From: bergman@AFPAN.PA.AF.MIL (CMSgt Mike Bergman)
Newsgroups: soc.veterans
Subject: Army News Service 08/11/92
Date: 12 Aug 92 17:29:54 GMT
Organization: Hq Air Force News Agency/SCC


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Update on warrant boards

      WASHINGTON (ARNEWS) -- Army drawdown efforts reached another 
milestone recently with the scheduling, in fiscal 1993, of certain 
boards for warrant officers' retirement or release from active duty.
      A message from the U.S. Total Army Personnel Command set the 
approximate date of Oct. 27 to convene selective retirement boards, or 
SRBs, for Regular Army warrant officers. The boards will also serve as 
release-from-active-duty boards for retirement-eligible "other than 
Regular Army" warrant officers.
      The boards will consider chief and master warrant officers, 
regular and OTRA, who -- 
-- are not on a promotion list;
-- don't have an approved voluntary or mandatory retirement date in 
fiscal 1993 or 1994; and
-- as of the convene date, are retirement-eligible, with 20 years' 
active federal service.
      Warrants within the SRB or release from active duty (REFRAD) 
zone of consideration who are designated MW4 "will be considered in 
their active-duty-list grade of CW4," the message states. "Warrant 
officers who are within the SRB or REFRAD zone will not be excluded 
from the zone because they are on a previous master warrant officer 
selection list."
      "This is the first time that a board will have considered 
warrant officers for involuntary retirement," said CW4 Curt Oldroyd, 
of the Army's Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel.
      "Right now," he added, "we calculate that 500 to 600 warrants 
will need to be selected to meet fiscal 1993 end-strength require-
ments. Those numbers will be adjusted as necessary to compensate for 
voluntary losses that help reduce the fiscal 1993 WO end strength."
      There will not be a warrant reduction-in-force in fiscal 1993. 
But RIF and selective retirement boards are expected in the following 
two years, to meet drawdown requirements, Oldroyd said.
      He added that the SRB/REFRAD board process requires that 
selected warrants separate no later than July 1, 1993.
      The PERSCOM message includes such other information as the 
procedure and deadline for applying for normal voluntary retirement, 
instead of board consideration. Oldroyd said that copies of the 
message should be available at local personnel service centers.


Desert Storm hero wins Boy Scout award

      WASHINGTON (ARNEWS)-- Operation Desert Storm will forever be 
remembered as a time when acts of heroism and courage were the norm, 
not the exception. Spec. Frank Bradish is one soldier whose actions 
were honored recently with the Young American Award from the National 
Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
      Bradish arrived in Saudi Arabia in December 1990 with the 1st 
Brigade, 3rd Armored Division out of Germany. He was assigned to a 
scout platoon on a Bradley fighting vehicle as a dismount -- an 
infantryman who secures the area for a vehicle. He didn't see action 
until his unit attacked the flank of a Republican Guard element during 
the ground war.
      On the night of Feb. 27, by then in Iraqi territory, his Bradley 
engaged a Soviet-made T-72 battle tank. The tank was hit but returned 
fire on the Americans.
      "I felt our vehicle rock back really hard; and then the Halon 
went off, which is a fire extinguishing device," Bradish said. "I 
thought, 'I gotta get out of here.' So I opened up the door and got 
shot."
      Bradish and the other dismount were about to exit through the 
back ramp when another Iraqi tank came to the rear and opened fire 
with a .50-caliber machine gun.
      "A body won't stop a .50-caliber round at all. It went all the 
way through the vehicle's ramp, which is six inches thick with layered 
steel. It just blew right through that like nothing, then hit us," 
Bradish said. "The same rounds that hit me hit the other soldier."
      The rounds then exploded through the ready box in the turret, 
where ammunition was stored, setting off rounds popping like 
firecrackers.
      Unaware of the injuries to his hand, thighs and groin, Bradish 
grabbed the other dismount, whose legs and one arm had been blown off, 
and dragged him about 12 feet away from the vehicle.
      As Iraqi fire continued, he returned to the vehicle, pulling out 
the .50-caliber machine gun and radio from the wrecked tank, so he 
wouldn't be defenseless if the Bradley exploded.
      Returning again, Bradish checked to see if anyone else survived 
the attack. Climbing on top of the vehicle, he saw that the Bradley 
commander was dead from the initial shot.
      Grabbing a box of flares, Bradish jumped off the Bradley and was 
looking around when he heard moaning about 50 feet away. The turret 
gunner had been blown from the vehicle and suffered from a chest 
wound. Bradish dragged him back to where the other survivor lay and 
set up a defensive perimeter that he would defend for almost 30 
minutes.
      He tried to contact the platoon leader on the radio, but there 
was too much traffic, and his radio was weak. Bradish pulled out a 
white star cluster to signal emergency; then realized one hand was 
mangled and he couldn't open the flare. Holding the flare with his 
teeth, he pulled off the top and fired into the sky.
      As soon as the star cluster burst, Bradish's lieutenant knew a 
unit needed help. Clearing the radio of all other traffic, the 
lieutenant got Bradish's distress signal and immediately sent 
assistance to his location. 
      Two minutes later, another crew member joined Bradish without 
any injuries but suffering from shell-shock. Bradish and the new 
arrival began firing at the Iraqi tank and dismounts still attacking 
them.
      The platoon leader arrived soon after, bringing the medics. 
Bradish refused to leave the machine gun, insisting the other soldiers 
be treated first.
      "We got these two dudes here that are hurt worse than I am," 
Bradish told the medics. "Get them on the vehicle and get them out of 
here."
      The medics loaded all of them and transported them to Battalion 
Aid, where Bradish first began to feel pain as his adrenaline surge 
wore off.
      "I didn't even know I had shrapnel in my back until I had an 
itch and I reached back there to scratch it, and my finger went into 
the hole to the first joint," Bradish said.
      Bradish's injuries included a .50-caliber wound that pierced 
both thighs, a damaged hand and a groin injury. After being treated at 
battalion, he was transported to Germany for stitches, then to Fort 
Lewis, Wash., for skin grafts. 
      For his gallantry in action and his courage, Bradish was awarded 
the Silver Star, the Army's third highest award. In addition, he 
received the Purple Heart, the National Defense Medal and the 
Southwest Asia Service Medal.
      Bradish received his Boy Scout Award on May 15, 1992. He was one 
of only nine people selected for this honor.
      The Young American Awards, first presented in 1968, are given to 
youths between the ages of 15 and 25 who have achieved exceptional 
service through science, religion, service, government, business, 
athletics, art, music and literature.
      Rae Bradish, the soldier's mother, is an ecologist for the Idaho 
Fish and Game Department. She isn't surprised by her son's efforts.
      "All of my kids learned that when someone's in trouble, they 
should help," his mom said.
      While recovering in Germany, she called from his home town of 
Pocatello, Idaho to say that people there considered him a hero.
      "I never looked at what I did as bravery or valor or anything," 
Bradish said. "I looked at it as part of the job, something I had to 
do."
     (Portions of this story were provided by People magazine and the 
Fort Lewis Northwest Guardian.)


