Archive for March, 2011

WARNER ROBINS — A Pentagon spokeswoman confirms that the U.S. Army Reserve plans to build an $11.4 million training center in central Georgia.

The Telegraph of Macon reports that the Army Reserve will also locate a newly formed combat engineering company at the new facility, in the Warner Robins area.

Lt. Col. Maria Quon says the new unit will be a “multi-role bridge company.”

Quon says that 185 reserve duty soldiers will train at least once a month at the facility. Also, a dozen soldiers will staff the facility full time.

She said the reserve unit should occupy the new center by January 2013, but the construction timeline hinges on approval of the federal budget.

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Soldier in murder case pleads not guilty

Judge orders photos of autopsy cropped

Denise Etheridge
detheridge@coastalcourier.com
912x2D876x2D0156
March 30, 2011

x3Cpx3EA Fort Stewart soldier accused of shooting and killing his squad leader and a fellow U.S. soldier during a 2008 deployment to Iraq entered a notx2Dguilty plea in court Tuesday.x3Cbr /x3EAs the juryx2Dselection portion of Sgt. Joseph Bozicevichx26rsquox3Bs court martial got under way this week, Bozicevich entered his plea, according to Fort Stewart public affairs. x3Cbr /x3EBozicevich is charged with two counts of prex2Dmeditated murder in the deaths of Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson and Sgt. Wesley Durbin. He is accused of murdering the two men three years ago while deployed to a base south of Baghdad, Iraq. All three men were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.x3Cbr /x3EFort Stewart spokesperson Kevin Larson said military judge Col. Tara Osborn has set three weeks aside for jury selection. The jury of at least 12 members will be comprised of both officers and noncommissioned officers, Larson said. Jurors will be chosen from among the 1,500 soldiers stationed at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, he confirmed.x3Cbr /x3EBozicevichx26rsquox3Bs attorneys have produced a juror questionnaire of more than 200 questions to help in the juryx2Dselection process, the Associated Press reported.x3Cbr /x3EDefense and government attorneys also sparred over what evidence should be admissible during trial, specifically crimex2Dscene and autopsy photos. x3Cbr /x3EOn Monday, Osborn instructed government attorneys to have the faces of Dawson and Durbin cropped from autopsy photos, according to the AP. Before making her ruling that afternoon, the judge had lead prosecutor Maj. Andy McKee justify why the 211 crimex2Dscene photos, including 21 autopsy photos, were relevant to the trail. x3Cbr /x3EBozicevichx26rsquox3Bs civilian attorney, Charles Gittins, had objected to photographs prosecutors had planned to show the jury, stating that showing images of blood stains would create bias against his client. x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BIt doesnx26rsquox3Bt serve any purpose to make the panel (jurors) ill,x26rdquox3B Gittins said.x3Cbr /x3EHe added exhibiting multiple photos of the same piece of evidence would be x26ldquox3Bcumulativex26rdquox3B and were not relevant to the case.x3Cbr /x3EMcKee told the judge many photos were necessary to illustrate perspective because the images depict a crime scene where the violence occurred x26ldquox3Bboth indoors and outx26rdquox3B and across a distance. He said a total of 27 shots were fired and therefore there are photographs of 27 shell casings.x3Cbr /x3EMcKee also argued the autopsy photos would prove at least one of the slain soldiers was shot in the back, according to the AP.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BThe government does have a large number of photographs,x26rdquox3B McKee said. x26ldquox3BBut theyx26rsquox3Bre not gruesome and theyx26rsquox3Bre not bloody.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3EGittins also protested what he described as x26ldquox3Bexceedingly excessivex26rdquox3B security arrangements at the post building housing the courtroom.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BI thought security was going to be low key,x26rdquox3B He said. x26ldquox3BIt strikes me as somewhat disingenuous. Wex26rsquox3Bve been doing this for 18 months now. I think itx26rsquox3Bs somewhat prejudicial to Sgt. Bozicevich.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3EOpening statements in the trial are expected to be given April 18.x3C/px3E

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Soldier in murder case pleads not guilty

detheridge

Denise Etheridge

Staff Writer

detheridge@coastalcourier.com

912-876-0156

A Fort Stewart soldier accused of shooting and killing his squad leader and a fellow U.S. soldier during a 2008 deployment to Iraq entered a not-guilty plea in court Tuesday.


