Were you Snooki in South Korea or Iron Man at Camp Arifjan? We want soldiers’ stories. Where were you and what costume did you wear this Halloween? E-mail us. (This photo of faux Julian Assange and faux Pfc. Bradley Manning courtesy of Philip Neustrom, via BoingBoing. Um, too soon?)
Your pictures of war-zone graffiti can find a home at Unconventional Military Art, founded by a former soldier and his friends to collect the touching, funny or jarring images of art from overseas. Read about co-founder Jaeson Parsons, an Iraq veteran and former medic, in this week’s OFFduty, on news stands now.
HBO will air “Wartorn:1861-2010,” on Veterans Day (Nov. 11). It is worth watching. The Army has given unprecedented access to the piece, which focuses on the emotional wounds and combat stress suffered by American soldiers. The piece runs the gamut from Gen. George Patton (in)famously slapping a soldier hospitalized with “nervous exhaustion” to current Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli saying soldiers with these invisible wounds need to be removed from the battlefield with the same urgency as a soldier who has lost a limb. The documentary, hosted by James Gandolfini, captures the way in which many troops who…
Anti-DADT activist Dan Choi, a former infantry officer, is under attack for using sexist language to lambaste Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Choi may be persona non grata in the military these days, but his comment reflects a negative current in the services.
Tommy Sowers isn’t one to back down from a challenge. He finished first in his class of Green Berets and completed one tour in Kosovo and two tours in Iraq. The Army major even convinced West Point officials to fly a class of cadets to India to meet the Dalai Lama during his time as an instructor. The fight he’s found in Southeastern Missouri, though, might be his toughest yet. Sowers is running on the Democratic ticket to unseat an entrenched Republican Congresswoman who has held the seat since 1996. Sowers, 34, got out of the Army in 2009 and…
The Army is investing $91 million to restore 552 Bradley Fighting Vehicles to pre-combat condition and add some survivability enhancements. You can read about the plans here. BAE Systems will replace old and damaged components. It has plenty of experience. The company has refurbished more than 3,390 vehicles since 2007. The Army is getting all it can out of the Bradley fighting vehicles, which are expected to be replaced by the forthcoming Ground Combat Vehicle. The service dropped $387 million in recent years to refurbish the fleet. In addition, General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products on July 8 was awarded…
Officials speaking at the 2010 AUSA Convention and Expo this week gave no indication that the deployment rotations you’ve come to know and love will change in the near future. The good news is they will ease. As the U.S. military completes the withdrawal from Iraq, the typical dwell time should go to 1 year away, two years at home for active duty and a 1:4 ratio for the reserves. By fiscal 2015, the goal is to be at 1:3 for the active and 1:5 for the reserves, officials said. This, of course, is assuming no other hot spots erupt,…
Who told me to think? My drill sergeant! That’s a key goal of basic training, according to Command Sgt. Maj. John Calpena, the top enlisted soldier at initial military training. Calpena said the post-Vietnam Army sought blind obedience and instilled fear of authority. The problem was soldiers went from a place where drill sergeants had total control to a place where they were expected to take total responsibility. Now, the focus is to produce soldiers who are trained to think. That means instead of simply shouting “Yes, drill sergeant!” when you have no idea what he means, these trainees will…
Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, deputy commanding general for initial military training, tells Outside the Wire that he is keenly aware of the price drill sergeants and their families pay. He said the command is working hard to “debunk the myth that going to TRADOC is taking a knee.” While it may seem a nice break from the high ops tempo the Army has faced for nine years, the fact is drill sergeants often work 16-18 hour days. It is a duty that is professionally rewarding, but challenging. As such, the three-star said he is looking at Quality of Life initiatives…
Once in a great while… OK, every week, there comes a new YouTube sensation. Antoine Dodson. The 82nd Airborne Lady Gaga dancers. The trampoline bear. We say, why not Safety Ape? He loves near beer, hates daisy chains in your CHU and he’s 100 percent ready for prime time.
