Items
Tag is exactly
military
-
2020-07-25
COVID-19 Military Service Leads to Scholarship
I decided to attend St. Mary's University while on the COVID-19 relief mission with the Texas Army National Guard during Summer 2020. The attached email is the email I received when I was notified that I had earned a scholarship that would lower my costs of attending graduate school. I was overwhelmed. I applied to the scholarship with the following essay: I am currently a graduate student completing my Graduate Certificate for Dual Credit Teaching in U.S. History. I am on track to graduate in May 2021. I work as an Anthropology Instructor at Blinn College. I currently serve as the Anthropology Instructor to RELLIS Campus for the joint Texas A&M Engineering at Blinn Program. Students are co-enrolled in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University and Blinn College. Given the expansion of the Blinn RELLIS Campus, there is a need for instructors who are certified to teach in multiple disciplines. Though my Ph.D. is in Anthropology, I possess a B.A. in History. I decided to go back to school in order to become certified to teach History courses so that I could further advance Blinn’s vision for the RELLIS Campus. I have a proven track record of academic excellence that I intend to continue at St. Mary’s University. I finished my undergraduate studies and previous graduate studies with GPA’s over 3.90, receiving various awards along the way (see C.V. for details). The most important thing in my life is not my job or academic achievement, but my family. I am married to a loving and supportive wife, Helen, who works as a high school math teacher. We have two amazing daughters – three-year-old Annie and one-year-old Rose. Though difficult, I have decided to surrender some of my limited time with them in order commit to and finish this graduate certificate online by May 2021. Finally, in addition to my work at Blinn College and my family obligations, I serve as a Commissioned Officer in an Airborne Company with the Texas Army National Guard. Most recently I was activated for the COVID-19 Relief Mission, leaving my wife behind with the children. My orders ran from 18 April-18 July. While on this mission, I initially served as a COVID-19 Mobile Testing Team (MTT) Officer-in-Charge (OIC). Subsequently promoted to 2nd-in-Charge/Executive Officer (2IC/XO) of Texas Region 6, I led a staff of 18 Soldiers in personnel management and logistical resupply for 12 MTTs, encompassing 229 Soldiers and Airman. In all, my region served 8.2 million people in 25 counties - 29% of Texas. Working with multiple civilian agencies, including the Texas Department of Emergency Management, Texas Emergency Management Task Force, and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, I managed the resupply of 546,825 medical supply items and the testing of 58,550 COVID-19 patients at nursing homes, assisted living centers, meat packaging plants, drive-through sites, and walk-up sites in the region. Thank you for making this scholarship fund available to non-traditional students like myself. Additional funding would significantly lighten the overall family burden of completing this graduate program. Thank you once again for your generosity. It was very uplifting that my hard work with the military also allowed me to attend school full time upon returning from duty. -
2020-10-28
Excitement of Graduation Dimmed By COVID
Dave Ruff is a military veteran and recent graduate of the PhD program in Anthropology (Nautical Archaeology) from Texas A&M University. Dave was working in Croatia on a Roman shipwreck for his dissertation project. Dave is a really great friend and mentor. He is always willing to talk about his life experiences - in and out of the Navy - especially when it comes to money and investments. Dave is a hard-working individual who takes his role as an academic very seriously. I was extremely happy for Dave when I found out that he would be graduating in May 2020. He started in the program at Texas A&M a year or two before I did, but he moved from Texas to North Carolina to be closer to his grandchildren and this pushed him back a little. Dave and I had been planning graduation for a few months. We helped each other check all the final boxes on the graduation checklist and buy robes. We were both really excited for the event. I hadn't seen Dave in about a year, so I was excited to see him in person at the graduation. Graduation in May 2020 was cancelled due to COVID-19. This email details a conversation between Dave and I. I was serving on the COVID-19 mission with the Texas Army National Guard and used the money I earned from that mission to pay off my house. I thanked him for his money mentorship throughout the years. The email goes on to detail how all of Dave's summer plans for research had been cancelled due to COVID-19, but that being a grad and being locked down had given him time to work out and lose some weight - a goal that we both had, but he fulfilled better than I! I wanted to highlight this email chain, as I feel that it brings humanity to the experience of Veteran PhD students, recent graduates, and researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic. -
