He was among the “ordinary men who faced extraordinary challenges to earn the title of U.S. Marine.”

Family members say Cpl. Julius B. Foxx Jr. never made much fuss about his years of military service before passing away in 2001. But a grateful nation took the time to recognize the tremendous sacrifice and steadfast dedication of one of the original Montford Point Marines with Friday’s posthumous presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal to his family.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) was among the roughly 100 family members, guests and Marines gathered at the National Museum of the Marine Corps and presented the nation’s highest civilian award to Foxx’s two daughters and extended family.

In addition, the family received an official proclamation from the White House honoring Foxx, who served from 1943 to 1946.

“This really means a lot,” Sheila Foxx, of Fredericksburg, said of honors bestowed upon her late father. “I didn’t know how important it really was. To know about it makes me want to go and find out more. I’m very proud of my father.”

Warner, whose father also served in the Marines during World War II, lauded Foxx and the other Montford Point Marines for their perseverance and willingness to still serve an imperfect country that had not done right by them.

“The Montford Point Marines overcame institutional racism to prove that the willingness to sacrifice for your country is what makes America great,” Warner said.

The Montford Point Marines became the first African-Americans to serve in the Marine Corps starting in 1942. The military was still segregated at the time, so they were not allowed to attend basic training with their white counterparts at either Marine Corps Recruit Depots at Parris Island, South Carolina or San Diego, California. They instead undertook boot camp at Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

More than 20,000 Marines endured tough conditions while serving at Montford Point between 1942 and the camp’s deactivation in 1949. In addition to having to prove their worth as Marines, they endured often hostile conditions in the Jim Crow South. Despite the adversity, many of the Montford Point Marines went on to serve with distinction in World War II during some of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific Theater.

Their service and deep love of country have been credited for advancing the cause of civil rights and influencing President Harry Truman’s decision to integrate the military in 1948.

In 2012, Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal as a unit to the original Montford Point Marines.

Dr. James Averhart Jr. the national president of the Montford Point Marine Association, hailed Foxx and the other Montford Point Marines as “trailblazers who dared to want to be a Marine.”

Sheila Foxx didn’t think her father, Marine Cpl. Julius Foxx Jr., would have wanted to attend his own Congressional Gold Medal ceremony.

“I don’t even think we could’ve gotten him here [on his own],” she said. “I would have had to pick him up and drive him here. And getting him in a suit would have been difficult.”

When it came to her father, Foxx, a Fredericksburg resident, said it was all about family—not about himself.

Sheila Foxx and her sister, Sharon Foxx, received their father’s bronze medal replica in his honor Friday during a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps near Quantico.

Foxx, who died in 2001 at 76, was one of about 20,000 black Marines sent to train at Camp Montford Point at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C., from 1942–49 instead of Parris Island, S.C., where their white counterparts trained.

The Montford Point Marines, as they came to be known, endured harsh conditions and institutional racism in the then-newly desegregated Marine Corps.

“They are the pioneers who persevered in a time of racial divide,” said James Averhart Jr., president of the Montford Point Marine Association. “They had to fight for the right to fight.”

Their actions during and after World War II are considered to have broken down barriers created by segregation, paving the way for black service members.

In 2012, the 112th Congress unanimously voted to award all Montford Point Marines the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor awarded by Congress.

However, not all Original Montford Point Marines could be found. Whenever another potential recipient is located, families typically work through red tape and bureaucracy to determine their eligibility.

Sen. Mark Warner and his staff worked to make the process smoother for the Foxx family by assisting them throughout the process to confirm Cpl. Foxx’s eligibility.

For the recently re-elected Virginia senator, the story of each Original Montford Point Marine he comes across is both touching and wonderful.

“The fact is that these Montford Point Marines proved the quality of their service and commitment to their country was about more than the color of their skin,” he said. “It’s something I can take back to my day job.”

The award ceremony, which took place in the museum’s Leatherneck Gallery, featured remarks from members of the Montford Point Marine Association’s chapter at Quantico, Warner and a tribute performed by a Gunnery Sgt. Madyun Shahid.

Shahid, playing the role of an Original Montford Point Marine, expressed his dedication to Corps and country the way many World War II veterans did. Warner and Foxx said their own fathers talked about being in the service, but without any of the graphic details of war.

It was, Sheila Foxx said, this unofficial motto that veterans like her father seemed to live by: Don’t talk about it, do it.

