M2CC MAY 2024

News from M2CC 

MAY 2024 EDITION 

Supreme Court Rules in Favor 

of Army Veteran Over Extended 

GI Bill Benefits 

See page 8 

Newsletter 

WWW.M2CC.US 

Study Indicates Higher Rate of Rare Childhood 

Brain Cancer at New Mexico Air Force Base 

A new Air Force study has found what appears 

to be a higher rate of a rare brain and spinal cord 

cancer among children of service members 

stationed at Cannon Air Force Base in New 

Mexico. 

The nearly two-year study examined pediatric 

brain cancers at the base after concerns about 

a possible cancer cluster were raised in 2022. 

The Air Force found three cases of diffuse 

intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, and the 

closely related diffuse midline glioma, or DMG 

-- rare, aggressive and possibly fatal tumors 

-- among children with parents stationed at 

Cannon over a 10-year period. 

Those cases indicated a higher rate of the 

disease compared to children of troops at other 

installations and the general civilian population 

Continued on page 10

2 | M2CC - News www.m2cc.us MAY 2024 EDITION WWW.M2CC.US 

Newsletter | 3 

Albany Police Department 

VISION 

The Albany Police Department is a nationally accredited law 

enforcement agency committed to providing excellence in policing, by 

enhancing the safety and security of individuals through valuing human 

life and building partnerships that strengthen relationships within our 

community. 

MISSION 

Our mission is to develop our personnel to deliver quality law 

enforcement services with professionalism, integrity, and compassion 

and to ensure with every interaction we are building trust and modeling 

ethical policing in our community. 

CORE VALUES 

Professionalism 

Respect 

Integrity 

Accountability 

Interpersonal Skill



WASHINGTON — Ukraine and Israel both desperately need 

the military weapons that are being held up by Congress' failure 

to pass a funding package for the two countries at war, Pentagon 

leaders told House appropriators Wednesday, calling the situation 

in Ukraine dire. 

“Whether it’s munitions, whether it’s vehicles, whether it's 

platforms," Ukraine is being outmatched by the Russians, Gen. 

CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House 

Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. “I’ll just tell you that 

Ukraine right now is facing some dire battlefield conditions.” 

“We’re already seeing things on the battlefield begin to shift a bit 

in Russia’s favor. We are seeing them make incremental gains. 

Pentagon Leaders 

Press Congress for 

Ukraine Funding, 

Saying Battlefield 

Situation Is Dire 

We’re seeing the Ukrainians be challenged in terms of holding 

the line," he said. 

Their grim assessments came as House Republicans wrangle 

over the $95 billion foreign aid bill that the Senate passed in 

February. That legislation provides funding for Ukraine, Israel 

and other allies, as well as humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza 

and Ukraine and replenishment cash for the U.S. military to 

replace weapons sent to Ukraine. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson was forging ahead Wednesday 

toward votes later this week on the funding, even as he risks 

losing his leadership post in the bitterly divided Republican 

caucus. 

President Joe Biden urged Congress to pass the aid, saying that 

besides critical support to Israel and Ukraine, it would offer 

“desperately needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.” 

He said he would sign the funding package right away, sending 

a message that “we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.” 

Members of the House panel lamented the gridlock that has 

stalled the foreign aid, but several said they are hopeful the 

legislation will begin to move. 

Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., noted the “chilling” comments 

by Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the top U.S. military commander 

for Europe last week. He told the committee that Ukraine will 

be outgunned 10 to one by Russia within a matter of weeks if 

Congress doesn't approve the funding. 

“Without the United States assistance, Ukraine will literally 

run out of ammunition and more civilians in Ukraine will be 

murdered by Russia,” McCollum said. 

Brown told lawmakers that Israel 

also critically needs support in 

the bill, including air defense 

interceptors and munitions to defend 

itself following Iran's attack over the 

weekend. Iran launched about 300 

missiles and drones toward Israel 

on Saturday, but the vast majority 

were shot down by Israeli defenses 

or U.S. and other allies. The attack 

came less than two weeks after a 

suspected Israeli strike in Syria 

killed two Iranian generals in an 

Iranian consular building. 

