â€Â Andrea said. “A lot of the time, we don’t even have to discuss it, because we already know who’s going to do what. We work together a lot, so we know each other better. It makes things easier for us.â€Â Their NCOs think the situation is beneficial to the brigade by having them work together on such an important aspect of training. “Since before I ever arrived at the unit, they have worked together on CLS and other projects, and it has just worked for the unit,â€Â said Army Staff Sgt. Tricia Watkins, a medical platoon sergeant and Sacramento, Calif., native. “They work well together. They know the material. They work different facets of the class and balance each other out.â€Â This is the couple’s first deployment. They said they wouldn’t have wanted to deploy without each other. “It makes [deployment] easier,â€Â Andrea said. “You have someone to lean on and help you cope with everything you face.â€Â Around 90 percent of combat deaths occur on the battlefield before casualties reach a medical treatment facility, according to the Army combat lifesavers course manual. This is why the Army requires every soldier heading into a combat zone to receive CLS training. Operation Iraqi Freedom will transition into Operation New Dawn on Sept. 1, and the number of troops in Iraq will be about 50,000 by then. This means the 3rd Sustainment Brigade will provide the primary CLS instructors for northern and central Iraq, Tindal said. This will put the Fillinganes in charge of training nearly 20 percent of U.S. forces in Iraq. “It makes me feel good that my NCOs trust us to do what we need to do to get the job done,â€Â Joshua said. “It’s a big responsibility.â€Â Both specialists said part of the reason they love their job is because they are together. “I love working with her,â€Â Joshua said. “It makes the job a lot easier, having someone there. When things go bad, I know I have someone there that I can rely on heavily to make things go right.â€Â Aug. 19, 2010: By Army Spc. Gaelen Lowers- 3rd Sustainment Brigade
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Air Force Senior Airman Mario Webb and his son, Genghis, play "monster chase" in the yard of the Ronald McDonald House in New Haven, Conn., July 20, 2010. The Webb family has been staying at the Ronald McDonald House following Genghis’ liver transplant surgery in April. Webb donated 20 percent of his liver to his son. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mareshah Haynes[/caption] NEW HAVEN, Conn. – An airman from Hurlburt Field, Fla., has given his 2-year-old son a new lease on life.

Air Force Senior Airman Mario Webb, a ground radio maintainer from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, donated part of his liver in April so his son, Genghis, could receive a life-saving transplant.Webb and Genghis are scheduled to go home early this month after more than three months of recuperating from their surgeries in the Ronald McDonald House here. In April, Genghis was diagnosed with tyrosinemia, a genetic, metabolic disorder that affects the liver and prevents the body from properly breaking down proteins. If left untreated, it can lead to developmental delays, cancer or death. He was also diagnosed with cirrhosis, and cancerous cells were found in his liver. During his 18-month check up, Genghis' doctor decided to send the Webbs to a civilian gastrointestinal specialist in Pensacola, Fla., who identified the problem in Genghis' liver. "At first, [the specialist in Pensacola] thought it was rickets," said Julie Webb, Genghis' mother. "I was really worried." From there, he was referred to Yale-New Haven Medical Center. After several tests, doctors confirmed Genghis needed a liver transplant right away. Air Force and Tricare officials ensured the Webb family, including Julie Webb and Genghis’ baby sister, Zyla, had transportation to Connecticut and lodging accommodations once they arrived for the boy’s appointment. "Each of the three regional contractors maintains a network of civilian health care providers," said Austin Camacho, chief of public affairs for the Tricare Management Activity. "If the needed care is not available in [the] area, the doctor may refer the beneficiary to an appropriate provider outside the area. If an appropriate provider can't be found within the network, the regional contractor will refer the beneficiary to another Tricare authorized provider. "When a family member is referred for medically necessary, nonemergent specialty care at a location more than 100 miles from the primary care manager, they may be eligible to have reasonable travel