Tigershark Newsletter March
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Transcript of Tigershark Newsletter March
1
Task Force Tigershark
Newsletter 1 MARCH 2012
I hope the 90 days since our last news-
letter were fruitful to all of you and
your families. We have conducted a
Brigade Formal, Block Leave, a very
large Hail and Farewell at Maggies in
January, and have received tremendous
guidance from Mountain 6, Major Gen-
eral Mark Milley, our new Command-
ing General. Some aircraft and ground
equipment have been received here at
Fort Drum, and so we are slowly but
surely building combat power so that
by April and May we are ready to con-
duct a Task Force aerial gunnery here
on the installation. February finished
off some big changes in our leadership
with E Company said goodbye to CPT
Dan Sandford as he moved home with
his family to Connecticut, and we said
hello to CPT Jason Eaton who came
from 10th Mountain Division‟s HHBN.
B Company, 2-10 Mountainhawks said
goodbye to CPT Rob and Laura
Kazmarek who are moving to the Na-
tional Training Center in California and
said hello to CPT Alicemary Trivette
who came from HHC/CAB HQs after
virtually running CAB Operations in
OEF. It is bittersweet to bid farewell to
two trusted and experienced leaders,
but we are all grateful to receive both
Jason and Alicemary to our team. Also,
in January we farewelled Major Brook
Lee and his family and CW3(P) Matt
Burke. The loss of all four officers from
this formation will be difficult to fill, but
I know that all of us are better Soldiers
for having served alongside these terrific
leaders. On a sad note, former SGT
Joshua Taylor of HHC (Havoc) died on
8 February in his Miami home. Our
thoughts and prayers are with his family.
SGT Taylor was a terrific crewchief
throughout tours in Iraq and Afghani-
stan. He impacted all of us with his
dedication to the unit and to our coun-
try. He will be sorely missed. SGT Tay-
lor would have wanted all of us to
knuckle down and be the best Soldiers
we could be. Always remember the
Tigershark General Orders: Stay posi-
tive, stay alert, and take care of each
other! Command Sergeant Major
Carter and I are extremely proud of all
our soldiers and families and look for-
ward to continued „bonding‟ events.
Strike at Night!
Tigershark 6
Greetings Tigersharks and Happy New Year!
Major Lee receives an Order of St Michael
CW2(P) Davis provides AGI mentorship to 1-87 IN CDR and other key leaders
CW2(P) Davis addresses leaders from 1-87 IN as B Troop takes lead to train AGI
CW2 Cox addresses 1-87 IN leadership
2
To Our Havoc Families!
We are pleased to welcome our newest
soldiers to the Havoc Family as well. We
welcome our newest flight platoon leader
CPT Bowden who joins us from Delta
Company. Our newest officer 2LT Michalak
joins our S-3 shop. S-6 has a new NCOIC
in SFC Warner. Our newest young soldiers
are PFC Govan, PFC Bumbgardner, PV2
Harston, SPC Reed, and SPC Siddons.
CW4 Wojasinski comes to us from TF
Phoenix to be our new Battalion Standardi-
zation Pilot. CW3 Allen joins us from Bri-
gate and will be working as our new
BAMO. Our departing soldiers for this edi-
tion of the HHC news letter are CW3
Cuevas who joins TF Six Shooter as their
TACOPS officer, and CPT Harris who is
moving down the road to the Brigade S-3
shop. We send our whole-hearted con-
gratulations to SGT Marciano in the S-2
shop and his new wife Jaeza on their recent
wedding. S-6‟s SPC Lyones welcomed his
new daughter Brynn into the world so con-
gratulations to him and his wife. CPT Parisi
and his wife Renee are also celebrating the
birth of their daughter this month.
As our equipment returns and helicopters
come back from Reset we will begin training in
earnest again as we bid farewell to the holiday
season for another year. We have several ma-
jor training events on the horizon and we
know everyone in
the unit will be
ready to support
one another
through any diffi-
culties that may
arise. The impend-
ing split of our
company from a
joint HHC/Flight
company into HHC
and Fox Company will also bring many changes
and challenges but we are poised to overcome
them. We thank all of the members of our
family, soldiers, spouses, and children alike for
your continued service and support. Lets make
this a great year.
