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Newsletter from the deployed unit.
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1st BSTB - 1st BCT Camp Ar Ramadi Iraq
CONTACT INFORMATION
REAR DETACHMENT CPT MIKE RICCITIELLO
SSG ANTONIO ESPARZA
FRG LEADERS
Family Readiness Support Assistant
Crystal Cavalier
Office: 910-396-5812
HHC FRG LDR: JESSICA BURT
A CO FRG LDR: ROCHELLE HALL
B CO FRG LDR: REBEKAH LARDIZABAL AND KATHERINE MURRAY
C CO FRG LDR: ANNA GARDEL
Devil Strike Dispatch
Devil Strike Family and Friends, Hello again from Anbar Province, Iraq. The days are getting warmer here in Iraq and that is a reminder that the time for our return is one season closer. The Paratroopers of the 1BSTB continue to stay focused and en-gaged in the mission. Their spirit and commit-ment deserves your admiration. Across the depth and breadth of Al Anbar and this battal-ion, your Paratroopers remain vigilant and poised. Their dedication and spirit does not waver, and the forward momen-tum demon-strated by our Iraqi partners improved per-formance is a direct reflection of their efforts. Our Battal-ion Staff pro-vides the brain power behind our daily opera-tions and this talented group of men and women ensures that your Para-trooper is supported, prepared and equipped to accomplish his or her mission. The S1 shop serves as the administrators of the Bat-talion, providing everything from mails to solving pay issues. Leading this effort are CPT Rita Speight and SSG(P) Billy Foster. Working hard to make sure the mission is complete are SGTs Bryson Scott, Jeremy Sisk, Dawnisha Brown and SPCs Melissa Salgado, Chandra Myers, and Chadwick Stanton. SGT William Chibatto also works in the shop, taking care of our soldiers’ legal matters. The S2 shop specializes in intelligence matters and provides the why behind what our formations do. Our S2 gives us the con-textual background on the different personali-
ties, geographic areas and environment in which we work. Led by CPT Amanda Hatch, 2LT Andrew Herendeen- a new arrival to the BSTB- and SFC Patrick Marshall, these folks work hard to pinpoint what we see in front of us. Organizing all of these thoughts and ef-forts are SGTs Brandon Ensor and Kristin Pasag and PFC Ricky Diaz. Missions never plan themselves. They need professionals who can set the course for the Battalion, and then track that course
over time. The S3 shop, led by MAJ William Privette, charts the operational course for the Battalion. His leaders include 1LT(P)s James Plutt, recent arri-vals Clifton Mar-shall, Erick Men-d o za , M SG Brent Hickman, SFCs Gunther Lardizabal, Jer-emy King, SSG(P) Marcutio Posey, and SGT
Justin Godwin. Tracking the battle in the S3 shop are SPCs David Lampke, Brandon Spinks, Rodger Pinto, and PFC Cal Cham-bers. Day in and day out these men put out the plan and then facilitate the detailed exe-cution required for our operations. Soldiers need nourishment, equipment, and ammo. Without them, they would fail to complete the mission. This is where the sol-diers in the S4 shop shine. Leading the S4 shop is CPT Brian Martinez and SFC John Olive. Making sure our soldiers are equipped are SFC Maurice Taylor, SSG Andrew Glick, SGT Shakeba Lettsome, and PFC Robyn Meador. Signal and technical support has be-come a way of life for the Army, and is critical
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 0 A P R I L 2 0 1 0 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 5
INSIDE
THE ISSUE
Commander 1-2
Headquarters Co 2
Alpha Company 3-4
Bravo Company 5
Charlie Company 6-7
Chaplain’s Corner 7
Pictures From The
Battalion Staff
8
This Month’s Feture Section: Battalion Staff!
