In the 2011 U.S. Army Photo of the Year, Pfc. Kevin March kneels atop a cliff overlooking the Arghandab River Valley to provide security for his squad as they climb up the cliff from the valley below in the Arghandab district, Afghanistan, Jan. 31, 2011. March is assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

Even the most carefully considered and chosen words fail to capture the visceral reaction inspired by a great photograph, and such is certainly the case with the 2011 U.S. Army Photo of the Year taken by Sgt. Breanne Pye, a public affairs non-commissioned officer, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry division.

A soldier kneels, frozen in a moment of time, vigilantly surveying the terrain ahead of him, intent on identifying the shadowy threat that has plagued his entire deployment to Afghanistan. He holds his rifle in what appears to be a casual carry, but can be presented with deadly effect in a second’s notice.

A mellow sun burdened by a hazy sky outlines his form with a soft golden glow, the accoutrements of his profession easy to pick out with their sharp edges and unnatural lines; helmet, weapon, and tactical vest. A small antenna pokes up from whatever structure he is kneeling upon; mute testimony to the reality of his time – that help needs to be just a call away, no matter where he rests.

Pye’s photo won out against 119 fantastic military photographs, selected from thousands of photos submitted by military photographers throughout the year.

Her photo entry earned almost twice as many votes as the runner-up.

Pye’s dedication to the perfection of her professional craft was also demonstrated in her writing, as well as her photography, on every project assigned to her, making her an invaluable member of the “Raider” Brigade Public Affairs team, said Capt. Tanya Roman, public affairs officer, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div.

“In the few weeks that I have been here, Sgt. Pye has already exceeded my expectations as a journalist, and raised the bar for her fellow journalists,” Roman said. “I look forward to seeing her future work, and know that she will continue to surprise and impress me with each and every story.”

Pye, a native of Verna, Utah, said she truly enjoyed every opportunity she has received to show the world what soldiers are doing each and everyday, making the country a safe and secure place for their fellow Americans.

“Every time a soldier dons his gear and steps up to protect his loved ones, it makes my dedication to spreading their story a little stronger,” she said. “They sacrifice so much for their loved ones back home, and to bring less than my very best to what they do would be a disservice.”

Pye’s colleagues recognized her passion to telling the soldier’s story as well.

“I have known Sgt. Pye for more than two years now, and deployed with her to Afghanistan,” said Capt. Anna Lebo, chemical, biological, radiation and nuclear officer for the 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div.

“She insisted on always taking the toughest stories for herself, as she always wanted to see the soldiers and families receive the respect and attention they deserve,” said Lebo, who calls Walkersville, Md., home. “No matter how hard her personal life was at any given time, her fellow soldiers came first.”

The pursuit of excellence in one’s profession deserves recognition, and it is a pleasure to see that Pye received hers.

Congratulations, Sgt. Breanne Pye! For more great Army images, be sure to visit  the U.S Army’s official Flickr site. 

War unfortunately – and fortunately – activates the urgent need for better ways to treat troops on and off the battlefield. Army medicine has come a long way since the days of unleashing leeches to let blood and killing pain with toxic chloroform, two trademarks of Civil War-era battlefield medicine. Typhoid vaccine, penicillin and MEDEVAC are just a few of the many inventions war has yielded since then.

But it’s only within the past 11 years that military medicine has achieved a 90 percent survival rate for troops wounded in combat. Military researchers and physicians have perfected techniques and created innovative ways to save limbs, tissue, minds and lives.

In honor of National Patient Recognition Day, our brave Wounded Warriors and those who heal them, here are the top five Army medical innovations of the past 11 years:

Medal of Honor recipient Army Sgt. 1st. Class Leroy Petry. Petry's right hand was traumatically amputated and he now uses a state-of-the-art prosthesis, which allows him amazing dexterity.

Near-human prosthetics. Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. 1^st Class Leroy Petry showcased just how high-tech prosthetic devices have become with the dexterity of his humanlike hand. Thanks to special attachments and a super-sensitive sleeve that picks up muscle movements, Petry can golf, slice food and use tools. A “neurally integrated” arm that uses small surgically implanted wireless devices to directly control the arm with thoughts — just like a real arm — is almost on the market. Braces and bionic legs allow limpers to walk, run and sprint again. Thanks to revolutionary prosthetics, Petry and other wounded vets can do more now than ever…even return to active duty.

