Greetings from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), our Army’s and our soldiers’ professional organization.As we celebrate the Army’s 239th birthday I wanted to share with you another birthday celebration I had the honor to participate in at Fort Knox, Ky., April 23.Every year on this date, the United States Army Reserve celebrates its birthday.This year we celebrated the Army Reserve’s 106th birthday, and we should take a few moments to reflect on the contributions that our soldiers and their families in the Army Reserve have made as an important part of our American heritage.Established on April 23, 1908, as the Reserve Medical Corps, the Army Reserve has seen many transformations and changes over the years, but the one principle that has not changed is the Army’s reliance on the Army Reserve to provide critical acquired skills to any mission.My remarks at the birthday celebration luncheon at Fort Knox focused on noncommissioned officer stories and their contributions to our Army and our nation.As the sergeant major of the Army, I had the opportunity to visit the Horn of Africa each year.I started each of my visits in Djibouti at Camp Lemonnier, a joint base operated by the Navy.During this particular visit, I was met by Fleet Master Chief Petty Officer Roy Maddox, the senior enlisted leader for Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.Chief Maddox and I flew via a C12 aircraft to the city of Dira Dawa in Ethiopia.Dira Dawa is the second largest city in the country with a population, at that time, of approximately 300,000 people.On the ground I was met by Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Collson, A Company, 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion based out of New York.Collson was the noncommissioned officer in charge of a 17-member team – CAT-A15.CAT-A15 operates independently from its parent battalion, the 402nd, which is based hundreds of miles away in Camp Lemonnier.His commander in charge of the mission was out of theater for two weeks on annual leave.Collson introduced me to some of the members of his security detachment from the Guam National Guard, who provided security for the team and would look after us during our visit.The mission of CAT-A15 was simple; promote regional stability to deny the opportunity for terrorists to create a haven.A simply stated mission with herculean challenges – challenges that this young staff sergeant met with determination and intent.After a brief introduction, the team climbed into a pair of civilian sport utility vehicles and off we went through the city to meet up with a team of Navy Seabees.The sights and smells of the city I remember clearly to this day.Almost all of the roads were unpaved and the city was bustling and alive with hundreds of people in the streets out doing their daily business.Dira Dawa is a poverty-stricken city with a rich history and home to a number of religious faiths, including Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.The streets between the storefronts and open markets were narrow and congested with pedestrians, children playing in the streets and a wide variety of vehicular traffic.Success in this diverse and complex society requires sound judgment, experience and cultural sensitivity to accomplish even the simplest task.After a short drive through the city, we came to our first stop where an element of the Navy Seabees team was finishing a 20th potable water point as part of a well-drilling operation for the city.This water point, a simple stone and concrete pillar with a water faucet on each of the four sides, would allow the people in that neighborhood to draw potable water.After talking with the sailors, we traveled a short distance through the city to the next water point that was also receiving the finishing touches by the remainder of the team.I was very impressed with how Collson, as the team sergeant, had built a very cohesive and functional joint team.More amazing was the relationships he had established with dozens and dozens of civic leaders who I met throughout the city during our visit.We left the Seabees and traveled to the Malka Village, a suburb of Dira Dawa, to tour the Tawheed Al Madrassa School.Construction crews were putting the finishing touches on this $200,000 project that will provide the children of the area an education through eighth grade.After the school visit, we toured the team’s headquarters in the city, a four-story building that provided a secure motor pool and parking garage on the ground level, living accommodations on the second and third floors, and an operations center on the fourth floor.In the operations center I met an Air Force tech sergeant and an airmen who provided the communications link with Camp Lemonnier, more than 400 miles away.So here in a remote part of the world, an Army staff sergeant with eight years in the Army Reserve and his 17-member team was making an impact that will last for generations.The second story I want to tell centers on the Army’s Best Warrior Competition that occurred the third week of November.Having had the opportunity to spend the week at Fort Lee as part of an escort for a film crew, I watched all the competitors in their quest for the honor of becoming the Army’s noncommissioned officer and soldier of the year.At the recognition luncheon, Sgt. 1st Class Jason Manella from the 445th Civil Affairs Battalion, United States Army Reserve, Fremont, Calif., earned the title of 2013 Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.Manella is the first Army Reserve noncommissioned officer to earn this prestigious honor.What makes this story special for all of us is this soldier’s ability to overcome adversity and setbacks.Manella was exposed to multiple concussive events during his last deployment to Afghanistan.He survived three major and 20 minor blasts during his deployment.Using his recovery time wisely, Manella studied and prepared for the Best Warrior Competition.He has since used the win to talk about personal determination to overcome injury, and to stick up for the Army Reserve, which he said sometimes doesn’t get the respect it deserves.During an interview following his selection, Manella pointed out the next runner-up was also a reserve soldier."Being a reservist, I think there are a lot of times where I’m underestimated, and I use that to push myself," Manella said.The leadership, responsibility and accomplishments of these two noncommissioned officers would be unheard of in any other army in the world today, whether in peacekeeping, stability operations or warfighting.These noncommissioned officers are part of a continuing legacy that began April 23, 1908.Since that date, soldiers from the Army Reserve began their contributions to the defense of our nation in the Punitive Expedition in 1916 with more than 3,000 soldiers participating in the campaign in Mexico.Reflecting back, every major campaign since the Punitive Expedition has had the fingerprints of the contributions of our Army Reserve soldiers.But this concept is not new. The United States since our independence in the American Revolution has relied on Regular Army troops augmented by militia or civilian volunteers.With a unique and critical collection of career fields in the Army Reserve, America’s Army cannot go to war without this piece of the team.As an example of unique capabilities in the Army Reserve, 59 percent of the Army’s medical assets are here, along with 43 percent of all transportation assets, 77 percent of all civil affairs, 80 percent of all chaplains, 61 percent of all postal companies, 43 percent of all chemical assets and 30 percent of all engineers, just to name a few.Now more than ever America’s Army needs AUSA – and AUSA needs your membership support.Membership is the volume knob to ensure your voice is amplified many times over and heard throughout the halls of Congress, from sea to shining sea across this country, and throughout every small town and community in-between.Keep America’s Army Strong! Take a Stand! Still Serving, Still Saluting!