PUBLISHED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF THE www.ausa.org

IN THIS ISSUE VOLUME 3 NUMBER 15 AUGUST 12, 2021

DoD to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccines 3 Senate Honors WWII ‘Ritchie Boys’ 4 AUSA Paper Highlights Obscure Army Unit 5 NCO & Soldier Programs EANGUS Conference 6

Chapter Highlights Coastal South Carolina Delaware Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville speaks at the Eisenhower Luncheon during the 2019 7 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C. (AUSA PHOTO) AUSA 2021 to prioritize health, safety ealth and safety are the para- for anyone over the age of 2 regard- Some events require separate reg- mount considerations as the less of vaccination status. istration and a fee, and there are a Association of the U.S. Army Framed around the theme “Ameri- few invitation-only events. continuesH planning for the 2021 An- ca’s Army and its People, Transform- The agenda is still being finalized, nual Meeting and Exposition, an in- ing for the Future,” the three-day and the latest details are available person event Oct. 11–13 at the D.C. event will have the traditional ex- here. convention center. hibitions, forums and presentations “AUSA is committed to the health The meeting will be conducted ac- from Army and industry leaders. and safety of our exhibitors, attend- cording to Centers for Disease Con- The opening ceremony is at 9:30 ees, partners and staff amid the trol and Prevention guidance, along a.m. Oct. 11. COVID-19 pandemic as we prepare with restrictions that might be re- Nine forums are planned, with one for this year’s event,” AUSA said quired by the District of Columbia focusing on the Department of Home- in statement. “We are continuously and the Walter E. Washington Con- land Security and eight on Army monitoring recommendations from vention Center. topics. Additionally, the traditional local health authorities and the Cen- Rules are expected to be revised as military family forums with Army ters for Disease Control and Preven- health risks change over time. leaders are scheduled. tion (CDC) for essential large group Those attending the meeting There also will be other profession- meetings and events. We encourage should be prepared to wear masks, as al development events for uniformed you to do the same.” required by the District of Columbia and civilian personnel. See Annual Meeting, Page 3

August 12, 2021 | AUSA Extra 1 WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK HARDER

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Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states or all GEICO companies. GEICO contracts with various membership entities and other organizations, but these entities do not underwrite the offered insurance products. Discount amount varies in some states. One group discount applicable per policy. Coverage is individual. In New York a premium reduction may be available. GEICO may not be involved in a formal relationship with each organization; however, you still may qualify for a special discount based on your membership, employment or affi liation with those organizations. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, D.C. 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2020. © 2020 GEICO ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

COVID vaccines to be mandatory for military personnel he Pentagon will make the COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for service members by mid- TSeptember, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday in a memo to the force. Shots could be required sooner if the vaccines receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administra- tion, according to the memo. Austin’s decision comes after Pres- ident Joe Biden asked the military to consider how and when it could add the COVID-19 vaccines to the list of vaccinations required for all troops. He also “consulted closely” with senior military leaders, the service secretaries and chiefs and medical Lt. Col. John Gwinn, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, re- personnel, Austin said. ceives the COVID-19 vaccine at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.(U.S. ARMY/1ST LT. ANGELO MEJIA) “Based on these consultations portance of continuing to battle CO- Unvaccinated federal personnel— and on additional discussions with VID-19 and the delta variant. uniformed or civilian—will continue leaders of the White House COVID “We are still on a wartime footing, to abide by restrictions and require- Task Force, I want you to know that and every American who is eligible ments for distancing and testing, the I will seek the President’s approval should take immediate steps to get memo states. to make the vaccines mandatory no vaccinated right away,” he said. “I “We will also be keeping a close eye later than mid-September, or imme- am proud that our military women on infection rates—which are on the diately upon the U.S. Food and Drug and men will continue to help lead rise now due to the Delta variant— Agency (FDA) licensure, whichever the charge in the fight against this and the impact these rates might comes first,” the memo states. pandemic, as they so often do, by set- have on our readiness,” Austin said. Biden expressed his strong support ting the example of keeping their fel- “I will not hesitate to act sooner or for Austin’s decision. low Americans safe.” recommend a different course to the “Secretary Austin and I share an The military will now begin pre- President if I feel the need to do so.” unshakable commitment to making paring for this transition, Austin The nation needs a “healthy and sure our troops have every tool they said. “I have every confidence that ready force,” Austin said. need to do their jobs as safely as pos- Service leadership and your com- “I strongly encourage all DoD mili- sible,” Biden said in a statement. manders will implement this new tary and civilian personnel—as well “These vaccines will save lives. Peri- vaccination program with profes- as contractor personnel—to get vac- od. They are safe. They are effective.” sionalism, skill, and compassion,” cinated now and for military Service More than 350 million shots have he said. “We will have more to say members to not wait for the man- been administered in the U.S. alone, about this as implementation plans date,” he said. Biden said, as he emphasized the im- are fully developed.” Austin’s memo is available here.

