GLOBAL 

Lt. Gen. Jam

An Outside

The Faces 

➔
Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 3

Volume 50, Number 1

Army Reserve Magazine online:

www.army.mil/usar

Army Reserve Soldier Tops

Military Field at National

Cycling Championships. . . . . . . . . . . . 41

AROUND THE GLOBE

Exercise New Horizons 2004. . . . . . . . 42

Units Participating in Exercise

New Horizons 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Army Reserve Engineers Provide

Security for Joint Task Force. . . . . . . . 44

Dynamic Duo Relish Dishing

Meals to Troops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

An Honor for an Honorable Man. . . . 45

INSIDE BACK COVER SPREAD

Letter from Lt. Gen.

James R. Helmly, Chief

of the Army Reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

LT. GEN. JAMES R. HELMLY

SPEAKS OUT ON CHANGE,

PART I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Message from the Chief,

Army Reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

AN OUTSIDER’S PERSPECTIVE:

Reporter Embedded

in a Dream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

THE FACES OF HOMECOMING. . 18

UPDATE ON OPERATION

IRAQI FREEDOM

75th Division Training Iraqi

Armed Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

315th PsyOps Company

Makes Connections with

Local Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

354th Civil Affairs Brigade Wraps

Up Baghdad Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

368th Engineer Battalion Brings

College Courses to the Field . . . . . . . . 29

414th CA Battalion Celebrates

Completion of Major

Community Projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

422nd Civil Affairs Battalion

Organizes Playground Project. . . . . . . 31

461st Personnel Services Battalion

Hands Over Mail Operations . . . . . . . 32

478th CA Battalion

Helps Build Suburban Center

to Educate Women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

490th CA Battalion Helps Repair

and Renovate Schools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

751st Quartermaster Company

Armed to the Teeth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Florida and the 478th

Demonstrate Their Love for

the Deaf Children of Iraq. . . . . . . . . . . 35

THE U.S. ARMY RESERVE

COMMAND AUGMENTATION

UNIT: A New Way of

Conducting Business. . . . . . . . . . 36

PEOPLE

Earning Medals Under Fire in Iraq . . 38

Oldest Enlisted Soldier in Iraq Takes

Pride in His Military Service . . . . . . . 39

Finance and the Military Not

Necessarily Strange Bedfellows. . . . . . 40

SUBMISSIONS • Army Reserve Magazine invites articles, story ideas, photographs and other material of interest to members

of the U.S. Army Reserve. Manuscripts and other correspondence for the editor should be addressed to Commander, U.S. Army

Reserve Command, Attn: Public Affairs (ARM), 1401 Deshler Street, SW, Fort McPherson, GA 30330-2000, telephone (404) 464-

8500 or dsn 367-8500. All email submissions should go to usarmag@usarc-emh2.army.mil. All articles must be submitted

electronically or on disk or CD. Unsolicited manuscripts and photographs will not be returned. Query by letter.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS • Do not write the magazine. TPU soldiers should notify their Unit Administrator or Unit Clerk. Members

of the IRR and IMA should contact their Personnel Management Team at ARPERSCOM, 1 Reserve Way, St. Louis, MO 63132-

5200. AGRs should contact their PMO/PMNCO. Paid subscribers should forward their address change to the Superintendent of

Documents, Attn: Mail List Branch SSOM, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Special military distribution recipients may write the editor directly.

SUBSCRIPTIONS • Army Reserve Magazine is distributed free of charge to members of the United States Army Reserve.

Circulation is approximately 450,000. Paid subscriptions are available for $14.00 per year domestic, $19.60 foreign. Single

copy price is $5.50 domestic, $7.70 foreign. Mail a personal check or money order payable to the Superintendent of Documents

to: New Orders, Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954, or fax your order to (202) 512-

2233. Visa and MasterCard are accepted.

41

2 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

ON THE COVER

Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Malcolm

Stone of the 75th Division (Training

Support) pulls security on a joint

combat patrol with an Iraqi platoon in

Tallafar, Iraq. (PHOTO: MAJ. WAYNE MAROTTO)

Also on the cover: The yellow

ribbon symbolizes our commitment to honoring those of our

Army Reserve brethren who have fallen,

those who are missing, and those who

are serving around the globe. It will

appear on each issue until they all

come home.

NEWS

CAR Honors Retirees with New

Retirement Ceremony Program . . . . . . 4

Career Opportunities Increase for

Full-Time Army Reserve . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Army Reserve Hopes to Improve

Re-Enlistment Incentives . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Two New Medals Authorized for

Service in Global War on Terrorism . . 5

CAS3 to Merge with Officer

Advance Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Reserve Component Civilian

Employment Information Program . . . 6

Hooah 4 Health Web Site for

Reserve Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

TRICARE Retiree Dental Program

(TRDP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

★

Army Reserve Magazine

is an authorized Department of

the Army publication, published

quarterly by the Chief, U.S. Army

Reserve, ATTN: DAAR-ZXP, 2400

Army Pentagon, Washington, DC

20310-2400 in accordance with

Section 10210, Title 10, USC. 

The Secretary of Defense has

determined that the publication

of this periodical is necessary 

in the transaction of public 

business as required by law. 

Use of funds for printing this

publication was approved 

by the Secretary of the Army 

on September 2, 1986, 

IAW provisions of AR 25–30. 

Opinions expressed herein 

do not necessarily reflect those 

of the Department of the Army 

or the Chief, Army Reserve, nor

should they be construed as official policy or directive in nature.

Local reproduction of all 

materials is approved, except for

copyrighted articles or photos.

MAGAZINE

ARMY RESERVE

Since 1954.

Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly

CHIEF, ARMY RESERVE

CSM Michele Jones

COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR OF THE 

ARMY RESERVE

Col. Geoff Jones

DIRECTOR, U.S. ARMY RESERVE

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Editorial Services

MANNING, SELVAGE & LEE

Design Services

THE MADISON DESIGN GROUP

11 32
NEWS

An additional estimated 975 positions

also will become available during fiscal

year 2004 through normal attrition,

according to officials at the U.S. Human

Resources Command–St. Louis, Army

Reserve Active Duty Management

Directorate.

“The AGR Program is absolutely vital to

the training and readiness of our units,”

said Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly, Chief of

the Army Reserve. “AGR Soldiers now

are deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq and

around the world as an essential part of

our Army, enabling mission accomplishment and executing important missions

on behalf of the nation.”

According to Helmly, the Army will

continue to grow the AGR Program with

the required skills necessary to transform the Army Reserve while at war.

“We need the best and brightest as

AGR Soldiers, and I encourage all who

are interested to apply to join their

ranks,” added Helmly.

“We need the best and 

brightest as AGR Soldiers,

and I encourage all who are

interested to apply to join

their ranks.”

AGR Soldiers serve in full-time, active

duty positions in worldwide locations.

They provide the day-to-day operational

support needed to ensure the Army

Reserve’s units are ready to be mobilized when needed. 

Established in 1979, the Program

provides AGR Soldiers with the same

benefits as their counterparts in the

active Army. This includes active duty

pay and allowances, medical care,

commissary and PX privileges, and

a full retirement after 20 years of

active federal service.

In addition to a wide range of assignment locations, the AGR Program also

offers officers, warrant officers and

enlisted Soldiers the opportunity to

serve in a variety of fields including

transportation, human resources,

military intelligence, finance, medical

service, and recruiting. For a list of

needed specialties and branches, visit

https://www.2xcitizen.usar.army.mil/

soldierservices/programs/agr/agropp.asp.

To learn more about eligibility requirements, available opportunities and to

download an application packet, visit

the AGR portion of the U.S. Army

Human Resources Command Web site at

https://www.2xcitizen.usar.army.mil/

soldierservices/programs/agr/agr

program.asp or call the command’s

communications hub at 1(800) 318-5298.

ARMY RESERVE HOPES TO

IMPROVE RE-ENLISTMENT

INCENTIVES

Retention in the Army Reserve is

lagging behind goals for the first half of

fiscal 2004, prompting service leaders to

seek re-enlistment bonuses and more

flexible sign up windows similar to

those offered to active duty Soldiers.

From October 1, 2003, through March

31, 2004, the Army Reserve goal was to

retain 8,020 Soldiers. A total of 7,494

Soldiers re-enlisted during that time, or

93.4 percent of the goal. The pace of

retention is not appreciably different

than in fiscal 2003, when 13,749 Soldiers

re-enlisted — 93.3 percent of the year’s

goal of 14,730 Soldiers.

Although Army Reserve officials would

like to see retention improve, the shortfall is not large enough to provoke

alarm, said a spokesperson for the Army

Reserve. However, the Army Reserve

would like to introduce some changes.

For example, unlike active duty

Soldiers, who can receive bonuses as

high as $20,000 to re-enlist for three

years, Army Reserve Soldiers are offered

a maximum of $2,500 to enlist for three

years, or $5,000 to re-enlist for six years.

In addition, while active duty Soldiers

can receive a significant portion of their

re-enlistment bonuses in an immediate

lump sum payment — as much as

$10,000 — Army Reserve Soldiers

only receive their bonus money in

equal increments over the period of

re-enlistment. 

Another factor that Army Reserve officials believe is affecting re-enlistments

is the tighter window for Army Reserve

Soldiers to decide to re-enlist. Active

duty Soldiers become eligible to re-enlist

one year before their contract expires.

Army Reserve Soldiers, on the other

hand, are not eligible to re-enlist until

three months before that time. In fact,

retention officials are not even allowed

to discuss re-enlistment with Army

Reserve Soldiers until the three-month

mark when officials say most Soldiers

already have made up their minds

whether or not to leave. 

Army Reserve leaders have asked the

Army to consider changing these

inequities in order to boost retention.

TWO NEW MEDALS AUTHORIZED

FOR SERVICE IN GLOBAL WAR

ON TERRORISM

A recent Presidential executive order

authorizes the Department of Defense

to create two new military medals for

service in the Global War on Terrorism

(GWOT). The GWOT Expeditionary

Medal will recognize Soldiers who

participate in an expedition to combat

terrorism on or after September 11,

2001. This is limited to those who

deploy as part of Operation Enduring

Freedom. 

The GWOT Service Medal will

recognize service in military operations

to combat terrorism also on or after

September 11, 2001. However, it willbe

limited to Operation Noble Eagle and to

those Soldiers who provide support to

Operation Enduring Freedom from

outside the area of eligibility designated

for the GWOT Expeditionary Medal.

Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 5

CAR HONORS RETIREES WITH

NEW RETIREMENT CEREMONY

PROGRAM

F

or the first time in the history of

the U. S. Army Reserve, Lt. Gen.

James R. Helmly, Chief of the

Army Reserve, has directed that all

Army Reserve Soldiers, military technicians (MilTechs) and Department of the

Army civilians (DACs) be given an

opportunity to have a formal retirement

ceremony at a location of their choice.

Prior to this directive, units were not

required to provide retirement ceremonies for Army Reserve Soldiers,

DACs or MilTechs.

Helmly said he implemented the

program to recognize and show respect

for the sacrifices made by these retirees

and their families.

“During this time of war on terrorism,

it seems most fitting and appropriate

that we pay tribute to those who have

so selflessly dedicated so many years of

their lives to the defense of our great

nation,” he said. “The timing is impeccable and the message is clear. Your

service to our nation, your sacrifices and

those of your families, your steadfast

commitment to our national defense,

and your suffering and hardships are

greatly appreciated.”

“Your service to our nation,

your sacrifices and those

of your families, your 

steadfast commitment to our

national defense, and your

suffering and hardships are

greatly appreciated.”

Helmly also noted that this recognition

is an expression of his appreciation for

those currently under his command.

The program, named the Army 

Reserve Retirement Ceremony 

Program, includes Troop Program 

Unit, Active Guard and Reserve,

Individual Mobilization Augmentee,

and Individual Ready Reserve Soldiers,

who are transferring into the Retired

Reserve or onto the Army, United States

Retired List. In addition, MilTechs and

DACs who support or are assigned to

the Army Reserve also are included

under this program. All of the retirement ceremonies will be conducted

during scheduled unit training

assemblies.

For ease of use, the primary source 

of information for the program will 

be located at the United States Army

Human Resources Command–St. 

Louis (HRC–St. Louis) Web site

(https://www.2xcitizen.usar.army.mil/).

The Web site will serve as the means to

schedule retirement ceremonies. On the

Web site, retirees will be able to either

accept or decline participation in the

retirement ceremony.

The process will work as follows.

HRC–St. Louis will designate a link

on their Web site for retirement

ceremonies. The Regional Readiness

Commands (RRCs) then will submit

their annual schedule of monthly

retirement ceremonies to HRC–St.

Louis for posting on the Web site. 

