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Written by Air Force officer and military wife, Carolyn Quick Tillery, The Military Wives Cookbook: 200 Years of Traditions, Recipes, and Remembrances (Cumberland House Publishing, 2008) recreates scenes and foods from more than 200 years of American history in order to recount numerous stories of commitment and sacrifice that military wives have given for this great nation.

As much about America’s history as it is about America’s food, The Military Wives Cookbook is a collection of recipes, anecdotal stories, and vintage photographs tracing the history and unique contributions of American military wives. Some chapters recreate recipes from a historic account, such as “A Colonial Thanksgiving” and “Christmas in the Confederate White House,” both of which describe holidays celebrated under wartime conditions.

Section one specifically covers teas and coffees, while section two focuses on buffets, brunches, and lunches. Section three is about the all-American family dinner. Section four covers alfresco dining, while section five goes international and brings to the mainland influences from numerous foreign countries our military families have experienced. Finally, section six remembers an American holiday season.

Tillery currently manages the U.S. Central Command Family Readiness Program, which helps families in times of peace, crisis, and war with information that enhances quality of life, prepares families for extended deployment separations, sustains them during deployment, and facilitates smooth family reintegration following deployment.

In dangerous parts of the world, organized crime runs rampant and unchecked. It threatens not only citizens but also the wildlife and the environment. Many overextended governments and military forces are unable to cope with the demands of fighting these predators. Shadow Force, premiering Friday, Nov. 7 at 10 p.m., Eastern Time, on the History channel, showcases the history of unconventional military operations through the eyes of an elite team operating in a modern day setting, and offers one of the first real insights into the high-stakes world of private military operations.

Shadow Force follows a team of former Special Force soldiers as they do what governments and aid agencies cannot — from combating piracy in Liberia, to stopping illegal forestation and saving rare mountain gorillas in the Congo, to setting up an alert system to help stop tribal wars in Kenya, and to tracking illegal Ivory into the black market.

Unconventional warfare tactics have been around since the beginning of war itself.  Small units, who have mastered the art of deception, and special techniques, have historically prevailed against overwhelming odds. The Shadow Force team is the latest in this long tradition of special warriors. Their knowledge and understanding of this art, as well advance surveillance techniques and their military know how, gives them the edge to bring down bands of criminal operations. To succeed, they also must possess broad and in-depth knowledge about the history, government, and customs of the countries they are operating in.

The Shadow Force team is made up of four experts, all with distinct skill sets that make them uniquely qualified to carry out these dangerous missions:

•    Bob Parr – The Shadow Force team leader is a counter-terrorism consultant and former member of the United Kingdom Special Forces and onetime Royal Marines Commando.

•    sLiM – A former U.S. Special Forces member as well as Army Ranger, sLiM is the technical/tactical specialist of the team.

•    Cobus Claassens – A Marine and Naval specialist, and former South African Special Forces, he is an expert in the West Africa region with 20 years of experience. Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in Blood Diamond was inspired by Claassens.

•    Laura Engelbrecht – A diplomatic and Central African specialist, she was a U.S. State Department operations specialist and U.S. Embassy Political Attaché in the Congo.

•    Ralph – A tracking and electronics expert and Rhidian Bridge, is a naval specialist who joins the team on specific missions.

Mixed martial arts fighters Hermes Franca, Tom Jones, Tony Schiena, and Kevin Randleman will soon mix things up in the Persian Gulf and treat troops to a special visit as part of a week-long USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour. On a mission to deliver the comforts of home to servicemembers stationed overseas, the group will demonstrate fighting techniques, share their experiences in the ring, and extend their heartfelt gratitude to those currently at war. Nationally recognized sports announcer/promoter Scott Casber of HD-Net’s “Inside MMA” will serve as tour emcee.

Designed to bring entertainment directly to the front lines and boost troop morale, the group will helo to several remote forward operating bases and stage nearly a dozen meet & greets. In a show of their support and commitment to America’s armed forces, the group will also teach a training clinic and judge MMA combative tournaments between competing US troops.

