Task Force Sapper Eagle Quarterly Newsletter #1

A warm welcome to all Family and friends from Joint Base Balad, Iraq! We have covered a lot of ground (so to speak) since the 326th Engineer Battalion (minus the 887th EN Company) de-parted from Fort Campbell during a snowy week in late January. Our mandatory training in Ku-wait went very well and we only had to spend about one week conducting the training before waiting for flights to our final bases in Iraq. Since our arrival to our new ―homes‖ here, we‘ve

settled in comfortably and assumed control of our mission from the previous unit. On the 14 th of February, the Battalion officially became Task Force Sapper Eagle as we conducted a transfer of authority ceremony and assumed control of the engineer missions from the 724th Engineer Bat-talion (WI Army National Guard) also known as Task Force Badger. I would like to again rec-ognize the members of Task Force Badger not only for their service here in Iraq, but also for being great partners and helping us get familiar with our area and the mission.

While we are here in Iraq we will provide

command and control for route clearance (getting rid of IEDs) operations, military bridging operations, and some troop construc-tion. All of our efforts will be supported by our maintenance, logistics, communications, medical, and other key Soldiers in our Head-quarters and Forward Support Companies. ―Construction and bridging?‖ you might be

wondering. Yes, with the transfer of authority also came the responsibility of providing over-sight to three additional companies: the 299th Multi-role Bridge Company (FT Belvoir, VA, military bridging), the 617th Engineer Support Company (FT Lewis, WA, construction), and the 34th Engineer Company (Schofield Bar-racks, HI, Sappers). Several of these Compa-

nies will be replaced in the next 6 months so we will be able to welcome new members to the team. Task Force Sapper Eagle is the last Engineer Battalion task force to serve in Iraq. As we all know, our military has left a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in this country – and in par-ticular, the US Army Engineer Regiment (all

Army Engineers…) has contributed immensely to this mission – from helping rebuild the Iraqi infrastructure to military bridging operations in combat and finally now to partnering with Iraqi Army engineers as we build their capacity as military engineers. As I said at the transfer of au-thority ceremony on 14 February, our unit has a unique ―responsibility to close out this mission on behalf of those who have served, on behalf of those who have fallen, and on behalf of the families they left behind…we will get the job done…and we will close this historic mission with an effort commensurate with their sacrifice.‖ I am extremely proud to lead this task force and our Soldiers should be proud of their service as we will depart Iraq having done our best to stand up

a credible and effective military and a functional democratic government.

(continued on page 2)

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

28 M ARCH , 2011

Notes From The

Eagle‘s Nest

TASK FORCE SAPPER EAGLE

HHC 3

FSC 4

34th Sapper Co 6

299th MRBC 7

391st Sapper Co 9

511th Sapper Co 10

591st Sapper Co 12

INS IDE THIS I SSUE:

617th ESC 13

―Flame On!‖ 14

―Proud to Wear the Patch‖ 15

CSM / PAO 16

LTC Kinsman leads HHC and FSC in pushups at

their patching ceremony.

From the Task Force Commander

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 PAGE 2

From the Commander (cont.)

At this point in the deployment our Sol-diers have settled in and have developed a routine – my goal for Soldiers is to have at least one ―low battle rhythm‖ day per week

where they can rest and recover and pursue personal goals while separated from fami-lies. I‘ve also told them to expect to work hard throughout the deployment, and that things may get even more austere as ser-vices are cut back in preparation for our departure. In the meantime, all of our bases have places where Soldiers can go to

use the phone or computer and to relax and watch TV or movies. I‘ve also told all of our Soldiers that they need to remember to take care of themselves through proper diet and exercise – and to check in with their loved ones back in the USA. And while Iraq remains a dangerous place, we are continuing to train to keep our skills sharp

and always look for ways to minimize the risk to our Soldiers. Task Force Sapper Eagle‘s mission has just begun, but already we have accom-plished a lot of which we can be proud. From clearing IEDs to improving roads and checkpoints; from bridging missions and logistics convoys to producing accurate and timely support to all Soldiers in the Task Force, we are looking forward to an extremely successful and efficient mission in support

of Operation New Dawn. When we redeploy we will be confident in the outlook for the Iraqi people, as we will leave behind our well-trained and extremely capable Iraqi Army partners. Finally, as of this writing, we are already one quarter of the way through the deployment. I hope that Fort Campbell families will enjoy the ―Quarter Way There Party‖ on April 3rd at the Family Readiness Center. --LTC Patrick Kinsman, Task Force Sapper Eagle Commander

LTC Kinsman with Iraqi Army partners at the East Taji Bridge site

Iraqi Army Strategic Bridging Company Soldiers at the East Taji Bridge

Well, it

is nearing the end of March already. It seems just yesterday that we said goodbye to our love ones and then boarded the plane bound for "Operation New Dawn". We quickly met our training requirements in Kuwait, then pushed north to begin our Replace in Position (RIP) process. On 14 Febru-ary, we officially transitioned operational responsibility from Task Force Badger to Task Force Sapper Eagle. There have

been many questions from our Headhunter families as to what type of opportunities their Soldiers have at Joint Base Balad (JBB). The most frequently-asked question is what type of educational opportunities Soldiers have on JBB, ranging from online classes to traditional classes. Many of our Soldiers are taking full advantage of these opportunities. We have over ten Soldiers enrolled in classes including English 101 and

