GREEN MOUNTAIN BATTALION

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1 GREEN MOUNTAIN BATTALION V o l u m e 1, I s s u e 2 U n i v e r s i t y o f V e r m o n t A r m y R O T C G r e e n M o u n t a i n B a t t a l i o n W i n t e r S p e c i a l p o i n t s o f i n t e r e s t : Schedule of upcoming events Spring 2010 Cadet Chain of Command Alumni in Afghanistan I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e : Spring Chain of Command Veterans day 2 Zabriskie Cup and RECONDO Recipients Awarded at Center Ice On Sunday, October 18, 2009, Cadets earning the distinguished RECONDO badge and the top scholarathlete were honored at center ice before the UVM vs. Boston College hockey game. Dr. Daniel Mark Fogel, President of the University of Vermont, and Mr. Charles Zabriskie, Jr., presented the Zabriskie Cup to the top scholar-athlete, Cadet Glory O Neil. The Zabriskie cup is an annual award for the Senior ROTC Cadet with the highest average in ROTC Physical Fitness Test Scores and Cumulative GPA. Last semester, Cadet O Neil not only maintained a 3.5 Grade Point Average, but she also scored the highest Physical Fitness Test score for all Female Cadets throughout the Nations ROTC programs. The RECONDO pins were presented by Major General Michael Dubie, UVM Alumnus and the Com- Commander s Corner (LTC Mike Palaza) Dear, Alumni, Parents, and Friends of UVM ROTC, mander of the Vermont National Guard, President Fogel, and his wife Rachel Kahn-Fogel to Cadets Glory O Neil, Tommy Wong, and Keith Harper. The Green Mountain Battalion would like to extend thanks and gratitude to Mr. Charlie Zabriskie as an alumni and sponsor of the Zabriskie Cup. As well as, MG Dubie, President Fogel and Rachel Kahn-Fogel, for their participation in the presentation of the awards and their continuing support. CDT O Neil accepts the Zabriskie cup from LTC Palaza and Mr. Charlie Zabriskie There is a lot to be proud of in Catamount/Cardinal Country! The Battalion has had a great first semester in terms of Cadet and Alumni accomplishments. The Battalion has grown by 34% in one year! We are now 90 strong! Fall FTX Lab 2 Ranger Challenge Alumni Combatives Upcoming Events Contact Information ROTC Staff Throughout this newsletter you will see we have conducted numerous training events as well as ceremonies. Of note is that several of the ceremonies have truly brought the Cadets and Alumni together; as you know the Army is a Family, so too is the Green Mountain Battalion. This semester alone, we have had Cadets meet the Chief of Staff of the Army, Alumni have presented lectures to the University of Vermont, the Ranger Challenge Team moved from a 19th place finish to 6th place with a victory only a year away. We also had numerous individual achievements from several Cadets winning mixed martial arts bouts to some stellar academic achievements. The Green Mountain Battalion truly reflects the Scholar, Athlete, Leader image paramount in military leaders. The seniors are now months away from becoming 2nd Lieutenants! This next semester they will be honing their skills and professional development with numerous guest speakers to include Battalion Command Teams from the 10th Mountain Division and the Pentagon. The Juniors are gearing up for this summers Cadet Super Bowl known as the Leaders Development Assessment Course (LDAC); their performance will move them closer to the branch of their choice. In April we will be conducting a Joint Field Training Exercise with the University of New Hampshire and Clarkson University. The Sophomores and Freshman continue to work on physical fitness and their upcoming roles as leaders within the Battalion. Next semester s focus will be on physical fitness and promises to be tough as the Battalion adopts a Cross Fit approach to training. In addition we look forward to forging relationships from within the Green Mountain Battalion, Alumni, and the University of Vermont and SUNY Plattsburg. The spring semester will bring an Alumni reception tied to a UVM hockey game, the Military Ball, and Commissioning Ceremonies! As Cadets, Cadre, Alumni, and Families, we have a lot to be proud of. LTC, USA Professor of Military Science

