2024 Year in Review

 Highlights

• January 24 attended a Daniel Island Community Speaker's event at the Daniel Island club featuring speaker Alex Pelbath, U.S. Air Force Colonel (retired) who was the commanding officer for the mission charged with evacuating all U.S. military and civilian personnel from Kabul, Afghanistan in August 2021.  Despite the chaos the air force was able to evacuate 124,000 people but still left people behind.  The tragic departure was embarrasing and disturbing to say the least. 

• February 2 Forte Jazz featured the Big Band sound of Sinatra and other crooners conducted by our friend Frank Duvall.  Frank is the bassist with the Charleston Jazz orchestra and also plays piano where we first met him at Charleston Place and his trio played at our wedding.  In addition to teaching at the College of Charleston he has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstein, Buddy Greco and Marian McPartland.

• We celebrated my 81st birthday at Maison, March 19.  After 18 years paying full price for dental care with avid cyclist Dr. Mike Bannister, I switched to River Landing Dentistry and Dr. Kramer.  I discovered after speaking with Blue Cross that there was a "preferred provider" on Daniel Island that covers two cleanings a year with a co-pay of $35, annual x-rays free and routine dental care at very nominal cost.   

• March 23 attended the Charleston Jazz performance of "Bop Till You Drop" featuring music of the 1950s and 1960's including the hard bop music of Horace Silver and Bobby Timmons.  The song list included "Summer in Centrel Park" and "Filthy Nasty" by Silver and "Moanin" and "Blue Train" composed by John Coltrane.

• March 30 - April 7 Credit One Charlestonn Open volunteering back with court maintencne.  Danielle Collins defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-1.  

Dragging the Court

New Stadium opened in 2022

• April 23-26 we spent four days and three  three  nights in Hendersonville, NC at our friend Gary Snyder's AirBnB with our Dunham Street neighbors Bill & Chris Lark, Joyce & Paul Perrochi and Bill & Linda Price.  The house had four bedrooms and was located in the mountain above Hendersonville.  We had a great time hiking the Dupont State Forest, then visiting Bullington Gardens and the Henderson County museum.

The men made Breakfast the last day 

    Linda, Doris, JoAnne, Joyce and Chris 
at Triple Falls

• May 3 we attended a very successful Spaghetti Dinner and silent auction at St. Mary's.  Doris donated some pieces of jewelry for the auction. 

• At some point around this time the breakfast group decided to eat at the DI Club every Thursday morning since Gary and Paul were members.  The menu included a short stack of blueberry pancakes, omelets and eggs with biscuit or grits.

• May 11 attended the Charleston Jazz performance of "Low Country Rhythms" with a song list that included "Down by the River"; "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess; "Take Me to the Water" arranged by members of the band among others plus vocal performances by the Lowcountry Voices. 

• May 29 we attended one of the Spoleto Chamber Music performances at the Dock Street theater.  An annual must see performace for us.  The program included a Piano Quartet  number by Mozart featuring Pedja Muzijevic, a pianist from Boznia and Herzegovina basede in New York.  Regretably the previous director violinist, Geoff Nuthall, the founder of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, passed away suddenly at the age of 56.  He was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.  The new director is Cellist Paul Wiancko.

• On May 31st we attended another Spoleto performance by the Charles Lloyd Quartet at the College of Charleston Sottile Theater.  At 86 years old Lloyd maintains an active performance and recording schedule though you could see that he was tiring,  The other members of the quartet included pianist Jason Moran, the Artistic Director of Jazz at the Kennedy Center.  Bassist was Larry Grenadier and on the drums Brian Blade.

• June 5 we attended the performance of Beethoven's Third at the Gaillard.  Besides Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 "Eroica", two other performances included "Testament" by Reena Esmail; and Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet and Strings by Dmitri Shostakovich.  The festival conductor was Timothy Myers.

• June 6-9 we made a quick trip out to San Francisco to see my brother Mike and my cousins in Lafayette.  We took the ferry over to Larkspur to meet up with our friends Jack and Kathy Colbourn.  We made our usual visits to the wharf and the Buena Vista for clam chowder and Irish Coffee.  Conditions in downtown San Franciso seemed to be improved as we didn't see many homeless or incidents of people shooting up in the streets or storefronts vandalized.  It took us an hour and half waiting to get the cable car back to Powell street so tourists are definitely back.

