1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Unit Updates August 2013 Page 1

It is no secret that events in the Middle East continue to dominate the headlines around the globe. The situation in the region
remains tenuous and future stability uncertain. That said, the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment continues to train
and prepare for whatever the Nation calls upon us to do. Whether here in Kuwait or back at Fort Carson, the battalion
conducts rigorous training to ensure our Soldiers are prepared for the most challenging situations.

The Soldiers of the Battalion continue to perform extremely well and I couldn’t be more proud. Congratulations to all
of our EIB graduates, WLC graduates, and many more Soldiers that have set the standard day in and day out here in Kuwait.

On the Brigade Organizational Day competitions (23-24 August), your “Regulars by God” once again rose to the occasion
and captured the Brigade Commander’s Cup Trophy. This makes three times in a row for the battalion.

The unit continues to set the standard in all that we do. Please take a moment to LIKE us on Facebook.
We continue to post numerous pictures to showcase your Soldiers and their many accomplishments.
(Keyword Search: Regulars by God)

I want to personally thank all of the Soldiers of the battalion and their Families for their continued
selfless service. You make a difference! Thanks for all that you do!

1st Raider Brigade
Commander's Cup
Trophy

Awarded to
1st Battalion
22nd Infantry

“GET AFTER IT!”The past two months have been scorching here at Camp Buehring.
However even in 100 plus degree heat the Regulars have continued to excel in all we do. Your
Soldiers have accomplished both individual and unit goals that will be remembered for years to
come, not only by myself but by all the leaders here in the Battalion.

With that in mind I want to congratulate all of our EIB recipients who have not only
proven to me they are experts in their craft but to their subordinates, leaders, and peers as well.
Earning the EIB is one of the defining moments in the course of a career for an Infantryman. This
event will continue to be one of the proudest for a Soldier and Leader.

Our Armor Soldiers also got after it in taking part in Tanker Stakes. Dealer Co trained hard
at skill level one and two tasks allowing multiple Soldiers to obtain the needed requirements to be
inducted into the Excellence in Armor Program. Unlike the EIB which can be accomplished in two
weeks the EIA can take as long as six months to accomplish.

Once again our Soldiers defeated all contestants during the Brigade Organizational Day
competitions held here at Camp Buehring. Not only are we experts with our weapons and vehicles
but it has once again been proven that we can bring the heat on the court, in the pool, and even
on the PS3. Our Soldiers are all around athletes and this can been seen on any field where we face
an opponent; weather a battle field or a soccer field. Can you say three peat?

In closing, the time has finally come for us to come home. As we prepare here for redeployment
by conducting inventories and loading up equipment it is just as important for our family
members back home to prepare for our homecoming. I urge everyone back home to get tied into the
FRG during these last few weeks. This will enable us all here to keep you updated on both flight
dates and times as well as upcoming events. I look forward to closing out what has been a successful
deployment and bringing home your loved ones for some well-deserved rest and leave.

A dog, crossing a bridge over a stream with a piece of flesh in his mouth, saw his own shadow in
the water, and took it for another Dog, with a piece of meat double his own in size. He therefore let go
his own, and fiercely attacked the other Dog, to get his largest piece from him. He thus lost both - that
which he grasped at in the water, because it was a shadow; and his own, because the stream swept it away.

This is one of Aesop’s fables, an Ancient Greek storyteller that was born around 620 BC. Although his writing is considered
ancient, his point still rings true today. How often have we found ourselves chasing the next new car,
gadget, piece of technology, or “upgrade?” We sometimes find ourselves believing that happiness will come
by simply obtaining what someone else has.

The Bible also teaches that we should not covet or be greedy and instead be satisfied with what we have.
In Luke 3:14 Jesus was questioned by a group of Soldiers:

Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats
or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”

My hope is that we remember that we are all indeed blessed with the provisions that we are given, and well taken care of
by the United States which we serve. I pray that we would be men and women of character, mindful, appreciative,
and pleased with what we have.

Hello Hammer Families! As most of you know by now, I took command of the company on 13JULY2013
from CPT Jones. Terry left me with very little to do since the company just seems to run itself!

During July, we had an exciting month with Expert Infantry Badge training and testing going on. This is an
exciting time for the Infantryman because it doesn’t seem to happen very often anymore. 263 Infantryman started
on Monday with the Physical Fitness Test that required them to score 70 points in each event; push ups, sit ups
and a 2 mile run. Sounds easy, right? Well, it was actually rather difficult as the battalion lost quite a few to that event alone.

