THE EAGLE LIFT LEDGER
Fifth Edition August 2011 1LT Kelly Barton, Executive Editor
Commander‟s Corner Hello to all from Kandahar, Afghanistan. You are reading this newsletter just as the Task Force is crossing the six month mark in the deployment…we‟re half-way done! July was an extremely busy month for us, with the arrival and departure of several units within the Task Force. In the middle of July we completed the relief-in-place for our MEDEVAC company in Helmand Province. Major Pat Zenk, First Sergeant Kyle Brunell, and their team from Germany completed a very successful deployment and have returned safely to Germany. They were replaced by Major Chris Holland, First Sergeant Charles Bouyer and a team that came together from the New Mexico, Arizona, and Minnesota National Guard. They hit the ground running and are now providing great support to our Marine brothers to the west. In July we also gained an additional CH-47 company for the Task Force. Captain Travis Easterling, First Sergeant Rich Davis, and the rest of the “Sugar Bears” joined us from Alaska and are providing great medium lift support across southern Afghanistan. I would be remiss if I didn‟t mention happenings back home, where our non-deployed MEDEVAC Company changed command on July 29th. Major Brady Gallagher transferred command to Major Paul Roley. Brady had a great two years of command to include a 12-month deployment with his company split between Afghanistan and Iraq. We wish Brady and Amanda the best as they move to Ft. Bragg, NC; and welcome Paul and Jenn to the Eagle Lift team. Our last, but certainly not least, summer transition is the Voyagers from the Hawaii National Guard. Captain Johnny Wandasan, First Sergeant Jim Burkhart, and their team will be replaced by Captain Marcus Wilhelm, First Sergeant Greg McBride, and their team from the Colorado and Nebraska National Guard. This transition will be complete by August 8th. We will miss the Hawaii team‟s laid back yet professional attitude, as well as their Reggae band that provided entertainment throughout Kandahar; and we look forward to working with the “Muleskinners.” The “Brahmans” from Australia returned in early July after their two-week R&R. They celebrated their return by hosting a great cookout on their camp, with the Hawaiians providing some live music for entertainment. The Brahmans will be with us until the end of October. I continue to be amazed and humbled by this team‟s accomplishments on a daily basis. We have assembled the largest aviation battalion task force since the war began ten years ago; there‟s simply nothing this great team can‟t accomplish. I hope that all of you at home are enjoying the summer months and your Soldier‟s return for R&R, as each of us cycles home for a couple of weeks. Thanks again to all of our Families and friends for your continued support. Sincerely, Scott Gerblick Task Force Commander
The CSM‟s Foxhole Greetings to all from the CSM‟s foxhole, In a few short days Task Force Eagle Lift will pass the six month mark and put another successful month in the books for the Soldiers and Families. Every day brings new challenges and every day our Soldiers answer the call. I could not be more proud of the Men, Women, and Families of the Task Force. According to statistics the month of July will bring more family gatherings and BBQ‟s than any other month of the year across the USA……that also held true in Afghanistan with our Task Force Companies! Every company had at least one BBQ or social gathering this month which continues to build team work and Esprit de Corps throughout the Task Force. The special items, pictures, flags, and banners sent from our “Home Front Heroes” truly made each BBQ a special event. The Hawaii band played a final concert on the board-walk mid-July and brought down the house! The concert was dubbed “Hot Hawaiian Nights” which resulted in some great music and dancing! Select individuals were pulled from the crowd and asked to help with some dancing. The crowd roared as these special guests showed their dancing skills! Check out the Eagle Lift, 7-101 Aviation Regiment Facebook page to see pictures of our Soldiers enjoying the concert. SSG Crisostomo displayed not only his singing talent, but kept the crowd laughing with his quick wit and humor. To everyone that played, sang, danced, and supported the band, thanks for allowing all of us a few moments to escape the fast pace optempo of deployment. Your departure will leave all of us with a cultural hole in our hearts. Aloha and Mahalo! To the Families and friends of Task Force Eagle Lift, again I want to thank everyone for the continued generosity and care. I am convinced that the confidence, pride, motivation, and success of our Soldiers is a direct result of your daily support! JP Thomas Task Force CSM
