1st Battalion 22nd Infantry
1st Battalion Newsletter
June 2013
Company D, E/FSC, Rear Detachment
Coming up on month number four
of our deployment and Dealer remains busy as ever. Weve
done services on tanks,
personal weapons qualification, close quarter marksmanship
ranges, gunnery skills testing, platoon maneuver training,
and are currently in the middle of gunnery. Flexibility is the
key over here. Dealing with external factors that affect our
training ,
the Soldiers of Dealer Company have done a phenomenal job
adapting to the changing conditions and continue to get
after it.
Im tremendously proud of the Soldiers of Death Dealer
Company and look forward to tackling future training and
joint missions with Kuwaiti Forces.
Congratulations to SGT Calixte and SPC Debrum on your promotions, job well done.
I want to thank the Keating
family and some of their friends for donating care packages full
of some great
pogey bait (beef jerky, sunflower seeds, and other
snacks). Thank you very much, Death Dealer appreciates
your support!
Thank you again to the families,
friends, and children of Dealer Company. Your unrelenting support
for your
loved ones keeps us motivated. Thank you.
CPT Christopher A. Reed
Death Dealer 6
It seems like just a matter of
days since I last wrote a few words for this column. Time is
truly flying by as we are now
well into the 3rd month of our Kuwaiti deployment. It has been
nothing short of hectic here of late as the Company is
performing a large variety of missions and training events here
in Kuwait.
As always I am so proud of our
Soldiers as they learn, grow and adapt to an ever changing
environment
here in Kuwait. The weather has been unpredictable with cool
mornings and scorching heat in
the afternoons to booming thunder storms at night. Our recent
focus has been the train up and movement
of the Company to gunnery. We were well on our way to retaining
the Top Tank Company
streamer given to the Company with the top gunnery average when
we had to shut down training
due to a large number of camels and camps arriving on our range.
This is just one of the many oddities
we are faced with during a deployment that would never happen at
home station, and proves just how
adaptive our Soldiers are as always and we are ready to begin
shooting again at any moment should
the camels leave.
We are so thankful for the
support of the families back home as we could not do this
deployment
without you. I know for some of you the days drag, but know what
your loved one is doing is very important.
They are working hard every day to accomplish the mission here.
They overcome the weather
and every other challenge put in front of them as Dealer Company
leads the way for the Battalion as
usual. Thanks for all your continuing support.
Dealers
1SG Noyes, Jon D.
Death Dealer 7
The past few months the Soldiers
of Headquarters have been conducting and supporting numerous
training
missions. Their efforts during mission essential training have
been crucial in the Battalions success in support of
Operation Spartan Shield. In addition, HQ's have travelled on MWR
Tours to experience the cultural atmosphere
of Kuwait City.
Headquarters role during these
events mainly consisted of logistical support, IE; establishing
communications
between the vehicles and conducting weekly maintenance of radio
and satellite systems, proving medical
assistance to specific training sites for safety measures, and
supplying Soldiers with the proper amount of ice,
water, Gatorade, and meals ready to eat (MRE). The hardworking
HQ's mechanics have repaired turbine engines,
replaced fluids, and maintained our company's Abrams and Bradleys
since day 1. Great work mechanics!
Aside from training and
maintenance, headquarter's has also taken part in Moral, Welfare,
and Resiliency
Tours to Kuwait City. Soldiers have visited sites such as,
Scientific Center, which offers an IMAX theater and
Aquarium. The Avenues mall that offers world class shopping
departments, such as, Dolce & Gabana, Gucci,
Versache, Express and a variety of other popular stores. They
have also visited a Golf Course where Soldiers
were able to utilize the driving range or play 9 holes. Lastly,
HQ was able to experience a variety of ethnic
foods at local restaurants and cafe's.
Our mission here in Kuwait has
been going as planned and we couldn't accomplish our goals with
out our
hometown support. So, on behalf of Delta Company Headquarters
Platoon, Thank you, to all of the families
who support these fine men, we appreciate you!