Army Reserve Soldiers will notify their

chain of command of their intention to

retire. DACs and MilTechs also must

notify the supporting Army Benefits

Center–Civilian in addition to their

chain of command. The retiree must

apply for retirement and, upon approval,

elect to participate or not to participate

in a scheduled retirement ceremony

from the list of available locations.

There are two important points to

remember. First, the retiree must

request a ceremony at least 45 days prior

to the date on which he or she wants to

have the ceremony. Second, the retiree

must attend a retirement ceremony that

falls within one month before his or her

retirement date and not later than six

months after his or her retirement date.

Helmly noted that the choice is the

retirees’ and the ceremony is for the

retirees, but the privilege of sharing

in honoring the retirees is the

Army Reserve’s.

“We must afford

retirees the opportunity to 

participate in a retirement

ceremony so we can bestow

upon them the honors and

privileges they deserve.”

“Retirement ceremonies are a public

display of gratitude and farewell on

behalf of the Nation, the President, and

the Army for years of faithful service,

often at great personal sacrifice,” said

Helmly. 

“We must afford retirees the opportunity to participate in a retirement

ceremony so we can bestow upon them

the honors and privileges they deserve.

These ceremonies shall be conducted

in an atmosphere of formality and

dignity. Be assured that the dedication,

sacrifice and professionalism displayed

by retirees is recognized and truly

appreciated,” he added.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

INCREASE FOR FULL-TIME

ARMY RESERVE

The Army Reserve’s Active Guard

Reserve (AGR) Program has seen an

increase of approximately 300 new

assignment opportunities during fiscal

year 2004. This increase comes as the

result of ongoing efforts to add more

full-time support to Army Reserve units. 

4 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

NEWS

News Briefs
NEWS

The medals were recommended by

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

“in response to our Nation’s global

efforts to suppress terrorism, and the

significant contributions members of

the Armed Forces bring to bear on the

long-term resolution of this threat.”

The GWOT Service

Medal... will be limited

to Operation Noble Eagle

and to those Soldiers 

who provide support to

Operation Enduring

Freedom from outside the

area of eligibility designated

for the GWOT

Expeditionary Medal.

Specific eligibility for these medals

will be established by Department of

Defense award policy. The combatant

commander has the authority to award

the medals for approved operations to

units and personnel deployed within his

or her theater. Each service department

will prescribe the appropriate regulations

for processing and wearing of the medals.

Members of the U.S. armed forces

are eligible for the medals to include

Reserve Soldiers activated in support of

approved operations. It will take up to

twelve months to produce and stock the

medals in department supply systems.

Future authorizations for these medals

will be considered and approved by the

chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff if

the war on terrorism expands.

Any questions regarding these awards

should be directed to the Awards

Branch at Awards@hoffman.army.mil.

CAS3 TO MERGE WITH

OFFICER ADVANCE COURSES

The last class of the Combined Arms

and Services Staff School (CAS3) graduated at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in

May. Now, according to Army officials,

CAS3 will be consolidated into the

various branch officer advance courses.

Depending upon the branch, a one-week

combined arms exercise will be added to

those advance courses, which now last

anywhere between 18 and 20 weeks.

The change, planned as part of the

Officer Education System transformation, originally was scheduled for fiscal

year 2005. However, it has been moved

up for operational reasons.

“With the Army at war, captains need to

get back to their units,” said Col. David

Thompson, the CAS3 director at Fort

Leavenworth. “This change will get

them back to their units almost four

weeks earlier.”

Army Reserve captains may continue

taking CAS3 at Reserve Forces Schools

at least through the end of the fiscal

year when existing courses finish. This

is because the Reserve Component

officer advance courses are shorter and

do not include much combined arms

curriculum.

The officer advance course

for Army Reserve Soldiers

may adapt into a two-week

phase at a branch school and

then a distance learning

course, followed by a

combined arms exercise.

Thompson said he envisions what is

now the two-week resident phase of the

Reserve Forces CAS3 becoming very

similar to the combined arms exercise

for active duty captains. The officer

advance course for Army Reserve

Soldiers may adapt into a two-week

phase at a branch school and then a

distance learning course, followed by a

combined arms exercise. Elements such

as problem-solving, staff interaction and

briefings are expected to continue to be

part of the program.

CAS3 traces its origins to the Army’s

1978 Review of Education and Training

of Officers Study, which recommended

establishing a course to teach staff skills.

Planning for CAS3 began in 1979, with

the first class graduating in 1981.

CAS3 began full operations in 1982 with

a nine-week program of instruction. In

October 1996, the class format changed

to a five-week program as part of the

Training and Doctrine Command’s

effort to better integrate Captains

Professional Military Education across

the branches and schools. 

The decision to establish a Reserve

Component CAS3 was made in 1984.

The first classes were taught in U.S.

Army Reserve Forces Schools in 1986,

and the program was fully implemented

in 1991. Now, CAS3 will be combined

with the officer advance courses. 

“There should be little difference

between the knowledgebase of CAS3

graduates and those who complete the

new officer advance course with the

additional combined arms exercise,”

added Thompson.

RESERVE COMPONENT CIVILIAN

EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION

PROGRAM

The Department of Defense (DoD)

has instituted a new reporting system

so that members of all seven Reserve

Components can register their

employers. According to officials, DoD

decision-makers need to know the civilian employers and government agencies

of the Department’s approximately

1.2 million National Guardsmen and 

Reservists in order to give them a better

idea of who should and should not be

mobilized for national emergencies.

The database, called the Civilian

Employment Information (CEI)

Program, is a way for all Guard and

Reserve members to comply with the

law that requires them to inform DoD

who employs them and how they are

employed when not performing

military duties.

“This program makes it possible

for Defense officials, including those

responsible for mobilizing our traditional Guard and Reserve members, to

know who can be called up for active

military duty without jeopardizing the

civilian forces responsible for safeguarding our country,” explained David Chu,

undersecretary of Defense for personnel

and readiness.

...the Civilian Employment

Information Program is a

way for all Guard and

Reserve members to comply

with the law that requires 

them to inform DoD who

employs them and how they

are employed when not

performing military duties.

Members of the Army Reserve will

be able to enter their employment data

on their existing personnel reporting

systems. Reserve Soldiers must register

ten specific data fields concerning their

civilian employers and job skills to meet

the requirements mandated by law.

The DoD must:

★ Give consideration to civilian

workers — including emergency

responders, such as police officers,

firefighters and medical personnel —

necessary to maintain the national

health, safety and interests when

considering which Reserve members

should be called to active duty.

★ Ensure more members with

critical civilian jobs and skills

are not retained in the Reserve

Components than are necessary

to respond to emergencies.

★ Inform Reserve Soldiers’ civilian

employers of their rights and

responsibilities under the 1994

Uniformed Services Employment

and Reemployment Rights Act.

The information is expected to be

another tool to help determine which

units or members of the Individual

Ready Reserve should be mobilized.

Information about full-time employers

also will make it possible for DoD

officials to enhance employer support

for the Guard and Reserve.

“The goal is to maintain a 95 percent

accurate database for the Selected

Reserve,” explained Thomas Hall,

assistant secretary of Defense for

Reserve affairs, “and to maintain 75

percent accuracy for the Individual

Ready Reserve database.”

The law also requires all members of

Reserve Components to notify appropriate Defense officials about any changes

in their civilian employment.

According to officials, DoD knows that

13 percent of the Guard and Reserve

work for the Federal government, and

half of those are Federal military technicians. Additionally, surveys have shown

that about 60 percent work in private

sector firms, 20 percent work for state or

local governments, and less than seven

percent are self-employed.

Employees are considered full-time for

CEI Program purposes if their employers consider them to be employed

full-time. Self-employed personnel

areconsidered full-time if they work

for themselves an average of at least

30 hours per week.

The CEI Program will require all

Guard and Reserve members to list on

the database their employment status,

their employers’ names, their employers’

complete mailing addresses, their civilian job titles, and their total number of

years in their current civilian occupations. The requirement to provide CEI

data is not a violation of the Privacy Act,

but rather an extension of existing personnel data records and is covered under

previous Privacy Act systems notices.

Unlike previous military service efforts

to voluntarily gather employer data,

registering employer data in the CEI

Program is mandatory. Guard and

Reserve members who knowingly fail or

refuse to provide information, or who

knowingly provide false employmentrelated information, may be subject to

administrative action or punishment.

Unlike previous military

service efforts to voluntarily

gather employer data, 

registering employer data

in the CEI Program

is mandatory.

Unlike previous military service efforts

to voluntarily gather employer data,

registering employer data in the CEI

Program is mandatory.

6 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

NEWS

Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 7
NEWS

HOOAH 4 HEALTH WEB SITE

FOR RESERVE COMPONENT

Hooah 4 Health (H4H) is a Web-based

health promotion and prevention

program that addresses the personal

health and fitness needs of the U.S.

Army Reserve. Body, mind, spirit, environment, prevention, and family and

lifestyle are among the primary areas

covered in a user-friendly format at

http://www.hooah4health.com.

Both the vision and implementation of

the Army Well-Being Strategic Plan is

captured throughout the modules on the

Web site, which was launched in 2000. 

...H4H includes an

expanded section devoted to

deployment-related issues,

including resources and links

to support organizations

and services.

In addition and because of increased

Army Reserve Component deployments,

H4H includes an expanded section

devoted to deployment-related issues,

including resources and links to support

organizations and services. Information

on immunizations and family support

resources, as well as medical readiness

fact sheets, also is included.

An interactive deployment globe 

contains background information on

a variety of countries to which Soldiers

are being deployed. In addition,

TRICARE benefits and other issues

concerning activation are covered 

extensively.

Military personnel from all services

can earn retirement or promotion points

by completing H4H’s on-line correspondence course, the “HOOAH Challenge.”

The Challenge is one of the Army’s first

entirely digital correspondence courses,

and is managed jointly by the H4H

support team and the Army Training

Support Center (ATSC).

After registering with ATSC, students

are guided through course material and

preliminary quizzes on the H4H site,

returning eventually to the Army’s

distance learning site to take a comprehensive exam. Complete instructions

can be found at http://www.h4h

challenge.com/.

New H4H features

in 2004 will include a

comprehensive fitness and

nutrition diary system, a

section focused on dental

readiness, and an automated

system for completing the

Army Reserve Component’s

Annual Certification of

Medical Condition.

New H4H features in 2004 will include

a comprehensive fitness and nutrition

diary system, a section focused on

dental readiness, and an automated

system for completing the Army

Reserve Component’s Annual

Certification of Medical Condition.

H4H is sponsored jointly by the U.S.

Army Office of the Surgeon General, the

U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion

and Preventive Medicine, the Army

National Guard, and the Office of the

Chief, Army Reserve.

TRICARE RETIREE DENTAL

PROGRAM (TRDP) 

The TRICARE Retiree Dental Program

(TRDP), authorized by Congress as part

of the National Defense Authorization

Act for fiscal year 1997, offers affordable

dental benefits to the nation’s uniformed services retirees and their family

members. With its current enrollment

of 750,000, the TRDP already is one of

the nation’s largest voluntary, all

enrollee-paid dental program.

The TRDP is a national,

combined fee-for-service/

preferred provider program

that offers enrollees access to

any licensed dentist in all 50

states... [T]he mandatory

enrollment obligation is only

12 months, after which

enrollees can remain

in the program on a

month-to-month basis.

The TRDP is a national, combined 

fee-for-service/preferred provider

program that offers enrollees access

to any licensed dentist in all 50 states,

plus the District of Columbia, Puerto

Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands,

American Samoa, the Commonwealth 

of the Northern Mariana Islands,

and Canada.

While enrollees may seek care from any

licensed dentist in the service area,

optional benefits are available to

those enrolled retirees and their family

members who choose a participating

dentist. Under TRDP, the mandatory

enrollment obligation is only 12

months, after which enrollees can

remain in the program on a monthto-month basis. 

Normally, the waiting period for the 

full scope of benefits is only 12 months,

after which 50 percent coverage for 

crowns, bridges, full/partial dentures, and

orthodontics goes into effect. However,

newly retired members of the uniformed

services who enroll in the enhanced

TRDP within 120 days after their retirement from active duty military service

have a special opportunity to begin coverage with additional benefits normally

subject to the 12-month waiting period. 

Additional benefits normally subject to

the 12-month waiting period include:

★ Cast crowns, cast restorations and

bridges covered at 50%

★ Coverage for full and partial

dentures at 50%

★ Orthodontic coverage for both

adolescents and adults at 50%

Those who wait to enroll after the

120-day period will not receive these

benefits until after 12 months of

continuous enrollment in the TRDP.