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Phillips promoted, given farewell

Denise Etheridge
detheridge@coastalcourier.com
912x2D876x2D0156
March 28, 2011

x3Cpx3EFormer 3rd Infantry Division deputy commander Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Phillips recalled the night he first arrived at Fort Stewart, a Ux2DHaul hitched to his car.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BIt was pitch black,x26rdquox3B Phillips said. x26ldquox3BI didnx26rsquox3Bt know it at the time but I was driving through the x26lsquox3Bgreen tunnel.x26rsquox3B I thought it would never endx3B I had no idea where I was.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3EThat early trepidation quickly melted away for Phillips. The New England native said he fell in love with Coastal Georgia during these past 18 months. The generalx26rsquox3Bs initial assignment was only for a year.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BMy service was based on the deployment,x26rdquox3B he said in an interview with the Courier on Thursday. His sixx2Dmonth extension here was to help with the x26ldquox3Btransitionx26rdquox3B while 3rd ID commander Maj. Gen. Tony Cucolo served temporary duty in Washington D.C., Phillips explained.x26nbspx3B x3Cbr /x3EPhillips received a formal farewell Friday afternoon in a retreat at Marne Garden. The Army reserve general also was promoted to the rank of major general, with Cucolo pinning on Phillipsx26rsquox3B second star. x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BHe is a true professional who truly cares for people,x26rdquox3B Cucolo said.x3Cbr /x3EPhillips next will serve as assistant deputy chief of staff for mobilization and reserve affairs at the Pentagon. x3Cbr /x3EDuring the retreat ceremony, two more leaders were welcomed. Col. (promotable) Thomas James will serve as the 3rd IDx26rsquox3Bs deputy commanding general of maneuver, and Col. Christopher Hughes will serve as deputy commander of support. Hughes and his wife, Marguerite, will live at Hunter Army Airfield.x3Cbr /x3EPhillips arrived at Fort Stewart in late September 2009 to lead the 3rd ID rear detachment while three of four brigades were deployed to Iraq. Phillips said he was grateful to Cucolo for offering him an opportunity to serve Fort Stewartx26rsquox3Bs soldiers and families.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BMy first responsibility was to fulfill Gen. Cucolox26rsquox3Bs intent,x26rdquox3B he said. The intent, Phillips said, was to preserve and improve the quality of life for military members and their dependents at Fort Stewart. Once he did that, Phillips could strive to enhance aspects of post life he felt needed betterment.x3Cbr /x3EHe counts among his accomplishments the development of an adoptx2Dax2Dschool program, strengthened Family Support Groups, and improved food quality and selection in post dining facilities and at Club Stewart.x3Cbr /x3EPhillips said his job was made easier by x26ldquox3Bgreat community support,x26rdquox3B both on and off post. x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BWhat great hearts our neighbors have,x26rdquox3B he said, praising the support civilian communities surrounding Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield give the military.x3Cbr /x3EPhillips specifically credited Ginger Cucolo, the x26ldquox3BMarne senior spousex3Bx26rdquox3B Fort Stewart, South Carolina and Cuba school district superintendent Dr. Samantha Ingramx3B and Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Ashman, whom he called x26ldquox3Bmy battle buddy,x26rdquox3B and Ashmanx26rsquox3Bs wife, Wanda, for assisting him during his mission here.x3Cbr /x3EThe general said the job afforded him a chance to use all his skills and life experiences.x3Cbr /x3EOn occasion, he openly shared with fellow soldiers his past struggle with depression.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BI had something in my own life I was able to convert into a tool,x26rdquox3B Phillips said. Talking about his own bout of depression helped him form a bridge with other soldiers recovering from physical or mental injuries, the general said. x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BIx26rsquox3Bm very proud of the way the Army has recognized mental health is as diagnosable, as treatable as physical health,x26rdquox3B Phillips said.x3Cbr /x3EHe said sharing his story with soldiers at the Warrior Transition Battalion encouraged another young soldier, a survivor of suicide, to pay it forward and tell other soldiers that suicide is not the answer to anyonex26rsquox3Bs problems.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BHe wanted to let soldiers know there is a better way,x26rdquox3B Phillips said.x3Cbr /x3EAt the retreat ceremony, the outgoing general told the crowd his 18 months at Fort Stewart were x26ldquox3Ba gift to be savored.x26rdquox3Bx3C/px3E

