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US Marine Corps / Lance Cpl. Brittney Vella
US Marine Corps / Lance Cpl. Brittney Vella / Lance Cpl. Brittney Vella
THE US ARMY had just as busy a year in 2015 as ever.
With training exercises with global partners around the globe and at home, there has been a lot going on. In order to showcase all of the Army’s exploits from the past year, the branch compiled the year in pictures.
We have selected some of the best below:
3 January: Medal of Honor recipient retired Master Sgt. Leroy Petry walks onto the field of the Alamodome in San Antonio with World War II veteran Richard Overton in San Antonio. Petry, awarded the Medal of Honor last year for efforts in Afghanistan, and Overton, the oldest living World War II veteran at 108, delivered the game ball at the US Army All-American Bowl.
US Army / Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton
US Army / Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton / Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton
21 January: A US Army soldier, participating in a rotation at Lighting Academy’s Jungle Operations Training Center, crosses a river at the 25th Infantry Division East Range Training Complex in Hawaii.
US Army / Spc. Benjaman Pollhein
US Army / Spc. Benjaman Pollhein / Spc. Benjaman Pollhein
3 February: US Army Capt. Ryan Mortensen, a chaplain assigned to 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, interacts with children of the Middle Mosque of Lopburi, Thailand. Cobra Gold 15 allows US soldiers to bond with the Thai community, continuing a 182-year tradition of friendship.
US Army / Pfc. Samantha Van Winkle
US Army / Pfc. Samantha Van Winkle / Pfc. Samantha Van Winkle
19 February: Soldiers attending the US Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont, climb Smugglers’ Notch as part of their final phase of the Basic Military Mountaineering Course in Jeffersonville, Vermont. Students in the course spend two weeks acquiring the skills and knowledge required to operate in mountainous terrain.
US Air National Guard / Tech. Sgt. Sarah Mattison
US Air National Guard / Tech. Sgt. Sarah Mattison / Tech. Sgt. Sarah Mattison
24 February: A US Army soldier, assigned to 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), salutes his fellow soldiers while jumping out of a C-130 Hercules aircraft over a drop zone in Germany.
Flickr / The US Army
Flickr / The US Army / The US Army
9 March: A dog handler with US Army Special Forces clears a building during a close-quarters battle demonstration for US Marines with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa in Baumholder, Germany. The use of military dogs is an efficient way to detect hazardous materials and locate people within a structure.
US Marine Corps / Sgt. Paul Peterson
US Marine Corps / Sgt. Paul Peterson / Sgt. Paul Peterson
16 March: A US Army Soldier with Operational Detachment Alpha 1215, 1st Special Forces Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, runs off the back of a CH-47F Chinook helicopter while conducting a simulated combat dive mission in the water off of Marine Corps Training Area Bellows. The helicopter hovered the ocean and allowed the soldiers to conduct a boat movement leading to reconnaissance of the beach and a raid in the training facility at Bellows.
US Marine Corps / Lance Cpl. Brittney Vella
US Marine Corps / Lance Cpl. Brittney Vella / Lance Cpl. Brittney Vella
20 March: US Army Maj. Stewart Brown, 55th Signal Company, jumps from a UH-60 Black Hawk from 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment during airborne operations at Plantation Airpark, in Sylvania, Georgia. Operation Skyfall is a joint, multilateral combat-camera subject-matter expert exchange hosted by the 982nd Combat Camera Company, which takes place at multiple locations in Georgia.
US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Nathan Lipscomb
US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Nathan Lipscomb / Staff Sgt. Nathan Lipscomb
11 April: US Army and British paratroopers perform a static-line jump at Holland Drop Zone in preparation for Combined Joint Operational Access Exercise 15-01 on Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The exercise is an 82nd Airborne Division-led bilateral training event on Fort Bragg. It was the largest exercise of its kind held on Fort Bragg in nearly 20 years, and demonstrated interoperability between US and British army soldiers, US Air Force, Air National Guard, Royal Air Force airmen, and US Marines.
US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Sean Martin
US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Sean Martin / Staff Sgt. Sean Martin
20 April: US Army Capt. Kristen Griest (center) carries a fellow soldier as part of combative training during the Ranger Course on Fort Benning, Georgia. Nineteen female soldiers made history April 20 when they began the first gender-integrated Ranger Course assessment.
US Army / Spc. Nikayla Shodeen
US Army / Spc. Nikayla Shodeen / Spc. Nikayla Shodeen
27 April: A US Army soldier from D Company, 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment stands outside a CH-47F Chinook helicopter at the Kahiltna Glacier base camp on Mount McKinley, Alaska.
