By Cheryl Pellerin American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON : President Barack Obama has approved the use of armed predator strikes in the international fight against Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi's regime, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today.
"The president has said that where we have some unique capabilities, he is willing to use those," Gates said. "In fact, he has approved the use of armed predators [in Libya]." Armed predators have been used in Libya "purely as [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems] until today," Cartwright said. Two unmanned armed predators capable of around-the-clock coverage are now in Libya, the general added. The first flights launched today but were cancelled because of bad weather. The character of the fight in Libya has changed, Cartwright said. Gadhafi loyalists, he said, are digging in or "nestling up against crowded areas" to avoid being targeted by NATO aircraft. The more-precise predators bring "their ability to get down lower and therefore, to be able to get better visibility, particularly on targets that have started to dig themselves into defensive positions," Cartwright said. The aircraft are uniquely suited for urban areas where more traditional bombing can cause collateral damage, he added. "This is a very limited capability," Gates said, adding that the president has been clear from the outset that the U.S. role would be specifically defined. Obama structured the U.S. role in Libya as a limited one because "of all our friends and allies, we are the most-stretched military," Gates added. "We have close to 100,000 troops in Afghanistan, we still have 50,000 troops in Iraq and we have 19 ships and 18,000 men and women in uniform still helping on Japan relief," the secretary said. The president agreed to participate in the international effort against the Libyan government, Gates said, because "of the worry that Gadhafi could destabilize the fledgling revolutions in both Tunisia and Egypt ... and second to prevent a humanitarian disaster." The president has been clear, the secretary said, "that the primary strike role has been turned over to our allies and our friends, and if we can make a modest contribution with these armed predators, we'll do it." (Issued on :April 21, 2011) | ||
| Biographies: Robert M. Gates Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright |
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Gates: Obama OKs Predator Strikes in Libya
Organization Reaches Out to Wounded Warriors
By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON : In what started out as a small pilot program, members of Disabled American Veterans, working with the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments, began visiting wounded warriors at Fort Bragg, N.C., to talk about benefits and services available to them after they leave active duty.
DAV National Commander Wallace E. "Wally" Tyson called DAV's contribution a vital link to the newest generation of disabled veterans. "We want to get to those veterans before they are released from active duty so we can help get them on a path toward reinstituting a life for themselves and making sure they know what benefits are available to them and their families," he told American Forces Press Service. As partners in military transition assistance programs and disability transition assistance programs, DAV transition service officers conduct or participate in pre-discharge briefings, review wounded warriors' treatment records on request and confer with Defense and Labor Department officials and other participants in the discharge process. The program, Tyson said, enables DAV to help service members through the process of developing evidence, completing applications and prosecuting claims for veterans benefits administered under federal, state and local laws. But one of the biggest benefits of the effort, he added, is ensuring that separating service members don't find themselves in a situation where their military benefits are discontinued and VA benefits have not yet started. "I can't overemphasize the value of the complete package," agreed Ron Minter, DAV's national service officer supervisor for Maryland. "When [transition assistance officers] have that opportunity, it allows more prompt service and a smoother transition and, to a greater degree, a seamless transition" from military to civilian life. And even if transitioning service members may not feel the need for DAV support now, Tyson said, that initial contact lays important groundwork for future help, when and if it is needed. DAV's outreach to wounded warriors about to make this transition is a natural extension of its historic mission to serve veterans with service-connected disabilities and their families, he said. Robert S. Marx, a captain who had been wounded in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France in November 1918, is credited with founding DAV to serve disabled World War I veterans who returned home to little government support. Congress, impressed with its effectiveness, chartered DAV in 1932 as the primary advocate for disabled veterans. Ninety-one years since its founding, Tyson said, DAV is as relevant today as it's been at any time in its history. He noted the growing number of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have