Biology 101 and even graduate-level courses. Currently, there are many opportunities available to help our Soldiers to start or finish their degrees. I would, however, expect these opportunities to dwindle as we start to transition out of Iraq toward the end of the year. As this happens, I would expect some of the other services offered to start closing as well. Right now on JBB we have

shopping (Bazaar/PX), a movie theater, and multiple gyms. Some of the amenities have already started closing. We have had most of the fast food chains close their doors for the last time. At the end of Febru-

ary, Burger King and Pizza Hut served there last cus-tomers on JBB. So I would expect a fast food craving during your Soldier's leave. March marked the first month of leave for our Headhunter Soldiers and Families. Every Soldier is given 15 days of free leave to any-where in the world, making for a great opportunity for the Headhunter Soldier and family. This is an oppor-tunity to take that vacation of a lifetime or to simply

sit around the house and enjoy the small things in life. We will continue to send the remainder of the com-pany on leave over the next six months or so. I want to share my heartfelt appreciation to all our families and friends at home. We could not have accomplished all that we have done so far with-out your kindness and support. I would also like to thank our Soldiers for all they have done to enable us

to execute combat operations. More than ever, the strength of our unit, our Soldiers, and our ability to operate as a team will carry us over the challenges we will face in the upcoming months. —Bennie D. Weaver, HHC Commander

HHC plays volleyball against 20th Engineer Brigade. From Left: 1LT Blakemore,

SGT Taua’i CPT Walker, 1LT Kraus, CPT Gottschalk

NOTES FROM THE EAGLE‘S NEST PAGE 3

HHC

Above: SFC Brown, SFC

Smith, SSG Reed, and Huda

(our interpreter) at Victory

Base Camp, Baghdad.

Left: HHC stands ready to be

patched in March.


Greetings from the new Company Commander, CPT Jesse Hougnon. I am very excited to be the Commander of the Forward Support Company, 326th Engineer Battalion (Air As-

sault). We are the last Engineer Battal-ion to enter Iraq for Operation New Dawn and we will be exiting in a con-trolled, expedient way. Everyone is doing well, has settled into their new living arrangements and is excited to start the mission. Your Soldiers will get to see Iraq change through draw-

down and base closures. I am looking forward to getting to know the Soldiers and re-laying our stories through the newsletters and the 326th Engineer

Battalion Facebook page.

—CPT Jesse D. Hougnon, FSC Com-

mander

FSC

SPC Jensen and CW2 Haynes work on a vehicle.

Distro Platoon stands in front of an F-15 for SGT Persinger and SGT Marco’s reenlistment ceremony.

FSC

Even though it‘s only been a month since we left, the Forward Support Company (FSC) has already started to accomplish the Operation New Dawn mission. The Soldiers of the FSC

called upon their previous deploy-ment experiences, their desire to suc-ceed, and our family style of team-work in order to expedite the Transfer of Authority with the FSC, 724th Engineer Battalion, ahead of sched-

ule.

Our time in Kuwait was short, yet sufficient. The first day started with the Change of Command Ceremony between 1LT Lamon D. Whitfield and CPT Jesse D. Hougnon. We wel-come CPT Hougnon, his wife Chan-

delle, and their daughter Doriane to the Forward Support Company fam-

ily.

As our mission continues, it will evolve in support of Operation New

Dawn and the Iraqi Drawdown. We

will provide the most up-to-date information as soon as it becomes available.

I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank the friends, families, and spouses who continue to suc-cessfully accomplish the mission at Fort Campbell so we

can concentrate on our mission here in Iraq. Thanks

again.

—1SG Frank P. Stiglich


SPC Harris calmly awaits the insertion of a nasopharyngeal airway during a Combat Lifesaver class.

Nasopharyngeal airways are tubes inserted through the nose to aid a patient’s breathing. It ensures an

open passageway from the nostril through the throat.

Right: SPC Holland

and SPC Seadler

PV2 Cyr works on a vehicle while CPL Patterson stands in the background.

28 February 2010

34th Sapper Families,

Happy belated Valentines Day from the entire Titan Family! It‘s great to write again for this March Edition of the Titan Times. As the 2010 football season has now come to a close,

we have found many other opportunities to stay busy – namely basketball and March Madness. February was a very busy and productive month for the Titans. The 34th Sapper Company participated in float bridge removal in northern Iraq. Titan Soldiers from every platoon experienced bridge operations: operating on boats and dismantling 27 bays of bridge along with the 299th Multi Role Bridge Company from the US Army Reserves. It was a great professional de-

velopment opportunity for our combat engineers and opened Soldiers‘ eyes to another of the many missions we engineers

are called upon to execute.

The Titans continue

their Route clearance mission, now in sup-port of Task Force Sapper Eagle (our new higher headquar-ters – 326th Engineer Battalion). As al-ways, we continually

remain busy ensuring the routes are free of IEDs that extremists intend to use against US and Iraqi Security Forces. All the Pla-toons have executed especially well in the

last 30 days, I tip my

hat to their efforts.

