DODvClips for MILITARY & FAMILY

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Toys for tots dec 21 2011

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Secretary of defense holiday message

FOR THOSE WHO HAVENT CAUGHT IT YET...

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VP-1 Holiday Greetings .mpg DEC 8 2011

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not a Vc but news DEC 23 2011

News
American Forces Press Service
E-MAIL A COPY | PRINTER FRIENDLY | LATEST NEWS NEWS ARTICLE
Face of Defense: Wounded Warrior Celebrates Life

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2011 – This weekend, when Army Spc. Dustin Morrison gathers with his family to celebrate the holidays, he said he knows he’ll be experiencing a Christmas miracle.

Iowa Army National Guard Spc. Dustin Morrison, right, pictured here with longtime friend and hunting buddy Ethan Hess, has set his sights on establishing a nonprofit hunting organization for wounded warriors. Morrison continues his own recovery from life-threatening combat injuries he’d received in Afghanistan. Courtesy photo
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
The 21-year-old Iowa Army National Guard soldier discovered a new appreciation for what matters most in life after an improvised explosive device nearly took his life in Afghanistan.
Morrison, a member of the 168th Infantry Regiment, was severely wounded in April when his mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle struck the roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktia province. Army Spc. Brent Maher, the vehicle’s gunner, was killed, and two other members of the unit were injured in the attack.
Morrison’s prognosis was touch-and-go as the military medical system rallied, quickly moving him out of Afghanistan to progressively advanced levels of care.
When his mother, Kelli Pederson, arrived to see her wounded son at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the staff explained the facts.
“They told me how very close we came to losing him,” she said.
Morrison’s lungs were so severely damaged from the blast that the staff put him into a medically induced coma. He also suffered a burst lumbar vertebra, a shattered left femur and right ankle and right hand injuries. Doctors warned him that he might never walk again.
But Morrison has proved them wrong, defying all odds through a recovery that’s amazed even his health care providers.
After weeks of fighting for his life, he made the initial breakthrough while still in Germany as he began breathing independently.
He later underwent multiple surgeries during two months at the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and another three months at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis.
Morrison got a temporary reprieve from his treatment so he could return to Iowa to welcome home his fellow soldiers as they redeployed in July.
A month later, he transferred to the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Morrison was able to return home to New Market, Iowa, for good in mid-October. He continues to receive physical therapy twice a week at a local hospital to improve his mobility, balance and range of motion.
Looking back over all he’s been through, he credits the strides he has made to medical care he called nothing short of “amazing” and his deep religious faith.
Now in the midst of the military medical boarding process, he said it’s still unclear if he will be able to remain in the National Guard.
Morrison said he always knew he wanted to be a soldier, getting the parental consent required to enlist when he was 17. Now, he said he would love to continue to serve, but only if he can remain an infantryman. A desk job, he said, just won’t do.
In the meantime, with his new lease on life, Morrison exhibits a sense of purpose unexpected in a 21-year-old.
He’s been able to put life in perspective, he said, shrugging off what he called “high-school drama” and not fixating on small things that don’t really matter.
“You laugh about people getting all worked up over nothing,” he said. “Now, I want to live for a greater purpose, and be able to make a living helping others,” he said. “And I’m living my life for God.”
Looking to the future, Morrison said he wants to continue serving his fellow wounded warriors. An avid hunter since childhood, he’s now setting up a nonprofit organization, Purple Heart Hunting, to offer a therapeutic outlet for those sharing his journey of healing.
“I want give soldiers a way to get outdoors, an escape, some fellowship and some healing,” he said.
Morrison plans to get a healthy dose of fellowship and continued healing himself this weekend as he enjoys a traditional family Christmas.
He has much to be thankful for, he said, particularly the family, friends, community and military medical system that rallied around him when he needed their support.
Morrison said he’s already received the best gifts he could ever ask for, noting he has his “life, still being here, being able to walk, having my limbs intact.”
“After all that’s happened, it’s definitely a miracle,” he said.

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Jobs

Job Title:Child & Youth Program Assistant (Entry, Skill & Target)
Department:Department of the Army
Agency:HQDA Field Operating Agencies and Staff Support Agencies
Job Announcement Number:SCNAFAQ120010
SALARY RANGE: $11.17 to $19.90 / Per Hour
OPEN PERIOD: Thursday, January 19, 2012 to Thursday, January 26, 2012
SERIES & GRADE: CY-1702-01/02
POSITION INFORMATION: - - Flexible (FLEX.) -- Flexible (NAF)
DUTY LOCATIONS: 3 vacancy(s) in the following locations:
VA - Fort LeeView Map
WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED: US and Non US Citizens
JOB SUMMARY:
Challenge Yourself - Be an Army Civilian - Go Army!
Civilian employees serve a vital role in supporting the Army mission. They provide the skills that are not readily available in the military, but crucial to support military operations. The Army integrates the talents and skills of its military and civilian members to form a Total Army.


