Tag: Milbloggin'

Army Creating Second Paratrooper Division As Service Forges New Identity For Arctic Troops

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Military News:

Soldiers stationed in Alaska will soon ditch the 25th Infantry Division’s “Tropic Lightning” patch and be redesignated the 11th Airborne Division, in what could be an important step in the Army’s recent focus on Arctic warfare.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told lawmakers that the move will give units in the state a clear identity. Soldiers there currently fall under the command of U.S. Army Alaska and wear the 25th Infantry Division patch. But that division is mostly associated with units in Hawaii that train for combat in the jungle, the opposite of Alaska’s mission and something leaders and junior soldiers told Military.com has been a point of confusion.

U.S. Army Alaska will be redesignated as the 11th Airborne Division this summer and issued a new patch.

I hope that “a new patch” is not the solution ultimately decided on how to curb the suicide problem.

See also: A Space Internet Experiment For the Arctic Is Among VanHerck’s Priorities

K-pop Group Pentagon’s Hongseok Starts Military Service

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https://mb.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/81348.jpeg

Manila Bulletin:

K-pop boy band Pentagon member Hongseok has enlisted in the military to fulfill his mandatory duty.

Hongseok, 28, entered the army training center on May 3 to receive basic military training before serving as an active duty soldier.

Last April 1, Cube Entertainment announced his military service, saying, “Hongseok will be joining the army on active duty on May 3, 2022.”

If you are a milblogger in 2022 tracking the misadventures of our Department of Defense, then this crap is all over your news feed right now.

USS Tulsa Crew Visiting Tulsa To Strengthen Bonds With Community

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KTUL:

For the first time since its commissioning in 2019, the crew of the USS Tulsa is in town this week to visit its namesake city.

The goal is to help strengthen the bond of the crew with the Tulsa community.

“It will enable the crew to bring the sailors to visit the city firsthand and interact with her citizens. They, in turn, will take back what they have learned to the ship’s crew to cultivate a sense of belonging to Tulsa,” Joey Wignarajah with USS Tulsa said in a press release.

The crew is making several stops around town Monday through Wednesday.

There will be a community reception at the Mother Road Market Patio where Tulsans can meet the crew on Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The reception is open to the public.

Troops Allege Military’s COVID Vaccine Mandate Is A ‘Religious Purge’

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Military Times:

Three active duty service members appeared in a segment aired Thursday on a podcast hosted by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, accusing the Defense Department of using the COVID-19 vaccine mandate to “intentionally purge” religious service members.

Air Force Capt. Jordan Karr, Army Maj. Samuel Sigoloff and Air Force Master Sgt. Nickolas Krupper made their cases from a variety of angles ― including religious freedom, controversy over the emergency authorization vs. Food and Drug Administration-approved version of the Pfizer vaccine and “natural immunity” to the novel coronavirus. But all agreed that the involuntary separation policy for vaccine refusal is part of a concerted effort to remove certain members of the military.

Democrats Announce Bills To Hold Pentagon Accountable For Civilian Deaths In US Military Operations

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Stars And Stripes:

Congressional Democrats seeking accountability for civilian deaths caused by the U.S. military announced two bills Thursday to overhaul the Pentagon’s methods for investigating and preventing civilian harm.

The two pieces of legislation — the Department of Defense Civilian Harm Transparency Act and the Protection of Civilians in Military Operations Act — would expand requirements for reporting the incidents and disclosing them to the public as well as move investigations out of the units responsible for the strikes.

“The evidence is clear: after 20 years of mostly unfulfilled pledges on preventing civilian harm, the Pentagon has shown that it needs the involvement of others outside the chain of command in setting policy and ensuring accountability,” said Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., a co-sponsor of both bills. “It is time to provide additional oversight through interagency partners and these bills do just that.”

Some lawmakers stepped up calls for reform after a botched drone strike killed 10 civilians during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan last year. The Pentagon said the strike was necessary to prevent an attack on U.S. troops but later acknowledged it was a tragic mistake.

Oklahoma Sailor Dies During Training Event, US Navy Says

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News On 6:

An Oklahoma sailor in the United States Navy died during a training event earlier this week.

Navy officials said 29-year-old Lt. a.g. Aaron Fowler died while training with the Marine Corps at Marine Corps Base Hawaii Sunday in Kanehoe Bay.