Check out the 1BSTB Facebook page for
hundreds of pictures
The members of our S6 shop have influenced Battalion operations throughout Anbar Province
HEADQUARTERS AND HEADQUARTERS COMPANY The past month has been an extremely busy month for the company. The sections and platoons have been prepar-ing equipment for our imminent departure from Iraq, as well as continuing operations throughout Al Anbar Province. Through all of the changes and last minute re-quirements the company has continually impressed the 1SG and I with their hard work, dedica-tion and high morale. Our partnership operations with the Iraqi Security Forces have continued to evolve as we have been asked to provide train-ing and support to Iraqi Police units in the Ramadi area on main-tenance and medical support ac-tivities. The sections have been able to react quickly and efficiently and meet all the requested timelines with outstanding support. Support Platoon, under 1LT Shanne Dill and SFC Ulises Chavez has borne the brunt of increased demands for sup-port. Their operational tempo in-creased to reflect these demands and the Paratroopers responded magnificently, fulfilling every request quickly and without complaint. Throughout this deployment, the
Paratroopers of HHC have worked diligently to improve our partnered units in the 1
st Iraqi
Army Division and set up our fol-low-on unit for success as they continue the responsible draw-down in western Iraq. The 1SG and I wish to thank
all the families who have given so
much to our Paratroopers
throughout this deployment. Our
Family Readiness Group has
been responsive to the needs of
our families and have eased the
burdens of Troopers across the
formation. Thank you for what
you all do every day. Until next
month we ask that you keep us in
your prayers as we keep you in
ours.
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 5
to winning the partnership effort. Soldiers from our S6 shop ensure that our Battalion has the ability to communicate, and has access to the systems they need. SSG Nicholas Long leads the team, and SGTs Robert Greene, Natalia Harper, Nicole Wadlington, and John Kabbes set a great standard. SPCs Robert Richards, Edgar Rodriguez, Ken-nen Hager and PFCs Christopher Casey and Jonathon Perales do much of the highly technical work that the Bat-talion requires.
Setting the pace and leading the way are the Battalion Command Sergeant Major and Executive Officer, CSM John Martin and Major Charlie Pelham. Their oversight, experience and leadership ensures that everything a Devil Strike Paratrooper does is planned, prepared and re-sourced to its fullest. Thank you for your continued support. ATW! LTC Douglas F. Stitt DS6
Above: Our Headquarters company in formation, with 1SG Robert Jordan leading
Below: SGT Michelle Trollip is coined by CSM Wilson, United States Forces
Iraq, Command Sergeant Major
P A G E 3 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 5
Alpha Company Newsletter— “ROCK STEADY!”
Alpha Company is going strong here in Iraq. At eight months in, the Soldiers are still motivated and most are refreshed from a well deserved mid-tour leave. All the platoons are doing a great job, and this month we would like to highlight some of the exciting things that 2
nd Platoon is doing
in Al Asad Airbase, Iraq.
2nd
Platoon is skillfully balancing their route clearance mission and their partnership with the 7
th Iraq Army Field Engineer Regiment. This
month they have really been gaining solid ground with the partnership effort. They have started the month off with a new, weekly soccer match against their Iraqi partners. Although they are behind in the series, the Sappers in 2
nd platoon continue to close the gap. These events really
give both the Sappers and their Iraqi partners a chance to unwind and build relationships on the soccer field.
Recently the Sappers have spent some time teaching the Iraqi engi-neers a variety of demolitions skills. This training culminated in a joint dem-olitions range where the Sappers had an opportunity to take the training out of the classroom and into the field. The Iraqis were anxious to get some hands on demolitions experience at the range. 2
nd Platoon started them off
with the basics, and worked quickly into some of the more advanced capa-bilities to include urban breaching. For many of the Iraqis this was the first time they were able to get out and conduct a live demo-litions range. For the Sap-
pers, any day is a great day to blow something up. The Soldiers were excited to train and many of the younger Soldiers hadn’t experienced a demolitions range since their basic training.
The platoon continues to conduct joint route clearance operations with the Iraqi Engineers. They have been averaging one joint patrol per week. These patrols continue to enforce the fundamentals taught
to the Iraqi route clearance and pro-vide an opportunity for relevant real world experience. Every week the Iraqi engi-neers become more capable to sustain their forces long after 2
nd
Platoon comes home.
The platoon provides training on more than just route clearance. Recently 2
nd Platoon led a two day combat life saver course
where the Iraqi engineers learned critical life-saving medical skills. This type of training is essential to developing a well rounded and capable fighting force within the Iraqi Army. Every week brings something new to the men in 2
nd Platoon.
They continue to excel at route clearance and partnering with the Iraqi engineers. We are all thankful for the support from the friends and family back home, and we will continue to do great things in Iraq until we return back home.
ATW! Captain Kurt Zortman and First Sergeant James Stuckey Alpha Company Command Team
SGT Cyr preparing at the demo range.
