Military Officer - September 2006 - (Page 20) rapidfire Hall of Honor In Review First In: An Insider’s Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan By Gary C. Schroen. Ballantine Books, 2005. $25.95. ISBN 0-89141-872-5. T he National Purple Heart Hall of Honor currently is under construction in New York’s Hudson River Valley at the New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site. The mission of the Hall of Honor is to collect and preserve stories of Purple Heart recipients from all branches of service and generations. The stories will be recounted through a series of exhibits, live and videotaped interviews with veterans, and the Roll of Honor, an interactive computer program detailing the stories of each recipient. The Hall of Honor is the first national museum that recognizes the more than 1.7 million Americans wounded or killed in action, and it will become the nation’s sole repository dedicated to the preservation of these stories of sacrifice. To find out more about the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor or to submit your story, visit www.nys parks.state.ny.us/heritage/purple_hrt.asp. echelon pundits who confuse and meddle with no understanding of the reality on the ground. My Battle of Algiers By Ted Morgan. Smithsonian Books, 2005. $24.95. ISBN 0-06085224-0. TRICAREUPDATE TRICARE NOW WILL reimburse the colonoscopy procedure as an option for colorectal screening for normal-risk beneficiaries age 50 and older. Prior to this addition to the TRICARE benefit, colonoscopies were not reimbursable for normal-risk, non-Medicare beneficiaries between ages 50 and 64 if symptoms had not been identified or if testing was for screening purposes only. Only high-risk beneficiaries, determined by family history, received the option of a screening colonoscopy. TRICARE currently is in the implementation stage of this provision and asks that servicemembers, retirees, and their families pay the bills for the procedure and save the receipts. Beneficiaries will be notified when to submit claims for any reimbursements as implementation occurs and claims filing procedures are announced. 20 MILITARY OFFICER SEPTEMBER 2006 Veteran CIA agent Gary Schroen led the first CIA team into Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001. He tells the story of the operation code-named Jawbreaker and about his team’s efforts to coordinate with Afghan warlords in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaida in 2001. This first-person account reveals the U.S. government’s hasty preparations and uncertain plans for America’s first real offensive in the war on terrorism. Schroen and his men lead the way into Afghanistan’s rugged mountains, which were held by the Northern Alliance, a motley collection of feuding warlords. Schroen tells of negotiations with rival warlords, harsh and unhealthy living conditions, dangerous missions, and sleeping on $10 million in cash — used to buy allegiance among unpredictable allies. He stingingly criticizes rear- The Algerian War (195462) was the beginning of modern Arab terrorism and the final defeat of the French colonial empire. Journalist Ted Morgan was a French citizen living and working in the U.S. when he got his draft notice. He comments on Arab nationalism, the cold-blooded tactics of terrorism, and the brutally effective French reprisals and counterinsurgency operations. He argues France was never going to win in Algeria, falling victim to a war-weary government and phony sense of French superiority, despite military successes. This is a stirring, passionate commentary on colonialism, political and military infighting, and the morality of indiscriminate terrorism and torture. — William D. Bushnell IMAGES: LEFT, GARY BENSON/GETTY IMAGES; ABOVE, STEVE BARRETT http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us/heritage/purple_hrt.asp http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us/heritage/purple_hrt.asp
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