Archived Military Matters
The About.com U.S. Military Newsletter
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MILITARY MATTERS
Newsletter #12
10/15/99
Howdy all, and welcome to the 12th edition of Military Matters, the weekly newsletter for About.com's U.S. Military Page. If you know anyone who is interested in military matters, please feel free to email them a copy of this newsletter.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, go to:
http://usmilitary.about.com/gi/pages/mmail.htm.
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Countdown to Survival. The New York Air National Guard is poised on the line to dash in and save Dr Neilson at the South Pole as soon as temperatures climb to minus 58 degrees.
http://usmilitary.about.com/library/weekly/aa1014.htm
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Last Poll: Should Drill Instructors be allowed to use Profanity in Boot Camp? 76 percent of you said "Yes!"
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=133.1
This Issue's Poll: Should the Government release medical information about Dr. Neilson, (The Doctor at the South Pole) against her wishes?
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=159.1
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NEWS AND COMMENTARY:
To read the full stories, click on the link below. If you are not a member of our Forum, and don't wish to join, you may still read the story by clicking on "Enter as a Guest" when you see the login screen. Members, of course may post responses to any of these story items.
NEW CYBER-WAR DEFENSE CENTER: NORFOLK, Va. -- To combat the expanding threat of cyber-warfare, the Pentagon established a new center Thursday to defend the United States from hackers and to plot ways to attack an enemy's computer network. However, the plan has been criticized strongly by civil libertarians who argue that any homeland defense plan might open the door for the military to assume the role of domestic police, which is prohibited by law.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=158.1
INDONESIAN ARMY MAY BE HELPING E.TIMOR REBELS: Army backed attack on peacekeepers? DILI, East Timor -- The U.N.-backed peacekeeping force in East Timor on Monday accused the Indonesian army of supporting an anti-independence militia that fired on peacekeepers over the weekend, raising fears that the army has decided to try openly to sabotage the peacekeeping operation.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=156.1
MICROMANAGEMENT HURT WAR EFFORT: WASHINGTON -- An important lesson of NATO's war over Kosovo is that America's allies need to modernize their forces and make them more compatible with those of the United States, Defense Secretary William Cohen and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Henry Shelton said Thursday. Critics also say NATO political authorities micromanaged the Kosovo bombing campaign, tying military commanders' hands.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=155.1
SERBS DID GOOD JOB PROTECTING ASSETS FROM AIR STRIKES: WASHINGTON - The Serb army's ability to maintain its air defenses in the face of heavy NATO bombing shows that the United States must improve its electronic combat power for future wars, Defense Secretary William Cohen and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Henry H. Shelton told Congress today.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=153.1
AIR FORCE ADDS GRUNT TRAINING TO BASIC: San Antonio, Texas -- Airman Basic Nikia Parker never imagined her military career would start out like this when she joined the Air Force a couple of months ago. "This" was the Air Force's new Warrior Week, an intense field-training session added to basic training to better prepare recruits for the rigors of an expeditionary force. "I thought this was for the Army and the Marines. I thought I would be in some chilly air-conditioned building," Parker, 18, said during a break Oct. 5 from Warrior Week at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=152.1
ARMY O-4 PROMOTIONS UP: Thanks to a 78 percent selection rate in the primary zone, more than 1,500 captains of the Army basic branches have been recommended for promotion to major. They have also been assigned to OPMS XXI career fields
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=151.1
ARMY WARRANT OFFICER PROMOTIONS: Less than half of the officers eligible for promotion to chief warrant officer-5 during the fiscal 2000 promotion board were selected, according to statistics released Sept. 28 by manpower officials. Still, more promotion allocations were available for the chief warrant officer-3 through -5 ranks than in 1998.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=149.1
NORTH KOREA TENTATIVELY AGREES TO RETURN REMAINS: The Department of Defense announced today that tentative agreements have been reached between DoD officials and the North Korean government to resume the search for and transfer of remains of Americans missing in action from the Korean War. Delegations from both countries will meet in mid-October to work out details. Operations to recover American remains from North Korea began in 1996, but were halted in June of this year in a dispute over the method of repatriating the remains.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=146.1
FINAL DEFENSE SPENDING BILL APPROVED BY HOUSE: WASHINGTON - The House yesterday approved a $268 billion defense spending bill that finances the biggest military pay raise in nearly two decades, scales back the Air Force's F-22 ''stealth'' fighter program, and seeks to reverse a Pentagon decline in readiness. The bill is now on its way to the President.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=157.1
