Minnesota National Guard, Croatia Celebrate 30 Years of Partnership

July 20, 2026 | By Army Staff Sgt. Mahsima Alkamooneh, Minnesota National Guard |

Minnesota and Croatia celebrated the 30th anniversary of their partnership through the National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program during Exercise Combat Power 26, near Slunj, Croatia, June 29. 
 
"This partnership is best measured not only in years, exercises or official milestones, but in people," said Nicole McGraw, U.S. ambassador to Croatia. "It is measured in Croatian and American soldiers who have trained together, learned from one another and form a kind of trust that only comes from serving side by side."

The SPP joins a U.S. state with a NATO-allied nation to strengthen military capabilities, enhance interoperability and foster long-term institutional relationships. The celebration came just days after the 35th anniversary of Croatian independence, June 25. 
 
Over the years, members of the Minnesota National Guard and Croatian Armed Forces served together in Afghanistan, trained alongside one another in Minnesota and Croatia and exchanged expertise in areas including cyber defense, medical capabilities, explosive ordnance disposal, water purification and military modernization. 

Thirty years later, Exercise Combat Power 26 provided another opportunity for the two forces to train together. 
 
"This exercise is more than a training event," said Lt. Gen. Tihomir Kundid, chief of the general staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, during the ceremony's opening remarks. "It is a good opportunity to exchange knowledge, share experiences and build professional relationships. Armed forces readiness has never been more important than today."

After the ceremony, the smell of grilled steaks filled the air at the Eugen Kvaternik Military Training Area as Minnesota volunteers served dinner to U.S., Croatian and allied service members participating in the exercise. 
 
"This gave me the chance to support and recognize this long-standing partnership between the Croatian Armed Forces and the Minnesota National Guard," said retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Doug Wortham. "It was an awesome opportunity to share this taste of home with the service members and see NATO allies break bread together after a long day supporting Combat Power 26. 
 
Serving Our Troops, a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization, traveled to Croatia to prepare and serve 1,000 steaks as service members and leaders commemorated the 30th anniversary of the partnership between the Minnesota National Guard and the Croatian Armed Forces. 

"A good meal may seem simple, but for those who serve, and for those families who support them, it can mean a great deal," McGraw said. "Tonight's dinner is a reminder that service is not only honored in ceremonies. It is honored in acts of gratitude, in communities that remember and in citizens that take the time to say thank you." 
 
For many of the Minnesota National Guard soldiers participating in the exercise, it marked their first time training in Croatia. For others, it continued the relationships built over years of exchanges and shared missions.

Army Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard, said the trust built during exercises like Combat Power 26 can develop into relationships that last well after the training ends. 
 
"Over the last 30 years, we have built true friendship and trust," Manke said. "The trust that you built during this exercise is a seed that will flourish and bloom years down the road."

Medal of Honor Monday: Army 2nd Lt. Robert Craig

 

July 20, 2026 | By David Vergun, Pentagon News |

Army 2nd Lt. Robert Craig was an infantryman during World War II. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Sicily during Operation Husky. 

Craig was born in Scotland on June 7, 1919, to William Craig Sr. and Jane Montgomery Craig. He had an older brother, William, and a younger sister, Jane. 

When he was 4 years old, Craig's family left Scotland and eventually settled in Toledo, Ohio. Growing up, he played baseball, football and golf, and, according to a May 1944 press release from the War Department, "spent much of his time tinkering with cars and radios." 

After graduating from Libbey High School, Craig worked as a stock clerk at a grocery store in Toledo. He joined the Army in February 1941, and was commissioned Dec. 1, 1941, just six days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 

In January 1942, Craig deployed to Europe with L Company, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division and six months later, he was part of the July 1943 landings in Sicily, known as Operation Husky. 

On July 11, 1943, the 15th Infantry was advancing near Favarotta, Sicily, when it was stopped by enemy machine-gun fire. Despite failed attempts by three other soldiers, Craig and Army Cpl. James E. Hill volunteered to leave their position to locate and destroy the hidden gunner.  

Craig located the gun and came within 35 yards of the hostile position before being discovered. 

Hill said Craig "ran head-on through the machine-gun fire … reached the gun position miraculously unhurt, and, standing over the crew, killed all three of them with his carbine," according to the War Department press release. 

Now that the hidden machine-gunner was gone, the company moved forward. However, as it moved down the forward slope of a ridge, Craig and his platoon encountered approximately 100 enemy soldiers. With utter disregard for his own safety, Craig elected to sacrifice himself so that his platoon could continue. 

His Medal of Honor citation states, "He ordered his men to withdraw to the cover of the crest while he drew the enemy fire to himself. With no hope of survival, he charged toward the enemy until he was within 25 yards of them. He killed five and wounded three enemy soldiers. While the hostile force concentrated fire on him, his platoon reached the cover of the crest.  

"Craig was killed by enemy fire, but his intrepid action so inspired his men that they drove the enemy from the area, inflicting heavy casualties on the hostile force." 

Army Maj. Gen. Alan W. Jones, 106th Infantry Division commander, presented the Medal of Honor to Craig's father May 26, 1944, during a ceremony at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. 

In July 1946, the cargo ship Bowling Green Victory, operated by the War Shipping Administration, was transferred to the Army Transportation Service and renamed the Lt. Robert Craig. In 1950, the ship was transferred from the Maritime Commission to the Navy and remained in service until 1973. 

In 1957, Craig's hometown dedicated the Robert Craig Memorial Bridge to him. According to the Toledo Gazette, more than 2,000 people attended the ceremony on a cold January day, including Craig's parents and siblings. 

Craig is buried in Toledo Memorial Park Cemetery in Sylvania, Ohio, near his parents.   

DOW Identifies Army Casualties

July 20, 2026 |

The Department of War announced the death of two active-duty Soldiers who were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.

1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii was killed in action on July 18, 2026, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, was killed in action on July 17, 2026, during an enemy attack on July 17, 2026, at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan. The incident is under investigation.

1st Lt. Feehan was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air Missile Defense Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Pvt. Gonzales was assigned to 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air Missile Defense Command, Ansbach, Germany.

For more information regarding 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, members of the media may contact U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command at media@army.mil.