Category: Published Articles

By on

Secretary Flournoy Discusses Women in Defense
March 25, 2010
By Christen N. McCluney

The Pentagon Channel recently sat down with Michèle Flournoy, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, to discuss the role of women in the Department of Defense. Flournoy highlighted the progress that has been made and the hope she has for the future of women within the DoD.

“We’ve made a tremendous amount of progress from the 1990’s,” she said. “During that time if you invited all the senior woman of the Pentagon to have lunch you could probably fit them at a small table, now you’d fill a large dining room.”

One of her goals is to reach out and educate women on careers in defense. She said a key way to do that is through exposure and allowing people to see that defense is a field that welcomes women.

“The more visible women become the more other women will be attracted to the field,” she added.

She also cites mentorship as an important part of being successful. “I’m very conscious of what I gained from my mentors and I try to spend some time giving back and instilling that value of mentorship in my mentees.”

Flournoy also believes that in the next generation every door will be open for women in the military and by welcoming them the talent pool will grow by 100 percent.

“You see the walls coming down and you see a vanguard of women at multiple levels who are just paving the way for those who will follow.”

She also encourages women to follow their dreams and sense of calling and don’t take no for an answer in their careers.

When asked who inspires her she said that some of her greatest inspiration comes from women in uniform.

“They are so impressive. I think we should be tremendously proud of their contributions and grateful for those contributions every day,” she added.

By on

**Note this story is something I wrote that got more coverage for me then I would have ever imagined. It was a great piece to write**

Walter Reed Patients Test Next-generation Prosthesis
By Christen N. McCluney
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2009 – Wounded warriors at the Military Advanced Training Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here are testing a new microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee.

The X2 microprocessor knee by Otto Bock HealthCare is the result of a medical research project funded in support of the Military Amputee Research Program.

This project, administered by the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, had the goal of developing “an electronically controlled prosthetic knee joint that meets the specific demands of military staff in real world activity,” said Troy Turner, Advanced Technology Research Program manager at TATRC.

He added that in 2005, officials recognized that even the cutting-edge prosthetic devices weren’t good enough.

“Otto Bock had the C-Leg,” he said. “It was the best that was available, but not the best needed.” Soldiers needed a prosthetic knee with a longer battery life that would enable them to walk and run backward and forward and go up stairs foot over foot.

Otto Bock developed a proposal that later was funded and has developed a new knee that has more durability and functionality, extended battery life, remote-control functions and can handle higher weight loads.

Adele Levine, a physical therapist at the center, said many patients were dealing with knee and joint pain with the C-leg, and saw relief almost immediately once they began wearing the new X2.

“Once I got the confidence to trust the leg that it would do what it was supposed to do, I almost got immediate relief,” said Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Marcus Wilson, one of the three patients at Walter Reed testing out the microprocessor knee. “No knee pain [or] hip pain. Everything evened out.”

The leg enables him to stand in any position and rest on the amputated side, relieving pressure on his intact leg, he said. He also can run again without having to switch to another leg.

“With the old C-Leg, you can’t run,” he said. “Now, it’s as simple as getting a remote and putting it in running mode and going. As fast as you can go, the leg will keep up with you.”

Army Staff Sgt. Alfredo De los Santos has been using the new X2 microprocessor for a little more than two weeks. “Ever since I got this leg, it’s been heaven,” he said. “I went to Busch Gardens. I walked all day long. I only take it off when I go to sleep at night.”

De los Santos, who works out two or three times a day and recently participated in the Army Ten-Miler and the Marine Corps Marathon using a hand-crank chair, said that before using the X2 he occasionally would use canes to alleviate some of the back pain he was having because he enjoys being active. “Now, I can jump and mostly do everything,” he said.

Levine said that with the X2 De los Santos has alleviated a lot of his previous concerns about the pressure he was putting on his intact side and his concerns with quality of living.

“He is so much happier. He tells us this at least 20 times a day,” she said. “He’s always concerned about the future and his condition in 20 years; this gives him a lot of hope.”

The knees are currently being fitted on 30 wounded warriors at Walter Reed and at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, and are expected to be widely available in 2011.

“It’s what you make out of it,” De los Santos said when asked about his hope with the X2. “If you can do this, you can do anything. You can accomplish anything, and you have to make the decision to make it work.”

(Christen N. McCluney works in the Defense Media Activity’s emerging media directorate.)

By on

Historical Project Documents Navy Diversity

By Christen N. McCluney
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2010 – African-Americans have a long legacy in the military that began with the Revolutionary War and has continued to this day.

To highlight this legacy, the Naval History and Heritage Command is working on a project documenting the history of diversity in the Navy from 1775 to the present through a variety of products including oral histories, narratives, chronology, photographs and a book.

The diversity project covers not only African-Americans but also women, Hispanics, Native Americans and Asians. It also looks at religious diversity as well.

“African-Americans have always desired to support the nation in hopes that a better society would emerge for them,” said Regina Akers, a historian at the command and an expert on African-American history, during a Feb. 17 interview on the Pentagon Channel podcast “Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military.”

Diversity is a both strength and a strategic imperative for the Navy and its mission, Akers said, and the project is aligned with that to tell the story of how people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds came to serve in the U.S. Navy and how their roles have changed over time.

“Many times, I’ve observed that young Americans will select a hero who is an athlete or business person and they don’t consider the outstanding men and women that served in the military,” she said. “There is much to learn from their experiences.”