HHC — Fighting Griffins AUGUST 2011
AUGUST 2011
Above and Beyond — Why Griffins Have Wings Apparently, July is hot everywhere! This month we were treated to consistently smoking-hot days over 100°F and as high as 110°F on a couple of occasions. What does 110°F feel like in the Arghandab Valley? Imagine watching the Thanksgiving turkey roast…from inside the oven. We did get to experience a few dust plumes that made it difficult to put helicopters in the air for a few days, but whether or not our crews are flying the Griffins are still hard at work. Previously, I described how our Soldiers were working so hard to construct entire buildings. Not only is that building finished now, but our troops did such a great job on it that it is well on its way to passing the stringent construction inspections required for a contracted company to take over the maintenance and warranty the building against future faults. That’s pretty impressive work for a pick-up team! Once the construction phase was complete, the Signal Griffins – otherwise known as Team Hollywood – from the S6 shop went to work. They installed switches, hundreds of meters of cable, ports, imaged hard drives, and processed countless trouble tickets. I’m not sure what all of that means exactly, but the end result was that the incoming unit had usable computers, phones and printers in short order. After that, they went to work a few buildings over installing the same network capabilities throughout the second floor of a new building our Task Force acquired. Thanks to their hard work that often went day and night, we have added several
thousand square feet of office space to our unit, and they did all of this while simultaneously manning a 24/7 Help Desk to continue automations support to a Task Force numbering nearly 1000 Soldiers. Some may dismiss this kind of work out of hand…“it’s their job” is a phrase I have heard tossed around more than once, but I’ll tell you that it is not. Installation of this scale is a task usually given to specialized contractors with lengthy time tables or entire Signal units with merciful deadlines, not a small S6 shop that is manned adequately enough to provide emergency support to a 700person battalion. That is why I’m so proud of these Soldiers. There have been a healthy number of personnel moves through HHC, so let me catch everyone up on where the Griffins are now. From B Co 7-101, we have received 1LT Stephanie Birt who is now working as our Assistant S4. CW2 Jonathan Hensley joined the Griffins from C Co 4-101, and is a new addition to our Flight Operations desk. SPC Brandi Tucker is our new Chaplain assistant, having jumped to our team from HHC, Brigade. We have let go of a few, too, as the Army decided to send them onto “better” things. CPT Lionel Joell is over with 563rd ASB now, though he may be going back stateside early to hit the Captains’ Career Course. CW2 Scott Thomas is also Campbell-bound to begin his transition to civilian life…we wish him luck. SFC Justin McGuire moved back to F Co 7-101 and has an Air Traffic Control job at an outlying base. Even though he’s not one of our Griffins anymore, I checked on him when I landed
there the other day and he was doing great. SPC Roberto Diaz, the Chaplain assistant SPC Tucker replaced, is now helping out the Chaplain at 3-101. I think that covers it, but I apologize if I left anyone out. We also received delivery of the Griffin Gear everyone out here ordered. The hats, t-shirts, and sweatshirts turned out really well. Thank you to 1SG Gary Ruebush for organizing our new swag. If you ordered something, I hope you liked it...if you didn’t order anything, we’ll try to set up another opportunity to show off your Griffin pride later in the deployment. In closing, I want to send a heartfelt thanks out to our wonderful FRG for sending us the big box of Independence Day decorations. It was such an impressive collection of flair that we had trouble finding spots for everything! I’ll be sure to include pictures of our festive work areas in the next newsletter, but I hope you enjoy the themed assortment of photos we have for you this month.
- CPT Gabe Morris Griffin 6
Highlights: Signal Griffins Personnel Moves Got Your Griffin Gear?
HHC — Fighting Griffins
Our Soldiers in Pictures The TOC crew tracking the battle.
The Task Force Commander, studying for his upcoming interview on the Lifetime network. Don’t miss it!
The reason Air Movement Requests run so smoothly.
CW4 Joseph Hill researching motorcycle safety.
MAJ Musico researching...nail polish safety.
