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Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 1 Wild Times 1/34 BSTB November
2011
November 2011
Vol 1, No. 7
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait (Nov. 26, 2011) - We start by saying thanks to the families and friends back home who are supporting our efforts during the important mission of the draw down of troops in Iraq. The soldiers of the Brigade Special Troops Battalion took a few moments to say thanks to organizations who took time out of their holiday schedules to make Thanksgiving an incredibly special event for us.
Right in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, all soldiers received a care package with items from Best Buy® and other local businesses from Minnesota. The packages included a digital camera, movies, headphones, Xbox games, snacks,
Minnesota Wild® collector hockey pucks and several other items. The soldiers were in complete awe, especially after seeing the efforts from hundreds of Best Buy® employees, soldiers, and local citizens who all helped with the enormous operation of assembling, packing and shipping the packages to the 3,300 soldiers in the 1st Brigade Combat Team. “I was very impressed by the charity of all the people and organizations that banded together to make this gift possible” said 1st Lt. Mark Griebel of the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team.
Some soldiers were selected to go to the Seashell Julai’a Resort located right on the beach in Sabahiya, Kuwait to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast, swimming in the ocean, and a live band to relax to. “It was a great get away from the everyday routine and the resort was gorgeous. The food was unreal, they even had my favorite dessert – cheesecake with blueberries!” said Sgt. Krista Hanson, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, [I] was so thankful and surprised how generous people are who put this together for us!”
Finally, a very notable mention was the extraordinary display and delicious food in the dining facility. It was all of the traditional Thanksgiving spreads with much more. Crews spent the entire week building the Thanksgiving scene that filled the open space of the dining facility. Each military branch was represented with its own exhibit uniquely made out of different types of food. The displays were a delightful sight and brought back the great warm feeling of home to the troops.
By: Sgt. 1st Class Brittany L. Thingvold
Soldiers Give and Receive Thanks
Soldiers of Brigade Special Troops Battalion, pose for a “Thank You”
picture to send back to Best Buy® for their care packages.
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Wild Times 1/34 BSTB November
2011
November 2011
Vol 1, No. 7
MWR Events on Camp Arifjan
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Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 3 Wild Times 1/34 BSTB November
2011
November 2011
Vol 1, No. 7
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait (Nov. 12, 2011) Due to the large
drawdown in population of Soldiers, the camps that are
scheduled to receive these Soldiers are running short on bed
space. With time running out to provide the supplies
necessary, Area Support Group-Kuwait has ordered
redistribution of current living space.
“Need to account for and load out 1400 beds with mattresses
and… wall lockers” was the order that came from Lt. Col. Gary
Mundfrom, Battalion Commander for the 1/34 Brigade Special
Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team. This was not
going to be an easy task with only five days to find beds that
could be given up, find the resources to move all beds, and
prepping them for the haul to Camp Buehring, Kuwait.
As soon as the order was received, the Camp Arifjan Zone 6
Camp Command Cell, Commanded by Capt. Christopher
Lotzow sprung into action. Since Zone 6 did not have the
required beds in their excess inventory, the tents that are used
for transient personnel would have to be emptied to meet the
requirement. Zone 6 Billeting Officer in Charge (OIC) 1st Lt. Aaron Rindahl, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st
Brigade Combat Team was the first from the Camp Command Cell to be engaged with the project deciding where and
when the tents could be emptied. Even though moving all these bunks to Camp Buehring will limit the capabilities of
Camp Arifjan Zone 6 in the future, it is nice to know that we are helping a sister battalion in the 1st Brigade Combat
Team, 34th Infantry Division.
To move all 1,400 beds, mattresses and wall lockers, the Camp Command Cell used 40 foot containers to package
everything. These containers were moved into place by trucks and large Terex container handlers, usually referred to
as a Terex. 1st Lt. Jon Schliesing, Camp Arifjan Zone 6 container OIC, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade
Combat Team arranged the movement of the containers to be loaded. Once the
containers were full, 1st Lt. Schliesing had the containers moved to Camp
Buehring, Kuwait.
Of course nothing can move without the proper paperwork. Sgt. Douglas Pardo,
the Camp Command Cell supply non-commissioned officer in charge (NCOIC),
Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team tracked the count
of pieces as Soldiers piled it all in the containers. After it was all complete and
the necessary movement took place, the Camp Command Cell breathed a sigh of
relief having completed
another successful mission.
by: 1st Lt. Aaron Rindahl
Soldiers Move Beds in Support of Drawdown
Sgt. Andrea Wittlief (right), Spc . Melissa
Rolfes and Spc. Joseph Brantley (left ) load
mattresses from unoccupied tents onto the flat
bed truck and Polaris Ranger for movement to
the container for shipping.
