frg newsletter may 2010

10
1st BSTB - 1st BCT Camp Ar Ramadi Iraq CONTACT INFORMATION REAR DETACHMENT CPT MIKE RICCITIELLO [email protected] SSG ANTONIO ESPARZA [email protected] FRG LEADERS Family Readiness Support Assistant Crystal Cavalier Office: 910-396-5812 [email protected] HHC FRG LDR: JESSICA BURT [email protected] A CO FRG LDR: ROCHELLE HALL [email protected] B CO FRG LDR: REBEKAH LARDIZABAL AND KATHERINE MURRAY [email protected] C CO FRG LDR: ANNA GARDEL [email protected] Devil Strike Dispatch Devil Strike Family and Friends, The troopers of the 1BSTB send greet- ings on this warm spring day in Al-Anbar Province, Iraq. At this point in the deploy- ment, most of our personnel have returned from their mid-tour leave and are ready to finish strong. Your Paratrooper continues to work diligently to perform his/her assigned mission in support of the Advise and Assist Brigade. The impact and effects of our stay in Ramadi may not be tangible or easily viewed from the out- side, but the inspired performance of our Iraqi counterparts in this province is a direct re- flection of the efforts and diligence of your Paratrooper serving here. The temperature is steadily rising and last week in Ramadi the temperatures soared to over 100 degrees. As the mercury rises our time in Iraq draws short; however we remain committed to our part- nership mission. This month‟s edition of the Dispatch focuses upon two of our hardest work- ing groups of soldiers, our Battalion‟s Special Weapons Exploitation Teams (SWET) and the Personal Security Detail (PSD). Each plays an important role in our overall mission. Our Special Weapons Exploitation Teams provide unique support and capability to our Iraqi partners through their skills, in- vestigative techniques, and evidence han- dling. Partnering with Iraqi law enforcement and Iraqi Army elements this element pro- vides our partners an ability to garner key insights and elements from IED (Improvised Explosive Device) events here in Al Anbar. Taking pieces from scenes and working with the Iraqis enabled our partners to legally prosecute personnel involved in these events, due to the diligence and insight from their SWET partners. Leading this effort is CPT Ashley Jenkins and SSG Michael Kelly. Under their mentorship are five teams spread out throughout Al Anbar. Providing leadership in each of these teams and their headquarters are SSGs Nathan Henry and Brandon Mincey, SGTs Jared Rupe, Christopher Collins, Ian Caffey, Kellen Hamel, Karl Kullerud, and Philip Uphold. Providing the hands on work of the teams are SPCs Mi- chael Sutton and An- tone Reese, and PFCs Patrick Hell, Daniel Elli- son, and Michael Bivin. SWET is truly in- dicative of the battal- ion‟s motto “Strength, Honor and Diversity” because this team is comprised of a multi- tude of MOSs drawn from the battalion: infan- try, cooks, signalers, engineers, chemical, military police and military intelligence. The unique background of each member of the team provides a different perspective and lens to view each incident and also differing personalities from which to draw upon when we conduct our partnered operations and training. Battlefield Circulation is crucial for the Battalion‟s leadership. The Personal Security From the Commander’s Desk "The DEVIL STRIKE FRG is for the benefit of the FRG members only and is established exclusively for charitable purposes and to provide support to Soldiers and family member as the Soldiers and families adapt to Army life. It is not a business and is not being run to generate profits. It is not an instrumentality of the United States Government." "The inclusion of some unofficial information in this FRG newsletter has not increased the costs to the Government, in accordance with DOD 4525.8-M." 24 MAY 2010 VOLUME 4, ISSUE 6 INSIDE THE ISSUE Commander 1-2 Headquarters Co 2-3 Alpha Company 4-5 Bravo Company 6 Charlie Company 7-8 Pictures From SWET and PSD 9-10 This Month‟s Feature Sections: Special Weapons Exploitation Team and Personal Security Detail Above: Members of our SWET team at one of the 1st Iraqi Army Divi- sion Graduation Ceremonies Below: The PSD stops for a picture just before they go out on mission

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Newsletter from all the companies in 1BSTB.

