MARCH 2011

During the middle of February, Camp

Virginia became a buzz with French marines,

U.S. Marines and U.S. Army 3rd

Infantry Regi-

ment (The Old Guard) soldiers. The chow hall

became crowded, the gym got a lot more use,

and the lines for the phones at the USO got

longer. The sudden influx of troops was not

another surge in support of Operation New

Dawn, these service members were here to cele-

brate Independence and Liberation.

The 50/20 Parade took place in Kuwait

City on 26 February 2011. It was a Kuwaiti

celebration for their 50 years of Independence

and the 20th

anniversary of their liberation

from Iraq. Over 30 nations were invited to

participate in the parade.

Those privileged enough to share the Lion‟s

Den (Camp Virginia) with the Red Lions were in

for treat. Camp Virginia hosted the usual enter-

tainment that has kept the Red Lions absorbed; Charlie Wilson

Band, Euchre tournaments, High/Low Jack, Spades tourna-

ments, Bag Toss, and of course a 50/20 5K. The Red Lions en-

joyed the new habitants of Camp VA and their “different cus-

toms and courtesies,” as well as their “funny expressions,” as

SSG Christopher Betts (Bravo Btry) from Alma, MI put it.

Photos courtesy of

Third Army/U.S. Army

Central Facebook page

Armor formations during the

parade. Armor was instru-

mental in removing Iraqi

forces during Desert Storm

French and English Soldiers march

during the 50/20 Parade

Kuwaiti service members

hold the colors of the na-

tions of the coalition

“Old Guard” Soldiers and Marines

marching in the 50/20 Parade

Sharing Camp Virginia was

not the only involvement TF 1-119th

had for the event. Bravo Btry pro-

vided escort for the troops travel-

ling to and from the parade ground

during their stay, as well as the

English and other units from Camp

Arifjan. They were long and fulfill-

ing days during which Bravo main-

tained the positive relations forged

through the trials and tribulations

each country has experienced to-

gether and overcome.

Having the other units on

Camp Virginia as well as their par-

ticipation in the celebration is an-

other tribute to what we can accomplish

through our unity. Our continued cooperation

and alliance has led to a free and successful Ku-

wait.

2LT Adam J. Stephens

PAO TF 1-119th

FA

Planes spread the Kuwaiti colors over

the skies of the parade (Third Army

photo)

LTC

THE XO

Red Lion families and friends,

February was another successful month for the Red Lions. We are

leading the Brigade in all missions and racking up the miles driven. We have

adopted the nickname The Brigade‟s “Mane” Effort. Another effort we are

all very thankful for is the support we receive from back home. The Guard,

families and friends of the Red Lions contribute so much more than they will

ever know to our readiness, allowing us to remain focused on our tasks at

hand.

Very recently one of our Soldiers received word that he had a house

fire back home. Thankfully no one was hurt and his family was not home at

the time of the fire. However, there was a lot of damage to the home and

their belongings from the fire, smoke and water. Many of their belongings

were destroyed. The Soldier is SGT Seth Hart a mechanic in our mainte-

nance section. Once we were notified through the Red Cross, we worked on

getting his leave approved quickly to get him home.

The bigger news is what was happening back in Michigan. Back

home the FRG from Headquarters and Charlie Battery were working to get

the family help quick. In addition, the Family Assistance Coordinator

(Stephanie Rogers) was getting gift cards to the family so they could pur-

chase clothes. Within a couple of days there was a fundraiser for the family

and a lunch at the Grand Ledge Armory to raise money for immediate sup-

plies. The immediate outpouring of community support has been truly re-

markable! All Soldiers take great pride and comfort knowing their families

and communities have their back. This is one of those times. I am in awe of

this support. There is no doubt this family‟s lives have been turned upside

down and after the initial wave of support, they may need additional support,

which I have no doubt will be there. Red Lions families are there for us and

as the deployed Battalion Commander I salute you all! Thank You!

LTC Lawrence E. Schloegl

LTC Schloegl and CSM Arrington

during the patch ceremony for the

Red Lion Outpost at the Ziggurat

March Madness!

Basketball would normally be the focus of the Ides of March, however this year, for the Red Lions, Mission Madness

is our focus! Missions have been on the rise for both our GateWay Operations and Iraq Operations. This keeps the

Soldiers busy and the staff a hoppin‟. We will be celebrating our One Millionth Mile driven the first weekend in March.

