Stories like the above, from Michelle Monte, an Army veteran who was sexually assaulted at her advanced individual training site, are becoming more common as the Army increases its sexual assault prevention efforts across the force and more servicemembers are speaking out about their ordeals.

It is said the greatest gift one can give a fallen servicemember is to remember their service and the Family they leave behind. 

The United Service Organization of North Carolina is helping in-state military expand their programs in order to support troops and their Families. 

The “center of the military universe” welcomed its newest tenant unit, the 419th Contracting Support Brigade, during an activation and assumption of command ceremony at the Main Post Theater, June 7.

High water levels in the Sandhills region, due to Tropical Storm Andrea and early summer rains, stranded five motorists in a vehicle attempting to cross an overwashed bridge at Fort Bragg Sunday, and has prompted Fort Bragg Emergency Services officials to call for greater vigilance from motorists.

An Elkhart, Ind. native gets home from work, he prepares his dinner as he sits down and bites into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, anyone would infer that he could be an average bachelor.  But this bachelor is an accomplished chef and ice sculptor by day.  

The paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne Division whose job it is to prepare healthy and nutritious cuisine are its food service technicians. Charged with ensuring the division is fed and ready, these professionals have served millions of meals around the world in the past decade.

On May 14, Department of Defense officials announced that more than 680,000 civilian employees, including about 1,400 here at Fort Bragg, will be furloughed for 11 days, until the end of the fiscal year in September, as the U.S. military looks to cut more than $37 billion from the Pentagon budget this year.

FORT LEE, Va. — The 530th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion cased its colors during an inactivation ceremony at Seay Field, May 31.

WIESBADEN, Germany — This year’s Engineer Soldier of the Year for the active Army is a Fort Bragg sergeant who earned the award for his service with U.S. Army Europe.

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — Airborne command posts from the 82nd Airborne Division and 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division participated in an Air Force exercise involving more than 50 aircraft, Friday.

Teamwork and dedication brought volunteers from the 440th Maintenance Squadron, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and civilians together to refurbish a World War II, 105 millimeter howitzer cannon located at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Hope Mills, N.C. 

Karen Gordon Mills, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, came to Fort Bragg, May 21, to announce a new resource to ensure that veteran entrepreneurs will have access to the capital needed to start and to grow successful businesses.

More than 500,000 evergreens, semi-evergreens and deciduous plants are flourishing in a surprising location at Fort Bragg — on the roof of the Installation Transportation Deployment Support Area. 

The Office of U.S. Senator Kay Hagan co-hosted a ceremony with Community Blueprint Network and Give an Hour, to honor military spouses at the Cumberland County Library Tuesday.

What do football players and Soldiers have in common? Besides team spirit and commitment, they sometimes share an injury that has raised questions in both the military and the NFL — traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Both the NFL and the Army see a large number of concussive related injuries every year, and statistics show football players and military personnel have an increased risk for TBI. 

After receiving a phone call in the middle of the night Aug. 7, 2011, from her friend and fellow paratrooper, Sgt. Christy Sawyer sprang into action and her suicide prevention training kicked in. 

It does not discriminate. It can show itself in any individual at any age. It does not care if you are rich or poor. Depression is deadly, silent and can hide from battle buddies, leaders and Family. 

The sounds of lawn mowers, weed eaters and blowers fill the air on post as troopers with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade conduct their annual spring cleaning, also known as “clean sweep.”

The North Carolina Attorney General shut down payday lending through storefront locations in this state several years ago but some overseas and tribal payday lenders continue to make loans online. To further complicate matters, people who apply for a payday loan online, or even request information, can find themselves targeted by scammers. 

Cooks are the unsung heroes in an Army unit. Working long hours with little fanfare or recognition, cooks provide Soldiers with something that highly affects overall morale — chow. 

Medical concerns are always a hot topic on Army posts. At Fort Bragg, military personnel and their Families are very familiar with the myriad of healthcare related concerns. In an effort to answer some of these concerns and issues about access to care, Col. Steven Brewster, commander of Womack Army Medical Center, hosted a virtual town hall meeting on the Fort Bragg Facebook page May 16, at 10 a.m. He was joined by the chief of Family Medicine, a patient representative, and subject matter experts from WAMC.

The sun rises and shadows cascade off oil filters, tires and rows of boxes containing various items from screws to engines, all waiting to do their part in keeping Soldiers and units ready to roll. The parts are neatly on display, ready to be grabbed up and put to use. 

Many of us seem to have adapted into a culture of immediate gratification.  Whether it is fast food, instant credit, or simply seeking information; we want what we want and we want it NOW!  This statement couldn’t be truer when it comes to sex.  For example, look at the incident that occurred in Steubenville, Ohio earlier this year, where high school football players sexually assaulted a girl so intoxicated that she couldn’t stand up by herself.  Or any of the many stories of servicemembers doing similar acts to their fellow brothers or sisters in arms depicted in “The Invisible War”.  

