1. LTC Price thanked the battalion for getting operational so quick. Congrats on firing 10,000 rounds so far. Good moves also.
2. Dong Tam artillery base move is cancelled. B Btry will go to Bien Hoa, Alpha to Ben Luc and Charlie will occupy firing position at Bear Cat for time being.
3. Said battalion rear, HHB and Svc btrys doing a good job, be sure to pass it on to the troops.
4. We still have a lot of gear to get sorted out.  Be careful because many of the units in country are short because of losses and damage. Guard our extra PLL items carefully.
5. Get CONEX containers emptied asap so they can be ti’ed and turned in for shipment back to CONUS.
6. Need to get higher priority for bunker material for batteries.
7. Be ready to support operations in north part of area around 1st Inf Div, Iron Triangle area.
8. We will infuse 100 troops in Oct and Nov.
9. Don’t forget to TI vehicles before dispatching on convoy runs.
10. Pass policy for R&R at Bien Hoa up to battery commanders. No civvies, must be in uniform.
11. Improve living areas as soon as possible. Air Force has lots of goodies and not much accountability.
12. Thanks again for a good move from Ft Sill and for the work put in to get us operational. Automatic.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

The American Tinnitus Association has a program called Road Map for a Cure. The association is trying to get  scientists together to get a better understanding of the causes so they can find a cure, Dr. Newman said. In the meantime, there are numerous treatments, each of which by itself or in combination with others provides relief for some segment of tinnitus sufferers. One of the newest falls into the category of sound therapy. It is called Neuromonics and it got federal clearance in January 2005 after becoming commercially available the previous year in Australia, where it was developed. Other sound therapies seek to cover up the tinnitus with environmental sounds, broadband

Notes from Battery Commanders
Call, 6 Aug 1967, Bear Cat Base
Camp From: John Osborne
Music therapy shows promise for tinnitus sufferers From Gary Harrington

In Phase 1, which lasts about two months, the broadband noise is embedded in the music. It delivers  a signal that interrupts the preoccupationwith tinnitus and relaxes the patient. The broadband noise is eliminated from the customized music in the second phase, which lasts about four months. That re-exposes the patient to the tinnitus for brief periods, introducing a process called acoustical desensitization. In layman's terms, the patient is learning to ignore the sound of the tinnitus. That takes advantage of the brain's neuroplasticity, or ability to change. The patient holds on to the sound system, called an Oasis, beyond the treatment program to use if the tinnitus reoccurs.  "Our expectation is not that the tinnitus is gone," Dr. Newman said. "They're just not noticing the tinnitus." It is only after all underlying medical causes have been eliminated or treated that the audiologists and tools such as sound therapy come into play. At a multi-interdisciplinary clinic like Cleveland's, for example, patients go through a  battery of medical tests. There are medical treatments for conditions such as sleeplessness and depression or a tinnitus-causing growth on the hearing nerve. There also may be physical manipulation for cervicalgenic tinnitus, or cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback training and relaxation techniques taught by psychologists. Some ear, nose and throat practices even offer vitamin therapy. Cleveland Clinic patients may undergo several therapies concurrently. "For example, we have patients who have sound and behavioral therapy. It's trying to attack the condition from a number of angles," Dr. Newman said. "All of our patients start with group education sessions and during these sessions of an hour and a half to two hours, there's lots of information about tinnitus, the causes, why it may be distracting ... and options, including sound therapy for tinnitus relief." Patients are given a chance to try out the sound therapies and, Dr. Newman said, many opt for Neuromonics. "Many patients will put Neuromonics on and get immediate benefit, which means immediate relief from their tinnitus." So far, about 40 Cleveland Clinic patients have chosen Neuromonics and the response has been good. "I can't say [that it has a higher success rate], but there's a higher acceptability rate than with other sound therapies. They're confident, more willing to pursue treatment, though we've seen success with sound generators and hearing aids," Dr. Newman said. "I can tell you for many people it has changed their life. I get notes from people, even from some in maintenance therapy." Timothy Brown's life certainly has changed since he began Neuromonics treatment in May after trying relaxation techniques and sleep medication. The tinnitus is not gone, but the noise has changed from a "high-pitched, constant ringing" into "a fuzzier sound."   "I don't expect it to be gone," said Mr. Brown,  who declined to give his hometown except to say he lives near the Warren, Ohio, clinic at which he underwent treatment, the Lippy Group for Ear, Nose and Throat. "The only way I can explain it is, since my involvement with Neuromonics, it changes my focal point. It changes my focal point from hearing my tinnitus to dealing with activities around me. ... "If I consciously listen for my tinnitus it's there, or in stressful situations it's there. But during most of the day I'm not even aware of it, and I can sleep now without any medication. "I would say [there  is] 60 percent improvement."

