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USPS: new online rules for overseas

parcelsPage 2

Third female enters final phase of Ranger School | 3

By.MATTHEW.COX

Military.com

Another female U.S. Ar-my officer has passed Moun-tain Phase of Ranger School and is advancing to the final phase of the all-male infan-try course.

The West Point graduate follows two other West Point-ers – 1st Lt. Shaye Haver and Capt. Kristen Griest, who made history recently at Fort Benning, Ga., by be-coming the first women to earn the prestigious Ranger Tab on Aug. 21.

The female, who has not been identified, will join 103 men at Swamp Phase of Ranger School, located at Camp Rudder, Fla., on August 29, according to a Aug. 28 Fort Benning press release.

Additionally, 45 men will be recycled, or given a second attempt at Ranger School.

The Swamp Phase is lo-cated in the coastal swamp environment near Val-paraiso, Florida. The phase consists of two jumps for airborne qualified person-nel; four days of waterborne operations; small boat move-ments and stream crossings; a 10 day field training exer-cise with student led patrols. Students who meet the stan-dards of the Swamp Phase will travel back to Benning on Sept. 18 to graduate at Victory Pond.

The third female is the last of the original 19 female volunteers to go through the first co-ed class of Ranger School beginning April 20. In addition to the 19 women, there were 380 men who started the course.

Ranger School is a 62-day course that’s described as the Army’s premiere in-fantry leadership course, an ordeal that pushes stu-dents to their physical and mental limits. Over the past two years, only about 40 per-cent of males successfully completed the course, ac-cording to leaders from the Airborne and Ranger Train-ing Brigade.

During the three-phase course, the students learn how to operate in three en-vironments — woodlands in Fort Benning, mountainous terrain in Dahlonega, Geor-gia, and coastal swamp at Camp Rudder in Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

The accomplishments of Griest and Haver come at a time when all of the ser-vices are preparing to make

recommendations of how to open direct-action com-bat jobs such as infantry to women. Under a 2013 di-rective from then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the military services must open all combat jobs to women by next year or explain why any must stay closed.

For now, the Army is planning on sending more females to Ranger School. The service will hold anoth-er gender-integrated course in November.

Maj. Gen. Scott Miller, the commander of the Maneu-ver Center of Excellence at Benning, has maintained from the beginning that the standards for Ranger School have not changed. The for-mer Delta Force leader ac-knowledged recently that Griest and Haver earn-ing their Ranger Tabs has changed the landscape of Ranger School forever.

“It’s not exclusively a male domain here,” Mill-er said Aug. 20. “We have shown that two women can make it as well.”

Page 2 | THE RED 7 | Friday, September 4, 2015

By.FRANKLIN.FISHER. .(Red.Cloud)

CAMP.RED.CLOUD.— Postal customers wanting to send parcels from overseas military post offices starting this fall will no longer be allowed to submit handwritten customs forms and instead will have to do the forms online.

The change starts October 1 and applies to all customers us-ing post offices on U.S. military installations in the Pacific and Europe, said Matthew J. Lewis, the Camp Casey postmaster.

In Korea, the change will af-fect about 43,000 military custom-ers, including service members, Defense Department civilians, family members and contractors, according to Postal Management Division Korea.

The change comes as U.S. Customs and Border Protection looks to further tighten screen-ing of items entering the United States, he said.

“USPS is being directed by Customs and the worldwide air-line industry to make sure that this stuff is cleared before it gets on the plane — electronically,” said Lewis. “Everything has to be cleared before it gets to the airport.

“USPS and the Military Postal Service Agency worked this solu-tion to the requirement to have all items going onto a plane pre-screened,” said Lewis. The Mili-tary Postal Service Agency is an extension of USPS and provides mail services to Defense Depart-ment personnel overseas.

Under the new system, once customers fill out the form online, the USPS computer system will sift the entries for “red flags,” Lewis said.

If for instance a customer lists among the contents such banned items as perfume or an aerosol spray can, the computer system will block shipment and the post office staff will not transport it to the airport. Instead, they’ll try to contact the customer so the banned item can be removed, he said.

But if the parcel is cleared, the

computer system will display a green check mark, which allows the post office to move it to the airport.