Sincerely,
1LT Jonathan Harper
During the past couple of weeks,
the Soldiers of 1st Platoon have prepared for and
conducted tank gunnery. Everybody in 1st Platoon did a great job.
Congrats to D12 for
shooting Distinguished, with SSG Sanchez as Tank Commander, SGT
Sweetman as gunner,
PFC McCubbin as loader, PFC Schaffner as driver, only time will
tell if they retain
their title, as we still have 5 crews to complete table VI. Their
gunnery table VI score
was 993 out of 1000.
Now that gunnery is complete,
1st Platoon is getting ready to go back out into the field
and conduct a Platoon live-fire event, as well as a CALFEX
(Desert Centurion). Desert
Centurion is a joint live-fire exercise, conducted with tanks,
Bradleys, Paladins, attack
helicopters, and the Kuwaiti Army. The rest of the month of May
2013 will be
very busy, with the majority of the time spent in the field.
Congrats to the recent promotion
of Specialist Calixte to the rank of Sergeant! It is
well deserved. Congrats also to SGT Weaver and PV2 Martinez for
making homemade
PB&J sandwiches. It lifted our spirits. Last, but not least,
congrats to all the Soldiers of
1st Platoon for making gunnery a memorable event, for attacking
the range, for doing
a great job, and for working well as a team.
1st Platoon Leader
1LT Derek Harris
It has been three months since
we first put boots on the ground here in Kuwait. The operations
tempo has been steadily increasing with more and more training
being added to the calendar.
Currently, the Soldiers of 2nd Platoon are engaged in tank
gunnery. Last week we completed
gun table V and are preparing to finish up with gun table VI, the
final table that qualifies you as a tank
crew. Every Soldier has been training hard and the competitive
spirit is alive in Delta Company with
every crew attempting to take the honor of top tank.
With gunnery soon coming to an
end, the Soldiers of 2nd Platoon have the platoon live fire to
look forward to. This live fire exercise will demonstrate the
true destructive capabilities of a tank
platoon and will test each individual crew as they work together
as a cohesive unit to take down targets.
Despite all the training that is
going on, the Soldiers of 2nd Platoon still receive time off and
get
the chance to go on off post MWR trips to Kuwait City. The MWR
trips are a great tool in maintaining
our Soldiers resiliency. The trips are a welcome day off
from work and a chance to get out and experience
an entirely different culture. Soon every Soldier will have been
off post and we will start
conducting platoon MWR trips.
Finally, I would just like to
take a moment to thank all the family members and loved ones who
support their Regular Soldier on a daily basis. Without your
support we could not do what we do.
Knowing that we are fully supported by you allows us to focus on
the mission at hand and stay 100
percent in the fight. We are looking forward to coming home but
in the mean time your continual
unconditional support is still needed and we will see you soon.
2nd Platoon Leader
1LT Travis Gerbatsch
3rd Platoon, Dealer Company has
now spent almost three months at Camp Buehring. In the past month
they have conducted
training both in preparation for tank gunnery as well as
preparing as a ground force in case of a contingency operation
in the region. The training has included taking part in ranges
such as Close Quarters Marksmanship and Close
Quarters Battle, as well as conducting Maneuver training and EST
marksmanship which have prepared the Platoons tanks
and soldiers for gunnery and upcoming Platoon live fires.
During Close Quarters
Marksmanship 3rd Platoon was instructed on how to conduct a
series of movements and then
engage a target. This training included both walking and firing
as well as turning and firing. Once the basics were mastered
the Platoon was instructed on how to quickly transition from
their primary M4 or M16 rifle to their secondary M9
pistol in an efficient manner and engage a target. On the last
two days of the week 3rd Platoon conducted Close Quarters
Battle, which consisted of tactics such as entering and clearing
a room, and the proper steps for egressing once a building
was clear. During the live fire portion of the training 3rd
Platoon showed marked improvement from the beginning of
the week and showed a noticeably higher level of competency in
small arms infantry tactics.
