PUBLISHED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY www.ausa.org June 29, 2023 | AUSA Extra 1 AUSA marks million-member milestone T he Association of the U.S. Army proudly announces it has reached its goal of having 1 million members after a dramatic surge in the past year. The growth results from an initia- tive to provide basic, no-cost member- ships to attract younger participants and a concentrated effort to identify like-minded organizations that share AUSA’s support for a strong national defense and Army. “I am so excited to announce that AUSA now has 1 million members who can further amplify the asso- ciation’s voice and efforts to support America’s Army,” said retired Gen. Bob Brown, AUSA’s president and CEO. Founded in 1950, AUSA exists to strengthen the bond between soldiers and the American people, promote the military profession and enhance ties with industry, Brown said. “This has always been a worthy mission,” he said. “It is even more important today as America faces new and ex- panding threats and an increasing disconnect between service members and the citizens they serve, all while the Army works to transform for the future.” Under Brown’s leadership, the Ar- my’s premier nonprofit educational and professional association focuses on efforts to educate, inform and con- nect the Army, its soldiers and fami- lies, the defense industry, military communities and the public. “We recognize that there is power in numbers,” said retired Brig. Gen. Jack Haley, vice president of Mem- bership and Meetings at AUSA. “With a larger membership, we are able to speak with a stronger voice on behalf of our members and America’s Army.” AUSA has been working to increase its membership for the past year, adding more than 750,000 members in the past 12 months. To mark the milestone, AUSA celebrated the new members during an event Monday at its headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, that was held in conjunc- tion with the summer meeting of its Board of Directors, the association’s governing body. Haley also applauded the efforts of AUSA’s chapter volunteers around the world, “without whom this push to rapidly grow membership would not have been possible.” Retired Gen. Bob Brown, AUSA president and CEO, speaks during an event at AUSA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, celebrating the association’s 1 million members. (AUSA PHOTO) Partnerships Key in European Theater 3 Former AUSA VP Dies at 82 4 Book Program The German Army in WWII 6 Chapter Highlights Eagle Chapters 7 IN THIS ISSUE VOLUME 5 NUMBER 9 JUNE 29, 2023www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY June 29, 2023 | AUSA Extra 3 McConville: US, European allies are ‘stronger together’ A s the war in Ukraine grinds on and emerging global threats persist, strong relationships with European allies and partners are more important now than ever, two senior U.S. Army leaders said at a summit of U.S. and European land force leaders. “One of the biggest takeaways that I had was that they all understand that a regional conflict has global implications,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said June 23 at the conclusion of the 30th annual Conference of European Armies held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Ger- many. “That’s why it’s important that we stand together,” McConville said in a call with U.S. media. “We’re stronger together, and we all share the inter- ests of having peace, security and freedom in Europe and, quite frank- ly, across the globe. All these friends, partners and allies share the same values and share the same interests.” McConville, who was joined on the call by Gen. Darryl Williams, com- mander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, said 12 new countries partici- pated in this year’s conference. The event provided a forum for a robust conversation with the chiefs of Eu- rope’s land forces about the war in Ukraine, training and sustaining a future combat force, integration and modernization. Noting the U.S. Army’s largest transformation effort in more than 40 years, McConville said, “they cer- tainly want to participate in that and this concept of convergence, about how we tie together our sensors and shooters and work together to get the effects we need on the battlefield.” Most of the European land force leaders, he said, are “very interested in ensuring that we can do command and control operations together, and that we can pass data” effectively in theater, McConville said. Gen. James Rainey, commander of Army Futures Command, who was Soldiers assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division participate in Exercise Griffin Shock 23 at Bemowo Piskie, Poland. (ARMY NATIONAL GUARD/STAFF SGT. AGUSTÍN MONTAÑEZ) part of the U.S. delegation, provided allies and partners with updates on the Army’s modernization efforts and held discussions on what could come into play in a multidomain conflict. Williams, who took command of Army Europe and Africa in June 2022, said that training Ukrainian soldiers on U.S. weapons systems, such as the Patriot missile system and Abrams tanks, continues, and that the soldiers are learning