Soldiers prepare to ring in the New Year, having accomplished much in 2014

By David Vergun, compiling reports Army-wideJanuary 2, 2015

Womack Army Medical Center pediatric unit
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New Year
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New Year
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Polish Army advisors unload their bags from a helicopter at the landing zone on arrival to Tactical Base Gamberi in eastern Afghanistan Dec. 19, 2014. The Polish advisors are assigned to Train, Advise, Assist Command - East and will support the effor... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New Year's Eve
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A New York National Guard Soldier and Airman assigned to Joint Task Force Empire Shield keep an eye on the crowd coming and going in New York City's Pennsylvania Station. The two are among 500 members of the New York National Guard on State Active Du... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New Year
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Col. Don Potoczny, the commander of 1st Battalion, 38th Field Artillery Regiment, 210th Field Artillery Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, poses for a photo with a group of students that took part in the local High-Five English program December 23, ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 31, 2014) -- As 2014 draws to a close, the Americans can justifiably be proud of their trusted professional Soldiers who have served selflessly throughout the world, helping fight Ebola in West Africa, shoring up morale of East European partners by training with them, assisting the fight against extremists in Iraq and Afghanistan, and doing the good work in myriad of other places.

The other professionals -- Army civilians and contractors -- have been hard at work as well.

Dr. Olukayode Okusaga, an electrical engineer with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, was recognized this month as the Defense Department Laboratory Scientist of the Quarter.

He and his colleagues developed the first fiber-optic communications link capable of transmitting frequency references 10 times better than GPS that can serve as a GPS-alternative in future Army and DOD systems.

In his spare time, Okusaga teaches and tutors students of all ages in hopes of inspiring them to believe that they could one day make a difference.

Another award went to Dr. Thomas Geisbert, a virologist formerly with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, who conducted some of the first trials of the promising drug TKM-Ebola.

Time magazine named the "Ebola fighters" as their 2014 'Person of Year,' Dec. 10, highlighting among others, Geisbert's work.

Here are some snapshots of what Soldiers have been doing as 2014 winds down:

KOSOVO

Over 50 paratroopers with 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, deployed to Camp Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, Kosovo, spent Christmas Eve playing, singing, and giving gifts to over 70 children from SOS Kinderdorf's, an orphanage in Pristina.

The SOS Kinderdorf orphanage opened in 2001, a few years after the Kosovo War. There was an overwhelming number of children abandoned post-war according to Vjollca Shahini, a project coordinator for peer advocacy and educational support for marginalized children.

Santa arrived with gifts for all of the children. Although the children believed Santa brought the mountain of gifts, in reality, Capt. Paul Lynn, a chaplain with the 1-40th Cavalry, along with some other paratroopers, delivered all of the wrapped presents.

"We brought over 200 gifts," said Lynn. "Some of the gifts came from family and friends back in the states, and other gifts came from Soldiers' care packages."

"This is a unique deployment," said Lynn. "We are on a peacetime mission, and we can focus on the human element of connecting and embracing relationships of peacekeeping for the children of Kosovo's future."

Remzije Krasniqi, the kindergarten director and a national educational adviser with SOS Kinderdorf, said she is thankful for the Soldiers' involvement.

"The children love when the Soldiers come," Krasniqi added. "They know about Soldiers from watching television, and they understand that the Soldiers help us. We would like to plan more events with them."

Paratroopers were running around with boys and girls kicking a soccer ball and throwing a football. Laughter filled the air and everyone was all smiles.

"We enjoyed this event," said Lynn. "When we are away from our families, connecting with children help us feel like we are connecting with our own children."

AFGHANISTAN

A big part of the way the Army of today and the future will fight is as part of a multi-national team effort. So it was that on Dec. 19, Polish troops arrived at Tactical Base Gamberi and Operational Base Fenty, Afghanistan.

They will be serving as advisors to Train, Advise, Assist Command - East, in support of NATO's new Resolute Support Mission, which begins Jan. 1, 2015. The Poles are conducting a transition with the current advisors from the U.S. Army's 3rd Cavalry Regiment.

The Polish advisors will be working with the 201st Afghan National Army Corps and Afghan police forces in eastern Afghanistan. The goal is to help Afghan forces improve their systems and processes that will make them sustainable for the long term.

