Two Aviation Brigade Soldiers Commander’s Columnstatic.dvidshub.net/media/pubs/pdf_0291.pdfPhoto by Spc. Derek Del Rosario While being graded by Staff Sgt. Fabian Oskierko (front),

Vol. 1, Issue 9 Published for the Soldiers and Families of the Falcon Brigade August 15, 2005

see COMMANDER, page 2

Maj. Gen. William G. Webster, Commander of Task Force Baghdad, con-gratulates Chaplain (Capt.) Felix Kumai, 1-3 ARB chaplain, after the natu-ralization ceremony on Camp Victory on July 25. See page 5 for story.

Photo by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Brian Callahan

Page 9Page 7Page 3

Marne Express Band rocks TajiVehicle Rodeo

Commander’s Column:Two Aviation Brigade Soldiers become America’s newest citizens

Since the transfer of authority inFebruary, our Soldiers continue toamaze and surprise me at everyturn, and the brigade as a wholehas posted some outstanding factsand figures to bring that pointhome. Like I have been and con-tinue to be, I think that you will beamazed at what you see. In pastnewspapers we have run stories onthe outstanding efforts by theSoldiers that make up our Class3/5(Refuel and Re-armingSpecialists) sections. Since weassumed this mission, theseSoldiers have dispensed over sixmillion gallons of fuel, toCoalition aircraft of all types andsizes and to tactical vehicles.What makes this achievementmore significant is that that theyhave done it without an accident orincident. The hard work done bythese Soldiers has enabled thebrigade to fly over 40, 000 hours.This is an incredible achievementand is a testament to the profes-sionalism, dedication and commit-ment to the mission by the pilotsand aircrew members at all levels.

But it doesn't stop there. Wehave continued to build upon thesuccess of what was started priorto our arrival at Taji. OurAdministration and LogisticsCenter, ALOC, is now completedand all of our critical support func-tions are located together underone roof. The new Medical Clinicis nearing completion. The addi-tion of the south-ramp has allowedus to set-up three new maintenancehangers, providing us with betterworking areas, and allowingSoldiers to work on aircraftindoors and stay out of the intense

The Falcon Flyer July 25, 2005

2

“Who will win the CollegeFootball National Championship

this season?”

"USC has whatit takes to

repeat.Hiesman win-

ner MattLeinhart is

returning andReggie Bush isthe best playerin all of college

football."

Sgt. JohnSosebee, Avn Bde

Legal Office

"University ofTexas comesclose everyyear, but thisyear they willtake it all theway. Theyhave a goodcoach thatfinally has it alltogether."

Pfc. KevinPhinney, HSC

603rd ASB

CWO RobertaSheffield, FoodService Advisor

Spc. Zach Hayes,D Co. 3-3 ARB

"The GeorgiaBulldog's QB

has been wait-ing for hischance to

prove himself,and behind a

dominant run-ning game,

UGA will go allthe way."

"Even thoughthe Ohio St.Buckeyes playthree top tenteams thisseason, theywill be thenationalchamps.Being aBuckeye fan islike a religionfor me."

The Falcon Flyer is published in the interest of the servicemembers of the 3rd Infantry Division's Aviation Brigade.The Falcon Flyer is an Army-funded newsletter authorizedfor members of the U.S. Army, under the provision of AR360-1. Contents of The Falcon Flyer are not necessarily theofficial views of, nor endorsed by, the U.S. Government,Department of Defense or Department of the Army.

3ID Commander: Maj. Gen. William G. WebsterAvn. Bde. Commander: Col. Ronald D. TuggleAvn. Bde. PAO: Maj. David J. WeisTeam NCOIC: Staff Sgt. Tad A. Browning Writer, Editor, Photographer: Spc. Jennifer D. Fitts, Spc.Derek Del Rosario

COMMANDER’S COLUMN: AviationSoldiers showing hard work, dedication continued from page 1

“WINGS OF THE MARNE”

COL TUGGLE

heat and sun of the summer and thecolder rainy days of winter as muchas possible. The battalions continueto improve their areas as well provid-ing Soldiers with as many of the com-forts of home as possible.

In addition to all of that we havebegun a Partnership program with theIraqi Air Force that we share the samework space with here at Taji. In thecoming issues you will see the payoffthat this effort has made in forging astrong and lasting relationshipbetween the aviators of our two coun-tries.

As the front page proclaims, thebrigade has two of the newest citizensof the United States of America;CHAP (CPT) Felix Kumai of 1-3Attack Reconnaissance Battalion andSGT Sahadat Khan of the 603rdAviation Support Battalion.Congratulations to both of you and toyour families as well. This is a greatachievement that is good for you, theArmy and the country. Over the com-ing months additional Falcon Soldierswill be taking this same oath and wewish them all the luck as they pursuetheir dream of becoming a UnitedStates citizen. The Soldiers of thebrigade stand ready to assist in yourefforts to achieve a life-long goal.

Lastly, congratulations to LTCTom Climer for his selection as a bat-talion commander. LTC Climer iscurrently the Brigade S-3. He hasbeen selected to command, 2-2Aviation Battalion, 2nd InfantryDivision, Seoul, South Korea. LTCClimer will take command shortlyafter we return to the states.Congratulations to he and his family.