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Phillips promoted, given farewell

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Denise Etheridge

Staff Writer

detheridge@coastalcourier.com

912-876-0156

Former 3rd Infantry Division deputy commander Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Phillips recalled the night he first arrived at Fort Stewart, a U-Haul hitched to his car.


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Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/30325/

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Author, West Point grad promotes positive female role models

3rd ID celebrates women’s accomplishments during observance

Denise Etheridge
detheridge@coastalcourier.com
912x2D876x2D0156
March 26, 2011

x3Cpx3EDonna McAleer offered young women in the military some straightforward advice Wednesday following the 3rd Infantry Divisionx26rsquox3Bs Womenx26rsquox3Bs History Month observance at Fort Stewart. x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BDo your best at everything all the time, never take no for an answer and if therex26rsquox3Bs a door there, either knock it down or walk through it,x26rdquox3B McAleer said.x3Cbr /x3EMcAleer, a published author, former Marne soldier, West Point graduate, business leader and athlete, spoke to soldiers, spouses and civilians during a presentation hosted by the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team and the 3rd ID Equal Opportunity Office. The theme for this yearx26rsquox3Bs observance was x26ldquox3BOur history is our strength.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3EMcAleer profiled 14 strong women, all West Point graduates, in her book, x26ldquox3BPorcelain on Steel: Women of West Pointx26rsquox3Bs Long Gray Line.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BTheyx26rsquox3Bre really the vanguard of a new generation of leaders,x26rdquox3B she said.x3Cbr /x3EMcAleer said she was inspired to write the book after realizing the need many young women, and men, have today for positive female role models. She said she began her research after an experience she had coaching a womenx26rsquox3Bs volleyball team. The teenage players had shown up in x26ldquox3Btank tops and jewelry.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BI issued some rules,x26rdquox3B McAleer said. x26ldquox3BNo breasts, no butts and no bellies,x26rdquox3B explaining she instructed her students to wear appropriate athletic clothing. x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BAmericans are bombarded with images of women selling everything from beer to cars,x26rdquox3B McAleer said. x26ldquox3BWomen are objectified in the media. That says a womanx26rsquox3Bs worth is tied to her looks.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3EMcAleer said the women in x26ldquox3BPorcelain on Steelx26rdquox3B profile women who graduated from West Point between 1980 and 2007.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BThey are richx3B they are poorx3B they are athleticx3B they are studious,x26rdquox3B she said.x26nbspx3B x3Cbr /x3EMcAleer said she found about 10,000 book titles dealing with 200 years of West Point history, but only four dealt with the women of West Point.x3Cbr /x3EShe spoke about dispelling myths that women are not as capable as men to serve in the military or lead in politics or the corporate world.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BWomen make up more than 50 percent of the U.S. population but relatively few women hold political office,x26rdquox3B she said.x3Cbr /x3EMcAleer was a member of West Pointx26rsquox3Bs eighth x26ldquox3Bclass of womenx26rdquox3B from 1983x2D87 and served in the 3rd Infantry Division from 1987x2D91. She resigned her Army commission to earn an MBA at the Darden Graduate School of the University of Virginia.x3Cbr /x3EShe later moved to Park City, Utah, where she first trained to represent the United States in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in the medal debut of womenx26rsquox3Bs bobsled. As a bobsled driver, she finished fourth in the Olympic trials. x3Cbr /x3EBefore McAleer spoke to her military audience, several 1st Brigade soldiers performed a skit and Nancy Engel of Macon performed a x26ldquox3Bonex2Dwoman show.x26rdquox3B x3Cbr /x3ELt. Col. Monica Robinson, dressed as an oldx2Dfashioned school teacher, led the x26ldquox3Bclass.x26rdquox3B Her x26ldquox3Bstudentx26rdquox3B soldiers reported on American women who have inspired them, such as tennis pro Billie Jean King and valor award recipient and soldier Leigh Ann Hester. x3Cbr /x3EEngel donned a leather flight jacket and pilotx26rsquox3Bs cap to portray American aviator Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Engel said she has toured schools and now tours military installations. She portrays a total of eight women who influenced history.x3Cbr /x3EThe 3rd ID pop band also performed Gloria Gaynorx26rsquox3Bs hit x26ldquox3BI Will Survive,x26rdquox3B and Aretha Franklinx26rsquox3Bs iconic tunes x26ldquox3BRespectx26rdquox3B and x26ldquox3BFreedom.x26rdquox3Bx3C/px3E

