First Commander of NATO Ukraine Command Centre Germany Appointed

According to the NATO 75th Anniversary Summit in Washington DC Communique (July 2024),NATO decided to establish the NATO Security and Assistance Training for Ukraine (NSATU) to coordinate its provision of military equipment and training for Ukraine by Allies and Partners.Its aim is to place security assistance to Ukraine on an enduring footing,ensuring enhanced,predictable and enduring support.NSATU,which will operate in Allied states,will support Ukraine's self-defence in line with the UN Charter (international law).NSATU will not,under international law,make NATO a party to the conflict.It will support the transformation of Ukraine's defence and security forces,enabling its further integration into NATO.*The NATO Ukraine Command Centre Germany in Wiesbaden is located within the headquarters of U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAEURAF) and reports directly to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR),currently GEN Christopher Cavoli,U.S. Army.*The new NATO Ukraine Command Centre Germany's first commander is LTGEN Curtis Buzzard,U.S. Army.The Centre is devoted to providing Ukraine the military equipment and training for the Ukrainian Armed Forces it needs to prevail against Russian aggression.Having recieved U.S. Senate approval,LTGEN Buzzard leads about 700 personnel at the Centre.According to NATO:By using military structures,our support will be on firmer footing;will provide more predictability for Kyiv;and will address both immediate and longer-term needs.*LTGEN Buzzard,a man with a broad smile,is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy (West Point,New York).He most recently served as commander,Army Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Moore,Georgia,from July 2022-July 2024.Prior to that,he served as Deputy Chief Of Staff for Operations,Plans and Training of the United States Army Forces Command from January to June 2022,and as the 78th Commandant of Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point,New York) from June 2019 to May 2021.Buzzard received a B.S. in Economics from West Point.He later received a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Master of Military Science from the Marine Corps University.He then served as the U.S. Army Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington,DC.LTGEN Buzzard served as the 82d Airborne Division G3 and commanded its 3rd Brigade Combat Team.LTGEN Buzzard also served as the Army military aide to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.LTGEN Buzzard served tours in both the Iraq and Afghan Wars.In March 2021,LTGEN Buzzard became Deputy Chief of Operations in NATO's Operation Resolute Support,which trained and assisted Afghan Security Forces;Deputy Commanding General for Operations for U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A);and Commander U.S. National Support Element Command for Operation Freedom's Sentinel.LTGEN Buzzard is married and the father of three daughters.*LTGEN Buzzard's Awards and Decorations include Defense Superior Service Medal;Legion of Merit (3);Bronze Star Medal (3);Meritorious Service Medal (6);Army Commendation Medal (3);Air Assualt Badge;Army Staff Badge;Combat Infantryman's Badge;Expert Infantryman's Badge;Master Parachutist's Badge;Presidential Service Badge;Ranger Tab;and numerous foreign jump wings.