“Words cannot express just how fortunate we feel to travel on this USO tour to the Persian Gulf,” says Casber, host of Inside MMA. “We look forward to telling our Armed Forces that America not only cares about their well-being and stands behind them, but also hasn’t forgotten them.”

This trip continues the USO tradition of bringing professional athletes and sports-related events to troops serving far from home. Whether signing autographs, teaching clinics, posing for photos or coaching tournaments, USO celebrity volunteers help service members and their families feel a little closer to home. Athletes who recently participated in USO tours include Andrei Arlovski, Jeff Bzdelik, Ed Conroy, Jim Crews, Dave Leitao, Jeff Nix, Gary Stewart, Fran Fraschilla, Brian Gregory, Jeff Jones, Dree Brees, and Osi Umenyiora.

For a list of recent and upcoming USO tours, visit http://www.uso.org/whatwedo/entertainment/.  To find out how to support the troops, visit www.uso.org. 

The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center has extended an invitation to the military community to visit the Center before the official public opening. These test tours will act as trial runs for the Center staff in preparation for their opening.

The test dates are: 5-8 Nov, 11 Nov, 14 & 15 Nov and 19-22 Nov.

You must be a DOD ID card holder to participate and you must RSVP and get a confirmation for a specific date and time. If you are interested, please contact Pentagon Services for full details. You can visit them at Pentagon Services, Room 5E932 or call (703) 697-9866.

Internationally-recognized tennis pro Anna Kournikova will fly to Guam to visit hundreds of military schoolchildren as part of a USO tour Oct. 27-Nov. 1. Traveling to the island to show her support to service members and their families, Kournikova will speak to young students about the importance of nutrition, fitness and following their dreams. She will also talk with youngsters about military life, tour local military bases and share her experience traveling the world.

Often looked up to as a role-model for her success in tennis and commitment to sportsmanship, Kournikova is one of the world’s most recognized and respected athletes. The face of K-Swiss, Inc. and Yonex, she has transcended the tennis court and entered the mainstream world of fashion, beauty, business and health and fitness. Whether on the court or jet setting to her next venture, she routinely gives back to the community and raises awareness of charities in support of children.

“Spending time with kids is something I’ve always enjoyed,” says Kournikova. “I am very excited about my upcoming USO tour to Guam as it allows me a unique opportunity – the chance to not only talk to my very favorite audience, today’s youth, but also thank them for their dedication.”

Born in Moscow, Kournikova picked up her first tennis racquet at the tender age of five. Just five years later, she signed a management deal and, in 1995, turned pro. The youngest player to ever participate and win a Fed Cup match, Kournikova went on to defeat many top players, including Steffi Graff, Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis. These wins, along with her consistent top 10 rankings, two Grand Slam Doubles titles and three Grand Slam Mixed Doubles titles, showcase her athleticism, talent and perseverance on the court.

Oct. 23 marked the 25th anniversary of the tragic bombing that killed 241 Marines, sailors, and soldiers in Beirut, Lebanon, Oct. 25, 1983.

The U.S. Naval Institute joined servicemembers across the globe commemorating the mission of peace on which those Marines and others embarked — and recalling their selfless sacrifice.

An exclusive account of those events — by the Marine commander on the ground retired Col. Timothy Geraghty — appears in this month’s issue of Proceedings.

Click here to read the article.

Speaker Series on October 21- Historic Vienna, Inc. will hold its semiannual membership meeting on Tuesday October 21st at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

Authors Robert F. Dorr and astronaut and pilot Thomas D. Jones will speak about their book, Hell Hawks! It is a riveting account of the gritty and unheralded war fought by the young Thunderbolt pilots of the Ninth Air Force during WWII. Hell Hawks! Is the untold story an aerial band of brothers, long overlooked by military historians of WWII in Europe.

The speaker series goes hand in hand with the WWII Veterans exhibit which Historic Vienna, Inc. will unveil on Veterans Day in 2008. The membership meeting on October 21st is open and free to the public and refreshments will be served.

Buy a copy of the book Hell Hawks on Amazon.com, or at the talk tonight in Vienna, VA!