Blood-clotting bandages. Seafood in your band-aid? The Army’s chitosan bandage uses carbohydrates from the shells of shrimp, lobster and other animals to bond with blood cells and stop bleeding. The Army also developed Combat Gauze, a pad infused with kaolin, a soft white clay known for its clotting ability. When applied to a wound, the gauze triggers the body to coagulate, dramatically reducing the risk for hemorrhage. It’s easy to remove and protects wounds from dangerous debris and bacteria. Quick clotting is critical, since 86 percent of all battlefield deaths occur within the first 30 minutes after injury. But Combat Gauze and coagulants have helped reduce the the killed-in-action rate of American troops by 25 percent.

One-handed tourniquets. About half of troops who die on the battlefield bleed to death in minutes, before they can be evacuated to an aid station. Sometimes the medic can’t get there on time or simply isn’t assigned to the unit. Enter the one-handed tourniquet, or Combat Application Tourniquet, as it is officially known — now standard issue for all U.S. Soldiers heading into battle. With this lightweight, easy-to-use, quickly deployable tool, Soldiers and their battle buddies can stop bleeding on the spot. Reports from the field show that no other device has saved more lives before getting to a hospital. It’s already being used by emergency medical technicians in civilian trauma care.

Brooke Army Medical Center, home to the U.S. Army state-of-the-art Burn Center

Better burn care. IED explosions have caused some of the worst burns seen in U.S. military medical history. One of the biggest problems in treating burns is regulating the administration of fluid to the wound. Too much or too little yields poor outcomes. So the Army invented the Burn Resuscitation Decision Support System to help health care providers determine how much fluid to give patients. The system uses an algorithm that recommends how much IV fluid to balance the delicate equilibrium of fluid intake 48 hours after the burn.

TBI and behavioral health treatment. Many injuries in war are unseen. Multiple deployments, traumatic brain injuries, interpersonal relationship problems, drug and alcohol abuse and just the trauma of going to war has left many Soldiers wounded inside. The challenges of healing our heroes abound, erasing the stigma of seeking help chief among them, but the Army has made strides in providing answers. The inception of Warrior Transition Units to ease vets into civilian life or back into active duty has proved successful by including clinical social workers, nurse case managers, squad leaders and Families to heal the whole person. More than 40,000 wounded and ill Soldiers have transitioned through 29 WTUs worldwide. The Army’s innovative tele-behavioral health care has also helped improve access for Soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. And last but not least, the Army implemented a TBI management strategy, mandating that any Soldier at risk for TBI receive medical attention within 24 hours as well as medical clearance before returning to duty.

This is by no means an exhaustive list and counts only a few of the many contributions the Army has made to modern medicine. What do you think are the most important medical innovations to result from war? What do you hope to see in the future?

Today, we honor those healing from the wounds of war, seen and unseen. We salute the brilliant minds and dedicated hearts of Army Medicine, to whom patients have entrusted their care. Army Strong.

Blog post submitted by Shayna Brouker, Public Affair Specialist, Department of the Army Intern

The Executive Director of the Army National Cemeteries Program testified today before the House Armed Services Joint Military Personnel and the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittees, along with the Department of the Army Inspector General, and the Government Accountability Office Director of Defense Capabilities and Management and Director of Acquisition and Sourcing Management regarding the progress that has been made at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as findings from requirements of Public Law 111-339.

Kathryn A. Condon, executive director, Army National Cemeteries Program, testified to the joint subcommittees regarding the standards and corrective actions that she and Patrick K. Hallinan, cemetery superintendent, instituted to address previous issues.

“There still are challenges at Arlington – but the Army and the entire cemetery staff are working daily to address those challenges and significant progress has been made – progress as a result of our concerted focus on establishing repeatable standards, measures, and operating procedures that emphasize safety, proficiency, professionalism and accountability,” said Condon.

