T H E B I S B E E P R O J E C T

The Next Generation

2009-11-05T13:13:00.004-05:00

We had the opportunity to speak to an outstanding group of students at Central Pennsylvania College yesterday. We talked to them about the mission of The Bisbee Project and our efforts to serve as a "scouting agency for talent", looking for dedicated and energetic individuals willing to give careers in service a shot. Whether it's military service on the front lines of American foreign policy or pitching in to improve our local communities, those who serve are those who really make a difference in all of our lives. Central Penn is a great school that produces graduates in business, communications, information technology, criminal justice and homeland security management. We talked to a number of motivated students who are on the brink of making that leap into their future careers, and we wish them all the best of luck.

Our visit was covered by a number of media outlets, and there are some links below.

CBS News 21 News at 10

ABC 27 News at 7

WHP CBS News 21 News at 6

Baghdad follow up

2009-10-31T19:27:00.004-05:00

I got through to a number of my Iraqi friends and colleagues in Baghdad over the past week since the explosions last Sunday that demolished portions of the Baghdad provincial government headquarters, a Ministry of Justice building and other government facilities in downtown Baghdad.

I first got a hold of Rasul, a staffer who worked closely with me on issues pertaining to the committee responsible for the administrative relationships between the Provincial Council and Baghdad's local district and neighborhood councils. He assured me that he was fine, but many of his co-workers were injured in the blast, some of them fatally.

I also spoke with Faisel Shuber, a district council member from one of Baghdad's suburban villages and one of my oldest friends in Baghdad. He had just come from meeting with PC member Mohammed al-Rubeiy and district council member Kadem al-Shimary; he said they were fine and that none of the current PC members were killed in the blast. As Sunday is the beginning of the workweek in Baghdad, this is extremely fortunate -- not only for those individuals and their families, but for the functioning of local government in Baghdad.

The council reportedly met at their usual weekly meeting on Tuesday, but at a different location -- to demonstrate their resolve in the face of a terrorist act specifically targeting them and their efforts to rebuild their capital. Another friend of mine from the Adhamiya neighborhood, Omar al-Rahmani, said he was on his way to the council building at the time of the blast and therefore narrowly missed possibly becoming one of the hundreds of casualties in these attacks. He assured me that Ms. Shatha al-Obedie, longtime media spokeswoman for the provincial governor, was not injured in the blast. Omar did explain how the blast at the Ministry of Justice also levelled a local kindergarten, adding to the horror of the event. Families have been searching for their children in the rubble over the past week. Please take a moment to offer your thoughts and prayers to the victims of this attack, and wish the people of Baghdad the fortitude to maintain their resolve in the face of the continuing challenges they face.

In other news about friends and colleagues in Baghdad, I am sad to post that former Baghdad Provincial Council member Dr. Kamel al-Shabibi passed away last week. He had traveled to the U.S. to undergo heart surgery, but suffered a heart attack before reaching surgery. He spent his last days with the family of his brother, who as an American citizen who has lived in the States for decades since emigrating from Iraq, worked at the US Embassy as an agriculture advisor to the reconstruction effort.

Dr. Shabibi was a fabulous gentleman, and was widely considered the "elder statesman" of the Provincial Council during his term, which overlapped my tours in 2005-06 and again in 2007-08. Respected for his wisdom and candor in a volatile environment sorely lacking in both, he served as an excellent moderator between the US Embassy and the Baghdad provincial government throughout many difficult situations. He was gracious with his time; weighing in on the heaviest issues complicating our joint reconstruction efforts as well as just being an enjoyable presence at our more social gatherings. A number of us gained extraordinary insight into Iraqi culture and politics just by having some tea with him; his overall impact on our reconstruction efforts is incalculable.

He was an extraordinary presence in the drive to improve access to microfinance in Baghdad, bringing capital to Baghdad's new generation of entrepreneurs and building strong institutional relationships between the Provincial Council and Baghdad's local district councils. While rarely touted as one of the critical components of the "surge" strategy that pulled Baghdad back from the brink of civil war in 2006-07, these economic initiatives, led by courageous individuals like Dr. Shabibi who refused to submit to naysayers and doubters, were instrumental -- and will continue to have an impact on the long term development of Baghdad and the wider Middle East.

He will be remembered as a friend, as a confidant, as a negotiator, as a leader, as a patriot, as a visionary, and as a generous man and a kind soul.

(In the photo above, I am standing to the left of Dr. Shabibi. We were attending a training sessions for new council members at the Rashid Hotel in early 2007.)

Baghdad blasts

2009-10-26T09:06:00.003-05:00

The Baghdad provincial government was one of the apparent targets in yesterday's attack in downtown Baghdad. Dozens of staffers and provincial employees were killed and injured in the blast. I have not received word of any Provincial Council members killed; Governor Salah was in Washington attending an economic conference and immediately flew back to Baghdad. PC member Mohammed al-Rubeiy has been quoted in several news stories, stating that 25 PC staff members have been killed. I will repost news here as I get it from individuals on the ground there in Baghdad and elsewhere.

from WSJ.com
Deadly Blasts Rock Baghdad, Killing Dozens
By GINA CHON

BAGHDAD -- Two powerful suicide car bombs near high-profile government offices rocked the capital on Sunday in the deadliest attack here in more than two years, killing at least 147 people and raising fresh worry about the capabilities of Iraq's security services ahead of national elections scheduled for January.

The Ministry of Interior said that in addition to the dead, more than 500 people were injured. Charred bodies, limbs and the smoldering shells of dozens of cars littered the area. The explosions also shattered windows throughout the nearby Mansour Hotel, which houses the Chinese Embassy. Some ceilings collapsed.

The blasts, which the government said bore the signature of al Qaeda in Iraq, most damaged Baghdad's provincial headquarters and the nearby federal Ministry of Justice. Many of the protective blast walls surrounding those buildings collapsed.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki visited the site of the attacks and blamed al Qaeda and members of the Baath party. His office said in a statement that the explosions were meant to create instability and to stop the January parliamentary elections.

President Barack Obama called the attacks an attempt to "derail Iraq's progress." He said the U.S. "will stand with Iraq's people and government as a close friend and partner as Iraqis prepare for elections early next year." The president spoke with Mr. Maliki and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani by phone to express his condolences.

On a roll...

2009-10-04T12:08:00.002-05:00

Steve's new business venture COGSTER.COM is up and running and driving the local economy of the State College, PA area forward. Check out the latest on YouTube...

