Rotc @ MindSay 
Ok today is July 12th 2007 almost a year since I have started. Wow I did start finally and have my husband on board too. We had started our business a week or so ago and I am totally on point with marketing, distribution and knowledge of my product. Yes ladies and gentleman we are finally going with Quixtar and for those of you who want to become customers check this out www.pfinegraves.ws and here is the latest on my fruit bearing (for being a stay at home mom)
My eldest just graduated from high school (with honor cords) and the other was performing the color guard during the graduation and had made the rank of Cadet Captain, and will be going to college next year after graduation to become a officer in the armed forces. YEA!!! I am a proud momma. Now back to business. Hubby and I will be working with another couple to help realize our dream and we are working closely with people that not only have the desire to succeed but are now our friends. They are were we want to be, financially free. I will be updating often with more information on how the business is going. I want to share the ups and downs of owning our eCommerence business and hopefully educate newbies so they don't fall into the dangerous traps of online business. Until then...Ado.
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 1, 2007 - A company that makes test-preparation products for students gearing up for college entrance exams is offering free materials to servicemembers and their families, sacrificing a chunk of its bottom line for those on the front lines. eKnowledge is an online- and CD-ROM-based learning program that teaches test-taking techniques for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, and American College Test, or ACT, among others. The company plans to expand its coverage soon by offering complimentary programs to Junior ROTC members.
Charlie Beall, eKnowledge chief executive officer and a former Marine, fought in Vietnam as infantry officer. He said he has sympathy for servicemembers whose income might be strained by $300 or $400 price tags attached to premium test-prep products.
"A sergeant in the Air Force stationed in Singapore who's got a couple of teenage kids that are getting ready to go to college can't afford $400 or $500 apiece for these test-preparation products," Beall said. "A lot of these folks have children in the JROTC program, so they're going to have help with tuition because they're going to go to school on ROTC scholarships.
"But that doesn't help them financially with their ACT and SAT test preparation, which ultimately is going to have an influence on which schools they can go to," he added.
SAT and ACT exam scores often weigh heavily in college admission judgments and can tip the scales toward an applicant's acceptance or rejection. Beall estimates students improve their scores 30 to 40 percent when they prepare with eKnowledge products, compared to those who don't use a premium-prep program.
A group of National Football League players last year heard through their agency, Victory Sports Group, about eKnowledge's plan to donate study materials to boost troops' and their family members' chances at gaining admission to choice schools.
The seven NFL players -- Mark Anderson of the Chicago Bears, Jon Bradley of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Garrick Jones of the Atlanta Falcons, Corey Williams of the Green Bay Packers, Jason Radar of the Miami Dolphins, Ahmaad Galloway of the San Diego Chargers, and Scott Young of the Philadelphia Eagles -- jumped at the chance to support servicemembers and their families.
With the football players' help, eKnowledge donated $6.9 million worth of multimedia SAT/ACT preparation materials.
Young said he was inspired to team with eKnowledge because of Jake Johnson, Young's best friend since high school. As a Marine, Johnson spent four years serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"When people are willing to put their lives on hold to serve and protect the U.S., our freedoms (and) everything we know as a country, it's the least we can do to help these people in the military come home and get back to a civilian lifestyle, to get back and get that little jumpstart into education," Young said.
"I think it is owed by the civilian population to help out people who are fighting for us and risking their lives and the families (who) are right there with them," he said.
eKnowledge and NFL participants have donated more than 48,000 test preparation CDs and DVDs, and received roughly 20,000 thank you notes from satisfied troops. One note was even postmarked from Africa, where a servicemember was stationed.
"As a military parent residing in Kenya," Air Force Maj. Douglas McClain wrote, "I truly appreciate the opportunity to obtain these products for my daughter who attends the international school here.
"This program will guarantee that she has current material to prepare for the SAT and ACT," the note said. "Thanks from an Air Force major who is trying to serve his country and also take care of his family."
Servicemembers interested in receiving free eKnowledge products can complete an online request form at www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil by following the link to "Donation: VSG/NFL Players." Requests can also be made by calling eKnowledge at 951-256-4076 or via e-mail at support@eknowledge.com.