I want to spend a moment and talkabout routine. It is an in-evitable by-product in any long-term deploymentthat we will settle into a routine. Thishappens without many of us realizing

it. While not negative in nature, itcan lead to complacency and that issomething we all need to avoid.Complacency is simply not maintain-ing your situational awareness. Onearea in particular where complacencyis most prevalent is while driving atactical vehicle, Gator or even a bicy-cle. Leaders at all levels must contin-ue to enforce the standard...helmetuse; seatbelt and speed limit are non-negotiable areas, period! Weaponsdiscipline. A negligent discharge isjust that...negligent! Leaders need tocontinue to re-enforce properweapons clearing procedures. Safetyis the key to our success and the suc-cess of the mission. Safety mustalways come first and foremost ineverything we do; that can not bestressed enough.

To our families at home, you tooneed to keep safety in the forefront ineverything that you do. As summerbegins to fade, as vacations come toan end and as our children head backto school, our spouses will becomebusier than ever shuttling betweenschool, after-school activities and theroutine of running the home. I ask allof our spouses to take that extraminute to ensure that what you oryour children are doing is the rightand safe thing always!

Finally, be proud of the good workthat you are doing here in Iraq. Ourmission here is vital for the stabilityand safety of all Iraqi's, and theregion as well. Thank you for all thatyou do, and thank you to our familiesfor your continued support.


3

Hollywood conjures up visions of rodeos with hard-bittencowboys, gleaming horses, frantically bucking bulls and anever-present layer of dust over shiny hubcap-sized beltbuckles and the rodeo queen's sequins.

During the 3rd Battalion 3rd Aviation Regiment (AttackReconnaissance) tactical vehicle rodeo last month, about theonly things in common with Hollywood's idea of a rodeowere dust and horseshoes. Horses were in short supply,found only under the hoods of the tactical vehicles, and nosequins were spotted.

Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey L. Smith, Headquarters andHeadquarters Company, 3-3 ARB, came up with the idea togive Soldiers a bit of a challenge and a chance to get togeth-er and have some fun.

"I started planning (the rodeo) in March," said Smith,"training the Soldiers, gathering the materials, and mainte-nance."

Preparing for the rodeo required around 60 hours ofmaintenance on the vehicles, to ensure all the seats and mir-rors adjusted correctly and all defaults were corrected, saidSmith.

For 1st Sgt. Tim A. Edsall, HHC, 3-3 ARB, there were nodoubts Smith would put together a first-class event.

"I knew he'd handle it and do it professionally," saidEdsall. "Everything he does over here is professional."

Around 20 Soldiers competed in three categories. Eachcompeting Soldier started with a written test, covering gen-eral knowledge of the vehicle and preventative maintenancechecks and services. Next, communicating via tactical

Day in and day out, aviation brigadeaircraft are taken apart for routine“phase” maintenance or to handleproblems that come up in daily opera-tion. After looking at an aircraft that’sbeen in a million pieces on a hangarfloor, and then put back together, it cantake a special breed of pilot to be will-ing to be the first one to take it out fora spin.

In 1st Battalion, 3rd AviationRegiment (Attack Reconnaissance),that job is handled by the maintenancetest pilots.

Being a maintenance test pilotrequires quite a bit of experience in theaircraft, as well as additional training atFt. Rucker, Ala. A pilot who wants togo through the course at Ft. Ruckermust have at least 550 hours of pilot incommand time, said Chief WarrantOfficer 3 Joe A. Laucius, A Co., 1-3ARB, but “usually, successful (mainte-nance) pilots have a bit more time thanthat.”

The four-month-long course is “themost demanding flying course, withouta doubt,” said Laucius.

Actually figuring out what’s wrongwith a particular aircraft is a big part ofa maintenance test pilot’s job, saidChief Warrant Officer 3 Joseph B.Shorts, A Co., 1-3 ARB.

A pilot may bring Shorts an aircraftand a list of “symptoms”, leaving it upto Shorts to figure out exactly what’swrong.

Starting at the beginning is animportant part of the whole process.Pulling out the logbook is the first step,since that can give indications ofwhat’s happening with the helicoptersince crew chiefs record details ofevery flight.

“The big thing is…going throughthe troubleshooting procedure,” saidShorts, originally from Cherry Point,N.C. “We’ll figure out what’s wrongby what we know, what the book says,what the other guys around you know.”

For general maintenance questions,the pilots look in the interactive elec-tronic technical manual (IETM). Afterfiguring out the general scope of aproblem, the test pilots dig a bit deeperinto other technical manuals.

“There’s a lot of information, andknowing where to find that information

Spc. Jennifer D. FittsAviation Brigade PAO

Photo by Spc. Jennifer D. FittsChief Warrant Officer 3 Joseph B.Shorts, a maintenace test pilot from ACo., 1-3rd ARB, looks through a manu-al to diagnose a problem in an Apache. See PILOTS, page 12

Photo by Spc. Derek Del RosarioWhile being graded by Staff Sgt. Fabian Oskierko (front), DCo. 3-3 ARB, Sgt. Phillip Hernandez, HHC 3-3 ARB, moves abarrel into the designated square in order to score points forthe military vehicle rodeo.


See RODEO, page 10

Tiger sharks pony up skills in vehicle rodeo

Maintenance test pilots cure Apache ‘symptoms’

4


When a Soldier is in trouble some-where within the Multi-NationalDivision-Baghdad area and needs to betransported to the nearest combat hos-pital, it is a special group of Soldiersassigned to the Aviation Brigade thatare called upon to get the job done.

This group is made up of the pilots,crew chiefs and flight medics of the50th Medical Company (Air Assault)from Ft. Campbell, Ky., who spendtheir days, and nights, ready to answerthe call anywhere in the Multi NationalDivision-Baghdad area.

