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Transcript of Summer newsletter(aug)
Team Knighthawk!
Rebecca, Gavin, Kellen and I
are extremely happy to be part
of the team. Since our arrival in
late April we have had the op-
portunity to begin to meet each
member of the Task Force and
your families. It has been a very
busy time with a high turnover
of folks across the Task Force to
include changes of command
within three of our Companies.
Welcome to CPT Chris Gage
coming over to the Pathfinders
as we said goodbye to CPT
Steve Hassink who is off to Har-
vard Law School. CPT Brian
and Casey Green assumed com-
mand of the reflagged Alpha
Company (formerly Golf Com-
pany) and said farewell to CPT
Jim Coker who is off the Har-
vard Business School. Most
recently CPT Dan and Sterling
Reep took the helm of Echo
Company from CPT Mattie
Howe, who is off to Fort Lee to
become an instructor at the Lo-
gistics schoolhouse. We will
continue to see a few more arri-
vals and departures as we solid-
ify the Team for JRTC and fu-
ture directed deployments.
We have been enjoying
the awesome spring and summer
weather and have been maxi-
mizing our outdoor time (while
it last!) here in the North Coun-
try! It has been a great back-
drop to the numerous activities
that have been going on re-
cently. Riverfest was highly
attended within the Task Force
this year and the local commu-
nity appreciated the continued
support from the 10th Mountain
Division ensuring its success.
For those who were not able to
make it out to the salute to the
nation parade during Mountain
Fest, you missed an awesome
display of combat power by TF
Knighthawk as we conducted
the Air Assault Demonstration.
Excellent performance by Alpha
and Charlie Company crew’s
who flew the demonstration, as
well as the rest of the Task
Force that supported it behind
the scenes. The Division Com-
mander said it was the best fly-
ing Demo the North Country
had seen in years!
As we all return from
Block Leave, the remainder of
the summer and fall will begin
to get very busy! As Charlie
Company finishes training on
the new UH-60 “Mike” Model
Blackhawk we as a Task Force
will begin our intensive training
cycle in preparation for a late
October rotation to the Joint
Readiness Training Center
(JRTC). Upon return for
Thanksgiving for most of us, we
again will send folks on the road
to Colorado for High Altitude
training before and after the
Christmas break.
As our Soldiers con-
tinue to train for our wartime
mission we will also begin to
prepare our families for future
deployments. The JRTC rota-
tion will be a good time to iden-
tify the needs of each family and
work through the company
FRGs to seek available support
both within the unit as well as
the installation support mecha-
nisms. I cannot highlight how
important it is to establish rela-
tionships at the company level
in order to form strong support
teams. For the seasoned veteran
families who have survived mul-
tiple deployments already,
please pass your experience’s
on. If deployments are new to
your family, this is the time to
begin preparing!
Again, it is a privileged for Re-
becca and me to be just two
more members of the Team!
Your Husbands, Wives, Sons
and Daughters who are assigned
to the Best Aviation Task Force
in the Army are doing a superb
job! Continue to be safe over
the summer months and get out
and enjoy the North Country!
Fly To Glory!
The Braman’s LTC Matthew Braman
Task Force Knighthawk Com-
mander
Commander’s Corner
Task Force
August 2012 Knighthawk News
Knighthawk News
Summer will soon be here…but with the rising
temperatures, so comes an upswing in our
training in preparation for future operations.
HHC continues to work hard and the Company
will be looking forward to a much deserved
block leave period this July.
Jennifer and I would like to take the opportu-
nity to welcome some new Families to the No-
mad formation. CW3 Ed Smith is the new
Task Force Tactical Operations Officer. CW3
Smith, his wife Jean, and Family are not new to
the Brigade, however. They were last assigned
with Task Force Phoenix during our most re-
cent deployment and he brings a wealth of ex-
perience to the team. Next, SSG Stephanie
Thomas and her Family come to us from Ko-
rea. SSG Thomas is a new addition to our S4
shop and will play a major role ensuring that
the Task Force is properly equipped. We have
also recently welcomed two Captains to our S3
section. CPT Jon Ryder, an Apache pilot, and
his wife, Courtney, come to us from the Avia-
tion Captain’s Career Course at Fort Rucker.
