Your Duty

Thursday, March 27, 2014

High-tech apprentice program expands

ST. LOUIS — Cody Beck slogged through four years of classes at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, a psychology major who didn’t want to treat patients, a budding entrepreneur with an affinity for business but no desire for the button-down world of business school.

Two years later, the 24-year-old Missouri native’s résumé includes a stint with a startup in Dublin and a starring role in a new high-tech apprentice program envisioned as a career-boosting alternative to the four-year college degree.

“Now when I talk to people, I don’t ever mention my degree. I tell them what I’ve done,” he said. “That seems to matter to them way more than my grade-point average.”

On Wednesday, Beck hobnobbed with local business heavyweights and a dozen Wall Street venture capitalists at the Midwest unveiling of Enstitute. The New York-based nonprofit hopes to match as many as 100 college students — or other millennials who opted out of higher education — with mentors from the local business community, with an emphasis on one- and two-year jobs in science, technology and digital media. The company touts that 90 percent of its initial crop of New York participants either landed full-time jobs paying at least $55,000 annually or started their own companies. The effort has since expanded to Washington since its 2012 rollout.

“We don’t think college is wrong,” said co-founder Shaila Ittycheria. “But it was never meant for everyone. And it wasn’t meant for everyone at the age of 18.”

Enstitute hopes to grow into “the first national apprenticeship program for 21st-century careers,” co-founder Kane Sarhan told the St. Louis audience. While its efforts so far remain modest, the organization has attracted some boldface names in the local business community, including Build-A-Bear Workshop founder Maxine Clark, who serves on Enstitute’s local board of directors; and Tom Hillman, a self-described “serial entrepreneur” who is now a managing partner at FLT Capital, a private equity firm.

“The most significant bridge [in higher education] is with practicum — what’s learned outside the classroom,” said Hillman, a Washington University graduate who serves on the school’s board of trustees.

Clark, the retired CEO of the teddy bear retailer, compared Enstitute’s role in shaping future business leaders to Teach for America, on whose board she sits.

“There’s some really bright young talent who could be engaged in business” but instead pursue creative pursuits such as art or dance, she said.

While college graduates as a whole continue to substantially out-earn their peers without degrees over a lifetime, the notion of a four-year degree as the ticket to prosperity is no longer a given — an opening Ittycheria and her allies are eager to exploit.

“We’ve tied it to this American dream,” she said, referring to the notion of college as an expected rite of passage. “But people are seeing that this model, and this norm, aren’t working.”

In bloom: 2014 Cherry Blossom Festivals

As of March 19, the Japan Meteorological Agency predicts that cherry blossoms will begin blooming March 28 in Tokyo. For a more complete list, go to http://ift.tt/1dtZAvF.

The following are places to celebrate the bloom.

Japan

TSUKAYAMA PARK CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Yokosuka): March 24-April 8; about 1,000 cherry blossom trees with a view of Yokosuka Port; 25-minute walk from Keikyu Line, Itsumi or Anjinzuka Station; 046-822-2575.

GONGENDO PARK CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Saitama prefecture): March 26-April 10; 1,000 trees along a roughly half-mile-long dike is one of the best spots for cherry blossoms in Japan; 30-minute walk from Satte Station on Tobu Nikko Line or a 20-minute drive from Kuki IC on Tohoku Express, 1, parking available nearby; 0480-43-1111 ext. 538.

HAMURA FLOWER AND WATER FESTIVAL (Yokota area): March 27-April 13; this festival has food, street performers and features about 500 trees along the Tama River, illuminated 6-8 p.m.; JR Ome Line, Hamura Station; 042-555-6211.

KINUGASA CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Yokosuka): March 27-April 7; 2,000 trees which are also illuminated in evening at Kinugasa-yama Park, 25-minute walk from JR Kinugasa Station; 046-853-1611.

CHIDORIGAFUCHI (Tokyo): March 28-April 6; Chidorigafuchi, the northeastern moat of the Imperial Palace is one of the most famous sites to view cherry blossoms in Japan and illumination is 6:30-10 p.m. during the festival; Subway Tozai Line, Kudan-Shita Station; 03-5211-4185.

