Meet Your Military
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Army Capt. Stacy Beasley, a chaplain for the 5th Engineer Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, appeared on a recent Animal Planet docudrama, titled, “Monster Island.” Beasley and his team used their bow hunting skills in an attempt to cull an invasive colony of boars infected by a highly contagious and deadly microbe on Mona Island, Puerto Rico. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mark PattonFORT LEONARD WOOD, Montana: A white cross memorial juts from the rugged terrain as a group of bow hunters start their trek into the heart of a 7-by-4-mile island surrounded by some of the Caribbean’s roughest waters.
“It’s a reality check that this island has taken people’s lives,” recalled Army Capt. Stacy Beasley, the chaplain for the Fort Leonard Wood-based 5th Engineer Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. Beasley was speaking about Mona Island, Puerto Rico, an area billed as one of the most hostile environments known to man. It’s an island that, except for seasonal rangers, remains uninhabited by humans. What the island does offer is scorching heat, venomous centipedes, poisonous plants, sinkholes, razor sharp coral and a disorienting cactus maze.
Avid Outdoorsman For Beasley, a native of Carthage, Missouri, this island became his temporary home late last year. It also became the site of the avid outdoorsman’s television debut. Three other bow hunters joined Beasley on Mona Island as their efforts to cull an invasive colony of boars infected by the highly contagious and deadly Brucellosis microbe were documented for an “Animal Planet” television show. By hunting the feral hogs, the team hoped to reduce the spread of disease on the island and prevent it from being carried to the mainland by illegal migrants. Mona Island is also home to endangered animals, including an endemic iguana subspecies, and Beasley said their hunt aimed to reduce the disturbance of the ecosystem.
Read more: Meet Your Military: Army Chaplain Meets 'Monster Island' Challenge
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Kish La Pierre, 99th Civil Engineer Squadron archaeologist, sorts through artifacts found by 99th CES archaeologists at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., June 2, 2015. La Pierre’s work ensures Nellis AFB remains a good steward of the local environment. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mikaley Towle NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nevada: Unlike a base or wing historian, who specializes in records and documents of people’s lives, Kish La Pierre, 99th Civil Engineer Squadron archaeologist, studies the lives people may have led through what they left behind, such as fossils, buildings, markings or human remains.
“I manage Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases, and the Nevada Test and Training Range’s cultural resources,” La Pierre said. “The goal here is to protect and document these resources as U.S. Air Force projects arise.” Typical resources include World War II or Cold War era buildings and infrastructure, mining sites, and prehistoric archaeological sites -- which includes rock art, stone tool quarries, sacred Native American sites, rock shelters and caves.
Read more: Meet Your Military: Archaeologist Preserves Base Histories
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us army sgt command group driverCAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea: The U.S. Army is about being a team member, leading soldiers to complete the mission and at the Soldiers can find a family inside their unit that can help push them and motivate them to become better and provide support and resiliency.
The Toughest Talon is a competition that soldiers in the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade here participate in each year. It is the ultimate physical and military skills challenge. The event includes an Army Physical Fitness Test, rope climbing, cross fit, tire flipping, litter carrying, road marching, stress shooting and a nine-line medevac radio transmission. Only a handful of selected soldiers participate in the competition from each battalion. During his assignment to South Korea, Army Sgt. Timothy K. Han, a command group driver assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, participated in three Toughest Talon competitions and two Best Warrior Competitions sponsored by the 2nd Division. Why would Han participate in all of these competitions?
Setting an Example “I want to set an example to other soldiers that you can do competitions even after the daily tasks that we all have to do,” Han explained. Army Sgt. Ken Chambers, a senior signal support specialist who have been working with Han over the past 7 months said Han “is competent and motivates his fellow soldiers to work harder.” Han also is the remedial physical training instructor for the Headquarters and Headquarters Company here. Every evening, he wears a tactical vest and instructs PT for the soldiers who need help. Han said he wears the vest “to understand the difficulty that the overweight soldiers face when they do pushups and other exercises.”
Read more: Meet Your Military: Soldier Finds a Family in the Army
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Army Capt. Steve Voglezon, also known as “Captain America,” can only laugh when asked how he feels about the nickname he received when he risked his personal safety to help three badly injured motorists from a terrifying car crash and fire on May 17, 2015. Courtesy photoFORT BRAGG, North Carolina: Army Capt. Steve Voglezon can only laugh when asked how he feels about the nickname that he received when he risked his personal safety on May 17 to help rescue three badly injured motorists from a terrifying car crash and fire.
Given that Voglezon was wearing a Captain America T-shirt in the course of his heroics, his new nickname, “Captain America,” was bound to happen after video of the accident and rescue scene were broadcast on a national morning news program. The video went viral online within minutes of the broadcast. Voglezon, a missile defense officer assigned to the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, was traveling north on his way from the Fort Bragg area for a day of shopping when he drove up to the scene of two badly mangled vehicles on a rural road.
Approaching the Accident Wreckage Voglezon approached a damaged silver sport utility vehicle and found the driver to be alert, but injured. “As we were pulling him out we saw that he had an open fracture on his right ankle. I grabbed his torso and two others grabbed one leg, then the other leg, and we took him about one hundred yards from the crash and the fire,” Voglezon recalled. “I talked to him and said, ‘Hey, what’s your name?’ He said it was Marc and I asked him, ‘Where are you from?’ and he said, ‘Cary (North Carolina).’ I said, ‘Hey, I’m Steve, nice to meet you.’” Voglezon said he then put a tourniquet below the man’s knee. “I heard an explosion afterwards, and I looked up and saw Sgt. Green from the Chatham County Sheriff Department over by the red car, by himself, trying to get in the car,” Voglezon added.
Read more: Meet Your Military: 'Captain America' Rescues Motorists From Fiery Crash
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Airmen from the 319th Air Base Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., play an interactive video game in their dormitory dayroom, May 28, 2015. Gaming has become a popular way for Grand Forks airmen to connect outside of duty hours, providing an alternative to outside activities that require good weather. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ryan Sparks GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, North Dakota: Intramural sports have been a staple of life on Air Force bases for a long time as a way for airmen to connect with each other and become more involved on base.
The new generation of airmen has found another way to achieve that same goal. A "gaming" airman here has fostered a new way to connect with his fellow airmen. Finding ways for airmen to connect is a vital part of the Air Force’s “wingmanship” teamwork concept. Air Force Airman John Greenberg, a 319th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle operator apprentice, said interactive video games helped him with his transition when he arrived here for his first Air Force duty assignment. "The day I got here, the first question was, 'Do you play games?'" Greenberg said. "It's an instant conversation starter."
Read more: Meet Your Military: Airmen Foster "Wingmanship" Through Gaming