Apache post 31 jan

Greetings fellow Gunfighters, Families

and friends -

We have jumped into the new year with

great enthusiasm and high expectation.

Many of our aviators and aircraft main-

tainers are currently rotating back and

forth between Mesa Arizona and Fort

Riley to gain the knowledge necessary to

work on the most advanced attack heli-

copter in the world. Following the re-

quired training in Arizona, a robust

maintenance team along with supporting

elements from the battalion, will travel

to Fort Irwin, California to test the

Army‟s newest helicopter. The Gun-

fighter Battalion will then field the

Apache Block III helicopter as the first

unit equipped with this new capability.

Some of our Soldiers will be gone in ex-

cess of 60 days and they couldn‟t do what they do without the support of

their very dedicated and committed Families. We have often times said that

it takes everyone to make the mission happen and once again, the Families

come through and for that we are very grateful.

As we look toward the New Year and the many challenges that come

(Continued on page 2)

1-1 Attack

Reconnaisance

Battalion

31 January 2012 Volume 1, Issue 3

The Apache Post

Inside this issue:

Cover Story 2

Volunteer Awards 3

HHC „Bounty

Hunters‟

4

A CO „Devils‟ 5

B CO „Wolfpack‟ 6

C CO

„Ghostriders‟

7

D CO

„Desperados‟

8

E CO „Outlaws‟ 9

F CO „Fenix‟ 10

February

Announcements

11

About 1-1 ARB 12

From the Cockpit...

Above: CW3 Nate Blackford was recently pro-

moted to the rank of Captain. This is a rare

event and a great honor as it is not usual for a

warrant officer to be granted a direct commission

to the Officer corps. CPT Blackford was pro-

moted by LTC Ed Vedder as his wife, Jessica

Blackford and daughterr Vivian look on.

with fielding one of the newest and most expen-

sive aircraft in the world, we are also faced with

many ongoing mission requirements here in garri-

son. With many of the units here on Fort Riley

just getting back or getting ready to leave, the

Combat Aviation Brigade picks up the majority of

the Garrison‟s taskings. This in turn stretches our

formations to the limit and puts us in many differ-

ent locations. From flying helicopters and main-

taining those aircraft to participating in the many

taskings that allow a division to maintain its con-

tinuous daily operations, the Gunfighters excel at

every opportunity. We couldn‟t be more proud of

their continued performance and professionalism.

We have said goodbye to many Gunfighters and their Families over the past few months

and we will continue this trend for the next few months as well. Many of these Soldiers de-

ployed with us and we drained them of every talent they had for the success of the mission.

Additionally, the Command Team said farewell to CPT Nate Blackford and CPT Daniel Korie

who served on the Commander‟s Special Staff. For their contributions and sacrifices, we are

very grateful. They will be missed. We have also welcomed many new Soldiers and their Fami-

lies. They bring some much needed enthusiasm and are welcomed additions to the Gunfighter

team. If first impressions are truly the metric by which one can gage a unit, then we set the bar

pretty high with the Battalion Winter Formal. It was a fantastic event and whether you‟re an

old Gunfighter or new one, it‟s a safe bet you had a good time. We appreciate everyone who

came and participated in making the event the great time that it was. Until next time –

“ATTACK”

LTC Ed Vedder

CSM Mike O‟Donnell

CW4 Ron Porter

(Continued from page 1)

From the Cockpit

Page 2 The Apache Post

Above: LTC Ed Vedder, right, says a few words about CH

(CPT) Daniel Korie at the BN Hail and Farewell held in Janu-

ary. CH Korie recently departed for Germany to continue his

service as an Army Chaplain and is just one of many Gunfight-

ers who have moved on.

Recently, the Combat Aviation Brigade honored volun-

teers from across the Brigade for their outstanding volun-

teer work over the final quarter of 2011. The Gunfighter

battalion was extremely excited to have five of our volun-

teers among those honored at the ceremony that was held

on 17 JAN at Fast Eddie‟s Dining Facility.

Among those honored from 1-1 ARB were: Mandi Harris,

FRG Leader of B CO „Wolfpack‟; Jennifer Churchill,

Funds Custodian of E CO „Outlaws‟; Candace Kattes,

FRG Leader of F CO „Fenix‟; Sierra Cobb, FRG Leader

of F CO „Fenix‟; and Dana Boyd, FRG Leader of F CO

„Fenix‟. Each honoree received a framed certificate and

gift from the Demon Brigade Commander and Command

Sergeant Major.