Tank services also continued in
the past month, with the soldiers finalizing repairs on tanks and
continuing to prepare
themselves for gunnery through the use of simulators such as AGTS
and EST. The Platoon then took place in Battalion Gunnery
which was a chance for the crews to qualify and distinguish
themselves among their peers. 3rd Platoons tanks averaged
a 918 during Tank Table VI, a number that is credited to the hard
work and preparation at both the individual and
crew levels.
The Platoon would like to
congratulate Specialist Debrum, who was promoted from Private
First Class to Specialist, as
well as to all the Platoon members who took place and qualified
in their first tank gunnery. Lastly a thank you should be
given to each soldiers wives, children, families, and
friends who continue to support and remember the Platoon each
day, your support is appreciated and does not go unnoticed.
3rd Platoon Leader
2LT Joshua Reed
**********************
ELIMINATOR FAMILIES & FRIENDS:
Greetings from Kuwait. As the
temperatures begin to increase here in Kuwait so does our
operations tempo. The company
has accomplished so much since March providing support for the
battalions Unstabilized Gunnery , company
maneuver training, and squad live fire training. All while
supporting the events mentioned above your Soldiers have put
a lot of hard work into their own training to be ready to meet
any challenge they may face.
Supporting an Un-stabilized and
Stabilized Gunnery for a Combined Arms Battalion of M1 Tanks and
M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles
is not an easy task, but the Soldiers of Echo Company not only
met the standard, they exceeded it. The cooks set up
their Containerized Kitchen to provide hot breakfast and dinner
providing nutritious meals and increasing morale in the
infantry and tank companies while they were qualifying with their
vehicles. The distribution platoon has done a phenomenal job
moving critical supplies, fuel, and ammunition across 217 square
miles of training area. Their ability to be on time and on target
has force multiplier, allowing the other companies to train
without interruption. All of the equipment that allows us to do
our job
would be useless were it not for the effort the maintenance
platoon puts in each day fixing vehicles and performing services
to prevent further breakdowns. They even achieved the rare feat
of having a non mission capable report with
no vehicles on equipment on it.
We increased our proficiency
with our M2 .50 Caliber, and M240B 7.62mm machine guns; doing
multiple ranges to include
an unstabilized gunnery of our own. This training will be vital
to our success should we be called upon us to respond to
contingencies
in the region. There have been great opportunities as well to
train with our Kuwaiti partners. Some of our Soldiers
participated in joint
medical training and joint urban operations. The Eliminators have
been outstanding at building professionalism and enhancing
regional
stability while training with our regional partners.
I want to thank you all again
for the sacrifices that you make on a daily basis while your
loved one is deployed. Our nation has asked
a lot from our Army over the past ten years of conflict and none
of that would be possible without your love and support.
ELIMINATORS!
DAVID A. KLINE
CPT, LG
Commanding
ELIMINATOR 6
Eliminators Families:
Hello to all the families from
Kuwait. The last three months have been very busy with arriving
here and getting right to work by supporting
the 1-22 IN Regulars Battalion. The Soldiers did an outstanding
job with adjusting to the warm weather and the high tempo
that we operate at every day. The same discipline and motivation
has carried on from FT Carson to here.
What a great start!
From the first day of touching
down here in Kuwait our Soldiers have been signing for and
inventorying their equipment and ensuring
that everything works properly. We started off with a few days of
weapons training followed by a few more days of shooting
and qualifying with personally assigned weapons.
We immediately went into
Battalion Gunnery. Our Cooks are doing superbly preparing
hundreds of meals a day to ensure all Soldiers
get the good hot Army chow that we have all come to love. Our
Distribution Platoon has delivered thousands of gallons of
fuel, tons of rations and, of course, they keep the entire
battalion supplied with ammunition. The maintenance platoon has
serviced
more than 60 vehicles to keep the entire battalions fleet up and
running. Last but not least our HQs platoon keeps it all in check
by
tracking all the moving pieces.
