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MANEUVER CENTER OF EXCELLENCE - TEAM OF SOLDIERS, FAMILIES, AND CIVILIANS FROM THE BEST ARMY IN THE WORLD!
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Around Post:
Facebook Townhall
Soldiers, Families, civilians, contractors and our neighbors in the community are invited to participate in the Facebook Townhall Oct. 19, 6:30 to 8 p.m. The conversation will be hosted on the Fort Benning Facebook Fan page. This is a great opportunity to get questions answered directly from COL. Jeffrey Fletcher, Garrison Commander, and his staff from the comfort of your home.
MACH Flu Shot Schedule
Oct. 18-20
3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Special Walk-In Flu Clinic,Family Medical Home, Orange Hallway
Oct. 21 - End of Flu Season
Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m. - noon, & 1 - 3 p.m., Family Medical Home
Oct. 24 - Nov. 3
All TRICARE eligible beneficiaries can obtain their Flu immunization at the Benning Conference Center between the hours of 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (open during lunch). Closed Weekends! Ages 3 and up!
Attendees of the 2011 Retiree Open House will receive their Flu shots on Nov. 4 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Benning Conference Center
Please check the MACH Flu Line 706-545-8039 or the CARE Line 544-2273, Public Affairs Update Line for weekly updates.
Doughboy Football The Fort Benning Doughboys will play Georgia Military College at 2 p.m. Oct. 15 at Doughboy Stadium. Admission is free and open to the public. The Gowdy and Doughboy parking lots will be open for tailgaiting before the game. What's that noise? Oct. 12-13, all day Oct. 14-20 and 8 a.m. to midnight Oct. 26 and Oct. 29 to Nov. 1. |
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From the Top
 I am excited to announce we will be hosting another Facebook Town Hall - Wednesday, Oct. 19 from 6:30 - 8 p.m. We understand that Soldiers, families, civilians and our neighbors in the community have busy, hectic lives - but still have questions and want to learn more about Fort Benning.
What better way than through the use of a Facebook Town Hall - where representatives from agencies and programs on Fort Benning can post answers simultaneously and quickly to the many questions about living and working at Fort Benning. In addition, we are hoping this forum can be used to answer questions from our neighbors outside the gates as we know there may be many questions about what we do at Fort Benning and this forum is one way we can connect.
Our hope is that folks, who may have not been able to attend town hall meetings in the past, have a convenient way to participate in this two-way conversation. We saw firsthand in January, when we did our first Facebook Town Hall, that this kind of online two-way conversation is the way of the future - the most cost-effective way to connect quickly with those who have questions about Fort Benning.
At that town hall, we had more than 80 questions answered within an hour, compared to a "traditional" town hall held the day prior in one of the community housing areas that saw little attendance. When we started planning this for January, we thought FaceBook would be a great tool in taking these conversations virtual as statistics show more than five hundred million people use FaceBook.
Just to show a little more impact, when we held that Facebook Town Hall in January, we had 47,000 fans. Today, we have nearly 80,000. Now, that's impact.
At Fort Benning, there is a dynamic and dedicated team working every day that cares about the quality of life on post. I hope you can join me Oct. 19 and learn even more about what a great place Fort Benning and the Chattahoochee Valley Region is to live, work and play. We hope you join the conversation Oct. 19 and let us know how we are doing and what you think of this effort. We'll see you online at www.facebook.com/fortbenningfans
One Force, One Fight!
Support - Sustain - Defend!
Colonel Jeffrey Fletcher
Garrison Commander, Fort Benning, Georgia
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News
TRADOC commander speaks with company commanders of 2020
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Army wants more Soldiers back on deployable status
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Army leaders cite acquisition improvements
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Army leaders pledge to continue family support
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LIVE EVENTS: Watch speakers forums from the 2011 AUSA annual meeting
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More companies to help military spouses find jobs
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Guard gunner tops NCOs, MP wins Soldier of Year
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Click here to read this week's Bayonet
(note: it may take a few minutes to download the paper)
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Georgia governor speaks at Armor BOLC graduation
By Vince Little
 The Armor Basic Officer Leader Course's inaugural class at Fort Benning had a special guest at its graduation Thursday. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal delivered the commencement speech and handed certificates to 76 lieutenants during the hourlong ceremony at Derby Auditorium inside McGinnis-Wickam Hall. The group of Armor and Cavalry officers included three international students from Uruguay, Uganda and Jordan. The rest were Army lieutenants. Click here to read more.
