VALUE OF THE MONTH: SELFLESS SERVICEPut the welfare of the Nation, the Army, and your subordinates before

your own. QUOTE OF THE MONTH - We serve our nation- our people- for the devotion, faith, and trust we place in our free, democratic system of government. Being in the Army means a total commitment to a higher calling, devotion to duty, and a thousand other adjectives. For those who have fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know. - SMA Glen E. Morrel

Volume 1, Issue 4 August 2011

Commanders Corner
673RD DENTAL COMPANY (AS) FORWARD PROVISIONAL

Hello again to the Family, Friends, and Soldiers of the 673rd DCAS FWD. It was my pleasure to step out of Theatre and enjoy some quality R&R time with my family this month. I enjoyed the cooler weather of the Pacific NW in Portland, OR. I know how happy my family was to have me back even for a short visit, and I trust all of you who qualify for R&R will get to experience that same feeling of refreshment and recuperation. I wish all of our PROFIS providers could get out, but that is not possible; such are the rules. While I was gone, all advance preparations for closing our first clinic at Mosul/Diamondback went very smooth thanks to the hard work of SPC Newton, LTC Choi, and the synchronized efforts of our XO and S-4, CPT Seay and SPC Tye. This action is a portent of things to COL Daniel Reese come, and should give rise to hope. Dur673rd DCAS - FWD PROV ing September, we will likely close three more clinics and re-allocate our personnel Commanding to where FOBs have grown. There has been a lot of troop movement within Theatre, and we are all still needed. As we roll Inside this issue: into OctoNotes from Top ber, we Special Dates will be Al Asad, Adder, & Taji able to Basrah send our first rotaDelta & Speicher tion of Echo PROFIS 14 AugHappy 40th Anniversary COL & Mrs Reese Mosul & Liberty back to Joint Base Balad (JBB)
Messages from Home Sabertooth Spotlight

Sabertooth Express

their anxiously waiting families. I cannot say enough of how proud I am to be here serving our Nation and its Soldiers, alongside the members of the 673rd DCAS FWD, who are such an outstanding group of dedicated and compassionate healthcare professionals. Daily they deliver the expeditionary dental care so vitally needed to keep our Soldiers in the fight, and helping the Iraqis gain their ability to stand on their own. They are serving with distinction, giving their best, 24/7, seeing to the dental needs of tens of thousands of Soldiers, Civilians, and others across the Iraqi Joint Operational Area. A hearty thanks to them all! Well done!

2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 9

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Notes from Top

continue to be amazed by the outstanding job they do on a daily basis. Good day fellow Soldiers, FamThe coming months will be trying ily, and Friends. August has for all of us as we start to draw gone by fast. It seems like just down and look forward to going yesterday we were ushering in home. We have a lot of work to do the month of August and I was looking forward to another birth- before we go home so keep a posiday (the 24th anniversary of my tive attitude and continue to do the 20th B-Day). We started off the great things that I know that you are capable of. Some of us will be chalmonth by closing the Mosul lenged as services start to erode. Ser(Diamondback) Dental Clinic. vices that we have become accusLTC Choi and SPC Newton encountered many obstacles along tomed to will start closing like the the way but proved with patience Post Office and Internet Services. These organizations have to pack up and a positive attitude that they and go home just like we do so be could accomplish anything. patient when you can no longer call They did a fantastic job and completed their mission success- home or get a letter from home. fully and have now moved on to These will be trying times and I ask another clinic to continue to treat that each of you look out after each Americas finest citizens. I was other and talk about things. For those back home, we will do our best to let finally able to visit the Speicher the FRG know what is going on with Dental Clinic and spend some your loved ones but be prepared for time with COL Thompson and SPC Delgado. I can honestly say 30 - 60 days of limited on no contact that they definitely have the most with your Soldier. austere clinic in theatre. They I want to send a special Thank you to basically operate out of a tin can all the families back home. You have but they have made the best of a difficult job of carrying on the daily the situation and have created a business on the homefront while your home away from home. My Soldier is deployed. We realize what hat is off to them. Our Soldiers a monsterous task this is and apprecicontinue to do great things and I ate everything you do to keep the home fires burning until we return. August was also a very exciting A positive attitude may not month for me personally. My youngsolve all your problems, but it est daughter (Kirby) started college will annoy enough people to and I soon found out that college life make it worth the effort.
~Herm Albright

is expensive. If I could give one word of advice to parents that would be to Save. The Post 9/11 GI Bill is a wonderful benefit and I would strongly encourage Soldiers to research this valuable benefit. The biggest news for me this month is that I found out that I will be attending the SGM Academy next summer. I want to thank all the Soldiers and Civilians that I have worked with over the years that helped make this possible. I would have never accomplished this without all your hard work and dedication. I especially want the thank my family (Blake, Megan, & Kirby) for all their support and love over the years, I could not have done it without you. Have a blessed month of September and always remember to be ARMY STONG and stay SAFE! 1SG Mark E. Eavey Sabertooth 7 - OND

September Birthdays
04 Sep - SPC Hill 13 Sep - SPC Delgado 18 Sep - COL Blythe 19 Sep - LTC Choi 22 Sep - SSG Whitehead