VFW National Convention:Distinguished Guests,Sobering News

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel addressed the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention in Louisville,Kentucky Tuesday morning.Hagel,a double Purple Heart recipient and enlisted man Vietnam veteran,took note of the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice on July 27.It's an opportunity for the country to fully express its gratitude for your service and sacrifice,Secretary Hagel said. I grew up in small towns in Nebraska,where life revolved around the VFW and American Legion posts.I've been a VFW member for 45 years since I came home from Vietnam in 1968. The US is emerging from the longest period of sustained combat in our history in Iraq and Afghanistan.The world is complicated,and it's dangerous.America must have a strong,capable and ready military,but fulfilling that obligation will require us to realign and reshape in difficult budgetary times,prioritising our core mission of defending our country;maximising our combat power;and taking care of our military men and women past and present. The Department of Defense must set clear priorities within the sequestration realities of the largest reduction since the post-Korea drawdown.Sequestration is an irresponsible process and it is terribly damaging,but we cannot lead the DOD based on hope.We have to prepare an institution for whatever comes.Many DOD missions and capabilities are essential,but others are not. The President must be assured that the options we present to him are ready and real.In an era of reduced resources,every dollar we spend on large staffs and overhead are dollars not spent on our troops.If we are to preserve out decisive miltary edge,we must find savings everywhere in our budget.I expect these cuts to result in organisations that are more efficient and agile-but it will require far more than cuts. We've had to reduce,stop and defer training,maintenance and modernisation.These cuts have had,and are continuing to have,very damaging effects such as a shortage of training rounds;planes are not flying;ships are not sailing.Unfortunately,military readiness does not always have a vocal constituency,and you cannot buy back readiness.There is a cost in precious human lives to sending out a hollow force. DOD is not a corporation,and cannot be run like one.The cost of our decisions is how they have a real effect on human lives. Our people are under stress,and so are the institutions that support them.Our people have been pushed to,and beyond,the breaking point.They must have the same care at home they had on the battlefield.DOD and the VA are building a seamless system to ensure our veterans never again encounter the problems they are having now.We're making good progress;we're committed to do it.We will get through this,but only if we're prepared to make wise and difficult decisions,Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Also present at the VFW convention was US Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Robert Papp,Jr.He received a VFW medal for his service and presented the organisation with a cheque for his own VFW membership dues.Admiral Papp cited the Coast Guard's history of bravery under fire as the nation's fifth member of the Armed Forces.Coast Guard members have received the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross.It has 1700 of its men and women currently deployed overseas in Afghansitan,Kuwait,Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.The Coast Guard patrol boat squadron in Bahrain is securing the Northern Arabian Gulf,Admiral Papp noted.A Coast Guardsman was killed in 2004 by a terrorist bomb as he served alongside US Navy Sailors in a boarding party in the region.

Reagan Era B-1B Still Relevant Today

A US Air Force bomber first envisioned in the 1960s and produced in the 1980s,the Rockwell B-1B Lancer,saved from oblivion by President Ronald Reagan,remains an integral part of US Strategic Command,and will be for decades.Highly controversial for its cost and questions about its utility early in its life,it has proved much more valuable than many ever thought it would be. Indeed,the B-1B is the only supersonic bomber in the US inventory today,with the biggest payload.What is more,it is the cheapest to fly,even given the extensive maintenance and upgrades it requires. Capable of flying at Mach 1.25 at altitude,or 950 mph/1130 kmh,it was originally solely a nuclear bomber.By the 1990s,it had been given a conventional role as well.In 1995,it was removed from the nuclear forces. Though not technically a stealth aircraft,it is about fifty times less detectable than the ancient B-52 and features variable-sweep wings.Forward sweep is for takeoff,landing and high altitude maximum cruise.Aft sweep is for high subsonic and supersonic flight. The Lancer is still getting upgrades to its cockpit displays,communications and instrumentation.It holds 61 world records for such things as speed,payload,distance and climb rate.It can strike anywhere in the world and safely return to a broad variety of bases without refueling.Extensive electronic countermeasures,reflective coating and stealthy intake design make it highly survivable. The B-1B has been extensively used for missions in the Iraq and Afghan Wars,as well as in Operation Odyssey Dawn over Libya in 2011;Operation Desert Fox in 1998;and Kosovo in 1999.In the Afghan War,it has been used in an armed overwatch capacity,loitering in flight until tasked by ground forces for precision strike with advanced munitions. The Air Force intends to fly the Lancer into the 2030s,gradually replacing it with the Next-Generation Bomber.It believes the B-1B is particularly well-suited for the new Pivot to East Asia strategy,given its long range,speed and survivability.It will continue to invest in this reliable aircraft in support of Pacific and other strategic objectives.