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Page 1: FRG Newsletter May 2010

1st BSTB - 1st BCT Camp Ar Ramadi Iraq

CONTACT INFORMATION

REAR DETACHMENT CPT MIKE RICCITIELLO

[email protected]

SSG ANTONIO ESPARZA

[email protected]

FRG LEADERS

Family Readiness Support Assistant

Crystal Cavalier

Office: 910-396-5812

[email protected]

HHC FRG LDR: JESSICA BURT

[email protected]

A CO FRG LDR: ROCHELLE HALL

[email protected]

B CO FRG LDR: REBEKAH LARDIZABAL AND KATHERINE MURRAY

[email protected]

C CO FRG LDR: ANNA GARDEL

[email protected]

Devil Strike Dispatch

Devil Strike Family and Friends, The troopers of the 1BSTB send greet-

ings on this warm spring day in Al-Anbar Province, Iraq. At this point in the deploy-ment, most of our personnel have returned from their mid-tour leave and are ready to finish strong. Your Paratrooper continues to work diligently to perform his/her assigned mission in support of the Advise and Assist Brigade. The impact and effects of our stay in Ramadi may not be tangible or easily viewed from the out-side, but the inspired performance of our Iraqi counterparts in this province is a direct re-flection of the efforts and diligence of your Paratrooper serving here.

The temperature is steadily rising and last week in Ramadi the temperatures soared to over 100 degrees. As the mercury rises our time in Iraq draws short; however we remain committed to our part-nership mission. This month‟s edition of the Dispatch focuses upon two of our hardest work-ing groups of soldiers, our Battalion‟s Special Weapons Exploitation Teams (SWET) and the Personal Security Detail (PSD). Each plays an important role in our overall mission.

Our Special Weapons Exploitation Teams provide unique support and capability to our Iraqi partners through their skills, in-vestigative techniques, and evidence han-dling. Partnering with Iraqi law enforcement and Iraqi Army elements this element pro-

vides our partners an ability to garner key insights and elements from IED (Improvised Explosive Device) events here in Al Anbar. Taking pieces from scenes and working with the Iraqis enabled our partners to legally prosecute personnel involved in these events, due to the diligence and insight from their SWET partners. Leading this effort is

CPT Ashley Jenkins and SSG Michael Kelly. Under their mentorship are five teams spread out throughout Al Anbar. Providing leadership in each of these teams and their headquarters are SSGs Nathan Henry and Brandon Mincey, SGTs Jared Rupe, Christopher Collins, Ian Caffey, Kellen Hamel, Karl Kullerud, and Philip Uphold. Providing the hands on work of the teams are SPCs Mi-chael Sutton and An-tone Reese, and PFCs Patrick Hell, Daniel Elli-son, and Michael Bivin. SWET is truly in-dicative of the battal-ion‟s motto “Strength, Honor and Diversity” because this team is comprised of a multi-tude of MOSs drawn from the battalion: infan-

try, cooks, signalers, engineers, chemical, military police and military intelligence. The unique background of each member of the team provides a different perspective and lens to view each incident and also differing personalities from which to draw upon when we conduct our partnered operations and training.

Battlefield Circulation is crucial for the Battalion‟s leadership. The Personal Security

From the Commander’s Desk

"The DEVIL STRIKE FRG is for the benefit of the FRG members only and is established exclusively for charitable purposes and to provide support to Soldiers and family member as the Soldiers and families adapt to Army life. It is not a business and is not being run to generate profits. It is not an instrumentality of the United States Government." "The inclusion of some unofficial information in this FRG newsletter has not increased the costs to the Government, in accordance with DOD 4525.8-M."

2 4 M A Y 2 0 1 0 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6

INSIDE

THE ISSUE

Commander 1-2

Headquarters Co 2-3

Alpha Company 4-5

Bravo Company 6

Charlie Company 7-8

Pictures From

SWET and PSD

9-10

This Month‟s Feature Sections:

Special Weapons Exploitation Team

and Personal Security

Detail

Above: Members of our SWET team at one of the 1st Iraqi Army Divi-

sion Graduation Ceremonies Below: The PSD stops for a picture just before they go out on mission

Page 2: FRG Newsletter May 2010

HEADQUARTERS AND HEADQUARTERS COMPANY To all our loved ones back

home we send a heartfelt greeting. Our operational tempo is ramping up, and our motivation to finish the mission is going up right along with it. Not to be outdone, the tem-perature insists on rising as well! This month has seen all sections working hard to com-plete equipment layouts and sensitive item accountability, in preparation for redeployment and transfer of equipment to the incoming unit. At the same time, we have continued to perform our mission admirably. PSD continues their ongoing part-nership with the ISF. There part-nership includes improvement train-ing on the (1

st IA) Iraqi Army‟s Basic

Rifle Marksmanship where they were able to perfect these tech-niques at the range. The mainte-nance section continues to keep the whole battalion rolling, while their partnership operations helped to significantly improve the quality of operations that the Iraqi‟s support by applying techniques used in re-pairing air conditioning units on their vehicles. Support section has been our company‟s workhorse