Although the unit calls the 101stAirborne Division (Air Assault) home,it is attached to the 2nd Battalion, 3rdAviation Regiment (General Support)for the duration of the deployment. Toensure equal coverage, the unit isdivided with part of the unit at CampFalcon in order to support in the south-ern part of the MND-B area.

Missions are sorted into three cate-gories; urgent, priority and routine.Daily missions can fall into any of thethree categories.

“Generally, when we’re called it’s‘life, limb or eyesight,’” said Staff Sgt.Jamie J. Rath, referring to the type ofmissions 50th medical evacuation(medevac) pilots and medics respondto at Ft. Campbell or in other theaters.

That isn’t set in stone, though, saidRath, since the 50th medevac willsometimes pick up what might normal-ly be a ground ambulance mission.

The teams are divided into day andnight crews, who are on stand by tohandle an average of six to eight mis-sions a day.

The pace ebbs and flows dependingon operations within theater and med-ical needs, said Chief Warrant Officer3 Gary T. Murphy, a pilot from Greely,Nebraska.

It’s all day to day, said Rath.“We’ve had days where all of the air-craft were out, and days wherenobody’s flying.” One of the busiestand more difficult days for the compa-ny saw 24 missions completed in 23hours.

At Camp Taji, shifts generally lastanywhere from 10-13 hours, the begin-ning of each shift overlapping the end-ing shift by about an hour, allowingtime to relay information and brief theincoming crew. Camp Falcon, with amarginally slower operational tempo,runs crews on 24-hour shifts.

With the aircraft ready to go at anytime, Soldiers from the 50th are capa-ble of responding to an emergencywithin minutes. Making sure the heli-copters are squared away and ready togo means that maintenance is a teameffort.

The company maintenance shopplays a big role in keeping the medevachelicopters mission-ready. “We relyon them pretty heavily, since we’relimited on what we can do,” saidJoshua M. Martinez, a medic fromSanta Fe, N.M.

The crew chiefs take care of mainte-

nance that doesn’t take the aircraft outof service, with each shift helping outtheir counterpart. Day crews will takecare of inspections for the night crew’sbirds and the night crew returns thefavor. While crew chiefs work mainte-nance, the medics ensure they have theappropriate medical supplies stockedand ready for the next mission...when-ever that comes.

Support from the other aviationunits, “the attack assets especially, hasbeen outstanding,” said Murphy.“They’ve been crucial in us performingthis mission.”

That support is appreciated, saidMartinez. “When it’s just me and thecrew chief running down the road,” hesaid, “it’s definitely a little bit of com-fort if you see another guy circlingaround.”

In a demanding and fast-paced envi-ronment like a medevac unit, all of thepersonnel, including the medics haveto be on top of their game. We’ve gota pretty good screening process,” saidMurphy, “and we generally get thecream of the crop.”

Although a doctor or a physician’sassistant may come along for the ride,the flight times to and from Camp Tajiare short so often it’s just the flightmedic taking care of up to six patients.The crew chiefs are combat life saverqualified, and will help the medics outwhen possible.

Flight medics can be ground medicswho have on the job training for flight,or medics who have attended a flight-medic specific class. No medic is bet-ter than any other medic because theywent through the flight medic course,said Rath.

Although the busy schedule keepsthe Soldiers in the 50th medevac ontheir toes, the unit keeps each otherfocused. “We’re here for each other,and we’ve all got our game face on,”said Murphy.

Eighty-five percent of the unit hasdeployed together before. “We’reabout as tight as we can be,” saidMurphy, “and we’re all mission-focused.”

Being there for the guys on theground is important to the medics andpilots of the 50th medevac company.

To take six, seven or eight Soldiersand get them somewhere to receivemedical treatment, it is instant job grat-ification,” said Rath, “We took themout of the worst possible situationimaginable, and took them somewheresafe and I was a part of that.”

Medevac Co. trained, ready

Photo by Spc. Jennifer D. Fitts(left to right) Spc. Joshua M. Martinez, Staff Sgt. Jamie J. Rath and Chief WarrantOfficer 3 Gary T. Murphy conduct a crew briefing prior to the mission.


CAMP VICTORY, Iraq - In a former dictator's palace,surrounded by the remnants of the old regime, more than130 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines raised theirright hands to swear an oath of citizenship to a countryfounded on the ideals of freedom and democracy.

America's newest citizens came from all over Iraqto participate in the ceremony, representing lands asdiverse as Africa, South America and Asia. More thanhalf of the men and women present at the ceremony in Al-Faw Palace joined the military after Sept. 11, 2001.

For Sgt. Sahadat I. Khan and Chaplain (Capt.)Felix K. Kumai, two Soldiers from Aviation Brigade, 3rdInfantry Division, the July 25 ceremony marked the end ofa journey filled with hard work and frustrations and end-ing with a ceremony naming them as citizens.

Khan, originally from Kingston, Jamaica, movedto the United States eight years ago to find a better lifeand "get away from bad influences."

Since he'd always wanted to be a Soldier, Khanenlisted in the Army shortly after arriving in the U.S.Over the past three years, he has attempted to pursue hiscitizenship numerous times, but his case was frustrated bydeployments.

"I tried to become a citizen on numerous occa-sions…my case would get terminated due to no response,"said Khan. During this deployment, Khan was in the mid-dle of another attempt at obtaining his citizenship whenyet another roadblock popped up

He received a letter stating his case as "pending"while stationed at Logistics Staging Area Anaconda as aliaison officer. Since all citizenship cases require aninterview, and knowing he would miss the date because ofthe deployment, Khan didn't want this effort to end up dis-missed as well.

"The biggest challenge was finding the right peo-ple to help (me)," said Khan. "The local legal office pret-ty much went to bat for me to get my case completed."

Khan encourages Soldiers who are thinking aboutobtaining citizenship to pursue the challenge. "Do it! I

mean if you're in themilitary, you made acommitment to putyour life on the line todefend the country,"said Khan.

Having one lessworry on his mind hashelped with Khan'smorale during thedeployment. "It's likegetting rid of one of thebiggest monkeys that'sbeen riding my back fora while," said Khan.

For Kumai, get-ting his citizenship wasnecessary to continuehis work as an Armychaplain.

Kumai came tothe U.S. from northernNigeria six years ago topursue his education,obtaining his master's

degree, and later his doctorate. Although the regionwhere he was born is primarily Muslim, Kumai felt a call-ing to the Catholic Church.

Joining the Army in New York, Kumai saw it asan opportunity to accomplish great things in his life.

"I love Army discipline, and I wanted to be phys-ically fit," said Kumai, "and I knew the Army wouldafford me the opportunity to maintain that physical disci-pline and would be an opportunity to serve God in a verydifferent and very, very challenging ministry."

As with Khan, the interview process was thebiggest hurdle for Kumai to overcome on the road to citi-zenship. Kumai started the process last year, but wasalready deployed when the letter with his interview datearrived in theater.

"I was given an interview date of March 16, butthe letter came here (Iraq) on the 17th," said Kumai.

To keep the process going, Kumai contacted hislegal team. Trying to coordinate things through email washis biggest challenge, said Kumai, but "I just trustedeverything to fate."

For Soldiers considering pursing citizenship whiledeployed, Kumai recommends they work with their legaloffice and chain of command.

"I'd advise the Soldier to work with them, espe-cially the legal team," said Kumai. "They've been excep-tionally good and I'm sure that we were able to pull thisoff because of them."

The positive reactions of his family as well as theAviation Bde. and his battalion helped Kumai with need-ed support during the difficult rounds of emails and paper-work. His family "shouted with joy," said Kumai, wholooked forward to the ceremony during hard times in thedeployment.

"Fill out that form, start that paperwork," Kumaiadvised. "There are good Soldiers here who are reallywilling to help make this happen."


5

Avn. Bde. Soldiers: new U.S. citizensby Spc. Jennifer D. FittsAviation Brigade PAO

Photos by Spc. Jennifer FittsCAMP VICTORY, Iraq-(From left to right) Lt. Col. PedroAlmeida, commander of 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment(Attack Reconnaissance), Chaplain (Capt.) Felix K. Kumai,Headquarter and Headquarters Co., 1-3 ARB, Col. Ronald D.Tuggle, 3rd Aviation Brigade commander, Sgt. Sahahdat I.Khan, Headquarters Support Company, 603rd ASB, and Lt.Col. Terry L. Rice, 603rd ASB, are all smiles after the natural-ization ceremony here on July 25. Kumai and Khan were bothnaturalized as American citizens during this deployment.

Sgt. Sahadat Khan receives a hand-shake from Lt. Gen. John R. Vines,Multi-National Corps-Iraq com-mander, after being naturalized.

6


AviationBrigade inaction

Photo by Spc Derek Del RosarioSgt. Craig McDonald, A Co. 693rd Aviation Support Battalion,fills in numbers for global positioning.

photo by Spc. Derek Del RosarioCapt. David Brodsky, Human Resources Officer,looks over some paper work in the Aviation BrigadeALOC.

photo by Spc. Derek Del RosarioSgt. Sidney T. Cowan, Alpha company 2nd Battalion 3rd AviationRegiment (General Support), conducts maintenance on a Blackhawk.

photo by Spc. Derek Del RosarioSgt. Adam Cates, Alpha co. 3-3 ARB, is grad-ed by Sgt. Phillip Hernandez, HHC 3-3 ARB,during the radio test portion of the vehiclerodeo.


7

Moving Soldiers, civilians andother military personnel from one for-ward operating base to another byground convoy in order to attendmeetings, to take care of paperworkproblems or to send a Soldier onleave usually isn’t ideal in light of thesheer number of Soldiers needed for aground convoy.

Enter the “Marne Express”, the airshuttle that hops between militarycamps in central Iraq.

Hard-working pilots and crewchiefs of the 3rd Infantry Division’s4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment(Attack Helicopter) work long hoursto transport Soldiers all over theBaghdad area and surroundingcamps.

“There were so many requests foraircraft to move personnel on routinebusiness that the division decided toset up a shuttle,” said Capt. MaryBeth Thompson, a pilot withHeadquarters and HeadquartersCompany, Aviation Brigade. ThePhiladelphia native sometimes takesthe controls as a pilot for the MarneExpress, as well as working with sup-ply and logistics for HHC.

The Marne Express provides aquick and easy method of movingSoldiers who are taking care of theday-to-day business of the division.

While it may seem impractical touse aviation assets as a shuttle, theMarne Express greatly reduces thenumber of Soldiers and equipmentneeded to transport personnel fromone FOB to another. It allows thedivision to retain the necessary com-bat power, that would normally beused to transport Soldiers on routinemissions, available to conduct dailyoperations.