joined its 1.2 million-member ranks, benefiting from its claims and benefits assistance and its voluntary services program. DAV offers a broad range of services to disabled veterans, all at no charge, thanks in large part to an army of more than 14,000 volunteers. Some drive a fleet of more than 1,400 vans, transporting veterans to VA medical centers, supermarkets or even barber shops. Others volunteer their services at VA medical facilities and regional clinics. In addition, a cadre of highly trained national service officers, all with wartime-service-connected disabilities, reviews veterans' claims and ensures veterans know what benefits and services they're entitled to. During 2010 alone, they interviewed almost 185,000 veterans and their families, Tyson reported. As a result, they filed more than 250,000 new claims for benefits, obtaining $5.1 billion in new and retroactive benefits for the disabled veterans they represented. In addition, DAV employs nine national appeals officers who represent disabled veterans before the VA's Board of Veterans' Appeals. Last year, these national appeals officers represented appellants in about 5,000 cases. Of those cases, Tyson reported, almost three-quarters resulted in the original decisions being overturned or remanded to regional office rating boards for additional development and re-adjudication. In an effort to better support disabled veterans, DAV is increasing its outreach into rural areas and other areas where veterans traditionally have been underserved. During 2010, DAV's 10 new mobile service offices traveled almost 115,000 miles and visited 815 cities and towns to interview more than 20,000 veterans and other potential claimants, Tyson reported. "This outreach effort generates a considerable amount of claims work from those veterans who may not otherwise have the opportunity to seek assistance at DAV national service offices," he said. One of the more popular outreach efforts, the "Harley's Heroes" project, involves setting up DAV booths at local Harley-Davidson Motor Co. dealerships that underwrite the cost of the project. Mobile service offices visited 183 Harley-Davidson dealerships last year. In addition to serving up refreshments and distributing information, DAV national service officers offered to review veterans' paperwork to help in determining whether they're eligible for benefits or services. "We want them to bring any evidence they have, if they never filed a claim or want to reopen a claim," Tyson said. "And they're getting the best of both worlds. They don't have to travel [to a VA facility], and they are going to get an expert working on their claim. Our national service officers are the best-trained out there." With most of its current members from the Vietnam War era, Tyson said, it's time for the organization to throw its support to the nation's youngest disabled veterans and welcome them into the fold. "We don't want a repeat [of the Vietnam homecoming experience]," Tyson said. "We hope we have learned from those mistakes, and to a great degree, I believe we as a nation have. Now we want to incorporate the younger veterans. It's our turn to mentor them and let them take some of the leadership roles" within DAV. "I believe, personally, that we are the best advocates for disabled veterans, their wives, their widows, their children and their survivors," Tyson said. "That is because we have one and only one mission: to build better lives for disabled American veterans and their families. We have struck to that since this organization was founded, and I believe that is the reason the organization is so successful." (Issued on April 19, 2011) | ||
| Related Sites: Disabled American Veterans | ||
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Appointment of Christian Member in Minority Commission
Christian Council Welcomes Manipur Government’s Appointment of Christian Member in Minority Commission
Imphal, April 21, 2011: All India Christian Council (aicc) welcomes Manipur government’s appoint of a Christian member representative in the state minority commission. The appointment of the member in the commission will help service the welfare of the Christian minorities in the state.
The Manipur government has appointed Rev. N. Debendra Singh as the Christian representative member of the state commission for minorities on April 1, 2011 for a three year term. Dr. M. S. Ningombam was also appointed as the Buddhist representative for the same term. The state commission for minorities will have A. Halim Choudhury, retired IAS, as Chairman and Rev. N. Debendra Singh and Dr. M. S. Ningombam as members.
Dr. Joseph D’souza, aicc President, while welcoming the appointment, said, “This is a long awaited and much needed appointment by the Manipur government. Now the appointment of the representative from Muslim, Christian and Buddhist communities to the state minorities commission will serve each communities’ welfare better.”
The appointment of the Christian member to the minority commission came after the request and recommendation of the Christian Council. Dr. John Dayal, aicc Secretary General, and Rev. Madhu Chandra, aicc Public Relation Officer and Spokesperson of North East Support Centre & Helpline, made a representation to Manipur Chief Secretary about the need of Christian representation in the commission in September last year.