Annual Meeting and the region you are travelling tions and no-contact health screen- From Page 1 from.” ings based on body temperature that For those living outside the U.S., AUSA intends to provide more de- can produce readings from 16 feet. the association recommends follow- tailed guidance closer to the event, There also will be contactless food ing “relevant guidance provided according to organizers. and beverage outlets, QR code order- by the World Health Organization Health and safety measures are be- ing and other options for attendees. (WHO), Embassy or your local health ing stepped up for the 2021 meeting, Registration for the annual meet- authority and adhere to government including more cleaning, air filtra- ing is now open here. issued travel restrictions issued by tion and disinfection of the facility, AUSA’s 2020 annual meeting was the region you will be travelling to widely available hand sanitizing sta- held virtually due to the pandemic. www.ausa.org August 12, 2021 | AUSA Extra 3 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

WWII ‘Ritchie Boys’ recognized by lawmakers for service, bravery Voice for the Army – Support For the Soldier

Gen. Carter F. Ham, USA, Ret. President and CEO, AUSA Lt. Gen. Guy C. Swan III, USA, Ret. Vice President, Education, AUSA Luc Dunn Editor Desiree Hurlocker Advertising Manager Advertising Information Contact: Fox Associates Inc. 116 W. Kinzie St. • Chicago, IL 60654 Phone: 800-440-0231 Email: [email protected]

ARTICLES. Articles appearing in AUSA Extra do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the officers or members of the Council of Trustees of AUSA, or its editors. Articles are expres- sions of personal opinion and should not be interpreted as reflecting the official opinion of The ‘Ritchie Boys’ train at Camp Ritchie, , during World War II. (U.S. ARMY PHOTO) the Department of Defense nor of any branch, command, installation or agency of the Depart- he “Ritchie Boys,” a group of deserve to have their nation recog- ment of Defense. The publication assumes more than 19,000 refugees nize how they used their talents to no responsibility for any unsolicited material. trained in Maryland to be U.S. fight for freedom when it faced its Email: [email protected] Tintelligence specialists during World greatest threat.” ADVERTISING. Neither AUSA Extra, nor its War II, are being honored in a con- The father of Sen. Ron Wyden of publisher, the Association of the United States gressional resolution that passed the Oregon was one of the Ritchie Boys. Army, makes any representations, warranties or endorsements as to the truth and accuracy Senate Monday. Peter Wyden fled Germany and felt of the advertisements appearing herein, and They got their name from Camp “a deeply personal obligation to serve no such representations, warranties or en- Ritchie, where the foreign-born sol- his new home and fight to save his old dorsements should be implied or inferred from the appearance of the advertisements in the diers from more than 70 countries one,” the senator said in a statement. publication. The advertisers are solely respon- were taught to be counterintelli- “Until recently, I didn’t even know sible for the contents of such advertisements. gence, interpreters, interrogators, the extent of my father’s service,” he SPECIAL RATES. Individual membership fees photo analysts and psychological said. “Newly declassified reports re- payable in advance are $30 for two years, $50 warfare experts, among many other vealed they were integral in gather- for five years, and $400 for Life Membership. A skills. About 200 of them, ranging in ing intelligence that helped secure discounted rate of $10 for two years is available to members in the ranks of E-1 through E-4, age from 95 to 107, are still living. victory for the allies in World War II.” and for service academy and ROTC cadets and ‘Ritchie Boys were heroes who used Once trained, the new soldiers OCS candidates. More information is available their innate skills to gather informa- were assigned in small teams to at our website www.ausa.org; or by emailing [email protected], phoning 855-246- tion from all sources and save the U.S. Army and Marine Corps com- 6269, or mailing Fulfillment Manager, P.O. Box lives of American and Allied troops,” bat units. About 140 died during the 101560, Arlington, VA 22210-0860. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, one of war, according to the sponsors of the the cosponsors of S. Res. 349, said resolution. PERK OF THE WEEK in a statement. “Our praise for their The resolution recognizes the con- bravery and valor may have been de- tribution and honors the bravery and layed because so much of their effort dedication of the volunteers. had been previously classified, but A copy of the resolution will be our thanks cannot be overstated.” displayed in the Ritchie History Mu- He added, “As fewer and fewer seum at the Community Access Choice Hotel discounts at Ascend Col- Ritchie Boy veterans remain, it is Center in Cascade, Maryland. lection, Cambria Hotels & Suites, Clarion Hotel, more important than ever that we Fort Ritchie was closed in 1998 as Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Econo Lodge, Mainstay Suites, Quality Inn, Rodeway Inn, honor their memory and courageous part of the base closing and realign- Sleep Inn and Suburban Extended Stay. Visit service to their country. All of them ment process. www.ausa.org/choice for more.