As usual, our Mainte-nance and Headquar-ters Platoons are the

silent partners who go unrecognized for their efforts. Without their combined assistance our vehicles would not roll, our radios would not transmit, and our weapons may not fire. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to SGT Kenny, our untiring Senior Medic; CPL Barker our night Battle Captain and Headquarters ―Handy-man‖; SSG Grinnell for his TERP management, R&R coordinator, mail clerk and a list of other jobs; SGT Dalia, for his assumption of the Supply Sergeant

duties following our company‘s departure from Hawaii; SGT Joyner for his reorganization and leadership in the Commo office; SFC Salladay, for ‗keeping the wheels on the apple cart‘ as our Operations Sergeant. Additionally, thanks to SPC Clark, SPC Sampson, and SPC Ortiz for their daily support

conducting a myriad of Headquarters duties.

I specifically want to acknowledge our Maintenance section. LTC O‘Donahue, our former Battalion Commander, visited FOB Speicher while conducting bridge inspections and battle-field circulation. His Personal Security Detachment experi-

enced vehicle troubles and our Maintenance section stepped up, dedicating their time and expertise to repairing their issues with ―NASCAR-style efficiency.‖ PFC Schultz, PFC Barreto, and PFC Hughes were recognized and awarded the Army Achievement Medal for their efforts. Certificates of Achieve-

ment were awarded to SPC Mauro, PFC Johnson for their daily support. In truly selfless fashion, SSG Tate and SGT Lord emphasized the teamwork necessary to accomplish our missions resulting from this recognition. Thanks to all of you for what you do every day. Maintenance Families, be proud, your men are outstanding and without them we could not ac-

complish our mission.

We had several promotions during February and I would like to congratulate SPC Aratari, SPC Craig, SPC Godfrey, and SPC Wells on their recent promotions. These are all out-standing Soldiers and 1SG Otero and I continue to expect

great things from all them.

Congratulations to the Coleman and Kempf families for the re-cent additions to their families. SPC and Mrs. Kempf had a baby

girl, weighing 6 lbs. 15 oz, Ca-dence Kempf, born to them on January 5th. SPC and Mrs. Coleman had a baby boy, weigh-ing 8 lbs. 6 oz, Cayden Coleman

was born January 29th.

We welcome several new Sol-diers to the Titan Family. They arrived from Schofield Barracks following their pre-deployment preparation and training. We extend a hearty Titan Welcome

to PFC Walker, SPC Ebele, and

SPC Thayer.

From 1SG Otero and I, thank you for the support that you

continue to provide.

CPT Muehling, out!


34th Sapper Company

34th's first Re-Enlistment in Iraq: SGT Dalia

CPT Keith Muehling, Commander 1SG Bryan Otero


The winter or rainy season is almost over. Although we had many cold or very cool days through January and February, for the most part the weather has been relatively mild when it comes to the rainy season. Iraq is still under a drought compared to the previous years. This bodes well for our bridges in the rivers but we are always mindful that a deluge could come and the rivers will

rise; therefore, we always keep the platoons in a ready posture to react.

The end of January and beginning of February were very fast paced times for our soldiers. In a two week span we took out two bridges. March would come in like a lion with an additional bridge removal with few days to prepare. Each bridge mission took more than 100 Soldiers, and with 30 Soldiers on leave, that left very few inside the wire and not on mission. Those left behind worked the Tactical Operations Center and Rear Maintenance operations, always as critical an effort as those outside the wire to the

completion of the mission.

January 20th Team Taji had just returned from working with the Iraqi Army Strategic Bridging Company (IA SBC) at Camp Taji. With little rest they joined the ranks of the rest of the company and prepared to head north. Our mission was to pull the Sharqat Ribbon Bridge which had been emplaced in 2009 as a bypass while a civilian bridge was being built. 1st Platoon would have the lead. Lt Martin and SFC Hall would be in charge of this bridge pull, which would involve a four-day operation to remove the bridge with the help of a platoon from 34th EN, as well as the Operational Land Owners (OEOs) providing security. The actual bridge pull would start early morning at 3:00 am on January 23rd. 1st Platoon moved out from FOB Spiecher to the bridge site. By

8:00 am, the sun broke through the low lying clouds and the frost melted off the nearby fields. The bridge was broken and the re-trieval was started. Through the course of the long day and into the late hours of the evening, the company steadily retrieved bridge parts from the water until 11:00 pm. All said, 120 of the company‘s soldiers traveled to northern Iraq, pulled a bridge and returned to JBB without serious incident, except 1LT Martin, who jumped out of his truck and sprained his ankle

upon arrival at the bridge site.

