The Many Faces of the Old Guard

From Battlefield to Hospital Fast: Getting Soldiers What They Need

May 2006

The Official U.S. Army Magazine





www.army.mil/soldiers









The Many Faces

of the Old Guard pics

t To

HoAGE 17

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Ne

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Conte

Cover Story — Page 24

Precision and discipline are ne-

cessities for members of the U.S.

Army Drill Team, one element

of the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The

Old Guard). — Photo by SGT

Jeremy Kern







S o l d i e r s I M a y 2 0 0 6 I V o l

nts

VOLUNTEERS

Page 8 Page 34 Page 38

u m e 6 1, N o . 5





Features

The Heart of Army Installations 8

Volunteers do so much on most posts that some

organizations couldn’t exist without their help.



Serving with Distinction 12

These women chose to serve the nation where they

were most needed — in conflict zones overseas.



Operation Gratitude 14

Volunteers gather at a California National Guard

armory to assemble care packages for deployed

service members.



Home on the Range 16

A mobile training team from Fort Benning, Ga.,

turns Fort Lewis, Wash., Soldiers into snipers.



Putting Sniper Rounds on Target 20

Experienced snipers help new shooters learn that

there’s more to the craft than pulling a trigger.



The Many Faces of The Old Guard 24

The 3rd U.S. Infantry has a dual mission: to

protect America’s capital and to pay final tribute

to the nation’s fallen heroes.



NCOs at IADC 30

Noncommissioned officers play vital roles in the

operations of the Inter-American Defense College.



Fast: Getting Soldiers What They Need 34

Teams from the Army’s Research, Development

and Engineering Command go into the field to

find out what tools and technologies Soldiers need.

Departments From Battlefield to Hospital 38

2 Mail Call For Soldiers wounded in Iraq, world-class medical

4 On Point care waits just minutes away.

44 Legal Forum

46 Message Center W a r m y . m i l / s o l d i e r s

Page 16 48 Focus on People W

W

Mail Call





T

HE ARMY depends on its volunteers. As mentioned in

Letter from the Editor







our story “Volunteers, the Heart of Army Installations,”

funding reductions and long deployments have in-

creased the Army’s reliance on unpaid volunteers to keep up The Official

the momentum of many health- and family related programs. U.S. Army Magazine

Last year, for example, U.S. Community and Family Support Secretary of the Army

Francis J. Harvey

Center volunteers contributed services valued at more than Chief of Staff

$11 million. GEN Peter J. Schoomaker



Chief of Public Affairs

Search any installation Web site and chances are you’ll BG Vincent K. Brooks



find a link to family and community programs that are looking Chief, Print/Web Communications

LTC Joseph M. Yoswa

for volunteers. Sometimes they’re seeking people with spe-

Soldiers Staff

cific skills or offering training. Most programs are just looking Editor in Chief: Gil High

Production Editor: Steve Harding

for good people willing to lend a hand. Art Director/Print Officer: Helen Hall VanHoose

Senior Editor: Heike Hasenauer

Vicki Brown, chief of the Army Family Enrichment Division Associate Art Director: Paul Henry Crank

NCOIC: MSG Lisa Gregory

at CFSC, says that more than 28 percent of Army spouses Photojournalist: Beth Reece

Special Projects Editor: Don Wagner

are also volunteers. Army retirees make up another large Graphic Designer: LeRoy Jewell

Executive Secretary: Arthur Benckert

segment of the volunteer population. And while some people

Printing: Gateway Press, Inc., Louisville, Ky

become volunteers as a way of transitioning into the paid

Soldiers (ISSN 0093-8440) is published monthly by the

workforce, many others do it solely for the satisfaction they Army Chief of Public Affairs to provide the Total Army with

information on people, policies, operations, technical de-

velopments, trends and ideas of and about the Department

gain by helping others. Regardless of your motivation, volun- of the Army. The views and opinions expressed are not

necessarily those of the Department of the Army.

teers, the Army needs you. ■ Send submissions and correspondence to Editor,

Soldiers, 9325 Gunston Road, Suite S108, Fort Belvoir,

And speaking of volunteers, the number of authors con- VA 22060-5581. Phone: DSN 656-4486 or commercial

703-806-4486, or send e-mail to soldiers@ belvoir.army.

tributing stories and photos to Soldiers continues to dwindle. mil.



■ Unless otherwise indicated (and except for “by per-

We, too, need people to volunteer their talents to tell the mission” and copyright items), material may be reprinted

provided credit is given to Soldiers and the author.

Army story from their corners of the world. To contact an edi- ■ All uncredited photographs by U.S. Army.



tor, e-mail soldiers@belvoir.army.mil or call (703) 806-4505 ■ The Secretary of the Army has determined that

the publication of this periodical is necessary in the

or (DSN) 656-4505. transaction of the public business as required by law of

the department. Funds for printing this publication were

approved by the Secretary of the Army in accordance

with the provisions of Army Regulation 25-30. Library of

Congress call number: U1.A827.



■ Periodicals postage paid at Fort Belvoir, VA, and

additional mailing offices.

Gil High ■ Individual subscriptions: Subscriptions can be

Editor in Chief purchased through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.

Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402.



■ POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Fort

Soldiers magazine is distributed based on unit com- Belvoir address above.



manders’ requirements. Commanders and publications

officers can order Soldiers through the Army Publishing

Recipient of Awards of Magazine Excellence

Directorate at http://docs.usapa.belvoir.army.mil/order-

ing/store.asp.

To start or change your unit subscription, enter the

Initial Distribution Number (IDN) 050007. Thomas Jefferson Awards Silver and Bronze NAGC Blue Pencil

Outstanding Flagship Anvil Awards Competition

Publication 004 00 and 003 003 004







 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

Dustoff Identification I’D like to reply to a comment SFC CRSC Age Requirement

ON page 61 of the February issue you Ferguson made about the ACU in his THANKS for publishing the March article

ran a photo of a UH-60 medevac aircraft February letter — specifically, I’d like to on Combat Related Special Compensa-

Letters from the Field







lifting off on a mission in Baghdad. address the issue of pin-on badges. tion; we appreciate the coverage.

The caption on the photo identifies The ACU is based on the premise However, we noted that the article

the Black Hawk as belonging to the that Soldiers should go into a field or stated that applicants must be age 60

173rd Airborne Brigade. As the pilot in combat environment in a “sterile” uni- or older. This is inaccurate, in that the

command of the aircraft, I can assure form, meaning one with no skill badges, age 60 requirement pertains only to

you it doesn’t belong to the 173rd, but name tapes or even the U.S. flag. That’s Reservists.

rather to the 50th Medical Company (Air why all are easily removable from the Again, we appreciate your publish-

Ambulance) from Fort Campbell, Ky. ACU, and that’s why the issue of them ing the article and thereby helping to

I have seen this photo — incorrectly hurting when worn beneath body armor spread the word about this valuable

labeled — all over the Internet, and I shouldn’t actually be an issue. military benefit.

thought it was time to set the record SFC Wade M. Williams Amy C. Schossler

straight. via e-mail via e-mail

CW2 Robert E. Rees

WITH regard to the ACU discussion, I

via e-mail Kudos on Medical Focus

think you can find something wrong with

CONGRATULATIONS on your special

WE here at Soldiers are at the mercy anything if you look hard enough, so I’m

medical coverage in the March issue.

of those who contribute photos to our not surprised Soldiers are complaining

It’s the best issue of Soldiers I’ve seen

annual “This Is Our Army” feature, about the ACU.

in two decades.

in that we have to assume that the I just purchased a set of ACUs,

I especially enjoyed Heike Hasenau-

caption and credit information they and I personally think they are much

er’s detailed look at Landstuhl Regional

provide is correct. Thanks for the cor- more comfortable than BDUs. There are

Medical Center. The coverage on how

rection, and on behalf of the photog- covers available for the exposed Velcro

the Army cares for amputees was also

rapher we apologize for the error. sections, and we’re not supposed to

exceptional, and the story about R&R

wear the pin-on items in the field, so

in Garmisch was a nice counterpoint to

More on the ACU they shouldn’t be underneath body

the trauma focus.

WITH reference to SFC Ron Ferguson’s armor anyway.

My only recommendation is that

February letter regarding the Army I’m sure the Army and the uniform

you should have included a sidebar on

Combat Uniform, my first reaction is manufacturers are working hard to

the two superbly run Fisher houses at

to say that as NCOs we should em- make the ACU a better uniform, so let’s

LRMC — they often make the difference

brace the Army’s decision to adopt give them a chance. If we complain too

in the road to recovery for our military

the ACU. But the bottom line is that I much, the next time we need something

members and their families.

just can’t embrace this boondoggle of upgraded, no one will listen.

COL Ben W. Weiner

a uniform. Ed Watson

Via e-mail

It really bothers me to think that via e-mail

millions of dollars were spent to develop

and test a uniform that doesn’t blend Not Just Recruiters

into either the forest or the desert. In I ENJOY reading Soldiers, and I like the

addition, the pin-on badges and use of variety of articles that you publish. Soldiers values your opinion

noisy Velcro are ridiculous; the slanted However, I have to take exception To comment, keep your remarks

chest pockets are useless; the pockets to the statement made on the inside to under 150 words, include your

on the sleeves are too small and you cover of the February issue. The state- name, rank and address and send

can’t get into them when wearing body ment read “…without the valuable work them to:

done by recruiters, the Army could not Mail Call, Soldiers,

armor; the tie-down straps in the cargo

9325 Gunston Road, Ste. S108,

pockets are useless; and the waist tie attract and retain quality Soldiers.”

Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-5581,

cuts into your skin. While recruiters do an outstanding or e-mail: soldiers@belvoir.army.mil

I agree that we needed a new job attracting new Soldiers, it is career

combat uniform, but a redesigned BDU counselors and re-enlistment NCOs

would have worked far better than the who retain the Soldiers once they’re W For links to the Army News

on active duty. W • Service and Soldiers Radio

W

ACU.

Live, visit www.army.mil

SSG William Maldonado MSG Robert V. Sluss

Via e-mail Via e-mail

S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 3

On Point

The Army in Action









 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

Iraq

Soldiers from Company A, 3rd Special Troops

Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division,

prepare to unload two armored Caterpillar D9

bulldozers from their carriers at Al Butoma.

—

­ ­Photo­by­SPC­Jose­Ferrufino.

S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 

Point

On Point









Germany

SGT Derwood Sloan, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the 123rd Main Support

Battalion’s Driver’s Academy and a Soldier with the 123rd MSB, tests out a simulator in a

demonstration at the system’s new location at Anderson Barracks in Dexheim.

­ ­Photo­by­SPC­Jennifer­McFadden

—









Djibouti

A Soldier stands guard while a Marine Corps CH-3 helicopter offloads distinguished visitors in Quaddi for the

dedication of a school.

—

­ ­Photo­by­SSgt.­Nic­Raven,­USAF

 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

Iraq

Working with the assistance of an Iraqi translator, SGT Sarah L. Blair of the 98th Military Police Co. logs in-

formation on Iraqi policemen into a computer at an Iraqi police station.

—

­ ­Photo­by­Jeremy­L.­Wood









Philippines

SSG Dean Bliablias of Co. C, 1st Bn., 18th Infantry

Regiment, joins other U.S. and Filipino troops during

combined training at Fort Magsaysay, in Cabanatuan,

undertaken as part of Exercise Balikatan 200.

