Olsen, a member of the U.S. bobsled team since 2007, enlisted here Jan. 6."I already represent my country," he said. "Now I have an opportunity to serve and represent my country at the same time."Olsen will train as a human resource specialist for the Joint Force Headquarters after this season's World Cup ends. Once he completes his individual entry training, Olsen plans to apply for the Army World Class Athlete Program, which provides outstanding soldier-athletes with support and training to compete in national and international competitions while maintaining a professional military career and promoting the Army to the world. "I hope to be selected and, as a soldier-athlete, I hope that I can give back as much to the program as they are giving me,â€Â Olsen said. “My plans are to continue to earn medals and make a name for my sport and the program.â€Â Olsen began thinking about the National Guard when his fellow USA Bobsled teammate Mike Kohn, who was then a sergeant in the Virginia Army National Guard, told him about the Army National Guard and the World Class Athlete Program. "He just sat me down and talked to me about it and said, 'Think about what you want to do with the sport and what you want to do with your career,'" Olsen said. "I've thought about it for a long time, and now is the right time for me." Olsen made the World Cup team in his first season and became one of the nation's top bobsledders. He is one of two pushers on the four-man team. In 2008, Olsen earned a spot on sled USA 1 with driver Steven Holcomb, winning two silver and two bronze medals in the first half of the World Cup tour. He also helped to push Holcomb to a first-place finish at the 2009 National Championships for four-man and a silver medal at the inaugural World Cup in Whistler, Canada. At the 2009 World Championships, Olsen teamed with Holcomb again to win gold in the four-man and a Gold Medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics. "The wealth and strength of the New York Army National Guard comes from the longstanding tradition of talent, abilities and dedication of our service members,â€Â said Lt. Col. Steve Rowe, commander of the New York Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Command. “As a world-class athlete, Justin has distinguished himself as the best of the best and brings to us those exact talents and desire to serve, that we look for in any of our soldiers,â€Â Rowe continued. "It's great to have someone who has already represented his country so well and we look forward to the contributions he will continue to make in his service in the nation and the Guard." Selection for the Army World Class Athlete program is open to members of the active Army, Army Reserve and National Guard who compete in an Olympic sport and have maintained good military standing. National Guard soldiers selected are brought on active duty, and their performance is monitored for selection and attendance to required military schools to ensure they remain competitive with their military counterparts. Since the program's inception in 1997, 40 soldier-athletes have participated in the summer and winter Olympic Games, winning gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals. Since 1948, 615 Army soldiers have represented the United States at the summer and winter Olympics as athletes and coaches, earning 142 medals in a variety of sports, including bobsled, track and field, wrestling, boxing and shooting. Jan. 10, 2011: By Army Master Sgt. Corine Lombardo- New York National Guard

Stowe, of Elkmont, Ala., joined the Army in June 2008 and attended basic and advanced individual training as a human resources specialist at Fort Jackson, S.C.He has deployed twice since his enlistment. He spent seven months in Iraq and now is deployed to Forward Operating Base Shank here with Task Force Knighthawk, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division’s 10th Combat Aviation Brigade. But this is where his story becomes a little bit different: Stowe’s musical ambitions have led him to a recording contract in the Christian Contemporary genre after he simply had sought some feedback. “I sent my song to them, not really looking for a contract so much,â€Â he explained. “I was really hoping for a critique and just wanting to know what they would think.â€Â In June, Stowe got a phone call in which executives offered him a recording contract. “I was a bit overjoyed,â€Â he recalled, “then a little disappointed, because we were about to deploy.â€Â The company’s executives decided they were willing to wait. “They told me we could start recording once I returned,â€Â Stowe said, “so it looks like [in] November or December … I’ll take some leave and start recording.â€Â Stowe is not alone in his endeavor. As the lead singer of his group, Sanctify Me, his band includes his younger brother Johnathan on bass and school friend Brittany Gibson on guitar. The trio has played together since high school. “I can play drums and sing when we record, and I’ll play the keyboard when applicable,â€Â he said. He laughed as he recalled the moment when his band and family reacted to the news. “They were very happy and excited, of course. They were almost more overjoyed than I was.â€Â Stowe credits his wife, Evelyn, and the rest of his family in Elkmont as the sustaining factor for his music and ambitions. “I have awesome support with everything. … You know, this is our dream,â€Â he said. The dream began during his sophomore year of high school. Stowe was given his first instrument, a white First Act electric guitar. He quickly discovered his natural affinity for music by teaching himself to play the guitar, along with picking up the drums, keyboard and bass soon after. Creating a band was a natural evolution. Stowe said he enjoys the camaraderie and support of his unit and looks to their continued backing as he moves forward with his music. The soft-spoken soldier said his fellow troops encourage his musical aspirations. “They support me,â€Â he said. “They keep my morale up.â€Â At the prompting of his co-workers, Stowe works on his lyrics and sharpens his skills with several instruments available at the local chapel and, at times, in the office. “I do it because they ask me to and for their morale,â€Â he explained Army Spc. Nicholas MacAlpin, Task Force Knighthawk chaplain assistant, said his friend’s goal of succeeding in contemporary Christian music is a no-fail aspiration. “He is the most amazing guy I have ever known in my life,â€Â said MacAlpin, a native of Painesville, Ohio. “He is a man who encompasses the Army values, and his music surpasses most artists for his age.â€Â Jan. 7, 2011: By Army Sgt. Janell Emerson- 10th Combat Aviation Brigade

