Story by Master Sgt. Arthur Wright ELKINS, West Virginia — To ensure an understanding of Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) and increasingly contested battlespace by adversaries, the District of Columbia National Guard led over 20 air and ground units across the U.S. Army and Air Force for exercise “Misty Dawn” in Elkins, West Virginia, between March 4-14, 2025. The joint readiness exercise highlighted coalition interoperability and high-end integrated tactics. “Misty Dawn is an apex example of grassroots, unit-led, readiness and lethality innovation – Right Now! When leadership tells units to get after readiness, move faster, and increase lethality; Misty Dawn is...
Learn MoreStory by Capt. David Block WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii – Soldiers, families and friends gathered to witness the ceremonial passing of the battalion colors as Lt. Col. Andrew S. Howell assumed command of 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, during a change of command ceremony held recently on Wheeler Army Airfield. Lt. Col. Samuel J. Diehl relinquished command after leading the Hammerheads through a period marked by high operational tempo, strategic innovation, and vital aviation support missions across the Pacific. Col. Matthew J. Scher, commander of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, praised Diehl’s leadership and the Hammerheads’...
Learn MoreStory by 1st Lt. Courtney Huhta FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — What began as a proud moment quickly turned into a career-defining milestone on stage for Sgt. Ronald Roberts after being named the AAAA Gary G. Wetzel Army Aviation Soldier of the Year at the 2025 Army Aviation Association of America Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. Roberts was preparing to return to his seat as followed by other recipients after delivering his acceptance speech—but instead, his wife was invited on stage. Maj Gen. Gill, Commanding General of the Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Novosel, took to the podium and pulled out...
Learn MoreI am honored and humbled to have been elected as your new AAAA National President a few weeks ago at our annual Mission Solutions Summit in Nashville. I know many of you from my long Army career and even more during the past six years as the AAAA Secretary, Treasurer and Senior VP. I look forward to meeting many more of you among our military, industry, and civilian members over the next few years. I would like to thank our outgoing President, and my friend, MG (Ret.) Walt Davis, who led AAAA during the last two years and established such...
Learn MoreAs I scribe my last message as your AAAA National President, all indications are that we will have an exceptional Summit, just given the level of attendee registration and the record exhibit commitments from industry and our other partners; and the strong support from our Army and Aviation Branch leadership to develop and deliver a comprehensive and meaningful agenda and program of activities which showcase the strength of the entire Army Aviation community and family. In addition, we will also induct our newest Army Aviation Hall of Fame members, recognize our many outstanding individual and organizational Aviation awardees, and importantly,...
Learn MoreLooking Back: A monthly look into the history of Army Aviation based not only on the evolution of Army Aviation itself, but events in military history that certainly influenced the evolution of the Aviation Branch of the United States Army.
View ArchiveLooking Back, June 2025 By Mark Albertson Rover Joe, Horsefly, Timothy and Pineapple As with any other endeavor that is from the mind of man, there is that period of trial and error until that level of efficiency is hopefully attained. This was certainly the case with trying to reach a functioning system of joint forward air controllers so as to provide the ground forces with effective close air support. Following the campaign in North Africa and the 35-day Sicilian operation that resulted in the removal of Axis forces, it was not until the Italian campaign that greater efforts were...
Learn MoreLooking Back, May 2025 By Mark Albertson 80th Anniversary of World War II: Army Aviation: The Pacific Theater Combat conditions in the Pacific Theater of Operations differed from those in the European Theater. From the start, the war in the West was, for the most part, of a conventional type: Infantry, artillery, armor, used on a scale not seen in the Pacific. From the North African Desert, onto Sicily, up the Italian boot and across the French countryside into Germany, armies were employed on a level conducive to the precepts of maneuver and mobility, combining ground power with airpower as...
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