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Military

An ARMY First: Two Women to Graduate and Earn RANGER Tab

August 18, 2015 by Daniel

Two women to graduate Ranger school

Two women have advanced to the final phase of RANGER school and are set to graduate and earn the coveted tab this Friday. In addition to the two women, 94 men are set to take part in graduating also.

This is a first for the ARMY as women have never been invited to take part in the training. They were part of the Army’s gender-integrated assessment of the grueling two-month long school.

Army Secretary John McHugh said in a statement:

“Congratulations to all of our new Rangers. Each Ranger School graduate has shown the physical and mental toughness to successfully lead organizations at any level. This course has proven that every soldier, regardless of gender, can achieve his or her full potential.”

McHugh added: “We owe soldiers the opportunity to serve successfully in any position where they are qualified and capable, and we continue to look for ways to select, train, and retain the best soldiers to meet our nation’s needs.”

Recently, Grunt Style ranked the US Army Ranger School as one of the top 5 toughest in the military.

 


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Filed Under: Military Tagged With: ARMY, Military, Ranger

Soldier Spotlight: Sgt. Joshua Moore

October 28, 2013 by Daniel

Marine Scout Sniper Sgt. Joshua Moore will receive the Navy Cross later this week.

Sgt. Joshua Moore Navy Cross
photo credit: Marine Corps

The Navy Cross is in recognition of heroism, and second to the Medal of Honor which is for combat valor.

Sgt. Joshua Moore will be receiving his Navy Cross during a ceremony on Nov. 1 at Camp Lejeune, NC.

So, what’s the story on Sgt. Joshua Moore?

According to Marine Corps Times:

According to his Navy Cross citation, Moore was a lance corporal when his scout sniper element came under fire while occupying a compound north of Marjah. Two Marines were quickly wounded, and an insurgent tossed two grenades over a wall into the structure.

“Without hesitation, Lance Corporal Moore threw the closest grenade out of the compound before it exploded,” his citation says. “Realizing seconds later that the second grenade was not going to explode he charged out of the compound to aid the wounded. Though instantly taken under fire by an enemy force one hundred meters away, Lance Corporal Moore audaciously stood his ground, returning fire with his M4 rifle and M203 grenade launcher.”

Moore’s effort forced the insurgents to abandon their position, buying his team time to regroup and aid the wounded Marines, the citation says. He then assisted in scouting and securing a landing zone for a medical evacuation.

Moore told the Courier-Tribune of Asheboro, N.C., that he recalls being hit in the back with something, and then turned and saw a fellow Marine staring at a pair of hand grenades at his feet. He threw the first one out the window before it exploded, and saw that the second one had corrosion around its top.

“It’s like my brain was kind of processing everything at hyperspeed,” he told the newspaper. “It really was just a divine moment — something giving me the sense that, hey, this is not a threat to you. I knew I was in the frag radius so I just dropped it and I took cover from the first grenade.”

Filed Under: Military, Soldier Spotlight Tagged With: Military

What is the greatest fear of Army Chief of Staff Odierno?

October 22, 2013 by Daniel

It is reported that the greatest fear of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno is combat readiness.

Army Chief of Staff Reveals Only Two US Army Brigades Now Combat Ready
photo credit: U.S. Army

This is of great concern when he says that there are only two combat-ready brigades right now.

Does it take away his faith that we don’t have the greatest fighting force? Probably not.

So what is the cause and what can be done?

Money! That is what he says the military needs.

They have been faced with continued budget cuts over the last few years, and future defense spending doesn’t look all too good either. (It takes too long to get funding!)

Our military continues to work with dated equipment. Is it proven? Yes. Does that mean that it is fully mission capable? Not entirely.

With aging equipment we see more failures. Something our troops don’t need!

