Soldiers Prep for Inauguration Day

The Army will play a major role in the 57th presidential inaugural.

Army News Service WASHINGTON -- The Army will play a major role in the 57th presidential inaugural, set for Jan. 21, and early Sunday morning soldiers participated in a full dress rehearsal. Soldiers participating in the rehearsal marched along Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street from Capitol Hill to the White House and several blocks beyond. Units included the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions; a joint-service color guard, the U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own), the Army Field Band and the 3rd U. S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). Soldiers from Joint Task Force National Capital Region were also at the rehearsal, as they are responsible for planning and coordinating armed forces participation in the inaugural events which will be …

• Photos (1)

Bragg Officer's Same-Sex Spouse Experiences Discrimination

The Department of Defense General Counsel is reviewing the much-publicized conflict

According to the Association of Bragg Officer Spouses website, they were founded upon four principles: Charity, Friendship, Hospitality, and Support. Fort Bragg's social and service organization for officer's spouses has done many great things for the community, but is their decision to oust a same-sex officer's spouse wishing to apply for membership going against what they are built on? Although the Army still considers same-sex married couples 'single' for benefits and entitlement purposes, should the group's cornerstone principles be revamped? In Sunday's Fayetteville Observer report, an opinion piece on the group discriminating against Ashley Broadway, a newly married Army spouse, also made national headlines last month when the …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Golden Knights Take Gold, Silver at World Parachuting Championships

This victory is the best Golden Knights performance at the FAI World Parachuting Championships since 1997.

Army News Service DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The U.S. Army Golden Knights Formation Flying 8-Way Team won the Gold Medal, and the All-Female Golden Knights 4-Way Team brought home the Silver Medal, at the 2012 World Parachuting Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The 8-way competition team brought home the Gold in the 8-way Open Formation Skydiving with a winning score of 229 points. The Knights conquered France, who came in second with a score of 225 and Russia, took third with 192. The United Arab Emirates hosted the 2012 World Parachuting Championships for the first time in Dubai, the capital of sports in the Middle East, which lasted from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9. The Golden Knights 8-Way Team was lead to victory representing …

• Photos (1)

Fort Stewart MP Soldier Wins Brigade Officer of the Quarter Competition

1st Lt. Margaret Susman, the executive officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 385th MP Battalion, 16th MP Brigade took first place in the brigade-wide competition held at Fort Bragg.

By Capt. Lisa Beum DVIDS FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- Soldiers from Fort Bragg, Fort Drum, N.Y. and Fort Stewart, Ga., gathered here to compete in a brigade-wide competition to determine the Officer of the Quarter for the 16th Military Police Brigade, Nov. 27. These junior officers, from five different subordinate units, participated in a challenging two-day event, completing numerous physical, tactical and mental tests. Of the five soldiers, it was 1st Lt. Margaret Susman, the executive officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 385th MP Battalion, 16th MP Bde., out of Fort Stewart, who took first place with a three point lead. “The biggest challenge was the variety of events in which we participated in; we had to be knowledgeable in …

• Photos (1)

Fort Bragg Soldiers Killed in 'Green-on-Blue' Attacks in Afghanistan

'Green-on-blue' attacks are on the rise, and have accounted for 14 percent of Coalition casualties in 2012.

According to the Department of Defense two Fort Bragg soldiers died on Thursday. U.S. Army Sgt. Clinton Keith Ruiz, 22, of Murrieta was killed by small arms fire when his unit was attacked in Khas Uruzgan, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C., with the 9th Military Information Support Battalion (Airborne), 8th Military Information Support Group (Airborne). The attack also killed Staff Sgt. Kashif M. Memon, 31, of Houston. He was also stationed at Fort Bragg. According to a family member, the attacks that took their lives were "green-on-blue" attacks -- incidents where American or Coalition soldiers are attacked by rogue Afghan security forces. According to a CNN report, "green-on-blue" attacks have increased …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Westboro Church's Fort Bragg Funeral Protest Foiled Thanks to Community Support

Westboro Baptist Church members left within 10 minutes after nearly 1,500 people lines the streets of Raeford, N.C., to support the family of a fallen soldier.