as of late. They‟ve been help-ing the company prepare for redeployment by shipping equipment to Al Asad for turn in, they‟ve replaced Fallujah‟s fuel truck so our troopers can maintain operations there, and they‟ve kept Ramadi function-ing with missions to Balad, Iraq‟s one stop parts shop, for equipment, automation, and commo repair pick up and turn-ins. We would like to con-gratulate several paratroopers who have moved up in the ranks this month. CPT Erick Mendoza of S3 is our latest

officer to be promoted. We also have a new senior Non Commis-sioned Officer with the promotion of the SFC Billy Foster. Lastly, SPC Joel Bates of support section and SPC Jose Rodriguez of the mainte-nance section are both one step closer to joining the ranks of our NCOs. ATW!

CPT Bob Yerkey and

1SG Robert Jordan

HHC Command Team

P A G E 2 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6

Our Support Platoon has been very busy this month. Pictured above is SSG Arlondo Sutton during his reenlistment. Pictured below is SPC Joel Bates during his promotion.

Detail (PSD) ensures that leaders in the Battalion are able to see what is happening in every location where our sol-diers are working. Leading our PSD is 1LT Jessica McMullin and SGT Kyle Null. Providing mentorship in each vehicle is SGTs Luke Kaat, Daniel Burt, Donald Bailey, and David Edward. The expertise at the wheel and the turret is provided by SPCs Nicholas Bailey, Michael Galbraith, Mi-chael Cleaves, Patrick Hambric, and PFCs Matthew Carl-son, Samuel Kicena, and Jared Houghton. These individu-als traveled across the depth and breadth of the province and know the highways and byways as well as most Iraqis. At the time of this newsletter the team logged over 13,000 miles and conducted over 100 missions driving personnel to every location required by the battalion. These missions were most often at night and in

Our PSD also provides expert training to their Iraqi counterparts, the First Iraqi Army Division. The PSD has

the privilege of working with the 1st Iraqi Army Command-ing General‟s PSD, providing training, from react to contact drills, casualty evacuation, and medical evaluation. The two PSDs have even had the opportunity to attend the range together to sharpen their shooting skills. PSD continues to work with and refine this relationship through a soccer match and enjoying some meals together. The rapport and bonding between these two professional elements sets a positive tone for our relationship with the 1

st Iraqi Army Divi-

sion and its command elements. ATW! LTC Douglas F. Stitt DS6

Page 3: FRG Newsletter May 2010

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6

I was selected to be a part of the Special Weapons Exploitation Team back in February 2009. I have spent the last ten months responding to IED incidents, in hopes of collecting evidence that leads to the capture of insurgents. When I was presented with the opportunity to work at the Combined Explosive Exploitation Cell (CEXC) labs, I was thrilled at the chance to learn. The purpose of CEXC is to assemble materials from all corners of Iraq to be exploited for forensic evi-dence and to gather information through the forensic process to help with the capture and prosecution of terrorists and criminals throughout Iraq. These labs are one of the unseen weapons against terrorism. I travelled to CEXC at the start of May, and on my arrival I was given a tour of the labs and shown what goes on at each section. At each section, re-markable technicians perform analysis and procedures that can only be seen to believe, and their attention to detail and specifics gives me a great appreciation of their work. Each piece of evidence cycles through various departments, each with their own analysis. The department that I was put to work in was the Biometrics Lab. The biometrics lab is where the fingerprints and DNA are collected and where all data is recorded and saved for future matching or identification pur-poses. It is where the last tests are done due to the handling and scrutiny that is taken in this lab. I learned a great deal of how to handle evidence, and what to look for in different pieces of evidence, whether it was a piece of metal or a piece of tape. The skills the forensics technicians impressed upon me in a small amount of time was not only substantial, but also thorough and significant. The sophisticated equipment used within the walls of CEXC made my job of producing viable biometrics results easy and painless. My time at the CEXC labs was not only a great experience; it also gave me the opportunity to learn something that I would have never seen otherwise. This was all in part to the leadership of SWET who does a remarkable job networking with the other organizations and units in and outside of our Area of Opera-tion. This not only spawns opportunities for training like mine, but partnerships that help bring together information and intelligence in the fight against terrorism. I was fortunate enough to be selected by my leadership to take part in this training, and I appreciated the help and knowledge that the individuals at CEXC passed onto me.