There is tremendous benefit to a thriving strategic partnership between the world’s oldest and largest democracies. As our interests increasingly align, a strong relationship between the United States and India is vital to reaching our joint economic potential and strategic goals in an increasingly global economy.

The historic election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi this past May is a testament to India’s flourishing democracy. Modi’s visit this week also presents an opportunity to energize efforts to strengthen the U.S.-India relationship.

On the heels of that election, I proposed a “First 100 Days” plan of recommended actions to strengthen U.S. and Indian collaboration. I am pleased that both governments have made progress on many of those suggestions, including announcement of a joint energy project, an increase in caps on foreign direct investment — especially in defense and insurance — and several other concrete steps that will promote defense, infrastructure and manufacturing collaboration.

The Modi administration’s inaugural budget places emphasis on improving energy and infrastructure. Indian stakeholders in these emerging markets will continue to invest heavily, providing a tremendous opportunity for U.S. companies with decades of experience in these fields. A durable U.S. partnership on these initiatives could provide significant capabilities and capacity for India, and investment opportunities and new jobs here in the U.S. 

To encourage U.S. investment and trade, India will need to instill confidence in U.S. companies that their investments will be protected and profitable. Some of the challenges U.S. companies have faced to date include payment surety, regulatory confusion (caused by requirements that vary from state to state and often overlap federal requirements), and domestic-content requirements.

We already have a model for collaboration between the U.S. and India that could be used to create an expanded partnership in these areas. The Defense Trade and Technology Initiative created a framework for the two countries to clarify the rules of the road, reduce red tape, and align both the United States’ and India’s bureaucratic processes to make defense trade simpler, more responsive and more effective.

If our respective governments could collaborate to develop similar efforts for infrastructure and energy, we could create a “how-to guide” for U.S. companies interested in India investment that would include regulatory requirements, a catalogue of the state and federal offices that must be consulted, and investment and financing requirements.

Modi’s administration also has committed to increasing defense spending by 12 percent to help modernize India’s military. I’m pleased that the U.S. has committed to co-development and co-production partnerships with India, and has identified more than a dozen projects that would offer U.S. companies increased access to India’s defense markets. However, much of the Indian offset market is saturated, and American defense firms find it increasingly difficult to locate areas to invest.

By creating a two-tier system, offset funds that cannot be spent on traditional Indian defense industries could flow to a second tier of other Indian priorities, such as education, skills development or manufacturing. This will not only benefit the U.S. and Indian economies but will also strengthen the defense infrastructure of our strategic partner in a region of increasing importance to the United States.

These are just a few steps we can take to create jobs here at home, while strengthening our relationship with India. I’m also pleased the Senate recently unanimously adopted our bipartisan resolution designating Sept. 30 as U.S.-India Partnership Day, which affirms our continued commitment to working together.

By working cooperatively to overcome obstacles on both sides of the relationship, we can harness the full potential of U.S. and Indian cooperation — and turbocharge economic growth for both countries.

Warner is Virginia’s senior senator, serving since 2009. He sits on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Budget; Finance; Rules and Administration; and Intelligence committees. He is co-chairman of the bipartisan Senate India Caucus, the largest country-specific body in the Senate.

VA accepts contractors' offer of help with scheduling

The recently enacted veterans’ health care overhaul, which increased funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs and streamlined the process for firing senior executives, also includes a provision that requires the VA to hear advice from a technology task force on problems with the scheduling system for medical appointments at VA medical centers.

The effort had been long sought by the Northern Virginia Technology Council, and backed by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who wrote to President Barack Obama in June requesting private sector pro bono input on scheduling, based on an earlier effort spurred by the NVTC to improve management of Arlington National Cemetery.

An agreement is in place for a team with participation from Booz Allen Hamilton, HP, IBM, MITRE Corporation and SAIC to begin an assessment of the scheduling system in accordance with the law. The review is due fairly quickly -- within 45 days of the law's Aug. 7 enactment, according to legislative language.

The VA is currently in the midst of a procurement for a commercial, off-the-shelf scheduling system that was announced Aug. 25. A request for proposals is expected to go out by the end of this month. In part because of the tight timeline, the pro bono team is going to focus more on business processes than on software, although the language of the statute specifically calls for proposals for scheduling improvements with an eye to using commercial, off-the-shelf software.

"The NVTC team will be assessing the processes and systems that impact patient scheduling at VA medical facilities. Our assessment will not include recommendations about specific technology products," NVTC President and CEO Bobbie Kilberg told FCW.

