March-April 2017

A Monthly Publication of the U.S. Consulate Krakow Volume XIII. Issue 147

World War I poster

In this issue: Military Forces and History Zoom in on America

 The U.S. Military
April 6, 1917 marks the centennial of the entry of the United States into World War I. On that day a national
ceremony “In Sacrifice for Liberty and Peace: Centennial Commemoration of the U.S. Entry in World War I” will
be held at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. The Library of Congress
has created a special World War I portal devoted to the United States participation in the Great War. It includes
Wartime Sheet Music, the diaries of U.S. army officer George S. Patton (1885-1945), the diaries, notebooks, and
address books of John Joseph Pershing (1860-1948) among other things. Of the 1,900 posters created between
1914 and 1920 that the Library put together, a few will be featured in this issue about the U.S. military.

U.S. Army
The U.S. Army is the largest branch of the United States and ensure the readiness of all Army forces and allows the
Armed Forces. Together with the Navy and the Air Force Army to expand rapidly in time of war.
it reports to the Department of Defense. The Army is re-
sponsible for land-based military operations. Historically, (based on U.S. Army https://www.army.mil/)
its roots can be traced to the Continental Army, which
fought for independence in the American Revolutionary
War (1775–1783). Therefore, 1775 is treated as the year
of its origin.

The Army consists of two components: the active and re-

serve components. The reserve is made of the U.S. Army
Reserve and the Army National Guard. The mission of the
U.S. Army is to fight and win our Nation’s wars, by pro-
viding prompt, sustained, land dominance, across the full
range of military operations and the spectrum of conflict,
in support of combatant commanders. The branch partici-
pates in conflicts worldwide and is the major ground-based
offensive and defensive force of the United States.

The operational and institutional missions of the Army are

integral and mutually interdependent. The Army would not
be able to operate if either was missing. The operational
Army consists of numbered armies, corps, divisions, bri-
gades, and battalions that conduct full spectrum opera-
tions around the world. The institutional Army provides
the infrastructure necessary to raise, train, equip, deploy,

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 U.S. Navy
The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip At present the U.S. Navy has 322,809 active duty person-
combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, de- nel, 108,789 of ready reserve and 210,966 civilian staff.
terring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas. Navy vessels include ships, submarines, aircraft carriers
and aircraft.
The U.S. Navy was founded on 13 October 1775, and the (based on U.S. Navy website: http://www.navy.mil/
Department of the Navy was established on 30 April 1798. March 28, 2017)
The Department of the Navy has three principal compo-
nents:

1. The Navy Department, which consists of executive of-

fices mostly in Washington, D.C,

2. the operating forces, which include the Marine Corps,

the reserve components, and, in time of war, the U.S.
Coast Guard (in peace, a component of the Department
of Homeland Security). Administratively, commanders re-
port to the Chief of Naval Operations and provide, train,
and equip naval forces. Operationally, they provide naval
forces and report to the appropriate Unified Combatant
Commanders,

3. the shore establishment which supports the operat-

ing forces (“the fleet”) in the form of: facilities for the repair
of machinery and electronics; communications centers;
training areas and simulators; ship and aircraft repair; in-
telligence and meteorological support; storage areas for
repair parts, fuel, and munitions; medical and dental facili-
ties; and air bases.

U.S. Marine Corps

The Marine Corps has been a component of the U.S. De- again what this volcanic island feels like. We came here
partment of the Navy since 30 June 1834, working closely today, for this reunion, to think about the past and ask what
with naval forces for training, transportation, and logistics. we must do to prevent that type of horrific battle from ever
The USMC operates posts on land and aboard sea-going happening again.”
amphibious warfare ships around the world. Additionally,
several of the Marines’ tactical aviation squadrons, primar- (based on Marines website: http://www.marines.mil/ March 28, 2017)
ily Marine Fighter Attack squadrons, are also embedded in
Navy carrier air wings and operate from the Navy’s nucle-
ar-powered aircraft carriers.

Mission: Marines are trained, organized and equipped for

offensive amphibious employment and as a “force in readi-
ness.”

