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July 9, 2009
FOB KALSU – For six weeks, through sand storms, blistering heat, stress and fatigue, Soldiers of the 172nd Infantry Brigade trained and competed for the title of Noncommissioned Offi cer and Soldier of the Year at For-ward Operating Base Kalsu.
The competition was organized to determine the best NCO and Soldier serving under the 172nd Inf. Bde. Three Soldiers and four NCOs entered the brigade-level compe-tition for a chance to compete in the U.S. Army - Europe competition later this year.
The seven competitors trained prior to the competition in tasks such as land navigation, road marches, combat lifesaver skills and preparing for the examination board.
“The preparation for the competition was actually my favorite part,” said Sgt. John A. Dawson, a team leader
with Company C, 2nd Batt alion, 28th Inf. Regiment. “There was one week where we did road marches with all of our gear on. It reminded me a lot of Afghanistan and it pumped me up for the competition.”
Competitors began the competition with the Army Physical Fitness Test followed by a board examination, a writt en test and an essay.
“The fi rst day was an administrative day for the par-ticipants,” said Sgt. 1st Class Anthony W. Dawn, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear NCO, 172nd Inf. Bde.
The second day, competitors began a 12-mile road march around the FOB in the early morning in an eff ort
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“I feel unbelievable right now. This means so much to me, and it means a lot for my unit to be able to represent them as a NCO in the next competition.”
– Staff Sgt. Stephane Douge, power generator equipment repairer, Co. B, 172nd Support Bn.
COMPETITIONPage 5
172nd Inf. Bde. holds NCO, Soldier of the Year competition
Photo by Pfc. Bethany L. LittleParticipants in the Noncommissioned Offi cer and Soldier of the Year Competitions engage in a stress-shooting scenario at Forward Operating Base Kalsu recently. The stress-shoot included a 300 meter sprint to the barriers, then bounding between barriers toward the enemy forces. Other events for the competition included an Army Physical Fitness Test, a 12-mile road march, land navigation, reacting to a chemical attack, identifying and throwing grenades, a medical lane with simulated injuries to personnel and combatives maneuvers to detain a resisting insurgent.
By Pfc. Bethany L. Little172nd Inf. Bde.
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July 9, 2009 Page 2The Red Bull Report
34th Inf. Div. PAO: Lt. Col. Kevin OlsonOIC, Command Information: Maj. Page BaldwinNCOIC, Command Information: 1st Sgt. Larry MearsNCOIC: Staff Sgt. Dave LankfordManaging Editor: Staff Sgt. Derek SmithAssignment Editor: Sgt. Debralee P. Crankshaw Graphics Designer: Sgt. Eric JungelsPhoto Editor: Spc. Tyler MauldingLayout/Design: Spc. Stephanie CassinosStaff Writers: Sgt. Frank Vaughn,Sgt. Brandon LeFlore, Spc. Darryl Montgomery,Pfc. J. Princeville Lawrence
172nd Brigade Combat Team2nd BCT, 4th Infantry Division4th BCT, 1st Armored Division 41st Fires Brigade343rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment193rd Military Police BattalionSpecial Troops Battalion, 34th Inf. Div.Task Force 28450th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne)
Media Queries please contact 34th Inf. Div. Public Affairs Offi ce at [email protected]
The Red Bull Report is an authorized publication for members of MND-S. Contents of The Red Bull Report are not necessarily offi cial views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army or the 34th Infantry Division. All editorial content of The Red Bull Report is prepared, edited provided and approved by the 34th Infantry Division Public Affairs Offi ce.
COB BASRA – For Soldiers inter-ested in increasing their physical, emotional, relational, mental and vocational capabilities, the Red Bull Goal Achievement Challenge is set to begin July 15.
One hundred volunteers are needed during the two month pilot program designed to help Soldiers strengthen their resiliency and achieve their goals during their deployment.
“If you are able to channel thought process to understand where negative thoughts come from, you can over-come them positively,” said Brooklyn Park, Minn. native Lt. Col. Angela Steward-Randle, plans offi cers divi-sion surgeon.
Soldiers interested in participating in the challenge need to sign up by July 11. The challenge is individu-ally based and requires Soldiers to set goals and strive to reach those goals, said Maj. Braden Hughs, lead planner for future operations.
Throughout the challenge, periodic reviews will be established to check the progress of Soldiers, Hughs added.
The St. Cloud, Minn. native feels Soldiers are motivated to reach for
their goals and the reviews will demonstrate how the Soldiers feel they are pro-gressing.
This initiative was origi-nally an idea of the Multi-National Division – South chaplain, Chaplain (Lt. Col.) John Morris, Hughs said.
He recalls Morris saying the Army does a great job of conducting preventative maintenance checks and service of its equipment . . . resiliency, wellness and goal sett ing is a way to teach the Soldier to PMCS them-selves.
“A resilient Soldier en-gaged in personal wellness activities will react bett er to stressful situations and recover more quickly aft er being exposed to stres-sors on the batt lefi eld,” Hughs added.
Hughs describes resiliency as a type of emotional immune system. The hu-man body is designed to correct itself physically, he said, and emotionally there is no diff erence.
“The emotional immune system is the part of the mind that has the ability to self right, or self heal, itself”
Hughs said. “It is an innate capacity that exists in all individu-als to self right their mental wellbeing much like a cut on the arm heals itself.”
“Learning how to tap into it will enable you to develop a capacity to handle the stressors that are handed to you whether it is on the batt lefi eld here or the batt lefi eld of life,” Hughs concluded.
For more information, contact Maj. Hughs at [email protected] or Lt. Col. Steward-Randle at [email protected].
Editor’s note: This story is the fi rst installment in a series which will fol-low the progress of Soldiers in the Red Bull Achievement Challenge through-out its duration.
During a workout, a Soldier receives help and motivation from a buddy. Soldiers that participate in the Red Bull Goal Achievement Challenge will receive coaching and tips on how to set and achieve goals, as well as how to improve their resiliency. This enables them better deal with diffi cult situations they may encounter here or back home.
Photo by Spc. Darryl L. Montgomery
For all of Spc. Montgomery’s stories go to:www.TheRedBulls.org/Montgomery
The Red Bull Challenge teaches Soldiers resiliencyBy Spc. Darryl L. Montgomery MND – S
diers inte
FOB DELTA – The brigade com-mander and command sergeant major of 41st Fires Brigade are ensuring that the units who supported their mission on FOB Delta and in Wasit province get recognition.
Over the course of several weeks, the Rail Gunner leadership has presented the brigade’s coin to select Soldiers in the support units on FOB Delta.
“During this deployment this brigade task force has been assembled as a composite of numerous units,” said Col. Dick Francey, 41st Fires Brigade commander and commander of American troops in Wasit province. “Because we have a (brigade combat team) mission but are not constructed as a BCT, it was essential to augment us with other capabilities.”
Francey said building a BCT was simple on paper, but in execution “we built this airplane while in fl ight.”
“We’ve had the support of eight diff erent Coalition units and multiple
U.S. – based units in support of this operation,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Kelvin Hughes, 41st Fires Brigade. “It is our honor to take the time to stop by these units and present them with a small token and to say thanks for their hard work and sacrifi ce in making this a great team.”
The leadership of each unit decided which Soldiers would receive the hon-or, based on their performance during deployment, said 1st Sgt. Craig Abel, Company B, 146th Expeditionary Sig-nal Batt alion, Florida National Guard, one of the units that was honored.
“Sgt. Posey was an easy choice, because of his extracurricular activi-ties such as teaching. But the other Soldiers were strictly on job perfor-mance,” said Abel of Sgt. Bruce Posey, a tactical satellite team chief who has also taught college classes and Func-tional Academic Skills Training classes at the FOB Delta Education Center.
Other units recognized included: 542nd Support Maintenance Com-pany; 1-150th Assault Helicopter Batt alion, Combat Aviation Brigade,
Pennsylvania National Guard; and 1st Att ack Reconnaissance Batt alion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. The Rail Gunner command team plans to visit more troops as the brigade’s redeploy-ment to Fort Hood draws closer.
The Red Bull Report July 9, 2009 Page 3
For more of Sgt. Churchill’s stories visit:www.TheRedBulls.org/Churchill
41st FB leaders say thanks to support unitsBy Sgt. Allison Churchill41st FB
Sgt. Bruce Posey, tactical satellite team chief, Co. B, 146th Expeditionary Signal Bn., Florida National Guard, receives a 41st FB coin from Col. Dick Francey, 41st FB commander, during a ceremony at the 146th ESB headquarters recently. Francey and Command Sgt. Maj. Kelvin Hughes, the brigade’s senior enlisted leader, have been taking opportunities to recognize Soldiers around Forward Operating Base Delta for their support to the Rail Gunners during the brigade’s deployment.
Photo by Sgt. Allison Churchill
brigade
The Red Bull Report July 9, 2009 Page
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The Red Bull Report July 9, 2009 Page
to beat the heat from the rising sun. Aft er arriving at the fi nishing point, the participants zeroed and qualifi ed with unassigned M4 carbine assault rifl es at the Sage Range.
During and aft er qualifying, the competitors disassem-bled and reassembled crew-served weapons. When those tasks were complete, the Soldiers grouped together and completed a stress-shoot scenario. They also performed a stress-shoot scenario at night with limited visibility.
“The stress-shoot scenario was challenging for me because I had to shoot on my non-dominant side, but it helped me to tactically progress,” said Sgt. Anthony M. Byers, intelligence analyst, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 9th Engineer Bn.
Aft er a night of minimal sleep, the competitors started early again to begin daytime land navigation. Aft er fi nding a point, each Soldier had to perform certain tasks before moving to the next one.
These tasks included reacting to a chemical att ack, identifying and throwing grenades, a medical lane with simulated injuries to personnel and combatives maneuvers to detain a resisting insurgent.
Later that night, the competitors set off in the dark to fi nd three points on a diff erent land navigation course. The lanes included searching for a cache, assembling and disassembling a claymore and a communication operations point.
As the last day of the competition began, Soldiers had no idea what was ahead of them as they loaded into humvees and began a small convoy.
The NCOs in the competition were informed they were
the convoy commanders in charge of the personnel within each vehicle.
One at a time, NCOs assumed responsibility of the convoy. The Soldiers were tested on convoy operations, reaction to improvised explosive devices, reaction to direct fi re and situational reports.
The winners of the competition were announced at the 172nd Inf. Bde. Fourth of July celebration. Brigade Com-mand Sgt. Maj. Steven McClafl in, announced Spc. Andrew X. Yang, rifl eman, Company C, 2nd Bn., 28th Inf. Regt. and Staff Sgt. Stephane Douge, power generator equipment repairer, Company B, 172nd Support Batt alion, as the win-ners of the competition.
“I’m honored to represent my batt alion and the brigade in Germany during the USAREUR competition,” said Yang, a native of Green Bay, Wis.
“I feel unbelievable right now,” said Brooklyn, N.Y. resident Douge with a huge grin on his face. “This means so much to me, and it means a lot for my unit to be able to represent them as a NCO in the next competition.”
Douge and Yang will return to Germany in August to compete in the USAREUR competition. The winner of that competition will go on to compete in the Army-wide com-petition later this year. For more of Pfc. Little’s stories, visit: www.TheRedBulls.org/Little
From Page 1COMPETITION
For puzzle solutions visit: www.TheRedBulls.org/puzzlesolutions
SUDOKU
“The French called the bay “La Baie Verte” because of its greenish color”
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The Red Bull Report July 9, 2009 Page
The MND-S Equal Oppor-tunity Program is called many things and has multiple roles in order to support command-ers. The biggest misconception is that EO, Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity are
all one in the same, owned by the EO Program Manager. Metaphorically, the EO Program is like a luxury
automobile which the program manager drives, washes and maintains, but does not own! Commanders are the owners of the car.
As EO continues to progress some suggest a non-adversarial and kinder name such as caring leadership, health and welfare, total quality management, mentor-ship, diversity and now wellness.