YASUKUNI SHRINE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Tokyo): March 28-April 6; when predicting the bloom for the Tokyo area, the meteorological agency’s staff uses the 800 trees here; five-minute walk from Subway Tozai Line, Kudan-shita Station; 03-3261-8326.

SANKEIEN GARDEN (Yokohama): March 29-April 6, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; seasonal flowers and historic buildings in the garden; 10-minute bus ride from JR Negishi Line; 500 yen; 045-621-0634; tinyurl.com/78ccezf.

FUSSA CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Yokota area): March 29-April 6; cherry trees along the bank of Tama River, 15-minute walk from JR Ushihama Station; 042-551-1511.

KOMATSUGAWA 1,000 CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Tokyo): March 30, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; event with 1,000 cherry trees in bloom along the Arakawa River, has live performances, food booths and free pony ride at Komatsugawa Park, five-minute walk from Higashi Oshima Station on Toei Shinjuku Line; 03-5662-5543.

NINGYOCHO CHERRY BLOSSOMS FESTIVAL (Tokyo): March 30, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; celebrating the bloom on Hamacho Ryokudo Street (Amasake Yokocho Intersection to Meiji-za Theater, where there were many amasake — sweet drink made from fermented rice or sake lees — stores in Meiji Period (1868-1912). A free cup of amasake is given to first 1,200 people; JR Asakusabashi Station on Subu Line or Ningyocho Station on Toei Asakusa Line; 03-3666-7662.

ODAWARA CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Kanagawa prefecture): Late March until early April; about 320 trees, which are also illuminated 6-9 p.m. during the bloom; 10-minute walk from JR Odawara Station; 0465-33-1521.

TOKYO SUMMERLAND CHERRY BLOSSOM VIEWING: March 31-April 13, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; 1,500 cherry blossoms trees, along with food booths at Family Park; free admission and free parking; 042-558-6511.

YASUKUNI SHRINE CHERRY BLOSSOM NIGHT VIEW NOH PERFORMANCE (Tokyo): April 1-3, 6:40 p.m.; at Yasukuni Shrine Noh-gakudo or Shinjuku Bunka Center if rain; 3,000-5,000-8,000-11,500 yen; Cherry Blossoms Night View Concert Jimukyoku 03-5215-2890.

YAMATAKA JINDAI CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Yamanashi prefecture): April 1-22, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; a tree here is believed to be 1,800-2,000 years old and the best time to view it is April 5-12; Hokuto city; 15-minute ride from JR Hinoharu Station on Chuo Line or 15-minute ride from Sudama I.C. on Chuo Express; 0551-42-1351.

MOUNT YOSHINO CHERRY BLOSSOM (Nara prefecture): Early April through late April; Mount Yoshino is known as the best cherry blossom site in Japan with 20,000 trees; 75-minute ride from Nagoya Station by Kintetsu Super Express or nearly two-hour ride from Kyoto Station by Kintestu Super Express; 0746-32-1007.

ASAKUSA HANAYASHIKI NIGHT ILLUMINATION & BEER GARDEN (Tokyo): April 2-5 & 9-11, 6:30-9:30 p.m.; visitors to Japan’s oldest amusement park, founded in 1853, can enjoy the illuminated bloom, five rides, street performances, and enjoy a beer at Asakusa Hanayashiki Amusement Park, five-minute walk from Asakusa Station on Ginza Line; 500 yen; 03-5789-8686.

MIIDERA TEMPLE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Shiga prefecture): April 2-13, 6:30-9:30 p.m.; more than 1,000 trees at the precinct of Miidera Temple are illuminated 6:30-9:30 p.m.; 20-minute walk from JR Otsu Station or a five-minute walk from Miidera Station on Ishiyamasaka Line (Keihan); 500 yen adults, 300 yen senior and junior high school students, 200 yen elementary school students; 077-528-2772.