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 1, 2007 - A company that makes test-preparation products for students gearing up for college entrance exams is offering free materials to servicemembers and their families, sacrificing a chunk of its bottom line for those on the front lines. eKnowledge is an online- and CD-ROM-based learning program that teaches test-taking techniques for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, and American College Test, or ACT, among others. The company plans to expand its coverage soon by offering complimentary programs to Junior ROTC members.
Charlie Beall, eKnowledge chief executive officer and a former Marine, fought in Vietnam as infantry officer. He said he has sympathy for servicemembers whose income might be strained by $300 or $400 price tags attached to premium test-prep products.
"A sergeant in the Air Force stationed in Singapore who's got a couple of teenage kids that are getting ready to go to college can't afford $400 or $500 apiece for these test-preparation products," Beall said. "A lot of these folks have children in the JROTC program, so they're going to have help with tuition because they're going to go to school on ROTC scholarships.
"But that doesn't help them financially with their ACT and SAT test preparation, which ultimately is going to have an influence on which schools they can go to," he added.
SAT and ACT exam scores often weigh heavily in college admission judgments and can tip the scales toward an applicant's acceptance or rejection. Beall estimates students improve their scores 30 to 40 percent when they prepare with eKnowledge products, compared to those who don't use a premium-prep program.
A group of National Football League players last year heard through their agency, Victory Sports Group, about eKnowledge's plan to donate study materials to boost troops' and their family members' chances at gaining admission to choice schools.
The seven NFL players -- Mark Anderson of the Chicago Bears, Jon Bradley of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Garrick Jones of the Atlanta Falcons, Corey Williams of the Green Bay Packers, Jason Radar of the Miami Dolphins, Ahmaad Galloway of the San Diego Chargers, and Scott Young of the Philadelphia Eagles -- jumped at the chance to support servicemembers and their families.
With the football players' help, eKnowledge donated $6.9 million worth of multimedia SAT/ACT preparation materials.
Young said he was inspired to team with eKnowledge because of Jake Johnson, Young's best friend since high school. As a Marine, Johnson spent four years serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"When people are willing to put their lives on hold to serve and protect the U.S., our freedoms (and) everything we know as a country, it's the least we can do to help these people in the military come home and get back to a civilian lifestyle, to get back and get that little jumpstart into education," Young said.
"I think it is owed by the civilian population to help out people who are fighting for us and risking their lives and the families (who) are right there with them," he said.
eKnowledge and NFL participants have donated more than 48,000 test preparation CDs and DVDs, and received roughly 20,000 thank you notes from satisfied troops. One note was even postmarked from Africa, where a servicemember was stationed.
"As a military parent residing in Kenya," Air Force Maj. Douglas McClain wrote, "I truly appreciate the opportunity to obtain these products for my daughter who attends the international school here.
"This program will guarantee that she has current material to prepare for the SAT and ACT," the note said. "Thanks from an Air Force major who is trying to serve his country and also take care of his family."
Servicemembers interested in receiving free eKnowledge products can complete an online request form at www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil by following the link to "Donation: VSG/NFL Players." Requests can also be made by calling eKnowledge at 951-256-4076 or via e-mail at support@eknowledge.com.
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
May 22, 2007 – As language and cultural sensitivities factor more and more into military operations, defense officials are promoting several initiatives to increase the number of servicemembers and employees with critical language skills. One of the most innovative programs is the Army's effort to recruit "heritage language" speakers from countries the U.S. is engaged in, Gail McGinn, deputy undersecretary of defense for plans, said in an interview today. These soldiers have backgrounds in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, and already have a thorough knowledge of the languages and cultures in those areas.
"If you have a native language, you have the accent right, but more importantly, you also have the culture right, and you know something about the part of the world where your family's from, where you grew up for part of your life," McGinn said. "And that brings a great advantage to you in working with our forces."
The program, called the 09L interpreter/translator program, started with the Individual Ready Reserve, McGinn explained. Native speakers were recruited into the IRR and trained in translation skills and English, if they needed it, then sent into the force as soldiers. Now the Army offers the program in the active-duty and reserve components as well, she said.
When the program started in 2003, the Army set an initial goal of 250 native speakers recruited per year, McGinn said. The Army is now meeting that goal, and in the last fiscal year recruited 130 percent of the goal, she said.
"That's a tribute to the Army and its recruiters, but it's also a tribute to these great Americans who are coming forward to help us," she said.
