Through The Years... And Through The Eyes of One Army Family

The Salute ^

[SandRat]

Look through the photo albums of any family in America--or on their walls or fireplace mantels. In many cases, you'll find a picture of a young Soldier mixed in with other cherished images. A young man with wide eyes and determined face (and freshly shorn head) of someone in the midst of Basic Training. A young woman standing or sitting in front of the American flag, shoulders square in her union.

A just-married man in dress blues, taking his first steps with his bride under the proud protection of sabers upheld by friends-at-arms. My eyes rest on a picture of my mother and father on their wedding day. They are coming out of the church, all smiles and hopes. Dad is in his "pinks" and his fellow officers have formed an arch of drawn sabers for my parents to pass under. Those members of the "Greatest Generation" had taken a break from training for the war in Europe to share this day with a fellow Soldier.

The uniform changes. The eras of the photographs span many generations. But the spirit of those warriors shows strong and true no matter the decade.

My father fought his war wearing brown boots and a wood utility uniform. Hanging from his pistol belt was a side arm--a .45 caliber M1911 pistol--ammo pouches and a metal canteen in a felt-lined pouch. He carried a .30 caliber M2 carbine rifle and led a platoon of Soldiers who defied death from the skies by manning a quad-50 caliber machine gun mounted on a half-track chassis.

Dad fought his way across Europe equippped as well as any Soldier could be. He fought "the war to end all wars" with the finisest military technology available at the time time. But it was his warrior spirit that served him best. It was his sense of duty and honor--and the support of all his buddies--that brought him home.

I fought a different war in the jungles of Southeast Asia. I wore jungle boots and jungle fatiques. My rifle was an M16; my side arm was the venerable .45 caliber M1911 pistol--just like the one my father carried. My LBE held the same gear that dad toted around with him, except my canteen was space-age plastic. I was carried off to war in modern aircraft, from 747s to Huey helicopters. We had sophisticated command and control equipment that allowed commanders to make "real-time" decisions and influence each and every battle personally. Yet, when the victories came and all the analysis was done, it was the warrior spirit burning in the hearts of our Soldiers that made the difference.

Today's Soldiers go to war like Buck Rodgers in the 21st Century compared to generations past.

They have gone beyond the BDU to the ACU--and it looks like their boots can walk two miles without them!




They can also be female, in today's Army.





Today, our Soldiers carry the most modern of weapons: light, accurate and lethal.

Ready for anything, uniforms and chemical gear help protect them from countless dangers.

Commanders can literally run scenarios to the nth degree before any troops hit the ground...and airborne drones and satellites give them eyes everywhere.And yet, there remain situations which simply can't be anticipated in planning. So we give brave men and women what they need for both the expected and unexpected--and know their initiative, courage and readiness to fight will make the difference in the end.

Through the years, there's been only one constant on the battlefirlds: from Gettysburg, to San Juan Hill, to the trenches of the Argonne Forest, to the cliffs of Omaha Beach; that constant is the American Soldier. The heart of a warrior. The courage and honor unmatched anywhere. May they always be Army Strong!

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Read how Army uniforms have changed over the span of two centuries:



From the blue Continental Army coat in 1779, to the official Congressional confirmation of the color Army “National Blue” in 1821, to the introduction in 1902 of olive drab and khaki, to the 2006 transition to a blue service uniform, the history of Army uniforms is as colorful as it is fascinating.

Take a trip back in time from the comfort of where you’re sitting right now to explore the changes made in Army uniforms over two centuries. You will see illustrations of the styles and the colors that have defined the distinctive look and feel of Army uniforms across time. Start with "Many Uniforms, One Army" at www.army.mil/symbols/uniforms/timeline.html.

Also see the Army Center of Military History at www.army.mil/cmh/. Explore the current U.S. Army uniforms at www.army.mil/symbols/Uniform.html. You may also enjoy a visit to U.S. Army History and Heritage at www.army.mil/history/.

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Photo Credits for "Through The Years...And Through The Eyes of One Army Family":

1 -- Undated wedding photograph (from private collection) showing tradition of drawn sabers upheld by friends-at-arms.

2 and 7 -- Fort Riley Soldiers represent the Army from the Revolutionary War to Operation Iraqi Freedom during the Army's birthday ceremony June 14, 2007 at Fort Riley, KS. Photos by April Blackmon.

3 -- Men of Troop B, 1st Battalion, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, and their M-48 Patton tank move through the jungle in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, June 1969. Source: Vietnam Photos Miscellaneous Collection.

4 -- U.S. Army Pfc. Frank Calderon and other members of his team search a home of suspected terrorists near Mosul, Iraq, March 10, 2007. The Soldiers are from Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, from Fort Bliss, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Vanessa Valentine).

5 -- U.S. Army Sgt. Ashley Hort keeps her weapon at the ready as she provides security for her fellow soldiers during a raid in Al Haswah, Iraq, on March 21, 2007. Hort is a team sergeant with the 127th Military Police Company deployed from Hanau, Germany. Department of Defense photo by Spc. Olanrewaju Akinwunmi, U.S. Army.

6 -- U.S. Army Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division form up for a ceremony to honor fallen service members at Kirkuk Regional Air Base/ Forward Operating Base Warrior, Iraq, April 7, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Bradley A. Lail.

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[SandRat]

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[HiJinx]

Good read, thanks.

[struwwelpeter]

[SunkenCiv]

Ping!

[Pharmboy]

Nice...thanks for the ping!