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Camp Humphreys firefighters 'turn up the heat' with live fire training in Korea
Story and photos by Edward N. Johnson, USAG-Humphreys, PAO
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea -- More than 95 Army and Navy firefighters from across Korea gathered on Camp Humphreys to take part in four days of live fire training, Oct. 23.
According to Matthew B. Spreitzer, U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys fire chief, the week's training was primarily focused on building teamwork, while fighting aviation fuel fires during day and nighttime scenarios.
Home to the Army's most active airfield in Asia, Camp Humphreys firefighters take the possibility of an aircraft fire seriously. Although rare, such fires have the potential to involve large amounts of burning fuel and heavy smoke. It is for this reason, Dathan O. Black, the Department's assistant chief for training says he makes these events as realistic as possible.
"From a training standpoint, our fire crews need to be ready at a moment's notice," said Black. "Hopefully, we never have to respond to a real aircraft crash, but training like this helps ensure we are ready if called upon to do so."
"The first time a firefighter experiences a large, extremely hot aircraft fire, shouldn't be when they respond to a plane crash," said Spreitzer. "That would be very dangerous for the victims as well as the firefighters."
Spreitzer, whose fire department was recently named best in the Department of Defense, said teamwork in firefighting operations is extremely important for the safety of everyone involved.
"Teamwork is even more critical when dealing with aviation fuel fires, which are usually very large and extremely hot," added Spreitzer. "All firefighting personnel must be able to trust one another so each team can focus on their individual piece of the mission to ensure a successful outcome."
According to Black, the live fire training program was developed to provide firefighters an opportunity to practice their teamwork and firefighting skills in the same harsh conditions of heat, smoke and stress they expect to find when fighting aircraft-related fires.
"Our crews have been fighting large fires, with lots of smoke and heat, over the past few days," said Black, who was recently recognized as the Army's best fire service instructor. "Because we're the only garrison in Korea with the capability to put together this kind of training, we try to invite as many other military fire departments as possible to join us."
While training is a necessary part of his job, Black said the USAG Humphreys fire department enjoys hosting live fire training. According to Black, overcoming the challenges of fighting large fuel fires, like the ones being fought here, is also good for morale.
"Today's training really made me proud to be firefighter," said Pan, Chae-heyong, a member of the USAG Humphreys fire department. "It gave us a chance to work together as teams and practice the discipline needed to fight fire in a realistic environment."
According to Sprietzer, USAG Humphreys offers training to all DoD fire departments in Korea, as well as local Korean fire departments that have entered into mutual assistance agreements with the garrison.
"Everyone who comes to our training leaves with the experience and training needed to successfully fight aircraft-related fires," said Sprietzer.
Click here to learn more about Camp Humphreys
U.S. Army photos by Cpl. Ma Jae Sang
Ducks top Hoyas in Armed Forces Classic at Camp Humphreys
By Tim Hipps
U.S. Army Installation Management Command
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea – In a season opener between teams led by newcomers, Joseph Young scored 24 points to lead No. 19 Oregon to an 82-75 victory over Georgetown in the 2013 Armed Forces Classic here.
The Ducks and Hoyas tipped off Nov. 9 at 10:16 a.m., on a Saturday morning in the Humphreys Community Fitness Center. For college basketball fans across America, the game was one of many season openers on Friday night. Only one, however, was played before 2,100 U.S. troops and their family members, along with a worldwide television audience on ESPN.
“We’re about to start the journey to determine who is the best team in college basketball, the best team in the country, and we’re doing it in front of the best team in the world,” ESPN announcer Jay Bilas said. “I’m in absolute awe of the commitment, the sacrifice, of our men and women in uniform.”
Young, a junior guard who transferred from Houston is a son of Michael Young, who played for the high-flying “Phi Slama Jama” teams of the early 1980’s. He grabbed five rebounds and was perfect on 12 free throws in his first game as a Duck.
Joshua Smith, a 6-foot-10, 350-pound junior center who transferred from UCLA, led Georgetown (0-1) with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and 5 of 9 free throws before fouling out of his first game as a Hoya with 9 seconds remaining.
Jason Calliste made all 11 of his free throws and scored 16 points for Oregon (1-0). Mike Moser added 15 points, seven rebounds and a career-high six steals, the most by an Oregon player in 15 seasons. Darius Wright was the last Duck to post six steals in a game against USC on Jan. 7, 1999.
“We came a long way, so we really didn’t want to lose this one,” Moser said. “It definitely feels good to go home – a 12-hour ride – with a win.”
Damyean Dotson grabbed eight rebounds and Johnathan Loyd had seven assists for Oregon. Loyd recorded his 304th career assist for a spot on the Ducks’ top 10 list.
The Hoyas shot 1 of 15 from 3-point range, failed to find much offensive continuity, and were outrebounded, 40-32.
“Things we can control, we have to control,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “We had too many untimely unforced turnovers. We got our rhythm offensively, but we gave up a lot of threes in a row – it felt like four or five. The timing of that is what we have to learn. When we had to get a stop or a rebound, we didn’t.”
Oregon took an 18-7 lead via a 12-2 run, capped by two free throws by Calliste with 12:27 remaining in the first half. Calliste also converted a three-point play that gave the Ducks a 30-23 lead with 5:25 remaining in the period. Oregon led, 37-34, at halftime.
Georgetown took its first lead since 2-0 on a steal by Markel Starks and Smith’s feed to Jabril Trawick for a layup and a 40-39 lead with 18:06 left. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera’s jumper put Georgetown ahead, 42-39. Loyd responded with a 3-pointer, Young followed with a layup, and the Ducks led the rest of the way.
Starks finished with 16 points and four assists for Georgetown. Trawick added 11 points and three rebounds. Before departing, Moser saluted the troops who welcomed the Ducks to Camp Humphreys, their most distant regular-season game site in school history.
“We had a lot of fun,” Moser said. “Getting a chance to hang out with the troops for a couple days inspired us to try and come out here and win this game.”
Played on Veterans Day weekend, the game featured a military theme throughout. Rather than players’ last names, Army values, such as “Courage,” “Integrity” and “Respect,” adorned the back of Georgetown’s camouflage-patterned jerseys. The backs of the Ducks’ camouflage-patterned jerseys displayed: “USA.” Members of both coaching staffs wore military-style cargo pants and combat boots.
“This was an unbelievable experience,” Thompson said. “It was a privilege to play in this environment, and it was a privilege to play in front of the Soldiers. One of the most rewarding times was serving lunch yesterday and getting the chance to interact with the young men and women stationed here at Camp Humphreys.”
Georgetown players Nate Lubick and Starks also were appreciative.
“This was a great opportunity to get a close-up look at what life is like for the men and women who protect our country,” Lubick said. “We’re very fortunate to have the opportunity to come here and play a game to thank them for all they do.”
“We’re blessed to have the chance to come here and see and tour the base and the helicopters,” Starks added. “It’s amazing all that they do and we’re really thankful to get the chance to meet everyone here.”
Folks at Camp Humphreys thought likewise.
“It’s such a blessing,” said Cassie Gaudette, wife of Army Capt. Brian Gaudette. “I don’t think that they can truly understand how exciting and wonderful it is to have a little piece of home and have the teams come here to South Korea. We’re originally from Eugene [home of the Oregon Ducks], so this was really exciting to see.”
Oregon played without sophomores Dominic Artis and Ben Carter, who were suspended nine games for violating NCAA rules by selling school-issued athletic apparel. If only they knew what they missed.
Founded by university students in 2009, the Canadian Hero Fund is a registered charity dedicated to assisting military families, with a focus on grassroots initiatives and youth engagement. The motto 'Keeping Their Dreams Alive' stands for the dreams of the families and children that are sustained through Canadian Hero Fund support programs, as well as the dreams of fallen soldiers who wanted more for future generations.
To learn more please visit: www.herofund.ca
Polish Soldiers from the elite 1 Pułk Specjalny Komandosów, 1 PSK (1st Special Commando Regiment, 1st Special Forces Regiment) during a training exercise - 2011
Dîner de Noël
Christmas Dinner
CMR/RMC Saint-Jean
14 déc/Dec 2017
CMR2017-118
Photographie par/ Photography by Mario Poirier
© Sa Majesté la Reine et chef du Canada, représentée par le ministère de la Défense nationale, 2017
© Her Majesty The Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Department of National Defence, 2017
NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, Bulgaria – Soldiers from the Polish Land Forces participate in Saber Guardian 2014. This year's exercise, hosted by U.S. Army Europe and the Bulgarian Land Forces, is a multinational military exercise involving approximately 700 military personnel from twelve participating nations including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Turkey and the U.S., as well as representatives from NATO. The exercise, which runs until April 4, 2014, is designed to strengthen international agency and military partnering while fostering trust and improving interoperability between NATO and partner nations involved in foreign consequence management and peace support operations with U.S. forces. Saber Guardian 2014 is part of the U.S. Army Europe annual training and exercise program and has been planned for since 2013. Last year’s iteration of the training exercise was conducted at the Romanian Land Forces Combat Training Center in Cincu, Romania. The training at Saber Guardian 2014 will reinforce USAREUR commitment to increasing regional flexibility, preserving and enhancing NATO interoperability, and facilitating multinational training. (Photo by Sgt. Brooks Fletcher, U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs)
Students from Kenya Defence Forces Joint Command and Staff College visit Rwanda
Kigali, 14 March 2023
Haji Baran, Afghanistan 04 June, 2011
Getting ready for early morning operation
Canadian Forces soldiers prep their kit before an early morning operation into the village of Haji Baran to conduct cordoned searches of fields and compounds.
OP HAJI BARAN is one of a growing number of operations that are lead by Afghan National Security Forces and supported by Canadian Forces in order to bring stability to an ever-learning country.
Operation ATHENA is Canada’s participation in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. The mission of Task Force Kandahar, the Canadian-led brigade in ISAF Regional Command (South), is to set the right conditions for sustainable progress in security, governance, development and peace in the districts of Panjwa'i, Dand and Daman in Kandahar Province, in conjunction with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Afghan national security forces, and other coalition and civilian partners.
Canadian Forces Image Number IS2011-1013-01
By Cpl Tina Gillies with Roto 10, Task Force Kandahar, Afghanistan
_____________________________Traduction
Haji Baran, Afghanistan, 4 juin 2011
Les militaires des Forces canadiennes préparent leur équipement avant d’entreprendre une opération dans le village de Haji Baran. Tôt le matin, ils y effectueront une opération de bouclage et de recherche dans les champs et les enceintes.
Opération ATHENA est la participation canadienne aux Forces internationales d’assistance à la sécurité (FIAS) en Afghanistan. Établi dans la province de Kandahar, dans le sud de l'Afghanistan depuis l'automne 2005, OP ATHENA a un objectif principal: laisser à la population afghane un pays avec une meilleure gouvernance, avec une meilleure sécurité.
Image des Forces canadiennes numéro IS2011-1013-01
Par le Cpl Tina Gillies avec Force opérationnelle interarmées
Soldiers from the Colombian special forces participate in a simulated rescue exercise during a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and his Colombian counterpart Juan Carlos Pinzon to a military base in Tolemaida province, Ibague April 23, 2012.
The Himalayas or Himalaya (/ˌhɪməˈleɪ.ə/ or /hɪˈmɑːləjə/) is a mountain range in the Indian subcontinent, which separates the Indo-Gangetic Plain from the Tibetan Plateau. Geopolitically, it covers the Himalayan states and regions. This range is home to nine of the ten highest peaks on Earth, including the highest above sea level, Mount Everest. The Himalayas have profoundly shaped the cultures of South Asia. Many Himalayan peaks are sacred in Dharmic religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism.
The Himalayas are bordered on the north by the Tibetan Plateau, on the south by the Indo-Gangetic Plain, on the northwest by the Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges and on the east by the Indian states of Sikkim, the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. The Hindu Kush, Karakoram and Himalayas together form the "Hindu Kush Himalayan Region" (HKH). The western anchor of the Himalayas, Nanga Parbat, lies just south of the northernmost bend of the Indus River; the eastern anchor, Namcha Barwa, is just west of the great bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. The Himalayas span five countries: Nepal, India, Bhutan, China (Tibet), and Pakistan, the first three countries having sovereignty over most of the range.
Lifted by the collision of the Indian tectonic plate with the Eurasian Plate, the Himalayan range runs northwest to southeast in a 2,400-kilometre-long arc. The range varies in width from 400 kilometres in the west to 150 kilometres in the east. Besides the Greater Himalayas, there are several parallel lower ranges. The southernmost, along the northern edge of the Indian plains and reaching 1000 m in altitude, is the Sivalik Hills. Further north is a higher range, reaching 2000–3000 m, known as the Lower Himalayan Range.
Three of the world's major rivers (the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra) arise in the Himalayas. While the Indus and the Brahmaputra rise near Mount Kailash in Tibet, the Ganges rises in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Their combined drainage basin is home to some 600 million people.
ETYMOLOGY
The name Himālaya is from Sanskrit: hima (snow) + ālaya (dwelling), and literally means "abode of snow"
ECOLOGY
The flora and fauna of the Himalayas vary with climate, rainfall, altitude, and soils. The climate ranges from tropical at the base of the mountains to permanent ice and snow at the highest elevations. The amount of yearly rainfall increases from west to east along the southern front of the range. This diversity of altitude, rainfall and soil conditions combined with the very high snow line supports a variety of distinct plant and animal communities. The extremes of high altitude (low atmospheric pressure) combined with extreme cold favor extremophile organisms.
The unique floral and faunal wealth of the Himalayas is undergoing structural and compositional changes due to climate change. The increase in temperature is shifting various species to higher elevations. The oak forest is being invaded by pine forests in the Garhwal Himalayan region. There are reports of early flowering and fruiting in some tree species, especially rhododendron, apple and box myrtle. The highest known tree species in the Himalayas is Juniperus tibetica located at 4,900 metres in Southeastern Tibet.
GEOLOGY
The Himalayan range is one of the youngest mountain ranges on the planet and consists mostly of uplifted sedimentary and metamorphic rock. According to the modern theory of plate tectonics, its formation is a result of a continental collision or orogeny along the convergent boundary between the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The Arakan Yoma highlands in Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal were also formed as a result of this collision.
During the Upper Cretaceous, about 70 million years ago, the north-moving Indo-Australian plate (which has subsequently broken into the Indian Plate and the Australian plate) was moving at about 15 cm per year. About 50 million years ago this fast moving Indo-Australian plate had completely closed the Tethys Ocean, the existence of which has been determined by sedimentary rocks settled on the ocean floor, and the volcanoes that fringed its edges. Since both plates were composed of low density continental crust, they were thrust faulted and folded into mountain ranges rather than subducting into the mantle along an oceanic trench. An often-cited fact used to illustrate this process is that the summit of Mount Everest is made of marine limestone from this ancient ocean.
Today, the Indian plate continues to be driven horizontally below the Tibetan Plateau, which forces the plateau to continue to move upwards. The Indian plate is still moving at 67 mm per year, and over the next 10 million years it will travel about 1,500 km into Asia. About 20 mm per year of the India-Asia convergence is absorbed by thrusting along the Himalaya southern front. This leads to the Himalayas rising by about 5 mm per year, making them geologically active. The movement of the Indian plate into the Asian plate also makes this region seismically active, leading to earthquakes from time to time.
During the last ice age, there was a connected ice stream of glaciers between Kangchenjunga in the east and Nanga Parbat in the west. In the west, the glaciers joined with the ice stream network in the Karakoram, and in the north, joined with the former Tibetan inland ice. To the south, outflow glaciers came to an end below an elevation of 1,000–2,000 metres. While the current valley glaciers of the Himalaya reach at most 20 to 32 kilometres in length, several of the main valley glaciers were 60 to 112 kilometres long during the ice age. The glacier snowline (the altitude where accumulation and ablation of a glacier are balanced) was about 1,400–1,660 metres lower than it is today. Thus, the climate was at least 7.0 to 8.3 °C colder than it is today.
HYDROLOGY
The Himalayas contain the third-largest deposit of ice and snow in the world, after Antarctica and the Arctic. The Himalayan range encompasses about 15,000 glaciers, which store about 12,000 km3 of fresh water. Its glaciers include the Gangotri and Yamunotri (Uttarakhand) and Khumbu glaciers (Mount Everest region), Langtang glacier (Langtang region) and Zemu (Sikkim).
Owing to the mountains' latitude near the Tropic of Cancer, the permanent snow line is among the highest in the world at typically around 5,500 metres. In contrast, equatorial mountains in New Guinea, the Rwenzoris and Colombia have a snow line some 900 metres lower. The higher regions of the Himalayas are snowbound throughout the year, in spite of their proximity to the tropics, and they form the sources of several large perennial rivers, most of which combine into two large river systems:
- The western rivers, of which the Indus is the largest, combine into the Indus Basin. The Indus begins in Tibet at the confluence of Sengge and Gar rivers and flows southwest through India and then through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea. It is fed by the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas, and the Sutlej rivers, among others.
- Most of the other Himalayan rivers drain the Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin. Its main rivers are the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Yamuna, as well as other tributaries. The Brahmaputra originates as the Yarlung Tsangpo River in western Tibet, and flows east through Tibet and west through the plains of Assam. The Ganges and the Brahmaputra meet in Bangladesh, and drain into the Bay of Bengal through the world's largest river delta, the Sunderbans.
The easternmost Himalayan rivers feed the Irrawaddy River, which originates in eastern Tibet and flows south through Myanmar to drain into the Andaman Sea.
The Salween, Mekong, Yangtze and Huang He (Yellow River) all originate from parts of the Tibetan Plateau that are geologically distinct from the Himalaya mountains, and are therefore not considered true Himalayan rivers. Some geologists refer to all the rivers collectively as the circum-Himalayan rivers. In recent years, scientists have monitored a notable increase in the rate of glacier retreat across the region as a result of global climate change. For example, glacial lakes have been forming rapidly on the surface of debris-covered glaciers in the Bhutan Himalaya during the last few decades. Although the effect of this will not be known for many years, it potentially could mean disaster for the hundreds of millions of people who rely on the glaciers to feed the rivers during the dry seasons.
LAKES
The Himalayan region is dotted with hundreds of lakes. Most lakes are found at altitudes of less than 5,000 m, with the size of the lakes diminishing with altitude. Tilicho Lake in Nepal in the Annapurna massif is one of the highest lakes in the world. Pangong Tso, which is spread across the border between India and China, and Yamdrok Tso, located in central Tibet, are amongst the largest with surface areas of 700 km², and 638 km², respectively. Other notable lakes include She-Phoksundo Lake in the Shey Phoksundo National Park of Nepal, Gurudongmar Lake, in North Sikkim, Gokyo Lakes in Solukhumbu district of Nepal and Lake Tsongmo, near the Indo-China border in Sikkim.
Some of the lakes present a danger of a glacial lake outburst flood. The Tsho Rolpa glacier lake in the Rowaling Valley, in the Dolakha District of Nepal, is rated as the most dangerous. The lake, which is located at an altitude of 4,580 metres has grown considerably over the last 50 years due to glacial melting.
The mountain lakes are known to geographers as tarns if they are caused by glacial activity. Tarns are found mostly in the upper reaches of the Himalaya, above 5,500 metres.
IMPACT ON CLIMATE
The Himalayas have a profound effect on the climate of the Indian subcontinent and the Tibetan Plateau. They prevent frigid, dry winds from blowing south into the subcontinent, which keeps South Asia much warmer than corresponding temperate regions in the other continents. It also forms a barrier for the monsoon winds, keeping them from traveling northwards, and causing heavy rainfall in the Terai region. The Himalayas are also believed to play an important part in the formation of Central Asian deserts, such as the Taklamakan and Gobi.
RELIGIOUS OF THE REGION
In Hinduism, the Himalayas have been personified as the god Himavat, father of Ganga and Parvati.
Several places in the Himalayas are of religious significance in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism. A notable example of a religious site is Paro Taktsang, where Padmasambhava is said to have founded Buddhism in Bhutan. Padmasambhava is also worshipped as the patron saint of Sikkim.
A number of Vajrayana Buddhist sites are situated in the Himalayas, in Tibet, Bhutan and in the Indian regions of Ladakh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Spiti and Darjeeling. There were over 6,000 monasteries in Tibet, including the residence of the Dalai Lama. Bhutan, Sikkim and Ladakh are also dotted with numerous monasteries. The Tibetan Muslims have their own mosques in Lhasa and Shigatse.
RESOURCES
The Himalayas are home to a diversity of medicinal resources. Plants from the forests have been used for millennia to treat conditions ranging from simple coughs to snake bites. Different parts of the plants - root, flower, stem, leaves, and bark - are used as remedies for different ailments. For example, a bark extract from an abies pindrow tree is used to treat coughs and bronchitis. Leaf and stem paste from an arachne cordifolia is used for wounds and as an antidote for snake bites. The bark of a callicarpa arborea is used for skin ailments. Nearly a fifth of the gymnosperms, angiosperms, and pteridophytes in the Himalayas are found to have medicinal properties, and more are likely to be discovered.
Most of the population in some Asian and African countries depend on medicinal plants rather than prescriptions and such (Gupta and Sharma, vii). Since so many people use medicinal plants as their only source of healing in the Himalayas, the plants are an important source of income. This contributes to economic and modern industrial development both inside and outside the region (Gupta and Sharma, 5). The only problem is that locals are rapidly clearing the forests on the Himalayas for wood, often illegally (Earth Island Journal, 2). This means that the number of medicinal plants is declining and that some of them might become rarer or, in some cases, go extinct.
Although locals are clearing out portions of the forests in the Himalayas, there is still a large amount of greenery ranging from the tropical forests to the Alpine forests. These forests provide wood for fuel and other raw materials for use by industries. There are also many pastures for animals to graze upon (Mohita, sec. Forest and Wealth). The many varieties of animals that live in these mountains do so based on the elevation. For example, elephants and rhinoceros live in the lower elevations of the Himalayas, also called the Terai region. Also, found in these mountains are the Kashmiri stag, black bears, musk deer, langur, and snow leopards. The Tibetan yak are also found on these mountains and are often used by the people for transportation. However, the populations of many of these animals and still others are declining and are on the verge of going extinct (Admin, sec. Flora and Fauna).
The Himalayas are also a source of many minerals and precious stones. Amongst the tertiary rocks, are vast potentials of mineral oil. There is coal located in Kashmir, and precious stones located in the Himalayas. There is also gold, silver, copper, zinc, and many other such minerals and metals located in at least 100 different places in these mountains (Mohita, sec. Minerals).
CULTURE
There are many cultural aspects of the Himalayas. For the Hindus, the Himalayas are personified as Himavath, the father of the goddess Parvati (Gupta and Sharma, 4). The Himalayas is also considered to be the father of the river Ganges. The Mountain Kailash is a sacred peak to the Hindus and is where the Lord Shiva is believed to live (Admin, sec. Centre of Religion). Two of the most sacred places of pilgrimage for the Hindus is the temple complex in Pashupatinath and Muktinath, also known as Saligrama because of the presence of the sacred black rocks called saligrams (Zurick, Julsun, Basanta, and Birendra, 153).
The Buddhists also lay a great deal of importance on the mountains of the Himalayas. Paro Taktsang is the holy place where Buddhism started in Bhutan (Admin, sec. Centre of Religion). The Muktinath is also a place of pilgrimage for the Tibetan Buddhists. They believe that the trees in the poplar grove came from the walking sticks of eighty-four ancient Indian Buddhist magicians or mahasiddhas. They consider the saligrams to be representatives of the Tibetan serpent deity known as Gawo Jagpa (Zurick, Julsun, Basanta, and Birendra, 153).
The Himalayan people’s diversity shows in many different ways. It shows through their architecture, their languages and dialects, their beliefs and rituals, as well as their clothing (Zurick, Julsun, Basanta, and Birendra, 78). The shapes and materials of the people’s homes reflect their practical needs and the beliefs. Another example of the diversity amongst the Himalayan peoples is that handwoven textiles display unique colors and patterns that coincide with their ethnic backgrounds. Finally, some people place a great importance on jewelry. The Rai and Limbu women wear big gold earrings and nose rings to show their wealth through their jewelry (Zurick, Julsun, Basanta, and Birendra, 79).
WIKIPEDIA
Polish Soldiers from the Special Forces Command put on a display of weapons and equipment for visiting VIPs from the Parliamentary Committee for National Defence to help familiarize them with the Weapons and Capabilities of the Special Forces Command – 12th June 2012
IDF Soldiers Training in the Golan Heights
IDF soldiers training among the beautiful hillsides of the Golan Heights, Regional Brigade of the Golan Heights.
Photo Credit: Matan Portnoy, IDF Spokesperson Unit
Dîner régimentaire esc Jolliet / Jolliet Sqn Mess Dinner
CMR/RMC Saint-Jean
22 mar/Mar 2019
CMR2019-029
Photographie par/ Photography by Élof/OCdt Cameron MacDonald
© Sa Majesté la Reine et chef du Canada, représentée par le ministère de la Défense nationale, 2019
© Her Majesty The Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Department of National Defence, 2019
Mali Losinj, 150312.
Vojna uvala Kovcanje.
Ministar obrane Ante Kotromnovic sa suradnicima posjetio je danas vojarnu Kovcanje gdje je prezentiran novi strateski pregled obrane i prikazane vjezbovne sposobnosti Bojne za specijalna djelovanja.
Foto: Davor Pongracic / CROPIX
A soldier from the Croatian Special Forces Battalion pulls security as his team clears a room during a culmination exercise Aug. 4, 2010, in Trzebien, Poland, during a partnership development program between Polish special operations forces, Croatian special operations forces and the U.S. Army's 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Qatar Armed Forces members convoy to a simulated terrorist cell to conduct a joint counter-terrorism exercise with U.S. military members and other partner nations in Zikrit, Qatar, April 28. The field training exercise brought multi-national forces together to disrupt the simulated terrorist cell as part of Exercise Eagle Resolve 2013. Exercise Eagle Resolve demonstrates U.S. Central Command’s dedication to Gulf Cooperation Council regional partners and the combined efforts to sustain regional security and stability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kenny Holston/Released)
Royal Canadian Air Force maintainers move their CF-18 Hornets into position as they arrive at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii to participate in the Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) on July 5, 2014.
Photo: Sgt Matthew McGregor, Canadian Forces Combat Camera
Des spécialistes de la maintenance de l’Aviation royale canadienne déplacent des CF18 Hornet en position à leur arrivée à la base interarmées Pearl Harbor-Hickam (Hawaï), le 5 juillet 2014, en vue de l’exercice Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).
Photo : Sgt Matthew McGregor, Caméra de combat des Forces canadiennes
IS2014-1022-04
Iraqi forces during fighting in west Mosul on April 8, 2017 in Mosul, Iraq. Despite air support from the U.S and U.K, Iraqi forces have had to engage Islamic State in house to house fighting as they continue their battle to retake Iraq's second largest city of Mosul. Despite now controlling most of the city, Iraqi forces continue to face extremely stiff resistance from I.S fighters who are now surrounded on all sides and are fighting to the death.
Photos: Carl Court
21/06/2023. London, United Kingdom. Prime Minister's wife Akshata Murty hosts armed forces week charity reception in the garden of 10 Downing Street. Picture by Alice Hodgson / No 10 Downing Street
Corporal Alexander GRAY 26741
Rifle Brigade
NZ Expeditionary Forces
Died 22 March 1918
Aged 47
Block 0 Plot 1360
Died of wounds
Born: Scotland
Occupation before enlisting: Schoolteacher
Next of Kin: Mrs A GRAY [wife], Oinako, Akaroa, New Zealand*
His Cenotaph record:
muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/Cenotaph/5824.detail?Or...
Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16169, 25 March 1918, Page 8
“The remains of Sergeant Alexander Gray, a New Zealand soldier, who returned to his native land on Tuesday last and died in the Christchurch Hospital on Friday, were laid to rest in the Addington Cemetery yesterday. The funeral, which was a military one, was attended by a large number of the friends and relatives of the deceased, who was widely known and very popular. Owing to the absence of all the E Battery gun-carriages at tho Territorial camp at Burnham, it was found necessary to use a motor-hearse to carry the body to the cemetery. The coffin was laid on trestles in one of the regimental rooms in King Edward Barracks, covered with tho Union Jack and with beautiful wreaths which had been sent in as a last tribute of respect. Wreaths were sent by the following: The North Canterbury Educational Institute; the Brethren of 'he Phoenix Lodge, Akaroa; the New Brighton Red Cross workers; past and present pupils of the Akaroa District High School; the Citizens' Defence Corps; Mr and Sirs H. A. Le Lievre and family; Mr C. H. Winny and family; Mr and Mrs P. Watson; Mr and Mrs J. H. Williams; Mr and Mrs A. Brabner; Mr and Mrs J. E. Ferguson; "Sylvia and Bill"; and Dr. D. Dewar, of Akaroa, an old Maori war veteran. Among those who were present at the funeral were a large number of the late soldier's returned comrades, who acted as pall-bearers and provided the firing party, the party, being in charge of Staff-Sergeant-Major O'Sullivan. The band of the Ist Mounted Rifles (C.Y.C.), under Lieutenant Thorn, played the cortege to the graveside, where tho Rev J.R. Hayward, minister at the Presbyterian Church at Akaroa, conducted the burial service. The chief mourners were relatives of the deceased and his wife. The teaching profession was very largely represented at the funeral, the following being present: Mr L. B. Wood (Canterbury College Board of Governors), Mr S. C. Owen, Inspector, Messrs F. T. Evans and D. Shirlaw (Linwood), F. D. Waller. B. Gamble (West Christchurch). J. J. Adams (Waltham), T. S. Foster, J. Wyn Irwin, S. J. Irwin, J. Mottram (Normal), J. W. McGregor, H. F. Penlington, J. Bowden (Richmond), W. West, S. Baird, and W. Kennedy (Woolston) H. English (Riccarton), F. Hunnibell (Spreydon), C. Burke (Papanui). AV. Colee (Opawa, B. Penlington (East Christchurch), T. Irvine (Fendalton), D. Arnott (St. Albans), C. Hall and W. Garton (Akaroa), and Kennedy (Addington;. Mr H. C. Lane, secretary of the Canterbury Education Board, was also present.
Before proceeding to the business of the annual meeting of the North Canterbury branch of the N.Z.E.L on Saturday, tho president, Mr E. U. Just, expressed his sorrow at the death of Sergeant Alexander Gray, which had occurred a few days after his return from the front. Mr Gray he said, was widely known as a fine teacher and as an estimable citizen. A vote of condolence with Mrs Gray was passed, the meeting standing.” [1]
Alexander GRAY married Olive Louisa LE LIEVRE registration 1916/3949. She was born 1887.
It appears that after Alexander’s death, Louisa remarried in 1923 to James Neil CLARKE.
Alexander’s military records are available but with restrictions:
archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=16788207
Alexander’s probate is available:
archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=22393909
Also buried in the same plot:
In loving memory of
George GRAY
Who died 23rd September 1894
Aged 52 years
Also
Janet Rae McCallum GRAY
Beloved wife of
George GRAY
Who died 10th December 1912
Aged 75 years
In loving memory of
Alexander GRAY
Beloved husband of
Olive GRAY
Who died of wounds
Received in France
22nd March 1918
Aged 47 years
In loving memory of
Janet Rae GRAY
Who died 9th September 1885
Aged 7 years
[lettering on foot of cemetery plot states she was 8 years]
There is an Oinako Lodge which in 2012 is a bed and breakfast and was formerly owned by Etienne Xavier and Louisa Helen LE LIEVRE , parents of Olive. This makes Olive the granddaughter of Francois Le Lievre and his wife Justine Rose (nee) de Malmanche who were original settlers in Akaroa and who arrived onboard the Comte de Paris in August 1840.
REFERENCES:
[1]
paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=s...
Christchurch City Council database
State Department joins African Land Forces Summit, stresses importance of preventing conflict
By Sgt. Landis Andrews, U.S. Army
WASHINGTON -- The first plenary session of the African Land Force Summit began with Department of State's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, ambassador Donald Y. Yamamoto, who spoke on the Obama administration's policy on relations with Africa.
Yamamoto touched on many issues facing future relations between the U.S. and African nations. The one thing that remained constant throughout the whole presentation was the idea of working together for capacity building within Africa's borders.
The first priority is to create and sustain democratic governance.
"We will work with African governments, the international community, and civil society to strengthen democratic institutions and protect the democratic gains made in recent years in many African countries," Yamamoto said.
We must cultivate governments that are accountable for their own people.
"African countries need civilian governments that deliver services to their people, independent judiciaries that enforce the rule of the law, professional security forces that respect human rights, effective legislative institutions, a free responsible press, and a dynamic civil society," Yamamoto said.
The economics of countries in Africa are a major issue, he said, and the key to boosting them is within their food growing capabilities.
"The United States is the world's number one provider of food aid throughout the world," the ambassador said. "But food aid does not make sense because food aid is not sustainable."
Yamamoto, who formerly served as the ambassador to Ethiopia, said that long-term projects within Ethiopia's borders are the key to success.
"We need to work on how we can promote food growth and make it sustainable," he said. "Not only will this create food for the country, it will create jobs for its people."
America will not be the big brother of the relationship.
"No issue will be downplayed," Yamamoto said directly to the delegates. "If it's a concern to you, than it is a concern to us."
It's that kind of teamwork that will drive this summit and this relationship into the future to combat any issues that may arise.
"Working together in partnership with you all, I know we will find these solutions."
CAPTION:
(Form left) Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary Ambassador Donald Y. Yamamoto, Gen. George W. Casey, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, and Maj. Gen. William B. Garrett III, commander, U.S. Army Africa, make their way to the main plenary hall during the inaugural African Land Forces Summit, May 11. US Army photo by Barbara Romano
On the 18th March a New Special Operations unit was formed as part of the Polish Army - AGAT – This unit inherits the name and traditions of the famous WW2 AGAT Diversion Unit, which fought in World War II in occupied Warsaw - Subject to Kedywowi (Directorate of Diversion) Headquarters of the Army and it became famous for, among others things the attack on the head of the SS and police district of Warsaw
Modern AGAT is a special unit designed to perform tasks including the provision of assault combat support (kinetic) special operations conducted by Special Forces, as well as performing direct action at the back and the grouping of the enemy on the stated objectives. Moreover, it can conduct operations against the terrorist, anti-guerrilla and your critical infrastructure protection.
The units structure and purpose will be the equivalent of 75th Ranger Regiment (75th Rangers Regiment), and British Special Forces Support Group (SFSG). And is built around Assault Teams and Support Teams with JTACS and Forward Artillery Observers and other specialists
The Role of the Unit will be the equivalent of 75th Ranger Regiment (75th Rangers Regiment), and British Special Forces Support Group (SFSG).
Currently the unit is half way through the process of the selection and training of candidates for the new unit – With the selection and training course being run by experienced instructors from the 75th Rangers and US Special Forces .The first team to reach the initial assault capability will be ready for operations by the end of 2012.
Polish Special Forces Operators from GROM, put on a display of tactics and weapons for a visiting VIP - 27th January 2012
Remembrance Sunday, 8 November 2015
In the United Kingdom, Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November, Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918. Remembrance Sunday is held to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts.
Remembrance Sunday is marked by ceremonies at local war memorials in most cities, towns and villages, attended by civic dignitaries, ex-servicemen and -women, members of local armed forces regular and reserve units, military cadet forces and uniformed youth organisations. Two minutes’ silence is observed at 11 a.m. and wreaths of remembrance poppies are then laid on the memorials.
The United Kingdom national ceremony is held in London at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Wreaths are laid by Queen Elizabeth II, principal members of the Royal Family normally including the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl of Wessex and the Duke of Kent, the Prime Minister, leaders of the other major political parties, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Commonwealth High Commissioners and representatives from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets and the civilian services, and veterans’ groups. Two minutes' silence is held at 11 a.m., before the laying of the wreaths. This silence is marked by the firing of a field gun on Horse Guards Parade to begin and end the silence, followed by Royal Marines buglers sounding Last Post.
The parade consists mainly of an extensive march past by veterans, with military bands playing music following the list of the Traditional Music of Remembrance.
Other members of the British Royal Family watch from the balcony of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
After the ceremony, a parade of veterans and other related groups, organised by the Royal British Legion, marches past the Cenotaph, each section of which lays a wreath as it passes. Only ticketed participants can take part in the march past.
From 1919 until the Second World War remembrance observance was always marked on 11 November itself. It was then moved to Remembrance Sunday, but since the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 1995, it has become usual to hold ceremonies on both Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.
Each year, the music at the National Ceremony of Remembrance remains the same, following a programme finalised in 1930:
Rule, Britannia! by Thomas Arne
Heart of Oak by William Boyce
The Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore
Men of Harlech
The Skye Boat Song
Isle of Beauty by Thomas Haynes Bayly
David of the White Rock
Oft in the Stilly Night by John Stevenson
Flowers of the Forest
Nimrod from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar
Dido's lament by Henry Purcell
O Valiant Hearts by Charles Harris
Solemn Melody by Walford Davies
Last Post – a bugle call
Beethoven's Funeral March No. 1, by Johann Heinrich Walch
O God, Our Help in Ages Past – words by Isaac Watts, music by William Croft
Reveille – a bugle call
God Save The Queen
Other pieces of music are then played during the march past and wreath laying by veterans, starting with Trumpet Voluntary and followed by It's A Long Way To Tipperary, the marching song of the Connaught Rangers, a famous British Army Irish Regiment of long ago.
The following is complied from press reports on 8 November 2015:
"The nation paid silent respect to the country's war dead today in a Remembrance Sunday service. Leading the nation in remembrance, as ever, was the Queen, who first laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in 1945 and has done so every year since, except on the four occasions when she was overseas.
Dressed in her customary all-black ensemble with a clutch of scarlet poppies pinned against her left shoulder, she stepped forward following the end of the two-minute silence marked by the sounding of Last Post by 10 Royal Marine buglers.
The Queen laid her wreath at the foot of the Sir Edwin Lutyens Portland stone monument to the Glorious Dead, then stood with her head momentarily bowed.
She was joined by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who was invited to the Cenotaph for the first time to lay a wreath marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by British troops.
Watched by his wife Queen Maxima, who stood next to the Duchess of Cambridge in the Royal Box, the King laid a wreath marked with the simple message, 'In remembrance of the British men and women who gave their lives for our future.'
Wreaths were then laid by members of the Royal Family, all wearing military uniform: Prince Philip; then Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Prince William at the same time ; then Prince Edward, Princess Anne and the Duke of Kent at the same time.
Three members of the Royal Family laying wreaths at the same time was an innovation in 2015 designed to slightly reduce the amount of time of the ceremony and thereby reduce the time that the Queen had to be standing.
Prince Charles attended a remembrance service in New Zealand.
The Prime Minister then laid a wreath. The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, appeared at the Cenotaph for the first time. He wore both a suit and a red poppy for the occasion.
His bow as he laid a wreath marked with the words 'let us resolve to create a world of peace' was imperceptible – and not enough for some critics. Yet unlike the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Battle service earlier this year, Mr Corbyn did join in with the singing of the national anthem.
Following the end of the official service at the Cenotaph, a mammoth column more than 10,000-strong (some 9,000 of whom were veterans) began marching along Whitehall, saluting the Cenotaph as they passed, Parliament Street, Great George Street, Horse Guards Road and back to Horse Guard Parade. The Duke of Cambridge took the salute from the column on Horse Guards Parade.
Time takes its inevitable toll on even the most stoic among us, and this year only a dozen World War Two veterans marched with the Spirit of Normandy Trust, a year after the Normandy Veterans' Association disbanded.
Within their ranks was 95-year-old former Sapper Don Sheppard of the Royal Engineers. Sheppard was of the eldest on parade and was pushed in his wheelchair by his 19-year-old grandson, Sam who, in between studying at Queen Mary University, volunteers with the Normandy veterans.
'It is because of my admiration for them,' he says. 'I see them as role models and just have the utmost respect for what they did.'
While some had blankets covering their legs against the grey November day, other veterans of more recent wars had only stumps to show for their service to this country during 13 long years of war in Afghanistan.
As well as that terrible toll of personal sacrifice, the collective losses – and triumphs - of some of the country’s most historic regiments were also honoured yesterday.
The Gurkha Brigade Association - marking 200 years of service in the British Army – marched to warm ripples of applause. The King’s Royal Hussars, represented yesterday by 126 veterans, this year also celebrate 300 years since the regiment was raised.
They were led by General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander of Nato and Colonel of the regiment who himself was marching for the first time.
'We are joined by a golden thread to all those generations who have gone before us,” he said. “We are who we are, because of those that have gone before us.' "
Cenotaph Ceremony & March Past - 8 November 2015
Summary of Contingents
Column Number of marchers
B (Lead) 1,754
C 1,298
D 1,312
E 1,497
F 1,325
A 1,551
Ex-Service Total 8,737
M (Non ex-Service) 1,621
Total 10,358
Column B
Marker Detachment Number
1 Reconnaissance Corps 18 Anniversary
2 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment Old Comrades Assoc 10
3 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery Association 60
4 Royal Artillery Association 18
5 Royal Engineers Association 37
6 Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Association 65 Anniversary
7 Airborne Engineers Association 24
8 Royal Signals Association 48
9 Army Air Corps Association 42
10 Royal Army Service Corps & Royal Corps Transport Assoc 54
11 RAOC Association 18
12 Army Catering Corps Association 48
13 Royal Pioneer Corps Association 54 Anniversary
14 Royal Army Medical Corps Association 36
15 Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Association 48
16 Royal Military Police Association 100
17 The RAEC and ETS Branch Association 12
18 Royal Army Pay Corps Regimental Association 36
19 Royal Army Veterinary Corps & Royal Army Dental Corps 18
20 Royal Army Physical Training Corps 24
21 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Assoc 48
22 Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 30
23 Royal Dragoon Guards 78
24 Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own & Royal Irish) 12
25 Kings Royal Hussars Regimental Association 126
26 16/5th Queen's Royal Lancers 36
27 17/21 Lancers 30
28 The Royal Lancers 24 New for 2015
29 JLR RAC Old Boys' Association 30
30 Association of Ammunition Technicians 24
31 Beachley Old Boys Association 36
32 Arborfield Old Boys Association 25
33 Gallipoli & Dardenelles International 24
34 Special Observers Association 24
35 The Parachute Squadron Royal Armoured Corps 24 New
36 Intelligence Corps Association 48
37 Women's Royal Army Corps Association 120
38 656 Squadron Association 24
39 Home Guard Association 9
40 British Resistance Movement (Coleshill Research Team) 12
41 British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association 48
42 British Ex-Services Wheelchair Sports Association 24
43 Royal Hospital Chelsea 30
44 Queen Alexandra's Hospital Home for Disabled Ex-Servicemen & Women 30
45 The Royal Star & Garter Homes 20
46 Combat Stress 48
Total 1,754
Column C
Marker Detachment Number
1 Royal Air Force Association 150
2 Royal Air Force Regiment Association 300
3 Royal Air Forces Ex-Prisoner's of War Association 20
4 Royal Observer Corps Association 75 Anniversary
5 National Service (Royal Air Force) Association 42
6 RAFLING Association 24
7 6 Squadron (Royal Air Force) Association 18
8 7 Squadron Association 25
9 8 Squadron Association 24
10 RAF Habbaniya Association 25
11 Royal Air Force & Defence Fire Services Association 30
12 Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Association 30
13 Units of the Far East Air Force 28 New
14 Royal Air Force Yatesbury Association 16
15 Royal Air Force Airfield Construction Branch Association 12
16 RAFSE(s) Assoc 45 New
17 Royal Air Force Movements and Mobile Air Movements Squadron Association (RAF MAMS) 24
18 Royal Air Force Masirah & Salalah Veterans Assoc 24 New
19 WAAF/WRAF/RAF(W) 25
19 Blenheim Society 18
20 Coastal Command & Maritime Air Association 24
21 Air Sea Rescue & Marine Craft Sections Club 15
22 Federation of RAF Apprentice & Boy Entrant Assocs 150
23 Royal Air Force Air Loadmasters Association 24
24 Royal Air Force Police Association 90
25 Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service Association 40
Total 1,298
Column D
Marker Detachment Number
1 Not Forgotten Association 54
2 Stoll 18
3 Ulster Defence Regiment 72
4 Army Dog Unit Northern Ireland Association 48
5 North Irish Horse & Irish Regiments Old Comrades Association 78
6 Northern Ireland Veterans' Association 40
7 Irish United Nations Veterans Association 12
8 ONET UK 10
9 St Helena Government UK 24
10 South Atlantic Medal Association 196
11 SSAFA 37
12 First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps) 12
13 Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen & Women 48
14 British Nuclear Test Veterans Association 48
15 War Widows Association 132
16 Gurkha Brigade Association 160 Anniversary
17 British Gurkha Welfare Society 100 Anniversary
18 West Indian Association of Service Personnel 18
19 Trucial Oman Scouts Association 18
20 Bond Van Wapenbroeders 35
21 Polish Ex-Combatants Association in Great Britain 25
22 Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantów Limited 18 New
23 Royal Hong Kong Regiment Association 12
24 Canadian Veterans Association 10
25 Hong Kong Ex-Servicemen's Association (UK Branch) 24
26 Hong Kong Military Service Corps 28
27 Foreign Legion Association 24
28 Undivided Indian Army Ex Servicemen Association 11 New
Total 1,312
Column E
Marker Detachment Number
1 Royal Marines Association 198
2 Royal Naval Association 150
3 Merchant Navy Association 130
4 Sea Harrier Association 24
5 Flower Class Corvette Association 18
6 HMS Andromeda Association 18
7 HMS Argonaut Association 30
8 HMS Bulwark, Albion & Centaur Association 25
9 HMS Cumberland Association 18
10 HMS Ganges Association 48
11 HMS Glasgow Association 30
12 HMS St Vincent Association 26
13 HMS Tiger Association 25
14 Algerines Association 20
15 Ton Class Association 24
16 Type 42 Association 48
17 Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service 36
18 Association of WRENS 90
19 Royal Fleet Auxiliary Association 10
20 Royal Naval Communications Association 30
21 Royal Naval Medical Branch Ratings & Sick Berth Staff Association 24
22 Royal Naval Benevolent Trust 18
23 Yangtze Incident Association 24
24 Special Boat Service Association 6
25 Submariners Association 30
26 Association of Royal Yachtsmen 30
27 Broadsword Association 36
28 Aircraft Handlers Association 36
29 Aircrewmans Association 40 Anniversary
30 Cloud Observers Association 10
31 The Fisgard Association 40
32 Fleet Air Arm Armourers Association 36
33 Fleet Air Arm Association 25
34 Fleet Air Arm Bucaneer Association 24
35 Fleet Air Arm Field Gun Association 24
36 Fleet Air Arm Junglie Association 18
37 Fleet Air Arm Officers Association 30
38 Fleet Air Arm Safety Equipment & Survival Association 24
39 Royal Navy School of Physical Training 24
Total 1,497
Column F
Marker Detachment Number
1 Blind Veterans UK 198
2 Far East Prisoners of War 18
3 Burma Star Association 40
4 Monte Cassino Society20
5 Queen's Bodyguard of The Yeoman of The Guard 18
6 Pen and Sword Club 15
7 TRBL Ex-Service Members 301
8 The Royal British Legion Poppy Factory 4
9 The Royal British Legion Scotland 24
10 Officers Association 5
11 Black and White Club 18
12 National Pigeon War Service 30
13 National Service Veterans Alliance 50
14 Gallantry Medallists League 46
15 National Malaya & Borneo Veterans Association 98
16 National Gulf Veterans & Families Association 30
17 Fellowship of the Services 100
18 Memorable Order of Tin Hats 24
19 Suez Veterans Association 50
20 Aden Veterans Association 72
21 1st Army Association 36
22 Showmens' Guild of Great Britain 40
23 Special Forces Club 12
24 The Spirit of Normandy Trust 28
25 Italy Star Association, 1943-1945, 48
Total 1,325
Column A
Marker Detachment Number
1 1LI Association 36
2 Royal Green Jackets Association 198
3 Parachute Regimental Association 174
4 King's Own Scottish Borderers 60
5 Black Watch Association 45
6 Gordon Highlanders Association 60
7 Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Association 12
8 Queen's Own Highlanders Regimental Association 48
9 London Scottish Regimental Association 30
10 Grenadier Guards Association 48
11 Coldstream Guards Association 48
12 Scots Guards Association 48
13 Guards Parachute Association 36
14 4 Company Association (Parachute Regiment) 24
15 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 72
16 Royal East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) Past & Present Association 30
17 Prince of Wales' Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) Regimental Association 24
18 Royal Hampshire Regiment Comrades Association 14
19 The Royal Hampshire Regimental Club 24 New for 2015
20 Royal Northumberland Fusiliers 48 New
21 Royal Sussex Regimental Association 12
22 Green Howards Association 24
23 Cheshire Regiment Association 24
24 Sherwood Foresters & Worcestershire Regiment 36
25 Mercian Regiment Association 30
26 Special Air Service Regimental Association 4
27 The King's Own Royal Border Regiment 100
28 The Staffordshire Regiment 48
29 Rifles Regimental Association 40
30 The Rifles & Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire & Wiltshire Regimental Association 30
31 Durham Light Infantry Association 60
32 King's Royal Rifle Corps Association 50
33 King's African Rifles 14 New for 2015
Total 1,551
Column M
Marker Detachment Number
1 Transport For London 48
2 Children of the Far East Prisoners of War 60
3 First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteers Corps) 24
4 Munitions Workers Association18
5 Evacuees Reunion Association48
6 TOC H 20
7 Salvation Army 36
8 Naval Canteen Service & Expeditionary Force Institutes Association 12 Previously NAAFI
9 Royal Voluntary Service 24
10 Civil Defence Association 8
11 National Association of Retired Police Officers 36
12 Metropolitan Special Constabulary 36
13 London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 36
14 London Ambulance Service Retirement Association 18
15 St John Ambulance 36
16 British Red Cross 12
17 St Andrew's Ambulance Association 6
18 The Firefighters Memorial Trust 24
19 Royal Ulster Constabulary (GC) Association 36
20 Ulster Special Constabulary Association 30
21 Commonwealth War Graves Commission 12
22 Daniel's Trust 36
23 Civilians Representing Families 180
24 Royal Mail Group Ltd 24
25 Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals 24
26 The Blue Cross 24
27 PDSA 24
28 HM Ships Glorious Ardent & ACASTA Association 24 Anniversary
29 Old Cryptians' Club 12
30 Fighting G Club 18 Anniversary
31 Malayan Volunteers Group 12
32 Gallipoli Association 18
33 Ministry of Defence 20
34 TRBL Non Ex-Service Members 117
35 TRBL Women's Section 20
36 Union Jack Club 12
37 Western Front Association 8
38 Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign 18
39 Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes 24
40 National Association of Round Tables 24
41 Lions Club International 24
42 Rotary International 24
43 41 Club 6
44 Equity 12
45 Romany & Traveller Society 18
46 Sea Cadet Corps 30
47 Combined Cadet Force 30
48 Army Cadet Force 30
49 Air Training Corps 30
50 Scout Association 30
51 Girlguiding London & South East England 30
52 Boys Brigade 30
53 Girls Brigade England & Wales 30
54 Church Lads & Church Girls Brigade 30
55 Metropolitan Police Volunteer Police Cadets 18
56 St John Ambulance Cadets 18
57 YMCA 12
Total 1,621
Formation of a New Polish Special Operations Unit - AGAT
On the 18th March a New Special Operations unit was formed as part of the Polish Army - AGAT – This unit inherits the name and traditions of the famous WW2 AGAT Diversion Unit, which fought in World War II in occupied Warsaw - Subject to Kedywowi (Directorate of Diversion) Headquarters of the Army and it became famous for, among others things the attack on the head of the SS and police district of Warsaw
Modern AGAT is a special unit designed to perform tasks including the provision of assault combat support (kinetic) special operations conducted by Special Forces, as well as performing direct action at the back and the grouping of the enemy on the stated objectives. Moreover, it can conduct operations against the terrorist, anti-guerrilla and your critical infrastructure protection.
The units structure and purpose will be the equivalent of 75th Ranger Regiment (75th Rangers Regiment), and British Special Forces Support Group (SFSG). And is built around Assault Teams and Support Teams with JTACS and Forward Artillery Observers and other specialists
The Role of the Unit will be the equivalent of 75th Ranger Regiment (75th Rangers Regiment), and British Special Forces Support Group (SFSG).
Currently the unit is half way through the process of the selection and training of candidates for the new unit – With the selection and training course being run by experienced instructors from the 75th Rangers and US Special Forces .The first team to reach the initial assault capability will be ready for operations by the end of 2012.
Gen-Lt. Vladimir Popov, Deputy Commander Russian Ground Forces (RGF) is greeted by Exercise Atlas Vision 2013 Co-Coordinator Col. Christopher J. Tone at the Joint Multinational Simulation Center, a facility of the Joint Multinational Training Command, or JMTC, July 18, 2013. Gen-Lt. Popov is the guest of United States Army Europe Deputy Commander Maj. Gen. Richard C. Longo to observe Russian soldiers participating in Exercise Atlas Vision 2013. Atlas Vision is an annual bi-lateral U.S.-Russian Ground Forces exercise and consists of a brigade-level command post exercise and computer-assisted exercise and takes place at the Joint Multinational Training Command July 15-24, 2013. Atlas Vision is designed to promote military interoperability in areas and situations in which the two countries share mutual interests, such as joint peacekeeping tasks, coalition and regional stabilization, crisis-response, illegal weapons trafficking, search and rescue capabilities, counter-trafficking, and combating terrorism. (U.S. Army Photo).
