The National Museum of the United States Army is coming.Plans for the long overdue Army museum are progressing very well. The official groundbreaking ceremony will happen in late summer or early fall of 2013. The opening date is set for the Army’s 240th Birthday – June 14, 2015.The museum will be located at Fort Belvoir, Va., and will be accessible to the public without having to enter the military installation. (See related story on Page 7.)The museum will tell the "Soldiers’ Story."It will help our nation’s citizens understand and appreciate the legacy of the 14 generations of American men...
The Army Materiel Command (AMC) is trying to do the right things for the right reasons, AMC Commander Gen. Ann Dunwoody told an audience in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Feb.22.Dunwoody, the lead speaker at the annual Association of the United States Army Winter Symposium and Exposition , kicked off the day’s agenda with a discussion on AMC’s "Bold, Adaptive, Innovative" approach to the coming decades."In my 37 years of service, I can’t remember a period when we’ve seen so much change, in such a short time," Dunwoody said.Dunwoody discussed the guidance the Army and AMC have received from every level...
Stay the course in Afghanistan" was the message Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen delivered to the House Armed Services Committee March 20.Allen, commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, told the representatives that the 50-nation coalition has the right strategy to realize its goals."I can tell you, unequivocally, three things. First, we remain on track to ensure that Afghanistan will no longer be a safe haven for al-Qaida and will no longer be terrorized by the Taliban," he said.Adding, "Second, as a coalition, … we are well along in our progress to...
James A. Baker III, a former secretary of state, secretary of the treasury and White House chief of staff, will receive the 2012 George Catlett Marshall Medal, the highest award presented by the Association of the United States Army.Awarded annually to an individual who has exhibited selfless service to the United States of America, the medal will be presented to Baker by the Association’s Council of Trustees to recognize his contributions to the United States as a cabinet member, presidential adviser and a strong supporter of national defense and the men and women of the armed forces."His...
In Afghanistan, agriculture is the culture.Soldiers of the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve unit from Rochester, N.Y., are hoping to solidify their roles as cultural experts with the help of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and some of America’s top agricultural universities."Civil Affairs is there to help them, to work with them, or draw them to resources they may not have had access to," Capt. Nathan Neuman, from Buffalo, N.Y., civil affairs team leader, said.Neuman said he is optimistic this training will help his team provide real help to the Afghan population in...
After 10 years of sustained war fighting, America’s soldiers will face their next and potentially greatest battle – surviving the drawdown.Just as victory in combat requires proper weaponry and armor, so too does a successful job search require the appropriate qualifications such as a college degree or certification.To make yourself more employable in the civilian job market, you must leverage your current knowledge, skills and abilities against your military experience – and you have to start preparing now.Why the need? The handwriting is on the wall.Our current Department of Defense climate...
The 824th Transportation Company, a U.S Army Reserve unit from Moorehead City, N.C., just arrived in Kuwait to start their yearlong deployment. The home away from home has a unique feature – it floats.The unit’s floating home for the next year will be on board the Landing Craft Utility 2002 – United States Army Vessel Kennesaw Mountain, a 174 foot Landing Craft Utility, or LCU, 2000-series vessel.The crew totals only 17 soldiers and their mission is to carry material throughout the Persian Gulf. The crewmembers consist of seven on the deckside, seven engineers, two cooks, and a medic.Since the...
For the 633rd Theater Gateway, an Army National Guard unit training to deploy overseas, the human resources annual training exercise Silver Scimitar 2012 at Fort Devens, Mass., represents important firsts.Not only will this be the first guard unit to operate a theater gateway for combat operations, it is the first to use the exercise as validation for its mobilization training.As a Theater Gateway, the 633rd is one of three Army National Guard units with the mission of processing troops into and out of theater.Until now, active duty and Army Reserve units have shared the task. The 633rd will...
The Wolf Operations Group, a National Guard Bureau training unit stationed at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (MUTC), spent two weeks recently training in combatives for soldiers, cadre and students from the National Guard Patriot Academy, a high school located on MUTC.The United States Army Combatives Program has adapted to integrate the most current techniques.Now, Level 1 is the Basic Combatives Course that includes post, frame, hook and employing secondary weapons (pistol or bayonet).Level 2 is the Tactical Combatives Course; Level 3 is the Basic Combatives Instructor Course; Level 4 is...
With concerns of budget and troop reductions, reserve soldiers remain a critical component of America’s defense, said the chief of the Army Reserve.During his visits around the force, Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz said the No. 1 question he’s asked by soldiers is: "What's going on?" regarding the budget and force cuts. Those soldiers, Stultz said, are concerned about the future of their jobs and their relevance in America’s defense."My answer to the soldiers is: ‘You are going to become even more relevant than you’ve ever been to our national security strategy,’" he said Jan. 31, at a meeting of the...
Turning swords into plowshares is not what comes to mind when one thinks about the mission of soldiers. But this is exactly what some are doing to bring peace and stability to a troubled region – Afghanistan.The poor of Afghanistan, which is the majority of the people there, are often recruited by the Taliban and al-Qaida, simply because they have no other means to make money, Col. Aaron T. Barrier said.Barrier is the commander of Indiana’s Agribusiness Development Team 4 at the Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, Edinburgh, Ind.This month, 61 Kentucky National Guard soldiers were...
Army Ten-Miler race officials have announced that they will continue the two-phase registration process for the Army’s race that was introduced in 2011.Priority registration, presented by the Navy Federal Credit Union, for all U.S. service members and runners who have participated in seven or more Army Ten-Miler races will open on May 1.U.S. service members must use a ".mil" address to register, and a searchable database will be posted for seven-time Ten-Miler runners.Installations will be able to obtain pre-paid entries for their teams during priority registration.Approximately one-third of...
The XVIII Airborne Corps commander, Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, and Command Sgt. Maj. Earl Rice, along with subordinate division commanders and more than 100 distinguished guests attended the XVIII Airborne Corps’ Welcome Home Return Ceremony on Fort Bragg.More than 750 XVIII Airborne Corps soldiers recently returned from a yearlong deployment to Iraq.After taking well-earned leave to reconnect with friends and family, they returned to work to participate in a busy week of events.Approximately 600 paratroopers exited aircraft to refresh their proficiency during three days of airborne operations...
April is the Month of the Military Child.During this month, military connected organizations across the country pay tribute to our military kids – and rightfully so.There will be balloon bounces, face painting, movie previews and many activities aimed at celebrating the military child. But celebrations, though fun, are limiting.In order to truly support our military children, especially in today’s military environment, it is important we understand who military kids are, what current challenges they face, and where their strength and resilience comes from.According to the Department of Defense...
Do you have what it takes to design the Army Ten-Miler official race shirt?The Army Ten-Miler needs a design for its official race T-shirt.Grand Prize for the contest is a Mac Book Pro 17-inch with 2.5GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM and 256GB Hard Drive –worth approximately $3,500.The winning design will also be printed on over 30,000 runner and volunteer T-shirts.The second prize winner will receive 21.5-inch iMac, 2.5GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive – worth approximately $1,400 – and the third prize winner will receive a Holga 35mm Deluxe kit – worth approximately...