come our new battle buddies and we

look forward to working with them

and sharing our vast knowledge we

have gained through our experience

throughout this deployment.

396th TC continues to succeed in-and-

out of the wire. Leaders have ensured

that numerous Soldiers have been

given the opportunities to attend civil-

ian and military education courses.

Promotion and Soldier of the Month

boards have been held every month

allowing our soldiers to succeed and

further their careers.

As our seventh month in Afghanistan

passes us by, Soldiers of the 396th TC

can almost feel the American soil

beneath their feet. We are eager to

complete the mission and return home

to our loved ones.

-SGT Wilkerson, Ashten

Let every nation know, whether it

wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay

any price, bear any burden, meet any

hardship, support any friend, oppose

any foe, to assure the survival and

success of liberty.”

-John F. Kennedy

The decrease in temperature

and the ongoing snowfall has

not slowed down the force of

the 396th Transportation Com-

pany (TC). The start of a new

year has made the Soldiers

jump into high gear. Missions

have picked up to an all time

high with the drawback in Af-

ghanistan approaching. Con-

voy Escort Teams (CETs) are

moving large sums of retro-

grade and sustainment supplies

throughout the battle field.

In the last couple months a new

battalion has assumed command

over the 396th TC, the 157th Com-

bat Sustainment Support Battalion

(CSSB), Task Force Chain, has entered

the country motivated and with high

expectations, 396th Soldiers are already

stepping up to the plate. One notice-

able difference in missions since the

157th CSSB arrived has been the utili-

zation of our entire fleet of vehicles,

which has afforded drivers the opportu-

nity to operate various types of

wheeled platforms.

Another change to Task Force Chain

has been the addition of the 514th Mili-

tary Police Company. The 514th MPs

have demonstrated their willingness

and proven abilities with the battalion’s

demanding requirements. We are look-

ing forward to working with them.

396th has become the big dogs on cam-

pus, so to speak. As the other

“original” companies have all served

their tours and departed, “Big Wheels”

has assumed the role as the veterans of

the battalion. Our soldiers have eagerly

helped the new companies integrate

into the fight. We would like to wel-

A New Year

3 9 6 T H

T R A N S P O R T A T I O N

C O M P A N Y “Big Wheels”

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 4

H I G H R O L L E R

A W A R D S

( D E C E M B E R )

SGT Tonneson

SGT Riley

SPC Watkins

SPC Powers

SGT Ackley S

SGT Rios

SPC Fortune

H I G H M I L E R

SSG Harris

Company

Miles

20,472

P A G E 2

HIGH OP-TANE

Commander’s Corner “Luck is what happens when

preparation meets opportunity.”

-Unknown

There are many things within ones

personal life and professional ca-

reer that are outside of our control.

Not having the ability to directly

decide a particular outcome can be

frustrating and challenging on

many different levels. There are

many things that we “want” to hap-

pen, although we are not the final

decision maker or approval author-

ity. Although frustrating and filled

with disappointment, there will always

be a time when opportunity presents

itself. Ultimately, we as individuals

are responsible for taking advantage of

those opportunities. What we can do

is place ourselves within a position to

capitalize on a particular moment.

These actions continue to resonate

throughout the 396th Transportation

Company (TC). In addition to con-

ducting the mission at hand, Soldiers

continue to place themselves in posi-

tions for professional growth and per-

sonal advancement. These exam-

ples are evident when Soldiers are

seen in the education center com-

pleting college courses, attending a

promotion board for advancement to

the next rank, attending worship

service on Sunday morning, or par-

ticipating in a local 5K run. Have

been giving opportunities, Soldiers

of the 396th TC continue to surpass

the standards that have been set be-

fore them.

-CPT Willson

healed and integrated we become, the easier it is

to find and stabilize that deeper, higher, larger

connection. One could call this larger connec-

tion a spiritual connection with God, Whole-

ness, Ultimate Reality, Christ Consciousness,

All That Is or the ultimate Truth from your

spiritual tradition. It is these uncomfortable

personal issues that keep us blocked from open-

ing to the grace and wholeness that is always

available to us. When we have a more healed

ego, life feels easier and we don’t experience

extreme ups and downs. This allows us to grow into who

we came to be. This encourages the unveiling of our

deeper wisdom, inner mystic and inner guidance. We

feel more in harmony with all of life. A relaxed ego can

be flexible and is not preoccupied with itself. Therefore,

we can be self reflexive rather than self conscious and

always concerned with how we are doing. A

relaxed or healed ego can move well through

life. The person with a relaxed ego is able to

find his or her place in the world. From this

more healed state and in our own unique way,

we can take appropriate actions to help our-

selves and others.

