Following the 864th Engineer Battalion During Its Time In Afghanistan. Special points of interest:

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1 THE PACEMAKER PRESS Following the 864th Engineer Battalion During Its Time In Afghanistan Inside this issue: Commander s Corner 3 CSM s Foxhole 4 HHC Regulators Monthly Update 5 FSC Providers Monthly Update 6 557th Animals Monthly Update 7 585th Roughneck Monthly Update 8 617th Trailblazers Monthly Update 9 84th Trojans Monthly Update Volume 1, Issue III Combatives Class, pg T ASK FORCE PACEMAKER Safety Day, pg May 2013 MASCAL Exercise, pg. 15 Special points of interest: A Family Affair (pg 2) Volunteer of the Month (pg 6) WTA Update (pg 11) Baby Pacemakers (pg 13)

2 PAGE 2 THE PACEMAKER PRESS VOLUME 1, ISSUE III A Family Affair... One family s story of dedication and patriotism O n any given day, walking into the 864 th Engineer Battalion s medical treatment facility on a forward operating base in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, one would find Spc. Tammy Hyden walking around helping patients with anything from a cough to a sprained ankle. If not in the aid station, Spc. Tammy Hyden is walking the deconstruction project sites ready to administer first aid if a Soldier gets hurt while working. Spc. Tammy Hyden has been serving on active duty in the United States Army as a medic since However, she is not the only one in her family who is serving on active duty. According to the United States Department of Defense, only one-half of one percent of Americans were serving at any point in time over the past ten years of war. Additionally, a report conducted by the Pew Research Center in late 2011 concluded that, after surveying more than 2,000 civilian adults and 1,900 veterans, only 57 percent of civilian respondents ages 30 to 49 said they had an immediate family member who served. The percentage drops to one-third among respondents aged In Spc. Hyden s family, they can name three, soon to be four, immediate family members who are serving. In fact, after her daughter goes through basic training, all of Spc. Hyden s family will be active duty in the United States Army. Her husband of 24 years, serving since 2005, is a Warrant Officer in the Transportation Corps, also currently deployed in Afghanistan. Her son, recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan last year, is a specialist serving as a combat engineer. Her daughter is waiting for her husband to finish the Artillery advance individual training before entering into active duty service in either human resourcing or patient administration within the Army. While standing in her battalion s trauma room behind a wooden table holding a stretcher, the former 911 dispatcher explained her reasoning for wanting to join the Army. It was the change I saw in my husband after he returned from AIT [advanced individual training] that inspired me to join. He seemed happier after basic and AIT. I wanted to better myself as well. Her husband, prior to entering into active duty, was serving in the reserve forces. He enjoyed the military lifestyle so much that he decided that he wanted to go into active service. Spc. Tammy Hyden applies medical attention to a simulated patient during a MASCAL exercise. Spc. Tammy Hyden inventories the battalion aid station s medicine. We had a family meeting about his decision to go active duty. After discussing the lifestyle changes that would occur with switching from reserve to active duty, to include moving her teenage children away from their friends and high school, Spc. Hyden said the conversation ended well. We supported his decision knowing how important it was for him, said Spc. Hyden. Almost eight years after that discussion, Spc. Hyden discussed both the positive and negative aspects to having almost her entire family serving in the Armed Forces. (cont d pg. 2)

3 PAGE 3 THE PACEMAKER PRESS VOLUME 1, ISSUE III (A Family Affair cont d) For herself, one advantage is her working career. When we would move around, I would have to start at the bottom [of her job s working structure] every move. Many times, I would have to work nights and I wouldn t get to see him often. Now that I m serving, I don t have to worry about that anymore. We have the same work schedule now, and the same holidays off! Spc. Hyden also discussed how being stationed in different areas has its advantages. We have long term connections when we move. We don t have to rely on a stranger telling us the best places to live when we move. It eliminates the unknown of moving. As with all situations, there are negatives aspects to having most, soon to be all, of her immediate family serving in the Armed Forces. Being spread all over the country is difficult. Family time over holidays is limited. Despite being spread all over the country and the worries that accompany deployments to hazardous areas, the Hyden family remains strong in their commitment to serving their country with plans to serve for years to come. Commander s Corner: A Letter From LTC Henderson, Commander, Task Force Pacemaker "The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly." - Thomas Paine We are extremely proud of the hard work and outstanding accomplishments of our Pacemaker Soldiers and Families. You all have "SET THE PACE" for excellence in our first 90 days here through your work ethic, integrity, and selfless service to our team of teams. It is certainly humbling to see this great battalion "RISE to the Challenge" by expertly accomplishing our combat missions here, by supporting our Families at home, and by protecting our most important component of combat power - our great Soldiers. We've successfully completed our first 90 days in theater, and I'd ask that we continue to focus on keeping our team strong and vigilant, and working together to support our Soldiers and Families who are dealing with some of the inherent hardships and friction that come along with long-term separation. It's important that we all stay engaged, supportive, and tolerant with all our teammates, and continue to find healthy outlets and support for the additional stress. We'll be a more resilient team in the end when we work through this important chapter in our history together. This week, we have the great honor of welcoming the 1220th Engineer Company from Muscogee, OK into Task Force Pacemaker. CPT Josh Lawson and his team are integrating very well and will be an outstanding addition to our team. We look forward to serving with the Soldiers and Families of the 1220th Engineers. We continue to work an average of projects at multiple bases throughout eastern Afghanistan, and we anticipate that several new projects will keep us extremely busy throughout the summer. The units that we support consistently provide very positive feedback for the outstanding efforts of our Soldiers... the quiet MVPs that "make it happen" every day. Morale is high, and we are living up to the great legacy left to us by our Pacemaker Alumni and Veterans. Thanks again for all the great support that you provide to our team. SET THE PACE! LTC John W. Henderson Pacemaker 6

4 PAGE 4 THE PACEMAKER PRESS VOLUME 1, ISSUE III Command Sergeant Major s Foxhole A Letter From CSM Tipton What a Great Day to be Pacemaker! Greetings to all Soldiers, Airmen, Pacemaker alums, families, and friends of the Pacemaker Family. This month marks the arduous task of completing the first 90 days in theater safely as we Set the Pace! As we successfully complete another month forward deployed to Afghanistan, we all appreciate this accomplishment as another month of safely conducting our wartime mission and another month closer to coming home to our beautiful families. April was a great month for promotions and awards. Congratulations to our Noncommissioned Officers who were selected to Sergeant First Class, SSG(P) Akers, SSG (P) Bouassel, SSG(P) Freeland, SSG(P) Govan and SSG(P) Haas, and SPC(P) Huston was promoted to Sergeant. Kudos also go out to SGT Swanson of the 84th Survey and Design Detachment and SPC Valderrama of the 557 th Engineer Company as they represented the battalion superbly by winning the 43 rd Sustainment Brigade (CMRE) Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year Competition. Please congratulate them and wish these two phenomenal Pacemakers all the best as they represent the brigade in Kuwait at the 1 st Theater Sustainment Command Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year Competition. Great job Pacemakers! As we continue to make history, know that your prayers and blessings continue to safeguard us from harm s way. We are a well-disciplined unit and our tactics and procedures will ensure we continue to stay on task. We remember that freedom isn t free, those of us who serve and have served in the military and family members know this because the torch of freedom has been passed from those who have served before us. I want you all to know that our young Pacemakers go through the hardships of this deployment Willing and Able to put their lives on the line to protect these freedoms. 617 taking apart HESCO barriers to consolidate and re-organize their project site. Have a Question Regarding Your Soldier s Company s FRG? Family Readiness Support Assistant (FRSA) Karyn Hubbell KARYN.HUBBELL@us.army.mil or th ENGINEER BATTALION FRG LEADER- SHIP Senior Advisor: Amy Henderson AMYJOHENDER- SON@gmail.com HHC: Rowan Jones HHC864FRG@hotmail.com FSC: Sandra Robinson FRGFSC864@gmail.com 557: Christy Mahn FRGLEADER557@aol.com 585: Stacey Mackey FRGLEADER585@aol.com 617: Holly Phelps FRGLEADER617@yahoo.com Thank you all for what you do and continue to do for our Pacemaker Family and this great nation! Again, I encourage you all to visit the 864th Engineer Battalion Facebook page and become a fan. Pacemakers RISE to the Challenge! CSM Christopher D. Tipton, Pacemaker Soldiers utilizing a Skid Steer Loader to move pieces of wood from the gutted building.