These benefits are in addition to the

immediate benefits of:

★ Two cleanings in a 12-month period

★ An allowance toward payment for

tooth-colored fillings on back teeth

★ Dental accident coverage

★ Additional diagnostic and 

preventive services

The program carries a $50 per person,

per year deductible, but also includes

a family cap of $150 and an annual

maximum amount of $1,200 against

which preventive and diagnostic services are not counted. Coverage for these

services, as well as for basic restorative

services, periodontics, endodontics, oral

surgery, and dental emergencies is available immediately on the effective date

of coverage.

Crowns, bridges, full and partial

dentures, and orthodontics are available

after only 12 months of continuous

enrollment.

Eligible retirees and their family

members can find answers to their 

questions about the program, as well as

enroll, using the dedicated TRDP Web

site at http://www.trdp.org, or by calling

toll-free 1-800-838-8737.

8 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

NEWS

Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 9

Hooah 4 Health Logo

PHOTO: UNKNOWN

At Ft. Dix, N.J., CSM Michele S. Jones, Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve, helps distribute sports bras to female Army Reserve Soldiers scheduled for deployment in support of

Operation Iraqi Freedom. The bras were donated by Hanes to the USO for distribution to Guard and Reserve Soldiers.
10 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

Army Reserve Magazine (ARM): Is the process still on track for getting to the future force 

you envision?

Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly (Helmly): The answer to your question is “Yes.” However, the

process is being continually refined. Most people think you simply develop a plan to an

infinitesimal level of detail and then you implement it — sort of like when General

Motors announces it has a new car. The car is on the production line and you can go

down to your dealer tomorrow and order it. That’s not the way we operate here. We

have changed the way we change. We try hard not to spring surprises on people. So we

tell people the direction we are moving in general terms, and then we start moving in

that direction, developing the details as we go along and mindful, on a daily basis, that

we have a mission to accomplish. That’s why I often describe the process as one in

which we are building an airplane while it is flying. It is high adventure and it is very,

very hard work.

ARM: Is it further complicated by the fact that we’re in the middle of prosecuting a war,

which obviously takes up a tremendous amount of organizational energy?

Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly

SPEAKS OUT

On Change

April 30, 2004

Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 11

Helmly: I think it’s worthy to note that the most dramatic, large scale, transformation of

the United States Army occurred at the beginning of World War II. It’s relevant

because, in 1939, we still had horse cavalry, and people were writing in military magazines that infantry could not fight in conjunction with tanks. Also, the age of the

bureaus and the Pentagon was alive. The bureau chiefs and generals controlled everything. They were the czars of given functional areas. 

But we took the energy and urgency associated with the war and used it as the driving

force to create change. And we exited that war five years later with the largest, strongest

land combat force on the planet with an integral air force set to be a separate branch of

service, with nuclear weapons, with concepts for joint and combined warfare that previously had never been discussed, and with a mechanized force that had armor and

infantry fighting together

So, this has been done before, and it is our intent to use the energy and urgency associated with the war to force change. We’re going to change this organization. Can it be

done? Certainly! We will gain credibility as an institution that has the courage to

change itself.

ARM: Where do we stand on the reshaping of the management structure, in particular,

with respect to RRC reduction? 

Helmly: I need to say something up front here. Throughout the culture of the Army

Reserve, people have always referred to things as “my” command, “my” slot, and “my”

job. It is that kind of thinking that has led people to ask, “What happens to me?” whenever a change is discussed. The message for every Soldier and leader is that their first

thought should be for the organization and its people. Not “me.” I want the message

driven home to every leader who populates our ranks, that this is not “yours.” You are

part of an institution, and the institution owes you loyalty and concern. You will have

a position. You are a valued member. But we will be taking what you have been comfortable with and changing it. 

So, the first thing we did here was change the name of the Regional Support

Commands to Regional Readiness Commands (RRC) to drive home the point that they

are there to create and produce trained, ready units and Soldiers. And, while it might

seem we are just changing from being a Chevrolet to a Ford, the intent goes much

deeper. Rather, we are going from a ground vehicle to an airborne vehicle if you want

to use that analogy.

We plan to go from ten CONUS RRCs to seven. Each of those seven commands will be

much more robust. As an example, they will have two brigadier general deputies vice one.

They currently have a colonel assigned as the deputy commander for readiness and training. Also, each command will have a deputy for management and support — the former

command executive officer... So, the line up will include a major general in command,

two brigadier generals as deputies (one for support and one for operations), and two fulltime senior people (a colonel and a GS14/15), one for operations and one for support.

The message for every

Soldier and leader is that

their first thought should

be for the organization

and its people. Not “me.”
12 ★ Army Reserve Magazine Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 13

ARM: Following up on your response, what is your assessment of leadership these days?

Are the commanders pulling their weight on this?

Helmly: Leadership is the bedrock of success in any endeavor involving more than one

person. It has been said that “The art of leadership, the art of command... is the art of

dealing with humanity.” Effective leadership is the essential ingredient to changing the

Army Reserve, into making the Army Reserve a better performing military organization. Just as the changes that we’ve discussed here are necessary for the Army Reserve

to fulfill its purpose, our mission, so too is change in how we grow leaders in the Army

Reserve. There are many things we do daily across our Army, but there are two we must

do with exacting quality — Train Soldiers and Grow Leaders. For most of its history,

the Army Reserve has relied principally on Army training courses and individual initiative to develop leaders. While individual initiative will remain essential we must

develop and execute an active program to develop leaders. That includes professional

military education, developmental assignments, individual study, and an active coaching and mentoring program. There are far too many officers and NCOs “wearing the

rank” in today’s Army Reserve who are not leading! We must grow and continuously

strengthen a class of leaders. I am looking for a class of innovators who dare to ask the

questions others are afraid to ask. Leaders of character and competence are able to lead

others through the crucible of combat and able to provide vision and direction to continuously move the organization ahead. (Ed. Note. The next edition of Army Reserve

Magazine will outline the U.S. Army Reserve Leadership Campaign Plan that has been

developed in 2004, the Year of the Leader in the Army Reserve.)

ARM: You have talked about changing the “culture”, what do you mean? 

Helmly: We are changing our culture to instill a warrior ethos that says every Soldier is

a warrior. Leaders don’t come first. Soldiers come first. We’re here to serve our Soldiers.

We’re here to train for war. This is not going to be a second job. That requires a different mindset. 

It is true that our Soldiers will continue to be reliant on their civilian occupations and

professions for their primary life sustenance. We don’t plan on having an Army Reserve

where every Soldier is on active duty every day. If you did that, you would be part of

the regular Army. However, it is our intent that our institution undergoes a deep

culture change where we start producing readiness.

It requires that we change the way we think about ourselves. We have to change from

a culture that assumed we would be mobilized only for a huge war to supplement or

reinforce the active component to one that understands that, “we are a complementary

force and we will mobilize Soldiers by practice. That is where the reshaping comes into

play. We must begin to manage the force in a predictable and practiced manner so that

our Soldiers have some predictability about when they are likely to be mobilized.

So, we’ve come up with a “one in five” mobilization ratio in force planning. We are

setting up Army Reserve Expeditionary Force packages. Each package contains some

ARM: The Army Reserve is planning some major force structure

changes. What is that going to mean to the Soldiers? Will they still

have a place in the Army Reserve or are they going to be left out in

the cold?

Helmly: Any leader in the Army Reserve who leaves a Soldier “out in

the cold” will be fired. Soldiers are too valuable to “leave out in the

cold.” That kind of behavior is over. I want Soldiers retained in the

Selective Reserve where we can train them and provide them the

support they need to grow and develop as leaders. Between fiscal

year 2005 and 2007, we are going to inactivate 35,000 spaces worth

of structure. Now, structure is different than end strength. That’s

important to note. Today, our problem is that our structure is larger

than our strength. So, we are not even authorized the number of

Soldiers it takes to fill out our structure (units). The end result is

that we have a hollow structure that isn’t capable of accomplishing

their assigned missions. 

So, we’re going to inactivate 35,000 spaces worth of structure — that is, units. In turn,

the challenge will be what to do with those Soldiers. Where are we going to reassign the

Soldiers? Well, we’re going to use ten percent of our end strength, or 20,500 spaces for

a Trainees, Transients, Holdees and Students (TTHS) account. That means, when a

Soldier is unready for a period of six months or longer, we will account for him or her

in the TTHS account.

Simple case in point. Today, we recruit between 18,000 and 20,000 non-prior service

young men and women each year. Every one of them is assigned to a unit while they are

in Basic and AIT or split option. However, they count against the unit and they block

a position. Another case in point... a Soldier comes from active duty and is not MOSqualified. He or she is blocking a position that counts against the readiness of the unit.

What we intend to do is to account — not assign, but account — for those Soldiers in

TTHS while they are getting ready, being trained or being administratively processed.

This will open up a space in the unit, and we can then authorize to fill the unit.

Now, what do you do when the Soldier comes back, trained and ready, and the slot is

filled? Well, we just double slot them. That’s my problem, not the unit commander’s

problem. My responsibility is to manage the force. The unit commander’s responsibility is to lead the unit. That is how we are going to give the unit commanders people who

are ready to conduct collective training prior to mobilization. And it is how we will man

all units at P1 level with duty MOS-qualified and deployable Soldiers. 

We also are instituting a Delayed Entry Program (DEP). That means we will account

for the young people being recruited by the Army Recruiting Command (USAREC)

who are waiting to go to Basic Training in the DEP. 

The challenge here, first of all, will be explaining the system to people because it all

appears rather complex and intricate. The second — and perhaps greater — challenge

will be getting the full-time staff to change the way we support, manage and train these

Soldiers. That’s the real challenge because I’m getting a lot of push back from those

who say, “Well, I’ve never done this before. I don’t know how to do this.”

People need to start leading, and that is where the real change is going to come in this

organization. We’re going to hold people accountable. We’re holding them accountable

today and, if they don’t measure up, we will be getting rid of them. That is where the

real difference in this organization is going to come. It’s going to come in the culture.

People need to start leading,

and that is where the real

change is going to come in

this organization. We’re going

to hold people accountable.
14 ★ Army Reserve Magazine Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 15

number of units, each of which will move through a progressive cycle over a five-year

period. In Year Five, you essentially will be in a refit, reconstitute, reset mode for individual training, retirements, reassignments, etc. You then move into Year Four, where

you begin training the unit at a smaller level. In Years Three and Two, you begin to set

the unit, validating it at the highest level of organization. Finally, in Year One, the unit

trains to sustain itself at the highest readiness levels. It is resourced to that level and it

must be prepared to mobilize with 5 days of initial notification.

What happens if you don’t get mobilized? Well, we don’t control mobilization.

Mobilization is based on national requirements. If a Soldier doesn’t get mobilized

during the year they are in Package One, then they go to the back of the pack and start

the five year cycle all over again. 

ARM: We have had talk that the pace of activity right now, with its back-to-back mobilization and extensions of mobilized service, is starting to hurt the ability of the Army

Reserve to recruit and retain good people. Do you agree with that and, if so, what are

you doing to alleviate that problem?

Helmly: We have what we have. The nation is at war. The Army is at war. There is a lot

of stress and strain. While you can complain about the nature of things, the truth is that

there is no silver bullet to make it all go away. When you are at war, the only way you

make the enemy go away is to defeat it. That is why we are changing to go to full-up

units and to Expeditionary Force Packages to manage the pace of mobilization.

Obviously, if we had nobody mobilized and no requirement to mobilize, this would all

be a lot simpler. But I have got to restructure the force, change the command and

control structure, take units down, reassign Soldiers, and simultaneously mobilize

units. So, there’s going to be some ugliness. There are going to be some missed signals.

And that is why there needs to be so much emphasis on leadership.

A leader takes hold of a situation, assesses what he’s got, puts his first emphasis on his

Soldiers and their mission, and proceeds to tell them what he can do to help them while

accomplishing their mission. Then, if he has things that need to be changed, he takes

those things offline to his chain of command and puts pressure on them to provide a fix.

Now, the Army Reserve as an institution historically has blamed any failures on the

active component. We’re changing that. If you’re a leader in this organization, then

your responsibility is to go to the appropriate place to get things fixed and to apply

appropriate pressure. We’re doing that. 

Right now, recruiting is okay. We are a little behind in our retention goals for the year.

We sent forward to the Army about ten or twelve changes we want made to retention

policies. For example, today, when an Army Reserve Soldier wants to re-enlist, he or

she has to be within 90 days of ETS to get a bonus. We want to be able to pay a bonus

within a year of ETS the same as with an active duty Soldier.

