Major Stephen C. Reich was born on May 22, 1971.
He was an elite collegiate baseball player. He went on to graduate from West Point in 1993, earned his wings as both a UH-60 Blackhawk and CH-47 Chinook pilot, and eventually earned his place inside one of the most secretive and demanding aviation units in the entire U.S. military.
He was a Night Stalker, a pilot of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). The unit whose motto is "Night Stalkers Don't Quit." These are the aviators who fly elite special operations forces into and out of the most hostile environments on earth — blacked out, at low altitude, at night, in conditions no conventional pilot would attempt. Major Reich served as a company commander within this regiment responsible not just for flying those missions, but for leading the men who flew them.
On June 28, 2005, a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team was under intense fire in the mountains of Kunar Province, Afghanistan, the opening crisis of what became known as Operation Red Wings. Major Reich commanded an MH-47 Chinook helicopter dispatched as part of the Quick Reaction Force to reach them. Flying into those mountains, under fire, at night was the mission. That was the call he answered without hesitation.
The aircraft was struck by an enemy rocket-propelled grenade. All 16 service members on board, eight Night Stalkers and eight Navy SEALS were lost. It remains one of the most devastating losses of the entire Afghanistan conflict. Major Reich was 34 years old.
He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Air Medal with Valor Device among several other decorations across his decorated career.
Lone Survivor tells the story of the men on the ground. But on June 28, 2005, sixteen men boarded a helicopter and flew directly toward the danger — not away from it. Major Stephen C. Reich was the man who commanded that aircraft. He did not turn back. He never considered it.
West Point graduate. Night Stalker. Company commander. A man who flew into the dark so others could survive.
#Military #WestPoint
#LoneSurvivor 🕊️ #RIP
Yes sir.
The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.
Okinawa, April 1945.
Corporal Harold N. Flagg of Fairfield, Maine, sits beside "Boy", a Doberman Pinscher serving as a United States Marine Corps war dog. Together they display a captured Japanese flag, during one of the final and bloodiest campaigns of the Pacific War.
Boy had spotted an ambush while on patrol and was wounded in the leg during the action. War dogs were definetly not mascots, they worked alongside Marines on patrols, detecting enemy positions and warning of danger.
Flagg survived the war and lived until 1992.
Today, we lost one of the Greatest Generation.
WWII Veteran Dennis Boldt has passed away.
Dennis served as a 90mm anti-aircraft gunner with General Patton's Third Army during World War II. He stood in defense of freedom during one of history's darkest moments and carried that legacy with humility for the rest of his life.
Rest easy, Dennis!! Your service, sacrifice, and example will never be forgotten.
In April 2008, Chad began a rigorous selection and training course with Naval Special Warfare Development Group in Dam Neck, VA. Upon graduation in September 2008, he joined Tactical Development and Evaluation Squadron 2. During the next 10 years, he was an Assault Team Member, a Troop Leading Chief Petty Officer, a Reconnaissance Assistant Team Leader, an Assault Team Leader, and Leading Chief Petty Officer.
While attached to a Joint Task Force from the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Chad completed 8 combat deployments and multiple overseas contingency operations in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
Senior Chief Chad Wilkinson was a highly decorated combat veteran with numerous valorous awards to include the Silver Star with Extraordinary Heroism, Bronze Star with Combat Valor, and 3 Joint Commendation Medals with Combat Valor, each for distinct heroic actions during combat operations worldwide.
Additionally, he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, 3 Joint Service Commendation Medals, Navy and Martine Corps Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, 3 Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, 2 Combat Action Ribbons, 3 Presidential Unit Citations, 2 Joint Meritorious Unit Awards, 3 Afghanistan Campaign Medals, 2 Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medals, and a Global War on Terrorism Medal. He participated in numerous highly classified operations in the Global War on Terrorism, including hostage rescue operations.
Captain Bernadette Miller didn't just serve in Vietnam she walked straight into hell to save our boys.
In 1970, this young Army nurse landed in a combat zone and was thrown into the 8th Field Hospital at An Khe. Her very first night, rockets exploded around them. While chaos erupted, she helped carry wounded soldiers to bunkers, then went right back to work.
For the next year she served as a post-op nurse in the middle of the fighting. She held the hands of young men with horrific wounds, amputations, and burns. She whispered comfort as some took their last breath. She gave them hope when the world around them was exploding.
She came home a Captain with an Army Commendation Medal but her real medal was the lives she touched and the soldiers she refused to let die alone.