First Hand from the First Sergeant Let go of the Ego so you can grow!

The difficult parts of our personality and

the wounded aspects of our ego cause us to

be preoccupied with nonproductive sabo-

taging thoughts and feelings that don’t

allow us to relax. Ego could be defined as

our conscious mind or our conscious ex-

perience of our own identity. When we’ve

integrated these painful parts of ourselves

or painful parts of our ego enough, we are

able to relax, sink down and live from

more of our greatness. Sinking down into

our greatness allows us to go beyond the

ego into a larger context that contains all

aspects of who we are, including our ego,

body and our spirit. The more refined,

As 396th reaches the latter half of the

deployment, all of Operations is con-

tinuing to stay motivated and upbeat to

ensure convoys operations continue to

run smoothly and without any delay.

From the heart of the 396th Transporta-

tion Company (TC), we would like to

thank you again for all the support you

have given us during these long

months. We would also like to con-

gratulate and recognize SPC Voth who

was named the157th CSSB Soldier of

the month for January, she will com-

pete in the battalion Soldier of the

Quarter board, and was selected as

Task Force Chain’s enlisted repre-

sentative to attend a question and

answer forum with the Chief of

Staff of the Army, GEN Raymond

T. Odierno. Additionally, SPC

Roberts continues to keep the com-

pany communication section oper-

ating superbly, SGT Ackley keeps

all weapons ready for any mission

and SGT Rios will not let any per-

sonnel action go uncorrected. The

company travelled over 2,000

miles during the month of January

and escorted the most National Af-

ghan Trucks (NAT’s) in the battal-

ion. Congratulations are in order for

SGT Williams, who was selected as

operations “High Roller” for the

month of February. This section

continues to perform at the highest

level, which has enabled the com-

pany to surpass all expectations.

BIG WHEELS!

-SFC Lapsley

BULLDOGS

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 4

For the month of February, the Bulldogs have

been polishing their trades, preparing for up-

coming missions, executing necessary com-

pany taskings, and conducting maintenance on

vehicles and equipment to ensure proficiency

in our trade. As transporters, we are fully

aware that our vehicles are instruments that

make our jobs successful, along with our train-

ing and hands on experience. The Bulldogs

have completed several convoy escort mis-

sions and now are working hard executing a

company tasking helping out Bagram Air-

field’s Ammunition Supply Point. The Bull-

dogs would like to thank all family members

for their sacrifices and understanding thus far

this deployment, because with you by our

sides anything is possible. Your letters, pic-

tures, and care packages have kept us moti-

vated and determined to get back to our loved one’s

arms.

In recognition of actions on the battlefield, SPC Her-

nandez Eliel was presented a Army Achievement

Medal and was named “High Roller” for the month of

January due to his continued dedication to the mis-

sion. SPC Hernandez also attended a recent promo-

tion board and excelled, therefore becoming promo-

table. The Bulldogs would like to recognize SPC

Mandelik Lindsey who was awarded a coin from the

3rd Sustainment Brigade Commander and Command

Sergeant Major, Colonel Novack and CSM Daniels.

SPC Mandelik was named the “High Roller”

for the month of February; congratulations

SPC Mandelik! The Bulldogs would like to

congratulate SGT Lewis and SGT Crowley,

who have been operating the Heavy Equip-

ment Transporter (HET) system in support of

missions throughout Regional Commands

(RC) South, pulling the “heavy” load. All

Soldiers are performing superbly, at a high

tempo, utilizing training and skills that have

prepared them for this deployment. The team

is constantly improving.

-SSG Grimes

to give a “shout out” to SPC Fredy Marin

for receiving the company’s “High Roller”

award for the month of January. As we roll

into February what better way to start off the

month than with promotions. Congratula-

tions are in order for SSG Shawn Oncza for

his recent promotion. SSG Oncza is the

Assistant Convoy Commander for the Out-

laws and has done an outstanding job for us.