Right now the program focuses on potential recruits who speak Arabic, which is spoken in Iraq, and Pashto and Dari, the two main languages of Afghanistan. But Defense Department officials hope to expand the program in the future, McGinn said. Many of the soldiers who join under this program are motivated by the possibility of U.S. citizenship, she said, but many also have a deep sense of patriotism and want to serve.
"A lot of them have escaped persecution or have been wounded in combat or fought in civil wars. They've come to the United States with their family, and there's a great sense that they would like to pay something back," she said.
Commanders in the field have given very positive feedback about the soldiers recruited under interpreter/translator program, McGinn said. These soldiers have helped prevent attacks and problems in Iraq and Afghanistan because of their language and cultural knowledge, but also are effective soldiers who fight alongside their counterparts, she said.
"A soldier picks up a weapon and goes into combat with you and is there right by your side and obeys your orders, and you can trust them. And (the soldier) really becomes a part of the team," she said. "And I think that's what we're hearing from commanders, is the value that they bring."
Another initiative the Defense Department is exploring is the Language Corps, which would be a set of Americans with language skills available to assist in times of crisis, McGinn said.
The department is working with other federal agencies on a pilot program that would identify individuals with critical skills and possibly help them sustain their language skills and use them on a regular basis, she said. These people would be available for military operations and humanitarian relief efforts. The program would focus initially more on critical languages, such as Arabic and Chinese.
The Defense Department has hired a contractor to set up the program, and the goal is to bring 1,000 people into the corps, McGinn said. "In that process, as a part of the pilot, we will actually do some exercising of it to see how it would work," she said. "So I'm really excited; we're really in the beginning of the action steps now."
In an effort to establish a more well-rounded officer corps, the Defense Department also is working with universities to implement language programs into ROTC studies, McGinn said. Under the last Quadrennial Defense Review, the department awarded four grants to universities to set up language programs.
"We have been trying to figure out how to get our military officers more language capable, because we think it's important for interacting with populations and for interacting with our allies, and it's part of the core competency an officer should have," she said.
The Defense Department eventually will award 50 of these contracts to universities over the next five years, McGinn said.
Language initiatives will continue to be important to the Defense Department, so leaders always are thinking about future programs, McGinn said. With the establishment of Africa Command, African languages will start to be important, she noted. The department is conducting a military-wide survey to identify existing language capabilities that may be needed in the future.
"That's how we're trying to hedge our bets in the future in terms of what other languages might be important to us," she said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
April 10, 2007 – President Bush today praised the troops defending the United States and the veterans who set a powerful example and continue to support them. Bush traveled to American Legion Post 177 in Fairfax, Va., to recognize the spirit of service and volunteerism he said makes the United States a shining example for the rest of the world. "There's something to be said for a country where people serve something greater than themselves, where people in this era volunteer in the face of danger to defend" it, he said.
The president said it's difficult facing the personal losses the war on terror has inflicted. "We've lost some fantastic young men and women," he said. "And we honor their service and their sacrifice by completing the mission, by helping a generation of Americans grow up in a peaceful world."
Bush said he prays for the families of the fallen troops and recognizes the pain they're enduring. "And it's very important for me to make it clear to them that I believe the sacrifice is necessary to achieve the peace we all long for," he said.
The president thanked the Legionnaires who, like today's troops, sacrificed for the country. They provide inspiration for those in uniform today, he said, and continue to serve through their long tradition of support to the military.
Bush noted that World War I veterans gathered in November 1944 to found the Fairfax post as a way to rally support for those in uniform. "These veterans understood what it meant to be in war, what it meant to be far from home, and they provided necessary support for our troops," he said.
It's a tradition the group continues today, from visiting wounded troops in military hospitals to awarding ROTC scholarships at nearby George Mason University.
Bush also thanked the group for taking the time to send care packages to deployed troops Iraq and Afghanistan "to remind those who wear the uniform that you support them."
These and other efforts the country is making send a solid message of support to troops far from home and the lift they sometimes need, he told them. "It matters," he said.
The American Legion is among myriad groups, corporations and private citizens around the country showing support for the men and women in uniform. These efforts are showcased through the Defense Department's America Supports You program. Launched in November 2004, the program helps directly connect military members to the support of the America people and offers ways the general public can find meaningful ways to support the military community.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.