Second, we want to be able to pay our Soldiers more than one re-enlistment bonus

during a 20-year career. Third, we believe that the forthcoming National Defense

Authorization Act will contain the authority to pay a targeted selective reenlistment

bonus (TSRB). The TSRB is the $5,000 or $10,000 re-enlistment bonus that you can

pay Soldiers if they re-enlist while in the theater of operations — Kuwait, Iraq or

Afghanistan. Finally, we’ve requested authority to be able to pay a re-enlistment bonus

for AGR NCOs. There are others that need to be changed to enable us to have an effective retention program for the Army Reserve and we have forwarded over 20 proposals

to the Army leadership. 

ARM: How successful have you been in getting these things pushed through the system?

Do you think you will be able to rectify these issues that you’ve identified?

Helmly: Well, you simply need to do what you need to do. It was no easy piece of cake

getting the regulation changed so we could promote mobilized Soldiers. I simply did

what I felt I had to do at this level to get that accomplished. I did something about it.

We are at war, and wars are deadly serious in every way. So, if it’s the right thing to do,

you’ve got to be prepared to rock the boat. 

End Part I

To Be Continued in the Next Issue

A leader takes hold of a

situation, assesses what he’s

got, puts his first emphasis

on his Soldiers and their

mission, and proceeds to tell

them what he can do to help

them while accomplishing

their mission.

We are at war, and wars are

deadly serious in every way.

So, if it’s the right thing

to do, you’ve got to be

prepared to rock the boat.

I have received a great deal of correspondence asking

questions about service and duty in the Army Reserve and the

uncertainty of the current war. Because of the sincerity of such

questions and my equal sincerity in wishing to address them in

a way that will satisfy the questioners without my appearing

indifferent, I’ve been searching for a better “answer.”

The following is a quote from a previous Commander-in-Chief

from a time of crisis at the beginning of another era — the

Cold War. I believe President Kennedy’s answer is relevant to

our situation today.

Question: Mr. President, at some of our military camps,

there have been demonstrations by mobilized Reservists,

including in one case an attempted hunger strike. I wonder if

you couldn’t comment on these demonstrations, and couldn’t

give the Reservists some notion of when they might be released.

The President: Well, I understand the feeling of any

Reservist, particularly those who may have fulfilled their duty

and then they are called back. They see others going along in

normal life and, therefore, they feel ‘How long are we going to

be kept?’

We will release them at the first possible date consistent with

our national security. They were called up because of the crisis

in Berlin and because of the threats in Southeast Asia. And I

do not think that anyone can possibly read the papers and

come to the conclusion that these threats do not continue.

There is no evidence that we are going to quickly reach a settlement in either one of these areas.

MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF, 

ARMY RESERVE

These Reservists are doing an important job. In my judgment,

the fact that they were called up, the fact that they responded,

has strengthened the foreign policy of the United States measurably since last July and August.

Now, secondly, there is always inequity in life. Some men are

killed in a war, and some men are wounded, and some men

never leave the country, and some men are stationed in the

Antarctic, and some are stationed in San Francisco. It’s very

hard in military or in personal life to assure complete equality.

Life is unfair. Some people are sick and others are well.

What I do hope is that these people recognize that they are fulfilling a valuable function, and that they will feel, however

humdrum it is and however much their life is disturbed and

the years have been yanked out of it, they will have the satisfaction afterwards of feeling that they contributed importantly

to the security of their families and their country and at a

significant time.

President’s News Conference

Washington, D.C., March 21, 1962

From Let the Word Go Forth,

The Speeches, Statements and

Writings of John F. Kennedy,

1947–1963
Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 17

“We had to travel 100 mph through many parts

of the desert and whizzed past bombed out

homes and wreckage everywhere.”

My goal before leaving was to get all the way to Baghdad. I

begged the commander, and he agreed. The rule was that, if we

could get seats on a military aircraft, we could go. Unfortunately,

we kept getting booted off planes because Soldiers needed the

space. We never made it to the heart of Iraq, and I was devastated

at the time. I felt like the best story of my career was just an arm’s

reach away, but I couldn’t reach my fingers far enough to get it.

We returned to Mobile with ten stories and they all aired during

sweeps. It took some time to get over the jetlag and the disappointment of not going to Baghdad. One night, I was tossing and

turning in my comfortable bed in Mobile when I realized that I

did get the best story after all. I gave hundreds of military families peace of mind, even if only for a few minutes at news time.

To see Tiffany Craig’s coverage, visit http://www.wkrg.com and

click on “Embedded with the 375th.”

TRAINING TROUBLES

First, we did training and stories at Fort Stewart, Georgia. We

were in huge barracks with community bathrooms and no

privacy. I called the station every day and complained about the

conditions to anyone who would listen. We got up before the

sun each day and spent hours following the troops. We participated in everything from going through a gas chamber to

throwing dummy grenades. We both tried and I failed miserably, confirming what I knew all along. I was never meant for

the military. I still get teased for not being able to get my gas

mask off when everyone else did.

I had to thump myself a few times a day because it all felt like a

dream. The Army issued us all kinds of gear — desert boots,

uniforms with our names printed on the pocket, and heavy

armor that is like a workout to wear.

Back to Mobile. We were prepared and we were on hold. For

those of you not familiar with the military, they hurry up and

wait a lot. In late January, we finally boarded a commercial

flight bound for Kuwait City. It took about 20 hours and

reminded me a lot of trips to see my parents. But this time, I

didn’t have a hot bath and hug from mom waiting.

Melvin and I would be on the ground

for two weeks, and the clock started

ticking. We stayed with thousands of

Soldiers at Camp Arifjan just outside

Kuwait City, and we did everything

with them. We were crammed into a

coed warehouse that housed more than

300 people. Lights on at 6 a.m., lights

off at 11 p.m. No one had to wear any

protective gear and the danger felt far

away. I called my parents in Saudi, my

sisters in the States, and the station as

much as I could. The station was more

worried about me than my family. My

family knew I was living out a dream.

CLOSE TO DANGER

One day we went on a “Windshield

Tour” to see the main supply route that

the convoys travel. We had to wear all

our protective gear and shot most of

our video out the window. I was a little

nervous as we drove across the border

into Iraq. We had to travel 100 mph

through many parts of the desert and

whizzed past bombed out homes and

wreckage everywhere. It was the closest

I ever got to any danger, and it made

me want more.

16 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

By Tiffany Craig, WKRG-TV

Reprinted with permission of The MG News,

Published by Media General

R

eporter has passport and will travel. Those six words changed

my life. I was the first reporter at WKRG-TV to volunteer

to go to Kuwait and Iraq. Melvin Todd was the first

photographer to do the same. Being plopped in the desert was

nothing new to me because my parents have lived in Saudi Arabia for

almost 20 years. But having to get eight different shots, for everything from Tetanus to Rabies, almost made me back out.

We would be embedded with the Army Reserve’s 375th Transportation Group. Their

commander thought bringing a TV crew would be a good morale booster for the troops.

That unit tracks and coordinates the movement of Soldiers and supplies in and out of

Iraq. We wanted to give our Mobile, Alabama, viewers the story of the Citizen Soldier.

An Outsider’s

PERSPECTIVE

Reporter Embedded in a Dream

Reporter Tiffany Craig with WKRG-TV, Mobile, Ala., at the

Kuwait/Iraq border just moments before traveling into Iraq.

PHOTO: THE MG NEWS PUBLISHED BY MEDIA GENERAL

WKRG photographer Melvin Todd prepares to shoot video just prior to entering Iraq.

PHOTO: THE MG NEWS PUBLISHED BY MEDIA GENERAL
18 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

The Faces of

HOMECOMING

Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 19

Units:

1st Armored Division Detachment (Rear Operations Center)

280th Rear Operations Center

299th Engineer Company

307th Military Police Company

320th Military Police Company

340th Military Police Company

458th Engineer Company

459th Engineer Company

465th Transportation Company

468th Chemical Battalion

PHOTOS COURTESY OF: JACK GORDON, 99TH RRC PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST; SGT. 1ST CLASS MARTH REYNA, 7TH ARCOM PAO; LT. COL. JON DAHMS, 7TH ARCOM PAO;

CAPT. LORA NEAL, 90TH RSC PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE
20 ★ Army Reserve Magazine
22 ★ Army Reserve Magazine Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 23
Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 25
Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 27

Capt. Barry Starr of the 3rd Battalion, 289th Regiment, 2nd

Brigade, whose role in the CMATT is coaching, teaching and

mentoring his counterparts on how to keep track of personnel

and equipment, said he volunteered for the mission because he

“believes in his country and the decisions being made.”

Starr also trains the Iraqis on the weapons qualification ranges.

One of his first goals was to have the Iraqis sign for equipment

and weapons, as well as have accountability formations — all of

which represented new concepts for the Iraqi army.

“We do not dictate particular procedures to the Iraqis, but we do

make suggestions to them,” he said. “They always appear eager

for, and appreciative of, any advice we offer.”

Another team member, Sgt. 1st Class Malcolm Stone of the 3rd

Battalion, 381st Regiment, 2nd Brigade, and a veteran of

Operation Desert Storm, said he volunteered “to help out the

Iraqi nation and to help get American Soldiers home faster.”

“I also am helping a nation get stronger,” he added.

Although the mission inherently is dangerous, all of the Soldiers

agree that the mission is perfect for the Army Reserve Soldiers

of the 75th Division.

“I believe this is the exact mission we should be doing. We are a

training support division. We train Soldiers,” said Chandler.

The first team of Army Reserve Soldiers from the 75th, led by

Maj. Robert Chandler, CMATT Battalion Advisory Support

Team Chief, and Master Sgt. Richard Howard, non-commissioned officer in charge, currently is located at Fort Tallafar,

Iraq. The Fort previously was used by Saddam Hussein as a

prisoner of war compound to house captured Iranian and

Kuwaiti soldiers.

Upon arriving at the Fort, the Soldiers of the 75th immediately

began repairing and renovating buildings in order to improve

living conditions for themselves and the Iraqi soldiers residing

and training there. They also instituted more stringent security

measures. In addition, they agreed to enjoy the same meals as

the Iraqi soldiers.

“A typical breakfast consists of a mashed up hard-boiled egg, a

white soup-like substance, and bread and cream,” said Chandler.

“For lunch and dinner, the Soldiers are given the choice of

chicken with rice or rice with chicken,” he added with a smile.

All of the members of the team understand the importance of

their mission. According to Staff Sgt. James Mitchell of the 3rd

Battalion, 381st Regiment, 2nd Brigade, who served two years

on active duty with an infantry unit but never before had been

in a combat zone, being part of the CMATT mission represents

a good opportunity to help empower the Iraqi people to defend

themselves.

“In the first month of training, we put the Iraqis through

Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) training, closequarter combat training, patrolling techniques and formations,

tactical checkpoints, and individual movement techniques,” he

said. “All of this training is being put to good use when the

Iraqis and 75th Division Soldiers go on patrols with the 2nd

Infantry Division Stryker Brigade Combat Team. It also helps

the Iraqis take control of their destiny.”

To ensure training progress, the Soldiers from the 75th regularly accompany the Iraqis on both day and night patrols in the

local village and terrain surrounding the Fort.

26 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

N

ever before have Army Reserve Soldiers been

asked to do as much as they are doing today.

Once thought of as a “Force in Reserve,” a force

that drilled one weekend a month and two weeks in the

summer, the Army Reserve today is a critical and vital

element in today’s Army. 

Increasingly, Army Reserve Soldiers are being called

upon to help carry the weight of fighting and winning

our nation’s wars. Just as the generation of World War II

answered the call to service, the Soldiers of the Army

Reserve are being called upon today to sacrifice in

defense of our nation in the Global War on Terrorism.

Below are some of their stories.

75TH DIVISION TRAINING IRAQI ARMED FORCES

Amid a backdrop of mortar attacks, fire fights and Improvised

Explosive Devices, the first of a number of 75th Division (Training

Support) Advisory Support Teams is schooling hundreds of Iraqi soldiers in leadership, soldiering skills and unit tactics as part of the

Coalition Military Assistance Training Team (CMATT). 

Hailing from Houston, Texas, the 75th has been mobilized since 2003.

Most of the deployed team members are volunteers and have infantry

or combat arms experience. Additionally, most have served on active

duty and many served during Operation Desert Storm.

Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Malcolm Stone of the 75th Division (Training Support) pulls

security on a joint combat patrol with an Iraqi platoon in Iraq.

UPDATE ON OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM

Capt. Barry Starr of the 3rd Battalion,

289th Regiment, 2nd Brigade, said he volunteered

for the mission because he “believes in his

country and the decisions being made.”
Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 29

“I can assure you that you will see only continued improvement

in your civil affairs force,” said Col. Jeffrey A. Jacobs, commander of the 354th Civil Affairs Brigade. “We are not home yet,

although we have completed our mission with the 1st Armored

Division. We still have a continuing mission, and we will

proudly wear the Old Ironsides’ patch on our shoulders.”