Making such frequent trips meansa lot of hours spent in the air—somany that in time spent since thedeployment in January A Co. hasequaled the number of hours theyspent in the air through all ofOperation Iraqi Freedom 1.

That many hours in the air meansmore hours maintaining the aircrafton the ground. Between maintenanceand flying, Soldiers from A Co. rou-tinely work long days, with little timeoff.

“We work extremely hard to keepthe aircraft going,” said Sgt. RandelE. Beyer, Black Hawk crew chiefwith A Co., 4th Bn., 3rd Avn.

Regiment. “It’s not because they’rebroken, but for routine maintenance.”

About six aircraft in A Co. are upand running on a daily basis, handlingnot only the Marne Express but alsoday-to-day missions, such as request-ed personnel movement. The compa-ny runs in cycles, a “day heavy” anda “night heavy” cycle. During dayheavy cycles, the night shift picks upa lot of the scheduled maintenance,said Beyer, and helps handle the non-scheduled maintenance that comesup. Since there are two shifts, whenthe night cycle picks up, the daycrews help out with maintenance.“It’s a team effort,” said Beyer.“Besides, who wants to go home withsomething unaccomplished?”

The days may be long and hard,but A Co. Soldiers don’t let that getthem down. They get along well andthere’s no strife in the company, saidBeyer. Although that’s probablyunusual, it doesn’t seem to surpriseBeyer.

“We’re one of the companies thatpushes hard. We try to lead,” Beyersaid. “We’re competitive and we’llput in those extra hours to keep theaircraft fixed. We just love our jobs.”

Photos by Spc. Jennifer D. FittsTop right-Sgt. Randel E. Beyer, A Co., 4-3 AHB, preps a weapon mount during pre-flight checks.

Above-From left to right, Capt. Mary Beth Thompson, HHC, Avn. Bde., Spc. Corey L. Rhodes, A Co. 4-3 AHB,Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ben Carter, A Co., 4-3AHB, and Sgt. Randel E. Beyer all listen closely during the pre-flight crew briefing before setting off to make the rounds on the “Marne Express” shuttle service.


Marne Express:Getting Soldiers where they need to go


8

Life on stage is often hot,but stage lights don’t usuallyheat things up to the 120degrees Iraq sees during thesummer months. On a stagemade of two flatbed semi-trailers under desert camou-flage netting, Gina and theBootleggers added their ownsizzle to the evening.

Gina Notrica and theBootleggers, a rock andcountry band from SouthernCalifornia on a five day tourof Iraq, cranked out tunesfrom a range of artists, fromcountry greats MartinaMcBride and Patsy Cline, tothe legendary Tina Turner,with original songs adding apersonal note.

“I wanted to come here,where I could make the mostdifference,” said Notrica, anArmy brat from HuntingtonBeach, Calif., but she didn’tknow how. It took about ayear, but finally, she foundAKA Productions, aSouthern Calif. productioncompany specializing inmilitary shows to Iraq,Afghanistan and theBalkans.

Several of the band mem-bers have been on morale,welfare and recreation toursbefore, although this isNotrica’s first visit to Iraq.After her first tour to theBalkans in 2004, Notricaknew that she needed tocome to Iraq to repay a debtshe felt she owed to the

Army. While overseas during the

Korean War, her fatherreceived news that hisexpectant wife had givenbirth. The baby, Notrica’solder sister, was fine butdoctors were worried hermother might not survivecomplications from the

birth. Twenty men from her

father’s unit pooled theirmoney, bought a ticket andput Notrica’s father on thenext plane stateside. Threedays after sending Notrica’sfather home, his unit was

Gina and the Bootleggers sizzle at TajiSpc. Jennifer D. FittsAviation Brigade PAO

Photos by Spc. Jennifer D. FittsGina Notrica and the Bootleggers, a country band from Southern California, entertainedSoldiers at Camp Taji during a five day tourn in Iraq.

see BAND, page 10

Photos by Spc. Jennifer D. FittsDuring an aviation brigade prayer breakfast here celebrating the 230th birth-

day of the Army Chaplain’s Corps, guest speaker Chaplain (Lt. Col.) JamesWhite, (left) 3rd Infantry Division chaplain, not only asked the question, heanswered it as well.

“Soldiers in combat need chaplains,” said White, “because we’re spiritual peo-ple and that doesn’t stop in combat.”

Chaplain (Capt. ) Nils Juarez, (right) 603rd ASB chaplain, offers a prayer.

WWhhoo nneeeeddss cchhaappllaa iinnss aannyywwaayy??


9

With helicopters in the air, groundassets moving from one point to anoth-er, and large numbers of Soldiers tokeep track of at any moment, keeping afinger on the pulse of the aviationbrigade can be a hectic job.

For Soldiers who work in the avia-tion brigade tactical operations center(TOC), it’s just another day at theoffice.

The purpose of the TOC is to pro-vide continuous situational awarenessof all activities as they relate to thebrigade and the overall area of opera-tions in order to provide the command-er with instantaneous information onwhere the aircraft are, and any signifi-cant activities that may have happenedand or taken place. It is more than oneperson can handle, and to perform thismission correctly, it takes a talentedteam of Soldiers to make it happen.

Since they're sometimes separatedfrom units out on patrol and flying mis-sions over Baghdad, the Soldiers relyheavily on information received byradio, allowing them to track division,brigade and battalions operations.What would a TOC be withoutmaps...and plenty of them, in order toprovide a birds-eye view of the area.