VA Secretary Robert McDonald can do what he likes with the advice. The law only specifies that he adopt recommendations he deems "feasible, advisable, and cost effective."

A group of Virginia tech companies is going to help the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital system fix its scheduling system.

The Northern Virginia Technology Council will offer free help to the VA by examining the troubled health care system's scheduling system and suggesting improvements.

The move was announced by the tech council and Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va. This summer Congress passed a Warner-sponsored bill that required the VA to seek help from the private sector to improve its technology systems.

The move is similar to a 2011 initiative from Warner that directed Arlington National Cemetery to seek private-sector support to deal with problems involving grave registrations and the handling of remains. The NVTC also assisted with that project.

The systemic failure of colleges and universities across the U.S. to accurately report sexual assaults on campus - and hold offenders accountable - demands a comprehensive approach to changing a culture of complacency.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators, including Virginia's Mark Warner, has pushed a reasonable proposal that would mandate anonymous surveys on campuses and require that the results of those surveys be available to the public.

It also would increase financial penalties for violations of federal campus safety rules and make clear that students reporting sexual assaults couldn't be punished for underage drinking if they were under 21 and had consumed alcohol prior to becoming victims.

Those measures offer a prudent path forward in the effort to treat sexual assault as the serious crime that it is. Congress should approve the proposal and send it to President Barack Obama for his signature.

While that plan is discussed in Washington, however, Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Attorney General Mark Herring have announced Virginia will push forward simultaneously and on its own.

The governor has assembled a task force led by Herring and including cabinet secretaries and officials from higher education, law enforcement, health services and other agencies. It is charged with researching and recommending best practices for campus officials responding to reports of sexual assault, policies related to campus investigations and the development of a "model memorandum of understanding that will delineate respective responsibilities for investigations, sharing of information and training."

Strengthening relationships between college administrators and local law enforcement agencies is a critical component in any plan for changing campus attitudes about sexual violence. Local police and prosecutors have the training and expertise to investigate allegations, and they are less encumbered by institutional loyalties that can influence school officials' handling of cases.

That's essential, given that federal studies estimate that one out of five college women is the victim of a sexual assault or attempted sexual assault. Those findings suggest a shameful double standard in the way society views such violence when it occurs on the property of institutions of higher education compared to the rest of the country.

A report released this summer by Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat and former prosecutor, showed more than 40 percent of national universities and colleges didn't investigate any sexual assault cases, even though many of those schools had notified the U.S. Department of Education - as required by federal law - of reported assaults on campus.

Residents in cities and counties across the nation would be infuriated if local authorities demonstrated a similar inability to pursue justice.

The transient nature of the population on campuses has helped mask school administrators' failures for too long, and a lack of seriousness about effective training, investigations and consequences has undermined public trust in colleges' abilities to change on their own.

The effort under way in the commonwealth paves the way for substantive changes in policy, perception and practice on and off college campuses. It provides, in other words, the basis for system-wide reform and assigns a sense of seriousness and priority status to an issue that demands both.

We appreciate the opportunity to provide a more optimistic case for coastal energy exploration than was made in The Pilot's July 23 editorial.

The benefits of advancing energy production are significant: It would diversify Hampton Roads' economy, provide revenue for our schools and roads, and lessen our dependence on foreign energy. And we are convinced it can be done in a manner that meets our shared obligation to protect our waters and shoreline.

We share The Pilot's view that Virginia deserves a fair revenue share from energy exploration in federal waters off its territory, and about the importance of a more expansive coastline definition accounting for Virginia's unique coastline.

Bipartisan legislation introduced in both chambers would provide for a 37.5 percent state revenue share for Atlantic energy proceeds, the same percentage as currently enjoyed by states on the Gulf of Mexico.

A version of this legislation has already passed the House of Representatives, and the Senate version provides for an additional share to go toward conservation measures, transportation improvements and clean-energy research and development.

The Interior Department's approval to begin conducting what are basically ultrasounds of the Atlantic Coast's ocean floor is indeed a positive, though preliminary, step toward advancing coastal energy. These ultrasounds, known as seismic testing, will help us get a better estimate of the natural resources that lie beneath the ocean floor.

Our current data on the energy resources under the Atlantic's floor was gathered more than 30 years ago. New testing can provide us with a more accurate picture. Further science, environmental review and public input will determine whether we ultimately allow production.