Crazed Ex-Marine Kills Navy SEAL Hero Chris Kyle

Eddie Ray Routh,a former US Marine reportedly suffering from PTSD,allegedly shot and killed noted Iraq War veteran Chris Kyle,38,and his friend Chad Littlefield at a Texas shooting range Saturday,February 2.Routh was arrested that night after a brief highway chase and arraigned on two counts of capital murder.
Kyle,who served as a US Navy SEAL from 1999-2009,wrote the best-selling "American Sniper:The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military History" along with Scott McEwen and Jim Defelice.It was published in hardcover last year and in trade paperback on January 29,2013.He is credited with 160 confirmed kills in Iraq,where militants called him "al-Shaitan,"the devil,and put a 20,000 dollar bounty on his head.
In a C-SPAN interview last year,Kyle revealed his mindset.He didn't think of himself as being better than other Navy SEALs or other soldiers generally.It was all a matter of honour.
He got chills and sometimes choked up when the national anthem was played.You're gonna do something for the greater good,Kyle said,for everybody in the country.As a civilian,that's definitely a problem;it's for your own good.This is still the greatest country in the world.
I'm not out there to rack up kills and get these huge numbers.I'd like to be known by how many I saved-not just military,but the Iraqi civilians also.You can't think of the person you're shooting as an actual person.It's unfortunate,but war is hell.It's hit the fan,and we're there to make it stop.I'm just trying to save my guys.
It's doing the right thing at the right time.A lot of math is involved,especially the farther out you go.
I didn't write the book to glorify myself,but those I served with and who are still out there serving.All of my portion of the proceeds are going to the families of the two I lost.Protesters should protest Congress and the President.Leave the military guys alone.They're willing to die for our safety and security.
PTSD is nothing to be looked down on.We need to help them.It's something you have to live with or work around.Just be there for them.Just give them your undying support,Kyle urged.
Kyle achieved the rank of Chief Petty Officer.He was awarded two Silver Stars; five Bronze Stars with Valor;and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Awards with V.He fought at Fallujah and Ramadi.Ironically,it was one of his own that brought him down.
"American Sniper" is getting an average rating of about four out of five stars from readers.The paperback is listed at 9.99 new.Another book was reportedly in the works.

Marines Evolve Their Australian Presence

The US Marine Corps has established a presence in Australia.There are currently 250 Marines based there.General Joseph F. Dunford,Jr,Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps,said their presence has been a reinforcement of our already strong partnership with the Australians.They are a key ally,a trusted partner,and we've fought shoulder-to-shoulder with them in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Australia has some great training ranges in the north.Our current teaming effort involves combined training,enhancing our teamwork and building our partnership.
This includes training  and exercising with other nearby nations.We hope to gradually deepen our partnership at a pace both nations are comfortable with.While our training force today is infantry-centric,the desired end state is a Marine Air Ground Task Force,or MAGTF,that includes all elements-ground,air,logisitcs-that flows through this training environment on a rotational basis,General Dunford told Seapower magazine.
When constituted,the MAGTF will bring the total number of Marines in Australia up to 2500.General Dunford is now being considered by the US Senate for the post of commander of International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan,or ISAF.

The Navy's Electronic Attack Aircraft Transition

The US Navy's successor to the EA-6B Prowler electronic attack aircraft,the EA-18G Growler,had passed the production halfway point as of October 2011 and has continued to move forward this year.The Navy will procure a total of 109 of the advanced jets.The Growlers provide better connectivity to other military assets and accurate hostile emitter targeting for onboard suppression weapons.There will be 10 carrier-based Growler squadrons,as well as three active and one Reserve expeditionary squadrons.
The Growler production team says the aircraft is the dominant electronic force for the joint warfighter,having full-spectrum electronic attack capability.With its advanced jamming pods and communication countermeasures receiver sets,it can penetrate complex layers of air defense and communication systems.It suppresses threats over land and water with anti-radiation missiles including the AGM-88B/C HARM and the new AGM-88E AARGM,protecting the joint warfighter anywhere.The aircraft saw action in the Iraq War,as well as Operations Odyssey Dawn and Uphold Protector over Libya in 2011.Raytheon,Northrop Grumman,General Electric and Boeing comprise the EA-18G Growler production team.
Boeing(BA),Northrop Grumman(NOC),General Electric(GE),Raytheon(RTN)

Marine Assumes Afghan War Command

A U.S. Marine four-star general,John R. Allen,has assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force,or ISAF,the senior military leadership post in the Afghan War.On 18 July,General Allen replaced General David Petraeus,U.S. Army,who is to become the next CIA director.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy,General Allen has had an intellectually stimulating career,earning several academic degrees in national security and intelligence studies from Georgetown University and the National War College,as well as the Defense Intelligence University.He also taught and was Commandant at the Naval Academy.
From 2006-08,General Allen was Commanding General,2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in the Iraq War.He then served as Deputy Commander,U.S. Central Command from 2008-11,assisting General Petraeus for most of that assignment.
General Allen has been decorated with the Legion of Merit with 3 award stars,as well as both the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and the Joint Meritorious Unit Award with 1 oak leaf cluster.
There would be no let up in engaging the Taliban militants during the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops and transfer of command to Afghan security forces,General Allen insisted.