Does it matt er what you call it? EO is the bott om line and foundation for eff ective combat readiness. Treating people with respect and dignity and ensuring fair and equitable policies are implemented is EO: Every One’s responsibility.
EO is law! The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI prohibits dis-
crimination based on gender, religion, race, color or national origin in the military.
EEO is covered in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
This covers federal employees, including Department of Defense civilians, from discrimination based unlaw-fully on race, gender, color, national origin, age, religion, disability, reprisal, marital status, sexual orientation and political affi liation.
For further information see DoDD1020.02, Feb. 5, 2009.
Age, disability and sexual orientation are the diff ering basis between the Civil Rights Act Laws of 1964 Title VI and Title VII.
The two separate titles, however, are both grounded by law.
Moreover, diversity is simply defi ned as the diff erent characteristics and att ributes of individuals.
The key word is diff erent and it is not grounded by law. It is policy driven. Policy recommends doing the right things for the right reason. The EO program manager must manage EO, EEO and diversity simultane-ously in order to maintain combat readiness throughout MND-S!
Does it matt er what you call it? ... Not as long as you keep calling us.
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Equal Opportunity: Does it matter what you call it?
For more of EO’s comments, or to leave comments or your own, visit: www.TheRedBulls.org/FairTreatment
By Lt. Col. Trancey B. Williams34th ID Equal Opportunity Program Manager
The Red Bull Report July 9, 2009 Page 7The Red Bull Report
World News: TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on July 7 sought to put the turmoil over the disputed presidential elections behind him and declared the contests were clean, fair and marked the start of a new era. His speech came as the coun-try’s top three reformist leaders sought to rekindle their opposition movement, demanding that ruling clerics end the heavy “security atmosphere” imposed aft er the elections and free those detained in the unrest, according to an opposition Web site. “This is a new beginning for Iran ... we have entered a new era,” the president said, explaining that the 85 percent turnout and overwhelming win had given his government a new legitimacy.
U.S. News:SAVANNAH, Ga. - A sergeant charged with slaying two U.S. Soldiers in Iraq will be tried by a general court-martial and could face a death sentence if he’s convicted, Army offi cials said. The commander of Ft. Stewart in Georgia, Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo, ordered the military’s highest level of court-martial on July 7 for Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich. Army prosecutors said 39-year-old Bozicevich of Min-neapolis shot Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson and Sgt. Wesley Durbin last fall at a joint U.S. - Iraqi patrol base south of Baghdad. Witnesses at a preliminary hearing in April said Bozicevich opened fi re on the Soldiers aft er they tried to counsel him for poor performance. His defense att orney has said Bozicevich was trying to defend himself.
Sports News:MONTPELLIER, France - Lance Armstrong surged within a second of the Tour de France lead aft er his Astana squad won the team time trial in a dramatic fi nish July 7. Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara of the Saxo Bank team kept the yellow jersey lead following the fourth stage, a 24.2-mile ride in and around Montpellier. Astana needed to beat Saxo Bank by more than 40 seconds. The seven-time champion started the stage in third place and Astana exactly matched that 40-second defi cit. Cancellara’s team fi nished third. Armstrong and Cancellara share an overall time of 10 hours, 38 minutes, 7 seconds. Cancellara was deemed a fraction ahead due to the opening time trial in Monaco July 4 that was won by Cancellara.
Odd News:PORTLAND, Maine - A fourth-grade teacher has apologized for playing the groom in a mock wedding to a student. The Port-land Press Herald reported that Paul Rosenblum agreed to participate aft er the girl proposed and his class at the Plummer-Motz School in Falmouth, Maine, cajoled him. At the brief playground ceremony, Rosenblum wore a black graduation gown and a clown tie. The girl had a sheet draped around her clothes for a gown. There was no kiss but the newspaper reported the teacher took the student’s hand and they ran down a gazebo ramp at the end of the ceremony. Rosenblum said he was only intending to indulge “a litt le girl’s game of dress-up and make-believe.” He said he is remorseful and “sick with regret.” Superintendent Barbara Powers wouldn’t say whether any disciplinary action was taken
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