Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Named in honor of LTC William Bliss (1815–1853), a mathematics professor who was the son-in-law of President Zachary Taylor, Ft. Bliss has an area of about 1,700 square miles (4,400 km2); it is the largest installation in FORSCOM and second-largest in the Army overall. The portion of the post located in El Paso County, Texas, is a census-designated place with a population of 8,591 as of the time of the 2010 census. Fort Bliss provides the largest contiguous tract of restricted airspace in the Continental United States, used for missile and artillery training and testing, and at 992,000 acres boasts the largest maneuver area. The garrison's land area is accounted at 1.12 million acres, ranging to the boundaries of the Lincoln National Forest and White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Fort Bliss also includes the Castner Range National Monument.
A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors.
The 98th Infantry Division ("Iroquois") was a unit of the United States Army in the closing months of World War I and during World War II. The unit is now one of the U.S. Army Reserve's training divisions, officially known as the 98th Training Division. Its primary mission is to conduct Initial Entry Training (IET) for new soldiers. It is one of three training divisions subordinate to the 108th Training Command (IET) and handles command and control of units throughout the eastern United States and in Puerto Rico.
Kenneth O. Preston is a retired United States Army soldier who served as the Sergeant Major of the Army. He was sworn in as the 13th Sergeant Major of the Army on January 15, 2004. Preston served 7 years and 2 months as Sergeant Major of the Army making him the longest serving Sergeant Major of the Army to date.
Lieutenant General Guy Carleton Swan III is a retired United States Army officer. His final assignment was Commanding General United States Army North at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
The United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) is the largest United States Army command. It provides expeditionary, regionally engaged, campaign-capable land forces to combatant commanders. Headquartered at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, FORSCOM consists of more than 750,000 active Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and Army National Guard soldiers. FORSCOM was created on 1 July 1973 from the former Continental Army Command (CONARC), who in turn supplanted Army Field Forces and Army Ground Forces.
David W. Sommers is a retired United States Marine who served as the 11th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps from 1987 to 1991.
The United States Army Regimental System (USARS) is an organizational and classification system used by the United States Army. It was established in 1981 to replace the Combat Arms Regimental System (CARS) to provide each soldier with continuous identification with a single regiment, and to increase a soldier's probability of serving recurring assignments with their regiment. The USARS was intended to enhance combat effectiveness by providing the opportunity for a regimental affiliation, thus obtaining some of the benefits of the traditional regimental system.
Dennis Joe Reimer is a retired general of the United States Army, who served as the 33rd Chief of Staff of the Army from June 20, 1995, to June 21, 1999. He is also a graduate of Ranger and Airborne school.
Julius William Gates is a retired United States Army soldier who served as the eighth Sergeant Major of the Army. He was sworn in during July 1987 and served until his term ended four years later in June 1991.
Leon L. Van Autreve was a United States Army soldier who served as the fourth Sergeant Major of the Army. He was sworn in on July 1, 1973, and served until June 1975.
The Air Defense Artillery School is the professional school of the Air Defense Artillery Branch of the US Army. It is at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The school was organized as the 6th ADA Brigade until 18 May 2012, when it was redesignated as the 30th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. The decision to redesignate the 6th ADA to 30th ADA was made after Col. Bill Stacey, the then-6th ADA commander, discovered that the 6th ADA had no official ADA colors.
William Joseph Gainey is a retired United States Army soldier who served as the first senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The 197th Infantry Brigade is an active Infantry brigade of the United States Army. The brigade was active as an Organized Reserve unit from 1921 to 1942, in the Regular Army from 1962 to 1991, and as a TRADOC training unit from 2007 to 2013. The brigade saw service in Operation Desert Storm with the 24th Infantry Division. On July 31, 2020, the brigade was activated as a training brigade in Fort Moore, Georgia, to serve the increased training needs of the army.
Teresa L. King is a retired sergeant major in the United States Army. She was the first female commandant of the United States Army Drill Sergeant School at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
Oliver Williams Dillard Sr. was a United States Army major general, the fifth black officer in the U.S. Army to attain flag rank. He was a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame and Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame, at Fort Huachuca, Arizona and Fort Benning, Georgia respectively.
Harry E. Miller Jr. is a retired Army National Guard officer. A veteran of the Iraq War, he attained the rank of major general as commander of the 42nd Infantry Division, a position he held from 2013 to 2017.
Lieutenant General Mitchell H. Stevenson is a retired general officer in the United States Army and served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, United States Army. He served as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command at Fort Lee, Virginia. Prior to this assignment, he served as the 31st Chief of Ordnance and Commandant of the U.S. Army Ordnance School at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.
Major General Robert David Shadley is a retired general officer in the United States Army and served as the Director of Logistics, G-4, for the United States Army Forces Command at Fort McPherson, Georgia. Prior to this assignment, he served as the 28th Chief of Ordnance and Commandant of the U.S. Army Ordnance School at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.
Michael Anthony Grinston is a retired soldier of the United States Army who served as the 16th Sergeant Major of the Army from 2019 to 2023. Prior to his term as Sergeant Major of the Army, he served as the senior enlisted leader for United States Army Forces Command.
