The smoke billowed around a young man who lay bleeding and barely breathing on the sandy ground.His injuries had come from a treasure hunt gone bad: he had struck a half-buried bomb with the blade of his shovel. His right hand and foot were severed in the explosion.All was quiet as the smoke thinned and cleared."Cut!"The crew members shifted their camera gear, and the young man – an actor – relaxed for a few minutes before filming another take in the scene.The scene, with the smoke, was among the last of the shots captured in a joint Maryland National Guard-Estonian Rescue Board film project...
Paratroopers from the U.S. Army’s Company C, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade (Sky Soldiers), conducted squad live-fire exercises during a pause of the second rotation of Fearless Guardian in Yavoriv, Ukraine.Fearless Guardian is the name for the Congress-approved, Departments of State, and Department of Defense initiative under the Global Security Contingency Fund-Ukraine.The mission and program of instruction come at the request of the Ukrainian government.The paratroopers are in Ukraine for the second of three rotations to train Ukraine’s newly-formed national...
A platoon of Hungarian armed forces troops from the 5th Bocskai Istvan, currently assigned to Multinational Battle Group-East (MNBG-E), conducted a freedom of movement exercise at Camp Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, Kosovo.Assisting in the training were U.S. Army soldiers from 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 252nd Armor Regiment, a North Carolina National Guard unit based out of Fayetteville, N.C.These soldiers are currently deployed to Kosovo as part of MNBG-E’s Forward Command Post, which also oversees the battle group’s Hungarian coy, or company, throughout its deployment.The training was...
More than 1,000 paratroopers from the U.S. Army’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, and six other allied nations including Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom conducted an Airborne Joint Forcible Entry mission as a part of Exercise Swift Response 15 at the Hohenfels Training Area in August.Joint Forcible Entry is a joint-decisive action to seize operational initiative in a crisis, and it is one of the most challenging and complex missions assigned to the U.S. Army."Deterrence is all about demonstrating capability, and what you see here today is...
Walter Kaye, civilian aide to the secretary of the Army for New York South, died on July 26. He was 96.Kaye was appointed civilian aide in April 1995 and was named emeritus by the U.S. Army in 2005.He was also chairman emeritus of Kaye Insurance Associates, a New York City company he founded at 33 years of age that eventually expanded into a successful brokerage firm with over 500 employees in cities across the country.Known not only for his generosity, but also his love of soldiers and their families, Kaye was constantly telling "The Army Story."Kaye was an outstanding supporter of The United...
The Association of the United States Army’s Institute of Land Warfare has released two new publications."The U.S. Army’s Expeditionary Mission Command Capability: Winning in a Complex World" (Torchbearer Issue Paper, Sept. 2015) states the imperative that the Army maintain strategic and operational flexibility to deter and operate in multiple regions simultaneously.Demand for Army capabilities and presence continues to increase across combatant commands in response to emerging contingencies.Expeditionary maneuver becomes the norm as most of the Army is based in the United States (e.g., there...
The 2015-2016 issue of ARMY Magazine’s Green Book takes a close look at the accomplishments and challenges facing the U.S. Army as changing world events see force structure getting smaller although more than 45,000 soldier remain deployed.Included in the special issue is the first status report of the new Army chief of staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, and the final status report of Secretary of the Army John McHugh, who is resigning after six years as the service’s top civilian leader.In his status report, retired Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, president and CEO of the Association of the U.S. Army, says...
For the first two women who earned the Ranger tab, attending the Ranger School was all about honing leadership skills and being better leaders for the Army.1st Lt. Shaye L. Haver and Capt. Kristen M. Griest, both graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., were among the 96 soldiers who graduated from Ranger School at Fort Benning, Ga., Aug. 21."I knew how badly I wanted to go [to Ranger School] when I was a second lieutenant, before I became a platoon leader," Griest said, during an Aug. 20 press conference.Adding, "I was hoping to go to this course because it is the best...
The Association of the U.S. Army mourns the death of retired Army Sergeant 1st Class Ron Taylor, president of the Association’s Fourth Region covering Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.A senior vice president with Fort Hood National Bank, Taylor was active with AUSA for 17 years.He was a member of the AUSA Council of Trustees, and previously served as the Texas state president and the Fort Hood-Central Texas chapter president."The loss of Ron Taylor has saddened all of us in the AUSA family," said Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., AUSA’s president and CEO.Adding, "He was among the...
Greetings from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), our Army’s and our soldiers’ professional organization.This year we recognize a great noncommissioned officer and former sergeant major selected as our 2015 Sergeant Major of the Army William G. Bainbridge Medal recipient.Sgt. Maj. David G. Martinez, USA, Ret., served in every leadership position from team leader to sergeant major.Martinez served in a wide variety of assignments in CONUS and overseas to include Germany and Korea.During his Army career, he held assignments of increasing responsibility in the areas of maintenance...
Next summer we will mark the 100th Anniversary of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), and I’m both impressed with and proud of the many accomplished and superior leaders we have commissioned for all of the Army components.Not only has ROTC been a source of excellence over the past century, but I’m confident the program will continue to adapt and evolve to produce the best leaders for life, for the nation and for the Army in an ever-changing military and world landscape.It’s been a long, remarkable road from the humble beginnings of ROTC to the great program we have today.We’re...
President Barack Obama has nominated Patrick J. Murphy to be the next under secretary of the Army, a post currently held by Acting Under Secretary Eric Fanning.The office was assumed by Fanning, July 6, after Brad Carson became the acting under secretary of Defense for personnel and readiness.At press time, no date has yet been set for Murphy’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.Murphy, a former member of Congress, was the first Iraq War veteran elected to the U.S. Congress, according a White House press release. Murphy represented the 8th District of Pennsylvania...
Lt. Gen. Guy C. Swan III, USA, Ret., AUSA vice president for education, has been reappointed to a three-year term on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Advisory Council.Swan joined AUSA in 2012 after a 35-year Army career.An Iraq veteran, Swan gained wide experience in homeland security and emergency management issues, including commanding U.S. Army North, the Joint Force Headquarters U.S. Capital Region, and the 7th Army Training Command.A certified emergency manager and certified protection professional, Swan is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Aspen...
The Association of the United States Army selected Sgt. Blagoy Pogoncheff, his wife Stacie, and their three children – Kelbie, Kialie and Andon – to receive the 2015 AUSA Volunteer Family of the Year Award.This annual award recognizes an exceptional family whose volunteerism has contributed significantly to the well-being of the Army community, and will be presented to the Pogoncheffs at the opening ceremony of the Association’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, Oct. 12 – 14, in Washington, D.C.Stacie is a volunteer for the Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)...
he General Creighton W. Abrams Medal for exceptional service to the United States Army is awarded to Gen. William F. "Buck" Kernan, USA, Ret.Upon completion of Officer Candidate School in 1968, Kernan was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry. The following year he was assigned to Vietnam with the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, where he held multiple positions including rifle platoon leader, battalion reconnaissance platoon leader and assistant S-3.After returning from Vietnam he held leadership roles of increasing authority to include commanding two...