Free Republic

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, May 10, 2006 – It's the e-mails and calls from home that gave the soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division their first clue that something is becoming different about the will of the American people. "All this time I thought we were winning," said a sergeant first class sarcastically. "Seems folks back home have already run up the white flag." Some 4th Infantry Division noncommissioned officers were discussing the flood of e-mails they receive from family members and friends about the constant danger they are facing in Iraq. Though they asked not to be identified by name...

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2006 – Just as noncommissioned officers and petty officers are the backbone of the U.S. military, they also are increasingly becoming the backbone of NATO, a top U.S. NCO said here today. Marine Sgt. Maj. Alford L. McMichael, senior noncommissioned officer for NATO's Allied Command for Operations, is at the forefront of that effort. He spoke during a conference of service senior enlisted advisors and combatant command senior enlisted leaders meeting at the Pentagon this week. McMichael is a former sergeant major of the Marine Corps. He assumed his current position in September 2003 and is the...

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2006 – When the USS James E. Williams sets sail from Norfolk, Va., tomorrow, it will be a special moment for the family of a top Army noncommissioned officer. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. "Joe" Gainey poses in his Pentagon office next to a portrait of his cousin, James E. Williams, a Medal of Honor recipient and the most decorated sailor in Navy history. A ship named for Williams, the USS James E. Williams, sets sail on its maiden voyage from Norfolk, Va., May 2. Photo by Kathleen T. Rhem  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image...

ARLINGTON, Va., April 14, 2006 – Six Medal of Honor recipients and the Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights, were among those gathered at Arlington National Cemetery here yesterday to pay their last respects to retired Army Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. "Mike" Novosel, a Medal of Honor recipient and former Golden Knight. Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) carry Medal of Honor recipient retired Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel Sr. at Arlington National Cemetery April 13. Novosel, 83, was laid to rest after he succumbed to a long battle with cancer. A former pilot...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2006 – For more than a year, Army Sgt. Amy E. Perkins has been working to bring some relief to the people in Tal Afar, Iraq. This month her hard work will finally pay off. An Iraqi boy sits in a new wheelchair from the Wheelchair Foundation in the fall of 2005. Army Sgt. Amy Perkins spearheaded a new partnership between the foundation and the U.S. military to ship 280 more wheelchairs to Tal Afar, Iraq, set to arrive this month. Courtesy photo   A rare shipment of 280 wheelchairs for injured Iraqi citizens is due to...

CAMP LIBERTY, IRAQ, District Of Columbia, Nov. 27, 2005 – The Army is instituting significant changes in how it trains and recruits soldiers, aiming to make U.S. troops more battle ready for the challenges in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, two of the Army's top noncommissioned officers said during recent visits to Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq. The two command sergeants major, John Sparks of the U.S. Army's Training and Doctrine Command, and Lonny Wright with Infantry Branch Command, spoke during separate mid-November meetings with solders from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. "We are enhancing the individual soldiers'...

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (Army News Service, Sept. 19, 2005) – The home “makeover” of a Soldier injured in Iraq will kick off the season premiere of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” Sept. 25. In late June, the family of Master Sgt. Luis Rodriguez got a surprise visit from the cast and crew, including the popular Ty Pennington, and a new 3,225-square-foot home near Fort Campbell, Ky., specifically tailored to the Rodriguez family’s needs. Rodriguez was injured in Iraq in 2003, losing his right leg above the knee, two fingertips on his left hand and he sustained serious shrapnel wounds when...

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- The commander of the Air Force Command and Control, and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center became the first inductee into the Air Force District of Washington’s Order of the Sword during a ceremony here July 22. Maj. Gen. Tommy F. Crawford received the highest honor and tribute noncommissioned officers can bestow upon an individual for his dedication to giving the unit’s enlisted force an equal hand in progressing the center’s unique mission. As just the forth commander of the AFC2ISR Center, General Crawford continues to hone the charge first set out in 1995...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, – A young sergeant who wanted to enlist in the Nebraska Army National Guard when she was 16 and who is now halfway through a year-long tour of duty with her Guard medical unit in Iraq is the Army Times’ Soldier of the Year. “It’s hard to describe the phenomenal feelings to even be nominated. To be chosen is such a tremendous honor,” said Sgt. Jessica Reed, 22, from Lawrence, Neb., on the evening of July 13 in Washington, D.C. That’s when Reed and four men were praised and congratulated by members of Congress, generals and...

TOKYO, Japan (Army News Service, July 19, 2005) – Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force leaders met with Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston in Tokyo July 15 to talk about the relationship between both armies. The growing JGSDF is making improvements in its ranks. The Japanese Army is creating a senior sergeant major-rank system, positions for noncommissioned officer instructors and a sergeant major of the JGSDF. “I have some things I’m proud of and one of them is my NCOs,” said Gen. Tsutomi Mori, JGSDF chief of staff. “To make things better, we’re making some changes. Biggest step is...

STUTTGART, Germany, June 29, 2005 – Sworn enemies during the Cold War, the Republic of Georgia - part of the former Soviet Union -- and the United States are brothers in arms now, forming friendships and training side by side. Gone are the Cold War days of mistrust and suspicion, replaced by feelings of cooperation and mutual respect, as U.S. forces work to prepare their Georgian counterparts for operations in Iraq and boost regional security in the Caucasus during the Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program. Under U.S. European Command direction, two battalions of Georgian soldiers are training with U.S....

<p>HINESVILLE, Ga. — His first sergeant called him a coward to his face. His chaplain sent him an e-mail saying he was ashamed of him. His commanders had him formally charged with desertion.</p> <p>Sgt. Kevin Benderman, who served one tour of duty in Iraq, is refusing to serve another. When his fellow soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division packed their gear and left nearby Fort Stewart, Ga., for Iraq last week, Benderman stayed home. He says he has chosen to follow his conscience, not his commanders.</p>

FORT HUACHUCA - Four soldiers, a sailor, Marine, airman and civilian were honored Friday as the best of the best for 2004 by post officials. Setting the tone for the awards banquet, Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Voss told the audience of more than 275 people that the event was to recognize "our superheroes." With every branch of America's armed forces stationed on the post, the annual event ensures each service and the civilian work force receives recognition. The winners in the Navy, Marine, Air Force and civilian categories knew before the banquet who had been chosen. The soldiers had...

Army's Midcareer Leaders Are Bearing Up Under the Burden of War BY DAVID WOOD Sgt. 1st Class Eric Jarvis holds his dog tag imprinted with the seven "Army values." (Photo by Bob Mahoney) Army staff sergeants like Bobby Munoz of San Antonio (l) and Geoffrey Holt of Tuskegee, Ala., are key combat leaders. Here, they discuss an attack during field training at Fort Benning, Ga. (Photo by Bob Mahoney)   FORT BENNING, Ga. -- When firefights erupt with terrifying chaos in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is usually sergeants -- not officers -- who steady their riflemen, maneuver their soldiers down...