2020-10-16
Can't Wait
I had been deployed for quite some time already and had not seen my family in a long time. When I found out that I would not be coming home when I was supposed to earlier this year (due to Covid-19), it just crushed me. My wife was devastated too because she had been alone taking care of our two daughters. My oldest did not quite understand why I had to stay longer and my youngest daughter was just a couple months old when I left. I was longing to see and hold my girls. Time away from them seemed ever ending but I knew that I would be home soon but soon was unknown. The thought of that was scary but I had my girls as determination. The why I do what I do. Once I came home to my girls it completed my journey and they would not let me go. The baby was a year old and my oldest was so talkative. She never talked before I left. They were so different but I also felt like I stepped into a different country with new rules. (Arizona State University, HST485). -
2020-04-20
Military Stop Movement
Beginning in mid-March I began working a minimum hour schedule in order to ensure that as few people as possible were in the office. We assumed the pandemic would blow over soon and that like with most other things the Department of Defense was just overreacting and rolling out guidance that would expire quickly. On April 20 it became apparent that this was not the case. The PDF seen here shows that this was not something that was done with a lack of care or critical thinking because stopping all DoD movement is not done lightly or easily. This order also began my additional two more months working from home or in my workplace with a severely cut back schedule. This stop movement also impacted my life by forcing me to stay in Germany for months longer than expected, as well as numerous friends and coworkers who were suddenly left with no way to leave the country after shipping all of their household goods or their vehicles. Essentially it through thousands of people into a state of instability that could only be rectified by the passing of time until the stop movement expired. -
2020-04-29
Expert Opinion
This photograph is taken in Houston, TX as part of a news conference with Rep. Al Green and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. On 29 April 2020, the city of Houston staged a news conference at a COVID-19 testing site run by the National Guard in Houston, TX. At the end of the conference, LTC English (who is a Nurse Practitioner and Texas Army National Guard Senior Medical Advisor) was interviewed for his opinion on public health and safety during the pandemic. -
2020-05-09
Graduating in the Age of COVID-19
I graduated from Texas A&M with my PhD in Anthropology in May 2020. The graduation was in early May. I had defended my dissertation in late January and was working as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M and as an instructor at Blinn College when the COVID-19 came to Texas in March 2020. My jobs went online for a month, then I was activated with the National Guard on 18April2020. In this photograph from early May, I am attending my remote graduation ceremony from my workspace at the Region 6 COIVD-19 Response headquarters in Houston, TX. -
2020-09-19
Promotion during COVID-19
Usually military promotions require a ceremony. I would have dressed myself and our two daughter up, my husbands whole battalion would have be present as his superiors would have said a few words. I would have taken off his old rank from his uniform and officially pinned his new one on. Everyone would have cheered and we would have gone to dinner to celebrate. My husbands promotion looked completely different than what we’re used to. He found out he would be pinned ten minutes before the zoom call, the kids were still in their pjs and my husband wasn’t even wearing his pants. Instead we got dressed in a hurry, got on a zoom call with five other people and I pinned him while my dad held the phone. It took less than five minutes start to finish then it was back to whatever we had been doing prior to the call. We ordered in dinner that day just to make it as special as we could. HST580 ASU -
2020-09-19
Covid doesn’t stop the military
After eight years of active duty service for the US Navy my husband decided to get out and join the reserves. Since March he has been required to check in remotely and do all work online. One of the perks not having to wear his heavy boots. This has slowly started to feel like a new normal for our family. I’m not sure when he will be able to return to base and resume his normal duties there but until then he’s doing the best he can. HST580 Arizona State University -
2020-09-13
Hermit HERALD VOL 1 ISSUE 63
Covid controversy, NYC -
2020-08-15
Cuando piensas tomar en la chacra durante la cuarentena
Este video fue grabado en día en la ciudad de Arequipa, como se sabe el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas esta prohibido ya sea lugares que estén fuera del hogar o dentro del mismo. Es por esto que algunos jóvenes optaron por celebrar el día de Arequipa en Characato distrito que se encuentra alejado de la ciudad el cual está rodeado de chacras los jóvenes pensaron que no serían atrapados pero al parecer algunas personas dieron aviso a los militares que se encontraban haciendo guardia a alrededores. El hecho ocasionó que al ser descubiertos empiezan a huir del lugar siendo perseguidos por el personal del ejército vecinos del lugar grabaron lo sucedido. -
2020-08-19
Portfolio of an intern of the Journal of a plague year archive
Prior to interning the JOTPY internship I thought we would be doing a lot of submissions for the archive to build it and maybe online work to raise awareness of the archive. I had no real knowledge of public history and was going in not expecting it to be such an important part of the archive. Throughout the internship I developed many skills such as curating, how to write a blog, press release and mission statement, and how to build an individual archive collection. I realized my colloquial writing was weak during the internship since many of the projects involved reaching out directly to the general public and speaking plainly. I was once quite adept at this but being an undergrad and now a graduate student these skills had become quite rusty as I endeavored to perfect my academic writing. I had to learn to work as a team in the internship and also reach out to regular non academics for submissions and these socially based experiences were uncomfortable for me since I am more of an introvert. However, throughout the internship I came to really value the camaraderie and community the interns built together. Before the internship I shied away from group projects as a necessary evil to be avoided at all costs however the internship showed me how much fun working with others could be and to value a great team. The internship also allowed me to network with other people including fellow interns, teachers and archive associates. The internship gave me real world experience of my historical skills introduced me to many new skills set that could pertain to future employment. Overall, it was a great experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world. -
08/16/2020
Kyle Ballard Oral History, 2020/08/16
Kyle Ballard is active duty military in North Augusta, South Carolina. Kyle identifies as a gay man and uses the pronouns he and him. He has witnessed firsthand the federal government response to the pandemic as he works on a military base and was given a restriction of movement order after falling ill in March. Despite his illness, he was unable to get a Covid-19 test due to testing restriction at the time. He spends most of his time working at the military base and developing student government for Arizona State University’s online campus. Kyle discusses the potential issues faced particularly by LGBTQ+ youth in the middle of the pandemic and his disappointment in the government response across all levels. He lives with his boyfriend Mason and recounts how it was difficult to not see him as much after the quarantine had ended. Kyle wishes the media would focus more on what other countries have done to successfully limit the spread of Covid-19. -
2020-08-13
DOD covid-19 military cases
This is an update of the number of coronavirus cases in the military.It shows a significant difference between the military branches with the army leading with the highest number of cases. -
2020-06-01
New basic testing methods
This is an article discussing new protocols for military basic training involving a 14 day quarantine period and testing before training as well as contact tracing. -
2020-07-10
Military coronavirus rates growing at twice the rates as nationwide average
This is an article explaining how the military is experiencing higher rates of coronavirus than the general public.The article claims it is due to more people getting tested when in reality it is due to precautions not being taken seriously.My husband's whole platoon was exposed to the coronavirus and they just quarantined those who expressed a desire to get a test and wouldn't let them get an actual test because it would "expose the people taking a test" they even tried to force a soldier without coronavirus to room with a soldier who had tested positive for it. -
2020-08-08
COVID, ASU and Sick friends