­ ­Photo­by­SrA­Jacqueline­Kabluyen,­USAF

—









Ethiopia

SSG Chuck McDermott, attached to the Fort Bragg, N.C.-

based 9th Civil Affairs Battalion, talks to local Ethiopians after

inspecting a water pump in the Gode Zone.

—

­ ­Photo­by­SSgt.­Ricky­A.­Bloom,­USAF

S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 

VOLUNTEERS The Heart of

Army Installations Story by Beth Reece









I

F money equaled happiness, Lisa munity and Family Support Center

Lawrence would get a job. were valued at more than $11 million

“No paid position in the world in fiscal year 2005, said Vicki Brown,

would allow me to be as happy as chief of the Army Family Enrich-

I am now. Volunteering has given ment Division at CFSC. Of all Army

me so much — the ability to grow and spouses, 28.8 percent are volunteers,

learn, and flexibility that I’d otherwise she added.

never have,” she said. “Army volunteers have been an

A registered nurse, Lawrence has integral part of the Army for as long as

volunteered in emergency rooms and there have been Soldiers and families

given classes with the Red Cross. She living in communities. Through their

began volunteering for the Army in dedicated service, they stabilize Army

support of her husband, helping the communities by contributing to com-

unit’s Family Readiness Group, or munity cohesion, increasing self-reli-

FRG. ance and enhancing the well-being

“I fell in love with everything of our Soldiers and their families,”

about the Army,” she said, and she Brown said.

eventually extended her organizational Long deployments have increased

skills to help the Army Family Team the need for volunteers willing to sup-

Building program. port families left behind, to keep up

Volunteers do so much on military the momentum of daily operations and

installations that some organizations to show those deployed that America

probably wouldn’t exist without their supports them through care packages

unpaid, selfless work. They assist in and letters.

tax offices; encourage and mentor

wounded Soldiers at military hospi- For Our Families

tals; teach English; challenge children FRGs are command-sponsored

through Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts; organizations of volunteers who pro-

spruce up churches and even help resi- vide mutual support, friendship and a

dents of military housing voice their link to the chain of command. FRGs

concerns through mayoral programs. help families cope and grow during

Contributions by volunteers of Soldiers’ deployment, and are often

programs affiliated with the U.S. Com- family members’ first encounter with







Army Community Services Community and

 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

Mike Brennan

Public School 104’s principal, Marie to the same programs work in numer- sential for improving the quality of

DiBella, joins students and Soldiers

from Fort Hamilton, N.Y., in assembling

ous communities — family members life. The Army Family Action Plan, for

grocery baskets for neighborhood gain insight from volunteers’ broad example, began in 1983 when spouses

families last Thanksgiving. perspectives. from throughout the Army met to

“We live the same life they do, identify concerns of their fellow

the spirit of volunteerism on Army and that gives us extra credibility as community members. Today, AFAP

installations. facilitators,” Lawrence said. boosts well-being by ensuring issues

Such family programs as AFTB Not just “helping hands” who are addressed at local levels and, if

and Child and Youth Services also work behind the scenes, volunteers necessary, taken as far up the chain of

showcase the work volunteers do are skilled professionals sharing their command as Department of Army-

throughout Army communities. expertise in some of the Army’s most level. But the program is still managed

Through AFTB, volunteers build self- visible programs. largely by unpaid volunteers.

sufficiency in family members through “Standing in front of 20 or 30 peo-

lessons on such military subjects as ple and giving them each a chance to For Our Soldiers

benefits and entitlements, and the speak and learn from one another is a The desire to support Soldiers

impact of the Army’s mission on fam- lot of hard work. You’re exhausted by fighting the war on terrorism seems

ily life. the end of the day, but it’s exhilarating contagious — so much so that it’s

Because these volunteers have because you know you’re making a inspired people who’d never before

experienced the trials of military life difference,” said Lawrence. volunteered to suddenly lend a hand.

themselves — and many of them Many of the programs through At Brooke Army Medical Center at

have seen how different approaches which volunteers contribute are es- Fort Sam Houston, Texas, volunteers







Family support Centers American Red Cross United Service O

S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 

Giessen are so eager to help at the Soldier and

Family Assistance Center that some

Elementary School are on waiting lists.

in Germany had “These Soldiers are going overseas

to fight our battles, and when they

44 volunteers chauffeur patients from

their cars in the center’s several-acre

75 registered come home they’re fighting to heal

from their injuries. I want to do what-

parking lot to the center’s doors.

“We’re the first people visitors

volunteers. ever I can to make their lives easier,”

said Irene Meadows, president of the

see, and we’re very proud of that. Our

volunteers are retirees and spouses,

According to BAMC Auxiliary. ages 55 to 86. Some of our drivers

Because Fort Sam Houston be- have been doing this for 13 years, and

Christina Hayes, comes a home-away-from-home for they’re still just as excited about help-

families of injured Soldiers, volun-

president of teers help locate temporary housing,

ing as the day they started,” he said.

While many volunteer on a weekly

the school’s transportation and banks. What people

seem to appreciate the most about

or even daily basis, others contribute

occasionally. Volunteers from the

Parent Teacher volunteers are their friendly faces, said

Teresa Parker, an SFAC volunteer.

Defense Commissary Agency recently

crocheted baby blankets and donated

Organization, the “We do whatever we can to help

make their days better. It’s not about

them to the New Parent Support Pro-

gram at Fort Lee, Va., for example.

school wouldn’t money for us — it’s our way of say- “For the young mothers who don’t

ing ‘thanks,’” she said. “I’ve been an have family members in the area, these

be the same Army wife for 28 years and the Army personally made blankets will turn

has been good to me, so it makes me

without them. feel great to contribute.”

out to be special gifts,” said Ashley

Barton, NPSP manager.

Tony Meyer manages BAMC’s Last year, Giessen Elementary

Care Mobile Program, through which School in Germany had 75 registered

volunteers. According to Christina

Barbara L. Sellers









Hayes, president of the school’s Par-

ent Teacher Organization, the school

wouldn’t be the same without them.

“They help in classrooms, work

on special projects and in the nurse’s

office; they hold PTSA positions;

they chair events like Winter Wonder-

land and the Spelling Bee contest,”

she said. “If we didn’t have all these

volunteers, a lot would not happen in

the school.”

Soldiers volunteer to help pack 5,501

Hero-to-Hero T-shirts at Camp Mur-

ray, Wash., for shipment to deployed

Soldiers.









10 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

WO1 Mark Yoblanka

Volunteers often seek

experience to add to

their resumes or to stay

current in fields where

there are no paid posi-

tions available in their

communities.

“I recommend

volunteering to other

family members every

day,” said Julie McRee,

who volunteers at Fort

Carson, Colo. “It helps

us gain marketable skills

and develop our leadership potential. tion to nearby military facilities. USO SGT Sid Sayavong of the 746th Quar-

I’ve often seen volunteers turn their volunteers have also logged countless termaster Battalion joins civilian

volunteers at the Van Nuys, Calif., Na-

work into paying jobs.” hours stuffing care packages bound for tional Guard armory to assemble care

Beyond that, volunteering gives deployed troops. packages for Soldiers overseas.

spouses who forgo a paycheck in order With more than a million volun-

to stay home with growing children teers constituting 97 percent of its from the Seemenbach River that runs

a feeling of productivity. It also workforce, the American Red through Büdingen, Germany.

creates a sense of connectivity. Cross operates chapters at mili- “I think of community service as a

“If you’re involved with the tary installations and hospitals way to help someone else and your-

life you’re living, you’re throughout the world. self, as well as a way of expressing

going to be much happier They are most known for yourself,” said SPC Robert Graham,

and have a better under- relaying emergency mes- the squadron’s BOSS representative

standing of what’s going sages regarding the death and cleanup organizer. “Many Soldiers

on around you,” said of a loved one or the have interests that are not actively en-

McRee. birth of a child, but Red Cross gaged by military service. Community

volunteers also provide babysit- service allows these Soldiers to take

From Americans Everywhere ting, CPR and first-aid training, part in something that will give them a

People wanting to support Soldiers among many other contributions on feeling of accomplishment.”

and their families are not limited to military installations. After the 9/11 Whoever the volunteer, whatever

those who live and work on Army terrorist attacks, volunteers organized the work, the contributions are price-

installations. Americans who’ve and conducted blood drives on instal- less, said Kim Taylor, Army Volunteer

never met a Soldier have found ways lations throughout the United States. Corps coordinator at Fort Sam Hous-

to show their pride and offer support For all the help Soldiers receive ton, where volunteers logged 236,000

through such groups as the United from families and fellow Americans, hours of work last year.

Service Organization and the Ameri- they, too, seek the chance to help. “It’s hard to say where we’d be

can Red Cross. Members of the 1st Squadron, 1st without volunteers,” she said. “They

USO volunteers greet travelers in Cavalry Regiment, Better Opportuni- are truly the heart of the installation,

airports around the world, offering ties for Single Soldiers group recently and it wouldn’t be the same without

free snacks and arranging transporta- spent a Sunday morning pulling trash them.” S









VOLUNTEERS S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 11

VOLUNTEERS

Serving with Distinction Story by Ron Joy

A

S they have throughout history, American women continue to serve their country

with distinction, no matter what the crisis or situation.

Today, several women who work for the Installation Management Agency’s

Southwest Region Office are serving as Operation Enduring Freedom and Op-

eration Iraqi Freedom volunteers alongside their male counterparts.

Among the volunteers are SWRO’s Lynda Austin-Reed, Leslie Christopoulos, and

Anne Ferguson. Austin-Reed will soon be heading to Iraq, Christopoulos is on her

way to Afghanistan, and Ferguson just returned to San Antonio from a year-long as-

signment in the Balkans.

Ron Joy is with the Southwest Region Installation Management Agency Public Affairs Office.









Into Iraq

Lynda Austin-Reed is one of the original members

of the task force for IMA SWR, which began operations

in May 2002. After more than three years as SWRO’s

chief of budget integration she was looking for a new

challenge, both professionally and personally, she said.

Austin-Reed left San Antonio in November 2005

and headed for the journey of a lifetime, working for six

months as a Corps of Engineers program manager near

Camp Anaconda.

While the job is a bit out of the ordinary for a civil-

ian mother of three, Austin-Reed said she believes it’s

important that she become personally involved in what

is happening in Iraq.

“I need to do what I can to help. We’ve sent a lot of

young people to Iraq, and they deserve our support. By

taking this assignment I feel like I’m helping to keep a

young Soldier out of harm’s way,” said Austin-Reed.

“The decision to volunteer for reassignment was not

made lightly, but was a decision that felt right. It still

does,” she said.

Lynda Austin-Reed









Afghanistan Bound

Leslie Christopoulos joined the problems we faced when I was grow-

SWRO team more than two years ago ing up. I know what it’s like to have

as an environmental protection spe- someone you care about serving in a

cialist, and is currently the executive dangerous place.

officer to the IMA SWR director. “When I watched these kids get-

Christopoulos has been around ting on airplanes headed to Iraq and

the military all her life, not living in Afghanistan, I knew that I had to do

one place for more than five and a half something about it. If my being there

years. As the daughter of an Air Force will prevent one young person from

pilot, she has seen the faces of young going, that’s a good-enough reason for

men and women heading to war. me to do it,” Christopoulos added.