In December 2011, in accordance with PL 111-339, the Secretary of the Army John McHugh released to Congress the results of a year-long effort to ensure accountability of gravesites and records at Arlington National Cemetery. The Gravesite Accountability effort resulted in the first-ever review, analysis and coordination of all Arlington records that included more than 147 years of varying records. The cemetery’s Gravesite Accountability Task Force physically examined and photographed 259,978 gravesites, niches and markers and cross-referenced each with all available records. At the time the report was submitted to Congress in December, the Task Force validated 195,748 cases.

“In just over six weeks, the Accountability Task Force reviewed and validated an additional 16,926 cases – bringing the total validated gravesites without any burial discrepancies in evidence to 212,574, which is 82 percent. We are working diligently to continue to close the remaining 18 percent of the cases to bring our efforts to completion,” said Condon.

The result of Arlington’s accountability effort will be the creation of a single, verifiable database that will serve as the foundation for several technology-related tools under development. The Army is currently testing an application that will enable the families and other stakeholders to locate gravesites in the cemetery, acquire directions to the gravesite, and view grave markers on their smartphones, or through the Arlington’s state-of-the-art website either at home or using the on-site kiosks.

Arlington’s new website will also be the platform for the new “Headstone Formatting” application that is currently being evaluated for release. This technology will enable families with Internet access to input their loved one’s inscription on the headstone or niche cover on-line, for approval prior to the burial service, reducing the time spent on administrative matters the day of the service.

Another area of focus covered at the hearing was fiscal stewardship. As part of the new financial management controls and oversight process, Arlington National Cemetery’s resource managers meticulously reviewed years of financial records and recovered funds that were sent to Department of Defense agencies that support the cemetery. To date, Arlington National Cemetery recovered $26.7 million from prior fiscal years that was obligated but not disbursed. The recovered funds were used to fully fund the construction of the ninth Columbarium Court, as well as maintenance and repair backlogs.

“Practicing sound fiscal stewardship and displaying transparency in cemetery operations is paramount in our effort to restore the faith, trust and honor our veterans and their families so rightfully deserve,” said Condon. “You have my commitment that we will continue to examine our prior year financial records to see if more dollars can be recovered,” she said.

Among the national cemeteries in the United States, Arlington National Cemetery is unique.  It is the only national cemetery that routinely holds graveside services and provides full military honors for eligible veterans.  It is a national military shrine, hosting 4 million visitors annually, as well as ceremonial functions involving foreign heads of state and other dignitaries. As the second largest cemetery in the country, Arlington National Cemetery oversees approximately 27-30 funeral services per day, five days a week.  To better serve the needs of families, Arlington recently began supporting services on Saturdays for which military honors are not required or requested.

The 2012 Military Health System (MHS) Conference was held this week in the Washington, D.C. area. The focus of the conference was sharing knowledge and achieving breakthrough performance in healthcare delivery, research, education and training. Each day featured a specific educational theme with all plenary and breakout sessions aligned to furthering the goals of the Quadruple Aim and the associated Strategic Initiatives.

The MHS Conferences promotes professionalism throughout the organization, enhance partnerships within and outside the federal sector, and concentrate on ways to best serve the preventive and health-care needs of its diverse beneficiary population.

Check out one of the great products unveiled at the conference by the U.S. Army Surgeon General and U.S Army Medicine:

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Our guest blog for today is from 2LT Don Gomez who recently completed Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia and branched Infantry. Here he discusses being in the U.S. Army as an non-commissioned officer during September 11, 2001, leaving the Army and returning to complete Officer  Candidate School.

Ten years ago I joined the Army as a young man curious about military service and looking for adventure. Five years ago I left the Army as a disciplined Non-Commissioned Officer with a spirit for service. Now, after finishing college on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, I rejoined the Army and recently graduated from Officer Candidate School (OCS).

Cpl. Don Gomez during his deployment to Iraq

I joined the Army in April 2001, when an assignment to Korea or peacekeeping duty in Kosovo was the closest to a deployment a soldier could get. I was in Airborne School at Fort Benning, waddling towards a waiting C-130 for my second jump when someone came waving from the aircraft to tell us that all air traffic had been grounded. It was the morning of September 11th. Although I had only been in the Army for a few months, in the coming days I sensed the shift that began as the Army stood up and prepared to go to war.