CPT Eric Trivette In Remembrance It is with heavy
hearts that we
must report the
passing of former
Crew Chief SGT
Joshua Taylor.
SGT Taylor was
a member of the
Havoc Family
from March 2010
up until he honorably completed his service term
this past January and decided to pursue his bache-
lors degree. He had been a member of Task Force
Tigershark since the unit was flagged as 3-3 ATK
down at Hunter Army Airfield, GA. In 2009 he
participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom with many
of the same soldiers he continued to serve with
after the unit moved up here to Ft. Drum. Upon
learning of the upcoming deployment to Afghani-
stan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom SGT
Taylor decided to extend his enlistment so he could
continue to serve with his friends and colleagues
through the duration of this last deployment.
“Big Swole”, as he was known to friends because of his
numerous and intense workouts, was always a pleasure
to work with and a very competent NCO. He brought
energy, enthusiasm and humor to work with him each
day. He was very proud when he received his accep-
tance letter from the University of Miami. SGT Taylor
was going to earn his degree in nursing so he could
continue helping people in need and was very proud of
his chosen career path. He was also quite excited to
return to Miami, where he grew up, and enjoy the
sandy beaches and warm weather instead of frozen
lakes and snow. He was an excellent part of the Havoc
Family and his loss will be felt by all who knew him.
SGT Taylor is survived by his parents Fenton and
Yamile Taylor.
Volume III Issue I
3
Pale Riders Families and Friends,
Hello and Greetings! I hope every-
one had an incredible holiday season,
and enjoyed the time with the family
and friends and some much deserved
rest. We‟re back in action now, get-
ting ready to ramp up the training for
this summer. While we still don‟t
have our Troop aircraft back here at
Fort Drum, we have been lucky
enough to fly once a week in our sis-
ter unit‟s aircraft. We‟re getting back
into the routine and reacquainting
ourselves with the local area.
I want to highlight some new addi-
tions to our crew. I‟ve already intro-
duced them at the January Hail and
Farewell, but a few weren‟t able to
make it that night. Just prior to the
holiday leave period, we received 1LT
Jordan Vanicek. Jordan and his wife
Mary Ann join us from Texas, and I
have to say that they were both good
sports at the Hail and Farewell. So,
please help me welcome Jordan and
Mary Ann to the family. Later in De-
cember, we also received WO1
Christopher Hitt, PFC Alexander
Ruggerio, PV2 Mallory Stone, and
PFC Kathrine Bekham. Welcome to
the team guys and gals.
One of the highlights from the Hail
and Farewell was the chance to say
goodbye to CW2 Joel Garzelloni. He
and his wife Karrie are departing later
this month for Ft. Lewis, WA. They
and their children, Enzo and Eva, will
be missed.
I would love to share some photos
from the Hail and Farewell, however I
have been briefed that they have all
been deleted for safety and deniability
sake. Either way, we had an
awesome time and can‟t wait
for the next one on March
22nd!
If you haven‟t heard, on March 2nd at
5:00 p.m. we‟re holding a Troop pot-
luck at the Adiron-
dack Creek Com-
munity Center.
Other than the
Halloween party,
we haven‟t really
had a Troop get-
together since we
redeployed. So,
this will give us all a
chance to catch up
and spend some time with
the entire Pale Rider fam-
ily.
That is all I have for now. I
hope this note finds everyone
well and in good spirits.
See you all soon and take care,
CPT Charlie Hill
Will House tries to teach Kryz Landowski about
the local flying area.
Adam Rickert funded an entire Girl
Scout Troop’s 2012 summer trip to
Florida.
Volume III Issue I
4
Mountainhawk Families,
Hopefully you all
had a relaxing block
leave period with
your Soldiers. It
was surely nice to
be back in the states
and celebrating the
holidays with family.
I know all the
Mountainhawks
came back from the
leave period rested
and ready to work.