From the Foxhole: Special Weapons Exploitation Team (SWET) Written by SPC Antone T. Reese

The Personal Security Detail (PSD) is made up of 14 personnel and was created shortly before JRTC. All the sol-diers came from different sections and backgrounds; as a result, JRTC provided the leaders an early assessment on what they needed to improve on as a cohesive unit. This training was valuable, considering PSD had many young inex-perienced soldiers. Traveling over thirteen thousand miles so far this deployment, PSD is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the Battalion Commander and the Command Sergeant Major for all missions and meetings within the Al Anbar Province. PSD is also often tasked with taking other Battalion Key Leaders to various locations in order to conduct their mission. These tasks require a constant state of readiness.

When PSD is not on mission with the Com-mand Team, they can be found working at Camp Fallujah with the 1

st Iraqi Army Com-

manding General PSD team. PSD has trained the 1

st IA on convoy operations, combat life sav-

ing skills, basic rifle marksmanship, and urban combat. Both PSD teams have also partici-pated in a joint live fire range at Camp Fallujah zeroing the 1

st IA PSD‟s M16‟s. The training has

been well received from both sides and will con-tinue with the request of the 1

st IA.

From the Foxhole: Personal Security Detail (PSD)

Written by SGT Daniel Burt

Page 4: FRG Newsletter May 2010

P A G E 4 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6

Alpha Company Newsletter— “ROCK STEADY!”

Alpha Company continues to remain highly motivated. The scorching weather and sandy skies are not slowing A CO down with their successful operations in the entire Al Anbar province:

1st Platoon continues to work with the 1st Iraq Field Engineer Regiment (FER) at Camp Fallujah. They recently conducted robot and communications training, enabling the Iraqi army to become even more proficient in keeping their country safe. When 1st Platoon is not training the Iraqi Army, they conduct route clearance missions to ensure the roads are safe for fellow soldiers and civilians. Often they will go out with the Iraqis and conduct missions together. The Iraqi army enjoys learning from the vast experience of first platoon. Recently, they acted as the first responder to two differ-ent car accidents during their Route Clearance missions. Their quick response and immediate reaction helped to save two Iraqi Civilians lives.

2nd

Platoon continues to interact with the 7th Iraq Army Division at Al Asad Airbase. Like 1st Platoon, 2nd Pla-toon demonstrates to the Iraqi Soldiers how to properly conduct route clearance during joint missions. Together, sec-ond platoon and their Iraqi counterparts, have cleared thousands of kilometers of a very important road. The joint ef-fort has resulted in safe travel for both military and civilian traffic. When they are not clearing routes they provide their Iraqi friends training and competition on the soccer field.

3rd

Platoon has led the way, assessing the effectiveness of Iraqi check points, while clearing the most strategic route in Al Anbar, 3rd Pla-toon finds the time to stop at check points along the route. Their efforts and proficiency in Route clearance has resulted in safe travel for thou-sands of civilian commuters and hundreds of military convoys. In their spare time, the operators of third platoon have helped to strengthen our

base perimeter, keeping us safe.

Headquarters platoon has done a great job ensuring operations run smoothly. The addition of SPC Page, SGT Simons, and SGT Seigert, has helped sustain the high operational tempo that Alpha Company consistently maintains as the deployment winds down. The Com-pany remains highly motivated and effective– a direct result of the HQ platoon abil-ity to manage daily operations.

ATW! CPT Kurt Zortman and 1SG James Stuckey Alpha Company Command Team

Left– SGT Trowbridge teaches

Iraqis how to use a robot to check

dangerous objects

Right– LT Berreth and SFC Graves

prepare the troops for a joint IA and

Sapper 3 mission

SGT Baker stops to smell the roses during a check

point assessment.

SFC Butler and SPC Long pose for a photo

during a street level engagement.

Page 5: FRG Newsletter May 2010

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6

Hi, I am SPC Matthew Page. I started the deployment with 1st Platoon but have recently been moved to the Op-erations Platoon. With First Platoon, I was the Gunner for the Buffalo, a big truck with a mechanical arm. I was the Platoon expert for the complex gun system installed on that truck, and was responsible for maintaining and operating that system on every mission. 1st Platoon‟s mission afforded me the opportunity to teach, mentor, and work alongside our Iraqi counterparts. I taught a lot of things to our Iraqi friends such as; how to do Route Clearance, and how to use the equipment involved in that task (radios, mechanical arms and Robots to name a few). I would help conduct rehearsals with the Iraqi platoon, until we were confident with their progress and ready to clear the roads together. It wasn‟t easy, but the outcome was worth the effort. Recently I have been given the privilege to work with the Operations Platoon. Operations Platoon has the difficult task of managing all three route clearance platoons, and ensuring they are success-ful in every mission. I spend the majority of my time accomplishing every task imaginable to ensure the Company „keeps on keeping on.‟ I have right-fully acquired the nickname “Gopher guy” since working for Operations Platoon, if someone needs something I'm the guy who will "go for it".

