News
75th Ranger Regiment hosts 'team-building' Ranger Family Day
To be a U.S. Army Ranger, a Soldier must be a male U.S. citizen on active-duty status, Airborne qualified and eligible to obtain a secret clearance.
The Soldier must also score well on two military tests measuring mental and physical prowess before being admitted to the 75th Ranger Regiment.
But regulations were relaxed slightly Saturday to admit a different kind of Ranger - the civilian families of regimental personnel.
Ranger Family Day gave more than 400 wives, children, parents and siblings and extended family the opportunity to see what the unit is all about. They took turns rappelling, navigating obstacle courses, riding in Striker vehicles and shooting M4 rifles.
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Army drill sergeant, Air Force training instructor reverse roles
A drill sergeant exchange between Army and Air Force cadre may yield insight into possible training improvements for both services.
Fort Benning's 192nd Infantry Brigade and Lackland Air Force Base's 37th Training Wing are participating in an exchange between an Army drill sergeant and an Air Force training instructor considered experts in their field.
Staff Sgt. David Peters, of the 192nd's A Company, 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, is currently in San Antonio, Texas, the site of the Air Force's sole initial entry training center.
more _______________________________________ Combatives championship to move to Fort Hood For the first time since its inception in 2005, the U.S. Army Combatives Tournament will be staged somewhere other than Fort Benning. This year's installment is headed to Fort Hood, Texas, which was given the opportunity to host after III Corps won the Lacerda Cup here last fall as team champion. The 2011 All-Army showdown is set for July 20-23.
more _______________________________________ Minnesota dominates National Guard Combatives Tournament Soldiers from the state of Minnesota were a dominating presence at the fourth annual Army National Guard Combatives Tournament March 19 and 20, where they took four first-place titles in addition to walking away with the overall team award. Soldiers from 18 states competed in the two-day competition at Fort Benning, Ga., in a grand prix-style tournament that escalated from no-strike grappling rounds to full-contact Ultimate Fighting Championship-style finals.
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Female aviators defy reported odds
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- When Chief Warrant Officer 4 Trudy Truax arrived at her first unit as an OH-58A pilot in 1996, her commander refused her orders.
"I've had my own battalion commanders not speak to me," Truax said.
Truax was one of the first females to join the community of Cobra, Apache and Kiowa pilots after then-President Bill Clinton lifted the restrictions that kept women from flying the traditionally combat-focused rotary-wing birds. She was one of only six women in her class - three from West Point and three warrant officers.
Today, she's the only one of the six still serving in the Army, and she serves as the standardization instructor pilot for Company C (Dustoff), 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, which is currently deployed to Afghanistan with Task Force Thunder, the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade.
more ________________________________________ Soldier's epic journey in pursuit of happiness BASRAH, Iraq -- There was no turning back for the 22-year-old native son of Havana, Cuba, as he and three others paddled across the open sea on their tiny boat. Growing up in a country where military service is mandatory, the black market is a common source for staples, and listening to a radio station from the United States is taboo, this Cuban soldier wanted no more. "When I left Cuba, I just threw my life to whatever happens," said Sgt. 1st Class Luis E. Alfaro, now an American Soldier in the 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard. "I didn't want to be in Cuba any more, so I just jumped in a boat and started rowing. I escaped." It was Aug. 19, 1994 when he decided to flee his native country and head to America. The decision to leave those he loved was not an easy one. more _______________________________________
Karzai announces areas to transition to Afghan control WASHINGTON -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced the first seven areas of his country that will transition to full Afghan security control. The announcement marks the beginning of the process that will see Afghan forces responsible for security across the whole country by the end of 2014. In a speech in the Afghan capital of Kabul, Karzai announced that the area around Kabul, except the Sarobi district, will transition. more _____________________________________
Congressional Fellowship Program accepting applications
WASHINGTON -- Applications are now being accepted for Soldiers and Army civilians to apply for fellowship positions with members of the 113th Congress.
Active-duty and reserve-component Soldiers as well as Department of the Army civilians all have the opportunity to participate in the Fiscal Year 2013 Army Congressional Fellowship Program.
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