1st Team Celebrates CAV Week
News Spotlight: On the ground and in the air, Troopers from the 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment and 1st Air Cavalry Brigade charge across Cooper Field during a rehearsal of “The Spirit of the Cav” at Fort Hood, Texas June 11. The Spirit of the Cav, a twilight pageant celebrating the history of the cavalry Trooper, was the capstone event of a weeklong celebration known as “Cav Week” hosted by the 1st Cav. Div. Since the unit’s creation in 1921, the Troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division have mounted up and served in every major United States conflict from...
Learn MoreHow Knights are Made – A Uniform’s Powerful Message
AAAA Family Forum / Judy Konitzer: In this memoir piece, Amanda Williams recalls the daily ritual of her father, LTC (Ret.) Michael Williams, putting on his uniform. She reflects on the lessons the uniform has taught her: attention to detail, resiliency, how to present one’s self, and most importantly, respect for tradition. —Judy Konitzer The author and her family In The Book of Chivalry, 14th century French knight Geoffroi De Charny describes the elaborate ceremonies involved in making a knight. He spends pages detailing the rituals of bathing, prayer, and moral cleansing, but his description of how the knight candidates...
Learn MoreStrategic Communications Forum Facilitating an Informative Dialogue
Chief Warrant Officer of the Branch / By CW5 Allen R. Godfrey: On June 29-30, 2015, CW5 David Williams, Army Staff Senior Warrant Officer, under the direction of GEN Raymond T. Odierno, Army Chief of Staff (CSA), hosted the first annual Senior Warrant Officer (SWO) Summit in Washington, DC. Attendees at the first Army Senior Warrant Officer Summit in Washington, DC gather around U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Commanding General, GEN David G. Perkins (center), and CW5 David Williams (left of Perkins), the Army Staff Senior Warrant Officer. The author, CW5 Randy Godfrey, is front row, 3rd from left....
Learn MoreHow Do You Spend Your Time?
Aviation Branch Chief / By MG Michael D. Lundy: At night, terrain flight, five radios, multiple aircraft, 3 KMs a minute, marginal weather, brown out LZ, troops in contact… the 30 Soldiers in the back trust that we got training and leader development right. SSG Anthony Agney from Delta Company, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, checks to ensure the cables are properly secured to recover a downed aircraft during Decisive Action Rotation 15-03 at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, CA, Jan. 24, 2015. Decisive Action rotations at the NTC ensure units remain...
Learn MoreProviding Support and Recognizing Excellence
President’s Cockpit / By BG E.J. Sinclair, Ret.: The summer has passed quickly and by the time you read this in late September, we will be in full swing at AAAA National working on a string of professional development networking events. It all starts with Luther Jones at Corpus Christi, TX October 6-8, and continues through the Survivability & Support Week in Huntsville, AL November 16-19. OSM nominees are NOT required to be members of AAAA… /AAAA Photo The S&S week features an Aviation Life Support Equipment (ALSE) event on Monday and Tuesday, an Aircraft Survivability Equipment (ASE) event on Tuesday,...
Learn MoreFlying to Glory Over the Top
AAAA Family Forum / By Sadie McCurry: “Hey honey, I got my orders today!” “Oh that’s great, babe. Where does the Army want to send us now?” “I’m so excited; we’ll get to see beautiful scenery and wildlife. We can take cruises, see foreign cities, explore historical sites, and get the kids involved in all kinds of outdoor activities.” “Um, babe…where are we going?” “Fort Drum, New York!”Silence… 10th Cbt. Avn. Bde. Family Readiness Group Advisors show their Aviation pride at a Spouse Leadership Symposium on Ft. Drum, NY. Pictured are (l-r) Kelly Hill, Christie Hurst, Erin Thornburg, Manda Martini,...
Learn MoreMission Changes
Combat Aviation Brigade / By COL Michael J. Musiol, MAJ John A. Morris, and MAJ Matthew D. Cox: Complexity is the buzz word that best describes the Afghanistan theater. As we draw down the force structure, while continuing to support our Afghan partners, the historical complexity that is Afghanistan is increasing. Changing enemy tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), geo-political decisions and unique, unpredictable weather, all combine to present each rotation a different set of obstacles. Three Black Hawks ready to be shipped back to the U.S. sit on the tarmac at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. / U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY ANDREW...
Learn MoreReformatting the Hard Drive
Simulation & Training within the Attack Aviation Community / By CW4 Scott H. Durrer: Since it was first published in the March 2014 Flightfax Newsletter, “Defragging the Hard Drive” has certainly inspired a tremendous amount of discussion regarding Army Aviation training. These discussions have resulted in the Branch taking a hard, focused look into what subjects we teach and how much emphasis we should place on these subjects. The preponderance of the discussions have focused on which areas should be given less emphasis. Only recently have we started asking ourselves into which subjects can we invest the time gained by...
Learn MoreAVCATT – Past, Present, and Future
Simulation & Training / By Ms. Christina Bell, CW5 Michael S. Kelley, and CW4 (Ret.) John Snow: CW5 Kelley’s Observations Some say that since its initial fielding in 2001, the Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT) has garnered a negative reputation. I remember my first AVCATT experience and those memories are not positive. The helmets were heavy, limited in size, and had to be forced on my head. The visuals were not well aligned and to many people, it caused nausea from the word go. This created a rather uncomfortable first impression that stuck with me the majority of my career....
Learn MoreTravel Medicine
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By Dr. (LTC) Joseph Puskar: Q: I’m getting ready for an adventure trip vacation to Vietnam and Thailand. What health precautions should I take there? FS: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a website with valuable information for international travelers including immunization requirements for prevalent infectious diseases, and other health risks. Most travel agencies and medical clinics under-emphasize the issue of personal security. The CDC website has a link to some good articles that cover many useful personal security and health tips for adventure travelers in general and for particular countries. Mosquito-borne diseases of...
Learn More
