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Army Depot Leads Way in Transitioning to Safer Firefighting Foam

Wednesday, January 17th, 2024

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Letterkenny Army Depot made considerable strides in supporting the Army’s three-pronged approach to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS.

In line with the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020, which prohibits the use of fluorinated aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, at any military installation after Oct. 1, 2024, LEAD Fire and Emergency Services transitioned all three of their engines to the updated military specifications for land and maritime firefighting agent, fluorine-free foam, known as FFF.

Under the direction of Fire Chief Dave McGlynn and the supervision of Fire Capt. Scott McGonigal, the LEAD Fire and Emergency Services team successfully transitioned Engine 13-1 with a 50-gallon capacity, and Engines 13-2 and 13-3 with 30-gallon capacities each, Dec. 12 – 13, 2023.

“This achievement not only underscores the Army’s commitment to environmental stewardship and public health but also positions Letterkenny Army Depot and its Fire and Emergency Services team as a benchmark in military environmental initiatives,” McGlynn said. “Our success in transitioning to PFAS-free firefighting solutions exemplifies the Army’s role as a leader in sustainable and health-conscious practices.”

As LEAD embarks on supporting the Army’s Organic Industrial Base 15-year Modernization Implementation Plan, environmental and operational initiatives such as the fluorine-free foam transition postures LEAD Fire and Emergency Services to support modernization efforts.

“This transition will ensure that LEAD Fire and Emergency Services is properly equipped to offer safer protection to the depot during the modernization and construction phase,” McGlynn remarked. “In addition, this will help us continue to offer our service to the depot and surrounding community in a safer way.”

Letterkenny’s Fire and Emergency Services department services the entire installation and supports the Franklin County community through mutual aid agreements.

“The fact that this foam is PFAS-free ensures that we can deliver safer foam in our emergency response,” McGlynn stated. “Through Franklin County Fire Chief’s Association meetings, I’ve learned that Franklin County is also in the process of transitioning the foam on apparatuses throughout the county.”

The LEAD Fire and Emergency Services team worked in close coordination with the Directorate of Public Works and the Environmental Division to safely transfer and dispose of the old fluorinated aqueous film-forming foam.

“This transition was successfully accomplished through the mutual partnership and support from the entire Letterkenny team,” McGlynn said. “As in everything, communication is the key to success. This particular effort was a success because of the relationships and good communication between LEAD, Army Materiel Command and Aviation and Missile Command.”

LEAD and the Army are collaborating on a comprehensive assessment of areas where PFAS-containing chemicals were used and stored on-post. The results of this assessment and information gathered from groundwater sampling, performed in cooperation with local residents, will be used to develop an effective strategy to remediate the effects of past discharges.

“Removing all the fluorinated aqueous film-forming foam from Letterkenny ensures that a potential source of PFAS is eliminated,” stated Amy Renshaw, a physical scientist and installation restoration program manager and BRAC environmental coordinator for LEAD. “This transition greatly supports our assessment and helps ensure the success of the PFAS removal efforts.”

Limited sampling conducted during an onsite assessment at Letterkenny in 2021 found that locations related to past fire training with potential releases showed elevated PFOA/PFOS concentrations. The assessment led Letterkenny to seek to test off-post drinking water wells that could potentially be affected due to depot operations.

In July 2022, the U.S. Army conducted testing of 20 drinking water wells on private properties, including two community wells serving multiple residences, near the depot and found zero wells with concentrations that exceed 70 parts per trillion, the Environmental Protection Agency’s former lifetime health advisory level.

In a continued effort to determine potentially affected areas, Letterkenny is preparing to expand the evaluation area later this year. The Army will be contacting owners of properties adjacent to the depot to seek permission to test the quality of drinking water in wells. These tests will help assess if past industrial operations have potentially impacted the wells’ water.

The Army prohibits the use of AFFF for maintenance, testing and training on its installations and only uses AFFF for emergency responses. Now that the transition has occurred, LEAD will no longer utilize AFFF for emergency response.