One of the most iconic places connected with the history

of Marine Corps is Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, Japan.
On February 23, 1945 the soldiers from the 5th Division
of the 28th Regiment made a victory over Japanese army
in one of the most important battles in the Pacific theater
of WWII, commemorated in one of the most recognizable
photographs from WWII taken by Joe Rosenthal.

Today, more than 70 years after the battle, re-united Amer-

ican and Japanese veterans work together “to advance
common interests in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.” During
the 72nd Reunion of Honor ceremony on March 25, 2017,
the Commander of Marine Forces Pacific Lt. Gen. David
H. Berger said, “We didn’t come here only to see once

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 U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare the Secretary of the Air Force nor the Chief of Staff have
service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It was operational command authority over them.
at first part of the United States Army, which on 18 Septem-
ber 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 formed
as a separate branch of the military. In this way it is the
most recent branch of the U.S. military to be formed, and
is the largest and one of the world’s most technologically
advanced air forces.

The USAF defines its functions as Nuclear Deterrence

Operations, Special Operations, Air Superiority, Global In-
tegrated ISR, Space Superiority, Command and Control,
Cyberspace Superiority, Personnel Recovery, Global Pre-
cision Attack, Building Partnerships, Rapid Global Mobility
and Agile Combat Support.

The Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the

Air Force, who reports to the Secretary of Defense, and
is appointed by the President with Senate confirmation.
The highest-ranking military officer in the Department of
the Air Force is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, who ex-
ercises supervision over Air Force units, and serves as a
member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Air Force combat and
mobility forces are assigned, as directed by the Secretary
of Defense, to the Combatant Commanders, and neither

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 American Military Ranks: Enlisted

Private: a soldier of the lowest military rank.

Private first class: designated by a single chevron and a

rocker stripe it is more common among soldiers who have
served in the U.S. Army for one year or more.

Specialist: one of the four junior enlisted ranks in the U.S.

Army, above private first class and equivalent in pay grade
to corporal. Unlike corporals, specialists are not consid-
ered junior non-commissioned officers (NCOs). Specialist
E-4 is the most common rank held by US Army soldiers.

Corporal: considered a “lateral promotion” from E-4 Spe-

cialist and usually only occurs when the soldier has been
selected by a promotion board to become an E-5 Sergeant
and is serving in an E-5 billet such as a fireteam leader in
a rifle squad. The lateral promotion is used to make the
soldier a non-commissioned officer without changing the
soldier’s pay.

Sergeant: In the United States Army, although there are

several ranks of sergeant, the lowest carries the title of
sergeant. Sergeant is the enlisted rank in the U.S. Army
above specialist and corporal and below staff sergeant,
and is the second-lowest grade of non-commissioned
officer.

staff sergeant first master first sergeant command sergeant

sergeant class sergeant sergeant major sergeant major
major of the army

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 American Military Ranks: Officer
Army Service Uniform Insignia:
Second lieutenant: the normal entry-level rank for most
commissioned officers in the Army, Air Force and Marine
Corps, equivalent to the rank of ensign in the Navy and
Coast Guard.

First lieutenant: a junior commissioned officer. It is just

above the rank of second lieutenant and just below the
rank of captain.

Captain: a company grade officer rank, with the pay grade

of O-3. It ranks above first lieutenant and below major.

Major: a field grade military officer rank above the rank of

captain and below the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Lieutenant colonel: a field grade military officer rank just

above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel.

Colonel: the most senior field grade military officer rank,

immediately above the rank of lieutenant colonel and im-
mediately below the rank of brigadier general.

Brigadier general: a one-star general officer with the pay

grade of O-7 in the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and
U.S. Air Force.

Major general: a two-star general-officer rank, with the

pay grade of O-8

Lieutenant general: a three-star general officer rank, with

the pay grade of O-9.

General: a four-star general officer rank, with the pay

grade of O-10.

General of the Army: a five-star general officer and the

second highest possible rank in the United States Army.

General of the Armies: the highest possible rank in the

United States Armed Forces. The rank has only been held
twice in history: John J. Pershing and a posthumous pro-
motion to George Washington in 1978.