fast. “The Ukrainians remain strong, they remain vigilant, they remain resilient in their way ahead,” Wil- liams said. The June 21–23 conference provid- ed a chance for candid conversations in search of “common challenges, and, more importantly, common op- portunities, which is very important now more than ever” against the backdrop of activities within NATO and Europe, Williams said. In addition to the U.S., attend- ees included the actual or acting 33 chiefs of staff or land force com- manders from Albania, Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croa- tia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portu- gal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. There also were representatives from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegov- ina, Georgia, Ireland, Moldova and NATO. Gen. Darryl Williams, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, speaks June 20 during a change-of-command cer- emony at Tower Barracks, Grafenwoehr, Germany. (U.S. ARMY/MARKUS RAUCHENBERGER)www.ausa.org4 AUSA Extra | June 29, 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 Longtime AUSA vice president retired Lt. Gen. Thomas Rhame dies Homes for Heroes offers AUSA members exclusive access to a nationwide network of real estate and mortgage specialists com- mitted to providing real savings. Members save an average of $3,000 when you buy or sell a home with Homes for Heroes. Visit www.homesforheroes.com/ausa for more. R etired Lt. Gen. Thomas Rhame, a longtime vice presi- dent of Finance and Adminis- tration at the Association of the U.S. Army, died Tuesday. He was 82. Rhame, who retired from the Army in 1997, served as AUSA’s vice presi- dent from 1998 until 2014. Born in Winnfield, Louisiana, Rhame grew up in an Air Force fam- ily, but his father, like many veterans of the time, rarely spoke about his ex- ploits in World War II. When Rhame attended Louisiana State University, he enrolled in ROTC, selecting the Army rather than the Air Force as his branch of service. Rhame graduated in 1963 and was commissioned as an infantry second lieutenant. An accounting major, he planned to serve a few years in the Army before entering the world of fi- nance, partly because he married his high school sweetheart, Linda, while in college. “Neither of us saw the Army as a long-term commitment,” Rhame said in a Library of Congress recording done as part of the Veterans History Project. He deployed twice to Vietnam, as a company commander with the 1st Cavalry Division in 1967 and as a district senior adviser with the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Viet- nam, in 1971. During Operation Desert Storm, Rhame commanded the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. Un- der his leadership, the “Big Red One” successfully conducted the initial at- tack to penetrate Iraqi defensive po- sitions, facilitated the rapid passage of lines for the 1st British Armored Division and launched a night attack against elements of the Iraqi Repub- lican Guard. Rhame recalled that he had ex- pected a tough battle, but “it lasted about an hour. … The breach was very successful.” “Quite frankly, I knew we were go- ing to do well. I didn’t know we were going to do well that fast,” he said in the Library of Congress recording. Additionally, units under Rhame’s command conducted a rapid exploita- tion and attack into Kuwait to cut off Iraqi units attempting to escape from there. During a visit to Fort Riley in 2021, Rhame emphasized the signifi- cance of the 1st Infantry Division in the Gulf War. “Everyone in this division, every- one on this post, everyone in this community knew the vital impor- tance of what we were doing,” he said, according to the Army. Rhame’s final assignment in uni- form was director of the Defense Security Assistance Agency in Washington, D.C. His awards and decorations include the Defense Dis- tinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Distinguished Ser- vice Medal with two oak leaf clus- ters, the Silver Star with oak leaf cluster, the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star with “V” device and two oak leaf clusters. Retired Lt. Gen. Thomas Rhame. (AUSA PHOTO)Tune-in at: WWW.AUSA.ORG/PODCAST Interested in advertising on Army Matters? Contact Fox Associates at adinfo.ausaarmy@ foxrep.com or 800.440.0231. AUSA’s Army Matters podcast amplifies the voices of the Total Army – one story at a time. Tune in every other Wednesday for a new story that speaks to our listeners’ wide range of interests and lived experiences with episodes covering: inspirational leadership stories, current issues for NCOs, our military families’ journeys, and in-depth looks into the Army’s past, present, and future.www.ausa.org6 AUSA Extra | June 29, 2023 ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY Book series explores German army perspective in WWII “T he soldier, above all others, should be familiar with history.” When Secretary of War Elihu Root, father of the Army War College, wrote that in 1901, he reflected a universal truth: We must study past warfare to prepare for future conflict. Today, the U.S. and its NATO al- lies are concerned about