Dr. John Dayal said, “Manipur in recent times has experienced a high level of human rights violations against Christian minorities. The appointment of the Christian member in the commission will help the state provide and protect the religious freedom and fundamental rights to all communities, particularly the minority Christian members.”
Rev. N. Debendra Singh serves as Vice-President of aicc’s Manipur chapter and is currently part way into a four year term. He also holds the position of Vice-President of the All Manipur Meitei Christian Minority Forum. He also served with the Meitei Baptist Association for 15 years as Youth Secretary and Executive Secretary until he retired in 2008.
The All India Christian Council birthed in 1998, exists to protect and serve the Christian community, minorities, and the oppressed castes. The aicc is a coalition of thousands of Indian denominations, organizations, and lay leaders. --Shel Khalling
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Lynn Opens Countertrafficking Command Center
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
NAVAL AIR STATION KEY WEST, Fla., April 19, 2011 - A new, high-tech command center here will move the fight against illicit traffickers to a new level, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said yesterday.
Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III addresses the men and women of U.S. Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West, Fla., April 18, 2011. Lynn cut the ribbon to officially open a new countertrafficking operations center. DOD photo by Cherie Cullen
Just before cutting a ribbon to the Joint Operations Command Center alongside William Wechsler, deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, Lynn said the threat that plagues the region has evolved beyond drugs alone.
"Transnational criminal organizations are posing a not-very-well-understood, but growing, threat to the United States," he told the task force staff. "It's something I know you are on the front lines of addressing and, ultimately, preventing."
The new command center serves Joint Interagency Task Force South, a subordinate command to the Miami-based U.S. Southern Command that integrates military, interagency and international capabilities to combat illicit trafficking.
Lynn traveled to Miami a day earlier to meet with Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, Southcom commander, and his leadership team. In testimony last month before the House Armed Services Committee, Fraser called the task force "the center of U.S. maritime interdiction efforts in the Caribbean basin and eastern Pacific."
Using information from law enforcement agencies, the general added, the task force detects and monitors suspect aircraft and maritime vessels and then provides this information to international and interagency partners who have the authority to interdict illicit shipments and arrest members of transnational criminal organizations.
Task force members represent each U.S. military service and most federal law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Other members from the U.S. intelligence community represent the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Security Agency.
The task force staff includes liaison officers from 13 nations: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Spain and the United Kingdom.
"We made the decision in April 2008 to apply our collective wisdom and knowledge across the interagency, our international partners and the joint team here," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Daniel Lloyd, commander of Joint Interagency Task Force South, said during the ceremony opening the new operations center.
The aim, he said, was "to come up with a better way to be even more effective in countering the illicit traffickers."
The new command center, Lloyd added, "is the first of its kind anywhere, and represents the very best way we know how to conduct the fight against illicit traffickers."
In the center, intelligence and operations functions come together in a state-of-the-art command, control, communications and intelligence facility, officials said, where the task force coordinates the use of Navy and Coast Guard ships and aircraft, Air Force and U.S. Customs Service aircraft, and aircraft and ships from allied nations and law enforcement agencies.
"I think it's important at this moment to recognize how far we've come," Wechsler said. "Back in the 1980s, the mission set against which [the task force] was deployed was considered to be an unsolvable problem. There was a never-ending stream of air and maritime vessels headed right for our coast. It was a direct threat to U.S. sovereignty."
Today, he added, the problem has evolved, and so has the task force. "[It] is really, in my mind, a model -- perhaps one of the best models of coordination that exists in the U.S. government," he said.
Biographies:
William J. Lynn III
William F. Wechsler
Related Sites:
U.S. Southern Command
Joint Interagency Task Force South
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
NAVAL AIR STATION KEY WEST, Fla., April 19, 2011 - A new, high-tech command center here will move the fight against illicit traffickers to a new level, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said yesterday.
Just before cutting a ribbon to the Joint Operations Command Center alongside William Wechsler, deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, Lynn said the threat that plagues the region has evolved beyond drugs alone.