“I remember what happened during She left for a yearlong tour in

Vietnam,” she said. “That’s why I want Afghanistan in December 2005.

to make sure our Soldiers going to Iraq While she knew she’d be working as

or Afghanistan don’t have the same a project manager for the Army Corps



12 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

Back From the Balkans

During the summer of 2004, Anne Ferguson was cause I had a chance

working as SWRO’s lead safety specialist, a job she to see my work come

really enjoyed. But she still felt that something was to fruition right before

missing. She didn’t have the opportunity to work my eyes,” she said.

directly with Soldiers anymore, and it bothered her not “One of the most

doing “hands-on” and “in-the-field” work. In her posi- important things I can

tion at SWRO, most of the people she works with are say about my year

Army civilians. in Kosovo is that we

Then a government announcement revealed an didn’t have any fatali-

opportunity Ferguson could not resist. A safety and ties.”

occupational health specialist was needed at Camp Ferguson says the

Bondsteel, near the small town of Ferizaj/Urosevac, experience was a good

Kosovo. With the blessing of her husband, Barry, she one and if her husband

jumped at the chance to make a difference. and dog were allowed Ann Ferguson

This isn’t the first time Ferguson has been de- to join her there, she

ployed. In 1996 she was sent to Hungary for four would have stayed longer. “Some DA civilians who

months, and then two years later she found herself have family members living at American facilities

working in Israel. This was in between temporary-duty in Germany have worked in Kosovo since the late

assignments to the Balkans and other areas of Europe 1990s,” she said.

while working for the U.S. Army, Europe.

Before Ferguson left for Kosovo in early October

2004, she set three goals to accomplish while she was

gone. Making a Difference

The first was personal. She wanted to lose weight Each of the three SWRO women gave or will be

and get into better shape. She accomplished this giving of themselves. They also are proving women

through a rigorous work-out program. of today are strong — strong in their beliefs; strong in

The second goal was financial. By working in what their abilities; strong in their desires to help; have

is still considered a hostile environment she received strong and giving hearts; and hold strong

financial incentives, which she used to help towards American values.

her future retirement plans. Much like American women of the

The final goal was to work with Soldiers again. past, these professionals are making a

Ferguson found this goal the most exciting of all three. difference regardless of their back-

“Being in Kosovo was extremely rewarding be- grounds. S









of Engineers, she wasn’t sure exactly

what she’d be doing or where she’d be

based.

Christopoulos likened today’s

war-theater female volunteers to the

thousands of “Rosie the Riveter”

women who worked in factories and

other defense-related jobs during

World War II. While today’s women

have long been part of the civilian war

effort, civilians “downrange” still face

major cultural challenges in places

Leslie Christopoulos









VOLUNTEERS

such as Iraq. Nonetheless, Christopou-

los is eager to do her part as a deployed

Army civilian.



S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 13

VOLUNTEERS

Operation Gratitude Story and Photos by WO1 Marc Yablonka

T

HE sounds of 1950s classics like Del

Shannon’s hit “Runaway” reverber-

ated off the walls of the California

Army National Guard armory in Van

Nuys, home to the 746th Quarter-

master Battalion, as hundreds of volunteers

of Operation Gratitude reached an incredible

milestone.

The group — a nonprofit organization

that has been sending care packages and

letters of support to service members serv-

ing overseas since the beginning of opera-

tions Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom

— stuffed its 100,000th mailer in December

several hundred volunteers and troops who

attended the 100,000th–mailer event.

“This sends a very strong message

to the troops,” she said. “It expresses the

appreciation, support, love and respect of

millions of people who care.”

Blashek has cared ever since Sept.

11, 2001, after which she went to work at

the Bob Hope USO Club at Los Angeles

International Airport.

Blashek said that in 2003 a Soldier

came into the club and broke down at her

desk. He was home on leave to attend his

mother’s funeral. If that weren’t enough,

his wife had walked out on him, and his

2005.

For 15 weekends in a row Operation only child, a baby, had died.

Gratitude volunteers crammed packages full “I’m going back over there,” the

of items ranging from disposable cameras Soldier told her. “I don’t think I’ll make it

to pens, snacks and thank-you notes from back this time, but it really doesn’t matter

school children. because no one would ever notice.” It was

The volunteers — from senior citizens then that Blashek knew she had to do more

with sons and daughters serving overseas to than she had been doing to support the

kids who might someday wear their coun- troops. That was the beginning of Opera-

try’s uniform — have been spending those tion Gratitude.

weekends with our nation’s servicemen and Through her efforts, many corporate

women, if only in their thoughts. sponsors have been equally moved to

Operation Gratitude founder Carolyn participate, including the Chrysler Corp.

Blashek held back tears as she spoke to the — which agreed to allow its Jeep dealer-

ships to become drop-off points for dona-

WO1 Marc Yablonka is the public affairs officer for the 40th tions — and the Subway fast-food chain,

Infantry Division Support Brigade. which has offered food for the hundreds of

volunteers who assist with the operation.

Someone she didn’t have to apply the

hard sales approach to was SSG Elizabeth

Cowie of the 746th QM Bn., who, before

meeting Blashek, had been doing a little

personal “military stocking stuffing” of her

own with friends serving overseas.

Together, Cowie and Blashek trans-

formed the program from an “at-home” ef-

fort operating out of Blashek’s living room

to the nonprofit agency it is today. Along

the way they enlisted corporate assistance

from such companies as OceanSpray,

Newman’s Own, Coppertone, Dr. Scholl’s,



Working at the Van Nuys armory, Operation

Gratitude volunteers fill care packages

with such items as pens, candy and tooth-

brushes.









14 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

CSM Robert Liles presents a photo anniversary present so that they could helping out the troops while I’m here

of the Multi-National Headquarters

to SSG Elizabeth Cowie and Carolyn fly out and volunteer.” at home,” he said.

Blashek. The volunteerism was not lost on Someone who has seen the results

the Guard members, who drop by on of Operation Gratitude from the other

Universal Home Video and Sony non-drill weekends to help out. side of the Atlantic is CSM Robert

USA. “This is great, because when I was Liles, formerly with the 746th QM

These and other businesses do- on active duty, we didn’t have this Bn. He’s recently returned from Iraq,

nated either 10,000 items or $10,000, program,” said the 746th’s SGT Den- where he served with the 250th Mili-

Blashek said. nis Murillo. “When we were overseas tary Intelligence Bn. When he first ar-

“The energy in this armory is we got cards and packages from our rived in Baghdad, he said, there were

overwhelming,” Cowie said. “If you significant others and friends. It’s about 250 Operation Gratitude pack-

listen to the media, you hear that the great to see the whole country sup- ages in front of him on the ground.

people don’t support the troops, but porting the Soldiers. That’s what this “It was quite a sight,” Liles said.

when you look around here, you know program’s all about. Showing support “It’s overwhelming that Americans are

that’s not the case. People have flown means everything.” willing to take time away from their

in from as far away as Hawaii to help Another Soldier from the 746th, weekends to do this. It’s more than

out. One Texas couple even bought SGT Sid Sayavong, who also served just backing us.”

plane tickets for each other for their in Afghanistan, echoed Murillo’s As a token of his appreciation

sentiments. to Blashek and the entire Operation

“It’s great to help Gratitude organization, Liles presented

out the Soldiers. When her with a photo of the Multi-National

I was in Afghanistan, I Forces Building in Baghdad, as well

got a care package, and as the American flag that flew atop it

it feels great for me to be during his time in-country.

For Blashek, Cowie and the

Carolyn Blashek’s hus- volunteers of Operation Gratitude, the

band, Ron, shows a

volunteer the certificate care and understanding seem to have

of appreciation Carolyn no end. They’ll continue stuffing and

received from Donald

Rumsfeld. sending out their packages until there

is no one left to send them to. S









VOLUNTEERS S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 15

SGT John Rogers of Headquarters and

HQs. Troop, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry

Regiment, loads a round during sniper

training at Fort Lewis, Wash.









16

Home on

w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

O

N a rainy weekend afternoon The Soldiers, from the 2nd Cavalry

when most Soldiers had the Regiment and the 3rd Brigade of the

day off, 24 students hoping 2nd Infantry Division, were being

to earn the B4 additional trained by a mobile training team from

skill identifier were going the sniper school at Fort Benning, Ga.

through the Basic Sniper Course at “The course we brought with us

Fort Lewis, Wash. They were trying to to Fort Lewis is different from the

get some good DOPE — daily obser- resident course at Fort Benning, so

vations of previous engagements — on it’s more high-stress,” said SSG Jason

Range 22. Smith, the MTT NCOIC from the 2nd

Jason Kaye is a writer with the Northwest Guardian Bn., 29th Inf. “We’ve got guys from

at Fort Lewis, Wash. different services attending, so they









the Range Story and Photos by Jason Kaye



S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 17

PFC Ross Garner (left) and PFC Ray

Henderson, both of HHC, 2nd Bn., 3rd

Inf. Regt., engage a target on Range

22 as instructors from Fort Benning

look on.





The first is on an unknown-distance

range, using the DOPE they gathered

throughout the course. Then they en-

gage moving targets at 300, 400, 500

and 600 meters, both day and night.

Finally, they qualify with the M-107

.50-caliber sniper rifle.

In addition to shooting and spot-

ting, the snipers also learn stalking

techniques and how to conduct opera-

tions in urban terrain.

Smith and Young were both look-

ing forward to the MOUT training.

“Up here we have Leschi Town,

which is awesome, and it’s going

to be really beneficial for us to train

there. That’s the way we fight wars

now — in cities, unfortunately,” said

get a lot of ‘this is how we do it in our said SGT John Rogers, an assistant Young, whose unit will soon deploy.

unit.’ Students at Fort Benning also get instructor from Headquarters and HQs. The instructors from Fort Benning

to shoot on ranges they’ve never shot Troop, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cav. Regt. also teach a weeklong sniper-employ-

on before, so the training is the same Training at home station can also ment course for officers [see accom-

but the experience is different.” provide some challenges, especially in panying story].

Smith said that to get Fort Benning the Northwest during the winter. “We put a lot of emphasis on

MTT instructors to travel to another “Weather always presents a huge getting to and finding the target, and

installation to train snipers, all a unit challenge. The rain makes it difficult getting the correct range to the target

has to do is pay four peoples’ TDY to use our optics,” Young said. “On without using any means but the gun,

costs for four weeks. In exchange, the top of that, it’s miserable.” camouflage and our imagination,” said

unit gets 14 to 24 Soldiers trained. The Soldiers made the best of the Smith. S

“If the unit sends Soldiers to the conditions and hunkered

resident course, training the same 24 down in their wet-weather

people might take a year, and cost gear on Range 22, taking

more in travel expenses and mission turns as shooter or spotter

readiness,” Smith said.” from distances of 400, 500

Besides hosting the four instruc- and 600 meters.

tors, units usually provide six to eight “We preach teamwork

sniper-qualified Soldiers to help the — without the spotter the

instructors. shooter can’t shoot. We say

For the students, training on home ‘one shot, one kill,’ but it’s

turf offers several advantages. more or less ‘one shot and

“You’re familiar with the area and make a good adjustment to

you’re comfortable with the assistant get a kill.’ It takes a lot of

instructors because they’re guys you practice to get to the point

know and work with,” said SGT Matt where you can get that way,”

Young, an assistant instructor from Smith said.

