Latest news with #101stAirborneDivision
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
101st Airborne Division welcomes new commanding general at Change of Command ceremony
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (WKRN) — The Change of Command was held at Fort Campbell Division Parade Field Friday. The 101st Airborne Division welcomed Maj. Gen. David Gardner as its 50th commanding general. Gardner comes from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans, and Training (G-3/5/7) for the U.S. Army Forces Command. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → 'It is the honor of a lifetime,' Gardner said. 'It is unbelievably humbling to join the ranks of the former and current members of our nation's most storied and recognized division.' Gardner also previously served as the commanding general of the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Johnson, Louisiana. Community leaders, local officials and more said goodbye to Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia, who had assumed command over the division in July 2023. Sylvia helped develop a large-scale, long-range air assault capability and led the U.S. Army's 'Transformation in Contact' initiative. Under Sylvia's leadership, the 101st Airborne Division deployed soldiers to North Carolina for Hurricane Helene relief efforts, multiple European countries to support Operation European Assure and the U.S. southern border. JANUARY: Fort Campbell soldiers sent to southern border after Trump executive order 'Few could have predicted how the events of the next two years would create an environment of unprecedented opportunity and challenge,' Sylvia said. 'And to each of those challenges, the men and women standing before you today didn't just rise – they soared! Today, I stand before you with great pride knowing that the 101st Airborne Division has not only built upon a tremendous legacy, but also emerged having firmly established itself as the unit of choice for any mission, any time, any place, and against any foe.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Widow's powerful response to Army general goes viral on Memorial Day
For most military families, Memorial Day is a holiday marked by quiet moments of reflection, but for widows like Ashley Southard, Memorial Day is every day. Southard lost her husband, U.S. Army Sergeant Andrew 'Andy' Southard, on November 10, 2023, during a routine air refueling mission with Special Forces Unit 160th SOAR in the Mediterranean Sea. He was 27. Each year, SGT Southard is honored at the Fort Campbell Boots Display Memorial, a powerful visual memorial for those who paid the ultimate price – but a new base policy intends to halt the somber display altogether. 'After a decade of standing as a powerful testament of sacrifice and selflessness, the Fort Campbell Boots Display Memorial will conclude after its final scheduled display May 19-26, 2025. The intent is to transition to the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument on post, where Families can reflect and heal, year-round and at a time of their choosing,' a Facebook post announcement read. 'We hope you will join us here to celebrate the memory of each servicemember represented and honor their sacrifice. The military family and community are unlike any other. It is a community filled with resilience and resolve. While the Boots Display will conclude after this year, its significance will endure beyond this farewell as we carry forward the spirit of the memorial in new ways.' Southard took to social media to voice her digust. 'There will always be a boot display for him here. MG Brett Sylvia, I hope your hotdogs taste like shit and you get a sunburn this weekend,' Southard captioned the now-viral video which amassed more than two million views. Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia is the commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ashley Southard | Author (@ashleynsouthard) More than 1,600 users weighed in on the video in the comments. 'This Fort Campbell fam is hugging you guys tight, mama. We owe him, and every one, everything (IMO, boots need to be placed on Brett Sylvia's front lawn. Let him get a good look at what he's doing. What a disgrace.)' one user wrote accompanied by an American flag and broken heart emoji. Another added, 'This was a straight gut punch to the feels. Thank you for being strong enough to share his memory.' At time of publication, We Are The Mighty did not receive a response to our request for comment from Fort Campbell.
