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“eagle pride!”
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FIGHTING EAGLE 06
LTC Christopher C. Prather

In the midst of the hectic battalion task force pace that we keep each and
every day, I recently had one of those rare touching moments. Our Soldiers and
their Families each day conduct professional miracles, and sometimes it is best to
slow down and appreciate the effect that we are having on Iraq. Despite all the
maintenance, all the flying, all the air traffic controlling, all the pumping of fuel - it
can be easy to forget how Fighting Eagles are making a true difference.

After an early show time and morning flight briefing with our Iraqi partners,
I had a chance to reflect on how important the partnership efforts is. On this day, I
would teach, coach, mentor and facilitate relationship building that would hopefully
develop the Iraqi Army Aviation’s ability to better support the Iraqi Army and police
forces. After landing and in the midst of all the partnership activities, I experienced a
unique moment in the desert-a true Oasis.

While most of our Fighting Eagles (CW2 Hutton, SGT Layton, SPC Pate) were rolling up their sleeves and providing helicopter load
training to 7th Division Iraqi Army reconnaissance Soldiers I conducted the business of drinking tea and conducting coordination with the
Iraqi Army leaders and assisting them in developing relationships - this is popularly known as "Key Leader Engagement," and of course we
have an acronym for it "KLE."

Driving from our aircraft position to the Iraqi Army 7th Division headquarters, I spotted a grove of palm trees. I asked our Iraqi
Army guides if it was significant, and the reply is “yes, of course, that is the spring where Abraham bathed.” My Iraqi Army Aviation part-
ner commander, COL Najem, with whom we had flown and were conducting the KLE, immediately lit up with interest. I queried “*THE*
Abraham?” The answer was a very quick and emphatic “of course!” At this point Najem interjected with “we must visit this spring after
our business!” And, so we did.

The Arabic name of the village near the oasis is Eyen Al Asad, which means
Spring of the Lion. Perhaps the name was derived from the time in the Old Testament
when this area was a wilderness area with all kinds of wild animals to include lions.

A visit to the Al Asad Oasis is literally like taking a step from a stark, desert
wasteland to a lush, green sanctuary. The pool teems with small minnows and tadpoles,
some tan and others black. Frogs and turtles line the banks intermingled in the reeds,
warily retreating to the water when anyone approaches. Birds sing in the surrounding
date palm trees and bushes. This special place is a complete wetland ecosystem in the
middle of a vast desert.

According to local oral tradition, Abraham, the patriarch of the Hebrew Bible, the Qurân, and other Islamic writings, visited the
oasis at Al Asad on his journey from Ur to Canaan, where they instead stayed and set up home at Harran (Gen 11:31; Stories of the Proph-
ets, Al Imam Ibn Kathir, Ibrahim), The legend is that Abraham stopped at the oasis, drank from its water, and bathed himself. He and his
family camped here for a short time before moving on to Harran.

Regardless of the authenticity of Abraham’s visit, my Muslim friends and the local people clearly treat the oasis with reverence,
believing in the story of the ancient visit. A reverence which I fully respected, and took part in their tradition to conduct a quick reflec-
tion/meditation and ceremonial bathing, just as Abraham would have paused here and done.

As one visits this site and stands by the pool it is easy to reflect on its religious importance. To me, it was a moment to reflect
upon and remember the deep history of this land, the hope for the people here that has grown in the last seven years - all of which we
often forget in the stories of war and terrorists, and a moment to feel closer to God through this connection to the book of Genesis.

For my Iraqi friends, the visit and quick personal ceremony is clearly a literal step towards God.

Perhaps that is all that really matters.

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FIGHTING EAGLE 07
CSM Jake W. Werner

Fighting Eagles and Family,

What a busy month and it’s only getting busier. I hope

that each and every one of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with
plenty of good food while surrounded by family & friends. The
dining facility here went all out and provided the troops with a
first class meal with all the fixings. Nothing replaces spending
time with the family and enjoying a good Thanksgiving meal, but if
you have to be in Iraq or away from home a good meal helps.
It is hard to believe how fast the last couple of months
have flown by and now it is almost Christmas. When we are
speaking of time flying by it is defiantly a true statement with all
the flying we are doing over here. Soldiers continue to give 110%
day in and day out to get the mission accomplished; which is why
they haven’t much time for anything else, LOL.
As I mentioned last month, there are those out there that are not as fortunate as some and could use a
helping hand. I would expect, in the spirit of Christmas, that everyone would do their part to reach out to those in
need as we’ve done in the past. No one takes care of others better than their family and since we are all part of
the Fighting Eagle Family we need to take care of our own. Remember, if everyone does a little, it adds up to a lot;
just food for thought.
Soon the presents will be opened, the Christmas meal devoured and the New Year upon us. I would like to
spend a minute to talk about New Year resolutions. Oh yes! Before you know it the gyms will be packed (at least
for thirty days or so), tobacco sales will go down, and individuals will make their pledge to start off 2011 on a dif-
ferent path; all of which are great endeavors and I wish you the best. However, I would like you to consider four
rules to live by when setting your goals for next year; I received these in an email a while back. For 2011, I would
like you to Drink, Steal, Swear, & Lie; yep that is what I said! Now I know you are shaking your head, but let me ex-
plain as it was explained to me. 1. "Drink" from the "everlasting cup" every day. 2. "Steal" a moment to help
someone that is in worse shape than you are. 3. "Swear" that you will be a better person today than Yesterday. 4.
And last, but not least, when you "lie" down at night Thank God you live in America and have freedom.

I am not as good as I should be.

I am not as good as I could be.
But THANK GOD I am better than I used to be!

Thanks again for all you do every day and keep the home fires burning. God Bless you, our Soldiers and America.
Stay Demon Strong, Eagle Ready, and Duty First.

