European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 6, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 stars and stripes Friday april 6 2007 meetings to focus on How combat stress affects family troops by Lisa Burgess stars and stripes Arlington a this years 15th International civilian and military combat stress con Ference will focus on the effect of combat stress on families As Well As War fighters the annual event will be held May 410 at Camp Pendleton and was founded by psychologist Bart Billings a retired army Reserve lieutenant colonel to emphasize this years family theme All sessions on saturday and sunday will be free to family members of participants who have paid to attend the Confer ence Billings said family members also will be invited to attend for free Satur Days dinner and a variety show the conference subtitled sup porting our War fighters their families terrorism combat stress operation iraqi Freedom issues Post traumatic stress Dis will include sessions on military family violence readjust ment following deployment com Bat stress help for returning troops and their families and Les sons Learned about the mental health Impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan vice adm Donald Arthur sur Geon general of the Navy is scheduled to deliver the conferences opening remarks Billings said he founded the conference after realizing during the Gulf War that the military needed to do a better Job preparing service members and their families for the stress of deploy ment the event is not funded by the department of defense but is being organized with support from Psychol Gal associates a Californi abased continuing education company for men Tal health and Legal professionals Jaime Cavazos a spokesman for the army medical com Mand said while the army does not officially sponsor the event the service has at times funded participants and speakers it is a Long running and important supplement to the other efforts the army has in combat and operational stress he said for More information on the 15th annual International civil Ian military combat stress con Ference go to email Lisa Burgess at  Gizmo detainees i order May not d up in Australia a 10 the associated press Canberra Australia a gag order imposed by a Mili tary commission preventing con fessed Taliban militiaman David Hicks from talking to the Media Likely cant be enforced once he returns to Australia the attorney general said Hicks who last week admitted to aiding Al Aida will be sent to a prison in his Hometown of Ade Laide before the end of May to serve a nine month sentence under a plea Deal agreed at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay Cuba one condition of the Deal is that he must not speak to the Media for a year including during the three months after his scheduled release from prison on dec 31 told by an australian Broad casting corp television interviewer late tuesday that the gag order meant nothing and that Hicks would be Able to talk to the Media Australia attorney general Philip Ruddock replied i suspect youre probably lawyers already have questioned whether Australia govern ment can enforce the gag order Given australians constitutional right to free speech Ruddock told the Abc that the australian government had nothing to do with the Media gag of the plea Deal Ruddock also expressed doubt As to whether Hicks could be extradited to the United states to serve a six year three month suspended sentence for breaking his agree ment with military prosecutors Hicks Pentagon appointed Law yer Marine corps maj Michael Mori has said Hicks could be re turned to Guantanamo Bay to serve the suspended sentence if he violates any provision of his plea agreement Mori declined to comment on whether Hicks would be extradited for breaching the Media gag or on Why a gag order was written into the agreement saying that question should be addressed to the prosecutors Hicks has claimed he has been physically and mentally abused since his capture by the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan in Decem ber 2001 As part of his plea bargain he said in a signed statement that he had never been illegally treated while in custody Courtesy of sesame workshop Elmo and his father talk in a scene from a sesame Street special on military deployments the show is part of the sesame workshops talk listen connect Campaign to reach out to military families study urges discussing deployments with tots by Leo Shane in stars and stripes Washington talking with preschoolers about a parents military deployment not Only reassures the youngsters but also helps Calm the entire Day the study conducted As part of the sesame workshops ongoing talk listen connect Campaign to assist military families during deployment said that parents who talk about the extended time apart with preschool age children reported less negative behaviour from those youngsters and fewer feelings of depression themselves parents Are often unsure How much information to share with their children about deploy and that particularly True with Young said Shelly Macdermid co director of the military family research Institute at Purdue University but military kids Are serving the findings Arent shocking numerous studies in the past have shown the importance of communication among military family members but experts said this latest Effort is the first time anyone has focused on Chil Dren As Young As 3 years old there really has been no sup port for preschool said Leslye Arsht Deputy undersecretary of defense for Community and family policy but what weve seen is that the materials helped parents As much As it helped the the study which involved 367 parents who had preschool age children and a deployed or deploying military spouse tracked the families use of sesame work shop materials the childrens be Havior and the parents emotions during the time apart nearly 80 percent of those sur 3 nations1 air forces attend Alaska exercise Anchorage than military personnel Are arriving in Alaska this week for multinational combat training members of French and australian air forces will take part in red Fla Galaska a series of training exercises that include War games with mock enemies the event kicks off thursday and continues through april 21 at Eielson and Elmendorf air Force bases the Effort will involve at least 10 simulated combat mis Sions involving actual flying times Over alaskan vast terrain senior master sgt Charles Ramey with the 13th air Force at Hickam air Force base in Hawaii said tuesday eyed said having some Way to talk with their children about the deployment for most that was a did featuring Elmo dealing with his fathers military tour made both them and their Young sters More comfortable for More information visit email Leo Shane at  machine made turkish carpets Large selection 10 x7 8 x5v 10runner at Osan a mar 5 apr 6 concessionaire