Specific Findings of the America Supports You IG Report

Findings Worth Mentioning

Finding A. Questionable and Unregulated ASY Program Operations: The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Internal Communications and Public Liaison (Deputy Assistant Secretary) was conducting the ASY program in a questionable and unregulated manner. Specifically, [Allison Barber] the [former] Deputy Assistant Secretary used contracts with Susan Davis International, a public relations firm, with
payments totaling more than $8.8 million (since September 2004) to primarily solicit or build support from school children, corporations, celebrities, and the media, and to organize ASY special events and procure promotional items to promote or “brand” the ASY program during the past 3 years; misused the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference to build support and promote the ASY program; employed a corporate recognition program and displayed corporate logos on the ASY Web site, which violates DoD policy and gave preferential treatment [via political and corporate affiliation] to select ASY home front groups; and used contracts with the Advertising Council for $338,014 to promote the program through an advertising campaign and $191,024 to purchase ASY dog tags.

This is a continuatiion of my previous post on the official DOD/IG Report on America Supports You.mil.

For a better fond select reader-friendly version at right.

Robert L. Hanafin
Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired

These questionable and unregulated actions occurred because the ASD(PA) [Allison Barber] failed to establish the ASY Steering Committee with representation from the Military Departments and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to recommend and coordinate policies and programs that provide similar support and recognition to Service members and their families.

However , what she and other Republican administration political appointees did achieve was a steering committee led by the outgoing President of the United States.

On June 26, 2006, – President Bush met with representatives from 14 grassroots troop support groups [screened by America Supports You.mil for their partisan political ideology-see the President’s comment below about Washington] to talk about how they can best support America’s service members [looks like, smells like, and sounds like an American Supports Bush Steering Committee to me!]

"I have just had a remarkable discussion with some of my fellow citizens who have dedicated their lives to making sure our troops know that this country supports them as they help secure our country and spread freedom," Bush said at a news conference after the meeting.

The president mentioned America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting grassroots and corporate support for the nation’s military members and their families. [Obviously in direct violation of ‘his’ Pentagon’s own regulations and lord knows how many federal laws?] He invited Americans to go to the ASY Web site at www.americasupportsyou.mil to find more on how they can support the nation’s service members.

"I told the folks here that the politics in Washington can be rough," Bush said about the meeting. "They need to tell the troops that no matter how tough it looks here in the nation’s capital, that I know we’re doing the right thing, and I know we will win."

[Put another way, America Supports You.mil needs to tell Our Troops and Military Families not to pay no mind to those who oppose President Bush’s policies in the Middle East]

Bottom Line: Despite continuing attempts by the Pentagon to whitewash and downplay what America Supports You.mil was really established for, at the minimum contact President-elect Obama and insist that his administration not have nor used such a Steering Committee. Sometime in 2006 or so, America Supports Bush.mil began banning political statements on their website, and excluded any Support Our Troops efforts that did not, “tell the troops that no matter how tough it looks here in the nation’s capital, that Bush knows we’re doing the right thing, and Bush knows we will win." [Regardless what rhetoric comes out of the Pentagon, DOD/IG, or current home of America Supports You, ASY was created as a political propaganda apparatus, abused tax payer dollars, and cut into deparately needed Defense funds, including Iraq War supplements that really could have gone towards those troops when they became Veterans.

Robert L. Hanafin
Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired
Our Troops do not need to be constantly reminded that Americans Support Them.
Nor do Our Troops need to be reminded that they are doing the right thing for their former Commander-In-Chief at tax payer expense.

This story goes so deep and so dirty that I can only stomach a little at a time, so it will continue in several installments unless blocked by whomever.

Robert L. Hanafin

Readers are more than welcome to use the articles I’ve posted on Veterans Today, I’ve had to take a break from VT as Veterans Issues and Peace Activism Editor and staff writer due to personal medical reasons in our military family that take away too much time needed to properly express future stories or respond to readers in a timely manner.

My association with VT since its founding in 2004 has been a very rewarding experience for me.

Retired from both the Air Force and Civil Service. Went in the regular Army at 17 during Vietnam (1968), stayed in the Army Reserve to complete my eight year commitment in 1976. Served in Air Defense Artillery, and a Mechanized Infantry Division (4MID) at Fort Carson, Co. Used the GI Bill to go to college, worked full time at the VA, and non-scholarship Air Force 2-Year ROTC program for prior service military. Commissioned in the Air Force in 1977. Served as a Military Intelligence Officer from 1977 to 1994. Upon retirement I entered retail drugstore management training with Safeway Drugs Stores in California. Retail Sales Management was not my cup of tea, so I applied my former U.S. Civil Service status with the VA to get my foot in the door at the Justice Department, and later Department of the Navy retiring with disability from the Civil Service in 2000.

I’ve been with Veterans Today since the site originated. I’m now on the Editorial Board. I was also on the Editorial Board of Our Troops News Ladder another progressive leaning Veterans and Military Family news clearing house.

I remain married for over 45 years. I am both a Vietnam Era and Gulf War Veteran. I served on Okinawa and Fort Carson, Colorado during Vietnam and in the Office of the Air Force Inspector General at Norton AFB, CA during Desert Storm. I retired from the Air Force in 1994 having worked on the Air Staff and Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon.