DEEP ATTACK

NEWSLETTER INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Attack 6 Farewell 1

Greetings from the Incoming Attack 6 2

Award Winning Maintenance 3

Bravo BTRY Deployment 3

Pre-Deployment Prep 4

“Rock” Transformation 5

Bonnie’s Goodbye 6

CSM’s Corner 6

17 June 2011

Volume 2, I ssue 1

“The Times….They are a changing”

This quarter brings a multitude of changes within the Deep Attack Battalion. Not only are changes happening with leadership, a transformation is happening within the Battalion as well. As the final pieces of Bravo Battery deploy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Charlie Battery has begun is transformation into an infantry fighting force to deploy to the same region. With all these moving pieces, 2-4 shows once again, it is one of the most agile and capable fighting forces in the world

today.

Soldiers, Family, and Friends of 2nd

Battalion 4th Field

Artillery,

As Bridget and I depart, I want to say thank you for the last

two years.

We continue to be one of

the most dynamic Multiple

Launch Rockets System

(MLRS) battalions in the

United States Army. You

have taken great pride in

being on the cutting edge of

the Army‟s most precise

and devastating weapon

system and the logistics that

keep us operational. You

have shown your agility by

training on: surface to

surface tasks during OIF;

numerous battalion field exercises and NTC; protect the force

tasks; training and deploying as 13 radar sections; and soon,

deploying as an Infantry Company.

We have worked hard to fully implement the Family

Readiness Groups. We have excellent FRG programs in each

battery. Bonnie will be PCS‟ing to Fort Bliss. The battalion

will fill the void and will soon hire a new FRSA. We also

have a skilled group of volunteers in the battery FRG‟s.

Continue to take the time to learn about the battalion and to

make the battalion and battery FRG‟s the best on Fort Sill.

Continue to meet others and remain involved in your FRG‟s

fun events. It is what you make of it. Thank you!

Please see Attack 6 continued on page 2

“DEEP ATTACK!”

Final Farewell: From Attack 6

Page 2 Deep Attack!

Attack 6 Continued…

Bonnie, thanks for making our FRG‟s the best on Fort Sill

and thank you for the great work you have done inside the

battalion. We could not have done it without you. You all

have made 2nd

Battalion 4th Field Artillery better every day.

You did this through improving every system in the

battalion, as shown in the last Brigade Command inspection.

I personally thank every one of you.

I want to thank all the staff officers who have entered the

engagement area. You all have been great. I think we built

the best staff in the Brigade and 4th ID. Each of you has

contributed to the batteries‟ success by setting the

conditions. Sometimes, your work goes unnoticed and

unappreciated. I thank you.

I want to thank all the Battery Commanders: Hawkins,

Messina, Reasoner, Applebaum, and Barnett.

I want to thank all the 1SG‟s: Lenning, Files, Muilenburg,

Irwin, Schofield and Ball.

I would also like to thank all the Field Grades. You have

implemented many changes in the battalion over the past

two years: Major Doug Thomas, Lieutenant Colonel Gary

Leroux, and Major Brain Adams.

As a result of everyone‟s hard work and dedication, 2nd

Battalion 4th Field Artillery continues to build a solid

reputation for unmatched professionalism and mission

accomplishment. As you can see, our great battalion

continues to move in many directions. Bravo battery is

deployed with 13 Radar sections and its head quarters to

OEF and OND. Charlie battery is preparing for its

upcoming Infantry company mission. Alpha, HHB, and our

FSC will support Charlie battery this summer and then, will

continue training this fall. The train keeps moving despite a

change in leadership. Change is good. It‟s healthy. The

battalion that we built over the past two years will not be the

same battalion in the coming months. For those of you

remaining at Fort Sill, please give LTC Schmitt and his wife,

Gaylelee, the same dedication that you gave Bridget and me.

Please give CSM Poindexter that same dedication, as the

battalion sustains and rebuild programs and takes a different

direction. The battalion will have different priorities,

according to the needs of the Army. You can do it.

With that, I will close by saying it‟s been the greatest honor

and privilege of my career, and, frankly, of my life, to have

led the men and women of the Deep Attack Battalion over

the last two years.

I am going to miss it. I am going to miss all of you.

Thank you very much for your service.

“DEEP ATTACK”

LTC Jim, Bridget, Kathleen and Maria McGovern

And Roger.

Soldiers, Families, and Friends of the Deep Attack

Battalion, my wife, Gaylelee and I want to thank all of you

for having helped our family smoothly transition into the

Battalion. It‟s a direct reflection of the strength of this

organization‟s Family Readiness Groups and your

willingness to assist. We are

extremely excited to be back

at Fort Sill particularly

because we were lucky

enough to be assigned to a

unit with such an outstanding

reputation. Asmany of you

know, a busy

summer lies ahead as the

Battalion‟s main effort will

be to prepare Charlie Battery

for its upcoming deployment.