A typical beginning to the day, ornight, in the TOC begins with a shiftchange brief. This brief provides theincoming shift with important informa-tion about what’s happened during theprevious shift.

The operations specialists that mon-itor the radios keep the informationflowing by relaying important informa-tion to the people who need to know.The radios are monitored by two shifts,both approximately 12 hours long.

The Soldiers on the radio are thefirst step in tracking what’s going onthroughout the aviation brigade, saidthe night TOC NCO, Sgt. 1st ClassMarlon G. Freeman, Headquarters andHeadquarters Company. Freeman,from Syracuse, N.Y., knows that hecan rely on the Soldiers who monitorthe radios to be professional and quick.

“We run the information up,” saidPfc. Josh O. Grassl, HHC, “fromsitreps (situation reports) to spotreports. Without us, it would be a lotharder to know what’s going on.”

Information from the Soldiers man-ning the radios gets passed to the battleNCO on the way up to the battle cap-tain.

To Sgt. Joseph J. Steele, HHC,being able to foster a sense of profes-

sionalism and self-reliance is an impor-tant part of his job.

“The guys here are professionals,”said Steele, a Montgomery, Ala.native, “and they know how to get themost important information where itneeds to go in the quickest time possi-ble.”

Watching these young Soldiersdevelop the skills to juggle six radiosamong four operators is a source ofpride for the battle NCOs. “I don’thave to worry about what’s going onand they don’t need an NCO standingover them,” said Freeman. “Most ofthese guys don’t give themselvesenough credit.”

From the Soldiers on the radio,important information goes through thebattle NCO to the battle captain andbattle major. Keeping the rest of theTOC in synch, and piecing all theinformation together is where the battlecaptain and battle major come in, saidMaj. Jeff A. Rothermel. “We keeptrack of it all, from the specific infor-mation to the whole picture,” saidRothermel, a native of Iowa City,Iowa.

Keeping an eye on the ground is alsopart of the daily routine at the TOC.The fires support officer, FSO, moni-tors and tracks potential targets anddetermines whether or not the object isa threat based on past insurgent activi-ty and other information gathered by

various sources. Taking bits and pieces of all of the

information available, the intelligencesection in the TOC uses it all to evalu-ate the level of threat to the aircraft fly-ing in the battle space. Pulling it alltogether keeps “the pilots as safe aspossible while supporting the troops onthe ground,” said Spc. Ryan A. Boas,from Fairport, N.Y.

To support movement around thedivision’s area of operations, the TOCalso handles air mission requests.These requests can be almost anythingfrom moving troops and cargo, to help-ing support counterinsurgency opera-tions by Coalition forces.

Managing all the information avail-able in the TOC to move aviationassets where they’re needed most iswhat all these Soldiers work togetherto accomplish, said Sgt. Maj. Becky L.Johnston.

With a set schedule of long days, theSoldiers may not get a lot of downtime, said Johnston, but they knowhow critical their jobs are, and havekept their heads in the game.

“If they lose focus, a lot of peopleare affected,” said the Corps Christi,Texas native, “but we don’t miss apiece (of information) when someonecalls for help.”

“These Soldiers haven’t missed abeat yet,” said Johnston, “and I don’texpect them to.”

Photo by Spc. Jennifer D. FittsSpc. Candice J. Forney, from Sandusky, Ohio, and Pfc. Joshue S. Morgan, fromAtlanta, Ga. make entries in the daily log.

Keeping a finger on the pulse of the Avn. Bde.Tactical Operations Center:

Spc. Jennifer D. FittsAviation Brigage PAO


10

ambushed at a site known as CapitolHill in Korea and all the men werekilled in action.

Like Notrica, wanting to give backto the men and women serving in theIraq is the reason most of Notrica’sband members cite for enduring thehardships of a tour in a combat zone.

To Dave James, the piano playerfrom Tustin Calif., it’s a matter of giv-ing back to the military he grew uparound. “Politics don’t have anythingto do with it,” said James, “You canask 50 people and get 40 opinions onthis whole thing, but I’ve had a luckytime in my career and I wanted to paythat back.”

The guitarist, Art Holland, wantedto play for Soldiers as a way to giveback during this war. The SouthernCalif. native had no desire to getinvolved in Vietnam and “maybe I feela little bit guilty for not serving there,so this is my way to give back,” saidHolland.

Band members dubbed the whirl-wind visit “The Blackhawk Tour” forthe method of transportation aroundtheater, and take its’ challenges instride. The schedule is hectic, with theband arriving at a camp in the morning,

setting up in the afternoon, performingin the evening and leaving for anothercamp the following morning.

“This many back to back shows ishard,” said Notrica of the five shows infive days, “even on tour in the Statesyou get some time off.”

Dealing with the heat is anotherchallenge, but the band members getmore out of the trip than just dust andpictures in the desert.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie andchemistry” between the band mem-bers, said James, and they get to see adifferent view of the war. Talking tomore Soldiers, “it’s not quite what yousee on the evening news,” said James.

This tour was more organized thanhis last, said Holland, and “morale wasmuch better than I anticipated.”

Band members aren’t the only oneswho appreciate getting the chance tocome to Iraq.

“I think it’s great that we have per-formers who come over here for peopleto enjoy the music,” said Staff Sgt.Cedric P. Mize, Headquarters andHeadquarters Company, AviationBrigade, 3rd Infantry Division. “I justwish more entertainers would do it.”

Although Notrica misses her two

daughters, she knows that she’s in theright place to give back to Soldiers.

