Stand-To: Procedure prior to first light to enhance unit security, a daily compendium of news, information, and context for Army leaders.

"The Year of the NCO is a one-year campaign, comparable to what sports fans might view as the full-court press in basketball. Strategic initiatives get turned up a notch or two… Summed up, we do a lot of things, but there will always be room for improvement. They should not be front and center one year, and forgotten the next. I would like to view this Year of the NCO as a foundation - strong building blocks for the future."

- Brig. Gen. Bradley May, Fort Jackson commanding general

They're our backbone, not just this year

Year of the Noncommissioned Officer

"From a junior Soldier till now I didn't look into the big picture. I followed my orders, tried to do my best, tried to shoot expert, get a 300 on my PT and just tried to be at the right place at the right time. But now it is so much more than that because I have to get my Soldiers into that mentality. I need to make sure they are in the right place and doing the right training, keeping up with things. It is a lot different, but it is so much more rewarding if you look at the aspect of being an NCO."

- Staff Sgt. Danny Lundberg, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, is a squad leader as well as the retention NCO for his company

Year of the NCO: Focus on three outstanding Baumholder NCOs

• Early Bird News Site
• Information Papers with "2009 Army Posture Statement"
• Stories of Valor
• Army Public Affairs Portal
• Strategic Communication Coordination Group (SCCG) Workspace
• 2009 Strategic Communication Guide - Read the 2009 Army Strategic Communication Guide for key messages and updates

• Army Live
• Bloggers Roundtable
• Casey: U.S., China to begin joint humanitarian relief training
• Soldiers take time out to teach new shooters

2009 Commemorations :

Year of the NCO

Year of the Military Family

100th Anniversary of the Chaplain Assistant

August 2009

August 26: Women's Equality Day : See Women in the Army Web page

September 2009

National Preparedness Month

Sept. 11: Patriot Day

Sept. 15 - Oct. 15: National Hispanic Heritage Month

Sept. 18: POW/MIA Recognition Day

• Army Media Player
• Flickr: Army images
• YouTube: Army videos
• Twitter: Army updates
• delicious: Army links
• Facebook: Army's fan page

Army Professional Writing

• Hello from China (MKB)
• Dear DoD, the Web itself is social (OR)
• VBIED: Learning security the hard way (IC)
• Night vision in the Korengal Valley (AWB)
• Iraq: Engineers know war isn't over (WOTN)

External Links Disclaimer

Named Campaign Streamers for Unit Colors

What is it?

On April 16, 2008, the Department of Defense (DOD) approved four named campaigns for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and three named campaigns for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). A total of five campaigns are now closed and those streamers are currently available to replace the previous two streamers. Commands that are authorized the U.S. Army Flag can now requisition these replacement streamers. Other eligible units that have already received campaign participation credit (CPC) must request their appropriate streamers for placement on their Colors.

What has the Army done?

The Army will now issue, as requested, to eligible units, the following named campaign streamers:

Operation Enduring Freedom - replacement streamers

1. Liberation of Afghanistan – Sept. 11, 2001 to Nov. 30, 2001
2. Consolidation I - Dec. 1, 2001 to Sept. 30, 2006

Operation Iraqi Freedom - replacement streamers

1. Liberation of Iraq – Mar. 19, 2003 to May 1, 2003
2. Transition of Iraq - May 2, 2003 to June 28, 2004
3. Iraqi Governance - June 29, 2004 to Dec. 16, 2005

Why is this important to the Army?

Campaign streamers have a long-standing traditional significance within military history. Streamers recognize the contributions of Army units and their Soldiers and become an integral part of a unit's lineage and honors. The Army, as a team, has performed heroically in combat since 2001, for OEF and OIF. Campaign streamers are placed on official Army Flags, Unit Colors and Guidons.

What's the way ahead?

Units that have received campaign participation credit (CPC) and have placed streamers for "Afghanistan" and/or "Iraq," on their colors should request the named campaign streamers, as appropriate. The previously issued streamers for Afghanistan and Iraq should be removed from the unit colors, upon adding the new streamers.

To obtain the new streamers, units that have previously received CPC and streamers for service in OEF and OIF must submit a request to the Military Awards Branch (MAB) of the Army's Human Resources Command (HRC), via email. The e-mail subject line should read "new campaign streamers." Units must provide a current mailing address and POC and attach a copy of the appropriate permanent orders. Units that have not previously received CPC should apply for specific named campaign streamers through their current chain-of-command.

Resources:

AKO sign in required:

ALARACT 032-2006

MILPER Message 09-120

AR 600-8-22, paragraphs 7-18, 7-19