So the holidays for U.S. Soldiers are being spent far from home with their Polish counterparts in Afghanistan, performing an important mission.

NEW YORK

New York National Guard Soldiers will be on duty New Year's Eve to support law enforcement authorities as city residents and visitors ring in 2015.

Members of the New York National Guard's Joint Task Force Empire Shield will have around 500 Soldiers and Airmen on duty at transportation hubs in support of the Port Authority Police Department, the Metropolitan Transit Authority Police Department and the Amtrak Police Department.

Those Guardsmen will be visible at Penn Station, the PATH terminal, and LaGuardia and JFK airports in coordination with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and Amtrak.

The New York National Guard's 24th Civil Support Team, a unit that is specially trained to detect chemical, biological and radiological agents, will have a detachment on duty in Manhattan to support the New York Police Department. The 22-man unit, based at Fort Hamilton, in Brooklyn, has partnered with the NYPD for counter-terrorism support operations since the unit's formation in 2010.

It is estimated that a million people will celebrate New Years' in Times Square. The NYPD will control all access points to Times Square as part of the evening's security plans. No bags or backpacks are permitted. Emergency service squads, drug and bomb sniffing canine units and other counter-terrorism personnel will be present in Times Square on New Year's Eve.

At the New York National Guard headquarters in Latham, N.Y., staff representatives from New York State military forces will man the National Guard's Joint Operations Center. This command and control node provides liaison and linkage to the State Emergency Management Office and New York State Department of Homeland Security.

The New York National Guard will also provide liaison officers to the NYPD in preparation for the New Year's celebration.

NORTH CAROLINA

Sgt. 1st Class. Jason Guenther from the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command and his family brought holiday cheer to Fort Bragg's Womack Army Medical Cente, Dec. 22, by dressing up as Santa, Mrs. Clause and two elves.

Starting in the pediatric center, they roamed through the hallways in search of children and anyone needing a dose of holiday cheer. Toys and candy were given to every child, staff member and bystander they encountered.

"We feel very blessed with everything that we've been given and just wanted to give back," said wife Carrie Guenther. "We had so many people that were willing to give that brought this to [reality]."

Guenther and his family had been trying to coordinate the event for some time but were unable to bring their vision to reality due to lack of resources and deployments that kept his family separated during the holidays. Through donations, careful planning and coordination, they were able to finally bring their vision to life.

"Operation Homefront and USASOC's Headquarters Company donated all of the gifts," he said. "We were able to purchase the candy canes." Operation Homefront, with over 2,500 volunteers, is a national nonprofit organization that provides assistance to military families and wounded warriors.

KOREA

On Dec. 23, six Soldiers from 210th Field Artillery Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, received awards and recognition from Mayor Oh Se-chang of Dongducheon, for their volunteer services teaching English to local students as a part of the local "High-Five" English program at the Dongducheon Yangju Office of Education in Dongducheon, South Korea.

Pfc. Chanese Jackson, one of the recipients, and a field artillery firefinder radar operator, mentioned how the program helps strengthen bonds between the two nations.

"I think it strengthens the alliance because it gives Soldiers the chance not only to fulfill the mission, it also shows the people of Dongducheon and Korea that we are here for them and the children," he said.

Mayor Oh Se-chang of Dongducheon thanked the Soldiers for their services to the local community and how they were of great help to the students.

"I believe interacting with native speakers at a young age can help them reduce the fear of talking to foreigners as well as study their language," said Oh Se-chang. "I would like to thank the teachers [Soldiers] for their time this year and believe they had a fun time as well."

(Contributing to this article were: Ellen Crown, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command; Staff Sgt. JaJuan Broadnax, U.S. Army Special Operations Command; Capt. Judith Marlowe, 25th Infantry Division; Jenna Brady, U.S. Army Research Laboratory; Eric Durr, New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs; and, Cpl. Song Gun-woo, 2nd Infantry Division. For more ARNEWS stories, visit www.army.mil/ARNEWS, or Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArmyNewsService, or Twitter @ArmyNewsService)

Related Links:

New York National Guard

Army News Service

U.S. Army news, information about Army's response to Ebola threat

Former Army Ebola Researcher Named a Time Magazine 2014 'Person of the Year'

DOD names Army civilian scientist of the quarter

Army.mil: Inside the Army News