A CO Rude Dogs
AUGUST 2011
VOLUME 1
Dear Friends and Families, The Rude Dogs hope you all had a wonderful celebration of our nation‟s independence. We spent the day reading aloud the Declaration of Independence and reenacting Revolutionary War battles. Okay, so our day was not quite that patriotic, but we did spend the afternoon engaging in other distinctively American activities. The Rude Dogs enjoyed chowing down on barbeque, playing a few games of catch, and devouring genuine Baskin Robbins ice cream. The only things missing were fireworks, certain cold beverages, and of course the company of you all. The day‟s capstone event was our promotion and awards ceremony. Our esteemed Door Gunners currently on their first tour with the Rude Dogs received crewmember wings; SPC Michael Hills was also awarded the Combat Action Badge. We promoted Dwaine Baker to the rank of Staff Sergeant and made a Captain out of Tim Mendoza. I presume their official promotion parties are being deferred to after redeployment. In other news, it is currently hot in Afghanistan. Today‟s high was 108 degrees, which despite being “a dry heat,” still feels like the surface of the sun. Unfortunately, the temperature is significantly amplified inside a certain black helicopter that was designed well before air conditioning became a standard feature in American vehicles. We regularly walk out to the aircraft and discover the cockpit temperature above 120 degrees and the skin of the aircraft hot enough to cook an egg. There are a couple of coping mechanisms for dealing with the heat, the most popular of which include drinking massive amounts of liquids and stuffing frozen water bottles under your body armor during flight. Perhaps the most essential coping mechanism is the afternoon siesta. Whether napping on a couch in the CP or under the shadow of a rotor blade, the Rude Dogs are no stranger to sleeping on the job… We hope you are all enjoying the slightly more humid dog days of summer back home. As always, we greatly appreciate the tremendous support we continue to receive. We are looking forward to seeing you all when we are once again complaining about cold weather. Best wishes, Ben Seipel
A CO Rude Dogs Photos
B 7-101 Varsity AUGUST 2011
The Varsity August update.
VOLUME 1
9 July 11 marks 150 boots on the ground! To the Friends and Families of VARSITY, Our mission set has not changed as we continue with general ground support, night air assaults, and direct support. We have been here little longer than five months and we are all looking forward to the cooler months ahead, the heat, the sun, the poo pond, poo creek, and the dust can sometimes make for a miserable day. But no matter what ,we drive on and get the mission done. As we move through the month of July all of our crews continue to move thousands of pounds of supplies, and hundreds of troops to and
from the surrounding FOBs. These very important missions ensure that our fellow troops on the ground have everything that they need to stay effective on the battlefield, while also keeping their morale up when they are back on base. Our ground support crews also work day in and day out delivering troops of all our allied nations to their objectives and pulling them back out again, as well as getting them back to the „houseâ€&#x; safe and sound.
Finally our Direct Support crews continue to be over achievers and deliver each and every mission. Also, we have, at last, been able to bring all the crews back to Kandahar which allows us to be one big family again.
~ Varsity could not continue to complete the mission without the Love and Support of all of you back home. Thank You! ~
~CPT Paul Flanigen
~1SG Josh Bryan
Varsity Photos
Headed north, to Sharana.
Maintenance is always working...
CONGRATULATIONS ! The McHugh Family welcomed Dylan Alexander McHugh, born 2nd of July 21 Inches 8 lbs, 2 Oz.
The McCullough Family welcomed Braxton Scott McCullough, born 19th of June. 21 Inches 8 Lbs, 5 Oz.
AUGUST 2011
C 4-101 Blackwidows VOLUME 1
Greetings Blackwidow Families! Blackwidow Executive Officer at the helm for this month’s edition of the Lift Ledger. Another great month is coming to a close at Kandahar. Every soldier is looking forward to the cooler temperatures of the fall, as we move one step closer to returning to our loved ones. It’s been a busy month for the guys of Kandahar. We have successfully completed multiple missions. Congrats are in order for multiple members of our fine organization. PFC Smiley has been promoted to the rank of Specialist. 1LT Sudweeks and 1LT Patel also received their promotions to Captain at the beginning of the month which made for a great beginning to the month. Despite the inhospitable environment encountered here everyday, your loved ones are working harder than ever. It is their dedication to excellence and service that gives the Blackwidows the flawless reputation that we have today. Their ability to accomplish every mission assigned to them without complaint or compro-
1SG Barber Promotes Demetrice Smiley from PFC to SPC
Congratulations are also in order for SPC Michael Herold and his Wife Jenny as they welcome a new child into their family. Charleiegh Herold was born on 16 June 2011.
CPT Marcotte Promotes Mark Sudweeks
CPT Marcotte Promotes Amit Patel from
C 4-101 Blackwidows The 4th of July brought about a lot of good food, entertainment and war stories as the Blackwidows cohosted a BBQ with the A CO Rude Dogs. The day was full of good food, camaraderie and fun had by all!
Grill Sergeant Ramos grilling while being closely supervised by SFC Billy Sargent.
SPC Stanzione and SPC Watson enjoy the party while SPC Lee tries to pretend he is somewhere else
1SG Barber and SFC Collins providing additional oversight to grilling operations. Hey SSG Simmons, SAVE SOME FOR US!
CW2 Condon, CW3 Robinson, and CW2 Bednar expertly avoid the after party cleanup
Mentorship at it’s finest...
Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 12 C 4-101 Blackwidows C 4-101 Blackwidows‌ UNTIL NEXT MONTH
Standardization Department Message of the Month: STAY HYDRATED
D CO Dragons
AUGUST 2011
Summer is coming! FRG NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2011 Overall outstanding continued efforts by all Delta Company Soldiers as numerous units entered theater and relied upon our maintenance support to begin their rotation successfully. A new MEDEVAC unit arrived along with a Chinook company out of Alaska. Each unit was quickly set up and aircraft prepped to begin flying missions directly reflecting the hard work put forth by all MOSs within the company. The Dragonâ€&#x;s continued efforts have simply been amazing with the operational tempo and sheer number of aircraft that are maintained on a daily basis. The summer season was in full swing here in Kandahar as we marked the 4 th of July with a company level barbeque. The day started off early for those Soldiers wishing to participate in a 5K Task Force Thunder run put on by the Brigade, with music to accompany. The talents of SGT Taman were evidenced again as he manned the grill along with SGT Sykes and SSG Pardun lending a hand. The momentary break in maintenance and mission support was well deserved and overdue. A welcome to the following new arrivals to Delta Company/Afghanistan: 62 Soldiers from D/1-52 and C/123 out of Alaska And the return of the following 15Us: PFC Ayala, Roberto SPC Doran, Shawn PFC Muir, Peter SPC Vazquez, Victor Congratulations to SPC Shupe for winning the Company Soldier of the Month board and SGT Fornal for winning Company NCO of the month. Congratulations to SSG Bible and his wife for their newest addition to their family with the birth of their daughter, Kristen on 10 July.
D CO Dragons Hmmm... “Hey do you need help?? No? Ok”
Say cheese
D CO Posing for the camera
3 man job
BE SAFE!!!!
AUGUST 2011
“Outside the CP” 1LT Marcus Harold CPT Blake Jenkins 1SG Ronnie Simington
CONGRATULATIONS! PROMOTIONS SFC Page SGT Espinoza SPC Fox SPC Murphy GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL SPC Conatser SPC Fox SPC Hadden SPC Moorman SPC Turley SPC Whitsel
BATTALION COIN PFC Eguizabal PFC Johnston BIRTHDAYS SSG Maurice—9 July SPC Like—17 July 2LT Tellez—18 July 1LT Eyster—19 July PFC Yaw—22 July SSG Aulet—23 July SPC Murphy—27 July SPC Baker—28 July
The “No Worries” Update
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 5
Greetings friends and family of the Iron Dogs! As Captain Jenkins is on R&R at the moment, this is 1LT Harold, coming to you live from Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan! This month‟s newsletter has returned to its original format, pictures and blurbs! More to read, more to see and plenty of space to describe just how hard your loved ones overseas have been working. Here‟s a synopsis of the past month, where we have hit our stride. As a result of their outstanding products and leading by example, Staff Sergeant Page was promoted Sergeant First Class and Corporal Espinoza was promoted to Sergeant! We heartily encourage these two to continue excelling as Non Commissioned Officers, setting the example for others to follow and living the “be, know, do” aspects of their profession. Also, hard work, dedication and adherence to the Army Values resulted in Privates First Class Fox and Murphy earning their promotions to Specialist. We expect to see them continue to demonstrate great potential, and look forward to their promising futures. Six Iron Dogs: SPC Conatser, SPC Fox, SPC Hadden, SPC Moorman, SPC Turley, SPC Whitsel, were awarded Good Conduct Medals this month due to their outstanding work day in and day out, and their adherence to standards. In other good news, PFC Richmond competed in and won the Battalion Soldier of the Quarter board! Being the only PFC amid a sea of Specialists, his long hours of studying paid off, and he‟ll be competing in the Brigade Soldier of the Quarter soon, where we know he‟ll outshine his fellow competitors again. Our HQ section is doing an outstanding job with its versatile mission set, including a feeding section which delivers food to the flight companies, the orderly room which serves as the nerve center of the Company, the supply room keeping all of us outfitted and the arms room keeping our weapons serviceable. Our POL section continues to do great things, setting up jump FARPs on the fly, continuing to pump more and more fuel than our predecessors. Our maintenance section puts the others in the consolidated motor pool to shame, keeping our Task Force‟s vehicles running to standard, with the highest readiness rate in the Brigade for the past 4 months. We are all eagerly anticipating the challenges of the upcoming months, and express our deepest gratitude and thanks for the love, support and compassion you all give us every day. Enjoy the pictures and blurbs! Until next month, NO WORRIES – AIR ASSAULT IRON DOG 5