“The shows are the best part,” saidNotrica, “I get to take the Soldiersminds off where they are, and that’swhat I’m here for.”

8

radio, including finding the correct technical manual, andloading the correct frequencies into the radio. Finally,Soldiers tested their skill in the driver's seat, each type ofequipment demanding different skills.

Each event in each category was timed, and points wereadded based on speed, accuracy and knowledge. The fewerpoints a Soldier accumulated the better.

The light vehicle category included a humvee with a shorttrailer. Soldiers had to drive a short course with the vehicle,including backing around a tight 90 degree turn with thetrailer.

"Backing up around that turn was the hardest part," saidSgt. Ryan N. Ray, A Co. 3-3 ARB, Apache crew chief. Thenative of Glen Burnie, Md. has truck drivers in his family.Evidently, "It's in my blood," said Ray.

A large forklift with a pallet of barrels made up the mate-rial handling category. Drivers had to maneuver the forkliftthrough a short course carrying the barrels, as then placethem in the center of a trailer.

The heavy vehicle category included a hemmitt truckwith a light material handling crane and heavy equipmenttrailer. Soldiers competing in this category had to drive thelarge truck and trailer through a course, back through a tightturn, and use the crane to move cargo.

"It's a good environment, considering where we're at,"said Spc. Roland J. Young, a radio operator with the scoutplatoon. Young, from Boston, Mass. competed in the lightvehicle category.

Capt. Derek P. Story, HHC 3-3 ARB commander, feltthat the rodeo provided a well deserved break for the

Tigersharks."I thought it was a great idea. I'd heard of them (vehicle

rodeos), but I'd never seen one," said Story. "This getsSoldiers away from the daily routine, and is really turningout to be a good event."

Finding time for Soldiers to unwind and relax for a littlewhile is important to Command Sgt. Maj. David Stone, 3-3ARB.

"We work hard, and the mission can't stop," said Stone,"but those Soldiers who have an off day have something todo other than go to their rooms and watch TV."

"We don't get a chance to get together much," said Stone,"This is team-building, and a good time."

RODEO, continued from page 3Tiger sharks pony up skills during tactical vehicle rodeo

BAND, continued from page 8

Gina and the Bootleggers add sizzle to Taji Fight NightSgt. Ryan Ray, A Co. 3rd Battalion 3-3 ARB drives a LMTVthrough a course as part of vehicle rodeo.

photo by Spc. Jennifer Fitts.Gina Notrica at Camp Taji Fight Night.


11

This is important so listen carefully as your hearingdepends on it. Hearing loss caused byloud noise is the most common injury inthe Army.

Soldiers in the Aviation Brigade mustpay even closer attention to this messageas they may be at a higher risk due toequipment such as helicopters, genera-tors, hammers etc that they operate,maintain or work in close proximity to.

Hearing loss caused by loud noise canbecome permanent and is not medicallytreatable.

You can protect your hearing by wear-ing properly fitted hearing protection. Ifyou have to scream to be heard 3 feetaway then you require hearing protec-tion.

Your Environmental Science Officer can test your work-place for dangerous noise levels and tell you what kind ofhearing protection to use.

For steady-state noise of 85 to 103 decibels, you mustwear single hearing protection, either earplugs or noise

muffs. Noise from 104 to 108 decibels requires double hearing

protection. That’s when you wear earplugs in combinationwith noise muffs or a helmet designed to reduce noise.

Noise greater than 108 decibels notonly requires you to wear double protec-tion but also to limit your time exposedto noise.

Common types of hearing protectioninclude earplugs and noise muffs. Foamearplugs (NSN 6515-00-137-6345) aredisposable and do not require fitting bymedically trained personnel. They comein a dispenser box with an adhesive backthat makes it easy to stick the box to awall or door in your work area. AllSoldiers should have received properlyfitted earplugs prior to deploying. Noisemuffs (NSN 4240-00-022-2946) are con-sidered safety items. You can requestthem through regular supply channels.

Also, be aware that listening to extremely loud musicthrough headphones can also cause hearing loss.

For more information on this topic or to request a noisesurvey performed in your unit area, contact the Avn. Bde.Environmental Science Officer, Capt. Lalini Pillay.

Listen up! Can you hear me now?Capt. Lalini PillayBrigade Environmental Science Officer

SAFETY CORNERA recent near- miss has prompted

the need to review some fundamentalsin operating vehicles on the flightline.There’s no great technical competencyrequired - just exercising some basiccommon sense.

PERSONNEL SHOULD BEAWARE OF THE FOLLOWINGSAFETY PRECAUTIONS WHENOPERATING WITHIN THE FENCE,ON THE RAMP/TAXIWAYS , ANDAROUND PARKED AND RUN-NING AIRCRAFT:

Inside the fence: Vehicles will notoperate at a speed greater than 10 mph(half speed on most gators, the Polariseven less). No vehicle will operate inexcess of 5 mph when in close proxim-ity to aircraft.

Only vehicles authorized by ADOCwill be allowed on the airfield. Thevehicle will be issued an airfield pass.

Foreign Object Damage (FOD)occurs when litter or debris is ingestedinto the intake of an aircraft engine.FOD damage can be expensive andcause unnecessary maintenance down-time. Watch for and pick-up anydebris such as bolts, dirt, rocks, paper,plastics, etc. Report FOD problems toyour safety officer. Don’t drive

through a mud hole then up onto theramp.