In addition, CPT Mark Axtell, a Blackhawk
pilot, and his wife, English, were last assigned
to Fort Benning, Georgia, where he attended
the Infantry Captain’s Career Course (we’ll try
not to hold that against him though). We
would also like to welcome SSG Shawn Cal-
vert, our new S2 NCOIC, and 1LT Meghan
Brower, our new S6. We are glad to have all
of these key players on board.
On 1 June, we were privileged to promote two
very deserving Soldiers. First, PFC Mark
Dunn from our S2 section was promoted to
SPC. In addition, CPL Rogelio Lamont is now
wearing Sergeant stripes. SGT Lamont has
proven himself from day one with the Nomads
and we are excited to officially have him as our
newest NCO. Last but not least, congratula-
tions are in order for SGT Jason Feltzer, who
retired this month after 20 years of military
service. Your presence in the S3 shop will cer-
tainly be missed, but you have earned every bit
of your newfound time off. We know that
Leanne and the girls are glad they’ll have you
home a bit more often.
In Little Nomad news, PFC Tyquannah Pace
recently gave birth to a baby girl, Harmony.
Harmony decided to enter the world a little
earlier than planned, but we are glad to report
that both she and Mom are doing very well.
Many of you may know that SSG Wolfe, our
Headquarters Platoon Sergeant, recently lost
his house due to a fire. While that is certainly
not good news, the outpouring of support and
assistance from the Nomad Family was truly
inspiring. Many of our Soldiers and Family
members gave of their time, money, or donated
belongings to help SSG Wolfe and his Family
get back on their feet. I would like to thank the
whole Company personally for their efforts in
helping one of our own in his time of need. In
case you haven’t heard, SSG Wolfe has already
begun the process of rebuilding his home and it
will hopefully be complete this Summer.
In closing, I hope everyone is enjoying the
change in weather and making plans to take
part in all the North Country has to offer. As
always, please be in touch if there’s anything
we can do for you.
Captain Wes and Jennifer Cannon
Nomad 06 Team
Nomads
Page 2
Knighthawk News
CPT W. Cannon
1SG Manuel Reyes
FRG Leader
Jennifer Cannon
The Summer Block Leave period could not be
more well-deserved or come at a better time.
Alpha Company has been working hard and
accomplishing more than expected recently, as
we are now knee-deep into our train-up that
will continue until we deploy in the spring of
2013. I encourage everyone to take advantage
of these two weeks off by resting up, spending
lots of time with family, and preparing for the
training that is coming up after the Leave pe-
riod ends.
I am proud of all we have accomplished so far:
We have been acing all of our inspections, and
we continue to fix the aircraft as soon as they
break, which is a daily occurrence. We made it
through the Aerial Gunnery exercise, and we
received glowing compliments from all who
attended the Mountain Fest Air Assault demon-
stration. Finally, we have been focusing on
physical fitness and coming together as a team.
Following Block Leave, we will be getting
right back into training with a Division-wide
event called Mountain Peak, where we will
provide Aviation support to Infantry companies
from 4-31 IN, 2-14 IN, and 1-89 CAV as they
go through platoon and company training
lanes, live fire exercises, and practice air as-
saults. In August, Alpha Company will, once
again, participate in an Aerial Gunnery exer-
cise. We have a lot of lessons learned from the
last Gunnery, so it will be a great opportunity
to train the pilots and maintainers who weren’t
able to participate last time, and those who did
participate last time will be able to see their
scores improve. In September, the focus will
be on Air Assault training, as we prepare for
our deployment to the Joint Readiness Training
Center, which will begin October 29th. As you
can tell, there is no sign of slowing down in our
immediate future, but I am confident that all
this training will pay off dividends come next
year.
In other company news: Congratulations to
Amanda and Delbert Conley for the birth of
their second son, Mason. Another congratula-
tions goes to Dan Misenhimer for graduating
from the Maintenance Test Pilot Course in Fort
Rucker. He will return to Fort Drum and fill
the position of Company Maintenance Officer,
a role that has been vacant for months. Alpha
Company is still very short on people, and we
should start to finally see some more new faces
around the company area. It will come as wel-
comed relief to those who have been working
overtime, sometimes filling the roles of two or
three people in order to accomplish the mis-
sions so far.
