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Camp Pendleton Marine Group Makes History Focusing on Electronic Warfare

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marines first

By Debbie Gregory.

On July 6th, a new command known as the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force’s (I MEF) Information Group made history at Camp Pendleton by becoming the first of its kind among the Corps’ Marine expeditionary forces.

“It’s a centerpiece of some of the changes the commandant wants us to make in our support to warfighting,” said Col. Roberta L. “Bobbi” Shea.

The command is skilled in cyber, electronic warfare and intelligence, all critical needs as the service looks to build capacity to conduct information warfare at all.

“In the past, the group’s primary mission has been moving and supporting Marines as they go forward to command forces in theater,” Shea said.

Col. Shea handed over command of the newly designated I MEF Information Group to Col. Dawn Alonso, who most recently served at Central Command.

Marines trained in intelligence gathering and electronic warfare in closer contact with commanders and troops on the ground to degrade the enemy’s ability to exploit the information environment, capitalizing on social media and defending the country’s abilities against cyber vulnerabilities.

Shea pointed to such examples as the use of drones, law enforcement Marines picking up fingerprints or exploiting found cellphones on the battlefield, and imagery analysts gathering information from satellites.

Among the changes that are part of the transition are new Marine personnel, increased intelligence and cyberspace training, and a move to new facilities on the base.

While military officials called the re-designation a first at the Marine Expeditionary Force level, an increased focus on new technology and cyber warfare threats are among the Corps’ broader changes, mandated by the Marine Corps Commandant to “modernize the force.”

The re-designation is the first among the Marine Corps’ three MEFs, with I MEF at Camp Pendleton, II MEF at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and III MEF based in Okinawa, Japan.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Handcrafted Paddleboards by Veteran Honors Fallen Service Members

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paddle

By Debbie Gregory.

Army Ranger Alex Cabral has found his calling, handcrafting custom Heavy Eddy paddleboards, one at a time. What set his boards apart from any others is that each one is dedicated to a soldier killed in the Global War on Terror.

Each paddleboard has a fallen soldier’s name and rank on the edge.

As is explained on the website, the KIA boards are an effort to provide a legacy of sorts, another chance to honor a fallen comrade, and to perhaps spark interest in this individual. Interest enough to look this person up and find out their story, because it’s worth telling at least one more time.

Cabral is open to who is honored, after talking it over with each client.

“All my boards are custom made, so I talk to them about what they want — what colors, what materials, what size. So part of those questions is, ‘Do you know anybody who died in the War on Terror, and would you like to honor them?’ And if they didn’t know anyone, then I’ll make a suggestion or I’ll pick someone who I think it would be good to remember.”

Cabral’s journey from Ranger to paddleboard-shaper began in California. After he made his first board, he realized he had a skill.

To participate in the World Paddle Association championship, Cabral built a racing paddleboard from scratch to compete.

The homemade board garnered a lot of attention, and people began asking Cabral if he could build one for them.

Currently priced under $1,000, most of the materials Cabral uses are sustainably sourced from around the region.

The paddleboards are built from a core of polystyrene foam, which is then wrapped in fiberglass and an epoxy resin. Each board is custom-made for a client’s needs. Each board can take between three days and a week to make.

Those looking for more information can visit Heavy Eddy’s website at http://heavyeddy.com.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Deceased Marine’s Belongings Finally Return Home

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goose

By Debbie Gregory.

Goose was on his last foot patrol.

Newly married Lance Cpl. Joseph Ryan “Goose” Giese was a proud Marine. He was looking forward to returning home to his family from Afghanistan.  But in January, 2011, a blast from an improvised explosive device took the life of the 24 year old.

It took years, but a couple of Goose’s possessions have finally found their way home.

First was the pocket-sized Bible Goose carried with him when he deployed. A Marine Goose had served with saw the bible in the possession of another soldier, who didn’t recall how he had come to have it. The Marine told him about Ryan and took the Bible, sending back to Goose’s father, Larry Giese.