Commercial fishing and seismic surveying in the Gulf of Mexico have successfully coexisted for decades. The models used in the federal report that The Pilot referenced do not account for mandated mitigation requirements used while conducting seismic surveys, including slowly increasing sound to allow animals to move away and shutting down operations when trained observers see marine animals near seismic vessels.

No one wants to see harm done to the oceans or the creatures that inhabit them. Industry has made great advancements in prevention and containment; and we share a firm resolve to leave our children with clean air, clean water and clean soil.

Given that seismic testing guidelines released by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management appear more permissive than environmental groups want and less permissive than industry wants, these guidelines aim for a reasonable balance of priorities.

Further, as representatives of an area of our country with strong ties to national defense, we all agree that there should be no interference with Department of Defense operations, and both Senate and House bills contain legislative language that make this clear.

We also share a commitment to strengthen America's economy and national security for future Americans. We cannot ignore the opportunity to create thousands of jobs for the commonwealth, generate tax revenues for our schools and roads, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Compression on the federal defense budget will continue, and the energy industry presents a major opportunity to grow and diversify the Hampton Roads economy. Energy can create high-paying jobs for those Virginians in our community who have been hit hardest by the recession - particularly those in our inner cities.

Like the Virginians we represent, the five of us - three Republicans, two Democrats - have different views on many national issues. But we agree on this: America needs a comprehensive energy strategy that addresses our short-term energy needs and the long-term economic and national security of our nation, and we are committed to advancing, in an environmentally responsible way, the great opportunity that exists with Virginia coastal energy.

HARRISONBURG — Sen. Mark Warner was one of eight U.S. senators who proposed legislation Wednesday aimed at holding colleges more accountable to protect students from sexual assault on campus.

Called the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, the bill was sponsored by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and introduced with bipartisan support.

The legislation comes as colleges and universities around the country are under increased scrutiny for their handling of reports of sexual misconduct.

James Madison University is one of more than 70 higher education institutions under federal investigation for the way they handle sexual assault complaints.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is looking into complaints of Title IX violations.

Other Virginia schools being investigated include the University of Virginia, University of Richmond and the College of William and Mary.

During a conference call, Warner, a Democrat, said he is appalled by the statistic that women have a better chance of being sexually assaulted if they attend college than if they don’t.

As a father of three college-aged daughters, he said he was heartbroken over the testimony of sexual assault victims who spoke at a press conference held Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Members of his staff have been in touch with most colleges in Virginia, he said, and get the sense that there are responsible people who want to see significant changes.

Warner wants Virginia’s higher education institutions to be known for their excellent academics, as well as being safe locations for students, he said.

“We’ve got to work through that with JMU and universities all over Virginia, but there needs to be consequences if you don’t take this issue seriously,” Warner said.

The bill introduced Wednesday includes a series of amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.

It would require colleges to designate advocates to discuss victims’ experiences and options for pressing charges confidentially.

The advocates, called “confidential advisors,” would also be trained to conduct forensic interviews, which can be used during criminal proceedings.

The requirements would address common complaints of poor training among school employees tasked with responding to allegations of sexual violence.

Survivors of sexual assault were at Wednesday’s press conference to tell their stories demonstrating the need for changes.

“The institutional betrayal that these students face is sometimes worse than the assault itself,” said Annie Clark, a survivor and advocate. “At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, when I reported that I was sexually assaulted, someone told me that rape was like a football game, and I should look back on that game to figure out what I would do differently in that situation.”

Clark said the problem can’t be legislated away, but that the bill is a good first step that gives the Department of Education the “teeth” that victims and advocates have been asking for.

Under the proposed legislation, colleges would be required to create an amnesty clause so students reporting crimes would not have to fear retaliation if, for example, they had been drinking underage at the time of the assault.

Colleges would also be required to develop and use uniform disciplinary processes across campus, which would prevent groups such as athletics departments from self-policing.

The bill does not only concern existing students; colleges would be required to develop and administer an annual survey to gauge students’ experiences with sexual violence and harassment.

Results from the surveys would be submitted to Congress and publicly available, school by school, so they can be reviewed by prospective students.

The surveys may provide a much different look at what’s actually happening on campuses around the nation, as sex crimes are grossly underreported, advocates say.

Institutions found to be in noncompliance with the bill’s provisions could be subject to monetary penalties of up to 1 percent of their operating budgets.

At a meeting earlier this month, JMU officials said most victims who seek counseling services don’t pursue criminal charges or university sanctions against their alleged attackers.

