PUBLISHED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY www.ausa.org June 22, 2023 | AUSA Extra 1 Army rebuilds recruiting momentum W hile the Army will fall short of its recruiting goal again this year, leaders are encouraged by the success of several new recruiting initiatives and im- provements made within the recruit- ing force. Several programs and incentives have built some positive momentum in the service’s all-out effort to boost recruiting, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said, but the recruiting chal- lenge continues to be “the only real significant dark cloud on the Army’s horizon.” The Army missed its goal of re- cruiting 60,000 new soldiers last year by about 15,000, citing a tough recruiting environment brought on by, among other things, the COV- ID-19 pandemic, which kept recruit- ers from vital in-person meetings with high schoolers and their influ- encers for almost two years. Education came to a standstill, too, and the obesity, substance abuse and behavioral issues that had disquali- fied many young people from service before the pandemic only intensified. The number of young people willing to serve also dropped to record low levels, leaders said. Despite the challenge, the recruit- ing goal for the current fiscal year was raised to 65,000, an ambitious mark that “I don’t think we’re going to meet,” Wormuth said June 13 dur- ing a discussion with reporters. She declined to predict what this year’s shortfall will be, but said things look brighter now than they did at the same time last year and may improve even more over the sum- mer when recruiting tends to surge. “On the positive side, we are doing better now in June of 2023 than we did in June of 2022,” she said, plac- ing much of the credit for the im- proved outlook on the success of the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, a program that gives low-scoring en- listees a chance to improve their eli- gibility to attend basic training with academic and fitness courses. In addition to other recruiting ini- tiatives such as bonuses and incen- tives, the Army also overhauled its branding and marketing strategy, bringing back the popular “Be All You Can Be” slogan used by the ser- vice for two decades. Wormuth also touted the work of Army Recruiting Command and its top officer, Maj. Gen. Johnny Davis, who has overseen a reworking of how Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, right, greets new Army recruits during a Twilight Tattoo event June 14 at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia. (U.S. ARMY/SGT. DAVID RESNICK) Army Unveils M10 Booker Combat Vehicle 3 New Tape Test Helps Measure Soldier Fitness 4 Family Readiness Partnering in Support 6 Chapter Highlights Allegheny-Blue Ridge Central Texas 7 IN THIS ISSUE VOLUME 5 NUMBER 8 JUNE 22, 2023 See Recruiting, Page 3www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY June 22, 2023 | AUSA Extra 3 Recruiting From Page 1 New Army combat vehicle named for WWII, Iraq heroes T he Army has named its new Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle the M10 Booker Com- bat Vehicle in honor of two soldiers who died in combat decades apart. Announced June 10 at the National Museum of the United States Army during a celebration of the Army’s 248th birthday, the M10 Booker is named for Pvt. Robert Booker, an infantryman who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for ac- tions during World War II, and Staff Sgt. Stevon Booker, an armor soldier who was killed in Iraq in 2003 and posthumously awarded the Distin- guished Service Cross. Pvt. Robert Booker, of Callaway, Nebraska, was assigned to the 133rd Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Di- vision. On April 9, 1943, the 22-year- old Pvt. Booker braved enemy fire to cross an open field near Fondouk, Tu- nisia, carrying a machine gun and a box of ammunition, according to his Medal of Honor citation. Though he was wounded by gun- fire, he continued firing his weapon and destroyed an enemy machine gun. Turning to a second enemy machine gun, Pvt. Booker was shot again, this time fatally. Before he died, he continued to encourage his squad and help direct their fire, his citation reads. Staff Sgt. Stevon Booker, a native Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston, left, unveils the M10 Booker Combat Vehicle June 10 during an Army birthday festival at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. (AUSA PHOTO) LaSherryn Duncan has been with AUSA for four years. She is pursu- ing a master’s degree as a clinical therapist and school counselor at George Mason University in Virgin- ia. In her spare time, LaSherryn en- joys traveling abroad and running, and she is currently training to run a marathon in Hawaii. Meet the AUSA headquarters staff LaSherryn Duncan Senior Program Specialist and Senior Producer, Army Matters recruiters are trained. She explained that some recruiters who were “not producing the way that we’d like them to,” are receiving ex- tra training and being held account- able, which she thinks is “starting to pay off” with increased productivity. “The increase in