Geronimo 040102

January 2, 2004Vol. II No. 1 Task Force 1-501st PIR, FOB Salerno, Afghanistan

Soldiers of Task Force 1-501st Parachute InfantryRegiment were victorious intheir first armed contact inAfghanistan. While on theirway to conduct a village as-sessment paratroopers fromCompany C and Detach-ment D shot and killed fourindividuals along the high-way west of Khowst.

The Soldiers were head-ing west on the highway andpassing some buildingswhen 2nd Lt. DouglasPeterson, 3rd platoonleader, noticed Afghanis onthe side of the road signal-ing. When the five-vehicle

convoy came to a halt thelieutenant noticed a caracross the wadi from hisposition. Outside the carwere two men, one on theground apparently hurt.

“My first thought was thatit was an ambush, the oldperson-injured trick,” saidPeterson. “When you stopto assist they open fire fromthe side of the road.”

The rest of the convoythought the same thing andquickly scanned the area forany possible threat. Fourarmed males were spottedlaying on the north side ofthe road. The AfghanistanMilitia Forces’ soldier, whowas with Co. C for their mis-

sion, openedfire.

When the fourmen fired back,the Geronimosreturned fire withdevastating re-sults. All four ofthe oppositionsoon lay mo-tionless on theground.

As the para-troopers movedin to secure thearea, one oftheir attackersthrew a handgrenade. As thetask force mem-bers quickly got out of the

blast radius, a well-placed shot ensuredthat the man was nolonger a threat.

According to StaffSgt. ChristopherClark, 3rd squadleader, his guys re-acted to the situationjust like they shouldhave.

“They did everythingright,” Clark said. “Ifwe could have re-hearsed a contact situ-

ation like this, I would havewanted them to do it justlike they did on the side ofthat highway.”

“The reason they re-sponded the way they didis because of the trainingthat Staff Sgt. Clark hasgiven them,” Peterson said.

That training not onlyhelped to keep the Geroni-mos unhurt in the attack, butit also helped save lives ofAfghanis. What had lookedlike a possible ambush, was

Pfc. Tommy Daw, Company C, pulls security for other task forcemembers as they search an Afghanistan village .

Sgt. Joe Parmley, an engineer with HQCompany, inventories weapons of warfound during the search of a house.

See CONTACT page 6

Geronimos out shoot assassinsStory and photos byStaff Sgt. Jeff Troth

The GeronimoJanuary 2, 20042Salerno Happenings

The World

FOB facesWhat will you remember mostabout 2003?

The war in Iraq and my deployment toAfghanistan.Sgt. Donald Taylor45th Medical Company (Air Ambulance)

What I will remember the most about2003, is that it is over and the support ofmy wife.Spec. Michael JandzinskiHQ Company

Being pulled from 4-123 AVN to go toAfghanistan with TF 1-501..Pvt. Joshna AtkissonForward Support Company

My son's first day of kindergarten.Being home between two deploymentsand being able to walk him to school.Sgt. First Class Mark AllenCompany B

Mart AttireMany residents of FOB Salerno have been seen at theNorth Gate mart out of uniform. The mart is not a securearea, and the proper uniform for all personnel, regardlessof service, going there is full battle rattle. This meanswearing your Kevlar, body armor, LBE (or equivalent) andweapon. Those in violation of this policy will be sent tosee the task force command sergeant major.

Mail Zip CodeEnsure that your family and friends are using the 09354zip code. Mail is still arriving in theater with 09355. Thismail is going to Kandahar, where there is limited planesand even more limited pallet space heading to Salerno.This means mail could take an additional month to arrive.

Robber Uses Bikini Top To Hide FaceA man wearing a bikini top to disguise his face robbed theNorthrim Bank in Anchorage on Monday.The man was described as white, about 5-feet, 10-inchesto 6 feet tall with a heavy build, and he appeared to be inhis late 20s to early 30s. He wore a baseball cap, a neongreen and blue bikini top across his face, a gray sweatshirt,jeans and workman gloves.

Man Rescued After Six Days Iranian rescue workers found a 27-year-old man alive butin a daze, six days after an earthquake destroyed the an-cient city of Bam. Red Crescent workers initially thoughtYadollah Saadat was among the dead as they dug throughthe rubble of a house in Bam, but found him blinking andmumbling. He was trapped under a wardrobe, which prob-ably saved his life from falling debris. Death toll at 28,000.