"By, With, and Through!"

SPC Matthew Page

Alpha Company “From The Foxhole” Article Written By: SPC Matthew Page

Page 6: FRG Newsletter May 2010

Bravo Company: The Black Dagger Bulletin

Bravo Company “From The Foxhole” — Military Signal (MSG)

Written By: SPC John Amsbary

The Black Dagger‟s have done extraordi-narily well over the past month. The HUMINT and SIGINT Platoons have spearheaded the introduction of new intelligence programs and procedures, gaining recognition from the Bri-gade Commander. The TUAS platoon is chal-lenged daily in dealing with complex weather patterns and in supporting a new set of collec-tion priorities for the Red Devils (1-504). The Black Daggers have done an excellent job at completing their Relief In Place (RIP) Plans for our replacements out of 4

th BCT, 3

rd

Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, GA. The Troopers will spend the next couple weeks pre-paring their equipment for inventories and ship-ment back to Fort Bragg NC. The Company‟s focus over the next month will remain on sus-taining current partnership operations and con-tinued intelligence support to the Brigade.

The end of this month marks my first 30 days in command and so far it has been

an incredible experience. It is a profound honor to be able to serve the Paratroopers

and Families of Bravo Company. I commend CPT Bill Fusz on the great job he did with

the Company. He has certainly left me with an incredible group of Troopers, some of

the brightest in the Brigade. In closing, First Sergeant Walker and I would like to extend our congratulations to the Darby

Family on their new baby.

ATW!

CPT Christopher Lareau and 1SG Richard Walker

Charlie Company Command Team

Greetings From The “Foxhole” With SIGINT Platoon. Well here we are, close to the end, but not quite there. Life in the “foxhole” hasn‟t been as bad as we may have initially thought. Morale has definitely been high within the MSG Platoon. We focus on spending time together by having weekly BBQs and Company Sports Days. The weekly BBQs have been great. We owe a big thanks to SGT Kirk for the initial BBQ that started it all, as well as Margarite (one of our interpreters) for helping provide all the delicious food. Some of this food includes, but is not limited to: barbe-cued chicken, steak kabobs, humus, rice, and grilled vegetables. However, this isn‟t the only bit of fun that we have. We also enjoy Company Sports Day on Saturday. This day kicks off at about 0630. Recently the preferred sports have been football, soccer, and ultimate frisbee. Usually for a solid hour and a half to two hours, MSG goes head to head with others from B Company in a sport picked by

one of the designated platoons for that week. When the game is over, both teams line up and shake hands to congratu-late each other. This helps to improve morale for the whole company which is very important, especially with new and young soldiers coming in that may not be used to the life of deployment. MSG Platoon has recently received a new Paratrooper, PFC Austan Kinnaird. New Paratroopers coming into a de-ployed unit may very well face difficult issues and have trouble integrating them. This, however, has not been the case with PFC Kinnaird. PFC Kinnaird is a very respectful, intelligent and squared away individual. His inception into the pla-toon has been quite smooth and MSG is ready to see what he can do. In addition to our newest member, all of the others MSG Paratroopers have been doing great as well. All in all, we are all keeping ourselves occupied on the mission with the end goal in mind; Getting back to our loved ones. We can‟t wait to be back at Fort Bragg with you all!

Above: SGT Darby at the end of our Saturday sports PT Below: Bravo Company Commander, CPT Chris Lareau as he

addresses his troopers

PFC Powell at the end of his promotion ceremony

SPC Amsbary, left, with SSG Murray and SGT Endo

Page 7: FRG Newsletter May 2010

Hello friends and families of the Coyotes, Charlie Company, 1BSTB. Another month down, two to go. This past month we have been preparing our equipment for reset. All of our equipment will go through a process to make a few tweaks and changes. SSG Mebane and his team from Ubaydi to include SSG Barkfelt, SGT Hicks, SGT Kramer, SGT Lee, SGT Medecky, SPC Herrera, and SPC Cuellar have joined up with SFC Phillip‟s team to assist with the maintenance and operation of our tactical network. The heat is on the rise. This past month it started to climb above 100 degrees. There is limited humidity, but “hot is hot” and 120 degrees in late June and July is on the way.