Company C, 5th Bn., 20th Inf. During the course the

“I think one of the biggest students are graded on

advantages of doing Sniper School four qualification ranges.

here is that we’re getting ideas about

where we can conduct our own sniper SSG Jason Smith, a member

training and how we can accomplish of the Fort Benning mobile

training team visiting Fort

that here. You get a good overall idea Lewis, hangs a target on

about where to go and what to do,” Range 22.

18 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

Sniper students from 3rd Bde., 2nd Inf. Div.,

and the 2nd Cav. Regt. engage targets to-

gether during day five of their training.









S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 19

Putting



On-tARgEt

Story and Photos by Jason Kaye









S

OMETIME during an operation to rescue

downed Kiowa pilots in Tal Afar, Iraq, the en-

emy decided that the prospect of facing Stryker-

mounted .50-caliber machine guns was better

than taking chances with the snipers of the Fort

Lewis, Wash.,-based 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry.

“All in all, we shot about 300 rounds with all the long

guns. After the first 15 minutes of covering the street, the

enemy started running towards where the machine guns

were firing. They wouldn’t even come towards us,” said

SGT James Brown, a senior sniper from the unit, who









20 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

SSG Jason Smith instructs PFC Ross SGT John Sutherland of Co. C, 5th

Garner of Headquarters and HQs. Bn., 20th Inf. Regt., takes aim during

Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry a stalk session that required students

Regiment, during stalk training. to find each other.









S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 21

was on a rooftop ahead of the enemy.

that day. “This train- “Faced with the

Brown passed ing was extremely

on his knowledge important to the current situations

recently as one brigade’s combat in Iraq and

of seven Soldiers readiness and

from 3rd Brigade has significantly Afghanistan,

and the 2nd Cav- increased our capa- officials are

alry Regiment who bilities,” said MAJ

assisted cadre from Adam L. Rocke, starting to

Fort Benning, Ga., with the instruction 3rd Bde. S-3. “Being a sniper takes appreciate the

of a new class of Army snipers. The a special kind of Soldier with unique

team came to Fort Lewis, Wash., after qualities, and each of the brigade’s skilled marksmen

being sponsored by Brown’s unit. units will greatly benefit from the pre- coming out of the

Class 702-06 started with 24 Sol- cision-marksmanship skills that these

diers, but after 377 hours of instruc- men now bring to the fight.” sniper school.”

tion 17 stood tall during their gradu- Snipers, however, haven’t always

ation ceremony on February 5. The been appreciated. A look back at their of the cadre team from Fort Benning,

graduates qualified with the M-24 and history shows an ebb and flow that said that five years ago not every class

M-107, learned sniper marksmanship, matches this country’s conflicts. Their at the resident course was full; now

stalking techniques, range estimation, number and training are always a low they turn people away.

target detection, identification and priority during peacetime, but during “Faced with the current situations

construction of hide positions, and war their demand and use increases. in Iraq and Afghanistan, officials

other field craft that keeps the sniper SSG Jason Smith, NCO in charge are starting to appreciate the skilled

marksmen coming out of the sniper

school, and they are in demand more

than ever,” added Blaine Souerwine, a

contract instructor from Fort Benning.

“The precision fires of snipers are an

added bonus that can tremendously

affect the enemy’s psyche.“

“Seeing a guy get dropped every

time a shot is fired has a major psy-

chological effect on the enemy,” said

Brown. “If you’re doing a show of

force or presence operation and the

enemy sees you placing a position, it

changes his whole disposition. He’s

more apt to relax and stay mellow.

The enemy won’t get into big crowds,

because he knows we can pick him

out of those crowds.”

The snipers’ skills go beyond that

of skilled marksmen. Many people,

even some of the current students,

think that the sniper’s only addition to

a unit is that of a sharpshooter.



Students fire for qualification with the

M-107 .50-caliber rifle on Range 52.

The students had to qualify with both

the M-107 and the smaller M-24 rifle.









22 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

Blaine Souerwine (center) a contract Employment Officers’ Course

instructor from Fort Benning, talks to

students in Sniper Class 702-06 about

help develop unit SOPs for the

urban hide positions during training use of snipers.

at Fort Lewis’s Leschi Town MOUT “It used to be part of the

complex.

Infantry Officers Basic Course,

but now we teach the latter as a

“I thought we’d just come out here separate class for staff ser-

and shoot, but I learned a lot more geants and above,” said Smith.

than I thought I was going to,” said “Commanders are slowly

SGT Justin Mongold, one of the class becoming educated about using

graduates and a member of Company snipers to their best advan-

A, 1st Bn., 23rd Inf. tage,” said Souerwine. The

Reconnaissance, target acquisition snipers themselves hope that

and damage assessment are also skills this trend continues.

snipers bring to the table. “I think there needs to be

“We give a unit a different edge. more concentration on sustain-

You don’t always need a door kicker ment training, and snipers need

or a squad just to bust into a room. You to be allowed to operate to

might need to take out — or ‘get eyes their fullest potential,” Brown

on,’ just one person,” Mongold said. said. “We know that this is a

It isn’t enough to have trained risky job, but everybody’s here

snipers in the unit. You have to have despite that.” S

leaders who know how to take ad-

vantage of the snipers’ skills. During PFC Levi Smith of Headquarters

and HQs. Troop, 2nd Squadron,

the team’s stop at Fort Lewis, about 2nd Cavalry Regiment, peers

50 leaders from the 3rd Bde. and 2nd through the scope of his M-24

Cav. Regt. attended a sniper-employ- from a hide position during the

training he and other students

ment class. Classes like the Sniper- underwent at Leschi Town.







S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 23

24

The Many Faces

w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

Precision and discipline are necessities for mem-

bers of the U.S. Army Drill Team, one element of

the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard).

SGT Jeremy Kern









of The Old Guard Story by SPC Brian K. Parker



S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 25

SGT Jeremy Kern

S

MALL American flags flutter

in the wind as Soldiers of the

nation’s oldest active infantry

regiment, the 3rd U.S. Infantry

(The Old Guard), place them

in front of Soldiers’ gravestones at

Arlington National Cemetery.

The pre-Memorial Day ritual is

performed by members of the other

armed services, too, to honor those

interred at Arlington and all service

members who have died in the nation’s

service.

Created in 1784 as the First

American Regiment, The Old Guard

was established after the Paris Peace

Treaty of 1783, which stipulated that

the United States would maintain a

military force to protect land west of

the Appalachian Mountains.

After the First American Regiment

participated in the War of 1812, COL

John Miller took command. Because





SPC Brian K. Parker works in the 3rd U.S. Inf. (The he was ranked third most-senior In observance of Memorial Day,

Old Guard) Public Affairs Office. Soldiers of The Old Guard place

officer in the Army, the unit designa- small American flags in front of

tion became the 3rd U.S. Inf., in tombstones at Arlington National

Cemetery.

keeping with Miller’s status, said

Kirk M. Heflin, the director of

the 3rd U.S. Inf. (The Old Guard) off your hats to The Old Guard of the

Museum. Army,’” said Heflin.

The 3rd Inf. played a vital Today The Old Guard, which has

role in the Mexican War in 1846, proven its worth in battle, has a two-

Heflin said. After taking Mexico fold mission — to protect America’s

City, the unit had the honor of capital and to pay final tribute to

marching at the head of its brigade America’s heroes.

as the American troops entered the “We’re responsible for repre-

Mexican capital. senting the Army in joint and Army

“It was there that the Army ceremonies, special events and memo-

commander, MG Zachary Taylor, rial affairs,” said COL Bob Pricone,

turned to his staff as the 3rd Inf. regimental commander of The Old

passed and said, ‘Gentlemen, take Guard. “We also have a responsibility

to develop junior leaders, to prepare

them to go back out to the divisional

Whether in current or histori- units.”

cal uniform, members of The

Old Guard pay close attention And, as a result of the terrorist

to detail. attacks on the World Trade Center

26 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

SPC Brian Parker

and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001,

The Old Guard also supports the Joint

Force Headquarters-National Capital

Region in emergencies.

The line companies, A through

D, of 1st Battalion, 3rd Inf. Regt.,

represent The Old Guard in many of

the ceremonies and all of the memo-

rial affairs in which The Old Guard

participates, and support contingency

missions throughout the national

capital region.

They include the Commander-

in-Chief’s Guard, a company-sized

element fashioned after GEN George

Washington’s Continental Army. The

CINC’s Guard dresses in Revolution-

ary War-era clothing and demonstrates

the weapons and tactics of the time.

Each company goes through a

rotational system that dictates what its

tasks will be at any given time. “Pri-

mary cycle” is when the line compa-

nies participate in funeral processions.

When a company is in primary, it “We get our weapons early and In addition to their ceremonial du-

is split up between standard funerals practice firing for about an hour before ties, Soldiers of The Old Guard must

maintain their proficiency in normal

and full-honor funerals, with standard a funeral,” said SPC Vance Meier, a infantry skills.

funerals consisting of seven to 15 Sol- member of the firing party of Co. D.

diers, and more than 40 Soldiers for a “Then we prepare our uniforms and

The Old Guard’s Presidential Salute

full-honor funeral, said SGT William make sure everyone is squared away. Battery executes some 300 missions

R. Fritsche of Co. B. “When we march down to the each year.



SGT Jeremy Kern









S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 27

SPC Brian K. Parker

Sentinels who guard the Tomb of the

Unknown Soldier.

The Fife and Drum Corps is the

only unit of its kind in the Defense

Department. Musicians in the unit

wear red coats that recall the days of

the American Revolution.

Reaching out to the public is a

main objective of not only the FDC,

but also the drill team, Pricone said.

For more than 45 years, members

of the USADT, with their bayonet-

tipped 1903 Springfield rifles, have

acted as good-will ambassadors for

the Army by participating in major

military and civic functions.

Soldiers are selected for the team

after six months of competitive and

rigorous drill practice.

The Presidential Salute Battery,

which can also be seen at Arlington

National Cemetery firing the final

salutes during funerals, also renders

honors for visiting foreign dignitaries

and heads of state at the White House,

the Pentagon and other locations in the

nation’s capital.

As the only indirect-fire infantry-

men in the regiment, the Guns Platoon

is equipped with eight 3-inch, World visible public missions. One such spe-

Members of The Old Guard’s Fife and

Drum Corps don distinctive Revolu- War II-era anti-tank guns mounted cialty platoon is the Tomb Sentinels at

tionary War-period uniforms for their on a 105mm howitzer chassis. Each The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

presentations. gun weighs 5,775 pounds and fires The Old Guard assumed responsi-

75mm blank shells with 1.5 pounds of bility for the tomb in 1948, following

gravesite, all I can think about is being gunpowder, said platoon sergeant SFC the unit’s reactivation in the nation’s

flawless,” Meier said. “I make sure Danzell Harrell. capital.

my weapon is straight and everything “We take great pride in having While on duty, a tomb sentinel

is in line. In the summer, I have to use top-notch equipment and keeping takes exactly 21 steps to cross a 63-

an alternate set of dress blues, because it looking good,” said Harrell, who foot rubber-surfaced walkway. He then

by the end of the day, the first pair is supervises some 40 Soldiers. faces the tomb for 21 seconds, turns

soaked in sweat.” Attention to detail is vital in all again, and pauses for 21 more seconds

While much of The Old Guard’s the specialty platoons, including the before repeating his steps. The number

mission involves preparing for and Continental Color Guard. 21 is symbolic of the highest salute

participating in funerals — as does the With crisp, concise movements, afforded to dignitaries in military and

Caisson Platoon, a unit that uses six the CCG has a heritage that dates back state ceremonies.

horses to pull a flag-draped casket on to Colonial days. “The professionalism, discipline

a black artillery caisson in funeral pro- The five-man team consists of two and intestinal fortitude required to

cessions — other of The Old Guard’s armed guards and three color-guard execute such an extremely sensitive but

assets include the Fife and Drum ensigns who carry the U.S. flag, the important mission at the tomb is amaz-

Corps, the U.S. Army Drill Team, the U.S. Army flag, and the flag of The ing. The Soldiers at the Tomb have

Continental Color Guard, the Presi- Old Guard. The armed guards flank done an amazing job representing our

dential Salute Battery and the Tomb the colors and are responsible for nation and our Army,” Pricone said.

protecting the U.S. flag. “The regiment is expected to give

The specialty platoons often work

seven days a week performing highly

28 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

SPC Brian K. Parker

One of the most widely recognized ele-

ments of The Old Guard, the Caisson

Platoon takes part in funeral processions

for both the great and the lowly.



