Wounded Soldiers from Greater Philadelphia Honored

Wounded Soldiers from Greater Philadelphia Honored at Rose Tree Park
The 5th Annual Walk for the Wounded was held Saturday, May 19.
By Lauren Avellino Turton

The walk route was lined with flags in honor of the wounded soldiers. Credit: Lauren Avellino Turton

Mother Nature delivered the perfect day for the 5th Annual Walk for the Wounded held at Rose Tree Park in Upper Providence Township on Saturday.

Family, friends, and visitors from Haverford Township and the rest of Delaware County and beyond came out by the thousands to recognize the injured soldiers and help raise money for them and their families with personal and financial needs.

There was much to do for all ages. There were several interactive military displays, including a medical tent from the 11th Airborne, and a UH1 helicopter that kids could sit in and pose for photos.

There was an elaborate motorcycle and car show, local veterans groups and vendors from the area, and plenty of activities popular with the kids, like moon bounce and giant slide.
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Pathfinders' preparedness is tested by deadly IED blasts

Pathfinders' preparedness is tested by deadly IED blasts
By LAURA RAUCH
Stars and Stripes
Published: May 21, 2012

Part one of a two-part Stars and Stripes series, "Devastation and Endurance."

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — The soldier knew something was wrong when the Black Hawk and Kiowa helicopters tore sharply into the compound. Their landing, skittish and odd, made Sgt. Jon McMillen’s gut turn.

Several of McMillen’s teammates, all with Team 3 out of Kandahar Airfield, were on a reconnaissance mission in the Shorabak district near the Pakistani border while he and other Pathfinders from the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade were staged as backup at Forward Operating Base Spin Boldak.

Upon landing, the crew chief jumped out and waved in McMillen’s platoon leader, 1st Lt. John Runkle. Moments later, Runkle returned to his soldiers and told them to grab their kit and get the [expletive] on the bird. Now he knew there was trouble; Runkle never cussed.
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General Odierno cracks down on sex assaults, harassment

Odierno cracks down on sex assaults, harassment
By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Monday May 21, 2012

In the Army’s fight against sexual assault and harassment, soldiers cannot be bystanders, the Army’s top general said.

“We need to eliminate the bystander mentality,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno said. “It’s intolerable to me that there are people that see sexual harassment, or circumstances that could lead to sexual assault, and choose to turn the other way.”

Odierno spoke May 7 at the 2012 “I. A.M. Strong Sexual Harassment/Assault Prevention Summit” in Leesburg, Va.

He called passive bystanders who do not assist or report harassment and assault, or help their fellow soldiers, “part of the problem.”

“Our Army faces many threats and risks. But these specific threats emanate from within our own corps,” he said. “They have a corrosive effect on our unit readiness, team cohesion, command environment, and trust of soldiers and family members. We must make every single effort to take care of and protect each other. That’s what we do, that’s who we are.”
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Lejeune service members may be at risk for Lyme disease

Lejeune service members may be at risk for Lyme disease
May 20, 2012
AMANDA WILCOX
DAILY NEWS STAFF

With the warm weather rolling in, it’s time Camp Lejeune Marines and sailors start taking precautions to protect themselves against vector born illnesses like Lyme disease.

“Ticks are really bad this year,” said Navy Lt. Patrick McGuire, officer in charge, Preventive Medicine Unit, 2nd Marine Logistics Group. “Because of the warmer winter this year, we’re seeing a lot more ticks in the field.”

North Carolina is home to a certain kind of tick, called a deer tick, that carries a bacteria known as borrelia burgdorferi which causes Lyme disease, said Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune’s Preventive Medicine experts.
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Jacksonville one of communities picked for study on deployment impacts

Jacksonville one of communities picked for study on deployment impacts
May 20, 2012
AMANDA WILCOX

DAILY NEWS STAFF

Jacksonville has been selected to be part of a national study on the effects of multiple deployments on communities with large military populations.

Jacksonville, home to the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast, joins El Paso, Texas, and Lacey and Lakewood, Wash., in the Congress-mandated study titled, “How Communities with Large Military Populations are Affected by Deployment.”

A Maryland research company hired by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences was in Jacksonville from April 18 – 24 collecting research.

Christine Stencel, media relations officer at the Institute of Medicine, said that researchers wanted to get a sense of what potential effects there have been on the Jacksonville community due to multiple deployments.

As part of the study, the team interviewed the fire and police departments and local business leaders. Stencel was unable to comment on which businesses or departments the research team spoke to while in Jacksonville due to a confidentiality agreement.

Camp Lejeune spokesman 2nd Lt. Philip Kulczewski said there are currently about 5,500 Lejeune Marines deployed directly to Afghanistan, and another 3,900 deployed around the world in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
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