Eastern Africa Standby Force

The Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), formerly Eastern Africa Standby Brigade (EASBRIG), is one of the five regional forces for Peace Support Operations (PSOs) of the African Standby Force, consisting of military, police and civilian components. EASF constitutes the regional operational arm of the peacekeeping elements of the African Peace and Security Architecture, put in place by the 2002 Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union.
As of January 2018, EASF has ten member states: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. From April 2013, the Republic of South Sudan had the status of an observer and, according to EASF, was expected to eventually become a full member shortly. In June 2014, Somali Prime Minister Ahmed recommitted Somalia to the force during an African Union Summit in Equatorial Guinea. A follow-up meeting on troop contributions from the EASF member nations was conducted in August 2014.
Evolution of EASF.
The predecessor of EASF, EASBRIG, was formed on September 10, 2004 through a Policy Framework between the member states, following the decision of the Summit of the African Union (AU) held in July of the same year in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. On April 11, 2005, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between EASBRIG member states, which provided for three components : a Planning Element, Brigade Headquarters and Logistics Base.
A decision of the Eastern Africa Council of Ministers of Defense and Security of March 30, 2007 directed the change of name of the institution from Brigade to Force (EASF) in line with a continental directive of the AU Council of Ministers of Defense and Security. It further established a Coordination Mechanism (EASFCOM), enlarging the number of EASF components to four. In order to reflect these changes and the multifaceted nature of the Force, a revised MoU and Policy Framework were signed in January 2011.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) laid out the legal framework for EASF. It also outlines the mode of establishment and management of the Force as well as the principles which guide the Force and the other organs of EASF.
Mandate.
Article 13 of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), signed in 2002, directs EASF to carry out the following functions:
According to the Protocol, the ASF and EASF are encouraged to cooperate with the United Nations and its Agencies, other relevant international organizations and regional organizations, as well as with national authorities and NGOs, where appropriate. The detailed tasks of the ASF and its modus operandi for each authorized mission are to be considered and approved by the Peace and Security Council upon recommendation of the Commission.
Organization.
The MoU provides for three EASF policy-formulating, -controlling and -implementing organs:
The Assembly has the supreme authority over EASF. The Heads of State and Governments meet at least once a year to formulate policies, direct and control the functioning of EASF. In times of crisis, the assembly authorizes the deployment of the Force.
The Council, which congresses at least twice a year, manages all aspects relating to EASF, appoints the Director and Heads of departments of EASFCOM as well as the Commander of EASBRIG.
The EACDS serves as an advisory Military Committee of the Council and the Assembly. Its functions are to oversee, direct and manage EASFCOM on all technical matters as well as oversee, direct and manage the PLANELM, EASBRIG HQ and Logistic Base.
While other regional ASF forces are implemented by Regional Economic Communities (RECs), namely ECOWAS, SADC, and ECCAS, with respective regional protocols already in place, the EASF is an entirely different regional arrangement, called Regional Mechanism (RM), that co-exists with several economic communities in East Africa that also implement security measures.
Since the 2007 decision of the Eastern Africa Council of Ministers of Defense and Security, EASF is composed of four components: EASFCOM, PLANELM, LOGBASE, and EASBRIG HQ.
The EASF Secretariat.
The Eastern Africa Standby Force Secretariat (EASFSEC) serves as the executive secretariat for the organisation. It was established in March 2007 by the decision of the Eastern Africa Council of Ministers of Defense and Security. It is based in Karen, Nairobi, (Kenya), co-located with the Planning Element. It coordinates all EASF activities in consultation with concerned authorities of the Member States and the African Union (AU). It is mandated to implement all EASF policies, develop and reviews EASF policy documents to be approved by the Council of Ministers, and to mobilize financial and other resources in collaboration with the AU, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and other partners. It also manages the EASF Fund, disseminates information and carries out public relation activities.
EASFSEC is led by a Director and the Heads of Departments (Finance & Administration and Peace Operations Department). These are appointed by the Council of Ministers of Defense and Security. Since April 2017, Dr. Abdillahi Omar Bouh from the Republic of Djibouti is currently serving as the fifth Director of EASF. He was preceded by Amb Chanfi Issimail from the Union of Comoros. Before Amb Chanfi was Mr. Maj-Gen (Rtd) Cyrille Ndayirukiye (Burundi, 3rd), Col Peter Marwa (Kenya, 2nd) and Mr. Simon Mulongo (1st). The management is assisted by a Legal Advisor, Military Advisor, Internal Auditor and an AU Liaison Officer.
Planning element.
The Planning Element (PLANELM) of the Eastern Africa Standby Force is constituted as a "multi-national and multidimensional full-time planning headquarters". It is based in Nairobi, Kenya. PLANELM’s main function is to establish a Force that is capable of planning and preparation for those complex Peace Support Operations (PSOs) provided for in the six ASF mission scenarios. PLANELM is tasked with concept development, training coordination, reconnaissance, mission planning, mounting, deployment, employment & sustainment as well as recovery for/of the Military, Police, and Civilian Component.
PLANELM comprises a military, police and civilian component, with personnel appointed by the EASF Member States. Beside the Heads of Components who are leading their respective component, a Joint Chief of Staff coordinates all three components.
Active since 2004, the Military Component of the PLANELM mainly carries out force preparation and pre-deployment planning of EASF. Head of the component can be either a Chief of Staff, a military officer or Colonel.
The Police Component of the EASF PLANELM, established in 2008, is tasked with the development of a fully functioning Police Component for PSOs that will be carried out in Eastern Africa or other African regions. It is led by someone with a rank of an Assistant Commissioner of Police.
Also established in 2008, the Civilian Component of the PLANELM, undertakes the planning of most civilian functions and procedures in an EASF PSO. Therefore, the Civilian Component is responsible for dealing with all political affairs, planning and coordinating of civilian activities, giving legal advice, informing the public and media, executing electoral management and -observation as well as dealing with all matters of civil affairs, child protection, and protection of civilians. This Component is led by a Civil Servant with the required qualifications and experience.
The personnel for PLANELM is seconded by the Member States for a minimum period of one year.
Force Headquarters (EASF Force HQ).
The EASF Force Headquarters (EASF Force HQ) functions as the command headquarters for both preparation and operational command of the military arm of the multidimensional force, the "Standby Brigade". It is situated in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. EASF Force HQ is composed of military and civilian staff seconded by the EASF Member States. In case of deployment, the African Union (AU) or United Nations assume the operational control of the Brigade. EASF Force HQ works in close collaboration with PLANELM to prepare the structure and plans for a mission Headquarters. The deployment of the EASF is either mandated by the Assembly of EASF or the AU. If the AU mandates the deployment, the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the AU is responsible for the appointment of the commander of the HQ. Each member state seconds officers to the EASF Force HQ for a period of two years.
Logistic Base (LOGBASE).
Co-located with the Standby Brigade HQ in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the EASF Logistics Base functions as the central base for all logistic procedures of the Force - that is to maintain, store and manage the logistical infrastructure. Member States dispatch personnel, material and other resources to the Logistics Base to be maintained and provided for purposes of training and operations of the Force. If necessary, the base performs under the mandate and direct control of the African Union.
Mission scenarios.
The Maputo Report and The Policy Framework for the Establishment of the African Standby Force (ASF) from May 2003 mentions six scenarios for the deployment of the regional contingents of the Force in Peace Support Operations (PSOs), ascending in their complexity of structures, management efforts and resources for deployment and sustainment.
As long-term goals for the deployment of the Force, it was planned that scenario 1-4 should be able to deploy in 30 days (possible only if pre-mandate actions have been taken), scenario 5 should complete deployment in 90 days, with the military component being able to deploy in 30 days (possible only if pre-mandate actions have been undertaken), and finally, Scenario 6, implied that will be important the AU can deploy a robust military force in 14 days.
According to the Policy Framework, in a move towards standardized regional Standby Forces, they will be optimized for scenario 4.
ASF Roadmap III demanded the six mission scenarios for PSOs to be revised and adapted to new paradigms of peacekeeping.
Training exercises.
According to EASF, completing a first cycle of exercise, the Force reached its Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in late 2009. Parts of this cycle were a Command Post Exercise (CPX) in Nairobi, Kenya in 2008, and a Field Training Exercise (FTX) in Djibouti in November 2009. In the second cycle, EASF first conducted a Logistics Mapping Exercise (LogMAPEX) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in November 2010, followed by a second CPX in Khartoum, Sudan in November 2011 and a second FTX in Jinja, Uganda in May 2013. The latter involved 1,290 participants (military, police, civilian) and was intended to test EASF's deployment and mission implementation capability. EASF further conducted a CPX in Ethiopia in December 2014, after which its Full Operational Capability was declared. A third FTX took place in November 2017 in Port Sudan, Republic of The Sudan for 1,029 participants drawn from the 10 Member States.
Deployment.
From 2012 to 2013, EASF deployed fourteen officers in a one-year mission as part of a technical team that supported the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) during the establishment.