Last month, just before Father’s Day, Larry, received a package that contained his son’s dog tag. It was found by a soldier who was in the area near where Goose died. The soldier sent it to his dad, Pete Metzger, with the request that he track down Goose’s family and return it.

Metzger found Ryan’s widow in Atlanta, GA. She asked Larry Giese to call Metzger, because if it turned out to be true, she wanted Goose’s dad to handle it. Larry did, and shortly thereafter, the tag was in the Larry’s hands.

A Marine buddy of Ryan’s told Larry Giese the single tag would have been his “boot tag,” the one worn in a soldier’s boot instead of around the neck.

Giese has heard there is some talk of possible putting his son’s tag in a Marine museum, but he’s not going to part with it any time soon.

“It’s weird, you know? Here I am, I’m a big, bad Marine, I was a cop — but boy oh boy, that emotional part just kicks my butt,” Giese said. “In boot camp he made copies of his dog tag to give me and his sister. But now I have an original.”

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Vaccine Research by DoD Saves Military & Civilian Lives

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Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

By Debbie Gregory.

Military personnel at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR ) are researching and developing vaccines that can save military and civilian lives from the threats of deadly viruses and bacteria.

There has been a lot of coverage in the news about the Zika virus. With U.S. service members deploying to areas where there is a danger of Zika, malaria and other dangerous pathogens,  vaccines could be the key to not only keeping the troops healthier, but the civilian population as well.

Pharma companies Glaxo-Smith-Kline and Sanaria, in conjunction with WRAIR, are near ready to release their vaccines for malaria. But this wasn’t new territory for the institute: WRAIR has been a research partner in the development of every existing malaria medication on the market today, as well as the first effective licensed vaccine against meningitis in the 1970s.

“Every single licensed therapy for malaria has somehow made its way through Walter Reed Army Institute of Research at some point in its development,” said Kayvon Modjarrad, WRAIR’s director for emerging infectious diseases. “It was tested, validated and developed within our institution,” Modjarrad said.

WRAIR is the largest and most diverse biomedical research laboratory in the Department of Defense. The institute’s greatest resources are the dedicated scientists, technicians, and support personnel who make up the core of the institute.

WRAIR is working on vaccines for Zika.  Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease that has appeared in the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Private-sector pharmaceutical companies are not always in the financial position to pursue vaccine research, so  WRAIR provides resources and support to advance vaccine research.

“By us funding further studies of the more-promising vaccine candidates, we can generate more data on how safe and effective they are,” said Paul Keiser, director of WRAIR’s viral diseases branch. “More data means less risk. And less risk makes it more likely that a drug company may pick them up.”

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

 

Artificial Intelligence – Moving Forward

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artificial_intelligence

By Debbie Gregory.

Modern artificial intelligence (AI) has proven that at times, it works better than the human brain. There is no denying the fact that artificial intelligence is the future. From the security forces to the military applications, AI has spread out its wings to encompass our daily lives as well. However, AI comes with its own limitations. The biggest area where AI is challenged is explaining to humans is the how and why of the decision making, limited by the machine’s current inability to explain their actions to human users.

Developing Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) is of interest to commercial users of AI, as well as to the military. Explanations of how algorithms are thinking make it easier for leaders to adopt artificial intelligence systems within their organizations

XAI, especially explainable machine learning, will be essential if future warfighters are to understand, appropriately trust, and effectively manage an emerging generation of artificially intelligent machine partners.

Last month, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) engaged 10 research teams in multimillion-dollar program designed to develop new XAI systems.

XAI program will incorporate new explanation techniques with the results produced by the machine in order to create more explainable models and results.

Processes such as architectural layers, design data, loss functions and optimization techniques are used to experiment and develop interpretable models of the AI machines.

Model induction would also take place to treat the machine processes like a black box and experiment with it to develop a better understanding of its processes.

