One battle: Marine gets the Medal of Honor; the soldier gets nothing Army Capt. Will Swenson fought alongside a Marine sergeant in a fierce, deadly battle in Afghanistan in which they repeatedly braved enemy fire to try to save fellow troops. The Marine got the Medal of Honor, but Swenson has nothing to show for his actions. Army officials say he was put in for the valor award but the paperwork got lost. In his new book, Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer tells what went wrong — with the battle and with the Army that failed its captain. See the exclusive…
Author Kathleen Curthoys
Body fat: New rules for a thinner Army The Army is cutting the amount of body fat it will allow new recruits, and tougher rules for active-duty soldiers are coming soon. Army leaders say a review of the standards for the force will likely mean those standards get tighter for all soldiers. So far, the Army’s guidelines are the most lenient among the services. But it looks like that’s about to change. Weapons systems may get the ax Maybe you’ve shot it, and maybe you liked it, but now the much-anticipated M806 lightweight .50-caliber machine gun has been shot down…
The Army Times Soldier of the Year He is an E-4 who has served in an E-6’s role. He has saved a fellow soldier, deployed to Africa and mentored younger people. Fellow soldiers say he’s the kind of soldier that you hope for, but don’t often find. He has packed his short time in the Army with initiative, dedication and service to others. Meet the Soldier of the Year in this week’s issue of Army Times. Combat chaos: A split-second decision ruins NCO’s career A sergeant first class thought he was protecting his soldiers and doing the right thing…
Promotions: Soldiers tell leadership what needs fixing Soldiers frustrated with the promotion system are telling Army leadership that their peers are too often promoted with little job knowledge and before they are ready to take on the next level of responsibility. The fix-it feedback came in response to a question from Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond Chandler, who asked soldiers if they felt the new point system is fair and accurately portrays the total soldier concept. He asked what they would like to see changed. A flood of responses came back at him. See Army Times’ report on what…
Sex, fraud, 2 wives: Colonel charged with bigamy, fraud and more The brigade commander fired from command of 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team once seemed to be destined to wear general’s stars. But when his court-martial begins on June 11, he will face charges he defrauded the Army out of tens of thousands of dollars to “frolic” with an Iraqi mistress, whom he allegedly made his wife even though he already was married. If charges prove true, Col. James H. Johnson III is a cheat and a bigamist. He is charged with forgery, fraud, lying and bigamy. His wife and…
New promotion rules: No courses, no stripe New rules and requirements for enlisted promotions now mean a soldier isn’t guaranteed the next promotion just because he had a few deployments and did well on the fitness test. Soldiers now must complete Structured Self-Development courses and also courses in the Noncommissioned Officer Education System before they can be promoted. Their senior NCOs will be under pressure to make sure the soldiers get it done. The Army’ stop enlisted soldier, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond Chandler, said “You can’t just stay static and say what happened 10 years ago is…
Army faces ‘disastrous’ plan to slash the force The Army faces a disaster that could decimate the service as you know it. If the service-cutting plan from Congress called sequestration becomes reality, it would eliminate an additional 100,000 soldiers, above the 80,000 already planned, and virtually halt all modernization. It would slash the Army to pre-World War II numbers. The defense secretary has described the plan “catastrophic” and “shooting ourselves in the head.” The service would have to force out tens of thousands of combat veterans in order to cut 180,000 soldiers in five years. The Army’s chief of staff…
What soldiers hate about the new grooming rules Soldiers are telling Army Times what they don’t like about the pending changes to at least 17 grooming regulations. In a flood of messages from the ranks, they protest changes in shaving requirements, tattoo rules and more. Some soldiers say it’s good the Army is getting tougher about the way they look, but most spoke up about imposing tougher rules on a force that has seen a decade of war deployments. See what soldiers are saying, and what the Army plans to do, in this week’s Army Times. Another 100,000 soldiers may…
Command sergeant major reinstated — but not for long The first female commandant of the Army Drill Sergeants School at Fort Jackson, S.C., is being reinstated after the Army suspended her from the job five months ago. But she’ll be back in the job for only a few days before her replacement takes over. Command Sgt. Maj. Teresa King has vowed to fight the November suspension’s effect on her 31-year Army career. She was given no reason for her suspension, her attorney says. She contends that racism, sexism and her lack of a combat deployment are to blame. Find out…
Women taking combat jobs The Army will start placing women in as many as 14,000 combat-related jobs starting this month, placing women in 37 battalions across nine brigade combat teams. The service is opening up six military occupational specialties to women for the first time. This is a change in policy for the Defense Department, say officials who acknowledge the role women have played in the most recent wars. More than 135,000 female soldiers have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, earning more than 400 valor awards, said an Army personnel official. More than 77 have been killed in action, he…
