American Forces Press Service

By Karen Parrish

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2012 – The U.S. Navy’s Jan. 5 capture of 15 suspected pirates in the northern Arabian Sea demonstrates the Defense Department’s commitment to maritime freedom of navigation, DOD’s senior leaders said yesterday.

During a taped interview with Bob Schieffer for the CBS news program “Face the Nation,” Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey noted the pirates capture represents a routine U.S. Navy mission.

At about 12:30 p.m. local time on Jan. 5, an SH-60S Seahawk from the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd, part of the USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, detected a suspected pirate skiff alongside the Iranian-flagged fishing boat, Al Molai. The master of the Al Molai sent a distress call about the same time reporting pirates were holding him captive.

A visit, board, search and seizure team from the Kidd boarded the dhow, a traditional Arabian sailing vessel, and detained 15 suspected pirates who had been holding a 13-member Iranian crew hostage for several weeks. The Al Molai had been pirated and used as a “mother ship” for pirate operations throughout the Persian Gulf, members of the Iranian vessel’s crew reported.

Dempsey told Schieffer U.S. sailors responded “as we do to calls of distress. We protect freedom of the seas, freedom of navigation.

“We … recaptured the ship, took the pirates into custody, and returned the ship to Iranian control,” he added.

The suspected pirates did not oppose boarding of the Iranian-flagged ship, and no injuries were reported in the incident, the chairman noted.

“I think in the face of the overwhelming combat power that was presented, the pirates made the right decision and surrendered,” Dempsey said.

The secretary said pirate interdiction is “what we do in that part of the world.”

The action “sends an important message to the world that the United States is going to abide by international rules and international order,” Panetta added.

The Stennis left the strategically important Strait of Hormuz in late December. Iran’s government in recent weeks has threatened to close or restrict passage through the strait, which is key to oil and other commercial shipping routes.

Defense officials have stressed that the U.S. government does not seek confrontation with Iran, but will protect safe and secure maritime passage for ships transiting the strait.

While the Iranian government “often [tries] to provoke us,” Panetta told Schieffer, “the United States, in this kind of situation, is going to respond – as we should – in a very humanitarian and responsible way.”

Interstate 81
* Mile marker 298 to 300, northbound and southbound – Debris removal, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Primary Roads
* Route 340/522 – Alignment of Route 658 (Rockland Road) at Route 340/522. Construction will include additional turn lanes and traffic signals. Lane and shoulder closures, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Blasting operations with flagger traffic control, weekdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Estimated completion is summer 2012.

Secondary Roads
* Various roads – Mowing, ditching and brush cutting.

Vegetation management may occur district wide on various routes.

Motorists are reminded to use extreme caution when traveling through work zones.

“We knew our idea of an electric, mobile unit was perfect for Arlington, a unique destination because of its multiple downtowns,” said Terry Holzheimer, director of Arlington Economic Development. “Not only does the Mobile Visitors Center enable us to proactively engage with visitors at six Metro stations, but it operates at a fraction of the cost of our former storefront location.”

Together with other creative visitor services initiatives – including “rolling concierges” on Segways® in Crystal City, a touch-screen information kiosk in Rosslyn, and on-site convention services at hotels – the staffed Mobile Visitors Center promotes Arlington dining, shopping and activities to visitors. According to the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Arlington visitors generated nearly $2.5 billion in spending in 2010, a 7 percent increase over 2009 or an additional $167 million injected into the local economy. Tourism supports more than 23,000 jobs in the County.

Comprised of nearly 800 travel-related businesses, the Southeast Tourism Society  is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and development of tourism throughout the Southeast.  For Arlington visitor information and travel reservations, visit www.stayarlington.com .

Elizabeth has been a vital part of the Emergency Communications Center for the City of Winchester for 6 years and has recently become a Communications Trainer Officer.

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Mareshah Haynes

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 21, 2011 – When former Air Force Senior Airman David Sharpe adopted a pit bull puppy from a rescue shelter 10 years ago, he thought he was saving her life. In a dramatic twist of events just a few months later, she ended up saving his.

Former Air Force Senior Airman David Sharpe embraces his dog, Cheyenne, at their home in Arlington, Va., Sept. 22, 2011. Sharpe is the founder of Pets 2 Vets, a nonprofit organization that pairs shelter animals with veterans who live with post-traumatic stress disorder. Sharpe credits Cheyenne with saving his life. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Mareshah Haynes Â

Sharpe was on the verge of taking his life.As he sat on the kitchen floor of his apartment with a .45 caliber handgun in his hand — “ready to finish the fight with the demons that followed me back from the war” — that pit bull puppy, named Cheyenne, sat down on the floor next to Sharpe and licked his ear. It made him laugh — something he hadn’t done much. Something clicked for him, he said, and his reason for living became clear at that moment: to care for Cheyenne.

