Category: US Army

Source: United States Army

CAMP BLANDING JOINT TRAINING CENTER, Fla. — Soldiers and Airmen of the Florida National Guard conducted their first joint Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray certification in decades at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, March 23–26.

Personnel from the 715th Military Police Company and the 125th Security Forces Squadron hosted the training for Florida Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment and the 116th Field Artillery Regiment. More than 100 Guardsmen participated in nonlethal security training.

“Today we conducted the OC spray contamination level one,” said 1st Sgt. Spencer Gibbs, first sergeant of the 715th Military Police Company and an instructor for the Non-Lethal Weapons Instructor Course. “This contamination is both for familiarization and self confidence purposes. If they have to go down range and the OC spray is deployed, they recognize that and are able to fight through while still accomplishing the mission. This is the first time in my entire military career that I have supported a joint operation for qualification this way. I have served as an instructor for over 14 years and this is the largest instructional group I have been a part of. I am very proud of the level of motivation that the units demonstrated through it all.”

Following exposure to the spray, Soldiers navigated an obstacle course designed to test their ability to operate under stress. Participants applied physical defense and control techniques before detaining an individual, demonstrating proper procedures despite the contaminant’s effects.

“Everyone was pretty well prepared,” said Spc. Kirian Johnson, a military police Soldier with the 715th Military Police Company. “The environment was good, the course got all of your senses moving. The hardest part of going through this was the aftermath. Looking around, trying to regain your vision after, it’s difficult. This training is important because in a real world scenario if someone’s going to pepper spray me, I have to handle that scenario in a professional manner. I need to have an expectation of what’s going to happen and how it’s going to affect me.”

The Florida Army National Guard conducts OC spray certification and other security training to maintain readiness for both state and federal missions. As the Florida National Guard continues to operate as a joint force, realistic training scenarios remain critical to sustaining proficiency across the formation.

Experiences such as OC spray training build confidence and reinforce emotional control, enabling Guardsmen to manage reactions in chaotic situations rather than be overwhelmed.

“This is a type of training you won’t know how to handle until you go through it,” said Master Sgt. Jimmy Randolph, logistics superintendent of the 125th Security Forces Squadron. “Seeing people face the unknown and having the courage to go forth is one of the best parts of this training. This event gives us an opportunity to execute that team building and partnership aspect of our mission by coming together with our brothers and sisters and get them certified. The most beneficial part of these joint ops is coming together as a force and understanding each other’s roles, building camaraderie and that Guard unity. It gives us a platform to understand each other’s mission and how we come together while looking for ways to further train and develop in the future.”

The training also highlighted the importance of discipline, accountability and leadership in developing confident, mission-ready Guardsmen. Instructors maintained clear expectations throughout the event, reinforcing standards across all participating units.

“The military has set a standard for training,” said Gibbs. “Attitude sets everything, we give these Soldiers our expectations of motivation and what they can expect from us. At no point in time did the participants, or the training staff, deviate from those expectations. That’s a testimony to the instructors and the leadership that’s ready to get the job done and complete the mission. I think that by doing that, not just in the training grounds but in the field, keeping that morale up is going to allow us to be more successful in the future.”

Related Links

The Official Website of the National Guard | NationalGuard.mil

State Partnership Program | NationalGuard.mil

The National Guard on Facebook | Facebook.com/TheNationalGuard

The National Guard on Flickr | Flickr.com/TheNationalGuard

The National Guard on Instagram | Instagram.com/us.nationalguard

The National Guard on X | X.com/USNationalGuard

The National Guard on YouTube | YouTube.com/TheNationalGuard

Source: United States Army

The Maine Army National Guard mobilized 27 Soldiers from the 120th Regional Support Group for state active duty in support of snow removal operations in Rhode Island earlier this winter.

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee issued a state of emergency during Winter Storm Hernando, which delivered over 37 inches of snowfall – the highest total ever recorded in the state. The record-breaking snowfall from the storm overwhelmed local resources and prompted the governor’s request for out-of-state assistance.