Israel has vowed to retaliate as the 

U.S. and other allies urge restraint.


Newsletter | 7



Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Army 

Veteran Over Extended GI Bill Benefits 

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled in favor 

of an Army combat veteran who sued the Department 

of Veterans Affairs over his eligibility for education 

benefits under the Montgomery GI Bill and Post 9/11 

GI Bill. 

In a 7-2 decision, the court sided with James Rudisill, a 

veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq who argued that he was 

eligible for up to 48 months of education benefits under 

the programs, which he had enrolled in while serving 

two separate stints in the Army. 

In the opinion, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said that 

a reading of the laws indicated that Rudisill was entitled 

to benefits under both programs and shouldn't have 

been limited to the time requirements of each individual 

program. 

"Rudisill earned two separate entitlements to educational 

benefits, one per the Montgomery GI Bill and the other 

per the Post-9/11 GI Bill, by serving in the military for 

nearly eight years over three separate periods," Jackson 

wrote. "The bottom line is this: Veterans who separately 

accrue benefits under both the Montgomery and Post- 

9/11 GI Bills are entitled to both benefits." 

Rudisill served in the Army first as an enlisted soldier 

and later as an Army officer, using 25 of 36 months of 

his Montgomery GI Bill eligibility as a soldier to attend 

college, then returning to the Army and signing up for 

the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which he never used as an officer 

while on active duty. 

When he left the Army as a captain, he applied to Yale 

Divinity School, with the intention of becoming an 

Episcopal priest and returning to the Army as a chaplain. 

He planned to pay for the school with Post-9/11 benefits, 

believing he had 23 months remaining of additional 

education benefits. But the Department of Veterans 

Affairs said he only had 11 months of eligibility under 

the program. 

In the case, Rudisill argued that a Korean War-era law 

allowed veterans to use benefits from a combination of 

programs for up to 48 months. The federal government 

argued that a veteran eligible for the Montgomery GI 

Bill who later was eligible for the more generous Post- 

9/11 GI Bill when it was introduced were to make a 

decision on which to use and, in doing so, agreed to 

combine the two programs for 36 months of eligibility, 

the maximum allowed under each separately. 

Rudisill's attorneys have said the decision could 

affect roughly 1.7 million veterans. According to The 

Associated Press, however, the VA has disputed that 

number, noting that the lawyers have not identified 

any other similar cases. 

In a statement released through his attorneys, Rudisill 

said the case was a "fight ... for all military veterans 

who, like me, were denied what they were promised 

after their service to our country." 

"It has been humbling to represent the veterans' 

community, and I am so grateful for my legal team 

and the court's decision here," said Rudisill, who now 

works for the FBI. 

Following the announcement, a spokesman for the 

Department of Veterans Affairs said the VA was 

reviewing the decision. 

"As always, we are committed to helping veterans get 

the world-class education they've earned so they can 

continue successful careers after leaving the military," 

VA press secretary Terrence Hayes said in a release. 

"The GI Bill is the backbone of veteran education, and 

we at VA are proud to help hundreds of thousands of 

veterans each year go to school with minimal out-ofpocket 

costs for tuition, housing, books, supplies and 

more." 

According to statute, service members aren't allowed 

to use GI Bill programs concurrently -- they must 

use one or the other. But in the decade after Sept. 11, 

2001, millions of service members were eligible for 

the Montgomery GI Bill when the Post-9/11 GI Bill 

was introduced, an extended period of overlap, and 

Congress allowed those who served after 9/11 but 

before the law passed to opt into the Post-9/11 GI Bill. 

Jackson said in the opinion, however, that the law 

limits exceeding the entitlement but swapping options 

but does not exhaust the requirement. 

Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote his own concurring 

opinion while Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel 

Alito dissented. 

Attorneys from the firm Troutman Pepper, including 

Timothy McHugh, who worked on the case as a firstyear 

associate, and David DePippo with Dominion 

Energy argued the case in November. In a statement 

Tuesday, they said the decision was a career highlight. 

