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Three online courses in systems engineering, designed to prepare workers for jobs coming to Maryland through the federal Base Realignment and Closure process, are being launched by Johns Hopkins University Engineering for Professionals, EP, the part-time graduate program of the university’s Whiting School of Engineering.

EP began developing the new courses after receiving a $140,000 grant from the Maryland Higher Education Commission in the fall of 2008. The grant was awarded to help the university give workers some of the skills needed for jobs coming to Maryland through the federal BRAC process, which seeks to find efficient and cost- effective ways to close and/or realign military bases.

EP students are able to complete the master’s in systems engineering degree program fully online. Find more information on the program at their Web site.

Part of The Johns Hopkins University’s Whiting School of Engineering, Engineering for Professionals offers master’s degrees in 15 distinct disciplines. There are currently more than 2,200 students enrolled in EP programs at eight education centers throughout the Baltimore/Washington area and online. For more information on EP programs and functions, contact Associate Dean Allan Bjerkaas at 410-516-2300, visit http://ep.jhu.edu/ or send e-mail to jhep@jhu.edu.

THE PRESIDENT: Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen and members of the Armed Forces, fellow Americans, family and friends of those that we lost this day — Michelle and I are deeply humbled to be with you.

Eight Septembers have come and gone. Nearly 3,000 days have passed — almost one for each of those taken from us. But no turning of the seasons can diminish the pain and the loss of that day. No passage of time and no dark skies can ever dull the meaning of this moment.

So on this solemn day, at this sacred hour, once more we pause. Once more we pray — as a nation and as a people; in city streets where our two towers were turned to ashes and dust; in a quiet field where a plane fell from the sky; and here, where a single stone of this building is still blackened by the fires.

We remember with reverence the lives we lost. We read their names. We press their photos to our hearts. And on this day that marks their death, we recall the beauty and meaning of their lives; men and women and children of every color and every creed, from across our nation and from more than 100 others. They were innocent. Harming no one, they went about their daily lives. Gone in a horrible instant, they now “dwell in the House of the Lord forever.”

We honor all those who gave their lives so that others might live, and all the survivors who battled burns and wounds and helped each other rebuild their lives; men and women who gave life to that most simple of rules: I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper.

We pay tribute to the service of a new generation — young Americans raised in a time of peace and plenty who saw their nation in its hour of need and said, “I choose to serve”; “I will do my part.” And once more we grieve. For you and your families, no words can ease the ache of your heart. No deeds can fill the empty places in your homes. But on this day and all that follow, you may find solace in the memory of those you loved, and know that you have the unending support of the American people.

Scripture teaches us a hard truth. The mountains may fall and the earth may give way; the flesh and the heart may fail. But after all our suffering, God and grace will “restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” So it is — so it has been for these families. So it must be for our nation.

Let us renew our resolve against those who perpetrated this barbaric act and who plot against us still. In defense of our nation we will never waver; in pursuit of al Qaeda and its extremist allies, we will never falter.

Let us renew our commitment to all those who serve in our defense — our courageous men and women in uniform and their families and all those who protect us here at home. Mindful that the work of protecting America is never finished, we will do everything in our power to keep America safe.

Let us renew the true spirit of that day. Not the human capacity for evil, but the human capacity for good. Not the desire to destroy, but the impulse to save, and to serve, and to build. On this first National Day of Service and Remembrance, we can summon once more that ordinary goodness of America — to serve our communities, to strengthen our country, and to better our world.

Most of all, on a day when others sought to sap our confidence, let us renew our common purpose. Let us remember how we came together as one nation, as one people, as Americans, united not only in our grief, but in our resolve to stand with one another, to stand up for the country we all love.

This may be the greatest lesson of this day, the strongest rebuke to those who attacked us, the highest tribute to those taken from us — that such sense of purpose need not be a fleeting moment. It can be a lasting virtue.

For through their own lives –- and through you, the loved ones that they left behind –- the men and women who lost their lives eight years ago today leave a legacy that still shines brightly in the darkness, and that calls on all of us to be strong and firm and united. That is our calling today and in all the Septembers still to come.

May God bless you and comfort you. And may God bless the United States of America.

If you’re looking for a great deal on a fabulous get-a-away, or even just looking for a weekend out of town, look no further.

MOAA has info on military-only discounts for great vacations. Check it out, and then start planning that vacation!