Axios
21-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Screaming Eagles will be first to get U.S. Army's MV-75
The 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, will be the first to receive the MV-75 Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft. Why it matters: The Bell Textron-made tiltrotor will replace a significant portion of the Black Hawk helicopter fleet. The yearslong FLRAA competition pitted some of the biggest names in defense against each other. Driving the news: Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus revealed the plan at the Army Aviation Association of America's conference in Tennessee. "This aircraft changes how we move forces. More importantly, it changes the geometry of ground combat," he said. "And we're not waiting for a distant out-year to make this thing real." "The 101st flies into real-world contested environments, across wide terrain, often without the luxury of fixed support infrastructure. They need speed, endurance, and reliability." Catch up quick: Bell bested a Sikorsky-Boeing team in 2022. The Government Accountability Office denied a contract protest in 2023. Fun fact: The MV-75 designation refers to its multi-mission assignments (air assault, medical evacuation and resupply), its vertical-takeoff-and-landing capabilities and the establishment of the Army in 1775.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
For one sentinel, a final walk at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
For the last two years, Army Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Jay has been dutifully guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Jay and the other guards on watch duty serve as both protectors and commemorators of a national tribute to America's unidentified and missing service members. With Jay's final walk scheduled for June 2, this Memorial Day will hold special significance for him as the cemetery prepares for a string of events honoring those who paid the ultimate price for their country. 'It's meant a lot,' Jay, 38, told The Associated Press. 'I'm going to try to make sure it doesn't define me, but it was definitely a defining moment in my career.' Jay, who is from Indianapolis, volunteered for the position after serving in the Tennessee-based 101st Airborne Division, which specializes in air assault operations and is known for its record in World War II. He trained for almost 18 months for the guard duty. 'The training is unlike anything I've ever done in my career so far,' he said. 'It's more than the physical aspect of any other Army school you might think of.' The guards, also known as sentinels for their watchful duty, train even on their off-days, walking on the mat for two hours straight to build up muscular endurance. But that isn't the only endurance required of the sentinels. 'It's a lot of mental ability,' Jay said. 'You have to be locked in for a nine-minute guard change, but then also your 30-minute walk. So, what you're thinking about kind of varies between soldier to soldier.' The sentinels spend half an hour walking the mat in the colder months and an hour during warmer months. They perform a dramatic changing of the guard at the grave site that visitors to the Washington area flock to see, marching 21 steps down the mat, turning and facing east for 21 seconds, then north for 21 seconds and then back down the mat for 21 more, repeating the process. The number refers to the high military honor of the 21-gun salute, which can be heard booming throughout the cemetery and surrounding areas during military funerals on the grounds. There are currently three unidentified U.S. service members buried in the tomb: one from World War I, one from World War II and one from the Korean War. With Memorial Day approaching, the cemetery — which is run by the U.S. Army and has 3 to 4 million visitors annually — will hold a number of events to honor fallen service members. Just before Memorial Day weekend, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment places American flags at the grave sites of more than 260,000 service members buried at the cemetery — an event known as 'Flags In.' On the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, the public is invited to leave flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for Flowers of Remembrance Day. 'Memorial Day still retains the purpose that it had back in 1868 during that first official observance here in Arlington,' said Allison Finkelstein, the senior historian of Arlington National Cemetery. 'It is the day to remember and honor our war dead.' There have been 733 tomb guards since 1958. On average, seven to nine tomb guards work every day. 'The honor of guarding them isn't just about the Three Unknowns, it's about everybody that lays here in the cemetery and what they gave in the pursuit of freedom,' Jay said.
Washington Post
19-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
For 1 sentinel, a final walk at Arlington's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
ARLINGTON, Va. — For the last two years, Army Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Jay has been dutifully guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Jay and the other guards on watch duty serve as both protectors and commemorators of a national tribute to America's unidentified and missing service members . With Jay's final walk scheduled for June 2, this Memorial Day will hold special significance for him as the cemetery prepares for a string of events honoring those who paid the ultimate price for their country. 'It's meant a lot,' Jay, 38, told The Associated Press. 'I'm going to try to make sure it doesn't define me, but it was definitely a defining moment in my career.' Jay, who is from Indianapolis, volunteered for the position after serving in the Tennessee-based 101st Airborne Division, which specializes in air assault operations and is known for its record in World War II. He trained for almost 18 months for the guard duty. 'The training is unlike anything I've ever done in my career so far,' he said. 'It's more than the physical aspect of any other Army school you might think of.' The guards, also known as sentinels for their watchful duty, train even on their off-days, walking on the mat for two hours straight to build up muscular endurance. But that isn't the only endurance required of the sentinels. 'It's a lot of mental ability,' Jay said. 'You have to be locked in for a nine-minute guard change, but then also your 30-minute walk. So, what you're thinking about kind of varies between soldier to soldier.' The sentinels spend half an hour walking the mat in the colder months and an hour during warmer months. They perform a dramatic changing of the guard at the grave site that visitors to the Washington area flock to see, marching 21 steps down the mat, turning and facing east for 21 seconds, then north for 21 seconds and then back down the mat for 21 more, repeating the process. The number refers to the high military honor of the 21-gun salute, which can be heard booming throughout the cemetery and surrounding areas during military funerals on the grounds. There are currently three unidentified U.S. service members buried in the tomb: one from World War I, one from World War II and one from the Korean War. With Memorial Day approaching, the cemetery — which is run by the U.S. Army and has 3 to 4 million visitors annually — will hold a number of events to honor fallen service members. Just before Memorial Day weekend, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment places American flags at the grave sites of more than 260,000 service members buried at the cemetery — an event known as 'Flags In.' On the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, the public is invited to leave flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for Flowers of Remembrance Day. 'Memorial Day still retains the purpose that it had back in 1868 during that first official observance here in Arlington,' said Allison Finkelstein, the senior historian of Arlington National Cemetery. 'It is the day to remember and honor our war dead.' There have been 733 tomb guards since 1958. On average, seven to nine tomb guards work every day. 'The honor of guarding them isn't just about the Three Unknowns, it's about everybody that lays here in the cemetery and what they gave in the pursuit of freedom,' Jay said. ___