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FIGHTING EAGLe 09
CW4 Jess McGee

Greetings family and friends of the Fighting Eagle Battalion. Since last I wrote the battalion has continued to amaze
and outperform itself. In the past month your Fighting Eagles flew more than they have in any other month in this deploy-
ment. They flew over 3000 flight hours in a single month. To put this into perspective, that is almost a year’s worth of flying
back home under normal circumstances. Not only did they keep the Operation Tempo, they did it safely and with the profes-
sionalism that you would expect from an excellent aviation unit. As always, none of this would be possible if it was not for the
support we receive from our families and friends back home. We have no doubt transitioned from the hot weather months
into the cooler temperatures but the Fighting Eagles have kept the heat up and outperformed aviation units from past de-
ployments. Yes, the Fighting Eagles seem to subscribe to “all work and no play” when it comes to their performance. Yet, we
still manage to take a day to relax and reset ourselves for the upcoming transitions.

As we head into the last few months of the deployment and the holiday season, a few things come to mind. One is
that we are thankful everyday for one another and for your support. By the time you get this newsletter we will have cele-
brated Thanksgiving and used that time to reflect on days and years past and not to mention tryptophan the substance in
turkey that makes some of us sleepy. The dining facility is planning a wonderful spread with a cornucopia of food and desert
(my favorite). The lunch time meal was four hours long and ensured that all of the Soldiers got an opportunity to have plenty
of turkey and deserts. We do have a tradition within the Army where the senior leadership serves the Soldiers. This is done to
show the youngest soldiers that everything they do, day in and day out, are appreciated by the leadership and to allow the
leadership to offer some kind words of encouragement.

Soon we will be celebrating Christmas and the New Year. I can say if you walked through the headquarters building,
you would notice most of us have already forgotten Thanksgiving and went straight into setting up our Christmas decora-
tions. So far my favorite decoration that stands out is the Charlie Brown Christmas tree, displaying in grandeur its sole red
bulb for everyone to see. My second favorite is the holiday lighting that is set up in the plans section, equipped with holiday
music. Oh, what a great sight and sound. I am sure in the next few weeks more decorations will be displayed and I cannot
wait to take pictures for all to see.

To all the families and friends- have a wonder

Christmas and Happy Holidays. To my family I will miss you
this Christmas and we will celebrate together soon. On a
separate note from my last posting, no one was seriously
hurt (meaning me) from my comment of not having French
Vanilla coffee creamer. I will say I do not think my wife will
forget. Love you Honey. Merry Christmas and Happy Holi-
days to all.

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chaplain
CPT Matthew Christensen

“R&R and Back”

Last month, I spent some time reflecting on my deployment as I prepared to return

home to spend some time with my family. This month, I’m spending time reflecting on my leave
as I’ve returned to Iraq. This month also begins what most of us call the holiday season. Think-
ing about spending the holidays in Iraq, away from my family, isn’t the most pleasant thought...
but even so, I’m glad to be here with the great 2-1 Soldiers. My prayer and hope is that we can
continue our mission and work together as a family as we prepare for a great homecoming.

As I reflect on my R&R, I’ve already forgotten much of the painful time that I had trav-
eling to and from Kansas. Most of what I remember is the fun that I had with my wife and kids.
I remember watching my boys play their last regular season football game. They had a great
season this year. Curtiss played offense and defense and Caleb earned the title; “rookie of the year.” I remember hearing my daughter
Cassia practice piano and sing in the praise band at church. She will be a teenager soon and I can’t believe how much she’s grown up over
the last eight months. I remember meeting Jessica in the airport and that’s about all I can share with you in a newsletter!

During R&R we took a short family trip down to Galveston to do a little swimming and
fishing. None of us had ever been fishing in the ocean before, so we had a lot of fun catching a
variety of fish. Just to set the record straight, Jessica caught the most fish and the greatest variety.
Caleb caught the biggest, Curtiss caught the shark, and Cassia spent the most time sitting in the
sun!

After going on our trip to Galveston my R&R was almost complete, except for Halloween.
Now there might be a few Chaplains that frown on celebrating such a holiday, but not this one.
After watching Stephen King’s classic movie “It,” I decided that I would dress up like a clown, crawl
into the storm drain next to my house, and hand out candy from inside the drain. It was a blast.
Most of the small kids didn’t have any problem taking candy from a clown in a storm drain, but a
few of the parents objected!

Now that the fun, relaxation, and enjoyment of R&R has passed, I’m left with the reality
that I will miss spending the holiday season with my family. While I’m going to miss being with my family,
I’m also excited to celebrate with my 2-1 family. This deployment has helped
me to realize that the military is full of people who care for one another, peo-
ple who are willing to fight and die for each other; people who are part of my
“extended” family.

One tradition that my family shares during the holiday season is to

pray for each other. Here’s my prayer for all of you:

Merciful God, thank you for the 2-1 Soldiers and Family Members. Please keep us safe at home and here in
Iraq. Help us to enjoy the holiday season, giving You thanks and praise for the many blessings that You have
given. Thank you for my family and thank you for my extended family. Amen.

In His Service,

CH (CPT) Matthew C. Christensen

2-1 GSAB, CAB, 1ID

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HHC “headhunters”

Happy Holidays Headhunter Family and Friends!

Time keeps on passing by for the Headhunters, and the day that we will return to our families and loved
ones is rapidly approaching. We now have less than 120 days left in the deployment and are looking to finish
strong. Over the past few weeks, we have reenlisted SGT Dixon, SPC Grierson, SPC Stacey Jackson, SPC Johnson,
SGT Webster, SPC Sunderland, SPC Saura, CPL Shaffer and just recently, SPC Garza. With five pending reenlist-
ments, I am confident we will exceed our retention goal this year.