5 PAGE 5 T HE P ACE MA KER PR ESS VOLUME 1, ISSUE III Headquarters and Headquarters Company Regulators! tachment Commander. The Regulators serve as the main support hub for the other companies. Different sections continue to work hard every day to provide sustainment and manage operations to the Battalion. 12Bs celebrate Easter by finding Easter Eggs with mine detectors. Even far from home, the Regulators do their best to enjoy the Holidays. To kick off the end of March and bring in April Showers, Regulators incorporated Army training into an Easter Egg Hunt. It was a great morale booster on Easter morning seeing Soldiers using mine detectors looking for metal eggs. This month, the Regulators welcomed SPC Wade to the company and bid farewell to CPT Fortune and 1LT Agni. CPT Fortune will be attending the Captain s Career Course this July and 1LT Agni will be serving as the 28th Engineer De- SGT Francis re-enlists. Regulators continue to excel as all-around soldiers with individual accomplishments. A big congratulations to SPC Alvarez and SPC Kuria on their promotion. In addition, SSG(P) Freeland and SSG(P) Haas both made the E7 list, a big milestone in their career as the promotion rates were slim and competitive this year. Lastly, the following Regulators have decided to continue doing great things in the Army by reenlisting: SGT Francis, SPC Kasiano, SGT Knight, and SPC Salcedo. SSG (P) Freeland re-enlists As always, we appreciate all the love and support we receive from all the Regulator Family. Thank you so much for all the care packages from our amazing FRG. Continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as you are always in ours. Regulators! SPC Alvarez at his promotion. SPC Salcedo re-enlists SPC Kuria at her promotion.

6 VOLUME 1, ISSUE III THE PACEMAKER PRESS PAGE 6 Forward Support Company Providers!!! Hello Provider fans! First, I would like to openly thank all the support that FSC has received from all across the globe. It is simply awesome to see all the care packages full of tasty treats and all the people logging in their miles to support the famed Forward Support Company. Your overwhelming support of the smallest company in the Battalion is reflective of how productive FSC is in the Battalion. Typically, FSCs have a higher echelon of support to fall back on. In Engineer brigades, engineer battalions deploy by themselves which was certainly the case this time. SPC Plogar re-enlists. SGT Tingle re-enlists. Over 90% of the Battalion s support requirements are planned and executed by the versatile men and women in the Company. FSC, regardless of geographic settings, whether it is JBLM, Idaho, and now Sharana, has fed, fueled, fixed, and transported equipment all over God s creation. FSC s recent twist in supporting the Battalion is truck driving with 18 wheelers and 40 ft plus trailers, similar to commercial truck driving. The personnel driving these lengthy rigs are a collection of MOSs: fuelers, truck drivers, water specialists, an assortment of mechanics, and a couple of cooks thrown in for good measure. It may seem like a science experiment but the results have been overall successful and are indicative of a competent, can do attitude that this FSC is well known for. I could not be a prouder commander and simply blessed to work with such extraordinary people. It never ceases to amaze me that FSC can take a collection of people of various talents and backgrounds and get great results. Once again, we appreciate the first class support! SGT Huston promoted Pacemaker Volunteers of the Month Corner The Pacemaker Volunteers of this month are Jan (left), sister-in-law of SFC Wheeler, FSC, and Jean Wheeler (right), mother of SFC Wheeler. Jan has been working with the church she attends to send packages to Provider Soldiers. They have already sent 11 packages! Jean has sent care packages to both the USO and to FSC Soldiers. She has coordinated food drives through both hers and her husband s place of work to donate items to FSC. Additionally, she has opened her basement so that friends and neighbors can randomly drop off items to send to the troops. Thank you Jan and Jean for your amazing work helping the Pacemakers while they are deployed! We appreciate it!

