In recent days both Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno have outlined in great detail the devastating effects of sequestration on our nation’s defense forces and the Army in particular.I have sent a letter to key members of Congress urging them to put the nation’s fiscal process back in order so that our Army and its fellow services can maintain readiness and their ability to defend the nation.Given the evidence of the past several months, politicians will continue to talk while our national defense falls apart.The automatic, mindless cuts imposed by...
The Association of the United States Army – "Voice for the Army – Support for the Soldier" – is the Army’s professional organization.AUSA offers specialized programs and exhibitions for soldiers of all ranks – active, National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve – Department of the Army civilians, retirees, veterans, civilians, military academy and ROTC cadets, family members and the men and women who work in the defense industry.The Association’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, held each October in Washington, is the Association’s premier event that focuses on and highlights strengthening the Army’s...
The Association of the United States Army has partnered with the American Freedom Foundation to create the first Warriors To The Workforce Hiring Event for veterans held in conjunction with the 2013 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition.This one-of-a-kind event, Oct. 21 – 23 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the nation’s capital, is part of the American Freedom Foundation’s nationwide initiative to help veterans find jobs.The event brings together major companies from throughout the country to showcase their services and provide employment opportunities for veterans.SourceAmerica™...
America’s Army: Globally Responsive, Regionally Engaged," the theme of the Association of the United States Army’s 2013 Annual Meeting and Exposition, will set the tone for speeches, industry and military exhibits and special presentations from senior Defense Department and Army leaders on subjects relating to today’s Army and the Army of the future.The AUSA meeting – A Professional Development Forum – will focus on panel discussions; Contemporary Military Forums; and special multimedia presentations and educational workshops that reinforce, examine and showcase the Army, the soldier and the...
The "Mass Casualty" alarm could be heard over loud speakers throughout Forward Operating Base Gamberi, Laghman Province, Afghanistan.Health care specialists at the troop medical clinic rushed to prepare for an influx of patients during a mass casualty exercise here.The realistic event gave soldiers assigned to Company C, 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 1st Cavalry Division, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, a chance to test their skills and knowledge in the event of a real mass casualty incident.Pfc. Anthony Stevens, a native of Fort Bragg, N.C., was one of the...
Greetings from the Association of the United States Army – our Army’s and our soldiers’ professional organization.Special thanks to AUSA’s Braxton Bragg Chapter at Fort Bragg, N. C.This great Association chapter hosted me along with representatives from command for a visit, June 27-28, where I had the opportunity to have breakfast with the post’s senior leadership, current and past, and talk about the challenges facing our soldiers, families and our Army.I thank Sharon Lewis, our dynamic chapter president, for her hospitality and especially for her continued dedication and commitment to...
A letter from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to the Senate Armed Services Committee leadership outlined some of the current effects sequestration is having on the department as well as summarized the department’s initial contingency plan for fiscal 2014 if sequestration continues and the department is hit with a $52 billion budget cut.The letter confirms what the Association of the United States Army has been saying – that the current sequestration is severely damaging military readiness.Hagel says that if sequestration continues, the department would be forced to:Reduce operations and...
As the graduates respond "All In" to Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Raymond Odierno, family members watch in anticipation for the word: "Congratulations."More than 600 students at the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, or USASMA, graduated June 21, at the 127th Aviation Support Battalion Hangar on East Fort Bliss, Texas. It is an honor only few have experienced."The course was really good, the camaraderie, the training, it’s the last big school before leaving our peers," Sgt. Maj. Pelandus Hughes, USASMA graduate and native of Asheville, N.C., said.Adding, "I’m relieved to be...
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno presided over the U.S. Army Pacific change-of-command "Flying V" ceremony from Lt. Gen. Francis J. Wiercinski to Gen. Vincent K. Brooks on Palm Circle, Fort Shafter, Hawaii.The event was a historical moment for U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) that formally transitioned to a four-star command July 2, symbolizing the continued rebalance for the United States in the Asia-Pacific region."Ladies and gentlemen, the significance of today’s ceremony and the message of our commitment here is a clear message. It’s a clear message to the region, and we’re honored...
Afghan Uniformed Police (AUP) members received training on field medical techniques from soldiers with Security Force Assistance Team (SFAT) Tombstone at the Spin Boldak District Police Headquarters, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.SFAT Tombstone, comprised of soldiers from the 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Texas Army National Guard, are partnered with the Spin Boldak Afghan Uniformed Police, and they work closely with the District Chief of Police, Col. Abdul Quayum, to design training around the needs of the AUP.The National Guard unit is currently preparing to return to the United States...
Surgeons using robots in the operating room at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the nation’s largest military medical treatment facility, ensure many patients experience less pain, less blood loss, and shorter recovery times, according to the physicians and patients.More than nine experts at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., or WRNMMC, in the areas of gynecology, urogynecology, gynecology oncology, urology, prostate oncology, pediatric urology, and cardiothoracic surgery, as well as reproductive endocrinology and infertility, perform robotic surgery.This...
Approximately 1,500 surgeries were performed at Fort Eustis, Va., in 2012. This year, the McDonald Army Health Center plans to perform another 2,000 – and that’s the lowest estimate.After opening in June, the new operating rooms at McDonald Army Health Center, or MCAHC, have given medical professionals new patient care capabilities, faster recovery times and additional services."We spent $5.5 million renovating the whole second floor of the health center," said Maj. Anissa Buckley, nursing and patient support services assistant deputy commander.Adding, "As well as updating other surgical...
Sgt. Ryan Long met with Boston Marathon bombing victim J.P. Norden at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., June 12, to encourage him on his road to recovery.While on patrol in Afghanistan last year, Long was injured when the vehicle he was traveling in encountered a roadside bomb.He lost his right leg as a result of the explosion.Norden also lost his right leg, April 15, when the second bomb went off at the Boston Marathon.Long told him the road to recovery has it challenges, but there are also rewards along the way.Long shared an anecdote with Norden about how his 3...
A U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew with the 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, was dispatched July 2, to the Caribbean Sea to help locate two Americans, one Canadian and six Hondurans, who had last been seen June 30."We flew in a snake pattern for nearly seven hours and covered more than 450 miles searching for them the first day, but to no avail," Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jay Hanshaw, the pilot, said.Adding, "The second day we could see the water currents shifting west as we flew in the grid, and after hours of searching, we received a call from...
The Army hosted a panel discussion in New York City to address building and maintaining resilient soldiers, families and Department of the Army civilians.Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. John Campbell was joined on the panel by Roger Goodell, the National Football League commissioner, Dr. JoAnn Difede, Program for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Studies director, and Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, Army surgeon general."Each organization here represents a different facet of resiliency, and the common goal is to come up with policy and procedures, at least for the Army and maybe for other...