368TH ENGINEER BATTALION BRINGS COLLEGE

COURSES TO THE FIELD

Some Soldiers are discovering that they don’t need to put college

plans on hold until after their Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment. According to Capt. Michael Malone, adjutant for the

368th Engineer Battalion, an Army Reserve unit from

Londonderry, New Hampshire, Soldiers with a master’s degree

can teach undergraduate courses in the field after they have been

accredited to teach.

Malone, a software expert from San Jose, California, researched

how to get classes running for Soldiers stationed abroad and

found out about the teaching program.

“I called the Camp Doha education center and found out what it

would take to teach. Basically, it took a master’s degree and

filling out a form, which was sent to a satellite branch of the

University of Maryland in Germany for accreditation,”

explained Malone, who is vice president of software integration

for Star Technologies, Inc. in Silicon Valley.

The brigade was comprised of the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion,

the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion and the 414th Civil Affairs

Battalion.

The 354th worked with the 3rd Infantry and 1st Armored

Division’s maneuver brigades, the Government Support Team,

the Coalition Provisional Authority, various international and

non-governmental organizations, and the Iraqi Assistance

Center and Iraqi citizens to accomplish its mission.

“The brigade played a major role in many operations throughout their year here,” said Brig. Gen. Martin Dempsey,

commanding general of the 1st Armored Division. “They

brought life back to Baghdad, a city of 5.5 million people. They

should be very proud of their accomplishment here.”

A few of the missions accomplished by the brigade included the

re-establishment of port operations and the creation of the Oilfor-Food distribution system in the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr.

The brigade also helped establish the Iraqi Business Center,

restore the Baghdad Zoo, recover museum artifacts, assess the

conditions of public hospitals, and re-supply healthcare facilities with medical equipment and supplies.

According to Dempsey, the brigade helped set the people of

Baghdad on a course toward freedom.

“You have made the world safer for your own families, and you

have made this part of the world safer for future generations of

Iraqis,” he said. “I am proud to have had the opportunity to

serve with you in Iraq.”

The brigade turned over its operations to the 350th Operational

Planning Team.

28 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

little contact with U.S. forces. Therefore, they have a tendency

to quickly latch onto anything they hear. That is why we are

here. To make sure they hear the whole story.”

With a circulation of more than 750,000 copies, Baghdad Now is

reaching more Iraqis than ever before. And distributing the

paper keeps PsyOps forces busy in the streets, allowing them to

maintain contact with the people.

“I was happy to participate in the liberation of Iraq, and now I

am happy to participate in the country’s rebuilding,” said

Grench. “If there is one thing I have learned, it is that these

people are no different from our own people. We have the same

problems, troubles, worries and fears. Over time and with our

facilitation, I hope they will learn to help themselves and to take

advantage of the new opportunities before them.”

354TH CIVIL AFFAIRS BRIGADE WRAPS UP

BAGHDAD MISSION

The 354th Civil Affairs Brigade concluded its role in rebuilding

Iraq during a transfer of authority ceremony held in February.

The 354th, an Army Reserve unit from Riverdale, Maryland,

provided civil affairs command and control in the Baghdad area

of operations for the 3rd Infantry and the 1st Armored Division.

315TH PSYOPS COMPANY MAKES CONNECTIONS

WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Army Reserve Soldiers from the 315th Psychological

Operations Company from San Jose, California, part of Task

Force 1st Armored Division, are pushing out into various Iraqi

communities to ensure the Iraqi people hear and see the truth

about what is happening in their country.

“Today, we went out and distributed copies of Baghdad Now and

the new Next Generation posters,” said Maj. John A. Grench,

PsyOps operations officer for the 1st Armored Division. “It’s

important to inform the Iraqi people of the Coalition forces’

intentions. We are doing this by distributing educational materials and communicating face-to-face with local residents.”

Baghdad Now, published every two weeks, informs residents

about events going on within their country, as well as provides

news about their own neighborhoods. It is written in Arabic

and English by Iraqi journalists, and also contains news from

the neighborhoods’ military leaders. The paper highlights the

accomplishments of Coalition and Iraqi community members

in rebuilding the country.

PsyOps’ newest communication tool is the Next Generation

posters. The Next Generation posters depict representatives from

the new Iraqi security forces — Iraq Police Services, Force

Protection Services, Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, and the New

Iraqi Army. These posters are hung in local shops and businesses

to acquaint local residents with their own Iraqi security forces.

Both Baghdad Now and the Next Generation posters are tools

used to break through language barriers and quickly spread

vital, accurate information. However, according to Grench,

nothing is as effective as personal contact.

“Building bridges is one of the primary goals for PsyOps,” he

said. “By talking to people and gaining perspective in a local

area, we are able to build an overall picture of the region. After

identifying problems, concerns and misinformation, we can

come back and begin to address them.”

Even given all of the misinformation circulating throughout

Iraqi communities, Grench believes the overall attitude of the

Iraqis toward Coalition personnel is very positive.

“Most of the people we meet feel good about U.S. forces,” added

Grench. “There is only a small percentage out there who are

somewhat put off by Soldiers. But that is mainly because they

do not know how to react to us. Those people have had very

Maj. John A. Grench, PsyOps operations officer with the 315th Psychological Operations

Company, an Army Reserve unit from San Jose, Calif., affixes a Next Generation poster to

the wall of a business, as local residents look on.

PHOTO: SPC. CHAD D. WILKERSON, 372ND MPAD

Col. Jeffrey A. Jacobs, commander of the 354th Civil Affairs Brigade, Task Force 1st

Armored Division, during a recent transfer of authority ceremony.

Capt. Michael Malone, adjutant for the 368th Engineer Battalion, an Army Reserve unit from

Londonderry, N.H., talks to a couple of students about the finer points of networking.

PHOTO: STAFF SGT. NATE ORME, 3RD PERSONNEL COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS NCO

“Building bridges is one of

the primary goals for PsyOps.”

“The brigade played a major role in

many operations throughout their year here.

They brought life back to Baghdad, a city

of 5.5 million people. They should be very proud

of their accomplishment here.”
Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 31

422ND CIVIL AFFAIRS BATTALION ORGANIZES

PLAYGROUND PROJECT

The prospect of a new and improved Iraq continued to unfold as

the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion of Task Force 1st Armored

Division officially unveiled details for a major park renovation

project in Baghdad. Anticipated to cost approximately $165,000,

which is being funded primarily through grants and private

donations, the project will include restoration of a historic fountain and surrounding flower garden area, as well as construction

of a 500-seat soccer stadium for intramural teams, renovation of

a pond, and development of a playground area with accompanying walkways.

According to Capt. Richard Cote, 422nd team leader, the project

is designed to help erase the negative memories associated with

the area, which formerly was a mass gravesite for Fedayeen soldiers killed during the initial stages of Operation Iraq Freedom.

The 422nd already has cleared the area and turned the bodies

over to the International Red Cross/Crescent for identification

and family notification.

“We are trying to get the park back to the way it originally was

10 to 15 years ago,” said Cote.

The project is expected to take two to three months to complete,

starting with the clearing of accumulated war debris.

Approximately 50 to 60 Iraqis will take part in the renovation,

which will include additions such as concrete benches, and restrooms and showers for the soccer teams.

“This is strictly an Iraqi project,” added Cote. “The 422nd is

simply coordinating the details and providing the Iraqis the

funding to help them do it. Our goal is to put local Iraqis back

to work.”

During a recent ribbon cutting ceremony, members of the 414th

Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve unit from Utica, New

York, gathered with residents of the small community to

witness the opening of the Abala Medical Clinic, which will

provide primary medical treatment for the area. Previously, the

residents had to travel 10 miles to receive medical treatment —

a distance made much further by the fact that most people had

no transportation.

“We’re proud to open the medical clinic here because it is providing medical service for an under-serviced population,” said

Col. John Huntley, commander of the 414th.

While contractors began rebuilding the clinic, the 414th also

acquired funds to repair the mosque next door. According to

Staff Sgt. Louis Poliselli, leader of the 414th direct support

team, this second project supported the Coalition forces’ overall

goal of winning the hearts and minds of the people.

“We were able to show that we were working with religious

leaders,” he said. “It didn’t matter if they were Christian or

Muslim. We just wanted to help everybody out, and that means

a lot to the people here.”

As funds started coming in, the 414th went a step further by

obtaining enough money to reroute the community’s drinking

water. According to Sgt. Amy Fish, a member of the direct

support team for the 414th, previously the people in the area

were drawing their water from wells containing a high concentration of sulfur, making it unsafe to consume.

“Now, we’ve tapped into a main line that is hooked to a purification system,” she said. “From the main line, we ran drinking

water pipes to the schools in this area, as well as to the medical

center and the mosque, creating better living conditions for

everyone.”

“We are in the business of pulling together infrastructure,”

added Huntley. “The work we are doing today is going to help

the country carry on by itself after we leave. So, we’re interested

in doing the best job we can, setting the stage for future success.

It’s just a start, but we’re hoping to be a springboard to continued progress here.”

30 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

Capt. James DeFeo, an intelligence officer with the 368th, is a

police officer in his civilian career and has a master’s degree in

criminal justice.

Most classes are worth three credit hours and last eight weeks.

Classes are held twice a week for three hours each. Teachers are

paid by the universities for their work as long as it does not conflict with duty hours.

Malone, who is teaching courses in computers that also can be

used to prepare for commercial certifications, currently is

looking into ways that Soldiers can take certification exams. He

has found a testing location in Kuwait City, but is looking into

getting testing centers placed on bases.

414TH CA BATTALION CELEBRATES COMPLETION OF

MAJOR COMMUNITY PROJECTS

In the western region of Abu Ghraib, the Iraqi people have

plenty to celebrate. In less than two months, their water has

been made safe to drink, the condition of their mosque has been

restored, and they now have a medical clinic close at hand.

With his accreditation in hand, Malone worked with other

Soldiers to build some tables and benches out of plywood. They

also erected a tent, and then began the process of signing up

Soldiers.

“We worked with the University of Maryland to set up registration in the community center. The first semester we signed up

roughly 99 percent of our battalion, or approximately 100 students. This semester, we posted a flyer and got about 200

students,” added Malone. “We will be putting on ten classes this

quarter, and we’ve also recruited other teachers. Capt. DeFeo,

for example, will be teaching a course on ethics and criminal

justice this semester.”

Sgt. Amy Fish, a member of the direct support team of the 414th Civil Affairs Battalion from Utica, N.Y., and local Abu Ghraib community officials cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the

Abala Medical Clinic west of Baghdad.

PHOTO: SPC. CHAD D. WILKERSON, 372ND PAO

“We will be putting on ten classes this quarter,

and we’ve also recruited other teachers.”

Capt. James DeFeo, an intelligence officer with the 368th, teaches ethics and criminal

justice to students in a tent.

PHOTO: STAFF SGT. NATE ORME, 3RD PERSONNEL COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS NCO

“We were able to show that we were working with

religious leaders. It didn’t matter if they were Christian

or Muslim. We just wanted to help everybody out,

and that means a lot to the people here.”

“This is strictly an Iraqi project. The 422nd is

simply coordinating the details and providing the

Iraqis the funding to help them do it. Our goal

is to put local Iraqis back to work.”
Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 33

478TH CA BATTALION HELPS BUILD SUBURBAN

CENTER TO EDUCATE WOMEN

Working with young women from the Karadah District of

Baghdad, Army Reserve Soldiers with the 478th Civil Affairs

Battalion from Miami, Florida, have helped build a women’s

training and education center dedicated to the memory of Bent

Al Huda, a women’s rights activist killed by Saddam loyalists in

the 1980s. The center will be run by Sumeah Kokah, a home

management teacher with 12 years of working experience.

“The center will be used to teach different people various skills

designed to improve their quality of life,” said Kokah, who plans

to include teachings in history, as well as home economics, in

the curriculum. “It will give the women who participate in the

studies an opportunity to better themselves.”

According to Maj. Danny Hassig, team leader with the 478th,

Saddam Hussein never allowed women to receive any kind of

education. So, the center represents a major step forward for

these oppressed people.

Originally, the terminal, which was opened to relieve the load

on the Joint Military Mail Terminal in Kuwait, was in a total

state of disrepair. It had not been used for more than a decade

and, as a result, Army engineers were needed to modify the

structure and to remove tons of debris before operations could

begin. The building, which once may have served as an Iraqi

Airlines cargo storage facility, was chosen because of its allimportant loading docks and large covered area.