It's Not Just Lunch

2009-08-21T07:42:00.006-05:00

Counterinsurgency is a full spectrum activity. While I typically discuss the political and social aspects of the campaign I was involved with during the surge, called the Baghdad Security Plan, or Operation Fardh al Qanoon (Arabic for "Enforcing the Law"), it is important to understand its critical security components as well. We talked about these "kinetic operations" at the Q&A session following my talk at the State College Rotary Downtown Club meeting on Thursday. The Downtown Club is one of five Rotary Clubs in the State College area, attesting to the strength of community service in the region.

Reacting to the unconventional nature of the military's role in Iraq, units deploying there began organizing themselves differently than they typically would for the large-scale combat operations that standard doctrine calls for. These novel adjustments, over several years of deployments, crystallized into new standard operating procedures that assigned certain units and staff positions to supporting either "kinetic" or "non-kinetic" operations, simply meaning those during which you intend to shoot bullets and those where you don't. In most Army divisions you would now find a two-star general in command, a one-star in charge of kinetic and another one-star responsible for non-kinetic operations. My work on the PRT in Baghdad was intricately linked to this one-star general and his staff as we developed the strategies and policies related to rebuilding and supporting Iraq's government service infrastructure and civil-society institutions. But we never worked in a vacuum; our strategies were closely coordinated with the kinetic operations that involved raids on insurgent strongholds, cordon and search missions and the security of key infrastructure facilities.

I was asked about the foreign fighters that served as main driver for the insurgency, and where they were now that the levels of violence have decreased. I replied frankly that our operations successfully neutralized a number of these fighters, and broke up the networks they used to plan and execute attacks on US forces and Iraqi civilians. A typical set-up involved a foreign fighter, backed by al-Qaeda funding, sub-contracting his work out to local Iraqis. These locals would be employed to set IEDs for passing US convoys, sometimes making a hundred or two hundred dollars for a successful attack, a substantial sum in Iraq. Getting the video of the attack could double that amount. Our counterinsurgency strategy involved getting intelligence on these networks, killing or capturing the foreign-financed leader, and then making an effort to create alternative employment opportunities in those areas where local Iraqis may be susceptible to the financial incentives of supporting the insurgency.

Therefore our overall strategy involved an extraordinary amount of coordination between the combat operations, and the campaigns of economic and political development targeted to support the ability of Iraqi government institutions to effectively and equitably provide services to the population.

This week's horrific attacks in Baghdad underscore the fact that while the insurgency may be down, it is certainly not out.

A few weeks before I left Baghdad, I was invited downtown to one of the city's notable social clubs. I visited with some of the middle aged and older professional gentlemen that made up the bulk of the club's membership, many of whom were enjoying a mid-day Scotch. We had lunch in the club's dining room, and then popped our heads into the main ballroom, where there was some kind of festivity occurring. It turned out to be a graduation ceremony for the Baghdad School of Dentistry. About a hundred or so of Baghdad's future dentists were having a party with their families, celebrating the completion of their training and the beginning of their new careers. I like to relate this anecdote when I talk about Iraq because it reflects what I refer to as the surprising element of the mundane to be found there. Over the past few years we have been made painfully aware of the roadside bombs, the suicide market attacks, and the strife of sectarian violence. But there's a lot going on there that we don't hear much about, that frankly may have a lot more impact on Iraq's long term future. Like dentists.

As always, we enjoyed the opportunity to visit with the community leaders found within the ranks of the Rotary Club; people who know that the future of a great community like State College doesn't stay great without the hard work of selfless individuals. Special thanks to Cathy Brown and Don Bedell, pictured here with me and Steve.

Scholarships for Service: DRAKE and GAGE COOPER

2009-08-12T11:21:00.008-05:00

Drake and Gage knew from an early age that the Army would be an important part of their lives. These twin brothers from Port Matilda, PA will both be attending Susquehanna University in the fall and will both be pursuing Army officer commissions through the ROTC program there. Their scholastic talent, drive and dedication to careers in service made them exceptional candidates for our Scholarships for Service awards. But what makes these two young men truly remarkable and worthy of our respect is their unflinching devotion to such a life in service with the full knowledge of what it may cost.

When they were just boys, their mom and dad got divorced. The strain of a military marriage was just too great on the couple. Drake and Gage's father had enlisted in the Army Reserves while he was still in high school and was well into a career of active duty service that had him based all over the world in places like Korea, Ft. Drum, New York, Ft. Knox, Kentucky and Ft. Lewis, Washington. Despite a long-distance relationship with their dad, the boys kept close by talking often and visiting whenever possible. As they got older, they started talking to him about careers in the Army. He advised that, if they were really interested in the Army, they should give officer's training a shot. When they started doing their college search, they took their dad's advice and also looked into ROTC programs.

Gage and Drake often joked and chatted with their dad, a Stryker commander and platoon sergeant, when he was deployed to Iraq in 2007. Supporting the "surge", the 2nd Infantry Division deployed a Stryker Brigade Combat Team to Baghdad for a 15 month tour in mid-2007. Those early months of the surge have been among the most intensive for combat units in Baghdad over the entire conflict in Iraq. Regular contact with their dad helped the brothers cope with the distance and the uncertainty, and they often got to share their thoughts on life after high school graduation.

On September 5, 2007 Gage and Drake were told that their father had been killed in Iraq. Compounding the tragedy of this loss, they learned that their father's death was due to the grossly negligent conduct of a fellow soldier, who accidentally fired his weapon while the two were in their quarters on base. Sergeant First Class David A. Cooper Jr., a decorated soldier and respected leader, is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Their father's death did not deter them from considering military service. Nor did it obligate them, they said; influencing their choices in an attempt to respect his memory. "We just think the Army is a good career path for us," Drake said.

The two live with their mother and stepfather in a beautiful rustic house nestled in a verdant hollow just outside of Port Matilda. I was able to spend part of an afternoon with the young men and talk about their plans for the future. The two have an easy, level-headed demeanor about them that exudes a comfort level within their own skins, a quality rarely found in many recent high school graduates. Gage explained, "Our Dad was really laid back. We definitely got that from him."

They don't get too uptight about trying, or not trying, to be similar - a common malady among twins. "We have a lot of the same interests, and we've had a lot of the same experiences. It's not that surprising that we end up doing a lot of stuff together," Drake said, when I asked them about the decision to go to the same college and join ROTC together.

"We really liked Susquehanna University and the town of Selinsgrove," Drake said. "Coming from Port Matilda, we just didn't want to go somewhere really big." The two had made several visits to Selinsgrove during their college search, where they have some friends. As someone who grew up there, it wasn't really until recently that I could fathom why anybody would go there for college. Perhaps absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I can now fully appreciate the charms of my hometown and the campus that really makes it a great place.

