DELMI JEANETHE ALEMAN

Case Type: Endangered Runaway
DOB: Jan 8, 1994	Sex: Female
Missing Date: Apr 6, 2007	Race: Hispanic
Age Now: 15	Height: 5’5″ (165 cm)
Missing City: PANORAMA CITY	Weight: 135 lbs (61 kg)
Missing State : CA	Hair Color: Black
Missing Country: United States	Eye Color: Brown
Case Number: NCMC1084279
Circumstances: Delmi was last seen on April 6, 2007. She may be in the company of an adult male.

Missing Kids

Wish of the week – Allison

By MWF/PIO
November 15, 2009

Eight-year-old Allison wished for a cruise that she could share with her parents and three siblings who help her stay strong in her battle with leukemia. What she got was a voyage to paradise aboard the Carnival Freedom with many extra special stops along the way.

Allison took full advantage of each port starting with her bus tour of Old San Juan, where she saw beautiful cathedrals and architecture. In St. Thomas, she boarded the Skyride to Paradise Point 700 feet above sea level to catch some panoramic views of the harbor and lots of cruise ships.

In Antigua, Allison and her family headed to Runaway Beach for some fun in the sun – swimming, watching crabs and just digging their toes in the soft sand. Tortola offered Allison and her family more breathtaking views during their tour of the island. Lastly, Allison headed to the Bahamas for a day at the Atlantis Resort.

When she wasn’t island hopping, Allison was enjoying VIP perks on the ship. From a “Bon Voyage” party to milk and cookies in her cabin nightly and the discovery of different towel animals on her bed each day (she liked the orangutan the best), it was an adventure like no other!

Referred by: her mother
Wish Granters: Yenisse Alonso & Richard Kelly
Sponsored by: Lennar Corporation

Source: Make A Wish Foundation

 

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Tradition With Your Grandchildren

By Betsy Goldberg
November 14, 2009

Turn a simple activity into a legacy that’s treasured for life.

Art projects, movies, and walks around the neighborhood are great, but it’s the special, original, even offbeat activities that bring you closer together. Personal traditions offer benefits that can help your connection prosper, according to Stephan J. Quentzel, M.D., JD. Dr. Quentzel is a psychiatrist and medical director for the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. “Ongoing traditions provide structure and a framework for bonding,” he says. “They also generate anticipation for this fun and meaningful time together.”

We found some clever and creative ways grandparents across the country are bonding with their grandchildren through personal traditions. Adapt some of these tips for yourself, or create some new family traditions of your own.

 

Fired Up: Alice Kandell, New York City, N.Y., two grandchildren
My 3-year-old grandson, Sammy, loves reading about firefighters and fire stations, so about a year ago I started taking him to the local firehouse every so often. First, we stop at the supermarket to buy doughnuts or cookies for the squad. The crew talks with Sammy, flashes the lights for him, and sometimes lets him sit in a truck. I love that I’ve played a part in building on this interest he has, adding another dimension to it. And it’s also great to see him becoming aware of his community and connecting with the people around him.

 

The Write Impression: Dahlia Duran, Oak Brook, Ill., one grandchild
I started a journal for my four-year-old grandson even though he can’t write yet. When I sleep over, I ask him what he would like to remember about his day when he grows up, such as events that took place at his preschool. I write down his answer and he draws a picture on the following page. He loves it! I thought this was a good way to get him to tell me about his day, and when he’s older and learns to write, he can take over the journal.

 

Budding Beauty: Carolyn Sieven, East Montpelier, Vt., three grandchildren
Growing up, we had a large vegetable garden that my parents maintained; later, as an adult, when spring came each year, I would dig and plant. Our vacation house in Vermont has a small flower garden that I try to plant each Memorial Day with things that will bloom when we are there in the summer. My 3-year-old granddaughter, Kate, loves to help with this; in particular, digging holes for the plants, watering them, and looking for earthworms to rescue — she finds them fascinating! The rewards for me cannot be counted; we have a wonderful bond that’s definitely enhanced by our gardening projects. She remembers every detail of what I tell her and what we do, and I can see that she likes to know that she’s participated in something special.

