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Palmetto, Florida. (October 30, 2024): As Florida’s National Guard completes its duties helping Floridians recover from Hurricane Milton, the extent of their efforts is coming into view. In the above photo, Army Private First Class Victoria N. Torres, assigned to Charlie Battery, 3rd Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, welcomes a spontaneous hug from a toddler while patrolling a neighborhood to reassure residents before the storm. Soldiers returned to the neighborhood after the storm to confirm its residents, including the child’s family, were safe.
Newly released statistics reveal the extent of efforts by National Guard troopers to rescue their neighbors after this devastating hurricane. According to the National Weather Service, Milton came ashore packing winds of 105 mph that generated a six-foot storm surge and spawned forty-six tornadoes as it raced through the center of the state. The tornadoes, the most in one day in 70 years, killed six people while causing an estimated thirty-four billion dollars in damage.
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Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (October 26, 2024): They risk their lives sniffing out bombs, detecting drugs, and tackling our enemies. Given their service, what happens to military working dogs when they retire? In this photo by Miriam Thurber, Second Lieutenant Madison Marsh dons a bite sleeve during a K-9 training event at the Air Force’s 341st Training Squadron. The 341st is the home of the Department of Defense military working dog program and is responsible for training over six hundred handlers and nearly three hundred canines each year. Their graduates are used in patrol, drug and explosive detection, and specialized missions.
Currently there are about 2,000 authorizations for military working dogs across all services and about 1,600 are in service. In 1942, the military created the Army K-9 Corps and working dogs have joined American troops in battle ever since.
Before November 2000, however, most of these dogs were euthanized or just left on the battlefield (Under the doctrine at the time, they were considered spare equipment). This practice changed after Hollywood movies dramatized the plight of these animals and how they are treated once they no longer serve.
In response to these concerns, the U.S. government created the Military Working Dog Adoption Program for animals that no longer meet the DOD criteria for government work. Under the current program, a dog’s last handler is given first priority to adopt before being offered to the general public. A dog whose handler was killed in action is typically offered to the immediate family before other options are explored.
Due to the nature of their service, some of these dogs may have hips, back, or other medical issues that may require prescription medications for the rest of their lives. Citizens willing to adopt these brave animals are rewarded with a loyal and faithful friend. Those that have too many issues that make them ineligible for adoption are compassionately euthanized.
We owe a great debt to these faithful pooches whose loyalty and devotion saves countless American lives.
(Editor’s Note: Lieutenant Madison Marsh, pictured above, is the current Miss America 2024.)
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Arlington National Cemetery, Washington D.C.: In this photo by Elizabeth Fraser, Soldiers assigned to the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) hold a wreath-laying ceremony at the gravesite of former President John F. Kennedy to commemorate the President’s contributions to the Army’s Special Forces. The former president holds a special place in the hearts of America’s unconventional forces for helping establish the special operations community.
In October 1961, President Kennedy visited the Army's Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina where he outlined his vision for a dedicated counter-insurgency force. It was after this visit that Kennedy authorized Special Forces Soldiers to wear a distinctive uniform item as their official headgear. From then on, these unique Soldiers would be known as "The Green Berets".
He continued his unwavering support for these "unconventional warriors" in a commencement speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In his address, Kennedy detailed ways to confront Communist-inspired “wars of national liberation” other than with large-scale conventional warfare or nuclear retaliation. He declared that the Army’s leading unconventional warfare experts, Special Forces, were central to his security strategy.
Kennedy told the graduating cadets that: “This is another type of warfare, new in its intensity, ancient in its origins, war by guerrillas, subversives, insurgents, assassins, war by ambush instead of by combat; by infiltration instead of aggression, seeking victory by eroding and exhausting the enemy instead of engaging him.”
Kenedy went on to call for “a whole new kind of strategy, a different kind of force, and therefore a new and wholly different kind of military training.”
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San Francisco, California. (October 22, 2024): It is an exercise so brutal the Marines compete to see how many repetitions they can handle. The good old-fashioned pullup looks easy to anyone who has never attempted one. In the photo above, a Sailor participates in a Marine Corps pullup challenge during San Francisco Fleet Week. The challenge gives points for both repetitions and how well competitors show the proper form for each pullup.
Why so much emphasis on the pullup?
Upper body strength is critical in combat where troops are often required to pull comrades to safety. This is why there are so many “carrying” events in military training to prepare troops to carry a 180-pound casualty out of the line of fire. To do this, you need serious upper body strength, particularly the shoulder and back muscles.
What makes the pullup so difficult is the grip. To do the exercise properly, the palms are facing away from you and the grip is typically wider apart than chin-ups. This grip emphasizes the muscles that make up the substantial core and shoulder stabilizer strength. This results in more muscle contraction required for a given range of motion.
While there is no official standard, the ability to do twelve pullups for men and eight for women are considered an advanced athlete. For civilians, it is highly encouraged to incorporate this tough, but essential, exercise into your workout routine.
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Okinawa, Japan. (October 17, 2024): When a Japanese civilian was injured in a car crash, little did he know he would be treated by U.S. Marines. In this photo by Lance Corporal Nevaeh Segura, these heroes are pictured from the left, Lance Corporal Stephen Estrada, Lance Corporal Samuel Calhoun, Corporal Austin Potter, and Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jett Garcia. The troops responded and rendered first aid to a Japanese resident following a brutal car crash on the Okinawa Expressway.
The troops were on their way back to their base at Camp Swab in a taxi when they came upon a truck whose front end was crushed and a citizen was trapped inside. The service members quickly assessed the situation and the team tried to free the trapped driver with a shovel. That being unsuccessful, the Marines resorted to breaking the window to pull him to safety.
After checking the driver’s condition and ensuring he was stabilized, Estrada and Garcia moved the driver away from the vehicle to a safer area until paramedics arrived. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition. The Marine’s quick action is credited with saving the man’s life and this was possible due to their combat care training.
Every Marine and Sailor undergoes what is officially called Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), a set of guidelines for pre-hospital trauma treatment on the battlefield. The course teaches Marines and Sailors how to provide life-sustainment care similar to what a Navy Corpsman would administer until the causality can be treated by a medical professional.
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Aruba. (October 21, 2024): Crystal clear waters, blue skies, and gentle breezes greeted U.S. Marines as they travelled to this exotic island for Tres Kolos 24. In this photo by Corporal Antonino Mazzamuto, Corporal Timothy Phelps Jr., an infantry rifleman with 2d Marine Division, smiles broadly after completing a 200-meter swim test. The Americans joined their colleagues, the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps, to conduct a series of small-unit training sessions on this island that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Aruba was claimed by Spain in 1499 and the island quickly became a hotbed of smuggling and piracy in the Caribbean. The island's earliest inhabitants were Arawak Indians who left behind red cave drawings, clay pottery, and stone tools. In 1636, Aruba was seized by the Netherlands and was occupied by the Dutch West India Company.
Today, the Dutch government controls defense and foreign affairs while the island's government manages local matters such as local ordinances, civic policies, and the management of currency. As a NATO ally, Americans do not need to obtain a visa to visit this little chunk of paradise.