Sharpe had been suffering from an undiagnosed case of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. As a security forces airman stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Va., he went on his first deployment in December 2001 to Saudi Arabia, where he came face to face with a Taliban sympathizer who would change his life.

Sharpe said he had been working with the man for a while, though he was mostly quiet and kept to himself. One day he found the man laughing hysterically in the guard shack and asked what was so funny. The local man pointed to a picture in an Arabic newspaper of the planes crashing into the twin towers and he said he praised Allah the day this happened. Sharpe said he got angry with the man and told him to stop talking like that. Then he turned to walk away.

“I turned around and I heard a couple of ‘clicks’ and ‘clacks’ and this little guy is pointing his [submachine gun] right at me,” Sharpe said. “I froze for a few seconds, but it felt like days. I looked at him and pulled my M-16 up and charged it. We were yelling at each other and then a [British] guard came in and pointed his weapon at the guy, and then a French guard came in the side door and pointed his weapon at the British guard.”

Once the incident de-escalated, Sharpe had to recount it to his unit leaders numerous times. With the official procedures for debriefing such an incident completed, Sharpe was referred to the chaplain.

“I went and saw the chaplain, and that lasted for all of about two minutes,” Sharpe said. “[The chaplain said], ‘Tell me what happened, Airman Sharpe.’ I said, ‘I don’t even want to talk to you right now, sir. No offense — I just want to be left alone.’”

Sharpe said the chaplain told him to come back when he was ready, but Sharpe never went back. He finished the rest of his deployment without incident and returned home to Virginia, but things did not go back to “normal” for Sharpe.

“I started having nightmares about this guy taking his weapon and pointing it in my face,” he said. “I had visions of the bullet going through my head and coming out the other side. I woke and I started crying, and then I started calling myself a bunch of names and saying to myself, ‘Suck it up.’ ‘What’s wrong with you?’”

Sharpe said he began having violent outbursts with his family and friends over the simplest of questions, especially about his deployment. He began starting fights with strangers and even turned on his friends. One friend in particular continued to reach out to Sharpe.

“One of my friends came to check up on me and said, ‘Hey, there’s this pit bull rescue I want to check out. Do you want to come with me?’” Sharpe said. “I said, ‘Absolutely. I want to get a fighting dog — I’m a fighter.’ So I went, and there were about eight puppies running around in a pen, and all of them were all over me. But there was one that was off in the corner, and that was the one I chose.”

Sharpe said when he took Cheyenne home he felt better immediately. Though he was happier since he had gotten his new companion, he said, he continued to have violent outbursts. During one outburst in the kitchen of their apartment, Cheyenne watched and waited for Sharpe to calm down.

“I picked her up and took her back to my bed, and I just lost it — started crying, bawling,” Sharpe said. “She didn’t say anything. She inched her way up [to my face]. She knew something was wrong. She just started licking the tears off my cheek. It makes you laugh, it tickles, and I immediately starting feeling relief, because I didn’t have anyone [saying] to me, ‘How do you feel now? Are you glad you got that off your chest?’ She never asked. I told her on my own terms.”

Sharpe didn’t realize it at the time, but he and Cheyenne were engaging in a form of pet therapy. She would be his confidant on the road from that lonely night on the cold linoleum floor when he considered suicide to being a champion for other veterans with the same struggles.

“Pet therapy helps people who have PTSD to reconnect with the world,” said Megan O’Connell, a clinical nurse specialist at Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center at Fort George G. Meade, Md. “It helps to create a routine, a sense of connection, when you have to feed the dog and make sure the dog is watered, that it has all of its shots. It helps you. It forces you to become part of this world and to start to reintegrate.

“Especially dogs — they react to body language,” O’Connell continued. “If your body language is stressed, they want to come over, because they want you to stop being stressed, so they pay a lot of attention to you. It makes you feel like they care and they’re listening, and that makes you feel comfortable to want to open up more.”

In the meantime, Sharpe separated from the Air Force after six years of service. A few months later, after watching a TV news special about service animals, Sharpe came up with the idea to pair up shelter animals with veterans living with PTSD. He called the program Pets 2 Vets.

