The Attack Sentinel NEWSLETTER VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 MARCH 2011

PAO– SGT Chamberlaine

EDITOR– CPT Leppert

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page 1 Attack 6 Sends

Page 2 Attack 7 Sends

Page 3 HHC

Page 4 A Co.

Page 5-6 B Co.

Page 7 D Co.

Page 8 E Co.

Page 9 Chaplin’s Corner

Page 10 TOA Ceremony

This Army newsletter is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Contents of

the Attack Sentinel are not necessarily official views of, or edited by, the U.S. Government, Department of

Defense, or the Department of the Army. The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of the

Task Force Attack Public Affairs Office, APO AE 09380

Family, Friends and Soldiers of Task Force Attack: Greetings from Afghanistan and FOB Tarin Kowt. It

is hard to believe we have been deployed for over a month, but it has been an awesome first few weeks. Your Sol-

diers are getting after it at a blistering pace. We have already conducted numerous Air Assaults in support of

various Special Operation Units. Our Apaches have saturated the battle space, supporting the ground forces, and

executing numerous reconnaissance missions. Both, our ground and aviation maintenance has been invaluable as

we take it to the enemy at a pace the threat is not used to seeing. Our Soldiers are providing first class command

and control as well as force protection to all our critical areas. Everyone is doing well and enjoying the quality of

life here at TK.

I am confident that our Rear Detachment Team, lead by CPT Taylor and SFC Saulman are taking care of

our Soldiers and Families back home. Coupled with my wife Alison (FRG Advisor) our FRSA, Jennifer Cornelius,

and all the FRG Leaders I know we are in good hands. Information flow is the key, so please stay tied in to our

Rear Detachment as well as our Social Networking pages like Facebook, for photos and videos from down range.

In the coming weeks, we will increase our Operation Tempo and get after the enemy. We will continue to

support our coalition and ground partners in protecting the populace and establishing a more secure environment

for the people of Afghanistan. I cannot be more proud of our Team or the mission we are executing…

We miss you all very much, but you can be very proud of what your Soldier is accomplishing here in Af-

ghanistan.

―Attack….‖

LTC Rod Hynes

ATTACK 6 SENDS

Well it's been a long journey, but we are all here with boots on ground at lovely FOB Tarin Kowt, better

known as TK. The Expect No Mercy team has all departed and we are now in the driver's seat. Family members

please rest assure that your Soldiers are well trained, well prepared, well led, and ready for the challenges that are to

come. Our Task Force is comprised of Soldiers from across different organic battalions within the 159th Combat

Aviation Brigade, but we've pulled together into a cohesive team. We are exceptionally proud of the efforts of all the

Soldiers, NCOs, and Officers over these past few months. We have trained extensively in preparation for our mission

and role in support of US ground forces and our partners in Afghanistan.

Although leaving our homes and Families is never easy, we are all anxious to get to the demanding task before

us. We also understand that much has been asked of both you and your Service member, realize that all of our work

and preparation has set the stage for our success here in Afghanistan. Thank you for all of your continued prayers

and your support. I look forward to keeping in touch with all of you over the course of the next year.

Attack!

- CSM Green

ATTACK 7 SENDS

Terminators The first month in Afghanistan has been a busy one for HHC. We completed a Transfer of Authority with Task

Force No Mercy, officially assumed the mission, and are now impacting operations throughout our area of responsibil-

ity. This can be solely attributed to the hard work of the HHC Soldiers that have worked long hours to ensure the

highest standards are upheld. Everyone from the personnel clerks to the radio operators have contributed to the mis-

sion and have had to sacrifice time with their loved ones to make certain the unit‘s mission is successful.

I‘d like to take the opportunity in the first battalion newsletter to highlight some of our standout Soldiers and

NCOs that have been selected to participate in the Soldier and NCO of the quarter boards. They have all distinguished

themselves from their peers and uphold the reputation of Task Force Attack.