SSG Lovelace supervising the set-up at
the demo range.
SFC Graves and 2LT Berreth are all business.
SGT Lawrence sharing his demo knowledge
with the Iraqis.
P A G E 4 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 5
Written By: PFC Jeremy Darr My name is PFC Jeremy Darr, and I am a driver in 2
nd Platoon.
The past month has been another busy month for the Sappers of Alpha Company. We continue to conduct route clearance missions nightly. We also continue to work with our Iraqi counterparts on a weekly basis. Despite the language barrier, it is very rewarding to work with them. We have all learned how to get pretty far with sim-ple hand gestures and facial expressions. We not only go out on joint route clearance missions, but we train together, conduct classes on basic engineering tasks, and have even played them in soccer a couple times. The Iraqis always have the home field ad-vantage and are ahead in the series 2-0. Regardless of the out-come, it is still fun to get out there on the soccer field, interact, and unwind. Another big event for us this month was our first demolitions range. Prior to going to the range, we reviewed basic demolitions tasks, and each of our squads constructed four charges. We then went to the range early one morning with our Iraqi partners, and we had a great time. It was my first experience with some of the charges, and
the first time I had been to a demo range since AIT. Once we were done with our charges, EOD destroyed over 1,000 pounds of old munitions and UXOs. That produced a very large boom and was a fitting way to end our successful range day. In keeping with our mission, we again shared our training experience with the Iraqis. As with all of our missions, we are doing everything we can to train them up so that they will be able to protect and serve their country and we can return home soon to our families and loved ones. As we start on the homestretch of this deployment, I can’t help but look back at all of our experiences. It is true
what they say; “the time has really flown by since arriving here last August”. For me, the anticipation is growing as I get ready to go home for my mid tour leave at the end of this month. From Al Asad Airbase, this is the news and updates from 2
nd Platoon. Please
continue to keep the care packages coming. Thank you for your continued support and soon enough we will all be reunited and back home. ATW!
PFC Darr
“SAPPER 21G”
Alpha Company “From The Foxhole” Article
Bravo Company: The Black Dagger Bulletin 15 APR 10: Ar Ramadi, Iraq. The time flies, even while we are deployed, and this month was no exception. Our troopers continued their fine work across the board, from Headquarters and Intelligence and Electronic Warfare partnership efforts, to TUAS flight op-erations in support of the BCT, to HUMINT and SIGINT moving folks around as we consolidate for the future. The company welcomed 1SG Walker, who is no stranger to our Black Dagger troopers; 1SG Walker had previously served for three years as the NCOIC of the Brigade S2 section, working closely with many of our troopers. He is a great addition and will do an outstanding job in Bravo Company. Additionally, the company welcomed CPT Chris Lareau, who has completed the change of command inventories and has taken command as of 15 April at a cere-mony on Camp Ramadi. CPT Lareau previ-ously deployed with 4/82’s 4-73 CAV Squadron to Afghanistan, and served as the 3-319
th Battalion S2 for the first half of the current deploy-
ment, working with many of Bravo Company’s troopers. He will do an out-standing job with the company. The 14 months that I have com-manded the company have been an honor; your paratroopers have done incredible work on behalf of the Brigade Combat Team and I have been privi-leged to enable them to do their jobs. As always, thank you for everything that you have done for the men and women of Bravo Company – we could not accomplish our mission in support of the Brigade without you. All the best to you from Camp Ramadi.
ATW! CPT Bill Fusz Outgoing Bravo Company Commander
Bravo Company “From The Foxhole” Article—TUAS UPDATE
Written By: PFC Christopher Morgan
Life in the "foxhole" isn't bad at all. I have actually accomplished quite a bit in Iraq. When I first got to Iraq, fresh out of AIT in November, it wasn't how I thought it would be. I was walking around in jacket trying to keep warm; I thought it was supposed to be hot in Iraq. And the ground was really hard packed dirt, not sand like I thought it was. When I first got to my unit here, the IO (instructor operator) and I immediately started training to get my RL (readiness level) status up. Talking to all the people on the radio was overwhelming at first but once I started to learn who does what and what they wanted to know it was too easy. Once I made RL1 and had to launch an aircraft by myself with no-body else in the shelter with me watching to catch a mistake I was kind of nervous but I did it perfectly. It’s really cool to work on an airfield. We get to watch a bunch of different types of aircraft take off and land. It is always a good day when we see one of the cargo planes come in because we know we will be getting our mail soon. The food here was better than I expected. I was expecting to see boxes and boxes of MREs but we have a really nice DFAC. You get a variety of hot meals every day and des-sert. The chocolate cheese cake is my favorite, its better than going to the Cheese Cake Factory and paying almost $10 for slice and its not even as good!
