Military Officer - March 2008 - (Page 22) rapidfire Podcasting 101 In Review Take Down: The 3rd Infantry Division’s Twenty-One Day Assault on Baghdad By Jim Lacey. Naval Institute Press, 2007. $29.95. ISBN 978-1-59114-458-8. is a great example of wellwritten military history. The Rescue of Streetcar 304: A Navy Pilot’s Forty Hours on the Run in Laos By Kenny Wayne Fields. Naval Institute Press, 2007. $29.95. ISBN 978-1-59114-272-0. P odcasts are programs (audio, video, or a combination of the two) that can be downloaded via the Internet to a computer or a portable mp3 player. A range of podcasts are available — mostly for free — including foreign language lessons, music, fiction, White House press briefings, self-help programs, and much more. The “main library” for podcasts is the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com). Users easily can download the necessary podcasttransfer software for free, then search for podcasts (all are free at iTunes) by provider, title, or subject. Select single episodes or subscribe to a specific title so new installments will be available; these can be downloaded manually or “synched” (downloaded automatically) when your device is connected to the computer. To learn more, search the Internet for “explain podcast.” — Marilyn Pribus TRICAREUPDATE DO YOU NEED MEDICARE PART D? For the most part, no. TRICARE offers a better benefit with either a military treatment facility pharmacy, at no fee as long as the medication is on the formulary; TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy (TMOP), which ships a 90-day supply of your medication to your home; or retail pharmacies, where you get a 30-day supply of your medication for the same copayment as TMOP. The pharmacy benefit is identical for those over and under age 65. Medicaid eligibles might benefit from Part D because they automatically are enrolled and the state pays their premiums. Spouses who have lost pharmacy coverage through remarriage to a non-military member or former spouses who don’t meet the 20-20-20 rule (a minimum of 20 years of service and 20 years of marriage, with a minimum overlap of 20 years) might benefit as well. Because TRICARE is creditable coverage, you have 63 days upon loss of coverage to obtain Part D without penalty. 22 MILITARY OFFICER MARCH 2008 Time journalist Jim Lacey provides a fascinating history of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division during its 21-day attack on Baghdad, Iraq, from March-April 2003. This combat narrative focuses on the highintensity actions of platoons, companies, battalions, and brigades in what Lacey calls “The Colonels’ War.” Lacey tells of U.S. and Iraqi plans, training, command and control, and combat, highlighting American mobility, firepower, and aggressive offensive spirit, in contrast with Iraqi paralysis and wholesale incompetence. He also discusses inaccurate U.S. intelligence and the fanatical, suicidal bravery of Saddam’s fedayeen paramilitary forces. Lacey describes the bold leadership of American commanders and their troops who overcame war’s friction with good tactics, good gunnery, and good luck. This In May 1968, Kenny Wayne Fields was a naval aviator flying an A-7 Corsair on his first combat mission when he was shot down in an enemy-infested area of Laos. This is the story of his 40-hour ordeal of escape and evasion while being pursued by the North Vietnamese Army and Pathet Lao guerrillas — and trying to avoid being killed by friendly close-air support intended to protect him. Fields describes the fear and uncertainty of being deep behind enemy lines as a massive search-andrescue operation tries to find him in Laos’s jungle. He finally was rescued, but it took 189 sorties, the loss of seven aircraft, and the capture of one pilot to save one man. This is a story about American pilots and the anguish of the military or their families who await word of success or failure. — William D. Bushnell IMAGES: LEFT, GETTY IMAGES; RIGHT, STEVE BARRETT http://www.itunes.com
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