March 11
The Great East Japan Earthquake occurs. It is a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, the largest in recorded Japanese history. The Japanese National Police Agency confirmed 15,756 deaths, 5,927 injured, and 4,460 missing, with over 125,000 buildings damaged or destroyed.
Read More about the Japanese earthquake
March
U.S. military forces work alongside their Japanese counterparts to provide aid as the country digs out in the aftermath of the massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck on March 11.
March 1
Sgt. Maj. Raymond F. Chandler becomes the 14th Sgt. Maj. of the Army, replacing Sgt. Maj. Kenneth O. Preston.
April 11
Gen. Martin E. Dempsey becomes the 37th Chief of Staff of the Army, replacing Gen. George W. Casey, Jr.
May 2
Osama bin Laden, leader of Al Qaeda, is killed in a nighttime raid by U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six, in a compound in Pakistan. Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment provided transportation and cover during the mission. After the raid, bin Laden’s body is buried at sea.
May 2
Pfc. Henry Svehla is awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty during the Korean War, on Jun. 12, 1952.
Read More about the Medal of Honor recipient
May 2
Pfc. Anthony T. Kaho'ohanohano is awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty during the Korean War, on Sept. 1, 1951.
Read More about the Medal of Honor recipientMay 22
A tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri, among other states, causing devastating damage to the area. The Missouri National Guard is one of the first responders to provide tornado relief operations.
Read More the recovery missionsMay 30
Gen. Martin E. Dempsey is selected by President Barack Obama to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to succeed Admiral Michael Mullen on Sept. 30, 2011.
Read More about Gen. Martin E. DempseyJune 14
The beret is no longer the standard headgear of the Army Combat Uniform. It is replaced by the patrol cap.
June 30
The U.S. Senate unanimously votes (94-0) to confirm Gen. David H. Petraeus as the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Read More about Gen. David H. Petraeus
July 12
Sgt. 1st Class Leroy A. Petry is awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty during Operation Enduring Freedom, on May. 26, 2008.
Read More about Sgt. 1st Class PetryAug.
August – The first month since the invasion of Iraq that a U.S. service member has not been killed in Iraq.
Read More from the New York TimesAug. 25
Hurricane Irene passes through the Atlantic and causes flooding and damage to many states on the Atlantic Coast, including Puerto Rico.
Aug. 27
Walter Reed Army Medical Center closes and moves patients to the renamed Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and the new Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia.
Read More about Walter Reed National Military Medical CenterSept. 7
Gen. Raymond T. Odierno becomes the 38th Chief of Staff of the Army, replacing Gen. Martin E. Dempsey.
Read More about Gen. OdiernoSept. 15
The Army completes BRAC 2005 on time. Army was responsible for 47 percent of the entire DOD BRAC 2005 program resulting in the service's largest organizational transformation since World War II.
Read More about BRAC completion
September 29
Maj. Gen. Marcia M. Anderson becomes the Army’s first female African-American to obtain the rank of major general.
Read More about Maj. Gen. Marcia M. Anderson
October 4
U.S. Army South received the Army Superior Unit Award on Oct. 4, 2011, for its performance during Operation Unified Response, exactly 100 years to the day original elements of the command arrived in Panama in 1911 to provide additional security during the construction of the canal.
Read More about Army South receiving unit award
October 7
10 year anniversary of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Read More about Panetta on Operation Enduring Freedom
October 21
President Obama announces that all U.S. service members will leave Iraq by the end of the year.
Read More about President Obama's announcementNov. 18
The Army conducted its first test of a the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon, or AHW, designed to fly several times the speed of sound.
Read More about the AHWNov. 28
The U.S. Army and the Environmental Protection Agency enhance their working relationship in support of the Army’s “Net Zero” initiative to conserve energy and water while recycling waste at military installations.
Read More about the Army and the EPA's relationship
December 8
Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho becomes the Army’s 43rd surgeon general. She is the first nurse and first woman appointed to this position.
Read More about Lt. Gen. Patricia D. HorohoDec. 13
The National Guard marks its 375th birthday. The military organization we know today as the National Guard came into existence with a direct declaration on Dec. 13, 1636, when the Massachusetts General Court in Salem established that all able-bodied men between the ages of 16 and 60 were required to join the militia.
Read More the recovery missions
December 15
In Baghdad, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, lead a ceremony that marked the end of Operation New Dawn, the U.S. military mission in Iraq.
Read More about Panetta and Gen. Dempsey marking the end of the Iraq mission
December 18
Soldiers with the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, were the final U.S. troops to depart Iraq after Operation New Dawn ended, when they drove through the Khabari Crossing on the Iraq-Kuwait border.
Read More about the last brigade leaving IraqDec. 31
The chief of the National Guard Bureau became a member of the Joint Chiefs on Dec. 31, 2012, when President Barack Obama signed the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act.
Read More about the National Guard Bureau cheif becoming a member of the Joint Chiefs
