posted by admin on Nov 18
The US Army as well as the Army Reserve has three major parts: enlisted, warrant officer, and commissioned officer. Generally, US Army are enlisted personnel. They mostly consist of the ranks of Private to Sergeant Major of the US Army. Enlisted soldiers has specialization in a specific department or area of knowledge, and eventually follow the orders of their officers. Warrant officers are the same with commissioned officers, except that warrant officers are knowledgeable in a specific area of expertise. Hence, officers offer leadership to enlisted personnel. Their ranking mostly depend on the unit they are commanding. In becoming a commissioned officer in the US Army: taking ROTC in college or being in the Officer Candidate School.
posted by admin on Oct 31
Army astronaut Col. Doug Wheelock accompanied mission specialist Scott Parazynski in space. They boarded Space Shuttle Discovery for their spacewalk the following Tuesday morning (October 30, 2007). They were tasked to attach a P-6 truss to one of the ports of the International Space Station, and then deploy solar arrays on the said truss. The two astronauts made their first spacewalk on Friday, as they attached the Harmony node to the Unity node of the space station.
Thus, the Harmony node will be able to hold two additional laboratories for future space missions. They also explained that the Columbus Laboratory sent by the European Space Agency will be linked to the starboard side of the node. In addition, a Japanese experiment module laboratory will also be attached on the portside.
posted by admin on Oct 31
Air Force runners beat the Marines during the Marine Corps Marathon. It was such a disappointment for the Marines, since they hosted the said event. Both Air Force men’s and women’s team have dominated the distant running challenge. The Air Force aced a 20-minute edge over the Marines, with a combined time of 16:19:36.
The first to finish the race was Lt. Brian Dumm from Osan Air Base of Korea. However, he placed sixth in the overall ranking with an outstanding time of 2:28:27. On the other hand, Maj. Brenda Schrank of Andrews Air Force Base won the female division with a time of 3:00:19.
posted by admin on Oct 31
The Coast Guard has finally reached the North Pole last October 25, 2007. It was a preliminary test if it could operate in the Arctic region. The Coast Guard made the trip possible through a C-130 Hercules jet that came from Barrow around 8:30 A.M., and arrived in the North Pole at exactly 12:32 P.M. The 1,100-mile flight witnessed the magnificent sunrise as it approached the cold region.
21 Guardsmen boarded the said aircraft. Although the passengers were kept warm at a certain temperature, the cold outside recorded a -40 degrees. Hence, they have managed to reach the area using GPS navigation system.
The first Coast Guard trip to the North Pole was in 1860s, when the first Lighthouse Service Tender was sent to the region. However, the most recent trip was the Coast Guard’s first time to arrived at a 90 degrees north location. The main purpose of the trip is Artic Domain Awareness.
posted by admin on Oct 31
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Liberty in Alaska, together with the Alaska State Troopers, made a drug seizure during a routine boarding in Ketchikan area. When the Guardsmen boarded fishing vessel (F/V) 819, they noticed a strong smell of marijuana. After a further search, they recovered a glass smoking pipe, five half-pint jars of marijuana oil or hash oil, and approximately one-half ounce of marijuana. Local Alaska Troopers said that the value of the oil was estimated around $40K to $50K. It was the biggest marijuana oil seizure in Alaska. Hence, F/V 819 has also violated many safety regulations, causing the termination of its voyage. Further investigation is still going on.
posted by admin on Oct 31
Last Tuesday, a small and inert training bomb fell from a warplane when it was flying toward an air station. The Navy confirmed that no one was hurt. However, the 10-pound empty bomb damaged a warehouse in one of the resorts in Virginia Beach, leading only to minimal damages.
It was an F/A-18C Hornet plane that caused the whole incident as it returned to Oceana Naval Air Station after a training session at the Navy’s bombing range in Dare County, North Carolina. The bomb just suddenly dropped as the jet was making its final touchdown.
Eventually, the Navy board will look into the bomb accident, and then determine if the pilot has to be punished. He has failed to calculate the jet’s altitude, which resulted in the untimely release of the said BDU-48 bomb.
Such type of bomb typically carries an explosive charge that expels smoke on impact.
posted by admin on Oct 31
Dave Matthews Band displayed its musical stints in the Army football event in West Point, New York. The band appeared in two shows, and both are free shows. The U.S. Military Academy actually won over the Navy, Air Force and other several colleges to get a visit from the band. Consequently, Dave Matthews played for the cadets last November 14 and 15. The cadets actually won the competition by submitting invitations by SMS messages and online posts. AT&T was one of the sponsors of the said event.
In addition, the cadets has shown their entertainment skills like dancing and singing. As an event highlight, the cadets made a video for the band saying - “West Point NEEDS someone to ROCK our stonewalled campus.”
posted by admin on Oct 31
The Air Force rugby team has beaten the Army rugby team with a 22-5 victory in the 2007 championship match last October 27 in Marine Corps Base Camp Lejuene, North Carolina. All branches of the military service have participated (Army, Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps). However, the Air Force marked its fourth rugby winning streak.
The Air Force rugby team coach said that they have practiced and prepared for the challenge since March this year. More new and young Airmen have tried out, while old players provided guidance as well as leadership. The preparation paid off as the Air Force rip a lead of 17-0 in the first half. After 25 minutes of undaunted fight, the Army managed to score 5 against their opponent’s 17. The Army has intensely kept up its offensive until the second half. But then, the Air Force regained strength and stopped the Army from dominating until the end.
posted by admin on Oct 31
A research study of Harvard Medical School shows that 1.8 million U.S. Military Veterans are uninsured or do not have health care coverage. The figure defines an increase of 290,000 since 2000. Researchers also said that most of veterans are coming from the middle class. Hence, they cannot qualify for any VA care because of their incomes. Some of them can’t even afford copayments. Also, some places lack VA centers.
One of every eight veterans who are under 65 years old is not insured. This opposes the idea that all veterans are qualified for free health care. The said research is based on the analysis of government surveys in 1988-2005. The study has also noted that VA in January 2003 put a stop on the enrollment of most veterans. The action was to decrease the backlog of patients waiting for health care. In turn, this has caused problems to millions of veterans. Thus, the recommendation of the researchers is to come up with a universal health coverage in the United States.
posted by admin on Oct 31
In New Brunswick, New Jersey, a new treatment facility is scheduled to support female veterans who are victims of sexual assaults. Veterans Administration officials disclosed that sexual assault and harassment cases of female soldiers have increased overtime. The new center will offer treatment to military women who suffer “military sexual trauma.”
The said treatment center is expected to open this coming December. It will be the first of its kind – a residential Veteran Administration center which concentrates on such sexual cases. The establishment of the facility is based on the findings that 20% of female soldiers leaving the military experienced sexual trauma during their service, especially those who served overseas.