September Family Member Birthdays & Anniversaries

20 Sep - Jonathan Ramirez (SPC Tye-Ramirezs Spouse) 30 Sep - Jayden Asaka (SPC Asakas Son) 03 Sep - 1SG & Mrs Eavey (20 years) 07 Sep - SPC & Mr Hill 13 Sep - SSG & Mrs Barris

August Birthdays
19 Aug - COL Apicella 25 Aug - SSG Barris 28 Aug - CPT Jarisch

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Al Asad Dental Clinic

300 Patients down, thousands to go:) The Al Asad Dental clinic would like to welcome LTC Choi. LTC Choi comes to us from Mosul Dental Clinic and will be with us for the remainder of his time in the desert. LTC Choi plans to continue the tradition of providing outstanding care to the Soldiers of Al Asad.

OIC: COL Douglas Wade NCOIC: SSG James Whitehead

Zach came by the clinic to say hello. Zach is a Combat Stress dog who provides comfort and joy to Soldiers before and after combat missions. He was taking a well earned break before he went back to work. We think he was looking for some scooby snacks, so I told him next time I will have something for him.

Adder Dental Clinic

OIC: COL Gregory Blythe NCOIC: SPC Ria Keathley

Taji Dental Clinic

OIC: LTC Alex Eke NCOIC: SPC Sheldon Cavaco

Well the past few weeks have been a little interesting with SPC Keathley being gone on R&R. SSG Barris and SPC Holz had to fill in for her, but the clinic is still standing so all is well. The rest of HQ staff came down to join the 1SG and COL Reese this month. The weather is still hot and sandy, but the nights and mornings have begun to cool down. Hopefully this is a sign that the hot, hot weather is going to get a little more bearable. Thats about all we have to report this month. We hope everyone is doing well on the other FOBs!!!

Another month has come and gone. We continue to see everyone, from the truly in need to the ones who want quarters for a simple operative. We keep busy by going to the gym. Other than that nothing much has changed here at Camp Taji. Hope everyone is having a great time. HOOAH 673rd SETS THE STANDARD!

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Basrah Dental Clinic

The heat is on! Can you say 126 degrees F, and that isnt all of it. Not only is the temperature burning things up for July, but CPT Meyer and SPC Hill have been keeping busy. Chaka Khan graced the stage here at Basrah and put on a great concert. SPC Hill spent the evening singing and rocking along with Chaka Khan. Chaka performed for almost two hours and helped people release from the stresses of deployment and enjoy some good enter-

OIC: CPT Matthew Meyer NCOIC: SPC Tracy Hill

tainment. The intense daytime heat affected the power supply to the dental clinic periodically. Lack of power can make treating dental patients a

little more challenging. CPT Meyer and SPC Hill used brainstorming and problem solving to adapt to the situation and continue with the mission. These moments might have been stressful at times, but they fostered development of leadership skills and built group cohesiveness. During the lights out dental treatment, the stealth dental skills of Dental Team 1 & 2 were put into action. Improvised lighting with flashlights and lots of good times made them a success. Cold water and lots of rest helped everyone recoup. The heat still didnt put a damper on the 4th of July celebration. Although no fireworks, there were plenty of BBQs and grillouts to celebrate our countrys independence and enjoy the company of friends. The activities and camaraderie is making this deployment go by quickly and enjoyably.

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Delta Dental Clinic

Greetings to all from COB Delta. Its been pretty quiet so not too much to report this month, which is a good thing. SPC Rodriguez is back from his R & R and should be fully charged and ready to pick back up where he left off. We are still trying to recruit patients

OIC: CPT Khai Q. Le NCOIC: SPC Phelan Rodriguez

for routine dental care, which will be a little tougher since 2/3 ACR will be redeploying soon. But we still find ways to stay busy. CPT Le was recognized by the 62D Expeditionary Signal Battalion for providing such excellent care to their 2nd Platoon. As far as entertainment, this month we had four more
OIC: COL James Thompson NCOIC: SPC Carlos Delgado

bands come to perform for us. First, we had Stealing Angels and Alana Grace and the Toy. Stealing Angels is a country music group consisting of three females, while Alana and the Toy were an alternative rock group. It was a good show. The next and final MWR event at COB Delta were JoJo and The Dazz band, along with The Bar * Kay band. These guys were the funk masters and rocked to Motown. They were ok and the crowd loved them. Too bad, it was our last show. Well, thats it for now. COB Delta out!

Speicher Dental Clinic

Summer is in full swing with soaring heat, sometimes in the 130's. But we are now acclimated to the weather, take appropriate precautions, and drink plenty of water. Delivering dental care keeps us occupied a great portion of the day, but there is still time to cultivate personal interests. We have found deployment a golden opportunity for reading, working out, sketching, and ancestor research through the internet. There are many other activities that could be pursued. Time is precious no matter where you are and should not be wasted: boredom is an avoidable event. We value off

duty hours as time to make new friends and pursue personal goals that daily schedules simply would not allow back home. In addition to dental care, our clinic and staff play an important role for the medical health mission in our community. When requested, we dedicate our clinic to the Whole Blood Collection program: both of our dental chairs are devoted to this lifesaving mission. On a very short notice, we rearrange our clinic's furnishings in order to accommodate donor flow and medical equipment necessary for blood donation during mass casualty (MASCAL) exercises (and if need be, an actual MASCAL event). SPC Delgado is a mem-

ber of the blood collection team and COL Thompson serves as MASCAL Primary Triage Officer for the 256th CSH. (Caption of photo for female: SPC Sharbono, staff member of neighboring Troop Medical Center, gloves up in the dental clinic for the blood collection program.)