Susquehanna is apparently very happy to have them as well, as their ROTC scholarship is being augmented by the school in order to cover some of their additional expenses like room and board. Affiliated with the program based at Bucknell University (in neighboring Lewisburg, PA) ROTC at S.U. is attempting to expand by attracting exceptional students like Drake and Gage. This is in noticeable contrast to our nation's so-called elite universities, like many Ivy League schools, where ROTC has been all but banished. As move-in day approaches at S.U., the brothers look forward to the move to Selinsgrove, and their futures.

"Doing ROTC while attending college is going to be cool," Drake said. "It's a really good way to blend our academic and career interests." Gage added, "We'll have a lot more purpose at school, knowing that what we're doing there is connected to our future jobs."

Drake is thinking about a major in Ecology, reflecting his love for the outdoors and the importance of environmental issues. But he's also thinking about law school and service in the JAG corps, he says. One of his favorite activities at Bald Eagle High School was 'Mock Trial', where he and Gage joined other students in a competition based on public speaking, litigation tactics and understanding the legal process. Their team advanced to Districts the past two years. Gage plans to major in History, possibly specializing in military history. Apparently he's joining quite a lineage of history buffs in the family, following after his dad and grandpa.

We wish Drake and Gage the best of luck in adapting to college life and in their eventual pursuit of military careers as U.S. Army officers. We are humbled by their extraordinary courage, and we are thankful that there are outstanding individuals like these men ready and willing to answer the call of service that our communities and our country greatly need. We are proud of you.

Drake and Gage are pictured above holding a photo of their father, SFC David Cooper Jr., taken in the turret of the Stryker he commanded in Baghdad.

The Hussein Chronicles

2009-08-11T16:19:00.005-05:00

Some of you may recognize Hussein, a friend of mine who worked with me in Baghdad as an interpreter during both of my tours, in this photo. This is a shot from last week during our first bowling outing in Squirrel Hill since Hussein arrived in Pittsburgh last winter. Neither of us could be considered 'avid' bowlers, or even 'proficient' bowlers. Frankly, it's a stretch to even call us bowlers at all. But we settled on bowling as the evening's activity and gave it a shot. My initiation into the sport began at a young age in Selinsgrove at Super Bowl 522, with the after school program run by Mr. Rutkowski. He always hovered over anybody with two strikes in a row, to be there if they pulled off the "turkey." Most of us choked under the pressure. Hussein told me about the times before the war when his dad took him to the bowling alley in the Rasheed Hotel. If that name rings a bell, it's because that's one of the most famous landmarks in downtown Baghdad and the place where many foreign journalists stay and report from when in Iraq. Located just on the edge of the International Zone, it has also served as one of the most popular places to conduct diplomatic business in Baghdad. I have to admit that after two and a half years of nearly daily meetings at the Rasheed, I had no idea there was a bowling alley there, apparently under one of the night clubs. Hussein's father was killed in a suicide bombing in 2006 at a market a few blocks away from the Rasheed. His mother was also injured in the blast, but has since recovered and soon hopes to join Hussein here in Pittsburgh. Nearly every member of Hussein's family chose to serve as interpreters. Hussein worked with me both while I was in the Army and with the State Department and also ran missions with Blackwater security teams. His mother worked at the US Embassy, and his sister Wafaa served with Army units at Camp Liberty on the outskirts of Baghdad. Wafaa just arrived here in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago, also under the Special Immigrant Visa program, set up to expedite the immigration of Iraqis who served with the U.S. Government. Hussein was able to bring his wife Nour and little boy Suleyman to the States as well. We've had good news on the job front lately, as first Hussein got a job as a security guard and then his wife was able to get a job in the same building on the cleaning crew. Wafaa is working on getting some interviews lined up. They are adapting well to their new lives but it is certainly full of challenges. While most of the people he works with have been friendly and helpful, he does feel that his Arab appearance and accent throws some people off at times and he has overheard some prejudiced comments. He has even found that mentioning his pride at serving with Americans in Iraq has sometimes backfired, due to the inescapable politics that unfortunately tend to dominate that entire topic. For many of us, the war will never be as personal as it has been for somebody like Hussein and his family. Keep them and the many others affected by this conflict in your thoughts as they continue their own personal reconstructions.

Bellefonte Breakfast and Baghdad

2009-07-31T18:00:00.003-05:00

One of the things Steve and I really enjoy about getting out and about to the communities that make up Central PA is that fact that we always meet such great and fascinating people. It's a common trope of Hollywood that small towns are filled with either dullards or psychos, and those of us who have lived a significant part of our lives in small towns know that's not the case. In fact, in an age when global travel and communication are so prevalent, it's often the case that people from small towns have extraordinarily worldly experiences. Through our work with The Bisbee Project we stress that the distance between small-town Pennsylvania and American foreign policy is not very far at all. Just consider the number of PA National Guardsmen - our nation's largest contingent currently serving abroad - who have spent the past several years rotating between their hometowns and the front lines of our conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Seen in this respect, America's small-town values are thus probably the largest component of our entire foreign diplomatic effort. That's something to think about.

Speaking of diplomacy, I was very proud to meet Bob Lamb (pictured here) at last Friday's breakfast meeting of the Bellefonte Rotary Club. A longtime member of the club, Bob retired to the Bellefonte area after 30 years in our nation's Foreign Service, serving the State Department in our embassies around the world in countries such as Belgium, Cyprus and Liberia. Bob and I shared some other experiences in common, as were are both alums of the University of Pennsylvania (Bob in the Class of 1958; myself a 1994 grad; Steve is Wharton Class of 1997) and were inducted into the Friars society while at Penn. (We did the secret handshake.) Although a very rainy morning in downtown Bellefonte, our breakfast at the Café on the Park - with some of the most awesome oatmeal ever - gave us a great start to our day (which for me, involved returning to Pittsburgh via a still-way-too-many-construction-zones Route 22).

Huntingdon is a Cool Town

2009-07-30T15:17:00.000-05:00

During my haitus from Baghdad in the summer of 2006, when I was visiting Steve in State College (he refers to this period as "the occupation"), I spent more than a few afternoons riding my motorcycle around Central PA, touring the countryside at an appropriately leisurely pace. I ride a Yamaha V-Star, which falls into the "cruiser" category of bike, and that acurately describes the particular attitude I have towards riding. A network of lesser-traveled roads stretches out from State College connecting tiny hamlets, winding along streams, carving through farmland and rolling up and over the surrounding hills. You must remain very alert when riding, and this diligence is rewarded in the rich detail you observe in the passing terrain. The road takes on a familiarity that is unknown while traveling the same route in a car. Your relationship is more intimate, and the results of a misunderstanding therefore more potent. Moreso than you ever would in a car, you appreciate air. It's thick, and doesn't like to get pushed around. You feel it change temperature while passing a wheatfield or rounding a shady turn. In short, motorcycle riding makes you become more aware of variables. The essence of cruising is therefore to be found in the fact that even if it's the same road, it's not the same trip.