During this pandemic, i have dealt with many things. One being the loss of one of my best friends due to the virus. He served with me overseas and saved my life when i was shot and was bleeding out. It took everything in my heart to not fly out to his funeral. Because of the virus, i could not go and spend time with his wife and kids that i have known for years. He is the one that motivated to go back to school at ASU. RIP Ray. I created this image in his memory and combined it with ASU. -
03/24/2020
Amber Gowen Oral History Interview 2020/03/24
In response to COVID-19, the Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science launched the mini-series, "Cultural Insights: Interviews in the Creative Sector," to highlight colleagues and professionals working in the same or similar field of museum professionals. -
07/10/2020
Alexis Walker Oral History, 2020/07/10
Alexis Walker grew up in Southern California but is currently living in Fayetteville, NC while her husband is stationed at Fort Bragg. Alexis is currently a full-time mom and a full-time graduate student in Arizona State University’s online History M.A. program. Alexis’s day-to-day life is mostly centered around her family and the social life of the family is heavily centered around the military community of Fort Bragg. In this interview Alexis reflects on her experiences as a mother during the COVID-19 pandemic and how that has affected the way she cares for her children. Alexis also provides a unique insight to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of military members, their families, and the military community as a whole. With the stop movement order issued by the military, the lives of Alexis and her family have essentially been put on hold until the military decides to relax this movement and travel restriction. Finally, Alexis reflects on the varying responses to the pandemic within a community made up of great diversity due to the varying cultural backgrounds of military families. -
2020-07-20
Camp Hansen COVID-19 Restrictions
This screenshot provides a more specific look into what facilities and services were closed or modified as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak at Camp Hansen, Okinawa. Note to the right where one comment from a member of the 12th Marines tells his fellow "devil dogs" not to worry about the barbershop closures, since his CO shaved his head without any need of such a service. -
2020-07-11
HPCON C Guidance at Camp Hansen, Okinawa
These orders, captured in this screenshot from Marine Corps Base Camp Hansen's Facebook page, stipulate what personnel can and cannot do as the III Marine Expeditionary Force battled a COVID-19 outbreak on this and other bases on Okinawa in early July 2020. A testament to COVID's sneaky transmission, not even secure military facilities could seal themselves off from the virus, prompting them to close down even tighter as their European counterparts did in the early months of the pandemic. Note: "HP Con C" stands for "Health Protection Condition Charlie," which means that there is substantial community transmission of a pathogen in the area. -
2020-07-15
Camp Hansen COVID Update From the Camp Commander
This screenshot of a letter distributed to all Marine Corps and Navy personnel and their families aboard Camp Hansen in Okinawa details the service's priorities in the weeks ahead, as Marine Corps bases across the island do battle against a potentially deadly pathogen. Those priorities include preserving the Force, protecting the Marine Corps-Okinawa relationship, and "generate combat power" to deal with the COVID threat that struck Camp Hansen in July of 2020. -
2020-07-15
Limited Reopenings on Okinawa
Following an outbreak on US Marine Corps facilities on Okinawa, the branch closed down most on-base community services in order to slow the virus's spread. On July 15, some installations cautiously re-opened a select few, although not all bases restored services immediately. Some services resumed with minimal staffing in place, while others only applied to unit training, while others offered a virtual alternative. However, this partial restoration was short-lived, when MCCS shut down the fitness centers the following day. -
2020-07-21
Outbreak on Okinawa
In July 2020, a COVID-19 outbreak struck the US Marine Corps bases at Camp Hansen and MCAS Futenma on the island of Okinawa. This screenshot shows one of the countermeasures the Marine Corps Community Services took to halt the spread, which not only applied to Hansen and Futenma, but all USMC facilities on Okinawa. Due to the ease of transmission in crowded gyms, all fitness centers and gyms shut down, thus depriving the fitness-minded Marines of a key component to maintaining their physical readiness. -
2020-07-15
military deals with coronavirus for recruits