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 West Point Academy
It is not easy to be admitted to West Point. Candidates
must receive a nomination from a member of Congress,
a Delegate/Resident Commissioner, and the President or
Vice President of the United States. Students are officers-
in-training and are referred to as “cadets” or collectively
as the “United States Corps of Cadets” (USCC). They are
collectively referred to as “The Long Gray Line”.

Tuition for cadets is fully funded by the Army in exchange

for an active duty service obligation upon graduation.
There are approximately 1,300 new students entering the
Academy each July, with about 1,000 cadets graduating.

Upon graduation cadets receive the degree of a bachelor

of science. Their performance is evaluated on the basis of
their academic achievement, but also depends on military
leadership performance, and participation in competitive
athletics. Cadets Honor Code states that “a cadet will not
lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.” Community life
is extremely important. All cadets reside on campus and
on weekdays eat breakfast and lunch together.

Most graduates are commissioned as second lieutenants

in the Army. There are also foreign cadets who are com-
missioned into the armies of their native countries.

Famous West Point graduates include the 18th and the

34th American presidents, Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight
D. Eisenhower, astronauts, business people, government
officials and, needless to say, military officials.

Two models display uniforms for female and male cadets at

West Point Academy in New York, November 20, 1975. The
woman is wearing a long overcoat, service cape, beret and
boots. The male cadet wears an overcoat, service cape and
gray trousers. Women began attending the U.S. military acad-
emy in 1976. (AP Photo)

West Point’s (or simply The Academy’s) full name is The

United States Military Academy (USMA). It is a four-year
coeducational federal service academy located 80 km
north of New York City in a scenic area overlooking the
Hudson River, West Point, New York in Orange County.

West Point was considered an extremely important mili-

tary position in America and George Washington entrusted
the construction of the garrison’s defenses (1778-1780) to
Polish engineer and military leader Tadeusz Kościuszko
(read the article about Kościuszko on p. 8.)

It is therefore no coincidence that President Thomas Jef-

ferson selected West Point as the site for a military acad-
emy in 1801.

Today, the central campus is a popular tourist destination.

This national landmark features historic sites, buildings,
and monuments. It also houses the oldest museum in the
United States Army.

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 Tadeusz Kościuszko
tinental Congress promoted him from the rank of colonel
to brigadier general. It is no exaggeration to say that the
strong U.S.-Poland relationship and shared commitment
to freedom date back to the American Revolution, when
Polish heroes such as Tadeusz Kosciuszko and Kazimierz
Pułaski (Casimir Pulaski) aided the American cause.

At the end of the Revolutionary War, Kościuszko returned

to Poland and led an uprising against the nation’s partition.
Notwithstanding a few victories, the uprising was unsuc-
cessful and Kościuszko was caught by Russian forces at
the Battle of Maciejowice in 1794 and imprisoned for two
years. Following the death of Tsarina Catherine the Great,
Kościuszko was released and returned to the United
States, where he was welcomed as a hero. Thomas Jeffer-
son, with whom he shared ideals of human rights, counted
him among his close friends. In 1798 Kościuszko wrote
a will in which he dedicated his American assets to the
education and freedom of U.S. slaves. Kościuszko never
returned to his native land, which remained partitioned for
the rest of his life. From America he went to Switzerland
where he died in exile on October 15, 1817.

2017 marks the 200th anniversary of his death and was

proclaimed The Kościuszko Year in his native country.

A sculpture of Tadeusz Kościuszko in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt

Rourke)

His first name is spelled “Tadeusz” or “Thaddeus” while

his surname is written “Kościuszko” or, less frequently,
“Kosciusko.” This Polish-Lithuanian military engineer that
became both Polish and American national hero was born
Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko on February 4
(or 12), 1746.

Kościuszko was a military engineer and leader who made

his name fighting for Poland’s independence at the time
when it began to disappear from the map of Europe, its
territory annexed by Russia, Prussia and Austria. In 1794
he led the Kościuszko Uprising as Supreme Commander
of the Polish National Armed Forces.

His war engineering talents showed early and he received

a thorough military education first at the Corps of Cadets
in Warsaw and then in France.