In 2003, I deployed with the 82d Airborne Division to Kuwait to stage for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Like it was yesterday, I can remember sitting in a truck with my platoon rolling north in the dark, staring out at thousands of pieces of military equipment sitting under palm trees just off of the road which had quickly been positioned in-country to facilitate developing combat operations. As a young Specialist, I remember thinking how incredible it was to be a part of something so massive that required the careful planning and cooperation of so many different partners. I also remember being thankful for the confident and competent leaders who had trained me for this. Lastly, I remember feeling nervous about what lay ahead of us.

Serving as a paratrooper in Iraq was the most significant experience of my life and profoundly shaped the person I have become. I spent most of my time patrolling Baghdad, speaking with Iraqis, struggling with Arabic, fighting boredom, and building relationships unparalleled outside of the military.

Since leaving the Army, not a day has gone by where I haven’t thought about my military service, the soldiers I served with, the leaders who inspired me, or the friends I have lost. As a civilian, I was naturally drawn to the veteran community and worked to organize veterans locally and advocate for them nationally. I’d like to say it was completely altruistic, but the truth is being around veterans and fighting for them provided some of the spark that I remembered from my time with the 82d Airborne.

The experience of being on the ground in Baghdad and witnessing some of the missteps of the early days of the Iraq War led me to pursue an education in Middle East Studies. It was clear to me that a gap existed in terms of what we were doing on the ground and the expertise required to get the job done. By pursuing an education in Middle East Studies, I hoped to contribute to the mission through developing a better understanding of the language, culture, history, and politics of the Middle East. Marrying my passion for veterans with Middle East Studies, I wrote my graduate dissertation on the military service of Iraqi soldiers who served during the Iran-Iraq War and their experience after military service as veterans.

2LT Gomez is presented with the Distinguished Honor Graduate award at the Officer Candidate School commissioning ceremony.

After five years of college, mostly covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill, I could not ignore how much I missed the Army. While still attending graduate school in London, I contacted an Army recruiter in Germany and began the OCS process. It was with great pride that I was selected to attend OCS and signed my contract on June 14, 2011 – the Army’s 236th Birthday!

Despite having been off of active duty for five years, the transition back in has been pretty smooth. The training and skills I received as a young infantryman lay dormant and only needed to be reactivated. Thankfully, the Drill Sergeants at 30th AG and the cadre at OCS were happy to accelerate that reactivation through the careful application of spirited motivation. Now, after twelve weeks of training, I commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and will head to the Infantry Basic Officer Leadership Course to begin learning how to lead infantrymen.

While I have noticed some significant changes to Army life since separating in 2006 – the use of social media by both the organizational Army and individual soldiers being one of the major ones – I am pleased to report that the Army Values that compelled me to rejoin and the spirit of service held by soldiers is as strong and alive as ever. I am proud to be back in the Army and prouder still to be charged with leading American soldiers during a time of war and strategic reorganization. I am looking forward to completing my initial training and getting back to the force, where I can give back to the Army that has already given me so much.

2LT Gomez has shared his experience, now we want to here from you. Leave us a brief story about your most memorable Army experience in the comments section.  

A few days ago, while greeting another Wounded Warrior Flight at Andrews Air Force Base on behalf of the Military District of Washington, I met another remarkable warrior returning home. Five days prior a bomb buried on a narrow foot path in Afghanistan blew up, severing one of his legs, mangling the other with compound fractures, and tearing multiple holes in his lower body. The attack occurred as his unit was moving between compounds on a patrol in rural Afghanistan. They had been conducting what are called KLEs (a military acronym for Key Leader Engagements) with local village leaders, trying to gather information and bolster local alliances.

Buses stand by to transport sick and injured from the Andrews Air Force Base flightline across base to Malcolm Grow Hospital's 79th Aeromedical Staging Flight.