The candidates then went on to Land Navigation. I know, I know, us men do not like to ask for directions, and it showed during
Day and Night Land Navigation where lost some more due to not scoring high enough. Those that received a “GO” were able to move
on to the hands on lanes.

This is where they were truly tested as Infantryman. We had to transition to training at night due to the high temperatures, yet
the lanes claimed their fair share of casualties. They had to Call for Fire, conduct a 9 line MEDEVAC request, move under direct fire,
and many more, thirty six tasks total.

The final event was do conduct a 12 mile foot march with a thirty five pound rucksack within three hours. We started at 2 am so
that heat wouldn’t be much of an issue, however, that night was probably the hottest night we have had in Kuwait since we got here.
73 Soldiers survived to the 12 Mile Foot March, but only 51 finished and were awarded the coveted Expert Infantry Badge. That is almost
a 20% success rate. Your Soldiers that were awarded the EIB should be extremely proud. I know I am proud of the five Hammer Soldiers
that received theirs.

The rest shouldn’t worry too much though, we are already planning to conduct EIB Testing again next year. Luckily, it will be
back in nice, cool Colorado.

Wendy and I are extremely excited to lead you and your Soldiers. We are looking forward to some great times together.
Here’s to the countdown to redeployment! /salute

First, let me introduce myself. I am 1SG Edward L. Mills Jr from Richland’s, NC. I am currently
married to Katia Maria Zacapa and have two daughters Lina (6) and Juliana (4). I became
responsible for HHC 1-22 “Hammer Company” on 04 May 13. As the 1SG of HHC I will put forth maximum
effort to ensure that the Soldiers and their families of Hammer Company become one team.

The month of May was a historical month for the Regular Battalion. The Scout Platoon conducted
the first ever Cavalry Spur Ride. The Spur Ride was a 36-hour grueling event that measured will, endurance,
motivation, and most of all heart. We welcomed 24 new Cavalry Spur Holders for such a historical event.

1-22 IN completed Expert Infantryman’s Badge (EIB) training and testing for 263 EIB candidates
on 27 July which resulted in 51 covet badges awarded with five from HHC. The following Soldiers
earned the right to wear the EIB badge: LT Wilson, LT Redding, SSG Haworth, SGT Bouvier, and PFC Hiner.
These Soldiers completed Land Navigation, APFT, Scenario Lanes, and 12 Mile road march to earn the
right to wear the prestige’s EIB badge.

As we know redeployment is coming very soon and fast approaching. By the end of October,
95% of HHC will be redeployed. Stay in touch with the FRG for your soldiers return time. I want to congratulate
the families for doing an outstanding job during the deployment.

As the summer heat rages on and the 1-22 IN BN continues to train at a high intensity level, the members of the Blood
Medics continue to provide world class support for the soldiers of the Regulars BN. The 1-22 IN BN just finished
running an event where soldiers were attempting to earn their Expert Infantryman’s Badge (EIB). The Blood Medics
once again were charged with ensuring all medical support is available to ensure the safety of the candidates as they
compete in such a physically demanding event. The Medics are spread out throughout Camp Buehring. Half the Platoon
on reverse cycle providing medical support at night. SPC Fannin provided direct medical support and recommendations
to the EIB event staff on heat mitigation and medical treatment for minor injuries sustained as a result
of the training. SGT Juarez, and his crew, maintain our Heavily Armored Ground Ambulance (HAGA) on site as a
MEDEVAC vehicle should any injured personnel require transport to higher level of care.

I am also pleased to announce that three of our junior soldiers recently have been promoted. SPC Birkoski and SPC
Killion (both detached to Alpha Company) were recently promoted by their supervisor, SGT Shackleton. SPC Freeney
(detached to the Mortar Platoon) was also promoted by SSG Cintron. All three of these Medics have been outstanding
performers as of late and their promotions are well deserved. The HHC First Sergeant, 1SG Mills, even
challenged these soldiers to reach the tough goal of receiving their SGT rank by this time next year. I believe they are
definitely up to the task!

We have an intense month ahead of us as your Blood Medics begin training for their Expert Field Medical Badge
(EFMB) competition. You should be proud of what your Blood Medics constantly are able to achieve!

As the deployment progresses, the Battalion S6 section continues to push forward in our maintenance and betterment of the
network and daily digital operations for 1-22 Infantry.

