Public Safety Complex step closer in Ocean Springs

OCEAN SPRINGS -- A public safety complex that will house police officers, firefighters and court facilities is a step closer to reality.

The Ocean Springs Board of Aldermen on Dec. 01 awarded bids totaling $6.5 million to two construction companies, according to reporter April Havens in The Mississippi Press.

Whose on the Board of Aldermen?

She said the complex -- 38,500 square feet -- consists of two buildings on east U.S. 90. GM&R Construction Co. of Waveland was awarded a $2.7 million contract to construct a fire station and emergency operations building.

Get information on the Ocean Springs Fire Department

and the new chief, Jeffrey Ponson.

Gulf Construction Co. of Gulfport was awarded a $3.9 million contract to build the housing for a police station, jail and court facilities.

Find out about Chief Lionel Cothern

and the Ocean Springs Police Department.

Mayor Connie Moran said the complex is being paid for with $800,000 in city funds, $4.5 million from a food and beverage tax, and a Community Development Block Grant, according to the Mississippi Press at www.gulflive.com .

What happens during

emergency operations in Ocean Springs?

The reporter said land clearing and groundwork have been done and construction could start this month. The complex should be completed in about a year.

Military Gunman Kills 12 at Fort Hood

FORT HOOD, Texas -- Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan has been identified as the gunman who shot and killed 12 military personnel and civilian police officer today at Fort Hood.

Civilian police shot and wounded Hasan, who reportedly was upset about leaving for another deployment to Iraq. The shooting occurred at the soldier readiness facility as personnel were preparing for deployment.

Details of the tragic loss of life at the largest military installation in the U.S. has been breaking news since the shooting occurred just after midday. At least 31 people also were wounded.

The Army base was put on lock down following the shooting, which occurred about 1:30 p.m., just prior to a graduation ceremony.

Fort Hood is home to the First Army Division West.

Fort Hood is a United States Army post located outside of Killeen, Texas. The post is named after Confederate General John Bell Hood. It is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about 60 miles (100 km) from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The main cantonment of Fort Hood is a census-designated place(CDP) in Bell County, Texas that as of the 2000 U.S. Census had a total population of 33,711. Some portions of the base lie in Coryell County. -- www.wikipedia.org

Read news reports at wlox.com, www.sunherald.com, abcnews.com, cnn.com, foxnews.com, etc.

Photo found at abcnews.com

Chance Anniversay on Nov. 6

Spc. James A. Chance III is remembered as the first fatality for the Mississippi National Guard during the war with Iraq.

Chance was killed Nov. 6, 2003, by a land mine near the Syrian border.

Funeral services were held Nov. 15 at the Kokomo United Methodist Church.

Oneto-Sikorski -- Fourth Year Memorial

BAY ST. LOUIS -- While the end of October is party time for most Americans, unfortunately many people know the pain of tragedy that comes with traditional holidays.

While American military personnel usually have their own version of the celebrations, danger in Iraq and Afghanistan, like untimely violence and death at home, does not take off on holidays.

So was the case Oct. 31, 2005, when 1st Lt. Robert C. Oneto-Sikorski was killed in Iraq during a combat mission. He was leader of the Army's 155th Infantry Battalion.

He was a 33-year-old native of Bay St. Louis.

During May, Oneto-Sikorski was the first soldier added to a Veterans Memorial Garden built by students on school grounds at Bay High. His name is etched into a brick of the memorial that honors fallen military personnel.

The students held dedication ceremonies May 22, 2009.

Obama Meets Fallen Soldiers, Agents at Dover AFB

DOVER AFB, Del. -- President Obama arrived just before midnight Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Dover Air Force Base to meet 15 soldiers and three drug enforcement officers who died in Afghanistan on Monday, Oct. 26, according to media reports.

The dignified transfer was a 'sobering reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices' of the military. -- President Barack Obama

During a solemn ceremony Obama stood in salute with military officers as flag-draped transfer case carrying the bodies were transferred from C-17 cargo airplane to waiting vehicles at the military base in Delaware. Earlier this year, Obama lifted the nearly two-decade-old ban on media coverage of the return of deceased soldiers to Dover AFB.

Only the family of Army Sgt. Dale R. Griffin of Terre Haute, Ind., permitted media coverage of the dignified transfer of his body.

Obama met with family members of the fallen military and law enforcement personnel prior to the transfer ceremony. According to www.cnn.com, the president said 'the burden of war on U.S. troops and their families will "bear on how I see these conflicts" ' as he decides on whether to send as 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

The U.S. Army soldiers and drug agents were among 18 Americans killed this week in southern and western Afghanistan. The service personnel and agents died Monday in separate helicopter crashes. Eight others died Tuesday, Oct. 27, after improvised explosive devices hit their Stryker vehicles during separate incidents.