“This is an all-hands-on-deck response,” said McKee in a press release. “It’s going to take time to fully recover from this historic blizzard, but we will get through it, and we will not stop until the job is done.”

Rhode Island submitted a request for assistance through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, enabling rapid coordination between states. Rhode Island and the Maine Emergency Management Agency coordinated efforts with the Maine National Guard, several municipal public works departments, and out-of-state partners like the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to respond to the storm’s impact.

“It’s definitely a lot of snow for one storm and in such a tight area,” said 1st Lt. Nicholas Roberts, an engineering officer with the Maine National Guard and officer-in-charge of the mission. “I can definitely see how the local public works were a little overwhelmed: it’s a lot of snow and not a lot of places to put it.”

Before deploying, the Maine National Guard had to coordinate across multiple functional areas, including human resources, operations, logistics, and the 120th Regional Support Group to identify qualified volunteers capable of operating the necessary vehicles.

“We got the call the night before we all met up, and right from the get go I thought the state did a great job of getting all the parts and pieces moving,” said Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Macduff, 262nd Engineer Construction Company. “It was smooth. We all showed up, we had paperwork to do, we got our trucks ready, and we were out the door the next day.”

As the Soldiers convoyed to Rhode Island, they noted the amount of snow through the region. “Driving through, you kind of go through the different stages of New England,” said Macduff. “You’re like ‘oh the snow is not that bad, oh it doesn’t look that bad.’ And then you get down here and you see… some snowbanks are up to our windows in our trucks.”

Once in Rhode Island, the soldiers quickly got to work clearing snow in and around Providence from locations including downtown streets, residential neighborhoods, and commercial zones. Snow was transported to designated dump sites, such as unused parking lots, where it could safely melt.

“The other entities down here are great,” said Roberts. “The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation guys we’re attached to are phenomenal to work with. They’re a lot of fun and are running an orderly tight ship so it was very easy to integrate with them.”

Despite challenges like melting snow sticking to truck beds and heavy traffic, the teams maintained a steady pace. In just one day, they moved more than 2 million pounds of snow across 134 dump truck loads. Their efforts helped reduce hazardous snowbanks, reopen lanes, and improve safety for both drivers and pedestrians.

Roberts said missions like this reinforce the skills soldiers and officers train on through their careers.

“Coming down here to help Rhode Island is a great opportunity especially as an engineer officer,” said Roberts. “I get to train on this sort of thing a lot but I don’t get to put the skills into use, so it’s nice to do some engineering work and help some local towns and help our friends down in Rhode Island.”

The teams remained in Rhode Island for about a week, working alongside local agencies and out-of-state partners to restore safe road conditions. Many of the soldiers had positive attitudes and worked with smiles on their faces.

“A lot of the guys are happy to be here and I think that’s just because we have a great work ethic,” said Roberts. “Any time we get a chance to go out and help people, do some work, and get stuff done, everyone enjoys that.”

Source: United States Army

USAG BAVARIA – HOHENFELS, Germany – International vendors and community members took part in an on-post bazaar March 19 through 21, 2026, the largest of its kind for the Hohenfels military community.

The annual spring bazaar, because of the increase in vendors, found a new home in the basketball court of the Rodney J. Harris Sports and Fitness Center.

“We could fit all of the vendors in one space,” said Joshua Moore, Outdoor Recreation director and contracting representative for the spring bazaar. “We got a lot of walk-in traffic that we may have not gotten in a different location.”

Vendors came from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland and South Africa. Vendors sold antique furniture and timepieces, ornate rugs of Eastern origin, pendants and other jewelry, pewter drinking vessels, chocolate delicacies, cheeses from the higher lands of the Netherlands, honeys to temper allergies and to simply enjoy, blue and white glazed crockery from Poland, artisanal liqueurs, fabrics and clothing of knitted wool, field-dressing knives, monastic Walloon brews, sausages and confitures to accompany them, and many more items.

Moore said this year’s bazaar, a joint effort between the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation and the Hohenfels Community and Spouses Club, represented a high watermark, which he hopes to exceed in coming years.

“This is absolutely a sustain for next year,” he said.

Moore added that he hopes to bring in more vendors next year.

Source: United States Army

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U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — U.S. Army military medical professionals tested the Medical Currency Application for Readiness Tracking 2.0, a digital, field-medicine tracker, for the first time in Africa during Justified Accord 2026 at Lugalo General Military Hospital and Msata Military Training Base, March 2-12.

Justified Accord is U.S. Africa Command’s largest exercise in East Africa. This year’s event connected U.S. military medical professionals, Tanzanian healthcare providers and Nebraska Air National Guard personnel through the Nebraska-Tanzania State Partnership Program.

Historically, military leaders have struggled to measure the readiness value of medical care. Providers would gain critical clinical experience during exercises, but the data only existed in spreadsheets, paper logs or individual memory. The inaugural medical readiness exercise represented an opportunity to use MCART 2.0 to quantify operational readiness.

“MCART began as an effort to create a self-reporting tool that would allow military medical personnel to document readiness-relevant clinical activity, particularly care delivered outside military treatment facilities,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Justin Fox, professor of surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

The concept emerged approximately five years ago and was initially developed as a proof-of-concept application within the U.S. Air Force to address a persistent gap in capturing operational clinical experience.

Now, MCART 2.0 is a cloud-enabled, modular system. Providers log encounters, procedures, diagnoses and clinical hours through a mobile interface. The platform aggregates clinical data and adds calculated measures like work-relative value units, joint knowledge, skills and abilities metrics, then populates that data to a dashboard for senior leaders.

The system captures service-specific readiness requirements, such as U.S. Army individual critical task lists, and U.S. Air Force comprehensive medical readiness program activities, which creates a single joint operational picture.

In October 2025, the development team began coordinating with U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) to determine how to introduce and integrate the tool into military exercises in Africa.

Planners collaborated to incorporate specific situational reporting requirements and medical specialties into the system. This preparation resulted in a tailored tool that matched SETAF-AF’s reporting workflows and JA26 MEDREX requirements.

“MCART 2.0 was integrated into the Justified Accord MEDREX as the standardized mechanism to capture clinical activity and readiness-relevant events,” Fox said. “Entries are aggregated into near real-time dashboards to provide visibility to mission and command leadership.”

Within the first days of the MEDREX, the dashboard began displaying patient encounter totals and procedure counts. For the first time, the database captured clinical data related to dermatology and bioenvironmental engineering.

“The system allows us to capture the work that our medical teams are doing in a way that translates directly into readiness,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Benjamin Pass, an international health specialist with Air Combat Command‘s Office of the Command Surgeon. “It provides leaders with visibility into the clinical activity taking place across the mission and helps demonstrate the value of these engagements.”

The platform, developed in collaboration with USU, has supported more than 20 missions across U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and its use has extended to U.S. Africa Command through JA26.

MCART 2.0 training has evolved from informal orientation to a structured onboarding approach. Training emphasizes short, practical sessions that guide users through account setup, logging encounters and understanding how their entries translate into mission and readiness metrics.

“The most significant improvements came from the hundreds of end users across the Army, Navy and Air Force who tested the application during operational missions and exercises,” Fox said. “Their feedback was critical in improving usability and ensuring the platform met the practical needs of clinicians operating in real-world environments.”

U.S. Air Forces Southern Command led early adoption, and the Navy first used the platform during Pacific Partnership in 2025. SETAF-AF’s adoption during JA26 advances the Army’s transformation initiative, applying an innovative medical readiness tool in Africa.

Ongoing efforts are underway to migrate MCART 2.0 into the Defense Health Agency’s IT infrastructure to support long-term sustainment and enable it to function as an enterprise capability. As part of this effort, data will transition into the Military Health System Information Platform, allowing secure access for DHA and military department analytic teams to support program evaluation and provider readiness assessments.

For SETAF-AF, Africa serves as a battle lab where joint medical teams can validate tools defining readiness across the total force. By integrating digital tracking during the MEDREX, U.S. forces proved innovative training enables partner-led security.

Related Stories

Nebraska Airman leads Tanzania’s first-ever medical readiness exercise at Justified Accord 26

US, Tanzanian medical professionals complete Tanzania’s first-ever medical readiness exercise during Justified Accord 26

About SETAF-AF

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.

Follow SETAF-AF on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn & DVIDS

Source: United States Army

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U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

VICENZA, Italy — U.S. Soldiers assigned to Civil Affairs Team Kenya coordinated a combined, joint school donation event with Kenya Defence Forces Civil Military Cooperation personnel at Mokowe Arid School in Mokowe, Kenya, Feb. 12.

The U.S. civil affairs team, which reports to Civil Affairs Battalion, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), accomplished this mission to provide critical resources to vulnerable populations by combining their efforts with U.S. Army Task Force Bataan personnel, the KDF, Lamu County government representatives and Lamu County Women’s Peace and Security.

According to U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Chance Terry, team sergeant, addressing these issues not only provides humanitarian aid, but also serves to thwart violent extremist organizations who exploit vulnerabilities to recruit locals living in the area of operations for Forward Operating Site Manda Bay, Kenya.

“School donation events give us the opportunity to work with the area’s youth, the Kenya Defence Forces and the Lamu County Government to build strong cooperative relationships,” Terry said. “All entities and organizations in this region want peace and security, and the best way to accomplish that is for all of us to work together. This event is one of many examples to reach our shared goal.”

Such events also give U.S. and Kenyan military personnel opportunities to learn each other’s processes and improve their ability to work together smoothly.

“Collaborating with the KDF team enhances our combined operational effectiveness and strengthens community relations,” Terry said. “Initiatives like this are fundamental to ensuring local stability and the mutual protection of our forces.”

U.S. Soldiers assigned to Task Force Bataan unloaded “comfort kits” provided by the American Red Cross and dispersed them to local community members. These kits consist of basic hygiene items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes and soap that people living in the industrialized world can easily purchase. However, certain hygiene items have special significance in developing countries, as well as high-stakes impacts on young women’s lives.

“In addition to the kits, our team distributed feminine hygiene products, and if there are any expendable items taken for granted in the United States, it would be menstrual pads,” Terry said. “If female students don’t have access to these items, they will miss school and potentially resort to harmful means to acquire them. Local school teachers have told us that when young girls are not in school, they face increased risk for gender violence, early marriage and early pregnancy, causing them to drop out of school entirely.”

Going forward, Terry explained that his CA team’s future plans include facilitating similar engagements with KDF members to address the lack of resources faced by communities in the local area. The team will also continue working with local organizations, such as the Lamu County Women’s Peace and Security, to identify other schools most in need of support in the area.

“The support we’ve received from everyone we work with in Kenya to collaborate is truly amazing,” Terry said. “I think there is a tremendous amount of momentum here that will continue to grow for many years.”

About SETAF-AF

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.

Follow SETAF-AF on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn & DVIDS

Source: United States Army

ANSBACH, Germany — U.S. Army Health Clinic (USAHC) Ansbach conducted a mass casualty (MASCAL) exercise at USAG Ansbach’s Urlas Kaserne Wednesday, March 23, 2026.

USAHC Ansbach conducted the MASCAL exercise to validate months of intensive medical treatment and evacuation training. The event showcased Soldiers’ proficiency in responding to emergencies in accordance with established medical treatment and evacuation guidance.

The exercise brought together USAHC Ansbach’s medical troops and personnel from the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade (12 CAB), as well as 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (1-57 ADAR) and the garrison. This collaborative effort simulated a large-scale emergency, testing the participants’ ability to respond effectively under pressure.

