Month: July 2022

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Defense News: History Comes to Life on Naval Station Norfolk’s McClure Field

Source: United States Navy

On June 12, 1920, Naval Training Station Norfolk opened the Athletic Stadium which later became known as McClure Stadium after Captain Henry McClure. For the next 20 years, due to World War II and the draft, many MLB players came through the stadium playing for Navy baseball teams, including Dominic DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Yogi Berra, Pee Wee Reese, Eddie Robinson and more. The first Navy World Series was held in 1943 between the Naval Training Station (NTS) and Naval Air Station (NAS) teams to determine which team was the best after a very successful season for both.

“I grew up in the Navy and I’m also a baseball fanatic so to be able to bring those two things together is great,” said Anthony Benning, Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Fitness Director for NAVSTA Norfolk. “It’s a piece of baseball history and Navy history that most people don’t know is there. We’re happy to bring exposure to this historical field and host something like this.”

This year, Sailors from sea and shore commands around Hampton Roads attended tryouts to be on the NAS or NTS team, each of which had 13-15 players. The game began with a home run derby followed by a live performance of the National Anthem. The two teams played 9 innings, with NAS winning 15-9.

“This base has incredible history and heritage and when we forget about that we lose part of who we are,” said Commanding Officer Naval Station Norfolk, Captain David Dees. “Letting these teams come together and play on the same field that Major League baseball players played on with Sailors just like them is important.”

The team members wore traditional uniforms identical to those worn in the ‘40s and used wooden bats. The Commanding Officer (CO) and Executive Officer (XO) took part in the game with the CO being on the NAS team and XO on the NTS team.

“We had pro ball players enlist in the Navy and they were the first version of what we do now,” said Benning. “They were putting on recreation activities for their fellow shipmates. There was no MWR then. They created an environment of morale for the Sailors on this base.”

Norfolk’s Morale Welfare (MWR) and Recreation Department set up a “walk through history of baseball at Naval Station Norfolk” outdoor museum. Along with the display, MWR also held a raffle and provided traditional baseball stadium style food for “throwback prices”, all being $1 each. Many family members and Sailors came out to show their support for the players and see a game at the historical location.
“It’s important for us to look back and see that as much as the Navy has changed, it’s still the same,” said Dees.

This year’s game was the 3rd annual Throwback Softball game and the first since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Naval Station Norfolk and McClure Stadium hope to see you next year!

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Defense News: NRL, Aerospace Industry Hosts 18th Annual CanSat Student Challenge

Source: United States Navy

Since 2005, the CanSat Competition, organized by the American Astronautical Society (AAS) alongside the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), has organized an annual student design-build-launch competition for space-related topics. Although similar competitions exist for other fields of engineering (robots, radio-control airplanes, racing cars, etc.), most space-related competitions are paper design competitions. Throughout the past years, NRL has been devoted to supporting CanSat in its efforts to further student’s aerospace exploration through the development of aeronautical exploration and STEM education.

This year’s competition tasked teams to design a CanSat consisting of a container and a payload, that teams designed around the structure of a container by a 10-meter long tether. Once the CanSat deployed from the rocket, it was to demonstrate the ability to descend at a rate of 15 m/s using a parachute. During that time, the payload must have maintained the orientation of a video camera pointing in the south direction and 45 degrees downward to ensure terrain was in the frame.

Ivan Galysh, Section Head of NRL’s Digital Signal Processing Section of the Precise Navigation and Timing Branch, CanSat competition director, recounted being impressed by the teams’, “documentation provided displaying a very detailed outline of their payload. This truly shows that they have dedicated themselves and their skills to a successful launch.”

Throughout the second day of the competition, students gathered around the Kentland Farm of Virginia Tech to place the final touches on their models. On launch day, tensions were high amongst teams as they eagerly anticipated a successful deployment. University of Alabama at Huntsville’s leader of Team Star Saber, Tristan McGinnis, explained his team’s desire to not only execute a successful launch, but utilize their time at CanSat to enjoy collaborating and learning with one another.

“As a computer science major, I initially came into the competition wanting to engage in programming the payload. But along the way, hurdle after hurdle, I found myself engaging in different forms from aerospace to electrical engineering. It is such a well-rounded project,” said McGinnis, who indicated his team is looking forward to participating in the competition again next year.

After a full day of launching rockets for 23 present teams, first place in the 2022 CanSat competition went to Team Descendere of Assumption College, Bangkok, Thailand. The remaining winners were:
 

  • Second place – Team PWr Aerospace Team of Wroclaw University of Science and Technology Poland, Wroclaw, Poland
  • Third place – Team Bamantara EEPISAT of Politeknik Elektronika Negeri, Surabaya, Indonesia
  • Fourth place to Team Heriot Watt CanSat of Heriot-Watt University, UK, Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Fifth place to Team Soton CanSat of University of Southampton, UK, Southampton, United Kingdom.Jim Way, executive director of the American Aeronautical

Society, emphasized the importance of CanSat facilitating student’s ability to interact with like-minded peers from across the world. He noted how the teams came together to express their love of science, and feel a sense of pride in their hard work.

“It is a phenomenal competition for aspiring aerospace professionals – truly the closest you can get to a realistic project for their future careers in the field,” said Way.
NRL’s continued investment within CanSat is representative of its current and future Department of the Navy workforce, which enhances the Navy and Marine Corps’ ability to meet present and future war-fighting challenges. NRL science, technology, engineering, and mathematics serves to inspire, engage, and educate the next generation of aeronautical scientists and engineers.

If you are interested in participating in CanSat or are a government agency looking to support the next annual competition, please log onto: www.cansatcompetition.com or contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or nrlpao@nrl.navy.mil.
 

About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C. with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel.

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Security News: Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Honors Western District of Oklahoma Employees with Awards

Source: United States Department of Justice News

OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the recipients for the 69th Annual Attorney General’s Awards, recognizing Department of Justice employees and partners for extraordinary contributions to the enforcement of our nation’s laws.  This year, Attorney General Garland specifically recognized Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Fagan and Ron Gallegos, and Paralegal Jessica Rogers, of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma with the John Marshal Award.  This Award, one of the Departments highest, recognizes contributions and excellence in specialized areas of legal performance.  AUSAs Fagan and Gallegos and Paralegal Rogers received this Award for their dedicated work in obtaining a $1.25 million settlement in United States vs. Pelfrey to compensate victims of sexual harassment. 

“This year’s awardees have served selflessly to further the Department’s important work upholding the rule of law, keeping our country safe, and protecting civil rights,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am proud to recognize these individuals for their professionalism, skill, and leadership, and I am grateful for their service to our Department and our nation.”

“AUSA Ron Gallegos, AUSA Emily Fagan, and Paralegal Jessica Rogers worked closely with the Department’s Civil Rights Division to vindicate the rights of more than 40 female tenants and prospective tenants who, for nearly 20 years, endured abhorrent sexual harassment from their landlord when all they wanted was a safe place to call home,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.  “I am incredibly proud that Attorney General Merrick Garland has recognized their work with a John Marshall Award.  They are representative of every dedicated prosecutor and support staff member who serve the Western District of Oklahoma in the pursuit of justice every day.”

For a full list of this year’s award recipients, please visit:  https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-honors-department-justice-employees-and-others-69th-annual. 

More detailed information about the Pelfrey case can be found here:  https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/pr/justice-department-obtains-125-million-settlement-oklahoma-city-landlords-resolve.

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Security News: Charlotte Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison

Source: United States Department of Justice News

A North Carolina man was sentenced yesterday to 41 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by preparing and filing false tax returns.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Joseph Octave, 49, of Charlotte, was the leader of a multi-year, multimillion-dollar tax fraud scheme involving hundreds of fraudulent tax returns. Octave was the owner and operator of Kapital Financial Services, a tax preparation business with two offices in Charlotte. From 2014 through 2019, Octave used his tax business to orchestrate a criminal conspiracy in which he directed his employees to prepare and file fraudulent tax returns.

Octave instructed his employees to use several methods to falsify clients’ tax returns, including claiming false deductions, business losses, American Opportunity credits, education credits and earned income tax credits. Octave also trained his employees on how to create the fraudulent returns to avoid IRS detection and provided them with scripts and cheat sheets. To further conceal the fraud, Octave instructed his employees not to give clients copies of their own tax returns and not to share with the clients any details beyond the total refund amount.

According to filed documents and information presented in court, the falsified tax returns and false deductions resulted in reduced tax liabilities and inflated tax refunds for Octave’s clients. Furthermore, because the majority of the time the tax preparation fees were taken directly from the clients’ fraudulently inflated tax refunds, in many instances the clients were unaware of how much they were being charged. As a result of the tax scheme, Kapital Financial Services earned at least $700,000 in fees for preparing the fraudulent tax returns, and, as the owner, Octave received the largest share of this income. The conspiracy caused a total tax loss of more than $2.5 million.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. ordered Octave to serve two years of supervised release and to pay approximately $2.5 million in restitution to the United States.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Dena J. King for the Western District of North Carolina and Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins of IRS-Criminal Investigation, Charlotte Field Office, made the announcement.

IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Brian Flanagan of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley of the Western District of North Carolina prosecuted the case.

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Security News: U.S. Attorney’s Office partners with City of Detroit to host Peacenic in O’Hair Park.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

DETROIT – More than thirty community organizations and state, and federal law enforcement agencies participated in the first Peacenic held in O’Hair Park on Saturday, July 9 from 11-2.

The event was part of the Safe Summer Streets Initiative where federal law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) partnered this summer with the City of Detroit, Detroit Police Department, and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to strategically focus resources on the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city, which are two sections in the City’s 8th precinct and two sections in the 9th precinct. The strategy is designed to significantly reduce violence by narrowly focusing on those who are committing violence and to give these neighborhoods back to the majority of residents who want peace. The City of Detroit committed to address blight, ensure access to city services, and replenish community resources in the neighborhoods that were targeted for enforcement. The partners also agreed to hold community engagement events, Peacenics, where residents could have fun, engage with law enforcement, and obtain resources to improve the quality of their lives.

Saturday’s Peacenic held in O’Hair Park in the 8th Precinct was the first of these community engagement events. It featured vendors offering a variety of resources including job training, literacy programs, mental health and medical screenings, utility assistance, educational and vocational opportunities, tutorial and career development programs, and more. Several law enforcement agencies were also present to engage with the community and recruit to fill vacancies in their organizations. The event also included a panel discussion of Returning Citizens who discussed how they could collaborate to reduce violence in their communities. In addition to the resources, there were bounce houses, face painting, cookie decorating and free throw tournament for kids. Hooper from the Detroit Pistons also made an appearance and took photographs with attendees. Adults were also able to join in the fun with Hustle Dance lessons, chess games, and a Spades tournament. There was also pizza, hot dogs, sliders, and ice cream available for residents at the Peacenic.

Gail Tubbs, President of the O’Hair Park Neighborhood Association, stated “The message of unity was on full display this past Saturday, July 9th at O’Hair Park. The community came together with law enforcement agencies to bring about a culture of peace in our neighborhoods and in the city of Detroit.”

Alvin R. Stokes, President, Citywide Citizens Police Community Relations, stated, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank U.S. Attorney Mrs. Dawn Ison and her team, for the great event that was held July 9th, 2022, at O’Hair park in the 8th precinct. With the help of several agencies, a great time was had by all. I applaud the Attorney and her team for showing the community the love and support that we need. It is such a pleasure to see the community and other agencies coming together for a good cause. I would love to see more.”

“The Peacenic was a day of empowerment filled with life-saving resources. Free food, job opportunities and plenty of activities for the family. Can’t wait for the next one,” said Darryl Woods, Sr., President and CEO, Fighting the Good Fight.

The second Peacenic will be held on July 17, 2022, from 11-4 at Heilmann Park, which is in the 9th Precinct and will feature most of the same community and law enforcement partners. The Peacenic is designed for the residents of the 9th Precinct. Media is welcome to attend the event and should contact Gina Balaya at the above email address or contact her directly at (313)226-9758.

Participating Organizations

Bates Academy • Brilliant Detroit • Detroit at Work • Detroit Chess Club • Detroit Health Department • Detroit Public Schools Community District • Detroit Reconnect • Detroit Training Center • Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network • Downtown Boxing Gym • Drug Enforcement Administration • Goodwill Industries • Homeland Security • I Teach Chess • Matrix Human Services • Michigan Army National Guard • Michigan Department of Corrections • Michigan Secretary of State • Michigan State Police • O’Hair Park Neighborhood Association • Project Clean Slate • Pure Heart Foundation • Team Wellness Center • 27th Letter Books • United States Marshals Services • Wayne County Community College District • Wayne County Sheriff’s Department •Wayne Metro Community Action Agency • Youthbuild