“Each year, we’ll have a major evaluation where we’ll bring in groups of users who will sit down with these systems,” says David Gunning, program manager in DARPA’s Information Innovation Office.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

CENTCOM Eyeing Technology for 3D Photos, Through Walls, Using Wi-fi

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Wifi Hologram

By Debbie Gregory.

It’s easy to understand why CENTCOM or other government military and security agencies would want a technology that could not only photograph people through walls, but also do so in 3D.

It’s called Wi-Fi holography technology, and while it may take a number of years and millions of dollars to develop into a practical technology, it could prove to be invaluable in hostage situations, covert military operations, police stakeouts, etc. It also has humanitarian possibilities, such as helping rescue workers detect people in rubble left by an earthquake.

The theory is that if Wi-Fi can pass through walls, which we know it does, the same property would allow the taking of holograms, or 3D photographs, of objects inside a room from outside it.

“It can basically scan a room with someone’s Wi-Fi transmission,” Philipp Holl, a 23-year-old undergraduate physics student at the Technical University of Munich. He initially built the device as part of his bachelor thesis, with the help of his academic supervisor, Friedemann Reinhard.

The technology uses two antennas: one fixed in place and another that moves. The fixed antenna records a Wi-Fi field’s background, or reference, for the spot it’s placed in. The other antenna is moved by hand to record the same Wi-Fi field from many different points.

The signals from both antennas are simultaneously fed into a computer, and software builds many 2D images as one antenna is waved around and then stacks them together in a 3D hologram.

Although the technology is only in its prototype stage and has limited resolution, Holl is excited about its promise.

Holl said that he hasn’t yet “had any contact with someone from the U.S. Central Command.”

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

You May Not Want To Save Your Post 9/11 GI Bill Benefits for Your Kids

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transfer gi bill

By Debbie Gregory.

While the Post-9/11 GI Bill offers a very generous post-service education benefit, a special provision of the program allows career service members the opportunity to share their education benefits with immediate family members. The Post 9/11 GI Bill is the only one which allows transferring education benefits.

Now that the Post 9/11 GI Bill allows servicemembers and veterans to transfer their benefits to their spouse or children, it begs the question: is that a good idea?

The first consideration is the value of using the GI Bill for a parent’s education. On average, a college graduate earns about $25,000 more per year than a high school graduate. If you run the numbers, just 10 years of this increased income would yield an additional $250,000. Especially if your children are young, the extra income an adult would add over the course of a number of years would more than likely cover the cost of a child’s college education.

If you were to save your GI Bill benefits and transfer them to a dependent, you would not only have a lower lifetime income, you’d only be able to use the benefit to put one child through school on the GI Bill.

Of course if you have older children or already have a degree, this scenario doesn’t apply.

The other thing to take into consideration is possible changes to the GI Bill.  There have been a number of different versions over the years, and more than likely, it will continue to evolve over time.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Two Women Bond Over Their Sailors In Aftermath of Fitzgerald Tragedy

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fitz

By Debbie Gregory.

A sisterhood has been forged from the tragedy of the USS Fitzgerald collision with cargo ship ACX Crystal .

Erin Rehm, who lost her husband of 17 years, and Jacqueline Langlais, a sailor on the Fitzgerald who lost her fiancé, Seaman Dakota Rigsby, have bonded through their loss.

Langlais was also extremely close with Erin’s husband, Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr., who introduced her to the man that became her fiancé.

Gunner’s Mate Rigsby and Rehm were among the seven sailors killed in the collision.

Erin Rehm and Langlais had met last year.

“Me being Gary’s best friend, Gary always talked to me about Erin,” said Langlais. “Gary’s passing gave us something in common. We’re trying to help each other get over that aspect.”

Rehm Jr. has been hailed as a hero, reportedly pulling some 20 sailors to safety before he perished..

Although she already knew that her husband was heroic, Erin Rehm has learned about other acts of kindness and going above and beyond in the days and weeks the followed the tragedy.