View photographs of dignified transfer at www.mortuary.af.mil.

According to www.abcnews.com, the three DEA agents killed were identified as 37-year-old Forrest Leamon and 30-year-old Chad Michael, both from Virginia, and 37-year-old Michael Weston of Washington. Weston, like Obama, was a Harvard Law School graduate.

Pascagoula Gets New Police Chief

PASCAGOULA -- Kenny Johnson has been named the new head of the Pascagoula Police Department.

Johnson, who was deputy chief, replaced former Police Chief Eddie Stewart, who had served for the last two years as chief.

According to a report at www.wlox.com, Johnson has 18 years of service, and he's working with more officers to fight drugs and crime, will develop programs to prevent scams of elderly, and wants police personnel to get involved in community programs such anti-litter campaigns.

Cityofpascagoula.com says the Pascagoula Police Department consists of 107 employees, of that, 57 are sworn officers. The PPD has 4 Patrol Divisions, a Criminal Investigations Division, Court Division, Street and School Patrol Division, Traffic Division, Identification Division, Administration Division, Training Division, and Public Relations Division.

Gulf Coast Chamber Gives Salute to the Military

BILOXI -- More than 1,000 people were reported to have attended the annual Salute to the Military on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Mississippi Coast Convention Center.

The event, in its 31st year, pays tribute to all military branches including veterans and active personnel extending from WWII through today's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Honoring Heroes: Salute to Military Recognizes Those Who Serve

www.sunherald.com Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009

See extra photos: sunherald.com

The Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce sponsors the military salute, along with business and community partners. The chamber includes the cities of Biloxi, Gulfport, Long Beach and Pass Christian, and Leadership Gulf Coast and Coast Young Professionals.

Admiral Gary Roughead, chief of U.S. Naval Operations, was the guest speaker. He attended with his wife, Ellen.

South Mississippi Salutes the Military

www.wlox.com Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009

Roughead, who lived in Ocean Springs during the early 1990s, thanked the community for its appreciation and support of the Navy and Seabees stationed in Gulfport, according to a media report at sunherald.com. More than 400 military members and families live in South Mississippi.

He was commander of the USS Barry, the first Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, that was built at Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula (now Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding).

Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise and Congressman Gene Taylor were among the dignitaries who attended the Salute to the Military.

Clarence Hartenstine, a first class aviation electronics technician, received the Thomas V. Fredian Award for Outstanding Community Service.

According to www.prambeach.org, the Tom Fredian Memorial Scholarship is offered in memory of Thomas V. Fredian, a founding member, senior practitioner and former president of PRAM Mississippi Beach.

PRAM is the acronym for Public Relations Association of Mississippi.

Fredian, a native of Chicago, resided on the Mississippi Gulf Coast from 1976 until his death in 1999. Fredian began his 23-year career in public relations after retiring from the Navy in 1974. He spent his entire civil service career as the public affairs officer of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command Headquarters at Stennis Space Center, Miss. He retired from civil service in 1997.

At the time of his death, Fredian was working as a parttime special projects assistant for Analysis & Technology in Bay St. Louis.

Afghanistan War Anniversary

Today marks the eighth anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan.

On Oct. 7, 2001, President George W. Bush made the announcement that U.S. military had begun bombing of mountain ranges in Afghanistan aimed at capturing and killing people -- namely al-Queda and Taliban members -- the U.S. considered responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and an intended attack on the White House.

Eight years later, President Barack Obama and military leaders are discussing strategy for the future warfare -- or not -- in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, where Taliban and al-Queda fighters have sought refuge and taken over large areas of land and local populations.

Since 2001, as many as 8,000 military men and women have died fighting in Afghanistan, more than 230 of those during 2009.

Photo courtesy of wikipedia.org

Seabees Get New Fitness Center, Barracks, Bigger Firehouse

GULFPORT -- Congressman Gene Taylor and Sen. Roger Wicker were among dignitaries who attended dedications of three new and renovated buildings at the Naval Construction Battalion Center.

Ribbon cuttings were held to celebrate construction of a new fitness center and new barracks, or living quarters, and an expanded fire house for the Seabee base.

The Seabees' official Website said the "fitness center includes an aquatics training facility, a gymnasium with two full size basketball courts, two racquet ball courts, strength and aerobic training areas. The living quarters are for enlisted bachelors at the construction training center.

The facilities are part of a $320 Katrina recovery project, which includes buildings that have been completed and others still under construction.

