The SIGNAL Blog

The hotel industry has seen a greater increase in terrorist attacks than any other industry in recent years, according to Alan Orlob, vice president of global safety and security for Marriott International. Orlob offered a first-hand account of the attacks on two hotels in Jarkarta, Indonesia, in 2009.

Orlob, the luncheon keynote speaker at the AFCEA Homeland Security Conference in Washington, D.C., was staying at a Ritz Carlton hotel, which is owned by Marriott, at the time of the attack.

He said that as he stepped out of the shower, he heard at an explosion at the hotel across the street. “I looked out my window, and I could see the front of the JW Marriott, and I saw smoke coming out of the back and people running,” he said. Moments later, another explosion occurred at the Ritz Carlton.

“I followed the broken glass and the destruction into the restaurant. I don’t know how many of you have been involved in improvised explosive device attacks, but it tears clothes off people and separates extremities. That’s what I was seeing that morning,” he said. “I remember feeling that sense of anger that morning.”

Orlob said he studies the tactics, techniques and procedures used by terrorists, and he offered lessons learned, including training first responders to decide which victims should be treated first, only evacuating a building if the evacuation area has been cleared first and ensuring evacuation plans are current.

Greetings Fiscal Cliff Dwellers!  By the time you read this there will be less than two weeks before automatic sequestration cuts take effect - - - a week of which the Congress will be in recess!  What was meant to be a “poison pill” to force the legislative and executive branches to compromise on rational budgets so the government could reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next ten years now appears inevitable.  Since January we have been fed a steady stream of increasingly dire consequences from Navy aircraft carriers not deploying, to Army readiness declining, to Air Force airplanes not being maintained, to civilian workers being furloughed, and to contracts being canceled unless there is some relief from the automatic 9.4% sequestration of funds scheduled for March 1st.   Yet none of this doom and gloom was in evidence as late as Thanksgiving of 2012 when the reflexive answer from DoD consistently was “the Congress won’t allow sequestration to happen!”
 

Ask any question, and you shall receive an answer, thanks to the free Quora app. The social question-and-answer service lets you get real replies from people with first hand experience. It puts the power of crowdsourcing in the palm of your hand—opening up inquires to a large community to find the best answer.

Simply add or browse any question and find the answer from other knowledgeable users. Then vote on the best response or blog post on the topic. For example, post a question about the best restaurant for brunch in Washington, D.C., and watch answers come in from people in the area.

The popular app has become known for its high-quality participants offering true expert opinions.

The app is only for English-language content at this time, and Quora asks everyone to use their real full names to promote transparency.

Download the free app from the iTunes App Store or Google Play.

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After service members are injured in battle, having their loved ones nearby during recovery can speed the healing process. Luke’s Wings looks to facilitate the rehabilitation by purchasing travel agency services and travel tickets for families. The end result is encouragement and motivation for everyone involved in the situation. But the organization doesn’t stop there. It also fills requests from World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans in care facilities who want to see their loved ones. This Veterans in Hospice Care Program serves as a “final salute” to those who have served their country.

The various efforts are made possible through donations from individuals and through corporate sponsorships. Information about donating is available on the organization’s website. People who need assistance can request travel funds online as well.

Any companies that want to help have a special call to action. Currently, Luke’s Wing is running a fundraiser it calls the 50 by 5 campaign. Officials are seeking 50 businesses to make a tax-deductible contribution of $5,000 in 2013 to the nonprofit’s mission. If successful, the organization can fulfill every flight request it receives this year. Supporters will be featured on the website and in upcoming media opportunities. For more information, contact Lindsay Kin at (202) 735-5694 or lindsaykin@lukeswings.org.
 

Homefront Help also has a Facebook page where visitors can gather and share information. If you know of a program that is helping service personnel, veterans or their families please submit that information to Rita Boland, SIGNAL’s news editor.