U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Andrew C. Gainey, commanding general of U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), speaks with Maria Chandler, mother of fallen service member Sgt. Michael Chandler, at the Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 11, 2025. The Holiday Greeting event was established to provide enduring support while honoring surviving Vicenza Military Community families of service members who gave their lives in the line of duty. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
(Photo Credit: Maj. Joe Legros)VIEW ORIGINAL
VICENZA, Italy — U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF AF) and U.S. Army Garrison Italy (USAG-I) hosted the annual Survivor Outreach Services (SOS) Holiday Greeting program this week, honoring surviving Vicenza Military Community families of service members who gave their lives in the line of duty.
The event brought together families, Soldiers and leaders in a spirit of reflection and gratitude. U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Andrew C. Gainey, SETAF AF commanding general, presided over the event, along with Command Sgt. Maj. Chad Harness, senior enlisted leader of SETAF-AF.
“We gather not only to remember those who served and sacrificed, but to reaffirm our commitment to their families,” Gainey said. “Your loved ones will always be part of our Army family, and their legacy continues to inspire us.”
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U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Andrew C. Gainey, commanding general of U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), speaks to community members at the Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 11, 2025. The Holiday Greeting event was established to provide enduring support while honoring surviving Vicenza Military Community families of service members who gave their lives in the line of duty. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
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A poinsettia sits in preparation for the start of the Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 11, 2025. U.S. Army Garrison Italy’s Army Community Services has hosted the event since 2017. The Holiday Greeting event was established to provide enduring support while honoring surviving Vicenza Military Community families of service members who gave their lives in the line of duty. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
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A sign welcomes attendees in preparation for the start of the Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 11, 2025. U.S. Army Garrison Italy’s Army Community Services has hosted the event since 2017. The Holiday Greeting event was established to provide enduring support while honoring surviving Vicenza Military Community families of service members who gave their lives in the line of duty. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
(Photo Credit: Maj. Joe Legros)VIEW ORIGINAL
The garrison’s Army Community Services (ACS) runs the local SOS program, receiving numerous donations from the Vicenza community to help fund survivor activities throughout the year.
The Holiday Greeting event was established to provide enduring support to surviving family members, offering them a sense of belonging within the military community. The initiative delivers personalized holiday greetings and hosts commemorative events that highlight the enduring bond between the Army and its families.
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Jim Chandler pays tribute to his younger brother, U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Chandler, who was killed in a Nov. 7, 1990 helicopter accident along with Chief Warrant Officer 2 James R. Harbeson and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Manuel Gomez, at the site of a memorial plaque on the grounds of Caserma Del Din, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 12, 2025. Jim was joined by his wife, Christina, and his and Michael’s mother, Maria, all surviving family members, who came together as part of a Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle the previous day. Chandler was also survived by his wife and daughter, who was only 18 months old at the time of the accident. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
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A memorial plaque in remembrance of the Nov. 7, 1990 helicopter accident which killed three soldiers, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 James R. Harbeson, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Manuel Gomez and Sgt. Michael Chandler, stands on the grounds at Caserma Del Din, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 12, 2025. Chandler’s mother, Maria, his older brother, Jim, as well as Jim’s wife, Christina, all surviving family members, paid tribute to the plaque as part of a Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle the previous day. Chandler was also survived by his wife and daughter, who was only 18 months old at the time of the accident. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
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A memorial plaque in remembrance of the Nov. 7, 1990 helicopter accident which killed three soldiers, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 James R. Harbeson, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Manuel Gomez and Sgt. Michael Chandler, stands on the grounds at Caserma Del Din, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 12, 2025. Chandler’s mother, Maria, his older brother, Jim, as well as Jim’s wife, Christina, all surviving family members, paid tribute to the plaque as part of a Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle the previous day. Chandler was also survived by his wife and daughter, who was only 18 months old at the time of the accident. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
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Surviving family members pay tribute to U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Chandler at his memorial plaque on the grounds of Caserma Del Din, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 12, 2025. Chandler’s mother, Maria, left, was joined by her son and Michael’s older brother, Jim, as well as Jim’s wife, Christina, in remembrance of the Nov. 7, 1990 helicopter crash which also took the lives of Chief Warrant Officer 2 James R. Harbeson and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Manuel Gomez. The family came together as part of a Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle the previous day. Chandler was also survived by his wife and daughter, who was only 18 months old at the time of the accident. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
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“Each year we provide a token of our appreciation to honor surviving families,” said Jolly Miller, Vicenza division chief of ACS. “This year, we offered a stained-glass ornament featuring a red cardinal, which is a symbol that love doesn’t end, even when our loved ones are no longer with us.”