Headquarters - Prowlers
Page 2
Greetings once again from the Headquarters platoon. As we round out our sixth month of deployment, the headquarters platoon has settled into a smooth stride. Our Orderly Room has continued to successfully process our Company‟s administrative needs as well as our mail. On July 1 st the Orderly Room celebrated the promotion of Lorent Espinoza from Corporal to Sergeant! Our Supply section has also settled into a successful routine as the months continue to fly by. Through the efforts of the supply personnel, the soldiers of E Co. have been able to maintain their uniforms, equipment, and vehicles. For the Gunslingers Section (the arms room), June and July brought on an increase in business with the integration of new units to the task force and an increase in flight activity. Although the duties of the Arms Room kept the Gunslingers busy, they still found the time to excel and achieve greatness in other areas. PFC Richmond competed against four other Soldiers at the Soldier of the Month board for June and marched away victorious; as a result of his victory he was given the opportunity to compete for Soldier of the Quarter and once again marched away victorious! The Soldiers, NCOs, and Officers of HQ Platoon would like to thank you for your care packages, cards, and prayers. Your support from the rear is vital to our mission success and greatly appreciated! No Worries! - 1LT Harold and SGT Mapes PFC Richmond poses in front of the plaque to the Arms Room which reads “Workplace of PFC Richmond, Battalion Soldier of the Quarter”
Ye Olde Trusty Arms Room van. Look at those wheels!
SGT Chizmar observes the pouring of the hot sauce upon the meal.
PFC Eqguizabal attempts to seduce the camera.
Distribution Platoon - Punishers Page 3 Hello Punisher Platoon Family! The theme for this month‟s newsletter is “hitting our stride,” and that would certainly describe this platoon. However, as I lead these incredible Soldiers I can‟t help but think that we are actually picking up the pace! In just this past month SPC Fox earned his well deserved promotion. We moved our headquarters into a new office that the platoon built entirely by hand. The Soldiers distinguished their hard work by surpassing over 1,000,000 gallons of fuel issued for the year, doing it 45% faster than any previous unit. To top it all off, we had a new addition to the Punisher family, as SPC Buccilli and his wife Jessica welcome Gabriella into the world. Yes, this platoon is truly excelling. SSG Fournier and I thank you for the privilege of leading such a great unit. Thank you for your love and faithfulness to your Soldiers. So as we run; as we “hit our stride” we keep our focus on the finish line, working everyday to get to a free and peaceful home with you. May God bless you all! -1LT Eyster and SSG Fournier
PFC Carter doing work!
Is SGT Dismukes regifting??
SPC Bucilli‟s brand new baby daughter, Gabriella.
PFCs Fox & Murphy become SPCs Fox & Murphy!
Maintenance Platoon - Pirates Page 4 A hearty “YARR!” from the Motor Pool Pirate Platoon to all of our great and wonderful lasses, families, fans, and unfortunate other organizations who are not us. The theme of this last month has been one of hitting our stride; working and completing 20 services on varying equipment including M1235s, M1051‟s, generators, and of course our beloved John Deere Gators. Soldiers in the Platoon demonstrated a tireless determination in troubleshooting several “demonic” pieces of equipment to include an ATLAS forklift, M1151, as well as an M1235 MRAP (aka.“Broke Brake Betty”-say that five times fast). All of this work culminated in the 4th month in row of keeping the highest deployment readiness rating in the entire Brigade (over 95% FMC)! In addition to maintenance, the Pirates also promoted SFC Page and SPC Murphy this past month, with these individuals demonstrating superior leadership and readiness for increased responsibility. The Pirates continue to stay motivated, working at a „smarter and not harder‟ marathon pace as they keep 7th GSAB ground equipment well maintained and supported. As this next month hits, we look forward to getting past the halfway point of the deployment as well as being all we can be while playing our part in support of Operation Enduring Freedom 11-12. Obey or be KEELHAULED! -2LT Tellez and SFC Reel SPC Masters being SPC Masters
SPC Moorman undergoes some “corrective training”
SGT Foley fixes a forklift!
2LT Tellez throws his hands up in excitement! Whee!