TAKADA PARK CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Niigata prefecture): April 4-20; commemorating 400th anniversary of founding of shogunate government at Takada by Tadateru Matsudaira, celebrating cherry blossoms festival at Takada Park, which is more than 4,000 trees in bloom are illuminated by 3,000 Bonbori-handled paper lanterns sunset-11 p.m.; JR Takada Station on Shinetsu Line; 025-543-2777.

UEDA CASTLE CHERRY BLOSSOMS (Nagano prefecture): April 4-20; 1,000 trees bloom at the ruins of Ueda Castle Park and the trees are illuminated 6:30-9:30 p.m. weekends during the full bloom; 12-minute walk from JR Ueda Station; 0268-23-5408; tinyurl.com/lcq38ou.

TAKIYAMA PARK CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Tokyo): April 5; 5,000 trees on hilly terrain and traditional live performances, open-air tea services and sweet drink made from fermented rice April 5 (April 6 if rain April 5); Takatsuki-cho, Hachioji city; 042-691-5215.

INOGASHIRA PARK CHERRY BLOSSOMS (Tokyo): Through April 5; 500 trees around the pond bloom at Inogashira Park, near shopping district of Kichijoji; 10-minute walk from JR Kichijoji Station on Chuo Line; 0422-47-6900.

1,000 CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL AT TONERI PARK (Tokyo): April 5 & 6; 1,000 trees in bloom, along with 3,000 fireworks at 7-7:30 p.m. April 5; one-minute walk from Toneri Koen Station on Nippori-Toneri Line; 03-3880-5853.

SHIROISHI CASTLE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Miyagi prefecture): April 5-30; about 300 cherry trees at Masuoka Koen, with a night illumination around the castle with 350 paper lanterns until 9 p.m.; 10-minute walk from JR Shiroishi Station or 10-minute ride from Shiroishi I.C. on Tohoku Express; free parking; 0224-24-3030.

KOISHIKAWA KORAKUEN (Tokyo): Through April 6, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; five weeping cherry trees in bloom at Japanese garden here; 300 yen adults, kids free; three-minute walk from Iidabashi Station on Oedo and Sobu Lines; 03-3811-3015; tinyurl.com/kvjfrgs.

RIKUGIEN GARDEN (Tokyo): Through April 6, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; this garden built in the Edo Period is famous for drooping cherry trees which are illuminated after sunset during the bloom; Subway Nanboku Line, Komagome Station; 300 yen; 03-3941-2222.

UENO PARK (Tokyo): Through April 6, until 8 p.m.; 1,200 cherry trees; two-minute walk from Ueno Station on Metro Ginza and Hibiya Lines; 03-3828-5644.

TOSHIMAEN AMUSEMENT PARK (Tokyo): Through April 6, until 9 p.m.; 800 cherry trees; 500 yen after 3 p.m., free April 4 & 5, 1,000 yen adults and 500 yen kids for ride ticket after 3 p.m. during the week; Seibu Ikebukuro Line, Toshimaen Station; 03-3990-0884.

NEODANI USUZUMI CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Gifu prefecture): April 8-15, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.; Usuzumi cherry tree is believed to be 1,500 years old, illuminated until 9 p.m.; Motosu city, 15-minute walk from Tarumi Station on Tarumi Line or 80-minute ride from Gifu Hashima I.C; 500 yen/parking; 058-323-7756.

SHIROISHI RIVER CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Miyagi prefecture): April 10-25; one of the best known sites to view the bloom, featuring 1,000 cherry trees along Shiroishi River dike, illuminated 6-10 p.m. during the event; three-minute walk from Ogawara Station on JR Tohoku-Line; 0224-53-2141.

AOBAYAMA PARK CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Miyagi prefecture): April 10-30; 480 trees; 10-minute drive from Sendai Miyagi IC or eight-minute bus ride to Hakubutsukan Kokusai Senta-mae bus stop from JR Sendai Station; 022-225-7211.

MIHARU TAKIZAKURA CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Fukushima prefecture): April 12-20; Miharu Takizakura (cherry blossom waterfall) — a cherry tree believed to be more than 1,000 years old — is illuminated 6-9 p.m.; Miharu town, shuttle buses from JR Miharu Station and nearby parking lots or a 20-minute ride from JR Miharu Station or 20-minute ride from Funahiki Miharu I.C. on Ban-etsu Express; 300 yen; 0247-62-3690.