Thank you so much to these and all of our volunteers for

what you do for this battalion and this community every

day. It is because of your efforts that our Soldiers are suc-

cessful, our Families are successful, and this community

continues to prosper and grow „Army Strong!‟

‘Gunfighter’ Volunteers Honored

at Brigade Ceremony

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 3

Clockwise, from Top: Candace Kattes, F CO, accepts her Volunteer of the Quarter Award from CSM Jim Thomson, left, and

COL Mike Morgan; Jennifer Churchill, E CO, accepts her award from the Demon Brigade Command Team; Sierra Cobb, F CO, ac-

cepts her award as her son looks on; Mandi Harris, B CO, accepts her award from the Demon Brigade Command Team as Brigade

FRG Advisor, Jen Thomson looks on. (Photos courtesy of SGT Keven Parry, Demon PAO)

Happy New Year from the Bounty Hunter Command Team! With any luck, we have all made and kept with our resolu-tions. If not, maybe next year! It has also been a time of great change within the company as we have welcomed and bid farewell to some of our Staff Officers and Section Ser-geants. Throughout the constant changes, the Bounty Hunt-

ers have continued to provide first class services in support of a number of different taskings, to include the 1st Infantry Division‟s “United Endevor” exercise. Unified Endeavor is a command post exercise that's preparing the 1st Infantry Division head-quarters to lead a regional command in Afghanistan. The exercise includes more than 2,000 military and civilian personnel from all services and from five different nations, signifying the joint, multi-national nature of the mission in Afghanistan. Aside from the UE exercise, we continue to prepare for Field Training Exercises, Combined Training Center rotations, and the fielding of the Army‟s First Block-3 AH-64D Helicopters.

The company had a number of hails and farewells, welcoming MAJ Sean Spence (BN Executive Officer), 1LT Cameron Martin (Assistant S3), 1LT Mike Schreckenbach (Assistant S3), 1SG Shawnette Wil-liams (Company First Sergeant), and SFC Akisha Howard (S1 NCOIC), SFC Daniel Sutczak (S3 NCOIC), SPC Marlena Duplessis (Chaplain Assistant), SGT Bobby Yanes (Company CBRN), PFC Richard Ratliff (HHC Medic) to the Bounty Hunter Team. Among the farewells were CPT Daniel Korie (BN Chaplain) and CPT Hale (HHC Commander). SFC Matthew Timms, who served as the acting First Sergeant from October 2011 to January 2012, conducted his Change of Responsibility with 1SG Williams before returning to lead the Communication‟s Section as the NCOIC. One of the biggest events taking place in January was the Gunfighter Winter Formal Ball in Junction City. As an Army, we periodically take advantage of opportunities to put on our best dress uniforms and take our significant others to the Ball to celebrate our rich heri-

tage as a Battalion and as members of the Profession of Arms. Formals are usually steeped in tradition, such as the Receiving Line, Toasts, and the infamous Grog Ceremony. The Guest Speaker this year was British Brigadier Felix Gedney, who will serve as the Deputy Commander of the 1st Infantry Division during their deployment to Afghanistan. The Bounty Hunters represented well and had a great time. Special acknowledgement is due to 1LT Martin, 1SG Williams, and SFC Bailey among a number of HHC Volun-teers who made the event happen. Phenomenal job!

Top and I would like to congratulate the following Soldiers: 2LT Jason Docman, the Battalion Adjutant (S1), was promoted to 1LT. The former Battalion XO, CW3 Nate Blackford, was picked for a lateral promotion to an Aviation Captain.

The following people celebrated birthdays during the month of January: SFC Sabrina Bailey (1st), MAJ Joshua Berryhill (6th), SPC Colins Oakley (6th), SSG Brad Fairley (7th), SPC Kelvin Jones (14th), CW4 Terry Weber (17th), MAJ Sean Spence (20th), SGT Danny Tuggle (20th), CPT Billy Rose (24th), and SPC Ramon Smith (26th).

Special birthday wishes go out to Makayla Elizabeth Steele, born on December 30th to SGT Nathan and SPC Georgette Steele, and Nathaniel Escalante, born on January 18th to SPC Leeann Wolcott. Welcome to the Bounty Hunter and Gunfighter Families!

The HHC Change of Command from myself to CPT Billy Rose will take place next month. I personally know that he and the new Family Readiness Group Leader, Michelle Clay, are very excited about the opportunity to lead HHC to new heights! It has truly been an honor to serve the Soldiers and Families of HHC for the last 15 months, and I am grateful to have had such a tremendous oppor-tunity. Thank everyone for their support for our Soldiers and our Families during my time as the company commander, at home and abroad. ATTACK! – CPT William Hale II, Bounty Hunter 6


Happy New Year from the Devils!