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'Enemy's strategy is to bleed us by a thousand cuts,' says Army leader
By Kristin Molinaro WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The conventional Infantry squad still faces a fair fight against the current enemy despite advances in technology and the "digital comfort" this generation of Soldiers is born into. To overmatch the enemy, leaders must focus on bringing the 9-man squad into the 21st century, said Maj. Gen. Robert Brown in a briefing to senior military leaders, coalition forces and industry representatives Tuesday.
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(Left to right) Maj. Gen. Robert Brown and panelists Brig. Gen. Camille Nichols, Col. Walt Piatt, Marine Lt. Col. Chris Woodburn, Dr. James Blake, Command Sgt. Maj. Chris Hardy, Command Sgt. Maj. Steve McClaflin and retired Col. Don Sando answer questions posed by the audience Tuesday during a briefing at the AUSA National Meeting. Brown announced a new initiative being spearheaded by the Maneuver Center of Excellence focused on the development of overmatch at the squad level.
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The Maneuver Center of Excellence commander from Fort Benning, Ga., rolled out the concept plan, dubbed Squad: Foundation of the Decisive Force, at the annual Association of the U.S. Army National Meeting.
Fort Benning is home to the Infantry and Armor schools.
Brown moderated a seven-member panel of research, acquisitions, technology, leader development and training experts.
"At the squad level is where it's too fair of a fight. The enemy's strategy is to bleed us by a thousand cuts. The squad level is where casualties are the greatest because it's the first element to come into contact with the enemy," Brown said. "
By reducing gaps and using measures of effectiveness to determine what is working and what isn't, the initiative will boost the squad's ability to beat the enemy, he said.
Rather than a typical technological approach, the initiative will focus on training and leader development -- the human dimension -- while taking advantage of the ease with which today's Soldiers use digital applications by pulling new technology into the picture in the form of simulations and networking solutions.
"(Squads) are strategic in what they do and the effect they can have. With the way the world has adjusted to technology...Soldiers come in today with a digital comfort. They are digital natives and we take them out of their comfort zone by taking their cell phones away," he said.
"It's not just materiel additions," Brown said. "People look at items to give squads, but it's the human dimension, training, leadership...and many other factors that will lead to overmatch.
We are looking at how to determine human capacity and limits within competencies outlined in the Army Concept 2015," said Command Sgt. Maj. Chris Hardy, Fort Benning's senior enlisted advisor. "The squad has not changed that much over time but what we expect the squad to do today has changed. It's pretty tremendous. There's a lot of responsibility that we heave upon their shoulders when they're out there alone."
The complexities of the contemporary and future operating environments have elevated the squad's impact, making the squad the centerpiece of the tactical fight. Yet, it is at this level that there is no appreciable overmatch capability against the current threat, Brown said.
While the Army experiences technological advancements to individual Soldier weapons and equipment, dismounted squads remain unable to network horizontally and vertically like their mounted counterparts. This leads to a lack of situational awareness.
One example Brown gave to evidence this gap is the remarkable story of Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, who was awarded the Medal of Honor earlier this year. Giunta, then 22, saved three of his comrades and prevented one from being taken by the enemy after the squad walked into an ambush in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, the night of Oct. 25, 2007. Two Soldiers died in the firefight.
"It was incredibly brave what he did in those conditions, but he should've never been put in that position. We should've been able to tell them there were groups prepared to ambush that squad right over the next hill," he said.
"It's about establishing favorable conditions while retaining the squad's ability to react -- more proactive, less reactive. Seventy-five to eighty percent of the time we are reacting to the enemy. We can do better than that.
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Fort Benning Ten-Miler team places in annual race at nation's capital
by Kristin Molinaro
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It was a race to the finish for the Fort Benning Army Ten-Miler team, which came in third place in the active duty mixed category with an overall combined time of 4 hours, 7 minutes, 19 seconds. The winning team from Fort Campbell came in a little more than 5 minutes ahead of Fort Benning. Fort Benning's fastest runner was Aaron Totten-Lancaster, who sped through the ten-mile stretch in 54 minutes, 33 seconds and finished in 46th place overall.