Get media details about the ceremonies:

Seabees Dedicate Trio of New Facilities

Gulfport base celebrates ribbon cuttings

www.wlox.com Sept. 28, 2009, Monday

Seabee Heritage Foundation Gulfport

www.seabeehf.org

Seabees Provide Mentors for Gulfport Students

www.navy.mil

Read history about Gulfport's Seabees at www.militarynewcomers.com

Veterans Day Festivities Planned For Nov. 11

The 10th Annual Jackson County Veteran’s Day Parade, Program & Exhibits has been set for Nov. 11. Festivities will be held in Moss Point.

Celebrations will start with a parade that rolls from the Southgate Shopping Center at the corner of Main and Jefferson streets at the Pascagoula and Moss Point city limits.

The procession will travel north on Main Street to the Jackson County War Memorial Monument in downtown Moss Point, where ceremonies will honor veterans of all past and present military conflicts fought by American personnel.

Parade Line-up: 8:30 a.m. – Southgate Shopping Center, Moss Point

Parade Rolls: 10:00 a.m. – Jefferson Avenue and Main Street

Parade Disbands: 10:45 a.m. – Downtown Moss Point, Riverfront Recreation Center

Program: 11:00 a.m. – Jackson County War Memorial Monument, Downtown Moss Point

Purpose: Recognize and honor our veterans – past and present

Exhibits: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Moss Point Riverfront Community Center, Downtown

Parade units will include floats, banks, automobiles, trucks, military vehicles, classic cars and trucks, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles, horses, and other units.

Carla Todd, president of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, said parade participants will include veterans' groups, youth groups, churches, businesses, governments, law enforcement, bands with NJROTC marching units, and a float honoring fallen soldiers.

"The program will feature exhibits from wars past and present, a keynote address, refreshments, classic car exhibit, 21-gun salute, POW/MIA ceremony and entertainment," said Todd.

Veteran exhibits may be viewed at the Moss Point Riverfront Community Center. Displays will include memorabilia from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan.

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and Moss Point resident John Welch, founder of the Veteran's Program and Parade and a WWII Marine Corps Vet, are co-sponsors of the event.

Todd said Welch has always reminded everyone that the emphasis for the program as in years past is "freedom is not free."

Gulf Coast residents interested in participating in the Jackson County Veterans Day Parade, Program & Exhibits should contact the chamber of commerce. Information and forms may obtained at the chamber office or by email.

Fax your completed form to the chamber at 228-769-1726. For additional information call 228-762-3391.

E-mail to johnsonl@jcchamber.com or chamber@jcchamber.com. Mail completed form to Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 480, Pascagoula, MS 39568.

Photos 1 of 3 Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz, commander of Air Education and Training Command, hands the 2nd Air Force flag to Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog during the change of command ceremony Sept. 9, 2009, at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. General Hertog took command of 2nd Air Force from Maj. Gen. Alfred Flowers. (U.S. Air Force photo) Download HiRes Maj. Gen. Hertog assumes command of 2nd Air Force Posted 9/9/2009 By Angela Cutrer 81st Training Wing Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- When Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog assumed command of 2nd Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base Sept. 9 from Maj. Gen. Alfred Flowers, Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz called the two generals "two of the finest leaders the Air Force has known." "When I meet with Airmen, I always tell them 'you're the next great generation' and it's true," said General Lorenz, Air Education and Training Command commander, during the change of command. "With the training, professionalism, pride and values the 2nd Air Force instills in them, great Americans are born, and they are the heart and soul of the Air Force. "Your watch is full of outstanding accomplishments and highlights, and your fingerprints are etched upon Airmen's lives across the command," he told General Flowers. Second Air Force is the AETC organization that oversees technical and combat training for 250,000 students annually. General Flowers, the first career finance and budget officer to command a numbered Air Force, is heading to the Pentagon as Air Force budget director. General Hertog, accompanied by her husband, Herm Hertog, a retired chief master sergeant, smiled when General Lorenz commented that "success is a family business" for the Hertogs. "I am honored and thrilled to be home again in 2nd Air Force," General Hertog said. "I look forward to candid feedback about our training, because every aspect of training supports the Air Force. We train and graduate 250,000 students a year, but it's not just training that we do; we provide leaders." General Hertog is a career security forces officer whose most recent assignment was director of the Air Force's security forces. She has worked at the unit, major command and Air Staff level in various positions, including commanding several large security forces units and a technical training group. Prior to her assignment in Washington, D.C., she was commander of the 37th Training Wing at Lackland AFB, Texas, one of the largest training wings in the Air Force. General Lorenz welcomed General Hertog "back into the AETC family" with the comment that, "The chisel is now in your hands; the stone is before you." General Hertog replied, "It all starts here. Training helps determine our future because leadership makes a difference. I thank you for the honor and the privilege."

