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How is this affecting your unit?

How is this affecting your family?

How is this impacting mission readiness?

Does anyone in your unit or your family have the coronavirus?

Army Times wants to hear from soldiers about how things are going at the local level.

Tell us where you are and what’s happening. Email Howard Altman at haltman@militarytimes.com, and please include contact information. If you want to remain anonymous, we will withhold publication of your name at your request, but we would like to know who you are and where you’re stationed.

Cope North 2020 united the U.S. Air Force, Royal Australian Air Forces and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in a 17-day-long simulation, Feb. 12-28, to test how well the three nations’ air forces work together, the Air Force said in a release.

In one part of the exercise, the three nations teamed up for a large combat air forces exercise on Guam and around the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia, including Palau and Yap. In the other major part of the exercise, the three nations took part in disaster relief training to improve their interoperability. More than 100 aircraft from 21 units, including more than 2,000 personnel, took part.

“This was a historic Cope North exercise,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Scott Rowe, director of the Cope North 2020 exercise. “Instead of individualizing control groups nationally, we performed as a multinational joint task force and integrated the three nations along functional lines.”

The humanitarian and disaster relief exercise taught personnel to prepare for and recover from natural disasters through the development of airborne command and control.

As part of the HADR exercise, the air forces simulated the aftermath of an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale that ravaged the Northern Mariana Islands and caused tsunamis. Expeditionary forces deployed to Tinian and Rota, part of the Northern Mariana Islands, to provide airlift and medical support, and set up the security and command and control operations necessary for a disaster relief operation. They also had to set up an airfield in an austere environment that could make sure air operations took place safely and effectively.

U.S., Japanese and Australian airmen worked together to perform medical evacuations, airfield security, command and control, search and rescue, and cargo and personnel airlifts in response to the earthquake scenario on the two islands. They also set up tents for shelter and food and water storage, and responded to scenarios in real-time to test their readiness, the Air Force release said.

For example, the exercise simulated severe damage to the infrastructure on Tinian and water contamination that caused dozens of simulated cases of mild to intense poisoning, including some deaths, and strained the capacity of the local health care facility. With local authorities stretched to their limit in this scenario, the three nations’ medical personnel were brought in to treat patients and prevent further deaths and quell public unrest.

“The [Air Force’s] decision to invite Australia to lead the HADR component of Cope North 2020 for the first time is a reflection of their deep respect and confidence in the Royal Australian Air Force’s ability to lead and plan a major tri-nation exercise in a professional, credible and safe manner,” said RAAF Group Captain Mark Larter.

The training scenario for Cope North 2020 involved a medical evacuation from Rota to Guam, providing troops the opportunity to provide disaster relief and ensure air operations were executed safely and efficiently.

“Operating cohesively alongside our Australian and Japanese allies allows us to understand one another’s capabilities and strengths,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Shaquielle Sheppard. “This training has solidified what we can accomplish together and what we can bring to the fight.”

Titled “My Hero, My Friend,” Norris’ newest statue is a life-size bronze sculpture of a military working dog wearing a Purple Heart, mourning the loss of its two-legged companion.

“I’ve always had an affection for animals, but the bond between a military dog and its partner is on a whole other level,” Norris said in a press release.

This sculpture is meant to honor the bravery and dedication of a military service dog to its human handler, tugging at the heartstrings of passersby. The sculpture will reside at Veterans Memorial Park in Trophy Club, Texas, inside the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

“It’s moving to see people cry when they see my sculpture,” Norris added of the reactions to the sculture.

Military working dogs have gone by all manner of moniker throughout U.S. military history, including K-9 Corps and “war dogs.” In various combat eras, they served as guards, messengers, mascots and scouts, according to an Army book on military veterinary services.

As operations in Afghanistan and Iraq ramped-up, so too did the U.S. military’s efforts to build a canine program.

“Because of the growing threat of improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan and Iraq, mine detection training also resumed,” the book reads. “Dogs became members of forward deployed teams, served with airborne units, and were transported by helicopters when needed.”

Norris’ sculpture isn’t the first honoring combat canines, however. In 2008, Congress approved the Military Working Dog Teams National Monument, which was unveiled in 2013 at Joint Base San Antonio — Lackland.

“Humans are continually rediscovering that technology cannot match many canine senses and other inherent abilities, and they also realize that dogs continue to remain loyal even as equipment and conflicts evolve around them,” according to the book.