SPC Rojas, Reinaldo HQ Platoon

SGT Jimenez, Alberto TOC Platoon

SGT Brock, Henry HQ Platoon

I wish them luck and thank them for the perseverance that has made HHC and the Battalion successful. I‘d

also like to thank the families that sacrifice so much during a deployment. Without the support of our families our

successes would not mean nearly as much.

CPT Huffman

Killerspades

To the friends and families of the Killerspades, greetings from Tarin Kowt (TK). Our Sol-

diers have performed well above the standard. Our build team which consisted of CW3 Lowe, SFC

Brunney, SGT Dickson and SGT Harting expertly received the unit‘s helicopters in Kandahar air-

field and rapidly built them up to supply the Task Force with combat power. CW4 Slider‘s efforts

to ensure the pilot‘s met all the requirements to fly the aircraft over here were completed in an

amazingly efficient manner, but then again that is the standard for CW4 Slider. The Relief in Place

(RIP) went extremely well and we would like to thank the Bearcats for their efforts for ensuring

everything was in place for a smooth transition.

We would also like to thank them for their service to our nation and for doing a great job for

the year that they spent here at TK. Our Soldiers have all been doing a great job and their spirits

are high as we have assumed the mission. I would like to definitely thank the families of our Sol-

diers for all of their support over the past year. As you know more than anyone the training sched-

ule was very demanding. It has paid great dividends as our crews have seamlessly RIPed out with

the Bearcats. As our crews continue to fly missions our crewchiefs continue to provide non-stop

support. Their professionalism and motivation is what keeps aircraft available for all of our flights.

Our pilots have been outstanding providing 24 hour support to our ground forces. Their level of

professionalism, commitment and expertise is second to none.

Some of you may be wondering what the conditions are like here at TK. The weather so far

seems to be moderate. The highs so far have been in the 70s with the low temps in 50s. When we

arrived in TK it was raining everyday and for the past two weeks the weather has been warm and

sunny. During the rainy season everything was muddy and as things have dried out it is very

dusty. Not dust storm dusty, just dusty. We are surrounded by mountain ranges which are still

snow capped, but that is diminishing. The living accommodations are outstanding. Everyone has

the ability to get eight channels of Armed Forces Network (AFN) and everyone has access to inter-

net. The mess hall is top notch and provides a great deal of diversity in the types of food they serve.

The gym here provides Soldiers an opportunity to work on their physical fitness. There are many

conveniences here I only wish the Soldiers had more of an opportunity to enjoy them, but this is a

deployment and our job is to support those guys on the ground. I am, as I am sure that you are,

very proud of your Soldiers.

Killerspade 6 and 7

Kingsmen

Happy Spring Families and Friends of the Kingsmen! We write to you as the weather is rapidly warming and the trees are be-

ginning to bloom. It seems like yesterday we were bundled up leaving Fort Campbell. That only means one thing……..time is

going by extremely fast!!

You should be so very proud of your Soldiers. They are working extremely hard every day and ensuring every single mission is

a complete success. I certainly did not expect any less from this great group! The ground units are very pleased with the per-

formance of your loved ones as well. Without a ground unit to support we have no mission, so it is very meaningful when the

customers are pleased!

We rapidly assumed the fight here at FOB Tarin Kowt (FOB TK) and are assigned to Combined Joint Task Force 10th

Moun-

tain (CJTF-10). Since we are a General Support asset to all of Regional Command South (RC-S), we find ourselves flying all

over southern Afghanistan. It is a very dynamic and rewarding mission! We also mainly support the Australian Special Opera-

tions Forces and C Co, 52nd

MEDEVAC. It took a few weeks to get our legs under us; however, we are now in a very good

rhythm.

The Kingsmen have already flown 400 hours in the one month of training and mission execution! During one of the routine

training missions, we had our first ―Hero of the Battle.‖ SGT Braddock was honored for his sharp eye-in-the-sky as a crew

chief and ability to report events to our higher command. We are very lucky to have a company full of Soldiers and Pilots just

like SGT Braddock! I know they will continue to keep up the hard work.

