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Memorial Day

Families of Fallen Carry On Tradition of Resilience

Each Memorial Day, Americans honor those whom we cannot personally thank: the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

History suggests that Memorial Day had its beginnings in Mississippi, where women decorated the graves of Confederate and Union soldiers killed during the Civil War.

Ever since, Memorial Day commemorations across the United States have honored men and women lost in battle -- and those who are still missing -- while wearing the uniforms of the United States military. While the deceased cannot hear our thanks, their living legacies are here among us to accept that gratitude, and it is appropriate that we honor them as well.

Imagine a Memorial Day ceremony at which many of these families sit in reflection. They are poignant connections to the pages of American history.

As you acknowledge them, take a close look at who they are and the stories they tell about becoming the families of America's fallen heroes.

Cadets line the path for the oldest living graduate, retired Col. Kermit Dyke during laying of the wreath at the statue of Sylvanus Thayer at the United States Military Academy at West Point on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. Sylvanus Thayer was the fifth superintendent of West Point and known as “The Father of the Military Academy.”

WPAOG presented the 2018 Distinguished Graduate Awards during the Alumni Review. The recipients were: COL(R) Dana G. Mead ’57, Mr. Thomas C. Barron ’65, LTG(R) Larry R. Jordan ’68, GEN(R) William C. Wallace ’69, HON Sloan D. Gibson ’75, and HON Douglas E. Lute ’75.

After months of review, the Department of Defense says it will continue to allow people to use their mobile devices — like cellphones, smart watches and laptops — inside the Pentagon. But they won't be able to take them everywhere.

The policy issued Tuesday applies to all DOD and Office of the Secretary of Defense staff, "military personnel, civilian employees, contractors, and visitors in the Pentagon."

Traumatic Brain Injury Study

Are shoulder-fired weapons causing traumatic brain injuries? How the Army plans to find out:

A recent report from the Center for a New American Security suggests that soldiers who regularly use shoulder-fired weapons might be experiencing traumatic brain injuries.

In response to those findings, Army Secretary Mark Esper is calling on his service to better monitor potential brain trauma on-site and track soldiers to quickly diagnose any damage.

“We need to monitor our soldiers, because we owe them that much, and we need them,” Esper told an audience at CNAS headquarters on May 16. “You can’t afford to not do that.”

As of 2007, head injuries were the most commonly treated by military doctors, beyond chest and abdominal wounds, CNAS found.

Officials released new guidance Tuesday on the Army's Selective Retention Bonus Program, which includes first-ever bonuses up to $52,000 for those who reenlist for critical Security Forces Assistance Brigade positions.

SRB "kickers" that incentivize Soldiers who reenlist early will also go into effect at the end of this month. Details are included in Military Personnel Message 18-156.

Kickers will now only be available to those eligible to reenlist on a long-term basis between 10 and 15 months from their contractual ETS date. A $3,000 kicker will be for a five-year reenlistment, and there is a $6,000 kicker for a six-year enlistment.

Soldiers who reenlist under the NCO Career Status Program must also meet the term length requirement for the corresponding kicker amount.

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Technology: Playing Field to the Battlefield

NFL helmet maker helping curb service members' head injuries in combat.

The creator of the innovative football helmet that performed best in NFL testing the last two years is taking its concussion-reducing technology from the playing field to the battlefield.

VICIS, maker of the Zero1 football helmet, is partnering with the U.S. Army to research ways to reduce head injuries in the military through a development grant announced Tuesday.

The Seattle-based company will replace foam pads in existing Army and Marine Corps combat helmets with liner technology developed for its Zero1 football helmet, said VICIS CEO and co-founder Dave Marver.

"This aligns with our mission and it allows us to protect those who have signed up to protect us," Marver told The Associated Press. "The technology remains in development, but it's very promising and we're hopeful it will make a big difference in the lives of our servicemen and women."

Army Sweeps Navy

To Capture Patriot League Baseball Championship

Christian Hodge crouched down in the batter’s box and hung his head while everyone in the Army dugout stormed the field.

Hodge continued staring straight down at the ground as the Black Knights formed a mass pile of humanity on the pitcher’s mound surrounding reliever Cam Opp.

Hodge and the rest of the Navy baseball team could not bear to watch as archrival Army celebrated capturing the Patriot League

Championship on Terwilliger Brothers Field.

Freshman Anthony Giachin delivered a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning to drive in the winning runs and the bullpen made it stand as Army defeated Navy, 5-3, on Monday afternoon at Max Bishop Stadium to sweep the Patriot League Championship series.

“This is indescribable. It’s what we’ve been working toward all year, and to have it all come together this weekend against our archrival is a great feeling,” said Giachin, a third baseman who was named Most Valuable Player of the Patriot League Tournament.

Senior catcher Jon Rosoff went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored for Army, which captured the championship for the first time since securing consecutive crowns in 2012 and 2013. Junior infielder Josh White singled in a run then scored for the Black Knights (34-23), who earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

“We did this for our two seniors — Jon Rosoff and Matt Ball. They’ve been working their butts off for four years and to finally get this for them is huge for the underclassmen and huge for the program,” Giachin said. “We did what it took to get the win today — a lot of timely hitting and a lot of shutdown innings after we scored the go-ahead runs.”

From the spears hurled by Romans to the missiles launched by fighter pilots, the weapons humans use to kill each other have always been subject to improvement.

Militaries seek to make each one evermore lethal and, in doing so, better protect the soldier who wields it. But in the next evolution of combat, the U.S. Army is heading down a path that may lead humans off the battlefield entirely.

Over the next few years, the Pentagon is poised to spend almost $1 billion for a range of robots designed to complement combat troops. Beyond scouting and explosives disposal, these new machines will sniff out hazardous chemicals or other agents, perform complex reconnaissance and even carry a soldier's gear.

"Within five years, I have no doubt there will be robots in every Army formation," said Bryan McVeigh, the Army's project manager for force protection. He touted a record 800 robots fielded over the past 18 months. "We're going from talking about robots to actually building and fielding programs," he said. "This is an exciting time to be working on robots with the Army."

But that's just the beginning.

The Pentagon has split its robot platforms into light, medium and heavy categories. In April, the Army awarded a $429.1 million contract to two Massachusetts companies, Endeavor Robotics of Chelmsford and Waltham-based QinetiQ North America, for small bots weighing fewer than 25 pounds. This spring, Endeavor also landed two contracts worth $34 million from the Marine Corps for small and midsized robots.

The public is invited to attend the West Point Class of 2015 graduation at 10 a.m. on Saturday May 26, 2018.

More than 950 cadets will receive their bachelor of science degrees and be commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army. Gen. Martin Dempsey, the 18th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a member of West Point’s class of 1974, is the commencement speaker. He’s also a 1970 graduate of John S. Burke Catholic High School in Goshen.

Tickets for general admission can be picked up at the Army Ticket Office at Gate 3 at Michie Stadium from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day through Friday. Tickets are free of charge.

Those attending should enter through either the Thayer or Stony Lonesome gates. Photo identification is required for everyone age 16 or older attending, and all vehicles are subject to search. Parking will be available in many locations and free shuttle bus service will be provided to Michie Stadium. Guests should plan to arrive early.

Those who can’t attend in person can watch the graduation exercises streamed live beginning at 9:30 a.m. at http://dvidshub.net/r/wervqu .

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