For example, she said, Navy Vice Adm. Samuel L. Gravely Jr. was the first African-American to be promoted to admiral and to command a war ship. During his time in the military from the 1940s to the 1980s, he faced many challenges. Early in his career — when his duties were not equal to his qualifications — he did not let that deter him, Akers said, believing every job was an opportunity to learn.

Gravely used his extra time to take correspondence courses, and when the opportunity for a better assignment arose, his test results, performance evaluations and experience made him one of the most qualified applicants.

Gravely’s formula for success was “education plus motivation plus preservation,” Akers said, and these and other factors helped him excel in his Navy career.

The oral history portion of the project helps to bring life to the subject matter, Akers said. “Oral history is critical,” she said. A written report, she explained, usually tells what happened. But an oral history explains how it happened and provides perspective.

Society is moving away from paper-based communication, Akers noted, so this historical research is important for the future.

“In the past, letters and other correspondence were able to capture history,” she said. “With technology today, one writes e-mails that are likely to be deleted. The research needs to continue so that we can understand what blacks and other minorities have done and are doing in uniform.”

One of the biggest challenges Akers said she has experienced is that many veterans think they don’t have a story worth telling.

“Some don’t understand the significance of their experiences, and you have to help them appreciate them and why someone would be interested,” she said. But once they do participate, she added, many find it to be cathartic.

“It can bring healing and peace to a part of life that was unsettled for them, she said, “and they are honored that their history will be a part of the government’s official archives.”

“Heroic,” “determined” and “sacrificial” are three words that Akers said describe the legacy of African-Americans in the armed forces. More information and accounts of the past, she said, will add to the body of knowledge.

“Today’s military is much more diverse than it has ever been,” Akers said. “But it doesn’t mean that racial equality and gender equality has necessarily been achieved. All the missing pages relating to minorities in the history of the Navy and of the United States have not been filled, so the study needs to continue so we can learn more and better understand their experiences.”

(Christen N. McCluney works in the Defense Media Activity’s emerging media directorate.)

By on

Diversity in the Department of Defense


February 27, 2010
By Christen N. McCluney

The Pentagon Channel recently interviewed Clarence Johnson, Principal Director, Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity, about celebrating African American History Month and Diversity in the Department of Defense.

Johnson highlighted that throughout the month there have been many events to commemorate and educate the DOD on the culture and legacy of African-Americans, including lunches, fashion shows and career fairs.

“The reason we celebrate African-American history month is to show that blacks have played a part in establishing a successful America,” Johnson said African-Americans have played a role in the Department of Defense, in both the military and civilian side since its existence as far back as the revolutionary war.

When Carter G. Woodson came up with the idea of Negro history week he wanted to highlight groups like the Tuskegee Airmen, Buffalo Soldiers and Montford Point Marines, he added. These groups served in two fronts, in a war environment and at home in a segregated environment.
“Over the course of time the DOD has given many blacks the opportunity to serve, train and be educated,” Johnson said. “The G.I. bill had a lot to do with the growth of the middle class and many blacks profited from it.”

Johnson also said that DOD leadership stresses that “diversity is the source of our strength” and being able to celebrate diversity whether it be African-American History Month, Native American History Month or Women’s History Month is testimony to the departments commitment to the statement.
“The military has come a long way in assimilating races, women and persons with disabilities into our workforce,” he said. The number of African-Americans in the military has increased over the last 10 years to about 18% and Hispanic officership has also increased as well.

Johnson also said that there are three major enduring diversity challenges that the military faces: incorporation of people with targeted disabilities in the workforce, the representation of Hispanics through the civilian workforce in the DOD and representation of all minorities in the senior grade the department.

The military tends to reflect the population Johnson added. It’s important to continue to celebrate diversity and continue to show its importance.

“Research shows that diverse groups perform better,” he said. “The military is full of diverse groups, diverse thoughts and diverse talents. I think our military and our nation are stronger for it.”

By on

DIA Deputy Discusses Role of Women in Intelligence

By Christen N. McCluney
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2010 – The deputy director of the Defense Intelligence Agency celebrated Women’s History Month by discussing the contributions women are making to the intelligence field.
“I am certainly aware of all the women who have come before me, all of the women who have accomplished truly remarkable things and have blazed the path,” Letitia A. “Tish” Long said during a Pentagon Channel interview March 26.

Chosen by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to be the next director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Long will become the first woman to lead a major U.S. intelligence agency when she takes office this summer. She emphasized that the intelligence and defense communities have gained a tremendous amount by incorporating not just women, but also more minorities, in the field.

Long started her career building intelligence collection systems for submarines and has more than 30 years of engineering and intelligence experience.

“Intelligence is crucial to good decision making. It’s been a good motivator for me,” she said, referring to a quote from George Washington that lines the DIA hallway. “There’s no issue too small or a problem too large that can’t be tackled. We may have to come at it from multiple directions and revisit it several times, but we need to solve those issues and bring opportunities to the table.

“When you have a more diverse population working on any type of intelligence problem,” she continued, “you are going to get a broader range of solutions. It’s not just cultural or ethnic diversity that produces success, but the cognitive diversity also.”

Long credits her success to hard work and having good mentors throughout her career, and she encourages other women blazing trails to do the same.

“It’s a part of giving back and a part of learning,” she said. “I know I’m succeeding if I can look around a room and see three people that can take my job, because it is about mentoring, training and bringing folks along.”

She also encourages more women to get involved in intelligence.

“If you are capable, challenge the norm,” Long said. “We need all members of our society contributing, and women bring different perspective, lots of great ideas and a lot of capabilities.”