SUMIDA RIVER CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Tokyo): Through April 14; about 1,000 trees along the Sumida River; five-minute walk from Asakusa Station on Ginza Line or seven-minute walk from Honjo Azumabashi Station on Toei Asakusa-Line; 03-5608-6951.

KITAKAMI CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Iwate prefecture): April 15-May 6; about 100,000 trees at Tenshochi Park and along River Kitakami are illuminated sunset-9 p.m.; Tenshochi Park, Kitakami city, 20-minute walk from JR Kitakami Station; 0197-65-0300.

KAKUNODATE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Akita prefecture): Mid-April through early May; 162 weeping cherry trees around samurai district in Kakunodate town and the River Hinokinaigawa; 394-2 Kamisugasawa, Kakunodate town, Senboku city, JR Kakunodate Station on Akita Shinkansen from Morioka; 0187-54-2700.

MIDTOWN BLOSSOM 2014 (Tokyo): Through April 20; 150 cherry blossom trees in bloom and see them from an open-air terrace at Tokyo Midtown Garden, and 5-11 p.m. the trees are illuminated; Roppongi Station on Hibiya Line or three-minute walk from Nogizaka Station on Chiyoda Line; tinyurl.com/p6tdvrp.

MATSUMOTO CASTLE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Nagano prefecture): festival starts three days after trees bloom in mid-April and features night illumination, koto and gagaku (traditional Japanese music instruments) and flute performances, open-air tea services and free admission to Matsumoto Castle during the festival; 0263-32-2902.

HIROSAKI PARK CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Aomori prefecture): April 23-May 6; about 2,500 trees around Hirosaki Castle and moat bloom and are illuminated sunset-10 p.m.; 20-minute bus ride from JR Hirosaki Station; 300 yen admission 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; 0172-35-3131.

SHINJUKU GYOEN (Tokyo): Through April 24, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; 144-acre park in Shinjuku, a famous blossom viewing spot; 10-minute walk from JR Shinjuku Station; 200 yen; 03-3350-0151; tinyurl.com/nzg2mjo.

South Korea

HWAGAE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (South Gyeongsang province): March 29-April 8; Gyeongsangnam-do Hadong-gun Hwagae-myeon Unsu-ri; +82-2-1330; http://bit.ly/xgEvhr and http://ift.tt/1dtZC6J.

CHINHAE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (South Gyeongsang province): April 1-10; celebration started as a memorial in 1952 to remember Admiral Yi Sun-shin, a 16th century Korean military leader, then the community added the cherry blossoms celebration about 10 years later; +82-2-1330.

JEJU CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL: April 4-6; Jeju’s king cherry trees bloom in Seogwipo’s downtown area (Jeju Citizen Welfare Town) and surrounding Jeju Sports Complex, take Bus 500 and get off at New Jeju Rotary; free; +82-2-1330.

GYEONGJU CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (North Gyeongsang): April 4-13; at Bomunho Lake Resort, along with neighboring Gyeongju, the city’s most beautiful sites for viewing cherry blossoms; Dongbu Historic Complex and Heungmu Park & Geumjangdae, take a Bus 10 to Gyeongju Kyoyuk Munhwa Hoekwan bus stop from Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal; +82-2-1330; tinyurl.com/ozwl26l.

SEOMJINGANG RIVER CHERRY FLOWER FESTIVAL (Jeollanam-do): April 5 & 6; enjoy viewing cherry trees in full bloom, as well as traditional drum performance, paragliding contest, face painting and more; take an intercity bus from Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal to Gurye; +82-2-1330.

SEOKCHON LAKE CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (Seoul): April 11-13; cherry blossom night walk along Seokchon Lake, plus performances, exhibitions and more; Jamsil Station (Seoul Subway Line 2 or 8); +82-2-1330.

CHEONGPUNGHOBAN CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (North Chungcheong province): April 11-13 & April 15, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; on the shores of Cheongpunghoban Lake, with forsythias, azaleas and other wild flowers in bloom and exhibitions, performances, bungee jumping and water sports on the lake; Chungcheongbuk-do Jecheon-si Cheongpung-myeon Multae-ri, two-hour bus ride from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal; +88-43-1330; tinyurl.com/7yfxmra and http://ift.tt/P4csgD.

YEOUIDO HANGANG SPRING FLOWER FESTIVAL (Seoul): April 12-18; Seoul’s best location to see cherry blossoms on Yeouido Island when the road behind the National Assembly buildings is lined with hundreds of cherry trees; five-minute walk from National Assembly Station (Subway Line 9, Exit 1 or 6).

SILK TOWN MOUNTAIN CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL (South Chungcheong): April 19; hundreds of wild cherry blossom trees in bloom in Sanan-ri village in Geumsan-gun near Bogwang-ri, Sanggok-ri and Jajeon-ri; take an intercity bus to Geumsan from Seoul Express Bus Terminal, in front of the dental clinic, take a Geumsan-Jewon route bus to Jajinbaengi bus stop; +82-2-1330; tinyurl.com/nsh2wj3 and http://ift.tt/1dtZC6N.

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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

DOD asks Walmart to lose logos from trucks used for Wreaths Across America

The U.S. Department of Defense has asked Walmart to remove military logos from 16 corporate tractor-trailers used to carry wreaths to veterans' graves for Wreaths Across America.

The DOD says Walmart was violating its trademarks.

The trucks sport logos for the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard above a field of snowy, wreath-covered headstones.

Jessica O'Haver, program manager for the trademark licensing office of the Marine Corps, said at least four of the five logos are official seals intended for use only by the DOD. A Marine spotted one of the trucks, took a picture and alerted her office back in December.

Walmart says the logos will be down by Memorial Day.

"It was never our intention to create controversy; we only wanted to honor the brave men and women who fight or have fought for our country," said Walmart spokeswoman Dianna Gee. "We use those trucks for specific, veteran-related events. We will be replacing the logo with the new design (for Wreaths Across America) in the near future."

Gee said it doesn't diminish Walmart's commitment to the charity, and O'Haver indicated there were no hard feelings.

"Walmart is very, very pro-military and they support us a lot, and so we work with them a lot," O'Haver said. "We certainly appreciate all that Wreaths Across America does to honor veterans and those who have fallen. It's just we can't appear to officially endorse the program with our logos."

Walmart has been involved with Wreaths Across America since 2008, last year donating $300,000 toward wreaths and $150,000 in in-kind trucking services.

Wreaths Across America spokeswoman Amber Caron said the group updated its own logo two years ago to depict three wreaths on three headstones. She said the update wasn't prompted by a DOD request.

Wreaths Across America, based in Harrington, Maine, last year placed 540,000 wreaths on veterans' graves in more than 900 locations. This coming winter, in honor of the 150th anniversary of Arlington National Cemetery, Caron said the group is hoping to place a wreath on each grave at Arlington, which would mean an additional 100,000 wreaths.

She deferred comment on the DOD's recent request to Walmart.

Navy football player Will McKamey 'lived life to the fullest'

Will McKamey was the valedictorian of his small high school class and often talked about going to medical school at Vanderbilt after he served his commitment to Navy.

McKamey saw it as a way to help people, said Rob Hammond, the headmaster of Grace Christian Academy in Knoxville, Tenn.

"Will was probably one of the most well-respected students that I've gotten to know in my years of school administration," Hammond, also an executive pastor at Grace Baptist Church, said Wednesday. "He was well-liked, very outgoing personality. He was a leader, [had] a lot of character, a lot of determination, a lot of discipline and a lot of drive. He lived life to the fullest."

McKamey, a Navy freshman slotback, died at Maryland Shock Trauma on Tuesday night, never regaining consciousness after collapsing on a practice field in Annapolis on Saturday. He was 19.

During his senior year at Grace Christian, where his father, Randy, was the head football coach, McKamey had been hospitalized after collapsing on the sideline during a playoff game. Transported to a hospital in Chattanooga, McKamey was found to have bleeding and swelling on his brain.

Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo and athletic director Chet Gladchuk were not available for comment Wednesday, but a Naval Academy spokesman said that McKamey had never demonstrated any recurrance of medical issues until this past weekend.

"I can tell you from the day he arrived here on June 13 to the day he collapsed on the athletic field last Saturday, he showed no signs of injury or distress during his time here," Commander John Schofield said. "With that in mind, we're all searching for answers, as his parents are. It's just an extremely sad time."

It marks the second time in a little more than a month that the academy is mourning the death of a Midshipman. Max Allen, a senior who was a member of the same Battalion as McKamey, was found dead after crashing his SUV into a creek on the school grounds. The investigation is still ongoing, Schofield said.

Schofield declined to answer whether McKamey or his parents signed a waiver with the athletic department to allow him to continue playing football.

His parents put out a statement Monday saying that their son "did not sustain a bad hit or unusual or extreme contact in practice" on Saturday.

Asked whether the Naval Academy had some type of moral responsibility to prevent McKamey from ever suiting up again — despite him being cleared by doctors in Tennessee — Schofield said, "I think the best way to answer that, there's nothing to indicate that Will's collapse or his death were the result of an injury sustained on the football field.

"This event is a tragedy on levels that we can't totally express. The Brigade is heartbroken as are his teammates and the athletic staff. To simply chalk this up as an injury on the football field is possibly not taking into account the entirety of the situation."

Schofield said that the main responsibility now for the academy is to help those mourning McKamey's death.

"We know that he collapsed and yesterday he died and right now our responsibility is to make sure that his parents and his brothers and sisters and family — I mean the Brigarde as well — get the support they need," he said.

An athletic department spokesman said that the team will resume practice Monday.

In a statement released by the academy shortly after McKamey's death, Niumatalolo said, "During this most difficult of times, first and foremost, our prayers and thoughts turn to Randy, Kara [his mother] and their beautiful family. Our deepest and most sincere condolences go out to their entire family and friends. As our Navy football family mourns the loss of one of our brothers, we also celebrate and honor his life. He loved his family, his friends and his teammates."

Hammond, who has known the McKamey family for several years, said that Randy McKamey had good reason to be proud of the oldest of his three sons. It went beyond the field, where Will was chosen Mr. Football among the state's 2A players as a senior.

"He was the type of kid who just made people better being around him," Hammond said. "A father would have hoped that their son would grow up to be like Will. ... He was wise beyond his years. He would serve his heart. He was a hard worker. He wouldn't run from a challenge. He would meet it head on."

Hammond said that McKamey was particularly close to his brother Sam, a sophomore at Grace Christian who suffers from cerebral palsy.

"He was very protective of Sam. They were very tight, very connected," Hammond said. "Sam was Will's biggest fan. When Will would score a touchdown and Sam would run over to him and give him a hug."

After graduating at the top of his class of 55 students at the school just outside the University of Tennessee, McKamey had set out to help people. As he told Hammond, he wanted to study medicine after graduating from Navy and completing the five-year post-graduate military commitment.

"He wanted to make better people and better himself," Hammond said.

When Rafi Montalvo heard from some of his former Navy football teammates that Niumatalolo had called for an emergency meeting at 10 p.m. Tuesday night, he knew it had something to do with McKamey.

Montalvo, who left the academy in January after Navy officials wouldn't clear him to resume his career because of the brain injury he sustained in a car accident in November 2012, said he also knew something else.

"I felt they kind of knew that something was not right. They were kind of preparing themselves for something like this," Montalvo said Wednesday.

Montalvo, who had hoped to fly to Baltimore next week to support McKamey and family as they had when he was in the hospital, said Wedneday "that I wished I got to know him more."

Montalvo still plans on sending the family a letter he wrote offering his support.

"I was just getting to know him and we were becoming pretty [close] friends when I left," Montalvo said Tuesday. "He's a really good kid. He was kind of like me. I'm kind of a quiet person, and he's kind of the same way. He kind of reminded me of myself. He was a really hard worker."

