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Straight through   

Department of Defense vehicle decals or day passes are no longer required to access the installation.  Just go to the gate and show your driver's license or military ID.     

Lane Closure 

The Georgia DOT has scheduled single lane closures on I-185 southbound between mile markers 0.0 and 1.0 (near Victory Drive/SR 520) in order for the contractor to continue work on the bridge overpass. Motorists should try to avoid this area as delays are expected.  The closure will be 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., daily,  through  July 8, weather permitting. 

Upcoming:

Mountain Bike Race

The annual Mountain Bike Race, part of the 2011 Endorphin Endurance Series, is  July 9, 8 a.m., at the Bike Trail adjacent to the Fitness Trail on 1st Division Road near the Dixie Road intersection. There are two classes in this event, a one lap, 5.5 mile course and a two lap, 11 mile course. Prizes will be awarded in each class. Registration fee is $25 at Smith Fitness Center.  This event is open to the public. For more information, call 706-604-4039.   

From the top

The approaching Independence Day weekend provides a great opportunity to celebrate our Nation. It gives us time to pause and remember the brave men and women who have fought valiantly for the freedom's we hold dear, and each of you - dedicated, committed and professional Soldiers, families and civilians who continue to serve here and around the world.

As you make your plans for a fun weekend, you won't have to go far as there is a huge Independence Day celebration planned at York Field on main post. The celebration will end when the sun goes down with the Chattahoochee Valley's largest fireworks display and music by the Maneuver Center of Excellence Band.

As you get ready for the break, please keep safety top-of-mind. We need you all to return safe from the holiday weekend. Our goal at Fort Benning is to be accident free. Accident and injury prevention begins with every Soldier, family member and civilian.  

Let's work together to ensure everyone has a great Independence Day weekend, and a safe and enjoyable summer. Together, our teamwork, discipline, standards and safety make Fort Benning the best place to live and work.

Family pillar of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness

Video by Fort Benning TV 

Family pillar of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness

Build family fitness by being part of a family unit that is safe, supportive and loving, and provides the resources needed for all members to live in a healthy and secure environment.

Learn more about Comprehensive Soldier Fitness 

Sound Off!   

Conversation powered by the Fort Benning Facebook Page 

"I am an expert and I am a professional." Tell us what this line from the Soldiers Creed means to you, and what it means to be a professional in the Army.  

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Brandon Roberts

Featured stories in this week's Bayonet  

Post receives new garrison commander

Shipment of tanks arrives

RTB Soldiers sweep CAC competition

Fort Benning boasts Army's top drill sergeant

Three Soldiers honored for counseling, retention work

New Parent Support Program offers play groups, classes, home visits

Leonard Pope talks with Fort Benning teens

Click here to read this week's Bayonet

(note:  it may take a few minutes to download the paper)  

More than 65 recent high school graduates turned Soldiers are the first Cavalry scouts to train at the Armor School on Harmony Church. The Soldiers, who completed the first part of their split-training option - basic combat training - after their junior year of high school, will now begin eight-week advanced individual training with E Troop, 5th Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment. All of the trainees completed their basic combat training at Fort Knox, Ky., in 2010.

The trainees were transported by buses to the 194th Armor Brigade Thursday from the 30th Adjutant General Battalion (Reception) after four to six days of in-processing. Pvt. Mitchell Motley said he chose the split-training option to get into the military quickly. Motley signed up for the National Guard in his home state of Washington. He trained with his home unit one weekend a month while finishing his senior year of high school.

Capt. Justin High, commander of E Troop, said the option to split up their training can also help college students. "It fast-tracks some of the National Guard Soldiers and works well with the college students who happen to have scholarships and such to make sure that they can come into the military, serve their country as well as continue their personal and professional education," he said.

"We give them combatives, we get them physically fit, we get them to be able to engage targets with their rifle - but we also hit hard on the Army values. That's a big thing, we get Soldiers from all over the country with different norms, different customs, different values and beliefs and we bring them in as raw civilians and we turn them into Soldiers. So at the end of the basic combat training, they are considered Soldiers. And today (Thursday) is when they start their training to become Cavalry scouts."