Order of battle at Mons

The following units of the German First Army and British Expeditionary Force fought in the Battle of Mons in World War I.
German First Army.
II Army Corps.
3rd Infantry Division
4th Infantry Division
III Army Corps.
5th Infantry Division
6th Infantry Division
IV Army Corps.
7th Infantry Division
8th Infantry Division
IX Army Corps.
17th Infantry Division
18th Infantry Division
III Reserve Corps.
5th Reserve Division
6th Reserve Division
IV Reserve Corps.
7th Reserve Division
22nd Reserve Division
"10th Mixed Landwehr Brigade"
"11th Mixed Landwehr Brigade"
"27th Landwehr Brigade"
Composite Landwehr Cavalry Unit (3 squadrons)
Composite Lansturm Artillery Unit (2 batteries)
Army Troops
British Expeditionary Force (French).
The Cavalry Division (Allenby).
The The Cavalry Division was commanded by (Edmund Allenby
I Corps (Haig).
I Corps commander was Lieutenant-General Douglas Haig
1st Division (Lomax)
2nd Division (Monro)
II Corps (Smith-Dorrien).
II Corps commanded by Horace Smith-Dorrien
3rd Division (Hamilton)
5th Division (Fergusson)
Army Troops
Line of communications defence troops
Royal Flying Corps in the Field.
Commanded by David Henderson


Battle of Crete order of battle

This is the complete order of battle for the Battle of Crete and related operations in 1941.
Allied.
Land forces.
British 14th Infantry Brigade.
"Attached to 14 Bde":
Naval forces.
Force B.
Force B - Capt. Henry A Rowley
5th Destroyer Flotilla.
5th Destroyer Flotilla - Captain Mountbatten
Evacuation Fleet.
Sphakia evacuation force - Rear-Admiral King
Axis forces.
Land, Airborne and Air forces.
"Luftlande Sturmregiment".
Two glider companies were detached and seconded to 7th Flieger Division, below


The Shelter Half

The Shelter Half was a GI Coffeehouse in Tacoma, Washington that operated at 5437 South Tacoma Way. from 1968 to 1974. Named after a military tent called a Shelter-half, the coffeehouse's purpose was to provide a place for GIs at Fort Lewis military base in Washington State to resist the war in Vietnam. The Shelter Half served as an anti-war headquarters, publishing underground anti-war newspapers, organizing boycotts, connecting civilian activists with local GIs, and leading peace marches.
In November 1969, the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board prevented military personnel from attending the coffeehouse by placing it on a list of off-limits places.
The Shelter Half closed in the summer of 1974.


Naval officer ranks

Navies have military rank systems that often are quite different from those of armies or air forces. Sometimes, services that are considered parts of the navy – marine or amphibious corps – use the army-style ranks instead, while the ranks listed here are reserved for fleets.
NATO rank codes.
To assist in the comparison of ranks in the armed forces of different countries, established NATO rank codes are used . These are established codes for determining the seniority of officer and other ranks in NATO countries for a particular joint task group or command structure, although specific appointments designate a higher level of seniority over other equivalent rank codes in a given situation. Officer ranks go from OF-1 (applying to all subaltern officers below (army) captain) up to OF-10; OF(D) being a special category for trainee officers awaiting a commission. Other ranks (those considered enlisted men in the United States forces) are classified from OR-1 to OR-9. Warrant officers in the United States forces are a special case as single track career specialists between the enlisted and officer ranks in terms of seniority, and have no NATO rank code. The system should not be confused with the pay grades used in the US military.
While countries outside the NATO command structure (including some NATO member countries such as France) do not strictly fall into this classification structure and there may be incidences of overlap (particularly in ranks between countries) the codes still provide a useful gauge in determining what ranks are broadly equivalent.
Flag officers.
These are the highest ranks. Promotion to a rank above OF-9 is now rare and usually reserved for wartime. Fleet admiral is an example of such a rank.
Note that there is doubt about rank equivalence in countries that have fleet admirals but no commodores, such as the former German Empire and Russia - often it is considered that in these countries a fleet admiral equates to an OF-9 rank, an admiral to OF-8, a vice admiral to OF-7, and a rear admiral to OF-6 (i.e. the ranks all move down one grade).
The Royal New Zealand Navy ranks of admiral and vice-admiral are generally only used in times of war.
Other officers.
In most navies, captain is the common address to commanding officers of a naval ship, regardless of their actual rank. As a rank, naval ranks of captain are almost always senior to army captains. Exceptions are the Polish Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy, where "captain" refers to the same rank in the navy as in the army. In many navies, the concepts of army captain and ship's lieutenant are merged into the rank of "captain-lieutenant". Examples of this are Germany, Russia, Portugal, Denmark and Norway.
Common rank titles used are:
Many naval rank systems ultimately derive from either British, French or Spanish naval usage.
Generally speaking, naval ranks systems derived from French and Spanish usage use the names of different classes of ship (corvette, frigate, ship-of-the-line) in their rank titles. This is also the case in some other navies, e.g. two German naval ranks, those of "corvette captain" and "frigate captain".
Naval rank systems derived from British usage use the rank "captain" exclusively for the highest rank of ship's captain (i.e. of the largest class of ship) and use the rank "lieutenant" exclusively for the highest rank of ship's lieutenant (i.e. of the largest class of ship). In such navies, the captains and lieutenants of smaller ships are therefore unlikely to have the naval rank of "captain" or "lieutenant" respectively; and furthermore a naval "captain" is therefore equivalent to an army colonel, and a naval "lieutenant" to an army captain. These naval ranks should not be confused with merchant navy ranks, where the rankings are based on department basis, although captain has the ultimate authority, followed by the chief engineer.


7th Mountain Division (Wehrmacht)

The 7th Mountain Division () was formed through the redesignation of 99th Light Infantry Division, which had fought on the southern sector of the Eastern Front until being withdrawn to Germany in October 1941. In 1942, it was sent to Finland and remained there until the Finnish withdrawal from the war. The Division retreated into Norway where it remained until the end of the War.


Jagdstaffel 89

Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 89, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 89, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the "Luftstreitkräfte", the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I.
History.
Jasta 89 was founded on 28 or 29 October 1918. Its predecessor was "Kampfeinsitzerstaffel" ("Scout Detachment") 9. The new squadron never became operational.


U.S. Seventh Fleet Korean War order of battle

This is the United States Seventh Fleet Korean War order of battle.


Major (Sri Lanka)

In The Sri Lanka Army, major is a military rank which is used the Sri Lanka Army. The rank insignia for a major is the Sri Lankan coat of arms. The equivalent is Lieutenant-Commander in the Sri Lanka Navy and Squadron Leader in the Sri Lanka Air Force.
From 1949 to 1972, in the Ceylon Army the rank insignia for a major was a crown, similar to the of the British Army Major.
A major of the Sri Lanka Army would usually commanding independent companies, squadrons and batteries, but those that were organically part of a regiment or battalion were still usually commanded by captains. They would be second-in-command of battalions in infantry or regiments (in the artillery and armoured regiments) as well as serve as Brigade majors. During the Sri Lankan Civil War majors commanded area commands known as military sectors and have commanded battalions in combat.
In 1947, at its formation the uniform of the Serjeant-at-arms of the Sri Lankan Parliament was molded on uniforms of a major.