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ARLINGTON, Va. -- It was a grueling race to the finish for the five Fort Benning Soldiers competing in the annual Army Ten-Miler race Sunday. The active duty mixed team came in third with a combined overall time of 4 hours, 7 minutes, 19 seconds, a little more than 5 minutes behind the first-place finishing Fort Bragg team.
The race is the Army's premier running event and one of the largest ten-milers in the world. The course begins at the Pentagon and takes the thousands of runners on a path through the nation's capitol, past sites including the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.
Rather than disappointment, the Fort Benning team felt pride in exceeding last year's sixth-place performance.
Aaron Totten-Lancaster sped through the course in 54 minutes, 33 seconds, finishing in 46th place overall. Team captain Derek Telleson shaved a minute off his personal best with a time of 59 minutes. Jon Knoedler was not far behind at 59:48. Antje Thomas rounded out the top four with a time of 1:13:59. Team alternate Erin Thompson ran 1:26:06 and her time was not factored into the team results, which only combine the first four finishers' times.
This was Telleson's second time running on Fort Benning's ten-miler team. A student in the Maneuver Captain's Career Course, he is set to graduate in three weeks and will head to Fort Bragg. Telleson said this year's team drew from five different units on post so finding time to train together was difficult. Most of the long-distance training was individual, with several group sessions at Lakebottom Park focusing on speed workouts and shorter distances.
Thomas, a parachute rigger with the Airborne School's E Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 597th Parachute Infantry Regiment, pushed herself to a 6:35 pace for the first six miles in a strong show of endurance.
Thomas, 31, is from Bavaria, Germany, and joined the military in 2009.
She said the Country's Midnight Run in Columbus, Ga., helped her prepare mentally for the ten-miler. With hordes of runners racing through town, the German native said the risk is always that someone will fall in front of you, as they did during the midnight race.
"The natural instinct is to pick people up but it's not possible. It's heartbreaking, but you have to move on, otherwise you will fall too," she said.
The toughest part of the ten-mile route came at mile 8. As energy waned, team captain Telleson, 28, said the focus became on the runners around him.
"You're not quite to your last kick, can't quite see the barn yet, but you've already run 6-7 miles at your race pace. You're past most of the fans so you're on your own. By this point, you know whose going to stay with you and who won't so you're focused on the guys running around you and who you want to catch."
In overall results, Ethiopian runner Tesfaye Sendeku Alemayehu finished at the top of the men's division with a time of 47:51. Tezata Dengera led the women with 56:35. The overall team award went to runners from the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program and All-Army Sports, who defended the International Cup with a 3:16:05 finish.
For more information on the race, visit www.armytenmiler.com. For photos of the Fort Benning team and race day, click here. |
The Benning Report
Fort Benning TV  | In this edition:
Sniper Comp Sniper Stalker & Chaos WTC Tank Premaster Gunner Coach K visit Making of a Soldier: Stress Shoot Spouse Spur Harmony Church Stowers celebrate Spirit of Benning Audie Murphy Gym BRAC to the future S&S |
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National Infantry Museum will display Cavalry and Armor History
by Borden Black
The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center will unveil the design of a coin commemorating the Infantry October 27th at 7 p.m. during the Fort Benning Doughboys vs. CSU Cougars football game at Doughboy Stadium.
The courage, pride, sacrifice, sense of duty, and history of the United States Infantry are embodied in the new limited-edition silver dollar.
Congress, which allows the minting of only two new commemorative coins each year, approved
The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center issue in 2008. No more than 350,000 coins commemorating the legacy of the United States Army Infantry and the establishment of the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center will be issued beginning early next year. Under the act, the Secretary of the Treasury may issue coins only during the calendar year beginning on January 1, 2012.
Each coin will contain 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper and will be offered in both uncirculated and proof qualities. The commemorative coin will be priced according to the value of silver when it is released. The current price for a silver dollar coin is approximately $55. A portion of the proceeds will go to support the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center.