The memorial has a planned cost of about $40 million, and current law requires that 100 percent of funding be raised prior to initial groundbreaking, according to the National Desert Storm Memorial Association.

But as the end of 2019, proponents have raised only about $9 million.

Ambassador of the State of Kuwait, H.E. Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber AlSabah, announced Kuwait’s contribution of $10 million to assist with the memorial’s funding, according to an association press release on Feb. 24, 2020.

Al-Sabah emphasized the importance of the memorial serving as a reminder to past, present and future generations of the bravery by those lost in the liberation of Kuwait.

“This lead donation by the Government of Kuwait is an important validation of the historical importance of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, and is a display of the deep, special, and lasting friendship between our two countries” said Scott Stump, the association’s CEO and president. “We are honored and humbled by this tremendous show of support.”

Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield became a historical and crucial moment for the international community, and the memorial is to serve as a reminder of the importance of this operation.

In response to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, U.S. President George H.W. Bush authorized the use of ‘all necessary means’ in fighting against Iraq in November that same year.

Desert Storm began Jan. 17, 1991. More than 500,000 American troops deployed and about 300 died.

U.S. forces were successful in pushing Iraq forces out of Kuwait, expelling them from the region, resulting in international sanctions on Iraq, and significantly weakening Iraq military forces.

But the war still lacks memorial recognition.

The conceptual design of the memorial is two curved, dune-like, granite wall forms enclosing both an inner space and water feature that commemorates the soldiers who liberated Kuwait, architect Randy Schumacher of CSO Architects told Military Times.

Located next to the Lincoln Memorial at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 23rd Street in Washington D.C., the geometry of this memorial is symbolic of General Schwarzkopf’s Left Hook battle plan.

The main wall will depict elaborately carved images that honor the courage, service, and sacrifice of those who fought to liberate Kuwait.

The second wall will represent the significant shift in the relationship between the U.S. and the military post Desert Storm, Schumacher told Military Times.

“This Memorial will ensure that Americans and the rest of the world remember the important historical conflict that liberated the people of Kuwait,” CEO Scott Stump said in an email to Military Times.

“This legacy lives on today, positively impacting everyone who wears the uniform,” said Stump.

Those continuing to push for the memorial have hopes of completion by 2021, marking 30 years since the war’s end, according to News Now Omaha.

Fans can get every kind of merchandise out there, from backpacks and fuzzy socks to plush dolls and key chains.

Now, even the U.S. Army is taking part in the viral trend.

The branch’s official Twitter account tweeted a photo of two M1 Abrams tanks assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia, on Thursday.

Lined up side by side, Baby Yoda and other tanks ready for inventory are preparing to ship out as part of DEFENDER-Europe 20, according to the U.S. Army.

Roughly 37,000 service members will take part in the exercise, with 20,000 pieces of equipment and an equal number of soldiers deploying from the United States, making this the largest exercise of U.S. forces in more than 25 years.

Baby Yoda is just the latest example of what happens when you let service members name their vehicles. The British Royal Navy almost wound up with a ship called “Boaty McBoatface,” while the U.S. Air Force nearly named its bomber the “Baconator.”

One thing’s for sure: That’s one green fighting machine we wouldn’t want to come in contact with on the battlefield.

Benning hasn’t seen her son in two years as he has been stationed in Germany, according to CNN.

After taking a few moments to process their emotions, Pando did the honor of pinning his mom’s badge to her uniform, officially welcoming her to the police force.

“When my son came around the corner and I realized that this was real, my breathing just started to slow down, and everything just felt really tight,” Benning told CNN. “I just didn’t want to pass out because I wanted to enjoy every moment of it.”

Benning wanted to be a police officer since she was very young. However, the birth of her son was the main reason she waited to join the force.

“He’s the reason why I breathe every single day. He’s the reason why I wake up every morning. He’s my world,” Benning told CNN.

Now that Pando is grown up and serving abroad, Benning, who is an immigrant from Honduras, was finally able to make her career goals come true. The only thing missing once she finished training at the academy was for her son to be present at the ceremony, Fox4 reported.

It took months of planning, but Pando managed to pull off the ultimate surprise. Benning’s husband and her police chief both conspired with Pando to make sure the ceremony went off without a hitch.