In 1776, Kościuszko moved to North America, where he

offered his services in the fight against the British on the
American side in the American Revolutionary War. As an
World War I poster

accomplished military architect, he was entrusted with

designing and overseeing the construction of state-of-
the-art fortifications, including those at West Point, New
York. He was granted the key role in the British defeat at
Saratoga. In 1783, in recognition of his services, the Con-
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 NATO

Secretary of State Dean Acheson signs the Atlantic defense treaty for the United States, April 4, 1949 in Washington. Vice Presi-
dent Alben W. Barkley, left, and President Harry Truman converse during the signing. (AP Photo)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a securi- The Parties to this Treaty reaffirm their faith in the pur-
ty alliance of 28 countries from North America and Europe. poses and principles of the Charter of the United Nations
It was formed when the North Atlantic Treaty was signed in and their desire to live in peace with all peoples and all
Washington on April 4, 1949. governments.

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They are determined to safeguard the freedom, common and global threats such as terrorism and piracy that affect
heritage and civilisation of their peoples, founded on the the Alliance and its global network of partners are exam-
principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of ples of security matters of common interest.
law. They seek to promote stability and well-being in the
North Atlantic area. Three NATO members (the United States, France and the
They are resolved to unite their efforts for collective de- United Kingdom) are permanent members of the United
fence and for the preservation of peace and security. They Nations Security Council with the power to veto and are
therefore agree to this North Atlantic Treaty [...] officially nuclear-weapon states. NATO’s headquarters are
located in Brussels, Belgium, while the headquarters of Al-
NATO’s fundamental goal is to safeguard the Allies’ free- lied Command Operations is near Mons.
dom and security by political and military means. NATO re-
mains the principal security instrument of the transatlantic NATO is an Alliance that consists of 28 independent mem-
community and expression of its common democratic val- ber countries across North America and Europe, the new-
ues. It is the practical means through which the security of est of which, Albania and Croatia, joined in April 2009. An
North America and Europe are permanently tied together. additional 22 countries participate in NATO’s Partnership
for Peace program, with 15 other countries involved in in-
The core of the Alliance is Article 5 of the Washington stitutionalized dialogue programs. The combined military
Treaty -- an attack against one Ally is an attack against spending of all NATO members constitutes over 70% of
all, which is a promise of collective defense. This article the global total. Members’ defence spending is supposed
was invoked for the first and only time after the September to amount to 2% of GDP.
11 attacks, after which troops were deployed to Afghani-
stan under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Some of the ongoing missions of NATO include ones in
Force (ISAF). the Balkans and the Mediterranean. NATO also conducts
training exercises and offers security support to partners
The treaty ensures consultations among Allies on security around the globe, including the European Union in particu-
matters of common interest (Article 4). Peacekeeping in lar but also the United Nations and the African Union.
Kosovo and new threats to security such as cyber attacks,

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 ACTIVITY PAGE
MARCH-APRIL 2017 Exercise 1 SPEAKING
TRIVIA QUESTION
How many countries are Work with another student. Divide the two photos from the collection of WWI posters
currently in NATO? between the two of you.

First, describe your photo to the other student.

Send the answer Then, in a conversation, compare and contrast the pictures.
(with your home address) to:
[email protected] Finally discuss the following topics:

The 1st, the 10th and the The role of women in the military
13th correct answer will be The role of war photography and the role of war journalists
awarded with a book prize

Deadline: May 10
February 2017 Answer:

There were various answers

to the February Trivia Ques-
tion. You gave different rea-
sons for Americans moving
homes.

The winners are:

Maria, Marzanna from

Częstochowa and Zbigniew
from Zduńska Wola

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
The prizes will be sent to you
by mail.

Zoom is online at World War I posters

www.usinfo.pl/zoom/

Free subscription
[email protected] Exercise 2 SPEAKING

Work in a group of 4 people. Prepare to a discussion about the role of history in our
Contact us at life.
[email protected]
Is history among your favorite school subjects? Why? Why not?
American Information
Resource Center What are the advantages of learning about big historic events including conflicts and
Krakow wars?
Konsulat Generalny USA
ul. Stolarska 9, Can humans learn from their past mistakes? Can wars and military conflicts be avoid-
31-043 Krakow ed?
[email protected]

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