Besides use of the online forms, authorities will continue the existing practice of X-raying all cargo before putting it aboard a plane, Lewis said.

“All cargoes are X-rayed, not just the mail,” he said.

Customers can fill out the cus-toms forms from whatever com-puter is available to them, be it at home or elsewhere.

It’s recommended that cus-tomers complete the online form and print a hard copy before com-ing to the post office, Lewis said.

But computers and printers will be installed at Area I post offices by October 1 so that cus-tomers can do the online forms there if they choose, said Bud

Rader, who heads the U.S. Army Garrison Red Cloud and Area I’s Directorate of Human Resources.

The post offices are on Camp Casey in Dongducheon and Camp Red Cloud and Camp Stanley, both in Uijeongbu.

“As long as they have a com-puter with a printer they should be good to go,” Lewis said. “The requirement is that we still have to attach a hard copy to the pack-age when we take it, so we do need a printout.

“When the customer hands the parcel to the clerk, the clerk will look at the form to see if we detect anything that stands out,” he said. “If we don’t detect any-thing, at that time we will pro-cess the parcel, put the postage on it, the stickers.”

It’s then sent to another part of the post office where mail is

bagged or otherwise readied for shipment. A clerk with a hand-held scanner scans the barcode on the customs form.

A computer screen will then display either a green check mark if the item cleared for shipment or a small red symbol meaning it’s not cleared.

“If after a couple of hours we can’t get that green check mark that this thing is cleared, then we have to look into why,” said Lewis.

Lewis said he hopes cus-tomers will “bear with us and be patient. It’s a new thing for everybody. There may be some growing pains with it until we get the wrinkles smoothed out.”

Military customers can get more information by contacting the post offices on their local in-stallations, Lewis said.

USPS: new online rules for overseas parcels

Year No. 5 edition No. 36

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PFC..PARK.SUNGHO.| U.S. Army

Sgt. Andrew Hunt, postal noncomissioned officer in charge at Camp Casey and assigned to the 19th Human Resource Company, scans a package into the U.S. Postal Service digital system, on Camp Casey, South Ko-rea, Aug. 7, 2015.

Page 4 | THE RED 7 | Friday, September 4, 2015 Friday, September 4, 2015 | THE RED 7 | Page 5

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By.DAVID.VERGUN

Army News Service

WASHINGTON.-.Col. James E. Saenz said he learned at an early age about family values from his parents and extended Family, growing up in Al-hambra, California, several miles from downtown Los Angeles.

Later, when he joined the Army, he said those same values he learned as a child matched the Army values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and per-sonal courage.

Joining a values-based organization made him feel like he’d joined a second Family, the Army, said Saenz, who is now the chief of the Strategic Initiatives Group, Office of the As-

sistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management.

As the Army and the nation celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, he said it’s a time to reflect on con-tributions and sacrifices Hispanics have made to the United States, not just in the military, but in all walks of life.

A significant number of Hispanics have served in all of the nation’s wars beginning with the Revolu-tionary War, he said.

“In our past history, diversity wasn’t as appreci-ated as it is today and many experienced discrimina-tion, but they still chose to serve their nation despite that,” he pointed out.

“The Army has led the nation in showing the strength of diversity and how integration can be the

strength and foundation of our democracy,” Saenz said.

The Army strives to reflect the society it serves, he said.

Those who claim to be Latino or Hispanic make up about 16 percent of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 survey. “Latinos make up about 13 percent of the Army, so I think that’s a pretty good reflection” of that rapidly growing demo-

graphic, Saenz said.The military, particular-

ly the Army, is a good place for Hispanics to serve, he said.

Once you become a Soldier, you’re a Soldier for Life, he said, referring to the program by that name that helps Soldiers start strong, serve strong and later reintegrate back into their communities, where they help make them even stronger.

On a personal note, Saenz said his parents taught him to appreciate hard work and the value of education, both formal as well as life-experience education.

His father started at a low-level blue collar job with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and worked his way up to superintendent for one of the five power districts. His mom cared for the Family and later became a secretary for the city school district. His

brother, Thomas, is a civil rights lawyer, and is presi-dent of the Mexican-Ameri-can Legal Defense and Education Fund, a national nonprofit organization that supports civil rights.

