Help For Our Heroes
Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer: It was an exciting time to be in Nashville attending the 2017 AAAA Summit! For those who were not able to participate, I would like to share what I learned about two wonderful not-for profit organizations who were exhibiting there (gratis AAAA). Retired Marine Sergeant Adam Kisielewski and his family posed for a photo in their specially adapted home in Lillington, North Carolina, while Homes for Our Troops was producing a video about “Rebuilding Lives” to be released in June 2017. / PHOTO BY HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS I was impressed with both because...
Learn MoreAviation Collective Training at a Crossroads
Simulation / By Mr. Daniel Finch: The future of aviation collective training in the virtual environment is obscure at best. Retirement, at what some might consider an early age, is on the horizon for the Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT). AVCATT also happens to be the only collective training capability in the aviation arsenal. The training device has been on the scene since 2003, and with only a combined fourteen years of service, it is arguable that AVACTT has never reached its full potential. This is especially true when considering the lifespan of AVCATT has fallen completely within the...
Learn MoreRDECOM Prepares Soldiers With Innovative Simulation And Training
Simulation / By CSM James P. Snyder: With 3D maps that show troop and vehicle movements in real time and self-guided bullets that can hit a target more than a mile away, Soldiers now have some of the world’s most advanced technologies. Integrated into aircraft carriers or carried in their rucksacks, these high-tech capabilities increase operational efficiency and safety and give Soldiers a decisive edge in battle. Army Research Lab-Orlando’s augmented virtual reality immerses Soldiers into the “real-world,” allowing them to fully interact with both live and virtual entities to test decision-making skills. / PHOTO BY SHELLEY BROWN, UNIVERSITY OF...
Learn MoreDECOM Prepares Soldiers With Innovative Simulation And Training
Simulation / By CSM James P. Snyder: With 3D maps that show troop and vehicle movements in real time and self-guided bullets that can hit a target more than a mile away, Soldiers now have some of the world’s most advanced technologies. Integrated into aircraft carriers or carried in their rucksacks, these high-tech capabilities increase operational efficiency and safety and give Soldiers a decisive edge in battle. An AH-64D from 1-227 ARB provides MEDEVAC security to an HH-60 during force-on-force operations during NTC Rotation 17-01./ U.S. ARMY PHOTOS BY MAJ ERIC MEGERDOOMIAN, EAGLE TEAM NTC The Army team behind many...
Learn MoreAviation Training and the ATP Commander
Training / By MAJ Trenten J. Short: The Army Operating Concept (AOC) lists our strategic goal as the nation’s Army: Win in a complex world, through force development by multiple factors. Although the AOC is a strategic document, it clearly identifies innovative and realistic training as a foundational tenet to the success of our nation’s Army. How do aircrew training program (ATP) commanders maximize training to support a strategic goal? The Directorate of Evaluation and Standardization (DES) has witnessed numerous outstanding units with engaged leadership execute focused, deliberate aviation training utilizing all available resources. Soldiers from Alpha Company, 4th Battalion,...
Learn MoreMedical Readiness
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By MAJ Sonya Heidt, MD: Q: My FS recently told me that I need to bring in my permanent profile from two years ago to get it added to a new profile system. He also said I need to complete a PHA in addition to my annual flight physical. What changes are occurring within the Army Medical Department? PHOTO: ARMY.MIL FS: In GEN Mark Milley’s initial message to the Army as the 39th Chief of Staff, he stated, “Readiness is #1, and there is no other #1.” Medical readiness is a significant aspect of the...
Learn MoreSimulations for Flight Reconstruction
Tech Talk / By Mr. Christopher “Kit” Borden: The Aviation Engineering Directorate (AED) often uses simulations to recreate aircraft flight in order to support the airworthiness mission. Mr. Christopher “Kit” Borden is the executive officer of the Aviation Engineering Directorate of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center at Redstone Arsenal, AL. A screen capture of an AED visualization simulation / AMRDEC AED SCREEN CAPTURE There are two main types of simulations AED uses: visualization, which is used to help understand “what” happened, and physics-based simulation that is used to examine “how” or “why” things occurred....
Learn MoreLeading the Way – Giving Back to the Force
Special Ops / By COL Philip Ryan, CW5 Michael Hardy, and CSM Christopher Bosowski: The bonds between Army Aviation and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) run deep and strong. We’ve shared the same desert airspace, flown around the same harsh and unforgiving peaks, choked on the same dust, fought the same enemy, and, ultimately, bled the same blood. The Regiment traces the roots of its distinguished history to Army Aviation, the famed 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to be exact; the Regiment could not exist as it does today without the lifeblood of Army Aviation. An MH-60 conducts...
Learn MoreObstructive Sleep Apnea
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Albert J. Lee, MD: Q: I have sleep apnea. I use a breathing machine while sleeping. Why is it a disqualifying condition? What other treatments can pilots use? What medical documentation do I need for this physical and future physicals? Soldiers, who are deployed, average just three hours of sleep a night. / DAVID VERGUN, ARMY.MIL FS: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition where a person stops breathing or has difficulty breathing due to an obstruction of the airway during sleep. When breathing becomes inefficient or stops, the brain will send a signal...
Learn MoreNoncommissioned Officer and Advance Individual Training Platoon Sergeant of the Year
128th Aviation Brigade / By SFC Craig M. Sunstedt: On 9 March 2017, the winners of the 128th Aviation Brigade (AVN BDE) Fiscal Year 17 NCOY/PSOY competition were announced during a ceremony held on Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. SSG Brittany Barfield negotiates the last of 15 obstacles during the first day of competition. SSG Mathew Johnson from Charlie Company 2nd Battalion, 210th Aviation Regiment took the NCO of the Year honors and SSG Brittany Barfield from Delta Company 1st Bn., 222nd Avn. Regt. took the Platoon Sergeant of the Year honors. Of the 519 NCOs assigned to the 128th AVN...
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