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Sofia, Bulgaria, (March 23, 2024): “Fearless men who jump and die, men who mean just what they say, the brave men of the Green Beret.” These immortal words from the Ballad of the Green Beret, written by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler during the Vietnam War, became one of the top ten songs of the era. These storied warriors have been featured in countless films and media accounts for their intelligence, skills, and fearlessness.
Just who are the Green Berets?
In the above photo by Sergeant Alejandro Lucero, Army Green Berets provide security with Bulgarian and Romanian special operations forces soldiers during recent joint maneuvers in this NATO country. The exercise is typical for the elite Green Berets who work in small teams and specialize in psychological and guerrilla operations.
What sets them apart from conventional forces is the intensive language and cultural training they receive for countries within their regional area of responsibility. Their core mission is unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, counterterrorism, and special reconnaissance. These small units emphasize language, cultural, and training skills in working with foreign troops. Recruits are required to learn a foreign language and must maintain knowledge of the political, economic, and cultural complexities of the regions in which they are deployed. Other Special Forces missions include combat search and rescue, counter-narcotics, hostage rescue, and humanitarian assistance.
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Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. (March 28, 2024): In a simulated disaster, a gas leak has resulted in an explosion on base resulting in mass casualties and many victims suffering exposure to hazardous chemicals. In this photo by Samuel King Jr., Senior Airman Axel Rojas, 96th Civil Engineer Group, hoses down Airman Aaron Patrimonio, 96th Medical Group, during mass casualty exercise Ready Eagle II. The exercise challenged the 96th medics and firefighters to respond through the entire medical process, from triage and decontamination to higher-level care.
Ready Eagle II is a three-day long program that progresses from classroom work to tabletop exercises before concluding with a realistic simulated mass casualty event. For the final evaluation, instructors gauged the Airmen’s ability to respond to the threat by performing decontamination and triage on patients.
The Airmen practiced their Tactical Combat Casualty Care, the decontamination process, and executing their medical contingency response plan in a high-tempo situation. The exercise scenario involved chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives and involved more than thirty simulated patients. The patients wore special effects makeup to replicate various injuries to add a sense of realism.
Medical teams treated simulated patients at the incident site, transported them to decontamination sites, conducted triage, and stabilized them for transport. Airmen began treating patients after determining the proper prioritization by gathering their information, applying bandages or tourniquets, and moving them to a simulated ambulance loading area.
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Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. (March 31, 2024): In the above photo, members of the Air Force Civil Air Patrol (CAP) practice land navigation as part of search and rescue training held here recently. During the exercise, volunteers used a compass while conducting a search and rescue in a lost-person scenario, a typical emergency in which the patrol is called on to assist.
The CAP is a federally funded non-profit corporation that serves as the Air Force auxiliary that supports America’s communities in an emergency. CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership of cadets ranging from twelve to just under 21 years of age. The CAP is a major operator of single-engine general aviation aircraft used in the execution of its various missions, including orientation flights for cadets and the provision of emergency services. Because of these extensive flying opportunities, many CAP members become licensed pilots.
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Fort Irwin, California. (March 29, 2024): The Russian invaders in Ukraine have found themselves on the business end of an American-made nightmare… the “Ghost” drone. In this photo by Staff Sergeant LaShic Patterson, Staff Sergeant Stetson Manuel, a Robotics and Autonomous Systems platoon sergeant and infantryman assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, 316th Cavalry Brigade, assembles the Ghost-X Unmanned Aircraft System during the human machine integration experiment. The Ghost Drone made its combat debut on the battlefields of Ukraine where its nearly silent flight and deadly payloads have terrified Russian troops.
The Army is evaluating upgrades to the unmanned aircraft system developed by Anduril Industries. The Ghost-X represents the latest advancement in autonomous vehicles designed for reconnaissance, perimeter security, and force protection missions.
Ghost-X stands out for its portability and ease of deployment across various operational environments. Engineered for expeditionary use, the system can be compacted into a slim rifle case or a tactical soft case, enabling a single operator to assemble and prepare it for flight in less than two minutes without the need for tools.
These key advances give the Ghost-X greater autonomy through onboard computing and computer vision algorithms that detect, classify, and track objects of interest while intelligently navigating terrain and airspace.
It boasts an impressive endurance of 75 minutes on a single cruise and has a range of 15.5 miles without the need for frequent recharging or refueling. It can carry payloads of up to twenty pounds and the package is easily transportable weighing only fifty-five pounds.
The most striking aspect of the “Ghost” is it’s nearly silent operation. Using this muffling technology, the Ghost can sneak up on enemy soldiers to deliver its deadly payload before they know what hit them.
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Quantico, Virginia. (March 27, 2024): The Marines are mourning the loss of a legendary commander with the passing of General Alfred M. Gray, 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, by honoring his service to our nation and the lasting impression he left on the Corps.
General Gray enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1950 and served overseas with the Amphibious Reconnaissance Platoon, Fleet Marine Force Pacific where he attained the rank of sergeant. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1952 after attending the Basic School at Quantico and the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He served as an artillery officer with the 1st Marine Division in Korea and went on to serve with the 12th Marines in Vietnam in 1965.
It was in Vietnam that then Major Grey earned the Silver Star for conspicuous bravery in combat.
According to his citation, during the night of May 14, 1967, three Marines who were enroute to a listening post became confused in the darkness and unknowingly entered a mine field. One of the Marines inadvertently detonated a mine which killed him and seriously wounded his comrades. Upon learning of the accident, Major Gray immediately proceeded to the area and, realizing that the casualties required immediate medical attention, unhesitatingly entered the mined area to assist them.
Disregarding his own safety, Major Gray, accompanied by another Marine, calmly and skillfully probed a cleared path forty meters through the unmarked minefield to the side of the wounded men. When stretcher bearers arrived, he directed the safe evacuation of the casualties through the minefield. His timely and heroic actions in the face of great personal danger inspired all who served with him and were instrumental in saving the lives of two Marines.
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Baltimore, Maryland. (April 1, 2024): Americans looked on in horror at images of the sudden collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the resulting loss of life. Pictured above is Army Corps of Engineers Chief of Engineers Lieutenant General Scott Spellmon viewing the damage and making plans to clear the channel to restore operations at the Port of Baltimore.
The Corps of Engineers is deploying over a thousand personnel to remove and manage debris from the river, with the eventual goal of making it safe for ships to navigate again. The Corps is using a 61-foot survey vessel, the Catlett, for topographic and hydrographic surveying. They will provide engineering, construction, contracting and operations expertise to support local, state, and federal agencies.
The Port of Baltimore is key for importing cars and food products, as well as exporting coal. Last year, the port saw nearly 850,000 car and truck imports, according to Maryland state data, marking it a top port for the auto industry. It's also the home to more than 15,000 jobs and is a vital traffic artery as some 30,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily.
The Army Corps of Engineers is one of the world's largest public engineering, design, and construction management agencies. The Corps has an Engineering Regiment, a military construction role, and participates in countless civil works projects in the U.S. and abroad. The Engineer Regiment is comprised of combat engineer, rescue, construction, dive, and other specialty units. The Corps’ civil works mission includes maintaining navigation, flood and storm damage protection, and aquatic ecosystem restoration.
Read more: Baltimore Bridge Collapse… Army Corps of Engineers Responds