Beast Report B RAVO 1 06 TH F MSU

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

COMMANDER’S

CORNER / DET SGT’S

CORNER

1

MONTH OF NOVEM-

BER

2

BEAST ACTIVITIES 3

THE DAILY BEAST 4

BEASTS ON DEPLOY-

MENT

5

SNAPSHOTS 6

BEAST MODE! 7

BIRTHDAYS 8

Volume 3, Issue 10 NOVEMBER 2014

Congratulations Beasts for all of your hard work, training,

and perseverance over the past month! A visit to Beast

Country will immediately impress upon any individual the

amount of pride and dedication you all have in your job and

the place in which we work. I am extremely proud of our

Soldiers and deeply honored to be among team Beast. As

the month of November comes to a close, ensure you spend

some quality time over the upcoming Thanksgiving Holi-

day with your family. For those of you whom are single or

have family back home, be sure to pick up the phone (or

computer) and talk with your loved ones. Don’t forget our

unit and FRG Thanksgiving potluck on the 20th. Come out

and enjoy some home-cooked food and camaraderie with

your surrogate Beast family. The holidays are also a time to

give back and be thankful. Open up your homes to those

Beast and Big Army family members that are perhaps on an

unaccompanied tour. Happy Thanksgiving to all and be

sure to STAY SAFE!

The holiday season is once again upon us. Thanksgiving is

a time to reflect on all the things you have to be grateful

for. Some may be wondering what they have to be thankful

for. You have plenty to be grateful for, no matter how great

or small; we all have something to be thankful for. It could

be the house you live in, the clothes on your back, the food

that sits on your dinner table or the air you breathe. While

you may not feel as fortunate as the next person, you have

to be grateful for the things you have. The holidays are a

time for giving, look deep inside yourself and do something

kind for someone else; not because you feel obligated to

but because you want to make a difference in someone’s

life. It does not have to be in the form of money, a nice ges-

ture can go a long way. Make a plan to spend quality time

with your family this Thanksgiving. Put away all the elec-

tronic devices and distractions and talk to one another. Play

a board game, play tackle football, or create a new tradi-

tion; whatever you decide to do just have fun and enjoy

yourself. I want to wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Commander’s Corner

Detachment Sergeant’s Corner

MONTH OF NOVEMBER

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November is the eleventh month of the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and one

of four months with the length of 30 days. It was originally the ninth month of the an-

cient Roman calendar until January and February were added. November retained its

name from the Latin novem meaning "nine". November is a month of Autumn, or Fall,

in the Northern Hemisphere, and Spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

The United States and Puerto Rico observe Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving

Day, on the fourth Thursday of the month. It became an official Federal holiday in

1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national

day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heav-

ens". Also, there are reports that the original Thanksgiving proclamation was signed

by George Washington. As a federal and public holiday in the U.S., Thanksgiving is

one of the major holidays of the year. Together with Christmas and New Year’s,

Thanksgiving is a part of the broader holiday season.

The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was cele-

brated by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag to celebrate the colony’s first successful

harvest in the New World in 1621. This feast lasted three days, and it was attended by

90 Native Americans (as accounted by attendee Edward Winslow) and 53 Pilgrims.

The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating

"thanksgivings"—days of prayer, thanking God for blessings such as military victory

or the end of a drought.

SGT CHANDLER’S REENLISTMENT

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During the month of October I took a personal and professional leap towards my

future within the Finance Corps and the United States Army by raising my right hand and

taking my oath of reenlistment for five additional years. I plan to continue to move for-

ward within the Army ranks and reenlist again in five years for an indefinite period of

time. With this reenlistment I am able to proceed to my next duty assignment in Fort

Shafter, Hawaii; which will be a great experience in the islands of paradise.

I strongly advise all soldiers to look within themselves and make that long-term

decision of whether the Army is right for them. I hope to see more reenlistments while I

am still stationed here in Germany. The Army is not just a job and a paycheck, it is a

commitment which was started on your original enlistment and should be continued for-

ward.