"Transnational criminal organizations are posing a not-very-well-understood, but growing, threat to the United States," he told the task force staff. "It's something I know you are on the front lines of addressing and, ultimately, preventing."
The new command center serves Joint Interagency Task Force South, a subordinate command to the Miami-based U.S. Southern Command that integrates military, interagency and international capabilities to combat illicit trafficking.
Lynn traveled to Miami a day earlier to meet with Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, Southcom commander, and his leadership team. In testimony last month before the House Armed Services Committee, Fraser called the task force "the center of U.S. maritime interdiction efforts in the Caribbean basin and eastern Pacific."
Using information from law enforcement agencies, the general added, the task force detects and monitors suspect aircraft and maritime vessels and then provides this information to international and interagency partners who have the authority to interdict illicit shipments and arrest members of transnational criminal organizations.
Task force members represent each U.S. military service and most federal law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Other members from the U.S. intelligence community represent the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Security Agency.
The task force staff includes liaison officers from 13 nations: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Spain and the United Kingdom.
"We made the decision in April 2008 to apply our collective wisdom and knowledge across the interagency, our international partners and the joint team here," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Daniel Lloyd, commander of Joint Interagency Task Force South, said during the ceremony opening the new operations center.
The aim, he said, was "to come up with a better way to be even more effective in countering the illicit traffickers."
The new command center, Lloyd added, "is the first of its kind anywhere, and represents the very best way we know how to conduct the fight against illicit traffickers."
In the center, intelligence and operations functions come together in a state-of-the-art command, control, communications and intelligence facility, officials said, where the task force coordinates the use of Navy and Coast Guard ships and aircraft, Air Force and U.S. Customs Service aircraft, and aircraft and ships from allied nations and law enforcement agencies.
"I think it's important at this moment to recognize how far we've come," Wechsler said. "Back in the 1980s, the mission set against which [the task force] was deployed was considered to be an unsolvable problem. There was a never-ending stream of air and maritime vessels headed right for our coast. It was a direct threat to U.S. sovereignty."
Today, he added, the problem has evolved, and so has the task force. "[It] is really, in my mind, a model -- perhaps one of the best models of coordination that exists in the U.S. government," he said.
American Forces Press Service
NAVAL AIR STATION KEY WEST, Fla., April 19, 2011 - A new, high-tech command center here will move the fight against illicit traffickers to a new level, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said yesterday.
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"Transnational criminal organizations are posing a not-very-well-understood, but growing, threat to the United States," he told the task force staff. "It's something I know you are on the front lines of addressing and, ultimately, preventing."
The new command center serves Joint Interagency Task Force South, a subordinate command to the Miami-based U.S. Southern Command that integrates military, interagency and international capabilities to combat illicit trafficking.
Lynn traveled to Miami a day earlier to meet with Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser, Southcom commander, and his leadership team. In testimony last month before the House Armed Services Committee, Fraser called the task force "the center of U.S. maritime interdiction efforts in the Caribbean basin and eastern Pacific."
Using information from law enforcement agencies, the general added, the task force detects and monitors suspect aircraft and maritime vessels and then provides this information to international and interagency partners who have the authority to interdict illicit shipments and arrest members of transnational criminal organizations.
Task force members represent each U.S. military service and most federal law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Other members from the U.S. intelligence community represent the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Security Agency.
The task force staff includes liaison officers from 13 nations: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Spain and the United Kingdom.
"We made the decision in April 2008 to apply our collective wisdom and knowledge across the interagency, our international partners and the joint team here," Coast Guard Rear Adm. Daniel Lloyd, commander of Joint Interagency Task Force South, said during the ceremony opening the new operations center.
The aim, he said, was "to come up with a better way to be even more effective in countering the illicit traffickers."
The new command center, Lloyd added, "is the first of its kind anywhere, and represents the very best way we know how to conduct the fight against illicit traffickers."
