Georgia Soldier Killed in Afghanistan

The Army says a citizen-soldier in the Georgia National Guard has been killed in Afghanistan. The Pentagon says 1st Sgt. John D. Blair of Calhoun died Saturday after a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle. Blair was deployed with the Georgia Guard's 48th Brigade. He was assigned to the brigade's 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry based in Lawrenceville.

A Guard spokesman says the 38-year-old Blair is the fourth member of the Brigade killed since its soldiers began arriving in Afghanistan in May. More than 2,000 guardsmen from the Georgia brigade have deployed to Afghanistan to help train the country's police and security forces.

Fort Stewart Celebrates Army Birthday

More than 100 soldiers at Fort Stewart will be part of a big celebration to mark the Army's 234th birthday. The troops at the southeast Georgia post will take part in the ceremony tonight to re-enact key events in the Army's history from the Revolutionary War to the present. The American Army was founded on June 14, 1775, more than a year before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

GA Wounded Soldier Unit Downsized

Due to a declining number of wounded soldiers in specialized treatment units, the Army is closing three units and downsizing others, including one at Fort Campbell. The warrior transition units were created in 2007 to address reports of substandard care for wounded soldiers. But the number of soldiers in these 36 units has dropped from a high of more than 12,000 last June to about 9,500 currently. The Army announced last month three units at installations in Kansas and Alabama will close. Units that will be downsized are at posts in Kansas, Georgia, Washington and the Fort Campbell installation on the Tennessee-Kentucky border. Two units in Virginia will merge. Officials say the decrease is because the Army last year imposed stricter screening procedures for admitting wounded soldiers into the units.

(Associated Press)

'Brothers at War' Filmmaker, Producer at Columbus Opening

In this 2008 photo provided by Samuel Goldwyn Films, brothers, from left, Isaac, Jake and Joe Rademacher pose in Decatur, Ill. Jake followed his two younger brothers to Iraq, filming them and their comrades for a film "Brothers at War," that will open in military towns in North Carolina and Georgia. (AP Photo/Samuel Goldwyn Films, Amy Denney) - AP

Jake Rademacher finally got to go to war.

It wasn't the way he had hoped – his childhood dream to attend West Point was dashed when poor eyesight kept him out. Instead, he followed two younger brothers to Iraq, filming them and their comrades for a film "Brothers at War," that opens this weekend in military towns in North Carolina and Georgia.

"My curiosity was more than intellectual," Jake said. "I had a personal reason to know what my brothers were going through..." Another filmmaker who hadn't wanted to go to West Point might not have been as interested in going to a war zone.

"Wanting to be a soldier played into my willingness to go to the edge of the fight and be there when the bullets were flying by my camera. ... and bring the audience with me."

The movie intertwines the story of the three brothers and other family members, along with soldiers at war and families at home. The film's inside, personal look at the battlefield and the homefront attracted the attention of actor Gary Sinise, who helped find distribution for the movie and eventually became its executive producer.

"This is a brother who wants to know about his own brothers. That gives it a heart," said Sinise, who last year received the Presidential Citizens Medal. The medal recognizes U.S. citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for the nation. He was recognized for his work with the USO and with a group he co-founded, Operation Iraqi Children.

"You watch this young filmmaker go from somebody who doesn't know what he's getting himself into into someone who learns a helluva lot about his brothers, who gets to know them better than he did before and by doing that, gets to know a lot about himself."

Jake, 33, is the oldest of five brothers and two sisters who grew up in Decatur, Ill. He went to Iraq in 2005 and 2006, before the surge and, over time, embedded with four combat units.

One revealing scene occurs between U.S. snipers as they wait for insurgents to emerge. The two men talk about whether flowers are an appropriate Christmas gift for a girlfriend – one says yes, one says no – and a teddy bear that one bought for his girl, with her name on the front and soccer number on the back.

On his first visit, he was stationed with his brother, now-Maj. Isaac Rademacher. But that assignment, which consisted of hanging out for days with reconnaissance troops near the Syrian border, drew the disdain of his other brother, Staff Sgt. Joe Rademacher, a sniper who didn't think Jake had experienced the realities of war.

Joe so repudiated Jake's experience that he declined to hug Jake when Jake returned from his first trip to Iraq. It's one of the more excruciating scenes in "Brothers at War," when Jake jumps on Joe, and Joe backs away.

So Jake took up his brother's challenge and returned to Iraq, this time to the Sunni Triangle, at one point being shot at as he filmed and narrowly avoiding a roadside bomb that injured two Iraqi officers.

Joe, 23, "felt like I hadn't gone deep enough into the experience," Jake said. "I hadn't been in a sniper hide site ... things so important to his experience. It was a surprise to me that my little brother rejected my experience when I came home."

Isaac supported his brother's endeavor from the start, knowing how badly Jake had wanted to be a soldier.

"It did hurt his ego when I got in" West Point, said Isaac, 32, who recently was promoted to major and now is the operations officer for an armored cavalry squadron at Fort Bragg. "At the same time, he was happy for me. It's got to be hard to watch your younger brother succeed at something you tried to and it just didn't happen."

While he made the movie to teach civilians about war, Jake said soldiers and their families tell him it's helped them as well because it's allowed the troops to open up about their experiences.

The movie "illustrates and captures what it's like to be a soldier in Iraq," Isaac said. "A guy can sit there with his family and point at the screen and say there, that's almost exactly what I did over there. It gives you a start point to open that conversation."

On the 'Net: http://www.brothersatwarmovie.com/

Army Issues Mom Honorable Discharge

A North Carolina mom who made national headlines this week by reporting for Army duty at Fort Benning with her two young children has received an honorable discharge.

Lisa Pagan brought her kids to the base because she said there was no one else to care for them.

Pagan was recalled to duty four years after being released from active duty under the “individual ready reserve” program. Her attorney says she’s back home and was discharged due to family hardship.

(Associated Press)

Army Mom Reports For Duty With Kids in Tow

Lisa Pagan (Photo: WBTV)

A North Carolina mother who reported for Army duty at Fort Benning, Ga., with her two young children because she said she has no one to care for them was scheduled to meet Monday with her commanders.

"Right now, we're just in a holding pattern," Lisa Pagan's attorney, Mark Waple said, adding that Pagan took her children with her to the meeting.

Pagan was recalled to the Army four years after being honorably discharged, which is allowed under the military's "individual ready reserve" program.

Soldiers can appeal, and some have won permission to remain in civilian life. Pagan filed several appeals, arguing that because her husband travels for business, no one else can take care of her kids. Her appeals were rejected.

Waple said he didn't know if Pagan's case would be resolved Monday, but said the meeting "will be the next step toward some kind of resolution."

Fort Benning spokesman Bob Purtiman said Pagan reported to the Army post's mobilization center that prepares individual soldiers to plug into Army units already overseas or those training to deploy. He did not know how long she was scheduled to stay at Fort Benning.

"She's just passing through on her way to be deployed," Purtiman said. "She's here and she's going to process in. The command's looking at a range of options available to have resolution of her situation."

Purtiman said he didn't yet know what range of options commanders were considering. He said Fort Benning has day care services available for Pagan's children while she's there.

"There will be some resolution over the next couple of days about some temporary arrangements to help care for the kids while this affair is ironed out," Waple said.

Pagan is among thousands of former service members recalled after leaving duty since the Sept. 11 attacks because they're on "individual ready reserve" status, meaning they have time left on their original enlistment contracts and can be recalled at any time.

Master Sgt. Keith O'Donnell, an Army spokesman in St. Louis, has said that of the 25,000 individual ready reserve troops recalled since September 2001, more than 7,500 have been granted deferments or exemptions.

About 1,000 have failed to report, and most of those cases are still under investigation, he said. Another 360 soldiers have been separated from the Army either through "other than honorable" discharges or general discharges.

O'Donnell said Pagan isn't likely to face charges, since none of the individual ready reserve soldiers who have failed to report faced a court-martial.

(AP)

Click here for previous GPB coverage of this story.

Ft. Benning: Soldier Mom, Kids Plan to Report for Duty

Lisa Pagan with her husband, Travis, and her children Elizabeth, 4, and Eric, 3, at their home in Davidson, N.C., on Friday. The mom has spent more than a year fighting her recall to active duty. (Chuck Burton/AP)

When Lisa Pagan reports for duty Sunday, four long years after she was honorably discharged from the Army, she will arrive with more than her old uniform. She is bringing her kids, too.