“Firefighting is already an inherently dangerous job, and we felt it was vitally important to expedite this process once given the opportunity. The hope is to start a trend to get the rest of fire and emergency services to remove and replace theirs sooner than later,” McGlynn shared. “The successful replacement of PFAS-containing AFFF at Letterkenny Army Depot represents a significant stride toward a safer, more environmentally responsible military. It sets a precedent for other installations and services, highlighting the feasibility and urgency of transitioning to PFAS-free alternatives for a healthier and safer future.”

Letterkenny Army Depot is the Army’s premier professional organic maintenance facility that provides overhaul, repair and modifications for tactical missile air defense and space systems, electric power generation equipment and various military vehicles, support systems and protection programs. LEAD is a subordinate of U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, and is the Air and Missile Defense and Long Range Precision Fires depot, supporting systems for the Department of Defense, foreign partners and industry. Letterkenny Army Depot was established in 1942 and is a government-owned and -operated industrial installation located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

By Dorie Heyer

Posted in Army, Guest Post | 1 Comment »

Army Asks for Help in Alleviating Burden on Missile Air and Missile Defense Soldiers

Tuesday, January 16th, 2024

WASHINGTON — The Army and the joint force must help reduce the stress of heavily tasked Soldiers in air and missile defense formations, an Army leader told lawmakers on Dec. 7.

The Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense force has taken increased importance in ongoing combat operations, said Maj. Gen. Sean Gainey, director of the Joint Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office and director of fires, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Planning and Training. U.S. Army air and missile defense deployments worldwide have greatly impacted Soldiers and their families, he said.

“We’ve asked a lot of our air and missile defense formations, and in every instance, they have responded to every call,” Gainey said to the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on strategic forces. “The cost has been decreased time [at] home. It’s having a strain on the force. Army leadership recognizes that strain. And the Joint Staff and [Army] leadership has looked at reducing demand.”

Brig Gen. Clair Gill, Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations and force management, said missile-related threats have rapidly expanded and grown in sophistication, maneuverability and lethality, placing more stress on Soldiers and troops in other branches.

Nearly all Soldiers in air defense units have exceeded the Secretary of Defense requirement of remaining home for a minimum of two years following a one-year deployment, Gainey added.

Gainey said that the Army shares the responsibility of integrated missile defense with other services. He said to alleviate the burden placed on Soldiers, the Army has been working closely with sailors assigned to the Navy’s Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System and troops in the Air Force counter-air operations program. Soldiers have also worked closely towards integration with allied nations during mass exercises.

“This additive capability, and its associated force structure is designed not only to defeat the threat, but to minimize the impact on Soldiers and their families,” said Gainey, who the Senate recently appointed to the rank of lieutenant general and will become commander of the Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.

Gainey asked for the help of lawmakers to assure funding for construction of facilities and quality of life initiatives for air and missile defense Soldiers, including those assigned to the defense of Guam.

“Support to the quality of life programs will also be a critical part to continue the improvement in getting after the health of force initiatives,” Gainey said. “The Air and Missile Defense formations are the most deployed formations in the Army. And several times those systems are deployed early into an environment, the quality of life facilities aren’t in place for the Soldiers.”

Soldiers and sailors have been building the defense infrastructure of Guam, a strategic location for U.S. forces in the Pacific that could be pivotal in future conflicts. Soldiers assigned there not only have limited services and facilities but must also contend with geographical challenges such as typhoons.

Gainey said the military and government must act now to lessen the burden on missile defense Soldiers and their families. Families must endure long periods of separation when Soldiers frequently deploy.

“The importance of the work that our air and missile defense Soldiers do each and every day in support of the Army, and the nation cannot be overstated,” Gainey said. “And I want to thank you for your continued support to them and their families. Our Army’s contribution to defeat the wide range of evolving threats continues to improve in both capability and capacity as we build towards the future Army.”