This is a news article discussing how the military is testing new recruits for coronavirus.While only 2% test positive 60% of those are asymptomatic ringing how the fact that a vast majority of people would have further spread it without this preliminary test.The article also mentions higher than average retention rates which is probably due to the fact that with the economy suffering from the pandemic more people are opting to re-enlist and have the safety net of a secure paycheck and healthcare at this time. -
2020-07-16
military response
This is a story of how one soldier can make a difference in the pandemic.This private was recognized for her good deeds by NASCAR however the question that begs asking is why it was necessary?why during a pandemic is a shortage of masks occurring especially in the military where people are forced to work in close quarters. -
03/30/2020
Al Bailey Oral History, 2020/03/30
Al Bailey grew up in the Midwest. He joined the Navy and worked on nuclear submarines for six years, has a degree in nuclear physics, worked in many nuclear power stations, and has been retired several times. He is an avid collector of paper money, enjoys ham radio, and is planning to go to law school this August. He has been married twice and has five children. Al and his wife Sara Bailey are currently living in Florence, Kentucky, with their youngest daughter Melanie. Sara is working in Kentucky at a chemical plant and is currently not required to stay home. Al’s life has been filled with many interesting events and experiences from his time in the military to 9/11 and more. In this interview, he reflects on current events related to COVID-19 and its political implications as well as how he and his family are handling the social distancing and isolation. -
2020-07-10
military cases of Covid-19 increase
This is a news article speculating why the military members are having an increase in positive coronavirus tests.What they leaving out is although masks are required for businesses they are not necessarily being followed by soldiers working and the same for social distancing and hand washing. My husband is in the military and tells me they were the masks when possible but most soldiers find them inconvenient and remove them whenever possible.Also social distancing is not practical for their work as they sometimes have to be in close quarters to complete their work.This in addition field events,airborne jumps, and other major projects that place many soldiers in close proximity together is probably the cause of the increased cases. -
2020-04-04
Bayani [Hero]
Giving support to our frontliners -
2020-03-30
Socially Distanced Reception: MCRD San Diego
This screenshot showcases B Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion's early morning reception at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego (MCRD San Diego), the Marine Corps' basic training installation for all recruits enlisted west of the Mississippi River. With social distancing an integral measure to counter the coronavirus's advance, recruits appear to be staggered in formation so as to avoid shoulder-to-shoulder contact, as indicated by the empty yellow footprints that would normally be occupied four to a row. However, it must be noted that at this date, none of the recruits have masks, and neither do the receiving sergeants in the photo's background, therefore underscoring the difficulties of rapidly adapting to a novel infectious disease whose spread could have dire consequences in a military environment. -
2020-04-20
Florida Army Guard Deploys to Nursing Home
These screenshots of pictures from an article posted on the Department of Defense's website detail how the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team has traded in their rifles for PPE and COVID-19 test kits. Deployed to the Alexander Nininger, Jr., Veterans Nursing Home in Pembroke Pines, Florida, these soldiers conduct tests as mobile teams, while administering tests to staff before entering the facility. Moreover, these screenshots also give an idea of the total scope of the Florida Guard's COVID-19 mission, including its operations beyond nursing home facilities. -
2020-06-08
Training New Marines in a New Reality
This screenshot from the United States Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot Parris Island Facebook offers a look into some of the adjustments the military has made in order to stem the spread of COVID-19 within its ranks. In a telling sign of the pandemic-era, these new recruits all wear protective masks in order to prevent possibly-infected water droplets from escaping into the air and triggering an outbreak within the barracks, an omnipresent threat, especially in boot camp. -
2020-06-29
Coronavirus Invades al-Jaber Airbase
By infecting nearly every corner of the globe, COVID-19 further demonstrated its reach by invading the self-contained confines of US military bases, such as al-Jaber airbase in Kuwait. This screenshot, which features masked US Marines and airmen preparing a field kitchen, provides a glimpse into this self-contained world, with the headline revealing that nothing is immune to the coronavirus. -