7 VOLUME 1, ISSUE III THE PACEMAKER PRESS PAGE 7 557th Engineer Company Animals!! What a busy month for the 557 th Engineer Company. All the Animals received the coveted Triple Nickel combat patch in a companywide ceremony. This patch symbolizes veteran status for those who are serving on their first deployment. Animal Patch Ceremony I also awarded the Animal coin to those few Soldiers in the company who have distinguished themselves above their peers. These five Soldiers were awarded the coin for their outstanding motivation and performance in the time period between packing up in Fort Lewis and receiving our first missions here in Afghanistan: SPC Rojas (HQ), PFC Limbu (1 st Platoon), PFC Revisky (2 nd Platoon), PFC Manners (3 rd Platoon), and PFC Crank (Maintenance). SGT Barnes (2 nd Platoon) was also awarded the coveted coin for his efforts in improving the maintenance of his squad s equipment and ensuring it was prepared for the platoon mission. This time last month, everyone was itching to get to work, and now we have. 1 st Platoon kicked operations off for the company with some deconstruction missions around FOB Sharana. Several hundred meters 1st Platoon at work of HESCO and dozens of trips to the dump site later, we saw real progress. 1 st Platoon has since closed out operations at Sharana and moved up to Bagram Airfield to construct a motorpool for a fellow engineer unit. 2 nd Platoon is also at the vast Bagram Airfield, working on a mission which has been designated the top priority for all of the CMRE/43 rd Sustainment effort. This is one of the few major construction projects going on in our area. While it s a big job, progress has been going very well. Meanwhile, 3 rd Platoon has begun deconstruction at an outlying FOB. The Outsiders sent a Soldier to the Soldier of the Year board this month. SPC Valderrama won not only Battalion, but also Brigade Soldier of the Year and is in the running for 1 st TSC Soldier of the Year as well. Well done! It is getting pretty quiet here at FOB Sharana now that our platoons are working at other bases. The company headquarters continues to work hard to ensure that all the unglamorous Soldier of the Year! 2nd Platoon at work work is done to keep the company running. Animals working hard Maintenance never gets a rest as they work to keep our Theater- Provided Equipment (TPE used by many other units here before) in prime condition. Special congratulations are due to SSG(P) Akers and SSG(P) Govan, who recently made the Army-wide list for promotion to Sergeant First Class. On behalf of all the Animals, I thank SSG(P) Akers for his service to the company and wish him well in his new assignment at HHC. We are fortunate to keep SSG(P) Govan in the company as our new Operations Sergeant, where he is already hard at work supporting the line platoons and company headquarters. His section has had a hand in promoting Soldiers with potential for the future, as well as rewarding them for past performance. We continue to be grateful for all the support from families back home. Animals lead the way! Awarding hard working Animals