2 P a g e 2 Green Mountain Battalion Cadet on an FLRC Lane at the Fall FTX. Cost of a cadets uniform and equipment $1,817.53; Tuition, room, meals and fees for a semester $7,337; the ability to lead; PRICELESS Spring 2010 Cadet Chain of Command The new Cadet Battalion Commander for the Spring is Cadet Thomas Griffin. He will be supported by his XO, Cadet Eric Shupp and his CSM, Cadet Phillip Harrington. His staff consists of Cadet Zachary Guerin, the S1, Cadets Keith Harper and Tucker Brown, the S2/ ROO, Cadet Thomas Wong Veterans Day University of Vermont the S3, Cadet Michael Chin the S4 and Cadet John Brayshaw the S6. Assisting the staff are Cadet Raymond Plante as the Assistant S3, and Cadet Glory O Neil as the Athletic Officer. The remainder of the MS IV Cadets are serving as TAC officers, assisting the underclassmen. Cadet Wesley Monaco is responsible for the MS III Cadets, Cadet Nathan Holt is responsible for the MS II Cadets, and Cadet Matthew Miclette is responsible for the MS I Cadets. The University of Vermont Student Government Association (SGA) hosted the first annual UVM Veteran s Day Celebration on Wednesday, November 11, in Waterman Memorial Lounge; thanks to SGA member Mike Glynne. The Green Mountain Battalion Staff attended the event along with students, staff, faculty, and members of the community. The celebration included several student and veteran speakers, as well as letters from local, state, and federal representatives. The SGA also included an outstanding presentation of messages of gratitude from the undergraduate student body. The celebration concluded with the SGA giving all veterans a token of their appreciation. Harvard CDT Griffin, Cadet Battalion Commander On Veterans Day 2009, Mr. Charles Zabriskie Jr. (Class of '53), LTC Michael Palaza (PMS), as well as Cadets O'Neil, Holt and Brayshaw, attended the Veterans Day Ceremony at Harvard University. General George W. Casey, Chief of Staff, US Army, Harvard, attended and spoke at the ceremony. The ceremony was officiated by Rev. Peter Gomes, and Harvard President Drew Faus. A plaque honoring the 10 Harvard Graduates who have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor was unveiled. LTC Palaza and the senior cadets in attendance were able to meet the Chief of Staff of the Army, General George W. Casey. The Green Mountain Battalion would like to thank Mr. Charles Zabriskie Jr., for all that he did to bring this event together. From L to R: CDT Holt, Mr. Charles Zabriskie, GEN Casey, CDT O Neil, LTC Palaza, CDT Brayshaw G R E E N M O U N T A I N B A T T A L I O N

3 Fall Field Training Exercise & Leadership Lab 2 P a g e 3 On 6 Nov cadets from SUNY Plattsburgh and six from the University of Vermont participated in a leadership lab that consisted of patrolling and night land navigation. The two patrols consisted of two squads each and were a reconnaissance mission and an ambush. Besides the primary mission the cadets reacted to Improvised Explosive Devices (IED s), treatment of causalities and their evacuation via stretcher. T The patrol leadership was also evaluated on their ability to interact with a local guide to complete their mission. An embedded reporter was also assigned to one of the patrols to give the cadets being evaluated practice in dealing with the media. Following an After Action Review the Cadets did night land navigation in teams and as individuals. The points were distributed in a wooded area that was bordered by the Saranac River. The lack of moonlight, dense foliage and uneven terrain made it a challenging course. Cadets negotiate an obstacle on the Leadership Reaction Course (FTX) Ranger Challenge In October, the Ranger Challenge team participated in the 2 nd Brigade competition at Fort Devens, MA. The Team was composed of ten cadets; Co-Captains Tommy Wong and Glory O'Neil, Cadets Ruf, Gerbatsch, Apotheker, Hammel, Patenaude, Clark, Finnerty, and Smith. The team was coached by Major Jason Pelletier. The team competed with 19 other schools throughout the weekend. Events in this year s competition included: the Army Physical Fitness Test, Weapons Proficiency, Orienteering, Intelligence Lane, Medical Lane, One Rope Bridge, Leaders Reaction Course, Hand Grenade Assault Course, Written Patrolling exam, and a 10K Ruck Race. The Ranger Challenge team took 6 th place overall in 2 nd brigade, and 3 rd place in the Darby Division. In the Darby Division the team placed: 1 st in the APFT, 5 th in Orienteering, 4 th on the Hand Grenade Assault Course, 1 st in Weapons Proficiency, 1 st on the Leaders Reaction Course, 4 th on the Intelligence Lane, 3 rd on the Medical Lane, 6 th on the Patrolling Exam, and 2 nd in the 10K Ruck Race. Cadet Glory O'Neil received the highest APFT score of all cadets participating from 19 different schools. The 2009 Ranger Challenge Competition was a great success. The team showed tremendous improvement from last year and looks to winning in In an attempt to go Paperless please forward an updated address to goldbar@uvm.edu