Tomb sentinels at Arlington’s Tomb of

the Unknown Soldier take exactly 21

steps to cross a 63-foot, rubber-sur-

faced walkway.







110 percent to each of its missions,”

Pricone said, whether it be memorial

affairs, ceremonies and special events,

emergency response or deployment to a

contingency operation.

The 1st Bn.’s Co. B deployed

to such a contingency operation in

December 2003, to Djibouti, Africa, in

support of Combined Joint Task Force-

Horn of Africa and Operation Enduring

Freedom.

Fritsch, who served with Co. B dur-

ing the deployment, said that missions

in the region included force protection

and civil affairs, and training in joint

operations with other U.S. and regional

military forces. S

S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 29

NCOs

at IADC

Story and Photos by JO1 Paul Newell, USN









A Venezuelan navy captain, a student at the IADC, hands his passport to

SSG Lionel Velez-Soto, a human resources NCO at the school.









I

N the heart of Washington, D.C., on trees, a sprawling parade field and the

one of the Army’s oldest posts, sits tranquil Potomac River.

a multinational learning institution Settled on the Army’s third old-

that many Soldiers have never heard est post (only Carlisle Barracks in Since the college’s creation, almost

of. Pennsylvania and the U.S. Military 3,000 men and women from virtually

The Inter-American Defense Academy at West Point, N.Y., are every country in the Western Hemi-

College is located at Fort Lesley J. older), the IADC is a joint and interna- sphere have attended the IADC as

McNair, against a backdrop of dense tional military senior-service college, a stepping-stone in their political or

born from the Inter-American Defense military careers.

JOI Paul Newell is a photojournalist with the Inter-

Board and the Organization of Ameri- Army NCOs help to ensure that

American Defense Board. can States in 1962. these diplomats and senior internation-

30 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

The building that houses the Inter-American Defense College was built as a barracks in 1903. Fort McNair is the Army’s third-oldest

post, following Carlisle Barracks, Pa., and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.







al military personnel receive the best sergeant from Puerto Rico quickly foreign diplomats.

possible experiences while they attend recognizes the nature of the problem “The students who come to study

the school. and within minutes helps the officer here are from various countries, so I

“Como esta usted?” SSG Lionel resolve it. have to know how to deal with people

Velez-Soto asks a colonel from Chile, The 12-year Army veteran said it’s from different cultures,” said Velez-

who has been having issues with his important that he and other NCOs at Soto, a human resources NCO who su-

passport. As he continues the Span- the school understand their customers, pervises three joint-service sergeants.

ish dialogue with the officer, the staff who are often flag-level officers and “Just because I can speak Spanish

S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 31

SPC Jose Gonzalez, the school’s graphic IADC NCOs listen as the school’s director, MG Keith M. Huber, talks with

artist, helps construct an exhibit honoring Colombian army Gen. Carlos Alberto Ospina at a reception in Bogota.

distinguished graduates.









The Inter-American Defense College has three graduates who

have become presidents of their respective countries…

with them doesn’t mean I into an international community of 34 certain way to express yourself, which

understand their culture nations,” said the IADC’s president, is distinctly different from the North

or their way of han- MG Keith Huber. “They are critical American way,” said Martinez, who

dling business affairs. role models for militaries from the helps to ensure nothing’s lost to “cul-

We have a friendly en- Western Hemisphere, many of which tural” miscommunication.

vironment here, but we do not fully employ their NCOs. The amount of responsibility

still have to demonstrate a “I know our enlisted service mem- shouldered by NCOs at the school has

great deal of tact,” Valez-Soto bers make a lasting impression, be- impressed the international soldiers

said. cause I get feedback from officers and who also work at the college, said

After studying at the IADC for 11 civilians from abroad who are amazed Colombian Sgt. Maj. Delio Macias

months, the students return to their at the initiative and professionalism of Rojas, a former sergeant major of the

respective countries with new perspec- our NCOs,” Huber said. Colombian army. “The amount of

tives from their neighbors that, in the Because of the need for cadre decision making and planning the U.S.

big picture, contribute to peace and members who can communicate in Army asks of its NCOs is impressive.

security throughout their region of the English, Spanish and Portuguese, the They have logistical, tactical and ad-

world. Army compensates Soldiers by allot- ministrative responsibilities that reveal

Many IADC graduates go on ting pay for those who achieve a high- the potential they possess.”

to become general officers, defense enough score on language tests. The skills and responsibilities

ministers or ambassadors. In fact, the “The Army is paying me for the of the NCO support personnel at the

college has three graduates who have language skills I possess,” said SGT IADC also extend beyond IADC.

become presidents of their respec- Laura Martinez, who is Huber’s When a Soldier dies and is buried

tive countries, including Dr. Michelle executive administrative assistant. in a Hispanic country or territory,

Bachellet, a 1997 graduate who re- Handling correspondence, phone calls, the Army often calls upon the Span-

cently won the presidency in Chile. and letters from embassies and heads ish-speaking Huber to represent the

It is because of this high-profile of state, Martinez works long hours United States.

environment that a general-officer making sure the general and his execu- In February 2005 SSG Vic-

level screening is required for the Sol- tive officers are prepared to success- torino Barrera accompanied Huber to

diers, Sailors and Airmen who want to fully interact with the multinational Mexico, Barrera’s birthplace, to bury

work at IADC. student body. a Soldier who died in Iraq. Barrera

“Our NCOs bring their experiences “In the Latino culture there is a said the trip south of the border was

32 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

Grupo Reforma/Emilio de la Cruz (both photos this page)









(Main photo) SSG Victor Barrera (left) and MSG Hector Serrana help guide a funeral procession for PFC Jesus Fonseca

in Degollado, Mexico. (Inset) IADC director Huber presents a flag and Fonseca’s Purple Heart to his widow, Marlene.





perhaps the most difficult mission of Barrera, who is Huber’s driver, reservations for 100 students and

his career. also accompanies the general dur- staff to making sure planes are where

“To return to my birthplace under ing study trips the college sponsors they need to be, in this organization

those conditions was difficult,” said outside the United States. Last March, we have to come together not only as

Barrera, who handled the logistical when IADC officials traveled to Ecua- Soldiers, but as a joint family.”

responsibilities during the detail. “I dor and Colombia, Barrera and other The eight Army NCOs who work

had to look his widow and family in support-team NCOs from all services at the IADC rely on one another and,

the eyes and explain to them that their dressed in business suits and worked with their joint counterparts, consider

beloved husband and son did not die behind the scenes to ensure that the themselves family.

in vain. two-week educational mission would “We are not only united by

“Because the family is Mexican, be a success. culture,” said SPC Jose Gonzalez,

they had to hear it from a Mexican. “It is our job to make sure the IADC’s graphic designer, “we are all

They heard it from someone who is trips are well coordinated,” said professionals who are enjoying the

not only proud to be Mexican, but who Puerto-Rican native SFC Victor Mar- opportunity to make an impact on the

is also proud to be a U.S. Soldier,” rero, IADC’s senior NCO and chief lives of people in other parts of the

said Barrera. of logistics. “From arranging hotel world.” S

S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 33

FAST:

Field

Assistance in

Science and

Technology







Getting Soldiers

What

They

Need Story by Julie Cupernall

Soldiers who worked with IEDs came to the FAST STAT team asking for a

better gripping mechanism and extending arm for the TALON, a robot often

used in IED detection and disposal. The FAST STAT team made it possible

for the Soldiers to communicate their needs directly to engineers.









W

HEN the rubber meets ter insight into the needs of Soldiers in in the research and development labs

the road, no one on earth combat. can work on,” said MAJ Mike Traxler,

knows more about what Typically, each three-member who served as a FAST STAT team

Soldiers need than Sol- FAST Science and Technology Assis- leader in Iraq from April to August

diers. tance Team comprises an officer, NCO 2005.

The Army’s Research, Develop- and civilian science advisor. A team’s “The point is that the guy who

ment and Engineering Command mission is easily stated: Find out what knows the most about his needs is the

recognizes that and is using part of its Soldiers need on the front lines, and user. He’s the technology expert. He

Field Assistance in Science and Tech- give that information to the people can’t design it, he’s not the techni-

nology, or FAST, Program to gain bet- who can fill that need. cian, he’s not the engineer, but he has

“The key to the whole FAST a better grasp than any of us will ever

STAT mission is to make sure we have,” Traxler said.

Julie Cupernall works in the Research, De-

velopment and Engineering Command Public paint a good picture of the technol- Of course, the simplest-sounding

Communications Office. ogy requirements the design engineer mission is often the most difficult to

34 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

FAST STAT team members closely observe day-to-day maintenance tasks and mission preparation looking for feedback on current

technologies and gaps that need to be filled.







achieve, especially when it revolves ogy centers, and employs more than The FAST STAT key to success is

around the complex idea of commu- 17,000 civilian, military and contract accessibility to Soldiers.

nication. personnel — all working to quickly “We hosted a lot of group discus-

This ability to translate Soldier get technology to Soldiers. sions. We went to the different base

needs to scientists and engineers far FAST STAT team members must camps and arranged to have a group

from the front lines takes weeks of familiarize themselves with RDECOM of 30 to 50 Soldiers get together in

intense training before deployment. labs and their technology focuses a room. Then we spent a lot of time

RDECOM is made up of eight before they can talk with Soldiers. finding out what they need to conduct

national labs and engineering cen- RDECOM labs test, create and work their operations and which technolo-

ters and nine international technol- to improve almost everything Soldiers gies may be able to support them,”

eat, shoot, wear, sleep in, drive in or Traxler added.

use to protect themselves. Detection and detonation of

“We represent everything from improvised explosive devices is a

aviation to peanut butter. It’s amazing major discussion topic brought to

how much we have to talk about,” said FAST STAT teams. Soldier sugges-

MAJ Jay Ferreira, who was in Iraq as tions have led RDECOM scientists

a FAST team leader from December and engineers to produce an extending

2004 to April 2005. arm with a better gripping mechanism

Once deployed, FAST STAT teams for the TALON

spend most of their time in Iraq with robot, often

the troops, watching and listening. used to search

Team members must be on the ground for improvised

An adaptor allowing Soldiers to plug in

— shadowing day-to-day maintenance explosive de-

to both mounted and dismounted radios jobs and going out on actual missions vices. Soldiers

is currently being tested in Iraq. The idea to see Soldiers and their equipment in asked for the

originated as a Soldier suggestion from

a battalion commander. action. arm extender to

S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 35

Soldiers of the 256th Brigade Combat Team approached a FAST STAT team in Iraq with a suggestion about how to quickly extract

Soldiers from Humvees whose doors had been jammed. Their extraction bracket is now being tested on Humvees in Iraq.





allow the TALON to “look” into truck gies, FAST STAT teams also pro- to use both mounted and dismounted

windows. vide new RDECOM technologies radios.

