The Monitor • February 5, 2009 • 21

The general told attendees that the
Space
Continued from Page 20
care to all caregivers of wounded war-
riors. Respite care means providing sup-
port to the caregiver – providing them
with the time they need to take care of
themselves so they can continue to pro-
vide care to their Soldiers.
“By providing temporary relief from
the demands of daily assistance to
wounded warriors – who typically have
complex chronic medical conditions
and functional ability – caregivers can
continue to provide maximum support
and care,” Babin said.
Chief of Staff of the Army George W.
Casey Jr. thanked conference partici-
pants for the suggestions they had
brought to his attention, and discussed
with them the challenges the Army is
tackling now to help relieve some of the
stresses faced by today’s Army families.
size of the Army over the next three
Army is “out of balance,” and that one
of the imperatives that must be met to
get the Army back into balance is the
sustaining of Soldiers and their fami-
lies.
“That’s the number one thing we
have to do,” the general said. “The vol-
unteer force is a national treasure. And
the work we are doing on the Army
Family Covenant is an important part of
our effort to sustain this force.”
The general also said that preparing
Soldiers for war is one of the impera-
tives, and that increasing dwell time at
home stations is a significant part of that
preparation.
“The most important thing we can do
to prepare folks is to increase the time
that Soldiers spend at home between
deployments,” he said. “And one of the
major elements of the plan to get our-
selves back in balance is to increase the
ly reach 18 months. By 2011, he said, it
years.”
Increasing the size of the Army
means more Soldiers to deploy and less
deployment demand on each Soldier.
Casey said he planned to have the
Army’s growth plan completed by 2010
– but recruiting and retention have made
it possible to meet those growth objec-
tives this year.
“If you hold demand steady, and you
increase our growth, then over the next
three years what you see is [that] the
average dwell time gradually
improves,” Casey said.
Casey said the Army was operating
at less than one year dwell time per one
year deployed time when it was using
15-month deployment cycles. Now, he
said, the Army is deploying Soldiers for
12 months. This year, he said, he
expects the dwell time to increase to
nearly 18 months, and in 2010 to actual-
will reach 24 months – if demand stays
steady.
“Time that Soldiers spend at home is
important for a lot of reasons,” Casey
said. “It is important for them and for
you so that they reconstitute themselves
– and the family. Second, it gives them
time to start working on other things,
and third, it gives us time to get them
the equipment and the people they need
to get ready for what they are doing
next.”
The Army hosted the first AFAP con-
ference in 1983. Since then, the efforts
on the part of conference attendees have
resulted in the resolution of some 435
issues. Recommendations to Army sen-
ior leadership by AFAP conference
attendees have resulted in 107 legisla-
tive changes, 154 policy changes, and
173 programs and services improved.