As our mission nears its close, our Soldiers and leaders continue to perform well. The S1 section contin-
ues to process awards, R&R paperwork and welcome packets for the
Battalion’s new MEDEVAC company, C/3-126. SGT Cruz completed her
GT improvement course. The S2 section has been busy providing Intel in support of the partnership flights with
the Iraqi Air Force. The S3 shop continues to maintain the standard for excellence in the brigade. Soldiers in the
TOC have successfully tracked and managed over 1500 separate missions while flexing to accomplish mission
changes, most of which require extensive research and corrections for the aircrews on short notice. Even with
this demanding mission set, the Soldiers have used their spare time to continue their professional growth and
civilian education. SGT Iman, CPL Shaffer, SPC Blue, SPC Martin, SPC Rosa, and SPC Saura are all enrolled in
college courses. CPL Shaffer was also recognized this month by the USF-I Commander, GEN Austin, for out-
standing efforts as a TF TOC Battle NCO. Shaffer received a coin in recognition
of his tireless work ethic and commitment to TF Fighting Eagles and the eCAB. As usual, S4 continues to provide the best
logistical support. The shop has kept busy providing necessary supplies to keep the Battalion’s mission going while also
purchasing much need supplies to keep our air crews well supported. The S6 mission never ends, and Signal Soldiers
have seamlessly integrated new units into the Fighting Eagle family by adding C Company, 3-126 into our communica-
tions architecture. As the Battalion grows and transitions, so does our intricate network of computers, radios, and other
automations equipment. C/3-126's new office space was completely rewired by the S6 section with miles of cable in
order to provide them with smooth, consistent network connectivity. Recently, the S6 welcomed PFC Joshua Lane, his
wife Naomi and his daughters Kayla and Makenna to their family. S6 has also begun the complicated process of planning the automations portion of our
upcoming relief in place. In special staff news, SPC Mobley, a unit medic, recently participated in a humanitarian aid mission conducted by a Special Forces
unit, helping to provide medical aid for Iraqi women. Our Unit Ministry Team has a leader once again now that CPT Christensen has returned from R&R,
although his assistant, SPC Grierson, just departed for his own leave.

On 24 October, HHC hosted the Fighting Eagle Challenge, which included four events: push-
ups, sit-ups, 4 mile ruck march, and a 2 mile run. Congratulations to SGT Ochoa (4th place), SPC Johnson
(5th place), SPC Vanhouten (7th place), SGT Owens (10th place), SPC Strugnell (11th place) and CPL Shaffer
(12th place). This event tested the physical strength and endurance of the Battalion's Soldiers and HHC
Soldiers performed admirably.

Finally, as we look forward to our return and make plans for vacations and trips, keep in mind
the many special deals and discounts offered to the military. Many merchants offer military discounts
even if they do not display them, so ask away and you may be surprised! For those families going on a
Disney trip in 2011, visit this website before making any plans and take advantage of the discounts (
www.militarydisneytips.com); in past years, Disney has held an Armed Forces Salute with steeply dis-
counted tickets for service members. Sea World / Busch Gardens also frequently offer free admission to
military members and families (www.herosalute.com). Armed Force Vacation Club (www.afvclub.com)
offers significantly discounted reservations at hotels and vacation properties. On Fort Riley, check in with
the Installation Travel Office, located near the Old PX, for more deals and travel services
(http://fortriley.mwrtvl.com).

Headhunter 7,
1SG Raymundo Martinez

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a Company “wraiths”

Greetings to all the members of Alpha Company!

December brings many changes to Alpha Company – more than the weather and mission this
time. CPT Campbell will be changing command. The incoming commander is CPT Richard Polen, who is
also changing command (from Foxtrot Company, to Alpha Company). CPT Polen’s wife Rachel, 3 yr old
son Alex and 2 month old son Lukas, and their dog Trooper, are very excited to join Alpha Company. CPT
Polen and Rachel have been stationed at Rucker, Bragg, Riley, Monterey, CA, and CPT Polen has deployed
twice to Iraq, once to Haiti. His big hobbies are hunting, fishing and woodworking.

Additionally, CPT Tesauro is moving to HHC at the end of Novem-

ber, and CPT Hermiller will be moving to Delta Company. CPT Tesauro
will be the Assistant S-3, and will be helping to plan our return home.
Great news! CPT Hermiller will be taking Shops platoon in Delta Com-
pany, a challenge he is definitely looking forward to. I would like to thank CPT Tesauro, his wife Jess, CPT
Hermiller and his wife Danielle, for their support to the company and the FRG. They’ll always be mem-
bers of Alpha Company, even though they’re moving onto new jobs. I look forward to working with both
of them in their next jobs.
CPT James Webster will be taking over for CPT Hermiller, in 2nd Flight. He is originally from Port Jeffer-
son, NY. He graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy,
class of 2007. He is a recent addition to the Brigade, he graduated
from flight school in 2009. Please welcome CPT Webster and his wife,
Stephanie Webster. His main hobbies include sailing and fishing.

CPT April Santos will be taking over for CPT Tesauro, in 1st Flight.
A warm welcome to her as well!

Changes in the FRG also abound. Rosio Storjohann has to step down as the FRG Leader, she will be
missed. Rosio, thank you for your help, support and hard work through a very challenging time for all of us.
Best of luck to you in your future endeavors! Please contact the FRG through the alpha21frg@gmail.com
email address. We are currently searching for a volunteer to fill the position, so feel free to contact CPT Po-
len at richard.polen@iraq.centcom.mil or email the FRG email, which CPT Polen will also be monitoring. You
can expect to see more announcements about FRG Leadership in the coming weeks. If you’ve been consid-
ering getting involved, please contact the commander or FRG leader via either of those two emails. In the
interim, if you find yourself in need of some help and can’t get in touch with CPT Polen, please call or email
Rear Detachment or the FRSA, Rae Waller.