273rd Reserve Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)

The German 273rd Reserve Panzer Division was a reserve army division. After the Battle of Kursk the German 273rd Reserve Panzer Division was used for augmenting of 11th Panzer Division, whereas their remaining forces were shifted to the Italian front.
Organization.
Organization of the Division in 1943 (when it was formed):


Governor-General of Tanganyika


Allied order of battle for Operation Tungsten

This article provides an order of battle for the Allied forces involved in the Operation Tungsten attack on the German battleship "Tirpitz" on 3 April 1944.
Home Fleet forces dispatched.
The Home Fleet had responsibility for conducting the attack. The ships involved sailed from the Home Fleet's base at Scapa Flow in two groups on 30 March 1944.
Force One
Force Two
Composition of strike forces.
On 1 April Admiral Fraser decided to conduct the strike on 3 April rather than 4 April as originally planned. This led to the following organisational changes:
The attack on "Tirpitz" and the anti-aircraft batteries and ships located near her mooring at Kaafjord on 3 April involved two strike forces:
1st strike
2nd strike


Atlanta campaign Union order of battle, second phase

The following Union Army units and commanders fought in the Atlanta campaign of the American Civil War. The Confederate order of battle is listed separately. Order of battle compiled from the army organization during the campaign.
This order of battle covers the second phase of the campaign, July 17 – September 8, 1864. The period May 1 – July 17, 1864, is listed separately.
Military Division of the Mississippi.
MG William T. Sherman

Chief of Artillery: BG William F. Barry

Headquarters Guard: 7th Company Ohio Sharpshooters: Lieut. William McCrory
Army of the Cumberland.
MG George Henry Thomas

Chief of Artillery: BG John M. Brannan

Escort: Company I, 1st Ohio Cavalry: Lieut. Henry C. Reppert
IV Corps.
MG Oliver O. Howard

MG David S. Stanley
XIV Corps.
MG John M. Palmer

BG Richard W. Johnson

BG Jefferson C. Davis
XX Corps.
MG Joseph Hooker

BG Alpheus S. Williams

MG Henry Slocum
Cavalry Corps.
BG Washington Elliott, Chief of Cavalry, Army of the Cumberland
Army of the Tennessee.
MG James B. McPherson (k July 22)

MG John A. Logan

MG Oliver O. Howard

Escort: 4th Company Ohio Cavalry, B Company, 1st Ohio Cavalry
XV Corps.
MG John A. Logan

BG Morgan L. Smith
XVI Corps.
MG Grenville M. Dodge (w August 19)

BG Thomas E. G. Ransom
Escort: Company A, 52nd Illinois
XVII Corps.
MG Francis P. Blair, Jr.

Escort: Company G, 9th Illinois Mounted Infantry; Company G, 11th Illinois Cavalry
Army of the Ohio (XXIII Corps).
MG John M. Schofield

Escort: Company G, 7th Ohio Cavalry
Strengths.
The following table shows total strengths of each of the major formations at several stages throughout the campaign.


707th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

The 707th Infantry Division, also known as the 707th Security Division, was a German Army division of World War II. It was formed in May 1941, and destroyed by the Red Army in June 1944. The unit was mainly used as a rear-security division in German-occupied areas of the Soviet Union, and was responsible for large-scale war crimes including the deaths of thousands of Jewish civilians.
Operational history.
The 707th Infantry Division was raised at Munich on 2 May 1941, and subsequently undertook training in the region. Historian Ben H. Shepherd described the unit as "an extremely substandard division of the fifteenth wave" to be raised by the German Army during the war, with its personnel being "overaged, undertrained and underequipped". The 707th Infantry Division was also much smaller than the standard size of German infantry divisions, comprising just 5,000 soldiers. All of the division's initial officers, other than its commanding officer until February 1943, Major General , were reservists. Most soldiers in the division were aged over 30, and the officers were typically even older. Major General von Bechtolsheim and his operations officer were deeply committed Nazis.
In August 1941, the 707th Infantry Division was deployed to the Eastern Front to undertake security duties in the occupied regions of the Soviet Union behind Army Group Centre's front lines. In October 1941, personnel of the division conducted public hangings of resistance members in Minsk, including that of 17-year-old Jewish nurse Masha Bruskina. The 707th Infantry Division and attached Order Police units murdered over 10,000 individuals, most of whom were Jews, in Belorussia between October and November 1941. Almost all of the division's officers and enlisted personnel willingly took part in these killings; the small number who refused were only lightly punished. This operation was initiated by von Bechtolsheim, who issued orders explicitly calling for the "annihilation" and "extermination" of Jews. Very few other German Army units undertook similar killings.
The 707th Infantry Division continued to undertake security duties in German-occupied areas of the Soviet Union for the remainder of 1941 and throughout 1942 and 1943. During the spring and early summer of 1942 the division conducted a so-called "anti-partisan operation" designated Operation Bamberg in which more than 4,000 Soviet citizens – the majority of whom were civilian farmers – were killed. Shepherd has written that while other German security divisions also killed large numbers of civilians during such operations, the 707th Infantry Division had the worst record. Historian Jeff Rutherford made a similar comparison, labelling the 707th "infamous".
From January 1944 the 707th Infantry Division was used as a front-line unit in defensive roles. On 23 June, at the start of the major Soviet Operation Bagration offensive, it formed part of Army Group Centre's reserve. Later in June the division was encircled and destroyed by Soviet forces near Bobruisk. It was formally disbanded on 3 August 1944.
Structure.
The 707th Infantry Division comprised the following units throughout its existence:


Kanonier


Forrest O. Rednour

Forrest O. Rednour (1923–1943) was a United States Coast Guardsman who received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal posthumously for his actions during World War II.
Biography.
Forrest Oren Rednour was born in Cutler, Illinois, on 13 May 1923. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard at Chicago, Illinois, on 19 June 1941.
During the predawn darkness of 3 February 1943, Rednour, wearing a rubber suit to ward off hypothermia, was among the members of the crew of the United States Coast Guard Cutter USCGC "Escanaba" (WPG-77) who voluntarily subjected themselves to pounding seas and bitter cold in the winter North Atlantic darkness for nearly four hours to rescue survivors from the torpedoed troop transport . Realizing the "... danger of being crushed between the rafts and the ship's side, or of being struck by a propeller blade if the engines backed, he swam in under the counter of the constantly maneuvering "Escanaba" and prevented many floating survivors from being caught in the suction of the screws, in one instance retrieving a loaded raft." Rednour worked the longest of all retrievers and accounted for the greatest number of survivors, but finally had to quit when his rubber suit became torn.
Rednour perished early on the morning of 13 June 1943 when "Escanaba" disintegrated in a massive explosion of undetermined cause in the North Atlantic Ocean off Ivituut, Greenland, with a loss of 101 of the 103 men aboard.
Awards.
Rednour was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroic action during the "Dorchester" rescue operations of 3 February 1943.
Namesakes.
The United States Navy destroyer escort USS "Rednour" (DE-592) was named for Forrest Rednour. She was converted into a high-speed transport during construction and was in commission as such as USS "Rednour" (APD-102) from 1944 to 1946.
The United States Coast Guards Forrest O. Rednour Memorial Award Program For Excellence in Food Service/Food Service Specialist of the Year also is named for Rednour.
In 2015 it was announced that the Sentinel-class fast response cutter USCGC "Forrest Rednour" (WPC-1129) would bear his name.


