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Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Benjamin Richardson tests a nasal swab sample for COVID-19 aboard the EUSS Hershel “Woody” Williams in the Adriatic Sea, March 28, 2021. Hershel “Woody” Williams is operating in the 6th Fleet to conduct interoperability training and build strategic partnerships with African partners.
Coast Guardsmen conduct ice rescue training with a simulated survivor in the water at U.S. Coast Guard Station Alexandria Bay, N.Y., March 16, 2021.
Air Force Chief Master Sgt. JoAnne S. Bass, left, recognizes Capt. Karen Miller during a meeting with the all-female aircrew that participated in a Women’s History Month heritage flight at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., March 26, 2021.
Marines exit a submerged simulated aircraft during underwater egress training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 23, 2021.
Army Sgt. Karissa Martin and Army Staff Sgt. Kristin Dodds wash their hands after plastering and painting walls at the Boy Scout center in Vilnius, Lithuania, March 13, 2021. U.S. and Lithuanian soldiers used their home improvement skills to revitalize the important building for the youth of Lithuania.
Air Force Airman 1st Class Collin Rideaux and Staff Sgt. Colton Clouse prepare a live GBU-12 bomb for pick-up at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, March 23, 2021.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Carlos Sepulveda, right, throws a heaving line to Petty Officer 3rd Class Steven Rojas during boat recovery training in Guam, March 23, 2021.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Vanessa Thomas inspects aircrew survival gear at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., March 29, 2021.
Soldiers participate in a team-building event during assessment and selection at Camp Mackall, N.C., March 2, 2021. Participants were evaluated on individual physical fitness and confidence, intelligence and psychological capability and ability to solve dilemma-based problems individually and as a team.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt, the USS Bunker Hill, the Indian navy Shivalik-class INS Shivalik and the USS Russell sail in formation in the Indian Ocean, March 28, 2021.
The USNS Carl Brashear conducts a replenishment with the USS Philippine Sea, not pictured, in the Gulf of Oman, March 22, 2021.
A civic club president shows Navy Rear Adm. Robert Chadwick II historical Hawaiian figures before a hale, or open shelter, event near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, March 26, 2021. The hale is part of an ongoing cultural resources project involving a continuing partnership by the Navy and the local community.
Navy Lt. Aricka Faulkner learns a traditional dance from teachers and students at a junior high school during a community relations event in Tema, Ghana, as part of Exercise Obangame Express, March 23, 2021. The exercise is designed to improve cooperation among participating nations and increase maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea and West African coastal regions.
Army Staff Sgt. Tim Horgan rolls a coat of paint on the wall during the renovation of a Boy Scout center in Vilnius, Lithuania, March 13. 2021. U.S. and Lithuanian soldiers were able to utilize their home improvement skills to revitalize the important building for the youth of Lithuania.
A soldier hands out candy to children in Lamu, Kenya, March 20, 2021. Soldiers collected donations from loved ones in the U.S. to support the humanitarian effort in the region.
March 30, 2021
The Office of the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (OSEAC) announced today the following assignment:
Navy Command Master Chief Kevin Guy, currently assigned as the command master chief, USS WASP (LHD 1), was selected to replace Air Force Chief Master Sgt. James Brown as the command senior enlisted leader for Joint Task Force – Civil Support, Fort Eustis, Virginia.
March 30, 2021 | BY David Vergun , DOD News
Bobby Dan Davis Blocker is best known as the TV actor who played Hoss Cartwright in the western "Bonanza," but he was also a soldier who was wounded in action during the Korean War.
In 1946, Blocker played football at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. In 1947, he transferred to what was then known as Sul Ross State Teachers College in Alpine, Texas. There, he was a star football player and graduated in 1950.
Blocker was drafted into the Army during the Korean War in late 1950, receiving basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and nine more months of training in Sapporo, Japan. He then was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division in Korea from December 1951 to August 1952 and attained the rank of sergeant.
Blocker's unit occupied the sector of the Jamestown Line near Chorwon, which is now part of North Korea. In March, his unit was involved in heavy fighting 10 miles west of Chorwon at Outpost Eerie. On May 25, Blocker's company manned Hill 200 where six were killed in action and 21 were wounded; 132 Chinese soldiers were killed.
From June 16 to 26, the 179th fought a series of outpost battles at Eerie, Old Baldy and Pork Chop Hill. On June 26 and beyond, F Company defended Hill 223. The 45th Division was withdrawn from the front in July after 209 days on the line. The 179th then went into reserve at Yanggu, South Korea.
Blocker, who was the acting company first sergeant, was hospitalized for wounds received during one of the battles. He is credited with saving the lives of unit members in combat and was rotated home in August 1952.
