Here are some examples of the military reporting I’ve been doing:

• Power Projection: The Expeditionary Strike Group – America’s Worldwide Reach
• Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine – Prospects for Tissue and Limb Regrowth
• Africa Command: The U.S. Army in Africa – A Team like No Other
• The United States Army Reserve – The Army’s Operational Reserve
• Electronic Warfare Becomes an Army Speciality – Bringing Control of the Electromagnetic Spectrum to the Battlefield

A newly renovated playground in Debeljak, Croatia, was dedicated March 16 to the memory of native son Master Sgt. Ivica Jerak, a U.S. Soldier killed in Iraq in 2005. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District managed the renovation. The $130,000 refurbishment was funded by the U.S. European Command . (Photo provided by the US Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District public affairs)

Forty years ago on a barebones basketball court in the small village of Debeljak, Croatia, a 7-year-old boy named Ivica could always be found.

He honed his hook shot, strengthened his spin move, and became well known with the local population for being an up-and-coming basketball star.

Today that same outdoor basketball court is the focal point of the whole community. It has a new backboard, a new layer of asphalt, and new lights to allow for community league night play.

It also has a memorial plaque with his name on it.

Since his time playing hoops, Ivica Jerak moved to the United States and became a highly decorated Special Forces Soldier in the U.S. Army, moving up to the rank of master sergeant.

In 2005 he gave his life in the defense of freedom while serving in combat operations in Iraq.

“Hopefully [these renovations] will somewhat lessen the pain for the community by providing a small reminder of the master sergeant for his service and dedication not only to America but also to Croatia,” said John Thomas, the Corps of Engineers’ construction representative for the project.

Through a humanitarian assistance program sponsored by U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR), the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) funded the complete renovation of the playground and a nearby elementary school where Master Sgt. Jerak went.

The renovations include the restoration of cracked flooring in four school classrooms, new perimeter fencing around the school’s playground and basketball court, new concrete curbs, and the purchasing of sports equipment.

“These renovations will keep Master Sgt. Jerak’s memory in our hearts and improve the lives of the children and the citizens of this great village,” said U.S. Special Operations Command Europe commander Maj. Gen. Frank Kisner in his speech at the event.

The $130,000 project managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District was unveiled in a mid-March ceremony attended by Jerak’s wife Hye, his mother Milka, and several dignitaries including the U.S. Ambassador to Croatia Robert Bradtke.

The Municipality of Sukosan, of which Jerak’s hometown of Debeljak is part, intends to make the new playground a focal point of the small community.

In addition to supporting an impoverished community and paying tribute to a fallen Soldier, the humanitarian assistance project – EUCOM’s first in the municipality – nurtured the small community’s economy by cultivating relationships with several budding construction companies.

This capacity-building is one of the many benefits of the assistance program, which funds more than $20 million in projects throughout Europe annually.

USASOC
By Justin Ward
US Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District public affairs

The U.S. Army accepted delivery of six neighborhood electric vehicles (NEV’s) at a ceremony today at Fort Meyer, Virginia. This represents the first of 4,000 NEV’s that the Army intends to lease over the next three years.

GEM light utility electric vehicle leased by the US Army

The six NEV’s were manufactured by Global Electric Motorcars and represented two models, a 4 passenger sedan and a two passenger light utility vehicle. GEM describes an NEV as:

GEM battery-electric vehicles are classified as low-speed vehicles, or neighborhood electric vehicles, and are street legal in nearly all 50 states on public roads posted at 35 mph or less. With a top speed of 25 mph, GEM cars have a range of up to 30 miles on a charge and are great for traveling around neighborhoods, city centers or job sites. GEM vehicles are battery-electric, operate on a 72-volt battery system and plug into a standard 110-volt outlet. What makes GEM vehicles so unique is that they can be recharged anytime, anywhere a 110-volt outlet is available and recharge in approximately six to eight hours.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Energy and Partnerships, Paul Bollinger, attended as did the press and personnel from the Army and Navy. Bollinger spoke to a Bloggers’ Roundtable afterward.

The Army currently has about 40,000 alternative fuel vehicles in its fleet. Many are not using alternative fuels because the construction of fueling stations and the availability of alternative fuels has lagged behind the leasing or purchases of the vehicles themselves.

The NEV’s being leased beginning today could be the replacement vehicles for up to 28,000 sedans and light trucks currently in the Army fleet. This move does not mean that the Army is abandoning the use of alternative fuel vehicles, Bollinger said. The limitations on speed and distance of an NEV mean that non-electric vehicles will still be needed on Army installations.

The cost of a sedan leased through the GSA to the Army is about $13,500. The four passenger NEV will cost $10,200. Secretary Bollinger did not have the costs of the light utility vehicle.

GEM electric 4 passenger vehicle leased by the US Army

The lease of 4,000 NEV’s is projected to save the Army the purchase of 11.5 million gallons of fuel over the six years of the lease. Each NEV will cost about $400 per year to keep charged. The Army anticipates a cost of about $200 per vehicle to create charging stations for the vehicles. The Secretary pointed out that an ordinary three pronged outlet is all that is required to charge an NEV so a charging station will not be necessary in many circumstances.