Hal Holbrook

Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor, television director, and writer. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show he developed, "Mark Twain Tonight!", performing as Mark Twain, while studying at Denison University. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1966 for his portrayal of Twain. He would continue to perform his signature role for over 60 years, only retiring the show in 2017 due to his failing health. Throughout his career, he also won five Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on television and was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in film.
Holbrook made his film debut in Sidney Lumet's "The Group" (1966). He later gained international fame for his performance as Deep Throat in the 1976 film "All the President's Men". He played Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 miniseries "Lincoln" and 1985 miniseries "North and South". He also appeared in such films as "Julia" (1977), "The Fog" (1980), "Creepshow" (1982), "Wall Street" (1987), "The Firm" (1993), "Hercules" (1997), and "Men of Honor" (2000).
Holbrook's role as Ron Franz in Sean Penn's "Into the Wild" (2007) earned him both Academy Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor. In 2009, Holbrook received critical acclaim for his performance as recently retired farmer Abner Meecham in the independent film "That Evening Sun". He also portrayed Francis Preston Blair in Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" (2012).
In 2003, Holbrook was honored with the National Humanities Medal by President George W. Bush.
Early life.
Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. was born on February 17, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Aileen (née Davenport) Holbrook (1905–1987), a vaudeville dancer, and Harold Rowe Holbrook Sr. (1902–1982).
Holbrook and his two older sisters were abandoned by their parents when he was two years old. The three children were raised by their paternal grandparents, first in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and later in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood, Ohio. He graduated from Culver Military Academy (now part of the Culver Academies) and then from Denison University, where an honors project about Mark Twain led him to develop the one-man show for which he was best known, a series of performances called "Mark Twain Tonight". He also studied acting at HB Studio in New York City.
From 1942 through 1946, Holbrook served in the United States Army in World War II, achieving the rank of staff sergeant; he was stationed in Newfoundland. In Newfoundland, he performed in theater productions such as the play "Lady Precious Stream".
Career.
Holbrook's first solo performance as Twain was at Lock Haven State Teachers College in Pennsylvania in 1954. Ed Sullivan saw him and gave 31-year-old Holbrook his first national exposure on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on February 12, 1956. Holbrook was also a member of the Valley Players (1941–1962), a summer-stock theater company based in Holyoke, Massachusetts, which performed at Mountain Park Casino Playhouse at Mountain Park. He joined The Lambs Club in 1955, where he began developing his one-man show. He was a member of the cast for several years and performed "Mark Twain Tonight" as the 1957 season opener. The State Department even sent him on a European tour, which included pioneering appearances behind the Iron Curtain.
In 1959, Holbrook first played the role off-Broadway. Columbia Records recorded an LP of excerpts from the show.
Holbrook performed in a special production for the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair for the Bell Telephone Pavilion. Jo Mielziner created an innovative audio-visual ride experience and used Holbrook's acting talents on 65 different action screens for "The Ride of Communications" with the movie itself known as "From Drumbeats to Telstar".
In 1967, "Mark Twain Tonight" was presented on television by CBS and Xerox, and Holbrook received an Emmy for his performance. Holbrook's Twain first played on Broadway in 1966, and again in 1977 and 2005; Holbrook was 80 years old during his final Broadway run, older (for the first time) than the character he was portraying. Holbrook won a Tony Award for the performance in 1966. Until Holbrook retired in 2017, aged 92, "Mark Twain Tonight" toured the country, which amounted to over 2,100 performances. He portrayed Twain longer than Samuel Langhorne Clemens did.
In 1964, Holbrook played the role of the Major in the original production of Arthur Miller's "Incident at Vichy". In 1968, he was one of the replacements for Richard Kiley in the original Broadway production of "Man of La Mancha", although he had limited singing ability. In 1966, Holbrook starred opposite Shirley Booth in the acclaimed CBS Playhouse production of "The Glass Menagerie".
Holbrook co-starred with Martin Sheen in the controversial and acclaimed 1972 television film "That Certain Summer". In 1973, Holbrook appeared as Lieutenant Neil Briggs, the boss and rival of Detective "Dirty" Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) in "Magnum Force", an "obsessively neat and prim fanatic" who supports the obliteration of San Francisco's criminals and who is the leader of a rogue group of vigilante officers.
In 1976, Holbrook won acclaim for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in a series of television specials based on Carl Sandburg's acclaimed biography. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the 1970 series "". In 1979, he starred with Katharine Ross, Barry Bostwick, and Richard Anderson in the made-for-TV movie "Murder by Natural Causes". Holbrook also had a major role on the sitcom "Evening Shade" throughout its entire run.
Early on in his career, Holbrook worked onstage and in a television soap opera, "The Brighter Day". He was also famous for his role as the enigmatic Deep Throat (whose identity was unknown at the time) in the film "All the President's Men". Holbrook was the narrator on the Ken Burns documentary "" in 1997.
From 1986 to 1989, Holbrook had a recurring role as Reese Watson on "Designing Women", opposite his wife Dixie Carter. Over a short period between 1988 and 1990, Holbrook directed four episodes of the series. In 1999, Holbrook was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. A year later, Holbrook appeared in" Men of Honor", where he portrayed a racist and hypocritical officer who endlessly tries to fail an African-American diver trainee. Holbrook played the role of Albie Duncan in two episodes of "The West Wing".
He appeared in Sean Penn's critically acclaimed film "Into the Wild" (2007) and received an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role at the 80th Academy Awards. At the time, this rendered Holbrook, at age 82, the oldest nominee in Academy Award history in the Best Supporting Actor category. Holbrook was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his work in the film. From late August through mid-September 2007, he starred as the narrator in the Hartford Stage production of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town", a role he had once played on television.
Holbrook appeared with wife Dixie Carter in "That Evening Sun", filmed in East Tennessee in the summer of 2008. The film, produced by Dogwood Entertainment, is based on a short story by William Gay. "That Evening Sun" premiered in March 2009 at South By Southwest, where it received the Audience Award for Narrative Feature and a special Jury Prize for Ensemble Cast. Joe Leydon of "Variety" hailed Hollbrook's performance in the film as a "career-highlight star turn as an irascible octogenarian farmer who will not go gentle into that good night". "That Evening Sun" also was screened at the 2009 Nashville Film Festival, where Holbrook was honored with a special Lifetime Achievement Award, and the film itself received another Audience Award.
Holbrook appeared as a featured guest star in a 2006 episode of the HBO series "The Sopranos" and the "NCIS" episode "Escaped". On April 22, 2010, Holbrook signed on to portray Katey Sagal's character's father on the FX original series" Sons of Anarchy" for a four-episode arc in their third season, as well as appearing in additional fifth episode in the final season. He also had a multiple-episode arc on "The Event", an American television series on NBC, appearing in the 2010–2011 season.
In 2011, Holbrook appeared in "Water for Elephants". In 2012, Steven Spielberg cast Holbrook to play Francis Preston Blair in "Lincoln". His film roles were in Gus Van Sant's "Promised Land" (2012), the animated film "Planes: Fire & Rescue" (2014), and in the minor role as Whizzer in the drama film "Blackway" (2016). In 2014, Holbrook was the subject of Scott Teems' documentary "Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey" depicting Holbrook's long lasting career portraying Twain. It was premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival that same year.
In 2016, Holbrook was cast as Red Hudmore and appeared in the final season of "Bones" on January 17, 2017. On March 23, 2017, he appeared on an episode on "Grey's Anatomy" playing a retired thoracic surgeon whose wife is a patient, and on "Hawaii Five-0" later in the year.
In September 2017, after six decades of playing the role of Mark Twain, Holbrook announced his retirement from the one-man show "Mark Twain Tonight!" Holbrook indicated that he would like to continue working on movies and television.
Personal life.
Holbrook was married three times and had three children. He married a Newfoundlander, Ruby Elaine Johnston, in 1945 and they had two children. They divorced in 1965. In 1966, he married Carol Eve Rossen. They had one child and they divorced in 1983.
Holbrook married actress and singer Dixie Carter in 1984 and the couple remained married until Carter's death from endometrial cancer on April 10, 2010. Holbrook appeared as a recurring character on Carter's TV series, "Designing Women".
Holbrook said of his home in Atlanta, Georgia, that it had the "feel" of the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut and that there was no other place to which he felt so ideally suited. He also had a residence in Beverly Hills, California. Holbrook had a recurring role on his wife's hit sitcom "Designing Women," appearing in nine episodes between 1986 and 1989 as Carter's on-screen significant other. In 2011, Holbrook's memoir, "Harold: The Boy Who Became Mark Twain", was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
In October 2016, Holbrook wrote a letter to "The New York Times" defending actor director Nate Parker over his alleged 1999 rape of a woman and Parker's controversial film "The Birth of a Nation". He urged others to "move on" from Parker's past and to view the film, which was "an exceptional piece of artistry and a vital portrait of our American experience".
Political views.
Holbrook occasionally criticized the politicization of religion. He was a registered independent, but leaned towards the liberal end of the U.S. political spectrum. He criticized the Republican Party while Barack Obama was in office.
In 2016, he castigated then-Republican candidate Donald Trump for not having "the maturity to run the country". Holbrook praised Senator Bernie Sanders as the only politician who does not "say what they think might get them elected" and praised his honesty. In 2017, Holbrook again criticized President Trump, saying, "We have [Trump] who has been elected president now who is upending and destroying a great many of our American values ... he's trying to distort the American dream, which he's doing every hour of the day." Holbrook opposed President Trump's immigration ban and praised protests against the ban.
Death.
Holbrook died at his home in Beverly Hills, California, on January 23, 2021, at age 95; no cause was given. His death was announced more than a week later, on February 2. He was buried in McLemoresville Cemetery in McLemoresville, Tennessee, alongside his wife, Dixie Carter.
Legacy.
In 2003, President George W. Bush honored Holbrook with a National Humanities Medal for "charming audiences with the wit and wisdom of Mark Twain as Twain's outlook never fails to give Holbrook a good show to put on".
The local community of McLemoresville, Tennessee, hometown of his wife Dixie Carter, constructed the Dixie Theatre for Performing Arts in nearby Huntingdon, Tennessee, which features the Hal Holbrook Auditorium. Upon his retirement from his Mark Twain persona, "The HuffPost" hailed Holbrook as "the man who has done more to keep Mark Twain on people's minds than anyone else".