Here’s what Odierno says they need:

“We need to make sure our soldiers have the best equipment possible,” Odierno said. “We need to make sure our individual soldiers have protective equipment, they have the right sights, they have the right weapons. … We need something to replace the Humvee, we need to replace the Bradley. We need to invest in our aviation systems — our UH-60s, our Apaches, our CH-47s. We need to make sure that in the complex environments we are going to operate in that we have a network that enables us to pass information very quickly down to the lowest element. We need all of it. The bottom line is we can’t afford all of it. So we’re going to have to make some tough decisions.” – via The Blaze

Filed Under: Military, Politics Tagged With: Budget, Defense, Military, spending

Soldier Spotlight: Medal of Honor Recipient Chaplain (Capt.) Emil J. Kapaun

August 23, 2013 by Daniel

Kapun carries Soldier
Photo Credit: ACME Photo
Father Emil Kapaun (right) and a doctor carry an exhausted Soldier off a battlefield in Korea, early in the war. The photo shows Kapaun to the GI’s left. The soldier on the GI’s right side was Capt. Jerome A. Dolan, a medical officer with the 8th Cavalry regiment.

Chaplain Emil J. Kapaun, while assigned to Headquarters Company, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism, patriotism, and selfless service between Nov. 1-2, 1950. During the Battle of Unsan, Kapaun was serving with the 3rd Battalion of the 8th Cavalry Regiment. As Chinese Communist forces encircled the battalion, Kapaun moved fearlessly from foxhole to foxhole under direct enemy fire in order to provide comfort and reassurance to the outnumbered Soldiers. He repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to recover wounded men, dragging them to safety. When he couldn’t drag them, he dug shallow trenches to shield them from enemy fire. As Chinese forces closed in, Kapaun rejected several chances to escape, instead volunteering to stay behind and care for the wounded. He was taken as a prisoner of war by Chinese forces on Nov. 2, 1950.

After he was captured, Kapaun and other prisoners were marched for several days northward toward prisoner-of-war camps. During the march Kapaun led by example in caring for injured Soldiers, refusing to take a break from carrying the stretchers of the wounded while encouraging others to do their part.

Once inside the dismal prison camps, Kapaun risked his life by sneaking around the camp after dark, foraging for food, caring for the sick, and encouraging his fellow Soldiers to sustain their faith and their humanity. On at least one occasion, he was brutally punished for his disobedience, being forced to sit outside in subzero weather without any garments. When the Chinese instituted a mandatory re-education program, Kapaun patiently and politely rejected every theory put forth by the instructors. Later, Kapaun openly flouted his captors by conducting a sunrise service on Easter morning, 1951.

When Kapaun began to suffer from the physical toll of his captivity, the Chinese transferred him to a filthy, unheated hospital where he died alone. As he was being carried to the hospital, he asked God’s forgiveness for his captors, and made his fellow prisoners promise to keep their faith. Chaplain Kapaun died in captivity on May 23, 1951.

Chaplain Emil J. Kapaun repeatedly risked his own life to save the lives of hundreds of fellow Americans. His extraordinary courage, faith and leadership inspired thousands of prisoners to survive hellish conditions, resist enemy indoctrination, and retain their faith in God and country. His actions reflect the utmost credit upon him, the 1st Cavalry Division, and the United States Army.

via The United States Army

Filed Under: Military, Soldier Spotlight Tagged With: Military

Navy Reverses Decision Allowing Chaplains to Perform Same-Sex Unions

May 11, 2011 by Daniel

FoxNews | Under pressure from more than five dozen House lawmakers, the Navy late Tuesday abruptly reversed its decision that would have allowed chaplains to perform same-sex unions if the Pentagon decides to recognize openly gay military service later this year.

In a one-sentence memo obtained by The Associated Press, Rear Adm. Mark Tidd, chief of Navy chaplains, said his earlier decision has been “suspended until further notice pending additional legal and policy review and interdepartmental coordination.”

The Navy said its lawyers wanted to do a more thorough review of the legal decision that allowed Navy chaplains to receive training to perform civil unions on military bases, but only in states where gay marriage is legal.

Military training to apply the new law allowing gays to serve openly began earlier this year and is expected to be completed by midsummer.

House members wrote to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus to object to the Navy’s initial ruling, saying the service was violating the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act by appearing to recognize and support same-sex marriages.