Iranian-Backed Militia Attacks Base

On 30 June,three U.S. troops were killed and seven wounded in a rocket attack on Camp Shocker,a base on the Iran-Iraq border.A Shiite militia with Iranian and Lebanese ties,Kataib Hezbollah,or Hezbollah Brigades,is being blamed for the attack.They had claimed responsibility for a similar action that killed five U.S. troops earlier in the month.
Kataib Hezbollah has ties to Lebanon's Hezbollah militia.They are focusing on attacking U.S. soldiers in Iraq,believing that American forces may remain in Iraq beyond the 31 December deadline for withdrawal agreed with the Iraqi government.These militants use a weapon called IRAMs,or improvised rocket-assisted mortars,which are only made in Iran.
Fifteen U.S. troops died in the Iraq War in June,the most since April 2009.Fourteen of them were killed in action.Besides Kataib Hezbollah,two other Shiite militias have been involved in recent attacks on Americans:League of the Righteous and Promised Day Brigades.
Iran denies it is supporting these militants,who post videos of their attacks on Americans on the Internet.Many of their leaders fled to Iran in 2008 when U.S. and Iraqi forces went after them in the summer of that year.Several other militia leaders were captured in that operation.Besides IRAMs,these militants use improvised explosive devices,mortars,rockets,rocket-propelled grenades and small arms in their attacks.

Training Base Attacked in Baghdad

Five U.S. troops died in a rocket attack by Shiite miltiamen in Baghdad on Monday,and five more were wounded.The truck-mounted rockets were fired at joint U.S.-Iraqi Forward Operating Base Loyalty,near the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City.The U.S. forces were training Iraqi national police officers at the base.
About 4500 U.S. troops have died in the Iraq War.So far this year,30 U.S. troops have been killed,which is roughly on pace with last year's toll.
At the height of the conflict in 2007,961 Americans were killed.Monday's attack was the worst single incident for U.S. forces in Iraq in two years,however,and another U.S. soldier died on Wednesday in southern Iraq.The Shiite militias often target Iraqi government compounds and hospitals,but attacking U.S. troops definitively demonstrates their competence and courage,from their point of view,as well as helps ensure that the U.S. does not extend its mission in Iraq beyond 31 December,in their opinion.
Iraq's government realistically has until the end of October to request that U.S. troops continue their advise,train and assist role in Iraq.Since it takes about two months for the 46,000 remaining Americans to withdraw,a later request would effectively be too late,the withdrawal having already begun by 31 October.
U.S. officials such as Admiral Michael Mullen,outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,made it clear that the U.S. is open to staying on in its supportive mission,Operation New Dawn.
Iraq has about 650,000 personnel in the army and national police,but they need instruction and backup in intelligence,logisitics,maintenance,combined arms operations,and border and airspace protection.

Iraq War:Considerable Resistance Still Met

The Iraq War,now known as Operation New Dawn,continues as U.S. troops are still subjected to substantial enemy fire,particularly in the south of the country.There,Shiite militia groups roam about,firing rockets,mortars,small arms and grenades at the Americans,as well as placing armor-piercing IEDs along U.S. supply routes from Kuwait.
Around 46,000 U.S. forces remain in Iraq.The Iraqi government is currently deliberating on whether to request further U.S. military help beyond the withdrawal deadline of 31 December.In the north,Sunni militants aligned with al-Qaida have been the problem.The Shiite militants in the south are believed to be Iranian-supported.
Only a small number of U.S. maritime forces remain alongside U.S. Army units in Iraq,mostly,if not entirely,as individual augmentees assigned to the advise,train and assist mission.
The Iraq War began in 2003,and at its peak in 2007,about 170,000 U.S. troops were in country.Around 4500 American service members have died in the war.In April 2011 alone,11 were killed in Iraq,five of them during military operations and six in non-combat incidents.