8 VOLUME 1, ISSUE III THE PACEMAKER PRESS PAGE 8 585th Engineer Company Roughnecks!! Hello Roughneck Family and Friends, Roughnecks have continued to keep the sledgehammers swinging this past month at FOB Sharana. The Company has been commended by numerous visitors to the FOB, to include Colonel Todd Heussner, Commander of the 43rd Sustainment Brigade, Colonel Douglas Mcbride, Commander of the 593rd Sustainment Brigade, Colonel Nicholas Katers, Commander of the Triple Nickel Engineer Brigade, and Major General William Mayville, Jr., Commanding General of the 1 st Infantry Division. This month, we would like to begin a tradition and recognize a Soldier from each platoon for their outstanding efforts over the past month. From 1 st Platoon Nomads, PFC Felix Mercedes was recognized by Colonel Heitkamp, Commander of the Kabul USACE area office, for consistently volunteering for the hardest or least desirable jobs and accomplishing them with unconquerable cheerfulness. PFC Mercedes has risen, as a junior enlisted Soldier, to fulfill the critical position of a platoon safety NCO. He is always cheerful, diligent, and motivates his fellow platoon members to work harder to accomplish their missions. From 2 nd Platoon Hell Hounds, PFC Albert Brown has been an integral part of the platoon s success for their past several projects. To accomplish their deconstruction missions more effectively, the Hell Hounds have signed for a new, very useful piece of equipment, the Interim High-Mobility Engineer Excavator (I-HMEE). PFC Brown was not intimidated by this new piece of machinery and ambitiously jumped into the driver s seat and perfected his operating abilities. He has made himself an asset by working extremely hard without hesitation or reservation. His performance is only matched by his joyous personality and devotion to his unit. 3 rd Platoon Titans are pushed out to two different bases providing vertical support and would like to recognize a Soldier at each location, the first being PFC Curtis Black. PFC Black has tremendous drive and motivation which has helped set the pace on each and every jobsite. He is extremely observant and always watches out for all of his battle buddies. PFC Black s comedic relief has also helped out all of the Soldiers with him and is truly an asset to SGT West teaching combatives PFC Black at the jobsite the overall morale and welfare of the group. The 2 nd Soldier they would like to recognize is PFC Marco MunozLeija. PFC MunozLeija is a Soldier who if tasked with anything, you know it will get done without having to give him any additional guidance. He persistently gives 110% to everything he does, and never complains about mundane or undesirable tasks. Maintenance Platoon would like to recognize SPC Chad Stephenson. SPC Stephenson exemplifies the ideal Soldier both on and off the clock. As a team leader, SPC Stephenson has shown initiative by daily pushing his subordinates in Insanity workouts to improve their physical training scores. He also selflessly allowed his peers to take his slot in a FAST class (test prep) in order to improve their GT scores, knowingly putting his dream of becoming a Ranger (which requires a GT score of 107) in jeopardy. Nonetheless, he used his free time to study and improved his GT score to 110. Additionally, SPC Stephenson portrayed his SPC Stephenson re-enlists sense of duty by reenlisting in the Army for four more years. Reenlisting during a time of war takes intestinal fortitude and is no small decision. SGT Dwan West is being recognized from the Headquarters section for consistently going above and beyond the call of duty. He takes it upon himself to resolve problems the line platoons may be facing without being asked, even if it is beyond his realm of training and expertise. For example, when 1 st Platoon was having difficulties cutting welds at a project site, SGT West used initiative to acquire the parts to construct a field expedient torch and facilitate the cutting of pipes to save many platoon man hours. SGT West also has been an asset at the battalion level by acting as the MWR Representative to advertise for upcoming events Soldiers can participate in, such as basketball or volleyball tournaments. Additionally, SGT West is using his combatives training to teach and certify Level 1 combatives to Soldiers within the battalion. We would also like to congratulate the families of our three newborns this month. We are very pleased to welcome Olivia Rivera-Santana, Madelyn Walker, and Derrick Sawyer to the Roughneck family. We are proud to have so many Soldiers within our company who strive to go above and beyond the standard, and wanted to recognize a few in this month s letter. We have a great team and would not be able to accomplish the things we do without each and every Soldier we have. I want to continue to thank our Families and Friends back home for the support we receive. We appreciate everything you do on the home front while we are away. Sincerely, CPT Brandon J. Mackey, Roughneck 6