• June 28 and July 5 we attended the Charleston battery matches at Patriots Point.  The Battery ended up losing the US Soccer League (USSL) Eastern Conference Final to Rhode Island. 

• Doris' sister Raine visited us July 13-20.  Besides visiting different sites we did attend a jazz performance by guitarist Grace McNally at the Gibbs Art Museum as part of the "Art in Jazz" summer performances.  


• Sunday, August 11 we went to see the tribute band "Queen Flash" at the Charleston Music Hall.  The perforamnce by Johnny Zatylny and his 6-piece band was outstanding.  His his high energy stage presence was reminisent of Freddy Mercury and he had many folks waving the lights in their smart phones dancing in the aisle. 

                                              

• We spent the weekend of  August 23-25 on Amelia Island visiting my former boss at CGFS Charleston, Jim Millette and his wife Mary.  They have a beautiful home in a gated community on the Amelia National Golf course.  The main attraction was visiting the little beach town of Fernandina.  Despite the rain all day Saturday, Mary was kind enough to take us on drive to see the main beaches.  We ended up visiting the City Museum, walking the streets of the town and having lunch.

Fernandina Beach

Downtown Fernandina

Amelia Island and the town of Fernandina have an interesting history which can be summarized by reviewing the "Tale of Eight Flags" 

French Flag:  In 1562 French Huguenot explorer Jean Ribault becomes the first (recorded) European visitor to Napoyca and names it Isle de Mai. 

Spanish Flag:  In 1573, Spanish Franciscans establish the Santa Maria mission on the island, which is named Isla de Santa Maria. The mission was abandoned in 1680 after the inhabitants refuse a Spanish order to relocate.

English Flag: Georgia's founder and colonial governor, James Oglethorpe, renames the island "Amelia Island" in honor of princess Amelia (1710-1786), King George II's daughter, although the island was still a Spanish possession.

Spanish Flag: In 1783, the Second Treaty of Paris ends the Revolutionary War and returns Florida to Spain. British inhabitants of Florida had to leave the province within 18 months unless they swore allegiance to Spain. 

Patriot Flag:  With the approval of President James Madison and Georgia Governor George Mathews in 1812-1813, insurgents known as the "Patriots of Amelia Island" seize the island. After raising a Patriot flag, they replace it with the United States Flag.

Green Cross of Florida Flag:  Spanish forces erect Fort San Carlos on the island in 1816. Led by Gregor MacGregor in 1817, a Scottish-born soldier of fortune, 55 musketeers seize Fort San Carlos, claiming the island on behalf of the "Green Cross."  

Mexican Rebel Flag:  Spanish soldiers force MacGregor's withdrawal, but their attempt to regain complete control is foiled by American irregulars organized by Ruggles Hubbard and former Pennsylvania congressman Jared Irwin.  President James Monroe vows to hold Amelia Island "in trust for Spain."  

Confederate Flag:  On January 8, 1861, two days before Florida's secession, Confederate sympathizers take control of Fort Clinch.  General Robert E. Lee visits Fort Clinch in November 1861 and again in January 1862, during a survey of coastal fortifications.

United States Flag:  Union forces, consisting of 28 gunboats commanded by Commodore Samuel Dupont, restore Federal control of the island on March 3, 1862 and raise the American Flag.

The Amelia Island Museum of History is housed in the old Nassau County Jail. The first jail on this site was built in 1878; the current building dates to 1938.  The exhibits chronicle:

• The first people to live on the island going back over 4000 years to the Timucua Indians who raised crops, fished, carved canoes and developed an advanced early civilization.
• European contact with Amelia Island, began in the 1500s, changing everything. Powers shifted to the European powers who staked their claim to Amelia Island.
• During the Civil War Fort Clinch was a critical Union base, and the town was a haven for free blacks seeking shelter and protection in the South.
• After the Civil War, the timber industry built fortunes and brought massive growth. Later, pogey fishing and then shrimping cemented the Island’s legacy by the water. 
• There is also a recreated jail cell. 

Inside the Museum

The Margery Pirate Ship

Mary & Bill at the Lighthouse

   

Jail Cell

                                 

• August 28 we attended a jazz performance by pianist Nolan Techlingburg at the Gibbs Art Museum as part of the "Art in Jazz" summer performances.  