Destroyer War Badge

The Destroyer War Badge () as a World War II German military decoration and awarded to officers and crew for service on "Kriegsmarine" destroyers. It was instituted on 4 June 1940 by Grand Admiral Erich Raeder following the battle of Narvik. It was also awarded to the crews of torpedo boats and fast attack craft until the institution of the Fast Attack Craft War Badge.
Design.
The medal, designed by Paul Carsberg of Berlin, consists of an outer oakleaf laurel wreath of oak leaves with the national emblem of eagle clutching a swastika (both golden coloured) at its apex. The central area features a side-view of a destroyer cutting through a wave (both silver-grey to black in colour). It was worn on the lower part of the left breast pocket of the naval service tunic, underneath the 1st class Iron Cross if awarded. Additionally, an embroidered cloth version was produced.
Criteria for award.
Required qualifications prior to 10 October 1940 included participation in the battles of Narvik. After this date:


Operation Dragoon order of battle

This is the order of battle of Allied and German forces during Operation Dragoon in August 1944 in the South of France.
Allied land forces.
Seventh Army.
Lieutenant General Alexander Patch
SPECIAL FORCES
ENGINEER
MILITARY POLICE
MEDICAL
QUARTERMASTER
SIGNAL
MISCELLANEOUS
VI Corps.
Major General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr.
COMBAT COMMAND
FIELD ARTILLERY
ANTIAIRCRAFT ARTILLERY
ARMOR
TANK DESTROYER
CAVALRY
CHEMICAL WARFARE
ENGINEER
MILITARY POLICE
MEDICAL
ORDNANCE
QUARTERMASTER
SIGNAL
NAVAL
3rd Infantry Division.
Major General John W. O'Daniel
ORGANIC UNITS
3RD INFANTRY DIVISION BEACH GROUP
36th Infantry Division.
Major General John E. Dahlquist
ORGANIC UNITS
36TH INFANTRY DIVISION BEACH GROUP
45th Infantry Division.
Major General William W. Eagles
ORGANIC UNITS
45TH INFANTRY DIVISION BEACH GROUP
Armee "B".
"Général d'armée" Jean de Lattre de Tassigny
2ème Corps d'Armee.
"Général de corps d'armée" Edgard de Larminat
Divisions
FIELD ARTILLERY
Anti Aircraft Artillery
Tank Destroyer
Engineer
MILITARY POLICE
MEDICAL
ORDNANCE
QUARTERMASTER
SIGNAL
Transportation
Allied air forces.
Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force.
Major General John K. Cannon
XII Tactical Air Command.
Brigadier General Gordon P. Saville
Source: Jackson (1986), p. 221
Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force.
Air Vice-Marshal Hugh Lloyd
63rd Fighter Wing
Source: Jackson (1986), p. 222
Provisional Troop Carrier Air Division.
Brigadier General Paul L. Williams
Source: Warren, p. 87
Allied naval forces.
Vice Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt
CONTROL FORCE, Vice Admiral Hewitt
SPECIAL OPERATIONS GROUP Captain H. C. Johnson
Task Force 84 "Alpha Force".
Rear Admiral Frank J. Lowry
Task Force 85 "Delta Force".
Rear Admiral Bertram J. Rodgers
Task Force 87 CAMEL FORCE.
Rear Admiral Spencer S. Lewis
Task Force 86 SITKA FORCE.
Rear Admiral Lyal A. Davidson
Task Force 88 AIRCRAFT CARRIER FORCE.
Rear Admiral Thomas Hope Troubridge RN
TG 88.1.
Rear Admiral T.H. Troubridge RN
TG 88.2.
Rear Admiral Calvin T. Durgin USN
TG 80.6 Antisubmarine and Convoy Control Group.
Captain J. P. Clay
Source: Morison, " The Invasion of France and Germany, 1944–1945" (1957), pp. 338–343
German land forces.
Army Group G.
"Generaloberst" Johannes Blaskowitz
Nineteenth Army.
"General der Infanterie" Friedrich Wiese
LXXXV Army Corps.
"General der Infanterie" Baptist Kneiss
LXII Army Corps.
"General der Infanterie" Ferdinand Neuling
LXIV Army Corps.
The Corps swapped units with the IV Luftwaffe Corps in September.


Marina Petrella

Marina Petrella (born in Roma, 23 August 1954) is a former member of the terrorist Italian left wing group the Red Brigades. She was convicted to life sentence for murder.
Biography.
A former school teacher in the middle of the 1970s she joined a terrorist group called the Brigate Rosse. Together with her husband, Luigi Novelli, she was arrested twice, but was never sent to jail because a verdict was not reached in time.
In 1993, she left Italy to avoid being arrested following her conviction of killing a policeman, various attempted murders, and other minor offenses. She moved to Paris where, thanks to the Mitterrand doctrine, she started a new life. She was arrested by the French, but the government of Nicolas Sarkozy announced that Petrella would not be extradited to Italy on medical grounds.
On April 28 2021 she was again arrested together with 6 other former Red Brigades members living in France.


500th Military Intelligence Brigade (United States)

The 500th Military Intelligence Brigade is a unit of the United States Army and subordinate to the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command. Its mission is to provide tailored, multi-disciplined intelligence and intelligence capabilities in support of USARPAC and other Commands, to defeat adversaries, promote regional stability, support partners and allies, and protect US interests. The 500th is headquartered at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Fukuhara Hall, the 500th's HQ, is named for Col Harry K. Fukuhara, a Japanese-American Military Intelligence Hall of Fame inductee who served with the Military Intelligence Service during World War 2.
History.
The 500th Military Intelligence Service Group was stood up under the Far East Command in September 1952, serving as the successor to the joint Australian/American Allied Translator and Interpreter Section intelligence agency created to handle as a centralized allied intelligence unit in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War 2.
As part of the drawdown of American troop strengths in Japan, relocating the Army's Pacific headquarters from Tokyo to Hawaii, the 500th was inactivated in 1957. The 500th Military Intelligence Group (Collection) was reactivated at Camp Asaka in March 1961, heading up all aspects of the HUMINT mission in the Pacific.
In 1965, the 500th MI relocated from Japan to Hawaii, and earned Meritorious Unit Commendations in 1968-69 and 1972-74 for its contributions to the Vietnam War, an unprecedented honor for a unit not located within a combat zone.
When the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) was created in 1977, the 500th MI Group was reassigned as one of INSCOM's regional military intelligence groups.
The 500th MI continues to provide excellent support to US Army Pacific and its predecessor the US Army Western Command to this day.