1st Lt. Jon Schliesing directs the Terex container handler to the next
container that needs to be moved. 1st Lt. Schliesing is the container
officer in charge (OIC) for Zone 6 Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.
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Wild Times 1/34 BSTB November
2011
November 2011
Vol 1, No. 7
Friends, Families and Soldiers of the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, It's hard to believe, but HHC/BSTB, A Co MI, B Co Signal and C Co Engineers are about halfway (or farther) through their deployments to Kuwait and Afghanistan for Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom! In my case, on Thanksgiving Day it will be exactly six months since I mobilized with HHC/BSTB. With the President's announcement that all the troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the calendar year, there has been a lot of speculation that the Brigade will be coming home early from Kuwait. Let me be the first to tell you that those are only rumors, the Brigade's mission hasn't changed. Based on our mission as a Camp Command Cell there's plenty of work for us AND the unit that is slated to replace us. As of today, I expect that we will serve our full deployment which would bring us home in May 2012. If our timeline changes we will let everyone back home know as quickly as possible. The holiday season is upon us. It's a great time of year, but I know from personal experience that this can be a difficult time emotionally for all of us. I would encourage all of you to think of ways to stay connected with each other. Be creative, how can you involve your deployed Soldier in some of your family traditions? For example, my family and I are planning to open presents together over Skype. What can your family do? Thanks for everything you do in support of your deployed Soldier! Ante Up -- All In! Lieutenant Colonel Gary Mundfrom
TASK FORCE WILD Soldiers, Families and Friends:
Another busy month. Without going into a great deal of specifics, we just said farewell to the 44th Chemical Company who have completed their tour here in theater and are heading home after a very successful deployment. I wish all of the 44th Soldiers the best, they really are a good unit. Welcome to the 59th Chemical Company as they begin their deployment replacing the 44th. These men and women are well led, are professional, and have hit the ground running. There is no doubt their deployment will also end with success. The 202d & 788th EOD teams have been very busy. They are fully engaged in their assigned mission, working very hard, and are doing very well. The 7th Dive Team also is
fully engaged and consists of some of the most professional and highly trained Soldiers I have had the privilege to work with. The Soldiers of HHC 1/34 BSTB continue to impress me with their work ethic, professionalism and "Get ‘R' Done" attitude. I'm proud of all the Soldiers we have here. As Thanksgiving approaches we all have much to be thankful for. Thank You Soldiers for all that you do. Thank You families for holding down the fort and keeping everything going back at home. Thank You volunteers for everything you have done and continue to do for our families and for us. CSM Bruce L. Stowe 1/34 BSTB CSM
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The Army Family Readiness Group (Army FRG)
website provides a secure environment in which
information, resources, and support are available to
Soldiers and their Family Members 24 hours a day,
regardless of their geographic location. The 1/34
BSTB vFRG site promotes a community feeling by
providing a place that is customized to the Battalion
and contains content that is controlled at the Battal-
ion and unit levels. Army FRG website provides all
of the functionality of a traditional FRG in an ad-
hoc and on-line setting to meet the needs of geo-
graphically dispersed units and families across all
components of the Army. A homepage is dedicated
to each company in the Battalion for unit specific
information and events.
SIGN UP FOR THE VIRTUAL FRG SECURE WEBSITE
1. Go to http://www.armyfrg.org
2. Click “Find an FRG”
3. On the map click “Minnesota”
4. Click on 1/34 BSTB
5. Choose to subscribe as a Soldier or family member.
6. If you are subscribing as a Soldier, once your account is set up
you can invite family members or loved ones to the website. All
you need is their name and email address. They will be approved
automatically.
7. If you are subscribing as a family member and your Soldier has
not registered you will need your Soldiers full first and last name
and the last 4 digits of their SSN. The vFRG administrator will
need to verify the information before approving and granting
access.
8. Once your subscription is approved, login at
http://www.armyfrg.org.
9. Select “1/34 BSTB” from drop down box and click “View”
1/34 BSTB vFRG Includes:
Unit Home Pages
Announcements
1/34 BSTB Calendar
Document Downloads
FAQs & Forums
Resource Links
News
Photo Galleries
Surveys
and MUCH MORE!!!
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK!
For updates and photos go to the link below and “like” our page to
get continuous updates on Soldiers in the 1/34 BSTB.
