Chief of Staff tells meeting of Army successes
By Dennis Ryan
October 5, 2005
WASHINGTON, DC. (Army News Service, Oct. 5, 2005) – Army Chief of Staff Peter Schoomaker delivered the keynote address Tuesday at the Association of the United States Army’s luncheon at the Washington Convention Center.
The chief told the full house, the war on terror would not be a short one.
“It will be a long war because of the insidious nature of the threat,” Schoomaker said. “It is not clear many grasp the scope of what we have done.”
Chief cites accomplishments
He went on to cite some of the Army’s major accomplishments in the four-year old conflict.
“For the first time in our history, we’ve fought with an all volunteer force,” Schoomaker said. “… We liberated two nations with a population of 50 million people. Our accomplishments have been staggering.”
The general told how the Army facilitated elections in Iraq and Afghanistan and have conducted operations “around the world to secure our homeland.”
Schoomaker said unlike during World War I and II when our nation’s military schools were closed more than 1,000 officers are receiving advanced schooling today.
He cited the privatizing of Army housing as one of the examples of the Army’s attempt to improve the living conditions of Soldiers. The conversion to more mobile modular units should be 80 percent complete by next year the general said.
“The Army has accomplished a lot in the last several years,” Schoomaker said. “But there is a lot more to do.”
The chief said the Army must continue to use American technology and resources to ensure Soldiers, “see first and act first.”
“Our adversary will not achieve their evil intent,” Schoomaker said.
Singled out for praise
He praised those in uniform and called them, “the best of their generation” before giving a word of caution to our foes.
The president of AUSA, retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan presented the Walter T. Kerwin Readiness Awards to the 225th Engineer Group of the Louisiana National Guard and the 81st Medical Readiness Command of the Army Reserve.
Sullivan told how 80 percent of the Louisiana Guard unit were combat veterans of Iraq and they were unable to attend because they were busy conducting humanitarian assistance along the Gulf Coast.
Sullivan recognized two popular members of the Army Racing team in the audience, NASCAR driver Joe Nemechek and drag racer Tony Shumaker.
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