Hear From 2 Incredible Soldiers, Officers

Image
Army Matters logo
Title
Hear From 2 Incredible Soldiers, Officers

In February, the Association of the U.S. Army’s “Army Matters” podcast will highlight the incredible stories of a colonel who’s using data to fight the enemy and a veteran who overcame a tough transition to civilian life and now helps others find their way.

SOCOM Boss Warns of Increasingly Dangerous World

Image
U.S. Army soldiers with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group train an evacuation with a Boeing-Vertol CH-47 Chinook Helicopter after a successful training operation on Local Training Area during a small unit tactic training on August 29, 2023, Baumholder, Germany (U.S. Army Photo by Ruediger Hess)
Title
SOCOM Boss Warns of Increasingly Dangerous World

A “convergence” of adversaries is threatening global security, a development made more complex by the proliferation of battlefield technology and commercial disruptions, a senior Army officer said.

Gen. Bryan Fenton, commanding general of U.S. Special Operations Command, said he sees the security environment through three lenses, the first of which is the volatile alliance formed among the adversaries of the United States and its allies.

Special Forces Soldier Named White House Fellow

Image
White House.
Title
Special Forces Soldier Named White House Fellow

An Army Special Forces officer who advocates for veterans’ mental health has been appointed to the 2024–2025 class of White House Fellows, a highly selective program for leaders who are committed to public service.

Former Ranger Remembers Battle of Mogadishu, Its Legacy

Image
Book cover
Title
Former Ranger Remembers Battle of Mogadishu, Its Legacy

As a young lieutenant with 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, in 1993, James Lechner was selected for a special operations task force and found himself embroiled in the Battle of Mogadishu.

What began as a raid in Somalia’s capital turned into an 18-hour firefight, and Lechner and his fellow Rangers and Delta Force operators were surrounded and outnumbered after they came to the aid of two American Black Hawk helicopter crews shot down by insurgents. By the end of the battle, 18 Americans were killed and dozens more were wounded.

Legendary Army Ranger Dies

Image
Man standing with soldiers
Title
Legendary Army Ranger Dies

Retired Col. Ralph Puckett, a legendary and revered Army Ranger who fought in Korea and Vietnam, died April 8. He was 97.

Puckett, an inaugural member of the Ranger Hall of Fame, was awarded the Medal of Honor in May 2021, more than 70 years after leading the 8th Army Ranger Company to capture a frozen hilltop near the Chinese border during the Korean War.

Vietnam War Hero, Green Beret Legend Dies

Image
Retired Col. Roger Donlon
Title
Vietnam War Hero, Green Beret Legend Dies

Retired Col. Roger Donlon, the first person in the Vietnam War and the first Green Beret to receive the Medal of Honor, died Jan. 25. He was 89.

Donlon received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions in July 1964 near Nam Dong, Vietnam. During the battle, then-Capt. Donlon disregarded multiple wounds and successfully led his 12-man Green Beret team as they held off an attack by a reinforced battalion of Viet Cong fighters.

Former SMA Glen Morrell Dies

Image
Glen Morrell
Title
Former SMA Glen Morrell Dies

Retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Glen Morrell, a life member of the Association of the U.S. Army who served as the seventh sergeant major of the Army from 1983–1987, died Oct. 26. He was 87.

Born May 26, 1936, in Wick, West Virginia, Morrell enlisted in the Army in 1953. He decided to leave the Army after his first enlistment but reenlisted in 1958. “I found out that I really liked the Army after I got out,” Morrell said in a 1994 interview with the Army’s Center of Military History.

Register for AUSA’s Warfighter Summit

Image
Warfighter 2023 Logo
Title
Register for AUSA’s Warfighter Summit

Registration is now open for the Association of the U.S. Army’s Warfighter Summit and Exposition in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Scheduled for July 26–27 at the Crown Complex near Fort Bragg, the two-day, in-person summit is a leader and professional development event focused on the warfighter. This is the second year AUSA is hosting the Warfighter Summit.

This year’s theme is “America’s Army: Ready for Today, Modernizing for 2030 and Beyond.”

AUSA Releases 2 New Podcasts in May

Image
army matters logo
Title
AUSA Releases 2 New Podcasts in May

The Association of the U.S. Army is releasing two new podcasts in May as part of its relaunched “Army Matters” series.

First up is a podcast featuring retired Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule, a 36-year Army veteran who recently was the vice chair of a commission tasked with renaming military installations and other assets honoring Confederate leaders.