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Puerto Rico. (June 1, 2023): In this photo by Ricardo Castrodad, Coast Guard Cutter Donald Horsley’s small boat crew interdicts a vessel in the Mona Passage, an 80-mile-long stretch of dangerous seas between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola (Dominican Republic). The Coast Guard returned 24 of 29 migrants from this case to the Dominican Republic while four others are facing federal prosecution at the U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico. Coast Guard crews also medevac’d a pregnant woman, who was experiencing contractions, to a local hospital in Puerto Rico.
The Coast Guard is the primary agency responsible for enforcing U.S. immigration laws at sea and securing the maritime border. U.S. immigration law authorizes the Coast Guard to make inquiries, examinations, inspections, searches, seizures, and arrests upon the high seas and to engage in maritime surveillance and interdiction. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan signed an executive Order authorizing the interdiction of Illegal Aliens and the law was revalidated by President George H. W. Bush in 1992. No other U.S. agency is more involved in maritime migration interdiction operations than the Coast Guard.
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In this photo by Sergeant Matthew Bragg, Marine Lance Corporal Tristan Stecki hands a young boy a balloon during a community relations event at Calangitan Elementary School in Capas, Philippines. Stecki is a combat engineer assigned to Alpha Company, 9th Engineer Support Battalion and he is a native of Waukesha, Washington.
Marines were participating in Balikatan 2023, an annual U.S./Philippines training exercise that included several humanitarian relief projects to benefit local communities. Combat engineers are experts at construction, civil engineering, and sanitation.These skills were put to work in local relief efforts in Luzon, one of the poorest regions of the Philippines. The exercise involved more than 17,600 participants who received training in maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban operations, aviation operations, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief.
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Fort Stewart, Georgia. (June 2, 2023): In this photo by PFC Summer Parish, soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division low crawl with a simulated casualty, one of many arduous tasks they must complete to earn their Expert Field Medical Badge. Soldiers must pass a written test followed by a physical assessment before entering the field portion of the program that includes day and nighttime land navigation, a 12-mile foot march, and a speed test on disassembling and reassembling the M-4 rifle. Troops must demonstrate their ability to provide combat care while under extreme stress under realistic combat conditions.
The physical fitness test consists of 15 burpees, 15 rowers, a 400-meter run, and a 50-meter drag of a 160-pound Sked. As you can imagine, the Expert Field Medical Badge is not easy to earn, with a passing rate of just 29 percent.
The 3rd Infantry Division, nicknamed Rock of the Marne, was activated on 21 November 1917 and fought in France during World War I. The 3rd Infantry earned this nickname for its heroic defense against overwhelming German forces at the Marne River which turned out to be the turning point in the war.
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Baltimore, Maryland. (May 24, 2023): An angry mob surrounded the soldiers as they paraded down main street on September 17, 1863. Towns people cursed and spat at these newly minted American troops, members of the 1,000-strong 4th United States Colored Infantry Regiment.
This was the reception Black troops received in those days, even those willing to fight and die for the Union. Into this whirlwind stepped Christian Fleetwood, a Baltimore native and the son of a butler to a wealthy sugar baron. The baron’s wife saw to his education, and like few Black men of the time, he learned to read and write. Fleetwood attained a formal education and had a bright future in the sugar business when the Civil War broke out.
It was late September 1863 when Fleetwood joined the 4th U.S. Colored Infantry and, due to his advanced education, was promoted to the highest rank available to colored men, the enlisted rank of Sergeant Major. Despite the rude reception they received, the troops of the 4th Infantry fought valiantly in a series of engagements to eject the Confederates from Virginia. Sergeant Major Fleetwood received his Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm, Virginia, on September 29, 1864.
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Naval Base Kitsap-Bangon, Washington. (May 22, 2023) In this photo by MC1 Brian G. Reynolds , Machinist's Mate (Nuclear) 1st Class John Brillhart, assigned to the Ohio-Class ballistic missile submarine USS Nevada, meets his son for the first time upon his return to homeport . The Nevada is one of eight ballistic-missile submarines stationed at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor and is a crucial leg in America’s nuclear deterrence.
Currently, the U.S. has 14 Ohio Class nuclear submarines in service and another four have been converted into conventionally armed guided missile boats. The Ohio Class, also called “Boomers,” routinely deploys for up to six months at a time. Sailors in the nuclear navy often “disappear” for months at a time for security reasons, placing even further stress on young families.
While America pauses this Memorial Day to recognize those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, it is important to keep these active-duty troops and their families in mind.
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Biloxi, Mississippi. (May 22, 2023): In this photo by Master Sgt. Eric Burks, Colonel Jason Allen, Vice Commander of the 81st Training Wing, administers the oath of enlistment to trainees recruited from the local area at a Biloxi Shuckers baseball game at MGM Park. The trainees are currently in the Delayed Entry Program awaiting their Basic Military Training ship date.
Unfortunately, these fledgling recruits are the exception lately as fewer and fewer young Americans are considering the U.S. military as a career. The trend has caused the Army to miss its recruiting goal by 15,000 active-duty soldiers, or 25 percent, last year. As a result, the Army is cutting its active-duty strength from 476,000 to 466,000 and prospects for next year remain grim. The Army is our nation’s largest land force whose missions are increasing in Europe and the Pacific while its workforce is being reduced by as much as 7 percent.
What accounts for the lessening of interest in military service?
First is the economy. Unemployment is low right now which always makes it harder to recruit new talent into our armed forces. The labor market is extremely tight, which has caused the private sector to increase wages and offer generous incentives to attract the best talent. The U.S. military is struggling to compete for the best and brightest. In short, young folks have options and their willingness to consider military service has plummeted from 13 percent before the pandemic to just 9 percent last year.