“When the Soldiers get something to a limited number of Soldiers to “This is a no-brainer, but the

like that, it improves both safety and see how the technologies stand up guys in the lab didn’t really know

morale. They appreciate that someone outside the lab. the need existed. The suggestion is

is paying attention to their mission “This is one of the few times coming from a battalion commander,

challenges,” Ferreira said. we can actually prove things out on

Besides gathering information on the battlefield. Iraq is not a training

the capabilities of current technolo- center. So every time we provide

prototypes and they come back

broken, that’s okay. Soldiers need

Have Suggestions? to run the technology through all

the paces, to allow us to find out

RDECOM is seeking technol- whether it has merit for the future

ogy suggestions that may fight,” Ferreira said.

benefit Soldiers. Find out One Stryker brigade battalion

commander could help thousands

how to submit your ideas

of Soldiers because of a suggestion

by going to www.rdecom.

he made to a FAST STAT team. The

army.mil and clicking on commander recognized the need for

“Research Proposals and an adaptor that allows the Soldier

Ideas” in the left margin.

One of the most productive ways

for FAST STAT team members to get

feedback on RDECOM technolo-

gies is to hold group discussions

in Iraq.

36 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

a proven leader and expert in his that’s taken off the shelf. you find out what is going to be

field,” Traxler said. “The hundred-dollar idea is not right for the Soldier,” Ferreira said.

The universal adaptor sugges- always the best solution. That’s why “We put the Soldier and scientist

tion went back to RDECOM’s Com- this is so interesting and important; together. It’s definitely challenging

munications-Electronics, Research the Soldier helps you zero in on the to do, but that’s why we’re over

Development and Engineering Cen- best solution. “When it comes down there,” Traxler said. “We’re like the

ter at Fort Monmouth, N.J. About to where the rubber meets the road, eyes and ears of the lab.” S

100 of the new communications

adaptors engineered at CERDEC

were sent to Iraq to be evaluated.

The 256th Brigade Combat

Team from Louisiana approached a FAST Science Advisers

FAST STAT team with a suggestion







M

to help alleviate another problem on UCH like the Field Assistance in Science and Technology Pro-

the front lines — getting Soldiers

gram Science and Technology Assistance Teams, FAST science

out of wrecked Humvees.

“Sometimes the door is dam- advisers are conduits between the “real-world” Army and the

aged and you just can’t get it open. Army’s Research, Development and Engineering Command laboratories.

So their idea was to take the exist-

As civilian advisers to command groups, they focus on bringing the

ing tow strap that comes with every

combat vehicle, hook it up to the unique perspective of the research and development world to decision-

Humvee door with an extraction makers at the highest level. It’s a high-pressure environment, given the

bracket that they designed, and just

scope of RDECOM’s research and development responsibilities.

tear the door off. A very simple door

bracket, a very simple concept,” “We expect the advisers to be very flexible in identifying problems that

Traxler said. aren’t necessarily in their area of expertise, but in all areas of expertise,”

“It’s probably a five-dollar solu-

said Frank Tremain, science adviser-at-large at Fort Belvoir, Va.

tion that doesn’t modify the Hum-

vee. It came right from Soldiers,” They work for a general or colonel where they’re assigned. And flexibility,

Ferreira said. technical expertise and oral and written communications skills are all keys

The bracket is being tested on

to the advisers’ success, Tremain added.

hundreds of Humvees in Iraq.

Sometimes solutions aren’t Science advisers can also provide a command-level information link

easily found, and the best solution with STAT teams stationed on the front lines. Dr. Raymond Bateman, sci-

might not be an improvement to

ence adviser to III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, deployed to Southwest Asia

existing technology or something

twice to lend his expertise in research and development to troop leaders

on the front lines.

During Bateman’s most recent deployment last year he also worked

with FAST STAT teams in Iraq, to better understand the research and devel-

opment needs of Soldiers there and to aid the STAT teams in getting that

information to decision makers, scientists and engineers.

The Uniformed Army Scientist and Engineer program was also imple-

mented over the past year, coupling military scientists and engineers

with science advisors, to further enhance communication between

troop leaders and RDECOM.

There are more than 20 FAST science advisers stationed at troop

installations around the globe. — Julie Cupernall









S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 37

From

Battlefield

to Hospital

SGT Walter R. Davis









Story by SPC Rick L. Rzepka

and SPC Orlando Claffey

SPC Orlando Claffey (both)









“B

RING me only beautiful, useless

things,” said Carl Sandburg in

his poem “Murmurings of a Field

Hospital.”

The line comes from an

injured soldier in a field hospital

who, wilted from the exhausting path of war, seeks

to find peace as he prepares to return home.

The combat support hospital is one of the last

places Soldiers want to find themselves while run-

ning the gauntlet of war. But for many Soldiers and

civilians, the CSH offers a sliver of the flipside to

the brutality of human nature. It is a place dedi-

cated to the alleviation of true pain and the commit-

ment to humanity.





b “I Knew I Had Been Shot”

SGT Walter R. Davis of the Fort Wainwright,

Alaska-based 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment,

172nd Inf. Brigade, was promoted just a few weeks

before he was shot in the arm by a sniper near Mo-

sul, Iraq, in January.



SPC Rick L. Rzepka and SPC Orlando Claffey are assigned to the 124th

Mobile Public Affairs Detachment and work in the Multi-National Corps-Iraq

Combined Press Information Center.

38 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

Danger and the possibility of enemy

attack are a constant threat for Sol-

diers in Iraq (this page and opposite),

but the world’s best field medical care

From Battlefield to Hospital

is only moments away should they

be wounded.









S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 39

SPC Rick Rzepka





It was in a Stryker like this one that SGT Walter R. Davis was rushed to the 47th Combat Support Hospital after being shot as he and

his squad were patrolling in Mosul.







Davis was put in charge of a Com- populated area of the city for a tactical saw him hit the ground,” said 1LT Joe

pany C rifle squad whose members of- psychological-operations team that Vanty, Davis’s team leader. He initially

ten find themselves on the front lines was distributing flyers and pamphlets thought the body armor Davis was

in the battle against Iraqi insurgents, to the locals. wearing had absorbed the 7.62mm

and he knew the responsibility that Davis and his fire team were round. Davis stumbled for cover

came with the stripes he’d just earned. tasked to cover the southwest section behind the Stryker and fell over.

He also understood the inherent dan- of the four-corner perimeter that had “I knew I had been shot,” Davis

gers of the profession he chose. been established around a mosque, to said. As he lay in the street, Davis

The men of the Stryker-equipped safeguard both the PSYOPS team and said, he immediately thought of his

172nd Inf. Bde. had already shed the people inside. family back home.

blood. A few months earlier, on Nov. Davis watched as his team dis- After Davis fell to the ground,

19, 2005, 11 Co. C Soldiers were mounted from the Stryker to set up medic PFC Jeffrey Stewart rushed

wounded and one killed during a security. As his teammates scanned over and provided the initial treatment

firefight with insurgents. their sectors for threats, Davis moved for the wound. “Davis was only down

“When something like that hap- from man to man for the better part for three to four minutes before PFC

pens, it really hits home,” said Davis. of an hour to provide guidance and Stewart was there with the stretcher,”

“I’ve never been closer to a group of support. said Vanty.

guys in my life.” “I went to go check on my squad “I packed the wound and threw a

automatic weapon gunner, and as soon tourniquet on because I couldn’t see

as I stepped off the curb into the street the exit wound and was worried that









O

n the cool morning of Jan. I got shot,” said Davis. “I actually Davis would start hemorrhaging,”

24, Davis and his men heard my bone snap.” Stewart said. He also determined that

were conducting business “The second I heard the shot, I the bullet had not hit an artery because

as usual in the dense urban of the light color of the blood.

jungle of Mosul, a rat’s nest After making sure Davis could

of insurgent activity since the war breathe without difficulty, Stewart

began.

“Davis was only helped Davis into a nearby Stryker. “I

“It was like any other day, really,” down for three to thought I was going to throw up, but I

Davis said. “We had a three-hour pa- didn’t,” said Davis.

trol in the morning, came in for chow

four minutes before SSG Joseph Anthens, Co. C’s

and rolled back out at noon.” PFC Stewart was senior medic, cut Davis’s cumbersome

On their second mission of the gear away and determined that the

day, Davis and the other Soldiers from

there with the wound was “through and through,”

Co. C provided security in a heavily stretcher,” said Vanty. meaning that the round had gone



40 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

SPC Orlando Claffey

Joshua Cresswell, a medic with

the 101st Airborne Division’s

2nd Bn., 506th Inf. Regt. “We do

everything they do. We’re just one

of the guys, until someone gets

hurt.”

Along with the ammo and gear

most Soldiers carry, the medics

also lug tracheotomy tubes, IVs,

tourniquets and various medicines

— in short, everything they need

to save a life.

When someone does go down,

Cresswell said, the first step is to

assess the injury.

“We try to figure out where he

is bleeding,” he said. The medic

checks the person’s entire body,

often cutting off the Soldier’s pro-

tective vest. Blood is one of the

few things a medic can’t replace

on the ground, so stopping the

flow is vital.

Medics then move on to the

airway, stabilizing the breathing

through CPR or by inserting a

Soldiers from the 10th CSH in Baghdad carry a wounded Soldier to a waiting hel-

breathing tube, if needed. When

icopter that will take him to Balad Air Base for onward movement to Germany. more than one Soldier is injured,

fellow infantrymen who are

trained in first aid lend a hand, but

straight through Davis’s bicep. His Soldiers around him, whether he is it is the medic who is running the

fellow Soldiers made him as comfort- with the infantry, military police or an show.

able as possible and took him to the explosive ordnance disposal team. For Cresswell, who’s stationed

47th Combat Support Hospital. “We live as infantry,” said SPC at Camp Prosperity, the near-

It was a quick trip. Co. C’s

Soldiers delivered their wounded SPC Orlando Claffey

comrade to the 47th in less than 15

minutes after Davis was hit.









From Battlefield to Hospital

“The Stryker parted traffic like

Moses in the Red Sea,” said Vanty.



b Dedicated to Life

For wounded or injured Soldiers

like Davis, the key to survival is

immediate and effective treatment.

And just as in Davis’s case, front-line

medics almost always provide that

treatment.

On the modern battlefield, military

medical professionals are not only

trained in their respective specialties,

they must also master basic soldiering

skills, because of their close proximity

to the fight.

A medic takes on the job of the CSHs in Iraq can call upon such sophisticated technologies as CT scanners when

trying to assess an injured Soldier’s wounds.

S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 41

SPC Rick Rzepka









SPC Orlando Claffey

(Above) Dr. (COL) Randall Espinosa works on Davis’s gunshot wound after repairing

bone and muscle damage caused by the sniper’s round. (Right) With pins stabilizing a

patient’s leg, Dr. (MAJ) Keith Hill works to stabilize a patient’s IED-caused leg wound.







est CSH is the 10th CSH in central we live from boom to boom.”

