Guest Blog Post - Dirk Beveridge

When you think of the military it is easy to get caught up in the technology and power at its disposal. But what stood out most was the human element.

Our 8 day conference (JCOC 75) having visited troops at Guantanamo Bay, USS George Washington, Tolemaida & Cartagena Colombia, San Cano Honduras, and Key West Florida was amazing. But the real amazement was in the hearts, and minds of the amazing and phenomenal people in uniform that we met and the goodness that flowed from everyone of them.

Those that we met are good! Intelligent! Professional! Honorable! Have purpose! Selfless! We could go on but suffice it to say they truly are the best of what we have!

The bottom line is that they are where they are for you and me. They are where they are for our families. They are where they are as Secretary England said - so that we can wake up in freedom rather than terror and chaos.

Upon return to the States I penned a note to two sons - one 11 and the other 9 - of a reservist I met at Guantanamo Bay. I believe this note captures the essence of every service man and woman we met throughout the conference:

Marcus & Thomas - I wanted to write you after meeting your father down at Guantanamo Bay. When he spoke of you both his eyes lit up with pride and love. He told me how precious the two of you are and I know he misses you so very much.

Your father is a very special man and I was honored to meet him. I think of the word "goodness" after talking to your dad. Many years from now - when you begin to raise your own family, I know that you will tell stories about how your dad was in the middle of history ... doing not what was easy, but what was right.

Your dad is making this world a better place to live.

Marcus and Thomas I know that it is not easy for you to be away from your father - from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the two of you for allowing your father to make a real difference in the world.

With the deepest respect,
Dirk Beveridge

Dirk Beveridge
President, 4th Generation Systems
800-BBS-IDEA
http://www.4thgenerationsystems.com/

We're Back! So Now What?

I'm on the C-17 headed from Miami to Andrews Air Force Base.

So we've had our last event. It was our farewell dinner hosted by SOUTHCOM commander Admiral James Stavridis. A great event, with each of the JCOC teams giving summaries, thoughts, etc. Our conference senior representatives, Mr. Kevin Wensing (from Deputy Defense Secretary England's staff) and Air Force Brig. Gen. Paul M. Van Sickle (from SOUTHCOM staff) , also spoke. This was also a chance for many of us to see some of the photos captured from the week, expertly taken by our two conference Air Force photographers, Tech Sgt. Jerry Morrison and Master Sgt. Kevin Gruenwald.

So now what?

That was a constant question coming from so many of the JCOC participants themselves. And they WANT to do something with these experiences, for sure.

Without exception, the JCOCers spoke about how important the trip was and how they need to take this new knowledge and move forward. With so many ways one could think of taking further action, the imortant thing is to not be overwhelmed into paralysis and do nothing.

Many JCOCers plan to call the parents or spouses of service members they met along the way. Some talk of planning local military support activities, and others of doing humanitarian assistance themselves as JCOC alumni to further support what the military is doing. There were recurring comments that this was just the beginning. If that's the case, I ask each JCOC 75 member...

So now what?

My hope is that each participant in JCOC 75 gained a more clear picture of the myriad activities of their armed forces around the globe, maybe clearing up previously held misconceptions along the way. I'd love to see several (or ALL) of these great JCOC alums out in their communities speaking about what they have seen, experienced and learned.

This has been a stellar opportunity to continue to build on JCOC alumni and what they can do to further educate their own communities about the military -- based on their new-found direct experiences through JCOC.

Many participants departed from Miami, and the rest of us will soon be landing in the D.C. area to go our separate ways.

I can say I had a great time leading the Blue Team, getting to know them, as well as so many others from all our JCOC teams. Red Team, Green Team, Blue Team or White Team -- all the teams were full of superb leaders from around the nation. This was an energized group and we all learned a lot from our hosts throughout the SOUTHCOM area of focus. Thanx everyone!

I will continue to post any additional guest blog inputs from JCOCers as they send them to me.

And maybe we'll get a few lines of blog discussion along the way too!

Until then, as we say in the Navy. . .