“All swearing-in ceremonies are special but every once in a while one tugs at your heart strings a little more than others,” reads a Facebook post from the police station.

“It’s just something I wanted to do,” Pando said. “I wanted to be there for her,” Pando told NBCDFW.

When he separates from the Army, Pando told reporters that he intends to follow in his mother’s footsteps and join the police force too.

A new fabric, generated by Omar Farha’s lab at Northwestern University with cooperation from the U.S. Army, is intended to do just that.

“With the correct chemistry, we can render toxic gases nontoxic,” Farha, associate professor of chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, said in a release. “The action takes place at the nanolevel.”

In simple terms, the fabric will have a coating made of a molecule called MOF-808 that renders VX and Soman, which can cripple the human nervous system, ineffective because it pulls “water from the air,” Futurism reported. Essentially, if or when a nerve agent comes in contact with the fabric coating, the water destroys it.

“MOFs can capture, store and destroy a lot of the nasty material, making them very attractive for defense-related applications,” Farha noted in the release.

The coating for the fabric is the result of 10 years spent working to develop more chemically protective Army uniforms, Wired reported. Currently, the service has fabric that absorbs the effects of nerve agents, but does not neutralize them.

Wired also reported that the fabric works as long as it’s in an environment with at least 30 percent humidity, adding that, when tested for breathability, it performed even better when an excess level of perspiration was involved… because of the added moisture. For soldiers, perhaps soon, nerve agents will be no sweat.

Montijo knew he could never serve in the military when his weight hit 350 pounds. But at the end of 2018, however, he made it his new year’s resolution to revisit his high school dream of joining the Army.

“From the start, I didn’t want this to be a diet but a lifestyle change,” he says. “I knew that losing the weight is just half of the battle, and keeping it off is the other half.” Montijo told Men’s Health.

With that decision came an intense change in his habits. Fast food and soda were often at the top of his shopping list, and his schedule allotted little time for exercise. Before choosing to lose the weight, Montijo frequently noticed a high level of fatigue, even in doing simple, everyday tasks.

“I would sit down to watch tv and would breathe heavy and sweat just by sitting down,” he told Men’s Health.

In order to lose the weight, he replaced his daily soda intake with water, and swapped fast food for healthier options. Montijo pushed himself to get active, starting out with daily walks before making going to the gym part of his weekly routine after about six months.

In 12 months, he lost 160 pounds — just under half his body weight. Through this transformation, Montijo now hopes others will find inspiration to achieve their weight loss goals.

“It’s night and day. I’m a whole new person,” he told the Army news reporter. “I wake up with energy, I sleep through the night. I can run now and be fine, and I can keep up with my [two] kids.”

In January 2020, Montijo began basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. His intended MOS is 25S, a satellite communications systems operator-maintainer.

Evans’ tweet read, “Lots of people mourning a basketball player this morning. I think I’ll use my energy to remember Moore and his Family. #RIP.” He later made an attempt to correct this original post after receiving backlash for this insensitive comment toward Bryant — one of nine people killed in a fatal helicopter crash that occurred on Sunday.

Two days prior, Moore was involved in a vehicle rollover accident during his first deployment since enlisting in May 2017.

Responses on Twitter consisted of comments questioning Evans’ empathy, condemning him for not respecting both of the lives recently lost and contributing to the widening of the civilian-military divide.

“General, grief is not comparable and each loss is significant,” wrote Joe Plenzler, a former Marine. “Why diminish one to elevate another? That seems awfully petty to me and incongruent with Army values.”

Evans’ amendement read, “Allow me to Retweet my original Tweet in the SPIRIT for which it was intended: ‘Lots of people mourning a basketball player this morning. I think I’ll use my energy to ALSO remember Spc. Moore and his Family.’ I meant no disrespect to the families of the nine who were lost.”

Despite this attempt to address the reactions to his initial post, Evans continues to receive negative comments criticizing the intent of his tweet.

In response to the situation, Lt. Col. Nichole Downs, a spokeswoman for Army Cadet Command said, “United States Army Cadet Command sends it thoughts of comfort and condolences to all the grieving families. As we mourn the losses of a basketball legend and of a Soldier who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving this great Nation. We believe everybody’s life has value and that all loss of life tragic. Since we tend to connect to celebrities more, we have a tendency to forget about others who are just as important. There was no disrespect meant towards the families of the nine that were lost.”