Professional Term - Exercise Grandslam
The 32/17 Professional Term cadets went through the arduous Exercise Grandslam last week. They were tasked to complete missions in both conventional and urban operations. Exercise Grandslam was a test of the cadets’ fighting spirit and resilience through hardships. The cadets were required to display leadership qualities and proficiency in leading their men. Despite being mentally and physically drained, the cadets pushed on and strove to complete their mission! They are now a step closer to becoming an Infantry Commander.
Photos:Specialist Cadet School
A Kaibil, a member of Guatemala's special forces, participates in an exhibition during a graduation ceremony in Poptum, Peten, 400 km (248 miles) away from Guatemala City, December 5, 2011. The elite group of the Guatemalan Army, founded in 1974, held a graduation ceremony on Monday to commemorate nine members who successfully completed the 77th international Kaibil course.
Croatian Armed Forces Soldiers from “The Hedgehogs,” muscled their way through thick snow terrain during a situational training exercise designed to increase combat readiness at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland on Dec. 18.
Photos: Sgt. Sarah Kirby
Specialist from the elite Counter Terrorist Unit - CTU (serb. Противтерористичка јединица - ПТЈ) equipped with Sako TRG 42 in .338 Lapua Magnum with Schmidt & Bender Police Marksman II optic sight.
See more at: specijalne-jedinice.com/Galerija/Srbija/Galerija-PTJ-Engl...
Guinean Special Forces soldiers conduct weapons range training for both close quarters rifle and sniper skills during FLINTLOCK 20 in Nouakchott, Mauritania, February 17, 2020.
Flintlock is an annual, integrated military and law enforcement exercise that has strengthened key partner-nation forces throughout North and West Africa since 2005. Flintlock is U.S Africa Command’s premier and largest annual Special Operations Forces exercise.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Evan Parker
Sukhoi Su-15TM 39 (Red) (1209) is pictured in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces, Moscow, on September 3rd 1993.
Maj. Gen. Timothy P. McHale, Deputy Commanding General—Support for U.S. Forces Afghanistan, came to visit the Soldiers, Civilians and contractors of the 401st Army Field Support Battalion—Kandahar. He met with many of the people responsible for maintaining and providing maneuver units with various types of tactical vehicles.
About the 401st:
The 401st Army field Support Brigade gives our Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, and Marines, the tools and resources necessary to complete the mission. If they shoot, drive it, fly it, wear it, eat it or communicate with it, the 401st helps to provide it. The brigade also assists coalition partners with many of their logistical and sustainment needs. The brigade will also handle to responsible disposition of equipment in Afghanistan as the mission here changes. The 401st is the single link between warfighters in the field and Army Materiel Command.
For More information please visit us online:
Polish Special Operations during a combined operations with Elements from the Afghan Civil Order Police (ANCOP) stop and search vehicles for weapons and suspected Taliban fighters – 20th April 2012
United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea conducted a change of responsibility and retirement ceremony March 25, 2022.
Gen. Paul J. LaCamera, the UNC/CFC/USFK Commander, hosted the change of responsibility where Command Sgt. Maj. Jack H. Love assumed responsibility from Command Sgt. Maj. Walter A. Tagalicud.
The ceremony also included Tagalicud’s retirement after 36 years of faithful and dedicated service. (U.S. Army photos by SSG Kris Bonet and CPL Seong-yeon Kang)
In World War II, both the carrier forces of the US Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy employed the same tactical mix of aircraft, using both torpedo-carrying aircraft and bomb-carrying dive bombers. By using both at once, the defenders would have to split their fire between the high altitude dive bombers and the low altitude torpedo bombers—either weapon would be deadly to enemy ships. Dive bombers had to be more robust and manueverable than torpedo aircraft, to survive the ninety-degree dives required of their mission.
At the beginning of World War II in 1939, the principal US Navy dive bomber was the Northrop BT-1, designed by two legendary aircraft designers—Jack Northrop and Edward Heinemann. The BT-1 was reliable, but underpowered, with a tendency to stall on approach to its carrier. Heinemann, now working for Douglas Aircraft, proposed a replacement, broadly similar to the BT-1 but with the more powerful Wright Cyclone. The proposed aircraft would also be more streamlined, have a larger tail, and be equipped with perforated dive brakes that would slow the aircraft in a dive and give the pilot more control. Since the propeller on the Cyclone was larger, a bomb carried on the centerline hardpoint was attached to a crutch that would swing forward and release the bomb clear of the propeller arc. The Navy liked what it saw and ordered Heinemann’s design as the SBD-1 Dauntless, which first flew in May 1940. By this time, the US Army Air Force was also interested in dive bombers, after witnessing the damage wreaked by the German Ju 87 Stuka, and requested a batch of SBDs to be built as the A-24 Shrike.
By the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941, most US Navy and Marine Corps units were equipped with SBD-3 variants, which included crew armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, as well as .50 caliber machine guns in the wings for strafing purposes. SBDs were involved in the war from the start, and several were lost at Pearl Harbor—but as the carriers of the US Pacific Fleet escaped the Japanese attack, it meant that the Dauntless would soon be on the attack.
Over the next four years, the SBD became one of the most effective aircraft of World War II. Operating from both carriers and land bases, the Dauntless would account for more Japanese ships than any other aircraft, and flew fully 25 percent of all sorties of the US Navy in World War II. It would see action in every major battle of the Pacific Theater, including the battles of Coral Sea, Midway, the Guadalcanal campaign, Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf; the aircraft that had started the war in Pearl Harbor would end it attacking the Japanese home islands. It would also see service in Europe, against German U-boats on antisubmarine duties, but also against German shipping in Norway and the Mediterranean (where Dauntlesses were flown by Free French pilots).
The basic design of the SBD did not change for the duration of the war: although the SBD-3 was supplanted by the SBD-5, the latter only had an uprated engine. Despite being given somewhat unflattering nicknames such as “Barge,” “Clunk,” and “Slow But Deadly,” referring to its indifferent speed, the Dauntless defied attempts to replace it; its intended replacement, the SB2C Helldiver, was never as popular or as capable. The SBD gained a reputation for being simple to fly and maintain, as well as surprisingly manueverable: a skilled Dauntless pilot could use the type’s lack of speed to his advantage, forcing attacking Japanese fighters into overshooting. If this happened, the Japanese pilot would find himself in front of the SBD’s wing-mounted .50 caliber machine guns, which could tear the lightly-built A6M Zero apart. Attacking from the rear was not an easy matter either, as the twin .30 caliber machine guns manned by the rear gunner were often loaded with incendiary bullets that could set the Japanese fighters afire. Even if the SBD was hit, it was found to be remarkably resilient to damage.
The end of World War II also meant the end of the Dauntless: tactics had changed, and the SBD would prove to be the last dive bomber produced for the US Navy. The SBD was withdrawn in favor of the AD-1 Skyraider, though USAAF A-24s—which had performed indifferently during the war—were retained as trainer until 1948, long enough to wear the insignia of the independent US Air Force. Other examples were flown by the Mexican Air Force until 1959. A total of 5936 Dauntlesses were built; 24 currently survive, with four aircraft airworthy.
The Malmstrom Museum model collection’s Dauntless is an earlier SBD-3, painted in early war US Navy colors of medium blue over white. It carries a single 1000-pound general purpose bomb. This particular aircraft belongs to VSB-6, operating from USS Enterprise (CV-6) during the Battle of Midway. VSB-6’s Dauntlesses, led by Commander Wade McClusky and along with those flown from USS Yorktown and Hornet, accounted for four Japanese carriers on 4 June 1942—three of them in five minutes. The “Five Minutes of Midway” was to prove the turning point for the Pacific Theater.