In its first months of operation, everything from electricity and

water to hot meals were in scarce supply for the postal Soldiers.

Meals Ready to Eat were served twice a day, while a small chow

tent served hot meals once a day. Sleeping arrangements were

set up wherever space allowed.

Despite the long hours and harsh conditions, the Soldiers maintained a positive attitude.

“The only thing that matters is whether the letter or package

makes it into the hands of the Soldier,” members of the 461st

were fond of saying.

As conditions improved, the 461st got the upper hand on the

mail, conquering the logistical nightmare of supporting more

than 100,000 troops constantly moving around a war zone,

reducing delivery times to under 10 days. The last real challenge came during the Christmas mail surge.

“It was horrible,” laughed Sgt. Janet Resto, a Soldier with the

912th Postal Company from Orlando, Florida, and a transportation traffic manager in her civilian job. “It began before

Thanksgiving and lasted until the second week in January. We

worked 14–18 hour days, but we never got behind. We even got

Christmas off since we were caught up.”

“Soldiers appreciate what we do here. They say thank you. It’s

nice to hear that,” she added.

32 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

461ST PERSONNEL SERVICES BATTALION HANDS

OVER MAIL OPERATIONS 

After enduring months of intense heat, long hours, dust, and

spartan living conditions, the 461st Personnel Services

Battalion, an Army Reserve unit from Decatur, Georgia, has

nearly completed turning over military postal operations to contractors. According to Lt. Col. Steven Heggen, commander of

the 461st, the turnover began last October when the first KBR

postal workers began to arrive.

Previously, the Joint Military Mail Terminal was manned exclusively with Soldiers from the 461st and its down-trace units

from the Guard, Reserve and Active Army. Now, with the exception of just a handful of postal unit Soldiers, the terminal is

staffed almost entirely by KBR employees. The handoff was necessary because the Army does not have the number of postal

units needed to support continued operations.

Up until the handoff, the terminal had processed more than 90

million pounds of mail, which was distributed by more than

1,100 mail convoys to more than a dozen points throughout

Iraq. Mail convoys consisted of one to 12 tractor trailers, each

hauling two 20-foot or one 40-foot mail-filled container daily.

The convoys were escorted by military “gun trucks” — two or

three five-ton trucks outfitted with gun turrets typically supporting a 50-caliber machine gun.

To date, the 422nd has completed a variety of missions in the

Baghdad area — everything from rehabilitating schools and

creating playgrounds and soccer fields, to installing an Iraqi

security force at the Al Ali Bus Terminal and amassing more

than $190,000 in preliminary funding for the terminal’s repair.

“In addition, we are getting ready to construct the first National

Fire Academy for Iraq,” said Cote, who is a firefighter for the

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Fire Department in his civilian

life. “This project will give the community a sense of ownership. It will boost their morale. And it will build better relations

with the local Iraqi people.”

The cavernous interior of the Joint Military Mail Terminal in Iraq.

Army Reserve Soldiers with the 461st Personnel Services Battalion work in the redirect mail section of the Baghdad Joint Military Mail Terminal.

PHOTO: STAFF SGT. NATE ORME, 3RD PERSONNEL COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS NCO

Young Iraqi women attending classes at the new Bent Al Huda women’s training and

education center in Baghdad.

PHOTO: UNKNOWN

PHOTO: STAFF SGT. NATE ORME, 3RD PERSONNEL COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS NCO “The only thing that matters is

whether the letter or package makes

it into the hands of the Soldier.”

Sumeah Kokah teaching a class at the new Bent Al Huda women’s training and education

center in Baghdad.

PHOTO: UNKNOWN

Spc. Matthew Forester, 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion project coordinator, holds the ribbon

marking the launch of a park renovation project in Baghdad.

PHOTO: PFC. BLANKA STRATFORD, CFLCC PAO
34 ★ Army Reserve Magazine Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 35

751ST QUARTERMASTER COMPANY ARMED TO

THE TEETH

Since arriving in Iraq, members of the 751st Quartermaster

Company, a direct support Army Reserve unit from Mesa,

Arizona, has been armed to the teeth. Tasked with a non-standard warehouse mission to store, receive and issue Captured

Enemy Equipment and Weapons (CEE), the unit has handled

more than 80,000 captured enemy weapons and more than 1.2

million pieces of captured Class II (OCIE/Uniforms) items.

Every day, the Soldiers unload Iraqi warehouses filled with

thousands of Class II items, relocating the captured items to the

CEE warehouse, where they are entered into a computer database designed to make tracking the equipment more efficient.

The database also possesses the capability to issue the CEE class

II items and weapons in support of Coalition forces responsible

for the training of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC), as well

as the Iraqi police force.

Among the many accomplishments of the 751st are:

★ Outfitting more than 46 battalions of ICDC security forces

with uniforms, OCIE and weapons.

★ Operating 15 warehouses with a staff of only 25 Soldiers

★ Unloading more than 24,000 weapons within a 24-hour

period

490TH CA BATTALION HELPS REPAIR AND

RENOVATE SCHOOLS

As the 414th Civil Affairs Battalion toiled in one section of Abu

Ghraib, the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve unit

from Abilene, Texas, assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored

Division, worked to renovate and repair several schools in

another area of the same community. Buildings that had no

electricity, running water or windows prior to the arrival of the

490th have now been completely restored. In addition, the

schools have been cleared of all munitions that previously littered both school yards and classrooms making the area unsafe

for returning school children.

A team from the 490th, known as GS-3, managed the financing

for, and supervised reconstruction of, the schools. They hired

the Al-Saniaa Contracting Company, a local business, to

perform the work that was needed on the buildings. More than

$35,000 was used on the Al-Thabat school alone to restore it to

proper condition.

“It probably was the worst school in the area. The place basically had been gutted. There was a lot of damage to the masonry

and to the classrooms, and there were Iraqi fighting positions

dug into the front of the school as well,” said one member of the

490th.

“The majority of the teachers and students were pleased that we

came in and fixed the school,” he added. “The school’s head

mistress, as well as the teachers, were all very positive. In addition, the school children would come up and thank us for the

work we were doing.”

A Soldier with the 751st Quartermaster Company inventories captured Enfield

Bolt-Action Rifles.

Soldiers with the 751st Quartermaster Company move crates of captured new AK-47s.

A Soldier with the 751st Quartermaster Company checks out an RPD Machine Gun. 

PHOTOS THIS PAGE: UNKNOWN

A student in the Al-Thabat School, located in Abu-Ghraib, is ready to begin a day’s studies in his recently renovated school. Soldiers from the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion worked to repair

the building and clear munitions.

PHOTO: SPC. JOHN S. WOLLASTON, 3RD BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM PAO

FLORIDA AND THE 478TH

DEMONSTRATE THEIR LOVE FOR

THE DEAF CHILDREN OF IRAQ

In April, Army Reserve Soldiers with the 478th Civil Affairs

Battalion from Miami, Florida, visited the students of the

Institute for Deaf Children in the Karadah District of Baghdad

bearing gifts of clothing and toys. According to Maj. Danny

Hassig, team leader with the 478th, the clothing and toys

were donated by the residents of his home town, Blountstown,

Florida, after he mentioned to his sister, Stephanie Moravek,

via phone that the children needed just about everything one

could think of.

On hand to deliver the first box of clothing was Lt. Col.

Wilfredo Rosario, commander of the 478th, who noted, “These

are special kids receiving gifts of love from special people in

Florida. Our unit is happy to be able to link the two groups

together.”

Spc. Halbert Thomas of Miami helped the children open boxes

full of shoes. He said, “The children taught me the hand sign

for ‘I love you.’ It really wasn’t necessary, however, because I

saw the love and thanks in their eyes.”

According to Sgt. Alicia Castellion of Miami, the visit to the

Institute touched her deeply. “My visit to the Institute has been

the best day I have had since coming to Iraq,” she noted.

“Many of our Soldiers have children at home that we really

miss,” said Maj. John Uharriet from Pembroke Pines, Florida,

and executive officer for the 478th. “Our visit gave us a

chance to interact with kids, bringing with it all of the fond

memories of home.”

Army Reserve Soldiers with the 478th Civil Affairs Battalion from Miami, Fla.,

distribute clothing and toys donated by the residents of Blountstown, Fla., to

children at the Institute for Deaf Children in Baghdad.

PHOTO: UNKNOWN
36 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

Interview with Col. Octavia Parker

Commander, USARC Augmentation Unit

June 2004

T

he newly-formed U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC)

Augmentation Unit’s mission is to transform the way the

Army Reserve fills mission requirements with individual

Soldiers. Activated on June 17, 2004, at the USARC in Fort

McPherson, Georgia, Col. Octavia Parker has been assigned to

command the unit.

USARC: What is the USARC Augmentation Unit (UAU)?

Col. Parker (Parker): Basically, the UAU was established under the USARC to manage the

pool of Soldiers in the Individual Augmentee (IA) Program, which was created by the

Chief, Army Reserve (CAR). Because of mission requirements, we have formed a direct

reporting unit (DRU) of troop program unit (TPU) Soldiers who are able to be mobilized to augment the full-time staff to focus on operational missions and contingencies.

We also will be able to utilize Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) and

Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) personnel. In addition, we will be providing full-time

operational support for the IA program.

One of our primary roles is to re-engineer the way we mobilize individual Soldiers —

to create a streamlined system that enables us to efficiently mobilize IAs in order to

meet the needs of the combatant commanders. In effect, we will act as a conduit

between the Army Reserve Soldier and the unit. Eventually, we will use the IA program

THE U.S. ARMY RESERVE

COMMAND AUGMENTATION UNIT:

A NEW WAY OF CONDUCTING BUSINESS

Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 37

to place Soldiers within specific units needing their particular grade and specialty.

USARC: How does the UAU plan to help fill current and projected mobilization

vacancies within the Army Reserve?

Parker: Through the use of the UAU program, we will have a pool of available and

deployable Soldiers able to fulfill operational missions above and beyond the current

mobilization authority. 

The actual mechanics of the program will begin with the combatant commander submitting his or her requirements to the Coalition Forces Land Component Command

(CFLCC), who will then pass the requirements on to the Army G-3. The Army G-3 will

be responsible for validating and prioritizing the requests, and for working with the

Army G-1 to input the requirements into the Worldwide Individual Augmentee System

(WIAS). The WIAS will be updated daily so that mission requirements remain current. 

With access to the WIAS, the UAU will match volunteers to the requirements based

upon grade and specialty. This will enable us to use volunteers rather than involuntarily mobilize other Soldiers. There will be different categories in the IA program. There

will be Soldiers who can fill requirements but are not in the IA program; Soldiers who

do not match based on specialty and grade; and Soldiers who are in the IA program.

USARC: What are the benefits of the IA Program to individual Soldiers?

Parker: There are many benefits. First, there are many Soldiers who want to continue

their participation in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), and this program will

allow them to continue to serve as part of the war fight. Second, it allows Soldiers to

gain valuable experience, enhance their career development, and receive additional

skills training. All of this will enable the Soldier to be more prepared to perform his or

her mission in the future as needed.

USARC: What are the benefits to the Army Reserve?

Parker: First and foremost, this program will help us to develop future leaders in the

Army Reserve. Further, when a Soldier is transferred into the IA program, it will not

affect the unit’s readiness because the unit can immediately backfill the position. Then,

when the Soldier redeploys from his or her IA assignment, he or she will be guaranteed

a position with their originating unit. This will allow unit commanders to be overstrength while maintaining the integrity of their units.

We will be looking at the entire Army Reserve inventory instead of focusing solely on

individual vacancies and units. We will be looking at what the Army Reserve needs as

a whole, but managing at the individual Soldier level. 

It is a big challenge because there are numerous players competing for the same

resources. However, I am confident that we are on the right path and that the program

will pay big dividends in the future.

This will enable us to

use volunteers rather than

involuntarily mobilize

other Soldiers.

We will be looking at what

the Army Reserve needs as a

whole, but managing at the

individual Soldier level. 
PEOPLE PEOPLE

Germany before being flown home and

admitted to Walter Reed Hospital in

Maryland. Physicians will soon determine whether he needs more surgery on

his broken arm. It also is likely that he

will need to have the anterior cruciate

ligament in his left knee replaced.

As leader of a civil affairs team, Capt.

Kevin Guidry chose Smathers as one of

the Soldiers for his team. A West Point

graduate and former FBI agent, Guidry

met Smathers at Fort Bragg, North

Carolina, in 2003, when they were both

called up for training in preparation for

the war.

“John [Smathers] was one of my first

picks,” said Guidry. “I picked him

because of his intelligence and his level

of physical fitness. In a place like Iraq,

you need someone you can count on.