The GSA has the lease proposal posted today. GEM is not the only maker of NEV’s in the country and the final lease could reflect a number of manufacturers. The Army anticipate phasing in the NEV fleet over three years, with 800 leased in year one, and 1,600 in years two and three.

One additional benefit to the use of NEV’s is the increase in safety on base. The US military has had concerns about vehicle safety and the number of preventable motor vehicle accidents for many years. With a top speed of 25 mph, which is the speed limit on Army installations, the NEV prevents speeding and should reduce accidents.

This move by the Army is similar to the needs discussed in a Bloggers’ Roundtable with Kevin Billings, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics on October 21, 2008. At that time the Air Force had no electric vehicles.

At Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, a string of chances enabled a Soldier to become the Army’s first – and only – woman Stryker Armored Vehicle driver, an experience she says changed the course of her Army career.

“It all happened by chance,” said Spc. Tiffany Knotts, a signal support systems specialist. “I showed up at the unit at the right time, and I was sent to the training.”

The right time for the Army proved to be the wrong time for her family. Knott’s father passed away two weeks before she made it to Hawaii, but she said that even in death, her father watches over her, and his death made it possible for her to get to Hawaii at the perfect time. Her move was delayed two weeks to attend his funeral.

“I consider this opportunity as a gift from my father,” she said. “He was always so proud of me and raised me to push and challenge myself, and being in the position I am in allows me to take on challenges.”

She considers herself a jack of all trades. Assigned to the 556th Signal Company, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, Knotts is not only the commander’s Stryker driver, she also works in the administrative shop, handling a variety of personnel issues, from promotions to pay. It’s not the job she joined the Army for, and said she was upset at first when it happened but quickly gained a new perspective.

“It’s really great to be able to take care of the Soldiers in the company,” she said, as she performed her daily checks of the company’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation room. “I learned what it takes to ensure Soldiers get what they need to be successful. It is hard work.”

And her hard work does not go without notice.

“She works really hard and has learned a lot in a short period of time. She loves to goof off and laugh, but when it is time to work, she puts the game face on,” said Sgt. James Canedy, a native of Radcliff, Ky., and Stryker team chief, 556th Signal Company.

Like so many in the military, Knotts was shaped by a legacy of service. Her grandfather and father served in the Air Force and Army respectively. They fought for their country and lived to tell her their stories. She was intrigued by them and wanted to follow in their footsteps. The desire to serve hit her so badly, she gave up one love in the pursuit of another. This pursuit led her to switch high schools.

Her first school, in her hometown of Riverside, Calif., didn’t have a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. Knotts was determined to find a school with JROTC program because that is what she wanted to do. With that goal in mind and with support from her family, she moved to a new school – a better school for her to achieve her goals.

“I loved the Air Force JROTC program. Every minute of it was awesome,” she said.

The program took up so much of her time, she was forced to give up playing the clarinet.

“I loved it, but the band’s stance was ‘band or nothing else,’” she said. “I wanted JROTC and sports more so that is what I concentrated on.”

Knotts enjoyed a good amount of success during her tenure. She was awarded Cadet of the Year and spent her time as a member of the many different color guards.

Four and half years after she joined the Army, she has an even more prestigious position, one she proudly holds alone.

“It was pretty intimidating at first, but this is the coolest thing I have ever accomplished. It is such an honor and flattering to hold this position,” she said, without an air of arrogance or a nonchalant attitude sometimes found in someone who has accomplished so much in such a short period of time.

The vehicle more than dwarfs her short frame, but she makes climbing to the top look easy.

“It’s like I am at Discovery Zone,” she said, while checking the maintenance systems on her vehicle and spouting off parts of her Stryker as fluidly as a folk singer croons a melody. She attributes her proficiency with vehicles to her father, a former mechanic. She laughed as she recounted stories of Soldiers who struggle with something as simple as checking the oil on their vehicles but added that she is always willing to give them a helping hand and teach the right way to do things.

“Young Soldiers are so reliant on technology. They’re not used to getting their hands dirty; but on the flipside, it helps when driving one of these,” she said.

Being only 24 years of age herself, it may seem baffling to hear her talk about “young Soldiers,” but she considers herself an “old soul” and much more mature than most of her peers.

“It was weird sometimes when I was growing up,” she said. “All my friends were talking about clothes and what boys they wanted to date, and I was concentrated on my future and worried about school.”

Even now, Knotts has her mind firmly planted in her future. She is undecided whether she wants to stay in the Army and continue what she is currently doing or come back with a commission. However, she said she does know the military will continue to be a part of her life.

“She could be a sergeant major,” Canedy said. “She constantly amazes me with her knowledge, drive and determination. She knows more than I do.”

That drive and determination will make her a sergeant soon, and she said she is looking forward to being a leader. But judging from her actions, she is already there.