4 AUSA Extra | August 12, 2021 www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Small Army unit could impact large future operations n a new Landpower Essay pub- higher commands. focus of the past, and the unit his- lished by the Association of the In the new paper for AUSA, Lt. torically hasn’t had a large focus on U.S. Army, an author writes that Col. Matthew Arrol, a Command and coalition and allied forces, he writes. aI little-known Army detachment General Staff College graduate and “Even without a major shift in could hold the fate of future warfare contributing member to NATO’s Inte- operating concept, the subject mat- in its hands. grated Capabilities Group on indirect ter expertise necessary to execute Created in the 1980s, the Battle- fire, writes the 39-member Battle- a modern AirLand Battle as it has field Coordination Detachment was field Coordination Detachment that evolved since the 1980s would prove established to work on AirLand Bat- successfully assisted with AirLand difficult for the BCD structure,” he tle, the post-Vietnam operating con- Battle doctrine isn’t structured to says. cept that sought to take advantage of work on the multidomain operations Arrol lays out a way to revise the rapid developments in technology to now viewed as the future of Army Battlefield Coordination Detach- develop a combination of deep-strike and joint force warfighting. ment to widen its purpose so that it capabilities with modern ways of ma- But the group could evolve into the includes more cyber, electronic war- neuver to surprise the enemy with right organization. fare and space expertise, and also highly mobile forces. “Unfortunately, because of the expand to include the other services Interdicting and disrupting oppo- complexity in the contemporary op- and maybe foreign officers. nents and striking deep into enemy erating environment, the BCD’s Multidomain operations and an territory would be carried out with 40-year-old structure is insufficient updated concept for joint warfight- simple directions that gave flexibil- for the Army’s combined joint inte- ing “will require many more points of ity to commanders to seize initia- gration requirements,” Arrol writes. joint and combined integration than tive, when they could, to weaken the Multidomain operations require ever before,” he says. enemy without waiting to hear from a deeper look than the land and air Arrol’s paper is available here.

www.ausa.org August 12, 2021 | AUSA Extra 5 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