Tricia Crocker, who directs the Sexual Assault Trauma Empowerment program at JMU, said there’s a variety of reasons why the victims she works with never seek charges.

“They’re [maybe] not sure whether what they experienced really qualifies as a crime or a violation of student conduct; they’d rather it just go away, so they don’t want any more attention,” Crocker said. “It’s very individual, but the vast majority are not interested [in pressing charges].”

Josh Bacon, director of the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices — formerly known as Judicial Affairs — said his office rarely sees more than three or four sexual assault cases in a busy year.

The US government might now weigh in on Facebook's secret 2012 study on the moods of nearly 700,000 users.

Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) has penned a letter (PDF) to the Federal Trade Commission asking the regulatory agency to investigate the issue. He requested that the FTC look into the ramifications of the experiment and to consider whether rules should be put in place for such types of experiments on social networks.

"I understand that social-media companies are looking for ways to extract value from the information willingly provided by their huge customer base," Warner said in a statement. "But I think many consumers were surprised to learn they had given permission by agreeing to Facebook's terms of service. And I think the industry could benefit from a conversation about what are the appropriate rules of the road going forward."

Facebook has faced a steady stream of backlash since word spread a couple of weeks ago that it conducted the emotion manipulation study -- unbeknownst to users -- in January 2012.

The study, called "Experimental Evidence of Massive-Scale Emotional Contagion Through Social Networks," was carried out by researchers from Facebook, Cornell University, and the University of California at San Francisco. During the course of the study, Facebook altered the News Feeds of 689,003 random users to show either more positive or more negative posts -- and thus possibly altered their emotional states.

The goal of the study was to see whether happiness or negativity could be contagious on the social network, and the researchers concluded that emotions were indeed transmittable.

Critics say the social network lacks transparency and that it was unethical to fiddle with user data without alerting people first. People less worried about the issue say Facebook meddles with user data all the time with its advertising and marketing testing.

In his letter to the FTC, Warner didn't necessarily criticize Facebook for conducting the study -- he just said he wants to know more about consumers' right to privacy on social networks. He also asked the FTC whether it believes federal authorities or the tech industry itself should develop possible oversight practices on these types of experiments.

"Future studies like this, without proper oversight or appropriate review, could have a significant impact upon a large number of consumers," Warner wrote in his letter. "The very fact that important questions remain unanswered highlights the lack of transparency around these business practices. For example, while Facebook may not have been legally required to conduct an independent ethical review of this behavioral research, the experiment invites question about whether procedures should be in place to govern this type of research."

If the FTC decides to get involved, this wouldn't be the first time it's gone head-to-head with Facebook over privacy issues. In 2011, the social network settled a complaint with the FTC that claimed the company "deceived" users by altering its privacy practices without warning. Under the terms of the settlement, Facebook agreed to let users "opt in" to changes that alter how personal information is shared with advertisers and other users.

When contacted by CNET, a Facebook spokesperson said the social network will answer any questions from the FTC.

"It's clear that people were upset by this study and we take responsibility for it," the spokesperson said. "We want to do better in the future and are improving our process based on this feedback. The study was done with appropriate protections for people's information and we are happy to answer any questions regulators may have."

Offers of free help from highly qualified companies should receive a warm welcome - especially from a place as badly in need of it as the Veterans Affairs Administration.

Sen. Mark Warner announced last week that he had sought and received confirmation that the Northern Virginia Technology Council, a 1,000-member trade group, would help the VA straighten out its wretched patient-appointment system. The same group helped Arlington National Cemetery revamp records after a scandal over unmarked or mislabeled graves.

The help would address just one narrowly defined element of the VA's many problems: how it schedules appointments and waiting times.

Scandals over delayed treatment for veterans along with gross mismanagement at some VA medical centers forced the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki last month.

The VA's Inspector General found that, in Phoenix, 1,700 veterans had been kept off an official waiting list. Veterans waited an average of 115 days for a first appointment - five times longer than reported to national administrators. At least 40 veterans died while awaiting treatment.

Preliminary results suggest that the VA's computer appointment system may have been manipulated to hide long waits.

VA hospitals across the country have been plagued with problems even as demand for services grew - treating soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, providing care to aging veterans of other wars, taking on soldiers who lost private insurance during the recession.

Their medical needs can be complex and long-lasting. Keeping track of appointments should be the least demanding part of the VA's mission.

Help from tech firms that can offer free assistance with streamlining the process and safeguarding it from manipulation should be quickly and heartily accepted.