Less than a week later, 2nd Platoon relocated to Camp Taji in preparation to remove the Partnership Mabey Johnson Float Bridge (MJFB). Lt Zega and SFC Ovalle would be in charge of the bridge pull. The local

OEO and 1st platoon would have responsibility of site security. We had the pleasure of Mr. Pearson, the Ma-bey Shore Bridge Company expert on site to give us guidance. Unlike the ribbon bridge mission of the week before, this operation would take six work days to com-plete and would be done in concert with the IA SBC Soldiers we have been training for the past five months at Camp Taji. On the first day of operations, 2nd pla-

toon soldiers removed the decking and ramps. At one point, one of the Hyex excavators slipped the decking and almost fell into the river. After a couple of hours of high excitement the soldiers figured out how to retrieve the Hyex and operations continued. Over the following two days, near and far shore crews under the guidance of SSG Hatfield and SSG Barge pulled other parts of the bridge ashore then disassembled them. On the fourth day of operations, the Soldiers prepared the bridge for removal using 6 boats. The boat crew commanded by SSG Clark and SSG Tiso made it look like a well rehearsed drill, even with the commotion of two boat engines catching fire mid operation. Over the next two days, the bridge would be com-

pletely removed from the river and hauled to Camp Taji. All the while, 1st platoon maintained 24 hour security on the bridge site and a team composed of 1st and 2nd platoon soldiers hauled parts and pieces back to Camp Taji for containerization for shipment. With

the high motivation of our Soldiers, the bridge pull was completed two days ahead of Mr. Pearson‘s schedule.

During February, Team Taji would have a change of leadership. What was once the secondary mission of 2nd platoon has now come under the control of 1st platoon. As Team Taji is composed of Soldiers from all 299th platoons, only the leadership

changed. The mission remained the same: to teach the Iraqi Army Soldiers assault float bridging so they can carry on our efforts after US forces leave Iraq in December. There have been two training cycles since my last update: the first focused on the partner-ship MJBF Bridge with two days of Ribbon Raft training. Team Taji has done well in their efforts which have enabled the SBC to build a five float raft with supervision and very little help from 299th Soldiers. The second rotation focused on Assault Float bridg-ing. During this phase the E. Taji float bridge would be inspected and repaired in the same manner as the rest of the bridges in the IJOA, with a culminating exercise of partially removing and replacing the bridge using the SBC as the primary effort on the bridge

site.

299 MRB Company

Soldiers from 299th work with Iraqi Army Soldiers in preparation for the East Taji

Bridge removal, Feb. 24, 2011


Operations to move to Camp Taji also got underway this month. Soldiers are packing their CHUs up and sending unnec-essary items home in preparation for the move. The Headquarters Platoon is stripping our building at JBB while the Support Platoon is packing up the Maintenance building. Every soldier, some more than others, is working daily on some aspect of the move. Even Team Taji had a hand in our move. During the ―Days of Demon-stration‖ when the IA Soldiers were unavailable for training, the team cleaned and painted our new company building and straight-

ened out the new MP/Bridge Park at Taji. The move will continue through the end of March, as the Iraqis would say ―Inshallah‖ (if it‘s God Will) we‘ll be at full operations from our new home away

from home at Camp Taji.

It‘s never a dull day in Iraq. Operations are like the weather: wait a

minute and your mission will change. Such was the case at the be-ginning of March. We ended up with our 5th bridge mission of the deployment, a mission that was moved to sooner on the calendar versus later, as usually the case. We had expected to remove the East Taji ribbon bridge from the Tigris River in May after we were done training the IA SBC. Word from higher headquarters was different, and on the evening of the 1st of March we received a

phone call to have the company remove the E. Taji Ribbon Bridge by the 5th. This led to spooling up 1st platoon for the removal

and within two days they dropped their mission to the north bridge and were onsite prepping the bridge for removal. At the same time, 2nd platoon headed south with the 7th Dive Team to inspect and repair the eight bridges, thus leaving the company area once again virtually empty but for the TOC and rear maintenance teams. The 4 th of March would bring another ―Day of Demonstra-tions‖ which halted most operations. 2nd Platoon would be stuck at FOB Kalsu waiting for permission to roll. This gave the in-spection team a chance to regenerate from mechanical problems, and 1st Platoon an opportunity to work on courses of action to

pull apart the E. Taji Bridge which has been in the water for seven years.

At 4:00 am on the 5th, 1st platoon left Camp Taji for the bridge site. Work on the bridge began at 6:30 am and continued throughout the day. Under the guidance of SGT Ciminohurt on the river, the build crew devised unusual ways to disassemble the lower lock drives to avoid cutting bays that were difficult to re-move. By the day‘s end, only two of the 30 locks could not be undone, and were prepared for cutting on the 6th. While 1st pla-toon worked on the Tigris River at E. Taji, 2nd platoon traversed

the central provinces below Bagdad repairing the anchorage sys-tems on two floating MJFBs over the Tigris River. Due to our excellent communications section, everyone knew what was happening even over the hundreds of miles that separated the Company. On the morning of the 6th, 1st Platoon headed back out to the bridge site. The soldiers put their heads together and with some more thinking dragged the two sections of bays up on shore, where they could completely disassemble the lock drives, thereby freeing the last four bays for retrieval without one lock

cut. The platoons would meet at day‘s end in the new Taji motor pool, each having completed their missions without incident or

accident, a fitting end to 30 days of intense operations.

The month of February has come and gone. I would be amiss if I did not take the time to mention the glue that keeps this company

rolling. Never in the limelight of bridge operations is the staff of the HQ building and the few senior mechanics that don‘t roll on missions. These 40 or so soldiers have a different kind of mission. They keep us paid, clothed, equipped, talking over the air-waves, and rolling down the road. Their mission is steady and never ending. Without them we could not have accomplished the

many things I‘ve talked about.

As the company heads into the last three months of deployment, we see the last of the R&R leave soldiers head out. We‘ll keep

training the Iraqi Soldiers and maintaining the bridges from our new home away from home at Camp Taji, and wait for the arrival

of our replacements. Of course change will happen, and new missions will arise to keep us busy.

—CPT Michael Lay, CDR 299th EN Co (MRB)

Iraqi Army Strategic Bridging Company Soldiers

Training the Iraqi Army Strategic Bridge Company at the East Taji

299 MRB Company

Hello from Joint Base Balad! Three long months after we left Idaho and the Punishers are going strong! This past month has been our busiest yet, as we have made it into Iraq and received our mission set from our higher headquarters.

Our three line platoons have completed the handover from the unit we replaced, and are running the show now. Day to day they conduct one of the most relevant missions remaining in theater and continue to

display their professionalism, skill, and proficiency at their jobs. Their ability to assume this dangerous mission and operate successfully is a testa-ment to the training they have conducted over this past year and the inher-ent dedication and love they have for their fellow Soldiers. I am proud to serve with these brave men and consider it a honor to observe them operate in a combat zone!

Our Field Maintenance Team (mechanics) has been hard at work as usual. As the platoons continue to push out every night conducting their

route clearance patrols, the burden on the mechanics to keep the equipment running is that much greater. Optimizing their time and resources avail-able, mechanics have been teaming up with the line platoon operators to install essential parts, conduct services, and troubleshoot various problems. A tremendous accomplishment for them this month was their ability to adapt to the new vehicle equipment and configuration with little problem. Without their hard work, the platoons would be severely limited in their movement to conduct missions.

Our supply section has also been busy this month keeping track of property and equipment and trying to en-sure the line guys have every-thing they need to do their mission successfully. CPL Flegel showed up just in time

to help out the Hammer, and they are working as a pretty good team. The Hammer continues to go above and beyond the call and makes mine and 1SG‘s job too easy.

About a week ago we held an official combat patch ceremony to formally

recognize our Soldiers as they take their place in the long, esteemed history of the 20th Engineer Brigade. The Sol-diers who have never been to combat will now wear the patch of the 20th Engineer Brigade proudly on their right shoulder. Those Soldiers, who already have a ―combat patch‖, can now add

this to their collection and have earned the right to wear it. We got some good photographs from the ceremony that we can share with the families.

I am very grateful for the support and friendship of our FRG members back home. Thank you for what you do every day to keep the home front safe and happy. We thank the families and friends back home for all the words of encour-

agement and the never ending boxes of goodies. It is great to see a Soldier‘s smile when they re-ceive mail from home. Thank you all for your support and prayers! God Bless!

—CPT Ryan Strong, 391st Commander


391st Sapper Company

Above: 1LT Moreno and SFC Bouy of 3rd PLT/391st Sapper Company dismount during 06-Feb-2011 route sanitation mis-

sion in order to coordinate with local Iraqi Army for partnered

traffic control on Route Tampa.

Middle: SSG Watkins utilizing his art skills to brandish the 391st Sapper Co TOC with

their logo.

Below: 391st does pushups

after a Company formation.

Hello from sunny Camp Liberty, Iraq to our families, friends and loved ones. We are just over 2 months into the deployment so far and all is going well. The company had a successful relief in place with our counterparts, the 228th Mo-bility Augmentation Company (MAC) from the Pennsylvania

National Guard. The 511th is currently attached to the 1-63 Armor Battalion from FT Riley, Kansas and is responsible for clearing the routes for the locals and United States Forces and for training our Iraqi counterparts from the 6th and 17th Iraqi Army Field Engineer Regiments.

The platoons are staying busy on and off duty. Most take advantage of the 24-hr gyms, the great MWR facilities or by taking college classes. It is good to see the Sappers break-

ing a mental sweat! 1st and 3rd Platoon have been busy conducting route clearance patrols and are doing a fantastic job of keeping the routes

safe for everyone. 2nd Platoon has been partnered with 17th Iraqi Army Field Engi-neer Regiment and is constantly busy conducting part-

nered route clear-ance missions with their Iraqi counter-parts. The Mainte-nance section so far in the deploy-ment has been the MVP. SSG Rodriquez and his

young mechanics work miracles on a daily if not hourly basis ensuring that all of our route clearance equipment is fully mission capable. The headquar-ters section is behind the scenes ensuring that the line platoons have all the supplies they need, all the communications equip-

ment working and maintaining situational awareness of all activities that impact the company. My hat is off to all the Sappers in the company, they make me proud every day with what they accomplish!

The company recently took part in a rite of passage for all combat Soldiers, the ―Patch Ceremony‖. This is where all the Sappers get their 20th Engineer Brigade combat patches and proudly display them on their right sleeves. This is big

deal to all the Sappers that have not deployed before, now they don‘t feel like ―newbies‖!

This past week we had some great news stories in

our NCO ranks. SSG Aaron Ochoa was promoted to the rank of Sergeant First Class. This is a huge achievement for him and is a credit to his tactical and technical expertise as a Non Commis-sioned Officer. Also, this week, the 511th sent 4 Soldiers: SPC Daniel Kaiser, SPC Levi Lim, CPL Daniel Moe and SPC Russell

Pope to the monthly promotion board. All passed and will be pro-moted to the rank of Sergeant soon! This is a great credit to their future potential as they join the NCO ranks and also to their super-visors for the great mentoring that they gave them.