On one of these jaunts I rolled down Rt. 26 into Huntingdon, PA near Raystown Lake. I eased past the campus of Juniata College and through downtown and pulled over at the point where Standing Stone Creek pours into the Juniata River. A few old railroad bridges cross the creek at that point, and there's a little trail down under the trestles to the edge of the river. Maybe it was the similarity to my hometown of Selinsgrove, with Susquehanna University, that struck me but in any case I took an immediate liking to Huntingdon. "Cool little town," I thought as I remounted and headed east on 22.

On Thursday, Steve and I paid a visit to the Huntingdon Kiwanis Club to give our "What Matters" presentation, and as I rolled into town I saw the banner in the above photograph. Seems like I'm not the only one who got a good impression from this great PA town. Budget Travel magazine put Huntingdon in this year's list of the top five "Coolest Small Towns in America." Cool.

We had a great lunch with the Kiwanis members, and really enjoyed talking about the challenges and rewards of local government with Huntingdon's Mayor-elect Dee Dee Brown and Borough Council President Glenn Stampfle (pictured here). Special thanks to club member Mike Boyle for all the extra help.

State College... and the "Surge"

2009-07-27T13:14:00.004-05:00

Last week we delivered our Summer 2009 presentation "What Matters" at the State College Rotary Club. "What Matters" briefly lays out the connections that can be made between a foreign policy issue such as counterinsurgency in Iraq and the importance of community service in Central PA. Sound far-fetched? Not really. Using the events in Baghdad during the "surge" of 2007-08 as a backdrop, we stressed that in order to appreciate when a community is functioning in a positive and progressive way for its citizens, you need to understand that "history" matters, that "service" matters, and that "local" matters.

The surge strategy emerged when thoughtful reflection on "history" provided guidance on what had - and hadn't - been working to bring stability to Baghdad since the 2003 invasion. Policies and operations put in place supported "service" through enabling the return of Baghdad's mid-level officials to their positions in government and enhancing the efforts of civic-minded individuals to bring positive change to their communities. And major improvements were made to the security situation when the "local" concerns of Baghdad's citizens were addressed in important ways.

While many of the challenges faced in Baghdad differ from our day-to-day lives in Pennsylvania towns, a common thread is to be found in how solutions to our problems can be found in a deeper appreciation of the heritage of selfless service cultivated among the men and women that choose to see their personal well-being as intimately connected to the well-being of their local community - and beyond.

Thanks to the State College Rotary Club for their hospitality; and we want to express a special note of gratitude to club member (and retired Marine Corps Gulf War veteran) Eric Loop for making it such a great evening.

Live from the Afghan "surge"

2009-07-21T13:14:00.004-05:00

Another posting from Profile in Service Michael J. Baumgartner, currently serving in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Helmand is the region witnessing a significant increase in anti-Taliban operations lately. Mike is a part of what is starting to be called the "surge" in Afghanistan.

July Greetings from Helmand!

I returned to Helmand earlier this month from my second R&R and it is certainly good to be back. I say this not because I’m enjoying the rockets and assorted increased security issues we currently have - (I’ve received several close enough reminders over the past few days to know once again that I am not a big fan of rockets, especially when those clever bastards do it at 3 am on the one day you get to sleep in) - but because I really think it is privilege to be down here trying to help out while the big increased US security effort is underway. To have been in Baghdad trying to make a contribution during the Iraq Surge and now to be in Helmand during the Afghan one – I just really feel fortunate.

Stuff is tough at the moment in Helmand, and it is likely to get tougher in the lead up to the late August elections. The situation reminds me somewhat of my first months in Iraq in 2007 at the start of the Surge when the US went on offense and we had over 100 heroes give their lives in both May and June.

To be frank, I’ll be surprised if we see a resulting similar amount of progress here. What we really need is for the local population to believe in the sustainability of the Afghan government and security forces (most important) and Western security forces (of secondary importance) so that they have the confidence needed to stand up to Taliban intimidation. It is early in the offensive, but we are not at that point yet and it will may quite a bit to get there.

I continue to enjoy my job immensely with my Afghan team. We are still playing a lead role in the Helmand government’s most important governance and counterinsurgency program and there are still so many fascinating locals (opium farmers, women’s education, psy ops/public info, youth, mullahs) that I continue to interact with.

In many ways, I think what I am doing is a look into the future of US assistance to Afghanistan. If things go well and get better (let’s hope) there will be a reduction of US forces and more stuff like I am doing and if things get worse (probably not) or stay roughly the same (more likely) there will probably be a reduction of US forces and more stuff like I am doing. As a big positive sign, the current Helmand government really is intent upon helping the people here and in defeating the Taliban. They have a real tough challenge, but I can’t say enough how much I enjoy trying to help them do that. (And I say this with confidence even though I’m having a tougher time than normal with moments of stress and loneliness sometimes). Pray for peace in Afghanistan and Iraq and for all the souls of those who have recently lost their lives in fighting in Helmand.

-Michael J. Baumgartner

Summer Update

2009-07-13T11:37:00.002-05:00

The big theme for The Bisbee Project this summer is simply: “connections”. We’ve been keeping busy with all sorts of different activities, but when it comes right down to it the common thread is all about building connections in some way or another. Our guiding principle, as always, is one of service to our local communities. We believe that when you are doing something positive in your area, in doesn’t take much to see how seemingly small actions right in your backyard can have big consequences elsewhere.

We are proud to announce another successful year for our Scholarships for Service program. Our Class of 2009 awardees recently graduated from eight Central PA high schools and are on their way off to the challenges of college and future careers in service. As always, we are continually on the lookout for ways to support PA’s historical heritage with our Preserving Pennsylvania grants, and we continue to highlight the stories of some very talented and dedicated individuals with our Profiles in Service roster. Aside from these, we have been busy building connections through a whole variety of activities.

Dan is following up his experiences developing counterinsurgency strategy in Baghdad by doing research on the history of counterinsurgency and post-conflict governance en route to his PhD in world history at the University of Pittsburgh. Dan recently attended the World History Association annual conference at Salem State College in historic Salem, Massachusetts. The WHA is the professional organization dedicated to the advancement of a history that makes connections across vast spans of time and space, builds bridges between divergent academic disciplines and brings together scholars from all levels of education, from high schools to research universities.

