News 6 Mashup: March 28, 2022

Here is this week’s News 6 mashup of stories for the week of March 28, 2022, straight from AWN News 6 Correspondent, Jolene McNutt:

US Using Hybrid Warfare on Russia

The United States may not have troops in the fight, but is fighting Russia using an “unconventional war” referred to as “hybrid warfare,” reported NPR. Retired Marine Corps general and former U.S. defense secretary, James Mattis was the first to publicly use this term in 2005. Some of the non-traditional warfare techniques that the U.S. has been using include releasing “intelligence in advance of the Russian invasion, ‘pre-bunking’ Russian disinformation such as the claim that Ukraine is being run by Nazis,’ said NPR. Additionally, tough, unified sanctions with Europe were rolled out at the start of the war including on the Central Bank of Russia.  The unconventional warfare is taking its toll on Russia. According to NPR, “Russians are waiting in line at banks for hours to get money. The ruble has crashed; interest rates have doubled to 20%; the stock market is closed for a third week.” 

Space Force Eliminates Annual Physical Fitness Test

Space Force is taking a new approach to physical fitness and kicking to the curb the annual fitness test and replacing it with a “program that promotes physical activity, mental health, balanced eating and sleep, and other facets of a healthy lifestyle,” reported Air Force Times.

“It is time we implement a data-driven, research-informed, holistic health and fitness approach to increase the wellness and readiness of the force,” Space Force personnel boss Patricia Mulcahy said in a March 16 memo to guardians.

Part of this new approach will be the use of wearable fitness technology. Guardians are currently testing Garmin watches and Oura rings to help track daily health metrics. 

Adopt a Retired Caisson Horse

The Old Guard, which participates in all Army, Air Force and Marine Corps Full Honors Funerals performed in Arlington National Cemetery, is looking for homes for their retired horses. You can adopt a retired Caisson Horse and give it a rewarding retirement home. According to The Old Guard, “These magnificent animals serve with the men of the Caisson Platoon daily to ensure final honors are given in a dignified, professional, and respectful manner; and they love their job. Each Caisson Horse offered for adoption has served on average for over a decade.” To adopt, you must fill out an application. You are also encouraged to visit the horses in person which can help increase your chance of being selected. Learn more and see the three current horses available for adoption, Minnie, Jerry and Cliff. 

This Week in History

On March 31, 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps was formed as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal Program. The CCC, as it is known, was made up of unemployed men between the ages of 18 and 25 who received three meals a day, lodging, and $30 per month, of which $25 would be sent directly home to their families according to History.com. They were allowed to keep $5 each month. The CCC created over 700 state parks and created or improved 94 national parks, according to history.com. You might want to add some of these CCC-impacted parks to your bucket list if you haven’t visited them already – here are just a few to get you dreaming of a national park vacation: 

• The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee and Big Bend National Park in Texas were “built almost entirely by CCC labor.”
• Zion National Park, Utah – where CCC members built and improved trails, fought fires, built campgrounds and more
• Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona where they built “roads, trails, picnic shelters, campgrounds and telephone lines.” Travelawaits.com shared this inscription, posted on the Rim Trail at the South Rim, “Maybe those mountains are hard to climb. Those trees so hard to cut. But the air is pure, the water fine. And we’re climbing right out of the rut… For besides helping ourselves, you see, we are helping Mother and Dad.

By The White House from Washington, DC – Presentation of the U.S. Space Force Flag, Public Domain