"Today is momentous for millions of veterans, and we 

are relieved by the court's decision," DePippo said in 

a statement. "The case stretched for the better part of 

a decade, but we are proud of the lasting effects it will 

have for our country's deserving military veterans."



Continued from page 1 

between 2010 and 2020. However, the 

service concluded that the study's findings, 

which were publicly released earlier this 

month, had a sample size that was too small 

to draw significant conclusions, according 

to a press release from the 27th Special 

Operations Wing. 

"When conducting these studies, the National 

Cancer Institute tells us that having 16 or 

more cases of the same or similarly caused 

cancers provides more stable statistics and 

reliable results," Col. Eric Chumbley, chief 

of the division of aerospace medicine with 

Air Force Special Operations Command, 

said in the statement. "In other words, with 

fewer than 16 cases, the margin of error is 

too wide." 

In September 2022, officials at Cannon's 27th 

Special Operations Wing were informed of 

concerns regarding DMG and DIPG cases 

on base. By January 2023, the Epidemiology 

Consult Service at the U.S. Air Force School 

of Aerospace Medicine started studying "if 

there is a cluster of pediatric cancer at higher 

rates than the national average," the base 

said in a press release last year. 

Officials said in their findings released 

this month that there was no data showing 

a relationship between the cancer cases 

and environmental conditions at Cannon, 

including per- and polyfluoroalkyl 

substances, or PFAS, which are known as 

"forever chemicals" because they don't break 

down in the body and have been linked to 

health concerns. 

Most cases of the brain and spinal cord 

cancers are caused by changes within the 

body that affect how genes are expressed, 

officials said in the press release. "This is a 

random mutation without any known cause," 

they said. 

The research indicated that there was no 

significant rate of overall pediatric brain 

cancers within the population but added "when 

considering only the rare diagnosis of DIPG/ 

DMG, children with a Cannon AFB affiliation 

had a higher rate of DIPG/DMG compared to 

the non-Cannon AFB pediatric population and 

when compared to the U.S. civilian pediatric 

population," officials said in the press release. 

Similar concerns about pediatric brain cancers 

in the military were brought up six years ago 

at Florida's Patrick Space Force Base -- then 

known as Patrick Air Force Base, Military. 

com previously reported. 

Dozens of cases of cancer, and at least eight 

rare brain-cancer cases, happened on Patrick 

or in the city of Satellite Beach close by, retired 

Armyhelicopter pilot and Air Force veteran 

James Holmes stated in a 2020 congressional 

testimony. Holmes lost his daughter, Kaela, in 

2019 at age 17 to DIPG. 

Col. Jeremy Bergin, the commander of the 

27th Special Operations Wing, said in a press 

release that while the study concluded that 

the rare cancer rates at Cannon were "likely 

abnormally high based on chance," it has 

prompted new plans and policies at the base. 

"We will ensure our providers are thoroughly 

educated on signs and symptoms of pediatric 

brain cancer; we will actively monitor any cases 

of pediatric brain cancer and ensure they are 

referred to the DIPG and DMG international 

registry; and we will always encourage 

enrollment of children with these diagnoses 

into tumor registries and refer them to [a] 

regional specialist while building knowledge 

for targeted treatments that could lead to a 

cure," Bergin said. 

The study at Cannon Air Force Base comes 

amid investigations and studies into larger 

cancer concerns within the military and the Air 

Force. 

Findings given to the House Armed Services 

Committee in February 2023 detailed higher 

cancer rates among pilots and aircrew. 

Aircrew had an 87% higher rate of 

melanoma, 39% higher rate of thyroid 

cancer, 16% higher rate of prostate cancer 

and 24% higher rate of cancer for all types, 

a letter detailing the findings said. 

Ground-crew members had a higher 

incidence of brain and nervous system 

cancers by 19%, thyroid (by 15%), 

melanoma (by 9%), kidney and renal 

pelvis (by 9%), and of all types by 3%, 

the findings showed. 

The findings at Cannon Air Force Base 

also comes as the Air Force is investigating 

cancer concerns among America's 

missileers, nuclear missile maintainers 

and support staff related to the nation's 

intercontinental ballistic missile bases. 

