Air Force Staff Sgt. Fong Thao inspects a bomb rack before a quarterly load crew competition at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, Jan. 8, 2021.
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Fleet Feet
Route Reconnaissance
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ethan Sawyer conducts route reconnaissance during the 3rd Marine Division Rifle Squad Competition at Camp Gonsalves in Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 11, 2021. The weeklong competition tests jungle survival skills, basic infantry tactics and weapons handling.
Pugil Partners
Marine Corps recruits fight with pugil sticks during training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., Jan. 11, 2021.
Readout of PDO Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Anthony Tata's Meeting With Moroccan Minister for Administration of National Defense Abdellatif Loudiyi and Inspector General of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces Abdelfatah Louarak
Jan. 12, 2021
Anthony Tata, performing the duties of (PDO) under secretary of defense for policy, met separately with Abdellatif Loudiyi, Morocco’s minister-delegate to the head of government in charge of the National Defense Administration and Abdelfatah Louarak, inspector general of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, during a visit to Morocco January 12. Mr. Tata also co-chaired the 11th U.S.-Morocco Defense Consultative Committee with General Louarak.
During the Defense Consultative Committee, PDO USD(P) Tata and General Louarak signed the Bilateral Country Action Plan to implement the U.S.-Morocco Roadmap for Defense Cooperation signed during former Secretary Esper’s trip to Rabat in October 2020. The action plan focuses on enhancing Moroccan military capacity, deepening interoperability, boosting force readiness, and supporting Morocco's role as a contributor to regional security.
PDO USD(P) Tata, Mr. Loudiyi and General Louarak affirmed both countries’ commitment to the strategic bilateral partnership to deter threats and address shared challenges. They noted the enduring ties created over 244 years of partnership and pledged to work closely together to safeguard both countries’ national security interests.
PDO USD(P) Tata specifically hailed the Moroccan military’s significant contributions to African and international stability and security under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. He also highlighted Morocco’s participation in more than 100 military engagements with the United States yearly, its hosting of AFRICAN LION - the largest yearly U.S. military exercise in Africa, and Morocco’s role exporting security abroad.
The U.S. Department of Defense will continue to execute its mission, including by reassuring allies and partners of our nation’s steadfast resolve, as we uphold our oath of office and the Constitution.
Registration Process
The Puerto Rico National Guard started operations at the Bayamón regional vaccination center at the Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum in San Juan, Jan. 7, 2021. This center will serve health professionals of the municipalities from Bayamón, Cataño, Toa Baja, Dorado, Vega Alta, Corozal, Orocovis, Barranquitas, Comerío, and Toa Alta on different days of the week. The vaccination process starts with registration at 7 a.m., from Monday through Saturday. On Saturdays, doctors and dentists will be vaccinated.
Vaccination Day
Army Spc. Victoria Yarborough, a health care specialist for the Maryland Army National Guard Medical Detachment, administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a soldier at Camp Fretterd Military Reservation in Reisterstown, Md., Jan. 8, 2021. Maryland National Guard soldiers and airmen are supporting the state’s COVID-19 vaccination initiative with mobile vaccination support teams, which are providing medical and logistical support to county health departments during the global pandemic.
Rocky Route
A Marine rappels during the 3rd Marine Division Rifle Squad Competition at Camp Gonsalves in Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 11, 2021. The weeklong competition tests jungle survival skills, basic infantry tactics and weapons handling.
Growler Takeoff
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Kelly Altschul signals the pilot of an EA-18G Growler to take off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt during operations in the Pacific Ocean, Jan. 7, 2021.
Sports Heroes Who Served: Navy Enlistment Helped Spark Football Legend's Career
Jan. 12, 2021 | , DOD News
Sports Heroes Who Served is a series that highlights the accomplishments of athletes who served in the U.S. military.
Daniel Eugene "Rudy" Ruettiger became a famous college football athlete, but he got his big start by joining the Navy in 1968 and serving two years at sea as a yeoman.
Using his Vietnam GI Bill benefits, he enrolled in Indiana's Holy Cross College in 1972 and then at the University of Notre Dame in 1974, playing in the Orange Bowl in 1975 and the Gator Bowl in 1976 — the year he graduated.
Despite being undersized for a football player — 5 feet, 6 inches tall and 165 pounds—Ruettiger was accepted as a defensive end on Notre Dame's Fighting Irish football team due to his drive and determination.
His claim to fame was brief, but spectacular. On Nov. 8, 1975, he was put in the game against Georgia Institute of Technology. During the final play of the game, he sacked Georgia Tech quarterback Rudy Allen.
Ruettiger's teammates were ecstatic, and they carried him off the field; at the time, he was the only player ever to receive such an honor.
The story of the undersized young man being allowed to play and sacking the opposition's quarterback led to the 1993 movie "Rudy" based on Ruettiger's short football career. Ruettiger was played by actor Sean Astin.
Ruettiger actually appeared in the movie as a fan in the final scene. Although Hollywood often takes liberties to make events more dramatic when making films based on true stories, Ruettiger said the film was 92% accurate.
These days, Ruettiger likes to visit service members and give motivational speeches.
During one such visit to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, on Oct. 7, 2010, he told the soldiers that "the Navy actually changed my thinking around, my attitude around, and who I was."
Ruettiger said members of the armed forces are great Americans. "This is an honor for me to come here. I'm real humbled and real privileged," he said.
During his motivational speech he talked about how everyone has the potential to be whatever they want to be.
"It's not your age, it's your attitude," he said, adding that people who work hard deserve a shot.
Ruettiger also told the soldiers all it takes to succeed is what he called the four Cs: character, courage, commitment and contribution. "The little things make a big difference," he said.
Moderna Vaccine
Doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are ready to be administered to airmen of the 163d Attack Wing, California Air National Guard, at March Air Reserve Base, Calif., Jan. 9, 2021. Military members can receive the vaccine voluntarily, and the initial doses have been prioritized for airmen on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic response.
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