Charlie Battery is led by the

outstanding Command Team of CPT John Hawkins and

SFC Timothy Files. To resource the required number of

personnel for the mission, we transferred several members

of the Team from other Batteries into Charlie Battery. By

the time we will have published this newsletter, the families

and Soldiers reassigned to Charlie Battery will have had the

opportunity to attend a Charlie Battery FRG meeting (16

Jun) and should now be fully integrated into their new FRG.

Throughout June, Charlie Battery will train on the

individual Soldier level skills needed for the deployment

and then in July, the unit will transition to the collective

training phase that will culminate with a two week exercise

in mid July. Throughout both months, the remainder of the

Battalion will be supporting the training events.

In August, there will be a leave period prior to the

deployment (as well as a pre-deployment briefing for

families) and then we expect to send Charlie Battery off

toward the end of August or early part of September. As a

significant portion of the Battalion will be deployed in the

coming months, the strength of our FRGs is more important

than ever. I would encourage all of you to participate,

(regardless of whether your Spouse is deployed, deploying,

or not deploying)

Incoming Commander’s Welcome

LTC Mark Schmitt

Please see LTC Schmitt continued on page 3

Page 3 Deep Attack!

LTC Schmitt continued….

As many of you may have heard, the Deep

Attack Battalion was recently awarded the Army Award

for Maintenance Excellence.

The AAME was established in 1982 by the

Department of the Army to recognize exceptional

accomplishment in maintenance, and provide added

incentive to the competitive programs of Major Army

Commands. Each unit competing for the award is

evaluated on their effectiveness in ensuring Soldier

competency is maintained. Competing units are from

Active Army, National Guard, Reserve, DOL‟s and

TDA units which compete separately and are broken

into three categories of small, medium, and large

according to personnel MTOE. While in preparation,

several “in house” inspections were performed by 2-4

maintenance leadership teams to ensure all systems and

personnel were prepared and where they needed to be to

be successful.

After thorough preparation, hard work, and long

hours 2-4 FAR received confirmation that they had

made the finalist list, “Final Four” if you will, which

would lead to an inspection/evaluation of their

Maintenance Programs by the Department of the Army

(DA) in March 2011 during our off post training

exercise at Fort Bliss. After a month of anticipation, 2-4

FAR received an email from DA informing us they had

won the AAME for FORSCOM in the large category.

This is an outstanding accomplishment and 2-4

FAR is very proud of their mechanics and maintenance

sections for their stellar proficiency and excellence

which represent the best maintenance program not only

at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, but the Army worldwide.

Bravo Battery, 2nd

Battalion, 4th Field Artillery Regiment

(MLRS) received a warning order in the beginning of 2010 for an

“in lieu of”(ILO) mission to deploy AN/TPQ-36, and AN/TPQ-37

Fire Finder Radars to Iraq and Afghanistan. To prepare an MLRS

battery to conduct radar mission requires a complete transformation

of the battery. Most of it comes fairly easily for an artilleryman, but

some aspects require months of training to conduct the mission. The

schools required to cross train are lengthy and in short supply, yet

our Soldiers performed exceptionally well and prepared for mission

success. Since we deployed in multiple segments, our sections had

several different timelines for deployments. This has caused us to

run four separate training timelines requiring the Soldiers and

families of Bravo Battery to remain flexible and adapt to multiple

scenarios and taskings. As the remainder of Bravo Battery joins the

rest of the unit in Afghanistan, we will continue to represent the

Deep Attack Battalion, the Leader Brigade and the United States

Army as some of the highest trained and finest Soldiers in the

world. Bulldog 6 out.

By: 1LT Tyler Moody

By CPT Rob Barnett

Bravo BTRY Deployment

Award Winning Maintenance

…so that you may gain key information regarding ongoing unit

operations as well as information regarding the many opportunities

for assistance that this great Post has to offer (it is also an

opportunity for us to gain information regarding you and any

challenges you might have that we can assist with). The primary

methods by which the Battalion has disseminated information to

families prior to the Battalion Change of Command will not change

(e.g. email and Facebook).

In closing, I just want to say that CSM Poindexter and I are

committed to both your Soldier and YOU, the family member. We

understand how important families are and understand the challenges

they sometimes face…as we both have families of our own. I cannot

emphasize enough how extremely proud and humbled I am to be in

command of a unit with such an outstanding reputation and

incredible group of NCOs, Soldiers, and officers.

Deep Attack!

Page 4 Deep Attack!

Pre-Deployment Prep Continued…. What financial decisions might need to be made while I’m away? * Do I need to share/write down any important account numbers, usernames, or passwords? * Have I made arrangements to handle my taxes while I am away? If not, how can I prepare or how can I help my partner be prepared in the future?

