Spirit of America at Fort Bragg

Greetings from the Tar Heel State, Last week, I was in Fort Bragg, NC, a place our project managers and I visit often, and a place that played a significant role in my military career.

This sign stands at Fort Bragg’s ‘All American Gate’ declaring to all the strategic importance of the base and tactical expertise of its soldiers. (Photo courtesy of Fox News)

I first arrived at Fort Bragg in December 2009 to attend Civil Affairs training at the US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. After ten months of training, during which I learned a foreign language (French) and honed my tactical, interpersonal, and cross-cultural communications skills, I joined my unit, the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade. For the next three years, Fort Bragg was my base as I continued to train, go to the field, build lasting friendships, and deploy.

Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division conduct an airborne training operation on Fort Bragg’s Normandy Drop Zone. (Photo courtesy of Defense Industry Daily)

Whether learning to survive in the pine forests of North Carolina, navigating the dense training areas of Camp Mackall, jumping out of planes on St Mere Eglise drop-zone, or running along Ardennes Rd., Fort Bragg always had something challenging and rewarding to offer.

The iconic “Iron Mike” statue is the official paratrooper representing service members past and present at Fort Bragg. (Photo courtesy of Fleming & Associates)

Now, with Spirit of America, I return to Fort Bragg often to meet with partners, strengthen relationships, and improve collaboration. Bragg is the largest military installation in the world (by population) and is the home of the US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), and many other units that we partner with regularly. Every trip is productive and rewarding but, for me, it is also something of a homecoming. Airborne! Chris VanJohnson Deputy Director of Field Operations
Chris is a US Army veteran having served as an Armor officer with a deployment to Baghdad in 2008-09 and then as a Special Operations Civil Affairs Officer with multiple deployments to Nepal in 2011-12.

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3033 Wilson Blvd.
Suite 70 | Arlington, VA 22201

No endorsement of Spirit of America by the US Department of Defense, Department of State, or US personnel is intended or implied.

Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 20-1687786

“You don't have to wear a uniform to serve the nation.™” and “Patriotism without politics.™” are trademarked by Spirit of America.

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