Free Republic

The White House has nominated Army Lt. Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla to lead the U.S. Central Command. The nomination was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed by The Hill. The Senate received a nomination for Kurilla on Wednesday ... If confirmed, Kurilla would replace Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, who has helmed Central Command since March 2019. The Pentagon said there is nothing to announce at this time. Kurilla, a native of Elk River, Minn., currently serves as the commander of the 18th Airborne Corps in Fort Bragg, N.C., a role he has held . ...

Lt. Col. Erik Kurilla wouldn't want this story to be about him, so we begin on Watkins Field, a parade ground on Fort Lewis. There, 4,000 troops of the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division gathered in formation on Thursday for a time-honored military tradition: the unfurling of unit flags encased since the soldiers left Iraq last month. The flags signify the soldiers are finally home. As the top brass watched from a platform, cannons fired to salute the 34 who died during the yearlong deployment. And then the injured came on the field. There were amputees and men with canes....

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Army Lt. Col. Michael Erik Kurilla had just been shot three times and his thigh bone had snapped. He kept firing -- and shouting orders at the soldiers behind him. [...] His family is expecting him to recover fully. "He's doing good," said Tommy Raye, 42, a brother-in-law from Bogart, Ga. "I mean, that guy's a warrior, dude." Raye described Kurilla as "extremely bright, on the scary side of the spectrum." He said he was not surprised when he saw the photographs. "There's no surprise when he's out front," Raye said. "That's just who he is. Some...

Deuce Four's LTC Erik Kurilla shot three times (Michael Yon dispatch)Source: Michael Yon Saturday, August 20, 2005 Proximity Delays Mosul, Iraq During radio interviews, listeners sometimes call in with questions for me. People who follow the war closely and read my dispatches might ask about events covered by mainstream news but about which I've posted few details, if any. Thousands of emails pour in. "Did you know about the letter to Zarqawi?" (Yes, I was in the Deuce Four daily briefing when it was first displayed and read, about a week before the media learned about it. The letter was...