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MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. (July 20, 2024): The Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker is famous for its role as a “flying gas station” that extends America’s reach worldwide. Less celebrated is the role the KC-135 plays as a “flying ambulance” used to transport litter and ambulatory patients during aeromedical evacuations. In this photo by Senior Airman Lauren Cobin, Captain Jake Koehnke, a pilot assigned to the 91st Air Refueling Squadron, performs preflight checks on a KC-135 Stratotanker as it prepares for a training mission. This giant airplane has provided the core refueling capability for the Air Force, Marines, Army, and Navy aircraft for more than sixty years.
The first recorded instance of using aircraft for evacuating patients took place in 1910 when two Army medical officers used their own money to design the first air ambulance. The program had a shaky start, however, as the plane travelled only five hundred yards before it crashed. During World War II, the Army established mobile hospitals (MASH) units near the front lines to improve survival rates. During the Vietnam War, it took an average of 45 days to return severe casualties to the United States and the survival rate was 75 percent. By the time of Operation Desert Storm, in 1991, getting wounded patients home averaged 10 days, but their survival remained stubbornly at 75 percent.
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Federated States of Micronesia. (July 15, 2024): Most Americans are unaware of the special relationship we enjoy with this island country in the Pacific. In this photo by Gunnery Sergeant Sean Arnold, Marines and sailors provide humanitarian disaster relief preparation by offloading bags of rice during exercise Koa Moana 24 held here this week.
The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is a country spread across the western Pacific Ocean comprising more than six hundred islands and is made up of four separate states, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Chuuk, and Yap. The island chain is in the “Ring of Fire,” an area characterized by active volcanos and frequent earthquakes. In addition to the threats of earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, the FSM is also vulnerable to typhoons, droughts, and landslides. To make matters worse, climate change is driving up sea levels resulting in shortages of drinking water and food insecurity. With most of its population living on the coast, the FSM is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels.
This is where America’s special relationship comes in.
In 1986, the United States signed a Compact of Free Association with the FSM that provides for financial assistance, a pledge to defend the FSM's territorial integrity, and uninhibited travel for FSM citizens to the U.S. In return, the FSM provides the United States with unlimited and exclusive access to its land and waterways for strategic purposes. Each year, hundreds of FSM citizens serve in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and further their education in the United States. The FSM also uses the U.S. dollar as its currency.
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Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California. (July 18, 2024): The Marines want to know: Do you have a moral cause, something you are willing to fight for more powerful than the urge to quit? In this photo by Lance Corporal Alexandra M. Earl, a recruit performs pullups during a Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test, or PFT, that is one of the toughest in the world. Each year, Marines must demonstrate that they are physically fit for combat, regardless of the job they do. For these few proud warfighters, physical conditioning is a way of life that begins on their first day of Basic Training.
Before they even begin recruit training, aspiring Marines must pass the Initial Strength Test (IST) and are strongly encouraged to report to training with scores well above the minimum standards. The IST begins with three pull-ups or thirty-four push-ups (2:00 time limit), a planking exercise, followed by a 1.5 mile run in less than 14 minutes.
Once accepted for training, prospective Marines must build their conditioning to pass the PFT before they graduate Basic. The standard increases to more pull ups, timed planks, and an even longer 3-mile timed run that recruits must complete in less than twenty-eight minutes.
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Yakima Training Center, Washington. (July 19, 2024): When they absolutely, positively don’t want to be spotted, America’s warfighters depend on the camouflage provided by the famous Ghillie suit. In this photo by Army National Guard Sergeant Remi Milslagle, Specialist Mackenzie Jones blends into his surroundings while participating in a live-fire range exercise.
The word “ghillie” comes from the Scottish gille or outdoor servant. The name likely referred to attendants that assisted sportsman with recreational shooting. The Scotts themselves prefer to credit the Ghillie Dhu, an earth spirit covered with moss to conceal itself. The first recorded use of the Ghillie suit in combat was during the English Boer Wars in South Africa at the turn of the century and it was quickly adopted by the first English sniper units.
Modern Ghillie suits are a type of camouflage clothing designed to resemble the surrounding environment such as foliage, snow, or sand. The suit “breaks up the profile” of a shooter by creating a three-dimensional image that moves in the wind the same as the surrounding foliage. These suits are typically made of netting or cloth covered in loose strips of burlap made to look like leaves or twigs and augmented with scraps of live foliage.
Although an excellent camouflage tool, the Ghillie suit has its disadvantages. First, the suit is extremely heavy and can be ridiculously hot. Even in moderate climates, temperatures inside a Ghillie can reach 122 degrees. Moreover, the fabric retains water which dramatically increases its weight. The military is experimenting with a more light, breathable material to address the problem.
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Camp Fuji, Japan. (July 10, 2024): When you hear the word “Bazooka”, it conjures World War II images of gallant infantrymen confronting an enemy tank at point blank range. In this photo by Corporal Anna Geier, Marines with 4th Marine Regiment fire the modern version of the Bazooka, the M3E1 Multi-purpose Anti-armor Anti-personnel Weapon System or (MAAWS).
The Bazooka was adopted by the Army in World War II to attack tanks and fortified positions at extremely close range. The weapon consisted of a steel tube equipped with a hand grip, a trigger, and a sighting mechanism. Today’s MAAWS is a reloadable, recoilless rocket that is reusable and can fire illumination, smoke, and airburst rounds. It is designed for anti-personnel, armor penetration, and bunker busting. Unlike its predecessors, the MAAWS has greater range and can hit moving targets with the aid of its modern fire control system. The system incorporates an integrated laser range finder and a modular ballistic computer capable of programming high explosive air-bursting ammunition and engaging moving targets at up to 2,000 feet.
The weapon is operated by a two-man crew, a gunner who carries and fires the weapon and a loader who carries four rounds of ammunition. As the gunner takes aim, the loader checks the area behind the weapon for people and obstacles in the back-blast area. Unlike its single shot cousin, the M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon (LAW), the additional rounds available to the MAAWS increase an infantry squad’s options when attacking targets.
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Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. (July 18, 2024): NATO leaders declared this week that Ukraine joining the alliance is “irreversible”, drawing an expected angry response from Russia. In this photo by Elizabeth Fraser with Arlington National Cemetery, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg participates in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Ukraine dominated the agenda at this 75th meeting of the alliance and several steps were announced to help them dislodge the Russian army from their country.
At the meeting, NATO members agreed to boost their industrial production to keep pace with Russia’s manufacturing of military supplies. The U.S., Dutch, and Danish governments announced they would be sending additional F-16 fighters to Ukraine that should be operational by summer. After extensive allied training, the first group of Ukrainian F-16 pilots graduated earlier this year.