9 VOLUME 1, ISSUE III THE PACEMAKER PRESS PAGE 9 617th Engineer Company Trailblazers!! Greetings Trailblazers! We are happy to report operations are going smoothly here. As the weather continues to warm up, the trees are starting to turn green and it reminds us of Fort Lewis and how beautiful Washington can be in the Spring and Summer. First, Second, and Third Platoon continue to work hard with multiple deconstruction projects throughout Eastern Afghanistan. Headquarters continues to stay busy with battle tracking while maintenance still remains the workhorse with the ongoing maintenance requirements required for a heavy construction company. The Soldiers are getting plenty of equipment operating time, a difference you can see in their capabilities and performance from when they got here in the winter. Some of the projects actually include construction projects as part of a deliberate and methodical closure of Afghanistan. Your Soldiers hard work and dedication has a direct impact in our country being able to successfully transition the country over to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and to end the longest war in our Nation s history. We have had several awards and achievements this month. Second Platoon Soldiers received Army Achievement Metals (AAMs) from 1 st Squadron, 89 th Regiment for their successful work on building a container holding yard. The Soldiers that received AAMs were SGT Hobbs, SPC Jordan, PFC Lerman, PV2 McFarling, PFC Duncan, PFC Chopper, and PFC Adams. Third Platoon participated in the 3-6 FA Battalion s Centaur Challenge where they received Second Place. We also awarded Company coins to SPC Mize, SPC Karlberg, SPC Runnion, PFC Adams, SPC Webb, SGT King, and SPC Vavra for the overall impact they have made on the unit and mission. SPC Simmons from Third Platoon and SGT Aguon from Maintenance Platoon both reenlisted this month. We also had two promotions in April. PFC Basham and PFC Morgan both were promoted to the rank of Specialist. In addition, SPC Finnerty won the Battalion Soldier of the Month. We continue to appreciate your selfless sacrifice and dedication that you give your Soldiers. I ask that you continue to support your Soldier and stand strong in the home front. Thank you for everything you do. CPT Karoline Hood Trailblazer 6, Clear The Way 1st Platoon has had an exciting month here in the mountains of Afghanistan. We've had some great opportunities for the senior Soldiers to mentor and train the newer members of the Platoon on all the equipment, providing ample hours and jobs to gain a lot of experience. We're almost done with our overall Platoon mission and will be moving back to rejoin our Company soon. In addition, we've been able to conduct some excellent cross training with the various units including the Infantry Battalion here and the Black Hawk Pilots living next to us. All in all this has been a great experience where the Soldiers of 1st Platoon have been able to really grow and show what they're capable of when given the freedom to perform. April has been a productive month for 2 nd Platoon. The platoon has completed two major projects along with several smaller projects. SGT Hobbs led 1 st SQD to complete a staging yard for containers, resulting in seven soldiers receiving the Army Achievement Medal for their efforts. SSG Jackson and SGT Rogers headed up the improvement of the convoy staging yard. This yard allows large convoys to stage before heading out on the road.. Additionally, the platoon has under gone some changes in leadership. 1LT Jacobs moved to be the Executive Officer for our sister company, 585 th Engineer Trailblazers hard at work! So much work to do, two phones are needed! Company, being replaced by 1LT Jackson. Also coming from Headquarters was SSG Phelps who is now the 1 st Squad leader. Over the last month 3rd platoon has transitioned from preparation to execution of deconstruction. Nearly a month ago, the platoon left FOB Sharana. The platoon eagerly attacked the mission and soon pushed ahead of schedule. In order to reduce the footprint and turn over a manageable base to the Afghan National Army (ANA), there has been much needed tearing down and rearranging. During some free time, the platoon also helped build a training area for the ANA. The platoon has also done numerous other tasks around the FOB. This past weekend, the platoon competed in the Centaur Challenge put on by 3-6 FA. The platoon came in third place. Overall, the morale of the platoon has been very high due to finally working. It is evident that all the time they spent training before beginning their mission has paid off. This past month, the Soldiers of the Maintenance Platoon have had the arduous task of keeping the fleet running. We have conducted over 20 scheduled services on our Theatre Provided Equipment. We also build the service packets from the ground up. We initially did not receive any form of tracking system, and have finally got to a point where we can effectively track and maintain over 100 of the Company s vehicles. We have also developed an effective supply ordering and distribution system that allows the platoon to order, track, and distribute needed parts to three different locations within a couple days of identifying faults on equipment. In addition to our heavy work load, we were also able to send one NCO to the E-6 promotion board. SGT Hernandez. Whether it be parts, tires, tools, wrecker support, you name it. Lately, Headquarters has been working hard to make sure all platoons have what they need to be mission capable. On a daily basis, we ve worked to send mail, equipment, and soldiers around the battlefield to ensure the company s success. Over the past month, Headquarters has witnessed several changes in staff. 2LT Michael Wright has taken his job as the CoIST/ Movement OIC. SFC Juan Garcia has arrived to run the company s operations as the Operations Sergeant. SSG John Thompson, formerly of 3 rd Platoon, has joined us as the Construction NCOIC. We will work continually around the clock to make sure the platoons and ultimately the company is successful throughout the deployment.

