Post on 09-Mar-2015
Wild Times 1/34 BSTB
June 2011 Updated News
Page 1 of 5
Departure Ceremony
Specialist Jonti Roos, Specialist Derek msande, Specialist Scott Haworth, and Second Lieutenant
Jacob Cavanaugh waiting patiently for the start of
the Departure Ceremony at Normandale Community College.
Left photo: Soldiers of
the 1/34 BSTB stand in
formation during the
departure ceremony.
Right photo: Sergeant
First Class Robert Kis-
caden along with his
family sharing some
conversation .
Captain Lotzow, Com-
pany Commander of
HHC 1/34 BSTB shar-
ing some family time
together, while his son
colors a sign saying “I
Love You Dad!”
Final formation at Bloomington Armory
prior to departure to Fort McCoy, Wis-
consin for Pre-Mobilization training.
Patriot Guard Riders and State Patrol
escorting Soldiers to the MN/WI bor-
ders.
Lieutenant Colonel Gary Mundfrom,
Battalion Commander of 1/34 BSTB
accepts the Patriot Guard Riders flag to
travel along overseas.
Soldiers arrived to Fort
McCoy, Wisconsin led
by the Minnesota Patriot
Guard Riders
BSTB is now on Facebook!
Check us out at the follow-
ing link:
https://www.facebook.com/
home.php#!/pages/134-
Brigade-Special-Troops
Battalion
Wild Times
1/34 BSTB
Page 2 of 5
Training at Fort McCoy, WI
Staff Sergeant John Wadsworth conducting a
search on a civilian during Entry Control Point
training.
Left and right photos:
Specialist Krista Han-
son, Sergeant Andrea
Wittlief and SPC
Nickie Buschette con-
duct hand and arm
signal training.
\.
Left photo: Soldiers
waiting for lanes train-
ing.
Right photo: First Ser-
geant Jeffrey Kasprzyk
stands along a Humvee
prior to lanes training.
Specialist Richard Leonard, Sergeant Nikolaus
Curley, Sergeant First Class Derek Bronson, and
Sergeant First Class Robert Kiscaden conduct a
briefing and map recon prior to lanes training.
Wild Times
1/34 BSTB
Page 3 of 5
July 1– 4
4-day Pass for Soldiers of 1/34 BSTB
Sunday, July 10th– Serving Our Troops!
Saint Paul to Fort McCoy– Steak Dinner
2 p.m.– 7 p.m.
Upcoming Events
Recreation Day
Soldiers take a day off and play volleyball.
A game of softball is also played during a
day of recreation and fun.
Right photo: Soldiers of the
1/34 BSTB participate dur-
ing Fort McCoy’s 5k in
celebration of the Army’s
birthday
Congratulations to Sergeant An-
drea Wittlief on her promotion.
Sergeant First Class Brittany
Thingvold and Captain Amber
Manke of the Fighting S1 is
awarded for their hard work and
dedication to personnel readiness
prior to arriving at Fort McCoy.
Left photo: Congratulations to
First Sergeant Jeffrey Kasprzyk
on his promotion.
Page 4 of 5
1/34 BSTB Wild Times
Battalion Commander-Lieutenant Colonel Gary Mund-
Family and Friends,
I'm happy to report that the Battalion is doing well. As I write this,
the Brigade Special Troops Battalion is mobilized in support of three
different missions. Soldiers from Alpha Company (Military Intelligence) and
Bravo Company (Signal) are completing their training at Camp Shelby and Fort
Polk. They have done a fantastic job and will soon be conducting operations in
Afghanistan as part of the 45th Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National
Guard. Our Tactical Unmanned Aerial Surveillance (Shadow) Platoon is also
conducting training at Camp Shelby in preparation for a mission to Afghani-
stan. Upon mobilization, our Shadow Platoon was ranked #1 of all the Shadow
Platoons in the United States Army National Guard. They are not resting on their
laurels, they have continued to set the standard for others to follow. Here at Fort
McCoy, approximately three hundred Soldiers from the BSTB Headquarters
Company, Brigade Headquarters Company and Charlie Company "Earthpigs" are
getting ready for the Brigade's mission to Kuwait. I can tell you firsthand that the
Soldiers are working hard, morale is good and we are getting great results. You
have every reason to be proud of the great work that is being done by your Sol-
dier.
You are a critical part of the team as we continue forward. Thank you for all
the sacrifices you make on a daily basis in order to allow your loved one to
serve. If you need help, I urge you to reach out and tap into the network that's
available to you. Your local Family Assistance Center (http://www.btyr.org/
family-assistance-centers or (888) 234-1274) is the best resource to help family
members with military pay and benefits problems. Military One Source
(www.militaryonesource.com or 1-800-342-9647) offers many free services rang-
ing from career advice to legal assistance to money management to counseling
services. The Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Network (www.btyr.org) can get you
plugged in with individuals and groups willing to help with the daily challenges
of running and maintaining your household. If you're not sure where to go with
an issue please contact either the unit or your local Family Readiness Group
leader.
In closing thank you again for all your love and support!
LTC Gary W. Mundfrom
Lieutenant Colonel
Gary W. Mundfrom
prepares to step on the
charter bus to depart
Bloomington Armory
for Fort McCoy.
Greetings from Ft McCoy to all our Task Force Wild families. First and fore-
most, thank you for your support. The encouragement and support from family
members keeps us going and helps us do what we need to do. I wish I had
enough space to talk to you about every single Soldier and the good things he/
she is doing. I'll lump them all together and tell you they are doing fantastic.
Their enthusiasm, work ethic and positive attitudes have kept them focused on
our training and readiness. The days start early with physical fitness before we
get on with what ever training needs to be done on any given day. The Task
Force Wild Soldiers continue to perform above standards. Everything we've
asked them to do, they've done and better than most. I'm very proud of this
team. I do mean team. They work together and watch out for one another. I
wish we could do something about connectivity to computer networks during
off duty hours, it's simply not available. That should change when we get to our
final destination. I want to close with two items. OPSEC is a term we use to de-
scribe Operational Security. Please refrain from discussing sensitive issues like
where and when we are going and any specifics you may know about our mis-
sion in public, on Facebook, and in the media. It will help us keep your Soldier
safe. Second, we have a couple days off soon, please enjoy this time with your
Soldier but please keep safety in mind. Safety is stressed here every day and we
will encounter different risks on our days off. Thank you again for all you do.
CSM Bruce L. Stowe
Wild Times
1/34 BSTB
Battalion Command Sergeant Major-Command Sergeant Major Bruce Stowe
Page 5 of 5
Command Sergeant Major Bruce L. Stowe
assists with Container Operations.
During a training exercise, Command Ser-
geant Major Bruce L. Stowe is tied onto a
litter carrier and hung face down.