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JCOC 75
Colombian special forces members display and explain military hardware to participants of the 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference outside Bogota, Colombia, April 22, 2008. A participant from the 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference rappels from a tower during a special forces tactics familiarization course outside Bogota, Colombia, April 22, 2008. Michael Roberts, a participant of the 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, proudly displays target hits after an M-16 weapons familiarization course, Guantanamo Naval Base, Cuba, April 19, 2008.
Participants of the 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference fire .50 caliber machine guns during a tour by the U.S. Coast Guard, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, April 19, 2008. Colombian military officials brief participants of the 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference during a visit to Cartagena, Colombia, April 23, 2008.
The Joint Civilian Orientation Conference is a Secretary of Defense sponsored program for
America's leaders interested in expanding their knowledge of the military and national defense.

JCOC Experience ‘Invaluable’

MIAMI, April 26, 2008 – The cost of a pound of coffee in Colombia: $8. A hand-carved souvenir iguana from Cuba: $10. A cold beer in Honduras: $1.

Traveling throughout Central and South America talking to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines and seeing firsthand the U.S. military’s role in the region: priceless. Story

Delivering School Supplies

Chris Camacho, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation in Yuma, Ariz., plays soccer with Honduran children during a delivery of school and recreational supplies to their village April 24, 2008. Camacho is a participant in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference sponsored by the Defense Department. Photo by Fred W. Baker III, Department of DefenseSOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras, April 25, 2008 – As Chris Camacho passed out soccer balls yesterday to a smiling group of local children in a dusty village just down the road from here, he thought of his father, who grew up in an impoverished area of Guadalajara, Mexico, and used to play soccer using a tube sock stuffed with rolled-up newspapers. Story

Participant Revisits Past

Tim Hudson, president of the University of Houston-Victoria, in Victoria, Texas, sits on the steps of a historic church in Cartagena, Colombia, April 23, 2008. He first traveled to the northern coastal town 33 years ago on a cross-country quest to learn Spanish. Photo by Fred W. Baker III, Department of DefenseCARTAGENA, Colombia, April 24, 2008 – It’s been more than three decades since Tim Hudson bounced across this country’s back roads in an old Bluebird bus and ended up in this historic coastal town. Story

U.S. Mission in Colombia Impresses Civic Leaders

BOGOTA, Colombia, April 23, 2008 – As a senior vice president of investments for UBS in Cincinnati, Steve Lee never gave much thought to Colombia. Story

Learning About Life Aboard a Navy Aircraft Carrier at Sea

Members of the 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference load a U.S. Navy Cod aircraft after a day trip to the USS George Washington that is conducting operations off the coast of Brazil, Apr. 20, 2008. Defense Dept. photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jerry MorrisonRIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, April 22, 2008 – Forty-eight business, civic and local government leaders visited the USS George Washington about 80 miles off shore from here April 20, and a lucky dozen got to spend the night on the ship. Story

Mom Sees What Navy Life
Could Be Like for Son

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, April 22, 2008 – Since the fourth grade, Wendy Wachtell’s son, Jameson, has wanted to attend the U.S. Naval Academy. Story

Visiting Guantanamo Bay

Participants of the 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference(JCOC) receive a boat ride from Coast Guard Port Security personnel in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Apr. 19, 2008. Defense Dept. photo by Tech. Sgt. Jerry MorrisonU.S. NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY,Cuba, April 20, 2008 – At 85 years of age, David Oreck, a self-described unashamed, flag-waving patriot and World War II veteran, found himself yesterday standing here, on the soil of one of the last dedicated communist nations in the world. Story

DoD Live JCOC Blog

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brook DeWalt, New Media operations manager at American Forces Information ServiceNavy Lt. Cmdr. Brook DeWalt, the Navy Team Leader for JCOC 75, shares his daily blogs about the group's activities and adventures, observations and perceptions during their visit to U.S. Southern Command.

JCOC: Day One

Air Force Brig. Gen. Paul M. Van Sickle briefs members of the 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Coference during a tour the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on April 18, 2008. Van Sickle serves as mobilization assistant to the commander of U.S. Southern Command. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Kevin GruenwaldWASHINGTON, April 18, 2008 – Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England said he was often asked after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, ‘Why?’ Story

Photo Essays: