Source: United States Navy
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro traveled to Greece, India and Italy Nov. 15–22 to further U.S. national security interests by engaging foreign dignitaries, Department of the Navy (DON) senior leaders, Sailors, Marines and civilians while reinforcing bilateral security relationships with partner nations.
Source: United States Department of Justice News
Jackson, Miss. – A federal grand jury in Jackson has returned indictments charging the former sheriff of Noxubee County and one of his deputies with receiving bribes, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to court documents, former sheriff Terry Grassaree and former deputy Vance Phillips are charged with using facilities in interstate commerce, namely, the internet and a cellular phone, for the purpose of committing the offense of bribery. Grassaree is also charged with lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The defendants made their initial court appearances today before U.S. Magistrate Judge F. Keith Ball of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. The cases are set for trial on January 9, 2023. If convicted, Grassaree faces a maximum penalty of ten years in prison and Phillips faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Purdie is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Department of Justice News
After a two-week jury trial, a federal jury in Honolulu, Hawaii, found defendants Kaulana Alo-Kaonohi, 32, and Levi Aki Jr., 33, guilty of a hate crime for their racially motivated attacks on C.K., a white man who was attempting to move into their Native Hawaiian neighborhood of Kahakuloa on Maui.
“This verdict brings justice and vindication to the victim, a man who was assaulted and nearly killed simply based on the color of his skin,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The jury’s verdict – and in fact this whole prosecution – reflects the Department of Justice’s commitment to protecting every person in this country from race-based violence, regardless of the race of the perpetrator or the victim. The law applies equally to everyone.”
“The defendants in this case committed a gruesome attack on the victim because of his race,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will work to bring to justice anyone who uses threats and violence to intimidate any individual because of racial bias.”
At trial, the evidence showed that C.K., purchased a house in Kahakuloa and decided to move there with his wife and three daughters after his wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and forced to retire. When C.K. arrived in Kahakuloa, he was harassed and threatened by various Kahakuloa residents who told him things like, “This is a Hawaiian village. The only thing coming from the outside is the electricity,” and “You don’t even belong in Hawaii.”
On Feb. 13, 2014, when C.K. was unpacking his belongings with his elderly uncle, the defendants, who had never met C.K. before, stormed onto his property and demanded that he pack his things and leave, threatening to “tie [him] up and drag [him]” and make him “go missing” if he did not comply. When C.K. replied that he owned the house, defendant Alo-Kaonohi dragged his index finger along C.K.’s jaw and told him, “Your skin is the wrong f****** color.” Defendant Aki then picked up a roofing shovel and handed it to defendant Alo-Kaonohi, who struck C.K. in the head with it, opening up a bloody wound on the back of C.K.’s head. Later on, after C.K. had already begun packing up his possessions, the defendants attacked him a second time. During that attack, defendant Aki head butted C.K. and struck him in the face with the shovel a second time, giving C.K. a concussion and causing him to lose consciousness. When he came to, the defendants were kicking him in the side—kicks that broke two of his ribs. During the second attack, one of the defendants said, “no white man is ever going to live here.”
“The jury’s verdict confirms that the rule of law serves to protect all persons in our community from vicious assaults, no matter the color of their skin,” said United States Attorney Clare E. Connors for the District of Hawaii. “When people commit violent crimes against someone out of hatred for the victim’s race, the Department of Justice will ensure they face criminal consequences in a court of law.”
“The FBI is committed in protecting individuals from being harmed based on their race,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill of the FBI Honolulu Field Office. “This case highlights our work to ensure everyone feels safe in their own community without any fear of retribution or violence regardless of their race. The FBI encourages the public to support law enforcement’s efforts to end hate crimes by contacting the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.”
Sentencing is set for March 2, 2023. The charge on which they were convicted carries a maximum sentence of ten years of imprisonment. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Honolulu Field Office conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Thomas for the District of Hawaii prosecuted the case in partnership with Special Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Perras and Trial Attorney Tara Allison of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Source: United States Navy
In the spirit of ‘Get Real, Get Better,’ and realizing holidays are coming up, (a hard time for many), I thought I’d take a moment and provide resources to help you and your loved ones optimize your mental health. As a member of the Navy family, I am committed to helping our entire Navy family live your best lives. I offer this letter to encourage you to talk about this mental health openly, honestly, and often – and create a culture of safety and support. We all take care of our physical health, and we need to do the same with our minds.
Mental illness and suicide don’t discriminate. Within the Navy, let’s take proactive steps toward maintaining our mental wellness and foster connectedness with those around us. Mental health and indeed suicide prevention start with simple, ongoing efforts to promote our own mental wellness, sense of community, and sense of belongingness. If you are looking for a starting point, I recommend downloading the MyNavy Family App and prioritize yourself, your wellness.
When supporting and checking in on how others are doing, it is important to remember:
To ensure we are doing our part to keep ourselves and those around us safe, it is important to lead by example:
People are the most important part of our Navy family. And to any member of our Navy family struggling with suicidal thoughts or ideations, please know we are right here with you. We care about you and your mental wellness, and we want you to stay safe.
There are many professional resources available to help, including: medical providers, the Sailor Assistance and Intercept for Life (SAIL) program, the Navy’s Counseling Advocacy Program, as well as confidential support from a Navy chaplain or the Military Crisis Line. Telemedicine mental health services are also available through your local medical provider. There are also many commercial online therapeutic services, such as Talkspace and peer support chat platforms like Supportiv.
I have included a list of suicide prevention resources below to help you or people you know that need support.
Additional Resources/Links:
Lastly, my own personal ways of encouragement:
Sincerely,
Linda Gilday
Source: United States Navy
The theme of the conference was “Training as a Weapon,” which emphasized the need for naval leadership to innovate their training resources to complement generational learning styles.
“Today’s “digital” age Sailor requires a pedagogical review and analysis of our current methods of training,” said Capt. Christopher Follin, commodore, ATGPAC. “This review and development of relevant training weapons is critical for meeting the CNO’s demand for the “best trained Sailors.” We must develop innovative means to overcome our limited training resources and antiquated methods to address how today’s Sailors learn.”
Combined military, government, and industry sessions were held beginning with an academic review of “How today’s adults learn.” Led by Lorentzen and Associates Corporation, these sessions provided action officers with the knowledge and tangible examples necessary to develop applicable requirements that provide high-end, consistent, and repeatable training across all domains afloat and ashore. This was accomplished through development of a deeper understanding of the capabilities, motivations, and effective/tailored methods of learning of a newer generation of Sailors. Visual, aural, kinesthetic, reflective, impulsive, whole-part, and part-whole learners retain knowledge differently depending on their generation. As such, training applications must be tailored to individuals in order to meet their learning needs. This will be more effective than implementing a one-size fits all application of training materials, to include the application of legacy training methods. This will assist in harnessing Sailors’ passion for learning while supporting increased retention of material.
“Future training techniques must incorporate a thorough understanding of generational learning styles” said Barry Walsh, a facilitator assigned to ATG. “Baby boomers, millennials, X, Y, and Z generations learn and retain information differently. The merging of an understanding of generational learning styles and tailored training delivery methods based on the needs of those styles, utilizing existing and newer technology is essential in the development of timely and relevant training of information that can be more thoroughly retained by the Sailor.”
Surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, air warfare, engineering and damage control working groups provided insight into existing legacy training methods. Working groups were moderated with objectives and requirements for training delivery methods based on preferred generational learning styles of expected trainees. The stated requirements were captured and presented to ATGPAC for further analysis and technological capture. This is the first step in implementing a newer, aggressive strategy to develop generational and technically savvy techniques to provide continuous and relevant individual, team, ship, and strike group training methods to the Fleet.