We have also been improving our living and working areas. While FOB TK has some of the best living conditions I have seen in

Afghanistan, we are working hard to make it even better and refine our environment. Our Soldiers have customized their

rooms with some very impressive and innovative ideas! We also have a great Dining Facility which is open 24 hours for those

who are unable to make it during ‗regular‘ meal hours due to mission requirements. The support we receive from our Army

DFAC manager and the staff is outstanding!

Your loved ones are moving on up…..EARLY!! We will be promoting PFC Foster and PFC Martinez to Specialist on the first

of April. We are very honored to have young Soldiers that possess unlimited potential. It is certainly a well deserved early pro-

motion. Congratulations! Because of the tutelage of SFC Butterfield, we will be awarding the Army Achievement Medal (AAM)

to SGT Powers, and SPC Dillon for their phenomenal efforts as members of the first group to arrive at Kandahar and lead the

effort in preparing our helicopters for forward movement and mission use at Tarin Kowt. Their work was paramount to the

overall success of the company, and the Task Force!

We know how difficult it is for YOU to hold down the fort while we are away, and we want you to know that we are all very

grateful for the sacrifices you make ohard work and dedication at home. For that, we thank you! So, please continue to

keep your spirits up and send your love and support to your Kingsman! A happy family makes a happy Soldier. The

time will continue to fly by, and before you know it, R&R Leave will be starting!! Thank you to our fearless FRG

leader and all participants of the Family Readiness Group for keeping the families informed. Please continue to take

care of each other; your hard work has not gone unnoticed! Also, please do not be afraid to use the FRG and Rear

Detachment to assist with any issues you may have that are related to your spouse‘s deployment. If you need any-

thing at all, please feel free to contact the First Sergeant or myself, and we will answer any questions you may have!

As always, we are thinking of you and miss you very much. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Honor us by liv-

ing in peace, and we will continue to serve with pride and distinction!

OPERA NON VERBA!

Leah C. Shubin Kingsmen 06

Eddie D. Smith` Kingsmen 07

Tiger Maintenance is off and running! We have accomplished much in a short time - Aircraft Buildup,

100% Property Inventory, and not to mention assuming the mission from our brothers in No Mercy

(D, 1-101 Aviation Regiment). All this and more has been accomplished with the same standard-

setting excellence that Delta is known for. I am very proud of these Soldiers and am honored to serve

as a member of this unit. Know that we are greatly blessed with excellent living conditions as well as

with a very pleasant atmosphere - God is Good!

Tiger Maintenance

Congratulations to our most recently promoted Tigers! (SFC Smith, SSG Arend, SSG Tate, SPC Rosario, and SPC

Small). May you continue to do well at your new rank. Congratulations also to four other Tigers for recognition of their

good behavior. SFC Wietzema, SSG Morales, SGT Figueroa, and SPC Lavender all received the Army Good Conduct

Medal.

Dear Tiger Families, please remember that you may contact me at my email address:

miles.baker@afghan.swa.army.mil. I will gladly field your questions.

Until next month - Attack! And have a great month.

-CPT Baker (Tiger 06).

1LT Perkins with the “Jingle Camel” D Co at Task Force Patch Ceremony

WARRIORS

Birthdays

14 MAR – SGT Cobb

15 MAR – SPC Chumley

17 MAR – SSG Villalobos

19 MAR – SGT Reyes

Significant Events

15 March 2011

-SGT Matthew and Shyanna Bujcs

welcomed, son Austin Steven Bujcs

-PV2 Contreras promoted to PFC

Commander’s Corner Our company is already making a huge impact here in FOB TK. We’re continuously improving our areas of op-erations and all the Soldiers are keeping busy. All your support from the rear keeps the morale of the Soldiers high! They love getting care packages, even if it’s just a letter or a postcard. Just in case you forget the mailing address, you can find it below.

CPT KIM

- 1LT Foulkes

E Company, 3-101 Aviation Battalion, TF Attack, has settled in here at

FOB Tarin Kowt (TK). The Soldiers are getting used to their new way

of life and soaking up the great TK weather. It has been the rainy sea-

son so they had to adjust to the muddy conditions; however, the weather

is changing and the heat is starting to show as we near the end of March.

