FIFTH ARMY ASSOCIATION |
The US Army North (Fifth Army) Association is dedicated to charitable, educational, and support efforts for US Army North (Fifth Army) Soldiers and families. Our main function is to facilitate connections among members, preserve unit history, assist with unit celebrations and reunions, and support military traditions. We also raise funds through donations and grants for critical Soldier and family support programs, including the Caisson Funeral Detachment, the 323rd Army Band, and the Vogel Resiliency Center (VRC); the VRC operates the military's premier program that enables active military, veterans, and military families to better care for themselves through individualized evaluation and hands-on training on financial, nutritional, physical, mental, social, and spiritual resiliency. The Association operates under the guidelines of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and Texas Non-Profit Corporation Act, ensuring all activities align with its nonprofit status. EIN 82-2217411.
Join us for the Army's 251st Birthday Celebration Ball in San Antonio! Army Ball: JW Marriott Hill Country on 13 Jun 26 It will be hard to top last year's Army Birthday Ball, but we are going to give it a try. This is a special year. Next July we will all celebrate the Nation's 250th Birthday, and the upcoming Army Ball on June 13, 2026 will be part of the Nation's and the San Antonio community's celebration activities. The Fifth Army Association will once again take the lead in assisting the Army in ensuring this is a first class event. Come join us at the JW Marriott Hill Country on the north side of San Antonio on Saturday evening, 13 June 2026. The guest speaker is not confirmed yet, but the short list is impressive. We will be enjoying a delicious beef dinner--the same as last year which was incredible--but we have added an additional bottle of wine for each table (1 bottle of white, 2 bottles of red, and sparking wine for toasting at each table), as well as more bartenders and more valet parking to speed those things up this year (we listened to your comments!). Come enjoy the pre-dinner reception; toast and honor those who came before us; participate in the formal festivities; enjoy dinner and the camaraderie of our Soldiers, veterans, civilian employees, and our community supporters; and then dance the night away. Tickets will be sold on this website starting next month at the link above or by going to the EVENTS tab at the top of the page and to the "Army 251st Birthday Ball" link. Join the Fifth Army Association Today! Membership Drive Underway
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The Fifth Army Association (FAA) is up and running as an official 501(C)(3) non-profit organization and is bringing in members. We have raised sufficient funds to operate successfully and accomplish our main mission--member support. And we have an initial strategic plan that lays out the way-forward. We have also recently added to our portfolio our concerted efforts to protect military missions in San Antonio and to bring other missions here. We are currently working hard with the local, State, and Federal Government officials to bring new commands to Fort Sam Houston and San Antonio to help provide employment opportunities for all those Army North and Army South personnel who are losing jobs due to the loss of those commands. We believe this is a vital way we can truly provide member support. Read more about the membership drive Go here to sign up: | Fifth Army Association Purchases Caisson Equipment Using $75,000 Diana Davis Spencer Foundation Grant The Fifth Army Association recently completed purchasing a large amount of equipment in support of a number of initiatives on Fort Sam Houston, the largest being the revitalization of the Caisson Mission and Detachment Area. These funds were made available through a $75,000 grant from the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation in memory of one of Fort Sam Houston's Distinguished Quartermasters who recently passed away, the Honorable Diana Denman. This grant provided for critically needed items that were either not authorized for the military to fund, or were too hard for the military to prioritize due to operational needs elsewhere. This included the continued building of our herd of the magnificent, large, Percheron horses you can see in the pictures on the News Article page (go to the tab at the top of this page). We rely on donations to purchase these horses, and this grant enabled us to bring three new beautiful horses onto the team. We have now totally replaced our old herd, and have 13 young and healthy horses (we are still one short of our goal of 14 but are looking!). Famous Monuments Donated by Dr Mellijor to the Fifth Army Association Arrive in San Antonio The two incredible monuments--valued at $750,000--that were donated by a Chicago museum to the Fifth Army Association have arrived in San Antonio! If you have been on Post lately, you may have noticed an enormous amount of construction and pasture expansion near Staff Post Road. This is part of a $15m revitalization of the entire Caisson Detachment Area, to include renovating three major buildings, construction of a horse training pavilion, and expansion and enhancing of the pastures from the original 6 acres to 22 acres. As part of the revitalization project, and in honor of the Soldiers and horses who man this Detachment and perform the funerals, Dr Alfonso (Lon) Mellijor and his Chicago museum donated the famous Duty First monument created by world renowned artist and sculptor James Muir for placement at the entrance of the Detachment area. James Muir also created the Colonel Travis monument that is just inside the entrance of the museum within the grounds of the Alamo. Fifth Army Association Assists Medal of Honor Celebration The Fifth Army Association provided critical support to enable 33 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients to spend a week in San Antonio fully engaged with the military, the community, and our schools. They were joined by fifteen widows of recipients and dozens of their family members. It was a week full of fun and gaiety, mixed in with a somber realization of the incredible sacrifices these men, and those who came before them, made for our country. Most importantly, throughout the week these heroes spent their days interacting with thousands of our high school students discussing character development and what it means in life to be a person of character. When the Congressional Medal of Honor Society choose San Antonio for their annual convention and celebration, MG Pat Brady (USA, Ret), himself a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, and Dan Pedrotti, the Chairman of the Board of the Host Committee, called the Fifth Army Association and asked for our help. And help we did! | Featured Member Stay Up to Date Inside the Gate Upcoming Events December 16, 2025 (Tuesday night): Clocktower Club at the Red Berry Estate for senior military and community leaders June 3, 2026: Grand Opening of the newly renovated and refurbished Caisson Detachment area June 13, 2026: 251st Army Birthday Celebration Ball at the JW Marriott Hill Country Commander's Corner Welcome to the Fifth Army Association website. The creation and operation of this 501(C)(3) non-profit Association with a mission of reconnecting former members of the command, assisting current and former members and their families, and maintaining our history was accomplished through the incredible hard work of former Fifth Army Soldiers and leaders. I am grateful for the work they are doing. The Association has been generous enough to grant the current Army North Commander a small section of the website to provide brief updates on the operations, activities and investments across this engaged Army Service Component Command (ASCC). We are currently actively fully engrossed in the our number one mission: Defense of the Homeland. We also stay immersed in Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) planning, while continuing to foster close training and operational relationships with our Canadian allies and Mexican partners with whom we share this vibrant continent. But while we are at the forefront in all these missions, we also need to take time to remember and honor our past. In that light, this year we celebrate the 250th Birthday of your US Army. This is the starting event for the Nation's larger celebration of its 250th Anniversary next year. On behalf of CSM Gan and I, we hope you are able to join us, in person or through this website, for all the upcoming celebration events, and that you and your family remain safe regardless of where your travels may take you. Thanks to the Fifth Army Association for their continued interest in supporting our teammates – past and present. It’s great to be part of this Fifth Army/Army North team and part of Military City USA. Thank you again for all you do.... Strength of the Nation! - LTG Al Pepin |