He That Shall Live This Day

From Air Force Link
via Military Connections

Female Fighters Display Lethal, Effective Force
Senior Airman Susan Penning

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C., June 27, 2005 -- The House Armed Services Committee approved a bill recently which puts a Pentagon policy from 1994 into federal law prohibiting females in the military to serve in units below brigade level whose primary mission is direct ground combat.

Although the policy has raised the eyebrows of supporters of women in combat roles, many people may not realize the Air Force confidently assigns women to combat aircraft positions, said Col. Philip Ruhlman, 20th Fighter Wing commander here.

"Our women fighter pilots in the Air Force are fully qualified and continue to fly in combat alongside their male counterparts,? he said. ?They do so with lethal and effective force against our adversaries.?

Capt. Gina Jennings, currently deployed from the 20th Operations Support Squadron to Southwest Asia, has flown multiple combat missions. One of her primary duties at her deployed location is monitoring the air tasking order and all elements of generating combat missions.

"The training we get as pilots more than prepares us for combat," Captain Jennings said. "We begin first on the ground through training such as simulators, academics, intelligence, escape and evasion, chemical warfare, weapons and threats. In the air, we train and fly every day preparing for combat. With the multiple missions of the F-16 (Fighting Falcon), we ? ensure we are ready to execute any mission we are given."


SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Capt. Gina Jennings
prepares to fly an F-16 Fighting Falcon with the 79th
Fighter Squadron. She is assigned to the 20th
Operations Support Squadron here and is deployed
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Susan Penning)

Captain Jennings is one of 76 women flying fighter aircraft for the Air Force, according to current Air Force Personnel Center statistics.

Maj. Jill Long, assigned to the U.S. Central Command Air Forces commander?s action group, is another. She is an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot who has seen her share of combat.

Her most recent experience was in Operation Enduring Freedom when she said she ensured fighters, bombers and attack aircraft had the necessary air support to guarantee the safety of servicemembers on the ground.

On a previous combat mission, she said she provided close-air support, nontraditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and strike capabilities for the ground commander.

"We got a request for air support (during one of the combat missions),? she said. ?We were able to redirect assets to the location, but it was a pretty big fight. Having been through several similar situations, I knew to always hope for the best, a quick resolution, but plan for the worst, a long-term, full-up battle. The weather was very poor, so we were extremely limited in what was flying. Through coordination and teamwork ? we were able to make it all work."

The male pilots who fly beside women like Major Long and Captain Jennings get a firsthand look at what they bring to the fight.

"Women are an integral part of our air and space team,? said Maj. Anthony Roberson, 20th OSS operations director. ?I have witnessed their excellence in combat and their (effect) on our total force. Captain Jennings is dictating the pace of combat as we speak. We were asked to put our best foot forward in support of (Operation Iraqi Freedom), and we did that by sending (Captain) Jennings."

Major Long's perspective on women in combat supports Major Roberson?s ?team? concept.

"There is a mission to be accomplished, and we are all expected to make that happen ? regardless of our (gender)," she said. "The fact that I'm a female doesn't make me special. A bullet, bomb or missile has no clue what gender is (using) it.

Head on over to AnySoldier.com, particularly their Where to Send page. You'll need lots of tissues, and you'll be reading through tears, but it's worth it.

Thanks to Cut on the Bias, I heard about Lainey's Photo Website, set up by a Louisiana soldier currently deployed in Iraq. She wants people to know that things aren't all bad in Iraq, and according to her she has more than 1500 photos on her site to prove it.



Give 'em hell, Lainey!

From CNN. COM

Tennessee woman awarded Silver Star
Jun 17 2005

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A 23-year-old sergeant with the Kentucky National Guard has become the first female soldier to receive the Silver Star -- the nation's third-highest medal for valor -- since World War II.

Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, who is from Nashville, Tennessee, but serves in a Kentucky unit, received the award Thursday for gallantry during a March 20 insurgent ambush on a convoy in Iraq. Two men from her unit, the 617th Military Police Company of Richmond, Kentucky, also received the Silver Star for their roles in the same action. (Full story)

According to military accounts of the firefight, insurgents attacked the convoy as it traveled south of Baghdad, launching their assault from trenches alongside the road using rifles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Hester and her unit moved through enemy fire to the trenches, attacking them with grenades before entering and clearing them.

She killed at least three insurgents with her M4 rifle, according to her award citation. In the entire battle, 26 or 27 insurgents were killed and several more were captured, according to various accounts. Several Americans were also wounded in the firefight.

"Her actions saved the lives of numerous convoy members. Sgt. Hester's bravery is in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism," her award citation reads.

Hester, in an interview, said she was just doing her duty.

"I'm honored to even be considered, much less awarded, the medal," she told the American Forces Press Service, a military-run information service. "It really doesn't have anything to do with being a female. It's about the duties I performed that day as a soldier."

"honored to even be considered,
much less awarded, the medal"

Hester, a native of Bowling Green, Kentucky, joined the Kentucky Army National Guard in April 2001 and moved to Nashville in 2003, according to a biography provided by the Army. She works as a retail store manager. Her unit deployed to Iraq in November 2004 and remains in the Baghdad area, escorting convoys and assisting the Iraqi Highway Patrol.

Hester's father, Jerry, also of Bowling Green, said: "I'm overwhelmed at what she's accomplished in Iraq. It's something to be very proud of, and my wife and I are. Leigh Ann is a very good soldier."