To the Alpha Company family, by way of farewell, let me say that I deeply appreciate the opportu-
nity to command Alpha Company. It has been the best job I’ve ever had in my entire career in the Army.
Serving with these Soldiers has been my absolute privilege. Thank you to the families for your support of
your Soldiers and of the unit. To the Alpha Company Soldiers – I hope you
have learned something valuable from me. I learned so much from all of
you in the past 20 months, I won’t even attempt to list it. I will never for-
get this period of my life, and remember you all, Ft Riley, Taji, the ‘Baghdad
shuffle’, for the rest of my career. Last, and most importantly, thank you
all for taking on a tough job and being the best Command Aviation Com-
pany in the entire country of Iraq. Your success has been a pleasure to be a
part of.

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B company “diesel”

This month for Diesel has been one of great accomplishments. Bravo Company marked some of
those accomplishments by flying more hours than any previous month. In conjunction with all that hard work
everyone seems to have found ways to relax and escape from the daily grind of flying and the additional tasks
that entail.

Some of the methods to escape are quite similar to those that any given American might
use such as watching TV or movies. Monday can now be identified by Monday Night Football, otherwise the
night would slip by like any other night. Additionally, another semblance of a schedule is identified by the start
of College Basketball. When this adventure started March Madness was just finishing, thus we are kind of start-
ing our last season. Others are not quite as “normal,” and some may use the term “unique”. An example
would be some of the impromptu contests that have started while waiting for food or possibly while waiting for
maintenance to fix an aircraft. These contests generally involve water bottles, as they are an easily acquired item. One such contest was seeing if anyone
could kick a half-empty bottle over the UH-60 hangar. While no one was successful in getting a bottle over the hangar, there was a winner named be-
cause he was able to get the bottle the highest up on the roof.

The water bottle games are an easy distraction, but some of the more effective techniques
involve a whole lot of technology. Watching TV in the break room at the flightline and playing video games in
the CHU’s are some examples of the employment of technology in everyday life. The TV in the break room has
been a real work in progress from trying to get some speakers for sound or a DVD player for movies. Eventually
we were able to get speakers and CW2 Wes Jenkins let Diesel barrow his PlayStation so that everyone could
relax and watch movies. After a few weeks, the movies and TV shows started to fill the hard drive. Comedy is
the principal genre. A brief joke before or after a flight always helps ease the strain of anyone’s daily responsi-
bilities. Setting up video games in the CHU was also quite a labor-intensive process. If one were to walk
through the POD area they may think a fledgling IT com-
pany was working away, however, this would just be the
work of a determined Diesel company. Most of the Soldiers
in Bravo Company can connect their computers or X-Boxes and play games with other members of the
group. The hot game to be playing now is Halo: Reach.

Diesel has also continued to have meetings each month combined with a barbeque. These
seem to help boost morale; probably the barbeque more so than the meeting but that is neither here
nor there. The food has been good, but it is getting harder and harder to get supplies for the barbe-
que, as the PX does not seem to be restocked as often as it used to. This is a minor setback though for
the resourceful Soldiers of Diesel. We had one
epic grilling session that involved ribs and ham-
burgers; the problem was that there was little
to spice up the ribs. Some of the AM shift took
this as a challenge and low and behold, a box of barbeque sauce packets and honey packets ap-
peared and were combined into some of the best honey-barbeque sauce ever. Needless to say,
everyone that had the ribs was impressed and went home full.

That night the Soldiers were not the only ones that ate well, a couple cats that
live on the flight line did as well sneaking away a bite or two. There are four of them, all from the
same litter and we have not officially adopted them as that would be a General Order violation, but
they do have names: Diesel, Mo-Gas, JP-8, and Kerosene. They definitely have not become accus-
tomed to people being around though as they do not venture out until late at night and run away
when anyone gets too close. Too close is defined by the cats as within about 25 feet or so. Even
though the macho-ness of the Diesel Soldier prevents them from displaying too much emotion,
there has yet to be any objection to the cuddly creatures being around the area. We are also pretty
sure that there have been some smiles directed in the kitties’ direction.

These everyday distractions help to keep Diesel diligently working hard because the end is in sight and before you know it, we will be
getting ready to come home. That will be a good day. Please have a safe and happy holiday season be it Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza or any other spe-
cial day. We look forward to sharing other stories and distractions with you soon, and in person.

2 burnin’ 6 turnin’

PS. It’s cold and the jackets are out.

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c Company “boomer”

Commander
Boomer Family,

Happy Holidays from Northern Iraq! I hope you and your families had a wonderful
Thanksgiving. Here, we did the best we could with what we had. The team sites enjoyed
better than usual Thanksgiving meals at their perspective dining facilities. Here, at home
plate, we imported all the sides from the main dining facility. 1SG and I had a Turkey cook-
off and provided the main course. It was a battle of Midwest vs. Southern style cooking.
Unfortunately, a clear victory could not be decided since they were both pretty dang good.
A little friendly competition never hurt anyone.

November brought four more additions to the Boomer family. I would like to congratulate the Giersdorf, Kepfer, Jellison, and Terry
families on the healthy births of their new babies. We expect more babies as we approach the next 30 days. I would also like to welcome
SGT Jessie Harter to the unit. She comes to us from 601st ASB. She’s been jumping on board quickly and will be pulling duty soon. This past
month, we conducted a pilot exchange program with A CO. CW2 Pringle and CW2 Gonzalez spent about 3 weeks with Boomer Dustoff and
each were able to fly a mission or two at their respective team sites. It was a great experience to give and receive a different mission set
experience.
As we roll into December, the football trash talking is at an all time high. I do believe the Giants loss to the Cowboys is the most
popular subject these days. Practical jokes are also popular and it’s unwise to leave your hat lying around or your door unlocked as some
folks have figured out. We’re all looking forward to the Christmas Holidays and the completion of another month. I hope you have a won-
derful Christmas!