In the center, intelligence and operations functions come together in a state-of-the-art command, control, communications and intelligence facility, officials said, where the task force coordinates the use of Navy and Coast Guard ships and aircraft, Air Force and U.S. Customs Service aircraft, and aircraft and ships from allied nations and law enforcement agencies.
"I think it's important at this moment to recognize how far we've come," Wechsler said. "Back in the 1980s, the mission set against which [the task force] was deployed was considered to be an unsolvable problem. There was a never-ending stream of air and maritime vessels headed right for our coast. It was a direct threat to U.S. sovereignty."
Today, he added, the problem has evolved, and so has the task force. "[It] is really, in my mind, a model -- perhaps one of the best models of coordination that exists in the U.S. government," he said.
William J. Lynn III
William F. Wechsler
Related Sites:
U.S. Southern Command
Joint Interagency Task Force South
Organization Honors Service Members' Children
By Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Gordon Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON,:: "Our Military Kids," a national nonprofit organization, honored four children and a military family here yesterday in an award ceremony at the Navy Memorial.
"Our military families serve as well as anyone who has ever worn a uniform," Pace said. "And these military children have demonstrated amazing talent, resilience and strength." Our Military Kids provides artistic, athletic and educational grants to children of deployed National Guardsmen and military reservists who are deployed overseas, said Greg O'Brien, a public relations associate for the group. "These grants pay for participation in activities such as sports, fine arts, camps and tutoring programs," he said. "Our surveys and third-party studies have found how important it is for children to stay active during a family member's deployment and have something positive on which they can focus their energy." This year's Our Military Kids of the Year honorees are Keegan Neverett, 16, of Leesburg, Fla.; Chris-Shanti Jackson, 15, of Jackson, Miss.; Katherine Bensburg, 14, of Mahopac, N.Y.; and Tristan Fissette, 10, of Elk Grove Village, Ill. Our Military Kids also honored the family of Air Force Senior Master Sgt. William Liston, an Air National Guardsman from West River, Md., as the Our Military Kids Family of the Year. The children represent parents who serve in the Army Reserve and National Guard, the Navy Reserve and the Air National Guard. They were selected through a contest among Our Military Kids grant recipients. The children were asked to submit essays and videos emphasizing their commitment to community service and their participation in the grant's activity. "I could hardly believe that I was selected as an Our Military Kids Kid of the Year," said Neverett, who used his grant for guitar and voice lessons. "It's a great honor. Just being here is pretty amazing." Many of the children said they wouldn't have been able to participate in the activities they pursued without the grants provided by Our Military Kids. "I used my grant from Our Military Kids for cheerleading, cheer lessons and fees," said Jackson, whose father is in the Army National Guard. "With my father being deployed overseas so many times, we certainly wouldn't have been able to cover the costs of cheerleading without the grant, and I'm just so thankful for the opportunity to do what I love." (Issued on April 15, 2011) | ||||||
| Related Sites: Our Military Kids | ||||||
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Monday, April 18, 2011
Rare complex brain surgery performed at CMC
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| CT scan showing brain haemorrhage |
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| CT angiogram of patient showing both the aneurysm(bold arrow) |
One of the oldest Neurosurgery dept. in the region, CMC & Hospital, Ludhiana has again brought laurels by performing a complex brain aneurysm surgery. Aneurysm is a common cause of life threatening brain hemorrhage in the young middle age group population. Most of these patients die because of delay in diagnosis and treatment. However if diagnosed early and treated timely and properly many lives can be saved.
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| Tarlochan |
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| Tarlochan |
Recently a 40 year old male presented at CMC & Hospital, Ludhiana, department of Neurosurgery with brain hemorrhage. He was investigated with a 64 slice (non-invasive) CT angiogram and found to have two aneurysms. He had a ruptured left DACA (Distal Anterior Cerebral Artery) aneurysm and an un-ruptured right MCA (Middle Cerebral Artery) bifurcation aneurysm.
Normally, he would have required two operations. First, emergency clipping of ruptured left DACA aneurysm followed by clipping of un-ruptured right MCA bifurcation aneurysm in a second operation later on.