We hope to build upon the
success we have had so far and, we look forward to hearing from
you and sharing pictures of our
training. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT.
Eliminators!
CHRISTOPHER D URRUTIA
1SG, USA
First Sergeant
Greetings Family and Friends of Eliminator Company,
Hello again from Kuwait! I hope
this correspondence finds you well in Colorado Springs and
around the US. As spring thaws out the US, it is getting very hot
on this side of the world. Our Soldiers have
been working through the heat preparing food, working the supply
channels, staffing the orderly room, and
running the arms room. In addition to our normal operations, we
have been supporting the Battalions
Bradley and Tank Gunnery for several weeks now. This entails
maintaining a fully functional field Tactical Operations
Center (TOC) and the field feeding section preparing two meals
per day out of the Containerized Kitchen (CK).
The Arms Room meanwhile has
responded at all hours of the day in order to ensure that
sensitive
items are issued and received with full accountability. They have
also prepared for and passed inspections by
the Battalion, Brigade, and US Army Central Command to ensure
that physical security guidelines are up to
code. The orderly room has also put in some wild hours as they
have been conducting split operations
between the TOC at Range 8 of the Range Complex and the orderly
room back on Camp Buehring. Finally, the
supply section has worked meticulously with our new Supply
Sergeant, SSG Babers, to sort out alterations to
the property book with our Rear Detachment element. I know I
speak for the entire company when I say that
their hard work, while often unsung, has played a critical role
in the mission.
While we are working extremely
hard, we have also found time to immerse ourselves in the
activities
Camp Buehring has to offer. As you can see from the pictures,
basketball, softball, ping pong, pool, karaoke,
and poker are but a few of the activities that our Soldiers have
enjoyed. We look forward to seeing you soon.
1LT Thomas Travers
Eliminator 5
Greetings Families:
Three months down! We have
continued to remain extremely busy since the last newsletter. For
most of the
platoon, the majority of our time has been spent in the field
while conducting beneficial training. So let us apologize upfront
if you have not been able to communicate with your loved ones as
often as everyone would like. Nonetheless, you
are always in our hearts and on our minds.
Over the last month or so, we
have been supporting the line companies within the Battalion as
usual, but we have
also been conducting training which focuses more specifically on
ourselves. For example, every Soldier in the platoon has
qualified on their individual weapons, whether it be an M4, M9,
or M249. In addition, many Soldiers have conducted
familiarization and qualification ranges with the MK19, M240B,
and M2 weapon systems. These qualifications, along
with other self-focused training, culminated last week while we
conducted an Unstable Gunnery. During this time, our
Soldiers were excellent as every gun truck passed the
qualification standards. This was a difficult and unfamiliar task
which would not have been possible without a high level of
motivation and commitment to excellence across the platoon.
As always, each section within
the platoon has been receiving and completing missions every
single day. Our
cargo squad has continuously transported food and water over a
month long Battalion Gunnery. Our fuelers have spent
the most time in the field, as they have operated a fuel point
for the duration of Gunnery. Finally, our ammo squad has
had their hands full as usual supporting numerous ranges for the
Battalion. They have drawn, issued, received, and turned in
more types and quantities of ammo than any of us would have
imagined.
We would like to conclude this
months newsletter by welcoming our new Soldiers, SSG
Jeanpierre and SPC
White, and their families. Also, a very deserving congratulations
to SGT Ortiz, SGT Wittkopp, SPC Rodriguez, and SPC
Tobeck, all of whom have recently been promoted. We are so
grateful for all of you, and this mission would not be possible
without your continued love and support. Thanks much.
-1LT Matt Long
&
SFC Harold Kramer
Hello Maintenance Families!
Once again, your maintenance
platoon Soldiers and NCOs have set the standards high here for
all other
maintainers to follow. They have provided over 5,000 man hours of
work throughout the battalion, while
honing in on their own Warrior tasks and battle drills. Some of
the latest training has included driving on the
off road terrain vehicle course and mounted live fire
qualifications.