expenses reimbursed by Tricare," he continued. "Reasonable travel expenses are the actual costs incurred while traveling, including meals, gas, tolls, parking and tickets for public transportation." After doctors determined that Genghis needed a transplant, he was added immediately to the waiting list. Officials of The Living Bank, a nonprofit organization that promotes organ and tissue donations, said the waiting time increases every year due to a continuous shortage of donor livers and the high incidence of liver disease. Hundreds of people die each year while waiting for a liver from a cadaver to be offered, according to the organization’s website. The site notes that 5,670 liver transplants were performed in 2003, but 1,705 people died that same year while waiting for a transplant. With odds like that, the Webbs decided to go with the alternative: a living donor. Dr. Sukru Emre, chief of transplantation and immunology for the Yale University School of Medicine’s surgery department, suggested the Webbs look into the living donor process. He later performed the surgery. A few days after screenings and tests were completed, Webb was notified he was a match for Genghis, and his son would be able to receive his transplant. "It was probably about two weeks between the time they said he needed an organ transplant to the time we had it done," Webb said. "It was a real quick turnaround." Since the operation, father and son have recuperated well and are looking forward to going back to their home in Florida. Doctors expect Genghis to make a full recovery and live a normal, healthy life, Webb said. Aug. 2, 2010: By Air Force Staff Sgt. Mareshah Haynes- Defense Media Activity-San Antonio
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Grossman, who hails from Lexington, Mo., and fought under her maiden name, Hannah Doak, is assigned to Company A, 369th Adjutant Battalion."Cage fighting is not about beating people up," she said. "It is a mentally and physically challenging sport that is the longest three minutes of your life."Cage fighting, also referred to as mixed martial arts, is a combination of several fighting disciplines that involves several striking and grappling techniques. Opponents compete in a caged ring for three three-minute rounds. "There are a lot of parallels between MMA and the Army," Grossman said. "You have to stay focused. If you don't put 100 percent into it, someone is going to get hurt -- just like if you don't focus 100 percent during training, when you get downrange, someone is going to get hurt or worse." Grossman, who has won three of her five professional matches, said she began the sport as a way to channel her anger that stemmed from a bout with skin cancer. "I was angry at the world, and wanted to channel it somewhere positive," she said. "I started professional arm wrestling, but broke my arm. Three months after that, I began training for cage fighting." Army Capt. Miguel Santana, her company commander, said he was impressed with Grossman's skills after viewing a video clip on the Internet. "Eighteen seconds into the fight, she got her opponent into a rear-naked choke hold and won," Santana said. "You could tell how focused she was going into the cage. It is definitely an honor to have her in my company, because she embodies the Warrior Ethos and what a soldier is." In addition to maintaining a strict diet, Grossman said, she spent three hours in the gym five days a week training to become a professional mixed martial artist. "More people get hurt training than fighting, because you do so much," she said. "You develop a family-like relationship with the people you train with. You need that support, because it is very intimidating going into a cage with someone that knows how to fight." Grossman joined the Army five years ago, but had to leave training when she discovered doctors failed to determine she was pregnant. Now that she’s back in uniform, she hopes for an opportunity to put her skills to work in hand-to-hand combat, a skill known as “combativesâ€Â in the Army. "I always wanted to come back," she said. "I initially wanted to become a soldier because my grandfather was a World War II vet. I want to serve my country. I also want to do combatives for the Army. That is my goal." July 30, 2010: By Chris Rasmussen- Fort Jackson Leader
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Utah State Flag[/caption] ARLINGTON, Va. – The Utah National Guard's 141st Military Intelligence Battalion will deploy to Iraq in a few weeks with 83 soldiers who have earned Eagle Scout badges from the Boy Scouts of America.