Fowler was unresponsive during the training exercise. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

According to the Navy, Fowler entered the service in 2012 and later graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2018.

Fowler began reporting to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit One beginning in January 2022

LTJG

New VA Clinic Opens In Fort Smith, Arkansas

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40/29:

Veterans in Fort Smith have access to a new clinic for the first time in 20 years, and it’s changing the way many get care.

The old Fort Smith VA clinic was housed in a basement on Dodson. The new facilities have been open for a week.

The new clinic on Phoenix Avenue is almost 37,000 square feet large, nearly double the size of the old one.

On top of regular primary care, they offer a full lab with the ability to process their labs soon, radiology services, audiology, and optometry.

Fort Smith School District Achieves Purple Star School Designation

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:

The School District has received a Purple Star designation for the entire district, meaning all 26 schools have increased support for military-connected students and their families.

District officials said in a news release Monday they have over 200 military-connected students in the district because of its proximity to the 188th Wing at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas Air National Guard and the Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center.

The district also is preparing for more military families to move to Fort Smith if the city is selected as the home for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter planes and a Republic of Singapore General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon squadron through the Foreign Military Sales program.

“As a Purple Star District, we are committed to connecting with this important group of youth and their families as they call Fort Smith home for a short or extended period of time,” said Michael Farrell, district supervisor of student services and district military liaison.

The program helps schools respond to the educational and social-emotional challenges military-connected children face as they move to new schools every few years due to a parent’s change in duty station, according to the Military Child Education Coalition website. This includes adapting to new cultures, school populations, curricula, standards, course offerings, schedules and graduation requirements.

Army’s Suicide Crisis In Alaska Spurs Bipartisan Call For Action

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USA Today:

A bipartisan group of lawmakers called on the Army to address its alarming problem of suicide in Alaska, requesting plans to improve living conditions and ensure soldiers have timely access to mental health counselors, a key finding of a USA TODAY investigation into suicide deaths there.

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., and Alaska’s Republican senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan wrote to Army Sec. Christine Wormuth about the Army’s suicide crisis that is responsible for the confirmed or suspected deaths of 17 soldiers in Alaska in 2021. The total, first reported by USA TODAY in January, is more than the previous two years combined.

“The epidemic of military suicides across America cries out for immediate action, especially in Alaska where twice as many service members died in 2021 compared to 2020,” Speier said in a statement. “I have spoken previously with the spouses and parents of service members who have died by suicide there, as well as other service members and behavioral health care providers overwhelmed with demand in the region.”

Dozens Of Oklahoma Veterans Fly To Washington D.C.

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KJRH:

Dozens of veterans just arrived at Tulsa International Airport for their flight to Washington D.C.

It’s part of the Honor Flight Program, an organization that raises money to take veterans to visit memorials and monuments made in their honor. The Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight Program is sending 90 veterans to D.C. for free to show their appreciation for their sacrifice.

They arrived in D.C. Tuesday morning.

The veterans will tour the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Lincoln Monument, Arlington Cemetery, and several others.

Monday night, they were honored for their service with a sendoff ceremony.

Victor Wheeler, President of the board for the Honor Flight, says so many vets weren’t received home the way they should. This program is his way of showing them their sacrifices are appreciated.

“There’s nothing quite like going with a veteran and seeing them with their other veteran friends that they’ve met on the trip and watching them reminisce and to take them to the memorials and the monuments in their honor,” says Wheeler. “It’s a life-changing experience for all the guardians and the veterans as well.”

An Alarming Number Of Active-Duty Soldiers In Alaska Died By Suicide Last Year

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Anchorage Daily News:

The number of U.S. Army Alaska soldiers who died by suicide increased sharply in 2021 even after the military invested millions of dollars to address an identified mental health crisis at the state’s two major bases.

At least 11 soldiers stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Fort Wainwrightdied by suicide last year. Six more deaths are being investigated as possible suicides.

Top military officials say finding solutions to the worsening problem continues to be a top priority — and that the pandemic seems to have exacerbated existing risk factors.