That law defines marriage as only between a man and a woman, and it also says states don’t have to recognize gay marriages performed in other states where they are legal.

“We find it unconscionable that the United States Navy, a federal entity sworn to preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States, believes it is their place alone to train and direct service members to violate federal law,” said the lawmakers’ letter, which was signed by 63 House members.

MORE

Filed Under: Military, National, Politics Tagged With: Military

Soldier Spotlight: Master Sgt. Keri Whitehead

April 15, 2011 by Daniel

Editors Note: TSV is involved with supporting the cure for breast cancer, and has done so for many years. Having lost my mother to this horrible disease, and been alongside some close friends while enduring breast cancer, this story hits very close to home.

In the current issue of Airman Magazine, combat photographer Master Sgt. Keri Whitehead turns the camera lens around and tells her struggle with breast cancer.

Click here to download PDF

Keri Whitehead - Keri's WarKeri’s War

by Randy Roughton

3/1/2011 – Airman Magazine March/April 2011 — Master Sgt. Keri Whitehead’s daughter doesn’t understand cancer. The 4-year-old doesn’t yet grasp the battle her mom is facing. Kassidy has one question that bothers her:

“Mommy, what happened to your hair?”

Sergeant Whitehead tells her daughter she’s sick, but eventually will get better, and her hair will grow back. She even showed Kassidy her scars, but wanted something enduring to show her little girl when she’s old enough to understand, something hopeful like one of the lighthouses that decorate the living room in Sergeant Whitehead’s Charleston, S.C., home, and ironically, the walls of her chemotherapy office. The sergeant wanted it to be something that could be a beacon for her daughter if she encounters a storm like the one her mother’s facing now.

The combat photographer and 14-year Air Force veteran found the answer in “Keri’s War,” a series of images and interviews that document her cancer fight from diagnosis through reconstructive surgery. Master Sgt. J.T. Lock, a fellow combat photographer and four-time Department of Defense Military Photographer of the Year, asked her if he could document her story after she asked him to take family photos of her and Kassidy. While aware the project would require some sensitive photos, the decision wasn’t difficult for Sergeant Whitehead, who is the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the 1st Combat Camera Squadron’s combat photography training element at Joint Base Charleston, S.C.

“It was an easy decision because not only would we be able to get the word out there, but it would be a documentation, something I could show Kassidy when she’s older, that she could actually be able to relate to because she’s not going to remember,” Sergeant Whitehead said. “She’ll remember that I didn’t have any hair, but she’s not going to remember any of the details, and this is a way I can give that back to her.

Continue reading . . .

Filed Under: Military, Soldier Spotlight Tagged With: Military

Afghanistan: Is there a way out?

March 24, 2011 by Daniel

Gen. Petraeus on winning in Afghanistan

“I am concerned that funding for our State Department and USAID partners will not sufficiently enable them to build on the hard-fought security achievements of our men and women in uniform.  Inadequate resourcing of our civilian partners could, in fact, jeopardize accomplishment of the overall mission.” – Gen. Petraeus

—

There is no denying that the conflict in Afghanistan needs to come to an end. However, that is where things fall apart. There appears to be no end in sight. The country has been at war for over thirty years, and ten of those have been with the United States and its allies. And, although their support has been steadily dwindling, their support to bring it to an end has not.

On the face, the US has been taking the military stance, with some political support, to help change the country. But, as well as the military has done, and with all the building they have done for the Afghan people, it still doesn’t fix the one thing that brought on the war. The leadership of the country. That is where the political pressure should have started to show some improvements. But the lack of involvement has left many question whether there is an end or not, and if the US will ever leave the country. After all, the US still maintains a military presence on the Korean Peninsula and has done so for more than fifty years. If that is any look into the future for operations in Afghanistan, it is clearly time to re-evaluate the mission.

Political direction and pressure have been stagnant, and there has been no signs of turning the page and allowing the Afghan government to take ownership and step up. Command in the military has been offering little in the way of ideas on how the transition could take place, and rightfully so. That should be on the shoulders of political figureheads. It is the Afghan people that are the ones suffering, and crying out for help. They want their country back, albeit without a US presence.