Baghdad. The Iraqi capital’s crowded While the Soldiers of the 47th CSH

streets sometimes make evacuating a — which provides comprehensive

patient by vehicle impossible, so he medical care for the northern sector

instead calls on air support. With the of Iraq — see patients ranging from

helicopter medevac procedure memo- local nationals to insurgents, they are

rized, he shouts it out line by line to a especially focused when an American

radioman while still treating the casu- Soldier is injured, said CPT Chris-

alties. There is nothing more impor- topher Washack, commander of the

tant, he said, than getting the Soldiers 47th’s Headquarters and HQs. Co.

out of the field and into the equipment- That focus was apparent when

rich environment of a hospital. Davis arrived at the CSH.

The same holds true in Mosul. ma standpoint, very straightforward,

“The biggest benefit is the rapid b The Best Care Anywhere he said. While the 7.62mm round

evacuation of the casualty,” said LTC As the Stryker vehicle carrying Da- had fractured the Soldier’s humerus

David Misner, the emergency room vis came barreling into the 47th CSH’s and decimated one-third of his bicep

chief at the 47th CSH, which is only emergency-service lane, Soldiers were muscle, all three of the main nerves

200 meters from Mosul. ready to quickly transfer him into the that run through the arm remained

There are some disadvantages of trauma bay. Three medics, an anes- functional.

being so close to the action, however. thesiologist and a trauma-team leader Davis’s injury could have been

The 47th CSH is a frequent target of quickly assessed Davis’s wound and limb threatening, so he was quickly

insurgent mortars and rockets, Misner relieved his fierce pain. rushed into the operating room where

said, “and while the trauma care is Misner determined that Davis’s COL Randall Espinosa, commander

excellent, it’s a dirty environment and condition was stable and, from a trau- of the 274th Forward Surgical Team,



42 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

In past conflicts

operated on the damaged arm. Davis may have award ceremony, the wounded

“He had a diminished pulse, but lost his arm, Soldier was on an Air Force C-130

his biggest problem was actually the headed to Landstuhl Regional

humerus fracture,” said Espinosa. In but because of Medical Center in Germany. There

the OR, Espinosa cleansed Davis’s the advanced he received further treatment

wound and repaired the shattered bone before being evacuated back to the

with pins. technology, better United States.

In past conflicts Davis may have response time and “He is lucky he hasn’t lost

lost his arm, but because of the nerve function in his arm,” said

advanced technology, better response more highly trained Misner, who expects that Davis

time and more highly trained person- personnel, injured will return to duty after he under-

nel, injured Soldiers have an increased goes months of rigorous physical

chance of returning to duty and living Soldiers have an therapy to rebuild the muscle in his

normal lives, said Espinosa. increased chance bicep.

A CSH in Iraq is comparable to For his part, Davis is philo-

a stateside hospital emergency room. of returning to duty sophical about the events that put

With some of the best-trained and and living normal him in a hospital bed.

experienced trauma surgeons and “I’ll tell you, a lot of people

staffs in the world, the CSHs have lives. . . tell me that they’re sorry for me,’

all the equipment they need to save a Davis said. “I’m not sorry. I’m

patient’s life. glad it was me rather than my fire

“About 94 percent of the trauma team.” S

patients who make it to the CSH sur-

vive,” said COL Dennis Doyle, com-

mander of the 10th CSH in Baghdad.









SPC Rick Rzepka

“One reason is because the medics in

the field and the medevac pilots get

them to us so quickly. Another reason

is that we have some talented senior

folks.”

The 10th CSH receives about 600

patients a month, said Doyle. While

they’re not all severe cases, it is still

more than enough to season a staff.

Fortunately, their workflow has

decreased steadily over the past few

months.









From Battlefield to Hospital

“I’m convinced that we’ve recently

had more basketball injuries than the

ones the insurgents have inflicted,”

said Espinosa.

About one quarter of the 47th

CSH’s patients are coalition troops.

The rest are local nationals, Iraqi se-

curity force members and insurgents,

adding a humanitarian element to the

hospital’s overall mission.



b Evacuation and Recuperation

Shortly after his initial surgery,

Davis was awarded the Purple Heart

by BG Rickey L. Rife, the 101st Abn.

Div. assistant division commander for

support. And not long after the bedside Still heavily bandaged but well on the road to recovery, Davis displays both a

smile and the Purple Heart presented to him by BG Rickey L. Rife, the 101st

Airborne Division’s assistant commander for support.

S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 43

Legal Forum









TSP for Service

Members

S

G Fund

PONSORED by the federal determining where to invest their money.

government, the Thrift Savings F Fund The G Fund is government securities, the F Fund

Plan, or TSP, was established is fixed-income index funds, the C Fund is common

in 1986 as an investment and C Fund stock, the S Fund is a small-capitalization stock index

retirement plan for federal employees. S Fund investment and the I Fund is an international stock

The fiscal year 2001 National Defense index investment.

Authorization Act expanded the pro- I Fund The new L, or lifecycle, funds diversify your account

gram to cover active-duty military among the G, F, C, S and I funds. Because they provide

members. New L Fund a time-targeted, professionally determined investment

The dollar amount available to a mix among the individual funds, the L funds may be

military TSP participant upon retirement depends ideal for Soldiers who don’t have the time or knowledge to devote

upon the amount of money the service member to moving their investments from fund to fund for maximum yield

contributes to the program and the earnings the in the early years and greater security as they come closer to

contributions make. retirement.

Service members may elect to contribute a If no funds are specified for allocation, all funds contributed are

percentage of their basic pay, incentive pay or invested in the G Fund.

special pay, and indicate into which fund or funds



Tax Benefit

the money is invested.

b

Funds and Earnings

The TSP offers participants an immediate tax benefit, in that

b the funds invested in the plan from a service member’s pay are

There are several funds to choose from, and automatically deducted from taxable earned income for the year

participants may apply differing percentages to invested. That means that no income tax is paid on the

each.The earnings for each fund differ based upon funds deducted from the

economic factors. The performance histories of all military salary. Also, there

of the funds are available to assist participants in is no longer an “open sea-

son” system in which only

Steven Chucala is chief of client services in the Office of the designated time periods were

Staff Judge Advocate at Fort Belvoir, Va. available for TSP changes.

44 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

by Contributing Writer Steven Chucala









b Enrollment and Contributions

To open a TSP account, Soldiers may visit the Defense Finance

and Accounting Service’s myPay Web site at https://mypay.dfas.

mil. Once Soldiers sign into myPay, they can select the TSP option to

start, change or stop contributions. Soldiers may also submit Form

TSP-U-1 through their finance offices. A copy can be downloaded

from the TSP Web site at www.tsp.gov.

As of January, there is no limit on the percentage of pay service

members can contribute. However, the tax-exempt contributions to

the TSP are limited by the Internal Revenue Service’s elective-defer-

ral limit, which is presently $15,000 per year and does not apply to

tax exempt pay (i.e. combat pay).

While deployed in a designated combat zone, Soldiers can

contribute tax-free pay to the TSP, where it will accrue tax-deferred

earnings. The combat zone TSP contributions are not subject to

the $15,000 IRS limit, and they remain penalty- and tax-free when

withdrawn.

The IRS still limits the total amount of contributions to a plan

to $44,000 for tax-year 2006. For more information, visit the TSP

Web site.









b Some Restrictions Apply

The TSP is best described as a supplemental source of retire-

ment income in addition to uniformed services retirement pay, Social

Security retirement pay and any other nest egg developed over a

lifetime. It is not a savings account from which withdrawals can be

made at any time without IRS tax penalty.

Although Soldiers may not make a full withdrawal of their TSP

accounts while still on active duty, under certain circumstances

an in-service withdrawal for financial hardship or an age-based

withdrawal may be available.

Service members may contribute as little as one percent of

their basic pay each pay period, and if they leave military service

and enter federal civilian service, they may continue their military

TSP or combine it with a civilian TSP account. Service members

who simply leave military or government service may leave the

contributed funds in the TSP account until they reach age 59, and

withdraw it thereafter without IRS tax penalty.

Soldiers may also transfer money from eligible employer 401(k)-

type plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs) to their TSP

TSP Web site at www.tsp.gov

myPay Web site at https://mypay.dfas.mil

accounts. Other withdrawal options are also available.

For additional information visit the TSP Web site or call the toll

free TSP Thrift Line at (877) 968-3778.







Know the Law

S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 45

MessageCenter

ArMy ChAnges TaTToo PoliCy

THE Army has revised its policy on tattoos, in an effort to bolster

Policy







recruitment of qualified individuals who might otherwise have been

excluded from joining.

Tattoos are now permitted on the hands and back of the neck, if

they do not represent extremist groups and are not indecent, sexist or

racist. Updated Army Regulation 670-1 now specifies that any tattoo

or brand anywhere on the head or face is prohibited.

For women, permanent eye-liner, eyebrows and makeup applied

to fill in lips is allowed under the regulation.

Army officials changed the old regulation because they realized the

number of potential recruits who have tattoos has grown enormously

over the years. About 30 percent of Americans between the ages of

25 and 34 have tattoos, according to a Scripps-Howard News Service

and Ohio University survey. For those under 25, the number is about

28 percent. — Army News Service









May happenings

Military Spouse Appreciation Day — May 12

Mother’s Day — May 14

Armed Forces Day — May 20

Memorial Day — May 29



AKO guideportal,here!is Army Knowl- Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month



THE Army’s Internet

Army Knowledge Online









edge Online, or AKO, provides information

about every aspect of the Army.

Since its inception in 1999 AKO has al-

lowed Soldiers to check the status of Army

2006 TOur sChedule

benefits, educational programs and a variety THE U.S. Army Soldiers Show is one of more than 200

soldiers show









of their personal records from anywhere in the morale, welfare and recreation programs the Army provides

world. Soldiers can take advantage of future, Soldiers and families worldwide through the U.S. Army Com-

targeted training information and gain access munity and Family Support Center in Alexandria, Va. Here is

to position openings that promote career their May and June schedule of performances. The schedule

development. is subject to change. — U.S. Army Community and Family

By building buddy lists, Soldiers can com- Support Center

municate via secure instant messaging. If May 5-7 Fort Belvoir, Va.

users need to interact with Air Force members, 11-14 Fort Dix, N.J.

instant messaging provides that capability. For 15-17 Fort Monmouth, N.J.

Soldiers in low-bandwidth situations there’s

18-20 Fort Meade, Md.

AKO Lite.

21-22 Fort Detrick, Md.

For a complete AKO user’s guide, see the

Hot Topics insert in this issue or visit www. 23-24 Tobyhanna AD, Pa.

army.mil/soldiers/archives and download the 25-27 Fort Hamilton, N.Y.

May 2006 Hot Topics. June 1-29 U.S. Army, Europe

46 w w w . a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

Compiled by Don Wagner





KOreA DoMinaTes ArMy OuTreACh AwArds

ENTRIES from Korea captured five of the 11 Army Out- of Efforts), Ongoing Programs and Special Events.

Awards of excellence







reach Awards for Excellence presented March 6-7 in The judging panel received 25 entries from major

Vienna, Va. Army commands, the Installation Management Agency,

The top individual award, however, went to the public field-operating agencies and from direct reporting units.

affairs officer at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. The Special — ARNEWS

Award of Excellence went to the Army Environmental







Army Outreach

Policy Institute in Arlington, Va. Secretary of the

Army Francis J. Harvey presented the awards

March 7.