PT is easy to do out here as well. We have a few gyms we can go to. They have just about every machine a gym in the states would have, so its pretty easy to work out what ever muscle group that you wanted without getting too creative with weights. They also have a bunch of treadmills and stair climbers if you wanted to do cardio. You could also go out-side and run around the camp. Getting sent to other bases is kind of fun. I love the helicopter rides. I sit there glued to the window looking at what-ever looks interesting. Or some times they sent us in a convoy which isn't as cool but has its perks. It’s not as fast as the helicopters but you get a much closer look at the building and houses and the landscape. We have plenty of internet and phone access out here. I can call home everyday if I wanted to. I use Facebook a lot to talk to people back home, or I can video chat with friends if they have Skype.
Above: Bravo Company Soldiers with 1SG Richard Walker at the head of the formation.
Below: CPTs Bill Fusz and Chris Lareau with fellow Military
Intelligence officers
PFC Christopher Morgan at his place of work
Hello friends and families of the Coyo-tes, Charlie Company, 1BSTB. Three quar-ters of the deployment have come to a close, with approximately 90 days until we arrive back at Fort Bragg, North Carolina where we call home. Charlie Company along with
the rest of the Brigade Combat Team reached a major objective this month in our drawdown in Iraq. Ubaydi has come to a close and our Paratroopers that were main-taining the communications site have rejoined us at Ramadi. SSG Mebane, SGT Hicks, SGT Kramer, SGT Lee, SPC Medecky, SPC Herrera, and SPC Cuellar have done an outstanding job providing 3-73 Cavalry and 1-504 Parachute Infantry Regi-ment the ability to communi-cate to elements outside of Ubaydi. SGT Barkfelt was instrumental in joining the team in Ubaydi for the last month to assist in the drawdown process. 1LT Oglesbee, recently appointed Charlie Company Executive Officer, has done a tremendous job in ensuring that all of our com-munication assets were properly shipped back to Ramadi, in order to prepare them for the venture home.
In Al Asad, SGT Fields and SGT Negron have been working with their Iraqi counterpart, CPT Jihad, in planning for future training that US Forces can provide to his team. In May SGT Fields, SGT Negron, and CPT Jihad will travel to Taji, Iraq for a field training exercise conducted by CPT Jihad’s Soldiers. CPT Jihad’s Soldiers have been in Taji for the last two weeks of April, where they have been provided radio systems that will go back with them to their unit. The last week of the training in Taji will be a demon-stration of what they have learned at the Iraqi school-
house. SGTs Fields and Negron have provided extensive training to CPT Jihad’s Company regarding the equipment that they will receive. The Iraqi Army Signal Company has been set up for success by SGTs Fields and Negron who have given them the training that they will need in order to operate and maintain radio communications.
