Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Marine Mission

 

Marines participate in an exercise at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 30, 2020.

Self Reflection

 

Marine Corps Cpl. Robert McArtor applies camouflage paint during Noble Fury at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, Oct.7, 2020. Noble Fury is a joint training exercise involving Marines and sailors assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force and U.S. 7th Fleet.

Swim Qualification

 

Marine Corps recruits participate in a swim qualification at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Oct. 6, 2020.

Sailor Silhouette

 

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Casey Horton unloads cargo aboard the USS Iwo Jima in the Atlantic Ocean, Oct. 10, 2020.

Flight Ops

 

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Zachary Kai signals a Japanese helicopter to land on the flight deck of the USS John S. McCain during flight operations in the South China Sea, Oct. 12, 2020.

Soldier Strong

 

Army Spc. Genesis Miranda participates in the 2020 Headquarters Department of the Army Best Warrior Competition at Fort George G. Meade, Md., Sept. 19, 2020.

Jump Team

 

Marines guide their parachutes after a free-fall jump during an airborne operations training event at Camp Shelby, Miss., Oct. 6, 2020.

Airborne Ops

 

Marines board a CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter during an airborne operations training event at Camp Shelby, Miss., Oct. 6, 2020.

San Antonio Support

 

Guardsmen with the Texas National Guard attached to Joint Task Force - Longhorn provide stocking and distribution support to the San Antonio Food Bank in San Antonio, Texas , Oct. 5, 2020. Since April, the guardsmen have been mobilized across the state of Texas to augment local food banks in order to meet an unprecedented increase in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Temp Task

A Marine assigned to amphibious dock landing ship USS Comstock conducts COVID-19 mitigation procedures on sailors aboard Patrol Boats Mk VI assigned to Commander, Task Force 75 in the Philippine Sea, Oct. 6, 2020. Maritime Expeditionary Security Forces and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit sailors assigned to Commander, Task Force 75 embarked and are conducting integrated littoral maritime security operations from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Comstock with the Marines and sailors already deployed as Task Force Ellis from I Marine Expeditionary Force.

Food Bank Assist

 

Members assigned to the 110th Wing, Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, Mich., now part of the Michigan National Guard COVID-19 Joint Task Force, work with the Food Bank of South Michigan, preparing and delivering boxes of groceries to over 500 area residents in Battle Creek, Oct. 6, 2020. The Food Bank warehouse serves eight counties consisting of 285 food pantries in southern Michigan. Since March, Michigan National Guard teams have supported food banks across Michigan, distributing more than 7 million pounds of food to local communities.


Longhorn Labor

 

Guardsmen of the Texas National Guard attached to Joint Task Force - Longhorn provide stocking and distribution support to the San Antonio Food Bank in San Antonio, Texas, Oct. 5, 2020. Since April, the guardsmen have been mobilized across the state of Texas to augment local food banks in order to meet an unprecedented increase in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Army Corps Civilian Donates Plasma to Help Fellow Oklahomans

 Oct. 13, 2020 | BY HOLLIE D. JAMES

After realizing he had lost his sense of taste and smell, Mike Kerr immediately isolated himself. Kerr, the safety manager for the Tulsa, Oklahoma, district of the Army Corps of Engineers, then got tested for COVID-19.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is anecdotal evidence that loss of smell and taste were reported by people with COVID-19. Patients also reported fever and chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea.

I'm glad that, through our suffering, we helped someone who was suffering worse."
Mike Kerr, safety manager, Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District

"Upon initial symptoms, I self-isolated from my family members and we cleaned everything in the house — over and over again," Kerr said.

"Knowing that my test results could take a couple of days, I immediately notified friends and co-workers, who were in close contact with me, that I was being tested for the virus."

I didn't know anyone who had the virus before me, so I really didn't know what to expect, Kerr stated.

"The scariest part was getting it early and the unknown of what to expect," Kerr said. "There was not a lot of information in the U.S., and all we really heard was about how rapidly the virus was spreading and the deaths in places like the Seattle area."

After recovering, Kerr realized that he could help other people and donated 650 ml of convalescent plasma.

A man holds two bags containing a yellowish liquid.

"I felt as though I had a responsibility to give plasma to help other Oklahomans in their recovery. I was approached by a local hospital, and they started the process with Oklahoma Blood Institute," Kerr said.

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health website, to date, Oklahoma has identified 94,352 cases across the state with 13,066 active cases, 80,211 people recovered and 1,075 cases resulting in death.

Kerr was notified by letter that all of his plasma had gone to recipients suffering from the virus.

"I'm glad that, through our suffering, we helped someone who was suffering worse," Kerr said.

(Hollie D. James is assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers).

Sports Heroes Who Served: Basketball Great, U.S. Senator Was Also in the Air Force

 Oct. 13, 2020 | BY David Vergun , DOD News

Sports Heroes Who Served is a series that highlights the accomplishments of athletes who served in the U.S. military.

Bill Bradley is a former professional basketball player and U.S. senator. He also served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War.

A smiling man poses for a photo.

At age 9, Bradley began playing basketball, and he soon realized that it was what he wanted to do in life. Not only did he play well, but he also had the physique. By the time he was in eighth grade, he was already 6 feet, 1 inch, and he grew to 6 feet, 5 inches by age 15.

Besides his love for the sport and natural abilities, Bradley also worked hard at the game, spending an average of about 5 hours practicing each day while in high school and throughout college.

By the time Bradley graduated from high school in 1961, he was considered to be the top high school basketball player in the United States.

In the fall of 1961, Bradley was enrolled in Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, and began playing basketball for the Princeton Tigers.

Men play basketball in a gymnasium.

Success came quickly. As a freshman, he averaged over 30 points per game. He also set a National Basketball Association record for successfully making 57 consecutive free throws.

Bradley also found time to play baseball for Princeton, hitting an average .316 as a first baseman.

His excellence on the court earned him a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, which took the gold medal at the 1964 games in Tokyo.

After graduating from college in 1965, Bradley was selected to play for the New York Knickerbockers. However, he didn't immediately sign and, instead, began studying at Oxford University, where he commuted regularly from England to Milan, Italy, to play for the Olimpia Milano basketball team during the 1965-1966 season. That season, the team won the European Champions Cup.

Man plays basketball

In April 1967, after graduating from the University of Oxford in England, Bradley joined the Air Force, completing Officer Training School at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve.

After completing administration training at Amarillo AFB, Texas, he was stationed at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, and served in a number of administrative and personnel assignments.

It was fortuitous that Bradley was stationed at McGuire because it was an easy commute for him to play basketball for the New York Knicks, beginning in 1967.

A man sits on a desk with piles of papers next to him.

He served six months of active duty and four years in the Air Force Reserve, drilling one weekend a month and serving on active duty two weeks each year.

Bradley attained the rank of first lieutenant before leaving the service with an honorable discharge, March 3, 1978.

Bradley's time with the Knicks lasted from 1967 to 1977. He did so well that his No. 24 jersey was retired in 1977; in 1982, he was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Statue

Besides Bradley's love of basketball, he also loved politics. He ran successfully for the U.S. Senate, representing New Jersey from 1979 to 1997. Tax reform and child support enforcement were among the issues he championed.

He also authored a number of books.