Sharpe took $3,500 of his personal savings to get started. Unlike other programs, P2V provided companion animals to veterans versus other programs that provided service animals to perform physical tasks for disabled veterans.

Initially, Sharpe would pick up veterans who were recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and take them to local shelters to interact with the animals. As the program grew, P2V provided an avenue for veterans to adopt their own companion animals as well as give veterans at Walter Reed an opportunity to visit shelter animals during their recovery.

About a year after Sharpe founded P2V, he reached a milestone. He was finally ready to talk to a human about his experiences while deployed. After meeting with doctors from the Veterans Affairs Department, Sharpe was diagnosed with PTSD and depression — five years after he separated from the military, and nine years after the incident in Saudi Arabia.

“One of the problems with PTSD is that it really destroys people’s trust,” O’Connell said. “They feel disconnected. One of the things a dog can do is help to be that bridge to trust. Unless you’ve had a bad experience, most people have very positive feelings toward pets, so people are more willing in a lot of ways to talk to the dog or relate to the dog than they are to another person, especially if they’ve been through a traumatic experience.”

Although the battle with PTSD is never over, P2V has placed more than 50 shelter animals with veterans, and Sharpe is now married to his long-time friend, the former Jenny Fritcher. Later this year, David, Jenny and Cheyenne will welcome a baby boy into their family.

“I always say Cheyenne brought me to Jenny,” Sharpe said. “If it wasn’t for Cheyenne, I wouldn’t have this beautiful wife and beautiful life. She saved me.”

Vendors will provide the “Fire Safety and Your Tree” tags with every tree purchase while they last.
Christmas Tree Fire Safety Tips

Keep tree base immersed in water.
Do not permit smoking near the tree.
Use only lights that are U.L. approved.
Use flame retardant decorations and paper.
Inspect lights for frayed or cracked wiring, broken plugs, and defective sockets.
Unplug lights at night and when leaving the home.
Remove the tree soon after the holidays–before the needles dry out.
If you would like a printable copy of our “Fire Safety and Your Tree” tag, please go to http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fr/download/MultiLanguageTreeTag.pdf.

Metro is gearing up to ensure that your travel plans go smoothly over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

To accommodate higher airport ridership, Metro will deploy additional buses on the 5A route, which serves Dulles International Airport, and will have additional buses ready to place into service as necessary on the B30 route between Greenbelt Metrorail Station and BWI Marshall Airport.

In addition, for the convenience of Metrorail customers, there will be no significant track work throughout the Thanksgiving holiday period.

Traveling to/from Reagan National Airport

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is served by Metrorail’s Blue and Yellow lines.

Traveling to/from Washington Dulles International Airport

Travelers have two options to reach Washington Dulles International Airport:

Take the 5A Metrobus from L’Enfant Plaza or Rosslyn Metrorail stations. The 5A provides direct service to the airport for $6. To accommodate higher ridership, Metro will operate additional 5A buses on Tuesday, Nov. 22, Wednesday, Nov. 23, and Sunday, Nov. 27. View timetable
Take Metro’s Orange Line to West Falls Church and then take the Washington Flyer bus to the airport.
Traveling to/from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport

Travelers can reach the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport the airport by riding Metro’s Green Line to the Greenbelt Metrorail station and transferring to the B30 Metrobus, which provides direct service from the train station to the airport for $6. Metro will monitor ridership and place additional buses into service as needed.  View timetable

Thanksgiving Day, November 24: On Thanksgiving Day, Metrorail will operate on a Sunday schedule, opening at 7 a.m. and closing at midnight. Parking will be free at all Metrorail station parking facilities.

Friday, November 25: The Metrorail system will run on a regular weekday schedule from 5 a.m. to 3 a.m. Normal fares will be charged and regular weekday parking rates will apply.

During the DWI checkpoint, approximately 861 vehicles passed through and nine arrests were made for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI).  In addition, 20 summonses were issued for miscellaneous traffic offenses and two people were charged with possession of marijuana and one person was charged with underage possession of alcohol.

Eleven Alexandria police officers, one Alexandria Sheriff’s deputy, two Parking Enforcement Officers and one Emergency Communications Technician participated in the DWI enforcement effort.

Firefighters encountered heavy smoke coming from the first floor stairwell upon arrival. Crews used ground ladders to rescue several occupants from a third floor balcony. Firefighters brought the fire under control in approximately 30 minutes. A smoke alarm activated in the condominium, providing the occupants early warning to escape unharmed. Two adults have been displaced. Red Cross is providing assistance. There were no injuries.

Damage is estimated at $30,000.

