1st Sgt Troy Steward, a member of 2nd Squadron 101st Cavalry who spent most of 2006 as the NCOIC of a 16-man Embedded Training Team in Afghanistan, was recognized this month by the USO of Metropolitan New York for his service to the Army. Steward, pictured here on �the Stan� received the George Van Cleave Military Leadership Award during a banquet on Dec. 6.
While serving in Iraq Steward, age 38, maintained a blog, www.bouhammer.com, which became one of the most-read military blogs on the Internet. Steward�s writings were included in Doonesbury Cartoonist Garry Trudeau�s book �The Sandbox� which highlighted the blogs of 40 service people serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
They�re both the same, Steward once told �The Washington Post� "There�s a big beach in both, and there�s no ocean over there.�
DMNA Press Releases
Loading Press Releases...NY National Guard In the News
WWNY -- Wed, 04 Mar 2026 7 After Noon: Ogdensburg Armory set to house new National Guard unit after recruiting goal surpassed WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - The Ogdensburg Armory is expected to house a New York Army National Guard unit again, after the state exceeded its regional recruiting target, the Guards second-in-command... (more)
Times Union -- Mon, 02 Mar 2026 Duty Calls: Air National Guard recruiter achieves a milestone New York Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Jason Malm achieved a milestone with the recruitment of 200 airmen. Malm, a recruiter with the 109th Airlift Wing, achieved that career milestone by... (more)
Buffalo Ledger -- Fri, 27 Feb 2026 Erie County Sheriffs Deputy awarded by France for actions during Iraq deployment Deputy Aaron Taylor of the Erie County Sheriffs Office Aviation Unit has received the French National Defense Gold Medal with Bronze Star for his actions during a 2023 deployment in Iraq.... (more)