He added: "She played softball and basketball all through high school, and she's won a lot of games. But those games didn't mean nowhere near what this medal does and what she's done for her country."

Also receiving the Silver Star for that action was Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein of Henryville, Indiana, and Spc. Jason Mike of Radcliff, Kentucky. Five other members of their unit received other medals for the action, including another woman, Spc. Ashley Pullen of Edmonton, Kentucky.

The awards to Hester and Pullen come only weeks after some Republicans in Congress abandoned an effort to curtail the roles of military women in combat zones. The Pentagon and some Democrats and other Republicans opposed the measure. (Full story)

Current Pentagon policy prohibits women from serving in frontline combat roles -- in the infantry, armor or artillery, for example. But the nature of the war in Iraq, with no real front lines, has seen women soldiers take part in close-quarters combat more than in any previous conflict.

D-Day Museum Honors Heroes of WWII

National D-Day Memorial Foundation in Bedford VA

The National D-Day Museum, America?s National World War II Museum, will host a number of major events to observe the 60th anniversary of the war?s end, including an international conference on World War II, the debut of a traveling exhibit of renowned WWII photography by the Associated Press and commemorations of V-E and V-J Days.

The year 2005 also marks the fifth anniversary of The National D-Day Museum, which opened June 6, 2000, on the 56th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy.

Plan to visit the National D-Day Museum on your New Orleans vacation and honor those who fought in World War II.

Memories of WWII:
Photographs from the Archives of the Associated Press
March 13, 2005 ? May 8, 2005

The Museum will host an exhibition of more than 100 World War II photographs from the archives of the Associated Press. The exhibit covers all American theaters of World War II, including the homefront. The images, never before presented in one exhibit, will make their traveling debut at the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans. Some of the dramatic photos were published only once, and many have described the picture as some of the most moving images from all the war. The AP is the world's oldest and largest newsgathering organization, serving 15,000 media outlets in more than 120 countries.

V-E Day: Germany?s Surrender
May 7 & 8, 2005

On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered, and May 8th was declared V-E Day (Victory in Europe). On Saturday, May 7th, during regular Museum hours, there will be wide-ranging activities including special exhibits, photographs, and interviews with World War II veterans. As part of its Countdown to Victory Signature Event Series, the Museum will hold a Saturday night Victory in Europe Day Dance, Dancin? in the Streets, and an elegant, Sunday afternoon Mother?s Day tea, Hats off to Mom.

Fifth Anniversary of the Museum
Five Years of Spirit and Remembrance
June 6, 2005

The spotlight will be on New Orleans and The National D-Day Museum on June 6 as it marks its fifth anniversary and salutes the Allies? invasion of Europe. ?A Night with the Allies,? a formal evening function to be held Saturday, June 4th at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, will bring the international community together for a tribute to the remarkable spirit of unity and commitment embodied by the Allied nations that made victory possible. The Museum expects local, national and international members of the diplomatic corps to represent the Allies. Prominent local and national political, business and community leaders are also scheduled to attend this anniversary extravaganza.

The New Orleans D-Day Museum as it will look in a few years

V-J Day: The Surrender of Japan
Aug. 13, 2005

On Aug. 15, 1945, the Allies announced the unconditional surrender of the Japanese forces. The profound and dramatic defeat of the final Axis force sparked worldwide celebration. To commemorate these events, the Museum will host activities for adults and children, featuring military encampments with re-enactors demonstrating the weaponry and uniforms from the Pacific theater. Research Historian Martin K.A. Morgan will recount the intimate details of the last days of the war in the Pacific and the celebrations that took place as news of the Allies? victory spread around the globe. On Saturday, August

13th; 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. - The National D-Day Museum's Countdown to Victory Signature Event Series presents "Island Treasures & Tropical Pleasures: A VJ Day Celebration".

International Conference on World War II
A Gathering of Knowledge and Perspective
Oct. 5 ? 9, 2005

The Museum will host the Inaugural International Conference on World War II, with the theme, ?World War II ? The War that Changed the World.? The conference goal is to advance the knowledge of WWII and its significance for America and the world. The four-day colloquium will bring together internationally known historians, journalists, veterans, members of the media, filmmakers, authors and scholars from America?s allies, as well as parties from the Axis Powers to discuss the War from the battlefronts to the home fronts. Scheduled to speak are such notables as General Paul Tibbets, Senator George McGovern and Andy Rooney of CBS 60 Minutes, among many others. The conference will address a variety of topics such as ?The United States and Its Strategic and Operational Conduct of WWII? and ?Strategic Importance of Oil in WWII,? along other subjects to be announced at a later date. The conference will be held at The National D-Day Museum and nearby venues, including the Hilton Hotel - Riverside in New Orleans.

The National D-Day Museum is the congressionally designated National World War II Museum, in recognition of its mission for the preservation and interpretation of artifacts, documents and history as well as the education of American people about experience in combat and on the home front during the World War II years. The Museum, which will celebrate its fifth anniversary on June 6, 2005, has an active membership of 100,000 nationwide and has attracted more than 1.3 million visitors to its exhibits.

The National D-Day Museum is located at 945 Magazine Street, in the Warehouse Arts District.

For more information about The National D-Day Museum, visit www.ddayMuseum.org.