Steve is displaying Pennsylvania’s entrepreneurial spirit by launching an internet start-up company dedicated to harnessing the global power of the internet to connect local businesses with local capital and local customers. The new platform, called cogster, will help investors who are looking to put their money in “Main Street” instead of Wall Street.

Whether you are in Baghdad or along the banks of the Susquehanna, the actions of individuals at the local level are always connected to what’s going on in the big picture.

Scholarships for Service Class of 2009

2009-07-10T06:59:00.000-05:00

The Bisbee Project is proud to announce our Scholarships for Service Class of 2009.

Scholarships for Service awards recognize graduating high school seniors from the Central PA area who are pursuing a career in service by enrolling in Army, Navy, or Air Force ROTC, attending one of our nation's service academies, or entering service in a local, state or federal government agency upon graduation.

Recipients must exhibit qualities of outstanding leadership potential and academic achievement and demonstrate an exceptional interest in service. Awardees receive a cash award to help them with the expenses of college life. This is the third year of the Scholarships for Service program, and we're always amazed at and inspired by the quality of applicants. Congratulations, Class of 2009!

Everett Benson
Bellefonte Area High School

Gage Cooper
Bald Eagle Area High School

Drake Cooper
Bald Eagle Area High School

Conor Dougherty
Central Columbia High School

Madeline Ede
Selinsgrove Area High School

Sergei Ismailoff
Gettysburg Area High School

Katelyn Kelly
State College Area High School

Zach Morrell
Lewisburg Area High School

Jacob Treon
Danville Area High School

Investing in Iraq's future

2009-07-08T06:46:00.003-05:00

Here's a recent WSJ editorial from counterinsurgency guru John Nagl and Dan Rice, a colleague from Iraq. Economic development in Iraq is the way to secure the security gains earned there; the authors propose an enterprise fund to help Iraqi businesses grow.

A Jump Start For Iraq’s Private Sector
WSJ July 7, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Now that we’ve withdrawn U.S. troops from Iraqi cities, American strategy must shift its emphasis from combat to post-conflict operations. As in post World War II Germany and Japan, economic development through employment is key to maintaining stability.

Yet current development programs in Iraq -- like the Commanders’ Emergency Response Fund, which lets senior military officials spend money on “urgent humanitarian relief and reconstruction” projects -- focus largely on short-term job creation, not on sustainable economic development that reduces unemployment in the long term. A more appropriate weapon would be an enterprise fund to help Iraqis invest in long-term growth.

American counterinsurgency doctrine recommends that the majority of effort be spent on economic development and governance, not on direct combat operations. To date, however, we have not followed our own advice: The U.S. still spends more than 90% of its investment dollars in Iraq on troops, equipment, weapons and logistics.

True, as security has dramatically improved, U.S. commanders on the ground have expended more than $4 billion in emergency response funds to provide Iraqis with jobs such as street cleaning, repair and garbage collection, and on essential services such as medical care and water treatment. But this pot of money was never intended to create long-term jobs, and commanders are restricted from investing the funds in private-sector enterprises.

Most of Iraq’s businesses were formerly state-owned enterprises. But we have dealt with this problem before. After the fall of communism in 1989, the U.S. helped Eastern European and Russian state-owned enterprises transition to the demands of a free-market economy. Ten enterprise funds were created in 10 different countries for a total of $1.3 billion. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) made loans to private-sector fund managers who invested the funds in small to medium-sized businesses. In essence the U.S. government became a very large limited partner in a private-equity fund to create sustainable jobs. Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Eastern Europe has a prosperous private sector in no small part because of the impact of these enterprise funds.

Private capital is already at work in Iraq, demonstrating the validity of this model both for economic development and for increasing employment. For example, Iraq currently imports over $100 million of tomato paste from its neighbors every year, despite the fact that it has enormous agricultural potential in the irrigated farmland between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Until recently, Iraqi farmers had no incentive to grow tomatoes on a commercial scale because there were no tomato-paste processing plants within reasonable transportation distances. In 2008, a private-equity fund invested in the Harir Tomato Paste and Juice processing facility, which had been defunct since the invasion in 2003. With only one Western employee and 200 direct Iraqi employees, the Harir plant is now profitable and has given thousands of Iraqi farmers a market for their produce.

This model could be replicated in factories throughout Iraq in multiple industries if an enterprise fund is approved by Congress. We suggest a $250 million Iraq enterprise fund. While this would only account for one-third of 1% of annual U.S. spending in Iraq, it would have an important amount of financial leverage; the sum could open 10 $25 million enterprises strategically located throughout the country. Instead of spending billions of taxpayer dollars for short-term programs, the enterprise funds could create long-term growth and employment in Iraq while giving U.S. taxpayers a return on their investment in the form of a share of profits going back to the USAID -- while appreciably diminishing support for the insurgency.
As we withdraw from Iraq’s cities we must seek to replace our bases with businesses. An enterprise fund for Iraq is a good way to start the process of achieving victory through economic development.

Dr. Nagl is the president of the Center for a New American Security. Mr. Rice is a partner and co-founder of The Marshall Fund. Both are graduates of West Point who have served in Iraq.

Profile in Service: JAMIE MILLER

2009-06-01T18:21:00.000-05:00

JAMIE MILLER

James (Jamie) Miller was born in Cape Town, South Africa and immigrated to the U.S. when he was 18 months old. He grew up in the small town of Guilford, Connecticut, which he proudly represented in 1989 as captain of their State championship-winning soccer team. After Guilford High School, Jamie went to Harvard University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in History and Literature in 1995. Immediately after graduating, Jamie joined The City School in Boston; having focused his college extra-curricular activities on working with the homeless, he taught high school students about the history of homelessness and poverty in the United States.

In 1996, Jamie won the Lionel de Jersey Harvard Scholarship, founded to honor the last living relative of John Harvard (the University's namesake), which placed him for a year in John Harvard's former suite at Cambridge University. He received a Master's degree in International Relations from Cambridge, and stayed on to study for his Ph.D in History. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Cambridge Review of International Affairs.

While completing his doctoral dissertation in 2001, Jamie became a Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Studies at Bard College in New York. He also served as Deputy Director of the Bard College Program on Globalization in Manhattan.

In 2003, Jamie became an American diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service. He has served so far in our Embassies in Tel Aviv, Tripoli and Baghdad, and is currently serving in Paris. In Tel Aviv and Tripoli, Jamie worked on human rights and trafficking in persons. In Baghdad, Jamie served as the Embassy's lead officer on the province of Baghdad; in this capacity, he worked very closely with the Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team, supporting their efforts to rebuild Iraq's capital during the troop surge of 2007 - 2008.