US Army / John Pennell
US Army / John Pennell / John Pennell
19 May: For the first time since losing his legs in Afghanistan, US Army Master Sgt Cedric King joined his fellow 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers on a division run to kick off All American Week on Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
US Army / Sgt. Jennifer Brady
US Army / Sgt. Jennifer Brady / Sgt. Jennifer Brady
22 May: Lithuanian Land Forces Soldiers from 2nd Coy, Iron Wolf Brigade fire a smoke screen from an M113A1 Armored Personnel Carrier during a joint live-fire exercise with their American partners, US Army unit Team Eagle, Task Force 2-7 Infantry, at the Great Lithuanian Hetman Jonusas Radvila Training Regiment in Rukla, Lithuania. As part of Atlantic Resolve, an ongoing multinational partnership focused on joint training and security cooperation between the US and other NATO allies, the Soldiers of Team Eagle work with, and around, their Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, French, and German allies on a daily basis.
US Army / Sgt. James Avery
US Army / Sgt. James Avery / Sgt. James Avery
1 June: A US Army soldier, assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, fires an M136 AT4 during Decisive Action Rotation 15-08 at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.
US Army / Spc. Michelle U. Blesam
US Army / Spc. Michelle U. Blesam / Spc. Michelle U. Blesam
26 June: A US Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter crew chief, assigned to the Alaska National Guard, conducts water-bucket operations during a firefighting mission south of Tok, Alaska. Two UH-60 helicopters aided in fighting the wildfire in coordination with the Bureau of Land Management, Fire Services based out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
Flickr / The US Army
Flickr / The US Army / The US Army
17 July: A US Army Reserve combat engineer soldier, from the 374th Engineer Company (Sapper), tries to stand up with a loaded ruck sack full of water during Combat Water Survival Training at Fort Hunter Liggett, California.
US Army / Master Sgt. Michel Sauret
US Army / Master Sgt. Michel Sauret / Master Sgt. Michel Sauret
31 July: A wave splashes onto an MK-2 boat operated by US Army Reserve soldiers Staff Sgt. Chad Bentley, bridge crew member, and Spc. Ben Adams, medic, from 341st Engineer Company (Multi-Role Bridge), during a sling-loading operation on the Arkansas River near Fort Chaffee. Soldiers from various Army Reserve and active-duty units trained together at River Assault, a bridging training exercise that involves Army Engineers and other support elements.
US Army / Master Sgt. Michel Sauret
US Army / Master Sgt. Michel Sauret / Master Sgt. Michel Sauret
5 August: Snipers from the 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, dash across the rocky desert terrain during a combined-arms live-fire exercise at Fort Irwin, California. The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment was one of several organizations from across the US participating in Operation Dragon Spear, a demonstration which included a joint forcible entry operation with XVIII Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Division, 75th Ranger Regiment, 10th Special Forces Group and the US Air Force.
US Army / Staff Sgt. Jason Hull
US Army / Staff Sgt. Jason Hull / Staff Sgt. Jason Hull
21 August: A US Army soldier, assigned to the Washington National Guard, uses his body to create an opening in a wire obstacle so his team can assault a position during Exercise Grizzly Defender in Alberta, Canada. Grizzly Defender is a joint training exercise with the Canadian army reserve with a focus on offensive tasks, including patrols, convoys, raids, information operations, traffic-control points, and company-level group attacks.
US Army National Guard / Sgt. Matthew Sissel
US Army National Guard / Sgt. Matthew Sissel / Sgt. Matthew Sissel
23 August: Soldiers, assigned to Kosovo Force Multinational Battle Group-East’s Task Force Hurricane, made up of soldiers from the National Guard and US Army Reserve, hike to the peak of Mount Ljuboten in southern Kosovo. Led by German members of MNBG-E’s headquarters, these soldiers earned Germany’s Edelweiss Badge by successfully completing the 8,000-foot trek.
US Army / 1st Lt. Krista Yaglowski
US Army / 1st Lt. Krista Yaglowski / 1st Lt. Krista Yaglowski
20 September: US Army Staff Sgt. Brian Wright, 1st Battalion, 1st Special Operations Group (Airborne), holds a US flag outside a C-130 Hercules during the 2015 Japanese-American Friendship Festival at Yokota Air Base in Japan. The US flag, waved by Wright, was held out on one C-130 and a Japanese flag was simultaneously held outside another taxiing aircraft, symbolizing the US and Japan partnership and reinforcing the general idea of the festival: to increase bilateral relationships between the two countries.
US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Cody H. Ramirez
US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Cody H. Ramirez / Staff Sgt. Cody H. Ramirez
29 September: Soldiers take to the water by jumping out of Black Hawk helicopters in an airborne operation, helicopter cast and recovery, known as a helocast, off the shores of Okinawa. The operation involves inserting and extracting personnel or equipment from a helicopter over water. Helocasting is an effective means of inserting or extracting reconnaissance elements. Units plan and conduct a helocast operation similar to an air-movement operation, except the landing zone is in the water.