According to fire investigators, the fire was accidental. Clothes inside a dryer ignited and caused the fire.

The woman was startled, yelled, and the suspect fled.

The suspect is described as an adult Hispanic or light-skinned black male; around 5 feet 5 inches tall and thin. He wore a black jacket and dark blue jeans.
Police responded, canvassed the area and have increased security presence in the area.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477,

Between 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 and 6 a.m. on Nov. 15, unknown person(s) entered an unlocked sliding glass rear door of a home in the 1300 block of Robinson Place. The house was occupied at the time and the residents did not hear or see anything because they were asleep.  The only item taken in this burglary was a laptop computer.  The computer was immediately exploited for banking information and that information was used to attempt to purchase expensive goods at a large department store in the metropolitan area.

Falls Church Police note this incident is not typical because the suspects were sophisticated enough to duplicate bank cards without the original cards in possession in an attempt to make large purchases immediately without the owner’s knowledge.

Police remind everyone to take safety precautions every day: lock all doors and windows and secure valuables out of the line of sight in homes and vehicles.

For residential security ideas, Falls Church City residents may contact the Police Department to set an appointment with a certified crime prevention specialist for a free home security survey.  Interested City residents should contact Officer James Brooks at JBrooks@fallschurchva.gov or 703-241-5056.

The Guide includes information on Christmas tree farms across the state and lists them by city or county for easy reference. It is a valuable resource to help you select the ideal farm or retail lot for your Virginia Grown tree.

In this year’s Guide you’ll find an amazing variety of trees, such as Fraser, Douglas, Canaan and concolor fir; Norway and Colorado blue spruce; Scotch, Virginia and white pine; as well as Leyland cypress and cedar. But you’ll find a whole lot more. Many farms offer hot cider, visits with Santa, hayrides, marshmallow-roasting, animals to pet, coloring books, nature trails, candy canes, a crackling fire and a special experience called a Day on the Farm. Several Christmas tree operations encourage picnicking and many take great pride in the beauty of their mountain views or woodland settings. Extras like these can turn the search for the perfect Christmas tree into a memorable excursion for family and friends.

Along with their trees, many growers also sell wreaths, garland, holiday greenery, roping, sprays, centerpieces and tree stands. Some also have Christmas shops selling unique decorations, ornaments, handmade crafts, bows and gifts, including Virginia’s Finest specialty foods and beverages.

In addition to the basics about each farm, such as hours of operation, directions and contact information, the Christmas Tree Guide details the services available. These may include providing handsaws and twine, tree-shaking to remove dead needles, tree-baling or wrapping for easier transport and assistance cutting your tree and getting it in from the field to your vehicle.

Freshness is an important feature of every locally-grown Virginia Christmas tree.  Freshly-cut trees retain their needles longer and are less flammable than trees brought in from out-of-state, which may be cut as much as a month or more in advance. The Guide offers tips about caring for both cut and live trees to make sure they add their beauty and fragrance to the holiday celebration for as long as possible.

In Virginia, Christmas tree farming is a major agricultural industry that contributes substantially to the state’s economy and to its healthy environment. As mature trees are cut, new seedlings are planted each year, making Christmas trees one of our most renewable resources.

For a free copy of the 2011 Virginia Grown Christmas Tree Guide, send the request to 2011 Christmas Tree Guide, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, P. O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA  23218, or call 804.786.3935.  Listings from the Guide are also available online at www.virginiagrown.com.

This is a part of the Virginia Highway Safety Office traffic safety program and is geared towards the enforcement of seat belt and child restraint violations. “During the May campaign, the town saw surprising results with regards to our seat belt usage rate. At the beginning of the campaign, the rate was at 83%. At the end of the two week enforcement period, the rate went up to 89%,” said Chief Furr.

Traffic Enforcement Officer Donald Orye states, “A seat belt is designed to keep you in the vehicle if you are involved in a crash. If you are involved in a crash and are not buckled in, chances are you will be thrown out of the vehicle. Our purpose here is to get motorists to buckle up. It’s the most important preventive measure a driver or passenger can take. Currently, our seat belt rate passes the state goal of 82%. I would like to see the rate increase or at least maintain the 89%.”

“Motorists can expect to see increased patrols and vehicles stopped along the roadways during this period. Please be cautious when approaching a stopped emergency vehicle, not only for your safety, but for the safety of the officer and the stopped vehicle. Virginia law requires a driver to slow down and if possible, move over to give extra room for the vehicles that are stopped,” said Officer Orye.