Fair Winds and Following Seas,

Brook DeWalt
Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy
Blue Team Leader and Conference Blogger, JCOC 75

Guest Blog Post - Gail Werner-Robertson

My favorite memory of JCOC 75 was my overnight stay on the nuclear aircraft carrier USS George Washington. Of course it was thrilling to see the night flight operations; but even more impressive were the many conversations we had with the crew. Every person, from the lowest ranking to the admiral, all showed tremendous pride in their mission.

Let it be clear, everyone knew what the mission was, how they contributed to the mission and the importance of what they were doing. It sounds trite, but these crew members really did exemplify the best of what this country has to offer. These special interactions gave me tremendous pride in not only my country but also the youth who are so proudly protecting our freedoms.

Gail Werner-Robertson, JCOC 75
Founder and CEO, GWR Wealth Management / Sunshine Autism Foundation
Omaha, Neb.

Guest Blog Post - Karen Johnson

This has been an amazing trip. As a resident of Northern Virginia, I am aware of the military, but not fully familiar with its intricacies -- as a matter of fact, I had not toured the Pentagon until this trip, although I live near it, have run through its parking lot during several Marine Corps marathons and have had several friends who have worked there!

In short, I am stunned by the diverse role our military plays in the southern hemisphere. I am also extremely proud of the stability and support we are bringing to the countries we work with.

For instance, in Colombia we learned that a U.S. Army Ranger working with our Embassy raises money and collects clothes for an orphanage in a town several hours outside of Bogota -- this is in addition to the organized efforts of the military to assist those in need in-country.

We saw that unique American spirit at every stop -- men and women proud to be representing our nation thousands of miles away from their family and friends.

Nowhere was the American justice and humanity more evident than at GTMO. Isolated from the U.S. and prohibited from going into Cuba, at GTMO we met a dedicated and close knit group of soliders who are resposible for the care and detainment of suspected terrorists. At GTMO we were able to see the detainees and tour both the minimum and maximum security facilities where they are kept. Having personally viewed these facilities and met the people who guard and care for these detainees, I can say that they are extremely well cared for and that their living conditions are clean and comfortable. The men and women who guard these detainees have extremely stressful and high risk jobs. For instance, the maximum security facility is constantly being modified to protect guards from feces and other substances that the detainees "collect" and either throw on the guards or drop from one level of the facility to another. Guards names are not on their uniforms for fear that detainees will utilize their sources and do harm to the guards and/or their families.

There are so many aspects of this trip that I could highlight, as each stop was a fascinating experience.

I was one of the lucky few who was allowed to spend the night on the USS George Washington. After an exciting and exhausting day of touring the ship and watching a series on night takeoffs and landings, we finally made it to our berthing. I took the top bunk, and the gentle rock of the ship along with the soothing hum of the engines put me right to sleep! The men who traveled with us weren't so lucky. Their accomodations were a little more "luxurious" but they were beneath the flight deck. So while the women had purring engines, the men had a night full of chains being dropped and equipment moving overhead!

As I told my father in an e-mail the next day -- it was perhaps the best sleep I had had in a long time.

During our trip we flew on a C17 and a C130. I had always heard horror stories about military aircraft. Not true!!! I much prefer flying with the U.S. military over commercial any day! The crew was oustanding. Their dedication to safety beyond compare! Plus, on a military aircraft, you get to wander around and chat with friends, sleep on a cot, or even the floor! One of my seatmates would depart shortly after takeoff and find his bed -- which he created on the floor of the loading area!

I am especially pleased that we were able to visit SOUTHCOM -- the area of Central and South America so vital to the U.S. politically, economically and militarily. It was great to see America's leadership and partnerships at work.

General VanSickle and his staff are to be commended for their outstanding work on behalf of our nation. I am indeed lucky to have had these experiences and make new friendships.

Karen Johnson, JCOC 75
Senior Vice President, Valente & Associates
Alexandria, Virginia

Guest Blog Post - Meredith Iler

The following text was e-mailed in by JCOC 75 participant Meredith Iler...