Delay military compensation reform, lawmakers and advocates say

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers and advocacy groups said this week that Defense Department requests for changing military compensation are premature, suggesting that any congressional action along these lines might be postponed for years.

To slow the growth in personnel costs in order to spend more money on combat readiness, DOD proposed the following when it submitted its fiscal 2015 budget request earlier this month:

Limit pay raises for active-duty servicemembers.

Reduce the basic housing allowance subsidy.

Reduce commissary subsidies.

Manage Tricare costs by increasing the cost-sharing burden for users.

But members of Congress on both sides of the aisle said the Pentagon should wait until the congressionally mandated Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission, which is doing its own comprehensive review of military pay and benefits, presents its findings and recommendations to Congress before moving forward with its own plans.

“DOD is moving down a path of making changes prior to the information that is supposed to be collected by this commission,” Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., said during a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing Tuesday. “Why aren't we waiting? Why aren't we waiting for this group that's going out and holding stakeholders meetings that's supposed to come back with an objective view of how we need to modernize compensation and retirement before we start nickel and diming all these programs?"

“The proposal before us includes numerous reductions in pay and benefits, about which many — including myself — have serious concerns,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said while chairing a Senate Armed Forces subcommittee hearing Wednesday. “Each of these reductions is significant in and of itself, but I am extremely concerned about the cumulative effect on all of these cuts, especially on the junior members of the force and their families. These benefit proposals are being made, I would note, while the [MCRMC] has yet to finish its work.”

The MCRMC’s recommendations aren’t due to Congress until February 2015, which means any changes stemming from it probably wouldn’t go into effect until fiscal 2017 at the earliest. The Pentagon said compensation changes are needed much sooner than that to preserve combat capabilities in an era where fiscal constraints are necessitating trade-offs.

“We canceled seven combat training rotations this year. It's really degrading the near-term readiness … So that friction that we're creating, it takes us so long to build that back. We've got to make these nearer-term savings in the next couple of years. Otherwise, we're going to dig ourselves into a hole that we're just not going to be able to get out of well past [2020], and then if full sequestration goes into effect, we're going to dig deeper and deeper,” Lt. Gen. Howard Bromberg, the ArmyDeputy Chief of Staff for personnel, told the House subcommittee.

“For the Marine Corps... reset is significant, based on our many years at war. Our equipment reset is critical. Our commandant recognized we can't wait for a few more years. We must support these initiatives that have gone forward,” Sheryl Murray, Marine Corps assistant deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, told House lawmakers.

If Congress rejects DOD’s proposals, the military will have to cut training and weapons buys by $2.1 billion next year and $31 billion over the next five years to stay under the defense budget caps imposed by Congress, according to Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale, who testified before the Senate subcommittee Wednesday.

Acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness Jessica Wright told lawmakers that DOD has finished its examination of the issues and doesn’t need to wait on the MCRMC to put forth its recommendations.

“We believe that we have the sufficient analysis and rigor to make the decisions on Tricare, BAH [and] commissaries,” she said at the Tuesday hearing.

DOD plans to wait for the MCRMC to finish its work before making any decisions about changing the retirement system, according to officials.

Congress has to approve any changes to pay and benefits that DOD or the MCRMC recommend before they would go into effect.

Representatives of military advocacy groups who testified in front of the Senate subcommittee Wednesday blasted DOD’s plans, saying they would hurt recruitment and retention and place an unfair financial burden on troops and their families. They said the MCRMC should be allowed to finish its work before any compensation reform steps are taken.

“The administration’s proposals to cut pay increases, reduce housing allowance, eliminate commissary savings, and increase healthcare coasts all at the same time pose significant risk to the financial wellbeing of military families,” Kathleen Moakler, government relations director for the National Military Family Association, told senators. “We can’t stress [enough] how important it is for the commission to finish their work [because] they are really doing due diligence to try to look at the entire compensation picture. [What] military families … didn’t expect was the volley of hits to their pocket book that were the budget proposals.”