We are in the last stages of the RESET period right
now. If you don‟t know, RESET is the period when all
of the equipment that we had overseas with us is cycled
through repair facilities to ensure that it is in tip-top
shape. It has been a little hectic at times, but your Sol-
diers came through and ensured that this company had
everything completed on time.
After RESET is over, training will pick up again. For
those of you new to the company, you can expect your
Soldiers to start flying in the local area and to start get-
ting back in the swing of garrison life. We will go
through the process of receiving new equipment, in-
cluding new helicopters, and then start full-scale training
late in the summer.
The incoming commander, Captain AliceMary
Trivette, will assume command of the company on the
27th of February at 10:00 am. You can read more about
her in this newsletter.
As CPT Trivette takes over, Laura and I will be
moving on to our next assignment. We are PCSing to
Fort Irwin in southern California. It is definitely going
to be hard to leave this company. Your Soldiers are,
without question, some of the best that I have ever
worked with. Additionally, the FRG has made Laura
feel so welcome. The only thing that eases my con-
science a little about leaving is that the incoming com-
mander is an excellent officer and really nice person.
Laura and I wish you the best and hopefully we will see
you again down the road.
Captain Robert Kazmarek
Mountainhawk 6
Mountainhawk Families and Friends,
It is an honor and privilege to assume command of
B/2-10 and I am greatly looking forward to being
part of this team. I look forward to meeting all of
you in the upcoming weeks and would like to take
this time to introduce myself to you.
After growing up in a military family, I went to col-
lege at Fordham University and attended the ROTC
program there. After flight school, my husband Eric and
I were assigned to 10th CAB and deployed with the unit
for OIF XIII-IX and OEF X-XI. I have worked closely
with your Soldiers over the years and know the quality
of troops I am about to work with.
It is a great time to be a part of the Mountainhawks and
I hope to meet all of you at the Task Force‟s snow day!
Very respectfully,
AliceMary Trivette
SGT Showell and SGT Seymour
conducting some routine aircraft
maintenance in the hangar.
SGT Dines, SPC Jeffery, SPC Appleby, and
SPC Agy conducting tool box inventories.
Volume III Issue I
5
Hammerhead Friends and Family,
As many of you know 1SG Charles
Wagenbrenner will be spending the
next few months serving as the Task
Force Command Sergeant Major while
CSM Nicolas Carter prepares to retire
from the Army. First off, a huge thank
you to CSM Carter for his mentorship,
concern, and support for the Soldiers
and Families of the Hammerheads and
the Tigersharks. To 1SG Wagen-
brenner and his wife Toni, I offer my
personal gratitude. I speak for all the
Hammerheads when I applaud you for
your determination, dedication, and
drive as you encouraged each Soldier
to work hard, be better, and never
accept anything less than excellence.
Thanks Top, for molding this company
into the BEST company in all the Bri-
gade. You will be missed. To Toni,
never before have I met a volunteer
with the energy and focused purpose
with which you have served. Thank
you for your service as the Company
FRG Leader. Thank you for your mag-
nificent care for our Families and Sol-
diers. Good Luck to Wagen, Toni, CJ,
Trent, and Aiden. We also would like
to welcome CW3 Danny Rook to our
company. CW3 Rook will now be
serving as the Production Control Offi-
cer taking over for Matt Burke who has
moved on to Virginia. It‟s great to
have Mr. Rook on board.
Aircraft are finally returning to Fort
Drum from the RESET Repair facili-
ties across the country and your
Soldiers are finally getting back to
doing what they do best – fixing heli-
copters! We are excited to prepare
for the future training opportunities
on the horizon for the Hammer-
heads! Thank you for your support
and dedication to this fine organiza-
tion.