What started out as a gesture of gratitude to one of our heroes for serving our nation, ended up demonstrating just how small our world can be.

JCOC participant Meredith Iler was on a routine tour on base in Honduras when her “Red Team” entered the hospital facility to be briefed on Medivac procedures. Within minutes, Sgt, Stevan Crowder who worked in the facility but was not participating in the JCOC visit recognized her. He came up to her and asked “Are you the one with the foundation to build homes for our severely wounded heroes?” Meredith immediately replied yes since she chairs the HelpingaHero.org’s Wounded Hero Home Program. He then told her that she had given her first class seat to him when he deployed to Honduras a few months earlier.

Meredith remembered him vividly as that was the first time she had ever flown with an entire unit on a flight and had asked the Colonel in charge if it would be OK to give her seat to one of his team. With his permission, she gave her seat to Sgt. Crowder who was at the airport with his beautiful wife and 2 small children as tears streamed down all of their faces at the thought of being separated for the next 6 months.

Thanks to JCOC, the two have been reunited and were able to exchange contact information. They plan to get together in Oklahoma City with their spouses later this summer.

Meredith Iler, JCOC 75
President, Strategic Alliance
Cypress, Texas

Guest Blog Post - Hon. Terry Strle

On Thursday I met an ER team member by the name of Bingham (not sure if he is a doc or of his rank). We met during the Mobile Surgical Team demonstration in Honduras. Bingham has just a short time left in Honduras, then he will be headed to Ft. Washington in Fairbanks, Alaska, where he will work in the ER at our new base hospital. How cool is that!!! He will arrive later this summer and he promised to look me up.

The longer we JCOC members are together as a group, the funnier we get. And while I like to think things are mostly about me (;-0), this is really about our men and women out on active duty and reserve military.

What an outstanding bunch of people. Mission driven, positive, polite and focused. It has been an honor to see them in their element.

Army Strong!

Terry Strle, JCOC 75
Mayor, City of Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska

Key West and the Coasties

Thursday night we flew from Honduras to Key West. It was another late night arrival followed by another early morning wake-up call. After a great breakfast, although rushed as usual to keep on track with our very tight schedule, we took a quick bus ride to the headquarters of Joint Inter-Agency Task Force-South, or JIATF-S.

We received a brief from the task force's deputy director and intelligence operations director. This gave us deeper insight into the multitude of U.S. and foreign agencies working together to deter, identify, track, intercept and prosecute those who engage in the trafficking of illegal items or people into the United States and elsewhere. We were given great examples of how these efforts are indeed paying dividends. While there is no overnight answer, JCOCers left saying there's a need for continued determination and updates to policy to best facilitate success.

Upon our departure from JIATF-South, we stopped to look at a seized submersible vessel previouly used to move illicit items without detection. Again, the JCOC team was impressed with what they learned here.

The team then moved on to U.S. Coast Guard Sector Key West. After a group operations briefing, we gathered at the sea wall to witness a search and rescue demonstration. We then again broke into smaller teams for a more personalized, hands-on experience. We toured a medium endurance Coast Guard cutter, checked out USCG's ability to rapidly deploy communication assets in a time of crisis, spoke with Coasties assigned to their depolyable operations group (or DOG) and tactical law enforcement team (and just how great they are at disabling fast boats that need to be detained), participated in a use-of-force demonstration for non-compliant vessels (going fast and seeing their waterborne tactics), and learned about some of the latest biometrics technologies used to better identify and potentially track those folks detained by the Coast Guard.

It was another hot (and humid) day, but time passed quickly as all the JCOCers were so pleased with the level of access and what they were learning. This was an impressive day of events lined up for the JCOC participants.

Now back to the C-17 aircraft and another jaunt -- this time to Miami -- in advance of our JCOC 75 farewell reception and dinner! Of course, we have only a matter of minutes to get to our rooms, change, and get downstaitrs again! But that is the fast-paced schedule of JCOC! No "Hollywood Showers" for any of us! Time is not something we have a lot of, esecially on this trip!
Hasta,
Brook