John was someone I could count on to

take over if something happened to me,

or to take over part of the team if I had

to split the team in two.”

Last year, Guidry put Smathers in

charge of half the team when the squad

became de facto police officers and

foiled a bank robbery in Baghdad.

Guidry and his half of the team went

into a bank where about eight men were

stuffing cash into bags, while Smathers

and four other Soldiers formed a

perimeter around the bank.

When one of the looters ran out of the

bank, some of the people in the crowd

jumped on him, apparently thinking he

still had money. Smathers fired three

rounds into the air and pulled several

people off the man, saving him from

serious injury. The squad recovered $6.3

million in U.S. currency. Their find was

part of a torrent of cash that U.S. forces

have discovered while exploring

Baghdad.

Smathers, who grew up with six sisters,

said he was inspired to serve in the military by his father, who was an Army

medic in World War II.

“I can’t tell you how proud the family

is of John’s commitment to serve our

country,” said Luanne Tano, one of

Smathers’ sisters. “We are proud that he

followed his true convictions and placed

the values of our country ahead of his

personal ambitions.”

OLDEST ENLISTED SOLDIER

IN IRAQ TAKES PRIDE IN

HIS MILITARY SERVICE

He has experienced the extremes of

warfare — from behind a rifle to behind

a desk. He has weathered two wars

bracketing a generation in controversy

— Vietnam and the current conflict

in Iraq. And, at age 59, Sgt. 1st Class

Clarence Kugler of Fort Lauderdale,

Florida, also bears another distinction.

According to the Army, he is one of the

oldest enlisted Soldiers in Iraq.

“To me, it’s become a badge of

honor to stay in,” said Kugler from the

Coalition’s secure Green Zone sector in

Baghdad. “I appreciate the Army treating me like the other guys.”

But Kugler is hardly like most other

guys. The Army Reserve Soldier and

member of the 478th Civil Affairs

Battalion from Miami is a triathlon

athlete — an Iron Man competitor who

jogs daily and rides a mountain bike

around base. He also is a person who

takes more pride in helping the locals

than carving notches on his rifle.

“Being in a civil affairs unit is almost

like being in the Peace Corps,” he said.

“We actually work on projects with

civilians so they don’t really bother

the Army.”

Projects Kugler has been involved with

include establishing a clothing center

for women and obtaining hearing aids

for deaf kids. According to him, local

reaction has been extremely positive.

“When you go out there, people are

waving at you. They’re very friendly,”

he added.

Kugler’s posting is a distinct departure

from his initial entry into the military.

He joined the Army in 1968 and, during

three years’ service, saw combat as a

lieutenant in Vietnam.

“Unfortunately, I remember the days

when the commander said we had to

destroy the village to save it,” said

Kugler. “This time around, it’s different. It’s nice to be in the Army when

you have the American people behind

you — where you can be somewhat of a

hero in the public eye.”

After serving in Vietnam, Kugler

returned to civilian life. He then joined

the Army Reserve as an enlisted man

for a brief stint in the mid-1980s. After

landing a job with the U.S. Department

of Labor in Fort Lauderdale in 1989,

he stayed in the Army Reserve on a

permanent basis. 

“To me, it’s become a

badge of honor to stay in.

I appreciate the

Army treating me like

the other guys.”

Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 39

“I can’t tell you how

proud the family is of

John’s commitment to serve

our country. We are proud

that he followed his true

convictions and placed the

values of our country ahead

of his personal ambitions.”

EARNING MEDALS

UNDER FIRE IN IRAQ

D

uring his year as an Army Reserve

Captain in Iraq, Laurel, Maryland,

attorney John E. Smathers helped

foil a bank robbery, suffered partial

hearing loss in one ear when a roadside

bomb exploded near his convoy,

engaged in ferocious firefights with

Saddam Hussein loyalists, helped

recover stolen Iraqi artwork, and

endured searing 140-degree heat and

debilitating bouts of dysentery. 

But he came home with two Purple

Hearts, four Bronze Stars and an Army

commendation medal. He also brought

home a broken left arm and cartilage

damage in his left knee, injuries suffered during an ambush that Smathers

and six fellow Soldiers and three

friendly Iraqis barely survived.

In recent interviews, Smathers recalled

his year at war and the ambush that

almost took his life.

A former Prince George’s County,

Maryland, assistant state’s attorney and

a native of that county, Smathers specializes in civil litigation. In 2000, he

won a record civil judgment in a Prince

George’s police brutality case — $4.1

million on behalf of Freddie McCollum,

Jr., who was badly beaten by three officers and attacked by a police dog during

an encounter that began as a traffic stop.

Right now, however, he is arguing for

the war in Iraq.

According to Smathers, the invasion

was justified. The oppression that Iraqis,

particularly women, endured under

Hussein, on its own was enough to convince him that aggressive action was

required.

“Seeing the way people live and the

way people are treated was alarming.

Saddam was tyrannical, and his regime

had to be overthrown,” said Smathers, 

adding that conditions for women were

particularly bad in rural areas.

“Seeing the way people

live and the way people

are treated was alarming.

Saddam was tyrannical,

and his regime had to

be overthrown.”

“The men would have three or four

wives. The women would be out in the

fields, harvesting crops with hoes and

sickles,” added Smathers. “The men

would sit inside and sip tea. You’d see

old ladies with hunchbacks, who had

been harvesting their whole lives. It

turned your stomach.”

For much of his year in Iraq, Smathers

and the other members of the 422nd

Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve

unit from Riverdale, Maryland, lived in a

two-story, three-bedroom house belonging to one of Hussein’s bodyguards. It

was located in the “Green Zone,” an area

secured by U.S.-led forces.

During one final mission outside the

Green Zone to assess the local food and

water situation, Smathers’ convoy was

ambushed. He was in one of three SUVs

containing seven American Soldiers and

four Iraqis. Just south of Baghdad, the

convoy slowed to ease into a bend in the

road. At that moment, they were

attacked.

“Soon as we hit that bend, all the

windows exploded. It rained bullets,”

said Smathers.

The SUV lurched left and right, and

finally flipped over moving 100 miles

per hour. Upon being helped from the

vehicle, Smathers, whose knees had been

banged up in the crash, collapsed to the

ground. He was injured, but alive. Both

bones in his left forearm had snapped.

Smathers was driven to an area controlled by Polish troops and, from there,

taken by helicopter to a field hospital,

where a Polish doctor set his shattered

arm with two metal plates. Later,

Smathers was taken to a hospital in

38 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

People in Focus
PEOPLE

Others, according to Corliss, needed

schooling on such business basics as

product pricing and how to buy raw

goods competitively. 

Realizing he needed to provide

something more than just a quick,

off-the-cuff seminar, he teamed up with 

the National Foundation for Teaching

Entrepreneurship, a U.S. organization

that trains inner-city children to open

their own companies. The Foundation

also runs educational programs in many

countries making the switch to marketbased economies.

With their help, Corliss trained approximately 20 Iraqi teachers, who in turn

are putting thousands of Iraqis through

70-hour training programs. 

In another effort, he helped the

University of Baghdad’s College of

Administration and Economics, which

had been stripped down to the blackboards following looting last year. To get

the College back up and running, he

approached the Business Roundtable,

which raised more than $2 million from

Pfizer, Inc., FedEx Corp., Microsoft

Corp. and others, to support his efforts.

The money has been used to re-supply

the College, as well as other Iraqi

schools, with books, computers and

other needs.

“According to Corliss,

he enlisted as a non

commissioned officer

because he felt it was the

quickest way to get to Iraq.”

Whether these efforts ultimately will

have an effect, Corliss is convinced that

small- and medium-sized businesses can

spark real growth in the country.

PEOPLE

Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 41

ARMY RESERVE SOLDIER TOPS MILITARY FIELD

AT NATIONAL CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

A 30-year old computer specialist with the 7th Army

Reserve Command, who also is a member of the All Armed Forces Cycling

Team, took top honors in the military category of the U.S. Elite Cyclocross

Championships held recently in Portland, Oregon. Staff Sgt. Michael

Gallagher of the 7th ARCOM’s G-6 (Information Management), who

took 20th overall in a field of more than 75 nationally ranked cyclists,

described Cyclocross as “a little bit road and a little bit off-road.”

Cyclocross grew out of WWI, when cyclists carried messages from

command posts directly to the front lines. To take the most direct route,

cyclists often were required not only to ride, but also to run with and

carry their bikes over, around and through the mud and obstacles of the

battlefields of Northern Europe.

After placing first in a regional event in Europe and consistently doing

well on the European circuit, Gallagher caught the eye of the Armed

Forces Cycling Team manager in Europe. That led to his selection to

compete in the National Cyclocross Championships. From here, his

goal is clear.

“The Armed Forces Cycling Team has four slots in the Olympic Trials

Road Race,” added Gallagher. “I am going to earn one of those slots.”

Staff. Sgt. Michael Gallagher of the 7th ARCOM’s G-6 (Information Management) took top honors in

the military category of the U.S. Elite Cyclocross Championships recently held in Portland, Oregon.

Since then, he has had 13 different

two-week postings in civil affairs missions across South and Central America,

including earthquake relief work in

Panama, medical work as a vet in

Ecuador, and road building in Honduras.

Last year, Kugler spent four months in

Hungary as an instructor for the Iraqi

Free Forces.

When his unit was assigned to Iraq in

February, Kugler, given his age, could

have opted out. But that would have

meant saying farewell to buddies he’s

known for 13 years. 

“What was just a military partnership

evolved into a deep friendship,” he said.

“I wasn’t going to let them go off

without me.”

In Baghdad, he starts every day with an

hour’s run.

“It’s beautiful over here in the

morning,” he adds. “Besides, if you can

outrun 90 percent of the unit, no one is

going to make too much fun of you —

despite your age.”

The aging warrior figures his days in

uniform are numbered, and his last military adventure may end on the banks of

the Tigris.

“I think they are going to put a boot

to my rear end at age 60,” said Kugler.

“There will be a golden walker presented to me.”

If so, Kugler plans to resume his job, his

coaching work, and his athletic competitions. He’s one old Soldier who won’t

just fade away.

FINANCE AND THE MILITARY

NOT NECESSARILY STRANGE

BEDFELLOWS

U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Glenn Corliss

is back from Baghdad, and he says he

believes Iraq is well on its way to laying

down its entrepreneurial roots.

“All you have to do is walk through the

Karadah district of Baghdad. It looks

like Times Square now,” said the 31-

year old Corliss, who is a Wall Street

vice president in his civilian life.

Corliss is about to return to his regular

assignment identifying acquisition

targets for One Equity Partnerships,

the private-equity arm of Bank One

Corporation. He joined the Army

Reserve a month after the 9/11 terrorist

attacks, and was called up in

February 2003.

According to Corliss, he enlisted as a

non-commissioned officer because he

felt it was the quickest way to get to

Iraq. His biggest project while in Iraq

was helping build an entrepreneurial

culture. 

“Some of the local talent already was up

to snuff,” said Corliss. “Most notably,

there was a guy who sold pizzas to

everyone in the Green Zone [the protected area in Baghdad]. He actually

managed to make Western-style pizzas

that tasted just like something out of

Chicago. He knew how to price it and

how to sell it.”

40 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

Sgt. 1st Class Clarence Kugler in front of Monument Park in Baghdad, which is across the street from the Convention

Center where he works.

PHOTO: SGT. 1ST CLASS PETER RIMAR

“What was just a military

partnership evolved into a

deep friendship. I wasn’t

going to let them go off

without me.”

PHOTO: LT. COL. JON DAHMS, 7TH ARCOM PAO
AROUND THE GLOBE

UNITS PARTICIPATING

IN EXERCISE NEW

HORIZONS 2004

Army

Company A, 1st Battalion,

228th Aviation Regiment

65th Regional Readiness Command

214th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

252nd Signal Company

213th Field Hospital

302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

322nd Quartermaster Detachment

336th Engineer Detachment (Firefighters)

343rd Medical Company (Ambulance)

375th Quartermaster Detachment 

(Tactical Water Delivery System)

396th Medical Company (Ambulance)

416th Engineer Command

611th Engineer Company

(Light Equipment)

647th Area Support Group

818th Maintenance Company 

(Direct Support)

844th Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Heavy)

873rd Quartermaster Detachment (Water

Purification)

949th Medical Detachment

(Veterinary Services)

Air Force

442nd Civil Engineer Squadron

514th Civil Engineer Squadron

913th Civil Engineer Squadron

Navy

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5

Marine Corps

8th Engineer Support Battalion

Volume 50, Number 1★ 43

EXERCISE NEW HORIZONS 2004 E

xercise New Horizons 2004 offi-

cially kicked off in March during a

ceremony attended by Guatemalan

president Oscar Berger, U.S. Ambassador

to Guatemala John Hamilton, and

other Guatemalan and U.S. dignitaries.