The lapse of almost a year between completing BCT and now going into AIT didn't faze Motley because his other training helped him prepare for what was to come, he said. Pfc. Jacob Folkestad, an Idaho National Guardsman, said his reason for wanting to become a 19D was to become the "tip of the spear." But, the months between intensive training required "keeping your mind in the right place," he said.

"That's what makes being in the National Guard so difficult," he said. "There is no one there during the rest of the month to keep you focused and keep you motivated. You have to do it on your own."  After the buses arrived at the regiment's barracks, the trainees were met with what drill sergeants term a "shark attack."

Drill sergeants hustled the trainees off the buses and into formation. Sgt. 1st Class Jeromy Lawton, a drill sergeant, said the shark attack helped to establish the drill sergeant and Soldier relationship. "We basically introduce ourselves and let them know that we are in charge," he said. "We give them standards and we show them that we have standards and discipline "

Within minutes of arrival, the trainees have two minutes to dump their bags. "We hold them to that," Lawton said. "If they don't meet it, there are consequences for those actions - for not meeting the standards."

He said punishment for not meeting the standards included push-ups or corrective training to help meet the standard. Overall, the drill sergeants want the trainees to learn from their problem areas and be able to correct them, he said. During the eight-week AIT, the Soldiers will learn the basic skills to become an Armor Cavalry scout, such as the fundamentals of reconnaissance, weapons maintenance and vehicle maintenance.

The 5th Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment, is part of the 194th Armor Brigade, which is one of two Armor training units that moved from Fort Knox, Ky., to Fort Benning as part of Base Realignment and Closure. The brigade uncased its colors alongside the 316th Cavalry Brigade June 20 at Brave Rifles Field.

Recent changes to Army uniform policy means Soldiers will now be able to sew on skill badges instead of pinning them on.

SMA: Expect sew-on skill badges in 10 weeks

Story by C. Todd Lopez, Army News Service

WASHINGTON , (June 22, 2011) -- As of June 14, 2011, Soldiers can wear the patrol cap with their Army Combat Uniform, or ACU, and they can take the uniform to alterations to have their name tapes, service tapes and ranks sewed on.

A Soldier's skill badges could also be sewn on -- if those badges were available in clothing sales.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III acknowledged ahead of the recent changes that vendors for military clothing items would not be ready immediately to supply the embroidered skill badges to Soldiers for sewing on their ACU.  

But during a blogger's round table June 20, he said the Army/Air Force Exchange Service, commonly referred to as AAFES, was working with suppliers to have those items hanging from peg hooks in clothing sales by end of the summer. 

National Infantry Museum turns two  

You can join Colonel Benning's Regiment during this year's Thunder on the Hooch Fourth of July celebration.

As a tribute to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center is staging a living history demonstration on the banks of the Chattahoochee River during the annual Independence Day celebration. Staff and volunteers will be set up at the corner of Bay St. and Dillingham St. just in front of the new CSU building.

The festivities will kick off at 5:00 p.m. Monday with a blast from a full-scale replica of a Napoleon Civil War cannon being brought in by Union Artillery Reenactors from Lumpkin, Georgia. The cannon will fire every hour. Union Dismounted Cavalry, portraying Wilson's Raiders, will be armed with repeating rifles.

A Civil War recruiting booth will sign up anyone who wants to volunteer to "fight." They'll be paid in reproduction Civil War-era money, inspected by "medical officers" and issued a "musket." The enlistees will drill on the half hour beginning at 6:30 until 8:30. The fireworks display begins at dark.

The National Infantry Museum's presentation is designed not only to raise awareness about the period in history but also about the museum's need for funding to finish the Civil War era gallery.  

The free Thunder on the Hooch event, expected to attract more than 30,000 people to both sides of the river, also features games, entertainment, food and craft vendors.

Story by Borden Black 

Upcoming DFMWR events:

Taking care of the best military community in the Army!

2011 Army Arts & Crafts Contest 

Compete for cash prizes against the best artists in the Army. Enter your original drawing, painting, digital art, sculpture, jewelry and more in the 2011 Army Arts & Crafts Contest at https://artscrafts.fmwrc.army.mil. You will find a complete list of rules at arts.armymwr.com. Contest ends June 30.

Kayak the Chattahoochee 

Kayak the Chattahoochee River from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. July 1. The $10 fee covers the use of a kayak, life jacket and paddles. We recommend you pack a lunch. Reserve your spot today by calling 706-545-7978.