By Joe Lacdan, Army News Service

Posted in Army, Guest Post | Comments Off on Army Asks for Help in Alleviating Burden on Missile Air and Missile Defense Soldiers

New Army Space Vision: Actualizing Multidomain Operations

Sunday, January 14th, 2024

WASHINGTON — “The Army Space Vision will ensure our commanders integrate space-based operations into all aspects of our operational planning and execution to prevail on tomorrow’s contested battlefields.” — The Honorable Christine Wormuth, 25th Secretary of the Army.

Army space will reach new heights in 2024. This month, the Secretary of the Army, Chief of Staff of the Army and Sergeant Major of the Army published the Army Space Vision outlining a renewed focus for Army space activities. The new space vision directs the Army to concentrate on: (1) integrating friendly joint, coalition, and commercial space capabilities and (2) interdicting adversary space capabilities to protect friendly forces. These two roles and responsibilities are critical components to multidomain operations, and they enable the Army to effectively shoot, move, communicate, and survive on a 21st-century battlefield. The Army Space Vision focuses the scope of Army space operations to its core interests while acknowledging the Space Force mission to provide mission-critical space capabilities to the Joint Force.

The Army Space Vision is a call to action for commanders and staffs, at every echelon, to better understand how the space domain impacts land operations and how operations on land can impact the space domain. As the Army prepares for large-scale ground combat operations against peer competitors, the Army cannot take friendly space capabilities for granted or discount adversary space capabilities. This reinforces guidance outlined in Army Field Manual 3-0 emphasizing commanders and their staffs require an increased understanding of the space domain and the Army can no longer assume it can operate unobserved. Additionally, commanders cannot assume they will have unconstrained use of space capabilities.

To increase the Army’s collective understanding of the space domain, commanders should seek out Army space professionals within their organization or their higher headquarters. Army space professionals can help units by increasing their knowledge of friendly and adversary space capabilities and, more importantly, how they affect operations on land. The Army must integrate its space professionals into day-to-day operations and more long-term planning efforts at a minimum. They can also spearhead leader professional development sessions that emphasize the integration of friendly space capabilities to enhance all Army warfighting functions and the interdiction of adversary space capabilities to protect friendly forces.

As the Army seeks to integrate joint, coalition, and commercial space capabilities it must prioritize the following space mission areas (1) Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) (e.g., Global Positioning System), (2) Satellite Communications (SATCOM); (3) Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR); and (4) Missile Warning. These are not the only space mission areas; however, these four space mission areas are the most consequential for the Army to carry out its mission. Additionally, the Army still develops ground user equipment in concert with its joint, coalition, and commercial space capability providers. As the Army uses friendly space capabilities, commanders and staffs need to know the interdependencies and potential vulnerabilities.

When it comes to interdicting adversary space capabilities, Army commanders and staffs must understand space domain threats and how they impact land operations. Rapid advancements in adversary space capabilities pose a significant risk to the Army and land forces particularly. For instance, adversary PNT systems enable long-range precision-guided munitions, SATCOM provides beyond-line-of-sight encrypted communication for command and control, and ISR allows persistent observation and geolocation. To mitigate the threat, Army space professionals can conduct space operations that deny or degrade adversary use of space for hostile purposes. Interdicting adversary space capabilities protects friendly forces and is an essential element in multidomain operations.

The Army Space Vision also differentiates Army space from the other services. Since the Space Force establishment, each service has retained a cadre of space professionals and service-unique space capabilities. All services integrate joint, coalition, and commercial space capabilities, and most services conduct space operations to interdict adversary space capabilities. The common thread among the services is tailoring space professionals and space capabilities to their domain. For the Army, its space professionals directly support ground maneuver commanders on the land domain. The Army specially designs its space capabilities to co-locate and maneuver with ground forces at the forward edge of battle. These service-unique space capabilities are smaller in size, more mobile, produced at a greater scale, and built for combat.

