Frg Newsletter – February 2010

8/14/2019 Frg Newsletter February 2010

1/16

RG NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2010 COP MICHIGAN, AFGHANISTAN

OVER STORY:he Afghan National Army platoon that worked hand in hand with th

oldiers of COP Michigan proudly display their certificates o

ppreciation during their farewell party this month. The platoon di

n outstanding job and are rotating back to Jalalabad for a we

eserved break. Your Soldiers work shoulder to shoulder with the ANA

o bring security and projects to all the villages in AO Dagger. Durin

he party, the Soldiers of both nations shared some goat, took som

ctures, and drank some Coca-Cola.


2/16

G NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2010 COP MICHIGAN, AFGHANISTA

CPT EASTMANDAGGER 6

milies, friends and supporters of Dagger Company,

ere at COP Michigan another month has passed and now we look toward Spring. We

tually had one day of snow here, which was a welcomed change to our usual weather an

nice change of scenery in this ruggedly beautiful country. Your Soldiers have spent the la

onth patrolling the streets and mountains of our AO to check on projects, hold meetingsth important tribal leaders, and help the poorest of the people here with clothing and

ankets for the colder weather. Morale is high, and you get the feeling that Dagger

ompany has truly become a family over the last 9 months together. We share in each

hers successes and hardships and every Soldier, NCO and Officer is there to lend a hand

ring hard times or enjoy good news together. The support that each and every one of yo

s provided and will continue to provide has allowed this to happen. Your Soldiers have a

eat base of support. Be proud of this, as we are, and know that it truly makes the

fference for your Soldiers here fighting the hard fight. With the deployment 3/4 complete still have a great deal of work to do and must work especially hard to ensure that the

w unit is fully prepared to take over and continue the amazing projects your Soldiers

arted. To some, this will be the most difficult period in the deployment. Please let your

ldier know how much he means to you and allow him to stay focused on the mission. W

e not done here until the last Dagger Company Soldier is safely back at Carson.

Thanks again for your support,

Timothy Eastman

CPT, IN

Commander


3/16


ear family and friends of Dagger,

SG Vaars is enjoying a well deserved R&R with his family. So Im the designated hitter for

e February FRG Newsletter. Our Company continues to move forward with more

thusiasm than ever before, because everybody is talking about the preparations andrangements for our redeployment. Most of the soldiers are talking about what to pack

d how to pack it. This month we continue to use the Lethal Lounge. The soldiers enjoy

e down time and activities that is offers. Its truly a stress reliever and removes them from

e daily routine.

Our Platoons continue their incredible success along the Pech River with more projects an

lp for those in need. The cold weather and rain has finally arrived to COP Michigan and

rrounding areas and the soldiers have started to bundle up. In addition, outside activity

ve decrease due to the rain and snow. More and more we keep planning our return, soake sure that those who already have orders or assignments start planning with their

ved ones, so the transition and relocation will be smooth as possible. Ensure you use the

sources available to you through all the ARMY programs and if you have any question

ont hesitate to ask! We are here to help you out. Continue your incredible support of our

ldiers and make them feel like they are almost at home.

Nathaniel CorderoSSG, USA

FSNCO (Acting 1SG)

SSG CORDERODAGGER 95


4/16


l is well in the Kunar province as Dagger Company completes another month

ployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom X. The month of February sa

veral promotions and awards being handed down to Headquarters Platoon member

mong them, PFC Bradley Donnels was awarded the Army Commendation Medal with Valr his actions back in June of last year. We would also like to welcome the newest addition

Headquarters Platoon, SPC Jerry Selby and SPC Nick Anderson.

eadquarters Platoon members continue to make drastic improvements to COP Michigan

rgeant Norman Pugh is spearheading a project with the local Afghan Army to construct a

w joint Tactical Operations Center (TOC), the first of its type in the province. Several brick

mortar projects are currently underway in order to improve living conditions for Dagger

ompany Soldiers, to include new barracks and latrine. Our cooks continue to dish out the

est cuisine along the Pech, and the maintenance team is elbow-deep in upgrading COPichigans generators.

he rest of February will see Headquarters Platoon continuing to conduct combat

perations, as well as initiate the pack-out process for redeployment. We want to thank all

agger Company family and friends for their prayers and support.

Timothy Burton

1LT,USAExecutive Officer

1LT BURTONDAGGER 5


5/16

SSG Starnes trains our ANA counterparts on thei

mortar system

SSG Cordero debating a snow angel


nother month has passed and just around 90

ys until your husbands return into your arms.

e month of February has flew by, despite the

n and the cold weather. But dont worry, Staff

rgeant Thacker, SPC Estrada, SPC Nelson and PFC

lliams have made sure that we are always warmd the generators that keep our lives as

mfortable as possible are always up to par.

thout these guys, life would be a lot worse.

his month we have started to see the light at the

d of the tunnel. We are still focused on our

ginal mission, but we have also mixed in our

wn, lets get ready to get home, adjustments in

ere. It is that time to figure out what to pack up

d what to keep out. This is the time where weed you, our family, to also prepare for our

urn. Some of you have been thru this before

d some of you havent. So, for those who have,

ease give any advice you can and lend a helping

nd to the ones who have not yet experienced

e welcoming home process.