Dont let that fool you;
they have also had some friendly competition while playing games
of football,
Frisbee, and squad level races. We have also been exercising our
resiliency by hosting platoon barbeques
and cheering on our soldiers that play on our company softball
team.
The weather here has started to
heat up, but the soldiers are making sure to drink plenty of
water and wear
sun block when working outside for extended periods of time.
On a personal note, this will be
my last newsletter as the Maintenance Platoon Leader as I am
moving up to
company Executive Officer for Echo FSC. It has been a pleasure
serving with your Maintenance Soldiers and
getting to know some of the families that support them. I wish
you all the best of luck in the future!
GO ORDNANCE!
**********************
Regulars, Families and Friends,
Its hard to believe
its been four months since the first flight of Regulars
left Colorado. Even with the temperatures rising
into the triple digits, the Battalion continues to do an
outstanding job as they train and partner with our
local regional allies in the Middle East. Meanwhile, back here on
Rear Detachment, we continue to do everything we can
to support the Soldiers and Families still here in the United
States. Whatever we can do to help; whether
its assisting the families of Soldiers deployed or
assisting Soldiers back here as they transition out of the Army,
our doors are always open and our Rear D Cadre are prepared to
help.
Theres no getting around
the fact that deployments are tough on a lot of families. One of
the great resources we have on post
to assist families is Jim Moore, our embedded Military Family
& Life Counselor who works at 1st BDE
Headquarters. He can be reached at 719-306-5954 and can provide
assistance during these stressful periods.
Staff Sergeant Rimgale, our Command Finance NCO, is also
available to assist families in managing their budgets
and is our liaison to the Army Emergency Relief fund. For those
who havent
met him yet, our Brigade Chaplain is Captain Marc Shim; he can be
reached at 719-.
Id like to applaud several
of our Unit spouses for recently being recognized during at the
Fort Carson Volunteer
Awards. Wendy Thies, Lisa Ingram and Sandra Smith all received
the Columbine Volunteer Awards. Mrs. Valarie
Adams was also recognized as one of five Fort Carson Volunteers
of the Year. These awards were earned thanks to
these ladies contributing hundreds of hours to support the
Regulars Soldiers & Families. Congratulations and
thanks for all the hard work you do!
On June 21st at 3pm, well
be holding a picnic and Battalion FRG Meeting at Iron Horse Park
on Fort Carson. This
event will have activities for the kids, so be sure to bring them
along. Well be posting more details on the
Regulars by God Facebook Page. On June 22 at 10am,
there will a virtual Town Hall on the Raider Brigade Facebook
page. Well have folks from both Fort Carson and Kuwait
standing by ready to answer your questions. Even
though its months away, the Regulars are also pleased to
announce that well be having our Battalion Ball at the
Antlers Hilton on December 5th. Itll be a great event to
celebrate the conclusion of the deployment; we hope to
see you there.
As always, myself and the Rear
Detachment NCOIC, Sergeant First Class Lant (719-), are always
available
to help the Soldiers and Families 24/7. My phone (719-) is always
on; in the event that I can not be
reached, please contact Battalion Staff Duty (719-) and they will
get a hold of me. Deeds, Not Words!
Captain Oliver Nakad
Rear Detachment Commander
Hi, my name is Theresa Scott
your Family Readiness Support Assistant (FRSA). As an FRSA I will
maintain
continuity and stability of Family Readiness Groups as our unit
undergoes changes from unit deployments,
to our volunteers and leadership. I will provide operational and
logistical support to the Chain of Command,
Read D, and volunteer FRG leaders. I will continue to serve your
FRG leaders by taking on the administration
burdens so that your FRG leaders can concentrate on performing
outreach to soldiers and their families
in the command, thus preserving stability on the home front,
especially during periods of deployment.
You can also find us on Facebook by searching Regulars By
God
Theresa Scott, 1-22IN FRSA
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