The Army looks forward to actualizing the new vision over the coming months and years. In addition to the Army Space Vision publication, there are other momentous changes taking place too. First, the Army proponent for space and high altitude, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, recently had a change of command ceremony as it said farewell to Lt. Gen. Dan Karbler and welcomed Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey. Second, the Army is developing and fielding new capabilities to interdict adversary use of space for hostile purposes. Third, the Army is also contemplating elevating its space operations career field from a functional area to a branch. Regardless of whether the space operations career field becomes a branch, there is consensus that Army space professionals, capabilities, and formations will continue to grow.

As the new vision surmises, the Army’s next fight will occur across multiple domains, and successful operations in and through the space domain will be critical to our success. In other words, space is important to the Army and will become increasingly more important going forward. Army commanders and staffs must know how the space domain affects land operations, and how they can affect the space domain. The interplay among domains is a principal reason the Army adopted multidomain operations as its operating concept. The Army Space Vision allows the Army to actualize multidomain operations with its renewed focus on Army space operations. Army senior leader endorsement of the new vision concurrently recognizes the importance of the space domain and substantiates increased investments in Army space professionals, capabilities, and formations.

By COL Pete Atkinson, HQDA Space Chief

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Space | Comments Off on New Army Space Vision: Actualizing Multidomain Operations

Half-Mast Sends: PS Magazine Will End Historic Run Effective Sep 30

Saturday, January 13th, 2024

Troops…

Due to Headquarters Department of the Army (HQDA)-directed reductions of DA Civilian authorizations, PS Magazine will cease operations effective Sep 30, 2024. These reductions, among others across the Army, are necessary to right-size the total force, as well as support modernization.

PS Magazine’s transition to end of mission has already begun, and mission execution is reducing as its writing staff is reassigned or retires. Any residual support will cease operations no later than Sep 30. In the near term, this will affect the magazine’s ability to respond to Reader Inquiries, depending on the commodity or end item being inquired about. It will also mean a reduction in new content being posted to the website, with new articles all but ending this spring.

Efforts are being made to ensure the website remains available for reference for up to three years past end-of-mission. Once this website is fully retired, readers can continue to access the PS Magazine archive on the publicly available Radio Nerds website HERE.

On behalf of Connie, Bonnie, SFC Blade, Cloe and the other staff now retired, it’s been our distinct honor to serve Warfighters across all services for going on 73 years. You never know; perhaps someday we’ll be recalled to service. We’ll stand ready just in case.

For now, be safe, follow your TMs and always treat your vehicles and equipment as if your life depends on them. For surely, it will.

Connie & Bonnie (upper left and right); SFC Blade & Cloe (lower left and right)

Posted in Army, Guest Post, MRO | 16 Comments »

The Transformative Power of Wearable Health and Performance Devices

Friday, January 12th, 2024

AUSTIN, Texas — In an immersive display of military innovation, the 2023 U.S. Army Best Squad Competition, held from September to October across several locations in the southern U.S., showcased the transformative power of wearable health and performance monitoring devices, positioning them as a crucial component of the Soldier’s readiness arsenal.

The competition not only underscored the capabilities of the new technologies, which included a ring device for sleep and recovery monitoring, and a sports watch for daytime exertion monitoring, but also highlighted their role as health and wellness sport technologies that can integrate seamlessly into squad proficiency tests of warrior tasks and battle drills.

Sgt. Maj. Matthew Dolsen of Headquarters, Department of the Army G-3 Special Operations Division served as lead coordinator of the competition and discussed the decision to introduce wearable technologies within military competitions.

“These competitors are our elite overachievers, mentally and physically — our future leaders. We know they have the aptitude to integrate the technology on site but will then also carry their experiences back to their units and daily missions,” Dolsen said.

Joseph Patterson, a Soldier performance strategist with U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, emphasized the significance of these wearables, which are a singular aspect of the health and human performance ecosystem. Patterson labeled the devices an “integral part” of Optimizing the Human Weapon System (OHWS), an initiative supported by Army Futures Command; U.S. Southern Command; U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa; and the Office of the United States Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Program Executive Office Soldier.