Meeting this wounded warrior on the aircraft, I could tell immediately he was one of those guys with indomitable spirit. A ‘bring-it-on’ attitude was stamped on his face. The flight medical crew told me he’d been cracking jokes the whole ride over the Atlantic. In minutes he hooked me with his story – his courage and commitment on prominent display, his humor easy and quick. He went on to explain that seconds after the explosion one of his buddies ran up to provide first aid. At that instant, another hidden bomb exploded, severely injuring this second man. Then more soldiers responded, disregarding the continued danger, unwilling to let their fellow unit members remain helpless and dying. Soon the additional soldiers administered emergency care to this warrior. As they hunched over him and his blood on the battlefield, he started telling jokes. “I kept them laughing while they worked on me,” he said, “I didn’t want them to be hurting more than I was.”

Before moving on to other patients on this aircraft, I spent a few more minutes talking to this soldier to learn more about him. The youngest of 8 siblings, he’s part of a great American family. I told him that as the youngest in that size family, he had probably spent most of his life trying to prove himself – and hence was accustomed to tough challenges. He smiled and agreed. Amazingly, he showed minimal concern about the severity of his injuries, and responded at one point that “as long as I can see my family every day, I’ll be happy.” A powerful inspiration to him growing up was his grandfather, a World War II Battle of the Bulge Veteran, who died when he was 14. “He was a very very great guy,” the wounded warrior explained, describing his grandfather. “Now I know what he experienced.”

As we carried this wounded warrior off the aircraft, he got into a conversation with one of my Army colleagues about having kids. He replied, “if I do have kids someday I’m gonna tell them that it doesn’t take two legs to kick you in the butt, if you need it.”

The other soldier wounded in this attack flew home on the next Wounded Warrior Flight. This warrior had similar injuries and we spoke more about the details of the attack. I told him about my conversation with his battle buddy. He then confirmed that his buddy had a great sense of humor, but added an additional interpretation. “That’s very true,” he said, tears welling in his eyes, “but he’s also one tough son-of-a-bitch!”

Read more of COL Schmid’s accounts of the Wounded Warrior Flights:

Joint combat outpost Shir Khan is a new addition to the Afghanistan, Tajikistan border. The 40th Engineer Battalion built it to support Afghan border police training and to secure this vital supply route between the two countries. During the first few months of construction, the Soldiers who live and work here had to eat MRE’s (or Meal, Ready-to-Eat) - that was until Sgt. John Smart arrived.

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In what ways do you boost morale for your Soldier when he/she is deployed?

Recent news items about the use of Army medical evacuation, or MEDEVAC, helicopters in Afghanistan contain troubling information. The reporting suggests that putting red crosses on MEDEVACs, and not arming them somehow, is putting injured Soldiers’ lives at risk. The facts do not support these assertions for several reasons.

U.S. Army Soldiers transport a trauma victim to a U.S. Army medical helicopter in Tarmiyah, Iraq, Sept. 30, 2007. The Soldiers are from Charlie Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division out of Fort Lewis, Wash.

First, there is no evidence, implied or proven, that the enemy deliberately targets MEDEVAC helicopters, but we know from hard experience that the enemy does try to shoot down any and all U.S. and coalition aircraft. Further, all helicopters in Afghanistan fly in pairs as a force protection matter. It’s the way we do business and to suggest that arming MEDEVAC aircraft would result in crews launching sooner is a dubious assertion.

Here are the facts: the Department of Defense (DOD) has specifically tasked the Army, not any other service, to provide a standing MEDEVAC capability. The other services, as well as the Army in some cases, fly CASEVAC missions. This is a critical distinction. CASEVAC stands for Casualty Evacuation, which is a technical distinction that means they use whatever helicopters are available at the moment to extract the wounded or downed aircrews. However, DOD has tasked the Army to provide evacuation to the MEDEVAC standard, which means our MEDEVAC crews and helicopters are purpose built, manned, trained and equipped to provide advanced trauma care in flight.

While putting a red cross on our MEDEVAC helicopters has the added benefit of being consistent with the Geneva Conventions, it also marks that aircraft and crew for no other mission besides medical evacuation. In Afghanistan and other austere environments, where helicopter assets are in very high demand, it’s important that we dedicate a fleet of aircraft for no other purpose than to provide advanced in-flight care for wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines.

The Army provides the great majority of medical evacuations in Afghanistan. That includes allied personnel and even enemy wounded. The U.S. Marines in Afghanistan, and in Iraq before that, specifically asked for the Army to provide medical evacuation of its personnel because they know we provide the “gold standard” in modern battlefield evacuation. No military force in the world is better than the US Army at MEDEVAC. The 92 percent survival rate for wounded in Afghanistan is the highest in history because of the power of our MEDEVAC capability and its battlefield support network.