Check us out at the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/134-Brigade-Special-Troops-
Battalion/197347730301711
Wild Times 1/34 BSTB November
2011
November 2011
Vol 1, No. 7
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Wild Times 1/34 BSTB November 2011
Vol 1, No. 7
“Staying Cool at the Pool”
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait (Oct. 16, 2011) –As we near the end of what we call summer months in Kuwait, Soldiers of the Brigade
Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team take advantage of some ways to stay cool; and what a better place than the
swimming pool at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait!
With temperatures soaring from 110 – 130 degrees in the hottest time
of the season in Kuwait, the pool manages to maintain temperatures of
75 – 90 degrees and even has a heater for when the temperatures drop
to under 100 degrees. In the summer months, the pool is open early
bird hours for physical training or lap swim. It remains open
throughout the day into the evening for a late night swim or game of
volleyball with friends. Whether it’s lying in the sun for a little extra
Vitamin D, reading a book, shooting hoops in the water net or simply
swimming for the fun of it, many soldiers of the Brigade Special
Troops Battalion look forward to their next day off to get out and relax.
“The pool is different because it doesn’t have the desert feel; no sand,
no rocks and somewhere to just stay cool” said Zach Holden, lifeguard,
ITT, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait (Albany, NY). Being a former Marine
himself, Zach “know[s] how to relate to soldiers’ needs and we try to
accommodate that.” The lifeguard staff even put in a little extra effort
by personally buying rafts, balls and volleyball equipment for the
troops’ enjoyment.
Some Soldiers of the Brigade Special Troops Battalion participated in the latest pool Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR)
event; the Sand Shark Swim Meet. In the land of 10,000 lakes (Minnesota), it is rare to find an outdoor swim event held in
October, but 10,000 miles away, it is very likely. Sgt Krista Hanson, 1/34 Brigade Special Troops Battalion placed fourth in the
50 breaststroke relay, “I never swam so hard in my entire life!” said Hanson. She said she “would like to go back regularly to start
swimming more laps because it was a lot of fun and great PT.”
The pool closes in a few short weeks for the season, but the morale
and memories made at the pool will remain forever in the Soldiers of
the 1/34th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, who enjoy the great
Kuwait get away.
By: Sgt. 1st Class Brittany L. Thingvold
2nd Lt. Jacob Cavanaugh, Staff Sgt. Paul Orvis, and Spc. Richard Leonard take a swim to cool off after “melting” in the sun at the
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait swimming pool.
Sgt. Lindsay Mackie, Sgt. First Class Brittany Thingvold, and
2nd Lt. Dayna Seelhammer, try to pose for an underwater snap
shot at the Camp Arifjan, Kuwait swimming pool.
Sgt. Krista Hanson posing with her medal from the Sand Shark Swim
Meet at the Camp Arifjan, Kuwait swimming pool held on Oct. 9th,
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Wild Times 1/34 BSTB November 2011
Vol 1, No. 7
With an unemployment rate of nearly 23% for Minnesota veterans, redeploying servicemembers face a daunting challenge. In addition to typical post-deployment stress, veterans likely experience lower post-deployment income accompanied by frustration with
their ability to effectively manage money. According to the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University, 56% of enlisted personnel report being in trouble with their finances.
Financial Peace University (FPU) is a twelve-week program that offers the chance to stop out of control spending, teaches how to create and stick to a budget, and keeps participants accountable to one another as they dump debt, create an emergency fund, and change their family’s future.
FPU is gimmick-free, and that’s what I appreciate about the course. This is the stuff mom and dad never taught you, at a time when it really makes a difference. We have economic challenges, flagging retirement accounts, and a historical recession in our sight picture. FPU creates stability, offers security and the protection of a sound financial plan as you prepare for life after deployment. My wife and I continue to live debt-free as a testament to the sound financial principles taught at FPU.
The last FPU class at Camp Arifjan totaled over $340,000.00 in savings increase and debt elimination, for an average of over $9,500.00 per participant. Along with SSG Brad Novacek, we will offer another FPU class at Camp Arifjan starting on January 11th, 2012 in the Zone 6 Chapel. If you have questions about FPU, visit http://www.daveramsey.com/military, or contact SSG Novacek at DSN 430-6524, or [email protected].