The wearable devices employed during the competition proved to be invaluable tools, sensing anticipatory stress, exertion levels and levels of recovery through each event. Providing a discrete snapshot of health data, the wearables empowered squads to enhance their performance in real time, fostering both accountability and improvement.

The incorporation of instantaneous feedback allowed for intelligent pacing adjustments in the Army Combat Fitness Test and 12-mile foot march, showcasing the Soldier’s utilization of wearable technology in optimizing outcomes and ensuring safety. Patterson compared this use case to baseball, saying, “No matter how good the bat, uniform, cleats, helmet are, it’s the player that has to be good in order to make contact with the fastball and put it in play.”

Wearables provided continuous monitoring across a myriad of physiological parameters, offering insights into warfighter responses, and contributing to formational readiness. One user voiced after the event, “I got great insight with the wearables. I felt safe to push myself hard knowing if I started to break a safe limit, I would be attended to, which is great.”

Competitors expressed the most impactful and shocking dataset to be their sleep feedback, which is measured for recovery data, and was collected over multiple days during the two-month competition. Patterson emphasized this as a notable blind spot to acknowledge.

“Sleep universally touches every service member yet seems to be the least known or understood data point in Soldiers’ lives,” he said.

Downtime was capitalized by attentive squad leaders, employing deliberate recovery when alerted by member biofeedback. Teams that showed data set indicators of faster recovery had associated positive performance during the competitive events.

“Seeing what you’re doing on a biological level lets Soldiers make better choices,” Dolsen said.

The devices are not immune to human behavior, however. Some Soldiers worried about losing the rings during the high-demand tactical events had them safely stored in their pockets, and some would forget to sync data each morning.

“It just takes some education and familiarity with the technology … I think the program is outstanding and can lead to a healthier force,” Dolsen said.

Beyond the immediate competition, the longitudinal data generated by wearable devices offers a broad application, informing both personal and command decisions and supporting the Army’s greatest asymmetric advantage: People. The adoption of wearable technology also aligns with the 2022 National Defense Strategy and Authorization Act, emphasizing the need to invest in technology for individual effectiveness and longevity. This transformative technology is designed for adaptability and has been primed to seamlessly integrate into the existing Army ecosystem of authoritative databases in the coming year, enabling even more powerful and predictive analyses in direct support of integrated prevention.

The wearables program has extended its reach across various Army units, from infantry to military intelligence, exemplifying versatility beyond the Close Combat Force. Now any Soldier can participate in the new paradigm under the ‘Bring Your Own Device’ program for wearables. All OHWS-enabled units have the option to link their own personal smart watch as part of the effort.

“OHWS recognizes the best performance wearable is one that provides the Soldier with insights into their behavior habits and choices, which may very well be the one they bought themselves,” Patterson said.

Integration of wearables accelerates transformation of human potential and survivability within the military landscape. The successful employment of wearables in the diverse and realistic environments of the Best Squad Competition illustrated their adaptability and effectiveness. By enhancing Soldiers’ physical and mental well-being, these wearables have the potential to contribute to a more resilient and effective force.

By MSG Katie Smith, Army Futures Command

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Medical | 3 Comments »

DEVCOM Soldier Center Grants Non-exclusive Commercial Patent License to Down East Innovation for Issue Modular Handgun System Holster

Monday, January 8th, 2024

The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Soldier Center, Natick, Mass., has granted a non-exclusive commercial patent license to Down East Innovation, based in Bridgton, Maine, for the manufacture of ambidextrous holsters that can accommodate the Army’s new M17/M18 modular handgun systems.

The handgun systems, fielded and adopted across the U.S. military in the last five years, require holsters that can do more than carry the firearms. The Holster must accommodate an attached aiming light, and red dot, integrate safety features to prevent unauthorized or accidental removal of the firearm from the holster, permit left or right side placement, enable faster draw capability, and allow for a tight enough fit for stability.