Another important point is that arming our MEDEVACs would significantly impact the capability of the aircraft. Machine guns, related mounting equipment, ammunition and the gunners all add weight to the aircraft. The added weight would hinder the aircraft’s ability to work at higher altitudes because of reduced lift, as well as its speed and range. Additionally, MEDEVACs can carry up to four litter patients, but if weapons were added, that number would be reduced, which would in turn require the commitment of more MEDEVAC aircraft, an already low density and high demand asset.

Further, arming MEDEVACs would not reduce the need for armed escort. Again, our aircraft travel in pairs. The decision to use escort is the tactical commander’s, and the Army does not dictate how or when it is necessary to use these assets.

Finally, it’s important to remember that the Army would change its policy if battlefield commanders wanted a change. We take our obligation to perform the MEDEVAC mission very seriously. We’re a learning organization and periodically we review our policies to make sure they remain relevant. We looked at the MEDEVAC policy in 2008, but after a review, we determined no change was necessary.

In addition, neither the International Security Assistance Force nor U.S. Forces – Afghanistan has requested a change in policy; because our MEDEVAC crews and aircraft provide the best chance at survival ever seen in warfare, and because — as commanders in Afghanistan have told us — not arming our MEDEVACs and identifying them with the red cross has had no impact on the medical evacuation mission.

Today’s blog post is a commentary from the 21st Secretary of the Army, the Honorable John McHugh.

For the first time in eight years, we’ve entered a January without American Soldiers patrolling the streets of Iraq. As the President confirmed last week, our transition in Afghanistan continues and troops will be coming home in the months to come.

Since these wars began, we’ve had more than 47,000 American service members wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq. Beside each one is a family impacted by war … a family who helps the wounded overcome their injuries and face the challenges of recovery. Theirs is a heavy burden, yet they face it with dignity, courage and resilience.

Since becoming Secretary of the Army more than two years ago, I’ve visited our wounded heroes and their families at medical facilities at home and abroad. I am always moved and inspired by these great young men and women and their families. They truly represent the strength of our Army and the best of our nation.

This week I visited Brooke Army Medical Center and the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, Texas, where I had the privilege of meeting more troops and their families and awarding the Purple Heart Medal to a number of these heroes. The Purple Heart is our nation’s oldest continuously awarded military decoration, and ironically, one that probably no one sets out to earn.

I had the solemn honor of awarding the Purple Heart to nine soldiers yesterday. One of them, Pfc. Charles Ligon, from West Frankfort, Ill., had recently returned from Afghanistan. He had suffered severe burns and other significant injuries including an amputation to his left leg after his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device during a patrol with the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

Like so many who’ve joined our ranks in recent years, Pfc. Ligon was just a boy when terrorists attacked our nation a decade ago. He grew up in a time of war and volunteered to serve knowing what that could mean. As I spoke with his mother, Susanne Willmore, I was struck by how proud she was that her son had made that choice two years ago to join the Army, and how determined she was to help him persevere and recover from his injuries. Family members are an integral part of our Soldiers’ recovery.

A short walk from the hospital complex is the Center for the Intrepid, an impressive rehabilitation facility with state-of-the-art equipment. However, more remarkable than the structure are the young men and women who walk through its doors each day. Their tireless work to recover from the severe wounds of war is simply inspirational. The price of liberty is steep, but the men and women I met exemplify courage, strength and the triumph of the American spirit.

Throughout our history, our freedoms have been bought through the sacrifice and selfless service of men and women like PFC Ligon – ordinary Americans inspired to extraordinary service, and who are now rising to meet new challenges.

As our brave men and women return home from war, recognize the small purple ribbon so many have earned. It is a symbol of their courage, service and sacrifice to our nation, but it also represents the sacrifice their families have made on our behalf.

With the constant threat of IEDs in Afghanistan,  it’s inevitable that U.S. Army vehicles will be disabled. And while getting these vehicles back home can be a challenge, one instructor has the answer.

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