Last month, the Air Force found some 

elevated rates of cancer among missileers, 

maintainers and other job positions 

responsible for handling ICBMs, according 

to early and inconclusive results from an 

ongoing and wide-ranging health study. 

"We are seeing in the data that breast 

and prostate cancers may be trending 

toward an increased incidence in the 

missile community, which mirrors some 

other nationally published data reviewing 

cancer incidents in the U.S. military more 

broadly," Charles Hoffman, an Air Force 

Global Strike Command spokesman, said 

in a statement. 

So far, the initial research has only looked 

at Defense Department records, which 

"captures fewer than 25% of total cancer 

cases" likely to be found by the study, a 

memo detailing the early results said.



Signaling how serious lawmakers are about boosting 

quality of life in the military, the leaders of the House 

Armed Services Committee unveiled a bill Thursday 

focused on improvements to troops' lives as the first 

step in crafting this year's must-pass defense policy 

bill. 

The Service member Quality of Life Improvement Act 

would enact most of the key recommendations from 

the military quality-of-life report released last week by 

a committee sub-panel, including giving junior enlisted 

service members a 15% raise in their base pay. 

The bill will serve as the base text when the Armed 

Services Committee begins debating the National 

Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, next month, the 

committee said in a news release. 

"The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement 

Act will serve as the foundation for everything we 

do in the FY25 NDAA," committee Chairman Mike 

Rogers, R-Ala., said in a statement Thursday evening 

announcing the introduction of the quality-of-life 

bill. "Service members should never have to worry 

about making ends meet, putting food on the table, or 

affording housing. Improving the quality of life for our 

service members and their families is my number one 

priority -- we're going to get this done." 

Usually, the committee's NDAA process starts with the 

introduction of a bare-bones bill, the text of which is 

later replaced with legislation that lawmakers hash out 

through hours of committee debate. By instead starting 

the process this year with a bill of substance focused on 

military quality of life, lawmakers are underscoring the 

importance they are placing on ensuring the proposed 

improvements become law. 

Last week, after months of analysis, the committee's 

military quality-of-life panel released 31 

recommendations to enhance service members' pay, 

housing, health care, child care and spouse employment. 

15% Enlisted Pay Hike, 

Other Proposed Qualityof-Life 

Improvements Get 

Big Boost from House 

Lawmakers 

Topping the recommendations was a proposal to 

give a 15% raise to E-1s through E-4s. 

The report also called for the Basic Allowance for 

Housing to cover 100% of housing costs rather 

than the 95% it does now, and for eligibility for the 

Basic Needs Allowance to expand to help more 

troops facing food insecurity access the benefit. 

Other recommendations included requiring 

that the military services report to Congress the 

total cost for fixing and updating their barracks; 

requiring salaries for child-care workers on 

military bases to be competitive with market rates; 

allowing troops to seek certain specialty health 

care without a referral; and giving the Pentagon 

permanent authority to negotiate with states to 

make it easier for military spouses to use their 

professional licenses across state lines. 

All of those recommendations and more would 

become law under the bill introduced Thursday. 

In addition to Rogers, the bill is backed by the 

committee's top Democrat, Rep. Adam Smith of 

Washington, as well as every Republican and 

Democrat who was on the committee's qualityof-life 

panel. 

"For over six decades, this committee has 

come together to pass the National Defense 

Authorization Act and to reiterate our unwavering 

commitment to investing in the greatest source of 

our country's strength: service members and their 

families," Smith said in a statement. "This year's 

bill leaves no doubt that the heart of America's 

defense will get the recognition and resources 

they need and deserve." 

The committee will meet the week of May 20 to 

debate the bill and add other provisions to craft 

the full NDAA, according to the news release. 

Once again, most Americans will set their clocks 

forward by one hour this weekend, losing perhaps a 

bit of sleep but gaining more glorious sunlight in the 

evenings as the days warm into summer. . There’s been 

plenty of debate over the practice but about 70 countries 

currently use what Americans call daylight saving time. 