AUSA supports annual enlisted National Guard conference By Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dailey, U.S. Army retired xcitement filled the Albuquer- que Convention Center in New Mexico Aug. 6 when Karen ECraig, president of the Enlisted As- sociation of the National Guard of the United States, cut the ribbon to start the group’s 50th annual conference. Despite newly reinstated mask re- strictions because of the COVID-19 delta variant, it was clear partici- pants were excited for the gathering. When asked why it was so im- Retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Dailey, second from left, was among those repre- portant to have an in-person event, senting AUSA at the 50th annual EANGUS conference. (AUSA PHOTO) Craig said, “Each year, EANGUS inception, it represented 23 states, EANGUS “is the only professional looks forward to bringing our enlist- but through the hard work and per- association that is dedicated to and ed members together from across all sistence of past leadership, the orga- works solely for enlisted members 54 states, territories and the District nization now represents all 54 states of the National Guard—the enlisted of Columbia. They receive updates and territories, with a constituency force is our focus,” Craig said. from senior lead- base of over 414,000, including many This year’s conference was a huge NCO & Soldier ers, participate in retired members. success despite the obstacles we have Programs committee meet- “Belonging to a professional asso- all faced these past 18 months. ings, and adopt ciation is important to anyone cur- More than 100 vendors participat- resolutions seeking to change law or rently serving in uniform as well as ed in this year’s conference, includ- policy impacting National Guard— retirees,” Craig said, because these ing a booth hosted by AUSA. and, in some cases, other reserve organizations “provide an invalu- The conference also featured a full component—service members, retir- able means to advocate for change, slate of speakers, including Air Force ees and their families.” as well as professional development Chief Master Sgt. Mitchell Brush, Resolutions approved by confer- and networking opportunities, and a command senior enlisted leader for ence delegates are the basis for the support system made up of members the New Mexico National Guard; association’s legislative priorities for who share similar views, goals and Maj. Gen. Kenneth Nava, adjutant the following congressional session, priorities.” general of New Mexico; Gen. Dan- she said. iel Hokanson, chief of the National EANGUS, an association partner Guard Bureau; and Senior Enlisted of the Association of the U.S. Army, Advisor Tony Whitehead, who advis- was created in 1970 by a group of se- es the Guard Bureau chief. nior NCOs. It was formally organized After closing another chapter in and incorporated in 1972 in Jackson, the long-standing history of EAN- Mississippi. GUS, Craig hopes that all attendees Similar to the reasons AUSA was left the conference informed, enthu- established, EANGUS was created siastic and reinvigorated in their ef- with the goal of increasing the voice forts and the impact they can make of National Guard enlisted personnel as an EANGUS member. on Capitol Hill. The nonprofit organi- For more information on how to zation is dedicated to promoting the support EANGUS or what it is doing status, welfare and professionalism to support enlisted members of the of the Guard by supporting legisla- National Guard, please click here. tion that provides adequate staffing, Sgt. Cole Lukens, Tennessee Army Nation- pay, benefits, entitlements, equip- al Guard, participates in the Guard’s Best Retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel ment and installations. Warrior Competition in Arizona. Lukens is Dailey is AUSA’s vice president for Today, EANGUS has its headquar- the 2021 Army National Guard Soldier of NCO and Soldier Programs and was ters in Alexandria, . At its the Year. (U.S. ARMY/1ST LT. SARAH KOHRTNEY) the 15th sergeant major of the Army.

6 AUSA Extra | August 12, 2021 www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Outstanding VA nurse team recognized by AUSA chapter he Association of the U.S. Ar- my’s Coastal South Carolina chapter recently awarded its Tquarterly service awards to Davina Dietrich and the 4B South Nurse Team she supervises at the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Charleston. The awards were presented July 16 by Larry Dandridge, the chap- ter’s vice president Coastal South for veteran and re- Carolina tiree affairs who also serves on the medical center’s Patient and Family Davina Dietrich, far right, and the 4B South Nurse Team of the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Advisory Committee and the Patient Affairs Medical Center receive awards from Larry Dandridge, third from right.(AUSA PHOTO) and Family Experience Council. in the top 3% compared to over 340 have been a change agent, champion- Dietrich received the chapter’s other Press Ganey clients that are ing patient needs by supporting and Outstanding Individual Service rated and measured in the southeast developing staff and setting the stan- Award, and her team the Outstand- region,” Dandridge said. dard for VA patient experience,” Di- ing Team Service Award. Press Ganey works with more than etrich’s letter of commendation says. “Nurse Dietrich and her 4B South 41,000 health care facilities to im- “You have proven that VA care can Team of nurses have been instru- prove the overall safety, quality and truly be the best in the industry with mental in the Ralph H. Johnson VA experience of medical care, according engaged, competent, and passionate Health System achieving a Press to its website. leadership.” Ganey inpatient experience rating “It has not gone unnoticed that you “Your contagious enthusiasm, kind- ness, compassion, and empathy for veteran patients and their families Chapter contributes to veterans fund has been an inspiration to everyone,” the letter says, describing Dietrich as “a champion of quality, customer ser- vice, infection prevention, safety, and employee development.” The chapter recognized the rest of the team for outstanding service and patient experience. “The 4B South Nurse and Physician leadership, staff and student nurses, staff and resident physicians, housekeeping, nutrition, lab, radiology, and therapy staff are not only among the best rated in VA, but the entire health care industry,” the letter of commendation says. The center and its seven communi- ty-based outpatient clinics serve over 80,000 veterans in the region. It was adopted by AUSA’s Coastal South Delaware Carolina chapter in 2004. It is rated in the top 10% of all Retired Col. Gary Dawson, left, president of AUSA’s Delaware chapter, presents a $2,000 check to Dave Skocik, president of the Friends of Delaware Veterans orga- public and private hospitals in the nization, on July 20. Friends of Delaware Veterans is the official fundraising orga- country for quality of care and cus- nization of the Delaware Veterans Trust Fund, which provides emergency financial tomer satisfaction, according to the assistance to veterans in need. (AUSA PHOTO) chapter. www.ausa.org August 12, 2021 | AUSA Extra 7