Washington, D.C., Hosts Army Ten-Miler

      WASHINGTON (ARNEWS) -- Troops will be advancing on Washington, 
D.C., soon. But instead of clutching machine guns and dressed in BDUs, 
they'll be squeezing water bottles and wearing shorts when the eighth 
annual Army Ten-Miler is run Oct. 11.
      The Ten-Miler, ranked for the third year in a row by the 
Athletic Congress as the largest 10-mile road race in the United 
States, will involve military and civilian athletes from around the 
world. 
      More than 5,600 people competed for trophies in last year's 
race. Traditionally called the "Run the River Bridges," the flat 
course begins and ends at the Pentagon, taking runners through 
Washington, D.C.
      A revolving Commander's Cup trophy will be awarded to the top 
military team. Last year's trophy was won by "Follow Me," an Army team 
from Fort Benning, Ga., with a winning time of 3:25:42.
       Awards also go to teams in the categories of open men and 
women, masters open men and women, active-duty military open men and 
women, Army Reserve, National Guard, government agencies, 
corporations, military academies and Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
      Each team must have a designated captain, with each team having 
four to six runners. The team score is made up of the top four 
runners' times.
      The top male and female finishers overall will each receive a 
Director's Cup, while other awards are given to the top three men and 
women in each age category, the top three teams in each category and 
the top wheelchair racers.
      All finishers will receive certificates, and the first 7,000 
entrants will each receive a long-sleeved T-shirt.
      Registration for the Army Ten-Miler begins now; forms are 
available through most Army recreation centers. You can also write to: 
The Army Ten-Miler, P.O. Box 46594, Washington, D.C., 20050-6594. 
Phone: (703) 614-1551 or DSN 224-1551.
      The entry fee is $12 per person if received before Sept. 25, and 
$20 per person after that date.
      For anyone traveling to Washington for the race, the Doubletree 
Hotel and the Arlington Days Inn, both in Arlington, Va., will provide 
special rates for runners competing in the Army Ten-Miler. For more 
information, call the Doubletree Hotel toll free at 1-800-848-7000 or 
Days Inn (collect) at 1-703-525-0300. Say "Army Ten-Miler" to receive 
the special rates.
      Both hotels will provide transportation to and from Washington 
National Airport.
      Also scheduled for that weekend are a pre-race pasta dinner, 
continental breakfast and sports exposition with registration forms 
providing more information about the race, accommodations or other 
events.
      The Army Ten-Miler is sponsored by the U.S. Army Military 
District of Washington; Headquarters, Army Recreation Services; and 
the Association of the U.S. Army, George Washington and Fairfax-Lee 
chapters.


Talent search underway for Army Soldier Show

      WASHINGTON (ARNEWS) -- The Army's looking for stars with energy 
-- not celestial stars, but soldier stars. Recruiting for the 1993 
Army Soldier Show is underway, according to officials at the Army's 
Community and Family Support Center in Alexandria, Va.
      Active-duty officer and enlisted soldiers who sing, dance, play 
an instrument, perform a specialty act, or have experience in lighting 
and audio are needed to make up the show's cast and crew.
      The Army Soldier Show is the brainchild of the late Sgt. Irving 
Berlin. Established during World War I, it has kept a tradition of 
providing entertainment "for the soldier, by the soldier."
      Soldiers wanting to take part in the next show should send their 
nomination packets to the Army Soldier Show office by Oct. 30.
      "We're looking for soldiers who love to perform, are talented, 
have lots of energy, and will work hard," said the show's artistic 
director, Edwin Ridenour. "The soldiers we choose have to be tops in 
their units as well as tops in talent because they represent the 
Army's finest." 
      Selectees will be attached to CFSC for 179 days, which include 
intensive rehearsals, a rigorous production schedule and a four-month, 
50,000-mile road tour.
      Nominees must send a VHS videotape of themselves performing 
their specialties. Technician nominees must submit a full-length 
photograph, a resume of experience and training, and a recommendation 
from a local representative of Morale, Welfare and Recreation.
      Judging and selection will take place during November. Soldiers 
selected will be notified in mid-December. Commanders must confirm 
soldiers' availability by the end of January 1993.
      Mail nomination packets to: Army Soldier Show, P.O. Box 439, 
Fort Belvoir, Va., 22060. For more information, call DSN 656-6393/6394 
or (703) 806-6393.
     (From a USACFSC release.)  


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