 

Swing Time: Ruth “Mimi” Rutter, Pittsburgh, Pa., six grandchildren
I’ve been an avid golfer all my life, so I’ve shared this with my grandchildren, and several have started to show an interest in the game. Last year I had two grandsons visit for “Mimi’s Golf Camp,” a weeklong session I customized for them, featuring golf clinics with a pro, a private lesson, and short game practice with me. The finale was a nine-hole event we played, until we were chased in by a wild thunderstorm. We’ll do it again next summer — and we may even play 18 holes.

 

Tale-gating Party: Kathleen Hammond, Seattle, Wash., five grandchildren
When I spend the night with my grandchildren, they like me to tell a story about my childhood instead of reading books to them before bed. Sometimes I also include stories about their father’s antics as a child, which they love even more! I’ve started to suggest that they each tell a few stories, too, about whatever they choose — and it’s amazing what they come up with. I enjoy seeing their storytelling skills expand, as well as their creativity and imagination.

 

Back-to-School Daze: Fran Claro, Irvington, N.Y., 11 grandchildren (Fran is the staff copy editor at Grandparents.com)
When I was in grade school, my grandmother always bought me a dress to wear on the first day of school. Fashions are way too varied today, so I buy school supplies for my grandkids and give them a family back-to-school party. Even the little ones reminisce at the party: ‘Remember the time we bought the wrong folders?’ Pencil cases and lunch boxes are major topics of discussion: Those emblazoned with TV and movie cartoon characters when they were in kindergarten, followed by superheroes, and now the latest for the older kids: environmentally-friendly brown paper bags. I’m pretty sure they’ll share these memories with their own kids, and I hope they will pass along the tradition.

 

Tradition-Starting Guidance
1. Make a list of common interests you have with your grandchildren, as a starting point; then think about related activities that are simple, reproducible over time, and flexible enough to change or adapt as your grandchildren grow older.

2. Children tend to greatly value a connection to family roots, says Dr. Quentzel, so they’re likely to love hearing about a tradition you had as a child, and replicating it themselves.

3. Give older grandchildren real input into designing a tradition together — they’ll be more invested in it and will want to keep it going.

Start a new tradition by taking your grandchild on a yearly fishing trip. Learn more about Italian heritage and cooking in our Know Your Noodles article. And for helpful tips on how to bond with a new grandchild, click here.

 

Editor’s Note: Betsy Goldberg is a New York City-based writer and editor. She has covered fashion, travel, beauty, home design, and relationships for New York Magazine, Health, Chicago Social, and the New York Sun. Goldberg, co-author of BusinessWeek‘s Guide to the Best Business Schools, she is the deputy editor at Modern Bride.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Grandparants

Bath Time Special

By Jennifer Nycz-Conner
November 15, 2009

It can be the best time of day for grandkids, if you know how to keep them safe.

Bath time with your new grandchild can be a tub full of fun, but since handling a wet infant can be like trying to hold onto a greased pig, it can also be a little intimidating if you haven’t done it in a while.

Baths haven’t changed much since your kids were toddlers, of course, although today’s parents may be more likely to invest in seats and rings designed to keep little ones secure while they get cleaned up. Not that those old methods were so bad. “When mine were born, we were so young and broke we just used to use the sink to give baths,” says Marian Merewitz, a Brookeville, Md., grandmother of four. “That worked great and wasn’t as hard on the back either.” Rest assured, the kitchen sink is still a viable option for infants today. For some other tips on making bath time as safe and as much fun as possible, read on:

 

Rule No. 1. The first rule of bathing children is to never leave them unattended, not for a minute, not for a moment. When in doubt, see Rule No. 1. Children can drown in less than two inches of water, and they can do so quickly. “Never, never, never take your eyes off the baby,” says Laura Hunter, a pediatric nurse in Atlanta and the coauthor of The Moms on Call Guide to Basic Baby Care: The First 6 Months (Revell, 2007). Let your phone go to voice mail, she says, make whoever’s knocking on the door wait, and focus entirely on the little ones. Always stay within easy arm’s reach of a baby.

 

Splish-splash when the mood strikes. Baths aren’t just for Saturday night, but for infants, they don’t need to happen every night either. Assuming their diaper area is kept clean, babies only need to be bathed about three to five times a week, Hunter says. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more bathing than that during the first year could lead to dry skin. Check with your grandchild’s parents to learn their preferences for how often, and at what time of day, to bathe the baby. But if you’re babysitting for just one day or night and for whatever reason don’t feel comfortable bathing an infant on your own, don’t feel obligated.