Alpha Company is back from a great Christmas break and has hit the ground running! We have

had a busy month so far and have much more coming up. Immediately after the New Year we

sent 7 Warrant Officers to the Warrant Officer Advanced Course here on Fort Riley until Feb-

ruary 16. While there they will continue to develop their leadership and further their Army ca-

reers.

As we get closer to NTC and Apache Block III Training, the Devils continue to train hard. We

conducted a Movement to Contact Scenario where our Aviators searched for a simulated Sur-

face to Air Missile site (Devil crew chiefs in a HMMWV playing hide-and-seek). It is a fun time,

but is also rigorous training for the Aviators and also provides the crew chiefs an opportunity to

interact with and see the AH-64D in action. We continue to train in the

Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT) in integrated mis-

sions with UH-60 Blackhawks. These missions put our new Aviators in

combat scenarios that develop their ability to think and react in the bat-

tlefield environment and to communicate with other aviation units in a

larger spectrum.

We executed a great M4/M9 range for weapons qualification and short

range marksmanship training. We welcomed Soldiers from our fellow

companies who needed to qualify to train with us. The planning effort by

the Range Team made this range a huge success. Even though the

weather was bitterly cold and windy, our soldiers stayed motivated and

we qualified soldiers from A, B, C, and D Companies! Because of their

effort planning and executing such a successful range, LTC Vedder

awarded the Range Team with Battalion Coins. Good work Devils!

We look forward to this year with eagerness and thank all of our Soldiers

and Families for all you do.

-LT Timothy Brown

Devil 16

Announcements:

SGT Porter‟s wife Danielle gave birth to their son - Daven Foley Porter!

The Devils bid farewell to Platoon Leader CPT Rosario and his wife Kate. We wish them well

in their endeavors.

We welcome new Platoon Leader 1LT Brown and his wife Natalie to A Co.

SPC Loetz Re-enlistment will be 31JAN. Congratulations to him and his wife Jennifer!

“To catch the reader's attention,

place an interesting sentence or

quote from the story here.”


Above: SGT Matthew Porter, wife Danielle and

the newest member of the „Devils‟ Family, Daven

Foley Porter.

Happy New Year!

Another month has flown by. It seems like just yesterday I took

command and I have been in command now for nearly four months. I

want to take a moment to thank all of the Families for their continued

devotion to the Wolfpack, without your support nothing we do would

be possible. There is not a lot going on this month. It is really quiet

around the company because we have nine War-

rant Officers in the Warrant Officer Advanced

Course and the Soldiers are busy filling all kinds

of taskings for Division. We did have an FRG

meeting and I want to thank all who were able to

attend. The next one has not been scheduled as

of yet. Additionally, we held our first Company

gathering to farewell CW2 Settle, CW2 Cordova

and CPT DiFrancesco, and we also took the op-

portunity to hail our new Platoon Leader, 1LT

Webb who took over the Recon Platoon from

CPT DiFrancesco. Our next Company Gathering is planned for

March 9th somewhere in Junction City; more details will be distrib-

uted through the Soldiers and FRG channels.

Key events that have happened this month: A big congratula-

tions to SGT Kipp on his reenlistment. He will be remaining as part

of the Wolfpack for a little while longer. Regretfully, we have to say

goodbye to Erin Keogh, who served as our assistant FRG leader.

Erin, we thank you for everything you have done and wish you the

best. Birthdays that were celebrated this month were CW2 Batchelor-

12th , CW2 Belyeu-14th, CW2 D‟Aigle-17th, SSG Whitaker-11th, and

SPC Sprinzl-17, Happy Birthday to you all!!!

CPT Leslie R Shafer, Wolf 6


Above: CPT Leslie Shafer, right, welcomes CW2 Steven

Dickson to B CO at the BN Hail and Farewell.

Howdy Friends and Family of the Ghostriders,

January has been a busy month for C Co! Since the New Year, we have welcomed back SGT

Aniceto from the Advanced Leaders Course, promoted PFC Kimmel and PFC Capps to Spe-

cialist, and SPC Long was promoted to Sergeant as our newest NCO! We

will be saying goodbye and best of luck in future endeavors to CW2 Ward

this month as he will be leaving the Army. We were also able to formally

welcome CW2 Cordova, CW2 Harms, and CW2 VanMeter to the team

during the Battalion‟s Hail and Farewell at Kites in Junction City. The

Ghostrider “ettes” hosted another ladies Bunco night, which has started

an investigation to determine what is being served in the water during

these evenings?! Hence, the multiple pregnancies throughout Charlie

Company and the Battalion!

Many Ghostriders have already departed to Mesa, Arizona for the Army‟s

first Apache Block III fielding, and they will continue to depart for this

training in waves throughout the next couple of weeks. After the training

received from Boeing on how to fly and maintain the AB3, the new air-

craft will be tested and evaluated for its capabilities in the field environ-

ment of Fort Irwin, California. A pre-movement brief was conducted with great success, and our FRG along with the

FRSA stand ready to support and help the spouses and families of those who will be participating in the upcoming de-

ployments.

In the mean time, C Co continues to operate as a well oiled machine. With all of the moving parts, tasks, and functions

coming together to meet our mission‟s objectives: Ordering, organizing and packing containers, transferring our old

Apaches to North Carolina‟s 1-30th National Guard, qualifying

folks to be fully fledged crew chiefs, Instructor Pilots, move-

ment Officers, Armorers, (the list of schools goes on and on)

pilot progressions (APARTs, PIC, FCR, NBC, Instruments,

Snow and dust ops, currency, Air ground integrations…), flight

plans for all of our travels, implementing a new PT program

and preparing for the ARMs inspection coming up this May. All

of this would not have come together so smoothly without eve-

ryone‟s hard and team work. Thank you.

January will be capped with the Gunfighters‟ Winter Formal on

the 27th, which should be fun had for all participants.

Respectfully,

GHOSTRIDER 16

CPT Justin Stewart


Above: SSG Strickland promoting SGT Long

at this recent ceremony.

Above: The “Ghostriders” in formation

Family and Friends of the Desperados,

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and holiday break. The time

off was truly well deserved by every Soldier and family member. Now that we

have returned to normal work hours, the Desperados are planning numerous

upcoming missions. This month, 30 Apache maintainers (20 of them from

Delta Company) departed for Mesa, Arizona to be the very first Soldiers trained

on the brand new Apache Block 3. This is a huge honor for the Gunfighter

Battalion and our company. All of this training will be leading to the Apache

Block 3 fielding test and a National Training Center (NTC) rotation in Califor-

nia.

One thing that changed this month is the number of Soldiers going to Califor-

nia to support NTC. We originally believed most of the company would have to make this trip. Due to budget constraints, we are

instead picking 43 squared away Soldiers to travel to California and test the Apache Block 3 aircraft. Most of these Soldiers will be

away from home between 2 to 3 months. This is definitely longer than we would like to have Soldiers away from their families in

between deployment cycles. However, testing the new aircraft is a necessary task and most of our Soldiers are very eager to be on

the “tip of the spear” of Attack Aviation. Also, I ask family members to keep in mind that we have much more time between our

last deployment and our next deployment compared to other units. The reason we have so much time between deployments is

specifically because we are testing the Block 3.

In preparation for this NTC deployment there will be a brief on what to expect

for both Soldiers and families. The NTC Brief will be at Riley‟s Conference

Center on February 8th at 1800 (or 6 p.m. for those of you not in the military).

We hope to see you there!

Sadly, we said goodbye to Platoon Leader and Executive Officer CPT Travis

Owsley in January. He is leaving us so that he can attend the Captain‟s Career

Course and take command of a company in another unit. CPT Owsley‟s contri-

butions to the Desperados and the Gunfighters were truly immeasurable. He

will surely be missed. On the other hand, we have had numerous additions to

the Desperado team. I would like to highlight new senior leaders who are lead-

ing our Soldiers on the Platoon level. 1LT Chad Maulsby is now our Mainte-

nance Platoon Leader, SFC Bryant MacFarlane is our Armament Platoon Ser-

geant and CPT Joseph DiFrancesco is our new Shops and Headquarters Pla-

toon Leader. We welcome these talented leaders to a great team.

By the time this newsletter is published, most of us will have already had a great time at the Battalion Winter Formal. I‟d like to

thank all the Soldiers and families that came out to have a great time and build camaraderie.

As always, thank you to our friends and families for your unwavering support. Nothing we accomplish in this unit could be done

without you standing behind us.

DESPERADOS!

CPT Dan O‟Donnell

[email protected]

785-307-9368


Above: A Desperado Soldier working hard on the Gunfighter

Grog Bowl that made its debut at the Winter Ball on 27 JAN.

Above: D CO Soldiers busy preparing for upcoming mis-

sions.