DALLAS — Once again, most Americans will set their 

clocks forward by one hour this weekend, losing perhaps 

a bit of sleep but gaining more glorious sunlight in the 

evenings as the days warm into summer. 

Where did this all come from, though? 

How we came to move the clock forward in the spring, 

and then push it back in the fall, is a tale that spans over 

more than a century — one that’s driven by two world 

wars, mass confusion at times and a human desire to 

bask in the sun for a long as possible. 

There’s been plenty of debate over the practice, but 

about 70 countries — about 40% of those across the 

globe — currently use what Americans call daylight 

saving time. 

While springing the clocks forward “kind of jolts 

our system,” the extra daylight gets people outdoors, 

exercising and having fun, says Anne Buckle, web 

editor at timeanddate.com, which features information 

on time, time zones and astronomy. 

“The really, really awesome advantage is the bright 

evenings, right?” she says. “It is actually having hours of 

daylight after you come home from work to spend time 

with your family or activities. And that is wonderful.” 

Here are some things to know so you’ll be conversant 

about the practice of humans changing time: 

In the 1890s, George Vernon Hudson, an astronomer 

and entomologist in New Zealand, proposed a time shift 

in the spring and fall to increase the daylight. And in 

the early 1900s, British home builder William Willett, 

troubled that people weren’t up enjoying the morning 

sunlight, made a similar push. But neither proposal 

gained enough traction to be implemented. 

Germany began using daylight saving time during 

World War I with the thought that it would save energy. 

Other countries, including the United States, soon 

followed suit. During World War II, the U.S. once again 

instituted what was dubbed “war time” nationwide, this 

time year-round. 

In the United States today, every state except Hawaii 

and Arizona observes daylight saving time. Around the 

world, Europe, much of Canada and part of Australia 

also implement it, while Russia and Asia don’t currently. 

After World War II, a patchwork of timekeeping 

emerged across the United States, with some areas 

keeping daylight saving time and others ditching it. 

“You might have one town has daylight saving time, 

the neighboring town might have daylight saving time 

but start it and end it on different dates and the third



the edge of the Sahara Desert. Washington is concerned 

about the spread of jihadi violence, where local groups 

have pledged allegiance to al-Qaida and the Islamic State 

groups. Niger is home to a major U.S. air base, in the 

city of Agadez, about 920 kilometers (550 miles) from 

the capital, Niamey, using it for manned and unmanned 

surveillance flights and other operations. The U.S. has 

also invested hundreds of millions of dollars in training 

Niger’s military since it began operations there in 2013. 

The US Military Will Begin 

Plans to Withdraw Troops 

from Niger 

DAKAR, Senegal — The United States will 

begin plans to withdraw troops from Niger, U.S. 

officials said Saturday, in what experts say is a 

blow to Washington and its allies in the region in 

terms of staging security operations in the Sahel. 

The planned departure comes as U.S. officials 

said they were trying to find a new military 

agreement. 

But relations have frayed between Niger and Western 

countries since mutinous soldiers ousted the country’s 

democratically elected president in July. Niger’s junta 

has since told French forces to leave and turned instead to 

Russia for security. Earlier this month, Russian military 

trainers arrived to reinforce the country’s air defenses 

and with Russian equipment to train Nigeriens to use. 

There was an attempt on the behalf of the U.S. to revise 

the military agreement with Niger that would allow them 

to stay, U.S. officials told the AP. But the agreement 

between Zeine and Campbell shows that the effort has 

failed. 

The prime minister of Niger, appointed by the 

ruling military junta, Ali Lamine Zeine, and U.S. 

deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell, agreed 

on Friday that the two nations would begin to 

plan the withdrawal of American troops, the U.S. 

State Department told The Associated Press in an 

email Saturday. 

A U.S. official said there was no timeline for 

withdrawal besides talks set to start in the 

coming days about next steps. The official spoke 

on condition of anonymity to detail the private 

diplomatic discussions. An American delegation 

to coordinate the details of the withdrawal process 

will be dispatched soon. 