DEVCOM Soldier Center, with its mission of providing the Army with innovative science and technology solutions to optimize the performance of soldiers, was the ideal laboratory to address the warfighters’ requests and develop the design for this small, but crucial, piece of equipment.

John Kirk, the DEVCOM Soldier Center lead engineer for the holster, headed the development team tasked with researching and testing materials and design modifications. The result was an injection molded holster that would not be negatively affected by sand and ice, and attach to a belt or standard MOLLE webbing on either the left or right side of the body. The holster could also be incrementally adjusted for a desired angle by the user.

With several designs in hand, Kirk and team began working with Down East Innovation to manufacture and test holster prototypes. Down East Innovation is a manufacturer of injection molded tactical gear, primarily in the field of load carriage. The company typically manufacturers products of its own design, but has also built tooling, prototypes, and parts to government specifications.

The DEVCOM Soldier Center Technology Transfer Office, led by Technology Transfer Manager Sheri Mennillo, engaged with Kirk early in the research and development process to facilitate the filing of a patent application for the innovative holster design. Down East Innovation expressed interest in a license to the patent application for commercial purposes, so that the dual-use technology could be sold within the commercial marketplace. As the Department of Defense is currently in the process of fielding the M17/M18 modular handgun systems, this may result in commercial interest in a compatible holster from law enforcement organizations and foreign militaries.

“The technology transfer partnership between DEVCOM Soldier Center and Down East Innovation is a great example of how the Army meets warfighter and national security needs, while at the same time contributing to American economic development,” Mennillo said. “When businesses license government technologies, all sectors of the economy benefit, from the military to the industrial base to individual households.”

Justin Kiger, Research and Development Manager at Down East Innovation, added “Down East Innovation has developed and produced packframes, packs and other equipment for the U.S. military for over thirty years. We are looking forward to adding the M17/M18 compatible holster to our product line.”

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Holsters | 44 Comments »

Leading the Way to Soldier Readiness

Sunday, January 7th, 2024

AUSTIN, Texas — As the senior ranking non-commissioned officer at U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC), Command Sgt. Maj. Brian A. Hester has dedicated his career to being people-focused and people-motivated.

“People matter, and our Army has the best people,” Hester asserted.

Responsible for advising the AFC commanding general and other senior leaders on the activities, needs and support requirements of Soldiers and their families, Hester often applies his informed experiences and personal insights to his work for the command.

“My responsibility is to take my experiences as a Soldier over the last 33 years and make sure we’re looking through that lens as we’re trying to modernize and transform the Army,” he said.

His day-to-day tasks include assessing how to best solidify systems, processes, interactions and relationships inside and outside of the organization – efforts that benefit from his disposition as a “people person.”

Hester is also an integral member of a broader AFC team that is continuously evaluating whether new equipment and approaches will “make Soldiers more lethal and more protected on the battlefield” from “both a deterrence perspective and a combat operations perspective.”

“Our responsibility is to transform the Army so that we have future war-winning readiness.” Hester said.

He highlighted how AFC activities help ensure that the Army has “the right equipment, the right training, the right organizations to be able to maintain that land force dominance” and that new materiel and methods are “effective, safe, reliable, efficient and hardened against the threat.”

“I know that the Army of the future is going to continue to be the best Army in the world. It’s going to continue to be able to take care of its people, be absolutely proficient at warfighting. It’s going to be ready when the nation needs it.”

Hester’s skill in analyzing and influencing Soldier-centric planning efforts stems not only from his own career as a Soldier, but also from a deep appreciation for the value of teamwork and hard work.

“People often talk about luck. I think that luck is the intersection of preparation and seizing opportunity,” Hester said.

When he decided to enlist in the Army in 1990, shortly after graduating high school, he began a journey that embodied that mantra.