Gillibrand urged military advocacy groups to keep pushing back against the Pentagon’s current proposals.

“This is going to be a very long debate, and so I urge constant advocacy in every state because I think people have to see the face and understand the family impacts of these types of decisions,” she told the panel members. “If it’s just a number it’s very easy to cut. [But] if it’s families and people and real lives, it is less easy to cut.”

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US to commit more forces to NATO efforts in Eastern Europe

BRUSSELS — The United States plans to join with other NATO nations in increasing ground and naval forces in Eastern Europe as part of the military alliance's response to Russia's incursion in Ukraine, the White House said Wednesday.

The specifics of the NATO plan were still being finalized, including the size of the force increase. Rather than significantly boosting U.S. military presence in the region, the move seemed aimed instead at showing symbolic support for NATO members near Russia's borders.

President Barack Obama's deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, said NATO was aiming to provide "a continuous presence to reassure our allies." While he would not detail specific countries where the additional resources would be sent, he noted that the U.S. was particularly focused on efforts to bolster Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Rhodes briefed reporters as Obama traveled to Rome from Brussels, where he met with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, as well as European Union leaders. In a speech from the heart of Europe, Obama declared the crisis in Ukraine a global "moment of testing."

Obama appealed to Europeans to retrench behind the war-won ideals of freedom and human dignity, declaring that people voicing those values will ultimately triumph in Ukraine. Painting a historical arc across the major global clashes of the last century and beyond, he said young people born today come into a world more devoid of conflict and replete with freedom than at any time in history, even if that providence isn't fully appreciated.

The president also urged the 28-nation NATO alliance to make good on its commitment to the collective security that has fostered prosperity in the decades since the Cold War concluded.

"We must never forget that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom," Obama said, adding that the Ukraine crisis has neither easy answers nor a military solution. "But at this moment, we must meet the challenge to our ideals, to our very international order with strength and conviction."

Calm in Europe has been upended by Russian President Vladimir Putin's foray into the Ukrainian region of Crimea. Defying the global community, Moscow annexed that peninsula this month, stoking fears among Russia's other neighbors as Europe was plunged back into an East-West mentality that many had thought was left behind at the end of the last century.

In response to the crisis, the U.S. already has taken some steps to bolster cooperation with NATO, including stepping up joint aviation training with Polish forces. The Pentagon also has increased American participation in NATO's air policing mission in its Baltic countries.

Obama came to Europe intent on shoring up commitments from allies, but also to make a larger point about European security a quarter-century after the fall of the Iron Curtain. In a nod to the U.S. perception that America has borne too much of the burden for NATO members' security, Obama said he wanted to see every NATO partner "chip in" for mutual defense. He said members should examine their defense plans to make sure they reflect current threats.

"I have had some concerns about a diminished level of defense spending by some of our partners in NATO," Obama said. "The situation in Ukraine reminds us that our freedom isn't free."

Despite the focus on NATO resources, Obama and other alliance leaders have said they do not intend for the dispute with Russia to turn into a military conflict.

Drawing on modern struggles, such as gay rights, as well as the ethnic cleansing and world wars of a bygone era, Obama sought to draw a connection between the U.S. experiment in democracy and the blood spilled by Europeans seeking to solidify their own right to self-determination.

"I come here today to say we must never take for granted the progress than has been won here in Europe and advanced around the world," Obama said.

Obama's remarks came midway through a weeklong trip to Europe and Saudi Arabia that has been dominated by efforts to coordinate the European and American response to Putin and his government's actions in Ukraine. In Italy, where he arrived late Wednesday, he planned to meet with Pope Francis and Italian political leaders.

Another reminder of the cost of freedom came earlier Wednesday during a solemn pilgrimage to a World War I cemetery where hundreds of fallen U.S. troops are buried. Followed by the stirring sound of a bugler playing taps, Obama joined Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo and King Phillipe to lay wreaths at the memorial at Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial in northwest Belgium.

"To all who sleep here, we can say we caught the torch, we kept the faith," Obama said, invoking language from "In Flanders Fields," the famous war poem.