US Army
US Army
1 October: US Army soldiers in Basic Combat Training low-crawl through the final obstacle during the Fit to Win endurance course at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
US Army / Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton
US Army / Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton / Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton
14 October: A Scout Sniper Team Marksman, part of the Recon Platoon from Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, 53rd Brigade Combat Team, Florida National Guard, fires a Barrett M107 .50-caliber semi-automatic antimaterial rifle at a 1,200-meter target during a live-fire long-range marksmanship training and qualification course at the Arta training range in Djibouti.
US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Gregory Brook
US Air Force / Staff Sgt. Gregory Brook / Staff Sgt. Gregory Brook
3 November: A US Army Green Beret takes one knee during a noncombatant evacuation exercise, as part of Southern Strike 16, on Meridian Naval Air Station in Mississippi.
US Air National Guard / Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy
US Air National Guard / Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy / Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy
2 December: US Army Spc. Timmy Racke, an infantryman with the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, engages targets with his M240B Machine Gun while conducting battle drills at Pabrade Training Area in Lithuania.
US Army / Staff Sgt. Michael Behlin
US Army / Staff Sgt. Michael Behlin / Staff Sgt. Michael Behlin
10 December: US Army soldiers, assigned to 1/25 SBCT “Arctic Wolves,” US Army Alaska, transport equipment using snowshoes and ahkio sleds during an arctic mobility-squad competition in the Yukon Training Area at Fort Wainwright in Alaska.
US Army / 1st Lt. James Gallagher
US Army / 1st Lt. James Gallagher / 1st Lt. James Gallagher
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Well, he’s a great guy at what he does but, film is about developing and adopting to new genres and ideas… I think bill is not someone that can power that engine
Younger people are needed at the top. They will be delighted with the opportunity at half the price.
Bill knows nothing about sport never mind the industry he know represents , he’s a institutionalized Rte placement. Ridiculous pick…
Well done Katie andSéamus though at least a couple of people on there might know what there talking about. Some ludicrous appointments though :’(
A blatant and shameless political for a high profile Fine Gael apparatchik. They’re not even attempting to dress it up as anything other than that. Which shows how much they do not give a shit about the optics. Be prepared to see Billo’s mug peering out at you from photos taken at more than a few international film festivals in the next couple of years while he’s putting on the green jersey – the one formally worn by John O’Donoghue.
It’s not about the salary – it’s about the expenses, and the jollies and the free flights and the international film festival, symposiums and any other euphemism you can think of to describe a taxpayer funded session – all in the name of promoting Irish Culture and industry. Much like an appointment to the board of Aerlingus would be regarded as a reward for long serving party member, this is of the same ilk. To accuse people of begrudgery for pointing that out belies your own persuasions.
Sorry, but I disagree. Bill OHerlihy is a distinguished broadcaster, broadcasting isn’t a million miles from film making, so why shouldn’t he be asked, and why shouldn’t he remunerated appropriately? I’ve served on 1 board – (as an expert), I was been remunerated, and no, I wouldn’t have taken on that position were there not remuneration. Why should I? I’m giving my time and my personally funded expertise and experience.
That’s fine Michael, and that’s your choice. I just don’t like the idea that in order to be anything in the public service in Ireland you apparently have to do it for free, while those who work privately should be the real capitalists of the world.
I’m sorry, but we aren’t volunteers, we are professionals, and should be viewed in that light.
Sorry John but you can’t expect us to use your expertise and experience and graft that on to this example. You are not to the best of my knowledge a well know Fine Gael PR professional with a sideline in broadcasting. And there is a difference Between operating in the closed glasshouse of RTE and the international world of modern filmmaking. Many people involved un the film industry are bemused at this appointment. No one is having a go at you or your own contributions to boards. But it is fair to say that the system of state appointees has been open to abuse. This government was very vocal about such practices when in opposition. However it seems to have intensified if anything since they have come into power. You are making this about you and your circumstances. It is not.
As any good Dictator knows it is very important to control the media and the judiciary so Enda is doing very nicely thank you. Fine Gael now control most national print media, RTE, most national radio stations and Bill can make sure we watch the “right” movies
No doubt the Fine Gael defenders will be on shortly to tell us how he is the best candidate and that this is appropriate . Where is David Higgins ? Normally he would have posted by now to defend the indefensible
Jobs for the boys. My God, when is this all going to end? Look at Gaybo! Lyric FM, Temple Street, Road Safety, RTE TV, & so on. How many cushy numbers has he under his belt? Isn’t it any wonder there is severe unemployment on this island of ours when RTE and the likes have cosy cartels running right in front of our noses!
It’s immoral Bill to accept this position at your age and in your position. Young people are committing suicide because of the hopelessness felt today for their futures. Gaybo, Bill, and the rest of old RTE staff who are beyond retirement age should look at their greed and think about others for once. As for the people who give these jobs to people – they also need to reflect on their values.
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