Niger plays a central role in the U.S. military’s 

operations in Africa’s Sahel region, an area on



After-School Program Helps Military Children 

Cope with Deployment 

A "friendship web" of purple yarn 

anchored by the hands of a dozen students 

in the after-school activity illustrated 

their common connection: They are 

all military children. 

The Three Oaks Elementary students 

gather in the Virginia Beach, Virginia, 

school cafeteria every Tuesday and 

Thursday as part of Operation Hero,a 

free after-school enrichment program 

for military children in second through 

fifth grades. Provided by the Armed 

Services YMCA of Hampton Roads, 

the program addresses the unique 

obstacles faced by military children, 

including parental deployment, stress 

related to frequent moves and trauma 

if a parent is wounded or killed in 

service. 

"We want these kids to understand that they 

serve too. They are our youngest heroes," 

said Laura Smart, youth enrichment 

program director for the Armed Services 

YMCA. 

The program spans nine weeks and offers 

sessions twice a week in the fall, winter 

and spring at host schools with a significant 

percentage of military-connected students. 

The program also recently became 

available to homeschooled children at 

the Armed Services YMCA location in 

Virginia Beach. 

Spring sessions are being held at Three 

Oaks Elementary, where 37% of the 

student body is military-connected, as well 

as Suffolk's Florence Bowser Elementary, 

where 18% of families reported they 

are military-connected, military school 

liaison Melissa Johnson said. 

Week five focused on coping with 

deployment, which affects nine of the 

roughly 30 active participants. 

"I am used to my daddy getting me off 

the bus, and it is not the same anymore," 

7-year-old Kynlee Franklin said about her 

dad, who is a deployed Navy sailor. 

A large part of the program, Smart said, 

is helping kids understand their parents' 

military service. Program facilitators do 

this with scripted lessons that include 

hands-on activities and crafts. 

"Imagine all the people that have zero 

homes, and they have no defense. 

Let's say someone comes and steals 

all their stuff. My mom helps people 

protect those people," said Mason 

Boston, 11, when asked to describe 

his mother's job. 

Mason's mother is a Navy sailor. She 

is not currently deployed, but Mason 

said when she leaves for training at 

sea, the one or two months she is gone 

often feels like she is gone for a year. 

"I miss her when she leaves. It is 

really hard," Mason said. 

Makayla Torrey, class facilitator 

at Three Oaks Elementary, said a 

parent's absence as a result of military 

service is a tough topic for kids ages 

7 to 11 to understand. 

"They don't understand why parents 

have to leave them, or why they have 

to miss their birthdays or holidays," 

Torrey said. 

Torrey said she empathizes with 

what the children are going through. 

Her husband deployed in October 

with the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower 

Carrier Strike Group. The strike 

Continued on page 20



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20 | M2CC - News www.m2cc.us MAY 2024 EDITION 

Continued from page 17 

group was positioned in the Red 

Sea in response to rising conflict 

in the region. 

Program facilitators do not discuss 

any ongoing conflict with the 

children, Smart and Torrey said, 

but aim to create a space where the 

children can voice any emotions 

they are feeling and work through 

it with them. 

"We want these kids to know 

that there are people out there 

that understand what they are 

going through, how hard it is and 

teaching them they have got this," 

Torrey said. 

based at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek. 

He deployed in December. 

"The program has helped to kind of soften the 

deployment. It is weird and hard not to have 

your dad around," mother Megan Rasmussen 

said. 

In Operation Hero, Megan Rasmussen said, her 

kids have found a supportive community. 

"A community of other kids who have dealt 

with deployments before and others who are in 

it with them," she said. 

Simple activities they enjoy, she 

said, can help them with their big 

feelings. Those include going for 

a walk. cuddling a pet or eating a 

favorite snack. 

"But sometimes you're not OK. 

Sometimes, the feelings don't 

change," said 10-year-old Amelia 

Rasmussen. 

Amelia is in the program alongside 

her sisters, Riley, 9, and Olivia, 

7. Their dad is a Navy diver with 

Expeditionary Strike Group Two

M2CC MAY 2024

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