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Jolly Miller, division chief of U.S. Army Garrison Italy’s Army Community Services (ACS), shows off this year’s token of appreciation in honor of surviving family of fallen service members at the Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 11, 2025. This year, ACS offered a stained-glass ornament featuring a red cardinal, which is a symbol that love doesn’t end, even when our loved ones are no longer with us. The Holiday Greeting event was established to provide enduring support while honoring surviving Vicenza Military Community families of service members who gave their lives in the line of duty. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
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Poinsettias and gift packs sit in preparation for the start of the Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 11, 2025. This year, U.S. Army Garrison Italy’s Army Community Services offered a stained-glass ornament featuring a red cardinal, which is a symbol that love doesn’t end, even when our loved ones are no longer with us. The Holiday Greeting event was established to provide enduring support while honoring surviving Vicenza Military Community families of service members who gave their lives in the line of duty. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
(Photo Credit: Maj. Joe Legros)VIEW ORIGINAL
Miller, who previously served four years as the U.S. Army Installation Management Command’s ACS chief of enterprise, returned home to Vicenza in 2017 and immediately saw the need for survivor outreach services.
“We conduct survivor activities throughout the year, but the SOS Holiday Greeting is our marquee event,” said Miller. “We always want to provide a meaningful token of our appreciation to survivor families.”
This year’s ceremony carried added significance as SETAF AF marks its 70th birthday.
Since its activation in 1955, the command has played a pivotal role in U.S. Army operations across Europe and Africa, building partnerships, responding to crises and supporting multinational missions. The milestone has prompted reflection on SETAF AF’s legacy of service and sacrifice, a theme echoed throughout the SOS event.
“As we celebrate 70 years of SETAF AF, we recognize that our history is written not only in missions accomplished, but in the lives of those who served,” Gainey said. “The courage of our fallen Soldiers and the strength of their families remind us why we serve and why we must continue to honor them.”
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U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Andrew C. Gainey, commanding general of U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), speaks to community members at the Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 11, 2025. The Holiday Greeting event was established to provide enduring support while honoring surviving Vicenza Military Community families of service members who gave their lives in the line of duty. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
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Surviving family members pay tribute to U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Chandler at his memorial plaque on the grounds of Caserma Del Din, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 12, 2025. Chandler’s mother, Maria, left, was joined by her son and Michael’s older brother, Jim, as well as Jim’s wife, Christina, in remembrance of the Nov. 7, 1990 helicopter crash which also took the lives of Chief Warrant Officer 2 James R. Harbeson and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Manuel Gomez. The family came together as part of a Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle the previous day. Chandler was also survived by his wife and daughter, who was only 18 months old at the time of the accident. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
(Photo Credit: Maj. Joe Legros)VIEW ORIGINAL
The ceremony included moments of silence, as well as a toast to lost loved ones who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation. Surviving family members were treated to a light dinner and dinks, while receiving personal greetings from the SETAF-AF and USAG-I command teams.
U.S. Army Col. Vaughn D. Strong and Command Sgt. Maj. Ricardo Moreno, the garrison commander and senior enlisted leader, respectively, of USAG-I, shared that for many families, the SOS Holiday Greeting program has become a cherished tradition.
“It provides reassurance that their loved ones’ service is remembered not just in official records, but in the hearts and minds of those who continue to wear the uniform,” said Strong.
As SETAF AF looks ahead to its next chapter, the command remains committed to strengthening partner-led security abroad while sustaining its promise to families at home. The SOS Holiday Greeting program stands as a testament to that promise, serving as a reminder that service and sacrifice are honored across generations.
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A poinsettia sits in preparation for the start of the Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 11, 2025. U.S. Army Garrison Italy’s Army Community Services has hosted the event since 2017. The Holiday Greeting event was established to provide enduring support while honoring surviving Vicenza Military Community families of service members who gave their lives in the line of duty. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
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Maria Chandler, middle, mother of fallen service member Sgt. Michael Chandler, poses for a photo with her son Jim Chandler and his wife Christine at the Survivor Outreach Services Holiday Greeting program on Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy, Dec. 11, 2025. The Holiday Greeting event was established to provide enduring support while honoring surviving Vicenza Military Community families of service members who gave their lives in the line of duty. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Joe Legros)
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In closing the event, Gainey emphasized that remembrance is not confined to anniversaries or ceremonies.
“Every day we carry forward the values for which your loved ones stood,” he said. “Their spirit lives in our mission, our Soldiers and our community.”
Through programs like SOS Holiday Greeting, SETAF AF continues to uphold its legacy of service while ensuring that surviving families remain forever woven into the fabric of the Army story.
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