However in a rare feat, a team of neurosurgeons comprising Dr. Sarvpreet Singh Grewal Head of the department and Dr. Sukhdeep Singh Jhawar, Assistant Professor Neurosurgery performed the surgery in a single operation, thereby avoiding the second operation and patient was discharged after ten days in a healthy condition. Apart from aneurysm, all complex brain and spine surgeries are routinely performed at CMC & Hospital, Ludhiana, in a cost effective manner on a regular basis by our team of expert neurosurgeons. --Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria First Lady, Dr. Biden Kick Off Sesame, USO Tour
By Elaine Sanchez American Forces Press Service COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 15, 2011 - Calling out over thousands of screaming fans, Elmo introduced a few new friends to Sesame Street here yesterday.
Obama and Biden hosted a concert-style event here yesterday to thank military families as well as to encourage community members to support and honor them as part of their "Joining Forces" military family support initiative. The event also helped to kick off the fifth installment of the Sesame Street and USO Experience for Military Families, a free traveling tour exclusively for military families. Sloan Gibson, USO president, who also stopped by the event, thanked the military children in the audience for their contributions to the family, especially during deployments. "It's a big job, it's a hard job sometimes, and it's a very important job," he said. "Thank you for what you do for your moms and your dads." "When a soldier is deployed, the entire family is deployed," added Gary E. Knell, Sesame Workshop CEO and president. "We care about you [and] what it's like to be a kid in the military." The Sesame Street Muppets offered the audience a preview of the traveling show, which features a new theme and a new character named Katie, a military child who is about to move. During the musical show, Katie opens up to her Muppet friends about her fears, and excitement, over her upcoming move. With the help of a few songs, Elmo and other Sesame pals reassure her that she'll make new friends while still remaining close with old ones. The show also was a big hit with the crowd. But while the older children enjoyed a special performance by singer Nick Jonas, the younger children had a clear favorite: Elmo. The show will kick off its around-the-world tour with a stop in Alaska later this month, and will continue with stops in Hawaii, Guam, South Korea, Turkey, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Spain. The show made its debut in July 2008 to help families cope with military-related challenges, including deployments and homecomings, a USO news release said, and is part of Sesame Workshop's "Talk, Listen, Connect" initiative for military families. Since the tour's inception four years ago, The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families has logged more than 61,200 miles to 90 bases in 33 different states and nine countries, a USO news release said. The tour also has performed 315 shows for more than 192,600 service members and their families. For up-to-date tour information, people can visit the USO website at http://www.uso.org. | ||||
| Related Sites: Special Report: Joining Forces USO Talk, Listen, Connect | ||||
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Face of Defense: Soldier Builds Ostomy Awareness
By Army Sgt. 1st Class J.R. Williams Task Force Falcon BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan, April 15, 2011 - Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Bob Cuyler is on a quest. The 10th Mountain Division tactical operations officer for Task Force Falcon runs a half-marathon every week -- 13.1 miles in a single outing every seven days. For some avid runners, a half-marathon a week might not seem like much. But Cuyler runs his weekly 13.1 miles while deployed to Afghanistan -- not an easy task, given the operations tempo, altitude and rugged terrain. But for Cuyler, the miles are just a small part of a larger, personal quest.