Biden Administration Seeks To Dismiss Oklahoma Lawsuit Over National Guard Vaccine Mandate

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The Hill:

The Biden administration is asking an Oklahoma federal court to dismiss the state’s lawsuit over the National Guard’s vaccine mandate.

In a motion filed late Friday, the government argued that the case should be dismissed “in its entirety” after U.S. District Judge Stephen Friot of the Western District of Oklahoma turned down the state’s motion for preliminary injunction against the mandate in late December, arguing then that the plaintiff’s claims were largely without merit.

The “fundamental conclusion” of Friot’s original ruling, the government argues, now requires dismissal of the case.

The Hill has reached out to the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office for comment.

The motion follows a heated battle between the Pentagon and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) over the military’s vaccine mandate, which largely escalated late last year.

See also: Supreme Court Sides With Pentagon On Vaccine Mandate

Fort Drum Deployment Facility Named For Famed World War II Officer

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WWTI:

The history of the Fort Drum rapid deployment facility has a history tied to World War II.

According to Fort Drum Public Affairs, the facility was named after William O. Darby, the officer who led the first Army Rangers during World War II and was the 10th Mountain Division’s assistant commander during the campaign in Italy.

Darby was born in 1911 in Fort Smith, Arkansas and grew up having a goal to attend the U.S. Military Academy after grading from Fort Smith High School in 1929.

Oklahoma Senate Supports Income Tax Exemption For Military Retirement

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Fox 25:

The Oklahoma Senate approved a bill that would honor America’s military by not taxing their retirement pay.

Senate Bill (SB) 401 would have Oklahoma joining 33 other states who don’t tax veterans retirement pay. SB 401 is authored by Air Force Veteran, Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, and Sen. Brenda Stanley, R- Midwest City, vice chair of the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.

“This is just one more way to support our veterans who have sacrificed so much for our nation. I’ve been working on this legislation for five years, and I’m very excited that the governor, along with my Senate and House colleagues, have pledged their support to get it across the finish line this session,” Pugh said. “I want Oklahoma to be the top destination for America’s heroes. These are highly trained professionals, typically in their forties looking to start a second career, with numerous skills that are desperately needed in our workforce. They can help fill the gap in critical industries like aviation and engineering, which will be an incredible boon for our economy.”

Pentagon Asks Supreme Court To Allow It To Stop The Deployment Of Unvaccinated SEALs

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NPR:

The Biden administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a major portion of its program mandating members of the military to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

In January a federal district court judge in Texas issued an order barring the Navy from requiring all SEALs to be vaccinated for COVID-19. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the order, and also refused to temporarily suspend its decision pending appeal.

In an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Defense Department is arguing that the lower courts have usurped the president’s core constitutional power — and by extension the military’s power — to make decisions as to “which service members should be deployed to execute some of the military’s most sensitive and dangerous missions.” And that, the Pentagon said in its brief, imperils military readiness, noting that in one case the Navy has already been forced, against its best judgment, to deploy an unvaccinated Navy SEAL for duty on a close-quartered submarine.

See also: Pentagon Extends National Guard Support In DC After Trucker Convoy Arrives

Iraq Veteran Receives Purple Heart In Oklahoma For Injuries Sustained In 2011

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KFOR:

The Purple Heart is an honor soldiers receive for injuries they sustain or die from on the battlefield.

On Monday, a war veteran who now calls ​Oklahoma home waited a decade for his purple heart.

“It’s surreal right now. I gave up at one point to try to search for it, to try to get it and to have it actually come, it means a lot,” said SGT Carl Fastiggi. 

In 2011, then-Specialist Fastiggi was fighting with the California Army National Guard in Iraq. He was a member of the 640th Aviation Support Battalion, Company B at Camp Taji, Iraq.

The incident happened around 1:55 p.m. when Camp Taji came under rocket fire.

SPC Fastiggi ran for cover in a nearby hanger and was hit in the head by debris. Shortly after, he reported to the medical center with a severe headache; he was evaluated and determined fit for duty.

“At the time, he did get medical care and such, but all the records weren’t done and weren’t made complete on it,” said Senator James Lankford.

Fastiggi was diagnosed with a delayed concussion and still suffers from severe headaches and pain.

His ​lost paperwork caused a more than 10-year delay. It was Senator James Lankford and his office’s behind-the-scenes work that made this moment come true.