CPT Jeff Timmons
January Promotions
TO PRIVATE FIRST CLASS
PFC Betts, Christian
PFC Sellers, Caleb
PFC Montgomery, Zachary
January Awards
ARMY COMMENDATION MEDAL
SSG Acevedo, Roberto
SSG Lopez, Erik
SPC Martinez, Joshua
ARMY GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL
SGT Porter, Carter
SPC Cross, Timothy
SPC Vargas, Javier
SPC Vazquez, Diego
February Promotions
TO SPECIALIST
SPC Cochran, Raymond
February Awards
ARMY COMMENDATION MEDAL
SSG Redman, Jeremy
SSG Saria, Armando
SPC Holzhauser, William
ARMY ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL
SGT Brooks, Benjamin
Volume III Issue I
6
Warrior Family and Friends,
We are definitely making head way into the
wintery months, and with a few exceptions, it has
been a fairly mild winter. However, it is not over yet.
We are starting to see our work days get longer as
we begin to receive vehicles and prepare to start
heading to the ranges and begin training. As the vehi-
cles arrive, our mechanics are hard at work, and as
the helicopters start flying, our Distribution platoon
is right there with them. And as the holidays are
now over, we are hitting the gyms and run routes to
get us back into shape!
On a more personal note, this will be my
last newsletter as I am leaving E Company. I have no
doubt that my replacement, Captain Jason Eaton, will
do a great job as he has already impressed me. My
wife, Nicole, and I are extremely grateful for the
friends we‟ve made over the last 15 months and I just
want to say thank you for making us feel so wel-
comed. I especially want to thank all the great mem-
bers of the Family Readiness Group: Amy Keelin,
Erinn Velez, Amika German, Isabella Comack, Kim
Kordos, and Nicole Sandford. I also want to give a
huge thanks to Becca Althouse who is now leading
the FRG efforts. Thank you all so much for making a
very successful deployment and making our company
stronger. Enough can‟t be said for your efforts.
Again, thank you for the great honor of leading a
great group of Soldiers. It has been a tremendous 15
months. Good luck and God Bless. - Captain Dan
Sandford
Warrior Family and Friends!
It is a great honor and privilege to take
Echo Company‟s Guidon! In the past few weeks I
have met many of the great Soldiers of Echo, with
others still to meet. During the next couple of
weeks of transition, please feel free to contact me
or stop by the office. I look forward to working
with you all and continuing the proud legacy of Echo
Company!
CPT Jason Eaton
PT Formation. Echo stands ready for their
morning workout.
Volume III Issue I
Task Force Tigershark
FRG Leaders
Havoc
RheAnne Stevens
Jennifer Vonsik
Pale Riders
Brooke Guffey
Stephanie Rickert
Mountainhawks
Michele Taras
Hammerheads
Maria Andrade
Warriors
Becca Althouse
Advisors
Michelle Simerly
334-379-6435
Sandra Kramer
Dates to Remember
March 2012
3/2 Military Free Lift Tickets 1000-2030 Snow Ridge
3/3 Saturday Opening, Off the Beatin’ Path 1000-1300 OTBP Gift Store
3/3 Battalion Snow Day 1200-1600 Dry Hill
3/5-16 Fort Drum Indoor Triathlon Various TimesMonti Fitness
3/7 CLIF 1000-1100 The Commons
3/9 Military Free Lift Tickets 1000-2030 Snow Ridge
3/15 Volunteer of the Month Ceremony 1030-1130 The Commons
3/16 Military Free Lift Tickets 1000-2030 Snow Ridge
3/16-18 North Country Goes Green Irish Festival Dulles State Office Building
3/16 ESC Women’s Conference 0900-1600 The Commons
3/17 ESC Women’s Conference 0900-1400 The Commons
3/17 Battalion Coffee 1000-1200 Adirondak Comm Ctr
3/17 St. Patrick’s Dinner 1700 The Commons
3/21 Spouses’ Club Wine/Beer/Cheese Tasting TBD The Commons
3/26 CYSS Child Development Centers Closed All Day All Locations
3/28 Family Support Huddle 1000-1130 Hays Hall/Eagles Nest
3/29 Women’s History Month Observance 1100-1330 The Commons
3/29 Mountain Remembrance Ceremony 1630-1700 Main Post Chapel
3/30 Retirement Ceremony 1600-1700 MPA
3/30 Right Arm Night 1700 The Commons
Special Recognition
Lauren O’Donnell
Volunteer of the Month
Feb 2012