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Family care plan important tool when deployed
STAFF SGT. JOE BATTLE
75th Fires Brigade Public Affairs
For Soldiers about to deploy, or
already downrange, care of their fami-
lies is normally a hot issue on their
minds.
One of the tools available for
Soldiers to direct the care and wishes of
the family is the family care plan.
“A family care plan, or FCP, desig-
nates who will have short term and long
term guardianship of children in the
event of deployment, training, TDY, or
unaccompanied overseas tour,” said
Mitzie Klozotsky, 75th Fires Brigade
Family Readiness Support assistant.
“An FCP can also designate who will be
responsible for children should an emer-
gency arise and the spouse of a
deployed Soldier is unable to provide
care for the children and provides
guidelines for the guardians as to the
specifics of care for the child.”
Single or dual-military parents must
have both a short-term and long-term
family care plan, according to Army
Regulation 600-20. All other parents are
encouraged to have one as well.
Additionally, if the spouse has a lan-
MILITARY DISCOUNT OFFERED
The Monitor • February 5, 2009 • 23
Human Services and the children could
Creating an FCP ensures the children be placed in temporary foster care.
Typically however, the hospital will
are cared for according to the parent’s wishes. ... notify the Soldier’s unit. The unit com-
outlines any special needs or medications mander or family readiness group will
step in to assist until a plan for care is
for the children and ensures the children established, Klozotsky stated.
are placed with someone they know. Creating an FCP ensures the children
are cared for according to the parent’s
guage barrier, or does not have trans- time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, wishes. Also, an FCP outlines any spe-
portation, the spouse’s commander may in the event the military member is cial needs or medications for the chil-
require a FCP. called to duty or to deploy with no dren and ensures the children are placed
“Soldiers may be called away from notice. The short-term provider must with someone they know. This is espe-
their family at any time,” said live in the local area and must sign the cially important in the event of a par-
Klozotsky. “An FCP will ensure the FCP, she added. ent’s accident or other traumatic situa-
Soldier’s family is taken care of in the The long-term care provider must tion.
Soldier’s absence. A unit isn’t ready also be a nonmilitary member who will “Additional information that should
until the families are ready. It is also a agree, in writing, to care for the children be included in the FCP is school or
very good idea for all families to have a in the event of a deployment or unac- church schedules, important medical
FCP in the event the spouse is, for a companied overseas tour. This provider information such as allergies or required
variety of possible reasons, unable to does not have to live in the local area. medications. The Soldiers should also
care for the children.” However, the FCP must contain provi- ensure immunizations are up to date and
Two providers need to be identified sions for transporting children from the ID cards are current through the deploy-
in the FCP: a short-term and long-term short-term-care provider to the long- ment,” said Klozotsky.
provider, said Klozotsky. term provider. The long-term care “Family care plans must be reviewed
The short-term care provider is a provider must also sign the FCP. annually or more often if changes are
nonmilitary person (they may be a mili- In the event of an accident and no needed,” she said.
tary spouse) who has agreed, in writing, FCP has been established, the hospital “Having a current and accurate FCP
to accept care of the children at any could notify the local Department of is most important,” said Klozotsky.
24 • The Monitor • February 5, 2009

Army striving to decrease sexual assault, increase reporting

C. TODD LOPEZ
Army News Service
WASHINGTON – Through its
Sexual Harassment and Assault
Prevention and Response Program, the
Army hopes to change command cli-
mates to make victims of sexual assault
feel more comfortable reporting the
crime.
During a meeting with members of
the press Jan. 26, Secretary of the Army
Pete Geren discussed the Army’s efforts
to reduce sexual assault within the
ranks, a crime he said that is not just an
assault on a person, but on the whole
Army.
“Since Sept. 11, 2001, we’ve had
1,800 Soldiers that have been punished
for sexually assaulting a fellow
Soldier,” Geren said. “Soldier-on-
Soldier violence, blue-on-blue – sexual
assault is a crime everywhere, but in the
Army it is a crime that is more than just
a crime against the victim. In the Army
it is a crime against the core values that
bind our Army together.”
Sexual assault is one of the most
underreported crimes in the United
States and in the Army as well, said
Carolyn Collins, program manager of
the Army’s Sexual Assault Prevention
and Response Program. Through the
SAPR program, the Army hopes to
change the cultural climate so Soldiers
who are victims of sexual assault will be
more likely to report the crime.
“The last couple of years we have
seen a bit of a plateau in the reporting,
but ... we are certainly still having con-
victions of sexual assault,” Collins said.
“We know we are not where we want to
be yet. We are looking to increase our
propensity to report, and bring down the
actual number of assaults. We are look-
ing to close that gap. We want to raise
the number of reports so we can get
more investigated, and hold offenders
accountable for those actions, and we
want to reduce the number.”
The Army is also doing more to
ensure that when Soldiers report a sexu-
al assault, the crime is properly investi-
gated and prosecuted.
Secretary Geren has approved fund-
ing to provide 15 special victim prose-
cutors – that’s additional personnel bil-
lets within the judge advocate general
corps that will be filled from within the
ranks by those who have proven them-
selves as especially effective prosecu-
tors and who also have experience in
sexual assault prosecution.
“They will focus exclusively on
those cases, and on training the balance
of our prosecutorial and defense force
on those kinds of cases,” said Maj. Gen.
Scott Black, judge advocate general of
the U.S. Army. “They will have previ-
ous experience, and special training as
well. The idea is to pick people who are
... very, very good in the prosecutorial
function, and then ... have experience in
this particular area of prosecution. We
are identifying them now.”
Black said those special prosecutors
would come from the JAG ranks, would
serve for a minimum of three-year tours,
and would be positioned at installations
such as Fort Bragg, N.C., and Fort
Hood, Texas, where there are large con-
centrations of Soldiers.
Brig. Gen. Rodney Johnson, the
provost marshal general of the Army,
said the service will add an additional
30 special investigators to be assigned
at 22 of the Army’s largest installations
to assist Criminal Investigation
Command agents in investigating sexu-
al assault crimes.
Those investigators, Johnson said,
would provide insight into how civilian
juries look at sexual assault cases and
what kinds of evidence are needed to
prosecute. The investigators would also
look at sexual predator and victim
behavior and the scientific perspective
of sexual assault investigation.
An additional seven “highly quali-
fied experts” are also coming aboard,
Johnson said, to provide training and
assistance to CID agents.
“We in CID already have highly
skilled agents investigating these
crimes,” Johnson said. “But bringing
the civilian expertise onboard will sim-
ply be a valuable tool to glean insight
and a fresh perspective in many areas.
Our special agents and supervisors will
be working shoulder-to-shoulder with
those highly qualified experts on our
most challenging and complex cases.”
Black said there are already four of
those experts on board, with the remain-
ing to be brought in by mid-February.