I want to thank all the families again
for their continued support. Enjoy your time
away from work, take advantage of the beauti-
ful weather, and remember to be safe.
Steve Lancianese
“Deathstalker 06”
Deathstalker
Page 3
Knighthawk News
CPT S Lancianese
1SG J Chilson
FRG Leaders
Becky Blanchard
Carole Barlow
Change is the one constant that everyone
can count on in the Army. Since the last
newsletter, there have been many changes
that have occurred within the Assault Com-
pany in Task Force Knighthawk. On May
11, 2012 the G/2-10 colors were cased and
G/2-10 was reflagged as C/2-10. During
that ceremony, a change of command also
took place between CPT James Coker and
CPT Brian Green.
I am very grateful to have the op-
portunity to write this column for the news-
letter. Since the change of command,
things have been very busy with the War-
lords. We have conducted an aerial gun-
nery qualification to qualify all of our pro-
gressed crewchiefs , we have started send-
ing our pilots and crewchiefs through the
UH-60M Model qualification course, and
have even begun conducting our planning
and rehearsals for the Mountain Fest Air
Assault demonstration. This is a busy first
month for a new command, but this com-
pany is definitely up to the task.
Our biggest training event coming
up is the Mountain Fest Air Assault dem-
onstration. On Thursday 28 June 2012, TF
Knighthawk will be flying the Air Assault
Demonstration during Mountain Fest. C/2-
10 was given the opportunity to conduct
the 4-ship Air Assault of 2-14IN. This is
going to be a great demonstration of the
capabilities of the UH-60 aircraft.
Things have been busy with the
Warlords and will continue to be busy;
however this is a company that is definitely
up for the challenge. I look forward to
keeping everyone up to date on what the
Warlords are doing and I am very excited
to be a part of the Knighthawk Team.
CPT Green
Warlords
Page 4
Knighthawk News
CPT Green
1SG B Boots
FRG Leaders
Casey Green
Heidi Woerheide
CPT David Fitzpatrick was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. He attended Niagara
University and graduated with a BA in Business Management. After college CPT Fitz-
patrick went to Flight School at Fort Rucer, AL. He graduated the UH-60 course in
April of 2010 and was assigned to Fort Drum in May of 2010. CPT Fitzpatrick was then
assigned to G Company 2-10 Aviation and deployed to JRTC and later to Afghanistan in
support of Operation Enduring Freedom XI. Upon redeployment from Afghanistan CPT
Fitzpatrick was reassigned to D Company 2-10 where he served as a Platoon Leader until
March of 2012, until taking command of D Company in March of 2012. CPT. Fitz-
patrick is excited in commanding the Dragonhawks and looks forward to the road ahead.
CPT David Fitzpatrick
Dragonhawks
Page 5
Knighthawk News
CPT Fitzpatrick
1SG L. Brown
FRG Leaders
Shaunna Fitzpatrick
Kimberly Perez
"Echo Company has undergone many
changes in the last several months
while supporting the Task Force train-
ing and conducting its own company
level training.
Echo Company would like to say
goodbye to Captain Mattie Howe and
welcome its new command team: First
Sergeant James Matlock and Captain-
Daniel Reep. Both are very excited to
prepare the Knightrider Soldiers and
Families for the upcoming deployment.
Echo Company supported the Task
Force gunnery in May and is preparing
to support the upcoming August gun-
nery as well as JRTC in October. We
had a great BBQ event during block
leave this month for the Soldiers who
did not take leave and would like to
say thank you to all the family mem-
bers who attended and participated in
the games.
We look forward to spending more
time with the Knight Rider families in
the
near future!"
V/r,
CPT Reep
My name is Sterling Reep, and I am
the new FRG leader. I am excited to
meet each of you. I very much appreci-
ate all of Kelly Daniel's hard work and
commitment, and I am looking forward
to continuing to grow and build the
FRG. I am available to you and your
families when you need me. Please do
not hesitate to contact me if you have
any questions, concerns, problems, or
suggestions that you would like to dis-
cuss. The FRG is in need of volunteers,
so if you are interested, please let me
know. Thank you so much for all that
you, your spouse, and your family do
for the Company and the Army every
single day.
Knight Riders
Knight Riders FRG Leader
Page 6
Knighthawk News
CPT D Reep
1SG Matlock
FRG Leader
Sterling Reep
05 June 2012, just moments before dusk,
Soldiers of Foxtrot ATS Company
(Firehawks) set forth on a journey not com-
monly traveled by members of the ATS
community. The challenge; navigate from
point to point through a dense unfamiliar
forest inhabited by wild turkeys and hun-
gry bears in the dead of the night using
only a map, a compass, and a red lens
flashlight. To make final preparations for
the event that lay ahead, Firehawks under-
went a series of refresher training that en-
compassed the basics of Land Navigation.
Spearheading this training were SSG (P)
Pizzuto, SSG Squires, and SSG Guetersloh
representing their respective platoon well
with quality training that fostered an excel-
lent opportunity for each Soldier to hone
their skills with a compass and a map.
These three skilled NCOs later served as
Observer/Controllers to ensure an element
of safety during the voyage through the
rugged terrain. CSM Parmer was present
during this preparation phase and gladly
provided senior experience and tricks of
the trade to Soldiers rotating through the
training stations. Three groups were
formed and endowed with knowledge and
the appropriate tools. They eagerly waited
to moment to put them to use. As the sun
set, they executed what they had learned
and put their skills to the test. Personnel
designated to keep pace for their group ac-
curately measured their steps, while the
rest of the team plotted the points on the
map and developed their game plan to ac-
complish the challenge at hand. With little
daylight left, an accurate pace count estab-
lished, and a marked map each team steps
off almost simultaneously to their first tar-
gets. Each team raced to the first point and
found it successfully as the sun finally set.
With the complete absence of the sun it
became increasingly difficult to move
about in the thick brush, let alone locate the
eye-level orange and white markers that
depicted each point. Fueled with their
competitive natures and marked by chemi-
cal lights, each team continued to drive on
seeking out their objectives. As the chal-
lenge continued Soldier safety became an
issue and the call was made to cease the
competitive effort.
Firehawks
Page 7
Knighthawk News
CPT J Sampsel
1SG Leavell
FRG Leader
Jamie Sampsel
Wendy Averett
Families and Friends of TF Knight-
hawk,
Greetings from the Pathfinder Team.
I am deeply humbled and honored to
join the Knighthawk’s as we prepare
for our next rotation in support of Op-
eration Enduring Freedom. In the past few months, we
have had a large turnover in both Soldiers and their leaders
within the company. Many of the past deployment’s veter-
ans have moved on to bigger and better things and we
are sad to see them go. However, we are fortunate to have
gained the experience of multiple seasoned Soldiers and
their families joining us from other units. I am already
overwhelmed by the progression we have made as a
“Team” in just a few short months of being together. I can
only anticipate this level of performance and motivation to
increase over the next few weeks as we continue to build
the Pathfinder Family.
As we come off block leave, the Pathfinder Company will
be rapidly progressing to the “run” phase of our training.
We have already completed numerous static weapon
ranges, Fire Team Live Fire Exercises, and even an off-post
training event in the mountainous terrain of the Adiron-
dacks. In addition, Soldiers from the company graduated
Pathfinder School and Air Assault School, earning the cov-
eted Pathfinder Torch and Air Assault Wings. Great work
men! With individual training almost complete, we will
continue to advance, challenging the company to come to-
gether as a tightly knit team to accomplish more complex
tasks, while incorporating additional military assets in the
twilight of night and the simulated fog of war.
Your Pathfinders will continue to maintain the training
tempo as we focus on preparation for our upcoming rota-
tion to the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) in No-
vember. In the next few weeks, we will be conducting
multiple Situational and Live Fire Training events at both
the squad and platoon level, hon-
ing the skills of our profession. There will even be Battal-
ion combined events and a culminating off-post training
event at Cranberry Lake, NY. Our concentration on small
unit tactics lends itself to leader development and individ-
ual soldier skills allowing each of us to become confident
in our warrior tasks and drills. This will lead to a company
that can function and adapt with little guidance or informa-
tion in an ever changing battle field.
Entering the heart of our training cycle, all I ask is for your
continued love and support in the coming weeks for our
Soldiers. The previous and future success in our training is
not only contributed to the Soldier’s hard work here in
Pathfinder Company, but also to the dedicated support they
receive from you. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed
and is greatly appreciated. Although your Soldiers are the
ones out training every week, you are just as much a part of
this team and I look forward to working with each and
every one of you.
Knighthawks!
First in Last Out!
Christopher Gage
CPT, IN
Pathfinders
Page 8
Knighthawk News
Page 9
Knighthawk News
Salute to the Nation
Page 10
Knighthawk News
Mountainfest 2012
Air Assault Demo
Knighthawks in Action
Knighthawks in Action
Page 11
Knighthawk News
Hello to the family and friends
of Task Force Knighthawk,
I would like this op-
portunity to introduce my wife,
Susanna, and myself to the
Task Force. We are coming
from Denver, Colorado and
this will be our first duty sta-
tion. Admittedly, we did not
ask for Fort Drum, but we are
constantly encouraged by the
supportive and friendly com-
munity that is the Fort Drum
Family. Thank you all for that.
We look forward to working
(and playing) with you as we
all support each other through
this upcoming deployment.
Let me take some
time to share what we bring to
the table as your Taskforce
Chaplain Couple. If you’re
interested in the degrees and
stuff, I have studied and been
certified in the areas of Family
Studies, Human Development,
Marital and Pre-Marital Coun-
seling, Stress Management,
Counseling, and (of course)
Religion. Susanna has studied
and been certified in the areas
of Communication, Sociology,
and Mediation. As you can
see, we both have a passion for
relationships and communica-
tion.
If you’re not inter-
ested in the degrees and want
to know what we are really
about, I could simply tell you
that we are about relationships.
We value and always seek to
develop authentic and suppor-
tive relationships because we
have found that there are times
in life when it’s just too hard
to get by on our own. Not only
that, but sometimes, life can be
brighter when you’re with peo-
ple that you truly know and
can trust.
We hope that you also
share in this passion, but
whether you’re passionate
about relationships or not, rela-
tionships are an unavoidable
aspect to life. As a result, our
vision for this segment is to
offer practical reflections on
relationships to the Knight-
hawk community. We do not
claim that these are expert re-
flections or that we know more
about relationships than you;
rather, we just want to share
some things that we’ve learned
along the way that could offer
some insight into your rela-
tionships.
Our ultimate goal is
that these reflections will serve
as a springboard for conversa-
tion and eventually lead to
deeper trusting relationships
that will hopefully support us
all through this deployment.
Chaplain’s Corner
Page 12
Knighthawk News
Ch (CPT) Daniel Werho and Suzanne
Werho
Military Family Life Consultant
Room
Easy as learning your A, B, C's
Talk to our MFLC to learn more...
A= Awareness to your current and future
situation. Learn about life as a process.
B= Balance of all your energies. Learn
about using your energy for success.
C= Control of what you care about. Learn
when to hold and when to fold.
Need to Talk? Need someone to listen?
For any issue such as adjustment, coping ,
loss/grief, separation, strengthening, par-
enting, resolution, communications, rela-
tionships, decisions, etc.
Call our own 10th CAB Military and Fam-
ily Life Consultant at 315-405-7449
Personal Finacial Counselor—MFLC
19933 MSR Tampa
HHC Room 108
Did you know that the MFLC Program in-
cludes Personal Financial Counseling to
help you and your family manage all your
financial needs.
Complete confidentiality
Guidance with specific issues or gen-
eral education for future use and plan-
ning
Just some of the topics are…
ROTH TSP
Spending plans
Saving and investing strategies
Retirement
College planning
Debt management
Free credit report & score– tips on how
to raise your credit score up
Transitioning to Civilian life
And so much more!
Call 315-523-3765 for an appointment or
more information.
MFLC
Page 13
Knighthawk News
“To catch the reader's
attention, place an
interesting sentence or
quote from the story
here.”
Clever Prince
Justin Sturm
Matthew Smith
Lee Hough
Matthew Cootware
Avonelle Brown
Ahmed Boyd
Adam Hook
Justin McBride
John Meier
Davis Devine
Yap
Hector Huertas
Charles Odle
James Coker
James Berge
Stephens
Chris Dickerson
Jacob Rhodes
Jessica Cioci
Aleth Toussaint
Courtenay Galvin
James Hart
John Kolodgy
Kaylee Laakso
Farewells
Page 14
Knighthawk News
"Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after
moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends."
~ Richard Bach
Hails
Matthew Braman
Harold Browning
Henry Nanez
Eugene Walker
Andrew Bergquist
Kevin Lawistowski
Mark Axtell
Benjamin Schouwerwou
Ronald Scheuren
Travis Gordon
Mario Nunez
Daniel Reep
Shawn Calvert
Jared Snyder
Nathan Humbert
Bradley Campbell
Corey Kesty
Joseph Lancaster
Corey Konieczko
Kristopher Dendtler
Aaron Young
Scott Newhart
Cory Albertson
Dale Hughes
Orville Gross
Jesse Naputi
Daniel Werho
Kinyada Colbert
Chase Roe
Michael Holenchick
Manuel Reyes
Jennifer Gonzalez
Asaad Brown
Garrett Wood
Zealand Shouse
Taylor Hurd
Jared Casias
Robert Ibarra
Please take the time and extend a very special welcome to newest members of the Task Force team…
Brigade Soldier Spotlight—SPC Leonardo Sanchez
Page 15
Knighthawk News
Soldier Spotlight is on SPC Leonardo Sanchez,
a vehicle mechanic with E Company, 2nd Battalion,
10th Aviation Regiment, Task Force Knighthawk.
Despite the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade's aviation mission, there remains a real need for ground vehicles
which are used by aviation support staff such as Downed Aircraft Recovery Teams, fuel and armament spe-
cialists, maintainers, logistics, and food specialists. Each battalion has a platoon of ground vehicle mechanics.
Sanchez, a native of the Dominican Republic, has been in the Army for 20 months. He entered the Army with
an electrical engineering degree from the DR and hopes to improve his English so he can one day use his de-
gree in the U.S. He would like to one day attend Officers Candidate School.
His favorite part of being a mechanic is actually working on truck. His least favorite part is paperwork and all
the abbreviations the Army uses.
"For example, why do we say 'LMTV' when we could simply say 'truck'," asked Sanchez.
When he's not working, Sanchez says he likes to read books which help him improve his English. He looks
forward to reading novels in English eventually.
Living in the North Country is perfect for Sanchez since he has family who live in Canada and New York City.
"You can raise your family here," Sanchez said. "I could live here forever."
Lil Knighthawks
Page 16
Knighthawk News
Vivianna Grace Perez, born 14 Jan
Anna Reed born 13 March
Colton Andrew Reed, born 26 Mar
Charles Jeffrey Shouse, born 7April
Harmony Pace, born 22 May
Khaleesi Denise Averett, born 4 July
Savonn Roman Vanderpool, born 28 June
Nathaniel Nunez, born 4 June
Your new baby will bring you joy;
Your hearts will swell with love and pleasure;
Congratulations to both of you
And a welcome to your little treasure.
19912 MSR Tampa
Fort Drum NY 13619
315-774-1373
315-405-6783
TF Knighthawk
Government Organization
Free-lance journalist particpates in Pathfinders battle-focused physical training Peter Wayner, a free-lance journalist from Syracuse visited F Company, Pathfinders, 2nd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regi-
ment, Task Force Knighthawks, July 24, to experience battle-focused physical training. Wayner is researching what it
takes to be a 10th Mountain Division Soldier.
What does it take to be
a 10th Mountain
Division Warrior?
Peter Wayner, from
Syracuse visited the
10th CAB's Pathfinder
company to find out
for himself