Buccaneers “FOX NEWS”
AUGUST 2011 Task Force Wings NCO of the Month: SGT Dodge
To the Commander’s Cup Championship Team Members: WO1 Sanchez 1SG Varner SSG Altman SSG Anderson SSG Calhoun SSG Kasper SSG Olson SGT Haines SGT Nichols SGT Robinson SPC Abraham SPC Hardy SPC Jones SPC Lee SPC Richardson
Greetings Buccaneer families and loved ones. We come to you once again sending our love and smiles back home. July has been a very busy month for all of the Buccaneers and has proven to be a very successful month as well. Perhaps one of the greatest highlights for you and our Soldiers is the transition of several of our Soldiers. Our first set of new Soldiers arrived in theater this month and immediately began to earn their certifications and take over the responsibilities of the Soldiers they‟re swapping out with. The eagerness and enthusiasm with which they arrived has aided immensely in the Relief In Place (RIP) process and will expedite the release of our homebound Soldiers. We are now however at the mercy of the Air Force in getting our outbound Soldiers home. I assure you that we will get your loved ones home as soon as we can. All of our Soldiers that will be returning home in the first wave were also honored by Lift 6 this month with awards for their service here in Afghanistan. He also spoke of how proud he was of your Soldiers and how “low maintenance” our company was, stating that when he did hear something about our Soldiers it was always in a positive tone.
supporting 4th BN in Wolverine the Buccaneers took home the victory. The trophy, personnel who competed, and a few pictures of the competition are highlighted in this months newsletter. Once again I would like to say congratulations to all of our Soldiers who were directly involved in the competition whether competing or cheering on the sidelines, you all assisted in winning the trophy. Now we just have to ensure we keep hold of it for a while and add a little “Buccaneer Spice” to it. Yet another highlight for the month of July was when SGT Dodge competed and won the Soldier of the Month board with 4th Battalion. SGT Dodge scored a 295 out of 315, nearly acing the entire competition and demonstrating his superior skills this month. One more example of how hard your Soldiers are working and how well they continue to represent all of us in an extremely positive manner. I once again would like to thank all of you for your continued support of not only your Soldiers here but your fellow Buccaneers back home. Families are always going to need some support at often unexpected times and I encourage you to lend a helping hand whenever possible. We would like to congratulate the Kasper family on their newest arrival along with the Winklers and Fischetti‟s last month. Thanks again for all your love and support!
July also served as the month that 4th Battalion had their quarterly Commanders Buccaneer 6 Cup competition. I am very proud to say that despite being the smallest company
Buccaneers “FOX PHOTO’S”
Adopted Buccaneer
ARCTIC AIRMAIL Chronicles of a displaced MEDEVAC Company
Afghanistan in July, the only place in the world that rivals an Alaskan winter in terms of climatological suckitude…
Welcome back for another edition of Arctic Airmail! We’ve made it to July, and as promised it’s hotter than anything we’ve experienced thus far. Yesterday the website Weather Underground was predicting our high to be 118° Fahrenheit but our weather guy said it only got up to 108...ONLY! It’s to be expected over here and we’re coping while consuming mass quantities of water daily. August is just around the corner and will undoubtedly bring even higher temperatures so I guess we shouldn’t complain too much yet.
The TK crews and some other med folks cheesin’ for the camera.
With the arrival of July also comes the celebration of our independence as a nation. “Fireworks” over here have an altogether different meaning than stateside and our 4th was completely firework-free, and we were very happy it remained that way throughout the night. So, although we were here and there were no fireworks, we did have a big barbeque and a raffle drawing with prizes CW2 Marcus “Fire Marshall Bill” Chambers provided courtesy of the North Pole Babes in Toyland burnin’ down the house...go figure! roller derby team, thanks ladies! Overall, it was a very nice, very relaxing day to kick back and enjoy each others company over a plate of amazingly cooked ribs. The beginning of July also marked a much-awaited event; we have shipped our first shipping container back to Alaska! It does seem early in the game to be shipping items back already but we’ve been able to offload some extra items we brought with us. Not knowing exactly what we were going to find when we got here, we decided to bring everything but the kitchen sink and much of it was unneeded. We’ve been able to ship back some work related stuff as well as boxes and footlockers of personal items that we have since realized was excess. The container will remain inside a hangar in Alaska and won’t be opened until we return so there’s no worry about the extreme temperatures or theft and all our extra stuff will be waiting for us when we get back. 1st step toward heading home!!