Today we honor Captain Bernadette Agnes Payla Miller a true Vietnam hero who showed what courage and compassion look like under fire.
Thank you, Captain Miller. Your service will never be forgotten. 🫡
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Kinessa Johnson is a US army veteran who currently works as an anti-poaching advisor in East Africa. Johnson served in the US army in Afghanistan for 4 years as a weapons instructor and mechanic. She retired from the Army and in November 2014 joined VETPAW, a non-profit organisation which trains conservation rangers in protecting wildlife from poachers.
Johnson has described her role as purely instructional and that the goal of her work is not to harm anyone but to assist rangers in being able to prevent poaching. She trains rangers in marksmanship, field medicine, and counter-intelligence. She currently works in Tanzania near Arusha, where 187 rangers were killed in 2014 trying to protect rhinos and elephants.
In addition to her training work, Johnson works to educate local populations on the importance of preserving endangered species and natural resources. She has a large social media presence on Facebook and Instagram which she uses to promote animal rights awareness.
#Military
#femalesoldiers #womeninwar
Proud to welcome back another brave soldier who was involuntarily separated in June 2022 for his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine, Hunter Wade.
After @POTUS signed EO 14184, Specialist Wade visited a @USArmy recruiting office to pursue reinstatement. Under the leadership of @SecWar & @SecArmy, he was officially reinstated in March 2026, with full relief including backpay, duty station preference, entitlements, benefits, and constructive service credit, and had the opportunity to fulfill a career-long goal, earning his air assault wings.
Said SPC Wade, “If you have the grit, no matter how hard things get – if you keep going – you can accomplish your goals.”
Thank you for your perseverance, SPC Wade, and well done on earning those wings!
Lt. Amber Zufelt, a native of Bloomfield, New Mexico, assigned to the Wasp-class multi purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), traveled to White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, March 19-21 to honor the fallen heroes of the Bataan Death March.
Zufelt graduated from Bloomfield High School in 2004 and American Military University in 2018. She joined the Navy 21 years ago and is currently serving as the operations officer aboard Bataan in Norfolk, Virginia.
Sgt. Luis R. Pinto, left, from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, breaks down at a memorial service for his friend, Spc. Joel Bertoldie at the US army base in Habbaniya, Iraq, 2003. On the right is Spc. Jeremy Brannon of Mobile, Alabama. Bertoldie was kill*d when a bomb was detonated beneath his vehicle in Fallujah.
Retired Navy SEAL Senior Chief Petty Officer Justin Sheffield - As a SEAL, and eventually a member of SEAL Team Six, Sheffield completed hundreds of combat operations and enemy engagements in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia. He is a recipient of the Silver Star, six Bronze Stars with Valor for actions in combat, a Purple Heart, and a host of other medals and commendations.
In 2014, Sheffield was medically retired as a Senior Chief Petty Officer and Warfare Operator of the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group. 🇺🇸
“My brother Donald “Matthew” Strasser passed away 9/13/2019, he was 1 of 22 that day. Serving from 2009-2013 doing two combat deployments to Afghanistan as a combat engineer.” -Tyler Lee
#Military#Suicide#RIP
There are many things to be afraid of on the battlefield.
This team is two of them.
Green Berets and K-9s from the 5th SFG. The perfect fusion of human intellect and animal instinct.
Seven years ago Spc. Joseph P. Collette took his last breath, defending our freedom.
Spc. Joseph P. Collette, 29, of Lancaster, Ohio, was assigned to the 242nd Ordnance Battalion, 71st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group out of Fort Carson, Colo. Spc. Collette died in Kunduz province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained while engaged in combat operations.
Spc. Joseph Collette joined the Army in 2010. His awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Badge and the Senior Explosive Ordnance Disposal
In August 2022, General Michael E. Langley became the first Black four-star general in the 246-year history of the U.S. Marine Corps. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Langley grew up on military bases as the son of a retired Air Force Master Sergeant. He was commissioned as an artillery officer in 1985 after graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Over 37 years, Langley commanded at every level from platoon leader to regimental commander. He holds advanced degrees from the Naval War College and Army War College. At his ceremony, he honored the Montford Point Marines the first Black Americans to serve in the Corps after a 1941 executive order forced the Marines to end their ban on recruiting Black Americans.
Langley went on to lead U.S. Africa Command, overseeing 6,000 troops, before retiring in 2025.