Honors:Iraq War Not Over

The death of Army Sargeant Brandon S. Hocking,a native of Federal Way,Washington,on 21 March,is a reminder that,for the 46,000 Americans still serving in Iraq,despite a transformed mission,the enemy may yet threaten on quiet roads.Sargeant Hocking is one of the 11 U.S. service members to die in Iraq so far this year.
According to the Pentagon,as of 29 March,4,444 Americans had died in the Iraq War,which began in 2003.Formerly known as Operation Iraqi Freedom,it is now called Operation New Dawn.The U.S. role has shifted from combat operations to advising and training the Iraqi forces.
Like so many before him,Sargeant Hocking was killed by an improvised explosive device.A small arms repair specialist,the husband,father and stepfather was manning a gun for a convoy traveling from base to base,fixing small arms for various units.It was his second deployment to Iraq.He was buried on his 25th birthday in Tahoma National Cemetery,Kent,Washington.
A member of the 87th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion,3rd Sustainment Brigade,3rd Infantry Division,Fort Stewart,Georgia,Sargeant Hocking posthumously received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Beisdes Army troops,less than 200 U.S. Marines still serve in Iraq,57 of them from Camp Lejeune,North Carolina.All U.S. forces are to be withdrawn by the end of 2011,Vice President Joe Biden confirmed in January while visiting Iraq.

Bollinger Built The Boats:Coast Guard Secures Persian Gulf

The U.S. Coast Guard continues to secure the Persian Gulf in support of Operation New Dawn,successor to Operation Iraqi Freedom.Performing the task are the crews of six Island class patrol boats.These 110-foot cutters have a complement of 16 and a range of 1900 nautical miles.They are armed with one Mk38 25mm machine gun and two .50 caliber machine guns.
The Island class is powered by two diesel engines and has a speed of 29.5+ knots.It is currently being refurbished for cost-effectiveness and to extend its service life by another 15 years.The patrol boats are the product of Bollinger Shipyards,Inc.
Bollinger operates 12 shipyards with 32 drydocks in South Louisiana and Texas.It was founded in 1946 and serves both commercial and military interests.

Honors:Specialist Faith R. Hinkley

A former high school cheerleader and National Honor Society member,Specialist Faith R. Hinkley,U.S. Army,23,died on 7 August during a rocket attack in Iskandariya,Iraq.Specialist Hinkley,the latest of more than two dozen female service members to die in the Iraq War,was killed by shrapnel as she and two comrades attempted to take shelter in a bunker when their office came under militant attack.
A Human Intelligence Collector with the 502nd Military Intelligence Battalion,201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade from Joint Base Lewis-McChord,Washington,Specialist Hinkley was a native of Monte Vista,Colorado,and the second resident of that town to be killed in the Iraq War.The first was U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Glen R. Martinez.Specialist Hinkley had enlisted in August,2007 after studying for a year at the University of Colorado,surprising those who knew her.She had received the National Defense Service Medal,Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon,and was to return home in about a month.Her brigade had deployed to Iraq last September.It was her first deployment.
Corporal Martinez died in May,2008 when the Humvee he was riding in struck a roadside bomb near Fallujah.Monte Vista is a small farm town of 4300 in Southern Colorado's San Luis Valley.
As of 24 August,4407 U.S. service members had died in the Iraq War,according to the Defense Department.U.S. combat operations in Iraq have formally ended,but training and advice missions will continue for some time in support of the young democracy,as will special forces counterterrorism activity.Iraq will remain an unpredictable and dangerous posting,regardless of one's military operational specialty or location.

Coast Guard Marks 220th Birthday

The U.S. Coast Guard was established by the Treasury Department as the Revenue Cutter Service on 4 August,1790.This armed 10-ship force policed maritime trade,collecting tariffs and arresting smugglers.In 1915,the RCS absorbed the U.S. Lifesaving Service and assumed the Coast Guard name.The U.S. Lighthouse Service was added in 1939,as was the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation in 1942.
The Coast Guard's homeland security responsibilities grew markedly in the wake of the 9-11 attacks,and it has always served alongside,or even within,the U.S. Navy in our nation's wars.Since 2003,six Coast Guard cutters and more than 400 personnel have been detailed to the Persian Gulf for various security and training assignments related to the Iraq War.
All told,the Coast Guard has 11 core missions,from icebreaking to fisheries enforcement and national defense.Special attention is paid to defending Washington,D.C. from terrorist attack,whether by patrols with the 25-foot Response Boat-Smalls on the Potomac River,or by Dolphin helicopters armed with machine guns and .50-caliber Precision Fire Weapons.
Strong efforts are underway to prevent the Coast Guard's budget from being cut,given the multitude of vital tasks the service performs today as in the past.

