Soldiers render salutes in formation as the flag is raised June 14 before celebrating the Army’s 243rd birthday with a run at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, commanding general, U.S. Army North (Fifth Army), presided over the events celebrating the Army’s birthday with soldiers, Army civilians and families.

In classic Army tradition, the youngest and oldest soldiers participating in the Army birthday run cut the cake June 14 at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, commanding general, U.S. Army North (Fifth Army), led soldiers and Army civilians on a run in celebration of the U.S. Army’s 243rd Birthday.

Command Sgt. Maj. (Ret.) Ed Martin, 2nd from left, and Brandon Alvarez, a 2018 graduate of East Central H.S., grasp the saber as they prepare to cut the Army Birthday cake in front of the Alamo on June 14. The U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion San Antonio marked the Army’s 243rd Birthday with a small ceremony at the historic site. In keeping with tradition, the oldest Army veteran present, Martin, and the youngest Army Soldier, Ramirez, made the first cut in the cake. Alvarez took the Oath of Enlistment during the ceremony and is slated to depart for basic training later this year. The 17-year old enlisted as a Human Resource Specialist. Also pictured are Army Lt. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan (left) and Command Sgt. Maj. Alberto Delgado (right), the U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) command team.

Ryan Shipkey, grandson of the late Sgt. Maj. of the Army Leon L. Van Autreve, spoke about his bond with the Army’s fourth SMA during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery June 14. Shipkey closed his remarks with an audio recording of Van Autreve reciting John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields.” Van Autreve served 34 years and is credited with developing the NCO Education System. The Army Medical Department Center & School’s Non-Commissioned Officer Academy hosted the annual ceremony.

U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) commanding general, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, issues the Oath of Enlistment to 10 recruits on the Army’s Birthday in front of The Alamo June 14. Buchanan, the enlistees, and the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion San Antonio marked the Army’s 243rd Birthday with a small ceremony at the historic site.

U.S. Army North (Fifth Army) commanding general, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, issues the Oath of Enlistment to 10 recruits on the Army’s Birthday in front of The Alamo on June 14. Buchanan, the enlistees, and the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion San Antonio marked the Army’s 243rd Birthday with a small ceremony at the historic site.