Our Soldiers have completed thousands of missions and this is a tremendous accomplishment to be proud.

Not only are we proud of our current accomplishments, but this month is Women‟s History. What a great time to

mention not only the significance of women in the military over the history of our nation, but the Lionesses of TF 1-119 are

continuing that next chapter. We have women Soldiers leading Squads into Iraq, women Soldiers running missions

throughout Kuwait, women Soldiers operating in our medical center, women mechanics, women gunners, women Caiman

drivers, a woman Soldier managing all our property, women Soldiers working in Company Operations, a

woman soldier as battalion radio operator and women Soldiers who are armorers who manage and ser-

vice our weapons. To be blunt our women Soldiers ensure our Mission Success. The Red Lionesses are

not only ladies, but first and foremost, they are Soldiers, not only Soldiers but leaders. We are a proud

unit who looks past gender, not because anything other than the fact that our female Soldiers have proven

that it doesn‟t matter.

Mission First and Soldiers ALWAYS continues this BattaLIONS tradition, even if the mission is

not organic to Artillerymen and an Artillery Battalion is not made up of only men. Families continue to

be proud of these Soldiers, the leadership team is very proud of them!

Scott L. Meyers

MAJ, FA USA

SSG Johnson of D Co.

One of the Red Lionesse

CET Leaders

ALPHA

BRAVO Highlander Family and Friends,

As we near the end of February in Kuwait, the Soldiers and leaders of Bravo are

becoming well established in our mission set and are considered subject matter experts

by our higher command. The professionalism displayed by our Soldiers and technical

expertise is respected throughout this Country. This is undoubtedly due to the quality

of Soldiers in this unit, and the support they receive from home is a large contributing

factor in their performance. The 1SG and I would like to thank our FRG, the family

and friends of our unit, and the rear detachment personnel that are supporting us dur-

ing this deployment. Your efforts are contributing to the success of our mission and the

well being of our Soldiers.

Our unit was recently tasked with supporting the Kuwaiti 50/20 celebration.

This celebration marks 50 years since gaining independence from the British and 20

years since the country was liberated from Iraqi control. The long days associated with

this additional tasking were shared among the unit‟s platoons, and their performance

was formally recognized by the event coordinators. In addition to this tasking and our

normal workload, certain unit members are focusing on CET specific training to allow

the Battalion greater operational capacity to meet potentially increased demands.

Congratulations go out to SGT Bryan, SGT Geer, and SGT Jenkins on their re-

cent achievement in becoming the latest Warrior Leader Course graduates in the unit.

Thank you all,

CPT Jeff Austhof

Friends and Families:

Another month down! We can officially say that we are half way

through the deployment. Gator‟s are becoming very comfortable with the

way of life here and the mission. In order to combat any complacency, Sol-

dier‟s find many different ways to occupy their time and stay actively en-

gaged. Many Soldiers are participating in our monthly 5K runs. SPC Bon-

ner continues to dominate with run times of around 19:00 minutes. Many 1st

Platoon soldiers organize basketball games to fill in their time. 2nd

Platoon

enjoys playing a more comedic role; they create frequent laughter for all of

the soldiers around them. They also provide the biggest support to the Mid-

dle Eastern shops in Iraq. A few of the soldiers are even beginning to learn

some Arabic from the store owners. 3rd

Platoon runs an outstanding physical

fitness program; many soldiers continue to increase their strength and en-

durance. There are also options if soldiers just feel like kicking back in the

tents. There‟s always Rock Band and Wii Bowling being played. All of these

activities help bring a sense of home and normalcy to our repetitive

days and weeks. It all helps the time move faster!

CPT John R. Hendrikse

Husband and Wife SGT Tim

and CPL Tabiatha Moore of

Battle Creek with the „Ma

Duece‟ they were cleaning

SPC Raymond Bonner

from Detroit with the

5K t-shirts he has

earned

SPC Shane Demute of Hastings,

SPC Daniel Sleppy of Macomb,

SPC Dustin Peabody of Lansing

and SPC Nathan Stanislowski

of Macomb unwind around the

X-Box in between missions

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait --- A crowd of

Kuwaiti spectators erupt in cheers bearing

a message of peace during the 50/20 Cele-

bration parade in Kuwait Feb. 26. The

50/20 Celebration honors 50 years of Ku-

waiti independence and the 20 years since

Operations Desert Storm. (U.S. Army

photo by Spc. Eric Guzman, Third Army

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait --- U.S.

