SPRINGFIELD, IL (11/14/2011)(readMedia)-- Living History Detachment and period actors portray World War I life and combat

Story by Sgt. James D. Sims, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

SPRINGFIELD - The silence was broken by gun shots and shouts in German and English, a once empty field is now a trench battlefield outlined with mines and barbwire with Soldiers fighting in the middle of it all.

This is no modern battlefield, but rather scenes in history reenacted to preserve significant moments in the history of the Illinois National Guard in the "Great War" during the Veterans' Day weekend.

The Illinois State Military Museum in Springfield and Lincoln Land Community College sponsored an event called the "Great War" encampment Nov. 12 and 13 to tell the story of the First World War.

Members of the Living History Detachment along with other period re-enactors came together to reenact the living conditions and methods of fighting from nearly a century ago during the two-day event.

"The Illinois National Guard's 33rd Division and the 370th Infantry played major roles in several of the battles in World War I," said retired Illinois National Guard Brig. Gen. Stewart Reeve, the director of the Illinois State Military Museum. "The actions and valor of the 33rd were renowned throughout Europe during the war. The "Great War" encampment preserves the legacy of yesterday's veterans for today's generation."

This was the second Great War Encampment this year, said Reeve. The first was held March 5 and 6.

"It was a good event that not only educated people about World War I, but it was another opportunity for the public to become acquainted with the Museum and the history of the Illinois National Guard," said Reeve.

The encampment told the story of Illinois National Guard Soldiers out on the field and provided education on the impact of the Great War on Sangamon County and Illinois.

"With the 100th anniversary of the Great War coming up shortly and the passing of the last American World War I veteran, Frank Buckles, in February of this year we wanted to create an event to educate the public more about the great war," said Hellar Armbruster of Springfield, a former member of the Illinois Army National Guard, now a period re-enactor and the event coordinator.

"The two-day event was not only outdoors but in the museum with Professor Chris McDonald of Lincoln Land Community College giving lectures on the Great War as well as several displays and the 33rd Division film that was done in 1918," said Armbruster.

McDonald, a professor of Political Science at Lincoln Land Community College, said the similarities between the mission statements from the 33rd Division in World War I and the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team's (IBCT) recent deployment to Afghanistan were so similar he put together a presentation paralleling the two events with side-by-side photos of the training, departure and interaction with the local civilians from both wars nearly 100 years apart.

"I have several friends who were in the 33rd that deployed to Afghanistan. This is a kind of

connection to that as well as getting the opportunity to show people what history was like and the experience of living it myself," said Jeremiah Wayne Brady of Georgetown, a chemist and period re-enactor portraying a German Soldier.

According to historical 33rd Division documents Maj. Gen. George Bell Jr., received the following telegram from Gen. Henry Rawlinson of the British Army:

"Am anxious to express to you, General Bell, and to all ranks of the 33rd (Illinois) Division, my warm thanks for the gallant part taken by part of your division in the attack at Hamel and Vaire Wood on Independence Day. I hear nothing but praise of the manner in which your units fought the enemy and my only regret is that I was not permitted to employ a larger portion of your fine division. Perhaps later on there may be another opportunity."

Following the 33rd IBCT's deployment to Afghanistan in 2008 to 2009, the unit suffered 18 casualties and returned with more than 4,600 total awards including 66 Purple Hearts and accolades from several Coalition Forces. Almost a hundred years prior The 33rd Division endured almost 1,000 casualties and 5,871 wounded, and is also credited with nine Medals of Honor.

Among the Medal of Honor recipients was Johannes S. Anderson of Chicago.

According to the Medal of Honor citation, while Anderson's company was being held up by intense artillery and machine gun fire, 1st Sgt. Anderson, without aid, voluntarily left the company and worked his way to the rear of the machine gun nest that was offering the most stubborn resistance. His advance was made through an open area and under constant hostile fire, but the mission was successfully accomplished, and he not only silenced the gun and captured it, but also brought back with him 23 prisoners.

Pablo Baum, a living historian, from Mexico, Mo., portrayed Gen. John Pershing. He gave two short speeches and participated in a re-enactment of the presentation of the Medal of Honor to Anderson.

More than 1.5 million individuals served from Illinois in WWI, totaling almost 7 percent of the U.S. forces. There were more than 4,000 casualties from Illinois forces alone.

"The encampment event allowed us to honor the heroics of Illinois National Guard World War I veterans on this Veterans' day weekend," said Reeve. "It is with the sacrifice of yesterday's heroes that make the Illinois National Guard and this nation what it is."