Sincerely,
MAJ Sam Fricks

First Sergeant

Wow, another month has come and gone and we ‘made it do what it do’
with praise and accolades from the Senior Leadership within the Battalion and Bri-
gade. This is excellent because it means we are another 30 days closer to the peo-
ple we love. Every night means a morning closer to the warm and joyful hugs of
family members. Everywhere you go you hear the joyful chatter of Boomer soldiers
who had sons and daughters born during the deployment. Oh, and they are quick to
pull out pictures and show them to you. Some Soldiers talk about how their
spouses have a harder job raising the kids then the job they do here. This probably came from the Pilots and Medics because we all know
the hardest working Soldiers are the Crewchiefs and Ops personnel. LOL
We are at a time in the deployment where we have to be very vigilant and focused on the mission and not let our minds wander
towards home. Our Soldiers continue to work with a ‘safety first’ and ‘complete the mission’ attitude. Congratulations goes out to the fol-
lowing Soldiers in the DustOff Standards Office: CW4 Biddulph (Smooth), CW3 Lund (Professor), CW2 McClain (Wild Bill), CW2 Bachert, SGT
Galloway (Butters), SGT Rapp (Taz), SGT Shippee, and SPC Garcia (A Reflection of Leadership). The Stands Office received a commendable
and a DES coin was presented to Butters (SGT Galloway). They could not have done this without a team effort. SPC Hanson continues to win
the dance off at the refuel point. He has some pretty good moves but word in the desert is that SPC Carl got him beat with her moves. I try
to compete with them but it seems my moves from the 70’s & 80’s don’t cut it.
Okay, another month gone means another month of sports and trash talking. Not sure if you all heard about the kid who was trying
to catch a Greyhound bus out of Kansas. His older sister and little brother kept beating him up. The bus attendant asked him where he was
trying to go. He said he wanted to go to Dallas and stay with the Dallas Cowboys because they don’t beat anybody. LOL. I’m probably going
to get taped to a litter for that one.
For all the Spouses and loved ones back home, know that your Soldiers Love you more today than yesterday but not as much as
tomorrow. We continue to do more with less while others do less with more.

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c Company “boomer”

Team Speicher

This last month has seen a lot of traffic in and out of our team site. We sent SPC Borgia off to do wonderful things
in Kirkuk, and welcomed SGT Jessie Harter to the team. She has been working hard to soak up all the new aviation related
material. She’s been a great medic on the ground and she’s quickly adapting to the unique experience of providing care
while in flight.

We lost a good chunk of our team this month to Environmental Moral Leave,
sending CPT Spikes, SGT Harter, SGT Shippee, SGT Simon, and SPC Terry home to visit
family and friends. The Halloween celebration was such a hit, that many are making
plans to make our next holiday celebration a memorable one. MAJ Fricks and 1SG Sim-
mons both have made preparations to cook their own turkey. It has been dubbed Tur-
key Cook Off 2010 and everyone’s excited to see who comes out conqueror.

Time is moving along and the weather is getting colder; Aviator’s fleeces and
winter hats are starting to appear during morning aircraft checks and run-ups. We all
hope the cooler, more enjoyable weather will last at least a little while and that it
won’t get TOO cold. Our Soldiers are growing (in their skills and rank) and so are their
families! PFC Helms was finally promoted to SPC this month, while SPC Terry went
home to join his wife in welcoming a brand new baby into the world! They now get to
enjoy the company of Balin Gage Terry, an 8lbs 1.5 oz. and 21 inches baby boy! We are
so excited for their addition to their family and we’re so glad they could be together for
the special day. Enjoy the holidays! We hope all the boring days in between will fly
by... Can’t wait to be with you all again!

Team Mosul

Greetings Boomer Friends and Families,

We would like to congratulate SGT Joshua Kepfer and his wife Katie. On 5 November, they welcomed their first son David Arlo Kepfer into the
world. David weighed 7 pounds and measured 19.5 inches long. Congratulations to the Kepfers. Another congratulation to PFC Ryan Hudgins who was
recently promoted to PFC and also successfully completed his RL progression. He has been a valuable addition to the team. Two of our Soldiers were
given awards for their outstanding performance. SPC Mark Rogers was awarded
the Army Achievement Medal for his exceptional performance as a crew chief and
maintainer. CW2 Nicholas Bachert was awarded an Air Medal for a mission flown
in inclement weather while the Company was operating out of Taji. Both Soldiers
are very deserving of these awards and always contribute greatly to the team.

During the past month, our flight medics have done an excellent job
training military units and private security contractors on the proper methods of
loading patients into a MEDEVAC aircraft. Their excellent instruction will help
ensure our mission success. We have also successfully moved our flight opera-
tions to a new area. It has been a very welcome change for us. Every Soldier here
in Mosul continues to perform their duties flawlessly each day. That is all for
now…. until next month.

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c Company “boomer”

Team Kirkuk
One more month closer to getting home! The weather keeps getting nicer and nicer here at Kirkuk,
and it has been a refreshing break from the summer heat. We take maximum benefit of this good weather
(before it starts getting too cold up here in Northern Iraq!) by throwing the football and baseball to each other,
running when we are off duty, and sitting outside to read and relax when we can.