Chaplain’s Page
Page 7 of 11
Wild Times 1/34 BSTB November
2011
November 2011
Vol 1, No. 7
44th CBRN
Transfers Authority
59th CBRN
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Wild Times 1/34 BSTB November 2011
Vol 1, No. 7
The “Banshees”, in the Desert; 788th OD Co (EOD)
11 November 2011, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait-
Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) is just one of
the military forces operating in Kuwait composed
entirely of volunteers that have been cycling between
deployment and the home front since 9/11/2001. The
present deployment to Kuwait has been a change
from the usual mission of IED hunters and mitigators on the battlefields
of Iraq and Afghanistan. Here in Kuwait, most are stationed at Camp
Buehring in the northern portion of the country. Their main focus is the
destruction of “Code H” ammunition; a euphemism for ammunition not
suitable for issue and in a state that makes it dangerous for use. This is
carried out for both the Kuwait and U.S. stockpiles. Additionally, it gives
the soldiers a chance to train with other troops in the region. “Many of
the Kuwaiti EOD Techs continue to astound us with their high level of
professionalism and expertise” says Sgt. 1st Class Jeb White, a platoon
sergeant in the 788th EOD Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion,
1st Brigade Combat Team.
To give a perspective of the scope of operations, the 788th EOD
Company has begun disposing of not pounds but hundreds of thousands
of pounds of these unstable, unwanted and dangerous munitions. As the
weather improves over the next few months and the cold winds lap the
desert, the operation will ramp up to utilize maximum use of the cooler
air.
But what else do EOD soldiers do? Several of the soldiers from the 788th EOD have been to Jordan where they
trained Jordanian armed forces on IED hunting and disruption techniques, our enemies’ favorite attack method. In
addition to this hands-on training, several classes and
presentations on explosives and related topics were
delivered. The team built training devices for them to work
on and understand. The devices were accurate and realistic
in all aspects except for the lack of any explosive
component. “They almost fooled me on several
occasions”, joked Sgt Marshall Castillo, a team member in
the 788th EOD Company, Brigade Special Troops
Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team.
Other EOD teams were sent to sweep the Embassy environs
and the site of the Grand Marine Ball. This is typical of
missions back in the U.S. where these same Soldiers work
alongside the United States Secret Service in the protection
of major governmental dignitaries.
By 1st Sgt Daniel McDonnell
Udairi Range, Kuwait - Sgt Kory Richter, a team
member with the 788th EOD Co adds JP-8 in
preparation for the disposal of forty tons of small
arms munitions on Udairi Range in October.
Sgt Daniel Cruz, a team member with the 788th EOD Co
prepares a disposal of several thousand pounds of old U.S. am-
munition. Several hundred tons of old, dangerous U.S. munitions
are being disposed of by US EOD Techs in
northern Kuwait.
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Wild Times 1/34 BSTB November
2011
November 2011
Vol 1, No. 7
7th Dive Team
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From the Commander’s Desk by CPT Scott Sann:
Aloha to the friends and families of the 7th Engineer Dive Detachment! The month of November has come and
gone, yet the calories remain. The Thanksgiving tradition of Senior Officers and NCOs serving chow to the
troops was kept alive in Kuwait, while Service Members dined on a bounty of smoked turkey, cornbread
dressing, all kinds of vegetables and of course, pumpkin pie.
While a Thanksgiving meal overseas can never equal a home
cooked meal surrounded by loved ones, the Dining Facility
performed an excellent job making sure no bellies went
unfilled.
As our deployment winds down, our focus shifts to ensuring
our personnel and equipment are prepared to make the
journey home. Inventories will be done, boxes will be
packed, and plans will be made to ensure that our
replacements are just as successful as we have been in
completing the Army Diver mission. The 569th Engineer
Dive Detachment, out of Joint Base Langley- Eustis,
Virginia, have been diligently preparing for their upcoming
deployment and are more than capable of carrying the
torch for the dive field. We look forward to seeing them
soon.
Luckily for our expanding waistlines, members of the 7th will have plenty of opportunities to focus on fitness in
December. Our Soldiers have set goals for the upcoming Army Physical Fitness Test, and the fact that many of
them have been spotted working out twice a day bodes
well for their progress. The team has set a goal of a
290 point average (a 300 denoting a perfect score),
which is a testament to their motivation to perform
above the standard. We are also excited to bring back
the annual Commander’s Challenge, an endurance event
that pits our squads (and headquarters elements)
against each other to determine which is the fittest of
them all. 3rd Squad has been talking the talk, but it
remains to be seen if they can walk the walk…
We wish everyone back home a safe and happy holiday
season!
Divers from the 7th conduct a reconnaissance of a sunken tug
with their Kuwaiti Diver brethren, one of several
combined missions executed throughout our tour.
SSG Dunham, 1LT Guerdan, SGT Hoover, and SPC Bullington
visit the USACE Facility in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/7th-Engineer-Dive Team/105525036159201
7th EDT is on Facebook!
Kuwait Living—Life as we know it
Wild Times 1/34 BSTB November
2011
November 2011
Vol 1, No. 7
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