Few people fail in new positions because of insufficient technical skills — the vast majority of job failures are attributable to issues of style, personality, communication, and cultural compatibility. The people most at risk of failure might be those who were long tenured on a previous position or working in small organizations where there are fewer hands available to reorient or reinforce an under-performer.

Consider these reasons for job failure:

•    Not learning the technology in a technology company. Know the details of what your company manufacturers and sells and where these products are in their life cycles.  Be alert for situations that require sales engineers or technical people to bring customers the right level of detail.

•    Failing to adapt to your boss’ preferred methods of communication. Some bosses hate to hear from the office during their commutes.  Others resent repeated requests for one-minute get-togethers that instead last 40 minutes.  Also, a senior-subordinate relationship that relies too heavily on non-verbal communication might deprive a worker of important feedback.  Consider periodically asking your boss what one thing he or she would change about how you’re communicating.

•    Not recognizing situations outside your frame of reference.  Be watchful for the hidden agendas of coworkers, overly optimistic assumptions, and rituals and relationships that aren’t reflected in the organizational diagram and might not be obvious to an outsider.  Displaying a natural curiosity, seeking a range of opinion, avoiding lightening-fast decisions, striving for consistency and evenhandedness, and not being afraid to ask for help are effective techniques to build knowledge, understand customers and competitors, increase your credibility, and lay a foundation for long-term success.

•    Failing to add value in a bottom-line driven organization.  Successful companies hire two kinds of people: those who can make money and those who can save money.  Your contribution will be weighed in terms of revenue produced.  At most, you have one to two years to demonstrate your value to the organization.

•    Failing to listen intensely.  Misunderstandings about goals, priorities, customer needs, and even working hours undermine the effectiveness of many new employees.  Displaying a genuine ability to suspend judgment and not discard information that differs from your own previously formed opinions often translates into increased credibility and influence.

Consider advice from Michael Watkins in The First 90 Days (Harvard Business School Press, 2003): Transition failures happen when new people “either misunderstand the essential demands of the situation or lack the skill and flexibility to adapt to them.”  Transitions to any new position are critical times because small differences on your actions can have disproportionate impact on results.

About the author: Jim Carman is a graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management and a retired Navy captain. He writes, lectures, and coaches job candidates on interview skills and career transition topics.

For more information on this program, or to book or offer a ride yourself, visit MilitaryRideShare.com.

A recently launched website has quickly begun to change the way active duty military members’ travel, by allowing them to log on and connect with others who might be traveling in the same direction for long weekends, vacation, and base transfers. This new online service is targeted specifically to military members and word has spread rapidly throughout the armed forces about the site. Since the site’s launch on Sept 13, 2008, there have been over 4000hits on the site. Currently, more than ten separate posts of people offering rides or requesting a ride home are actively listed.

“A place where Marines, Sailors, Air Men and Soldiers can ride home together and save a little green.

Read the entire press release from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Artists and Celebrities from 50 Cent to Kid Rock to Beyoncé Join Forces For “A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE” NEW YORK – Today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation’s first and largest nonpartisan Iraq and Afghanistan veterans group, announced it has teamed up with MTV’s Choose or Lose campaign to produce “A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE” to mobilize support for our country’s newest generation of heroes.

The concert will coincide with the launch of BRAVE (Bill of Rights for American Veterans), a petition to call attention to the most urgent issues facing Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. “A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE,” will be taped in New York City on October 23 and is scheduled to air on MTV on Friday, October 24, at 8pm ET.

“A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE” will feature performances and appearances by some of today’s top MTV artists and movie stars, including live performances by 50 Cent, Ludacris, Saving Abel, along with special taped performances and messages from Kanye West, Kid Rock, Fall Out Boy, Angels and Airwaves, Juanes, Taylor Swift, Nelly, Beyoncé, Seth Green, Elizabeth Banks and others.

Concert attendees and viewers will be encouraged to sign a petition supporting BRAVE to hold elected officials accountable for adequately caring for new veterans. Supporters can sign the petition by texting BRAVE to 66333 or by logging on to http://www.chooseorlose.com.