Volume 1, Issue 4

Important Dates:

THE MOLAR TIMES: Echo Edition

08/09 Andrew Barons 1st B-day 08/25 SGT Mitres Record PT

Welcome back! Thank you all for your prayers and continued support. As always, praise the Lord for His faithfulness and protection. Today were celebrating our fourth month of deployment. Patient visits have declined significantly encouraging us to seek new ways to draw them in. SGT Mitres COS-wide email brought in five patients, but were confident more will come as the word spreads. With 3/3 ACR redeploying, we welcomed our new friends from Ft. Hood, 1 CAV 1 BCT(Ironhorse!), and it wont be long before the COS is adorned with their famous and well-known sleeve insignia (see below). Well, this will be all for this edition. Please continue to pray for our deployed Soldiers both here and in Afghanistan.

Team Accomplishments as of 15 August

Delivered care to over 260 patients SGT Mitre celebrates her first smoke-free month

DENTAL CLINIC

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Mosul Dental Clinic

OIC: LTC So Bong Choi NCOIC: SPC Sara Newton

Mosul Dental Clinic closed on 05 August 2011. LTC Choi and SPC Newton did a great job closing the clinic and turning in all equipment. These great American Warriors have been assigned to another clinic and will continue to serve the Soldiers stationed here in Iraq. Job well done LTC Choi and SPC Newton

Liberty Dental Clinic

Good Morning, This is Camp Liberty coming at you from Bagdad, Iraq. This month has been a slow month for us since we are drawing down from Iraq. Nothing exciting has happen since last month article. SSG Crumedy went on R&R and had a blast with family and friends. We went to a place called Dave N Buster where we played video games, basketball, and race cars. My vacation in Cleveland was a blast. While at Dave N Buster I ran into Keisha Cole the singer and husband Daniel Gibson. I was not able to get an autograph or photos due to the fact they

OIC: COL Michael Craddock NCOIC: SSG Tommie Crumedy

were spending time with their son. I did get the chance to shake Daniel Gibsons hand in the process. We have expanded our clinic, welcoming in Major Clark and SPC Johnson from the 36th ASMC. We have been making a splash in the community. CPT Seaton and Major Clark helped out with the Iraqi Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops. This was an exciting experience for both Drs. We were presented with AAM for winning the Camp Liberty Flag football championship. Due to the contract dispute we

may not have another season before we leave to repeat. COL Craddock and SSG Crumedy were recognized and presented coins for the professionalism and dedication to the job when they treated the 25th ID CG. We have photos from the award ceremony and Iraqi Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops.

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Balad Dental Clinic

OIC: COL Michael Apicella NCOIC: SSG Orlando Torres

Greetings from Joint Base Balad welcome SPC Newton Dental Clinic. In July/August we who is already doing a had many changes to the JBB fantastic job at JBB. Dental Clinic. The headquarters unit left and along with them, SPC Holz. In addition to losing SPC Holz, CPT Singh from the 709th ASMC fiWho can nally redeployed believe that back to his weve been hometown in here over 4 Colorado Joint Base Balad Dental Clinic Springs, Colorado. Both will be missed at JBB. months, it seems like just On the bright side, the 709th reyesterday that the 257th placed CPT Singh with MAJ Arwas handing over the nold, from Kentucky. MAJ Arkeys to us. Many addinold has already contributed sigtional changes are forthnificantly at the JBB Dental coming with the pending Clinic with his vast experience in closure in several oral surgery. His has already exmonths. During this time tracted over 30 teeth, most of the clinic as seen over which were third molars. In addi- 960 patients including tion, the 709th has also sent over 560 emergency dental SGT McKee to help out at the visits to include countless restoradental clinic. tions, root canals, and extractions. SPC McClaughlin left this week Many of these patients were confor R&R for two weeks to catch verted from Dental Fitness up with his sleep. In his place we Class III to Class II.

The 673rd Gang

The 709th ASMC and Mr K

Please send me a photo and or message for your Soldier. If you have anything you want to add to the newsletter, please send it to 1SG Eavey at

abertooth S Spotlight

mark.eavey@iraq.centcom.mil or mark.eavey@us.army.mil.

ber, ptem ge in Se ssa ay is day me d birth irth ad's end a b a Dad tehe o s Whi like to thday t ho is SG uld ir S B dw I wo Happy nd frien d loved so n a m: rom ed a to hi miss much! F d very hitehea a A. the Wh. Hild c bun ehead t Whi

SFC Mason and SPC Asaka doing some extra PT.