Maintains control of and accounts for the whereabouts and safety of children and youth. Assists in providing and leading planned activities for program participants. Helps prepare, arrange and maintain indoor and outdoor activity areas and materials to accommodate the daily schedule. Uses prepared curriculum/program materials and assists with devel...

About the Position: For applicants requesting Veterans Preference, you must submit a copy of your DD 214, (Member 4) if applicable. Applicants claiming Spouse Preference must furnish a copy of the Sponsors PCS orders to certify eligibility. If PCS orders do not specify spouses name a copy of the marriage certificate or ID Card is required.

Refusal of a military spouse to participate in established recruitment procedures (e.g. interview, K.S.A's where required, etc.) is considered a declination of employment and is a basis for termination of SEP entitlement for the current PCS of the sponsor.

May apply using a resume or DA Form 3434.
All Applicants must complete a DA Form 3433-1 (Supplemental Application Form) as a condition of employment.
A completed DA Form 3433-2 must accompany child care applications.

FOR MORE INFO CLICK ON LINK: http://dod.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/307311600

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Find DOD jobs offered

CLICK ON FOLLOWING SITE FOR JOB LISTINGS AND FURTHER INFO:

http://dod.usajobs.gov/

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FATHER-DAUGHTER DUO bring past to life

by Senior Airman Rae Perry
4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

1/12/2012 - SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- For Master Sgt. Marty Stanton, 4th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle management superintendent, and his daughter, Alicia, restoring pieces of the past is something they both enjoy.

Stanton's love for working on cars was established while he was in high school. Unable to afford the equipment for welding class, he settled on body shop. From there, shaping and bending metal to fix cars became a passion.

"I really liked fixing something, so no one could tell what was done," said Stanton. "It's like bringing a car or truck back to life. I just can't get enough."

When Alicia was three years old she became curious about what her dad was doing in the garage. So she put on her mother's black boots to check it out.

"She said, 'Daddy, I wanna help you today.' I mean, what can you say?" Stanton said with a chuckle. "It sounded like a great idea."

During their first project together, Stanton taught Alicia how to remove the chrome rings on his 1967 Stingray Corvette.

"I went over grabbed a small pry spoon and showed her how to take the hub caps and beauty rings off of my Corvette," said Stanton. "She took the pry bar, put it under the ring and
pushed on it. The beauty ring came off, rolled around on the floor, she started jumping up and down, waving the pry bar around, just celebrating."

From there, Alicia has helped her dad with the family business.

"My favorite part is hanging out with my dad and working on cars," Alicia said. "It's kind of like a family thing."

Even though she is only 12, she already has her first car, which she and her father plan on restoring for her 16th birthday.

"I was excited about getting the Celica," Alicia said. "I just wondered if I was too young, but my dad's thinking was that it would take a couple years to get it fixed up."

The 1977 Toyota Celica GT fastback, five-speed with a 2.2 liter motor, is heavily styled off older Ford Mustangs. Many Japanese car clubs have given the car the nickname Tokyo Pony.

"Since Alicia is part Japanese, and it's a Japanese muscle car, I figured that was a perfect fit," Stanton said. "I'm not going to give my beautiful, young, 16-year-old daughter a Mustang to drive around town in, but it looks just like a Mustang, except it's cooler because it is Japanese."

"I'm looking forward to doing the paint job," Alicia said. "It's going to be Dodge Viper blue with white racing stripes."

Even though the car has a standard transmission, Alicia is not afraid of learning how to drive it.

"My mom is actually really good at driving stick shifts, so I'm going to learn from both my mom and dad," said Alicia.

Although the car is far from being able to be driven on the road, the father-daughter duo looks forward to fixing it up.

"I'm just really happy that my daughter and I are going to get to restore her Celica together," Stanton added.

Stanton plans on fixing cars, not only for the Air Force, but until he can no longer do it.

"I cannot get enough of it," Stanton said. "I'll probably be doing this until I'm in a wheel chair, then I'll get Alicia or one of her sisters to push me around. I'll just keep sanding or doing stuff with my hands, until I can't anymore."