 

Take your temperature. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends setting your home water heater thermostat at a maximum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid potential burns. Kevin Osborn, coauthor of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Bringing Up Baby (Alpha, 2007), suggests testing the water with your elbow to make sure it’s at a comfortable temperature for an infant. Also, when turning off the water after filling the tub, always stop the hot water first, then the cold. “That way, the faucet and any water that drips from it into the sink or tub will not be scalding hot,” Osborn says. (Some experts also recommend placing a rubber or foam cover or washcloth over the bath faucet to prevent infants from hitting their heads or getting their hands inside. Others think the covers attract children’s attention and keep them from learning that faucets can be dangerous. In the end, it’s your call.)

– Assemble your arsenal. Bath time goes more smoothly — and more safely — if you get everything you need on hand before you bring the baby in, Osborn says. That way, you can keep attention focused on the baby and not have to go searching for anything while the child is in the water. (See Rule No. 1.) Your lineup should probably include a washcloth, a large cup for rinsing, soap and shampoo (if necessary), and a hooded towel. For after the bath, near your changing pad or table you’ll probably also want to set out the parents’ preferred lotion, a clean diaper, and fresh clothes or pajamas.

 

A seat on the side. Hunter is a fan of bathing babies in regular tubs as soon as their umbilical cords fall off. To make it a little easier to manage, she recommends keeping a bouncy seat covered with a bath towel right next to the tub. It serves as a great, safe spot to strap the baby in while you’re running the bath, or if you should have to take the child out of the tub and leave the bathroom for an emergency.

 

This is your moment. Bath time is a great opportunity to spend relaxed, quality time with your grandchildren when they’re not otherwise distracted. Make it part of a cherished bedtime ritual when grandchildren sleep over, with a bath followed by a story and some chatter before lights out. “The time between awake and asleep,” Hunter says, “is a great time to connect with our children.”

 

Editor’s Note: Jennifer Nycz-Conner is a staff reporter with the Washington Business Journal as well as a freelance writer. She lives in Arlington, Va.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Grandparants

Officer of the Week – Police Officer Glen K. Pettit

 
Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us

Police Officer Glen K. Pettit
Shield 3815
Police Academy Video Production Unit
12/09/2001

 

 

 

 

 

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
November 14, 2009

Police Officer Glen K. Pettit
Shield 3815
Police Academy Video Production Unit
(recovered)

Glen Pettit took on a lot and never let it slow him down. In addition to being a New York City police officer, he was a TV news cameraman, a freelance photographer, a volunteer fireman and a devotee of Irish tradition and music.

Then there was the endless flood of gifts: from care packages of Skippy peanut butter for friends in East Asia to the prized seat he arranged for his mother at a Christmas Eve mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, just a row from the mayor and police commissioner. “If he loved you he loved you completely, and he was going to take care of you,” recalled Tara Felice, one of his six siblings.

Officer Pettit, 30, had joined the department’s video production unit, which makes training and promotional videos. “His greatest love was being behind a camera, composing a shot,” said his partner, Officer Scott Nicholson. The video unit responded to the World Trade Center attack hoping to get footage for an annual promotional tape it makes called “Heroes.”

“Glen was telling us, ‘I’m gonna get in close; you stay and get the establishing shots, get the rescue workers responding,’ ” Officer Nicholson recalled. “I looked over and Glen was running past me, camera in hand, heading toward the towers.”

– The New York Times 12/09/2001

Source: NYP Angels

Patient of the Week – Natalie Tanner

By St. Jude
November 14, 2009

Natalie Tanner
1 year old

 

 

 

Diagnosis:

Natalie was found to suffer from medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor.

Natalie’s Story:

On Mother’s Day 2007, Natalie’s mom noticed that her daughter, who had been such a happy, active baby since she was born three months earlier, could not lift her eyes upward. Natalie’s parents knew something wasn’t right. The next morning, Natalie’s mom took her little girl to the pediatrician. Just 24 hours later, Natalie was in the local hospital, diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare and deadly brain tumor.

The doctor told the family that medulloblastoma in infants is virtually untreatable. Radiation, effective at fighting the cancer, would be too toxic for litte Natalie’s developing brain. Local doctors performed surgery to remove 95 percent of the apricot-sized tumor. But it was up to Natalie’s parents to find a place for her continuing care.

