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America's North Shore Journal » Entries tagged with "1st Infantry Division"

Our Best: Sgt. Elizabeth Fortkamp

Our Best: Sgt. Elizabeth Fortkamp

As a young non-commissioned officer, U.S. Army Sgt. Elizabeth Fortkamp enjoys an enviable position. One of her biggest supporters happens to be her battalion commander, yet as far as Fortkamp is concerned, the feelings of professional respect in her unit have always been a two-way street. Fortkamp, a senior medic with the Fort Knox, Ky.-based Company C, 201st Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke, is a five-year Army veteran … Read entire article »

Filed under: Military, Our Best: Military Women

Military and Married – One Couple’s Story

Military and Married – One Couple’s Story

Deployments often mean being away from family for long periods of time. For most soldiers the time spent away from loved ones can be difficult, but for two married soldiers from the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke, this deployment bears a striking resemblance to life at home in Fort Knox, Ky. Upon arriving at Forward Operating Base Goode, U.S. Army sergeants Stephanie, a medic with the STB and … Read entire article »

Filed under: Marriage in the Military, Military, Our Best: Military Women

Our Best: Captain Kim Walter

Our Best: Captain Kim Walter

Army Capt. Kim Walter works on her daily reports at Contingency Operating Site Warrior in Kirkuk, Iraq, March 7, 2011. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Alyxandra McChesney Capt. Kim Walter knew she wasn’t going to get rich when she became the first woman in her family to join the Army. “I didn’t join for the money, and I didn’t join for school,” said the operations officer serving here with the 1st Infantry Division’s 101st Brigade Support … Read entire article »

Filed under: Military, Our Best: Military Women

Christmas in Iraq 2010

Christmas in Iraq 2010

Over 2,000 troops deployed to Iraq with a Fort Riley, Kan., aviation brigade spent the Christmas holiday away from home this year. Serving on 14 bases across Iraq, soldiers with the Enhanced Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, did their best in the weeks leading up to the holiday to turn the desert into a winter wonderland. And they got pretty close on Christmas Day. Wreaths, garland and tinsel replaced the usually austere scenery on Camp Taji, the … Read entire article »

Filed under: Iraq, Military, War on Terror

Aviators Celebrate Christmas in Iraq

Aviators Celebrate Christmas in Iraq

An aviation brigade from Fort Riley, Kan., hosted a holiday party in Iraq, Dec. 19, giving deployed service members a chance to celebrate the season despite being away from home. The party, held on Camp Taji by the Enhanced Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, included live music, food and sporting events. Service members from several Army and Air Force units on the camp attended the party. “Being away from home, especially during the holiday season, we … Read entire article »

Filed under: Iraq, Military, War on Terror

Our Best: More Army Twins

Our Best: More Army Twins

Twin sisters serving in the Army have stayed together through months of rigorous training and are now deployed to Iraq with an aviation brigade from Fort Riley, Kan. Spc. Paulette Dabney and Spc. Georgette Steele, natives of Chesapeake, Va., joined the Army in 2008 nearly on a whim, they said. Unlike most of their decisions (which are usually made in twin-like harmony), it was one sister who convinced the other to enlist. “One day my sister just … Read entire article »

Filed under: Military, Our Best: Military Women

Military musicians teach Iraqis to toot their own horns

Military musicians teach Iraqis to toot their own horns

A tuba, two trumpets, a trombone, and a French horn are all it took for five soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division Band to speak to 25 Iraqi music students, with the Peace Through Arts program, at the United States Embassy. The students sat on the edge of their seats holding their instruments and mimicking the soldiers’ movements as they played. They listened intently, learning from every note produced by the instruments of the Cantigny Brass … Read entire article »

Filed under: Iraq, Music and Performers, Rebuilding, War on Terror

Our Best: Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum

Our Best: Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum

“Certainly, it’s a homecoming of sorts.” That is how Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum described her first visit back to Iraq 19 and a half years to the day she was released as a prisoner of war. The catalyst for her return to Iraq was an invitation. Currently serving as Director of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness for the Army, Cornum was the guest speaker for the grand opening of the Taji Warrior Resiliency Campus Taji, approximately 15 miles north … Read entire article »

Filed under: Heroes, Military, Our Best: Military Women

Deployed soldier wakes up to beautiful woman every day

Deployed soldier wakes up to beautiful woman every day

Even though he’s deployed, Sgt. Brian Schwentner wakes up on a twin-sized bed next to his wife, Cpl. Heather Schwentner every morning. What began as a friendship blossomed into romance during the couple’s last deployment to Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division during the “surge.” For Valentine’s Day in 2008, Brian gave Heather seven origami lilies and a homemade card. Heather, a Honolulu native, gave Brian a ring and asked “so, will … Read entire article »

Filed under: Marriage in the Military, Military