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Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, became familiar with their new M14 Enhanced Battle Rifles as they trained for Personnel Security Detachment duty for their battalion Sept. 6, at Johnson Field. The EBR is a magazine-fed, gas-operated, shoulder-fired weapon that also has a Mark-4 tactical scope and cantilever mount with an aluminum billet stock. The M14 EBR also has a new adjustable buttstock, cheek rest and M4-style pistol grip but can also be returned to its original configuration with no permanent modifications. “Today we are practicing and familiarizing ourselves with our...

WASHINGTON, DC—On May 16, President Barack Obama will award Specialist Leslie H. Sabo, Jr., U.S. Army, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. Specialist Sabo will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic actions in combat on May 10, 1970, while serving as a rifleman in Company B, 3d Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division in Se San, Cambodia. On that day, when he and his platoon were ambushed by a large enemy force, Specialist Sabo immediately charged the enemy position, killing several enemy soldiers. He then assaulted an enemy flanking force, successfully drawing their fire away from...

The Army has suspended the use of its new square parachutes because of problems found after a Fort Bragg soldier died during a training jump. The Fayetteville Observer reported Wednesday that the T-11 parachutes initially were praised as safer. Tests had shown the new parachutes provide a slower, more stable descent than the traditional mushroom-shaped style.

<p>Dick Winters, the former World War II commander whose war story was told in the book and miniseries “Band of Brothers,” has died.</p> <p>Dick Winters led a quiet life on his Fredericksburg farm and in his Hershey home until the book and miniseries “Band of Brothers” threw him into the international spotlight.</p>

LYRICS: He was just a rookie trooper and he surely shook with fright. He checked off his equipment and made sure his pack was tight. He had to sit and listen to those awful engines roar. You ain't gonna jump no more. Chorus: Gory, gory, what a hell of way to die. Gory, gory, what a hell of way to die. Gory, gory, what a hell of way to die. He ain't gonna jump no more. "Is everybody happy?" cried the sergeant looking up. Our hero feebly answered, "Yes", and then they stood him up. He jumped into the icy...

Army Staff Sgt., Awarded Medal of Honor for Valor in Afghanistan, Says Comrades Going Beyond Call Every Day America's first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War says the heroic actions he undertook in Afghanistan are as brave as what every American soldier experiences day in and day out during their tours of duty in that country. Interview - Staff Sgt Salvatore Giunta

Retired Archbishop Philip. M. Hannan of New Orleans, still alive at the age of 97, discusses his service in the video above, made in 2007, with the 505th parachute infantry regiment of the 82nd Airborne in World War II. Ordained at the North American College in Rome on December 8, 1939, he served with the 82nd Airborne as a chaplain from 1942-46, and was known as the Jumping Padre. He was assigned to be the chaplain of the 505th Regiment with the rank of Captain shortly after the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. He had many adventures during his...

FORT BRAGG, N.C., July 23, 2010 – Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Sanders, a 43-year-old senior interrogator with the XVIII Airborne Corps here, battled a bad knee to earn the coveted master parachutist wings, the highest-level airborne skills award, other than the combat parachutists badge. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Sanders (right), a jumpmaster and senior interrogator with the XVIII Airborne Corps, yells “Go” to paratroopers during a tailgate jump training mission at Fort Bragg, N.C., June 11, 2010. This was Sanders’ 65th parachute jump, which earned him the coveted master parachutist wings, the highest award a jumpmaster...

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Witnesses and police say a Connecticut man drove his car into a stone wall, went airborne and landed on the roof of an accountant's office before stopping in a yard. Police say Chenpai Lee drove his car into the opposite lane and hit a wall late Thursday in Stamford. They say the car flipped several times, flew and punched a hole in the roof of the office, where it briefly landed.

Uncle Jimbo, Tankerbabe, and two senior NCO's discuss the Battle for Wanat. SSG Ryan Pitts, SGT Michael Denton, Jim Hanson and Tankerbabe (Leta Carruth) will be our guests Monday night. We will be discussing "The Battle of Wanat." SSG Ryan Pitt and SGT Michael Denton (both are medically retired from the Army) were in the battle of Wanat. "Somethings wrong when someone gets a Silver Star and a Reprimand at the same time".

The Chinese 15th Airborne Corps (three airborne divisions and an aviation brigade) has, for the last two decades, been the primary airborne infantry force in the Chinese military, and the primary rapid reaction force as well. China has enough air transports (Il-76s, Yu-8s, Yu-7s) to move one of the 11,000 man airborne divisions to anywhere in China within 48 hours. This was demonstrated two years ago, when one division was sent to Sichuan province, to assist in earthquake relief. The first use of this capability was in1988, when a division was moved to Tibet. The 15th Airborne Corps is now...