1LT Pope, SGT Hancock, CPL Giles, and PFC Rho-des have been hard at work providing their expertise to LTC Fallah, the 1
st Iraqi Army Division Signal Company
Commander. He has been working for months to provide radio communications between his Division and the 1
st
Brigade of the 1st Iraqi Army Division. LTC Fallah is very
short on resources and would like to accomplish this goal with only one retransmission site. Unfortunately the dis-tance and terrain are factors fighting him on the ability to provide radio communication assets. Together they are working to find that optimal position for the retransmission site. Unfortunately they may need to take up more re-sources in positioning a sec-ond retransmission site in order to talk to the distant ends. LTC Fallah has been very gracious for their contin-ued support. Since the closure of Ubaydi we have only one major com-
munication asset remaining in use. That is JNN 2, run by SFC Phillips, SGTs Magana, McCoach, Tilman, and Wardlow, SPCs Lolley and Onuffer, PFCs Carter, Lockett, Pack-ard, and Shelton. They are the last remaining effort in providing com-munications between the Brigade Combat Team and any element working on the Tactical Network. Sometime in July, when 4
th Brigade
Combat Team, 3rd
In-
P A G E 6 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 5
Charlie Company— “Coyote Chronicles”
I've signed up for college classes. The commander signed off on my tuition assistance form. So now I am just wait-ing for classes to start so I can finish up my associates degree online. Being deployed isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Being away from home is no fun for anybody, but that doesn't mean your life has to be put on hold. Deployment removes a lot of distractions that would normally keep me from doing all the things that I've gotten done. Deployments can definitely be a blessing in disguise. Christopher Morgan PFC, UAS Shadow TUAS Operator
Welcome new Coyote Paratroopers PFC Mendez
Birthdays CPL Giles (April 9
th)
SPC Dixon (April 10th)
PFC Casey (April 16th)
PFC Alvarez (April 3rd
) PFC Packard April 30
th)
SPC Lolley pictured with her painting in the Battalion conference room
SPC Cuellar putting his final bag in a container to be shipped to Ramadi
V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 5 P A G E 7
Chaplain’s Corner
I deployed about a month later than the rest of the Brigade because of the birth of my daughter Hailey. Hailey is now 8 months old and already pulling herself to stand up so she can make a mess of her toys for her mom to clean up. Thanks to Skype and what we call the “white line” I have not missed too much.
When I finally got in country, I was sent straight to COP Ubaydi, where my platoon had already established stable communications and the first of two homes away from home. After a few months of maintaining our systems, several LAN parties, and countless hours of either dominos or spades, we moved from our tent to the hard stand building which we are currently calling home. After a couple days of upgrading our building with a new wall to make a platoon command post, several random nails and two strategically placed LCD monitors, used for monitoring our system from anywhere in the building, we were ready to roll.
In a JNN platoon, we provide an extremely important service of telephones and internet. We are referred to as a quick reaction force, of sorts. We have a busy first couple of days set-ting up our systems getting everything set to run for the next year. Once this is done we fill generators several times a day, improve the site where needed, and sit and wait for some-thing to break. On the rare occasion that we do have some sort of an outage, everyone drops what they are doing and fixes the issue, then returns to their previous task. We continue at this pace until it is time to recover our equip- ment and head home.
While home on R & R, I was asked by sev- eral people what I do in Iraq, being the honest person I am, I told them I play video games for the Army, and every once in a while I am allowed to work on a satellite trailer.
In all seriousness though, as a platoon we have had plenty of time because of this schedule for all kinds of profes-sional development, including college courses, military education, Rosetta Stone, and preparation for promotion boards for several of our Soldiers.
We are starting to close out COP Ubaydi and getting ready to head to Ramadi with the rest of the battalion to finish off the deployment. This has been a great experience for all of the Soldiers of JNN2, we have had constant hands on with our equipment and enjoyed almost every minute of it, but we are ready to head home to re-unite with our families.
Easter Services This month, the Unit Ministry Team was proud to offer religious support during the Easter Season. There’s noth-ing quite like ministering to soldiers during a holiday sea-son. Posted on Facebook are pictures of our Good Friday Service and Easter Celebrations.
Reintegration Event Ideas Our Battalion is not only busy with the mission at hand, we are also preparing the orders to travel back home. As reintegration approaches, our Battalion will con-duct reintegration retreats and events. Your advice and ideas are greatly appreciated. Are you looking forward to taking the family somewhere special when your spouse redeploys? Perhaps that would be a good idea for a rein-tegration Retreat or Event. Please email Chaplain Matt Miller with your idea, advice, or story. His email is:
Charlie Company “From the Foxhole” Article Written by SGT Kyle Kramer
fantry Division arrives, they will break link on that final as-set. We are all excited for that day to come. It will be the last thing we do before packing our bags and getting on the plane en route to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Thank you to the families awaiting the return of your sons, daughters, husbands, wives in Charlie Company.
We appreciate your continued support and could not be successful here without it. Airborne! All The Way! CPT Jason Gardel and 1SG John Bell Charlie Company Command Team
SGT Kramer in Ubaydi
Left: CHs Wood and Miller held a 0600 Sunrise Service on Easter morning. Lower left: For Easter Service, our soldiers wore their newly bought suits. Below: Members of our 1400 gospel service. Several soldiers from the 1BSTB attended service that day.
P A G E 8 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 5
Battalion Staff In Pictures Want More Pictures? Check out 1BSTB 82nd Airborne on Facebook!
