Story and photo by Spc. Darriel SwattsCAMP TAJI, Iraq – “MEDEVAC, MEDEVAC, MEDEVAC!”It’s a cry for medical assistance that is enough to make even the most combat-hardened Soldiers cringe when they hear it cross the radio waves. For the Soldiers of Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment (Air Ambulance), Army National Guard, the call starts a race to respond in 15 minutes or less.Charlie Company, based out of both Westfield, Mass. and Burlington, Vt., is currently attached to the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, which is deployed to Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn. The...
Story and photo by Staff Sgt. Tanya Thomas, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, United States Division-Center Public AffairsRAMADI, Iraq – “Today is the kind of day where it makes you proud to be a Soldier,” said 1st Lt. Jonty McCoy, platoon leader with 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, United States Division –Center.McCoy was referring to April 2, a day that fellow 4th AAB Soldiers spent at the Anbar Operations Center in Ramadi, Iraq, distributing 21 pediatric wheelchairs to disabled Iraqi children.“This is by...
Story and photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, 29th MPAD, USD – C CAMP TAJI, Iraq – The Soldier was a little apprehensive at first. His eyes got a little larger with hesitant anticipation as it came closer to being his turn to step to front of the room. A few jokes and teasing were passed between him and his fellow Soldiers, which livened the mood for some and for others it accentuated the uneasiness. For some in the room, the task at hand—starting an intravenous line on a live person rather than a training aid—was a little daunting as it meant sticking someone with a needle. But, as the...
Master Sgt. (P) Mark Morgan, the senior enlisted aide to Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal at the Feb. 25 morning session of the Association of the United States Army’s Winter Symposium and Exposition in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.Dempsey, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, and the Army chief of staff-designate, cited Morgan for his singular accomplishment in winning a Gold Medal at the international Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg.Morgan competed as a member of the American Culinary Federation’s Culinary National Team as a pastry...
The goal of Army acquisition, science and technology (AST) is to provide soldiers a decisive advantage in all phases of combat, particularly in dismount where soldiers are fighting one-on-one with the enemy, according to the assistant secretary of the Army for AST.Speaking Feb. 23 – designated "Science and Technology Day" – at the opening session of AUSA’s Winter Symposium and Exposition in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Malcolm R. O’Neill, said he wants to equip soldiers to be more than dominant – they should be decisive so every enemy or potential enemy doesn’t want to fight them.O’Neill said his...
Three soldiers selected as the athletes and coach of the year for 2010, were honored at the Association of the United States Army’s Winter Symposium.
As the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) continues on its road of transition brought on by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission, Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, AMC commander, views the change not as series of challenges, but as opportunities to "redouble our efforts to support soldiers."Speaking Feb. 24 at the Association of the United States Army’s Winter Symposium and Exposition in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Dunwoody told Army and industry leaders that the BRAC move is affecting 11,000 AMC personnel and shifting the command’s "center of gravity" to Huntsville, Ala.She highlighted recent...
Army Ten-Miler race officials have announced changes to the registration date and procedures for signing up to run in the 2011 race.This year, there will be a priority registration for all U.S. service members and runners who have participated in at least seven Ten-Miler races. Approximately one-third of the total 30,000 race entries – the race’s runner cap – will be reserved for this new priority registration program.Priority registration will open May 1 and U.S. service members must use a ".mil" address to register. A searchable data base will be posted for seven-time plus race participants...
If there’s anything to predict about the future of Army operations is that it will be unpredictable, according to Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, commander of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and also the nominee to become the next Army chief of staff. It will be difficult to train soldiers for a specific operation and, therefore, soldiers must be trained to adapt to any situation.Training and education programs should be "relevant and challenging" and be the foundation to building soldiers who are confident in themselves so they can make decisions "when things go wrong," Dempsey said Feb. 24...
The longest-serving sergeant major of the Army emphasized the importance of maintaining an adaptable force during a farewell interview Feb. 7 at the Pentagon.Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston has served as the top enlisted adviser to the Army chief of staff for seven years, from January 2004 until March.He faced several key challenges when he first arrived, but said he feels the Army has advanced through properly manning, equipping and training the force."If you look at the Army at that time, we were in Iraq and Afghanistan at that time, we were tied up with fighting two wars," Preston...
As often seems the case when I write this column, defense funding is in flux.This year is particularly interesting as we are dealing with funding for the remainder of 2011 as well as funding for 2012.The continuing resolution that funds the Department of Defense at 2010 levels will expire on March 18. If a Fiscal Year 2011 Defense Appropriation Bill is not passed and DoD is required to continue to operate at 2010 funding levels for the rest of the year, the results for the Army could be devastating.The AUSA president, Gen. Gordon Sullivan, USA, Ret., is very concerned and has written to senior...
Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, D-Fla.Member, House Rules CommitteeIn the spring of 2009, one of my constituents – a navy veteran with muscular dystrophy – reached out to my office in desperate need of assistance. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had abruptly cancelled his pension and he had fallen below the poverty line. Unable to pay for daily expenses, unable to meet his mortgage payments, Mr. Scriber was on the verge of losing his home and joining the ranks of the 100,000 homeless veterans in our nation.Mr. Scriber did not break the law, nor did he commit any crime. In March 2008, he was...
The Army Family Action Plan (AFAP) is an Army-wide program designed to involve soldiers, family members, retirees and DoD civilians in a process to solve and improve quality-of-life issues.AFAP was formally adopted at the first Department of the Army (DA) planning conference in July 1983, and the formal Army Family Action Plan was published in 1984.Since AFAP began, more than 660 issues have been identified, leading to 133 legislative changes, 172 Army or Department of Defense policy changes and 192 improved programs and services.It is one of the most successful programs in the Army, and...
Cutting health care costs: How you can help. We’ve always said that retirees through service and sacrifice have already paid enormous premiums. We believe strongly that the Defense Department must expend greater efforts on reducing health costs by eliminating inefficiencies in administration, contracting, and procurement rather than looking first to beneficiaries. AUSA will continue to push them to find the inefficiencies, but we also believe that beneficiaries can help. Filling a prescription at a civilian pharmacy instead of using mail order is one of the factors driving up military costs. T...
Emphasizing the Association of the United Sates Army’s strong opposition to survivor benefit inequities that are contained in current law, Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., AUSA president, has written members of Congress supporting their legislation that would not only address these inequities, but also eliminate them.In letters to Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Budget Committee, and Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., a member of the House Armed Service Committee, Sullivan said their proposed legislation – S.260 and H.R. 178, respectively – would repeal...