Super Bingo  

Join us for Super Bingo July 1 at Fort Benning Pins & Daubers and the Mall Bowling Center on Marne Road. Win up to $10,000. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. The first 50 guests will receive free gift bags!  

Independence Celebration

July 2, it's the annual Independence Celebration! Join us on York Field for a day filled with fun activities and free entertainment and capped with the Chattahoochee Valley's largest fireworks show, accompanied by the Maneuver Center Band! This event is free and open to the public, and you will NOT be required to stop for an access pass, though everyone in your party over the age of 16 must show a photo ID. The fun gets started about 4 p.m., but you'll want to arrive early with lawn chairs and blankets to stake out a good piece of real estate near the stage. That's where you'll enjoy the sounds of our favorite Jimmy Buffet tribute band, as well as Peggy Jenkins and Chris Collins.  As always, you will find a variety of food and refreshment options, plenty of games and free inflatables for the kids. We look forward to seeing you! Don't wait to stand in line! Purchase tokens for the Independence Celebration today at MWR headquarters on Eckel Avenue. For more information, call 706-545-3328. Tokens are $1 each, and you can turn them for a cash refund if you have some left over at the end of the evening.

Mountain Bike Race

The annual Mountain Bike Race, part of the 2011 Endorphin Endurance Series, will start at 8 a.m. July 9 at the Bike Trail adjacent to the Fitness Trail on 1st Division Road near the Dixie Road intersection. There will be two classes in this event, a one lap, 5.5 mile course and a two lap, 11 mile course. Prizes will be awarded in each class. Registration fee is $25. Register at Smith Fitness Center.  This event is open to the public. For more information, call 706-604-4039.  

Used Vehicle Auction

NAF Property Branch will host a used vehicle auction at 9 a.m. July 15 at Building 2384 on Prussman Street. You can preview these vehicles from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. July 13 and 14. All vehicles will be sold "as is," without warranty. We accept VISA/MasterCard, cash or check if it is accompanied by a bank letter to guarantee a specific amount and date. For more information, call 706-545-2348/1083.

Whitewater Adventure 

Tennessee's Ocoee River is the most popular whitewater rafting destination in America, with more than 20 continuous rapids for miles and miles of endless fun. Join us for a whitewater adventure July 16-17, August 12-13 and September 9-10. The cost, $125, covers transportation, accommodations, rafting and lunch on the river. Register today! Must be 12 or older to participate. Call 706-545-7978.

Extreme Zipline 

Outdoor Recreation will host two Extreme Zipline Tours to Banning Mills in Whitesburg, Ga. The trips are scheduled from 7:15 a.m.-5 p.m. July 23 and August 6. The $85 fee covers four hours of ziplining, roundtrip transportation and lunch. (BOSS Soldiers pay only $65 for the July 23 trip.) These trips fill up fast - register today! For more information, call 706-545-7978. 

TGIF

The Benning Conference Center's Concord Lounge hosts "TGIF"  the second Friday of each month at 4:30 p.m.  Don't miss the fun.

Archery shoots

Uchee Creek hosts competitive archery shoots the second Saturday of each month at 9 a.m.  This event is open to the public. For more info, call 706-685-3060.

Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs for $5 

We have a limited number of spaces available for the August 12 trip to Atlanta to see the Braves take on the Cubs. Your $5 pays for transportation and your ticket to the game. This is NOT just for single Soldiers. Must be 12 or older to participate. Register at the Kelley Hill Recreation Center or call 706-545-1411.

Paintball 

Spend your next training holiday playing paintball in the Woodlands off Dixie Road, between 1st Division and Soldiers Plaza. Rent paintball equipment at Outdoor Recreation while supplies last. Form a team and challenge another unit or group. Paintball tournaments are scheduled Friday and Sept. 2. To register, call 706-545-9636.

Disney World 

Soldiers and family members 18 and older are invited to participate in a weeklong trip to Disney World Sept. 2-6. The cost of this trip, $320, covers roundtrip transportation, accommodations at the Shades of Green resort and a four day park hopper pass. This trip, sponsored by the BOSS program, is not exclusive to single Soldiers. Register at the Kelley Hill Recreation Center or call 706-544-1411. You may pay by installments. 

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