Here is a video report on the plan for close to 10,000 U.S. Military Personnel to be on the ground in Haiti, or on ships just offshore by Monday. The speed with which everything can be put in place is being hampered there by the fact that the Port-Au-Prince Airport has only one usable runway, and there are so many planes needing to use it. An entire brigade of 3,500 from the 82nd Airborne is expected to be on the ground by this weekend to provide security in the devastated area. The Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Carl Vinson should arrive on...

SNIPPET: "A team of researchers convened by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began a series of tests today at 20 MBTA stations to determine how airborne contaminants would spread in a terrorist attack on Boston's subway system." SNIPPET: "The findings will help guide the design of future detection systems and help strengthen evacuation, ventilation, and other emergency response plans on mass transit across the country. "We hope to use the data from the two to come up with a model to predict the behavior (of chemicals) in other subway systems," Lustig said."

Seriously, how awesome does that look? Imagine Special Forces soldiers zooming through the skies at 60 mph, covering distances of 30 miles or more without being picked up by radar. It could actually happen. A group of German companies with expertise in parachute systems have joined forces to create the Gryphon Next Generation Parachute System. Designed for high altitude jumps, the Gryphon has a 6-foot wingspan and a glide ratio of 5:1, meaning that a solider can glide up to 30 miles in the air—60 if they go ahead with plans to add a small engine like the one...

In a recent test at the White Sands Missile Range, a specially equipped C-130 plane fried a parked truck with a powerful laser. And while we still haven't seen evidence of the laser "defeating" a ground target, as Boeing puts it, a video of it scorching a direct hit on the hood of a truck is still pretty amazing.Click here for the video. As you can see, the laser beam burns right through the truck's hood, and then through the engine, "defeating" the vehicle. Called the "Advanced Tactical Laser" (ATL), this is the first time the megawatt-powered chemical laser has...

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Aug. 13, 2009 – As an 8-year-old boy sitting on the roof of a friend’s house in war-torn Haiti in 1994, Claudy Bellanger saw a sight that captivated his attention: helicopters speeding past carrying American soldiers. Army Spc. Claudy Bellanger’s experiences with U.S. soldiers as a boy growing up in Haiti led to his joining the Army. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Kissta M. Feldner  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “I’d never seen them with my own eyes before, only on television,” he said. Bellanger’s boyhood experiences with U.S. troops in his home country set him...

29th Annual Veterans Wheelchair Games Scheduled for Spokane July 6, 2009 WASHINGTON -- A wide range of disabilities cannot stop more than 500 of America’s greatest wheelchair athletes, all U.S. military Veterans who will begin competition at the 29th National Veterans Wheelchair Games being held July 13-18 in Spokane, Wash. “President Obama recently said that caring for Veterans and their families is a matter of honor as a nation,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The National Veterans Wheelchair Games highlight our nation’s commitment to our wounded heroes. The Games also allow those Veterans to teach us all...

On a dreary, overcast June afternoon in Exeter, England, Cpl. William Wildes attached nozzles to the wings of the green and white C-47 Skytrain aircraft formerly known as the "Pride of Minnesota." Pouring approximately 100 gallons of fuel into each wing, he did it exactly like he had done several times before in the previous months for the training missions to prepare for the Normandy invasion. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except the white invasion stripes and the large "6Z" that was painted onto the fuselage earlier in the day. "The planes were fueled in the afternoon of June...

A popular historical portrayal describes General Dwight Eisenhower managing a political/military alliance, but reminds us he never lead troops in combat. However, his leadership sustained many unprecedented initiatives for successful Normandy landings. The air assault examples the frightful uncertainties of many critical hazards run on this “Day of Days”. The night before D-Day, 20,400 American and British paratroopers dropped behind the Normandy beaches from 1,250 C-47 aircraft plus gliders. This massive assault was attempted just 17 years after Charles Lindberg flew the Atlantic solo for the first time. To the last moment Ike's air commander, British Air Chief Marshall Leigh-Mallory,...

SAINTE MERE EGLISE, France - This town loves paratroopers - in particular, American paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne and the 101st Airborne Divisions. It was those two divisions that liberated Sainte Mere Eglise June 7, 1944, making it the first town in France to be liberated during World War II. To show their appreciation for the veterans, an Airborne Museum opened here in 1964. A non-profit organization, all proceeds go back into the museum to pay for upkeep, new exhibits or extensions. The money is also used to provide decorations and celebrations for the anniversary of D-Day, travel for veterans,...