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Army addresses rising suicide rate, highest in four years

C. TODD LOPEZ
Army News Service
WASHINGTON – The number of
suicides in the Army has risen again, for
the fourth year in a row, and the prob-
lem is being addressed with an Army-
wide “stand-down” and chain-teaching
program.
The Army experienced 128 con-
firmed suicides in 2008, up from 115 in
2007, said Army leaders during a media
roundtable Jan. 29. An additional 15
deaths are being investigated as suspect-
ed suicides, though Army experts say
experience has shown that as many as
90 percent of suspected suicides are
eventually classified as confirmed.
“The numbers represent tragedies
that have taken place across our Army,”
said Secretary of the Army Pete Geren.
Adding that the Army is doing all it can
to address the problem. “Every suicide
is a tragedy we take personally in the
Army.”
The secretary said if the Army is to
succeed in counteracting the rising trend
in suicides in the service, all compo-
nents of the Army – including the
active-duty, Reserve and National
Guard components – must work togeth-
er and also work with other organiza-
tions such as the Veteran’s
Administration. To facilitate that collab-
oration, he appointed Vice Chief of
Staff of the Army Gen. Peter Chiarelli to
lead those efforts.
“We felt it was necessary to have a
central figure at the top ranks of the
Army to reach across those components
and bring about the kind of progress we
hope to achieve,” Geren said.
Chiarelli said the Army must work
quickly to reduce the trend of suicides
in the Army, saying that if the suspected
suicides did in fact turn out to be con-
firmed suicides, the Army’s rate for sui-
cides would rise to about 20.2 per
100,000 individuals.
“That number is particularly note-
worthy, because the last reported num-
bers from the Center for Disease
Control – which lags behind, was 19.2,”
Chiarelli said. “That’s important
because the Army has always had a sui-
cide rate quite a few numbers below the
CDC rate – the average American rate.”
Chiarelli has directed an Army
“stand-down” to address the problem,
between Feb. 15 and March 15. During
that time, he said, commanders will take
time to direct the problem “head on,”
the general said, adding that the service
is prepositioning materials for com-
manders to use when talking with
Soldiers.
The general also said the Army would
follow the stand-down with a chain-
teaching program – an Army method
used to ensure every individual Soldier
has been exposed to new material – dur-
ing the 120-day period after March 15.
“The second thing that is absolutely
critical is to reach out to Soldiers and
tell them it is not wrong to reach out for
help,” Chiarelli said. “We have to
change our culture.”
In the past, he said, it has been a cul-
ture in all the military services, that
accessing mental health resources was
detrimental to a servicemember’s
career.
“That is something we have got to
turn around,” he said. “We are commit-
ted to doing that. And that is all leaders
– review what they have done in the
past, what has helped us in the past –
and continue to do those. At the same
time, to reach out to their Soldiers and
make sure there is no stigma.”
The Army’s stand-down will include
training to help Soldiers recognize sui-
cidal behavior in their fellow Soldiers,
as well as teach them techniques to
intervene.
While Geren has said the Army is
unsure exactly why the numbers of sui-
cides have risen over the last four years,
Chiarelli said stress was probably a fac-
tor.
“There is no doubt in my mind that
stress is a factor in this trend we are see-
ing,” Chiarelli said. He also added that
about a third of the suicides were
amongst those deployed, a third were
amongst those who had returned from
deployment, and a third were amongst
See SUICIDE, Page 27

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26 • The Monitor • February 5, 2009
 The Monitor • February 5, 2009 • 27

A NEW BEST “That’s when we started trying to hire In October, Army senior leaders
Suicide
Photo by Christopher Appoldt

FRIEND Continued from Page 25

those who have had no history of
deployment.
Army leaders also said that tradition-
®
ally it has been both relationship and
® financial problems that have contributed
to Soldier suicides – and that increased
deployment lengths then may contribute
866-VETDOGS to suicides by adding additional stress
www.VetDogs.org on families and relationships.
Geren said when tour lengths were
371 E. Main Street increased to 15 months, the Army
Smithtown, NY 11787 worked to alleviate some of the stress
that would be created between Soldiers
A CFC participant. and their families by adding additional
Provided as a public service. funding to Army family programs.
additional mental health workers, when
we started putting additional resources
into family support – trying to reduce
stress on the families and the stress on
the Soldier who is worrying about the
family back home,” Geren said. “You
saw a tremendous reallocation of
resources within the Army budget.”
Geren said the Army has changed the
family support budget from $700 mil-
lion to nearly $1.5 billion.
“We saw the stress, we recognized it,
and we started putting resources to that
challenge,” he said. “I can tell you, sen-
ior leadership knew – we could feel the
pressure – and we started moving
resources to address those issues.”
signed a memorandum of agreement
with the National Institute of Mental
Health to conduct a study to get to the
root causes of why Soldiers commit sui-
cide.
Under the MOA, the NIMH will con-
duct research for the Army that will
evaluate the many factors that con-
tribute to suicide. The results of the
study will be used by the Army to devel-
op strategies to prevent suicides.
The study is expected to last five
years, during which time the NIMH
may interview Soldiers, their families
and their parents. The study will include
the active-duty force in addition to the
National Guard and Army Reserve.

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28 • The Monitor • February 5, 2009

CAPT. TAMARA GONZALES

Brig. Gen. Robert Woods, 32nd Army
COURTESY PHOTO Air and Missile Defense commander,
Col. Randall Lane, left, commander of 5th Brigade Combat Team, promotes former Sgt. Maj. Paris
1st Armored Division, poses with John Harris, president of Sierra Williams to command sergeant major
Providence Health Network, while cutting the cake and kicking for Task Force Counter-Rocket,
off the Bradley Strong Guardian Ceremony Jan. 21. Artillery and Mortar Dec. 19.
COURTESY PHOTO
Command Sgt. Maj. James P. Daniels,
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st
Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored
Division, shows Lt. Gen. Joseph F. Peterson,
deputy commanding general and chief of staff
of U.S. Army Forces Command, the 1st
Armored Div. weight room during a visit to
East Fort Bliss Dec. 16 with 1-1 AD leaders to
discuss combat readiness plans.

JAMES SPURLING
Dec. 18, the El Paso Field Office of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalized
more than 1,200 new United States citizens from more than 38 countries. The Army, Air Force and Navy
servicemembers pictured were part of that ceremony. Also pictured are Raymond P. Adams, the El Paso COURTESY PHOTO
USCIS field office director, U.S. Congressman Silvestre Reyes, the guest speaker, and Federal Judge Pictured from front to rear and left to right
Philip R. Martinez, the presiding judge for the ceremony. are: Staff Sgt. Michelle M. Chartier, front row
holding flag; Staff Sgt. Charles S. Boys, Sgt.
Bryce J. Keenan and Staff Sgt. Mandrill A.
Demps, second row; Fred J. Blount, and Staff
Sgts. Xavier A. Lombardo and Curtis A.
Yeager, third row; instructors Sgt. 1st Class
Jason Vansant, Staff Sgt. Roque Gomez and
Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Rivera, and
Christopher Haag of RAM, Inc.

1ST LT. ANDY SADOUN
Pfc. Kyle Copeland, Headquarters and Headquarters
Company, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored
Division, tutors Miguel Hernandez and Daline Mendez as
part of the Partners in Education program at Moye
Elementary School.
JIM GONZALES
Maj. Robert L. McCormick, operations
officer for the 6th Air Defense Artillery
Brigade, descends from the rafters of the
Alamodome in San Antonio prior to the
start of the U.S. Army-sponsored All-
American Bowl all-star high school foot-
ball game Jan. 3.

(Left) Command Sgt. Maj.