4 From the Alumni Association Leadership COL Terry Lambert P a g e 4 Vermont Guard Deployment Ceremony The Alumni Association Board members are extremely proud to have supported a wonderful gesture on part of the UVM Athletic Department, led by Dr. Bob Corran, by funding an initiative to have the UVM Varsity athletic teams wear the Green Mountain Boys flag on their uniforms for the season. This gesture was in support of the Vermont National Guard deploying to Afghanistan. COL Will Roy of the VT National Guard was presented a UVM hockey jersey during a National Guard Soldier send off ceremony! Alumni Reception The Alumni reception on 13 February is a time for Families and Friends of the Green Mountain Battalion to come and celebrate with the Cadets as we formally award them the Branches they have earned. During the reception we will pin each Senior Cadet with the insignia of their new Branch. In addition we will be honored by the presence of Brigadier General Peter Fuller (UVM Class of 80) - Program Executive Officer Soldier and Commander of the Army s Natick Soldier Systems Center at Natick, MA. BG Fuller is in charge of increasing Soldiers combat effectiveness, delivering products that save Soldier s lives and improve their quality of life. After the reception we look forward to you joining us at the UVM vs Merrimack hockey game. Green Mountain Battalion Alumni in Afghanistan COL Steven Stebbins ( 83) Colonels Pam Hoyt and Steven Stebbins say hello and Happy Holidays from Afghanistan. COL Hoyt ( 84) from St. Johnsbury, is a Military Police Officer and COL Stebbins, ( 83) from Burlington is a Field Artillery Officer. COL Stebbins left active duty in '94, entered the Reserves, returned to active duty at the Pentagon after 9/11 and to the Regular Army in '04. COL Hoyt (PhD) is an Operational Research Analyst. They are both working with NATO conducting training with the Combined Security Transition Command-in Kabul, Afghanistan. COL Pam Hoyt is the Deputy CJ7 (Force Integration) and COL Stebbins is the Afghan National Police (ANP) Force Integration and Training Division Chief. Their duties include: doing high-level analysis related to Afghan National Security Forces Growth, and responsibilities for Afghan National Police (ANP) force structure, force integration in support of reform and growth, and training policy and programs. COL Stebbins is also involved with mentoring three ANP generals. Since, shortly after they arrived last summer they ve been deeply immersed in developing and moving forward the proposed plan to grow the Afghan National Security Forces. Remote village in Helmand Province Combatives: PT Not Just Push-Ups, and Running! During the last week of PT, the cadets of the Cardinal Platoon received a class in combatives from Maj. Dobozy. With everything there is to combatives, Maj. Dobozy began his instruction with strikes. During the crawl phase the cadets were taught first and foremost being safe during the training. Then they got right into the strikes: the jab, hook and upper cut. During this portion, the cadets were practicing the strikes in the air to ensure they had good form. Next came the walk phase. Here the cadets were paired up with one holding a training pad for the opposing cadet to hit. Some cadets realized that hitting the pad with full force took more energy than they would have expected. The cadets really enjoyed the change of pace for PT. Even though it wasn t typical the cadets got a real work out.

5 Upcoming Events February 6 Spring Lab 1 (MS III and IVs) P a g e 5 February 13 Alumni Reception (Sheraton Hotel in Burlington, VT) - Guest Speaker BG Fuller class of 80. If you are interested or know somebody looking to receive more information about joining Army ROTC please Contact Major Joseph Roszkowski at , or goldbar@uvm.edu. Or visit : For tickets to the UVM hockey game following the reception contact UVM tickets at: (802) or athletic.tickets@uvm.edu or visit their web at: April Spring Joint FTX with Clarkson University and University of New Hampshire (Ethan Allen Firing Range, VT) April 17 Spring Lab 2 (Ethan Allen Firing Range, VT) March 27 Military Ball (Hilton, Burlington, VT) University of Vermont Professor of Military Science LTC Michael Palaza Executive Officer & MS II instructor MAJ Jeff Grey Operations Officer & MS III instructor MAJ Jason Pelletier Recruiting & Enrollment Officer MAJ Joe Roszkowski Military Science I instructor CPT Jeff Hastings Operations NCO SFC Jose Sanguinetti Supply Technician SSG (RET) Dan Broderick Human Resources Administrator Mr. Sammi Sloan University of Vermont ROTC Secretary Beverly Granger State University of New York at Plattsburgh Asst Prof. of Military Science LTC Douglass Goodfellow Asst Military Science Instructor SSG Heather Rocheleau Human Resources Administrator Ms. Joanne Britner Unit Administrator Ms. Marianne Wemette Green Mountain Battalion Fall FTX 2009 In an attempt to go Paperless please forward an updated address to goldbar@uvm.edu

6 Green Mountain Battalion University of Vermont Department of Military Studies 601 Main Street Burlington, VT Phone: Fax: In an attempt to go Paperless please forward an updated address to