MORE RE-ENLISTMENT BONUSES FOR SAILORS: With a bigger pot of money to spend than last year, Navy officials are moving swiftly to make Selective Re-enlistment Bonuses available to thousands more sailors. As of Oct. 1, sailors in ratings not eligible for SRBs have a better shot than in the past to move into skills that do rate a bonus. And more sailors also are being allowed to acquire specialized skills in their current rating in order to ship over for an SRB.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=150.1
DOD PROMISES TO CONTINUE TO PURSUE QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES: NOLFOLK, Va. -- Defense officials are pleased with the passage of the Defense Authorization Act that includes new pay incentives, but they say more must be done to improve the quality of service members' lives.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=145.1
SERVICEMAN'S GROUP LIFE INSURANCE (SGLI) CHANGES: WASHINGTON -- Recent changes to the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance program should ease the burden on beneficiaries immediately following a service member's death.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=143.1
AIR NATIONAL GUARD TO FIRE PATRIOT MISSILE: EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The first firing of live Patriot surface-to-air missiles by a National Guard unit is planned for Monday from an Air Force launch site on Santa Rosa Island. The Alabama Army National Guard's 203rd Air Defense Artillery Battalion is to fire armed missiles at small remote-controlled drones that mimicking target aircraft. The drones would be launched from another site on the barrier island in the Florida Panhandle.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=154.1
GRUNTS TO TEACH JUNGLE SURVIVAL AGAIN: JUNGLE WARFARE TRAINING CENTER, Okinawa, Japan -- Starting in November, Marines will again teach hard-core survival lessons to grunts, reconnaissance Marines and flight crews. The latest course added to the curriculum here is SERE -- survival, evasion, resistance and escape. Classes start Nov. 14.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=147.1
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DEDICATION TO AMERICA'S HEROES: The President, in the name of Congress, has awarded 3,427 Medals of Honor to 3,408 of our nation's bravest Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen since the decoration's creation in 1861. For the next 3,427 days, the U.S. Military Forum will post a Medal of Honor Citation. Please join us every day to read about the accomplishments of these heroes, and to give thanks to their dedication and sacrifice to our great Nation.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary
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NEW FY 2000 PAY CHARTS AVAILABLE: The new Fiscal Year 1999 Jan & Jul pay charts are now available online. To view them, visit the main U.S. Military Page at http://usmilitary.about.com. The link can be found "In the Spotlight."
http://usmilitary.about.com
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DO YOU HAVE A MILITARY WEB SITE? If so, and you would like to make a little money, plus give your viewers access to the latest and greatest in military information, About.com will pay you 6 cents per click for traffic you drive to the About.com U.S. Military Web Site. Details are at:
http://affiliates.about.com
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LINK OF THE WEEK: Outstanding article by Gainesville Time's writer Dan Washburn. Dan spends a day recording life at the Army Ranger School.
http://www.danwashburn.com/ranger.html (Part I)
http://www.danwashburn.com/ranger2.html (Part II)
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MILITARY HUMOR:
The Army Private was very happy to be one of the very few lower-enlisted people to be authorized to live in on-post family housing, as part of a new Army Test Program. He decided that he would follow all housing regulations to the letter, to make sure he would be allowed to stay.
During the first snow-fall of the year, he turned on the Command Information Channel on his cable-TV, and heard the following message: "The National Weather Service has predicted three inches of snow. The Post Commander has instituted snow-condition Alpha, which means that all privately owned vehicles should be parked on the South or East sides of the street."
The Army private hurried out of the house and moved his car to the east side of the street.
One week later, it started to snow again, so he turned on the Command Information Channel once more. The announcer said, "The National Weather Service has predicted five inches of snow. The Post Commander has instituted snow-condition Bravo, which means that all privately owned vehicles should be parked on the North or West sides of the Street."
Again, the private ran out into the snow to move his car to the West side of the street.
Two weeks later, it began to snow again. The private turned on the Command Information Channel, but apparently the storm had knocked the channel off the air. In a panic, he shouted at his Wife, "What should I do??????"
"Oh, Terry," the wife replied, "Just leave the car in the garage."
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With those words of wisdom, I once again leave you.,
Rod Powers
About.com's U.S. Military Guide