Exercise New Horizons 2004 is a joint

and combined exercise sponsored by

the U.S. Southern Command working

with the Government of Guatemala

to perform humanitarian and civic

assistance projects, including exerciserelated construction and medical

readiness activities.

The U.S. service members deployed

to Guatemala as part of Joint Task

Force Quetzal are working

side-by-side with soldiers

from Guatemala to build

schools and hospitals, as well

as to drill wells to provide fresh

drinking water for the local

population.

At the opening ceremonies,

Berger thanked the assembled Guatemalan soldiers and

U.S. Soldiers, airmen and sailors,

saying “I’d like to thank the U.S.

military and the U.S. authorities for

the effort they are committing to producing a better infrastructure for our

beloved Jutiapa and its people.”

“Today, a process begins in which

not only military information will be

shared, but also the human sides of

the U.S. and Guatemalan militaries,”

he added. “The rebuilding to be done

follows years of internal strife, and

will be of great benefit to the

Jutiapan people.”

Berger also noted that the exercise is

a symbol of the union and friendship

between the United States and

Guatemala — a symbol that militaries

can collaborate with one another when

the principal interests are people,

freedom, and democracy.

Hamilton echoed the

president’s words, saying that the

timing of New Horizons, which coincides with a massive transformation in

the Guatemalan military, is positive for

all involved. “The humanitarian effort to construct

community services, such as schools

and clinics and [other structures], is

good for the modern military. And this

effort, in particular, gives militaries the

opportunity to work side-by-side at the

same time they improve the way of life

for the people of Guatemala,” he said.

The service members spent the first

several weeks in Guatemala building

a base camp prior to moving into the

surrounding area to begin civil

construction jobs. “It truly is an honor and a pleasure

to command a group like this and to

be able to help our Guatemalan friends

and allies,” said Col. Tim Welch, commander of Task Force Quetzal. “The

majority of the Soldiers are from the

U.S. Army Reserve, but we also have

active duty Army and Navy, as well as

Air Force Reserve and U.S. Marines all

serving together. I hope we can bring

a better future to the people of the

state of Jutiapa.”

42★ Army Reserve Magazine

AROUND THE GLOBE

Global News

PHOTOS THIS PAGE: SGT. NICK MINECCI, 214TH MPAD, 99TH RRC

GUATEMALA

Guatemala

MEXICO

BELIZE

HONDURAS

EL SALVADOR

Jutiapa

Pres. Berger meets with participants and discusses the exercise during a visit.
AROUND THE GLOBE

ARMY RESERVE ENGINEERS

PROVIDE SECURITY FOR JOINT

TASK FORCE

For one engineering unit in particular,

Exercise New Horizons 2004 truly

offered new horizons. That is because

Army Reserve Soldiers from the

Cincinnati-based 611th Engineer

Company (Light Equipment), 983rd

Engineer Battalion (Combat)(Heavy),

88th Readiness Command, spent their

time in Jutiapa, Guatemala, providing

security and force protection for

members of the Joint Task Force instead

of performing their typical mission.

According to Capt. Jon Brierton,

commander of the 611th, providing

security to the Joint Task Force was a

daunting task for his 15 Soldiers, whose

average age is 25 years old. But it was

good experience for his troops, who he

says are up to any challenge thrown

their way.

“A lot of the engineer units being

deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan essentially are doing what we did during New

Horizons — providing force protection

and security at base camps, airports,

etc. So it was a perfect exercise for my

company, who can handle pretty much

anything, “ said Brierton.

“Before we deployed to Guatemala, all

of my Soldiers knew this was going to

be their mission, and I think they were

pretty excited about it. It was something

different, and also one of our wartime

tasks,” he added.

To ensure they provided the best security coverage they could, Brierton said

he took his Soldiers on an aerial, as well

as a wheeled-vehicle, reconnaissance of

the base camp and the job sites. They

then established security by stringing

more than 2,400 meters of concertina

wire around the compound.

According to Spc. Casey Krouse, a

general construction equipment operator in the 611th, he was excited about

the deployment the minute he heard

about it.

“I thought it would be interesting

because it was going to be something

different,” the Mason, Ohio, native said. 

“It also was a bonus to deploy to a

Central American country,” said Staff

Sgt. Erwin Kohlmorgen, the unit supply

specialist for the 611th who acted as the

noncommissioned officer in charge of

the security section while in Guatemala.

“We loved it — absolutely loved being

in a foreign land,” the Cincinnati native

added. “Getting the chance to connect

with the Guatemalan soldiers every day

also was a really big plus. Many of us

have exchanged addresses with them

and plan to stay in contact.”

According to Spc. Thomas Lewis, a

heavy construction equipment operator

with the 611th who hails from

Westchester, Ohio, it was the best

annual training he ever went on.

“It was incredible,” he said. “A real

cultural exchange. I learned Spanish

and taught them English. It was the

opportunity of a lifetime.”

Because force protection is one of the

611th’s Mission Essential Task List

tasks, Brierton said participation in

New Horizons was invaluable. 

“We had the opportunity to perform all

types of security operations during the

exercise — manning guard posts, going

on roving patrols, etc. That was our

mission during New Horizons.

Protecting our equipment and the

other Soldiers,” he added.

DYNAMIC DUO RELISH

DISHING MEALS TO TROOPS

Barbecue ribs, macaroni and cheese,

corn, fresh fruit and fresh salads, and

peppermint patty brownies — that’s

just some of the items prepared by two

Army Reserve noncommissioned officers for the Soldiers of Joint Task Force

Quetzal. Staff Sgt. Philander Jones

and Sgt. Amy Bellamy, both of whom

profess a love for their job and a dedication to their customers, have been

working together in the kitchen of the

312th Field Hospital, 81st Regional

Readiness Command, for more than

a decade. In Guatemala, they provided

two hot meals a day for service

members participating in Exercise

New Horizons 2004.

Both Soldiers say there is nothing they

would rather do in the Army Reserve

than feed the troops in the field.

“I chose this MOS [Military

Occupational Specialty]. It’s not something I was just put into,” said Bellamy,

a 38-year old Asheville, North Carolina,

resident. “I love to see people happy

and, when it comes time to eat after a

day in the field, they are thrilled to

have hot food.”

“It’s hard, hard work, but I love it,”

added Jones. “In Guatemala, we were

up at 2:30 every morning and in the

kitchen about 3:00 a.m. to start the day.

We are used to working in the hospital’s

field feed system, so working in a

mobile kitchen trailer was something

we were not used to. But it still was

rewarding.”

When assigned to a field hospital,

Bellamy says her work is not too far

removed from her civilian job.

“I used to work in the food services

department of a civilian hospital. Now,

I work as a civilian surgical technician

in the operating room,” she said.

“We usually got out of the kitchen at

about 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. So, it was a very

full day,” said Jones, a truck driver in

his civilian job in Exmore, Virginia. 

“We were feeding about 350 to 400

people per day between the U.S. Soldiers

and the Guatemalans. I loved the interaction with the Soldiers, sailors and

airmen.”

“It is important to us that we serve the

best meal we can,” added Bellamy. “We

want to make sure that the food tastes

good and it is something the Soldiers

want to eat. My rule is — never serve

something to the other Soldiers that I

would not serve to my own children.”

44 ★ Army Reserve Magazine

AROUND THE GLOBE

Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 45

PHOTO: SGT. NICK MINECCI, 214TH MPAD, 99TH RRC

AN HONOR FOR AN HONORABLE MAN

When service members living and working at Base Camp Quetzal were

asked to discuss Staff Sgt. Erwin Kohlmorgen, they all spoke about the respect

and fondness they felt for him. Kohlmorgen is the unit supply specialist for the

Cincinnati, Ohio-based 611th Engineer Company (Light Equipment), 893rd

Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Heavy), 88th Regional Readiness Command, and

was the non-commissioned officer in charge of Task Force Quetzal security forces.

During his mission in Guatemala, Kohlmorgen worked an average of 18 hours per

day keeping the security forces running smoothly, conducting rehearsals for the

Security Reaction Force, and making sure the unit’s supplies were accounted for

and the Soldiers’ needs met. In addition, Kohlmorgen willingly accepted responsibility for providing chapel services for the service members because there was no

chaplain on site.

“It was brought up in an NCO meeting that there was no chaplain on site.

Therefore, if there were going to be chapel services, someone who ministered in

the civilian world needed to volunteer. So I went and volunteered to perform the

services,” said Kohlmorgen, a 40-year old father of two and a children’s pastor with

the United Pentecostal Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Being a children’s pastor and not an ordained minister did not seem to bother the

Soldiers who attended Kohlmorgen’s chapel services. Instead, they said the fact

that he stepped in to fill the void showed tremendous strength of character.

“He thought of others before himself. He is a wonderful guy,” said Sgt. 1st Class

Arthur Boone, a medical logistics specialist with the 312th Field Hospital.

“The fact that he put himself out there and that he did such a good job says a lot

about him,” said Spc. Caniece Rhyne, a Soldier with the 322nd Quartermaster

Detachment from Kansas City, Kansas.

The opportunity to deploy with his company to Central America was something

Kohlmorgen said was too good to pass up, and he said that being there was

everything he hoped for.

“I feel so good about what we are doing there. It makes me realize what an honor

it is to do this job,” he said.

PHOTO: SGT. NICK MINECCI, 214TH MPAD, 99TH RRC
46 ★ Army Reserve Magazine Volume 50, Number 1 ★ 47

Fellow Army Reserve Soldiers:

By now, you have probably heard various accounts of detainee abuse at the Abu Ghraib detention facility in Iraq. Army

Reserve Soldiers are named in most of these reports.

These offensive acts undermine and conflict with the emphasis on strong values and respect for law and ethics to which

this institution adheres. The individuals who allegedly committed these crimes against detainees in Iraq will be dealt

with in accordance with the due process of law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Though the media reports may

make it appear this matter was just uncovered, the public revelations are actually the result of a thorough, deliberate

effort to ensure the detention facilities were being operated correctly, an effort instituted after a courageous Soldier

stepped forward.

As Commander of the US Army Reserve Command, I accept my responsibility to lead this organization in a manner fully

consistent with the law and Army values. The Army Reserve’s mission is to provide trained and ready units and Soldiers

to the Army. To ensure we can accomplish this mission, my job is to set and enforce the policies and standards that our

organization and its members will follow. It is also my responsibility to ensure our organization remains sensitive and

responsive to the needs of our Soldiers, their families and employers. 

As Soldiers in this organization, we all accept responsibilities, and at all times are responsible and accountable for our

personal actions and conduct. When we take the oath of service, we agree to support and defend the Constitution of the

United States. The oath is a promise and a commitment. It is enduring and inescapable. 

Wearing the uniform means taking responsibility for our actions by living the Army values and the Warrior Ethos.

Integrity means we do what is right, legally and morally. Personal courage means we face fear, danger and adversity.

Selfless service means we put the welfare of our Nation, the Army, and our subordinates ahead of our own. The Warrior

Ethos makes a difference on the battlefield: I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never

quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade. Throughout history, Soldiers have lived the American values and upheld the

standards of ethical conduct that laid the foundation for the law of land warfare and the Geneva Convention. Make no

mistake — living the Army values and the Warrior Ethos is not easy to do, but it is the right thing to do. 

Finally, as a member of the Army Reserve, we assume a leadership role both within the organization and elsewhere.

Family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, business and community professionals in our hometowns admire and respect our

service and sacrifice. Our daily actions should reflect that trust and confidence. Leaders at all levels must do the right

thing for the right reason — always!

For all these reasons, duty in the Army Reserve represents a serious commitment of purpose. As members of the Army

Reserve, we accept a shared responsibility to ensure the integrity of the institution that has been an integral part of the

Army for nearly 100 years. We have suffered many casualties in this war. We cannot and will not allow our reputation as

selfless servants upholding the highest values to become one of those casualties.

As we continue our mission, we must honor the sacrifice of our fallen, wounded, and captured comrades by conducting

ourselves, at all times and in all situations, in a respectful and law-abiding manner. I am proud of you, the magnificent

men and women who volunteered to fill the ranks of the Army Reserve. God Bless you, your family, your employers, and

the United States of America.

James R. Helmly

Lieutenant General, US Army

Chief, Army Reserve

May 17, 2004

REPLY TO

ATTENTION OF
IN THE NEXT ISSUE

Editor

U.S. Army Reserve Command, Public Affairs

1401 Deshler Street SW

Fort McPherson, GA 30330

➔

THE YEAR OF T

ARMY RESERV