The opportunity to serve as a liaison officer for a Soldier can present itself at any time, any place. These opportunities can occur in everyday life, such as meeting a stranger in at the commissary, starting a new job, or in many cases, being introduced to foreign soldiers, while traveling the world to accomplish the mission. These encounters can provide many beneficial aspects, including lasting friendships.

Gen. Daniel B. Allyn assumed command of the Army’s largest organization, U.S. Army Forces Command, during a ceremony Friday, at Fort Bragg.

Soldier-to-Soldier accountability has been a staple of military history since its inception and remains so today.

WASHINGTON — After weeks of review, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has concluded budget cuts will require most of the department’s civilian employees to be furloughed beginning in July. However, because of other efforts to deal with the shortfall, only half of the 22 days originally envisioned as temporary layoffs will now be necessary.

As part of the Military Information Support Command’s ongoing military-to- military relationship building efforts, the 4th Military Information Support Group (Airborne) hosted a delegation from the Special Operations Command — Central and the Kazakhstani Ministry of Defense psychological operations forces at Fort Bragg.

The Integrated Disability Evaluation System was created after officials in Washington decided to examine the healthcare system that looked after the nation’s veterans in the wake of abuse allegations at the Army’s Walter Reed Medical Center in 2007.

For the second consecutive year, two Panther Brigade Soldiers from the “All-American” Division came out on top as the 2013 XVIII Airborne Corps Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year.

In order to understand an increasingly ambiguous global operational environment, the U.S. Army must continually assess and refine the way it operates, develops its people, increases its capabilities and exploits its advantages, said Maj. Gen. Les Carroll, U.S. Army Forces Command chief of staff May 1, at Fort Bragg.

Fort Bragg is known as the center of the universe, when it comes to the U.S. military’s warfighting effort. But it can also be called the center of Army safety, as the installation’s Safety Office was recently recognized for making the installation one of the Army’s safest.

Spring is here! And for motorcycle enthusiasts with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, it means time to break out the bikes and ride. But there are a few things they must complete before the troopers strap on their helmets, pull on their gloves and hit the open road – proper license, training and motorcycle inspections.

Sgt. James Hayes has one piece of advice for soon-to-deploy mechanics — take your training seriously.

In nature, a magnolia is known for its strength, longevity and ability to stay rooted, so when Linda Miller began an organization in the 1990s dedicated to empowering mothers and daughters, she named it Steel Magnolias, Inc.

More than 60 rare, vintage and luxury automobiles, some worth more than $1 million, will be on display side-by-side with static-displays of the latest equipment Fort Bragg Soldiers use throughout the world on Friday from 1 to 3 p.m., on the Main Post Parade Grounds.

With the recent terrorist attack in Boston, people have been brutality reminded about the very real threat of terrorism. Unfortunately, terror hits when least expected. Hence, Fort Bragg reiterates the importance of anti-terrorism with their iWatch program and reporting anything that may be suspicious to the 90-REACT hotline.

Community connections, a little push and some incentive can sometimes reap great rewards.

BETHESDA, Md. — Like most people learning to ski, Travis Mills had a few falls at Breckenridge, Colo. “I hit pretty good, you know. I’m not going to lie,” Mills said of his December experience on the slopes. “There were some times where I went, ‘Ooh, that’s a rib.’ But you get back up.”

“First, I heard a pop,” said Capt. Francisco Hernandez, a Civil Affairs team leader with 98th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne). “Then heat, concussion wave, all at one time. There’s no sound, other than a buzzing, a ringing in your ear.”

A “Five-Jump Chump” is a term often used when a paratrooper only performs the required five jumps during the U.S. Airborne School and does not participate in any airborne operation after graduation.   

Servicemembers who do not properly address envelopes are in jeopardy of not having their mail delivered or of not receiving mail.

The 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade cased their colors Friday in a ceremony on Fort Bragg in preparation for their nine-month deployment to Kosovo scheduled for next week. 

While bikes are allowed on Fort Bragg roads, they are off limits on Fort Bragg ranges.

Nearly 200 people turned out for an Army Force Structure and Stationing Listening Session, Monday at the Richard M. Wiggins Conference Center in Fayetteville.

Some of the communities that surround military installations have unscrupulous businesses where the proprietor’s intention is to take advantage of military patrons in ways that are highly unethical.

Col. Jeffrey Sanborn, the Fort Bragg Garrison commander, answered questions from the community about sequestration and budget cuts during a Facebook town hall meeting, April 16.

Twenty-two years of service has afforded plenty of opportunities for Sgt. 1st Class Josalette Simmons, XVIII Airborne Corps sexual harassment/assault response and prevention noncommissioned officer in charge, to give back to her fellow Soldiers. 

About 82 percent of the Army’s major units are now meeting the Defense Department’s Medical Evaluation Board goal of processing Soldiers’ disability evaluations within 100 days, significantly reducing a backlog that sometimes took eight months or longer in recent years.