“I take all of this very seriously,” she said. “I take the lives of everyone in my Stryker seriously, and I take the responsibility of having a Stryker that is mine seriously. I take taking care of Soldiers seriously. This is an awesome responsibility and one that I hope I can learn from and pass on that knowledge to others.”

DVIDS
By Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

DVIDS
By Sgt. Brandon Little
Task Force XII PAO, MND-B

A little more than two years ago, Juliana Rizzo was a real estate agent living in Long Island, N.Y., with her two children, Angelo and Amanda, when she decided it was time to fulfill her childhood dream.

That dream was to join the United States Army.

“As a little girl, I always wanted to join the Army because my father and grandfather spent several years in the military and served their country proudly,” said Rizzo, a supply specialist in Company E, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, Task Force XII, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. “I don’t know if my father ever deployed, but my grandfather served in the Korean War and Vietnam; they’ve both become very successful (in jobs outside of the military), but they started their education in the Army.”

Rizzo, the daughter of an airplane mechanic and granddaughter of a NASA radio communications transmitter, has also achieved plenty of her own success in the short time she’s been in the military.

“When (Rizzo) arrived to unit, only three days after the unit was established, she was a private fresh out of advanced individual training and she had a hip problem that really bothered her,” said 1st Sgt. Foy Dix, Co. E. “I had a talk with her and told her that being in the Army means sometimes you have to overcome pain; within 60 days, she nearly scored 300 points on her physical fitness test.”

In addition to overcoming physical adversity, the new private also had to learn her job quickly and with little supervision.

“Her supply sergeant went to the basic non-commissioned officer course while the unit was still being set up, so she had to set up the unit supply office by herself,” said Dix, a native of Ventura, Calif. “She also helped run a company that had no commander, just a first sergeant and three flight lieutenants.”

Even though her leaders said they were already impressed by her work ethic and determination in keeping track of more than $3.5 million worth of unit equipment, Rizzo’s most attention grabbing performance was yet to come.

“When we were in (Hohenfels, Germany) going through Iron Warrior training, she went up to the Iraqi role players and started talking to them in their own language,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Chad Cuomo, 3rd Bn., 158th Avn. Regt,. a native of Troy, N.Y. “Nobody knew that she spoke Arabic, and it especially shocked the role players; she was definitely the hero of the battle out there.”

“I learned Arabic in my Long Island neighborhood, and I pretty much taught myself a lot of the (words and phrases) I didn’t know,” said Rizzo. “I’m not very fluent in Arabic, but I do know enough to communicate. I also speak Spanish and I know some phrases in Hindu.”

The multi-lingual Soldier does a lot more than just handle unit supplies: she operates the company arms room, does public affairs for Company E, and she takes time to listen to some of the issues her fellow Soldiers are having, said Dix.

Rizzo made such a strong impression throughout the battalion that she was sent to the Warrior Leadership Course as a private first class, said Cuomo.

“I went down and talked with the WLC sergeant major two days after the course started, and I asked him ‘if I had a high-speed private first class, would you take that person,’” said Dix. “The course was a little rough for her because she was the only private first class there, but she made it through and graduated in the top 17 percent of her class.”

Rizzo was promoted to specialist shortly after arriving in Iraq and went to the sergeant’s promotion board four months later. She received 150 points in the promotion board, and was recently laterally promoted to corporal.

She continues to set the standard – and then exceed that standard, said Dix.

“I just try to give 100 percent in everything I do, and I always try to do above what is expected of me,” said Rizzo.

This mother of two, and soon to be sergeant, is fulfilling her childhood dream of being in the Army, and she is taking online classes to one day receive a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. She said she hopes to one day be an Army career counselor or an Arabic linguist.

“If she continues to do what she’s doing know, I see her being a sergeant promotable before we leave Iraq,” said Dix. “I know I couldn’t do as much she does and continue to smile; I have no doubt that if I had five of her, I could run an entire platoon.”

Dad quit school in the eigth grade when his father died, and went to work to help support his eight brothers and sisters. Scrambling for money on the mean streets of Jersey City during the Great Depression. People starved, you know. You could then, without really trying. Now, you have to go out of your way to starve in the United States, but not then.

At 17, he joined the United States Army and did a tour with the Coast Artillery in Panama, as a radioman. About 1933 ish.

It made him a man, disciplined, thoughtful, willing to learn. When he got out he found a good job, and worked in a wallpaper factory until the Japanese attacked us. He enlisted, and proceeded to visit sunny North Africa, sunny Sicily, rainy England, and generally cold France and Germany. He rose rapidly to the rank of master sargeant, top kick for his unit, and the go to guy for the officers. Non coms run the Army.

He was shot at, and did some shooting. He never talked much about that, only a few stories that ended with everyone alive and that were funny. He was one of a generation who knew war and kept its terrible secrets.

Dad saw the camps, and he saw the refugees throwing themselves in front of trains to keep from being sent East, to the Russians. He was dirt poor, living above a stable at one point in his youth, and died a success. His children, grown, educated, good jobs, loving wife that he had provided for. And every moment he was in the Army, he knew why.