ot a day goes by where we do not think of our

urn and getting back to a little family fun. We

cupy ourselves by getting in the gym and

aintaining our physical fitness. Some of your

sbands have started taking college courses to

epare for life after the military, which is always

couraged. Others have began taking courses

en by LT Zambarda, to improve their military

ucation.

o all the family, friends and supporters of Dagger

mpany, we cannot begin to thank you for your

pport these past nine months. You have without

oubt been the glue that hold our sanitygether and give us something to look forward to

the end of each and everyday. Keep sending

ur packages, letters and cards as we will cherish

ese forever. We love you, miss you and cannot

it to get back to bugging you on a daily basis.

til next month

SSG Michael S. Starnes Jr.Mortar Section Sergeant

The mortars making noise again


6/16



7/16SSG Denning prepares for his runway appearanc


Happy Valentines Day to all our family members

home you are truly our support. Hard to believe it

already that time of the month send this news

ter out. We are down to the last few Soldiers who

ll need to go on R&R. With that said our time is

ickly coming to an end over here. Our platoons been staying focused on the road in front of us

d continues to drive on to the end.

his month we were able to promote a couple of

diers and add some new members to 1st Platoons

g picture. First promotions, PFC Adams and PVT

ckura have been standing out among their peers as

ing outstanding soldiers, always motivated to do

e right thing. So we would like to congratulate

ese two on their promotions to SPC and PV2.

GT and Mrs. Bandeen had a new baby boy Garret

ndeen. SGT Bandeen has been home taking care

the family and we look forward to getting him

ck from leave. We also bid farewell to SPC

oxell whose RTO talents were needed at Lethal

OC.

ebruarys 1st Platoon Soldier of the Month is SGT

yle Paszko. SGT Paszko, one of our engineers, hasne an exceptional job. While SPC Adigwe was on

ave volunteered to run our Husky with the Ground

netrating Radar, the lead vehicle that looks for

provised Explosive devices. He demonstrated his

ill by visually spotting an IED on a critical main

pply route for the 2-503 battalion. He has been

strumental in assisting the engineer and the

antry platoons to jell into one Lethal fighting

rce. We are proud of Kyle for exceeding the armyndards which makes him Februarys Soldier of

e Month.

hat is all for this month, please continue to

pport Dagger Companys FRG for any information

the platoon between these newsletters.

Thank you,

SFC Roger Pa-Paw Emmons

1st Platoon Sergeant

SFC Emmons, PFC Dodson and Saffi, our

interpreter, draw names from a hat to win prizes

PV2 Jackura being promoted by SGT Ziemeraga


8/16



9/16

SGT Jones teaches SGT Williams a lesson

SPC Akerman happy to be on patrolas usual

SPC Dequilla hard at work on his truck


Well here we are at the end of February already andhard to believe that the time is still going by so

ckly. It helps that this is a short month becausell take all the help we can get. This month 1LT

mbie, PFC Davis, and SGT Dufresne are takingeir R&R leave. With these three Soldiers gone our

ole Platoon has now taken leave which is anothern of the time that has passed.

Weve had a lot of successful patrols recently ande biggest impact weve had is the VETCAP we

nducted. A VETCAP involves a Agriculturalvelopment Team with veterinarians and animalecialists that assess the local areas animal

pulation in order to help the people sustain theirsources. There was a huge involvement with theal village and our Soldiers making it quiteccessful.

We will be having a few promotions in the veryar future and I dont want to give the names away

o early. This will give everyone something to lookward to in the next FRG Newsletter.n a more serious note I want to give all of the

mily members some advice for the last few monthsdeployment in order to be prepared for your lovedes return. First is the mail deadline is fast

proaching, we do not have a set date when mailould no longer be sent but as soon as we get thatormation we will pass it along. We have been verytunate to have a very supportive FRG and family

embers back home sending us all the things weed, and some of the things we dont but we set aadline so our packages wont overlap the unit that

places us. Second is when we return many of usl be moving to new duty stations or getting out of

e Army and its important to know the time to start

aking arrangements is fast approaching. I will beore than glad to give any advice I can to make thensitions as easy as possible. The last thing is we

nt to have a big platoon BBQ or get together toebrate all of the good times weve had and to bid

ewell to the guys who are leaving. I haveunteered my house but if anyone wants to domething different were open to suggestions. We

nt to have this before our 30 day block leavegins when the weather is nice and everyone is stillgether.hank you all again for another month of supportd we look forward to the last few months beforedeployment

SSG (P) Doug MiddletonPlatoon Sergeant


10/16



11/16


ends and Family of 3/Dagger-

arly February in Afghanistan brings many cold, rainy

ys and a few days of sunshine, causing us to think

at spring is just around the corner. Just as there have

en changes in the weather, there have been some

anges in our daily missions because of the weathertrictions and we have had to adapt accordingly.

s we enter month nine, your loved ones are

ntinuing to give 100% to the local Afghans and the

mands of the mission. Their efforts are being noticed

cordingly with the award of the Combat

antrymans Badge. Everyone in the platoon has been

arded this well-deserved and coveted badge or is

aiting the paperwork to be approved. The ones

iting are our new Soldiers. They have proved to be a

uable addition to the platoon. We also recentlyomoted some Soldiers; PV2 Mader and PV2 Evans are

w PFCs as well as PFC Daft is now a SPC. They are

eady stepping up to their additional responsibilities.

you havent seen your Soldier for mid-tour leave yet,

en it is just around the corner. As I write this letter

currently have one Soldier (SGT Klutenkamper) on

ve and three (PFC Cofflin, SPC Diamante, SPC Price)

iting to get home for some needed and deserved

t. Please enjoy the short fifteen days that you will

ve with them as they go by very quickly.ven though our tempo hasnt skipped a beat, we

ways tend to find time to take a knee. Recently they

d a Super Bowl Party on the FOB and I know some of

e Soldiers made the sacrifice of waking up at 3oclock

he morning in order to watch the game, clearly it

s worth the sleep deprivation. The other times that

have off were usually playing video games,

tching the latest bootlegged movie, sleeping or

ending time in the gym getting huge.

nce again, I will emphasize the importance of mail.

e arrival of care packages and mail has slowed down.

s expected as we near the end of the deployment,

wever, I urge you to continue to send items of

dearment to your loved ones as it means more than

rds can explain! We can start to see the light at the

d of the tunnel, however we still have a job to

mplete and will give 100% until the day we leave.

Respectfully-

1LT Taylor C. Gillespie


12/16



13/16


rst of all Id like to introduce myself as 2LT Florent

oberg, the new Dagger 4th PLT platoon leader. I

nsider myself to be extremely lucky to inherit such a

markable group of guys, and in my first month and half

h the platoon I can honestly say that they really are

e best at what they do. February was another

ccessful month for our platoon. With everyone lookingward to our redeployment in a few months, the

otivation and dedication to the mission was still at an

time high.

his month we continued to win the hearts and minds

the local national civilians. We accomplish our mission

conducting quite a few key leader engagements with

e elders in the local villages. We supported them by

nging blankets, tarp, school supplies, medical aid and

dios to listen to our new radio station. The guys really

d a positive outlook throughout and even joined in anm wrestling competition, unfortunately SGT.

hardson couldnt hold his own against a 12 year old

al Afghani ( I think he let him win, but we wont tell

m that!)

very Tuesday morning the guys continued to train the

ghan National Police. The training ranged from base

fense, weapons marksmanship, and traffic control

nts, to hand to hand combat and IED recognition. Our

toon understands that for us to be successful we need

set up the Afghan Army and Police for success, andt starts with training and respecting one another.

ut the fun didnt stop there, back on our COP we held

ekly barbeques where we played darts and even set

a corn hole game. Nonetheless the guys enjoyed

eir down time by watching movies, recording music,

fing the internet and of course getting a hold of a love

e to tell them that they cant wait to get home. We

ow that we only have a few months left here, but

mplacency is not an option to these guys, they want to

mplete the mission and get home safely to their

milies.

We all hope that you are having a wonderful winter

ck home, we will see you soon, and keep sending

ose great care packages to us, from the mountains of

ghanistan, Dagger 4th PLT is out!

Florent Groberg

2LT, 4th Platoon Leader


14/16



15/16


SGT Ramirez gives a thumbs up2 for the Afghan

PV2 Wheeler looks on providing security

ebruary has come and gone, and we are nowthe early stages of preparing ourselves fordeployment and the transfer of our AO to ourcoming counterparts. Much time is spentanning for all the incredible logistics involved

moving all of the Soldiers from this Brigadeck to Fort Carson, as well as ensuring that allour hard work and effort is passed on.

ollectively the Platoon is putting together antinuity book which provides detailed,sential information that will hopefully saveose replacing us a great deal of effort in tryingfigure out all the intricacies of this area.

Since the last newsletter we also saw our firstowfall since being here in the Pech.owcaps have draped the landscape up in the

ountains, much like you all see back in theS. near Fort Carson and around Pikes Peak,t for the first time snow fell down on thelley floor. It provided a welcome change ofenery, and gave us the opportunity to deliveruch needed winter supplies to villagers whod nothing to keep them warm.

While all the Soldiers in the Platoon amazee on a daily basis, after much deliberation Ive chosen PV2 Stone as the Soldier of theonth. PV2 Stone came to the Platoon in lateeptember, and serves as an Automaticfleman in 2nd Squad. Whether on mission orthe COP, PV2 Stone provides a great deal of

otivation for all those around him. He has an

canny ability to not only get the job done, butlook good doing it. His contributions go a longay to get us through tough times, and forese actions I grant him this honor.

thank you all again for your endless support.ading your men is a distinct pleasure andvilege. Please keep us in your thoughts andayers,

Mark Zambarda,1LT, PLATOON LEADER Prepare to joust!!!


16/16


Frg Newsletter – February 2010

Documents

Transcript of Frg Newsletter – February 2010