“It’s service to country in a different way,” he said.

Saenz said he sees a connection of his own Family’s values with not just the Army’s values, but with other Hispanic com-munities, which also share these same values. He said he learned this from trav-els around the world, ex-periencing Latino cultures other than his own.

Non-Latino Americans can celebrate this month as well, he said. He encour-aged others to try to get an understanding of His-panic culture and history, and to also appreciate the service and sacrifices of its veterans.

“We all need to cel-ebrate our own heritages, cultures and diversity as a nation,” he said, refer-ring to Hispanic and other groups as well. “Much of the strength of our nation comes from our diversity and the multitude of cul-tures. The Army is a good reflection of that diversity and has been very good at celebrating it. We led the way in integration in many ways by integrating military organizations in

preparation to fight our nation’s wars.”

He said that he hopes more Hispanics will serve and will seek higher levels of responsibility to become role models for others to follow.

“Hispanics have made significant contributions as leaders in government, academics and business,” Saenz said. “Role models help show our youth that success in these areas is possible, so more are apt to seek careers in these areas. That increases di-versity and strengthens the institution.”

Saenz fulfilled his parent’s wishes for him to get a good education. He attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and later went to graduate school. He also served in a variety of special operations assign-ments from detachment commander to group ex-ecutive officer.

Recently, Saenz served as the commander of U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria. He participated in Operations Desert Storm and Endur-ing Freedom, as well as numerous counter-narcot-ics missions in Central and South America.

Saenz said that his fa-ther, who also served in the Army, is very proud of his military service.

By.BRyAN.THARPE

SFL TSM

Where are all the spouses? When Sol-diers come to the Ft Rucker Soldier for Life (SFL) Center for the mandatory initial counseling, we tell them several times that their spouses are also wel-come. Yet relatively few spouses take advantage of our 5-Day Employment Workshop, which includes VA briefings and job assistance services, that their military spouse attends. Perhaps some spouses never know that they are eligi-ble to use the SFL Transition Assistance Program (TAP) just like their military Spouse. Others may know that they are welcome but choose not to participate.

I want to address Spouses of transi-tioning Soldiers and strongly encourage you to use SFL Center. Even if you are not going to job search for months or years, our job assistance workshop is worth attending. The most successful employment seekers don’t wait until the last minute to start job searching. In fact, many civilian employees lead a “job search lifestyle”; they are always prepared to start a new job search if necessary. This is what we hope to teach those who may not be job hunting today, but surely will someday.

Before you find yourself in dire need of a job, spend those months or years researching employment trends, taking self-assessment tests and soul search-ing. Decide carefully what type of work will bring you personal satisfaction as well as a paycheck. After selecting sev-eral possible options, begin networking in those fields. So often, it’s not what you know but who you know that gets you a job. Developing contacts and mentor relationships with people in your chosen field now, will result in numerous em-ployment leads later.

As for resumes, learn how to write them while SFL counselors are avail-able to assist you and edit your work. Once you learn, you will have that skill for the rest of your life. Resumes today are tailored to each specific job you apply for, making it even more inconve-nient and expensive to pay a service to do it for you. The process of writing your own resume after the workshop will make all subsequent resumes easier to

write in the years to come.What are the typical interview ques-

tions? How long should your answers be? What are illegal questions and how will you answer them? What exactly should you wear to an interview? By attending a workshop, you will know the answers to these questions. You will understand interviewing protocol and strategy and begin the self-assess-ment necessary to tackle any interview question.

The opportunity to increase your job search expertise through SFL is tremendous. Department of Defense research long ago reported that sepa-rating military members and spouses who used SFL job assistance services overwhelmingly did not file for unem-ployment and in fact earned about $6,000 a year more in that first civilian job than those who declined services.

If you think you will never need to job hunt, think again. Many women find themselves forced into the job market unprepared due to an unexpected di-vorce or the death or disability of their spouse. If you believe job hunting is not hard work, I encourage you to do your own research on the labor market, un-employment rates, down-sizing as well as discrimination, harassment and glass ceilings.

