Photo By Staff Sgt. Teresa Cantero | Soldiers from Bravo Company, 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment run through a...... read more read more
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — Soldiers from the 9th Mission Support Command hosted an open house at the Pele U.S. Army Reserve Center in Ili'ili, American Samoa, April 25, 2026. The event was the first of its kind in American Samoa and supported Army Reserve recruiting and retention efforts while encouraging community members to visit the center and strengthen relationships with the unit.
The event featured Soldiers from the reserve center showcasing various aspects of their duties, including infantry movement drills, engineering capabilities, and drone operations. A face-painting station was also available, where children had their faces painted with camouflage designs. Each unit organized a display highlighting its role within the Army Reserve.
“We would like to share this type of training with the community,” said Staff Sgt. Alexander Lotoaso, Bravo Company, 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment. Lotoaso said he wants community members to attend and observe the training to better understand the mission and capabilities of the 100th Battalion as infantry Soldiers in American Samoa.
Soldiers from the 411th Forward Support Company, 9th Mission Support Command, also participated by displaying multiple vehicles for community members to view and interact with. The display included a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) A4 M984A4 recovery truck (wrecker), a High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE), and two M1120 HEMTT Load Handling System (LHS) vehicles.
“We’re just here trying to display our vehicles and what we do to the community,” said Pfc. Taumailelei Tafaovale, a Soldier assigned to the 411th Forward Support Company. “We want to let the community know how we do our job here in the Army.”
The Pele Army Reserve Center is the only Army Reserve Center in American Samoa and serves over 200 Army Reserve Soldiers within the region.
“We hope to do more community events in the future,” said Capt. Flor Velasco, Bravo Company commander, 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment, and one of the main planners for the event. “Whether it’d be showcasing our Soldiers and Capabilities through ‘Open Houses’ or doing school visits.” “We are all not going to be in the military service in the next decade or so,” said Velasco. “So we do need to ensure we recruit the next generation.”
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2026 14:30 |
| Story ID: | 563617 |
| Location: | PAGO PAGO, AS |
| Web Views: | 10 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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