Army Strong Stories

Interview with my friend and colleague, Sergeant First Class Sam Kaestner

Kristen Mather — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:57:00 GMT

By: Kristen Mather
New York area clarinetist Sam Kaestner has been a member of the West Point Band since 2002. Since joining the band, he has performed with the New York Philharmonic in Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, at the Dallas Symphony’s Meyerson Symphony Hall, as well as at other venues throughout the country. Sam has appeared as a soloist with the West Point Band on numerous occasions. He has participated in recitals at the Juilliard...read more

Grandview High School a Recruiting Advocate

Fred Hermstein — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:07:00 GMT

By: Fred Hermstein
Monday, a counselor at Grandview High School will receive the Kansas City Recruiting Battalion's Advocate of the Month award. For more information contact CPT Crawford at 816-531-3818....read more

New PT uniform survey

Hannah Guarendi He — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:19:00 GMT

By: Hannah Guarendi He
The Army recently launched a survey asking for Soldiers' opinions about the current PT uniform. The Army homepage has some more info and a link to the survey itself. Here's my opinion on the current uniform: It doesn't fit females very well, the fabrics are uncomfortable and stinky, and we could do better. I understand the "constraints" placed on the uniform by having to be made in the US, but that shouldn't constrain the way it is fitted. There's also really...read more

Recruiter Teaching Math and English to High School Students

Fred Hermstein — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:19:00 GMT

By: Fred Hermstein
SGT Courtney Koga of the St. Robert RS volunteered to tutor students at Iberia HS in the subjects of math and English. For more information contact SGT Koga at 573-336-5544....read more

U.S. Army Kansas City Recruiting Advisory Meeting

Fred Hermstein — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:46:00 GMT

By: Fred Hermstein
Today the U.S. Army Kansas City Recruiting Battalion Community Advisory Board will meet to strengthen its ties to the Kansas City area. We believe that local business, civic and education leaders hold the key to ensuring our Army has enough qualified men and women to lead it into the future. For more information contact CPT Crawford at 816-531-3818....read more

ASVAB Testing at Jefferson City

Fred Hermstein — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:17:00 GMT

By: Fred Hermstein
LTC Jakoby, CPT Quashie, and Mrs. Hanks, BN ESS, provide testimony to the Missouri State Senate at the capitol building, Jefferson City, MO on the effect of poor school districts on ASVAB scores....read more

Army Recruiting and ROTC

Fred Hermstein — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:13:00 GMT

By: Fred Hermstein
Marion and the CCG conducted a briefing to Freshman ROTC cadets on the benefits of the Reserves and the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP) to help provide future leaders college money and an opportunity to shadow Army leaders to provide them a hands on experience during their time in the ROTC program to understand what they will be doing as Lieutenants and Captains and what their Soldiers and NCOs will be doing to make operations happen and be successful...read more

Catching Up

Thomas Tiernan, II — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:33:00 GMT

By: Thomas Tiernan, II
A lot has happened since my last post in September. The past six months have been a whirlwind of activities and events and only in the past two weeks have I been able to take a break to take it all in. On September 20th, I received the news I had prostate cancer. While it was not unexpected, it was still a shock. The doctor carefully explained the treatment options as my wife and I tried to absorb the news. There is never a good time...read more

Active Duty to Reserve Duty Part Deux... Tips

Levi Peffer — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:47:00 GMT

By: Levi Peffer
It’s been quite a while since I’ve blogged and life has changed quite a bit since then. Late last spring I left Active Duty (for the second time) and transitioned into an Army Reserve position near my hometown. My time at Fort Benning will definitely be looked back upon as one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of my life. I made a lot of great friends, accomplished many goals, and hope that I trained a Soldier or two to standard while I was...read more

Let the best soldiers fight!

Amy Young — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:56:00 GMT

By: Amy Young
There is no doubt that the Army is entering a massive paradigm shift, with severe troop cuts, budget crises, and a strategic shift toward decisive operations. We are all used to doing more with less but this sets historic precedence. Now more than ever, it is urgent that we recruit and retain the most talented and agile of soldiers. Failure to do so equates to mission failure. In the repeal of the DADT act, we have moved in the right direction. We put actions...read more

UNCF 3 FEB 2012

Wally Gallart — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:30:00 GMT

By: Wally Gallart
The United Negro College Fund had an Empower Me Tour in Miami.The event was hosted at Florida Memorial University on Friday, 3 Feb 2012. Over 800 students spoke with current Army ROTC cadets and newly commissioned officers. Opportunities in leadership and careers were discussed. The event centered around the need for Diversity in Leadership and the tools necessary to be succesful in going to college. Students were encourage to be strong in their dreams to attend college....read more

Promotions in the Kansas City Recruiting Battalion

Fred Hermstein — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:20:00 GMT

By: Fred Hermstein
SSG Ray Dick and SSG Charles Lairson were promoted to the rank of Sergeant First Class in a ceremony held on Wednesday, 1 February, at the Jefferson City Recruiting Station. HOOOAAAA!!...read more

SGT Boeshe Smiles

Fred Hermstein — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:04:00 GMT

By: Fred Hermstein
SGT Boeshe smiles as she recieves the NCO of the Year Runner Up award from LTC Jakoby....read more

1SG Thompson at the Maverick's Game

Fred Hermstein — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:53:00 GMT

By: Fred Hermstein
1SG Thompson of the Greater Kansas City Recruiting Company was the Special Soldier at the Mavericks game Friday....read more

Army Recruiting and the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.

Fred Hermstein — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:37:00 GMT

By: Fred Hermstein
CPT Crawford will attend the Kansas City, MO Chamber of Commerce at Johnson County Community College today. For more information contact CPT Crawford at 816-531-3818....read more

Defense is from Mars, State is from Venus

Robert McVey — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:41:00 GMT

By: Robert McVey
I am currently attending the Army's Intermediate Level Education (ILE) at Fort Lee, VA. One of the objectives of the course is to improve our understanding of and ability to effectively operate within the interagency. Visiting the State Department gave our class the opportunity to meet not only with several State Department representatives, but also with members of USAID, the Department of Energy, and the Treasury Department. Even having served on an embassy's...read more

Recruiting Advocate Meeting at Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Fred Hermstein — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:49:00 GMT

By: Fred Hermstein
This week the Kansas City Recruiting Battalion advisory board will meet at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. For information about the board contact CPT Crawford at 816-531-3818....read more

Step 10: Look Around

Jerrod Griebel — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:48:00 GMT

By: Jerrod Griebel
We’ve been in Slovenia for about two weeks now, and it’s been an interesting ride so far. Slovenia, nestled to the north-east of Italy, is a small beautiful country that sits in the southern Alps. Ever since the bus ride here, the main lesson I’ve learned is forcing myself to look around. On the bus ride across Austria, I looked to see mountains comparable to the Rocky Mountains, but these seemed to reflect the sun differently. Everything looked...read more

When Fish Fly

Fred Johnson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:48:00 GMT

By: Fred Johnson
“It’s not bad. There are a couple grammatical errors I highlighted. You see Fred, ‘to’ in this instance should be ‘too,’ but overall it’s okay.” I took notes as General Karimi provided feedback on a speech I wrote for him recently. The irony, of course, is that English is his third language and he speaks and writes my native tongue better than me. Never failing, he concludes with, “Thank you very much. It’s...read more

Don't Mess with Your Attorney

Benjamin Grimes — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:58:00 GMT

By: Benjamin Grimes
Last week the Fort Lewis (JBLM) Trial Defense Service office took another trip to the indoor marksmanship range. Though the light wasn't the best for shooting pictures with my phone, it was sufficient for all of us to qualify on both the 9mm pistol and the M-4 assault rifle. I managed to shoot 30 for 30 with the pistol and 38 for 40 on the rifle -- not bad for a lawyer! Here are a few pics of the team in action. These are the folks you want defending you - in court...read more