"I have to bring them with me," she said. "I don't have a choice."

Pagan is among thousands of former service members who have left active duty since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, only to later receive orders to return to service. They are not in training, they are not getting a Defense Department salary, but as long as they have time left on their original enlistment contracts, they are on "individual ready reserve" status — eligible to be recalled at any time.

Soldiers can appeal, and some have won permission to remain in civilian life. Pagan filed several appeals, arguing that because her husband travels for business, no one else can take care of her kids. All were rejected, leaving Pagan with what she says is a choice between deploying to Iraq and abandoning her family, or refusing her orders and potentially facing charges.

Then she hit on the idea of showing up Sunday at Fort Benning, Georgia, with her children in tow.

"I guess they'll have to contact the highest person at the base, and they'll have to decide from there what to do," Pagan said. "I either report and bring the children with me or don't report and face dishonorable discharge and possibly being arrested. I guess I'll just have to make my case while I'm there."

'Obligations and commitments'
Master Sgt. Keith O'Donnell, an Army spokesman in St. Louis, said the commander at Fort Benning will decide how to handle the situation.

"The Army tries to look at the whole picture and they definitely don't want to do anything that jeopardizes the family or jeopardizes the children," O'Donnell said. "At the same time, these are individuals who made obligations and commitments to the country."

Of the 25,000 individual ready reserve troops recalled since September 2001, more than 7,500 have been granted deferments or exemptions, O'Donnell said. About 1,000 have failed to report. O'Donnell said most of those cases are still under investigation, while 360 soldiers have been separated from the Army either through "other than honorable" discharges or general discharges.

He said Pagan is not likely to face charges, since none of the individual ready reserve soldiers who have failed to report faced a court-martial.

Pagan, who grew up near Camden, N.J., was working in a department store when she made her commitment in September 2002. She learned how to drive a truck, and met Travis while stationed in Hawaii. She had her first child while in uniform, and they left the service in 2005 when their enlistments were up.

She always knew there was a chance she could be recalled, so she buried the thought in the back of her mind.

"When I enlisted, they said almost nobody gets called back when you're in the IRR," she said.

The young family settled outside of Charlotte in the college town of Davidson, where Travis landed a job as a salesman. It required lots of travel, but that was OK — Pagan enjoyed her life as a stay-at-home mom to their son Eric and second child, a daughter named Elizabeth.

She opened a child-care center in her home, and started taking classes at nearby Fayetteville State.

Mom makes her plea
The orders to return to active duty arrived in December 2007. She told the Army there was no one to take care of her children: Her husband spent most of his time on the road, and they believe quitting his job is a sure path to bankruptcy and foreclosure. Her parents live in New Jersey and her husband's parents live in Texas. Neither are able to help out. The Army was not persuaded.

Pagan hired attorney Mark Waple, who filed another appeal, which included a letter from Travis Pagan's employer that said bluntly: "In order for Travis to remain an employee, he will be required to travel." In December 2008, her appeal was again rejected.

"It's the obligation of commanders to make certain that service members have a valid family care plan and that clearly has not happened in Lisa's case," Waple said.

Tom Tarantino, a policy associate with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a nonprofit group that helps veterans, said the Army has taken a hard line on many of these cases.

"Usually the only way that someone can get out of the deployment or get out of the military due to a family hardship is if they get into a situation where the kids will be put into foster care," Tarantino said.

"That's how serious it has to be, and I'm sure what the military is telling her — and I'm not saying that this is exactly the right answer — but the fact that it is inconvenient for her husband's job is not the military's problem. It's very harsh."

(AP)

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A Soldier's Next Best Friend Might Be... a Robot

Military officials at Fort Benning near Columbus in southwest Georgia are testing out a "pack-bot," to heft troopers' loads, allowing them greater mobility in the field.


Video courtesy Fort Benning PAO.

From the manufacturer, Boston Dynamics:

"BigDog is powered by a gasoline engine that drives a hydraulic actuation system. BigDog’s legs are articulated like an animal’s, and have compliant elements that absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to the next. BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule, measuring 1 meter long, 0.7 meters tall and 75 kg weight."