SGT Hiatt, the Charlie Company supply NCOIC, returned from R&R with a grueling task of accompanying the commander in a 100% inventory of equipment to en-sure that items had not been lost, misplaced, or damaged prior to leaving Iraq. During her leave SPC Dixon and SPC Christen prepared all of the documentation for the inven-tory as well as prepared documentation to get some equipment off our inventory list. There will be a lot of equipment that stays in Iraq that will be provided for our replacements. SGT Hiatt‟s team will be the lead on this property transfer.

SGT Fields and SGT Negron took a trip to Taji to observe training conducted by their Iraqi counterparts. The Iraqi field training exercise occurred from the 8

th to the 13

th

of May. During the training the Iraqi Army Communications Team practiced setting up two tactical command posts consisting of radios, antennas, and tents. Teamwork was a key factor in the set up in order to reach mission suc-cess. Mission success is validated after the team sets up both tactical command posts and sends and receives ra-dio transmissions ensuring that their systems were set up, configured, and working properly. SGT Fields and SGT Negron have been working with the Iraqi Communication Company since January in support of their future opera-tions. This is the first time in history that Iraq has con-ducted partnership operations with support elements such as Communication Companies.

Planned for July 2nd

, Charlie Company will cele-brate Independence Day with a BBQ here at Ramadi. We will be contacting the 1

st Brigade Combat Team Public

Affairs Office to obtain pictures of the event as well as Pla-toon and Company photos for the Soldiers to take home. It is always hard getting the entire Company all in one place. July 2

nd will afford us the opportunity to have max partici-

pation and enjoy camaraderie and share our stories of the deployment. Airborne! All The Way! CPT Jason Gardel and 1SG John Bell Charlie Company Command Team

P A G E 7 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6

Charlie Company— “Coyote Chronicles”

Birthdays SSG Spivey (May 19th)

SGT McCoach (May 21st)

SGT Crouch (May 23rd)

SPC Lolley (May 27th)

Promotions CPL Giles to SGT

SPC Medecky to SGT

Awards SPC Lolley – Army Achievement Medal

SGT Negron at the living area in Taji. The place reminded him of a 1970 motel 6

Members of Charlie Company loading equipment into a container that will depart for Fort Bragg, NC shortly.

Page 8: FRG Newsletter May 2010

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6 P A G E 8

I‟m SGT Fields, assigned to Charlie Company‟s part-nership Team 7 as the team leader. I began working with the Iraqi Army‟s 7

th Division in

early January. In the past few months Team 7 has been as-sisting the 7

th IA in various

communication tasks and also conducting training with them. The 7

th IA has been working to

improve their communication capabilities and while doing so Team 7 has created a very effective partnership with them. After being deployed with the 1

st BSTB for their first de-

ployment, and now the sec-ond, I feel I am filling a very important role while working with the 7th IA. I have had one-on-one experience with the Iraqi Army and their soldiers. In the past few weeks Team 7 traveled along side the 7

th IA Communication Company

as they went to another base here in country to participate in the Iraqi Army‟s Signal School Field Training Exercise. After this mission I have seen a better cohesion between the 7

th IA and Team 7. I have cherished this experience

because I‟ve seen the transformation of the IA soldiers and their abilities change from night to day. The 7

th IA has

shown me how starting from the bottom and going to the top can be done. I have per-sonally made contributions to this effort by instructing basic computer classes and also advising the 7

th IA with every

necessary step I can identify to become a stronger unit. The time I have spent working with the 7

th IA has given me the

opportunity to learn from not only Team 7 and our chal-lenges but also the 7

th Iraqi

Army‟s. In conclusion, the experi-ence I have been getting from working with the 7

th Iraqi Army

has had a life changing affect on me. I will take these experiences with me to my future endeavors and will continue to cherish the experiences throughout the rest of our tour. I will also continue to give the 7

th IA my best effort to ensure a successful future upon

our departure.

Charlie Company “From the Foxhole” Article Written by SGT Fields

SGT Fields in a meeting with his Iraqi counterparts

Page 9: FRG Newsletter May 2010

P A G E 9 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6

SWET In Pictures Want More Pictures? Check out 1BSTB 82nd Airborne on Facebook!

Page 10: FRG Newsletter May 2010

P A G E 1 0 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 6

PSD In Pictures Want More Pictures? Check out 1BSTB 82nd Airborne on Facebook!