The UOAA is a national network for bowel and urinary diversion support groups in the United States. The veterans outreach program seeks to help military veterans, young and old, live with their ostomies. "Unfortunately, many people limit their activities because of the fear of the unknown when dealing with their ostomy," Cuyler said, "and others just need to know that they are not alone with this condition." The Hannibal, N.Y., knows all about living with an ostomy. In July 2007, following a seven-year battle with ulcerative colitis, doctors removed his entire colon. The surgery left him with a stoma -- an opening through his abdomen with an appliance bag attached. It also marked the start of Cuyler's quest for understanding. "My first thought following the surgery was just shock," he said. "I remember looking down and seeing I was cut open, and this appliance was attached to me. I just couldn't believe this was happening to me." At the time, this type of surgery meant a discharge from the military. "I came back to work with the mindset that I was getting out -- that it was over for me," Cuyler said. "Then, my nurse gave me this book, 'Great Comebacks' by Rolf Benirschke, a professional football player who continued his NFL career after his ostomy surgery." Benirschke's book details the inspirational achievements of people who'd had ostomy surgeries. Though the stories encouraged him during that initial recovery period, Cuyler said, he thought the end of the road was near. "My first day back to work was 30 days after the surgery," he said. "I could only do one pushup and one situp. That's it." Yet, each day following that first physical training session, the warrant officer discovered he could do a little bit more. "After a couple of months, I was getting back to my old self," he said. The book began to plant a seed in his mind. "One day, I was working out at the gym and the brigade commander at that time, Col. Erik Peterson, gave me a funny look and asked, 'Are you really disabled?' And I started to wonder the same thing," Cuyler said. He set his sights on continuing his Army aviation career, focusing on regaining his strength and proving he still could serve as a soldier and pilot. "Colonel Peterson said he would support me to fight the system," Cuyler said. "He took a risk. I'll never forget that." Peterson, now serving as the 10th Mountain Division chief of staff in Regional Command South, said it was apparent from the outset that Cuyler needed to stay in the Army. "Bob was an exceptionally valuable member of the Falcon Brigade team, but what was most compelling was his determination," he said. "He had a clearly defined goal. He understood the physical and bureaucratic obstacles to that goal, and he endeavored to overcome them. The rules said 'No,' but in Bob's case, they made no sense. He was clearly capable of serving and contributing, without limitation." The brigade surgeon at that time, Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Edward Bailey of Sackets Harbor, N.Y., agreed. "Bob is one of the most gratifying patients I have ever had the privilege to work with," Bailey said. "The words 'no,' 'won't' and 'can't' aren't in his vocabulary. He overcame every hurdle to return to the cockpit. A 30-day summer rotation at [the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La.] convinced us that he was more than capable of returning to the fight." So instead of ending, it appeared the road ahead for the pilot was merely bending. "You know, the warrior transition units sometimes get a bad rap," Cuyler said. "But in my case, the Fort Drum WTU did exactly what it was supposed to do. The [organization] gave me a chance to get well. It was the best thing for me and the Army." Fifteen months after surgery, Cuyler hit his first milestone when a medical board cleared him to remain on active duty with flight status. "It was incredible," he said. "You know, I actually went to the board. I wasn't allowed in the room during the panel, but they all saw me waiting outside the room. It was important to me, and to Colonel Peterson and Lieutenant Colonel Bailey, for the members of the board to see me for themselves, to wonder if I looked disabled." The next benchmark immediately followed the board, with a 12-month deployment to Iraq. "A year in Iraq confirmed that his medical condition is an inconvenience, not an impediment," said Bailey, now the 10th Mountain Division's surgeon. The deployment not only proved Cuyler could handle the rigors of combat, but also marked the first time any U.S. soldier had deployed with an ostomy and the first time any aviator flew into combat with an ostomy. Yet, the path to understanding continued after his return from Iraq. "During the deployment to Iraq, I was awarded the Tony Snow Public Service Award from the Great Comebacks program," Cuyler said. "Receiving that award changed things for me. Before, everything was for me. Now, I feel what it means." The exposure Cuyler received following the award inspired a new turn in the road. "People hide [the condition]. They're embarrassed," he said. "A month or two after I received the award, people around the world contacted me for advice." As each person contacted Cuyler, he shared everything he could to help: medical records, experiences, advice and hope. "There was a pilot from India