Outlaws,

Happy New Year! The upcoming months are going to

be tough and long but our Warriors have been train-

ing above standard and will come out victorious once

all our training is complete. With everyone going to

the four winds and many of our Families being sepa-

rated for the first time I would like to take a moment

to talk about a Taboo subject but one that must be

discussed. Domestic disputes are currently on the rise

within the company and this causes me great pain to

see this happening within our ranks. I ask that if

something arises within your household, take a few

moments to separate yourselves from the current

situation, take time to think about what is happening,

and then come back and diffuse the situation. If that

cannot happen then call either a first line supervisor

or a close friend in order to have someone get out

of the house and give everyone involved the appro-

priate amount of time to calm down. We need our

Families to be tight knit, cohesive teams who can

operate no matter what the situation is that lies in

front of them. Remember, life is about choices. En-

suring our Family ties are strong and unwavering is

a crucial part of ensuring our Warriors and Families

are prepared for the hardships to come.

Very Respectfully,

1SG Clifford M. Bell

Outlaw 7

Greetings to the Outlaw Family,

CPT Pugh here wishing everyone a Happy 2012! The New Year is finally here and with that

a variety of new and exciting training exercises are coming our way. We are all preparing for

the fielding of the new Apache Block III and are very excited to be a part of this monumental occasion. We will

be providing logistical support to the battalion as our flight companies push these aircraft to their limits in order

to ensure they are ready for war. While a handful of Outlaws are deployed to Fort Irwin, those who remain back

here at Fort Riley will be partaking in a variety of different training simulations such as Night Vision Goggle

training, Convoy Simulations, multiple ranges, and a variety of different schools. We are grateful to be able to

take part in such a large array of events while still maintaining unyielding support to the battalion and their mis-

sion. Over the course of the next couple of months it will be imperative for us as an Outlaw Family to rely on

one another in order to ensure we have the support we need. If your loved one is tasked to support at Fort Irwin,

I ask that you along with all the new Families take this time to ensure your affairs are in order and mentally and

emotionally prepare for the time away. Please call me (910) 366-4232, Shannon Carroll or any of the Outlaws for

any support you may need throughout this time. Use this time to identify where you will need support and once

your loved one returns do what you have to in order to ensure your wellbeing once they do deploy. I thank all of

the Outlaw Families and Soldiers for all that you do in support of one another, this great Army, and this great

nation. Everyone from the most senior grandparent to the newest child is an important member of our Family.

Sincerely,

CPT Robert J. Pugh III

Outlaw 6


In January, F Company welcomed 1SG Leon Black into the Fenix

Family. ISG Black is one of the few 1SGs who is an unmanned air-

craft operator. His experience and knowledge, not only as a terrific

1SG, but as an operator will be a great influence on our young sol-

diers as they look to someone they can strive to emulate. Welcome

1SG.

F Company is now in the full training evolution at Edwards Air

Force Base (EAFB), California. Over the next 6 months, the com-

pany will build upon previous training/

planning and conclude this training evolu-

tion with a successful integration of the

Gray Eagle UAS into the Army Order of

Battle. SFC Michael Kattes is the NCOIC at

EAFB and is doing an outstanding job of

keeping the soldiers focused and excited to

begin flight operations.

The experience of creating a new company

has been one of the highlights of my fifteen

years in uniform. Seeing these young sol-

diers leading the way, thinking on their feet

and acting decisively is truly a joy. Because

of the senior leadership of our NCOs, F

Company is organized, focused, and deter-

mined.

Look for more good things to come. Take care.

CW3 Jeff Stokes


Above: 1SG Leon Black (right) takes over as “Fenix 7” dur-

ing the change of responsibility ceremony.


Battalion Headquarters

BLDG 802 Marshall

Avenue

Fort Riley, Kansas

Find us on Facebook(r)

at http://

www.facebook.com/

#!/pages/

Gunfighters/113862645

1-1 ARB traces its roots to the formation of the 1st Aviation Company, 1st ID, con-

stituted on 15 February 1957 at Fort Riley, KS. Later redesignated as 1st Aviation

Battalion, one of the first aviation units to employ helicopter gunships and recon-

naissance helicopters in unison to conduct search and destroy teams, commonly

referred to as "hunter/killer" teams. Currently stationed at Fort Riley, the Gunfight-

ers continue to provide invaluable reconnaissance and lethal attack helicopters

fires for the Soldiers of the Big Red One.

The Gunfighters are commanded by LTC Edward M. Vedder. CSM Michael P.

O’Donnell is the senior enlisted advisor.

This is the informational newsletter of 1-1 Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st

Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division that contains both official and unof-

ficial information. The inclusion of non-official information in this newsletter has

not increased the cost to the United States Government in accordance with DoD

425.8-M.

1-1 Attack Reconnaisance

Battalion

Gunfighters!

Documents

Apache post 31 jan