Gordon Abts, who received a Silver Star Medal for gallantry on May 7, 1952, said he served under Sgt. Blocker in Korea. He told Steve Cahalan, a reporter for the La Crosse Tribune newspaper in Wisconsin, that the Chinese would usually attack at night, so the soldiers slept during the day.
“[Blocker] was a great guy,” Abts said. “He was very strong. He could take a beer can between two fingers and crush it. He was very athletic. He was loud, but very friendly and got along with everybody. He was a great leader.”
Abts and Blocker became friends, and, after the war, they stayed in touch with each other.
In 1959, Blocker was cast as one of the leads in "Bonanza," playing the middle of three brothers in a family of Nevada ranchers.
He often had to extricate younger brother Little Joe, played by Michael Landon, from trouble. Hoss was a beloved character on the popular show, which ran an extraordinary 14 seasons.
Unfortunately, Blocker only made it to season 13. He died from a pulmonary embolism following gallbladder surgery in 1972. He is buried near his hometown of De Kalb, Texas.
March 30, 2021 | BY ARMY 1ST LT. GRACE HARRISON AND ARMY MAJ. SHERRAIN REBER
From a Marine Corps logistics officer in Iraq, to a critical care nurse serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic for the Army Reserve, Army Capt. Tineisha Nagle has made a life dedicated to serving her country.
In middle school, Nagle knew she was destined to serve in the military.
"There is a camaraderie within the military that you just don't get with civilian or federal careers," she said. "I knew the military would be a life-long career for me, and the Reserve affords you the opportunity to hold both a military and civilian career — I love that."
In 2005, she graduated from the Naval Academy and entered the Marine Corps where she served as a logistics officer for twelve and a half years on both active duty and in the Reserve. Now, Nagle is finishing her first year as a critical care nurse in the Army Reserve.
"I became interested in the health care side of the military during my deployments to Iraq as a Marine Corps lieutenant and took the necessary steps to become a registered nurse," Nagle said. "I felt that the Army would provide the most unique and expansive opportunities for RNs, so I decided to recommission into the Army Reserve."
After only one year in the Army Reserve, Nagle was mobilized under the 807th Medical Command (Deployment Support) as a member of the Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force (UAMTF) 328-1; a new construct designed specifically to provide support to the ongoing COVID-19 military medical relief effort. The task force is now a part of the broad response efforts being led by U.S. Army North at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
In preparing for the mission, Nagle stated that she read a news article where the 807th MC(DS) Commander, Army Maj. Gen. Joe Heck, said, "This is a totally different mission than has ever existed before…"These words struck her as she was still relatively new to the Army and still learning about the history of the Nurse Corps. Nagle said, "I can appreciate that there is something very special about the UAMTF mission, and I am very honored to be a part of it at this stage of my career."
During her mobilization, Nagle worked within a designated COVID-19 intensive care unit providing support to medical staff at Yuma Regional Medical Center in Yuma, Arizona.
When talking about her experience at Yuma Regional Medical Center, Nagle said, "It has been a quick turn-around on learning the daily protocols of the intensive care unit, without the traditional weeks of orientation before being integrated as part of the staff.
"Under normal circumstances, the integration into the local medical staff would take weeks. These days, time is a luxury that no one can afford as staff are overstretched and worn down with long hours and patients continually needing critical care. Nagle has had some familiarity with working in a COVID-19 environment prior to the mobilization, but this was the first time she worked directly at a patient's bedside for a complete shift.
"I was familiar with what PPE and special precautions needed to be taken, and felt comfortable going into this mission with that knowledge," Nagle said.
As an Army Reserve health care professional, Nagle's role is to
support the front-line service members who defend the nation at home and
abroad. During the fight against COVID-19 she was in a new role, in the
trenches alongside her civilian health care counterparts, to serve the
American people, right here in her own backyard.
"Reserve health care professionals from all communities have been asked to augment medical staff currently stressed beyond capacity," Nagle said. "On any deployment there is an inherent mission of winning the hearts and minds of the local population, and I feel that this especially applies to missions dedicated to directly serving the American people."
Nagle observed that every provider in the Reserve is experienced in their respective field, so the transition wasn't terribly stressful. "Especially for service members who train for stressful situations," Nagle said.
During a mobilization unlike any in her career, Nagle managed the stress by taking advantage of the down time between shifts to focus on self-care and connecting daily with her husband and family.
"I'm married to an active-duty service member; I have his full support and understanding," Nagle said.
U.S. Northern Command, through U.S. Army North, remains committed to providing flexible Defense Department support to the whole-of-America COVID-19 response.
(Army 1st Lt. Grace Harrison and Army Maj. Sherrain Reber are assigned to the 807th Medical Command.)
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