Before driving on the airfield, oper-ators will insure that all equipment car-ried on their vehicles is properlystowed and secured.

On the ramp and road adjacent to theramp: Under no circumstances willvehicles sit in front of or drive into thepath of taxiing aircraft. That meansstay out of their way!

Headlights shinning toward a mov-ing aircraft at night will be turned off.The vehicle’s parking lights will beturned on so its position will be known,but the headlights will remain off untilthe aircraft is out or range.

Vehicles should never be drivenunder any part of the aircraft. Thatmeans the rotor system too.Remember the near miss from theintroduction? That was a vehicle thatwas traveling on the perimeter roadadjacent to the maintenance ramp.Camouflage netting strapped to the topof the vehicle contacted an AH-64rotor blade as the vehicle drove by theparked aircraft. Luckily, there was nodamage to the blade.

All flightline vehicles will come to afull stop before they enter or cross ataxiway. Before proceeding, the oper-

ator will determine visually that theway is clear. ‘B’ Taxiway can beextremely busy. Stop – swivel head –proceed when clear. Clearance fromthe tower (light signal or radio) isrequired to cross the runway.

Vehicles will not be driven within10 feet of a parked aircraft. For maxi-mum safety, no vehicles will be parkedor driven closer than 25 feet whenengines are in operation or about to beput into operation.

Around the aircraft: Never driveyour vehicle directly at an aircraft.Allow maneuver room if the brakesfail. When parked on the flightline,vehicles will not be pointed directlytoward an aircraft. Vehicles will beleft unlocked with keys in the ignitionwhen parked on the flightline. Whenthe driver’s seat is vacated, ignitionwill be turned off, brakes set and gearlever placed in reverse gear. Park willbe used if the vehicle has an automatictransmission. When maneuveringequipment near and aircraft use aground guide. Vehicles approachingan aircraft should do so from the dri-ver’s side.

Wear ear protection to avoid hearingdamage caused by turbine enginenoise.

Safety Corner: Precautions and safety are simple but important while on flight line


12

Mail your family a copy of the Falcon FlyerFold, Staple and mail the paper back home

FREE MAIL

is about 60% of the battle,” saidLaucius.

Other aircraft personnel use more of“an operator’s manual,” said Shorts,but the books they use “are the how it’sbuilt manuals.”

After any maintenance is finishedon a particular helicopter, Shorts andLaucius take that Apache out on a testflight. Depending on the level of work,or how well the maintenance went, thatflight may be done in a day.

After major maintenance, the testflights can take more time. “”Whenthey take everything apart and then putit back together, you inevitably findsomething wrong,” said Laucius. “Toget it (the helicopter) back to flyingstatus, you have to troubleshoot abunch of things along the way.”

Since the Apache is designed as aweapon platform, maintaining stabilityand smoothness, both in a hover and inflight, are important to the overall per-formance of the aircraft. It’s not justfor pilot comfort, said Shorts.

“Lots of vibration will cause exces-sive wear,” said Laucius. “Rotorsmoothing,” making sure the rotorblades don’t move up or down morethan three-tenths of an inch duringflight, is a big part of the test pilot’sjob, too. While time consuming andprecise, rotor smoothing is importantto the “health of the aircraft,” theBethel, Conn. native said.

Being able to see the big picture ispart of the training for a maintenancepilot, said Laucius. “We can diagnosethe symptoms and let the mechanicstreat the problem.”

“We’re kind of like crew chiefs onthe enlisted side of the house,” saidLaucius. “We may not be trained in

the ‘remove the fuel pump task’, orknow every task the crew chief knows,but we know what makes it work, andwhy it wouldn’t work.”

In a demanding and technical job,maintenance pilots can put in longdays, depending on the work flow ofeach company. The maintenance planon a particular aircraft will also deter-mine how long a day is.

“If you have aircraft down, you dowhatever you have to do to get the air-craft up and flying,” said Shorts,“everything that’s humanly possible.”

On the backside of the deployment,both Laucius and Shorts say stayingbusy makes the time go faster.

“I’m a little tired,” said Laucius, on

his second deployment after a tour toKorea, “but we’re flying a lot and I likethe problem solving and the mainte-nance.”

“I feel good,” said Shorts. “We’rekeeping up our aircraft really well.”

Maintenance is a constant, saidShorts, since you can always fine tuneand improve on an aircraft. “It’s never‘the aircraft came in for maintenance,we did all the checks, so boom, go flyfor another however many hours, anddon’t come back until it breaks’,” hesaid.

“There’s no boredom about thisjob,” said Shorts. “It’s taxing, mental-ly and physically, but there’s some-thing new every day.”

PILOTS, continued from page3

Photo by Spc. Jennifer D. FittsChief Warrant Officer 3 Joseph B. Shorts, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Joe A.Laucius, maintenace test pilots from A Co., 1st Battalion, 3rd AviationRegiment,discuss the best way to solve a suspected problem with an Apache

Maintenance Pilots ensure Apaches are flight-ready

Aviation History Trivia In 1843, William S. Henderson,patented plans for the first planewith a engine, fixed wings, and pro-pellers. After one unsucessful trythe inventor gave up. Then in 1848,John Stringfellow built a smallmodel which worked, but couldonly stay up a short period of time.

Documents

Two Aviation Brigade Soldiers Commander’s Columnstatic.dvidshub.net/media/pubs/pdf_0291.pdfPhoto by Spc. Derek Del Rosario While being graded by Staff Sgt. Fabian Oskierko (front),