• September 14 we went to the American Music Hall for the Charleston Jazz performance of Cha-Cha Charleston featuring percussionist Gino Castillo and Yusa, Cuban on vocals and Abdiel Iriarte on Piano.  Castillo is a native of Ecuador, trained in Havans Cuba, played in New York City and now resides in Charleston.  Yusa is from the Buena Vista district of Havana and plays the Tres Guitar, piano and bass.  Abdiel is from Venezuela and also resides in Charleston. 

• September 17 attended a Daniel Island Community Speaker's event at the Daniel Island club featuring Charleston Mayor William Cogswell.  He talked about about the problems facing the city such as affordable housing, rising sea levels, crime and traffic congestion. 

• October 3 to 29 was our vacation to Paris and Morocco.  (See Blog) Paris and Morocco

• November 7 was the annual Yorktown volunteer dinner cruise on the Charleston harbor.  Norm Woolfe was the only volunteer in our group who attended.   

• November 8 we attended the Charleston Symphony performance of Aaron Copeland's "  Appalachian Spring" and a 50 minute performance of "Sanctuary Road" with Guest Conductor Andrew Grams which included three Sopranos, two Baritones and the Charleston Symphone Choir.  Prior to the concert we had dinner with our neighbors Paul & Joyce and Bill & Linda at the Saffron Bakery & Restaurant. 

• Sunday, November 10 Paul Perocchi and I attended the United Soccer League (USL) Eastern Conference semi-finals which saw the Charleston Battery defeat the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-1 on a long range late goal buy midfielder Aaron Molloy. The following week the Battery lost to Rhode Island in the finals.

• November 13 attended a Daniel Island Community Speaker's event at the Daniel Island club featuring Northe Charleston Mayor Reginald Burgess.  He talked about about the challenges with the pending opening of the port for inland shipping and establishing the Headquarters of the East Coast Coast Guard; redevelopment of the Westvaco Paper Mill, rebuilding the Don Holt bridge and widening I 526.  

• My grandson Jayden was named first team All State Defensive Lineman for the Virginia State High School varsity football team Kettlerun Cougars Division 3.

• My cousin Father John Kelly passed away of a heart attack on December 29.  The mass of Christian Burial was held on Saturday, January 4th at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Biloxi.  Doris and I along with many of our Meehan cousins were able to watch the mass via video.   

Father John Kelly Born June 23, 1936
Passed December 29, 2024

  

          Doris and I visited Father Kelly in Biloxi
                       in March 2018 

              

Father Kelly said mass at our wedding
With Heather, David and Patrick

2023 Year in Review

 

Highlights:

• The Dunham street gang added the Marina Variety Store and Sunrise Bistro to its Thursday morning group breakfast spots. 
• March 14-16 participated in the Yorktown volunteer trip to visit the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington, NC; the Airborne Museum in Fayetteville and the U.S. Army Basic Training Center in Columbia, South Carolina.  See separate blog:                       
• Yorktown Volunteer Trip 2023 

• March 18 we celebrated our anniversary at Maison.
• March 20-24 attended the Foreign Affairs Counterterrorism Training at the Department's Foreign Affairs Security Training Center in Blackstone VA.  This course is required for all active Foreign Service personnell every six years.
• March 31 - April 9 Credit One Charlestonn Open volunteering as a Tournament Ambassador.  Ons Jabeur defeated defending champion Belinda Bencic 7-6, 6-4.  This photo and brief article appeared in the Daniel Island News during the tournament.

• April 19-23 Went out to San Francisco to attend the Serra Hight School 50 Year Alumni Club reunion.  We went together with Ken Colombo and his wife Quay.  Having graduated in 1961 I missed my 50 year reunion in 2011.