There has been a lot going on here at Kirkuk these past two months. On October 23rd, we had our
own Oktoberfest with all the team members from our MEDEVAC site, Task Force 1-6 personnel, and our friends
from the Air Force Medical detachment. SGT Giersdorf and CW2 Koshinsky did all the grilling, and everyone
remarked at how good the food was and how much fun they had at the event. There were so many people we
did not have any food left over by the end of it!
On November 5th, we welcomed a new member to the
DUSTOFF family when SGT Giersdorf and his wife Abbie brought
Gavin Matthew Giersdorf into the world. He came in at a healthy 8
lbs, 3 oz, and 21”. This month SGT Jellison joined his wife Elysia for
the birth of their fourth boy! Lucas Ryan was born 8 lbs, 11 oz, and
21”. Surely all the Jellison boys are excited to have a new friend to play with. Quite a few people went home
this month to visit their families: SGT Giersdorf, SGT Jellison, SGT Dickson, CW2 Blunt, and CW2 Haley all went
on R & R this past month. SSG Werts spent a few weeks at Kirkuk to help fill a shortage, CW2 Galvin arrived in
early November, SPC Borgia- a new Medic in our Company- arrived in mid-November, and we received CW2
Cortez back from Kalsu in late November.

As you can see, time has been flying by for us at Kirkuk. We are performing MEDEVAC missions, con-
ducting training flights nightly, teaching crewmember and medic classes each week, and our maintainers are
doing hard work to make sure our aircraft are safe and ready to fly each and every day. We miss our families
very much, and we thank each and every one of them for all of their support through packages and correspon-
dence. We are counting the days until we get home!

Team Talafar
By: SPC Gaston Garcia
It is another month down, a few more to go while still remaining focused. We are
still working hard as Team Tal Afar moves into the holiday season, always ready for any mis-
sion that may come our way. Operation New Dawn has brought us a little more time to re-
lax. We noticed a jump in group activities. Led by CW2 Richard Dean, Team Tal Afar enjoys
pleasant afternoons playing volleyball, along with some good old-fashion baseball. Usually
Joes vs. Officers (Joes win, of course), but great times are had, by all.

While SGT Ronald Melton, SPC Robert Strickler, and CW2 Bill McClain are taking
their well deserved R&R, we welcome the new faces here to help accomplish the mission:
SPC Theresa Carl and SPC Thomas Godbee, along with CW2 Jeremy Cruz. Team Tal Afar is
always training, pilots with pilots call, medics with medical classes, and crew chiefs…..well it
seems like they never leave the aircraft; always fixing something. Along with the training, we
had SGT Nathaniel Northrup spending hours getting SPC Gaston Garcia ready for the promo-
tion board.
Team Tal Afar also welcomed the arrival of two DES personnel: LTC Breslin and SFC
Jones, who spent a few days going over records and flight operations, which resulted in an
overall success. Team Tal Afar has a strong bond with one another, which makes our days
easy to cope with. We enjoy the small things; bringing cheese sticks and quesadillas back
from the DFAC seems to give a boost of morale amongst the group. Team Tal Afar- ALWAYS
READY-MISSION FIRST-PEOPLE ALWAYS!

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C-7/101 “eagle”

Greetings to the “Demon” Brigade family and friends,

November has been a very busy month for “Eagle Dustoff” as we

have been preparing for the Relief in Place and Transfer of Authority
with C/3-126 AVN from the Vermont and Massachusetts National
Guard. We are currently in the process of training the new arrivals and
know they will do an outstanding job. As we near the last of our deploy-
ment, we would like to congratulate the Soldiers of C/7-101 AVN REGT
for a job well done over the past year. Each Soldier has performed ex-
ceptionally well in their area of expertise and should hold their heads
high knowing they have made a positive impact in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We are proud to say “Eagle Dustoff” is one of very few compa-

nies having participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New
Dawn, and Operation Enduring Freedom simultaneously. The detach-
ment in Afghanistan has successfully completed their RIP/TOA with the
10th Mountain Division and are now eagerly awaiting their return home.
Congratulations to them as well! We would also like to thank the
“Demon” Brigade for their support over the past several months.

As we near the end of our current tour, we look forward to join-

ing our families and friends back home. We truly could not have done it
without you. “Eagle Dustoff” will continue to stand ready to accomplish
the mission until the last day.

Eagle Dustoff and Air Assault!

CPT Dusty King

Section Leader

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d Company “roughnecks”

Greetings Roughneck Families!

Happy Turkey Day! Although this time of year can be tough for separated families, I hope everyone
found something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Most D Co Soldiers here at Camp Taji were able to make
it to the Dining Facility to fill up on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
Most month’s newsletters tend to focus on the guys turning
wrenches and working on aircraft. And, as SFC Adkison pointed out to me,
there hasn’t been much attention given to the guys working behind the scenes
to support the Company’s maintenance operations. So this month most of the pictures are of
folks in support sections like Tech Supply – who order and keep track of millions of dollars of
aircraft parts, Quality Control – who ensure all maintenance tasks are done to standard, and Pro-
duction Control – who direct and coordinate all maintenance actions in the Battalion. All are
extremely important to the Company’s success.
November was a month of change for Delta Company. There was a change in weather, with
the temperatures at night getting low enough to warrant winter coats and hats for some. There was a
change in units, with C/3-126th MEDEVAC arriving in Iraq and joining the Fighting Eagles team to
replace C/7-101. And there was some change in leadership. CPT April Santos, the Maintenance
Platoon Leader, and CPT James Webster, the Shops Platoon Leader, both moved to Alpha Com-
pany to take over as flight platoon leaders. Both Platoon Leaders did outstanding work for the
Roughnecks and we wish them the best of luck in their new positions. As always, change brings
new arrivals and we’re happy to have CPT Craig Hermiller and CPT Pete Mat-
thews as part of the Roughneck team.
Redeployment planning is now in full effect here at Camp Taji. While
there aren’t many firm dates yet, we do have a general idea of how the first
few months will work upon our return to Fort Riley. After returning home, all
Soldiers will have a 72 hour pass before starting two weeks of reintegration
training. That two weeks will be followed by a two week block leave period.
After the break we’ll have three weeks of Resiliency training and another two
week block leave period. I’ll do my best to keep you informed as things de-
HAPPY HOLIDAYS from the
velop.
Roughneck FRG!
As always, don’t hesitate to contact myself (garret.fett@iraq.centcom.mil) or
Miki (roughnecksfrg@gmail.com) with any questions or concerns.
Hope to see you at our
next meeting on CPT Garret Fett
December 14… “Roughneck 6”
it's gonna be a good one!