“He downplayed what he did for people, that it was no big deal,” she said. “He’d say, ‘Hey, I’m going to do this real quick.’ Then I hear these stories of how he impacted people.”

Last November, when Rigsby reported to the USS Fitzgerald, he became friends with Gary Rehm, and it was Rehm who introduced Rigsby to Langlais, an information systems technician 2nd class.

“Gary was my best friend,” Langlais said, “so he brought Dakota over to my house one night and said, ‘I want to introduce you to one of my guys — my kids.'”

Although Langlais wasn’t looking to get romantically involved, these things have a way working out how they will. The two ended up falling in love, and. Rigsby popped the question.

While Langlais plans to stay in the Navy, she’s not sure if she’ll return to the Fitzgerald.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Warrior Games in Chicago Spotlight Wounded Athletes

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warrior games

By Debbie Gregory.

The Warrior Games, taking place this year for the first time in Chicago, spotlights wounded, ill or injured service members and veteran athletes as they compete in Paralympics-style sporting events.

The Warrior Games were launched in 2010 as a way to encourage veterans’ participation in adaptive sports and celebrate their achievements.

Emcee Jon Stewart, formerly of the “Daily Show” hosted the opening on July 1st.  Offering opening remarks was Ken Fisher, Chairman and CEO of Fisher House Foundation.

The games are not only important for the athletes, but also for their families. For many competitors, this is the first time their family is seeing them after rehabilitation and recognizing that there is life after injury.

Besides the U.S. athletes, teams from the United Kingdom and Australia are also competing.

In 2008, Congress directed the Department of Defense to establish wounded warrior programs across each of the service branches

Navy Capt. Brent Breining, director of the Games, said  “The country is looking for heroes right now, and these Americans are true heroes,” Breining said. “They served their nation, put their lives on the line, and now this is an opportunity to come and support them.”

Breining added, “All these service members and veterans are pulled out of their teams on the front line because of their illnesses and injuries, and we put them back on a team.”

To qualify for the Games, athletes must be enrolled in one of the Department of Defense’s wounded warrior programs.

The competition runs through July 8 at locations including McCormick Place, United Center, the Museum Campus and Lane Tech College Prep High School.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.

Supreme Court Asked to Take Up Workplace Rights for Reservists

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supreme court

By Debbie Gregory.

Lawmakers are asking the Supreme Court to decide whether military reservists’ unfair dismissal claims can be forced into arbitration by their civilian bosses.

Because the case involves veterans’ rights, the legislators are hopeful that the Supreme Court will show appreciation for our citizen soldiers by allowing them to legally stand up for their workplace rights.

The filing’s intention is to overturn a previous appeals court ruling against Kevin Ziober, a Navy reservist who sued his employer for firing him before his year-long deployment to Afghanistan.

In mid-May, Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal spearheaded the filing of a amici curiae brief , also known as a “friend-of-the-court” brief on behalf of  himself, six fellow senators and 13 House members.

The members of Congress urged the Supreme Court to reaffirm a longstanding principle that all veterans’ rights laws must be interpreted for the benefit of veterans. It is also imperative to protect veterans and servicemembers against waiving any of their rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), including their procedural enforcement rights like the right to file an action in federal court.

“They’re serving and sacrificing so we have these rights, and then they come home and they are denied those very rights that they are fighting to uphold.”

The aforementioned case alleges that in 2012, real estate company BLB Resources told Ziober he was out of a job. The company denied wrongdoing, saying it terminated Ziober for sub-par performance on a federal contract assignment, and not for his deployment.

Upon returning to the U.S., Ziober brought a lawsuit against BLB under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) a 1994 law banning companies from discriminating against employees for taking time away from work to serve in the reserves.

If the Supreme Court accepts the lawmakers’ request, it could finally end what has become a pain point for employment in several industries.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve,  and their families.


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