The MASCAL exercise featured a hybrid training environment, combining tactical field conditions with operations in a fixed medical treatment facility. This setup allowed participants to evaluate and treat simulated casualties with varying levels of injuries, prepare patients for evacuation, and load and unload both standard and non-standard medical evacuation platforms.

The exercise emphasized the importance of teamwork and interoperability among units. In addition to the medical Soldiers showcasing their skills, personnel from 12 CAB provided air evacuation support, and 1-57 ADAR contributed ground evacuation capabilities, while the garrison played a critical role in logistical coordination, ensuring seamless incorporation of all participating units.

“The multi-dimensional partner integration was critical to our efforts in ensuring a cohesive understanding of our roles when responding effectively to a mass casualty incident or any real-world contingencies,” said Lt. Col. Maggie Fitzpatrick, Chief Nursing Officer, United States Army Health Clinic Ansbach.”The ability to respond effectively to mass casualty incidents is critical to mission success, and today’s performance validates months of rigorous training and preparation.”

By simulating high-pressure scenarios, USAHC Ansbach ensures its personnel are equipped to save lives and mitigate the impact of crises. The training also reinforces the clinic’s commitment to maintaining high standards of medical readiness and safeguarding the well-being of the USAG Ansbach community.

Source: United States Army

KINGSTON, New York — New York Army National Guard Major Corbin Lounsbury’s Soldiers fight their battles with laptops.

“Our computer is our weapons system,” explained Lounsbury, the commander of the New York and New Jersey National Guard’s Cyber Protection Team 173, or CPT 173 for short.

From February 23 to 26, the CPT Soldiers fought an online campaign against a simulated “threat actor” who executed a blended cyber operation against an electrical utility.

The Soldiers were physically located at the Kingston Armory, but their battle took place inside the U.S. Cyber Command’s Persistent Cyber Training Environment. This is a national-level computer simulation that replicates the challenges a CPT Soldier faces.

“The system can be programmed to provide cyber-Soldiers with varying threat levels, adversaries, and scenarios”, Lounsbury explained.

The scenario was built around a classic attack against a computer network, said Major William Mackey, the officer in charge of the New York National Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters’ Defense Cyber Operations Element.

In the exercise scenario, the attackers conducted “reconnaissance” by identifying security weaknesses in the computer network, stole user logins and passwords in an operation known as “credential harvesting~~”,~~” Mackey said.

That information was then used to gain access to the computer and shut down key systems, he added.

The mission for CPT 173 was to determine how the “bad actor” got into the system, close those holes in the defenses, find the malware – in the case “ransomware”—and end the threat, Mackey said.

The members of Lounsbury’s Cyber Protection Team were also joined by the Division of Military and Naval Affairs Critical Infrastructure Response Team and the Defensive Cyber Operation Element in battling the simulated threat.

Thirty-four Soldiers took part in the exercise.

Ransomware is software that is placed on a system to shut it down. The hackers offer to remove the software once money—the ransom—is paid.

According to the FBI, in 2024, there were 3,156 ransomware attempts against American businesses and individuals, which cost over $12 billion.

Healthcare organizations have been especially susceptible to these attacks, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report for 2024, but utilities—charged with providing electricity, water, and natural gas to hundreds of thousands of households – are also a concern.

A likely mission for a National Guard CPT is to help local governments and critical infrastructure companies counter these threats, Lounsbury said.

~~.~~Fortunately, most of the CPT 173 members work in the computer security field in their civilian jobs, he said. As Guardsmen have always done, they use their civilian skills to further the mission.

Lounsbury, for example, has worked for General Dynamics in network protection since 2018.

TV and movies portray cyber experts defending a computer system by feel and instinct. But in real life, everything is much more methodical, Lounsbury said

Just as any other unit would do when they are given a mission, the CPT 173 leaders spent two days using the Military Decision-Making Process and Joint Planning Process to plan their response to the threat, Lounsbury .

The CPT Soldiers determine how to counter a computer threat and then help the threatened firm’s computer technicians make the right moves, he said.

“Actions are very planned and very deliberate, and nothing is done without approval,” he said. “There are a lot of reporting and tracking processes we need to follow,” he added.

Along with the specialized hardware and software installed on their computers, the CPT Soldiers also have access to a portable server kit~~,~~ that includes a collection of devices loaded with incident response tools.

The Soldiers can use these to identify and neutralize the threats to a network, he explained. The mission normally breaks down into “hunt the threat, clear out the adversary, then harden the system against further attacks,” Lounsbury said.

The 173 Soldiers were very successful in countering the cyberattack during the exercise, Mackey said.

The team determined what actions the simulated attacker took, found the malware, and then “hardened” the network defenses and set up a system to monitor for further attacks, Mackey said.

This was the first time a National Guard cyber unit conducted this type of simulation exercise and they still wrapped up their mission a half-day earlier than expected, Mackey said.

Source: United States Army

ZAGAN, Poland – 82 years after one of history’s most audacious prison breaks, the legacy of the “Great Escape” from Stalag Luft 3 was remembered at the POW camp – turned museum in Zagan, Poland, March 24, 2026. Delegations of American, Polish and other nations honored the Airmen who escaped and those who lost their lives in the attempt. A moment in World War II history that continues to tie the U.S., Poland and the 13 different nations who were represented in the break out.

“In Stalag Luft 3 [on] 1944 March 24th, the whole idea was a mass escape of over 200 prisoners, and for that the POWs were digging three tunnels at the same time. These tunnels were code named Tom, Dick, and Harry; and unfortunately, Harry was the only one completed,” said Marek Lazarz, Director of the POW Camps Museum at Zagan. “Due to so many technical problems and difficulties, instead of 200 only 76 escaped, but of the 76 only three made it to England. The other prisoners were recaptured and 50 were murdered.”

The Great Escape took place on the nights of March 24-25, 1944 during World War II in present-day Zagan, Poland, and was established in March 1942 near the town of Sagan, Lower Silesia in then Nazi Germany, to hold Allied air force prisoners of war. Just over 10,000 Allied Airmen were held captive at Stalag Luft III, including about 7,500 American and 2,500 Commonwealth Airmen. The prisoner self-administer day-to-day life in the camp, while German guards, mostly older WWI Luftwaffe veterans patrolled its perimeter. The Germans chose this specific location, ironically because its sandy soil made it difficult for POWs to escape by tunnelling. And while no American’s took part in the actual escape, many played a role in its year-long planning and tunnel digging until German forces segregated them to a different part of the camp.

“For me, it’s a very personal and historical event, and to actually be here and experience it is a lot more meaningful than just watching it on a movie”, said Maj. Daniel Maiuro, U.S. Army Garrison Poland’s executive officer citing the 1963 film The Great Escape. “I would say what resonates with me more is the support from the community, and just seeing the overall number of representatives here, not only the various Polish armed forces, but from other countries too.”

The 82nd anniversary was not just a day of remembrance and celebration for the service members who were captured and risked everything against the enemy, but an opportunity to share history with the community through presentation of rare artifacts in museums and tours around the Luft 3 Camp, said Lazarz.

“Our mission as a museum is to educate.” said Lazarz. “Especially younger generations today. We had all these students from the local schools… and today I hope they learned something about the Great Escape.”

Maiuro who spent much of the day exploring and touring the site that held many more memories than just that of the Great Escape, echoed his sentiment.

“I would say it would be important for us to continue to host and participate in these events because it’s a part of our history – not only our history, but the history of Poland.” said Maiuro. “History of other countries that have lost soldiers during these times, it’s something that I think helps teach us about the events that have happened in the past, and helps shape us going forward.”