Army Caiman vehicles make a pass

and review on the parade grounds as

part of the 50/20 Celebration parade

in Kuwait Feb. 26. (U.S. Army photo

by Spc. Eric Guzman, Third Army

Public Affairs)

CPL Gary Metheny of

Marshall, throwing

the heater with a Rip

It can during some

down time

CHARLIE

DELTA Hello to all the family, friends and supporters of the Delta Dragons.

February has been a busy month for the Engineers.

I would like to start this months installment with congratulations going

out to the following soldiers who were promoted to Specialist: SPC Holly

Fletcher, SPC David Frens, SPC Sean Tinney, SPC Michael Sigafoose and SPC

Farrand Raymond. CPT Graham praised all those being pinned for their hard

work and reminded them of how proud we are if their accomplishments. He

also reminded everyone that with higher rank comes increased responsibility,

not just more pay.

In addition to our normal convoy escort missions, we were tasked with a

couple real engineer missions, which we gladly accepted. We assembled an ace

team of engineers who specialize in carpentry to construct our new Red Loin

Battalion outpost at COB Adder. In just three days the team, led by project

OIC 1LT Brett Beatty, converted the empty building into a fully functioning

command post with an operations center, conference room, office, and plan-

ning room. “The team, made up of CPL Jeffery Harrington, SPC Bernard

Bromley and SPC Brandon Spring, should be very proud of their excellent

work in such a short period of time.” said 1LT Beatty. Also, early on in the

month our engineers were tasked with another mission to recon and assess a

large pothole on one of the main supply routes. This pothole reminded me of

ones we see back home in Michigan, you know, the ones so big that you drive

in and out of it. This pothole was becoming a hazard to our crews and the sup-

ply trucks. The team, led by SGT Timothy Edwards, took measurements and

data of the site and reported back to the battalion with a full plan to complete

the repair.

The month of February saw the competitive side of our Delta Dragons

as SGT Roscoe Ostyn competed in the COB Adder Mixed Martial Arts fight

on the night of the 19th. Everyone was very excited with anticipation of the

big night. The entire complex was sold out, with many of us watching the

matches from outside on a projection screen. It was a long night with SGT

Ostyn fighting in the 18th match out of 22 total in all. But the long wait was

well worth it. SGT Ostyn opened the fight up strong and had his opponent

moving around the ring looking for a spot to catch a break. Our fighting Delta

Dragon never let up, and with a few hard blows knocked his opponent out

Family, Friends and Supporters,

The Cobras have had yet another successful month. As we get

closer to March I am reminded that on the 12th we will have hit the 6

month mark in the deployment. It is hard to believe that we have already

spent so much time away from all of our loved ones.

We have had a couple more promotions this month and I would

like to congratulate SGT Strauss, SPC D‟Alfonso for their hard work and

dedication. Their promotions were well deserved and they were both

more than ready for the added responsibility that comes with their new

ranks.

This month we also had the opportunity to send three of our Sol-

diers to “Fight Night” at Contingency Operating Base (COB) Adder. SPC

Murray, SPC Leiter and SPC Burton all volunteered to represent the unit

at this event. COB Adder will hold “Fight Night” every few months and

units throughout both the Iraq and Kuwait theaters of operation will put

forth Soldiers to represent their unit in a combatives match similar to

MMA seen on TV. Our Battalion was the only unit that sent fighters from

Kuwait making it an “International” event. The Cobras only took home

one win but all three Soldiers should be applauded for the efforts as their

opponents were all very experienced fighters.

As always, we appreciate all of your great support. Thank you for

standing behind your Soldiers and supporting them.

Regards,

CPT Matthew J. Carroll

within the first minute of the match. The crowd erupted as

the referee ended the match and raised SGT Ostyn‟s arm to

signify victory. I had the pleasure of enjoying the fights

with our battalion Chaplain, Captain Martinus. I have

never seen a man of the cloth so excited watching soldiers

beat the brains out of each other.

That is all for now, have a safe and happy March.

We are looking forward to the warmer weather here as we

know you all are doing the same at home. We cannot thank

you all enough for your support.