Soldiers are making good use of their time by utilizing all the great fa-

cilities of FOB Tarin Kowt. Each Soldier can enjoy the awesome AFN

cable which is free and internet (for a small fee) in the comfort of their

room. FOB Tarin Kowt has several locations that Soldiers can go to re-

lax. There is a barber shop, gym, MWR, and a little PX located on

Camp Cole. They can also venture out to the nearby Camp Holland that

has a restaurant and a dining facility that offers a free coffee bar on the

side for all the coffee lover‘s. There are also three Afghan stores located

on Camp Holland and we are awaiting the opening of the AAFES PX

that would provide a better variety of goodies to buy. Have no worries,

because if all fails, there are some internet websites that deliver to

APO‘s. Just to list a few: Amazon.com, Walmart.com, NewEgg.com,

and Tigerdirect.com . As we get more information on the websites we

will list them.

Spiritual Staying Power

James 1:2-4: ―Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your

faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking

in nothing.‖

It is just a fact of life: you and me will always encounter some measure of trouble. Adversity, whether it comes in the

form of marital miscommunication, parenting challenges with a teen or a geographical separation due to a deploy-

ment is a natural part of military life. However, I believe God uses troubles and oftentimes uses them repeatedly to

teach us about ourselves and even more importantly about His character. Moreover, God doesn‘t allow difficulties to

come into our lives to zap us, but rather it is His intent for us to gain His perspective on the trials/troubles and develop

spiritual staying power. How does the above scripture assist us in developing spiritual staying power?

First, God wants you to have His divine perspective in your ATTITUDE. In other words, you are to consider a par-

ticular brand of trouble—whether that is an untimely death in your family or your car breaking down as you are try-

ing to make an important meeting—with all joy. What is joy? Joy is a settled gladness that God is with me in what-

ever circumstance I go through. The Bible says of Jesus, ―who for the JOY set before Him endured the cross, despis-

ing the shame‖ (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus faced the cruelty of the cross with unwavering resolve because He entrusted

Himself to His Heavenly Father. Warren Wiersbe provides this insight about facing adversity, ―Our values deter-

mines our evaluations. If we value comfort more than character, then trials will upset us. If we value the material

and physical more than the spiritual, we will not be able to ‗count it all joy.‘ If we live only for the present and forget

the future, the trials will make us bitter, not better.‖

Secondly, God wants you to have His divine perspective in your EXPERIENCE. Spiritual endurance or staying power

means that you patiently remain under the pressure. In other words, spiritual staying power is developed by waiting

on God to take you through and remove your troubles and to teach you from it. This invariably reveals what is going

on in your heart, but more importantly it reveals the compassionate heart of God.

We are praying for all of our Attack Strong Families to have spiritual staying power in the coming weeks and months.

Trust God with whatever you are facing…

TF ATK Religious Support Team:

Chaplain Cheney

PFC Jackson

CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

TOA CEREMONY

On 09 Mar 2011, TF Attack assumed responsibility from TF No Mercy of

operating in Uruzgan, Helmand, and Northern Kandahar provinces of Afghani-

stan. TF Attack will continue the daunting task of conducting missions such as

MEDEVAC, security, reconnaissance, Air Assault, and aerial movement. Before

the Transfer of Authority, TF Attack spent a 14 month cycle preparing for this

day. The training included multiple gunneries, an NTC Rotation, an Off Post

Training at Fort Bliss, and a Staff Exercise at Fort Rucker. Needless to say this

Task Force is well prepared and trained for this difficult and rewarding mission.

For the Soldiers of Task Force No Mercy, this marks the end of a year long de-

ployment away from their family and friends. For Task Force Attack, this starts

the journey of building relationships, preserving freedom, and defending against

all that is evil for the people of Afghanistan. LTC Hynes tells his Soldiers ―We as

a Task Force may not win this war ourselves, but we will leave this place better

than when we got here‖. That will be the task and goal for this unit and yet again

another rendezvous with destiny.