As is the Dustoff way, the month of July arrived with extra rank for four of our crewchiefs. Former Privates First Class David Stokes, John Sparks, Randall McDonough, and Jarred Jones are now strutting around, chests puffed out, showing the world that they have moved up and are now Specialists. The promotions are hard earned and well deserved. The Dustoff job is a thankless one and all the work and maintenance that takes place in the background often goes without notice, so a promotion is a nice pat on the back for these guys and is of course accompanied with a bigger paycheck and more responsibility. These gentlemen will have no problem filling the bigger role they have been promoted into and will succeed without hesitation. Newly promoted SPC Jarred Jones, fighting his way through the ranks one bloody nose at a time. Congratulations guys! The numbers have come in and although late, more kudos are due to one of our MEDEVAC crews comprised of Pilot-in-Command CW3 Scott Macke, Pilot 2LT David Keppler, Crewchief CPL Carlos Alvarez, and Medic SPC Aaron Halcomb. On June 2nd they unknowingly transported our 1,000th patient here in Afghanistan. The patient load ebbs and flows depending on operations at the time and this crew just happened to be in the right place at the right time and got the lucky number 1,000. Keep up the good work guys! We all know deployments can be boring, exciting, crappy, awesome and it’s usually a mix of the above with a few various ingredients. Of course, the experience is only as good or as bad as you perceive it to be and if you SPC Aaron Halcomb...saving lives by the thousands! make the best of the situation, some very interesting and/or amusing things can transpire. Something as mundane as throwing away your trash after eating at the chow hall can turn into an adventure when viewed through the right eyes. The trash can lids become shields and you are instantly transported into a scene from the movie “300.” Or, you’re just being a total wise guy and decide to poke fun at all the “Spartan” propaganda floating around the Forward Operating Base (FOB) and decide to make your own Spartan phalanx out of trash can lids. Either way, it lightens the mood, provides for some good photo opportunities, and boosts the morale of everyone involved. It all goes back to the old saying, “do the best you can with what you have.” Spartan Phalanx: Playing with trashcan lids has never been so much fun!
In the June newsletter there was mention of company t-shirts, coffee mugs, and mouse pads, etc. for purchase. As of this writing, there are still bugs being worked out of the contract and ordering process so nothing has come to fruition as of yet. Due to the issues we’re having with the company, there is a very good possibility a different business will be utilized and this has proven to be a very customerfriendly option. As more info becomes available, it will be included in the newsletter so you can show your Dustoff pride to the world. Of course, we’re getting more Better than a NASCAR pit crew From L to R: SSG Stephon Flynn (flight medic), CW2 Matthew Grove (pilot), shipments of the SPC Josh Diehl (crewchief), and CW2 Greg Love (pilot-in-command) company patches and good idea fairy patches so your loved one can purchase those directly from the 1SG. On another note, many members of our Dustoff family have fallen prey to the love bug during the late June / early July season. Congratulations go out to SSG Brendan Jackson on his new marriage to Lisa Overholtz, SPC Daniel Denison and new wife Dawna Rickman, and SPC Nikki Chercourt and her new hubby Phillip Buchmann. Congratulations also go out to CW2 Alan Harty in his engagement to longtime girlfriend Brandy Reeves while enjoying his R&R trip to majestic Ireland. Being married to the military is no easy task Recently engaged CW2 Alan “Mority Harand these wonderful people tiwitz” Harty deciding on whether or not camels will make a decent dowry. have made that commitment knowing the hard road that lies ahead. Welcome to the Dustoff family, we’ll be seeing you soon! With our halfway mark rapidly approaching (August Newly married SPC Nikki (Chercourt) Buchmann trying her hand at construction 3rd) we are almost work...it didn’t go so well since she was over the crest and on scared of the saw. the downhill run. Things may not get easier but the time is getting shorter. We’ll be home soon and we appreciate everything you do! “If ever you’re lonely Look at your hand and know That’s where mine should be!” -Anonymous
“When I have your wounded.”