What legal issues might arise while I am deployed? * Have I filed appropriate legal documentation, such as power of attorneys, advance directive and will and testaments? * Do I have appropriate life insurance to cover my family? * Have I provided appropriate contact numbers? How might my relationship be affected because of this deployment? * Have my partner and I discussed how we will stay in contact during our separation? Have we agreed on realistic goals and expectations? * Have we discussed how we will handle conflicts and disagreements? * How will my partner and I handle intimacy disinterest or anxiousness?

Adequately preparing yourself before leaving for deployment will allow you to focus on your mission as a service member. Your preparation prior to deployment will open the door for a smoother return home once your deployment tour is finished

2-4 FRG FOCUS Pre-deployment can be a stressful time for service members and their families. Whether you are a parent, a spouse or are single, making a plan prior to deployment is a great way to prepare for the road ahead. These preparations will ensure you are ready “to part” instead of simply ready “to go." <www.realwarriors.net/active/deployment/preparedeployment.php#_end1> Identifying resources and educating yourself about tips to successfully prepare will help you manage this transition. All of the military services provide service members with pre-deployment guidelines and checklists upon learning of their deployment. When preparing for deployment * Be Patient: Expect Conflict * Be Prepared: Discuss Before You Deploy

How might deployment affect my family? * Will deployment require a change in how I care for my children? * Do we need to establish new roles for disciplining our children? * Have we discussed how important decisions will be made while I am away? Am I ok with decisions being made without my input? * Does my family understand why I am leaving for a long time? Have we openly discussed concerns and fears about my deployment?

Is my home prepared for a long deployment? * Are there any outstanding home repair projects? * If there were an issue, does my partner know who to contact and what to do? * Is my house prepared for seasonal changes? * Can my spouse take over the household tasks I usually perform, or do we need to arrange and budget for someone else to do them? Do I need to teach my spouse how to start a lawn mower? Check the oil or transmission fluid in the car? Change a tire or check tire pressure? Do a load of laundry?

Pre-Deployment Preparations

As most of you

know this will be

my last month

with 2-4 FAR I

would personally

like to thank my

Battery Liaisons:

LT „s Ostruske,

Pemberton,

Myrick, Gumbs

SPC Gorski,

SSG Gallegoes,

and SGT Moton,

we had some

painful months with meetings and inspections but you

stuck by me and never let

me down.

My FRG Leaders: Shannon Messina, Melissa Villarreal,

Marsha Ball, Krysta Pemberton, Anne Campbell,

Margorette Reasoner – You all are the back bone to FRG

you have truly made my job easier , thank you for always

being a phone call or email away.

CPT Furniss, LT Nash, CPT Mayer and SFC Vodry and

SSG Hooten, SPC Boone thank you for helping every

time I asked. Battery Commanders and Major Sadovy,

CPT Hawkins, Applebaum, Barnett, Reasoner, 1SGT‟s:

Ball, Files, Irwin, Schofield and Muilenburg thank you

for putting up with me through all our FRG Meetings

and Command Inspection and Good luck in the Future. I

will miss working with each and every one of you.

Command Team: My Advisor, Bridget McGovern you

have been my friend and mentor since the day I walked

into 2-4. I have enjoyed our MANY talks you are a great

Commander‟s Wife but most of all a great person and I

am so happy to say you are my friend. CSM Poindexter

in the short time we have worked together it‟s been at

true experience and thanks for the PB and J. SGM

Oliver you are a true and great SGM I was sorry our time

working together was so short, good luck in TX and just

know I plan to email when OU whips TX “AGAIN”.

Major Adams, my sounding block thanks for being there

for me each and every day I will miss our TV talks.

Major Thomas, you have made me shed many tears but I

can say honestly say you taught me how to swim, instead

of sink; you‟re a great person.

LTC McGovern, I don‟t even know where to begin, you

are the best LTC I have ever met. I am going to miss

your Leadership and Guidance;

Bonnie Says Goodbye The “Rock” Transforms

By: 1LT Graham Purcell

Charlie Battery 2/4 FAR has been training with extra

enthusiasm and focus over the course of the last 3 weeks. We

were recently notified there was need for a company size

element in Afghanistan for an Infantry mission. With great

haste the 141 man unit was task- organized within the

Battalion to support the assignment, pulling our best trained

and most enthusiastic soldiers to answer their Nation‟s call.

Formulating under Charlie “Rock” the deploying battery‟s

leadership has pushed forward with extra emphasis added to

every part of our training to prepare the men to “deploy,

engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States in close

combat.” 2/4 FAR as an MLRS BN‟s primary mission is to

provide accurate and timely fires on the enemy with precision

munitions, but beyond our core METL task with prophetic

clarity our BN leadership has prepared the men deploying in

the “Rock” to be proficient in Infantry tactics and techniques

including training in convoy mounted patrols, close combat

MOUT training, and in counterinsurgency operations.

Through a rotation at NTC and within the same year a 30 day

deployment to Ft. Bliss we have continued to perfect our

skills as warriors and have maximized our capabilities to

deploy (on short notice) in defense of a nation we proudly

serve with multiple capabilities.

From ruck marches, continued focus on all small arms

ranges, electronic warfare orientation, virtual reality combat

training, MRAP certification, JFO qualifications, and Cultural

Awareness training (just to name a few), the “Rock” mission

is becoming a dawning reality for the men preparing to

deploy. With perseverance and enduring vision, the Charlie

NCOs and Officers hope to be establishing ourselves upon

the “Rock” hard fundamentals that will make us the most

highly skilled and precise fighting force deployed, presenting

each individual and the unit to be a daunting force to be

reckoned with by our enemies. Further that we represent the

2/4 FAR, 214th

Fires BDE, and the United States Army with

dignity and honor; fighting for our nations continued freedom

and our family‟s enduring security.

Page 5 Deep Attack!

Please see Bonnie continued on page 6

Page 6 Deep Attack!

By: CSM Taylor Poindexter

Hello “Deep Attack” Soldiers and

Families. I am CSM Taylor

Poindexter and I am the Command

Sergeant Major for the 2-4 FA

Battalion. I have spent 23 years

in the Army and I am on my

second tenure as a field artillery

CSM. I have deployed to combat

four times and have spent the

majority of my career in war fighting units in Fort Bragg, Germany

and Fort Riley. My wife Becky and I are excited to join the Battalion

and look forward to working with all of you. I also have four

children, Kellen at University of South Carolina, Nathan at Cameron

University, and Andrew and Emily who both attend Elgin School.

We are all happy to be back where we call home.

A lot of you probably don‟t understand what I do, so I will explain it

quickly so when you see me, you will understand what I can do for

you and the Battalion. I am the senior enlisted advisor to the

Commander, advising him of Soldier issues, training, standards, and

uniformity and provide mentorship to all NCO‟s on all aspects of

leadership. I am also responsible for the health, welfare and morale

of all Soldiers and quality of life for family members. So basically…I

help develop the unit, the NCO Corps and take care of Soldiers and

their Families.

What a bunch of great Americans the “Deep Attack” Battalion

consists of! Since arriving to 2-4 FAR, I have been nothing short of

impressed by the way the Soldiers of this organization get after it.

That says a lot about units, especially since we are a Nation at war.

As Bravo Battery continues to deploy in support of Radar operations

throughout both theaters, I would like to tell their Families how

proud I am of your Soldiers. Your Soldiers have deployed well

trained and with their chest held high knowing that they represent

America, their loved ones and each other. I also want all of you

spouses and children to know that we are here for you if you need us.

Sometimes when things seem complicated for you, the fix is just a

short phone call away for us.

The Battalion continues to move forward with training our Soldiers

for combat. What an awesome opportunity it has been for Charlie

Battery to get out there and develop teams, sections and platoons

prepared to do any mission our Country asks of them. They are going

to spend a lot of time developing drills and tactics, but when the time

comes, they will be successful wherever they go.

Charlie has only gotten to where they are with the help of every unit

in the Battalion. We see the necessity of our unit lies with the

Soldiers who are deploying and every unit has put forth their best

efforts, Soldiers, Officers and NCO‟s to make Charlie Battery

successful. We as the Battalion will continue to train hard and assist

with all efforts until we have deployed all Soldiers or receive a

change of mission.

….I have learned so much under your command and trust

me when I say: you have set the standards so high.

Thank you for being my boss but most of all for your

friendship. It is greatly appreciated.

You all are hands down the best battalion on Fort Sill and

it was my pleasure to work with such wonderful people. I

have said many times 1/79 brought us to Fort Sill but 2-4

has my heart!!

v/r

Bonnie Smith

FRSA Position:

2-4 Family and Friends, please know with our Soldiers

deployed and more soon to follow the FRSA Position will

be covered by SGT Lenise Moton. All emails, facebook,

and information that will need to be provided will be

distributed the same. She has been my one of my Battery

Liaisons for about 9 months and knows what needs to be

done to take care of family and Soldiers. Her phone

number will be 580-442-5701 and she will located in my

office. Her email will be lenise.m.moton.mil@mail.mil.

Edited by 2LT Justin Nash

CSM’s Corner

Bonnie Continued…

Last, I would like to say good-bye to the

Commander, LTC James McGovern and his family.

He has been steadfast and loyal to the “Deep Attack”

Battalion and led them from hard times to a well

functioning machine capable of training for,

deploying to and completing every mission the Army

has given them. Well Done Sir, good-luck and

Godspeed to you and your family with your new

endeavors in the Army!

CSM Continued…