who was fighting to keep his job after his ostomy," Cuyler said. "Using my medical records as an example, he was able to prove that flying with an ostomy was possible -- and done -- so he's still flying." While helping a fellow pilot brought some satisfaction, Cuyler said, his latest milestone affected him a little more deeply. At the end of this month, Cuyler will welcome a fellow ostomate -- and soldier -- to Afghanistan. "Lt. Col. William O'Brien first learned of my struggle to stay in the military after ostomy surgery by speaking with Lisa Becker, a Great Comebacks Award recipient," Cuyler said. "He then found me by doing the same thing I had done; [he] did a search for 'military' and 'ostomy.' But instead of finding discharge stories, he found mine." Down-to-earth and humble, Cuyler does not consider himself a trailblazer. "That's the big thing -- the gratitude I feel that my despair was able to help someone else," he said. Realizing how his fight helped another soldier, Cuyler decided to continue down the path toward educating others about the surgery and what to expect afterward. "I was contacted by the UOAA about a new program, the Veterans Outreach Program, involving other Great Comeback vets to assist fellow ostomates through their recovery at [Veterans Affairs] hospitals," Cuyler said. "Very few VA hospitals have support groups." Besides sharing his experiences and advice, Cuyler raises awareness of the program doing the one thing he once thought he'd never do again: long-distance running. "I've been running a half-marathon every week since January," he said. "It's a challenge, but it's a challenge that helps others. For every sponsor who pledges a dollar per half-marathon -- or any amount, really -- that's another dollar towards helping someone else." Cuyler has run 15 half-marathons. That adds up to 196.5 miles for the man who once could perform only one pushup and one situp. The miles also pave the path toward understanding life after an ostomy. "Bob personifies our Army values of duty, selfless service and personal courage," said Peterson, who calls Watertown, N.Y., home. "It doesn't surprise me that he's, once again, accomplishing something very difficult in order to benefit others and call attention to something important." | ||
| Related Sites: NATO International Security Assistance Force |
Sunday, April 17, 2011
A special HR report to be release on Monday
On 7-9 October 1991 at first International Workshop on National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights held in Paris when the United Nations Human Rights Commission as Resolution 1992/54 of 1992 and Resolution 48/134 of 1993 adopted the Paris Principle. It was a historic moment and a new definition of civilization was reintroduced in the human conscience. Following the path of Paris Principle, The Protection of Human Rights Act was drafted at 1993 by which Nation Human Rights Commission, West Bengal Human Rights Commission and as well as various other Human Rights Institutions were established in India where the duties and functions of the commissions are enumerated.
To monitor the performances of the HRIs of the countries, a new mechanism was developed at the UN. (ICC). In South Asia, ANNI(Asian NGOs Network on National Human Rights Institutions) was formed. To follow this process, AiNNI (All India Network of NGOs & Individuals working with National and State Human Rights Institutions) was also formed, wherein MASUM is an active member.
This is the demand of the hour that the West Bengal Human Rights Commission, West Bengal Women Commission, West Bengal Minority Commission and other Human Rights Institutions of this state work more actively and significantly in the field of protection of human rights. But it seems that they often failed to show such responsibilities.
We believe the Fourth Estate, the Press and Media, has strong role in forming public opinion in a positive way and they are morally bound to advocate and highlight the social causes.
A special report on Human Rights situation to be release at a press meet on 18th April, 2011 Monday at Kolkata Press Club at 3 - 4 pm. This Press meet has been announced for the release of the background paper and more information, data and evidence of non-fulfilling the duties of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission and other Human Rights Institutions in India and in particular, in West Bengal.
Honourable Justice Malay Sengupta, ex Judge of Kolkata High Court, Ex Acting Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court and present Chairman of OBC Commission of West Bengal will preside over the session. Veteran writer and social activist, Ms. Mahasweta Devi will be present there as Chief Guest. Many other academics, social activists, organisations will share their experiences.
Kirity Roy
Secretary
Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM)
&
National Convenor (PACTI)
Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity
40A, Barabagan Lane (4th Floor)
Balaji Place, Shibtala,Srirampur
Hooghly PIN- 712203
Secretary
Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM)
&
National Convenor (PACTI)
Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity
40A, Barabagan Lane (4th Floor)
Balaji Place, Shibtala,Srirampur
Hooghly PIN- 712203
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