“I grew up in a little town, Mt. Sterling, Illinois, on the Midwest side of the state, in the farm belt,” Hester said.

His community of 1,500 people offered limited opportunities beyond farming and construction, and he was eager to find a way to continue fueling his passion for teamwork, which he discovered while playing high school football, basketball and baseball.

“I wanted to be able to continue to be part of a team, which is one of the things I learned as an athlete, and also do something that I thought was meaningful for me and my family and my country,” Hester explained.

He opted to join the infantry specifically because he was inspired by the unique opportunities it offered, like learning how to jump out of an airplane.

“The infantry platoon is really like an athletic team, and if each person plays their position well, then the whole team is successful,” Hester said.

Once in the Army, Hester enjoyed the camaraderie and taking on leadership roles. He remembers thinking to himself, “wow, this is something I could do for 20 years.”

“It just kept getting better,” he said. “It kept being more meaningful to me, and it provided a good opportunity for my family.”

To date, Hester’s Army career has taken him to domestic assignments in Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina and Texas, as well as international posts in Afghanistan Iraq, Kosovo and South Korea.

His service has additionally afforded him time and support to obtain a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and complete several military education courses, including Ranger School and the Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy.

More than three decades later, Hester still enjoys “being around Soldiers, having something really meaningful to do each and every day.”

“That has given me a lot of personal purpose and personal satisfaction,” he said.

The chance to solve complex problems and inspire others is also a great motivator.

“I don’t think that there’s anything better than the opportunity to figure out how to inspire other people around you to get after a common challenge, a common goal, and I think that’s one of the things the Army does best.”

Hester’s service has enabled his wife of 28 years and their two sons to live in locations around the country, making multiple friendships, encountering new experiences and building resilience along the way.

“For my family, it’s been a good thing,” Hester said of Army life.

His son decided to pursue military service as well, joining the generations of his family – including Hester’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather – who served before him.

“I am super proud of my family heritage, and super proud of my son for serving also,” Hester said.

Hester encourages individuals who may just be starting out in their careers to consider “serving something larger than yourself – as a service member or as a teacher or as a doctor or as a youth coach or a pastor – or finding a way to give back to your community in a meaningful way.”

He sees the Army as an ideal path for many, given the multitude of opportunities, career pathways and experiences it offers.

“I think it’s a great way to start as a young person; even if you’re 30 years old, I consider that to be a young person,” Hester said. “I think that there’s also those folks out there that are looking for a change in their life; the Army’s a great place to make a change, to find something new.”

“If you come into the Army with the thought that ‘I’m going to make this opportunity for me the best that I can make it,’ I am 100% sure that your time serving in the Army will be meaningful to you and your family.”

“If you don’t know if the Army is the right place for you, you should talk to a recruiter,” he added.

“I’d almost guarantee you that there’s going to be a fantastic opportunity, should you choose to join the Army and be part of our team.”

By Maureena Thompson, Army Futures Command

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Profession of Arms | Comments Off on Leading the Way to Soldier Readiness

U.S. Soldier Conquers French Desert Commando Course

Saturday, January 6th, 2024

For nearly 50 years, French soldiers stationed in Djibouti have made their way to Arta Mountains for the French Desert Commando course, a grueling five-day course designed to test soldiers’ physical, emotional and mental limits. This year 40 U.S. service members signed up for the challenge, among them was U.S. Army Sgt. Liliana Munday.

Growing up, Munday, a Soldier with the 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Carolina National Guard, gravitated toward physical activities that kept her outdoors as often as possible. She was immediately interested in the French Desert Commando Course but hearing about the physical demands of the course brought on feelings of doubt.

“I didn’t think I was ready for it,” she said. “But Staff Sgt. (Samuel) Perez kept pushing me to try out because he saw that I wanted to do it and he had faith in me that I could do it.”

