President Bush Makes Thanksgiving Day Calls to Members of the Armed Forces

November 22, 2007

The President made telephone calls this morning to exemplary members of the Armed Forces who are stationed in remote locations worldwide to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving and to thank them for their service to our Nation.

INFORMATIONATION ON CALL RECIPIENTS¹

Sergeant² First Class Amy Adams, U.S. Army
Sergeant First Class Amy Adams, U.S. Army, deployed³ to Balad, Iraq as a member of the 216th ESC LSA, Anaconda, is responsible for reporting and tracking all casualties for six brigades. Sergeant Adams has served one prior rotation⁴ in Afghanistan and one prior rotation in Iraq.

Staff Sergeant William Cannon⁵, U.S. Army
Staff Sergeant William Cannon, U.S. Army, deployed to Camp Taji, Iraq as a member of the Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion⁶ 82nd Field Artillery⁷ 1BCT, 1CD, supervises and trains NCOs and Soldiers in the proper emplacement, firing, and displacement⁸ of his section's howitzers. Sergeant Cannon helped build a team that won the Top Howitzer section during a competition at Camp Taji in October.

Sergeant Frank Gervascio, U.S. Army
Sergeant Frank Gervascio, U.S. Army, deployed to Al Asad Air Base, Fallujah, Iraq as a member of the 2nd Battalion 504th Parachute Infantry⁹ Regiment¹⁰, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, is the Battalion's Aid Station Sergeant in charge of emergency and routine care of over 700 personnel. Sergeant Gervascio has been deployed twice to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq in support of operations there totaling thirty-nine months.

Sergeant Thomas Kelley, U.S. Marine¹¹ Corps¹²
Sergeant Thomas Kelley, U.S. Marine Corps, deployed to Fallujah, Iraq as a member of the 2nd Supply Battalion, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, is the Platoon Sergeant for thirty-four Marines. He is the transportation coordinator¹³ for supply gear that includes Marine Corps and Navy MRAP vehicles. He is responsible for ensuring gear is properly staged for tactical movement.

Sergeant Santos Alvarado, U.S. Marine Corps
Sergeant Santos Alvarado, U.S. Marine Corps, deployed to Fallujah, Iraq as a member of the 2nd Recon Battalion, Headquarters and Service Company, Supply Section, is responsible for maintaining the gear and equipment of the battalion's Marines. He is responsible for the proper accountability and management of the Battalion's budget. Sergeant Alvarado won the Meritorious¹⁴ Sergeant Board.

Petty Officer Second Class Melanie Mosley, U.S. Navy
Petty Officer Second Class Melanie Mosley, U.S. Navy, deployed to Camp Bucca, Iraq as a member of the Navy Provisional Detainee Battalion THREE (NPDB-3), is the Quad¹⁵ Section Leader of a seven Marine guard force responsible for maintaining position control of detainees.

Operations Specialist Seaman¹⁶ (OSSN) Surface Warfare¹⁷ (SW) William Jamieson II, U.S. Navy
OSSN SW William Jamieson II, U.S. Navy, deployed to Arabian Gulf¹⁸/North Arabian Sea on the USS Vicksburg (CG 69), is responsible for timely and accurate identification of aircraft flying within organic sensor¹⁹ ranges of the USS Vicksburg and coalition²⁰ warships²¹. He was awarded the Surface Warfare qualification as a Seaman early in his career.

Technical Sergeant Cimarron Reeves, U.S. Air Force
Technical Sergeant Cimarron Reeves, U.S. Air Force, deployed to Samarra, Iraq as a member of the 732nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, Weapons Intelligence Team One, is an Explosive Ordnance²² Disposal (EOD) Team Leader for Weapons Intelligence Team. He performs post-blast analysis and prosecutes²³ weapons caches. His position is vital to the counter Improvised²⁴ Explosive Device (IED) effort.

Staff Sergeant Neil Lockart, U.S. Air Force
Staff Sergeant Neil Lockart, U.S. Air Force, deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq as a member of the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces, is the leader of a team that protects USAF aircraft, personnel, and equipment. He was selected as Tuskegee Airman of the Week (week of October 29, 2007) and was recently recognized by General Petraeus for exemplary service.

Operational Specialist Second Class (OS2) Dustin Bingham, U.S. Coast Guard
OS2 Distin Bingham, U.S. Coast Guard, deployed to the Eastern Pacific on the USCGC Morgenthau (WHEC 722), is a senior member of the Morgenthau's CIC watch team and is currently filling the position of CIC watch supervisor²⁵. He is instrumental in the development of junior OS personnel and in the teaching and training fellow shipmates in Law Enforcement skills. OS2 Bingham has prosecuted²⁶ eight successful cases against narcotics²⁷ traffickers.

Food Service Specialist Second Class (FS2) Michael Smith, U.S. Coast Guard
FS2 Michael Smith, U.S. Coast Guard, deployed to the Arabian Gulf as a member of the Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), serves in an Operations Officer capacity by drafting classified message traffic coordinating²⁸ ship movements and fueling of the PATFORSWA Cutters and Navy Patrol Craft Fleet. FS2 Smith also coordinates²⁹ the purchases of critical supplies and equipment.

Airman First Class Chris Steven Ericksen, U.S. Air Force
Airman First Class Chris Steven Ericksen, U.S. Air Force, deployed to Bagram Air Force Base, Afghanistan, issues fuel to Close Air Support, Aero medical, cargo³⁰, and transient aircraft in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan. He has personally issued over 500,000 gallons of fuel during 2200+ missions.