2020-05-07
A Permanently Disqualifying Condition
This memo from the United States Military Entrance Processing Command outlines certain guidelines for MEP stations to follow when testing and evaluating applicants for military service during the pandemic. One of its provisions specifically states that an established history of COVID-19 will be classified as a "permanently disqualifying condition," thus making the applicant unfit for induction. -
2020-06-06
Soldier of the 82nd Airborne Division conducting foot march to conduct Expert Infantry Badge training
There was 1100 hundred people in a group with three groups rotating in this training and it was impossible to follow pandemic precautions.A total of about 3800 were involved in just this two weeks training.3 companies were quarantined because of this training due to coronavirus cases after the training was completed.Not everyone who was at the training was quarantined. -
2020-06-20
Soldiers doing land navigation during quarantine
This is a video of a training event my husband participated in.As you can see the soldiers are taking zero precautions to prevent the coronavirus.After this event 2 people in my husband's squad tested positive for the virus.While they are quarantined the rest of their company who all trained with them and interact in an intimate environment on a daily basis are still being sent to the field together without any testing.In addition to this one of the soldier's who tested positive had a roommate that they were going to force to quarantine with him even though the roommate did not have any systems and was told he could not get tested for coronavirus because he was already supposed to be quarantined.It was only due to my husband interfering and arguing with the chain of command that the decision was made that the two roommates would be quarantined separately.Had he not interfered they would have forced the roommates to quarantine together and essentially force the roommate to contract the virus.It is important to show the negligence of Fort Bragg in regards to protecting their soldiers from the Coronavirus. -
2020-06-18
Military frustration
This is a story about my recent frustration with the the military's choices during this pandemic.It is important to tell the military side of the story because the official policies presented by the Department of Defense are not always adhered to at the installations and their story needs to be told. -
2020-06-08
A Clean Bill of Health And Ready To Go
The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) Carrier Strike Group prepares to weigh anchor after completing the Navy's mandatory 14-day pre-deployment quarantine; a measure put in place to prevent outbreaks like the one that sidelined the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The Harry S. Truman could not return to port on the East Coast until the Nimitz had completed these added precautions. -
2020-06-10
A Carrier's Plight with COVID-19
This screenshot shows a Navy medical technician conducting a COVID test in front of what appears to be the docked USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). Forced to make an emergency disembarkation at Naval Base Guam in the early days of the pandemic, the ship found itself ravaged by the virus, which swept through its departments and corridors with alarming speed, prompting its commander, Captain Brett Crozier, to order the crew off the warship; an action that combined with a pointed (and public) memo to superiors that ultimately lead to his dismissal. -
2020-06-12
Containing COVID-19 aboard the USS Kidd
After having been briefly attached to the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, the USS Kidd encountered a coronavirus outbreak on board while conducting operations off the coast of South America in April 2020. This screenshot of a posted dated June 12 provides a glimpse into the Navy's early attempts to combat the disease's spread before it could potentially cripple the vessel. Also note the face mask covering the eagle's beak on the US Navy emblem in the upper left corner. -
2020-06-05
Bumpin' Arms with the SECNAV
Secretary Braithwaite welcomes home this aircraft maintenance technician from Attack Fighter Squadron 211 with an arm bump greeting to minimize the risk of exposure. All those present for the Secretary's address to the Truman's crew wear face coverings, especially given the outbreaks the Navy has struggled to contain on board several of their deployed vessels. Nevertheless, social distancing proved to be difficult on board ship. -
2020-06-05
Welcoming Aboard the SECNAV