Commander hopes not to be just first, but also, best

(www.sunherald.com)

BILOXI (June 21, 2009) — While Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog is the first female to command any of the numbered Air Forces at bases around the world, that’s not the achievement she hopes will earn her accolades.

"It's not about being the first, it's about doing the best I can," she said.

MAJOR GENERAL MARY KAY HERTOG Maj. Gen. Mary Kay Hertog is the Commander, 2nd Air Force, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. She is responsible for the development, oversight, and direction of all operational aspects of basic military training, initial skills training, and advanced technical training for the Air Force enlisted force and support officers. Second Air Force provides training in more than 250 Air Force specialties through 2,500 courses graduating 245,000 Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and international students annually in diverse areas. These areas include aircraft maintenance, civil engineering, medical, computer, avionics, security forces, space and missile operations/maintenance, and multiple intelligence disciplines. The command includes training wings at Keesler AFB; Sheppard, Lackland, and Goodfellow AFBs, Texas; a training group at Vandenberg AFB, Calif.; and a network of 92 field training units around the world. Second Air Force also oversees all Air Force Airmen throughout the Joint Expeditionary Tasking/Individual Augmentee training pipeline at Army training sites across the country and provides a 24-hour, 7-day operations center for pre- and post-deployment support. General Hertog entered the Air Force in 1978 as an ROTC distinguished graduate. As a career security forces officer, she has worked at unit, major command, and Air Staff level in various positions, to include commanding several large security forces units, a technical training group, and one of the largest training wings in the Air Force at Lackland AFB, Texas. Prior to her current assignment, she was Director of Security Forces, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. EDUCATION 1978 Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 1982 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 1985 Master of Arts degree in industrial psychology, Webster University, Mo. 1991 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 1996 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. ASSIGNMENTS 1. January 1978 - June 1981, officer shift commander, 1608th Security Police Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M. 2. July 1981 - February 1983, operations officer, 63rd Security Police Squadron, Norton AFB, Calif. 3. February 1983 - July 1984, Chief, Nuclear Security Branch, and executive officer, Security Police, Headquarters Military Airlift Command, Scott AFB, Ill. 4. July 1984 - August 1987, operations officer and Commander, 554th Security Support Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev. 5. August 1987 - August 1990, Chief, Law Enforcement and Antiterrorism Division, and Chief, Plans and Resources Division, Security Police, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam AFB, Hawaii 6. August 1990 - June 1991, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 7. June 1991 - July 1995, Air Staff action officer, Security Police, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 8. July 1995 - June 1996, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 9. July 1996 - July 1999, Commander, 377th Security Forces Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M. 10. August 1999 - June 2000, Commander, 86th Security Forces Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany 11. June 2000 - July 2002, Commander, 37th Training Group, Lackland AFB, Texas 12. July 2002 - June 2004, Director of Security Forces, Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va. 13. June 2004 - June 2006, Commander, 37th Training Wing, Lackland AFB, Texas 14. June 2006 - September 2009, Director of Security Forces, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 15. September 2009 - present, Commander, 2nd Air Force, Keesler AFB, Miss. MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters Air Force Achievement Medal Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with silver oak leaf cluster Air Force Organizational Excellence Award with oak leaf cluster Air Force Recognition Ribbon with oak leaf cluster Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Humanitarian Service Medal EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant May 7, 1978 First Lieutenant Nov. 24, 1980 Captain Nov. 24, 1982 Major Dec. 1, 1988 Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 1994 Colonel Jan. 1, 2000 Brigadier General Jan. 1, 2006 Major General May 7, 2009 (Current as of February 2010)

Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti

President Barack Obama awarded his first Medal of Honor on Sept. 17 posthumously to Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti, who died in 2006 while trying to rescue a wounded soldier during a firefight in Afghanistan. The man and a medic later died when a helicopter cable snapped.

Media reports said Monti, of Raynham, Mass., was leading a patrol near the Pakistani border when they were attacked.

Portrait of Valor: Hero of Afghanistan, Sgt. Jared Monti Wins Medal of Honor Posthumously

Killed Trying to Rescue Injured Comrade Three Times, Soldier Receives Top Honor

abcnews.com Sept. 17, 2009

Media reports said members of the Army 10th Mountain Division who served with Monti attended the award ceremony. His parents, Paul and Janet Monti, accepted the Medal of Honor from Obama.

View photos of the ceremony at www.sunherald.com.

Six men have been awarded the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq and Afghanistan.