The design for the coins was selected by the Secretary of the Treasury after consultation with the National Infantry Foundation and the Commission of Fine Arts and reviewed by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
"We know Infantrymen, past and present, will cherish these coins, as will avid coin collectors," said Ben Williams, executive director of the National Infantry Foundation. "But we believe the general public will see the value in them, too, especially in light of the support the museum will receive from the sale of the coins."
Those interested in ordering the commemorative coin can join a mailing list at coin@nationalinfantryfoundation.org.
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Up Next!
Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Events
The Destin Fishing Rodeo is a month long fishing tournament for saltwater anglers of all ages. The Destin Army Recreation Area is proud to participate in this historic event. Fish aboard the Stars and Stripes or Army One during the month of October, and your registration fee into the Rodeo is covered. Charter costs range from $150 to $1,200 for up to six people. For the Rodeo, we will add an extra hour to the trip at no additional charge. More than $100,000 will be awarded in cash and prizes. For more information, call 850-902-1115.
Join us for the annual Soldier Show at 8pm Oct. 15 on Wetherby Concert Field. This event is free and open to the whole community. You do not have to have a military ID to attend. Refreshments will be available for purchase. Bring lawn chairs and blankets! The 2011 U.S. Army Soldier Show is a high-energy 90-minute live musical production that showcases the talents of active-duty Soldiers who were selected by audition from throughout the Army.
Experience the Spirit of Fort Benning, when the Fort Benning Doughboys take to the field for a series of games against local colleges and regional teams at historic Doughboy Stadium. These games are free and open to the public. The Doughboys will play Georgia Military College at 2pm Oct 15, Columbus State Cougars Oct 27 at 7pm, and Team James All Stars from Atlanta Nov. 10 at 7pm. The Silver Wings Parachute Demonstration Team will jump in with the American flag and deliver the game ball at each home game. Door prizes will be awarded. During half time of each game, we will honor our veterans: Korean War vets Oct 15, Vietnam vets Oct 27 and all veterans Nov. 10. The Oct 27 game against CSU will be the second Doughboy Bowl. Tailgate activities will include inflatable jump houses for the kids and games, like corn hole and party pong, for adults. Children are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes for trick-or-treating. Doughboy team colors are black and gold.
Girls between the ages of 7 and 12 will love the American Girls Book Club at Sayers Library. This free club meets the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm at Sayers Library. We provide the books and the refreshments, and we enjoy parental involvement. Younger girls who enjoy reading the series with their older siblings and parents thoroughly enjoy this club, also. Join us Oct. 5. For more information, call 706-545-4911.
MWR's Outdoor Recreation will host free Kings Pond Campouts Nov. 5. These overnight events include a number of activities, such as boating, games and fireside stories. As always, we're serving s'mores. Campouts start at noon. Bring your own tent or rent one at Outdoor Recreation. To reserve your spot, call 706-545-7978.
Outdoor Recreation will host Family Fishing Night at Russ Pond from 6-8pm October 18. Fishing at Russ Pond is reserved for those 15 and younger, but parents and siblings are encouraged to help them reel in the big ones. This event is free. Reserve your pole by calling 706-545-7978.
Help the Hooch! Partner with MWR's Outdoor Recreation as we join the annual effort to clean the creeks and ponds across Fort Benning from 8am-noon October 14. All volunteers will be provided with supplies and gloves. Participants must register to receive free lunch and a t-shirt. This is a popular event that draws a large crowd across the Chattahoochee Valley! To register, call 706-545-9636.
MWR's School Age services will host Lights On After School, an open house for the Fort Benning community, from 4:40-6:30pm Oct. 20 at School Age Services on Ingersoll Street. This event will include games, inflatables, refreshments and entertainment. Though it's free, guests must register by calling 7060545-3605.
Oktoberfest, Fort Benning's favorite fall tradition, returns to the Uchee Creek Activity Center October 21-23. Put on your dancing shoes and enjoy traditional German music (including an authentic oompah band!), food, games for all ages and a Volksmarch. There is no entry fee for this family event, and it is open to the public. For more information, go to benningmwr.com.
The annual Oktoberfest 10K Race will start at 9am Oct. 22. The cost of registration Sept. 1 - Oct 21 is $25 and $35 on race day. The first 100 participants to register will receive a free t-shirt. Awards will be presented to the top three finishers in each division. For more information, e-mail lori.smith6@us.army.mil. Register for the race at benningMWR.com.
Army Community Service will host a free Home Buying Seminar from 4-6pm Oct. 20 at Building 7, ACS headquarters on Baltzell Avenue. Reserve your spot by Oct. 14 by calling 706-545-7517 or 4043.
It's a party on four legs! Bring your furry friends in costume and join the fun at the annual Howl-o-ween at the Dog Park from 4:30-7:30pm Oct 28 at the park adjacent to the youth soccer fields (Blue and French fields) on First Division Road! We will have games, costume contests (for humans, too!), prizes and food, of course, for you and the critter. This event is free for all ages. Pets must be registered at the Fort Benning Vet Clinic. For more information, call 706-545-9636.
MWR's Child, School and Youth Services will host the third annual Edwin Jackson Mini Baseball Clinic from 1-3pm Nov. 19 at the Youth Sports Complex on Main Post across from Faith Middle and Dexter Elementary schools. This year's event will include a number of big-name professional baseball players. Stay tuned to benningMWR.com for details. This is a free family event.
CYSS Sports and Fitness will host a Family 9-Hole Golf Scramble at 1pm Nov. 20 at the Fort Benning Golf Course. The cost is $30. We have volunteers from the 198th Brigade anxious to "adopt" children whose parents are deployed. Cost of registration will be shared by both parties. Register at the Fort Benning Golf Course Nov. 1-18. For more information, call 706-545-1853.
MWR's Army Community Service will host a Volunteer Fair from 10am-2pm Nov. 3 at Patch Hall, Building 7, on Baltzell Avenue. This is a great opportunity to meet with representatives from a number of agencies that welcome volunteers. For more information, call 706-545-3016.
Have an idea, an issue or a concern? The Army Family Action Plan has the answer. AFAP is an Armywide initiative to improve the overall quality of life for Soldiers and their families. It is a process whereby we identify critical issues concerning welfare and morale and present them to senior Army leadership for resolution. MWR's Army Community Service will host the annual Fort Benning AFAP conference Nov. 8-10 at the Benning Conference Center. Submit issues or ideas online at www.benningmwr.com/acs-afap.php. To volunteer as an AFAP delegate and make a difference in your community, call 706-545-2794.
The Family Entertainment Center and the Mall Bowling Center will host a heckuva holiday bowling special! November 23 and 25, games, shoe rental, hot dogs, fries and drinks are $1.50.
Join the BOSS program for free ice skating at the Columbus Civic Center from 7-9pm December 7. Call 706-626-0242 or 706-604-7675.
It's a Fort Benning holiday tradition! Join us for the annual Holiday Brunch Dec. 4 at the Benning Conference Center. We have two seatings, 10am and noon. The meal includes traditional holiday favorites, a classic breakfast menu, carving stations, assorted pastries and beverages and decadent desserts. Save time to visit with Santa! Brunch is $15.95 for adults, $7.95 for children 6-12 and free for the younger ones. Reservations are required for this popular event, as space is limited. Call 706-682-0640 or 706-687-1861.
Celebrate the Holiday at Riverside! Join us for one of our most popular events, Santa's annual visit to Fort Benning. From 5-8pm Dec. 8, Santa will sit for pictures on the lawn of Riverside, the home of Fort Benning's commanding general. We'll supply free refreshments and great prizes. Bring the whole family to this free event!
Army Family Team Building will host a Winter Warm Up December 12-16 in Building 359. This event includes training in AFTB levels I, II and III. AFTB training is designed to help family members understand Army culture and foster self confidence. Child care is available. Call 706-545-2794.
It's a BLOWOUT! The Mall Bowling Center on Marne Road will host the annual New Year's Blowout from 6:30pm Dec 31 to 1:30am Jan 1. This family event includes unlimited bowling and a breakfast buffet. Until Dec. 25, the cost is $50 per couple, $30 for a single and $15 for children 10 and younger. After that, the cost is $60 per couple, $40 for a single and $20 for children 10 and younger. For more information, call 706-682-7781.
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