Appomattox campaign Union order of battle

The following Union Army units and commanders fought in the Appomattox campaign of the American Civil War. Order of battle compiled from the army organization during the campaign. The Confederate order of battle is shown separately.
Union forces.
LTG Ulysses S. Grant, Commanding
Staff:
Escort:
Headquarters Guard:
Army of the Potomac.
MG George G.Meade

II Corps.
MG Andrew A. Humphreys
V Corps.
MG Gouverneur K. Warren
Bvt MG Charles Griffin
Escort
Provost Guard
VI Corps.
MG Horatio G. Wright
Escort
IX Corps.
MG John G. Parke
Provost Guard
Army of the James.
MG Edward O. C. Ord
Chief of Staff: Bvt BG Theodore Read (mw, April 6)

Defenses of Bermuda Hundred.
MG George L. Hartsuff
XXIV Corps.
MG John Gibbon
Headquarters Guard
Cpt Charles E. Thomas
XXV Corps.
MG Godfrey Weitzel
Provost Guard
Army of the Shenandoah.
MG Philip H. Sheridan
Chief of staff: Col James Forsyth
Cavalry Corps.
MG Wesley Merritt


SoldierStrong

SoldierStrong (formerly SoldierSocks) is a Stamford, Connecticut based 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to improve the lives of the men and the women of the United States Armed Forces.
The mission has taken several key forms since SoldierStrong was founded in 2009. SoldierStrong has provided basic supplies to frontline troops, shipped holiday items to troops and veterans, and now provides revolutionary medical rehabilitation devices to injured and paralyzed veterans, along with virtual reality systems to treat post-traumatic stress and scholarships for veterans seeking to finish their education with a focus on continuing their public service in non-military careers.
Since SoldierStrong's inception the organization has donated more than $3.5 million of medical devices to help injured veterans.
History.
SoldierStrong got its start in Stamford, Connecticut in 2009. The organization was co-founded by philanthropist and businessman Chris Meek in response to a July 2009 letter from Sergeant Major Luke Converse. Converse requested help in obtaining socks and baby wipes for his Marines serving in Afghanistan who were having difficulty getting these types of supplies at forward operating locations.
Shortly after receipt of this letter, Meek formed a 501(c)(3) to help raise funds and gather basic supplies for the troops. In its first six weeks, SoldierStrong shipped over 1,500 pounds of supplies to Sgt Major Converse and his US Marine Corps unit fighting in Afghanistan.
By May 2018, SoldierStrong had shipped over 37 tons of personal hygienic supplies to US Armed Forces serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, supplying over 75,000 pounds (or 37 tons) of supplies to 73 units fighting overseas.
SoldierStrong broadened its reach in the fall of 2010 to include a new initiative with a similar objective. The group created SoldierSanta in an effort to send gifts to the troops for them to open during the holiday season.
As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wound down, SoldierStrong expanded its mission to aid returning military servicemen and women with rehabilitation and prosthetic technologies through its program SoldierSuit, educational opportunities through SoldierScholar, financial aid for veterans receiving spinal care at independent physical rehab facilities through its SoldierRecovery program and providing virtual reality equipment to Veterans Affairs medical centers across the country to help veterans with post-traumatic stress through StrongMind.
Partnerships.
Since its inception, SoldierStrong has partnered with a host of local organizations in its drive to supply troops with basic necessities. In addition to local businesses and organizations, elected officials and community leaders have also assisted in this initiative.
Connecticut's Hope Street Pharmacy was the first local organization who offered to partner with SoldierStrong. After Hope Street Pharmacy, SoldierStrong attracted numerous other partners from the local community including The New Balance store in New Canaan, CT, Reveal Hair Salon in Stamford, CT, the Stamford Public Elementary Schools, the Stamford Fire and Police Departments, and Vineyard Vines to name a few. SoldierStrong works with the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 49 and Air National Guard out of Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York.
In November 2009, Elvis Duran and the Morning Show teamed up with SoldierStrong and pushed the organization onto the national scene via their network of syndicated radio stations in over 30 markets across the country. WWE and Elvis Duran and the Morning Show helped to collect more than 12,000 pairs of socks and 2,500 pounds of supplies.
The Connecticut General Assembly partnered with SoldierSocks in December 2009 for a drive at the Connecticut State Capitol building in Hartford, Connecticut. They were able to collect more than 500 pounds of tube socks. Former Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele along with US Senators Joe Lieberman and Scott Brown have lauded the program along with several other elected and business leaders. Corporate sponsors have included Sports Illustrated Magazine and Cablevision.
In July 2012, SoldierStrong expanded its efforts launching the new SoldierStrong Veterans Education Foundation to help those returning from the frontlines of battle.
United Rentals became a major corporate sponsor in 2014, and has remained so through at least 2017. Additionally, they were instrumental in starting the Turns for Troops program.
American Airlines has provided corporate support in the form of free airfare for certain SoldierStrong donation events.
In 2016, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que sponsored the "Sauce for a Cause" promotion to benefit SoldierStrong. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que provided all proceeds of their co-branded SoldierStrong/Sensuous Slathering BBQ Sauce to SoldierStrong during the Memorial Day season in 2016.
In March 2020, SoldierStrong announced a partnership with Honor and Respect, an Iowa-based firm which raises funds to aid first responders and military personnel who are caught in the midst of the mental health crisis through the sale of one-of-a-kind athletic shoes. SoldierStrong will receive $10 of every purchase of Honor and Respect's shoes.
SoldierStrong partners with the Veterans Administration to offer their StrongMind program, a virtual reality therapy system which is intended to treat post-traumatic stress in veterans receiving services from VA hospitals.
Other partnerships include Specialty Freight Services, Fraternal Order of Eagles, S&P Global, The Wawa Foundation, Multistack, Total, Operation Hat Trick, Horizon Media, General Dynamics, Honeywell, GE Foundation and Rosati Ice.
During an appearance at the 2020 VHA Innovation Experience (iEX) conference on Oct. 27, 2020, SoldierStrong co-founder and chairman Chris Meek announced that the organization was teaming up with Dean Kamen and his company, DEKA (company), to donate ten IBOT wheelchairs to individual wounded veterans. The iBOT wheelchair, developed by Kamen in partnership with DEKA and Johnson & Johnson Independent Technology division, is a one-of-a-kind, powered wheelchair that climbs stairs, allows users to rise from sitting level to six feet tall, maintains superior balance compared to other products on the market and is capable of traveling through sand and standing water.
StrongMind.
The StrongMind program provides help for veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress. The virtual reality therapy and accompanying technology offered through Veterans Affairs maximizes the efficiency of post-traumatic stress treatment and appeal to young veterans. StrongMind has made an initial commitment to donate virtual reality hardware and software to 10 VA medical centers across the country.
SoldierStrong, working closely in conjunction with the VA Innovation Center, has recognized VA clinics across the country with an emphasis on research at which to distribute the StrongMind virtual reality post-traumatic stress protocol. As more resources become available and more clinical testing is completed, SoldierStrong plans to expand distribution of the protocol to additional VA centers.
StrongMind relies on a collective expertise from the University of Southern California, Syracuse University, and Iowa State University to provide post-traumatic stress treatment options. The Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas, a research institute dedicated to sustaining brain health, also joined in the StrongMind alliance in September 2019 at the invitation of SoldierStrong.
Through a partnership with Syracuse University, the first StrongMind virtual reality system was donated to the Syracuse VA in September 2019. Additionally, the Puget Sound VA in Tacoma, Washington, the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA in Richmond, Virginia, the North Texas VA in Dallas, Texas, the Michael E. DeBakey VA in Houston, Texas, the Audie L. Murphy VA in San Antonio, Texas, the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System in Biloxi, Mississippi, the Charles George VA in Asheville, North Carolina, the Martinsburg VA in Martinsburg, West Virginia, the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA in Jackson, Mississippi and the VA Sierra Nevada in Reno, Nevada all received the StrongMind virtual reality system in 2019. The VA Palo Alto Health Care System in Palo Alto, Texas was the first VA to receive the StrongMind Virtual Reality System in 2020. There have been 13 StrongMind Virtual Reality Systems donated to VA Hospitals since September 2019.
In January 2020, Dr. Albert "Skip" Rizzo from the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California and the creator of the BraveMind system in which the StrongMind program utilizes, lead two virtual reality training sessions for VA clinicians at the Charles George VA in Asheville, North Carolina and the North Texas VA in Dallas, Texas. As of January 2020, there have been requests from eight additional VAs for the system and up to forty requests from private interests. In January 2020, a House Veterans Committee panel reviewed and recognized programs from across the country, including SoldierStrong's StrongMind program, that are helping to lower suicide rates among veterans.