Corporal Tuomey developed a presentation on bullying and cyber-bullying hoping to change the perception and handling of incidents related to bullying. The topic is a national issue and problem for many students. This discussion encompasses the types of bullying, attempts to define the term related to actual crimes, and gives tips on empowering victims.

Corporal Tuomey is a ten-year veteran of the Arlington County Police Department. He is a K-9 officer and is a panel member of “Netsmartz” with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

This presentation is expected to expand to other Arlington County Public schools in the future.

The researchers examined personal and professional characteristics and found malpractice lawsuits were strongly and independently linked to surgeon depression and career burnout. The stress caused by malpractice litigation was rated as equivalent to that of financial worries, pressure to succeed in research, work/home conflicts, and coping with patients’ suffering and death. Finally, surgeons who experienced a recent malpractice lawsuit reported less career satisfaction and were less likely to recommend a surgical or medical career to their children or others.

The surgical specialties reporting the highest rates of malpractice lawsuits in the last 24 months were neurosurgery (31 percent), cardiothoracic surgery (29 percent), general surgery (28 percent), colorectal surgery (28 percent), and obstetric and gynecologic surgery (28 percent). The lowest rate specialties reporting malpractice lawsuits were otolaryngology (12 percent), ophthalmology (12 percent) and breast surgery (14 percent).

“The frequency of malpractice lawsuits and the adverse associations they have significantly impact surgeons’ personal health, yet these consequences are often poorly understood,” said Charles M. Balch, MD, PhD, FACS, lead author of the study and professor of surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “The purpose of this study was to examine these repercussions more closely and pave the way for additional research to identify individual, organizational and societal interventions to support surgeons who experience malpractice litigation.”

Of the 25,073 surgeons sampled in the study 7,164 participated. The data showed that 24.6 percent of respondents (1,764 surgeons) experienced a malpractice action within 24 months prior to the survey. Compared with surgeons not involved in a malpractice lawsuit, those involved were more likely to be younger, male, work more hours per week, have frequent night call, and be in private practice (p < 0.0001 for all).

The study was commissioned by the American College of Surgeon’s Governor’s Committee on Physician Competency and Health and analyzed the anonymous and blinded survey results from members of the American College of Surgeons to better understand the factors that contribute to personal consequences among surgeons. The survey included approximately 60 questions on a wide range of variables, including demographic information, practice characteristics, burnout, quality of life, symptoms of depression and career satisfaction.

More than 42 percent of all U.S. physicians, including surgeons, have been sued for malpractice during the course of their careers.1 In 2008, annual medical liability system costs, including defensive medicine, were estimated at $55.6 billion, or 2.4 percent of total health care spending.2 Despite the high cost of this system, data from malpractice liability insurers suggest that a majority of malpractice claims are without merit, and nearly two-thirds of claims are dropped, withdrawn or dismissed.3 Yet on average, the process of claims and litigation takes five years to resolve, ultimately causing a prolonged adverse impact on the physician. 4

“We’re encouraged that Senators Warner and Webb stood up for saving people’s lives while creating new jobs at the same and call on them not to delay or weaken lifesaving Clean Air Act protections,” said Nat Mund, legislative director at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “Saving lives and protecting people’s health while creating new, full-time jobs is a basic win-win. It’s irresponsible to put polluters’ profits ahead of peoples’ health.”

The EPA reports that this protection prevents as many as 34,000 premature deaths, 400,000 asthma 15,000 heart attacks, and 19,000 hospital visits each year by limiting harmful air pollution that crosses state lines. Health professionals urged politicians to uphold, without delaying or weakening, these lifesaving protections in a letter signed by organizations including the American Association of Respiratory Care, American College of Preventative Medicine, American Lung Association, American Nurses Association, and Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

“We’re encouraged that Senators Warner and Webb stood up for saving people’s lives while creating new jobs at the same and call on them not to delay or weaken lifesaving Clean Air Act protections,” said Nat Mund, legislative director at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “Saving lives and protecting people’s health while creating new, full-time jobs is a basic win-win. It’s irresponsible to put polluters’ profits ahead of peoples’ health.”

The EPA reports that this protection prevents as many as 34,000 premature deaths, 400,000 asthma 15,000 heart attacks, and 19,000 hospital visits each year by limiting harmful air pollution that crosses state lines. Health professionals urged politicians to uphold, without delaying or weakening, these lifesaving protections in a letter signed by organizations including the American Association of Respiratory Care, American College of Preventative Medicine, American Lung Association, American Nurses Association, and Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.