Source: United States Army

ASSISI, Italy – From the hilly streets of Assisi to the historic Basilica of St. Francis, U.S. Army Garrison Italy community members are finding that Outdoor Recreation (ODR) trips offer a bridge to Italian culture. A Feb.-28 excursion there allowed participants to witness a special event linked to the history of the Italy’s patron saint.

The trip was part of a broader MWR effort to connect Soldiers with Italian historical heritage, and the chance for participants to build community outside the gates.

“I had such great experiences that I continued to join their cultural events,” said Anna Demeter, a dental clinic employee, who began joining the ODR day trips because she was nervous about traveling alone.

“The guides are welcoming, the trips unique, and I found it to be a great way to meet people and develop friendships.”

This time, ODR picked Assisi, renowned as the birthplace of St. Francis and UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, just during the period matching the 800th anniversary of the Saint’s death, when thousands of pilgrims from all over the world had the opportunity to visit the basilica where his remains were on display to the public for the first time since his death.

Demeter explained that the town was quite crowded, “but the good weather and camaraderie between people helped make it a great experience.”

Even though some of the religious sites were not all accessible due to the high influx of visitors, the trip still gave the chance to explore historical places from Roman and medieval periods with a local tour guide, followed by a lunch break for tasting food specialties and some free time to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings.

Beyond the history, the convenience of the trip stood out to Spc. Kelvin Rios, from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. He highlighted that ODR coordinates transportation and takes people to places that are hard to reach, while they can relax, enjoy the views and interact with others.

“At ODR trips I have been able to meet and connect with members of the community and, most importantly, feel part of it,” said Rios.

“This is a good way to take your family on a day trip, whether it be in Italy or surrounding countries, cultural or adventurous, everything is taken care for you, while you get to laugh and have a great time with your loved ones, especially your children,” he added.

“Thanks to ODR, I have been able to see not only Cinque Terre, Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Cortina d’Ampezzo and Lago di Braies, Nice and today, Assisi, but also be certified as a ProfessionalBaristain Italy.”

For the warmer seasons, Vicenza Outdoor Recreation is planning to reach many sightseeing locations from coasts to mountain peaks, beaches and unique hamlets.

“There are more upcoming trips, like Cinque Terre, the five villages on the Ligurian Riviera, Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia, and the Bernina Express through the Swiss Alps,” said Lucia Savio, one of the ODR tour leaders, who assisted the Assisi day trip.

For joining trips like this and more, register with ODR in person or by calling 0444-71-4900.

Source: United States Army

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HONOLULU —The Honorable Jordan Gillis, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy, and environment, participated in the Hawai‘i Military Lands Discussion hosted by the Hawai‘i Coordination Cell (HCC) on March 23, 2026, at the Ala Moana Hotel.

The event brought together 150 participants, including community advocates, activists, military officials, business leaders, and policymakers, to discuss military land use in Hawai‘i. Topics ranged from land return and restoration to unexploded ordnance and environmental impact processes.

Gillis emphasized the Army’s commitment to transparency, responsible land management, and sustained dialogue with the people of Hawai‘i. He highlighted the importance of balancing military readiness in the Indo-Pacific with community priorities and environmental stewardship.

Representatives from U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) and U.S. Army Garrison Hawai‘i (USAG-HI) also participated, including Col. Rachel Sullivan, garrison commander for Hawai‘i, and Lt. Col. Tim Alvarado, commander of U.S. Army Garrison – Pōhakuloa Training Area. Army leaders engaged actively during breakout sessions and on breaks, discussing matters like the Army’s active-duty and National Guard support during the recent Kona Storm flooding and explaining the process for officially requesting such support in the future.

The event featured plenary sessions, breakout discussions, and an information exchange with military departments and community organizations. Participants provided feedback that will help shape future discussions on military land leases across the state.

The Hawai‘i Coordination Cell, established within the Department of War, convened the event to foster community engagement as long-standing military land leases approach expiration.