SoldierScholar program.
In June 2012, SoldierStrong launched a scholarship initiative partnering with the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
In the Fall Term of 2017, SoldierStrong launched a scholarship for female veterans in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) disciplines at Old Dominion University in Virginia.
SoldierStrong also maintains a general scholarship fund available to veterans who wish to finish their college education in order to continue public service careers after their military service concludes.
In November 2019, SoldierStrong announced their annual SoldierScholar recipients. Four veteran students were awarded scholarships, including one Old Dominion University recipient, one Syracuse University recipient and two Georgetown University recipients.
In December 2020, SoldierStrong once again announced their annual SoldierScholar recipients. Three student veterans were awarded scholarships, including a public administration student from Syracuse University, a foreign service student from Georgetown University and a civil engineer technology student from Old Dominion University, all planning to use their degrees to hold roles in capacities that provide services to the United States military and government.
SoldierSuit.
In July 2013, SoldierStrong again set its focus on returning veterans and further expanded the scope of its mission. Partnering with Ekso Bionics, efforts are aimed at raising money to aid paralyzed returning veterans in walking again. In October 2013, SoldierStrong launched a fundraising campaign to raise funds to provide these mechanized suits to veterans. In December 2013, SoldierStrong donated its first suit to a veteran who became paralyzed when his truck drove over an IED in Afghanistan. Their initial goal was to deliver 10 of these suits to wounded and paralyzed veterans.
In the spring of 2013, the Milwaukee VA Medical Center (Wisconsin) hosted Ekso Bionics to demo the mechanized suit. In December 2013, SoldierStrong donated the suit to a wounded veteran seeking treatment at the Milwaukee VA. SoldierStrong delivered its next suit to the VA Boston Healthcare System in April 2014, followed by 2014 donations to VA Medical Centers in Palo Alto (June 2014), Richmond (July 2014), Dallas (October 2014), New Orleans, and New York City (Bronx) (December 2014). In December 2014, SoldierStrong expanded the scope of the SoldierSuit to include prosthetic arms when they announced a partnership with Myomo, a supplier of myoelectric orthotics, with the established goal of providing myoelectric arms braces for veterans. Myomo devices have been donated to veterans in Burlington, MA; Lake Forest, CA; Middlefield, OH, Port Angeles, WA; Sandown, NH, and Lansing, MI.
In 2015, suites were donated to VA Medical Centers in Oklahoma City (April 2015), Seattle (June 2015), and Houston (October 2015). In May 2015, SoldierStrong again expanded the scope of the SoldierSuit to include BiONX ankle. BiONX devices have been donated to VA Medical Centers in San Antonio, Texas and Milwaukee, WI. In 2016, suits were donated to VA Medical Centers in Denver (January 2016), Philadelphia's Magee Rehab Center (March 2016), and Minneapolis, Minnesota (May 2016). In July 2016, SoldierStrong added the Mobius Bionics' LukeARM to the SoldierSuit, and announced an agreement to provide the first ten arm fittings to qualifying veterans.
In 2017, suits were donated to VA Medical Centers in Long Beach (May 2017), Omaha's CHI-Immanuel Rehab (August 2017), and San Antonio (October 2017). In 2018, exoskeletons were donated to the VA Medical Centers in St. Louis (January 2018), Tampa (August 2018) and South Texas (December 2018), as well as the Iowa Methodist Medical Center (July 2018).
In 2019, SoldierStrong more than doubled their initial commitment of ten high-tech medical devices to benefit veterans rounding out their exoskeleton donations to 22, 18 of which have gone to the VA system. In 2019, exoskeletons were donated to the VA Medical Centers in North Texas (January 2019), Phoenix (May 2019), San Diego (July 2019), Cleveland (September 2019) and Boston (December 2019).
Recognition.
On April 2, 2014, SoldierStrong Chairman Chris Meek was presented with the Orange Circle Award for the groups' philanthropic work. Presented by Syracuse University, the award recognizes members of the SU community who have done extraordinary things in the service of others.
SoldierStrong received the President's Call to Service Award from President Barack Obama
On December 8, 2014, SoldierStrong held their inaugural Awards Ceremony at the Union League Club of New York, where it awarded its 2014 Commitment to Service Award to FOX News anchor Martha MacCallum and the 2014 Corporate Leadership Award to Stamford, CT-based United Rentals, Inc.
SU Magazine profiled SoldierStrong in its April 30, 2016 issue.
People Magazine profiled SoldierStrong's work in its February 9, 2017 issue.
The magazine Men's Health featured the work of SoldierStrong in its February 14, 2017 issue.
History.com did a video feature on SoldierStrong's work in March 2017.
In 2018, the George W. Bush Institute announced SoldierStrong Founder and Chairman Chris Meek had been selected to join the Inaugural Class of the Stand-To Veteran Leadership Initiative.
On May 22, 2018, SoldierStrong Chairman Chris Meek testified in front of the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Research and Technology and subcommittee on Energy about using hyper-advanced medical devices to improve the lives of veterans. Meek was joined in testifying by SoldierStrong Advisory Board Member Martha MacCallum.
On August 26, 2020, veterans representing SoldierStrong were present at Fort McHenry on the third night of the Republican National Convention where they were greeted by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump and demonstrated the Indego exoskeleton suit by standing for the flag during the national anthem. Vice President Mike Pence also acknowledged SoldierStrong for their work providing revolutionary medical technologies to veterans during his speech to accept the Republican Party's nomination for Vice President.
In 2020, SoldierStrong and the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California were nominated by the VHA Innovation Ecosystem, an organization which promotes health care innovation for veterans, to the Igniting Innovation Conference and Awards, which recognizes innovators and innovations that advance the lives of Americans and the government operations which service them. After submitting a video for the award featuring the technology in the StrongMind program, StrongMind was named as a top eight finalist selected by conference attendees on September 2, 2020 and received the "Game Changer" award, which recognizes innovations that provide breakthrough solutions to longstanding problems.
SoldierStrong was featured in The Chronicle of Philanthropy on April 6, 2021, which recognized the work being carried out by the organization.
Professional sports events.
SoldierStrong has been featured in a number of professional sporting events.
In 2014, WWE featured Sgt. Dan Rose walking in the ring in an Ekso device donated to him by SoldierStrong.
In 2015, SoldierStrong was featured during MLB's "Welcome Back Veterans" events at a New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox game and at a Chicago Cubs-Milwaukee Brewers game.
In November 2015, SoldierStrong was featured as part of the NFL's "Salute to Service", and appeared at Eagles, Dolphins, and Vikings, 49ers, and Cowboys stadiums.
In 2016, SoldierStrong became the charitable partner of Turns for Troops. Turns for Troops is sponsored by United Rentals and the Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Indycar team. A donation is made for every lap Indy Driver Graham Rahal completes. Team Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan hosted SoldierStrong and SGT Dan Rose at several races, including pre-race appearances on-track in the Ekso suit. The program was renewed and expanded for 2017 and 2018. $150,000 was donated in 2017. For every lap Graham Rahal completed in the 2018 Verizon Indy Car Series, sponsor United Rentals donated $50 to SoldierStrong, resulting in a $250,000 donation. Graham Rahel has raised nearly $500,000 for SoldierStrong since 2016.
SoldierStrong has also been a charitable partner of the Never Forget Tribute Classic presented by United Rentals, most recently at the fourth annual Classic in 2019. The Classic features a doubleheader between four notable universities.
Annual gala and awards events.
SoldierStrong began hosting an annual gala event in 2014. Each year awards are presented to individuals and organizations who SoldierStrong believes have made outstanding contributions to American Service Members and Veterans in the preceding year.
In 2014, the individual award went to Martha MacCallum, and the corporate award went to United Rentals, Inc.
In 2015, the co-recipients of the individual award were Alex Gorsky and Elvis Duran. The corporate award went to WWE, Inc.
In 2016 Graham Rahal was the individual award winner, and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que was the corporate award winner.
In 2017, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives Jon Runyon was the individual awardee, and Multistack, LLC was the corporate awardee.
In 2018, Bill Koenigsburg, CEO and Founder of Horizon Media, was the individual awardee and S&P Global was the corporate award winner. The Vince & Linda McMahon Family Foundation was also honored.
In 2019, Rich Trotter, CEO of Rosati Ice, was the awardee of SoldierStrong's Commitment to Service Award.
In 2020, Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, appointed by President Donald Trump as executive director of the President's Roadmap to Empower Veterans to End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS) task force, and Dr. Albert "Skip" Rizzo, director of medical virtual reality at the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies, were recognized as co-recipients of the Commitment to Service Award.