• We also got together at the Basque Center for dinner with classmates Stan Johnson and Joan Maher.  On the weekend we visited my cousins the Ken, Bob and Jim Porter, Sue Meehan and Sissy Gillott.  My former Peace Corps buddy Jack Colbourn and his wife Kathy met us for dinner at the West Coast Cafe, Italian restaurant in San Bruno late Sunday before we caught our late flight. 
• May 13 we attended the Charleston Jazz Summer Samba featuring Brazilian music by artists Duda Lucena, Heather Rice and Alva Anderson.
• June 6-9 Jeffrey and Sharon visited us from Atlanta.  Instead of accepting an offer to stay with us they stayed in a hotel "The Dewberry".  Expensive hotel near Marion Square.  I guess they wanted to be independent and not impose on us.  In retrospect I think we should have paid for the hotel.  We did have them over and went out to dinner at the Isle of Palms but they pretty much did sightseeing on their own.  
• June Residential Elevator completed installation of new elevator.
• June 26 - September 28 TDY Assignment to American Embassy Malabo Equitorial Guinea.   See separate blog: 

• TDY Malabo

My last inspection trip with the OIG was to Geneva at the offices of the USUN in 2019.  In November 2023 I decided to leave the OIG.  I actually regret that I didn't leave OIG earlier but, even though I wasn't travelling, I still did all the financial management survey work for each cycle (Fall, Winter and Spring) and continued doing consulting work at the CGFS Charleston office.  I also did a lot of training for new inspectors and was considered the financial management expert in OIG/ISP.  I did arrange an orientation and provided training for two Management Inspectors for a week at CGFS Charleston before leaving.  I still missed the benefit of travel.

Looking for something different I always felt that I could do the Management Officer job at an embassy.  I approached both the Africa (AF) and NEA (Near East Asia) bureaus about the possibility of a transfer as a Retired Annuitant (REA).  Fortunately for me AF was receptive and I was able to work with HR to effect a transfer and retained my grade.   The rest is history as I ended up in Malabo for three months.  The OIG was not pleased that I would leave them for another bureau as they gave me quite a send off thinking I was retiring.  See the separate blog for more about my experience.  I did decide to retire for good the next year.  While the pay, perdiem and extra allowances were good I figured that it was time considering 35 years of service and a comfortable Foreign Service annuity.  

• Well I came home just in time to help Doris recover from her replacement knee surgery which she had on October 7.  She had  quite a difficult time getting over the surgery as she was basically confined to downstairs and walk with either crutches or a walker for about eight weeks.  She has a nurse visit three days a week to assist with exercises and start walking.  
• Doris started Physical Therapy (PT) with Imagine PT in December but  had an issue with being able to bend her knee to 120 degrees as recommended after three months.  Consequently she had to go back to Dr. McCrosson and get a Manipulation to allow her to bend her knee to the recommend level.   Continued PT with Imagine helped her to gradually walk on her own and eventually was able do stairs even though the elevator was a God send.  
• I did resume my volunteer duties at the Yorktown on Tuesday morning and was happy that I was able to take three months off and get back with my colleagues on the 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. shift at the information desk.  

Will Doak (Navy), Dick Prevette (Air Force) and Tom Simons (Navy)

 

• David came for his annual visit over Thanksgiving and joined us for dinner. 
• Doris was making good progress through the end of the year continuing with Imagine.
• David came for Christmas and had a wonderful dinner at Grill 225 to celebrate his birthday on Christmas Eve. 

U.S. Events:

World Events:

Movies:

95th Academy awards Everything Everywhere All at Once Best Picture; Best Actor Brendan Fraser, The Whale; Best Actress Michelle Yeah Everything Everywhere All at Once, Best supporting Actor Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once; Best Supporting Actress Jamie Lee Curtis,  Everything Everywhere All at Once.  Best Director Daniel Kwan, Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Super Bowl 57

The Chiefs defeated the Eagles 38-35.  The Chiefs were trailing 24-14 at the half.  Patrick Mahomes was named MVP.  Andy Reid the Chiefs coach spent 14 seasons with the Eagles and never won a Super Bowl.  He finally earned his ring after seven years with the Chiefs.

World Series

The Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games.  It was the first world series title for Texas.  The MVP was Corey Seager who won for the second time.  Three time world champion manager Bruce Bochy won his fourth world series and tied Walter Alston and Joe Torre.

TDY Assignment to Embassy Malabo, Equatorial Guinea

Temporary Assignment to the American Embassy in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea

I had left the OIG/Office of Inspections after  working there 16 years post retirement for a couple of reasons.  First, I was not getting any opportunities to travel out on inspections because the management division was fully staffed.  Secondly, I felt it was time to do something different if I was going to remain with the State Department.  Given my fond memories and great experinces in Africa with the Peace Corps I approached the Africa (AF) bureau about the possibility of taking a short term assignment as either a Management Officer at a small embassy or Financial Management Officer in a large one.  With the summer turnover of staff and newly assigned officers coming to posts there is always a critical need for tempoary staff, especially Retired Annuitants to fill these short term positions.  I ended spending three months (June 26 to September 28).  

                American Embassy Malabo

Staff Apartments

The embassy was a "lock and leave" post with only 12 official American Officers and no Marine Security Guards.  There were over 100 local staff most of whom were Local Security Guards.  Equatorial Guinea is the only country in Africa whose official language is Spanish which dates back to the 1700-1800s when Spain invaded the country.  Over 70% of the population speaks Spanish.  Most local employees speak a Central African tribal language and some from neighboring Cameroon speak French.  I regret that I didn't study Spanish more before going out to post, but I did enjoy speaking French with many of the employees.

My job as Acting Management Officer (MO) was to fill the position temporarily until the permament officer arrived at post. As MO I was responsible for managing adminstrative functions including Human Resources, Finance, General Services (GSO), Facility Management and Information Management.  I reported directly to the Deputy Chief of Mission, Ryan Palsrok.  As it turned out the previous Management Officer, Kevin Coats had actually just returned to post after a med-evac, was still at post when I arrived, however, the GSO position was vacant.  So for three weeks I had an overlap with Kevin while he supervised GSO which was great for me to get access to all the systems and to have a direct turnover of responsibility from Kevin to me with his guidance. 

The new TDY SGO, Chip Wollam was not due to arrive until  August 10 so I wore two hats for most of the time.   Chip was a very experienced GSO having served in several AF posts.  He had also served as an officer in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.  

We also had a TDY Information Management Officer (IMO) for about five weeks, Randy Lea who I served with in Rabat.  He covered for IMO, Eleanor Wah who was taking leave and training.  Eleanor had been acting MO for an extended period before I arrived and was very helpful in getting me oriented and prepared for the assignment.

The new MO, Alice Caruso, was an experienced officer coming from Tunis for her first MO tour.  Before coming to post she was on home leave and also completed the financial managment course at FSI.   She was not due at post until the end of September.    

I lived in one of the six three bedroom apartments on the compound.  It was quite comfortable.  There was a food truck on the compound where I ate mostly rice, beans and chicken for lunch every day.   I  made my own breakfast and dinner in the apartment.

We had a couple of options for eating out at restuarants mostly on the weekends.  Besides a couple of restaurants downtown and a local hotel most of the other eateries were located on the Paseo Maritimo a two mile stretch along the waterfront.  Myself Chip and Randy used to go out on Sunday afternoon to walk the Paseo and then have dinner at one of the restauarants. I attended mass in French at the Cathedral every Sunday as well.  

 Paseo Maritimo

Sea Bass was a popular fish.

Cathedral Santa Isabela

Downtown Malabo suspected site of 
former U.S. Embassy 

For exercise besides walking the Paseo I played tennis with the Ambassador for about the first six weeks I was there. David Gilmour was an experienced AF Ambassador having served in Togo and Chad.  He was also an excellent saxaphone player and played with and taught several local musicians.  The only other exercise was on the stationary bicycle in the  gym.  

Chip and I at Ambassador's Representation

Ambassador's Residence

                                                                                                     event celebrating American Music

There are several oil companies in Malabo engaged in oil and gas development and production among them Chevron, Mobil and Marathon.  On Friday evenings embassy staff were always invited out to the main oil refinerery at Punta Europa for Happy Hour drinks and buffet dinner.  I don't believe I missed one Friday night the whole time I was there.  

I was only able to travel out of Malabo a couple of times to see some of the country.  Chip, Randy and I visited the Moka wildlife center located along the coast about 50 miles from Malabo.  After visiting the wildlife center we took a hike into the dense forest in the rain. 

  

Yorktown Volunteer Trip 2023

Our tour on March 14-16 included the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington, NC; The U.S. Army Airborne Museum in Fayetteville, NC and the U.S. Army Basic Combat Training Center near Columbia, SC.  We overnighted in Wilmington and Columbia and travelled a total of 550 miles in three days.

The Battleship North Carolina was the most highly decorated American battleship of World War II. North Carolina participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific theater of operations earning 15 battle stars.  It was commissioned in April 1941.  

 

One of nine 16" gun mounts 

One of three Vought Kingfisher Scout Float Planes used  for aerial reconnaissance  

The ship was equipped with a battery of
 sixteen 1.1 inch anti-aircraft guns 

The ship also had 18 50-caliber machine guns

 

We received an initial briefing from a docent.

We were divided into groups and led on a tour

We toured nine levels of the ship

Including the Bridge

        

Crews Quarters

Radar room

The engine room

The rammer loads six powder bags into the gun.  The primer man then inserts the primer in the last bag which provides the spark to ignite the powder bags that fired the projectile out of the gun.    The men then closed the breech and turned on the ready light to signal to the turret officer that the gun was ready to fire.  The entire process takes only 30 seconds.     

Chow Line

"Scuttlebutt"  was the drinking fountain on the 

Vegetable Prep

                                                                                         ship where sailors would exchange rumors on                                    the voyage. 

All 36 volunteers on the trip

On arrival at the U.S. Army Airborne Museum in Fayetteville

 in front of the statue of Iron Mike.  

Paratrooper suspended in air at the entrance

The Airborne Trooper.  The inscription on the base reads "Iron Mike, in honor of Airborne Troopers whose courage, dedication and traditions make them the world's finest fighting soldiers". 

We witnessed a reenlistment ceremony upon arrival

The exhibits included scenes from WWII, Korean War, Vietnam,
 Afghanistan and the Global War on Terror.  Operation Torch  (November 8-16 1942) was an allied invasion of French Africa. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa while allowing American armed forces the opportunity to engage in the fight against Nazi Germany on a limited scale.

Established in 1918, the 101st Division was first constituted as an airborne unit in 1942.^] During World War II, it was famous for its role in Operation Overlord (the Airborne D-Day landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944),  Operation Market Garden; the liberation of  the Netherlands; and its action during the Battle of the Bulge around Bastogne, Belgium. During the Vietnam War, the 101st Airborne Division fought in several major campaigns and battles.  In mid-1968, the division was reorganized and redesignated as an airmobile division; in 1974, as an air assault division. The titles reflect the division's shift from airplanes to helicopters as the primary method of delivering troops into combat.  At the height of the War on Terror the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) had over 200 aircraft.

Airborne lands in Anzio and makes the way to Salerno

The Military Assistance Command, Vietnam known as Red Hats were technical advisors
to the Vietnamese Airborne.  They also fought along with their Vietnamese 
counterparts in Hue and the Tet offensive.

M.A.S.H. units (Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals) used in the Korean War were not practical for the jungles of Vietnam.  M.A.S.H. units travelled with the fight, but Vietnam was a different kind of war.    This was jungle fighting or guerilla warfare with many battles being relatively small and Huey helicopters were the primary source of travel.   The ratio from Killed In Action to surviving wounded in WWII was 29%, and in Vietnam 19%.  Forty-two per cent of Americans wounded in Vietnam were able to return to active duty.   

Examples of Airborne Poster Art

On the way to Columbia we had to stop at the world famous Bucee's in Florence, SC.

 

For dinner we had a choice of going to the Golden Corral buffet or the Bonefish Grill.  We selected the Bonefish.  With my fellow volunteers Paul Watters, Navy Pilot; Don  Bonamarito, USMC and Major Stoney Bates, USMC.

On arrival at Fort Jackson we were met and escorted by Drill Sergeant Gipson.

    Fort Jackson, is the U.S. Army's main production center for Basic Combat Training. The installation trains roughly 50 percent of all soldiers and more than 60 percent of women entering the Army each year.  Accomplishing that mission means training 46 weeks a year over 45,000 basic training and 12,000 additional advanced training Soldiers every year.  

Army Infantry trainees lined up to prepare to climb the Victory Tower.

Trainees on the rappelling tower

Victory Tower

SGT Gipson told me that 25% of trainees are foreign born.  A 2002 Executive Order made noncitizen members of the armed forces eligible for expedited U.S. citizenship.  Sixteen per cent of the U.S. Army is female.