TF 3-197 FA February 2011 Newsletter
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Transcript of TF 3-197 FA February 2011 Newsletter
TF 3-197 provides long haul
convoy escorts throughout Iraq
for several transportation bat-
talions that are also located in
Kuwait. This story follows one
such mission from its incep-
tion through its completion.
SPC Mark Braden, a CSC B
soldier and member of a Con-
voy Escort Team (CET), rode
along with CET 13, another
CSC B CET, and documented
their day to day lives. Some
information is left out inten-
tionally due to its classifica-
tion.
First part of the mission is
mission allocation which is
ninety six hours prior to depar-
ture. During this time they
receive an intelligence (S2) brief
which is an updated intelligence
brief of what has occurred in the
last two weeks in the area of
travel. Day before departure is
when Pre-Combat Checks
(PCCs) and Pre-Combat Inspec-
tions (PCIs) are done. PCCs con-
sist of checking that crew served
weapons are functional, commu-
nication systems are operational
and that each Caiman has Class I
which consists of water and food
to sustain them until they get to
the next Forward Operating Base
(FOB).
PCCs and PCIs are not only
mandatory but are critical to en-
sure that the convoy can be suc-
cessful and that all the CETs
equipment is functioning prop-
erly.
Just prior to SP (mission leaving)
from Camp Buehring the CET
leader links up with the convoy
commander and they update
each other on known issues,
intelligence, route information,
destination, and any other infor-
mation that needs to be dis-
cussed. After the leaders link up
they bring together all of the
soldiers in the convoy and give
a mission brief. This brief will
provide enough information so
that every soldier in the trans-
portation convoy and every
soldier with our CET know
what the mission is and can
complete it with minimal guid-
ance. (Continued on Page 2)
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
Cover Story
Continued
2
Cover Story
Conclusion
3
Ins and Outs of
Camp Buehring
4
Message from
CSM May
5
Awards and
Promotions
6
Managing
Anger
6
TF 3-197 NEWSLETTER F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 1
SSG Denes ( 377th Transpor-
tation Co.) gives the convoy
mission brief prior to SP with
SSG Johnson from B/CO TF 3-
197.
SSG Johnson of B/CO TF
3/197th Goes over the mission
plan after the S2 intelligence
brief given at Camp Buehring,
Kuwait.
TF Chaplain CPT Meher
prays with CET 13 during
their mission preparations
PFC Nicholas Lavoie of B/CO
TF 3/197th performs head
space and timing on his .50 cali-
ber machine gun during PCC’S
and PCCI’s on Camp Buehring,
Kuwait
Life on the Road With CET 13
BY: SPC Mark Braden And CPT Brian Calhoun
P A G E 2
"Going up into Iraq, it's
nice to be able to actually
travel ... and just pretty
much get a preview of the
whole country," said
Westgate, who lives in
Concord, New
Hampshire.
"The time goes by a lot
faster on the road than it
does back in the rear."
Convoy Escort on the road
in Iraq heading to Camp
Adder.
Life on the Road Continued: The fist leg of any mission
leaving Camp Buehring is
heading to K-Crossing, Ku-
wait. Travel to the next For-
ward Operation Base (FOB)
is a stressful time because
of the potential threats of
IED’s, small arms attacks
and complex attacks that
could occur during the mis-
sion. After K-Crossing the
mission is entirely con-
ducted in Iraq.
SGT Duane R. Bernier, 36,
echoed what SGT Brandon
Westgate said about seeing
Iraq.
“Going up into Iraq, it's
nice to be able to actually
travel ... and just pretty
much get a preview of the
whole country," said West-
gate, who lives in Concord,
New Hampshire. "The time
goes by a lot faster on the
road than it does back in
the rear."
Soldiers who remain on
Camp Buehring experience
what they call "Groundhog
Day" — a reference to the
Bill Murray movie in which
the same day was repeated
over and over. On the road
is truly where these soldiers
want to be. Although their
jobs are dangerous the
sense of accomplishment
and being part of a team
drives them to be ready for
anything.
"Danger is there, and we do
roll through some hot spots
once in a while, but we've
been pretty lucky — as far
as that goes," states Sgt.
Bernier of Rochester.
While most of the soldiers
of B/CO TF 3/197th have
been on multiple deploy-
ments. SGT Bernier is on
his first combat deployment
and is absorbing informa-
tion from everyone he can
understanding that there is
no substitute for experience.
SGT Bernier is now a vet-
eran of these missions and
will soon train his replace-
ment and share the knowl-
edge he has gained over the
last year.
Typically, about 12 soldiers
in four Caimans make up a
CET. Each Caiman has a
Truck Commander (TC)
that controls the actions of
his Caiman only. SGT
Westgate, a CET 13 TC,
who works at the New
Hampshire Department of
Corrections when not de-
ployed, said he has a unique
job as the flex truck in his
CET. This means he reacts
to situations by moving his
vehicle’s position within the
convoy in order to provide
the greatest amount of se-
curity. Although his CET
has experienced some is-
sues during missions it has
not experienced a roadside
bomb.
The other two members of
the truck crew are the driver
and gunner. The gunner
sits in the turret and scans
everything in his sector,
looking for anything that
seems out of place.
PFC Nicholas Lavoie, 21,
of Northwood, who works
for New Hampshire Depart-
ment of Transportation in
the civilian world, is a gun-
ner with CET 13 and puts
his job this way. .
“The Gunner has an impor-
tant job in the truck, it not
only deters threats, it is the
eyes and ears of the Caiman
and has a 360 degree view
of what is going on and
around the Caiman and
also alerts the rest of the
convoy of what is going
on.”
He uses a radio headset to
communicate not only to
his driver and TC but to the
rest of the vehicles in the
convoy. He has the best
view of potential issues and
is in constant communica-
tion with the TC and other
gunners in the convoy.
The last Soldier in the gun
truck is the driver. Every-
one licensed to drive a Cai-
man has been certified us-
ing a special program due to
the vehicle’s size and
weight. This program in-
cludes an off road portion
as well as a section on the
handling of a Caiman on
pavement and highways.
Convoy entering the gate at
FOB Kalsu. This line of traf-
fic is similar at all FOBs in
Iraq.
SGT Bernier mounting
equipment to his Caiman
MRAP prior to SP.
SPC Keane waves from
the turret as CET 13 rolls
out of a FOB in Iraq
Continued on next page
T F 3 - 1 9 7 N E W S L E T T E R
Life on the Road Continued: The driver must maintain control of the
vehicle at all times. During enemy con-
tact or any other type of incident this can
be difficult as a Caiman handles like a
bus.
The roads in Iraq are often full of un-
marked turns, exits and are covered with
potholes. These plus the threat of enemy
contact and the vehicle’s size keep Cai-
man drivers constantly on their toes.
Missions typically last 5-9 days and
between driving, weapons maintenance,
and vehicle maintenance, nights are typi-
cally around 14 hours. When not com-
pletely exhausted from the night’s move-
ment, CET teams try to enjoy the facili-
ties on whatever FOB they are currently
located on. They all offer essentially the
same features with slight variations such
as the types of Fast Food available or
the size of the local bazaar. A bazaar is
the equivalent of a flea market. They sell
everything from DVDs to rugs. The
challenge for Soldiers is not if they can
find what they are looking for but how
low they can haggle the price down to.
SSG Kent Johnson, 44, CET leader of
CET 13 who lives in Farmington New
Hampshire, said “what bonds the sol-
diers together are little things, like buy-
ing a cup of coffee at the local Forward
Operating Base Green Bean or finding
humor in everyday activities on the road
in Iraq. When you are back in New
Hampshire, you are only with them two
days a month and you don't get to know
them on a real personal basis. When we
go out on our missions, you are with 11
other guys 24-7. It's kind of our own
little family in itself."
SPC Erik Hanson, 23, a driver with the
CET who lives in Concord, New Hamp-
shire, said “on my off time from the mis-
sions on the road I like to go to the Ba-
zaars and Markets on the FOB’s and buy
movies at a really cheap price and ciga-
rettes that are cheaper here than in the
states.”
By all accounts, when on the road the
CET operates as a tight knit group who’s
primary mission is to protect one an-
other. With that comes the family like
bond which is certain to last well beyond
deployment.
SGT Brian R. Savoie, 30, a CET TC
who lives in Attleboro, Mass., summed it
up simply “the combat pay has been
good, but the time away from family and
home is always difficult..” All the sol-
diers of CET 13, and perhaps all of TF 3
-197, can understand his sentiments. The
job is good but the separation is difficult.
With their mission complete, CET 13
joins the rotation awaiting their next
mission. On this mission no enemy con-
tact was made and aside from typical
vehicle maintenance issues everything
went smoothly.
The soldiers of TF 3-197 are advised not
to talk about the specifics of attacks or
incidents that occur on mission due to
security issues. This article is being
printed to help families and friends un-
derstand our mission without compro-
mising the mission or safety of our sol-
diers.
Missions are primarily conducted at
night which makes things difficult for
the drivers.
SGT Bernier buys DVDs at Victory
Base Complex (VBC) after negotiating
the best price he could.
Soldiers from CET 13 say a quick
prayer before SP from a FOB in Iraq.
These prayers are important to the
soldiers of all CETs in TF 3-197
CET 13 passes the highway turnoff for
Mosul / Baquba.
CET 13 prior to this mission February
2011.
T F 3 - 1 9 7 N E W S L E T T E R
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P A G E 4
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P A G E 4
The Ins & Outs of Life on Camp Buehring Information and Pictures by: PFC Byron Estvillo
Life on Camp Buehring involves
long work weeks with most sol-
diers working 12 hours a day, 6
days a week. If you are not good
at doing the math in your head,
that’s 72 hours of work a week. If
you add in 7 hours of sleep a
night plus time to shower that
leaves the average soldier ap-
proximately 40 hours a week of
time to do things they enjoy.
While work does take up most of
our time there are many things to
choose from to fill our free time.
These activities offered by Moral
Welfare, & Recreation (MWR)
and the United Service Organiza-
tions (USO) are designed to pro-
vide places for soldiers of all
ages to relax. Whether you are a
video game enthusiast or a movie
junkie there is a place at Camp
Buehring for you to enjoy your-
self. The pictures in this piece are
from some of the many places our
soldiers use to relax.
While some of us enjoy the
comfort of a movie or a call
home still others take advan-
tage of the world class gym
facility, basketball courts, pool
tables, darts and foosball.
Some people may say soldiers
are competitive… We say no,
we just like winning. So
whether it’s buying a new
Harley, Chrysler, or Ford to
pick-up at a dealer when you
get home or it’s taking up a
more traditional mode of
transportation such as camel
riding, Camp Buehring offers
Soldiers plenty of ways to
spend their free time.
Harley Davidson Motorcycle
sales is located on Camp
Buehring so don’t blame us
if we buy one.
In the USO soldiers can read
books to their children by re-
cording them reading and mail-
ing the videos home.
Internet, video games, and
phones make the USO tent a
very popular place to relax.
For the musically gifted
there is a USO “Band
Room” where soldiers go to
play music.
Foosball and table tennis
are always available. There
is always someone looking
to play the winner.
Movie theater complete
with popcorn and comfort-
able seats plays first run and
older movies day and night.
TF 3-197 definitely has some
ringers when it comes to
throwing darts.
The paved basketball courts
are always busy with pick-up
games or soldiers just
shooting the rock.
Camel rides are frequently
offered to soldiers free of
charge.
Volleyball courts never have
a shortage of players or
sand.
Activities bulletin boards
are located throughout
Camp Buehring to keep
soldiers informed of events
and activities.
Aerobics, P90x, Spinning,
and other classes are of-
fered in the Aerobics tent.
T F 3 - 1 9 7 N E W S L E T T E R
P A G E 5
their first line leaders. They also get
the opportunity to hear me explain
our Battalion and Brigade Policies
and why they are important. The sol-
diers also get the opportunity to ask
me any questions. It is important for
me to understand what interests and
concerns our soldiers have so I can
make the improvements needed while
they are on a mission and when they
are on their down time. We recently
made some changes based on con-
cerns brought up by soldiers. Some
of the soldiers asked about chang-
ing some policies. I explained that
my job is the safety, good order
and discipline of this Battalion and
that our policies would stay in
place and gave them the under-
standing of why. After the soldiers
and I finished talking we brought in
the Battalion Staff to answer specific
questions. If a soldier wanted to talk
privately, staff and I were available
for a one on one after the enlisted
call. Our administration officer (S1)
LT Emerson and I answered a num-
ber of questions relating to pay, bo-
nuses, awards, R&R leave, emer-
gency leave, LOCO Parentis and
Counseling. Our Equal Opportunity
Leader (EOL), SSG Parker, was
available to review EO policies and
answer questions. SSG Parker, also
addressed education questions as well
as retention questions. SGM Beecher
addressed the different missions that
we were doing and the who, when,
where, why, and how things will hap-
pen with our training path. The PA
LT Huntington, addressed all medical
questions and concerns. Our Battal-
ion paralegal, SPC Tessier spoke
with our soldiers about dealing with
legal matters here and at home. He
also answered some questions on
Uniform Code Of Military Justice
(UCMJ). I finished up talking about
safety, Rules of Engagement (ROE),
and the rules for the use of force
(RUF). We talked about families and
where our families could go for assis-
tance while we are serving here like
the FRG, the Family Program, the
Hello Soldiers, family members and
FRG's,
Well we have made it
through the Holidays! This is typi-
cally one of the toughest times of a
deployment for both soldiers and
families. I hope everyone was able to
get some peace and joy out of the
Holiday season. I know I personally
am missing all that NH snow! Battal-
ion leadership, Unit Commanders,
First Sergeants, the Battalion Com-
mander and I enjoyed serving our
soldiers an awesome holiday meal.
Some of our soldiers participated in
caroling. LTC Baker surprised every-
one with his octave levels and notes
his voice could reach, especially dur-
ing Frosty the Snowman and
Grandma Got Run Over by a Rein-
deer. New Year’s was a good day,
because now we can say we "will be
home this year." Valentine’s Day is
always tough because it’s a day fo-
cused on loved ones. But we have
all made it through the tough times
thanks to the support of our families
and each other.
It is important for me to see
our soldiers whenever I can, whether
at the Armor of God getting ready
for a mission, at the maintenance
shops or around our billeting and
DFAC areas, but there is never
enough time in the day to see every
soldier. Holding a Battalion forma-
tion is nearly impossible; with every-
one on different schedules.
SGM Beecher and I decided
to hold seven different enlisted calls.
An enlisted call is a chance for me to
meet with every enlisted soldier that
is an E4 Specialist and below, with-
out any unit leadership around. This
does a number of things. First, it
gives me a chance to look our sol-
diers in the eye, to tell them what an
outstanding job they have done dur-
ing the first one hundred plus days of
this deployment. Second, it gives me
a short pause to sit with my enlisted
soldiers and talk. It gives me the
opportunity to explain the responsi-
bilities and expectations required in
Rear Detachment Command, and
the Rear Detachment Chaplain as
well as Easter Seals and all of their
partners.
During the next enlisted call I will
again hear soldier concerns, talk
safety, and talk about careers both
Military and civilian as we prepare
for our journey home. Our soldiers
continue to do an outstanding job on
and off mission. I am proud of all
TF 3/197 soldiers and our military
families.
Granite Steel
(Editors note)
Warrior Leader Course (WLC) pre-
pares junior leaders for future posi-
tions of responsibility. It is the first
step in career development for the
BN’s Non-commissioned officers.
TF 3-197 has done extremely well
at these courses with 25% finishing
on the Commandant’s List for
achieving excellence in the course.
CSM May Sends a Hello to Soldiers and Families
CSM May and company leadership
attend the graduation of WLC
class number 11-701 at camp
Arifjan. Photo with students.
Leadership and students pose for a
photo following the graduation of
WLC class number 11-702
pathy Development (among others).
Three books are offered free of charge
to participants: Angry All The Time,
and Rage by Dr. Ron Potter-Efron; and
Anger-Handling A Powerful Emotion In
A Healthy Way by Dr. Gary Chapman.
Soldiers from other units assigned to
Camp Buehring are also participating in
the anger group. “The class is calling
attention to anger issues,” says Chaplain
Meher, “and some Soldiers are also
asking for one-on-one counseling so
they can better deal with these prob-
lems.” The class consists of teaching,
discussion, stress reduction exercises,
and some role play and other group
processing approaches.
CPT Philip Meher
Each week, about 12-15 Soldiers at
Camp Buehring, Kuwait gather at the
Chapel Annex for a Managing Anger
Group. Facilitated by TF 3-197th Chap-
lain (CPT) Philip Meher and SSG
James Parker, the weekly group has
now met for eleven weekly sessions. “I
am trying to work on myself now” said
one participant, “So I will be a better
person when I get home.” Another
group member commented, “This is
really helping me, I talk about the top-
ics when I call my partner.” The fifteen
week class includes a variety of sub-
jects such as, The Good Side of Anger;
The Three Goals of Anger Manage-
ment; How to Increase Personal Power;
The Physiology of Anger; Thinking
About How You Think; Ten Anger
Styles; Communication And Problems
Solving Skills; Stress Management
Skills; Exploring Forgiveness; and Em-
Soldiers Manage Anger BY Chaplain Meher
The Buehring Post Chapel offers a
variety of weekly services to meet
the religious needs of TF 3-197 Sol-
diers.
TF 3-197 is made up of several units
from NH including 3rd BN 197th FA,
744th FSC, A & B COs 3643rd Brigade
Support BN, and 372nd Signal Com-
pany. It has also been augmented by
members of 1st BN 103rd FA, RI
ARNG and soldiers from the 1st BN
124th IN, FL ARNG that volunteered
to stay on for another year.
If there is anything you would like to
see in our future issues please contact
us and we will try to oblige.
Awards & Promotions
UNIT NAME PROMOTION DATE
PROMOTED
A Co. EAMES, RAYMOND PV2 to PFC 20110205
A Co. HORNBROOK, NOLAN PVT to PV2 20110202
A Co. TREMBLAY, BRANDAN PV2 to PFC 20110103
A Co. KILUK, MICHAEL SGT to SSG 20110217
B Co. JOHNSON, THOMAS PV2 to PFC 20110131
B Co. PAQUIN, ZACHARY PV2 to PFC 20110226
C Co. BARRETT, PATRICK PV2 to PFC 20110202
C Co. CURRIER, KENNETH PFC to SPC 20110104
C Co. FRAUSTO, LUIS PVT to PV2 20110205
C Co. PEACE, BRYAN PV2 to PFC 20110302
C Co. SIDMAN, ANGELIQUE PV2 to PFC 20110115
C Co. TOWERS, DANIEL PFC to SPC 20110105
C Co. WHITNEY, ANTHONY PV2 to PFC 20110205
D Co. BENSON, RYAN PFC to SPC 20110113
D Co. BRECHEEN, OLIVIA PV2 to PFC 20110303
D Co. BUNKER, JOSHUA PVT to PV2 20110111
D Co. CUMMINGS, JONATHAN PV2 to PFC 20110114
D Co. ENOKIAN, JONATHAN PVT to PV2 20110114
D Co. FORTIER, THERESA PFC to SPC 20110111
D Co. NEDEAU, JOHN PFC to SPC 20110202
D Co. PATNODE, NATHAN PVT to PV2 20110203
D Co. REYNOLDS, PETER PV2 to PFC 20110118
HHC PATRICK, STEPHEN PV2 to PFC 20110110
HHC POOLE, JEREMY PFC to SPC 20110118
CPT Brian Calhoun
HHC TF 3-197
Camp Buerhing, KU APO AE 09330
TF 3-197 Contact Information