Admiral Papp Assumes Command

The Coast Guard has a new Commandant.He is Admiral Robert J. Papp,Jr.Admiral Papp succeeds Admiral Thad W. Allen,who continues to lead the BP oil spill effort in retirement.Admiral Papp graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1975,going on to earn a master of arts degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College,as well as a master of science in management from Salve Regina University.The admiral had served as Atlantic Area Commander,Commander of Defense Force East and Chief of Staff Coast Guard.
Admiral Papp is committed to all the Coast Guard's many missions,from search and rescue to drug interdiction and the newer counter-terrorism and anti-piracy missions off Somalia.He is additionally concerned about the need to consider a new ice breaker for the Arctic patrol function,which could cost upwards of a billion dollars to build.The only active icebreaker is the Polar Sea,which will be retired in a few years.There is an effort underway to refurbish the mothballed Polar Star for another seven to eight years of service.With activity in the Arctic picking up in recent years,the icebreaker issue is becoming more critical than ever before.
Now belonging to the Department of Homeland Security,the Coast Guard has 42,000 active duty personnel,in addition to 7,000 civilian workers.It has assisted with maritime security in the Iraq War.

Hardware and Operations

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget,Rear Admiral Joseph Mulloy,made a number of remarks on programs and operations at a Pentagon briefing on Monday.The Virginia class attack submarine is a hallmark program for the Pentagon,Admiral Mulloy said.Not only is it an economical program;the submarine is also in tremendous demand by all the combatant commanders.It is fully engaged,not a Cold War relic as some would have it.
Similarly,the littoral combat ship is a style of ship that will provide a lot of opportunity.It can self-deploy to shallow waters and do training.There is a steady pull to develop the planned 55 LCSs.It will be a gradual build-out,with newer ships replacing the old over a period of years.
In the area of combat operations,Admiral Mulloy noted that air operations for the Afghan War are proving more expensive than for the Iraq War.It is the cost of delivery:a seven hour flight to Afghanistan versus a three hour flight to Iraq.The flight to Afghanistan requires two mid-air refuelings.It takes a lot more planes and people to keep the same level of operations up for the Afghan War.

Raid Succeeds

U.S. troops carried out a successful raid on a building in Mosul in Northern Iraq on 5 October.The building is described as having been a major al-Qaida command and control center.Killed in the raid was Abu Qaswarah,the No.2 leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.Mr.Qaswarah,a native of Morocco,was in charge of al-Qaida in Northern Iraq,recruiting foreign fighters and directing them from Mosul,one of the few remaining al-Qaida strongholds in the country.A popular commander,he had been trained in Afghanistan.Four other militants died in the raid.

Marine Loses Title

Brian Stann,an Iraq war veteran who was decorated with the Silver Star,lost his light heavyweight title in World Extreme Cagefighting last weekend in Las Vegas.He was defeated by Steve Cantwell,whom Stann had previously beaten.Stann has a career record of 6-1.Born on Yakota Airbase,Japan,the 27 year old is 6'1" and weighs in at 201.5 pounds.He is known as the Fighting Pride of the United States Marine Corps,the All-American.The fight went on for two of the five scheduled rounds.Cantwell got Stann against the wire mesh and rained blows on him,knocking him down,but not out.Stann admitted that Cantwell brought more technique to the match.I have no excuses,he confessed.To all my friends and supporters:I'm sorry I let you down.I'm a baby in this sport,and I showed it.Now it's my turn to come back,and I'm gonna do it,the Marine promised.Stann resides in Scranton,Pennsylvania.The loss makes his story even more compelling.He's a real Marine:not always winning,but owning up when he doesn't.