Miki Fett
D Co FRG Leader

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e Company “hellbenders”

Hello to the Friends and Families,

November is almost over and that means we are finishing up our
ninth month of this deployment. This month has seen a change in platoon
leadership and the promotion of two of our three lieutenants. This month
we also promoted two PFCs to Specialist. PFC Wolnik and PFC Francis have
now joined the Specialist ranks while 2LT Powell and 2LT Sheppard were
both promoted to First Lieutenants this month and 1LT Powell has moved to
be the Company Executive Officer and 1LT Sheppard is now the Platoon
Leader for the Distribution Platoon. This month has also included a couple
of competitions within the Brigade. The first one was a Battalion competi-
tion called the Fighting Eagle Challenge and the second one was the Brigade
Soldier and NCO of the year competition called Demon Furry. We had Sol-
diers compete in each event. SSG Smiskey won the Battalion Competition
and was recognized for being the first one to finish the road march in the
Brigade competition.

As we enter into the Holiday season, I know we will have Soldiers

thinking of home and missing their home cooked meals but the Soldiers and
civilians in the Dining facility will ensure that everyone has the chance at a good Holiday meal Christmas at the end
of the month. Our Soldiers in the Dining facility take pride in their jobs and work diligently to make sure that even
though the holiday meals may be away from home, the Soldiers still get a good, home-cooked style meal.
As a Company, our planning has shifted from training and maintaining to preparing for redeployment. We
are preparing our equipment for reset and the Unit Movement Officer and NCO are
conducting the backwards planning it takes to prepare to move all of the Battalion’s
equipment from here back to home station. We have sent Soldiers to the Customs
class and to the Hazmat class to prepare us for the redeployment. Our Soldiers see
the light at the end of the tunnel and are working hard to ensure we complete our
mission safely and with the same focus on outstanding service we have provided
throughout the deployment.

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f Company “phantoms”

Greetings Phantom family

Hello, once again. The end of 2010 is quickly approaching as is the three-quarter mark for our deployment.
In the Army, leaders are taught to conduct a review at the end of each exercise, training event, or mission, which we
call an After Action Review (AAR). The nearing end of 2010 poses this opportunity to reflect on what the Soldiers of
Fox Company have accomplished.
As many of you might remember, the beginning of the year started out with a myriad of activities. The days
were filled with pre-deployment activities such as qualifying with our weapons and packing our equipment. Before we
knew it, we were on a plane to the great big sandbox. Quickly after arriving, the Soldiers of Fox Company immediately
began to focus on the mission at hand: provide air traffic control services for U.S. and Iraqi aircraft. The Soldiers have
accomplished this mission with style and have definitely impacted the safe execution of aviation operations in the
country. While the company was busy controlling traffic, the individual Soldiers continued to pursue their own self-
development. Nearly 40% of the company has enrolled in online college courses; others participated in monthly Sol-
dier of the Month boards. Since arriving in country, we have had eight Soldiers promoted to the ranks of Sergeant
and Staff Sergeant, one selected for Sergeant First Class, and another selected to attend the Warrant Officer Course.
Despite the hardships that are encountered on a year-long deployment, the Soldiers of Fox Company have made the
most of this year and demonstrated their dedication and professionalism day after day.
Finally, as the year comes to a close, so does my opportunity to command this great company. It has been my honor and privilege to have
served with Fox Company since March of 2009. The Soldiers and their families have truly made this an experience that I will cherish and reflect upon with
great joy. Good Luck and God speed to the Soldiers of Fox Company.
Rule the Skies!!
CPT Richard Polen

Currently autumn is in the air here in Iraq. Of course that means that you have already progressed into
winter and I don’t envy you at all! For us football fans, the season is beginning to develop and the contenders are
becoming known. For some of us this has proven to be quite a disappointment (Cowboys fans in particular) as it is
all but certain that the playoffs will have to wait another year. For you non-fans, we are already beyond the half-
way point in the season and as I said in my last note, the end of the football season marks the beginning of the
homecoming season.
More congratulations are in order as we have seen more promotions, reenlistments and awards. Since our last update we had Robert Banks
(Nov) promoted to Sergeant and Douglas Miller (Nov), Robert Pezzi (Oct) and Harry Wise (Oct) promoted to Staff Sergeant. They are all well deserved…
Congrats! We also had several of your Soldiers reenlist all of which capitalized on bonuses. I am trying not to take it personally that practically all of them
reenlisted to leave Fort Riley… I must be too hard on them…LOL. SSG Omar Arteaga reenlisted for indefinite and a bonus, SSG Manley Hatcher for 4 years
and a bonus, SSG Robert Pezzi for indefinite and a bonus, SSG Harry Wise for 4 years, Fort Rucker and a bonus and SPC Crystal Walker for 6 years, Hunter
Army Airfield in GA and a bonus. Despite their desire to leave us, I wish them all the best wherever their future takes them. We also had new winners of
the Phantom Soldier of the Month competition. SPC Crystal Walker (Oct) won for the second time with another outstanding performance and our current
Phantom Soldier of the Month, SPC Lisa Roberts (Nov) who won her first Company level board and the first one ever accomplished via video teleconfer-
ence. I look forward to their Battalion level and beyond competitions. Lastly, we had two Soldiers recognized with the Army Achievement Medal awarded
personally by the Battalion Commander. SPC Amber Goodman, the Controller in Charge, and SPC Brandi Neece, a trainee, reacted to an aircraft (C-130)
emergency. The pilot was on the runway for departure when he announced that he was cancelling his takeoff and returning to parking due to a problem
with the landing gear. The pilot did not declare an emergency however our two controllers recognized that there was smoke emanating from the aircraft
and initiated crash rescue whose prompt response enabled them to successfully put out a fire preventing any injuries to the personnel on board and any
further damage to the aircraft. Congratulations to them both for a job well done! The accomplishments of these selected Phantoms are but a glimpse of
what your entire Phantom team does on a daily basis. I, for one, greatly appreciate their hard work, so directly from the First Sergeant…Thank You Phan-
toms!
As winter naturally marks the end of the warm season so too this winter marks the end of another season. Our Command Team, the Polens; Rick,
Rachel, Alex and the newest Phantom, Lukas, are moving on to take on a new challenge with A Company, 2-1 GSAB. Certainly this is a sad moment as we
reflect on all they have meant to us over the last 22 months. Fortunately they are not going too far down the road so we know where to find them and
them us. It is with a heavy heart that we bid them farewell as they transition. Personally, I’d like to publicly thank CPT Polen and Rachel for all they have
done for my Family and I and perhaps more importantly for being a great Commander and FRG Leader. You guys have been great friends to us. I relish the
experiences we shared as a team, even when I was getting beaten up! Keep in touch…
Rock on Phantoms Rule the Skies! 1SG McKay
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2-1 Gsab rear detachment