Jamie is shown above receiving an award from the Iraqi National Security Advisor's office for his work on a joint Iraqi/American anti-corruption program, and while conducting diplomacy with Iraqi officials at the Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad.

Scholarship for Service: SERGEI ISMAILOFF

2009-05-29T10:56:00.003-05:00

2009 Scholarship for Service award
Sergei Ismailoff
Gettysburg Area High School

This week we kicked off scholarship season with a visit to Gettysburg Area High School's Academic Awards Program on Tuesday night. We presented the first of this year's Scholarship for Service awards to graduating senior Sergei Ismailoff of Gettysburg, PA.

Sergei has been a key member of Gettysburg's JROTC program, serving as Battalion XO this year. He also competed on the unit's Ranger Challenge team, an elite skills and stamina competition that ROTC groups train for rigorously throughout the school year. Sergei is a soccer player, plays trumpet and is an Eagle Scout. He is headed to Penn State in the fall to study information technology and hopes to continue service by pursuing a scholarship with Navy ROTC.

The Bisbee Project is proud to introduce Sergei as one of our Class of 2009 Scholarships for Service awardees and we wish him the best of luck in the future!

Update from Afghanistan: Memorial Day

2009-05-26T20:27:00.001-05:00

Our Memorial Day message this year is brought to you by Profile in Service Michael Baumgartner, whose monthly messages from Afghanistan I re-post here at The Bisbee Project. Instead of his usual commentary on the state of counternarcotics in Afghanistan, Michael offers a Memorial Day tribute to two of our fallen colleagues. Steve Farley was killed in Baghdad last year, and Terry Barnich died in an attack in Baghdad on Monday. We offer our condolences to those touched by these losses, and our solemn remembrances to the many, many Americans who have fallen in the line of duty in service to their nation.

May Greetings from Helmand,
I hope this message finds you having a blessed and reflective Memorial week. As with last year in Iraq, I’ve found that being in the proximity of our brave men and women in uniform helps add a greater level of appreciation for this special day, and those who have made the ultimate sacrifices to make our country so exceptional.

In particular, I’ve dedicated my Memorial week reflections to two special Americans I knew from Iraq. The first is Steve Farley -- a Great American who was killed last year in Sadr City. I met Steve a almost a year ago and although I only spent a few hours with him, was amazed and heartened by his enthusiasm and dedication to helping America make Iraq a better place. The day I met him I had a bit of a rough morning as I had watched an MRAP truck in front of me take a roadside bomb and then burn down as we went through Baghdad, and I was honestly a bit depressed when I met Steve a while later. He quickly picked up my spirits and it was impossible not to be motivated by his sunny demeanor as we hung out in that crappy Sadr City JSS for the afternoon. He took me on a short walk ‘outside the wire’ and then had me watch how Iraqis who had property destroyed by the US military during the heavy fighting going on against JAM insurgents during that time had their claims processed by some young Army officers. It was really neat to watch, and I thought demonstrated the benevolence of America in a very difficult situation. After that, we talked about how to better get the central Iraqi government to coordinate and provide services to Sadr City as part of the Baghdad Security Plan.

The most amazing thing about Steve was that he was so dedicated to helping Iraq that after already serving a year in uniform in Baghdad, he stayed home in Oklahoma for all of a week or so before he came back as a civilian with the State Department. I remember that evening I met him telling some of my friends on Baghdad PRT about this amazing guy I had met – he really was.

About two weeks after I met him, Steve was killed by a suicide bomb while trying to help out at a Sadr City district council meeting. I’m sure he was at that meeting in part to try and get the bombed up sewer and water systems fixed (literally rivers of sewage were flowing in the streets after the fighting) and the people there some clean drinking water.

The other Great American I’ve been thinking about is Terry Barnich, a guy who used to work down the hall from me at the Embassy in Baghdad. I’ve just learned that Terry was killed in Baghdad yesterday (25 May). Terry worked in the State Department office that tried to rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure and apparently was in a convoy that took an IED. Details of the attack are beginning to emerge. [Here is a Chicago Tribune story. DB]

Terry and I weren’t close friends, but we’d get a coffee occasionally and I always thought he did great work and was a good guy – the kind guy you definitely would have made an effort to get a drink with if you happened to both be passing through the same town.

Terry once saw me trying to take pictures around the Embassy with my small camera and offered to let me use his pretty high tech camera. His camera was a lot better and I thought it would be fun to try it out for the day. When I put the pic on my computer, I found that his camera’s memory chip still had a bunch of his pictures on it, and so when I downloaded the pictures I took, I ended up with a bunch of his too.

This evening I’ve been looking at a hundred or so random pics I have of Terry on my computer. He and his family in Glacier national park, in Rome, whitewater rafting, making funny faces and poses, etc. – the kind of stuff one does on holiday, lots of smiles and hugs. I always meant to delete those picture before, but never got around to it. Obviously very sad and surreal to see them today. I had never really paid attention to those photos; hard not to today.

The insurgents and terrorists who want to try to keep America from helping Iraq be a better place hit their marks with Steve and Terry. These two patriots were dedicated to helping the Iraqi people and did so much to help them. Please celebrate their sacrifice and include them in your Memorial week thoughts as we honor those who’ve made our nation so wonderful.

Pray for Peace in Afghanistan and Iraq,

-Michael J. Baumgartner

Job hunting? Use social networks to make crucial connections

2009-05-12T18:06:00.003-05:00

A Penn colleague of mine, Brennan Carlson, is featured in this Computerworld article. Brennan's tech savvy is out of this world, and his advice here is right on the money.

Job hunting? Use social networks to make crucial connections

Posted using ShareThis

Dropping in on Philipsburg, PA

2009-05-11T19:45:00.007-05:00

Continuing our tour of service groups located in the communities of Central Pennsylvania, we stopped by for a luncheon meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Philipsburg, PA last week. Nestled into the Moshannon Valley a few miles west of State College, Philipsburg has a history that dates to its founding as a frontier settlement in 1797. Even following the well-worn path of US 322, one still gets a sense of the wildness that must have greeted the area's original Indian inhabitants and early Pennsylvania settlers.

Steve and I have spoken about The Bisbee Project at a number of venues, and when I speak I generally relate our efforts to support local activism with my experiences in Baghdad during the "surge." It's really not as far a stretch as it may sound. While the security aspects of the surge, including the increase in combat power committed to Baghdad, have often been stressed, a lesser-known story involves the degree to which the successes of the surge were a result of local Iraqi leaders and mid-level government officials stepping forward to get their communities back on the right track.