photo: These 83 soldiers with the Utah National Guard's 141st Military Intelligence Battalion have earned the rank of Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America. The battalion will deploy to Iraq later this year. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. First Class Scott Faddis“It’s easy being a battalion commander of Eagle Scouts, because you don't have to worry about them,â€Â said Army Lt. Col. Matt Price, the battalion commander and a scout leader for his sons, who include three Eagle Scouts. “They have high values, because they have been taught that as young men. You can trust them.â€ÂThe 286-member unit is in field training at its pre-mobilization site, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. During a recent meeting with civilian employers, Price said, he asked all the Eagle Scouts in the room to stand. Almost half of his unit stood up. So during the next battalion formation, the Eagle Scouts were asked to stay behind for a group photo. That is when they counted off as 83 Eagle Scouts representing all ranks and many military occupational specialties. The unit’s senior noncommissioned officer, Army Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Lofland, is a scout master. “We feel like [part of the] the scout program,â€Â Price said. “To me, the Scout Law is similar to Army values.â€Â Price said he believes Robert Baden Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts, would be proud of his creation. “We’re celebrating 100 years of Boy Scouting this year, and if he could look back and see what is going on, he would be quite happy.â€Â In Iraq, the battalion will conduct human intelligence missions with Iraqi security forces. “We will be directly training and advising them how to do force protection,â€Â Price said. Price said he appreciates the uniqueness of his citizen-soldiers. They are older and college educated, with more real-world experience as teachers and police officers, he noted. “I am bringing a group of community leaders with me to Iraq,â€Â he said. Price said his Eagle Scouts also bring additional skills to the Guard. “The Boy Scout program itself teaches young men to be men,â€Â he said. “You teach them values. … You are teaching them survivability skills. They are used to camping, and used to roughing it.â€Â Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men, according to published reports. The title is held for life. Between the ages of 12 and 18, a Scout will work to achieve Eagle rank by earning 12 required merit badges and nine elective merit badges. He also must demonstrate “Scout Spiritâ€Â through the Boy Scout oath and law and through community service and leadership, which includes an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads and manages. Earning the Eagle Scout's badge was "the only thing I had done in my life that led me to think that I could make a difference; that I could be a leader," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told an estimated crowd of 45,000 gathered on 12,000 acres on Fort A.P. Hill, Va., as part of the annual National Scout Jamboree yesterday. "It was the first thing I had done that told me I might be different, because I had worked harder, was more determined, more goal-oriented, more persistent than most others," Gates said. Price said the key to scouting is service to others. “To be able to protect yourself and your family but also look outwards and help others,â€Â he said. “These are different kinds of soldiers. They look beyond themselves. We are bringing a higher quality of citizen-soldier with us who is looking for ways to help other people.â€Â July 29, 2010: By Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke-National Guard Bureau
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Betty Hoapili trains in a German Leopard II tank at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany as part of the Defense Department’s Executive Leadership Development Program. Department of Defense photo by Dave Michael[/caption] FORT BELVOIR, Va. – When Betty Hoapili was selected to attend the Department of Defense’s Executive Leadership Development Program, she got the chance to walk in a warfighter’s shoes.

The 23-year civil service veteran, a logistics program analysis officer on the Defense Logistics Agency’s Air Force Customer Support Team in the Operations and Sustainment Division of DLA Logistics Operations, was looking to complement her career path when she responded to the program’s call for nominations through DLA’s Executive Development Program.One of the program requirements was to complete a staff study. Hoapili’s study focused on the Defense Department’s acquisition community and its ability to handle the impending wave of retirements projected in the next five years. “I looked at whether or not the [defense] acquisition career field is headed for … a ‘brain drain’ and developed possible courses of action,â€Â she said. Hoapili said she prepared herself for the various types of training and temporary duty assignments, which took place one to two weeks each month for 10 months -- a total of 95 days. She also needed to keep up with her regular workload, which she said helped her learn about juggling priorities. At the program orientation, Hoapili said, her instructors told participants they were lucky to have been selected. “One of the things they said to us was, ‘You 61 people have won the lottery,’ [because] there were 600 applicants, she recalled. The participants were split into six teams, including one military member per team, Hoapili said. The first “deploymentâ€Â was to core training at the Southbridge Conference Center in Southbridge, Mass., where Hoapili said team members were challenged physically, mentally and emotionally. Team members had to complete a fitness test – sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups – to ensure they could safely participate in the program’s demanding activities. “[Early] the next morning … those who had not passed any aspect of the physical testing had to report to the gym area and were going to focus on additional training,â€Â she said. Although Hoapili and her teammates had passed the physical test, she said she went to the gym anyway to help other program members prepare for the re-test. It was a proud moment when those members passed the test too, Hoapili said. At another deployment, she volunteered for a swimming challenge at the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL School at the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado, Calif. The challenge involved swimming in full military gear out to a Navy SEAL positioned in the ocean. “It was very scary because of the significant undertow and the crashing waves. … There was one point where I thought, ‘I wonder if I’m going to drown.’ [But] when I made it back to the beach and the rest of my teammates were cheering me, I knew I’d challenged myself to do my best. That’s why I [volunteered],â€Â Hoapili said. One of the program’s key tenets involves showing participants they can do more than they’d thought, she said. “That’s the starting point for any good leader, … knowing your capabilities and pushing yourself … to see what you can do when faced with a tough challenge, … to go one step beyond what you thought you could do,â€Â she said. “How to adapt to changing circumstances is part of the skill set that this program was teaching me,â€Â Hoapili said. After the swimming challenge, program members were required to drag an inflatable raft up and down the beach and then complete an obstacle course. Despite being driven to physical exhaustion on that California beach, Hoapili said, her biggest challenge was yet to come at the U.S. Army Ranger School, at Fort Benning, Ga. Standing on top of a 75-foot tower and stepping off to rappel down was more of a mental challenge for Hoapili, one she wasn’t sure she could do. “That first step took a lot of faith on my part, [but I had] confidence in my equipment and confidence in the instructors that were there … assuring me they had my back,â€Â she said. During times when she was less confident in her abilities, Hoapili said, she repeated a mantra to herself. “Leaders are tough; leaders are strong; leaders can do these things,â€Â she said. Still, Hoapili credits her accomplishments to her team’s never-ending support. “I was blessed with an amazing team of people. We called ourselves ‘Team High Five.’ … Those 10 people became a family. … We were there for each other. It goes back to working on behalf of warfighters; [they] were my warfighters, and I didn’t want let them down, and we refused to leave anyone behind,â€Â Hoapili said. Each year during graduation ceremonies, one class member is awarded special recognition. This year, Hoapili was awarded that distinction and presented the Rosemary E. Howard Leadership Award. She was unaware she would be receiving the peer-nominated award. “To be nominated by your peers is an extreme honor,â€Â Hoapili said. “When I read the award’s inscription: ‘Based on Courage, Determination, Leadership and Professionalism,’ I was very humbled,â€Â she said. Hoapili said she took two lessons away from her experience in the program. The first was a reinforcement of a lesson learned from her father. “My dad is a retired Air Force chief master sergeant; he always taught me the backbone of our armed forces is our enlisted corps,â€Â she said. “That was reinforced to me … because at every deployment, the individuals who were teaching me, … training me, … equipping me were all [noncommissioned officers].â€Â The second take-away is the power of teamwork, she said. “Not only did my teammates have my back, but trained, amazing warfighters had my back as well. [I value] the whole concept of courage and compassion and competence in terms of strong leadership and what’s expected of us as future civilian leaders,â€Â she said. Gary Gonthier, a performance-based logistics program manager in DLA Aviation’s Strategic Customer Engagement Branch was also on Hoapili’s team. “Betty was a welcome member of the team. … [She] is socially gregarious, which manifests itself in the precious attention she paid to both organizational and personal details,â€Â he said. The combination of Hoapili’s interpersonal style, which included offering praise and other affirmations to participants, set against a backdrop of structure, schedules and order made her a compassionate leader, Gonthier said. “She left no doubt when team members performed well, yet also made clear those instances when things didn't go so well. Betty always placed the concern of others above her own self-interest,â€Â he said. This year marked the first occasion that program participants traveled to Kuwait. Though they spent just 72 hours there, both Hoapili and Gonthier agreed that the program instilled them with a greater appreciation for military service members. Gonthier said the program provides civilian personnel with a hands-on approach to learning what warfighters do on a daily basis. “The … members from each of the services are truly dedicated to what they do and [are] wholeheartedly supported by the family that follows … them,â€Â he said. “They are highly trained and ready to do whatever it takes to defend this nation, including giving their lives. We should never forget that.â€Â Hoapili agreed and said it’s an experience civilians rarely, if ever, get. “It’s invaluable in enhancing my understanding of what our warfighters go through, the sacrifices they make … on our behalf, and how important it is for us to do our jobs extremely well so they can do what we’re asking them to do,â€Â she said. Recently, Hoapili found out she was selected for another training opportunity – the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. She credits DLA for giving her the chance to display her leadership qualities in the ELDP. At DLA, developing employees’ skills and abilities is a high priority, so high it falls into agency Director Navy Vice Adm. Alan Thompson’s list of top initiatives. “I’m anxious now to give back to DLA for having given me this opportunity,â€Â Hoapili said. She added that she’s a “huge proponentâ€Â of the ELDP program and noted that as the Rosemary E. Howard Award winner, she gets to go to orientation for next year’s program and speak to incoming participants. “In so many ways, I do wish I was doing it again - not so much the crawling through the mud, … but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,â€Â she said. “I look at the pictures and think, ‘How did I do that?’ But you do it one day at a time and with a whole lot of help from your friends.â€Â Nominations for the DoD Executive Leader Development Program are solicited annually around September through the DLA Executive Development Program. July 28, 2010: By Dianne Ryder- Defense Logistics Agency Strategic Communications Office