We would also like to give a shout out to

SPC Enrico Quezada for receiving the com-

pany’s “High Roller” award for the month

The Outlaws are doing well. For the month

of January we took a break from the road as

we were tasked out to perform guard duty

for the Host National Truck yard. It af-

forded us the opportunity to send some of our Soldiers to specialized training to better

prepare them for upcoming missions such as

Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station

(CROWS) training. This system allows the

gunners to operate a weapon system remotely

from inside the vehicle. Aside from having to

perform guard duty, maintenance is an ongo-

ing endeavor and we have been extremely

busy ensuring that our vehicles continue to

stay mission ready. We also participated in

the M16 qualification range this month to en-

sure that our Soldiers stay proficient with their

individual weapons. The Outlaws would like

of February. This has been a

busy month for us as we con-

tinue to provide security while

escorting equipment throughout

the region. In order to stay proficient in first aid our medic

has volunteered his time to

conduct several classes for us

while on mission. It has been a

cold winter so far and we have

had plenty of snow. The snow

capped mountains that surround

Bagram are a beautiful sight to

see. We would like to thank our

families and friends for the sup-

port that they provide us. We

love you all.

-SSG Bowden

BONE CRUSHERS

OUTLAWS Do your duty in

all things. You

cannot do

more. You

should

never wish to do

less.”

-Robert E.Lee

portunity to recognize the team’s ability to multi-

task which has enabled the 396th TC to fulfill its

operational necessities such as retrograde, security,

and sustainment. The Bone Crushers are lucky to

have SGT Love as their Assistant Convoy Com-

mander. SGT Love, a leader with unquestionable

character and strong family values, has made sure

that we always maintain the combat readiness de-

manded to conduct operations throughout RC- East.

For the month of January, SPC Bowen was

awarded the "High Roller" in recognition of his

superior knowledge on multiple weapon systems.

Congratulations are in order for PFC Quijano, who

was selected as the "High Roller" of the month.

Family members, loved ones, and friends can rest

As February comes to a close, the Bone Crushers

have continued to complete missions exceptionally

well. We continue to emulate the Army Values,

always ensuring that our actions while conducting

full spectrum operations create a positive rapport

with the local population. We've continued to de-

velop Soldiers with great leadership potential into

strong unique, and adaptive leaders. Leaders that

fully understand the dynamics of the battle field is

what the Army continues to call for, therefore we

take great pleasure in welcoming the following

newly promoted Sergeants (E-5); SGT Butler, SGT

Daniels, SGT Marquez, and SGT Wilkinson to the

ranks of the U.S. Army Non Commissioned Officer

corp. On this occasion I would like to take the op-

assured that the Bone Crushers will continue to

operate with effectiveness, always ensuring that

the safety of our Soldiers is not overlooked. This

is my commitment to you, to my country, and

every one in my team . Thank you for supporting

our team!

-SSG Barrero

DOG POUND

P A G E 4 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 4

The Dog Pound has successfully completed

multiple missions in the months of January

and February, covering more than 1,000

miles throughout Regional Commands (RC)

East and Capital. Our team has proven to be a

valuable asset to the 396th Transportation

Company (TC), spearheading the unit’s mis-

sion by providing security for National Af-

ghanistan Trucks (NATs) during this highly

visible retrograde operation supporting the

US draw down. In addition to successfully

completing the challenges of the daily tasks

of convoy security, three Soldiers have been

promoted from SPC to SGT: SGT Stewart,

Mitchell, SGT Wilkerson, Russell, and SGT

Wilkerson, Ashten. A very heartfelt congratu-

lation is sent out to these newly promoted Non

Commissioned Officers and their families for

this milestone in their careers. After a very

demanding couple of months, the Dog Pound

has awarded SPC Wagner and SGT Jackson as

January and February’s “High Rollers”. There

are no two Soldiers more deserving of this

honor for their devotion to the mission. We

are wrapping up the last couple of months

here, and as I look at the Dog Pound I can’t

help but become overwhelmed with pride.