The couple searched desperately for answers, and they were encouraged by the ground-breaking research being done at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Natalie’s mom contacted a St. Jude oncologist and asked him to level with her: With such grim odds, was it even worth it to make the cross-country trip to begin treatment at St. Jude?

“Natalie could be the first one to survive,” he told her.

With that one sentence, the family’s decision to come to St. Jude was made. “That was the type of person I wanted caring for and treating my daughter,” explained Kristen.

 

At St. Jude:

At St. Jude, the family was overwhelmed with all that was provided for them, from Natalie’s medical care to the free housing and meal cards. “The nurses, the doctors, the staff just took us in,” said Natalie’s mom. “They provided for all our needs, emotionally and physically.”

Natalie received months of chemotherapy, but a scan indicated the cancer had spread to her spine. In September, the Tanners put their daughter on hospice care and treasured the time they had left with their precious girl.

Then something amazing happened. Natalie came back to St. Jude for a follow-up scan that showed the cancer was shrinking. Natalie’s doctor said that her turnaround was like nothing he’d ever seen before. Natalie resumed her chemotherapy so that hopefully, the cancer would stay away for good.

Natalie is back home now and thriving. She loves talking, crawling and playing with her older brother.

As strange as it sounds, Natalie’s mom says she’s grateful for all that they’ve experienced. “St. Jude wants their families to have a lot of hope, and to be in a frame of mind where you think good things can happen,” she said.

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: St. Jude

Socialization of Our Children

By Apple 4 the Teacher
November 13, 2009

Homeschooling is defined by Preiss (1989) as “the educational alternative in which parents/guardians assume the primary responsibility for the education of their children.” This Digest will offer some background information on homeschooling and discuss conflicting viewpoints culled from research on the socialization of home-schooled children.

RAPIDLY ESCALATING NUMBERS

While a Department of Education study in 1990-91 concluded that between 250,000 and 300,000 school-age children were being educated at home, “USA Today” recently cited the Home School Legal Defense Association figures for 1994 as between 750,000 and 1 million–up from only 15,000 in the early ’80s (Thomas, 1994). What is the reason for this explosion?

Mayberry (1991) pinpoints the gradual development of the modern state and public education as arenas which attempt to legitimate themselves by embodying the ideologies of many different public segments. She argues that by considering other agencies of socialization (in this case, the church or the family) as arenas which embody ideologies in contradiction to those transmitted by state institutions, the “context surrounding parental choice to home educate gains clearer focus.” She stresses that “…the decision to home school (or seek other forms of privatized education) represents a political response by people who perceive a threat in the current organization and content of public education.” Thus, the homeschooling movement is directly linked to the State’s struggle to balance contradictory imperatives (Mayberry, 1991).

BACKGROUND AND PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES

For historical background on homeschooling in America, both Bliss (1989) and Aiex (1994) provide enlightening information. Preiss (1989) offers a concise treatment of the legal aspects of homeschooling.

With the tremendous growth in numbers of the home schooled, there has been a corresponding growth in the market for homeschooling information–indeed, there are now myriad newsletters and books aimed at parents who home school, as well as at least one scholarly newsletter, “Home School Researcher.” According to Preiss (1989), “In 1987, in one home-schooling catalog alone, over 300 suppliers of home-schooling materials are listed.” With the explosion in homeschooling during the past few years, one can only imagine how large the network of professional suppliers of materials is by now.

The granddaddy of all the providers of courses for home study is the venerable Calvert School of Baltimore, which, for many years, was almost the only institution which offered correspondence courses below college level. It was founded in 1906 and has enrolled, through the years, upwards of 360,000 students in its home instruction courses. It has, of course, been joined by other entities in the past decade.

WHY PARENTS HOME SCHOOL

Parents home school for a wide variety of reasons–for example, many parents still live in areas where schools are not readily available (a number of rural areas and some parts of Alaska come to mind), and many parents are anxious about the physical well being of their children in an increasingly more violent school setting. Still others simply feel that they can give their children a better education at home. According to Mayberry (1991), however, two groups of parents home school primarily for ideological reasons:

• deeply religious parents
• “New Age” parents.

Mayberry surveyed 1600 Oregon families who home schooled, receiving a 35% response rate to her questions. Their responses led her to conclude that the two groups cited perceived homeschooling as an activity that provided them a way to reproduce their “way-of-life” by controlling the content of their children’s education. She reports: “…the meanings and values embodied in public education were not the ones that these parents wanted articulated to their children” (Mayberry, 1991).

