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Kingwood, West Virginia. (October 9, 2024): America owes an eternal debt to Gold Star families who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. In this photo by National Guard Cadet Ayden Norcross, Gold Star family members paint canvases during the annual West Virginia National Guard Gold Star Families Weekend Retreat. The last Sunday of September is recognized as Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day.
A ”Gold Star” family is one in which a member has died or was killed during a war. The designation dates to World War I when families displayed small banners with either a blue or gold star outside their homes. A blue star was displayed for every immediate family member serving in the armed forces. If their service member was killed while serving in the military, the family placed a gold star over the blue star to let the community know of their loss.
In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day and by 1947 the Gold Star Wives was established. Although the exact number of Gold Star families today is unknown, there are thousands of new Gold Star families from recent conflicts. According to a 2019 Military Times article, more than 16,000 troops have died in non-combat circumstances and more than 7,000 died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars alone. They join thousands of living Gold Star Family members who lost loved ones in both World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Desert Shield/Storm.
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Hohenfels, Germany. (October 10, 2024): It is a fear as ancient as when cave dwellers realized fire’s destructive power and it is something Soldiers actively train to overcome. In this photo by Staff Sergeant Mickey Miller, Soldiers battle flames from a Molotov cocktail during fire phobia training. The training allows Soldiers to familiarize themselves with effective tactics and techniques for reacting to fire without panicking.
Held at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Fire Phobia training was created in 1999 in response to incidents involving U.S. Soldiers during peace keeping missions Kosovo, Yugoslavia. American units found themselves in a law enforcement role dealing with civil unrest and riot control. Crowds hurled Molotov Cocktails at U.S. and NATO troops which underscored a need for more training and equipment to protect our Soldiers. Today, groups of allied troops come to Hohenfels for a thorough “toasting” in carefully managed crowd-control drills.
Prior to each drill, Soldiers wear facemasks and various pads and strap-on body armor plates for protection from the heat. They are shown how to form tight formations behind riot shields and what to do if momentarily engulfed in flames. The training helps Soldiers overcome their natural fear of fire by introducing them to the proper procedures of reacting to a homemade incendiary device.
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Chicago, Illinois. (October 11, 2024): Another of America’s greatest generation has finally made it home after nearly 84 years. In this photo by Barbara Wilson, Rosemarie Dillon, the 89-year-old niece of Army National Guard Private First Class Harry Jerele touches his flag-draped casket at O'Hare International Airport. Jerele was a World War II prisoner of war who died in captivity in 1943 and whose remains had recently been identified. Rosemarie Dillon was 5 years old when Jerele went overseas.
A member of the Illinois Army National Guard, PFC Jerele served with Company B of the 192nd Tank Battalion in the Pacific. In the summer 1942, Japanese forces invaded the Philippine Islands and despite a ferocious defense thousands of American troops, including Jerele, surrendered. What followed was one of the worst war crimes in history. Thousands of American and Filipino prisoners were subjected to an ordeal that came to known as the infamous Bataan Death March. The Japanese marched sick and wounded prisoners through sixty-five miles of steaming jungle, bayoneting those who fell behind. The survivors were incarcerated at the Cabanatuan POW camp where some 2,500 POW died during the war.
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Pacific Ocean. (October 9, 2024): Senior NCOs are the essential link between officers and lower enlisted troops who are both supervisors and advocates. In this photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Connor Burns, Chief Petty Officer Krystal Jones-Bostic receives her combination cover during a chief petty officer pinning ceremony aboard the USS Boxer. Jones-Bostic, a native of Detroit, joins the approximately 30,000 chief, senior chief, and master chief petty officers in the Navy. A chief petty officer is an E-7 enlisted rank that was established by the Navy in 1893 and is equivalent to a gunnery sergeant in the Marine Corps, a sergeant first class in the Army, and a master sergeant in the Air Force.
In the Navy and Coast Guard, advancement to chief petty officer not only carries requirements for time in service and superior evaluation scores, but candidates are also subject to peer review. This means a chief petty officer can only advance after review by a selection board of serving master chiefs. This is important in that superior test scores are not enough, a candidate must have the confidence of their fellow leaders.
With rank comes responsibility and these professionals are given more responsibilities than any other enlisted rank in the world. On average, it takes about thirteen years of active service to qualify for E-7 and this includes completing basic training, advancing through the enlisted ranks, and meeting the necessary requirements for promotion to chief petty officer (There are three chief petty officer ranks: chief petty officer, senior chief petty officer, and master chief petty officer).
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San Diego, California. (September 27, 2024): For those few willing to volunteer for the Marines, many will find that they are not as “in shape” as they thought they were. In this photo by Corporal Sarah M. Grawcock, Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Marcus Rojas, a drill instructor, guides recruits through dynamic warmups before they take the combat conditioning course. Those willing to undergo Marine Corps training must have a certain level of confidence in their physical fitness, but many are surprised at how different, and difficult, combat training really is.
Unlike working out in a gym or on a playing field, Marines are trained to engage the enemy and complete their mission no matter what. They must trust that they will be able to push through pain and fatigue and still perform their duties under fire. This combination of psychological and physical stress is first introduced to Marines during recruit training.
The military’s focus is on functional exercises and a progressive method to build a strong foundation for general fitness. The program concentrates on core strength and upper body development through obstacle and confidence courses. Another thing that separates civilian from military training is the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. Unlike traditional martial arts, this program combines hand-to-hand and close quarters combat techniques with team-building exercises that develop a “warrior ethos”. Students train in unarmed combat, using weapons of opportunity, and rifle and bayonet techniques.
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Fayetteville, North Carolina. (September 29, 2024): It is the most famous symbol of military excellence that was glamorized in movies and song in the seventies… the Army’s green beret. In this photo by K. Kassens, Soldiers don their berets for the first time during a graduation ceremony after completion of the Special Forces Qualification Course
The road to earning this honor is long and incredibly difficult and only a very special few make it. The Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) or Q Course is the initial training program for entry into Army Special Forces. The length of the Q Course differs depending on the applicant's primary job field and their assigned foreign language. The program can take between 56 and 95 weeks.
The first phase consists of twenty-four days of training that includes numerous long-distance land navigation courses. Candidates must negotiate these courses during day and night while carrying heavy loads of equipment in varied weather and terrain conditions. For extreme conditioning, students run obstacle courses and participate in team events such as moving telephone poles or pushing heavy vehicles through mud or sand. The final event is a brutal thirty-two-mile road march nicknamed “The Trek” by weary troopers.
The second phase focuses on language and culture. Green Berets are renowned for their ability to collaborate with Indigenous populations for reconnaissance or training programs. During this phase, Soldiers receive an eighteen-week language program in their assigned tongue and they study native social systems, economics, culture, and politics.