Happy Holidays Fighting Eagle Families,

Back in Kansas we were blessed with relatively warm weather for November. This month the FRG hosted an “all wheels day,” and were able to fill Christ-
mas stockings to send to each Soldier in our Battalion downrange to boost a little holiday spirit. Thank you to everyone who participated or donated things
to put in them.

This month I had the honor of re-enlisting SPC Laracuente. I’m very proud of all our Soldiers, and the fact that many of them continue to re-enlist to serve
our nation is truly admirable. This month the Division Commanding General hosted a quarterly volunteer appreciation ceremony. Our F Company FRG
Leader Rachel Polen was recognized at this event. Additionally, we have 2 Soldiers who have given over 100 hours of volunteer service and were also rec-
ognized, SGT Kotsch and SGT Wasageshik.

I know during the holidays this year with many of our loved ones deployed it can be harder times. Know that our Soldiers are the ones that are able to
give us these freedoms to be able to enjoy the holiday seasons. If you or your family is in some extra need this season, I want to remind you of our Military
Family Life Consultant program. The Combat Aviation Brigade has a dedicated consultant, who is completely confidential, and able to provide short term,
situational, problem-solving counseling services to family members. Our Current MFLC is Liz, and can be reached at 785-250-3300. Also during the holi-
days, if you or another family on post may be in a little need of assistance during the holidays, Fort Riley is running their “Operation Santa Clause” again,
which is able to donate toys to families in need as presents. If you are interested or in need in this, please contact your FRG or our FRSA Rae Waller
(rae.waller@us.army.mil) for more information.

Finally, the Army has many resources to provide information on safety, and being proactive to have a plan. Specifically, the web site “Ready Army,” at
http://www.acsim.army.mil/readyarmy/ has much information including downloadable resources, and a special section for severe winter weather prepar-
edness tips and fact sheets. With regards to driving, please remember to check your tire pressure regularly during the winter, be aware of ice and the driv-
ing conditions it can present, and try to carry a spare blanket or something to provide warmth in your vehicle at all times. Take care and I wish you the best
during the holidays.

“Duty First”
CPT TERRELL ORMSON

Merry Christmas to the Fighting Eagle Families! With the coming of Christmas and the New Year, that simply means our Soldiers are near the end of their
deployment and will soon be coming home.
Christmas is not the time of year to spend alone – so make sure you are engaged with any of the activities offered on post and around the area.
3 Dec – Post Tree Lighting Ceremony at 4:45pm in front of the Garrison HQ.
4 Dec – Christkindl (arts/crafts/food fair) at Riley’s Conference Center 10-4pm
3-5 Dec – JC Theater: “Storybook Christmas”. Visit http://www.jcoperahouse.org/ for more information
8 Dec - Cirque Dreams at the McCain Auditorium in Manhattan. Visit http://www.k-state.edu/mccain/ for more information.
9 Dec – Hearts Apart hosts a “Gifts in a Jar” workshop. Register by 2 Dec.
11-13 Dec – Trees for Troops. Outdoor Rec has free “fresh” Christmas trees to families of deployed Soldiers. Open 9-5. First come, first served.
17 Dec – Dinner/Movie night at Riley’s Conference Center
19 Dec – Christmas family bingo at Riley Point; doors open at 1pm
More activities can be found at www.rileymwr.com
Families can take advantage of the free monies for registering their children in youth sports and SKIES. Families of deployed Soldiers receive $100 in intra-
mural Sports and $300 in SKIES benefits (per child). Classes include sports (soccer, basketball, volleyball, etc) to swimming, horseback riding and martial
arts.
Fighting Eagle Families enjoyed an “All Wheels Day” on 20 November at the hangar with free food and drinks. While the kids got to “run around” with
their wheels, the families helped to prep holiday packages. Thank you to all those that helped.
2-1 Fighting Eagle Families hosted a special Thanksgiving meal to Soldiers on Rear-D on 23 November at the BN. Families served chicken, stuffing, mashed
potatoes and all the other fixings in appreciation for their service to our country.
As with anytime, ensure if you are leaving the area for Christmas and the New Year or any time; please complete a departure notification – so that if the
command needed to contact you, they would know your location. Have a Blessed and Safe Christmas Holiday and Happy New Year!
Blessings,
Brenda Werner – BN FRG Co-Leader
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2-1 Gsab rear detachment

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