SOCIALIZATION OF CHILDREN

Does the research show any clear-cut advantages or disadvantages to homeschooling, in relation to the social and emotional development of children schooled at home? Does the home-schooled youngster do as well in measures of interpersonal skills and communication skills as the conventionally schooled child?

The stereotypical home-schooled child is often portrayed as being shy, passive, and lethargic because of his/her isolation from the normal socialization found in formal schooling. Critics further allege that the self-concept of the home-schooled child suffers from lack of exposure to a more conventional environment (Stough, 1992).

Another socialization-related accusation faced by home educators is that of overprotecting their children from the real world. If this is true, however, at least one researcher (Bliss, 1989) does not consider this to be a serious problem. She argues that “Protection during early, developmental years for purposes of nurturing and growth is evident in many arenas: plant, animal, and aquatic. Why should it be considered wrong or bad in the most vital arena, human development?”

Stough (1992),looking particularly at socialization, compared 30 home-schooling families and 32 conventionally schooling families, families with children 7-14 years of age. According to the findings, children who were schooled at home “gained the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to function in society…at a rate similar to that of conventionally schooled children.” The researcher found no difference in the self concept of children in the two groups. Stough maintains that “insofar as self concept is a reflector of socialization, it would appear that few home-schooled children are socially deprived, and that there may be sufficient evidence to indicate that some home-schooled children have a higher self concept than conventionally schooled children.”

This echoes the findings of Taylor (1987). Using one of the best validated self-concept scales available, Taylor’s random sampling of home-schooled children (45,000) found that half of these children scored at or above the 91st percentile–47% higher than the average, conventionally schooled child. He concludes: “Since self concept is considered to be a basic dynamic of positive sociability, this answers the often heard skepticism suggesting that home schoolers are inferior in socialization” (Taylor, 1987).

From the findings of these two studies, it would appear that the concerns expressed by teachers, administrators, and legislators about socialization and homeschooling might be unfounded. Indeed, Bliss (1989) contends that it is in the formal educational system’s setting that children first experience negative socialization, conformity, and peer pressure. According to her, “This is a setting of large groups, segmented by age, with a variation of authority figures…the individual, with his/her developmental needs, becomes overpowered by the expectations and demand of others–equal in age and equally developmentally needy.”

Webb (1989), one of the few researchers who has examined aspects of the adult lives of wholly or partly home-educated people, found that all who had attempted higher education were successful and that their socialization was often better than that of their schooled peers.

MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED

At this point, more research on homeschooling is necessary–what we have is inconclusive about many of its aspects. Although more and deeper studies are certainly called for, the population to be studied is not readily accessible to researchers. And the types of research that can be done are still limited to case studies of families or to surveys of self- reports by participants.

Notably, the success or failure of the homeschooling experience depends inevitably on the success or failure of the family’s interpersonal relationships. Homeschooling is a complex issue and represents a tremendous commitment on the part of the parents–in most cases, the father must function as the sole breadwinner, and the mother must spend most of her time instructing her children.

For now, we will let Preiss (1989) have the last word. She says: “Because homeschooling contains so many diverse and changing factors, each family situation is unique. Yet there exists within the home-schooling community a sense of unity which transcends ideological, political, and religious concerns. That unity lies in the parents’ commitment to the education of their children, whose welfare is their primary concern.”

References

Source: Apples4theTeachers

Editor’s Note:  We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Soldier of the Week – Army National Guard Capt. Joel Arends

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
November 13, 2009

Editor’s Note:
Home State: South Dakota
Awarded: Bronze Star

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Then-1st Lt. Arends and his team of 30 soldiers operated in and around Baghdad from February 2004 to April 2005. They were responsible for catching a number of terrorists, including one carrying bomb-making materials, jidhadist propaganda and large sums of cash. The terrorist claimed to be a professor at a major university in the United States. They also captured one of Saddam Hussein’s personal bodyguards. Another time, Arends’ team rescued Iraqi civilians from burning vehicles when insurgents attacked a checkpoint near their patrol area. Members of the team rushed into the flames and pulled several Iraqi civilians out of burning vehicles and administered lifesaving medical treatment. For his efforts, Arends was awarded the Bronze Star Medal in March 2005. Arends is now a Captain in the Army Reserve.