It is that presence that is giving the illusion that the United States is taking the position of ‘occupier.’ Which, in turn has put a sour taste in many. One being Gen. Petraeus, who has been a somewhat lonely voice on the issue of the Afghanistan leadership stepping up. And, without an Afghan government willing and able to take the bull by the horns. After all, a country that has been at war for thirty-plus years has a hard time learning anything new other than living a life of war.

So, with that, the question still remains: Is there a way out? There are many reasons why the US can’t just turn their backs as was done for Vietnam. However, it seems like the quickest way to end it. It seems that all sides want out, but no one is offering any real solutions.

Filed Under: Foreign Policy, Politics Tagged With: afghanistan, Military

F-15 Crashes; Cost of Libya War Goes Up

March 22, 2011 by Daniel

F-15 Eagle CrashA United States F-15 Eagle crashed in Libya as coalition forces continued a third night of air strikes. It is being reported that the crew was recovered, without any injuries. But, that’s not the end of it.

The under reported part of this war, is just that. Is it war or is it not? That question remains unanswered, along with what the real mission is. Obama is still wishy-washhy on the subject.

But what about the cost? The initial blast of 114 Tomahawk Missiles cost a staggering $70M at $500,000 a piece. And with the crash of this F-15, it will add another $30M! Bringing the current cost to $100M! Would it not have been easier to just give Gaddafi the money to go away? After all, we don’t even know if all this effort will out him or not.

H?T to David Dayen @ FireDogLake

Filed Under: Foreign Policy, Military, Politics Tagged With: current events, foreign policy, Libya, Military

Operation Odyssey Dawn: War on Libya

March 19, 2011 by Daniel

Operation Odyssey Dawn
Dept. of Defense | March 19: Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) launches a Tomahawk missile in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn.

With the approval from the United Nations, the coalition forces have begun their attack against Muammar al-Qaddafi and his forces. The United States is leading attacks as more than 100 Tomahawk missles were launched toward the shores of Libya, hitting more than 20 intended targets including surface-to-air missiles, early warning sites, and key communication modes.

President Obama authorized limited military action against Libya Saturday.

“We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy,” Obama said in a statement from Brazil.

The president also reiterated that the U.S. will not be deploying ground forces into Libya.

“What we are doing in necessary, it is legal, and it is right,” said British Prime Minister David Cameron. “I believe we should not stand aside while this dictator murders his own people.”

“It is now necessary to open the stores and arm all the masses with all types of weapons to defend the independence, unity and honor of Libya,” Qaddafi said in a speech broadcast on Libya state television, according to Reuters. He also warns that weapons depots are being opened to arm the Libyan people in defense.

Filed Under: Foreign Policy, Military, Politics Tagged With: current events, foreign policy, Libya, Military

Soldier Spotlight: Frank Buckles

February 28, 2011 by Daniel

The last American World War I veteran, Frank Buckles, has passed away at the age of 110. May he rest in peace.

Frank Buckles

America’s last World War I veteran dies

Frank Buckles, the last surviving U.S. veteran of World War I, has died. He was 110.

Buckles, who also survived being a civilian POW in the Philippines in World War II, died peacefully of natural causes early Sunday at his home in Charles Town, biographer and family spokesman David DeJonge said in a statement. Buckles turned 110 on Feb. 1 and had been advocating for a national memorial honoring veterans of World War I in Washington, D.C.

Buckles lied about his age to join the army at age 16.The Missouri native was among nearly 5 million Americans who served in World War I in 1917 and 1918.

“I knew there’d be only one (survivor) someday. I didn’t think it would be me,” he was quoted as saying in recent years.

Buckles drove an ambulance during the war. The Washington Post said that with Buckles’ death, only a 109-year-old Australian man and a 110-year-old British woman were believed to survive from the estimated 65 million people who served in the 1914-1918 war.     Continue reading . . .

Filed Under: Military, Soldier Spotlight Tagged With: Military

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