This month we said our goodbyes to 1LT Stephen Kraus. He has been a cornerstone of the 511th Sapper Company for the past two years. First he served as the Platoon Leader for 2nd Platoon during our deployment in 2009 and then Stephen served as the

company execu-tive officer. He will be greatly missed by all the Soldiers and key leaders that he worked with in the company.

His replacement is 1LT Robert Putnam. Bobby comes to the Reaper family from our sister company, the 591 s t Sapper

Company where he served as the 3 r d P l a t o o n Leader. 1LT Putnam has big shoes to fill but I know that he is up to the chal-lenge and will do

a fantastic job! In closing, I want to thank all the families and friend stateside

for your thoughts, prayers, sacrifice and constant support. I am proud every day to see our Sappers conduct their daily missions. They are the consummate professionals in all that they do and are a

great credit to their families, the Army and the United States.

—CPT Hoeksema AT THE BREACH!


511th Sapper Co, “Reapers”

SPC Cox saws through a palm tree.

Hello to the families, friends, and alumni of the 511th family. First, I would like to thank you all for the support that you have given to our Soldiers as we have transitioned from home station to Iraq. The letters, packages, and e-mails really mean a

lot, and it helps keep all of our spirits high. The sacrifices that all of you have made are extremely important to us as we are conducting our mission in Iraq and it will never go unnoticed. I am proud of our FRG and the commitment that it has in pro-viding awesome support to our Soldiers and their families. Next, I would like to tell you that the living conditions for your loved ones are pretty

good. Despite what you may have been told, this is not your great grandfather‘s Army anymore. I can assure you that we all have been provided with the best facilities possible to accommodate our day to day activities. It was my intent to enclose a few pictures for you to see how

we live. However, I could not get pictures of places like the gym, the dining facility, the laundry facility or the PX. The good news is that these are very secure areas on our base and our Soldiers feel safe when

they are consuming quality meals, getting a good workout in, or looking for the perfect Valentine‘s Day card. Plus, I did not want to take a chance on getting billy clubbed by the security forces around these areas for taking pictures in a secured area. Over the past month I have become more and more awed by

our Sappers. To my great comfort, I have found that our Soldiers are prepared and well trained for the tasks that lie before us. Our Soldiers are relying on their training and genuinely ‗doing the right thing‘. Like our brothers before us, I expect noth-ing but the best and I know our time here will re-sult in mission success. Last, I would like to thank 1LT Kraus for a job well done during his tenure in

the 511th performing duties as a Platoon Leader and as the Executive Officer. I appreciated his efforts and having a key role with my transition into the company as the First Sergeant. He will be missed. At the same time, I welcome 1LT Putnam to the company as the new XO and all of the quali-ties that he brings to the table having worked with him before. Again, thank you for all that you do

and the sacrifices that you all are making. —1SG Richardson AT THE BREACH!


511th Sapper Co, “Reapers”

Top: PV2 Johnson and

PFC Haky pose for a

picture with 17th IA

engineer soldiers at JSS

Deason prior to a part-

nered route clearance

mission in support of

Operation New Dawn

Middle: 511th Soldiers

wield chainsaws used to

chop up palm trees.

Below: 1SG Richardson

pins new rank of re-

cently-promoted SFC

Ochoa


Greetings from Camp Taji! The Sappers of the 591st Engineer Company have settled into to a quasi-routine during the last 45 days or so. Each platoon‘s schedule is a little different but it basically consists of sleep, physical training, mission, wash, rinse and repeat. The Soldiers do get free time and have a few options as to how they use it; some go to the

gym, others watch movies (we have a movie shop conveniently located across the street from the company) while some enjoy X-Boxes, lap-tops, and PlayStations. All of our needs are located within walking distance: besides the movie shop we have a laundry facility, the con-tainerized housing units (known as CHUs), and the dining facility are all a short walk from the company. All in all, we are situated pretty

well.

Since we have arrived several Soldiers have been promoted: SPC Plasket, PFC Mousso, and PFC Membreno, so congratulations to these well-deserving Soldiers. We have one NCO and three Soldiers attend-

ing next month‘s promotion board so good luck to them as well.

A special shout goes to the newest member of the 591st Family--Mason

Green, son of SPC Green.

Until next time,

1SG Skidmore, out.

591st Sapper Company

Above: 1/591st Sappers visit one of Saddam's many palaces

in Baghdad.

Left: Saddam's Palace - Soldiers from 1/591 EN CO (From

Left: PFC Mead, PFC Hutchinson, PFC Brown, E.) take a

tour of one of Saddam's many palaces located on Victory

Base Camp, Iraq.

Below: 1st Platoon of 591st Engineer Company train and

rehearse battle drills. Continual practice of battle drills

are a key to proficiency during battlefield situations

Last month CPT Kennedy passed the 617th guidon to me on the 15th of February. I feel truly proud and honored to have the opportu-nity to command such an excellent company. As this is my first newsletter as the commander I want to say hello to all the Trailblazer families. I would like to extend a thank you to CPT Kennedy, CPT Pilley, 1SG Tupua, SSG Figueroa, and SPC Lopez for all the work they had to do to

make the change of command and inventories a suc-cess. I would also like to thank all of the Soldiers of the company; they worked hard both on the invento-ries and at the change of command ceremony. The past month has been a hectic one with all the inven-tories and trips to visit Soldiers and see all of the company‘s equipment. Now that the company no longer has to focus on change of command invento-

ries we can once again focus on our primary mission of construction. 1st Platoon has been busy providing all of the move-ment support for both CPT Kennedy and me to visit all the work sites. While moving us around they were able to deliver repair parts to both 2nd Platoon in Kirkuk and 3rd Platoon in Irbil Province multiple

times this past month. Not to mention the countless amount of mail they were able to bring to the Sol-diers helping to keep morale high. In Kirkuk, 2nd Platoon was busy improving checkpoints throughout the city conducting force protection upgrades and drainage improvements to support the Iraqi Army. 3rd Platoon continues to fight the weather and austere conditions in the Irbil Province as they conduct road repairs in support of the Department of State. While throughout the month the Headquarters Section and the Field Maintenance Team were busy in battle track-

ing, conducting inventories, and supporting the construction efforts of the company. During this busy month three Trailblazer Soldiers reenlisted with SGT Espinoza reenlisting here at Ballad and SGT Herlik reenlisting

down at Taji as he was busy helping to train the Iraqi Soldiers on horizontal construction. By far SPC Berger had the most exciting reenlist-ment as he was able to reenlist on a helicopter flight. STAY ARMY!

As the 10th month comes to a close the company looks forward to the 82nd Engineer Company‘s arrival, but not the inventories we will have to do again. Even though we are so near the end of the deployment we all will need to keep in mind that there are still two more months of hard work ahead. As the amount of time away grows the continued support and participation

for the FRG is still needed. I look forward to working with all the Soldiers of the company and meeting the families of these great Soldiers.

- CPT Korman, Commander


617th Engineer Support Company

PFC Sorg guides a BHL

SFC Windsor, PSG 2nd PLT 617th Over looking the job site in Kirkuk as the platoon improves one

of the Combined Check Points in late February 2011 (photo by 1LT Rachel Neasham)


On 22 Feb 2011, the 391st Sapper Company using a trailer-mounted flamethrower, or burn trailer, cleared trash and brush over-growth from the East Taji Standard Ribbon Bridge (SRB). This mission was part of a larger mission headed by the 299th Multi-Role Bridge Company (MRBC) to train the Iraqi Army Strategic Bridge Company how to emplace, remove, inspect and repair an SRB.

CPT Burch, the Construction and Bridging Officer In Charge for Task Force Sapper Eagle went on this sanitation mission and wrote

the following story describing his experience:

It was a dark and cool morning. They always are. Those hours between when your alarm clock tells you it‘s still dark, but you‘re waking up anyway and when you‘re suited up and rolling out on mission as part of the team. I felt it, but my mind was on

events to come. Today would be a great day.

Mission: clear out vegetation and trash around a float bridge to prepare for the bridge removal. Plan: dispense fiery justice

upon terrorist vegetation and trash using the fear-inducing flame trailer… AKA the flamethrower.

With a smile on my face, I utter my statement of approval, ―Yes, today is a good day to burn.‖ Unfortunately the rational side of my brain had to remind me that it was windy and this brush was dry. ―The island is uninhabited and unused, we are OK.‖ said the bridge platoon leader. As the actual operator be-gan to burn, we all knew that the flames weren‘t going to stay in one spot. And sure enough we could hear the heavy crackling

sound as the fire slowly traveled down the shoreline.

The other shore was another story. Houses lined in a row. Many children stood and watched from far away. We couldn‘t burn, but again the platoon leader stated it was OK.

They didn‘t need to burn that side after all. I was disappointed there would be less smoldering punishment dealt upon the weeds of darkness, but I was glad to see we were doing the right

thing.

The operator continued to burn everywhere the bridge team needed, but there was one very excellent problem. We only needed one of the two trailers, and we weren‘t allowed to bring back a trailer full of fuel. I couldn‘t hold back a smirk when I thought, ―all these rules in the army, and one finally brightens my day.‖ We had to expend the fuel the only way we could…

more burning.

All the fun of the day peaked to a climax when anyone who wanted was allowed a chance to operate the flamethrower. How delightful. Many who know me well, know this was not my first time wielding the power to enslave evil in a flame-laden curtain of death. But, it had been a long time. I took hold of the apparatus and welcomed the familiar rush of adrenaline. I felt my muscles tense

in anticipation of the pressure of flowing fresh fuel. The stream of napalm poured forth across the pilot light and roared to life. Bright red-orange flames surged into the brush enveloping every

twig and stick nearby. Simultaneously, pupils constricted and exposed skin was warmed. Wielding a firearm, while empower-ing, is nothing compared to wielding fire in your arms. A squeeze of my fingers had the power to unleash a living hunger to con-

sume at will… and then other soldiers got to ―train‖.

We waited for the flames to die off, packed up and headed back to base. It was a great experience, and the mission was a success. I want to say thanks to the 391st Sappers and the

299th Bridge Company for giving me that opportunity.

—CPT Brian Burch, Construction and Bridging OIC

Flame On! Route Sanitation in Taji

SGT Post (391st Sapper Company) clears reeds to assist 299th MRBC in

their bridge removal

CPT Burch invokes his firey vengeance upon some reeds.


Over the past two weeks, the PSD, or Personal Security Detail, has escorted the Battalion Commander and Battalion Command Sergeant Major to every platoon in the Battalion in order to award each soldier with their combat patch. The combat patch is awarded one month into the de-ployment for service in a combat zone.

By receiving the shoulder insignia,

every soldier officially became a part of history for their contribution to Operation New Dawn. The patch is placed on the right shoulder to rec-ognize the soldier‘s participation in combat operations. Soldiers are not entitled a combat patch, they have to earn it. A tradition that dates back to World War I, the ―combat patch‖ was originally donned by the 81st Infantry Division. By World War II, all Army units had a unique combat patch. The 20th Engineer Brigade patch is red and white, with a castle tower in the middle representing the Corps of

Engineers. The four white areas resemble the letter ―V‖ for Victory as well as the Roman Numeral 5. All four of them together add up to 20 for the 20th Engineer Brigade. The tower represents heavy construction, and because it is placed on a square, it alludes to the establishment of bases. Additionally, the breaks in the border represent open lines of communication. On September 1, 2010, the United States Army reached a milestone in Iraq as they transitioned from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn. The Obama Administration decided to change the name to reflect the changing

role of American Forces in the country. US Troops now work hand in hand with Iraqis as the US Army prepares them to take over their own security, and establish a self-sustaining Security Force. The combat patch is more than just an award; it symbolizes the sacrifice of each soldier and their families, and their willingness to fight. It‘s about the soldiers who have come before us, and those soldiers fighting alongside us now. A soldier can wear any unit patch they were awarded, regardless of whether they are still serving under that unit. The Brigade Commander, COL Richard Kaiser, how-

ever, mandated that all Soldiers falling under the 20th Engineer Brigade wear their patch proudly for 7 days to represent the unit and what we are doing here in Iraq. After that, each soldier can chose which patch he or she wears.

For some soldiers, this is their first combat patch; their first time in a combat zone. For others, it takes two hands to count the number of times they‘ve received a patch. Regardless, Operation New Dawn represents a new mission as the US Army begins stability operations centered on advising and assisting Iraqi Security Forces.

This is the first of many awards that will result from this deploy-ment. Task Force Sapper Eagle

has a bright future, as they work to set up the ISF to take the lead in securing their own country. —1LT Erin Hanley, PSD PL

Proud to Wear the Patch

20th Engineer Brigade Patch

Squad Leader SSG Reed patches 1st Squad, PSD

(From left: 1/4 of PFC Gray, PFC Ketzer, SPC Allan,

SPC St. Germain).

Left: Squad Leader SGT

Hardwick patches 2nd Squad,

PSD (from left: PV2 Creamer,

PV2 Young, SPC Dixon).

Right:

Squad Leader SGT Martin

patches 3rd Squad, PSD

(from left: PV2Parks, PV2

Garcia, SPC Magofna).

What Is a Public Affairs Officer?

Greetings, families and friends of Task Force Sapper Eagle. My name is 2LT Isabelle Morse. I am the Assistant Intelligence Officer as well as the Public Affairs Officer for the Battalion. As the Public Af-

fairs Officer, it is my job to "tell the story" for Task Force Sapper Eagle. I collect photos from the Compa-nies and post them on Twitter and the Facebook page. I collect articles from the Companies and compile them into a newsletter. I will also be coordinating with hometown media to release stories about our Sol-

diers to the newspapers, television stations and radio stations of their homes.

Recently, I have received several complaints from family members concerned that they are not seeing photos of their loved ones on Facebook. There are a variety of things that can happen to keep your

Soldier‘s photo from being published:

1. The biggest problem we run into here in Iraq is a slow internet connection. Because I have to screen and post all the photos myself, I have to gather those photos from the companies that are located on all the sepa-rate FOBs. Often, the internet connection will not allow the Companies to send me more than a couple of photos. Occasionally, I get to travel to these FOBs to photograph the Soldiers—or I get other Soldiers from HHC who travel to outlying FOBs to take pictures and bring them back to me. Because of the low number

of photos available, I have not yet received pictures of every Soldier in the Task Force.

2. Most non-route clearance missions occur during the day and the route clearance missions occur at night. Because of this, if the mission from HHC happens the day after your Soldier was on mission, your Soldier

is probably sleeping and not available for photographs.

3. Some Soldiers do not wish to have their photos posted on Facebook or Twitter.

4. We are no longer authorized to take pictures inside buildings. If your Soldier works inside the TOC, there

is a lower likelihood that I will receive a

picture of him/her.

Additionally, I have received complaints that I am favoring HHC on the Facebook page. This is not true. The fact of the matter is, I am located with HHC so the majority of photos available to me are

of HHC Soldiers. My primary job as an Intelligence Officer does not often leave me time to travel to other FOBs for the

purpose of photographing Soldiers.

As Task Force Sapper Eagle settles into its battle rhythm, we hope to have an easier time gathering photos of all

the members of the Task Force.

—2LT Isabelle Morse, AS2/PAO

Air Assault!

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Task Force Sapper Eagle Quarterly Newsletter #1

Documents

Transcript of Task Force Sapper Eagle Quarterly Newsletter #1