FRG Newsletter. Battle Company. Letter from the Commander. Headquarters Platoon Update. B Co. 3/69 AR Fort Stewart, Georgia

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1 FRG Newsletter Battle Company October 2005 Vol. 2 Issue 4 B Co. 3/69 AR Fort Stewart, Georgia Top left: Two members of 1st PLT kneel at the foot of the memorial to SPC Edward Myers following SPC Myers memorial service at FOB Brassfield-Mora. Top right: Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfield awards the Purple Heart to Battle Company Soldiers, 1LT Seiter and PFC Rodgers, at the Combat Support Hospital in Logistics Area Anaconda. Lower left: PFC Campbell being awarded the purple heart by Rumsfield. Letter from the Commander Dear Battle Company Family and Friends, I thought you all might like to hear a little bit about the platoons and our soldiers from each of the platoons themselves. So included below are letters from each platoon written especially for you all. Headquarters Platoon Update The past seven months have been busy for Headquarters Platoon. Unlike the three line Infantry Platoons, Headquarters is composed of Mechanics, Communications specialists, Fire Support soldiers, Supply soldiers, a Nuclear Biological Chemical soldier, Medics, and a small number of Infantry soldiers. Each one of these specialties is crucial in supporting Bravo Company and its missions. 1

2 The mechanics, led by SFC Horvath have the tough task of keeping all of Bravo Company s vehicles running. Due to the harsh weather and long hours, our Bradleys and armored Humvees require constant maintenance. We also have three mechanics located at FOB Brassfield-Mora led by SGT Pierre who tackle major repairs such as engines and transmissions. The communications team, headed by SSG Dekle, ensures all of Bravo Company s radios are functioning properly, and keeps the internet café up and running so soldiers have a means of communicating back home. 1LT Adams runs the Fire Support team, which is tasked to coordinate and plan all artillery targets, air support, as well as collect and make sense of all intelligence obtained on patrols and observation posts. Our Supply Sergeant, SSG Rosario, runs convoys from FOB Brassfield-Mora to various other Forward Operating Bases in order to obtain supplies for the Company. He makes trips to Patrol Base Uvanni four times a weeks, transporting mail, hot food, and other essential items to keep the company running. The Medics, led by SGT Zilka, have done a great job taking care of the soldiers at Patrol Base Uvanni. They also accompany every patrol in the city to immediately attend to injuries sustained by Bravo Company soldiers. Headquarters has four additional infantry soldiers who drive and gun for CPT Wylie and 1SG Lynch s vehicles SPC Myers, CPL Narron, SPC Trujillo, and SPC Hughes. The tactical operations center, or TOC, is manned by three soldiers SSG Senter, SSG Rotando, and SGT Madron. They are responsible for keeping track of all Bravo Company elements once they leave Patrol Base Uvanni and sending, as well as receiving, radio traffic from FOB Brassfield-Mora. Headquarters Platoon Sergeant, SSG Toner, coordinates all the Headquarter elements and ensures that all the line platoons get the equipment they need. Every soldier in Headquarters Platoon has done an outstanding job so far during the course of the deployment. I would like to thank the FRG and everybody back home for all the support. 1LT Seiter, Battle 5, PB Uvanni, Iraq 1st Platoon Update As 1st Platoon approaches the ¾ mark in the deployment, we would like to send our thanks to our family and friends that have supported us throughout this endeavor. Our biggest moral boost are the letters and packages that we receive from home keep them coming. And we promise that we will try when we can to respond via either snail or . With the ever-changing tactics of the AIF (Allied Iraqi Forces) so do our hours change. So if you don t get the Yahoo Message or the phone call at the usual time, don t blame your soldier; it s the AIF s fault. Congratulations to CPL Timothy Karnickey and SSG Jared Winegarden, two very well-deserved promotions, and to the upcoming promotions on September 1st: PV2 Inman, SPC Reynolds, SPC Harness, and SPC Knudsen. Your soldiers are working very hard to ensure the stability of this budding government. We, the Leaders of 1st Platoon, couldn t be more proud. SSG Rodriquez from 1st PLT commanding his Bradley Fighting Vehicle while on patrol in Samarra, Iraq. We are about 75% through the leave roster, so if your soldier has not returned on R&R, he soon will. As you can imagine all of the remaining Woodchucks are anxiously awaiting their turn. 2

3 Last, but definitely not least, to SGT Townsend, we wish you a speedy recovery. You are in our thoughts and prayers. SSG Luther East 2nd Platoon Update Hail, Welcome to the world of Bravo Company s Second Platoon. Allow me to provide you with an assortment of funny anecdotes about your beloved soldiers. First squad, led by SSG Finn, a curious man with fantastically unblemished skin, has been fighting its own war, a battle of the bulge. The alpha team leader, a half-man, half-ape mutant named Sgt. Ashe, has worked his band of hooligans into trim athletes. Not even the families of Wood, Clinard, and Gahdban will recognize them upon their return to the states. Wood has lost so much weight, he puts his team leader to shame. This has not, however, prevented SGT Ashe from plumping himself up with Iraqi cuisine. Believe it or not, SGT Ashe loves Arabic culture and encourages his men to enjoy the finer points of the Samarran lifestyle. Bravo team leader, SPC Roth, is undeniably fat now. His wife obviously fed him nothing but fried foods, ice cream, and mayonnaise while on leave. I suspect he was also hooked up to a canola oil-fed IV drip while sleeping. He resembles something like a marshmallow, but he still manages to rally the loyal support of his men by way of his fine leadership skills. This squad has been known to break things in the city. Second squad, an eccentric bunch under the tutelage of SSG Clinger, live in total squalor. They leave their cave only to smoke cigarettes and use the bathroom. But it s their mess, and they love it. SSG Clinger drinks enough coffee to keep the whole squad awake. Newly appointed team leader, SPC Welch, encourages his men to keep on keepin on. Being on the receiving end of one of his jokes is akin to being struck by an arrow, but it provides endless entertainment to the squad. Their filthy, nicotine encrusted hearts need it. Private Johnston, who left HQ Plt. with the urgency of an escaped convict, has blended nicely into the squad as well. SPC Capps, when not at the poker table or behind his Members of 2nd PLT at PB Uvanni following a patrol 3