THE DAILY BEAST

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PFC Nalukwago: My First Deployment

Leaving for Hohenfels and knowing that I was going to be away from home and

the ones that I love was very overwhelming. I talked to my mother and brothers and

they were all very encouraging. I think my mother took my departure the worst because

she says a special prayer for me in church and puts in a prayer request daily. Going on

deployment didn’t sink in until we boarded the plane. I am, however, glad for the oppor-

tunities that I will gain. I like my experience thus far and am learning more about my-

self. I am setting very high expectations during the deployment and optimistically I will

achieve the desired goals.

The Bravo Beasts deployed to Kosovo last month for a 9-month tour.

Here’s a little insight into how things are going for them over there.

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PFC Messouli:

I am enjoying my time thus far in Kosovo. It snows in the morning and is sunny

in the afternoon. The trip to Hohenfels was pleasant; I slept all the way there. Upon ar-

riving in Hohenfels we were given rooms to sleep in. I had really good chicken gyros

for 5 Euros. Dinner was outstanding most days because there were pop-tarts and other

pastries which were delicious! We initially conducted PT in the afternoon but then be-

gan doing morning runs. We had opportunities for recreational fun which we spent by

bowling. SSG Willis is a really good bowler! On the second to last day in Hohenfels we

had a barbeque. I made many friends and even met a Moroccan SFC who was stationed

in Hohenfels.

We left Hohenfels early in the morning for Kosovo, but didn't fly out until the af-

ternoon. I had the opportunity to fly first class because I helped with the baggage detail.

Good deeds are rewarded! After we arrived in Kosovo, we got on buses and drove from

the airport to the base; it was a long ride. On the way to the base, we drove through

some beautiful cities. Once we arrived at Camp Bondsteel, our predecessors were there

to greet us. They gave us keys to our rooms and helped us move our bags. The next

morning we went to our new office to begin training. It’s cool to work in an actual

“office”. On Halloween we did 5k hill run in the morning and we dressed up later in the

day which was fun. PFC Carreon had the best costume as he was a clown. We’ve also

done a lot of volunteering since we got here despite a busy schedule. Time goes by

really fast; I can't believe it has already been a month since we left Kaiserslautern!

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BEAST SNAPSHOTS

Sgt Chandler and his son Brian all ready for Halloween

We said goodbye to 1LT Lopez, SSG Williams, and SPC Schafer

Bravo conducted JMSC virtual training to simulate FMST missions

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LT Young’s Marathon

On November 9th I successfully completed my first marathon. I had the opportunity to

travel to Athens, Greece to compete in the Athens Authentic Marathon. It had been my goal to

run a marathon and I knew it would be a challenge. Upon arriving in Athens I was welcomed

with warm and sunny weather. I met up with my friend from the 266th FMSC, 2LT Marc Skill,

who also was running the marathon. The Athens Marathon is rich in history as it traces the

original marathon route. The marathon follows the original route that Pheidippides ran in 490

BC from Marathon, Greece (hence how the phrase “marathon” originated) ending in the

Panathinaikon Stadium which was the 2004 Olympic Stadium. It was a challenging course and

I was in a lot of pain during the end of the race but I never walked. Finishing in the Olympic

Stadium felt surreal. Over 10,500 runners from 80 countries showed just how much of a world

event this run was. I may not have been able to speak the same language with all the runners

but we shared a common bond - we finished a marathon together.

Birthdays & Anniversaries

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MORE FUN FACTS

Discovery to the Eastern World of Puerto Rico by Christopher Columbus on

November 19, 1493. Originally populated for centuries by the aboriginal

people known as Taino, the island was claimed by Christopher Columbus

for Spain during his second voyage to the Americas on November 19, 1493.

On August 3, 1990 President of the United States George H. W. Bush de-

clared the month of November as National American Indian Heritage

Month, thereafter commonly referred to as Native American Heritage

Month

National Adoption Day is celebrated on November 22nd this year. A num-

ber of courts and communities in the United States come together to finalize

thousands of adoptions of children from foster care. More than 300 events

are held each year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving in November, in all

50 US states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to finalize the adop-

tions of children in foster care. In total, more than 40,000 children have

been adopted from foster care on National Adoption Day.

This month also holds the annual events known as No Shave November,

and Movember (Moustache November), involving the growing of mous-

taches for charity and to raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as

prostrate cancer, as well as other types of cancer and even depression.

NOVEMBER

25th SPC GOMEZ