These last few weeks, SPC Amos and PFC Ball have been assisting with the execution of Expert Infantry Badge (EIB) training
and certification. They've been working a reverse-cycle schedule in order to support the FBCB2 Lane for EIB. Their support and
maintenance of the equipment allowed over 200 soldiers to be trained in a few short weeks.

SSG Wilson, SGT Iban, SPC Brown, and SPC Hendricks have been honing their skills with the setup and tear-down of our SIPR/
NIPR Access Point (SNAP) Terminal. Their dedication to the training and familiarization required to run such a complicated and
unconventional piece of equipment has made our Data Transmission team one of the best in the Brigade.

Finally, SFC Barron and CPT Yum are doing the prep work to get all of our lessons learned and daily operations passed on to the
next unit, in a few short months. There were a lot of hard lessons learned in the beginning of the deployment and we continue
to refine our techniques and standard operating procedures in order to provide the best quality communications to
our soldiers on the front line.

The betterment of the Battalion's communications capabilities is our ultimate goal. Every day we're working toward that goal and
will continue to push hard until we pass the reigns to the next unit and return home.

We hope the summer in Colorado is treating you well. As you have continued your hard work and dedication to your country
at home, your Soldiers have maintained a very high level of performance; many in a new location. Each Soldier’s
resiliency was displayed as they picked up and moved operations to a new location to be a part of the multi-national
training event. Your Soldier’s ingenuity and hard work have resulted in the construction of many structures used for force
protection in support of the training exercise. Cultural awareness has played a large role in the previous month due to this
close partnership. The coming of Ramadan has brought a large opportunity for Soldiers to gain a further understanding of
the host nations culture and way of life.

At Camp Buehring Scout Soldiers continue to aid the Battalion with ongoing operations. Over the past month
Scouts have participated in large training exercises including non-combatant evacuation operations and Expert Infantryman’s
Badge lanes. Their support and participation in these events has had a great effect on their successful outcomes.

As we approach the tail end of the deployment we ask the families to maintain the excellent support you have provided
your Soldiers over the past 6 months. Your continued strength and dedication allow the Soldiers to remain focused on
safety, professional development and mission accomplishment. We thank you for your daily sacrifices for your country.

As we move deeper into the heart of summertime in Kuwait,
we find your Thunder Men training harder than ever
before. Despite the scorching temperatures, your Soldiers
have worked tirelessly this past month to maintain the fight,
continuing their training to further develop themselves as
professional Soldiers. The month of July was an important
month as the platoon shifted its entire focus to preparing for
the Expert Infantryman's Badge. The Expert Infantry Badge is
a highly sought after badge that attests to the proficiency of
the professional Infantryman. In order to combat the everpresent
high temperatures and maximize training efforts, the
Mortar platoon switched to operating primarily during the
night. Those that participated in EIB preparation began their
duty day around 1900 and worked tirelessly throughout the
night, ending training around 0600 the following morning.
This completely eliminated the blistery weather from training, allowing your Soldiers to intently focus on their EIB tasks.
After completing a week of platoon-level training, the platoon began round-robin training with the rest of the 1-22IN candidates.
This was a period where each Soldier was given instructions on the tasks they would face during testing, as well as
the standard to which each task must be completed. The following week was the evaluation period, which began with an
APFT, followed by land navigation. Upon completion of Land Navigation, those that remained moved on the tackling the
lanes, which they had been preparing for. After three days of task evaluation, only one Soldier in the platoon remained in
the running for EIB. Although no one in the platoon achieved the coveted badge, the training was an incredible experience
that cannot be matched. The skills that your Soldier gained from studying their craft is a larger payoff than any badge that
one may wear.

The platoon is also proud to report that our medic, SPC "Doc" Freeney was promoted to Specialist a few weeks ago. His
dedication and tireless efforts to the men of Thunder platoon has been greatly appreciated. He keeps your Soldiers alive
and well, and we couldn’t imagine having someone better.

Although our main focus has been primarily structured around maintaining professional skills, we have not forgotten
that resiliency is extremely important to the welfare of the platoon. One of our Soldiers was recently given the opportunity
to travel to Qatar, a rare and incredible opportunity. Hopefully in the future, we will be able to send more of
our Soldiers with the hope that they are able to experience a culture unlike theirs back home.

As we look to the future, we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Only a few more training weeks left
until your Soldiers return home to their loved ones. It will be here before we know it!

Every day I find myself astounded by the courage, resiliency, and abilities of these young men to accomplish any
task thrust before them. As always, we would like to thank all of you for your continued love and support of your Thunder
Mortarman! You are the force behind the fight!