10 PAGE 10 THE PACEMAKER PRESS VOLUME 1, ISSUE III 84th Survey and Design Detachment Trojans!! The month of April was as busy as any with no rest in sight for the Trojans! Congratulations are in order again to our very own SGT Ryan Swanson for winning the brigade Noncommissioned Officer of the Year Board, which took place in Kandahar Airfield. He and his sponsor, SSG John Ingoglia, are currently in Kuwait attending the next level of the competition! We also want to recognize SGT Picon and SPC Myrum for re-enlisting while flying in a CH-47 from Forward Operating Bases (FOB) Sharana to FOB Airborne. The 84th has recently taken on survey support of two construction projects. SGT Brandon Mangiapane and PFC Dominic Francis are working with 2nd Platoon, 557th Horizontal Engineer Company to expand and improve drainage of the retro-sort yard. Meanwhile, SPC Dean Boling and PFC Sue Lao are with 1st Platoon, 557th Horizontal Engineer Company to construct a logistical holding area. SGT Kearney re-enlisting. The Trojans completed four reconnaissance and surveys of company to brigade sized FOBs during the past month in support of retrograde operations for Afghanistan. SSgt Joel London led a squad which included SGT Brandon Mangiapane, SrA Landon Montoya, A1C Dylan Ross, and PFC Dominic Francis. SSG Michael Sogge led a separate squad, which included SGT Tabatha Kearney, SPC Boling, PFC Mason Babb, and PFC Lao. Later on in the month, SSgt London led another survey team, which included SGT Rafael Picon, SGT Alex Sanchez, SPC Joseph Myrum, A1C Amadeo Ruiz, PFC Weslee Rivera, and A1C Levi Hatfield. Finally, SSG Sogge, along with 1LT Jay Marrou, and PFC Daniel Burnside surveyed an outlying COP. The detachment has taken on a few side projects meant to leave our mark here at FOB Sharana. SrA Montoya and A1C Ross completed a stencil design of the battalion s Distinctive Unit Insignia to send to the retrograde yard at Bagram Airfield. To improve MWR for the Soldier and Airmen of the 84 th EN DET, SrA Montoya, A1C Ross, SPC Boling and PFC Babb constructed picnic tables allowing the team to enjoy a common meeting place with the nicer weather approaching. SGT Sanchez re-enlisting. The Pacemaker Press is an authorized newsletter for members of the 864th Engineer Battalion Task Force Pacemaker. Contents are not necessarily endorsed by the Dept. of the Army, Dept. of Defense, or the U.S. Government. Content is reviewed, edited, and approved by the Battalion Public Affairs Officer (PAO). For questions, comments, or concerns, please contact the Battalion Public Affairs Officer. Public Affairs Officer: 1LT Elizabeth Lewis Elizabeth.m.lewis3@us.army.mil Pacemaker Soldiers deconstructing K-Spans for retrograde operations in Afghanistan.