Awards

The Outreach Awards recognize the best of

the Army’s worldwide public-outreach initiatives in

three categories: Individual Accomplishment (Series









PACKed Poison

RECENT data show a marked increase in the use of tobacco

health









products among America’s Soldiers. The long-term effects of

tobacco, such as cancer and emphysema, are well known. The

more immediate effects on mission readiness are less known. Events Calendar

But officials do know that tobacco use increases a Soldier’s risk The Army’s developing Media Center

of respiratory problems and injuries to muscles and bones. It

also decreases night-vision ability, is continuously updating an Armywide

slows healing and leads to nico-

tine addiction. And the addiction planning calendar. If you have an event

to nicotine is as powerful as you feel would be of interest to an

the addiction to heroin or

cocaine. The longer you use Armywide audience, visit www.Army.

tobacco, the more difficult it

is to quit. mil/outreach.

For information and

resources to break

the tobacco habit,

go to www.army.

mil/soldiers/ar-

chives and down-

load the November

2005 Hot Topics

on tobacco ces-

sation.







S o l d i e r s • M a y 2 0 0 6 47

Focus on People Story by SPC Michael R. Noggle









Soldier Brings Eskimo Culture to Iraq

S OLDIERS of the Alaska National Guard’s 1st

Battalion, 297th Infantry, describe SGT Paul

Bavilla as “a shining star, a hero among his people,”

said the unit’s SFC Todd Patnode.

Bavilla is a Yupik Eskimo from Togiak, Alaska. At

the age of 35 and with 15 years of Alaska National

Guard service, he recently deployed with his unit from

Nome to Iraq.

In the tradition of his ancestors, Bavilla is known

as an “Eskimo Scout,” a title first given during World

War II to Alaska natives serving in specialized Army

reconnaissance units. The Scouts were instrumental

in the battle against Japanese forces that had invaded

the Aleutian Islands.

Today, the term Eskimo Scout refers to someone

who is an expert at surviving and living through Alaska’s

harsh weather conditions and using the resources the

surrounding environment offers.

“When I first joined the Guard 15 years ago, there

were around 2,500 Eskimo Scouts still serving,” Bavilla

said. “Now there couldn’t be more than 1,200 Scouts “...a shining star,

serving in the military.” a hero among his people.”

Today’s Scouts continue to train in the same areas

and under the same conditions as their predecessors. : 2005—310-065/600049



Most live modest lives in remote villages, hunting wild

animals and enduring extreme weather conditions.

“This guy is as hardcore as they come,” Patnode said of Bavilla. “He goes out in sub-zero

temperature and lives in the wilderness for months at a time.”

Bavilla recalled one incident when he and an uncle were returning from a 50-mile winter

trek to collect wood, and the uncle lost the trail.

“My uncle has taught me a lot and has been a great mentor, but on that occasion I was the

one who had to save us,” he said. “Being a Scout and serving in the Alaska Guard have given

me the qualities to become a better Soldier. And the Soldiers here are some excellent guys to

be around. They respect me for my work ethic and want to learn my native language.” S



SPC Michael R. Noggle is with the 11th Public Affairs Detachment.





48 w w w. a r m y. m i l / s o l d i e r s

Thank You eCYBERMISSION Volunteers for Your Support of America’s Youth

The U.S. Army thanks our Volunteers for their dedication and service to eCYBERMISSION—a web-based, science, math

and technology competition for 6th-9th grade students. eCYBERMISSION Volunteers diligently work to promote the

competition as Ambassadors and Installation Points of Contact (POCs), serve as on-line mentors as CyberGuides and

evaluate team submissions as Virtual Judges. Their efforts increase student interest in the science, math and

technology fields and help support the nation’s commitment to education. We salute their volunteer spirit and

praise them for their commitment to America’s youth.

From everyone at eCYBERMISSION and participants around the world, Thank You!

AMBASSADORS Mr. Timothy Tuttle SGM Stephen Stalcup Mr. Matthew Denico Mr. Vincent Marchese

Mr. Oral Walker MAJ Darla Stencavage Dr. Christopher Doona Mr. Tim McEvoy

Mr. Alfredo Alza Ms. Constella Zimmerman LT Anthony Stephens Mr. Gary Eckert Dr. James Miller

Ms. Lisa Arcaro MAJ Gary Stoneburner SSG Tony Elmore Ms. Krishna Millsapp-Palmore

MAJ Sherwood Baker II Mr. Timothy Tuttle Dr. Kelly Ervin Dr. George Millsaps

Mrs. Elizabeth Barry INSTALLATION POCs Mr. Oral Walker Dr. George Famini Dr. Belinda Moses

Ms. Deborah Bleau Ms. Deborah Bleau COL Steven Ward Dr. Greg Fischer Mr. Victor Motto

MSG Mark Brzezinski Ms. Cecilia Burrus LTC Wayne Wolverton Dr. Tim Flood Dr. William Murphy

Ms. Cecilia Burrus Mr. Clifford Duro Mr. Walter Foster III Ms. Nicole O’Bleness

LTC Pamela Butler Ms. Nance Halle Mr. Dan Frank Mr. Michael O’Brien

LT Gregory Carpenter SGT James Harrington VIRTUAL JUDGES Mr. Scott Fraser Mr. Michael O’Grady

Mr. Joseph Chambers SFC Glenn Klein Mr. Randal “Randy” Almeter Mr. Jeffrey Frye Mr. Michael Parrent

Ms. Linda Cline Ms. Joy Linton Ms. Ellen Anderson COL Philip Galanti Ms. Toni Peck

Mrs. Kelly Davis SFC Richard Mauch Ms. Rashmi Ankam LT Michael Gesele Dr. James Perry

Ms. Jessica Deem Ms. Gayla McMichael Ms. Allison Antink Mr. Keith Gibbons Mr. Robert Peters

Mr. Clifford Duro Ms. Geraldine Neal Dr. Jason Augustyn Ms. Lisa Glover Dr. Lyn Phy

Mr. Gregory Farbanish Mr. Jaxon Teck Dr. Alex Balboa Dr. Dennis Golden Mr. Robert Puissant

SGT James Harrington Mr. Kevin Toolan Mrs. MyVan Baranoski Mr. Michael Goldman Mr. John Pusterhofer

Ms. April Holland Ms. Constella Zimmerman Mr. Sam Basham Dr. Jay Goodwin LT Meredith Queen

Mr. Vance Jackson MAJ Henry Bass Ms. Mary Goryca Mr. Bryce Read

Mr. Christopher Kaczkowski Mr. Jamie Bassett Ms. Kimberly Greene Mrs. Juandalyn Richards

Ms. Christina Kaniarz CYBERGUIDES Mr. David Bessinger Mr. Giovanna Grimaldi Ms. Pebble Richwine

Mr. Saman Khoury Mr. J. Steven Anthony Ms. Jennifer Betcher Mr. Michael Grossi Ms. Lisa Roach

SFC Glenn Klein Ms. Deborah Bleau Mr. Ken Birmingham Mr. Walter Grudzinski Mr. Garland Robertson

Ms. Joy Linton Mr. John Brand II Dr. Jonathan Blakely Mr. Devender Gulliani Dr. Lincea Ruth

Ms. Andrea Markey Ms. Cecilia Burrus Mr. Bob Bloom Dr. Christopher Haines Ms. Shelley Sanders

MAJ Douglas Matty LT Gregory Carpenter LTC Dodd Bouchillon Ms. Dina Hasiotis Mr. Ned Schillow

SGT Venese Maxwell Mr. Francis Chabala Mrs. Rosalie Boyle Ms. Whitney Henderson Mr. Joseph Schneider

Mr. Francis Mazzocchi Ms. Linda Cline Mr. Bob Bradshaw Mr. Joseph “Herman, Jr.” Ms. Lisa Shaler-Clark

Ms. Gayla McMichael Mr. Clifford Duro Mr. Andrew Brant Mr. Jerome Hesch Mr. Andrew Smith

Dr. Robert McMillan Ms. Nancy Ferris Mr. Keith Braun Mr. Brian Hetsko Mr. Bill Smith

MAJ Timothy Mertsock Ms. Laretta Hamlett-Redus Mr. Thomas Brodigan Mr. Richard Hirsch Mrs. Sharon Smith

SFC Heena Miller SGT James Harrington Ms. Jennifer Bryan Mr. Terrance Hora Mr. David Smylie

CPT Rod Morgan SFC Michael Hemphill Ms. Monique Burgos Ms. Theresa Hornstein Dr. Jennifer Solberg

Ms. Geraldine Neal Mr. David Janke Mr. John Centrella Ms. Barbara Houtz Ms. Rachel Souder-Arguedas

Mrs. Mary Nettles-Baldwin Mr. Nicholas Jankowski Mr. Philip Chan Mr. Rex Howe CDR Peter Stamps

CSM Stephen Norris Mr. Christopher Kaczkowski Dr. Mostafiz Chowdhury Ms. Devin Howell Mr. Gary Stoneburner

Dr. Rose Pesce-Rodriguez SFC Scott King Dr. Andrew Chubb Dr. Carolyn Hunter LTC Adam Stroup

SSG Emigdio Pineda SFC Glenn Klein Mr. Todd Clark Mr. Matthew Ikle Mr. Richard Sweeney

Dr. Stephanie Piraino SSG Kent Murphy Mr. Joe Colburn Mr. Bryant Jackson Mrs. Laura Swessel

Ms. Janice Rock Mr. Mason Myers Ms. Heidi Coleman Mr. Brian Johnson Dr. Abdie Tabrizi

Mr. Jaxon Teck Ms. Geraldine Neal Mr. Kevin Cooney Mr. Daniel Johnson Mr. Robert Tamburello

Mr. Kevin Toolan SSG Emigdio Pineda Dr. Karen Coyne Ms. Jessica Jubok Mr. Kosmo Tatalias

Ms. Melissa Cummings Dr. Robert Kahn Ms. Joanna Tavanlar

Mr. Naveen Cunha Mr. Getachew Kirose Ms. Nancy Towne

Dr. Brian Curry Ms. Christine Kondek Mr. Joseph Vano

Mr. Tim Dacier COL Donald Kotchman Ms. Arwen Vidal

Mr. Barry DeCristofano Ms. Kelly Kroemelbein Mr. George Wells

Mr. David Kuhn Ms. Peggy Welsh

Ms. Sandy Lawrence Ms. Jill Williams

Mr. Stephen Lee Dr. Ronald Wise

Mr. Alan Lennox Mr. Eugene Witherspoon

SSGT Louis Lindsey Mr. Matthew Woelfersheim

Mr. John Mahon Ms. Shannon Woodfin

Ms. Shree Majumdar Ms. Susan Yim



For more information on eCYBERMISSION volunteer opportunities,

please contact volunteerprogram@ecybermission.com

WARRIOR ETHOS







I will never accept defeat

The Warrior Ethos is the common thread that has tied us all together throughout 230

years of service to our nation. Since 1775, American Soldiers have answered the call to

duty. From Valley Forge to the battlefields of Gettysburg; from the Argonne Forest to the

shores of Normandy; from the rice paddies of Korea and Vietnam to the mountains of

Afghanistan and the streets of Baghdad; our military history is rich with the willingness

of generation after generation to live by the Warrior Ethos.



Peter J. Schoomaker

General, United States Army

Chief of Staff





Poster series courtesy of 25Z ANCOC Class 02-05 Signal Corps NCO AcademyDet., Fort George G. Meade, MD