Stephen D. Blake, command
sergeant major of U.S. Army
Sustainment Command and
guest speaker at the 2009 ball
celebrating Special Troops
Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat
Team, 1st Armored Division;
Lt. Col. Patricia A. Sellers, STB
battalion commander; Spc.
Kyle Meldrum, Soldier of the
Quarter; and Command Sgt.
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STAFF SGT. CHRISTINA J. TURNIPSEED
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25th AFAP: Army to double
money for family programs
J.D. LEIPOLD
Army News Service
WASHINGTON - The Army Family
Action Plan kicked off its 25th anniversary
conference with Secretary of the Army
Pete Geren telling the 117 delegates that
funding would double from $700 million
to $1.4 billion for family programs in the
coming year.
“They have done more than any other
single organization to make sure the Army
is responsive to the needs of our families.”
Geren also told the attendees -- who
represent all Army components and are
made up of Soldiers, wounded warriors,
spouses, children, parents and retirees --
that “they have done more than any other
single organization to make sure the Army
is responsive to the needs of our families.”
The Army has come a long way since
1983 when AFAP began, Geren said,
adding that the Army now understands the
dynamic needs of families.
“There have been some major initia-
tives that come from legislation, some
come from policy, but what I think will
really make the Army work for Army fam-
ilies and what will really make the family
covenant program meaningful on a grass-
roots level are all the little tweaks, the lit-
tle changes here and there that just show
our leadership is responding and listen-
ing,” he said.
Geren added that the family covenant
was a commitment and promise of the
Army to the Army family and of the Army
family to the Army to work together
toward positive change. He said the
covenant should always be innovative
with constant recommitment by both
sides.
He and Army Chief of Staff Gen.
George W. Casey Jr., have directed that
anytime a senior commander departs a
post, the incoming commander will re-
execute the family covenant so it will
never become stale.
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The secretary said the AFAP confer-
ence has been instrumental in helping the
Army slowly put different pieces in place
to help make the service work better for its
families. He added that since the inception
of the all-volunteer force in 1973, the
changes the Army has made have been
revolutionary.
“The Army of today doesn't look like
the Army of 1973 in so many ways,” he
said.
“The all-volunteer force required us to
think very differently about many aspects
of the Army and certainly family support.
We came through the 70s and early 80s
and took some major steps forward when
it came to compensation, so we have a
compensation system that attempts to be
competitive with what comparably
accomplished people would expect in the
outside civilian world.”
Geren said that also in the 80s and 90s
health care had been a major focus and
that AFAP had taken the lead in making
sure health care plans were responsive to
the needs of families. It's a challenge that
will never be completely fixed, he said,
noting the Army will continue to adapt and
to evolve. Tricare was a major step for-
ward, he said.
“In the late 90s and the early part of this
century, we've made great progress in RCI
(residential community initiative) hous-
ing,” Geren said. “The quality of those
homes has just been life-changing for so
many families and not just for Army fam-
ilies but for enlisted Soldiers too as we
replace the barracks to provide barracks
that meet their expectations and give the
kind of quality of life they should expect.”
Delegates will be working 100 issues
through eight seminar groups during the
conference which runs through Jan. 30.
The field will be narrowed to 16 issues,
then five will be prioritized and worked by
the delegates for presentation to the chief
of staff.
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30 • The Monitor • February 5, 2009
PHOTOS BY PETER GONZALES
Pfc. Nathan Harrison from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery, thanks
Jamar Hunt, University of Texas El Paso long snapper, for his autograph
during Saturday s Texas vs. the Nation game. Nation trumps Texas in
all-star football game
CAPT. TAMARA GONZALES
11th ADA Bde. Public Affairs
t was a meeting of players from
I
across the country, playing head to
El Paso Mayor John Cook accepts the official Texas vs. head in fierce competition. Team
the Nation game ball at Saturday s game. Texas’ players were from or had an affili-
ation with the state, while their oppo-
nents, Team Nation, had players from the
rest of the United States. The two teams
faced off Saturday at Sun Bowl Stadium
with the Nation coming out on top 27-24.
The crowd erupted with applause
when the players ran onto the field.
Everyone then stood as the color guard,
followed by the 62nd Army Band and a
formation of Soldiers from 1st Armored
Division, marched onto the field.
Cpl. Kyle Pelatt from B Company, Warrior Transition Battalion, looks on After the national anthem, Fort Bliss
as officials prepare for the coin toss before Saturday s Texas vs. the Command Sgt. Maj. Robert S. Rodgers,
Nation All-Star game at the Sun Bowl. Cpl. Kevin Cott from the Warrior
Transition Battalion, El Paso Mayor John
Cook and Harriet May, chief executive
officer of Greater El Paso’s Credit Union,
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY HEATHER WILBURN
Playing for Texas, running back Bernard Scott from
participated in the coin toss, which Team
Abilene Christian University takes a hand off from Tulsa
Nation won.
quarterback David Johnson during a first-quarter play
Saturday. While both teams played tough, nei-
ther one scored in the first quarter until
Nation scored a field goal with three min-
utes remaining, giving them a small lead.
At the beginning of the second quarter,
Cook donated a $10,000 check to Fort
Bliss’ wounded warrior fund.
Team Nation scored another field goal
at the beginning of the second quarter,
bringing their lead to 6-0.
Texas soon turned the game around as
they inched down the field with catch
after catch and run after run. These plays
‘‘
Having military tickets brings me and
other people out to support our teams
and to show support for the Army.
Sonja Mayon, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade
family readiness support assistant
Representatives of the 5th Armored Brigade from
McGregor Range, N.M., are recognized for the highest small-
unit attendance during Saturday s Texas vs. the Nation game.
The Monitor • February 5, 2009 • 31
Frank Summers, University of
Nevada Las Vegas fullback,
eyes an opening before
paid off when Texas running back Chris attempting a
Ogbonnaya scored the first touchdown of touchdown pass
the game, moving the score to 7-6.
Saturday at the
Team Nation’s Anthony Kimble then Texas vs. the
scored a touchdown, regaining a 13-7 Nation game.
lead for his team. At the beginning of
the third quarter, Nation recovered
a fumble from Texas and scored
again with a touchdown from
Davon Drew.
“They [Nation] are pulling
away now, but it is still early,”
Capt. Charles Johnson of
Headquarters and Headquarters
Battery, 11th Air Defense
Artillery Brigade, said during the
game.
However, Texas scored next
with a touchdown made by
Johnny Knox, bringing his team
to within six points of Team
Nation.
The fourth quarter started with
Texas making a field goal, closing
their gap to a mere three points.
“I like Nation because I think
they’re good,” said Aaron Mayon,
son of Sonja Mayon, 11th ADA’s
family readiness support assistant.
Nation’s quarterback Yonus Davis
threw a touchdown pass, which was
enough to claim the win despite Texas
scoring once more toward the end of the
game.
“Having military tickets brings me and
other people out to support our teams and
to show support for the Army and the
brigade,” said Sonja.
’’