One of the key episodes that I relate involves our efforts to combat the black market oil economy in Baghdad. In mid-2007, we recognized that a militia-run "extra-government" existed in Baghdad. Running parallel to the legitimate government institutions responsible for providing services to Baghdad's residents was a network of alternative institutions subverting government resources to serve criminal and militant ends -- whether offering services to a select loyal constituency, or to the highest bidder. One of the most pervasive, and profitable, networks dealt in the corruption of the oil products distribution system.

The Iraqi state has a system by which it provides oil products (gasoline for cars, kerosene for heating, propane for cooking, etc.) at a very low subsidized rate to its citizens. But to run such a system, you need strong government controls. Without those controls, corrupt officials on the inside and criminal networks on the outside have a huge opportunity to divert wholesale products to a retail black market. Citizens are often willing to part with a little more cash than to ask too many questions about where the oil they are buying came from.

A real success story of the surge came during the fall and winter of 2007/08, when a team of Iraqi government officials at the local, municipal, provincial and national level came together and coordinated an effort to deliver oil products at the official government rate to several Baghdad neighborhoods. This coordination reached across multiple civilian and security agencies and took place among individuals of many different political backgrounds. Success at this effort created a boost in confidence in the Iraqi government at a critical time, and established important precedents for inter-agency coordination within the Iraqi government.

There are lessons to be drawn from Baghdad during the surge, and these lessons are meaningful to the communities of Central Pennsylvania. While it is common to reflect on the great leaders and grand strategies of a moment in history, it is important to recognize the rarely-noticed decisions and actions of committed individuals at the local level -- individuals who take an active part in strengthening their communities. This is the message I brought to the Kiwanis Club of Philipsburg, and this is the message of The Bisbee Project.

Our thanks go out to Emily Getti-Doyle and the rest of the Philipsburg Kiwanis for a great afternoon, and we hope that O/P Senior Prom goes well! We would also like to take a moment to recognize Merle Butterworth, pictured here. Long before serving as a Kiwanis member, he served in the 3rd Army Division, taking part in the Battle of the Bulge during his three years in the European theater of WWII. To Merle and the generations who served before us, your example will never fail to inspire. Thank you.

The view from Tyrone, PA

2009-04-29T08:13:00.008-05:00

If you've never driven the section of Route 99 between State College and Altoona, PA in the early morning hours, you've missed some of the most beautiful scenery in Pennsylvania. Nestled into a ridgeline that creases down the center of the state, 99 winds south towards the turnpike while presenting commanding views of the hills and valleys that roll out to the west as far as the morning mist allows you to see.

About 15 miles to the north of Altoona lies the town of Tyrone, PA, an important community in the history of Pennsylvania's coal economy and home to the always popular Gardner's Candies. Steve and I dropped in to Joe's Place on Old 220 to visit with the Tyrone Kiwanis Club during one of their regular breakfast meetings. Steve talked about our ongoing efforts to build connections with service-oriented groups, like Kiwanis clubs, across the central PA area.

Steve explained part of the rationale of The Bisbee Project's Scholarships for Service program that I think is important to reiterate here. High school graduation season is approaching, and we make every effort to attend every ceremony where our scholarships are awarded. We think it is extremely important to recognize the young people who have decided to pursue careers in service in front of their peers, and make note of how crucial getting good people into positions of responsibility is for our society.

The recent NFL draft drives home a few points about what our society values, in our view. Now, we love pro football as much as anybody, but it is striking when you sit back and think about how much attention is paid to the development of our athletes -- and how haphazard is our society's approach to developing its public servants. For days we are glued to our TV sets watching the draft, and now many of us know exactly where last year's college football stars are playing in the next NFL season. But how many of us can name a single brigade or division commander serving in Iraq or Afghanistan? We can easily list off the names of the top three wide receivers or defensive ends snapped up with multi-million dollar contracts, but do we know who's running for our local school board in this spring's primary? Just something worth thinking about...

We want to thank Bill Ellenberger and the rest of the Kiwanis members for welcoming us to Tyrone. Community service may not be as glamourous as the NFL, but it certainly is essential. Thanks to everybody out there who understands where our real priorities are.

2009-04-08T20:30:00.002-05:00

From the WSJ Opinion page (April 8)

Harvard and the Marines
Why not give our officers the best education?

By JOSEPH KRISTOL and DANIEL WEST

'ROTC must go because we oppose the policies of the United States and we oppose the military that perpetrates them. The lines are clearly drawn; the time to take sides is now."

It was the spring of 1969, and the leaders of the Harvard chapter of Students for a Democratic Society were (with the above statement issued to the student newspaper) agitating to cleanse their campus of "imperialist exploitation." To opponents of the Vietnam War, members of the military -- even students in the Reserve Officers Training Corps -- embodied the policies they despised.

Forty years ago tomorrow, April 9, 1969, this sentiment culminated in a mob of students storming University Hall. Eager to be at the forefront of radical activism, they turned to violent protest. Arsonists torched a Marine Corps classroom, and the administration buckled. ROTC was purged from campus, symbolically repudiating the Vietnam War.

Today, America congratulates itself for having overcome the knee-jerk radicalism of that era. "Support the troops, oppose the war" is the modern battle cry of the antiwar movement. Americans seem to recognize that those in uniform shouldn't be blamed for policies set by elected officials.

But not at Harvard, where ROTC remains officially unwelcome.

The students of 1969 have become the faculty of 2009, and today students who wish to participate in ROTC are forced to train at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We are pawns in a political chess game. The issue is no longer Vietnam, but President Bill Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that bars gays from openly serving in the military. Because of that policy, the university classifies ROTC as a discriminatory organization and has severed all remnants of support.

So Harvard today happily pays for future bankers to take accounting courses at MIT, but refuses to pay for aspiring military officers who take ROTC courses. Since 1994, anonymous donors have generously picked up the tab, providing hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for Harvard's ROTC students.

Sadly, the number of Harvard students who choose military service has dwindled. Harvard, where ROTC was founded in 1916 and which once boasted over 1,000 participants, is now home to only 29 cadets and midshipmen, spread over four years and four branches of service. Recruitment opportunities are deliberately limited, and the student handbook cautions students against joining ROTC, remarking that the program is "inconsistent with Harvard's values." And cadets begin every semester seeking to avoid the professors known to exhibit hostility toward students who wear their uniform to class.

Rather than embracing the mutually beneficial relationship Harvard might share with the military, the faculty prefers to stand in the way of progress, abdicating its responsibility to contribute to one of our nation's most important institutions. The same Harvard that once produced 10 recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and warrior-scholars such as Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, now turns its back on its proud, patriotic history.

