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Taino-Warriors

News Who we are…Taino Warriors

Batallion.

Above: The Puerto Rico National Guard during their demonstration on career day. Left: Ranger Pushups participants joyful of their

victory. Apr 14 Edition

Inside

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After LTC I remember thinking, “MS3 year can’t be that bad”. Little did I know that I was in for a roller coaster ride in my junior college year. Being a MS3 is no easy task, taking 18 semester hour credits, waking up every day for PT at 0500, and being committed most weekends at ROTC training can be overwhelming, not intended for the average Joe. Sacrifice and discipline have become an essential part of our daily life, indispensable to achieving our goals. In order to maintain GPA and succeed in the ROTC we have learned to manage our time in such a manner that every minute is precious to keeping our school schedule on track. The usual “Thirsty Thursday” and Friday night hang out with friends has become just a good memory of having extra time to procrastinate, and keeping in contact with those friends has become a hard task to accomplish when taking the time to socialize is almost impossible. Although hard and demanding, being an MS3 is one of the most gratifying experiences we have encountered.

Road to JFAX

Georgia Shine

Blue vs. Green Cup

Army Won

The Cadet Ball

BN Event

One Last Time

Last Lab Salinas

Liftime Experience

George C. Marshall

T-W at West Point

Cdt Rivera Rafael

CM/CS

Selfless Service

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Being a MS3 - No easy task.

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APR14 Taino-Warriors Battalion

Calendar

(Continuation Page 1) Never Forget:

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The sense of accomplishment at the end of each day, Lab and APFT makes it all worth wild.

Being committed to becoming an Officer of the United States Army at this early stage in life has made us realize the real sense of responsibility that comes with representing the greatest institution in the nation, were your character and integrity are the true definitions of who you are. If I were to choose the most important aspect of this MS3 experience so far, it would be the realizing of the burden we are committed to take. Leading the sons and daughters of this nation is no easy task. It requires of you as a whole, and it makes you understand that just because you take off the uniform doesn’t mean you are not held to those standards of responsibility and comradery in looking after the welfare, of not only yourself, but your peers and Soldiers. We take great pride in our role as a Cadet committed to defending the values which make this nation great, and we only hope it only gets better and more challenging from here on out. Keeping in mind the words of General George S. Patton Jr: “The highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country”; I look forward to seeing my MS3 class achieving the highest standards at upcoming LDAC and representing the Taíno Warriors Battalion with great honor and commitment.

v Commissioning

June 13, 2014

Taino-Warriors Battalion APR14

On the Road to LDAC: JFAX For a few months now JFAX at FT. Gordon, had been lurking on the minds of most of the

MS3 at the Taíno Warrior Battalion. All of the hard work, long hours of studying and sacrifices had led up to this LDAC pre-test. On Thursday April 3rd 2014 the main body of MS3’s woke up to D-DAY. After a quick breakfast at Battalion HQ the taínos set out to take (for what the most of them would be) their first flight experience on a C-130 Aircraft. Anxious and ready to go, they learned how to set up their own flight equipment pallets, and boarded the bird. Just before takeoff, the flight was canceled due to a radar equipment failure; the flight wasn’t going to happen. The looks of disappointment were clear, although the concern for the cadet’s safety was much greater.

On Friday the taínos where back at Muñiz Air Base with the promise of a safe and sure

flight. After another failed attempt, a quick fix and almost 48 hours after the beginning of the training, they were finally on their way to Georgia. Upon arrival they quickly transitioned to the training site and with motion sickness still keeping their senses of direction fussy, the warriors went head first into Night Land Navigation. After a sketchy start the taínos where out for redemption. On Saturday we woke up to PLT Operations where a great majority of Blue Card evaluations turned out E. The weekend training concluded with another round of Night Land Navigation. By 0900 Sunday, MS3’s were safely on their way back to the island.

Cdt. Jimenez during down time at JFAX.


Cadets celebrating victory during the plank

event.

Road to Redemption: BLUE v. GREEN CUP On April 13th 2014 the Taíno Warriors participated in the 2014 Blue v. Green CUP. After

long dominated years of Cup victories, the battalion finally suffered a defeat by the AFROTC

during the 2013 Cup. This year the taínos were back determined on redemption. After a quick

session of motivational PT by the BN MSGT the taínos were pumped and ready to go.

After the first victories in the track and field events, a huge sentiment of victory was in the

air for the Army ROTC. The Ranger push ups was one of the highlights of the day, Army ROTC

crushed the AFROTC Cadets by a landslide and demonstrated more character and resolve

embodied through the warrior ethos and values, working as one unit and never quitting.

After the day was over the Army ROTC had won the CUP with a global score of 2800

against 1900 AFROTC. The taínos had the chance to develop comradery and work as a team in

each event. It also provided a much needed bonding with our sister branch Air Force. More than

the desire to win, it was a demonstration of sportsmanship and respect with our brothers in arms.

Cdt. Bermudez during the ranger pushup event.


Squad Leader waiting for instruction during Platoon

Mission.

The Cadet Ball After a few briefings and a ton of questions the 2014 cadet ball was here. At 1530 cadets,

cadre and VIP started arriving at the Centro de Bellas Artes, Caguas. Elegantly dressed in ASU

and formal civilian attire, cadets and their dates walked down the receiving line and took their

places for the official ceremony.

Later the posting of the colors, invocation,

dinner, and some fun with the year memories, LTC

Hanes BN Commander of the Taíno Warrior

Battalion addressed the Cadets followed by Brigadier

General O’Ferral. The Battalion was honored to

bestow the presence of Brigadier General Burgos

commander of the 1st MSC..

After all of the protocol was done, it was time for some pictures, cake and dancing. To the

rhythm of disco and tropical music, all the present enjoyed dancing with their dates and enjoyed

the good old days of disco dancing with cadre and VIP’s. Overall it was a great opportunity to

bond with fellow cadets and cadre after so many days and hours of hard work and dedication. The

ball also functioned as a training exercise for military balls.


The cadet body watching the Puerto Rico National Guard

demonstration.

One Last Time: JFTX On the last weekend of April the Taíno Warriors set out for their last JFTX of the year at

Camp Santiago, Salinas. In a twist a Special Forces group and a detachment of Cadets from the Air

Force ROTC who are interested in a tactical specialty.

On Friday the taínos arrives at Camp Santiago highly motivated for their final practice run.

The day started out with Land Navigation followed by a couple of Platoon missions and ended

with a round of Night Land Navigation. Different from other occasions all MS levels participated

during the exercise additional to the company of the Mayaguez Battalion Cadets.

On Saturday the Cadets participated in the Puerto Rico National Guard career day, which

provided them with a wide spectrum of what the National Guard has to offer career wise and

specialty wise. The weekend ended with an outstanding demonstration by the National Guard

Infantrymen and a word from General Medina Commanding General of the Puerto Rico National

Special Forces instructors during the last Lab at

Salinas


Once in a Lifetime Experience: George C. Marshall Award

During the month of April Cdt. Peralta was selected as the recipient of the 2014 University

of Puerto Rico ROTC, Gen. George C. Marshall Leadership Award. He attended a seminar

consisting of three-day roundtable discussion and lectures. During the event Cdt. Peralta got the

opportunity to speak on a personal level with high-ranking officers who shared their experience

and knowledge. Out of all of the military brass,

Peralta recalls his conversations with a Military

Intelligence Lieutenant Colonel, who pointed out a

lot of tips for Second Lieutenants. He also had the

opportunity to get the NCO perspective on the role

of a Platoon Leader from various Sergeant Majors.

He explains that these “one on one” talks helped

him acquire different points of view of what a

Lieutenants job is like, something very different

from the ROTC mold.

The round table lectures where based on

today’s national security issues. Some of the topics

were: Iran as Nuclear Power, Cyber Terrorism, and

The Rise of China. They went in depth with these topics and applied them on how they will affect

the future of the Army.

Overall Cadet Peralta expressed it was a great learning experience. He learned about National

Security issues, had the opportunity to talk to several high ranking officers including the Army

Chief of Staff, General Ray Odierno. For attending this seminar he received a GEN. George C.

Marshall Award certificate, a five star coin, and several leadership development books. Peralta is

very grateful and fortunate to have been selected to attend this seminar. It was a great experience

that he wishes every ROTC Cadet could have.


This April Cdt. Rivera, Rafael attended the XVII Mission Command Conference at the

United States Military Academy at West

Point. Around 80 Cadets from different

Universities participated in the conference.

Lieutenant General Robert Brown was the

main host for the event, although there

were many different representatives from

divisions like the 82nd, 101st Airborne and

75th Ranger. The conference was based on

advice and discussion about the future of

the Army and mission oriented concepts.

The activities ended in the Firstie Club where all conference speakers shared on a personal level

with the Cadets, and spoke about future career opportunities the Army has to offer.

Rivera explains that the essence of the conference was about Building Trust. When asked

about the most important lesson he picked up at West Point, Rivera expressed: “Trusting yourself

is about confidence and commitment. As a Second Lieutenant you will be the role model of the

platoon. Your Soldiers will evaluate you as soon you get to your unit, if you don’t show

commitment in front of the platoon you will lose the trust of your unit. Trust in your Unit means

to develop confidence in your Platoon and promote the teamwork. Your Platoon Sergeant will

make sure to carry out the mission, but you as a Second Lieutenant need the right approach to

assess the mission, by showing confidence. Trust in others is about delegating tasks, rather than

just micromanaging. Remember that your Platoon has to be proficient in all the tasks that your

Commander assigns. But in order to be

proficient, your Platoon needs experience. Also

remember that Platoon Leader is the master of

planning and the Platoon Sergeant is the master

of execution, making them the most important

team in small unit tactics”.

Taíno–Warrior Visits West Point


Community Service

Cad

ets of the M

onth

UNE Company: CDT Galindez, Jose

• APFT: 274 • Selfless Service • Has good command presence. • Awarded for his hard work and

willingness to help develop other cadets.

This April Metro Company paid a visit to “San Juan Casa Cuna”.The center is a foster home for children from 0-3 years of age who have been victims of child abuse, neglect, or have been turned in voluntarily for adoption.

The Cadets from Metro Company spent a day bringing fun and joy to the

children by the means of games, balloon animals, snacks, inflatable fun houses, face paint and food. Most importantly Metro Company demonstrated Selfless Service by providing their time and attention toward a truly noble cause, our children the leaders of tomorrow.

Met

ro C

omp

any:

Cas

a C

un

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Taino-Warriors Batallion

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Credits Writer & Edit: c/CPT. Olmos, Maria Writer & Edit: c/SSGT. Betancourt, Carlos

Have you ever asked yourself the origin of the Ranger Challenge Guidon? The history note we have on it, is that the cadet that designed it in 80’s approximately didn’t have the intention of the Guidon being as big as it is.

Did You Know Taino-Warriors?

Taino-Warriors News APR14

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