June 05, 2006

News Briefs

Saddam’s pimped ride

Federal customs agents have seized a Mercedes-Benz from an Army reservist who said the armor-plated, bulletproof luxury car likely belonged to Saddam Hussein.

First Sgt. William von Zehle said he bought the car while serving in Iraq. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents said the car, also equipped with loudspeakers and hidden microphones, was being treated as a “possible war trophy.”

ICE spokesman Dean Boyd said investigators were unsure whether the former Iraqi dictator actually owned it.

Von Zehle, of Ridgefield, Conn., was quoted in news stories last summer as saying he bought the white 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL for about $5,000 in 2003 while in Baghdad with the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion.

The car was shipped through Jordan and Syria to Greece to Spain before finally arriving in the U.S. in May 2004,

Among its unique features: a series of pipes that shoot flames out the side of the car.

No charges have been filed against the soldier.

More June officer promotions

About 220 more officers will be promoted in June than previously announced.

This brings the total number of officers being promoted in June to 1,082 — the most in any month since October.

A revised officer promotion plan authorizes 111 new captains in the Medical Service Corps and 102 promotions to captain in the Nurse Corps.

The one promotion for the Medical Specialist Corps will complete the 2005 list that originally contained 131 names.

The number of technical services chief warrant officers 5 promoted June 1 will increase from eight to 17, according to Army personnel officials.

Using the right lube

There is no magic to making sure your weapon will work when you need it most, says the top enlisted soldier for Army Research, Development and Engineering Command.

“Bottom line, it’s discipline,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Eloy Alcivar. “You have to clean your weapon.”

Alcivar and Maj. Gen. Roger Nadeau, commanding general of Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, emphasized again the importance of using the right type of weapons lubricant, especially in the tough environments of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Army’s two approved products, selected after a series of vigorous testing, are Break-Free and Royal, said Lt. Col. William Wiggins, an Army spokesman. The two products outperformed 21 others during a 2003 test to find the best weapons lubricant for desert conditions.

Soldiers might be tempted to use other products, but it’s important stick with the approved products, Nadeau said, acknowledging that he’s heard soldiers are using other products but he doesn’t know which ones or to what extent.

New CID commander

Brig. Gen. Rodney L. Johnson, commandant of the Army Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., will take command of the Army Criminal Investigation Command on July 14.

Johnson also has been appointed provost marshal.

He replaces Maj. Gen. Donald Ryder, who will retire after 35 years of service.

CID, with headquarters at Fort Belvoir, Va., is the Army’s primary criminal investigative organization. CID agents investigate serious crimes, collect and analyze criminal intelligence, conduct protective service operations and maintain Army criminal records. CID also runs the Army’s forensic laboratory at Fort Gillem, Ga.

Trenches found in San Fran

National Park Service crews clearing brush in San Francisco recently stumbled on World War II-era trenches hastily dug after the Pearl Harbor attack.

They were intended to be the last lines of defense against a Japanese attack that never hit the shores of the continental U.S.

The dozen trenches are about 5 feet deep, and some bear remnants of mounts for .30-caliber machine guns.

The trenches were born of the high anxieties on the West Coast in the hours after Pearl Harbor. On the night of Dec. 7, 1941, the Army assigned every available soldier at the Presidio of San Francisco to start digging trenches and other fortifications.

A few weeks after they were completed, the Army poured concrete, which remains today amid weeds.

Reservist millionaires

Two families with ties to Fort Drum, N.Y., are that state’s newest instant millionaires, post spokesman Ben Able confirmed.

The winners of the two $1 million scratch-off games are both from Carthage, New York lottery officials said May 25.

Wendy and Donald Childers bought their winning $5 Lotto Luck ticket May 21. Donald Childers, 39, is a 20-year civilian mechanic at Fort Drum who returned in November from Iraq.

Stacy James purchased a winning $5 Spread The Wealth ticket March 12 but held onto it until her husband, Michael, came home from Iraq on two weeks’ leave in April.

The odds of hitting the jackpot with a Lotto Luck ticket are about one in 2.6 million, according to the state lottery’s Web site. The odds of hitting the jackpot with Spread The Wealth are one in 3.5 million.

Bonus for IRR translators

Individual Ready Reserve translators serving on active duty will receive a $15,000 bonus if they switch to the active Army.

The enlistment bonus, announced by Army Human Resources Command, was effective May 18.

Soldiers whose military occupational specialty is 09L qualify for the cash. Enlistments in the active Army must be for four years or longer, and the enlistment date must be on or before Sept. 30.

Soldiers who already received 09L enlistment bonuses can keep those and still collect the $15,000.

Soldiers serving outside the U.S. in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom can immediately apply for enlistment and the bonus, but the enlistment contract will not be executed until the soldier returns to his demobilization station.

For details, call Lt. Col. Linda Thomas at (703) 695-7633 or DSN 225-7633.

Correction

In “Faces of the Fallen” (May 29), a photograph of Sgt. David N. Wimberg incorrectly listed his branch of service; he was in the Marine Corps. Also, a photograph of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew R. Barnes was incorrect. His photo is shown here.