As the SFL Transition Services Man-ager, I want the best for all the Soldiers transitioning from active duty back into civilian life. Likewise, I’m also rooting for the Spouses.

Spouses of transitioning service members may call SFL at 255-2558 to sign up for SFL services in conjunction with their Spouse’s ETS or two years prior to their retirement. Spouses are encouraged to attend.

SFL welcomes spouses of transitioning service members

Before you find yourself in dire need of a job, spend those months or years

researching employment trends, taking self-assessment tests and soul searching. Decide carefully what type

of work will bring you personal satisfaction as well as a paycheck.

army leader: Hispanic Heritage Month time to reflect on values, serviceas the army and the nation celebrate national

Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 to oct. 15, he said it’s a time to reflect on contributions and sac-rifices Hispanics have made to the United States,

not just in the military, but in all walks of life.

Page 6 | THE RED 7 | Friday, September 4, 2015 Friday, September 4, 2015 | THE RED 7 | Page 7

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Perhaps to a degree not seen before, news outlets, politicians of every stripe and wounded warrior chari-ties have turned an intense spotlight on problems ser-vice members and veterans have faced on returning from war.

Consider the number of news stories on post-trau-matic stress and suicide, congressional hearings on the same as well as on sexual harassment in the ranks and veterans waiting months for VA care, and the steady stream of TV adver-tising to fundraise on behalf of wounded warriors.

Have the costs of war been so magnified by these trends as to obscure, or even distort, the more com-mon positive experiences of volunteers who gain from service only valuable skills

and robust benefits?

Recruit-ing officials believe that they have. With the U.S. economy improving and youth unemploy-

ment falling, they see the incessant negative images of wartime service as extra headwinds against their own efforts to tell the na-tion’s youth of opportunities that flow from serving their country.

Stephanie P. Miller, direc-tor of military accession policy for the Department of Defense, noted during a 40-minute phone interview Wednesday that in 2004 about 85 percent of recruit-

age youth surveyed said they believed military ser-vice would help them earn money for college.

Yet despite the launch of far more generous Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits in 2009, which today easily cover up to $96,000 in educa-tion costs to attain four-year degrees, the proportion of recruit-age youth who as-sociate the military with college money has fallen to 60 percent.

Miller pulled one more data point from the annual Youth Attitude Tracking Survey. In 2004, she said, 63 percent of recruit-age youth perceived the military as providing an attractive life-style. Today, only 36 percent of youth believe it does. Per-ceptions of service life have soured.

“A lot of the media cover-

age of the military over the last 10 years has highlighted wounded warriors, sexual assault and some of the negative aspects of military service that, realistically, only a small part of the pop-ulation may experience,” said Miller.

Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Snow, head of Army recruiting command, made a similar point this month on Nation-al Public Radio’s Here and Now program, noting first that for soldiers wounded in war “we absolutely have an obligation as an Army and as a nation to take care of them.”

But, he added, the perception left with some parents is that in support-ing “their son coming to the Army, that’s going to mean [coming] come home in a diminished capacity.”

The possibly exists, Snow said, but “the vast majority of our young men and women…blossom” in service “and go on to do bigger and better things. I get a little concerned that [efforts] designed to make sure we don’t forget about our fallen and our wounded may be hurting our youth and our ability to recruit today.”

Youth surveys also show a decline in veteran popula-tions overall.

“So our biggest advo-cates out in the community may not be there as much as they were previously,” Miller said. American youth, she added, “are not neces-sarily saying no to military service. It’s that they don’t know about the opportuni-ties that military service provides.”

That’s why the Depart-ment of Defense and every service branch is pressing to better educate youth and influencers, including par-ents, teachers and coaches “about the realities and positive aspects of military service.”

Recruiting remains strong but the challenges are rising. Through the first nine months of fiscal 2015, active duty Army and Army National Guard fell short of accession goals. The regu-lar Army was 4700 recruits or 11 percent short. The ANG missed its target by 10 percent or 3500 recruits.