Lance Cpl. Christopher L. Burkhart, a diesel mechanic with Regimental Combat Team 2, grew up working on four-wheelers and trucks, and now he works on every type of vehicle the Marine Corps has to offer.“I got my first four-wheeler when I was 5, and I have been tinkering with and fixing things ever since,â€Â he said. Burkhart said his grandfather, Milton, and his brother, Jeremy, were big influences in his life. Both of them loved working on vehicles, and Burkhart grew up learning and working with them. Burkhart and his mother, Deb, worked on a 1981 Toyota pickup truck together. It was his mother’s first truck, he said, and the oldest truck he has worked on. “My mom and I took pride in it together,â€Â he said. The newest civilian vehicle he’s worked on is his 2005 Dodge Ram. So far, he said, he has added an exhaust system, bigger tires, a new head unit and a stereo system. “It’s cool to see how far we’ve come in vehicle technology,â€Â he said. As he nears the end of his first deployment to Afghanistan, Burkhart has worked on every type of vehicle and heavy equipment in the Marine Corps inventory. His favorite: the all-terrain version of the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle. “They are easy to work on, and it’s the newest thing to come out in the Marine Corps,â€Â he said. “I love learning everything there is to know about the new vehicles.â€Â The job provides plenty of satisfaction. “There is nothing better than getting a truck that doesn’t run, then being able to take it out for a road test because I fixed it,â€Â Burkhart said. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Edward V. Miuccio, who has known Burkhart since he settled in at Camp Lejeune, N.C., about a year and a half ago, said that he can tell Burkhart is motivated just by his attitude and confidence while at work. “He is energetic and enjoys his job,â€Â Miuccio, a line noncommissioned officer. “We work together to fix the trucks on the lot.â€Â Burkhart, who plans on separating when his active-duty commitment ends, said he wants to work on the sustainment team for the company that supplies the M-ATVs to the Marine Corps and sends technicians to work with Marines to resolve any issues with the vehicles in the deployed environment. “[They] are very helpful, friendly people,â€Â said Burkhart. “I’d be able to concentrate on just the M-ATV instead of the other vehicles here.â€Â On his off hours, Burkhart is easy-going and hangs out with his co-workers. Miuccio said one of his favorite memories of him and Burkhart is staying up on Christmas playing video games until 2 in the morning, just laughing and relaxing. “He is a good guy and would give the shirt off his back for any of his friends,â€Â Miuccio said. “I’d trust him with my life.â€Â Jan. 6, 2011: By Marine Corps Cpl. Megan Sindelar- Regional Command Southwest