K-1 Veteran Sapp is Popular in JapanFormer sumo wrestler Akebono didn’t last long in his K-1debut against Bob Sapp.Sapp, a former NFL lineman with the Minnesota Vikings,used a left-right combination to floor the massive Hawai-ian-born wrestler in the waning seconds of the first roundin the three-round bout before 43,500 at Nagoya Dome.“Tyson, you’re next,” Sapp said after the bout. “It’s beena year of challenges. Akebono accepted the challengeand now it’s your turn.”K-1 organizers are looking to tap into the lucrative Ameri-can market and have signed Mike Tyson, but no fightsinvolving the former heavyweight have been confirmed.

This is an unofficial Army newsletter, authorized under the provisionsof AR 360-1, and published by the 1/501st PIR Public Affairs Office. Edito-rial views and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of theDepartment of the Army or the 1/501st PIR. All submissions to TheGeronimo are subject to editing.

The Geronimo can also be found at: www.usarak.army.mil/1501.Questions or comments should be directed to: 1/501st Public Affairs

Office. DNVT 318-580-3067.Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Harry C. Glenn IIIEditor Staff Sgt. Jeff Troth

The GeronimoJanuary 2, 2004 3

NCO receives Soldier’s Medal forBAF minefield rescue

By Pfc. Ryan Smith

FORT BRAGG, N.C. —A Soldierwith the 27th Engineer Battalion wasawarded the Soldier’s Medal at FortBragg, N.C., Dec. 18 for his actionsin Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Scott Smullen, while serv-ing as a squad leader in C Company,27th Engineer Battalion, in support ofOperation Enduring Freedom, riskedhis life to save an injured Soldier andwas presented the award by Lt. Gen.John R. Vines, XVIII Airborne Corpsand Fort Bragg commander.

“Our platoon was conducting mine-clearance operations at Bagram AirBase,” Smullen said. “We cleared safelanes for further mine-clearing opera-tions to be conducted. We use tita-nium probes - we push them into theground and feel for land mines.”

During the April 21 operation, oneof the Soldiers, Sgt. Camilo Molina,

was injured in an explosion.“While we were clearing the lanes,

(Molina) stepped on a mine and blewhis left foot off,” Smullen said.

“We were all pretty close to the area,so me and my team leader ran overthere and started clearing a safe areaup to him,” he said. “The first thing wedid was make sure he was conscious.He was a little disoriented, of course.My team leader Sgt. (George) Dayand I took our belts off and threw themto him - he was about 10 meters away- and instructed him to apply them astourniquets.”

Day said that thanks to the trainingthe platoon had received, the rescuewent smoothly.

“All the training we did for casualtyevacuation and how to probe aminefield really came into play. Itflowed like clockwork,” Day said.“Everybody just came together.”

Smiling staff sergeants Photo by Sgt. First Class Ned Longoria

Company A squad leaders Staff Sgts. Leslie Posey (left to right), BenjaminLoggins and Dale McDonald got a break from duty at FOB Salerno with a four-day R&R trip to Qatar. Their smiles are not just because they are on vacation,but each one of them netted a $10,000 tax-free bonus for re-enlisting.

1st Lt. Joshua Finley, Smullen’s pla-toon leader at the time, said thatSmullen definitely earned his award.

“(The Soldier’s Medal) is outstand-ing recognition for what (Smullen) did,”Finley said. “I saw it with my owneyes, and it really was an act of hero-ism. He really deserves this award.”

Finley said that Smullen and theother Soldiers involved in the rescuereacted quickly and efficiently becausethey had rehearsed similar scenariosbefore.

“We went through a lot of trainingonce we were in-theater, learning howto do a mine-field check. Then we’dpractice it and practice it,” he said.“When it actually happens, you just goon autopilot; everything shuts off d youjust do it.”

Smullen said that he was surprisedto receive the Soldier’s Medal for hisactions that day.

“(Getting the medal) is kind of sur-real. It’s unexpected, and sometimesI think it’s unwarranted - I think thewhole platoon deserves the recogni-tion,” Smullen said.

“We all just worked and executedwhat we were trained to do. It was agroup effort - the whole platoon pulledtogether that day. The whole platoonsaved (Molina’s) life,” said Smullen.

Staff Sgt. Scott Smullen receives theSoldier's Medal from Lt. Gen. John R.Vines for his actions in Afghanistan.

The GeronimoJanuary 2, 20044

He’s no Santa Clause, but ...Army chief of staff brings holiday cheer

By Staff Sgt. Keith Thompson4th Public Affairs DetachmentBAGRAM, Afghanistan — He

doesn’t wear a red suit or fly in a sleigh,but the Army Chief of Staff spentChristmas day spreading good cheerto the Soldiers deployed to Afghani-stan.

Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker culmi-nated a holiday trip overseas byspending Christmas flying to variouslocations in Afghanistan letting troopsknow that their holiday spent awayfrom family members wasn’t unappre-ciated.

“You’re giving the best Christmas giftyou could give to your country —your service,” said Schoomaker.

Schoomaker, along with Rep.James Marshall (D), Ga., and Brig.Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, CombinedJoint Task Force 180 commander,started their holiday tour when theyarrived from visiting troops in Iraq onChristmas Eve in time to attend churchservices at Bagram Air Base.

Christmas morning saw theArmy’s top officer flying to Kanda-har Air Field to visit troops from 10th

M o u n t a i nDivision’s War-rior Brigade.

The general’sparty thenboarded BlackHawk helicop-ters for a whirl-wind tour ofO r g u n - EFirebase, ShkinFirebase and fi-nally ForwardOperating BaseSalerno.

While at theFOB the gener-als and con-gressman toured the base, taking thetime to meet the Soldiers of the taskforce. For many this was a once in alife-time opportunity to get their pic-ture taken with the top Army Sol-dier.

Schoomaker, Marshall and Austinspent the day wishing Soldiers a“Merry Christmas” and praise for the“great job you’re doing.”

“You won’t do anything more sig-

nificant in your life than what you’redoing right now,” said Marshall, aVietnam veteran.

The holiday well-wishers ate Christ-mas dinner, and breakfast the next day,with the Soldiers, Airmen and Marinesof Task Force 1-501st PIR. They thencapped off their visit with an earlymorning visit to the Gardez ProvincialReconstruction Team before returningto Bagram.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker shakes handswith Sgt. First Class Taras Lapka and wishes him and Sgt.David Moore a happy holiday during Christmas dinner.

Photos by Staff Sgt. Jeff Troth

The distinguished visitors take time out to pose for pictures withBattery E, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment.

2nd Lt. Huck Finn strikes up a conversation with ArmyChief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker. Pfc. BryanMurphy sits to the general's right during the Christmasdinner at Forward Operating Base Salerno.


Christmas,Salerno-style

Soldiers, Airmen and Marines of Task Force 1-501st PIR spent theirChristmas morning running around FOB Salerno. As the flyer advertisingthe 5-K run stated what else did they have to do. Spc. Kevin Walters,Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 6 Field Artillery, 10th Infantry Division (Mountain),won the individual race. Paratroopers from Company C ran away with theteam trophy. The team consisted of Sgt. Michael Iozzo, Sgt. RobertCarpenter, Spc. David Barber, Spc. Samual Culliton and Pfc. John Shannon.


ABOVE: Task Force members, led by Chap. (Capt.) Brad Lee on keyboard, bravedthe cold to spread Christmas cheer to those manning the checkpoints aroundForward Operating Base Salerno. LEFT: Soldiers on guard duty smile inappreciation of the Christmas carols sung to them by their fellow Geronimos.

Task Force members dine on all the Christmas fixins.

Afghani Jingle Bells

Dashing through the sand,in a dry and barren land,loaded in a truck, in search of Taliban.Back at the FOB,guarding at my OP,I want to shoot my M-16,but all I seem to see is:Jingle trucks,that’s my luck,I never get to fire.All I get to do is sit and guard thisstupid wire.RPG’s,IED’s,hey, where is my mail?Osama when we find you we will sendyou straight to hell.

By Chaplain (Capt.) Brad Lee


actually an assassination.Minutes prior to the con-

voy reaching the wadi, thefour men had opened fire onthe car that Peterson hadnoticed. Their bullets hadripped through the door andpassed through the driverand his seat. The driver whodied was the assistant ofpolice security for the area.

The other man who waskneeling near the dead po-lice officer when the convoyarrived worked for an Af-ghanistan government offi-cial. Peterson said that hehad no “doubt that he wouldhave died if we hadn’t rolledup when we did.”

The assassins just pickedthe wrong time and place tocarry out their mission.

The Afghanis in the areasaid that they did not rec-ognize the four attackers,but thought they might havecome from one of the vil-lages to the north of the as-

sassination site.To ensure that there was

no other threat in the areathe task force sent elementsof Co. C and Co. B out thefollowing day to saturate thearea with U.S. presence.The companies started atopposite ends of the valleywhere the attackers mighthave come from andsearched the villages forweapons of war and infor-mation on the al Queda.

“The people in the villageswere we searched werecooperative for the mostpart,” said 2nd Lt. HuckFinn, 1st platoon leader,Co. C. “They told us thatwe were making their townsafe.”

The two days netted thetask force, several thousandrounds of ammo, hand gre-nades, pistols and an RPG.The information garneredfrom the two days waspriceless.

“The in-formation wegot will helpus to trackdown wherethe enemyis,” saidCapt. Will-iam Kilgore,task force in-telligence of-ficer. “It tellsus a lot aboutwhat the en-emy is think-ing, planningand doing.”

“On theway back toSalerno wegot morewaves andthumbs upthan we nor-mally do,”said Clark.

“For 30 years these peoplehave seen people being killedand nothing being done about

Cont. from page 1Contact:

ABOVE: Soldiers at FOB Salerno line up for an early Christmas gift whenthe AAFES exchange opened for business Dec. 24. LEFT: Soldiers scanthe shelves for items to purchase. The store is open from 0730 to 1130hours zulu, Tuesday through Saturday. Because the store is run byGeronimo personnel all purchases are cash only. If the store does nothave what you want, a suggestion box is available at the front of thestore. Special requests can be made for items from the Bagram store, if instock at BAF these items will take 2-3 weeks for delivery.


Capt. Brent Morrow, Detachment Dcommander, uses an interpreter to inform anAfghani why the U.S. Soldiers are in his town,what they are looking for and how he canhelp assist in making his country safer.

it,” said Peterson. “This timethere was immediate justicefor them.”


Ode to the FOB

ODE TO THE FOBODE TO THE FOBODE TO THE FOBODE TO THE FOBODE TO THE FOBBy Staff Sgt. Jay Schulz

You are my home for the next sixmonths,Oh wait, no make that nine.There are so many things I dislikeabout you,But it does no good to whine.

Like the fact that I have to travelyour entire lengthJust to use the latrine.Or having no hot water EVERTo keep my skin pristine.

The same 3 T-rations over and overAnd the over cooked meat.Makes me wonder if it’s worthstumbling in the darkTo the mess hall, to get a bite to eat.

Five gallons of fuel is never enoughTo last through the entire night.And seldom getting mail hereBecause they cancelled the flight.

But, alas you are my homeAnd so I grow to loveThe hescoed walls around meAnd the J-lens looking aroundabove.

I tolerate your inadequaciesFor I know it could be much worse.I could be serving in IraqAnd dealing with that curse.

So until I get to go back to Ft. RichAnd see my familyI will stumble in the darkSo that I can go and pee.

Buried among the major mov-ies that have recently been re-leased in the United States arethree rather obscure ones thathave received Golden Globenominations. The Golden Globesare the precursors to the Oscarnominations which are releasedon Jan 29.

Girl With the Pearl EarringThis movie takes place in Delft,

The Netherlands in 1655 and isabout the famous Dutch artist JanVermeer. A 16 year old Dutch girlnamed Griet (Scarlett Johanssen)becomes a maid in the house ofJan Vermeer. Though she is a shy,simple, poor girl and he’s an edu-cated respected artist, the two getalong, and soon she becomes thesubject of his paintings. Johnassenreceived the GG nom for bestactress and it is well deserved.This movie tells much about rela-tionships without a lot of dialogue.

House of Sand and FogBen Kingsley received a GG

nom for best actor and seems asure bet for an Oscar nod as well.One critic has labeled this movieas the “performance of a lifetime”for Kingsley. He plays the part ofan ex-Colonel in the army of theShah of Iran who has immigratedo the U.S. Despite pretense ofcontinued affluence, he is barelymaking ends meet until he sees hisopportunity in the auction of a

house being sold for back taxes.Through a bureaucratic snafu, thehouse has been improperly seizedfrom it rightful owner Kathy (Jen-nifer Connelly). The loss of herhome tears away her last hope ofa stable life and she decides tofight for her home at all costs. Apowerful performance by all!