A military funeral service was held in Raeford for a North Carolina National Guard soldier killed in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Donna Johnson, 29, was one of three members of the Winterville-based 514th Military Police Company killed October 1 by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. Her body arrived Friday at Pope Army Air Field on Fort Bragg. Read more:   Hundreds of Patriot Guard Riders and other community supporters formed a human wall around the Raeford Presbyterian Church to shield the family from The Westboro Baptist Church who made it public that they would picket the service.  Nearly 1,500 more people lined the streets of downtown Raeford waving flags and signs that they made to show their support for the family and friends. Thanks to the…

•  7 Comments
• Photos (1)

Helen E

8:52 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2012

@Tony I give up! What is a "goddess" flag? A Madonna flag?   more ›

Westboro Baptist Church Set to Protest at Fort Bragg Soldier's Funeral

Anti-protestors can take part in "A Human Wall for Fallen Soldiers", an organized group whose goal is to assemble enough people to shield the family from protesters.

Westboro Baptist Church members say they'll be protesting at a Fort Bragg soldier's funeral Saturday. The church will supposedly protest Sgt. Donna Johnson's funeral at 10:15 a.m. Saturday at the Raeford Presbyterian Church, 128 Edinborough Avenue, in Raeford, N.C. The group was reported to be picketing the three military funerals in North Carolina according to a WCNC news report. The group connects the deaths of soldiers to America's acceptance of gays. Army Sgt. Donna R. Johnson Johnson was killed Oct. 1 by a suicide bomber while serving in Khost, Afghanistan. She had been in the Army for six years and was assigned to the 514th Military Police Company, 60th Troop Command. She leaves behind her wife, Tracy. According to Johnson's sister …

• Photos (1)

New Hearing Set in Famed Green Beret Murder Case

New DNA evidence will be introduced in court, in hopes of vindicating Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, convicted in 1979 of killing his wife and two daughters.

Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, 69, is serving three life terms in federal prison. The former Army surgeon, assigned to the Special Forces, still pleads innocent and heads to the U.S. U.S. District Court in Wilmington, N.C. After several scheduling delays, the hearing on new evidence will begin today. MacDonald was convicted in 1979 for the murders of his pregnant wife and two daughters in February 1970. The case inspired the bestselling 1983 true crime book Fatal Vision and a 1984 television miniseries of the same name. MacDonald has always maintained his innocence, and he and his attorneys have alleged that the prosecution suppressed evidence in the case. In April 2011, The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling, remanding the case to …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Ryan Smith

9:38 am on Monday, September 17, 2012

This case has always interested me, especially as a former Fort Bragg soldier. When I was at Bragg, opinions on the MacDonald case were still pretty sharply divided even after (at that time) 25 years. What do you think?   more ›

TECH

Simulator Uses Virtual Reality to Train Soldiers

Dismounted Soldier Training System allows soldiers to train in immersive virtual environment

Army News Service FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- The Army is responsible to provide realistic training for individual soldiers while mitigating risk. With emerging technology of the virtual world, this is becoming a reality. The first-ever, fully immersive virtual simulation training system for soldiers is being fielded at Fort Bragg. The Dismounted Soldier Training System will be available for leaders to enhance their soldiers' training in a fully immersive, virtual reality environment. This virtual system allows leaders at the squad level to maintain their squad's proficiency of their assigned tasks in a timely and safe manner, even in the event new soldiers arrive to the unit. "This system gives the power of simulation to the squad in order to …

• Photos (1)

Slain Fort Bragg Officer Laid to Rest

The Fort Bragg officer killed by a fellow soldier last week was laid to rest Thursday in Texas.

The Fort Bragg officer killed by a fellow soldier last week was laid to rest Thursday in College Station, texas, according to an Associated Press report. Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale, 42, was killed last week when Spc. Ricky G. Elder shot him during a safety briefing. Elder also slightly wounded another soldier before turning the gun on himself. Elder later died of his wounds. Tisdale, an alumnus of Texas A&M, was buried at the Aggie Field of Honor in College Station, the AP reported. More on the Fort Bragg shooting:   Subscribe to the Fort Stewart Patch newsletter and get news, Patch deals and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your inbox. Follow Fort Stewart Patch on Twitter and Facebook. Add your photos to Pics & Clips.

• Photos (1)