He also dreamed of getting out from behind that desk. "I thought about it every day honestly," said Army Pfc. Bruce S. Simms, a 34-year-old rifleman. "At the bank, I would sit behind the desk and think about wanting to be [in the Army] every day for 10 years." Simms shrugged off the shackles of the investment-banking world and the generous pay that goes with it to become an infantryman assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s Company B, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force No Slack, 1st Brigade Combat Team. He now lives on a small, spartan combat outpost in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province. "I'm just a common American who loves his country and wants to see great things come from our country," Simms said while resting a bruised leg in his room at Combat Outpost Fortress. He had just returned from a two-day mission in the mountains bordering Pakistan where he slipped and injured his leg. But that didn't stop him from completing the operation with his unit. "My dad taught me as a kid that you can do whatever it is you want to do," Simms said. "Whenever an obstacle presents itself, take a step back, change your direction of battle, regroup and go back and attack the target again." Simms readjusted the ice pack on his ankle and continued. "Growing up, my dad was kind of a hero to me, so I wanted to follow in his footsteps and avoid some of the mistakes that he made," he said. He laughed nervously when asked for elaboration. "That would be getting into a whole different story,” he said. “You have no idea of what you're digging up right now. The Army knows all about him." He hefted his wounded leg out of bed and motioned for his visitor to follow him outside to a bunker to explain who his father was. Simms said he actually had eight different fathers as he grew up. Their names were Wayne Simms, Kenny Tyler, Thomas Michael Lamar, Brandon Lee Bailey, David Auni, Michael Simms, Robert Simms and Paul Robert Ritter. He now knows him as one man -- David Michael Pecard. "My dad was a very dishonorable man, but a very honorable man at the same time. It's very weird," Simms said. "The guy, for lack of a better word, was a crook." Simms' father had a plethora of jobs from police officer to emergency room technician to soldier. In fact, his father enlisted in the Army at the age of 14 to fight in Vietnam. After fellow soldiers discovered his real age, Simms' father was sent back home. Within a few months, he rejoined the Army. In 1974, he married Susan Kwon and took her to America, but disappeared when their second child was 6 days old. Simms' said his father drifted back into his life occasionally throughout his childhood, but never stayed for long. He had other families to visit. "He's had like eight different wives across different countries," the soldier explained with a laugh. "David Pecard is probably one of the biggest con men in the United States," Simms said. "Actually, he went on record as probably being the biggest one, unfortunately." Not only did Pecard fraudulently join the military at 14, then again at 17 with different aliases, but joined it five more times for a total of seven different identities. Pecard described himself as the Robin Hood of con men. For example, he helped to put criminals behind bars when he worked as a fake military attache to the Maricopa County Police Department in Arizona. "In my opinion, although he did serve his country, it was a dishonorable thing to defraud his government like that," said Simms, adding that he wanted to try to bring honor to his family with his own enlistment. "I know it's a clich© that the family name doesn't mean much to some, but to me it does. Maybe I'm a little old fashioned that way," Simms said. "I didn't join the military [for] money for college. I've been to college. I joined not because I needed a better salary. I took probably about a 60 percent pay cut to serve. I joined because I wanted to serve my country honorably." But the process to serve honorably wasn't easy, he added. "When I was younger, being like dad, I made a stupid mistake," he acknowledged. "I stole some money from a job I had, and fortunately, got arrested for it." Though Simms later had his misdemeanor expunged, sealed and erased by the court, the Army Recruiting Command saw things differently. Because the amount stolen was more than $500, the Uniform Code of Military Justice viewed it as a felony. Though Simms had managed more than $100 million as an investment banker and had graduated from Newburgh Theological Seminary and College of the Bible to become a pastor, his credibility was under question, he said. "So I went back to Chicago, had the case reopened and had the case changed from guilty to not guilty," he said. "After several months, I still didn't hear an answer and wanted to know who I needed to talk to. Simms was told that the recruiting command’s commanding general had denied his request to enlist. Simms said he then submitted a packet directly to the general, who a few weeks later flew into town to meet with him and his wife over dinner. "The [general] wanted to know why I wanted to serve so badly and why I didn't give up and why I didn't quit," Simms said. "I told him, 'The same amount of effort I put into wanting to join the military is the same amount I'll put into being a good soldier.' "And that's really what I wanted to do," he continued. "Not just come in and be a soldier, but be a good soldier and contribute to our country and our war effort here in Afghanistan." The next day, Simms got a call from his recruiter to sign a contract. "I wanted to come in and serve, and it didn't matter how," Simms said. "If the Army needed someone to come in and clean toilets, then guess what, I would have come in and cleaned toilets just so I can serve our country in a time of war. And that's really the honest-to-God reason why I'm here." Simms shuffled his weight off his injured leg inside the tiny bunker and laughed again. He smiled and then stared off into the distance at a pile of sandbags. "As a kid, I'd run all the time," he finally said. "Constantly, all the time, I'd run. I was running probably a good 20 miles a week, sometimes 30 miles a week. There's no question when I came to basic training at 34 years old, I was running circles around these guys, because I kept running. I even ran the Los Angeles Marathon." Running is in his blood, he explained. "When I was a kid, [my father would] come around and we'd run," Simms said. But no matter how far or how fast his father ran, the law and the Army eventually caught up to him. In 1996, he was sent to prison. After a couple of years, he filed a motion to dismiss his case, helped in his own representation, and won. "When I say it's been an incredible journey, it's been an incredible journey," Simms said. Jan. 5, 2011: By Army Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell- 210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

 

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