National Infantry Foundation unveils soldiers' sculptures

Entrance road to the museum, December, 2008. (Dave Bender)

The National Infantry Foundation on Thursday unveiled a sample of 50 life size sculptures of military personnel that will be included in the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center at Fort Benning, near Columbus, Ga.

Thirty-eight of the sculptures are of infantry troops, and the remaining 12 represent other historic figures.

The sculptures are modeled after live U.S. Army soldiers who each had to go through a three-hour-long casting process, according to a statement.

The museum is scheduled to open in March, 2009.

A crane hoists a Bradley Fighting Vehicle into place at the museum, June, 2007. Due to its size and weight, the vehicle was installed early on, in order to fit into the facility before the walls went up. (Dave Bender)

(PRNewswire)

Click here for more about the National Infantry Museum.

Ft. Benning soldier discharged in trainee beating

The Army has kicked out a soldier for beating a Jewish trainee who complained about religious harassment in their basic training unit, a Fort Benning spokesman said Monday.

Citing federal privacy laws, the Army had previously refused to discuss how it punished the attacker of Pvt. Michael Handman, 20, of Atlanta, other than to say the case had been handled as an administrative matter rather than as a crime.

That changed after the southeast director of the Anti-Defamation League met Fort Benning officials Friday. Col. Charles Durr, chief of staff at Fort Benning, told the ADL's Bill Nigut the assailant had been discharged.

"The soldier that was punished for the assault on Pvt. Handman has been processed for discharge from the Army," Fort Benning spokesman Bob Purtiman confirmed Monday.

The Army says Handman was beaten Sept. 24 by a fellow trainee in a laundry room near his barracks. Handman was treated at an Army hospital for a concussion and bruising to his face. He has since been transferred to another basic training unit at Fort Benning in Columbus.

Four days before the attack, Handman was interviewed by commanders of his basic training unit about complaints he'd made in letters to his parents that he had been harassed by two drill sergeants because he's Jewish.

The Army later acknowledged one drill sergeant had ordered Handman to remove his yarmulke, which he wore with his uniform, as he ate in a dining hall. Another drill sergeant had called him "Juden" - the German word for Jews.

Officials said last month that Handman's attacker had been punished administratively but refused to release further details, citing federal privacy laws.

Click here for previous GPB News coverage of this story.

(AP)

Army reprimands DI's over harassing Jewish soldier

Jewish soldiers carefully roll up a Torah scroll after religious services in the multi-denominational chapel at Fort Benning. (file/Dave Bender)

Officials at Fort Benning in western Georgia say they're taking seriously a reported beating and charges of religious harassment against a Jewish soldier.

Private Michael Handman of Atlanta, was severely beaten days after two drill sergeants forced him to remove a cap worn by observant Jews, in a mess hall. The two are also accused of anti-Semitic slurs against the soldier for reportedly praying during guard duty, and for asking about religious services.

Handman's parents, fearing for their son's safety, contacted Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss, who asked the army to investigate the incidents, which took place in September.

Neil Block, president of Temple Israel in Columbus, and (former) post chaplain, Maj. Rabbi Avrohom Horovitz leading services at a multi-deminational chapel at Fort Benning. (file/Dave Bender)

Neil Block is a Jewish lay leader in nearby Columbus, and conducts religious services for the trainees:

“The Army is not taking this lightly, the army is not attempting to sweep this under the rug, the Army is addressing this absolutely straight up and forward – and the chips will fall where they have to.”

Block is working with Handman and the Army to resolve the incident.

Handman has been reassigned to a medical rehab unit, to recover from the attack, and for unrelated medical issues.

Army officials say the drill sergeants will be reprimanded, and that they and battalion officials will be trained in accommodating religious troops.

Click here for more GPB News coverage about Fort Benning.

Army investigates Jewish soldier beating

Army officials at Fort Benning are investigating the beating of a Jewish soldier. 20-year-old Pvt. Michael Handman of Atlanta says another soldier knocked him unconscious Sept. 24. Before the attack, Handman told his parents one sergeant used an anti-Semitic slur and another ordered him to remove his skullcap in a dining hall. A Fort Benning spokeswoman said today an Army private is being held on suspicion of attacking Handman, but he has not been charged.