recruiter pro- ductivity ... is a very good sign, so I think we will enter [the] year in a statistically significantly better way than we did last year, even if we don’t make 65,000,” Wormuth said. of Apollo, Pennsylvania, was a tank commander with Company A, 1st Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd In- fantry Division, on April 5, 2003, when his platoon came under heavy small-arms and rocket-propelled gre- nade fire on a highway toward Bagh- dad International Airport in Iraq. Staff Sgt. Booker, 34, alerted his command and encouraged his crew, returning fire with his tank-mounted machine gun. When both his and his crew’s machine guns malfunctioned, Staff Sgt. Booker got into a prone position on top of the tank’s turret and began firing on the enemy using his personal weapon, according to his award citation. Still exposed to enemy fire, Staff Sgt. Booker saw an enemy troop car- rier trying to bypass his tank and destroyed it before enemy troops could dismount. He continued to en- gage the enemy until he was mortally wounded, the citation says. The M10 Booker is one of the Ar- my’s first major combat vehicles pro- duced since the 1980s. The design includes a 105 mm main gun, armor, smoke grenade launchers, blowoff panels and automatic fire suppres- sion, intended to enhance surviv- ability against direct and indirect fire, rocket-propelled grenades and underbody threats. www.ausa.org4 AUSA Extra | June 22, 2023 Gen. Bob Brown, USA Ret. President and CEO, AUSA Lt. Gen. Leslie Smith, USA Ret. 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Voice for the Army – Support For the Soldier PERK OF THE WEEK ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Revamped tape test aims to better measure soldier health and fitness Getting active just got easier with your AUSA membership. Access more than 17,200 fitness centers and studios, 8,100 on-demand workout vid- eos, home fitness kits, free daily workouts, lifestyle coaching and more for just $28 per month. Go to Golds Gym today, LA Fitness tomorrow and 24 Hour Fitness the next day by visiting www.ausa.org/gym. T he Army is changing its tape test as the service refines how it measures soldiers’ body fat and fitness, the service announced June 12. “For years, we have been commit- ted to reducing body fat across the force,” Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston said in an Army news re- lease. “It’s one of the driving factors in supporting the Holistic Health and Fitness program, as well as one of the reasons to request a study on the Army Body Composition Program.” The new tape test will require tape testing for all soldiers, who will be measured around the waist, accord- ing to the Army directive. Previously, the Army for decades has determined soldiers’ body fat by measuring a man’s neck and abdomen or a woman’s neck, waist and hips. Active-duty soldiers will be taped twice a year, and reservists will be taped once a year. The changes “will yield more consistent and accurate estimates of soldiers’ body fat and fit- ness,” according to the news release. These revisions come after a body composition study from the Army Re- search Institute of Environmental Medicine and the Army’s Center for Initial Military Training. Data col- A soldier receives a standard tape test at Fort Bragg, now Fort Liberty, North Carolina, as part of the Army’s comprehensive body composition study. (U.S. ARMY/PFC. LILLIANA FRASER) lected during 2021 and 2022 revealed that soldiers with lower body fat and better overall health fare better on the Army Combat Fitness Test than soldiers with a higher body fat per- centage, who are more prone to mus- culoskeletal injuries. Though the revamped tape test will begin immediately, soldiers can use the previous tape test method for the next year, according to the directive. The directive also offers soldiers the opportunity to use another body fat assessment if they fail the tape test. “Soldiers who fail the circumfer- ence-based tape methods will be flagged, but they may request a sup- plemental body fat assessment if the means for such testing is reasonably available,” according to the release. The new policy ensures that sol- diers’ fitness is evaluated more ho- listically. “The Army wants to en- sure it accounts for the whole soldier concept,” said Maj. Serena Staples, health promotion policy officer for the Army Resilience Directorate. “The new policy is intended to give soldiers a more accurate assessment of their health and fitness and to increase their knowledge of available health resources.” Read the directive here.From left to right, Karen Raines, spouse of Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. John Raines; Hollyanne Milley, spouse of Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley; Holly Dailey, AUSA’s Family Readiness director; and Maria McConville, spouse of Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, attend the annual Tribute to Military Families event hosted by United Through Reading. (UNITED THROUGH READING PHOTO) www.ausa.org6 AUSA Extra | June 22, 2023 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY AUSA supports