Photo 1) Photo by Sgt. James D. Sims, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ The Illinois State Military History Museum in Springfield hosted the "Great War" encampment displaying living conditions and combat skirmishes from World War I Nov.12 and 13. Depicted here is Germans Soldiers capturing Allied Soldiers after attacking their trench.

photo 2) Photo by Sgt. James D. Sims, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ The Illinois State Military History Museum in Springfield hosted the "Great War" encampment displaying living conditions and combat skirmishes from World War I Nov. 12 and 13. Jeremiah Wayne Brady of Georgetown, a chemist and period actor portrays a German Soldier manning a machinegun position.

photo 3) Photo by Sgt. James D. Sims, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ The Illinois State Military History Museum in Springfield hosted the "Great War" encampment displaying living conditions and combat skirmishes from World War I Nov. 12 and 13. Period re-enactors interacted with the visitors who came to observe the static displays and skirmishes as well as lectures covering World War I.

Davenport, Iowa, November 14, 2011 - For those looking for a unique way to usher in the Thanksgiving Holiday, head down to the River's Edge on Sunday, November 20 between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. for Turkey Bowling. Yes, once again this year, you can come down to the ice rink at the River's Edge and bowl not with a bowling ball, but a frozen turkey on the ice.

This unique Quad City event has been a popular tradition at the River's Edge for several years. Skaters coming down for the Public Skate can pay $1 extra above the normal skate fee of $5 to participate. The winner of the Turkey Bowling contest gets to take a turkey home! What other sport allows you to take "the ball" home and eat it? A fun time is sure to be had by all.

What: Turkey Bowling

Where: The River's Edge, 700 W River Dr, Davenport, IA

When:  Sunday, November 20, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Maurice Sendak is best known as the illustrator of more than 100 picture books, including Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen. He was born to Polish immigrants in Brooklyn in 1928, and his childhood was typically American in a number of ways. At the same time, he became fascinated as a child with the worn black-and-white photographs of his European relatives, and the influence of both of these worlds - the threads of Jewish family, geography, and culture - can be seen in his imaginative works.

The exhibit is an exploration of Sendak's illustrations and picture books, revealing connections between these iconic works and Sendak's childhood, family, and the popular culture of the time. The colorful exhibit panels feature illustrations of ferocious creatures, curious children and vibrant neighborhoods, alongside thematic explorations of the Jewish culture and history - and Sendak's own family experience - that influenced Sendak's work.

"In a Nutshell" was organized by the Rosenbach Museum & Library, Philadelphia, and developed by Nextbook, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Jewish literature, culture, and ideas, and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The national tour of the exhibit has been made possible by grants from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Righteous Persons Foundation, the David Berg Foundation, and an anonymous donor, with additional support from Tablet Magazine: A New Read on Jewish Life. The exhibit was curated by Patrick Rodgers of the Rosenbach Museum & Library.

The Moline Public Library is sponsoring free programs and other events for the public in connection with the exhibition. Contact 309-524-2470 or visit www.molinelibrary.com for more information. "In a Nutshell: The Worlds of Maurice Sendak" will be on display at the Moline Public Library until February 24th, 2012.

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"Whistleblowers are key to unlocking many of the secrets hidden deep in the closets of the federal government.  Allowing a case to sit in limbo for more than nine years shows a lack of commitment to resolving issues for these courageous people," Grassley said.  "The excessive time to make a judgment on these cases indicates that the process for adjudicating FBI whistleblower claims is broken, and needs to be fixed.  The Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General have significant say over the speed at which these matters are addressed, and the recent decision by Deputy Attorney General Cole to remand a nine year old case for further proceedings is mind boggling and calls into question his commitment to help support whistleblowers."

In a letter today to the Attorney General, Grassley cited Agent Jane Turner who in 2002 filed a whistleblower complaint with the Justice Department Inspector General after discovering that FBI agents removed items from Ground Zero following the attacks of 9/11.  Due to the Inspector General's delayed decision, Agent Turner was forced to file an appeal with the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management, which ordered the FBI to issue back pay, attorney's fees and other relief.  After an FBI appeal, the Deputy Attorney General remanded the case for further proceedings and it now continues to languish nine years after Agent Turner's original complaint.

Grassley also cited the case of Robert Kobus, a 30-year non-agent employee of the FBI who more than four years ago disclosed time and attendance fraud by FBI agents.  The Inspector General substantiated his claims of retaliation for protected whistleblowing, yet his case has been sitting with the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management for four years.

Grassley noted that both the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General have testified before Congress that whistleblower retaliation will not be tolerated and that they would work to ensure that safeguards are in place so that whistleblowers are provided all the protections afforded by the law.

A long-time advocate for whistleblowers, in addition to co-authoring the 1989 whistleblower protection law and subsequent updates, Grassley sponsored changes made in 1986 to the President Lincoln-era federal False Claims Act to empower private sector whistleblowers.  Since the 1986 amendments were signed into law, the False Claims Act has brought back more than $27 billion to the federal treasury, and has deterred even more fraudulent activity. In 2009, in coordination with Senator Patrick Leahy, Grassley worked to pass legislation to shore up whistleblower protections in the False Claims Act that had been eroded by the courts after years of litigation by defense and healthcare contractors.