The Department of Veterans Affairs recently published their Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents for 2008. An easy-to-read reference guide, it provides the most current information about your earned benefits. Be careful before hitting the print button--it is 153 pages and may take some time to print. However, you may want to hit your “Save to” tab and download it for future reference into a folder of your  choice. You can download or print your copy at http://www1.va.gov/opa/vadocs/fedben.pdf. 01: In 1979, the Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of Agent Orange in the United States when a large number of stillbirths were reported among mothers in Oregon, where the chemical had been heavily used. During the testing phase of Agent Orange in prior years, use tests were carried out at Fort Detrick, Maryland, Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and Camp Drum in New York. The Diamond Alkali Co. in Newark, New Jersey, was one of the major producers of Agent Orange for the government. It was not until 1983 that the state of New Jersey got around to testing the soil around the plant. It found hazardous levels of dioxin. New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean urged residents living within 300 yards of the plant to move. In Times Beach Missouri dioxin laced oil had been sprayed on the town's roads to keep down the dust. Times Beach was one of 28 eastern Missouri communities where the spraying had been done. But none of the others had the levels of dioxin contamination of Times Beach, parts of which had dioxin levels of 33,000 parts per billion, or 33,000 times more toxic than the EPA's level of acceptance. The contamination was so bad that the government decided the only way to save the town's residents from further damage from dioxin was to buy them out and move them out. In early 1983, the U.S. government spent $33 million buying the  801 homes and businesses in Times Beach and relocating its 2,200 residents. The entire town was fenced in and guards were brought in to keep out the curious. "Caution, Hazardous Waste Site, Dioxin Contamination," read the signs leading into Times Beach. It remains a ghost town today because of dioxin contamination.

5
- Monuron: Used between 1962 and 1964.
- Diuron: Used between 1962 and 1964.
- Dalapon: Used between 1962 and 1964.

5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep
the photocopy in a safe place. Also carry a  photocopy of your passport when traveling either here or abroad.

6. When you check out of a hotel that uses cards for keys do not  turn the "keys" in. Take them with you and destroy them. Those little cards have on them all of the information you gave the hotel, including address and credit card numbers and expiration dates. Someone with a card reader, or employee of the hotel, can access all that information with no problem whatsoever. Some critical information to limit the damage in case you or someone you know has a Loss is: - Cancel your credit cards immediately. The key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you  can find them.  - File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an  investigation (if there ever is one). Perhaps most important action of all is to call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit The numbers you always need to contact about your wallet and contents being stolen are: 

a.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

b.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742

We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
Then there are the wolves and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy. Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.
Then there are sheepdogs and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf. If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the unchartered path.
Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire  sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools.
 But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our  children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial. The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog.  He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and The capacity for violence. The difference, though,  is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed.
The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa." Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog. The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids, they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.
Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are  a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones. Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11,  2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of  those planes."
The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish   could have been on one of  those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." You want to be able to make a difference. There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able  to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.
There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself. Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs. 
Seven months after  the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When they learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd and the other passengers confronted the terrorist hijackers.
In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents -- from  sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground. "There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men." - Edmund Burke. Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature, the sheep---real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice.
But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision. If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay.  When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to  protect you.
If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9- 11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. It's ok to be a sheep, but do not kick the sheepdog. Indeed, the sheepdog may just run a little harder, strive to protect a little better and be fully prepared to pay an ultimate price in battle and spirit with the sheep moving from "baa" to "thanks".
We do not call for gifts or freedoms beyond our lot. We just need a small pat on the head, a smile and a thank you to fill the emotional tank which is drained protecting the sheep. And when our number is called by "The Almighty", and day retreats into night, a small prayer before the heavens just may be in order to say thanks for letting you continue to be a sheep. And be grateful for the thousands - - millions - - of American sheepdogs that permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.

KURT E. ROHLOFF, Maj, TACC Flt Plans Branch, USAFR

The Irish declare war on France
 Jacques Chirac, The French Prime Minister, was sitting in his office wondering what kind of mischief he could  perpetrate against the United States when he was interrupted by a telephone call. "Hallo, Mr. Chirac!" a heavily accented voice said. "This is Paddy down at the Harp Pub in  County Sligo, Ireland. I am ringing to inform you that we are officially declaring war on you!" "Well, Paddy," Chirac replied, "this is indeed important news! How big is your army?" "Right now," said Paddy, after a moment's  calculation, "there's meself, me cousin Sean, me next door neighbor Seamus, and the entire dart team from the pub. That makes eight!"

Thank You
Dave (Mac) McCarty, Editor