But there are reasons to be hopeful that the 40-year exile of ROTC may be drawing to a close. Today, the faculty is out of touch with a student body that is generally supportive of ROTC. The support that both Barack Obama and John McCain expressed during the 2008 presidential campaign for the return of ROTC to elite college campuses showed Harvard's stance to be far from mainstream.

We are also fortunate that Harvard's new president, Drew Faust, has privately praised and met with cadets and midshipmen, and publicly stated her hope that the day ROTC returns to campus is not far off. Though she remains bound by Harvard's discrimination policy, she spoke at last year's commissioning ceremony and expressed her desire to see our numbers grow.

This is encouraging, but it falls short of the appropriate policy: support for the military and those who serve in it, regardless of federal policies. ROTC should be fully and unequivocally welcomed back to Harvard. Accomplishing this would take leadership and courage from President Faust. Perhaps she will be inspired to show this leadership as she joins Gen. David Petraeus in recognizing the ROTC graduates at our commissioning ceremony in June.

Messrs. Kristol and West, seniors at Harvard University, will be commissioned second lieutenants in the United States Marine Corps in June.

Serious Comedy

2009-04-01T17:06:00.004-05:00

A shameless plug for Mask and Wig ComFest 2009

Eleven years ago, Mask & Wig established an annual Intercollegiate Comedy Festival to showcase the talent of the nation’s best collegiate sketch comedy troupes. The mission of the festival is not just to put on a hilarious show that cultivates new talent, but also to honor and showcase a well-known comedian. Past hosts include Ana Gasteyer, Bob Saget, Kevin Nealon, Stephen Colbert, Tim Meadows, Gilbert Gottfried, Dan Bakkedahl and Kenan Thompson.

This year's host is Judah Friedlander of NBC's "30 Rock"

Visit www.CollegeComFest.com for more details!

Date:
Tuesday, April 07, 2009 at 8:00 PM (ET)

Location:
Zellerbach Theater
3680 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19104

History lessons

2009-03-29T20:59:00.005-05:00

I spent my Sunday down at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh; if you are in the area, and haven't caught it yet I would suggest going by to check out an exhibit that is scheduled to close next week.

Free at Last? Slavery in Pittsburgh in the 18th and 19th Centuries, is an exhibition tracing the region's involvement with slavery. While the Quaker State officially abolished slavery back in 1780, numerous loopholes allowed the practice to exist for years.

The exhibit is centered on records from 1792-1857, newly discovered by the Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds, that document the sale, freedom rights, and imprisonment of more than 50 slaves and indentured servants in Western Pennsylvania.

Free at Last? also features biographies of leading abolitionists, successful freedom stories, a George Beck painting that is the earliest-known visual representation of Pittsburgh, and commentary on slavery written by noted Pitt history professors Marcus Rediker and Seymour Drescher.

Prof. Rediker was awarded the prestigious George Washington Book Prize for his latest work, The Slave Ship: A Human History.

History buff or not, you are bound to learn something. Go check it out.

A Visit to Mount Union

2009-03-28T08:15:00.004-05:00

We followed the winding path of the Juniata River deep into scenic Huntingdon County to pay a visit to the Kiwanis club of Mount Union, PA on March 24. We always enjoy the opportunity to meet and share our experiences with groups dedicated to serving their communities. This meeting was very special for us, because it marks the launch of our annual Scholarships for Service season. Over the next few weeks we will be working with high schools in the Central PA area to identify candidates for this year's awards.

After being warmly greeted by the club's President, Mary Trice, we chatted about the Mount Union area with club members. Like many areas in Pennsylvania, Mount Union has seen its industrial base wane over the past half century, but it remains an attractive business and residential community. The area is surrounded by natural beauty and possesses a rich historical legacy. Nearby is the site of Fort Shirley, one in the chain of the many frontier-era forts that stretch across Pennsylvania.

Steve offered some remarks to the group about our work with The Bisbee Project, and our commitment to building stronger ties with other groups dedicated to service. An important task these groups accomplish is to set a good example for the young people in their community, setting the stage for the next generation. Dan followed up with some remarks about his time in Baghdad during the "surge" and how small-town values have an enormous impact on the implementation of foreign policy. When units, such as those from the Pennsylvania National Guard, deploy overseas the soldiers and officers from those units become the face of US foreign policy. The experiences, values, and knowledge they bring with them directly effect how they perform their missions. Mount Union currently has a number of its sons and daughters deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They carry with them the values instilled in them by their community. A commitment to making our communities strong has consequences far beyond the town limits of a place like Mount Union, PA.

We enjoyed the opportunity to visit Mount Union, and we thank Mary and the rest of the Kiwanis club for their hospitality. See you again soon!

March for Babies

2009-03-23T22:00:00.005-05:00

Our family was blessed with the arrival of Chase a little over two years ago, but he had a very rough start to life. Thanks to the support of organizations like the March of Dimes, my nephew Chase is doing well, getting big, and is ready to take part in this year's March for Babies (well, maybe not the whole 6.2 miles!). Below, my brother-in-law John Kelty talks about Chase and our family's reason to support the March of Dimes. Please consider visiting Chase's March for Babies website and making a donation to this worthy cause. It would be greatly appreciated by John, my sister Sarah, big brother Cameron, and of course, Chase, as well as the whole Kelty/Bisbee clan. Thanks!

Hello Friends,

Another year has passed; I hope this message finds you and your families doing well. Understanding that times are tough, I would just ask that you consider supporting me in the upcoming March for Babies sponsored by the March of Dimes. This year′s walk holds special meaning to me, as I will be able to bring my son Chase to the event and watch him walk with his older brother. Chase is a living testament to the role that this charity plays in funding research that saves lives!

My son was born very unexpectedly at 23 weeks old, weighing a mere 1lbs 4oz. He spent the first six months of his life in NICU, enduring countless surgeries and blood transfusions on top of being ventilated due to severely underdeveloped lungs. Even after being released from the hospital, he spent the next five months on oxygen.

When we walk on 4/26/09, Chase will be celebrating his 2 year anniversary of being released from the hospital. I am excited that he has been getting stronger each day and one day this will just be a story my wife and I tell about our miracle child and his overcoming extraordinary odds at birth to become a healthy young man.

There is nothing in life harder than having an extremely ill child. By supporting the March of Dimes you are helping to fund valuable research that may prevent another family from having to experience what we did. Again, I ask that you consider supporting me in this campaign to give children a healthy start to life.

My personal web page address for donations is:

http://www.marchforbabies.org/chasekennedy

John Kelty