-SGT Plank

1LT Brett Beatty of Augusta works with SPC Brandon

Spring of Twin Lake, SPC Bernard Bromley of Ludington

and CPL Jeffery Harrington of Kent City during the move

of the Red LionOutpost.

SPC Burton prepares for his fight as SPC Leither offers some

last minute coaching.

SPC Brandon Murray, SPC William Leither

and SPC Zachary Burton before their fights

HHC

For any requests or comments concerning the Newsletter please contact

2LT Adam Stephens at Adam.Stephens@kuwait.swa.army.mil

Family, Friends, and Community Supporters of HQ Company,

1-119 Field Artillery, Greetings!

Service in the military demands a great deal of personal sacri-

fice, dedication, and drive to excel. Professional growth and develop-

ment are necessary for building lasting institutional resilience within

the ranks. One important aspect of service is rooted in continuing

military education, forging our leaders through academic and practi-

cal application of leadership skills and tasks. Our current duty sta-

tion has afforded us an excellent opportunity to drive forward with

and strengthen our Soldier‟s in their professional education. This

month marks the first such opportunity to facilitate one of our proud

NCO‟s through the Army‟s Warrior Leader Course, in which our Sol-

diers hone their problem solving skills, exercise their direct leadership

in challenging combat task oriented training exercises, and reinvigo-

rate their core values as Non Commissioned Officers in the United

States Army.

I was afforded the honor to attend and celebrate the recent

graduation of one of our NCO‟s from the Warrior Leader Course.

Ensconced within an impressive formation of the U.S. Army‟s finest,

SGT Gregory Tolan marched into the amphitheater, back straight,

head held high, and with the demeanor and bearing of a true leader of

Soldiers. The graduation ceremony was simple, but professionally

relevant and spiritually invigorating. The message was clearly out-

lined by the guest speakers; and has been echoed in many ways

throughout the history of the NCO Corps and the U.S. Army: take

care of your Soldiers, be a strong leader, and execute the mission, any

mission, with nothing short of your best. SGT Tolan exemplifies this

ideal, and has returned a stronger leader and NCO. As a hundred

voices rang out in unison, powerfully reciting the timeless creed of the

NCO Corps, all attendees stood silently in awe and appreciation of

these Soldiers‟ accomplishments. I was proud to share that moment

with these fine men and women, and I would like to recognize and

congratulate SGT Tolan for his superb accomplishment!

Every opportunity I get to recognize a Soldier for their per-

sonal and professional growth is a good day for me as a Soldier and

Commander. On the 22nd

of February 2011, standing in front of a

formation of our fellow Soldiers and leaders, we had the distinct

pleasure of promoting SPC Seth Hart to the rank and grade Ser-

geant. SGT Hart accepted the honor with humble gratitude as the

Battalion Commander replaced his Specialist rank tab with that of

an NCO. In a time honored tradition, all of his peers and fellow

leaders gathered around the Battalions newest Sergeant to congratu-

late him with a solid tap on the chest, embedding his rank in mind,

sense of duty, and purpose. I would like to take a moment to recog-

nize and congratulate SGT Hart and his family on this outstanding

accomplishment!

As we approach the mid-point for our deployment, I continue

to stand in awe and absolute pride as the soldiers of Headquarters

Company, 1-119 FA stand resolute and steadfast in their determina-

tion to complete this mission successfully and to grow as Soldiers. I

want to thank all of our Soldiers for their diligence, and thank all of

the Family members and supporters for their unquestioned support

and sacrifice.

Michael J. Cochenour

Captain, U.S. Army

Commanding Officer

2LT Samuel “Boom

Boom” Boulet throwing a

haymaker during his 19

February bout. 2LT Bou-

let would go on to win the

fight through TKO.

SPC Bromley of

Delta Company

working up at the

Red Lion Outpost

French marines running during the 50/20 5k, 1LT

Robert Brainard of HHC is in the front of the sec-

ond group (U.S. Army photo by CW2 Gregory

Stack 103rd PAO)

SPC Sharif Albarkat, 2LT

Adam Stephens, 1LT James

Bennett, SPC Raymond

Bonner, SFC James Robins,

1LT Robert Brainard, 1LT

Delbert Avery, SSG Robert

Rivera, and SSG Craig Jol-

ley after finishing the Camp

Beurhing half marathon

(U.S. Army photo by SFC

James Robins, C Co. OPS

NCO)

CPT Jeremy

Sheils entombed at

the Ziggurat of Ur