large-scale combat operations in Europe, due in no small part to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The world has not seen war- fare on that scale since World War II. The aftermath of that massive con- flagration saw the publication of the Wehrmacht im Kampf series, a collec- tion of books that provides the Ger- man army’s per- spective of World War II operations throughout Europe and North Africa. The Association of the U.S. Army’s Book Program is now partnering with Casemate Publishers to release the first English-language versions of these titles. The series editor is Matthias Strohn, a senior associate fellow and head of the Historical Analysis Pro- gramme at the Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research, an independent think tank for the Brit- ish Army, and a member of the War Studies department at the Royal Mili- tary Academy Sandhurst. He is also a lieutenant colonel in the German army and serves as a member of the military attaché reserve. The AUSA Book Program sat down with Strohn to discuss the Wehrmacht im Kampf series and its most recent publication, Rome to the Po River: The 362nd Infantry Division, 1944–45. ****** AUSA: When was the original Weh- rmacht im Kampf series published? Who were the authors? Strohn: The original series was published in the 1950s and ’60s. The books were written by a number of au- thors, predominately former German military officers who had fought in the Second World War. AUSA: What was the purpose of the series? Strohn: The purpose of the series was to present the German view of the Second World War and to provide in-depth analysis of the engagements and battles, often with the unspoken aim of providing intellectual input for NATO and its operational and tacti- cal planning during the Cold War. AUSA: How did you become the series editor for the new English-lan- guage version? Strohn: I had published books with Casemate before, so the publishing house approached me and asked if I wanted to be involved—being a Ger- man speaker might have helped. AUSA: What inspired your interest in military history? Strohn: I have always been fasci- nated by military history. As a child I read all the military history books in my father’s library, and I listened to the war stories of my grandparents. I was hooked. AUSA: What is one thing you would like readers to know about the latest title in the series, From Rome to the Po River? Strohn: This is a divisional histo- ry, following the 362nd Infantry Di- vision through the Italian campaign. The book contains a number of highly interesting tactical case studies that are worth studying even today. ****** To order a copy of Rome to the Po River or any of the other titles in the Wehrmacht im Kampf series, visit www.ausa.org/books. Joseph Craig is AUSA’s Book Program director. Book Program Soldiers with the 3rd Infantry Division enter the war-damaged city of Cori during the allied invasion of Italy in June 1944. (COMMONS PHOTO)www.ausa.org ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY June 29, 2023 | AUSA Extra 7 Eagle Chapters The following chapters attained Eagle status for May by showing positive membership growth. The number of consecutive months of growth since July 1, 2022, is shown in parentheses. Magnolia (11) North Texas (11) Allegheny-Blue Ridge (10) Arkansas (10) Fort Jackson-Palmetto State (10) Houston Metroplex (10) Korea (10) Major Samuel Woodfill (10) Suncoast (10) Texas Capital Area (10) Western New York (10) Col Edward Cross (9) Denver Centennial (9) Emerald Coast-Big Bend-So. Georgia (9) Florida Gulf Stream (9) Gem State (9) GEN Creighton W. Abrams (9) George Washington (9) Las Vegas-John C. Fremont (9) Milwaukee (9) Arizona Territorial (8) Braxton Bragg (8) Central Ohio (8) Columbia River (8) CSM James M. MacDonald-Keystone (8) Fort Leonard Wood-Mid Missouri (8) Fort Rucker-Wiregrass (8) Greater Los Angeles (8) Greater Philadelphia (Penn and Franklin) (8) Henry Leavenworth (8) Mediterranean (8) National Training Center-High Desert (8) Newton D. Baker (8) Northern New York-Fort Drum (8) Puerto Rico (8) SGM Jon R. Cavaiani (8) Sunshine (8) Utah (8) Virginia Colonial (8) Arsenal of Democracy (7) Capital District of New York (7) Chattahoochee Valley-Fort Ben- ning (7) First In Battle (7) Fort Pitt (7) Greater Augusta-Fort Gordon (7) Greater New York-Statue of Liberty (7) Last Frontier (7) MG Harry Greene, Aberdeen (7) New Orleans (7) Northern New Jersey (7) Picatinny Arsenal-Middle Forge (7) San Francisco (7) Space Coast (7) Thunderbird (7) Alamo (6) Central California (6) Dix (6) Ethan Allen (6) Fairfax-Lee (6) Fort Campbell (6) Francis Scott Key (6) Greater Atlanta (6) Hawaii (6) Hellenic (6) Japan (6) MG John S. Lekson (6) Minutemen (6) PFC William Kenzo Nakamura (6) Redstone-Huntsville (6) Tobyhanna Army Depot (6) Tri-State (6) Catoctin (5) Fort Knox (5) Fort Sheridan-Chicago (5) Ft Lee & Southern Virginia (5) Greater Kansas City (5) Isthmian (5) Marne (5) Massachusetts Bay (5) Benelux (4) Captain Meriwether Lewis (4) Joshua Chamberlain (4) Pikes Peak (4) San Diego (4) St. Louis Gateway (4) Cowboy (3) GEN John W. Vessey, Jr (3) Silicon Valley (3) UAE (3) West Point Area (2)Next >