This exceptional and very passionate group

of Soldiers makes a team. A team that takes

care of each other and in doing that they take

care of this unit, thus making them the very

heart beat of the 396th TC.

-SSG Baker

sides the normal day to day work. SGT

Wilkerson did very well at the range, firing

40 out of 40, SGT Davidson attended and

successfully attended and completed a mili-

tary educational class, and SPC Flores com-

pleted two courses that has added to his profi-

ciency as a equipment receiving parts special-

ist. PFC Baker was awarded the “High

Roller” for the month of January, SPC Cotton

was awarded the “High Roller” for the month

of February, and last but not least SGT Mcin-

nis, SGT Wilkerson, SPC Fellows, and SPC

Watkins successfully completed three hours of

college education. SPC Hunter is now SGT

Hunter after being promoted at the beginning

of February. He also competed in the body

building competition and placed second. Dur-

Initiative and lead-

ership has shown

the Maintenance

team how to be-

come a leader in-

stead of a follower

in our chosen field

of endeavor. The

past two months

we’ve accom-

plished every mis-

sion with a “can

do” attitude; there

has been no task too difficult. Individually, the

Soldiers of the maintenance team went above

and beyond the call of duty and single handedly

added to their performance in other areas be-

ing the 3rd Sustainment Bri-

gade Commander visit, COL

Novack recognized SGT Hunters’ achieve-

ments by giving him the Brigade’s coin of ex-

cellence. All sections continue to excel within

their areas of expertise and we look forward to

continuously doing well in support of the mis-

sion. We would like to take the opportunity to

thank the maintenance families at Fort Stewart

for their support and prayers.

-SFC Gasu

will drive it. Noteworthy achievements by

Soldiers within this Convoy Escort Team

(CET) include SGT Tonneson being promoted

to E-5, PFC Flannery for his promotion to E-3,

SPC Wood for this selection as the “High

Roller” for January, SPC Gargis as February’s

“High Roller” recipient and SGT Wooten for

his 40/40 qualification at the M16 range. For

the month of February, the theme for Friday

Nights Lights was a Marti Gras. Soldiers en-

joyed a good laugh, some snacks, a game of

washers and tossing a couple of bean bags

around. The Soldiers within the Rough Rider

CET are doing extremely well, and will un-

doubtedly finish this deployment strong.

Thank you for your continued

support.

-1LT Liberator

During the past two months the Rough

Riders enjoyed a change of pace, travelling

to new Forward Operating Bases (FOBs),

experiencing different terrain and new lo-

cations. The Rough Riders are looking

forward to continuing missions and captur-

ing all the experiences this deployment has

to offer. In addition to providing gun truck

support during retrograde operations, the

Rough Riders have recently been tasked

with operating Palletized Load Systems

(PLSs), which has assisted the transport of

equipment for units who are deploying and

redeploying. The bottom line, if it’s got a

steering wheel and tires, the Rough Riders

ROUGH RIDERS

Maintenance

The greater the

difficulty, the

greater the victory”

-Cicero

SGT Young

Pfc Livingston

Spc Peterson

Sgt Patterson

Spc gullotti

Spc fellows

Spc Watkins

Spc Campbell

PV2 schapp

Sgt Hawkins

Sgt Kershaw

Ssg miller

Spc rael

Ssg Johnson

Spc hall

Sgt reid

Sgt marquez

Pfc mead

396th held their monthly Friday

Night Lights celebrating everyone’s

birthdays for the month of December by sharing cake and singing them all a

Happy Bithday!

January Birthdays

SGT STOCK

SGT STEWART

SPC GILL

PFC MACIEL

SPC FORTUNE

SGT WATSON

SPC LEBRON

SPC FLORES

February Birthdays

PFC ADAMS

PFC BAKER

SPC BLOMBERG

SPC MARIN

SPC ROVERE

SPC WAGNER

SPC WOOD

HIGH MILER SSG MILLER

SPC COTTON

SPC GARGIS

SGT JACKSON

SPC MANDELIK

SPC QUEZADA

SGT WILLIAMS

HIGH MILER SPC CROWLEY

Congratulations to those

who re-enlisted!

SPC GUEST

SPC HALL

SPC PUGH

SGT TREADWELL

SSG HARRIS .