4 computer, can be found scraping caked dirt off his body and teeth with a knife. I believe he has taken at least one shower during this deployment. This squad is quite adept at raiding houses and not waking up the occupants until they are standing right over them. Sleep with your clothes on. The mounted warriors embody the mechanized spirit. SSG Dove inspires the men with his mustache and tales of one day being a slumlord. He has even had practice supervising the construction of slums at Patrol Base Uvanni; indeed, the mounted room is a dilapidated montage of plywood, nails, and ponchos. I am sure SSG Dove will make a good slumlord. Perhaps SPC Boone, with his cold German stare, will be his slum s sheriff. Boone s daughter, the Uber Baby, will never date because surely her father will imprison all suitors. And PFC Harper, being the preeminent spiritual leader in the platoon, could be the resident slum preacher. Soldiers such as the mustached Mexican, SGT Krispy Arispe, would probably suggest that SSG Johnson would make a fine slum village elder. Johnson would probably respond by instructing SGT Krispy where to place those jalapeno peppers he always has sent to him in the mail. SGT Arispe would then mumble something in Spanish. The mechanized sections enjoy politely asking cars to move when they are blocking a narrow alley. Their faces light up like a Christmas tree when small children ask them for candy. SFC D Angelo enjoys it when I serenade him with my heavy metal music and electric guitar. I enjoy drinking Iraqi tea and eating other people s food. Take care. We look forward to seeing you back in Georgia in January! Sincerely, 1LT Ron Hudak 3rd Platoon Update It has been a long 7 months for 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 3-69 AR. We all miss our friends, family, and the American way of life. We live in an old 3-story building called Patrol Base Uvanni. The Patrol Base was named after a fallen soldier from 1-26 Infantry. PB Uvanni houses 2 companies from 3-69 AR, A Company and B Company. Life here for us really isn t to bad. We have an internet cafe with more than enough phones and computers so we can get in touch with friends and family. Recently the company brought in some water guys that hooked up some sort of water purification machine and tapped us into the cities water supply so we have plenty of running water. Outside the Patrol Base we have a generator that gives us all of our electricity and plenty of juice to watch the movies and pop the popcorn you send us. Our Platoon is spread out over 4 rooms. Each squad has their own room with an A/C, microwave, conventional oven, and refrigerator. Every other day we have a convoy come to the Patrol Base that brings us hot chow and the mail everyone loves so much. Everyday life is pretty routine for us. We go into the city for a few hours at a time. Mostly making sure everything is going good with the civilians and the terrorists aren t bothering anyone. After we come back in from patrol the dismounts clean their weapons and make sure everything is ready to go for our next patrol. The Bradley crews double-check everything on their vehicles and likewise make sure everything is good to go. After that, it s pretty much down-time for us. We can go to the Internet cafe and call home, throw a can of soup into the microwave and have a bite to eat, or maybe just take off our boots and lay down to relax for awhile. All-in-all we are just a big family, taking care of one another until we can get home to the ones we love and miss so much. SPC Wilkins, Mark J. 4 VITESSE ET PUISSANCE

5 Reenlistments These are the soldiers who have reenlisted since May: SGT James Fisher SSG Aaron Clinger SSG Mitchell Finn SSG Judas Dekle PPC Kirk Fuller SSG Ryan Garcia SSG Corey Prather SSG Robert Dove SSG Kevin Senter Promotions Many of our soldiers were promoted over the past few months. Congratulations to all!!! Happy Anniversary to... Antonio and Amanda Trujillo (September 19) Jason and Shannon Cheatham (September 29) Michael and Lindy Johnson (October 10) John and Alicia Anderson (October 20) Congratulations to the couples who celebrated anniversaries over the summer! Happy Birthday to... Jennifer Gandar (September 4) Marcie Stevens (September 24) Lindy Johnson (September 25) Lyn Eddington (September 28) Julie Roth (October 11) Brandi Fuller (October 25) Also a happy birthday to those whose birthdays we missed over the summer. A Big Welcome to... Madison Lanelle Anderson, born to John and Alicia Anderson, June 18, 2005, at She weighed 6 lbs., 4 oz., and was in. long. Emma Riley Wilkins, daughter of Mark and Jessica Wilkins, born June 24, She weighed 7 lbs., 4 oz., and was in. long. Benjamin Benji David Harper, born to William and Amanda Harper, June 26, He weighed 8.55lbs, and was in. long. Abigail Rose Fisher, daughter of James and Tricia Fisher, born July 25, She weighed 5 lbs., 7.5 oz., and was 18.5 in. long. Cody Evan Cheatham, born to Jason and Shannon Cheatham, August 16, He weighed 9 lbs., 12 oz., and was 23.5 in. long. Officers and Senior Non- Commissioned Officers of Battle Company (not pictured is SFC Pingrey) VITESSE ET PUISSANCE 5 1 B. Company, 3/69 AR 1st UA, 3 ID