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As the Army is shifting for potential conflict against sophisticated nation states at much greater distances, senior leaders have expressed the need to move network complexity up from brigades and into their parent division headquarters.
With that overall strategic imperative, the 3rd Infantry Division is taking it upon itself — using existing capabilities and tools without purchasing anything additional — to produce a new network architecture that will unburden brigades and make units more mobile for large-scale combat operations.

Changemakers and advocates play a vital role in uplifting the military community by addressing challenges and driving meaningful change. These dedicated individuals leverage their voices, experiences and expertise to raise awareness about the unique needs of service members, veterans and their families. By championing policy reforms, providing resources and fostering connections, they create an environment where our community can thrive.

Inspired by his grandfather, Kyle Hausmann-Stokes always knew he wanted to become a soldier. From combat to the aftermath, his experiences ignited a passion for telling the stories of his community.
“I always dreamed about joining the military and then ultimately did join the Army immediately after high school because of my grandfather and one of our family traditions. This is depicted in my film, My Dead Friend Zoe, literally shot for shot,” he explained. “My family would go to a small lake community in northern Wisconsin, where I’m from, every Fourth of July.

Samantha Gomolka felt like she was at the top of a mountain in the fall of 2022. Months later, she was fighting for her life. Her story is anything but expected, but if being a special operator spouse taught her anything, it was this: adapt and overcome. Together.
“Both of my grandfathers served during World War II. I have a lot of regret looking back because I didn’t realize the treasures that I had in front of me as a child,” she explained.

Gina Elise was always passionate about art and storytelling but never imagined her path would lead to becoming a pinup for veterans. War would change her plans.
“I have been involved in leadership since I was 13 years old and then all through high school. I really gained these skills of creating things from the ground up. I was the activities director for my high school one year. I felt like it was important to use your skills to make things better for those around you,” she explained.
Elise loved dancing and acting as a child, majoring in theater at UCLA before graduating in 2004.

Long before she raised her hand to become a senator to preserve the constitution and serve America, and even before she established her well-known foundation, Elizabeth Dole was devoted to the military community.
“I have spent most of my life in Washington, DC, but Salisbury, North Carolina, will always be my home,” Dole told WATM. “My family and my community instilled values in me that guide me to this very day. I especially idolized my older brother, John. I was his shadow growing up.

When Kayla Corbitt became an Army spouse, she knew next to nothing about the challenges faced by military families. Once she did, Operation Childcare became her new mission.
The West Virginia native had completed her graduate degree in forensic science when she fell in love with a soldier and had zero knowledge of the military lifestyle. A scientist and researcher at heart, she often jokes that she was tricked and should have known what was ahead when her wedding date changed to accommodate a deployment.

Kristen Christy is no stranger to overcoming adversity. At just 15 years old, after becoming a world-class tennis player, she had a massive stroke that led doctors to tell her she’d never walk again.
She did that and more.
As a child of a career Air Force officer, the military was all she knew, so it was no surprise when she fell in love with Don, an ROTC Air Force cadet at the University of Texas where she was attending school. They began building their life together with their two boys in Colorado when he was deployed to Iraq.

Jaspen ‘Jas’ Boothe became a single mother after college and became an Army officer to show her son that anything is possible. After her service was faced with unimaginable barriers she continued to bring that message to women everywhere.
The Chicago native went to college on a basketball scholarship, hoping to get into television broadcasting. After facing rejection as a taller Woman of Color, she decided to pursue the toughest career field there was for a woman.
“I did it to prove to my son that not only as a woman can you do anything you want to do but as a person.

Standing in the gap to ensure our nation’s warriors are cared for takes all of us. For Angela Blank, she has made it her life’s work.
“I grew up in Marietta, Georgia, as the granddaughter of a World War I veteran. His service certainly impacted me! At the smart age of 18, I married a man just as he enlisted in the Air Force,” she shared. “We were middle school and high school sweethearts, and he served in Okinawa, Japan, first for the first three years. Then he came home, and we were stationed in South Carolina.