DOD official rallies support for CFC Published Sept. 12, 2013 By Amaani Lyle American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON (AFPS) -- WASHINGTON (AFPS) -- In response to today's uncertain financial times, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced more realistic contribution goals for the Combined Federal Campaign and expressed confidence Defense Department employees will still contribute. During a CFC kickoff event Sept.5 at the Pentagon, Carter said the fiscal year 2012 DOD national capital region contributions raised more than $15 million -- an average gift of about $515 per participant, Carter said. "You are people whose life is filled by the opportunity to serve the rest of humanity -- this is just an extension of what you do every day," he said. Carter acknowledged the difficulty of asking DOD employees to contribute in the wake of recent furlough and sequestration woes, but dared to ask the question, he said, with confidence based on the fabric of the DOD family . "It's an American tradition to give," he said. The CFC enables military and federal government employees to contribute to more than 5,000 charities helping veterans and their families, feeding the homeless, researching cutting-edge medical technology, providing global humanitarian assistance and even protecting animal rights. DOD employees account for about a quarter of CFC donations, Carter said.