Big Happenings in JULY: Birthdays July 12th - CW3 Josh Meyers July 12th - 1LT Phillip Walker July 15th - CPT Daniel Gazzano July 16th - SGT Cody Allen July 16th - SPC Kimberlea Vorron July 17th - 1SG Jeffery Pinnell July 19th - CW2 Paul Jones July 22nd - CW2 Dave Piggott July 30th - PFC Robert Meade July 31st - SGT Jesse Rosenfield
Anniversaries July 6th - Andrew & Telia Herndon July 8th - Brett & Katherine Schlieve July 10th - Jon & Jessica Edstrom July 15th - Eric & Athena Hopper July 22nd - Phillip & Sara Walker
Until next time‌
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!! CW2 Matthew J. Grove DUSTOFF pilot and newsletter-writer-guy
I wear my sunglasses at night
B CO 1-171 The Voyagers
AUGUST 2011
Brahmans Photos
Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment Assumes Medevac Mission At noon on July 12, 2011, we held a small ceremony at the airfield at Camp Dwyer to mark the Transfer of Authority from Charlie Company, 1214th Aviation to Charlie Company, 1-171st Aviation. Soldiers from both units stood at attention as the Commander and First Sergeant of the outgoing unit rolled up their company flag, which we refer to in the Army as a "guidon." Then the Commander and First Sergeant of C Company, 1-171st Aviation unrolled our company's guidon. This ceremony officially marked the outgoing unit's "Relief-in-Place" by the incoming unit. Like almost everything in the military, we have an acronym for this; we call it the "RIP / TOA." This stands for "Relief in Place/Transfer of Authority." This ceremony was significant in that it marked the point in time when Charlie Company, 1-171st Aviation became completely responsible for the execution of medical evacuation (or "MEDEVAC") operations in southwestern Afghanistan. Prior to July 12, members of our unit had been working side-by-side with members of the outgoing unit to learn how they do their jobs. Our helicopter maintenance crews worked together with their crews off-loading the inbound helicopters from the U.S. Air Force transport planes. And we also worked together to disassemble the other unit's helicopters and prepare them for shipment back to Germany. For a period of several weeks our flight crews flew actual MEDEVAC missions with the outgoing unit's aircrews. This transition period gave us a unique opportunity to learn their tactics and benefit from the experience of Soldiers who have been performing the medevac mission in this locale for the past year. They taught us how to fly and maintain our Blackhawk helicopters in the harsh desert environment of southwestern Afghanistan. But after the RIP/TOA ceremony of July 12th, we were completely on our own. Now that we have fully assumed the MEDEVAC mission we have been operating full steam ahead. In the first two weeks after July 12th, Charlie Company's aircrews executed more than 180 MEDEVAC flight missions from the four locations where our helicopters and crews are based. Many of these missions took place at night. Low visibility also can be a significant hazard to aviation as dust storms roll across the desert, pushed by high winds. While many of the patients we have transported have been U.S. military service members, we also have carried many allied Soldiers and injured Afghan civilians. And the nature of their injuries has run the full gamut from a U.S. Marine with multiple amputations to a six-year-old Afghan boy who was bitten by a snake. Most of us in Charlie Company have now settled into our day-to-day routines and have established our living and working areas. Our Soldiers live and work at several different bases that we refer to as "Forward Operating Bases," or "FOBs." Living conditions vary from one FOB to the next. Life on a FOB in Afghanistan can be spartan in some respects, but for the most part we are reasonably comfortable. A few Charlie Company Soldiers live in barracks buildings, although the vast majority of our Soldiers occupy tents. These tents have plywood floors, and plywood partitions have been erected to form individual rooms, each occupied by one or two Soldiers. These rooms are small--usually about 8 feet by 8 feet--but they give the Soldiers a little space to themselves when they are off-duty. Morale among Charlie Company's Soldiers generally is high. We know we have an important job to do. We are reminded of its importance every day when we bring wounded U.S. and allied service members and civilians into our helicopters. We are working very hard to learn everything we can learn about our mission so that we will be able to do it better with each passing day. We are working long hours and long days, but the days are passing quickly.
Greetings Sugar Bear family members and friends, After a blistering training schedule, I am happy to say that all Soldiers, aircraft, and equipment have safely arrived in Afghanistan. Getting to Afghanistan was interesting to say the least. I don‟t think any chalk had an uneventful trip. Some chalks were delayed because smoke in the cabin. Others had maintenance issues that caused the oxygen masks to fall out of the ceiling. The reception we have received from 7-101 AVN has been wonderful. Every Soldier had a room ready and waiting for them upon arrival. They even built us a new building to work from. Like all new buildings, we experienced some growing pains. We had to build desks and shelves to store supplies. While building these shelves, CW2 Cunningham got in a fight with a hammer and lost. His reward from the hammer was a nice black eye. The build up with the aircraft has been equally challenging, but our guys were up to the task. Even with temperatures reaching 108 degrees our Soldiers worked at a staggering pace, but build up did not go without any hiccups. SPC Flemmings was one of the victims of the buildup. He learned the hard way that propping up a transmission with your nose does not work well. SPC Flemmings recovered and is doing well on the flight line getting our aircraft flyable and ready for the mission. Everyone‟s morale is great. Unlike Pakistan, we all have hot water and good food. The biggest complaint we have is the internet in the rooms is not very fast and it sometimes breaks. The rooms are a tight fit but comfortable. Most everyone lives in the same general area. At night many gather outside to shoot the breeze and talk about their day. I don‟t think it will be long before the guitars emerge. I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying the Alaskan summer. Sincerely, Sugar Bear 6