Georgia soldier killed in Iraq

A Georgia soldier has been killed in Iraq. The Army says Sgt. Kenneth W. Mayne of Fort Benning died last Thursday of wounds from a roadside bombing earlier in the week. The 29-year-old was among two soldiers killed in that blast. Mayne was based at Fort Hood, Texas.

Fort Benning, Stewart in biofuels pilot program

Fort Benning, Fort Stewart and four other bases across the United States, have been selected to take part in a national pilot program to convert wood chips and cardboard into diesel fuel.

The military installations will take part in a two-year program sponsored by the Department of Defense Energy Security Command.

The project will install truck-sized converters that turn the post's waste products into fuel for combat vehicles.

Other posts participating in the pilot are Fort Drum, N.Y.; Fort AP Hill, Va.; and Fort Lewis, Wash.

(The Associated Press)

One-dollar coin to honor US Army Infantry, fund museum at Ft. Benning

The US House of Reps passed a legislation today authorizing a commemorative $1 coin to honor the US Army Infantry and to help fun the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center at Ft. Benning in Columbus, Ga.

The coins would be sold for $10 with some proceeds used to create an endowment fund for the museum, which is already under construction. The coin design would demonstrate courage, pride, sacrifice, sense of duty and the history of the Army Infantry.

Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Grantville and Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop of Albany, Ga. introduced and co-sponsored the legislation.

The measure still needs approval from the Senate and faces heavy competition from other commemorative coin proposals.

Army medic pleads guilty to arson

An Army medic has pleaded guilty to setting fire to a strip club while stationed in Georgia. Sandeo Pablo Dyson was stationed at Camp Frank D. Merrill in Dahlonega when he set fire to Club Onyx in Atlanta last January. He faces at least five years in prison.

Norcross native killed in Afghanistan

A Fort Rucker, Ala., soldier from Norcross, Ga., was killed in action in Afghanistan, military officials said Wednesday.

Staff Sgt. Donald T. Tabb, 29, was killed around 2 p.m. Tuesday, according to a statement from Fort Rucker. Tabb died after his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Sangin, Afghanistan, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a news release.

Tabb was serving with the 6th Military Police Detachment, 13th Aviation Regiment. He was a dog handler serving in Afghanistan with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force.

He is survived by his mother, Gloria Smith of Lawrenceville, Ga., the Fort Rucker statement said.

Tabb's death remains under investigation.

(The Associated Press)

Georgia soldier faces murder charge

The Army has decided to charge a northeast Georgia soldier with murdering an Iraqi detainee. 25-year-old Christopher Shore of Winder faces a third degree murder charge. Shore and his platoon sergeant are accused of killing the detainee during a nighttime raid in a village near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. Shore testified that his platoon sergeant ordered him to quote “finish” killing the Iraqi man, but that he intentionally missed and only fired because he was afraid of openly disobeying an order from the sergeant.

More soldiers headed to Fort Stewart

Fort Stewart near Savannah is set to receive roughly 7,000 more soldiers and their families. The new Army plan assigns two more combat brigades to the Fort. The Army says it’s part of the move to grow by 74,000 soldiers by 2010. Every Army installation across the country will see more soldiers -- anywhere from a few to thousands.

GAO Report: Sharp Spike in Army Move Costs

Maneuver Center of Excellence. (Fort Benning)

A new report says the massive military relocation project for Fort Benning will have a much larger price tag than previous estimates.

The Base Realignment and Closure Program – BRAC, for short – was projected to cost taxpayers 21-billion dollars. Now, the figure is nearly 700 million dollars higher.

The Army says the added costs are for roads, sewers and infrastructure for the BRAC project which includes opening some bases, closing others, and moving 123,000 service personnel nationwide.

Georgia is the focus of a major BRAC initiative — moving the Army's Armor school from Ft. Knox, Kentucky to Fort Benning, near Columbus. It involves bringing some 30,000 troops and their families to the Columbus area.

The GAO says it may be the most expensive move in US military history. A Pentagon official says nationwide BRAC will, in his words, “enhance defense capabilities."

Click here for more GPB coverage about Ft. Benning.