Big FishAlbert Finney received a GG

nom for best actor in this filmwhich deals with a fabled relation-ship between a father and his son.Edward Bloom (Finney) has al-ways been a teller of tall talesabout his oversized life as a youngman. His mythic exploits dart fromthe delightful to the delirious ashe weaves his tall tales. Bloomcharms almost everyone he en-counters except for his estrangedson Will( Billy Crudup). Will mustlearn to separate fact from fictionas he comes to terms with hisfather’s great feats and greaqtfailings.

Caveat: While you may pur-chase these films from the localmarket, you should leave themhere as it is illegal to import themto the USA.

SOMEHIDDEN

GEMSBy Chaplain (Col.)

Robert Ippolito


ALAMOCAPITAL ONECOTTONFIESTAGATORGMACHAWAIIANHUMANITARIANINDEPENDENCELAS VEGAS

How many of the following bowl games can youlocate in the puzzle?

Ask MSG NordstromAsk MSG NordstromAsk MSG NordstromAsk MSG NordstromAsk MSG NordstromIf you have a

question forMSGNordstrom,drop it off atthe ALOC.

Dear MSG Nordstrom,Why are so many people gettingsick? Have you ever seen an epi-demic like this before?Signed,1SG Down for the Count

Dear 1SG C,Epidemic? Now the black plague –that was an epidemic. I recommendwe start by burning all the infestedtents and clothing. Also, a cigar a daykeeps the illnesses at bay!MSG N

Dear MSG Nordstrom,I just visited the new Salerno PX andwanted to know why they aren’tcarrying DVDs, CDs, T-shirts,hygiene products, etc. I mean, whatkind of a PX is this?Signed,SSG Whine-Alot

Dear Wh-A,Are you an aviator? You’ve got to bekidding, right? I mean, I know

Bowl GamesCOTTONHAWAIIANA

AAALIEYTREBILOR

HLRCAIMOTORCITY

GAAIESAEUETOARA

IMNMANVTTARAUAR

CMAUOABENAORGGO

AANCSATGGROAAUS

PSAECCEUAAAGASE

IPCKTRANOGSSEUL

TENOIMGAAAUORCT

AAGNNEWORLEANSG

LCEIYEADGHSTMMT

OHSECNEDNEPEDNI

NARCRBRGIFIESTA

EACNAIRATINAMUH

LIBERTYMOTOR CITYNEW ORLEANSORANGEOUTBACKPEACHROSESUGARSUNTANGERINE

soldiers have to complain but comeon, give me break. I think its prettygood considering that we are in acombat zone in a third world country.My only complaint is that there areNO Jewel cigars!MSG N

Dear MSG Nordstrom,Why do we have guards on thelatrines again? I thought everyonehad learned their lesson aboutcleaning up after themselves.Yours Truely,Troubled Private

Dear TP,We wouldn't need guard on thelatrines if you and your fellow taskforce members would learn a littleconsideration for others and clean upafter themselves. Maybe a week ortwo of no flushies and having to use aslit trench here at the FOB will makeeveryone a little bit appreciative ofwhat they have.MSG N

Dear MSG Nordstrom,I noticed, while walking around theFOB, that there are A LOT ofexposed and low hanging wires. Iwas wondering if you could convincethe commo guys to stop chasing theirpipe dream of being Salerno volley-

ball champs (NO CHANCE!) and fixthe wires instead.Sincerely,Can You Hear Me Now?

Dear CYHMN,Roger, will pass on the message if Isee one of them. Hey, there’s one . .. damn, into his hole again. Wait,there’s another . . . shoot, gone again.Will keep trying to find a commo guy– would have better luck snipehunting.MSG N

Dear MSG Nordstrom,Why is there such a long line at theMWR tent to use the phones andinternet?Signed,Busy Signal

Dear BS,Let me repeat it one more timeCONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS.You're sitting in that long line becauseyour "buddies" don't know how to telltime. Fifteen minutes in Afghanistanis the same as 15 minutes in the restof the world. And that doesn't mean15 minutes for each of the five callsyou are making. That is 15 minutestotal.Just be glad that there are phones tocall home. During the big WW II wehad to resort to the outdated paper andpen to communicate with loved ones.MSG N

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Geronimo 040102