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Author, West Point grad promotes positive female role models

detheridge

Denise Etheridge

Staff Writer

detheridge@coastalcourier.com

912-876-0156

Donna McAleer offered young women in the military some straightforward advice Wednesday following the 3rd Infantry Division’s Women’s History Month observance at Fort Stewart.


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Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/30255/

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New barracks spur contractor pay issue

Denise Etheridge
detheridge@coastalcourier.com
912x2D876x2D0156
March 26, 2011

x3Cpx3EA subcontractor hired to build 20 barracks buildings on Fort Stewart claims the projectx26rsquox3Bs prime contractor has not compensated them for payroll in the past two weeks, and therefore they cannot pay their workers and fears their company could x26ldquox3Bgo under.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3EExterior Walls Inc. of Orlando was subcontracted by Archer Western Contractors, which comes under the Walsh Group, to build barracks for the new 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team complex. The $427 million project is scheduled for completion in midx2DJuly, when Vanguard soldiers are due to return from a 12x2Dmonth deployment to Iraq. x3Cbr /x3EThe emerging brigade complex off Georgia Highway 144 also includes a physicalx2Dfitness facility, a headquarters building and a dining facility. The Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing the massive construction project.x26nbspx3B x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BNobody is telling us anything,x26rdquox3B said James Hatfield, a former Exterior Walls Inc. foreman. x26ldquox3BThe Corps hasnx26rsquox3Bt gotten back to mex3B Archer Western hasnx26rsquox3Bt got back to me.x26rdquox3B He added his employer, Exterior Walls Inc., also has not contacted him.x3Cbr /x3EHatfield said he and at least 170 other construction workers have not been paid in four weeks, not the two weeks asserted by Exterior Walls Inc. officials, and so many of them have left the job site. x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BI left a job to go out there,x26rdquox3B Hatfield said. The Long County resident said he has been in construction all his life and he felt honored to do this job, providing homes for single soldiers.x3Cbr /x3EThe pay issue has impacted a large number of people, Hatfield told the Courier on Monday.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BThere are guys here from Orlando that canx26rsquox3Bt even get home. Theyx26rsquox3Bre stuck here unless they get help from home. They havenx26rsquox3Bt got their paychecks,x26rdquox3B he said. x26ldquox3BEverything was fine until they switched banks. They were with Bank of America and switched to another bank. Those checks started bouncing or we just didnx26rsquox3Bt get paid.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3EHatfield said officials at Archer Western told him that $1.5 million went missing. Archer Western reportedly paid its subcontractor for the work and x26ldquox3Bno one has determined where that money has gone,x26rdquox3B according to Hatfield.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BTherex26rsquox3Bs no one out there that can give us any straight answers or anything,x26rdquox3B he said. x26ldquox3BI know they (Exterior Walls Inc.) have a bond. Every big company does when they do a job like that.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3EIvan Moreno, director of operations for Exterior Walls Inc., put the ball for the payment snafu squarely in Archer Westernx26rsquox3Bs court. Moreno told the Courier itx26rsquox3Bs a case of the x26ldquox3Bbig guy abusing the little guy,x26rdquox3B and said his company is making a legal claim for more than $2.5 million in lost x3Cbr /x3Efunds.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BWex26rsquox3Bve probably lost $2 million or more now and we havenx26rsquox3Bt completed the project,x26rdquox3B he said. x26ldquox3BWe started in May 2010 and were supposed to be done in December 2010. So the job has gone five or six months over its scheduled completion.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3EMoreno said to meet the prime contractorx26rsquox3Bs demand to accelerate the projectx26rsquox3Bs delayed progress, they expanded their workforce from 40 to about 200 workers. He said Exterior Walls was attempting to meet Archer Westernx26rsquox3Bs demand to build 20 barracks x26ldquox3Bat one time.x26rdquox3B x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BWe were only supposed to work on five buildings at a time,x26rdquox3B Moreno said. x26ldquox3BIx26rsquox3Bm hoping the Corps will get more involved. I think they should care more.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3EThe Corps, apparently, is stepping back from the payment issue.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BWhile we are sympathetic to the workersx26rsquox3B situation, this issue is between the prime contractor and the subcontractor,x26rdquox3B said Joyce A. McDonald, corporate communications officer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BThe Corps of Engineers has the responsibility to ensure the prime contractor meets the requirements of the contract. The prime contractor can then hire subcontractors of their choice. Paying workers becomes the responsibility of the company employing the workers,x26rdquox3B McDonald said.x3Cbr /x3EArcher Western officials did not return the Courierx26rsquox3Bs numerous calls for comment by press time Thursday.x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BWex26rsquox3Bre struggling right now,x26rdquox3B Moreno said in a weary voice. x26ldquox3BIx26rsquox3Bm not sure what (our bond company) will be able to do. Their option is either to help us financially or to go after our assets and shut us down and fight with Archer Western on this stuff.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3EHe added Archer Western has brought workers in from Chicago, Ill., onto the barracks job site x26ldquox3Binstead of working all the local men that are now waiting to go back to work.x26rdquox3Bx3Cbr /x3EMoreno said Exterior Walls Inc. is a small minorityx2D and familyx2Downed business that was established in 1998. x3Cbr /x3Ex26ldquox3BThis is the first job wex26rsquox3Bve done with Archer Western,x26rdquox3B he said.x3C/px3E