From an article by Philip Rucker in the Washington Post:

Matt Flavin oversaw a 450-person intelligence unit in Bosnia, deployed overseas with the Navy SEALs and survived combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. But the challenge now facing the 29-year-old is in Washington, where he is charged with helping President Obama make good on his pledge to expand veterans’ benefits.

Flavin, director of the new White House Office of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy, is the administration’s liaison to the nation’s roughly 23 million veterans. For a president with no military experience, he orchestrates outreach to the politically prized constituency.

And MOAA’s Preisdent Vice Admiral Norb Ryan Jr., had good things to say about Flavin in the article as well, discussing his availability on reaching out on policy issues affecting the military:

“He e-mails you at midnight or takes your call at 7 in the morning,” said retired Adm. Norbert Ryan, president of the Military Officers Association of America.

Good luck to Mr. Flavin in his new position! We hope he serves our military well.

If you’re a servicemember deployed to Afghanistan, you’re outnumbered- at least by contractors also on the ground there. This is according to a report recently released by the Congressional Research Service.

As of March, contractors made up 57% of the Pentagon’s force in Afghanistan! Read the full article in the New York Times for a more in-depth analysis of the report, and it’s possible effects on our military efforts.

Watch a video message from President Obama, introducing the new “Troop Town Hall“. This joint project between the White House and the Department of Defense allows troops from all across Central Command to send in questions by email, text or video. Participants then vote for the questions that think are the most important.  At the conclusion of the program, the President and Secretary Gates will answer the top questions (President Obama promises not to give all the hard ones to Secretary Gates).

Information courtesy of Military Homefront

Commissary customers can save 30 percent or more on their purchases every day, but in September they can save even more by shopping at a worldwide case lot sale in their community.

As seen in the past, the Defense Commissary Agency’s worldwide case lot sale promises record numbers of customers taking advantage of savings of 50 percent or more on bulk-sized products. These items range from the following:

• canned goods
• beverages
• toilet paper
• paper towels
• produce
• fresh meat
• seafood
• pet supplies
• cleaning and laundry products
• and more…

Most commissaries hold case lot sales but schedule them on different weekends throughout September. Visit the case lot schedule to find out when your commissary is hosting a sale, as well as additional store information to include phone numbers, contact information, and other upcoming events.

Always check with your local commissary for date changes or cancellations before you go. Case lot sales may be cancelled due to weather or other events beyond our control.

The six o’clock position — directly to one’s rear — is the most difficult to watch and protect. So, in an effort to cover the “six,” the U.S. Army has begun outfitting M1 Abrams tanks and Stryker wheeled APCs with the Check-6 Infrared Rearview System made by BAE Systems. Check-6 allows a tank or APC crew to see behind the vehicle without leaving its confines.

The Check-6 system, developed through BAE’s work with thermal weapon sights, is essentially an infrared camera that fits into the lower section of a tail light housing. The camera installs without having to be welded or drilled and provides a field upgrade capability for existing and new vehicles.

The system provides day, night, and all-weather visibility.

“We found a space in the tail light and put a camera in there,” says Karen Spiller, BAE’s manager of media relations. “It’s pretty simple, but it’s a unique solution and something that the troops need.”

Spiller, who notes BAE is producing the units at its Austin, Texas, facility on a $45 million contract from General Dynamics, says BAE began delivering Check-6 systems in April. The company expects to deliver more than 12,000 of the units in the next decade. The system can be installed on 300,000 current and planned Army vehicles, she adds.

“Without the Check-6 system, the driver and crew of the vehicle cannot see what’s behind them without leaving the protective cover of their vehicle,” Spiller says. “Check-6 is basically a low cost solution that gives the vehicle’s crew a much-needed rearward situational awareness while reducing their exposure to deadly threats. Reliable visibility also increases vehicle safety and can save lives.”

Spiller notes that BAE has delivered 100 systems to Iraq and the response from troops has been positive.

“The soldiers love it,” she says. “It’s been credited with saving the lives of a U.S. Army colonel and a general in Iraq.”

BAE Systems also is seeking to develop Check-6 applicability to other types of vehicles.

About the author: Alan M. Petrillo is a Tucson, Ariz., freelance writer who works in a wide variety of fields, writing for national and regional magazines and newspapers. He’s also the author of the historical mystery, Full Moon.