programs that assist military families Chief Warrant Officer 3 William Norton of the Army National Guard and his wife, Alicia, use the United Through Reading app to stay connected with their children when mili- tary service requires time apart. (UNITED THROUGH READING PHOTO) I n May, the Association of the U.S. Army’s Family Readiness direc- torate continued its efforts on behalf of military families through partnerships with United Through Reading and Hiring Our Heroes. When I was a young Army spouse, my family received the positive ef- fects of reading, learning and bond- ing when my husband recorded books for our son through United Through Reading, a nonprofit organization that has connected 3 million mili- tary family members through read- ing since 1989. This made reintegration much smoother when my soldier returned home and our son recognized his voice. Over the years and during several more de- ployments, this be- came a tradition in the Dailey house- hold, and our son developed a passion for reading. During my time with AUSA, I have continued to see the impact United Through Reading makes by connect- ing military families when they are physically separated. AUSA’s Fam- ily Readiness team hosted United Through Reading representatives on podcasts in 2021 and 2022 as part of Family Readiness AUSA’s “Army Matters” series. One of our goals is to educate, in- form and connect our military fami- lies to programs and resources such as United Through Reading. So, I was very happy to attend United Through Reading’s annual Tribute to Military Families on May 10 to celebrate our service members and their families. At the event, United Through Reading launched its latest initia- tive, Operation Storytime, with the goal of reaching “the next million military family members” through shared story time. The following day, the Family Readiness team represented AUSA at the seventh annual Military Spouse Employment Summit hosted by Hiring Our Heroes, where com- munity support and opportunities for military spouses were recognized and highlighted. Hiring Our Heroes was launched in March 2011 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and contin- ues to connect the military commu- nity with meaningful employment opportunities. Since spouse employ- ment is one of our priorities at AUSA, we are thrilled to have partners like Hiring Our Heroes. Holly Dailey is AUSA’s Family Readiness director.www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY June 22, 2023 | AUSA Extra 7 Graduating high school seniors, adult college students and soldiers furthering their education receive $42,500 in scholarships from AUSA’s Central Texas chapter during a June event at Central Texas College in Killeen. (AUSA PHOTO) Local celebration honors service of soldiers, veterans S oldiers from the past, present and future were honored June 11 during a celebration of the Army birthday hosted by the Asso- ciation of the U.S. Army’s Allegheny- Blue Ridge chapter at the Vinton War Memorial in Virginia. “Currently, less than 1% of the adults in the United States serve in the military, and only about 6% in the United States have ever served. We owe so much to [them],” said retired Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, the event’s keynote speaker. Wins, who serves as superinten- dent of the Virginia Military Insti- tute, said the state has played a large role in Army history. “Virginia pro- vided two of the first six companies of soldiers on June 14, 1775, the volun- teers swore their oath of enlistment, very similar to what some of you will do here today,” he said, as reported by the Roanoke Times. Institutions such as VMI and ROTC programs at Virginia Tech and other universities continue to provide support for the Army 248 years later, Wins said. “Because of the selfless service of those in our military, we have the opportunity to take full ad- vantage of the rights and privileges of Allegheny- Blue Ridge AUSA chapter awards more than $42K in scholarships T he Association of the U.S. Army’s Central Texas chap- ter awarded $42,500 in schol- arships to graduating high school seniors, adult college students and soldiers furthering their education during a June event at Central Texas College in Killeen. Volunteers from the chapter hosted two major fundraisers for the schol- arship program, including a car show in September and a barbecue cook-off in November. Indi- viduals and local businesses also do- nated to the program, which awards scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 in value. “Thank you to all of our donors, supporters, and volunteers for mak- ing this event a huge success,” the chapter said in a Facebook post. Central Texas being Americans,” he said, according to the Roanoke Times. Cooper Purl, a recent graduate of Salem High School, was sworn in at the event by Wins. Purl will serve as a combat medic after undergoing ini- tial military training. Cooper Purl, left, is sworn into the Army by retired Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins during an event hosted by AUSA’s Allegheny-Blue Ridge chapter. (THE ROANOKE TIMES/SAM WALL)Next >