King of Libya


2nd Regiment of Riflemen

The 2nd Regiment of Riflemen was a unit of the U.S. Army in the early nineteenth century. It was first activated in 1814 during the War of 1812 when the War Department created three additional rifle regiments based on the success of the Regiment of Riflemen. The regiment was deactivated in May 1815.
Organization.
The regiment was activated on February 10, 1814. It was consolidated with the other regiments of riflemen on May 17, 1815.
Service.
The regiment spent virtually its entire life on garrison duty in Detroit, Michigan Territory and Fort Malden, Upper Canada after Detroit had been abandoned by the British following the Battle of Lake Erie. Regimental depots were placed in Chillicothe, Ohio; Nashville, Tennessee, and Lexington, Kentucky. The riflemen never gained full strength, in part because recruiters for other commands misrepresented themselves as being recruiters for the riflemen. The regiment suffered continuing shortages of uniforms and equipment. The riflemen did ensure that trade with Native Americans was fair and that civil order was maintained.


32nd Regiment Royal Artillery

32 Regiment Royal Artillery ("The Wessex Gunners") is a regiment in the Royal Artillery, part of the British Army and is equipped with the Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk III and PUMA 2 miniature unmanned aerial vehicles. 32nd Regiment is the only Royal Artillery unit that operates MUAS and along with the 5th Regiment Royal Artillery provides an integrated tactical and strategic; intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability.
As part of 6th Division, under the immediate command of 1st Intelligence & Surveillance Brigade (1ISR), 32nd Regiment supports the Reactive Force elements of the British Army and provides dedicated MUAS capability to the 3rd (UK) Division.
History.
The regiment has its origins in 7th Medium Brigade which was raised in 1927, evolved into 7th Medium Regiment and served throughout the Second World War.
In 1947, the 32nd Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) was retitled as the 45th Field Regiment and the 7th Medium Regiment RHQ was retitled as the 32nd.
In 1966, the regiment became a Heavy Regiment with M107 175 mm self-propelled
guns. In 1972, it became a light Regiment, equipped with 105mm Light Guns; then, in 1978, a Guided Missile Regiment equipped with Swingfire anti-tank missile. In 1985, it became a heavy regiment again with M107 guns based in Dortmund. During the Gulf War, the regiment was equipped with M110 self-propelled 203 mm howitzers and served as part of the Divisional Artillery Group supporting the 1st Armoured Division.
In December 2016 it was announced that the Regiment would be disbanded and its personnel redistributed to other parts of the British Army. In the British Army's "Soldier Magazine" October 2020 edition, it was confirmed the regiment would not disband but will continue to support the field army in the Mini-Unmanned Aerial Systems support role, using the Puma and Wasp AE (All Environment) mini unmanned air system.
Batteries.
The Regiment currently comprises the following batteries:


243rd Static Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)

The 243rd Static Infantry Division was an infantry division of the German Army raised in July 1943. It was stationed in the Cotentin Peninsula when the Allies invaded in June 1944.
"Generalleutnant" Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben, commander of the 709th Infantry Division reported that the commander of the 922nd Grenadier Regiment, "Oberstleutnant" Franz Müller, who had been assigned to the 243rd Infantry Division on the west coast, had been transferred by Generalleutnant Heinz Hellmich with regimental troops of the 922nd Grenadier Regiment, the 3rd Battalion 922nd Grenadier Regiment, and one Battalion of the 920th Grenadier Regiment, and the engineer battalion of the 243rd Infantry Division to Montebourg by night march on June 6. Regiment Müller was to advance south with its left wing along Saint-Floxel-Fontenay-sur-Mer-Ravenoville road. Von Schlieben did not remember the purpose of the mission, but assumed it was to prevent a widening of the enemy bridgehead to the north and to support the left flank of the 1058th Grenadier Regiment which engaged in a counterattack at Ste-Mere-Eglise on June 7. An attack by Regiment Müller was prevented from making progress by heavy naval gunfire.
Oberstleutnant Günther Keil reported events slightly differently. He said Oberstleutnant Müller arrived on the evening of June 6 in the area north of Azeville-Saint-Marcouf with regimental troops of the 922nd Grenadier Regiment, the engineer battalion of the 243rd Infantry Division, and the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 922nd Grenadier Regiment (not a battalion from the 920th Grenadier Regiment). He goes on to add that on the morning of June 7 Regiment Müller attacked, the 3rd Battalion 922nd Grenadier Regiment on the left wing operating against Saint-Marcouf. Saint-Marcouf was captured, but under the pressure of heavy fire from enemy ship based artillery had to give up the position. Making connection with the 3rd Battalion 739th Grenadier Regiment, Oberstleutnant Müller then entrenched with his front facing south. That evening, the 3rd Battalion 922nd Grenadier Regiment along with the 3rd Battalion 739th Grenadier Regiment under command of Oberstleutnant Müller were subordinated to Oberstleutnant Keil. Oberstleutnant Müller took over the southern front adjacent to Oberst Helmuth Rohrbach's taskforce with the boundary being the western edge of the park of Fontenay. This position was maintained until the evening of June 12, when the units withdrew under orders of General der Artillerie Erich Marcks.
Generalleutnant Hellmich also dispatched the 3rd Battalion of the 243rd Artillery Regiment (less the 10th Battery) from the west coast via Bricquebec to Valognes. The two batteries took up position during the fight of June 6 near Ecausseville (3.5 km south of Montebourg). They were assigned to Regimental Staff Seidel and supported the attack of the 1058th Grenadier Regiment on June 7. The 3rd Battalion of the 243rd Artillery Regiment remained with the defending forces around Montebourg after the failed attack of the 1058th Grenadier Regiment.
The division was destroyed in the Battle of Normandy, with its last elements lost in the fall of Cherbourg.


Theodore Bibb

Theodore Vincent Bibb (January 26, 1918 – November 21, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri), was an American jazz drummer. He was one of a number of St. Louis musicians who served in the military during the World War II era. "During his music career he performed with Dewey Jackson, “Peanuts” Whalum, Oliver Nelson, the George Hudson Orchestra, and Singleton Palmer." Bibb died on November 21, 2010 at the age of 92.
Early life.
Bibb served in the United States Army where he rose to the rank of Technician fifth grade.


General der Fallschirmtruppe

General der Fallschirmtruppe (en: "General of the parachute corps") was a General of the branch rank of the Deutsche Luftwaffe (en: German Air Force) in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular general officer rank was on three-star level (OF-8), equivalent to a US Lieutenant general.
The "General of the branch" ranks of the Luftwaffe were in 1945:
The rank was equivalent to the General of the branch ranks of the "Heer" (army) as follows:
The rank was also equivalent to the German three-star ranks: