Courtesy of the Baldwin County Now:

Army Pvt. William G. Moore, the son of Greg Moore of Kennesaw, Ga., and grandson of William Reid of Gulf Bay Road, Orange Beach, has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.

During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills.

Moore is a 2008 graduate of Kennesaw Mountain High School, Kennesaw.

Congratulations, William!

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Posted yesterday to The Birmingham News breaking news blog:

The Alabama Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 131st Aviation Regiment, which served in Iraq from September 2006 to 2007, has received the Army’s Meritorious Unit Commendation for its “exceptional service” in Iraq, according to a National Guard press release.

“This is a great award for many reasons,” stated Maj. Gen. A. C. Blalock, adjutant general of the Alabama National Guard. “It recognizes the success of an Alabama National Guard organization in combat.”

The battalion is one of three Alabama National Guard units “that have won distinctive unit awards” while deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, according to the news release. The 1165th MP Company in Fairhope and Brewton, which was in Iraq from 2003-2004 and lost one of its soldiers in combat, won the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest unit award presented. Company A, 115th Signal Battalion from Florence, won the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its Iraqi service in 2004-2005.

The Meritorious Unit Commendation is given to units for their “outstanding performance, hard work and commitment while carrying out operations against an armed enemy for a period of at least six months.”

The honored units in the 1st Battalion are based at Montgomery Regional Airport and Bates Field in Mobile and currently fly the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

Great job guys!

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Posted yesterday to Huntsville’s WAFF 48 News website, an article about a man who helps out a soldier and whose act of kindness would be paid forward when his own son needed it most.

There are still people that love soldiers, and will go out of their way and in this case above and beyond what anyone would imagine.

It’s a great story! You can read the whole article here, and view the video here.

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Printed today in The Birmingham News:

About 80 members of a Centreville-based Alabama Army National Guard unit will begin final training next week at Fort Lewis, Wash., for a mission in Iraq.

According to a state Guard press release, the 129th Medical Company will “provide health protection and ground evacuation to coalition forces” in Iraq.

A send-off ceremony for the unit will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Fort I. Judson Sneed Armory in Centreville and the company will leave for Fort Lewis the next day.

Another Iraq-bound Army Guard unit, the 203rd Military Police Battalion from Gadsden, will be sending about 75 soldiers for some final pre-deployment training to Fort Bliss, Texas, following a send-off ceremony June 19.

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Printed in this weekend’s Tuscaloosa News:

Navy Seaman Shanna D. Grover, daughter of Carolyn L. Grover of Livingston, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. Grover is a 2004 graduate of Livingston High School

Congratulations, Shanna!

Air Force Airman Tiffany N. Spencer graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. She is the daughter of Reginald Spencer of Tuscaloosa. The airman is a 2007 graduate of Northridge High School.

Congratulations, Tiffany!

Air Force Airman 1st Class Christopher G. Taylor graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. He is the son of Celeste Williams of Tuscaloosa.

Congratulations, Christopher!

Air Force Airman LaDarren M. Banks graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. Banks is the son of Sandra Banks of Tuscaloosa and Sherwin Prior of Rochester Hills, Mich. The airman is a 2007 graduate of Central High School.

Congratulations, LaDarren!

Russell W. Stone, son of Opal and Wayne Stone, was promoted to command sergeant major at Camp Shelby, Miss., on June 1. He is married to the former Sherry Capps and has two daughters and one grandson. Command Sgt. Maj. Stone’s military and civilian education include all levels of the noncommissioned officer’s education system. He has an honorary doctorate of humanities, a bachelor’s degree of specialized training in military science and bachelor’s degree of specialized training in emergency disaster preparedness and response management, all from the National Consortium Staff College. Stone is the recipient of the Army Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal Fourth award, Army Achievement Medal third award, Good Conduct Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Ribbon second award, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Humanitarian Service award second award, and Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medial second award.

Congratulations, Russell!

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Parrish’s loved ones:

An Alabama soldier died Thursday from wounds suffered when his vehicle ran over a road side bomb in Iraq.

Dusty Parrish of Walker County was an Army medic and a graduate of Jasper’s Walker High School. Karen Tucker, a friend of one of Parrish’s cousins said that Parrish was due to come home in July.

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to SSG Hall’s loved ones:

A Huntsville native and Army soldier died serving his country.

SSG Jeffrey Hall of Huntsville was in Afghanistan when he was killed in a roadside bombing. WAFF 48 News was told Hall was a platoon leader and one of three soldiers killed in the IED attack.

This wasn’t Hall’s first tour of duty in Afghanistan. He’s described as a man of high character and morals, and as a decorated soldier who will be greatly missed by his community.

Hall attended Westminster Christian Academy his freshman year of high school and was enrolled at Grissom High School from 1997 to 1998. He spent the next two years up until graduation at Huntsville Christian Academy.

“He’s left a rich deposit into my life personally,” said pastor Dr. Reggie Whitton. “I remember him as if I’d seen him yesterday.”

Whitton recalled the first day he met hall.

“I asked him, ‘What do you want to do with your life after graduation?’ And he immediately said, ‘I’m going to join the Army.’”

On Wednesday Whitton scanned the handwritten student application Hall filled out, where he said Jesus was his favorite character in the bible.

“One of the questions I asked him was, ‘What do you do on weekends?’ He said, ‘I visit my grandparents, who are sick. and I help them with their household things and their yardwork.’”

Hall attended a community college in Syracuse and enlisted in the Army, where he made his way up to a Ranger, one of the most elite and dangerous groups in combat.

His family called his loss one from which they’ll never recover, saying the United States has lost a great soldier and son. He was also a husband and father of a 1-year-old little girl. Finally, he is a hero who many will remember for his dedication and ultimate sacrifice.

“If I could speak to him personally I would just embrace him and tell him how proud and thankful I am for him and of him,” Whitton said. “He’s a hero.”

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Printed in this week’s North Jefferson News Shopper:

Army Pfc. Carrie M. Miles, a 2002 graduate of Hayden High School, graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.

During the nine weeks of training, Miles studied the Army mission, history, tradition, and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.

She is the daughter of Cynthia Miles of Warrior.

In addition to graduating from Hayden, Miles earned an associate degree in 2006 from Wallace State University in Hanceville.

Congratulations, PFC Miles!

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Courtesy of The Birmingham News:

One of the next Alabama Army National Guard units to mobilize for duty in Iraq will have a mission of training Iraqi police officers. More than 75 members of the Athens-based 203rd Military Police Battalion will have a send-off ceremony on June 19 and then do additional training at Fort Bliss, Texas, before an August deployment to Iraq.

The 203rd originally was assigned a mission of guarding prisoners in Iraq, a mission that would have required about 150 of its soldiers. But that mission was changed to police training in late April. Lt. Col. Charles Buxton, the unit commander, said the change means the battalion will be taking fewer soldiers to Iraq.

Hundreds of Alabama Guard soldiers are now in and around Iraq and Afghanistan and hundreds more are getting ready to go. Several more Guard units with missions in the war on terror are expected to leave for pre-deployment training this month.

A team of state Army Guard members recently returned from Afghanistan, where the team’s mission was training members of the Afghan National Army. Another team is finishing up its pre-deployment training at Fort Riley, Kansas.

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Courtesy of WAAY-31:

About 170 soldiers with the 2025th Transportation Company from Jacksonville leave next week for a final round of training before deploying to Iraq.

The Alabama Army National Guard unit will have a send-off ceremony on May 27 at Jacksonville State University’s Pete Matthews Coliseum and head to Camp Atterbury, Ind., for training.

Its mission in Iraq will be transporting heavy equipment.

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