11 PAGE 11 THE PACEMAKER PRESS VOLUME 1, ISSUE III New and Expecting Mothers! The Pacemaker family wishes to offer support through the Pacemaker Pregnancy Support Group! Check it out on Facebook! Search Pacemaker Pregnancy Support Group. Visit us on Facebook to get updated pictures and news stories regarding the excellent work of our Pacemaker Soldiers! Facebook: Engineer-Battalion- Pacemakers/ Or search 864th Engineer Battalion (Pacemakers) on Facebook. The statistics are in! Walk to Afghanistan Update: 84th: 968 miles FSC: miles 617: miles 585: miles HHC: miles Rear D: 14 miles Grand Total: !!!!

12 PAGE 12 THE PACEMAKER PRESS VOLUME 1, ISSUE III Combatives The Pacemakers are excited to announce that they have officially started a Combatives Level I course while deployed to FOB Sharana, Afghanistan. The class takes place every few weeks, and is instructed by SGT West and SGT Mestre, 585th Engineer Company. Students learn how to ground fight, basic defensive boxing techniques, and how to close in on the enemy and secure the clinch. The class in a week long. At the end of the week, if a student passes each test and a written test, they will officially be certified in Level I Combatives. Congratulations to the following students who are now certified in Level I Combatives: SPC Arocho, PFC Babb, PFC Coronado, PFC Formoso, SPC Grayson, SPC Grover, SPC Kasiano, PFC Lee, SPC Loy, SPC Morgan, PFC Shook, PFC Stallworth, SGT Swanson, SPC Valderrama, and SGT Weaver. Congratulations to all!! Graduates of the inaugural Combatives Level I class. SGT West and SSG Mestre, instructors.

13 PAGE 13 THE PACEMAKER PRESS VOLUME 1, ISSUE III The Pacemakers would like to welcome and introduce the following Baby Pacemakers to the Pacemaker Community! Zaniyah Naleya born to SPC Michael Rivera-Santana, 585, and wife Olivia Camden Milo, born to SGT Jeremiah Steen, 617, and wife Holly Madelyn Renee born to SPC Michael Walker, 585, and wife Jenna CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

14 PAGE 14 T HE P ACE MA KER PR ESS VOLUME 1, ISSUE III Sharana Safety Day The Pacemakers recently competed in the Sharana Safety Day Challenge, which consisted of volleyball, pull-ups, tug-of-war, horse shoes, bench press, 3 v 3 basketball, golf, 5k run, 2.4k walk, and table tennis. Congratulations to all of the following Pacemakers who placed in the competition: CPT Mackey/1SG Washington/SGT Cleveland (585) 3v3 Basketball winners, 1LT Kutnink/SPC Gambrel/PFC Hernandez (617) 3v3 Basketball 2nd place, SGT Ramos/SPC Maskey (FSC) 1st and 2nd Place Table Tennis, PFC Speed (585) 1st in Golf, SSG (P) Haas/SFC Keith/SGT Shaner/SPC Easley/SPC Miller (HHC) 2nd in tug-of-war, CPT Hood (617)/2LT Warnke (585) 1st and 2nd place in Women s 5k run, and SPC Runnion 1st in 2.4k walk. Congratuations!!

15 PAGE 15 THE PACEMAKER PRESS VOLUME 1, ISSUE III MASCAL (Mass Casualty) Training Exercise A MASCAL training exercise consists of Soldiers acting as casualties so companies and the aid station can rehearse for real life situations. During a MASCAL training exercise, the Pacemaker medics proved they are professional and knowledgeable in their trade. What s his condition? asked SPC Hayden to another medic. Go slow...go slow said SSG (P) Haas, the senior medic, while organizing and taking charge of the trauma room. In total darkness, except for a few headlights and flashlights, teams of medics worked together to load critical patients into the FLS for transportation to a larger aid station on post. Altogether, the MASCAL training exercise was successful. Each Pacemaker Soldier demonstrated professionalism and technical knowledge throughout the entire exercise. Well done Pacemaker medics and Soldiers!