Both are expected to close that gap by Sept. 30, end of the fiscal year. But Army Reserve now forecasts a 2000-recruit

attractions of service obscured by hard costs of war

See war Page 7

war FrOM Page 6

Tom Philpott

shortfall for fiscal 2015. And entering fiscal 2016, active duty Army expects to see a 7000 shortfall in its Delayed Entry Pool goal of 21,000 signed recruits to ensure a strong start.

All services remain confident they can meet near-term recruiting goals for both quantity and qual-ity, Miller said, despite an improving economy and youth unemployment slid-ing toward five percent. Below six percent youth un-employment usually means more stressful times for recruiters, said Kelli Bland, public affairs chief for Army Recruiting Command.

Preparations are being made for a tougher recruit-ing environment, Miller said. All services are adjust-ing enlistment bonuses. The Army relaxed its policy on tattoos a few months back, removing limits on size and number soldiers can have on arms and legs. Recruiters have gone from “processing” a steady flow of recruits to “prospecting” to ensure quality stays high.

“What I mean by that,” Miller said, is that “recruit-ers are now having to can-vass, and actually pound pavement if you will, to find the high-quality youth mar-ket who are interested and qualified to join.”

Defense Secretary Ash Carter next week is to re-ceive a package of propos-als for creating an optimal “Force of the Future.” One five-part proposal seeks to improve the efficiency of re-cruiters. It calls for shifting recruiting practices fully into the digital age, using sophisticated analytics and testing to identify the best prospects and to lower first-term attrition rates.

The proposal is likely to include a five-year pilot program to use cash incen-tives to reward recruiters, perhaps with $200 in bonus for every top quality re-cruit signed. Some of that money could be withheld

or recouped in case their recruits fail to complete at least two years of service.

Miller said it would be premature to discuss or even confirm any initiative being studied as part of the Force of the Future initia-tive. But the department is developing new tools to make recruiters more efficient.

For example, it soon will field an internet-adminis-tered short test to predict how recruit prospects would score if they took the longer Armed Forces Quali-fication Test. This will allow recruiters to focus more of their efforts on applicants who clearly have needed aptitude for service.

Also recently launched was an Internet pre-screen-ing version of the Armed Services Vocational Apti-tude Battery. Prospects can take it without a proctor to learn their aptitude for desired job specialties and to speed processing toward enlistment. If they got help to score well, that will be detected through brief re-tests at recruit processing centers.

By.LT..GEN..PATRICIA.HOROHO

Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, U.S.

Army Medical Command

Labor Day is an annual tribute to the contribu-tions American workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-be-ing of our Nation and also marks the traditional end of the summer season with a well-deserved holiday weekend. CSM Ecker and I salute the MEDCOM workforce for your service to our Nation. Your dedi-cated service strengthens the AMEDD and enables Army readiness.

As we enter the remain-ing months of this year, unsafe motorcycle and pri-vately-owned vehicle op-eration continues to be the leading cause of accidental

fatalities for the Army. Your personal leadership and engagement are vital in protecting the “at risk” population. Use all avail-able resources to increase safety awareness and edu-cate our Soldiers and Ci-vilians on the application of risk management in all their off-duty activities.

Leaders, use the tools available in the Army’s

READY.... or Not? for Summer Safety campaign to enhance your safety programs. Access the tool-box at the Combat Readiness/ Safety Center website by clicking-on the READY.... or Not? logo at https://safety.army.mil. All Soldiers are reminded to have their vehicles inspected and use the Travel Risk Plan-ning System TRiPS), if you plan to take leave, pass, or TDY. Additionally, I want all Leaders to emphasize sexual assault risks, pre-vention, and response in their holiday safety brief-ings; guidance is available

at http://armymedicine.mil/Pages/SHARP.aspx My goal is to provide a safe and healthful environment for all Soldiers, Civilians, Family Members, visitors, and contractors across our Command.

I encourage Soldiers, Civilians and Family Mem-bers to fully enjoy this his-toric holiday. I challenge each of you to place safety at the top of your holiday plans and make the “right” decision in whatever you do. Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend. Army Safe is Army Strong.

Serving to Heal...Hon-ored to Serve!