Grassley is also the author of legislation that would give the same whistleblower protections to employees in the legislative branch as provided already to employees of the executive branch of government.  In addition, in October, a Grassley-sponsored amendment to give whistleblower protection to employees in the Judicial Branch was added to a federal judgeships bill that was being debated in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

A copy of the text of the letter can be found here.  A signed copy can be found by clicking here.

November 14, 2011

Via Electronic Transmission

The Honorable Eric H. Holder

Attorney General

U.S. Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20530

Dear Attorney General Holder:

I write to express my concerns regarding the perpetual delays for resolving Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) whistleblower cases at the Department of Justice (DOJ).  As you are well aware, I am a long-standing advocate for whistleblower rights.  Whistleblowers point out fraud, waste, and abuse when no one else will, and they do so while risking their professional careers.  Whistleblowers have played a critical role in exposing failed government operations such as Operation Fast and Furious, and retaliation against whistleblowers should never be tolerated.  Thus, I am concerned about the treatment of whistleblowers at the FBI, specifically in the cases of Jane Turner and Robert Kobus.  The process of resolving whistleblower claims appears to be broken.

Jane Turner was a career FBI agent with an outstanding record for conducting investigations involving missing and exploited children.  Agent Turner filed a whistleblower complaint with the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General (OIG), in 2002 when she discovered that FBI agents removed items from Ground Zero following the terrorist attacks of 9/11.  Unfortunately, Agent Turner was forced to file an appeal to the Office of Attorney Recruitment and Management (OARM) due to the OIG's delayed decision in their investigation.  Ultimately, the OARM substantiated her allegations in May, 2010, and the FBI was ordered to provide Agent Turner back pay, attorney's fees, and other relief.  It is my understanding that the FBI filed an appeal to the Deputy Attorney General concerning the issue of back pay, despite the FBI's failure to raise the issue of back pay during previous OARM proceedings, and the case was remanded, in part, back to OARM for further review of the back pay issue.  Consequently, a final resolution to Jane Turner's reprisal case against the FBI is now further delayed by the Deputy Attorney General's curious decision.  Given the already excessive delays in this case, the ruling by the Deputy Attorney General postpones a judgment that should have come much sooner.  I remind you that Agent Turner initially filed her complaint approximately 9 years ago, and she has yet to receive a final decision.  Any reasonable person would agree that 9 years is extreme and unacceptable.

Robert Kobus is a 30 year non-agent employee of the FBI who disclosed time and attendance fraud by FBI agents.  The OIG also conducted an investigation into these allegations and substantiated that he was retaliated against for protected whistleblowing.  The FBI management not only demoted Mr. Kobus to a non-supervisory position, but they even went so far as to move him from his office to a cubicle on the vacant 24^th floor of the FBI's office building.  Nevertheless, the OIG's findings were referred to OARM for adjudication and Mr. Kobus' case has now languished in bureaucratic red tape for approximately 4 years.

I'm confident you would agree that a cumulative 13 years is an excessive amount of time to complete two whistleblower investigations.  You previously stated during your testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee that you will "ensure that people are given the opportunity to blow the whistle and they will not be retaliated against, and then to hold accountable anybody who would attempt to do that."[1]  You also stated that, "I have seen their [whistleblowers'] utility, their worth, and, frankly, the amount of money that they return to the Federal Government.  And they serve a very, very useful purpose."[2] The Deputy Attorney General, in his responses to congressional "Questions for the Record", asserted he would "work with the Judiciary Committee and the independent Office of Special Counsel, which investigates and prosecutes violation of law, including reprisals against whistleblowers, to provide timely and accurate information to the Congress."[3] He further pledged he would "not tolerate unlawful retaliation against any Department of Justice employee, including FBI employees" and he would "work to ensure that there are adequate safeguards so that whistleblowers receive all of the protections to which they are entitled by law."[4] I would ask that you honor these statements and ensure these cases, and others like them, are investigated and decided in a reasonable timeframe.

Given your previously stated support for whistleblowers, I presume that you would agree that DOJ is sending the wrong message to whistleblowers by taking an inordinate amount of time to issue final declarations for Agent Turner and Mr. Kobus.  The excessive time the OARM has taken to issue a final judgment, which is further exacerbated by the Deputy Attorney General's recent decision in Agent Turner's case, has cast your department in a dubious light regarding your stated support for whistleblowers.  These excessive delays indicate that the process of adjudicating a FBI whistleblower claim is broken.  Consequently, I ask that you review these matters and ensure that the OARM and the Deputy Attorney General conduct their respective reviews in a transparent and expeditious manner.  While I appreciate that allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse must be properly investigated, Agent Turner and Mr. Kobus deserve transparency in the process and finality to their cases.

Thank you for your cooperation and attention to this important matter.  I request you provide a written response to this letter no later than November 18, 2011.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Grassley

Ranking Member