Masked up and spaced apart, the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) welcomes Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite aboard after they dropped anchor at the Norfolk Navy Yard following a 5-month tour of duty to the Middle East theater of operations and a 2-month "sustainment cruise) off the Virginia coast. The Truman remained at sea after the conclusion of their Middle Eastern cruise due to COVID-19 concerns and the need for deploying carrier groups to quarantine before getting underway and replacing the Truman in the Navy's operational rotation. -
2020-04-05
Joint DOD-USAF Guidance on the Use of Cloth Face Covers
These documents outline the proper use of cloth face masks on US military installations per the US Department of Defense and the Department of the Air Force. Also included is a memo to all personnel at Joint Base San Antonio (Fort Sam Houston, Lackland and Randolph AFBs, and Martindale Army Airfield) from the base commander addressing the DOD's COVID-19 responses, and how they will be implemented on base. This resource also includes a tutorial on how to wear and create homemade PPE. -
2020-02-25
DOD Memorandum Addressing Military-specific COVID-19 counter-measures for Military Base Commanders
Although the DOD followed CDC health guidelines, more military-specific responses needed implementation for US military personnel and bases. This memo from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness lists for base commanders such responses and the applicable conditions under which they must be taken. -
2020-04-20
DOD Memo on COVID-19 Travel Restrictions in the US Armed Forces
This document, generated by the Department of Defense and signed by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, cancels certain references from previous memos and extends DOD travel restrictions guidance through June 30, 2020. Also included are certain exemptions to the aforementioned restrictions. Nevertheless, these modifications to the Secretary of Defense's original "stop-movement order" were intended to halt the virus's growing spread by freezing most US military and DOD personnel's travel to US military facilities around the world. -
2020-06-13
As the Army Goes Rolling Along
Recalled to campus for the annual commencement ceremony by order of the commander-in-chief, these West Point cadets march out onto the green wearing face masks to prevent infection. Just days before the ceremony, a number of cadets tested positive for the virus, underscoring the reality that no place is out of COVID-19's long reach. -
2020-05-28
All-Americans Battle for the Best Burger
Throughout its storied history, the 82nd Airborne Division prevailed over the Nazis in World War II, tangled with the Viet Cong in Vietnam's verdant jungles, clawed through Afghanistan's Hindu Kush Mountains, and twice stormed across Iraq's desolate deserts. Now the "All-Americans" soldier on in the face of a global pandemic that has shuttered businesses and sealed off bases like Fort Bragg from the outside world, but despite all of this, there is one thing COVID-19 cannot disrupt: the time-honored divisional "Battle of the Burgers" contest. -
2020-06-16
Army Teleconference
With in-person meetings restricted, the US military switched to video conferences to conduct business, like this live streaming teleconference posted on the Army's Facebook page. A reflection of the Digital Age's technological acceleration, these four officers, one of whom is a major general, discuss in real time updates to the Army's Combat Fitness Test, all the while avoiding exposure to themselves or their fellow soldiers. Since the pandemic erupted upon the global landscape, video conferencing has proven to be invaluable in the struggle to continue day-to-day functions, as schools, universities, businesses, companies, and military bases all sealed their environs. -
2020-06-16
Masks On the March
This private first class deploys the US military's newest weapon, as the Army continues to train to fight the enemies of the future while defending against an enemy it cannot see. Prior to the pandemic, mask-wearing proved exceptionally rare in the USA, but with no mitigation effort being spared in the quest to arrest COVID-19's global march, both civilians and soldiers alike rely on them to keep the contagion at bay. -
2020-06-16
The Screaming Eagles Rendezvous with Temp Checks
This screenshot of the 101st Airborne Division's (Air Assault) Facebook page reveals some of the counter-measures the US Army is taking against COVID-19. These soldiers of the 2nd BCT (Brigade Combat Team) undergo temperature checks before a training exercise, even though some medical professionals had voiced concerns about the reliability of handheld temperature guns. Furthermore, this image also reflects how the Army is continuing to maintain their training regimen and rotation schedule in the face of the pandemic, as these soldiers prepare to embark for the JRTC at Fort Polk, Louisiana, a state that had been a COVID hot spot just weeks earlier. -
12020-06-11
HERMIT HERALD VOL 1 ISSUE 38
pandemic and racial topics