Source: Our Military

Firefighter of the week – Battalion Chief Joseph R. Marchbanks Jr.

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
November 12, 2009

Someone To Brag About

Joseph Marchbanks Jr. was a Battalion Chief in a Harlem firehouse, but he preferred to be called a firefighter. A 22-year veteran, Chief Marchbanks garnered four promotions by the time he died at age 47, but “he wasn’t one to brag,” said his wife, Teresa.

Still, Chief Marchbanks had a lot to brag about.

A Bronx native, he qualified for the police force and the fire department in the same week, chose the latter, never looked back.

“He loved his job,” said his friend (and stickball teammate) Frank McDonagh.

Chief Marchbanks was justifiably proud of his daughter Lauren’s softball team, which he helped coach to a championship in Nanuet, N.Y., where the former city boy lived with his wife and children, Lauren, 14, and Ryan, 8).

At the firehouse, he organized study groups to help others pass tests for promotions. “He taught without you realizing you were learning,” said his friend and colleague, Lieutenant Kevin Guy.

Now Lieutenant Guy would like to do the bragging for him, more than willing to relate more stories about his friend.

“Anything for Joe, anything,” he said.

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 10, 2001.

Source: Legacy

Editor’ Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Hero of Service – U.S. Army Reservist Major Alan Kozlowski

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
Nov. 11, 2009

Editor’s Note: This is to honor all past, present and future Americans who fight and give their lives to defend this country on a daily basis.

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

 

SALAH AD-DIN PROVINCE, Just before the end of his deployment to Salah ad-Din province in Iraq, U.S. Army Reservist Major Alan Kozlowski had the pleasure of completing a project he and his team had been working on for months: A shipment of over 100 wheelchairs arrived in Tikrit and were distributed to medical facilities around the city.

The wheelchairs, intended for general civilian use, had been difficult to come by, Kozlowski said. And it was harder still to get them delivered to Tikrit.

“You can’t just go online and order these things,” he said. “It took us about three months from inception to final delivery. There was a lot of coordinating.”

Working with non-commissioned officers (NCOs) in Baghdad, Kozlowski and his team coordinated the procurement and delivery of the much needed wheelchairs.

“It was a great project for us to pursue,” he said. “Just as we were leaving, 100 wheelchairs showed up.”

As commander of a Civil Affairs unit during the 2007-2008 deployment, Kozlowski led missions like this all the time.

Civil Affairs teams, Kozlowski said, “Are the folks who help the local population during a time of war… providing essential services once things have been destroyed.”

He described the work they did as “very multifaceted”. Soldiers on Civil Affairs teams must learn about the local culture and people so they can effectively partner with them on the reconstruction projects they lead, he said.

“That is the rewarding part of helping these folks out,” he said. “They’re stuck in the middle. We work to give them some relief.”

Rebuilding sewer lines and medical facilities were two of the major projects Kozlowski focused on during the deployment.

“What the army and the entire military [are] doing now is trying to go to a full spectrum operations structure of warfare. Not only do you have offense and defense but you also have stability operations. That’s a big part of Civil Affairs,” he said.

Kozlowski’s company of 32 soldiers was spread throughout the province, with teams of four or five soldiers based in the cities of Tikrit, Balad, Bayji, and Samarra. He credits his first sergeant, Command Sergeant Major Ray Pockett for helping him “build a cohesive unit that could work together,” he said.

Kozlowski was awarded a Bronze Star for his work during that deployment, both leading his unit and executing so many successful Civil Affairs projects, according to the award citation for the medal.

While he was proud of the “creativity and foresight” he and his unit used to do their jobs, he said he was humbled when he found out he was going to get a Bronze Star.

“I honestly thought that I was just doing my job,” he said.

Rather, Kozlowski named two men he had looked up to: Pockett and General David Petreaus.

Of Pockett he said, “I respect him as a great NCO and a great leader. He inspired me to look at the human element of organizations and make sure that people are taken care of.”

“As Civil Affairs we do it for the folks being effected out in Iraq and Afghanistan. But someone needs to do it for the people in the organization,” he said. “I admire [Pockett] and still talk to him.”

Kozlowski also looks up to Petreaus “as a great leader who recognized that there is more to war than being on the offense or being on the defense,” he said. “He understands the entire concept to include the human element…I truly admire Gen. Petreaus.”

Source: US Military

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