The FDCC has two phases, the pre-assessment and commando phase. The first phase ensured service members met the basic physical requirements and evolved into a preparation program over several weeks. During this period service members consistently trained to earn a spot in the commando phase. The second phase took them out to the field where they faced numerous courses including a night obstacle course, a ropes course and a swimming course incorporated with various combative and desert survival skills.

With the paperwork submitted the next step was to prepare. Her training regimen began in September and included rucks and runs around the installation before dawn, weight lifting, and dynamic, high-intensity exercises nearly every day. At the peak of her training, she fit in three workouts each day while balancing her regular work schedule.

After three months of training Munday remembers the nerves she felt on the drive out to Arta Mountains where her hard work was put to the test immediately.

“I almost had an aneurysm, I was so scared,” she said. “On the way out there I kept thinking, ‘Am I ready? Am I gonna do this? These guys are gonna smoke me, I’m just gonna be out here stranded and be sent home on day one’.”

Day one consisted of a five kilometer ruck-run with a full kit, followed by a PT test and rope climbs.

“I was nervous because rope climbs are very hard for me and in training, I could only do one,” she recalled.

Her training partner, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Samuel Perez, was there to support and encourage her, watching as she steadily made her way to the top.

“I could see she was nervous because we saw the other competitors struggling with this climb,” Perez said. “I was there telling her she could do it; I knew she could. She got up there and when she came back down she had a big smile beaming from her face she was so excited and she ran over and gave me a big hug.”

With the first big hurdle behind her, Munday moved forward in the course with a newfound confidence.

“For some reason, after completing that first day I was good. I started to feel like I could do this thing and I proved to my squad that I was here to work and I deserved to be here,” she said.

Each day and night Munday and her squad faced a new obstacle, the most difficult for her she says was the mountain obstacle course.

Positioned 200 meters above the ground, participants were required to jump across five platforms spaced several meters apart, jump and grab on to a steel pole and slide down to the ground.

“When you’re doing that mountain obstacle course you don’t realize how far each platform is from one another and there are points when you’re not clipped in,” she explained. “I thought, if I missed even a little bit, I’m going down.”

On day three, after pushing herself through numerous challenges and rucking non-stop from one training location to another, she thought she had reached her breaking point and seriously considered quitting.

“Your joints just start to scream. It’s painful,” she confessed. “I kept thinking I cannot take this pain anymore. I’m almost done but I cannot do it anymore.”

Through the dirt, mud, sweat and pain, it was Munday’s spirit and drive within her that helped her push through. That spirit and drive, she said, comes from two of the strongest people she knows.

“My mom and my grandma—they’re such strong women and they never let me quit when I was younger. They have strong personalities and it’s within me,” she said. “It was very nice to tell them that I did this. They were like, ‘No way, that’s awesome!’ and when I told them I was the only female they said, ‘You’re kicking ass!’.”

At the end of it all, the feeling of accomplishment came when she received the French Desert Commando pin at graduation. Black and gold in color, the pin prominently features a scorpion resting on the outline of the country of Djibouti. Along the rim are the words “Aguerrissement Zone Desertique” which translates to “Desert Zone Hardening”.

“I’m now able to look back and say, I did that. We did that,” she said with a smile. “Completing something and not giving up even though you may want to … it sticks with you forever. I use this as fuel to my fire when I feel like I can’t do something. I think to myself, ‘You can, because you have already’.”

Beyond the support she received from her family and teammates, Munday’s success is a testament to the old adage ‘preparation is the key to success.’ It’s a message she’s taken to heart and shared with her fellow soldiers since completing the course.

“Someone I work with said he wanted to do the FDCC but he didn’t think he was ready,” she said. “I said, ‘Sir, you’re never going to be ready.’ I didn’t think I was ready. But I got ready. So if you truly think or know that you want to do something no matter the current status that you’re in, if you want to pursue it you’re just gonna have to train and do what it takes to get to that point. There is no other way.”

By MSG Jerilyn Quintanilla

Posted in Army, Guest Post, International, Profession of Arms, Training | 3 Comments »