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detheridge

Denise Etheridge

Staff Writer

detheridge@coastalcourier.com

912-876-0156

A subcontractor hired to build 20 barracks buildings on Fort Stewart claims the project’s prime contractor has not compensated them for payroll in the past two weeks, and therefore they cannot pay their workers and fears their company could “go under.”


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Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/30249/

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — A U.S. soldier who pleaded guilty Wednesday to the murders of three Afghan civilians was sentenced to 24 years in prison after saying “the plan was to kill people” in a conspiracy with four fellow soldiers.
Military judge Lt. Col. Kwasi Hawks said he initially intended to sentence Spc. Jeremy Morlock of Wasilla, Alaska, to life in prison with possibility of parole but was bound by the plea deal.
The 22-year-old Morlock is a key figure in a war-crimes probe that has raised some of the most serious criminal allegations to come from the war in Afghanistan. Army investigators accused him of taking a lead role in the killings of three unarmed Afghan men in Kandahar province in January, February and May 2010.
His sentencing Wednesday came hours after he pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, and one count each of conspiracy, obstructing justice and illegal drug use at his court martial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, south of Seattle.
Morlock, the first of five soldiers from the 5th Stryker Brigade to be court-martialed in the case, will receive 352 days off of his sentence for time served and could be eligible for parole in about seven years, said his lead attorney, Frank Spinner. He will be dishonorably discharged as part of his sentence.
Under his plea deal, he has agreed to testify against his co-defendants.
Asked by the judge whether the plan was to shoot at people to scare them, or to shoot to kill, Morlock replied, “The plan was to kill people.”
Speaking to reporters after the sentencing, Spinner read a statement prepared by Morlock in which the soldier apologized for the pain he had caused his victims’ families and the people of Afghanistan and asked for forgiveness from his fellow soldiers.
Spinner speculated that “morale problems and discipline problems” in Morlock’s brigade created an environment that contributed to the killings — an argument the defense presented in court through the testimony of sociologist and war crimes expert Stjepan Mestrovic.
Morlock had told investigators the murder plot was led by Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs of Billings, Mont., who also is charged in the case; Gibbs maintains the killings were legitimate.
Other witnesses, including Morlock’s mother and his former hockey coach, talked about the devastating effect of his father’s death in a boating accident in 2007.
But, ultimately, Morlock accepted that his actions were his and his alone, Spinner said.
Responding to criticism that 24 years was too light for three murders, Spinner pointed to Morlock’s willingness to take responsibility for his actions and testify against his co-defendants.
“He realized coming into court today the ‘why’s’ were not that important. He’s taking responsibility,” Spinner said.
The plea deal had been in place for nearly two months, so the sentence “wasn’t really a surprise” to Morlock, Spinner told reporters.
Morlock told the judge that he and the other soldiers first began plotting to murder unarmed Afghans in late 2009, several weeks before the first killing took place. To make the killings appear justified, the soldiers planned to plant weapons near the bodies of the victims, he said.
Army prosecutor Capt. Andre Leblanc characterized the crimes as acts of “unspeakable cruelty” by “a few extraordinarily misguided men.”
“We don’t do this. This is not how we’re trained. This is not the Army,” Leblanc said during his closing statement Wednesday.
During questioning by the judge Wednesday, Morlock said he had second thoughts about the murder plot while home on leave in March 2010, after the first two killings took place.
“It was really hard to come back,” he told Hawks, adding that he no longer wanted to “engage or be part of anything” like the killings that already had occurred.
Morlock said he didn’t voice his doubts to his fellow soldiers, however, and he went on to participate in the third killing in May.

Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/30277/

 

WASHINGTON – The deadline for eligible service members, veterans and their beneficiaries to apply for special retroactive pay as compensation for involuntary extensions of their military service contracts has been extended to April 8, Defense Department officials announced today.

The deadline extension is included in the continuing resolution President Barack Obama signed March 18 that provided funding for government operations through April 8.

The Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay was established to compensate for the hardships military members encountered when their service was involuntarily extended under Stop Loss authority between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2009. Eligible members or their beneficiaries may submit a claim to their respective military services to receive the benefit of $500 for each full or partial month served in a Stop Loss status.

When the special pay program began on Oct. 21, 2009, the services estimated 145,000 service members, veterans and beneficiaries were eligible for this benefit. Because the majority of those eligible had separated from the military, the services have engaged in extensive and persistent outreach efforts to reach them and remind them to apply, officials said.

Outreach efforts — such as using direct mail, social networks and media outlets and engaging military and veteran service organizations — will continue through April 8, officials added.

To apply for Stop Loss pay or for more information, including submission requirements and service-specific links, go to http://www.defense.gov/stoploss.

Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/30231/

The offense happened at the North Central Medical Plaza in Dallas.  (From the SecurityWeek article referenced in the Slashdot blog entry.)

The Slashdot entry:

“A former contract security guard who admitted hacking into a hospital’s computer systems (where he worked), was sentenced to 110 months in Federal prison. Why did he do it? He admits that he intended to use the bots and the compromised computers to launch DDoS attacks on the websites of rival hacker groups. The FBI says he posted video of himself hacking into the hospital

computers on YouTube http://www.securityweek.com/behind-bars-hospital-guard-hacker-who-posted-his-crime-youtube – While the theme of ‘Mission Impossible’ played, he described his hack, step by step, including the insertion of a CD containing

the OphCrack program, which allowed him to bypass all security. The FBI found the CD containing the OphCrack program in McGraw’s house and found the source code for the bot on his laptop.”

From the SecurityWeek article:

“McGraw broke into the room containing the HVAC computer. He downloaded a password recovery tool from a website, inserted a removable storage device and then executed a program which allowed him to emulate a CD/DVD device.  With remote access to the HVAC computer established, he then hacked a nurses’ station computer. McGraw made a video and audio recording of what he

called his “botnet infiltration.” While the theme of “Mission Impossible” played, McGraw described his hack, step by step, including the insertion of a CD containing the OphCrack program, which allowed him to bypass all security. The FBI found the CD containing the OphCrack program in McGraw’s house and found the source code for the bot on his laptop.”

http://idle.slashdot.org/story/11/03/23/1442254/Hacker-Posts-His-Crime-On-YouTube-Lands-In-Jail

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Article source: http://beta.coastalcourier.com/section/35/article/30169/

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