Surgeon General’s Labor Day Safety Message 2015

LT. geN. PaTrIcIa HOrOHO

Page 8 | THE RED 7 | Friday, September 4, 2015

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From.staff.reports

estate claims for 1Sg Peter andrew

McKenna Jr. If anyone has any

claims for or against the estate of 1SG Peter An-drew McKenna Jr., please contact CPT Christian Ramos, the Summary Court-Martial Officer, at (850)885-2120 or by email at christian.a.ramos@soc.mil.

9/11 Memorial runThe 7th Special Forces

Group (Airborne) 9/11 Memorial Run is on Fri-day, Sept. 11. Pre-race activities begin at 7:20 a.m. with the race starting at 7:45 a.m. at the Memorial Loop. The race is open to all 7th Special Forces Group (A) Soldiers and their families. No registra-tion is needed. T-shirts are available online for pre-order 1 for $20 or 2for $30. Day of race price is 1 for $25 or 2 for $40. Payments will be made at the race start area.

SFA Chapter 7 will be at the finish line accepting donations for 7th SFG(A) Wounded Warriors to as-sist combat injuries and the recovery process.

Salute of gratitudeThe Magnolia Grill,

located at 157 Brooks St SE, Fort Walton Beach, and the Emerald Coast Chapter of the Associa-tion of the United States Army will host a special Salute of Gratitude during an open meeting Friday, Sept. 11, 2015 at 7 a.m. Guest speaker will be Lt. General (retired) Mike Spigelmire.

Doors will open at 6 a.m. with formal remarks starting at 7 a.m.

9/11 Memorial 3-Mile run/walkThe Force Support

Squadron will host a 9/11 Memorial 3-Mile Run/Walk at 6:45 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11 at Eglin’s All Wars Memo-rial. A brief welcome and tribute will be held at the Memorial site. Race ends at Unity Park. The event is free and open to all military and base civilian personnel, retirees and family mem-bers. Registration is not required. Event parking is at Unity Park.

ITea emerald coast chapter

The International Test and Evaluation Associa-tion (ITEA) Emerald Coast Chapter is hosting a short course on the “Fundamen-tals of the T&E Process” in the Shalimar GTRI office Sept. 22 – 24. The course addresses the role of T&E in systems development, the determination of ef-fective test requirements, integrating developmental and operational T&E, preparing a T&E master plan, coverage of T&E re-quirements in government contracts, and the role of modeling and simulation in T&E. For details and reg-istration, go to http://www.itea.org/

Halloween Horror Nights

Join Eglin ITT on an over-night trip September 26-27 to Universal Orlando’s award-winning Halloween Horror Nights—consistent-ly named the “Best Hallow-een Event” in the country! This year the legendary Jack the Clown makes his triumphant and twisted re-turn to present the biggest and scariest Halloween Horror Nights ever. Hallow-een fans are sure to enjoy

this premier event that puts you right into some of the most pulse-pounding moments in horror history, with 9 terrifying houses, 5 scare zones, and 2 outra-geous shows! Tour package includes transportation, one night at Holiday Inn & Suites by Universal, and event admission. Cost is $195 per person for double occupancy, $180 for triple, $170 for quad, or $235 for single. Balance is due Sept. 12. To sign up, call or visit Eglin ITT 882-5930.

Halloween Horror Nights “ticket only” discounts are also available at Eglin ITT! Not recommended for chil-dren under age 13.

Tubing Down Turkey creek

Join Outdoor Recreation the first Sunday of every month through Sept. on a leisurely tubing trip down Turkey Creek. Cost it $10 per person for a large tube rental and transportation. Sign up at Outdoor Rec, 882-5058.

Dog Obedience classes

Can’t get Rover to roll over? Karen Harper teaches basic dog obedi-ence curriculum at Eglin Outdoor Recreation. Course sessions last six weeks, with classes held on Tuesday evenings for a maximum of 10 dogs. (The first class meeting should be attended by owners only—no dogs, please!) Classes are from 4-5 p.m. Oct. 27 – Dec. 1. Participants must pre-pay $75 for their six-session course. Register and pick up additional class infor-mation at Eglin Outdoor Recreation, or visit www.dawggonegood.com. For information, contact Eglin Outdoor Recreation at 850-882-5058.

RED 7 BRiEfS