SPRING 2002

MAGAZINE MAGAZINE

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New Era in Aviation

‘No Fear’ Firefighting

Force Protection
2 Army Reserve Magazine

Volume 48, Number 1, Spring 2002

Since 1954. America’s largest circulating military magazine

NEWS AND FEATURES

America At War: 

6 Unveiling

COVER STORY

Dual ceremonies kick off new era in Army Reserve aviation 

16 Reserve Center dedicated to African American WWII medal recipient

Rigger unit helps with Afghan airlift

81st RSC postal worker safeguards mail

Army Reserve Heroes

21 Full-time Recruiters, Retention NCOs sought

20 Army Surgeon General helps build Reserve partnerships

19 Ground broken for Armed Forces Reserve Center

18 DPW offers new course

18 ADSW assignments available

22 Reservist helps “heal wound” following tragedy at sea

FRONT COVER: Army Reserve

2nd Lt. Garrett Hines, USA-1 brakeman, waves to the crowd after

receiving his silver medal for the

men's four-man bobsled during a

2002 Winter Olympic Games medal

ceremony in Salt Lake City, Feb.

24, 2002. (U.S. Navy photo by

Journalist 1st Class Preston Keres)

STORY ON PAGE 57

BACK COVER: Spc. Scott

Dignan, a military policeman, is featured in the latest Army Reserve

advertisement.

LT. GEN. THOMAS J. PLEWES

CSM. ALEX R. LACKEY

COL. GARY M. PROFIT

MR. AL SCHILF

MASTER SGT. VICKI WASHINGTON

Chief, Army Reserve

Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve

Dir., Public Affairs & Liaison Directorate

Chief, Public Affairs Branch

Editor-in-Chief

10

26 Easing a military child’s burden

24 Changing the boss’ perceptions

CORRECTION: Page 2 of the Table of Contents incorrectly listed the article “Theme parks salute U.S. military

with free admission”. That article was pulled prior to press

time and the contents page was not updated. 
Spring 2002 3

36 100th Div. (IT) leads way with BIDS training

Army Reserve magazine online

www.army.mil/usar/armag/reservemag.html

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, D.C. 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 Sept. 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.

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 CHIEF ARMY RESERVE, ATTN:

DAAR-ZXP, Army Reserve Magazine, 2400 Army

Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 20310-2400; telephone (703) 601-

0854 or DSN 329-0854. All e-mail submissions should go to

USARmag@ocar.army.pentagon.mil. All articles MUST be submitted electronically or on disk or CD. Unsolicited manuscripts

and photographs will not be returned. Query by letter.

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.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Do not write the magazine. TPU soldiers should notify their

SIDPERS-RC clerk. Members of the IRR and IMA should contact their Personnel Management Team at AR-PERSCOM, 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.

40 Learning to survive on the NBC contaminated battlefield

42 1174th TRANS soldiers at ease on land and at sea

44 Force protection training tackled by 643rd ASG 

46 Weapons of Mass Destruction training challenges soldiers

47 Unit gets “real” training in “virtual” environment

56 Heroic act earns Reservist Distinguished Flying Cross 30 years later 

48 From financial security to “homeland security”

53 World-class carver makes a living sculpting wood

54 Army Reserve nurse earns historical promotion

55 First female RSC commander receives second star

PEOPLE

KUDOS

100th Div. (IT) BIDS Training, page 36

TRAINING

32 Putting out fires: 366th Engineers show “no fear”

58 Confidential work, public recognition

52 Reservist “carries torch” for Olympics

51 Reservist makes Olympic history on bobsled team

4 From the CAR

5 From the CSM

28 Army Reserve History

62 Snapshots

DEPARTMENTS

59 Determination sees runner through tough times

60 Army Reserve Engineers help convert Navy Base
On March 11, we noted the sixmonth mark since the day that no

American will ever forget.

So much has happened in that

time. We have buried our dead

with dignity and honor. We have

comforted their family members

and will always hold them in our hearts and remember

them in our prayers. Those injured in the Pentagon attack

have returned to duty. Dedicated work crews have made

remarkable progress in rebuilding the damaged part of the

Pentagon. We have also made remarkable progress in the

war against terrorism. The Taliban regime no longer rules.

Members of that regime and the al Qaeda terrorists they

supported are dead, in hiding, cornered in pockets in the

mountains or being held as detainees at Camp X-Ray in

Cuba.

All this has taken place in the half year since 9-11. We

know there is much more to do as we start on the next six

months. The global war against terrorism is far from over.

The heaviest ground fighting yet took place in early March

during Operation ANACONDA in eastern Afghanistan.

There will be more battles like it as our forces continue to

seek out, engage and defeat the enemy. There will be other

battlefronts outside Afghanistan. We take pride in the magnificent courage and tenacity displayed by our fellow soldiers battling in the bitter cold and high altitudes of the

Afghan mountains against a tough foe. But we also take

tremendous pride in what Army Reserve soldiers are doing

to defend our Nation and to defeat terrorism. What we do

may not make headlines, but what the Army Reserve does

helps ensure victory.

We now have more than 450 units and about 15,000

Army Reservists supporting the ongoing operations

around the globe. We continue to be what we have been

since September 11 — fully and decisively engaged in

countless ways: With their varied capabilities — force

protection, security, investigation support, internment

operations, prisoner transport — Army Reserve Military

Police units are in high-demand. More than half of our MP

units have been called up and more can expect to be mobilized. Those units not yet called up will follow the lead of

units like the 447th MP Company from Akron and

Zanesville, Ohio, now serving at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.,

in a fully integrated, all-component battalion. This example is repeated wherever our MPs serve, such as at Camp

X-Ray, Guantanamo Bay, where more than 200 Army

Reserve MPs are serving. Other units setting the standard

are the 421st Quartermaster Company from Fort Valley,

Ga., and the 310th Chemical Company from Fort

McClellan, Ala. The 421st helped avert starvation in

Afghanistan by rigging humanitarian loads of food for airdrops to the people there. The 310th, continues to provide

early detection capabilities against biological attack wherever needed.

It is not just our units that perform well. Dr. (Lt. Col.)

Juan DeRojas, a vascular surgeon from Wilkes-Barre, Pa.,

provided a capability that the Landstuhl Regional Medical

Center in Germany lacked, making it possible to give our

casualties from Afghanistan the best medical treatment.

These are but a few brief snapshots. Everywhere that our

citizen-soldiers have served and continue to serve, they do

so professionally and with great distinction. As Gen.

Tommy R. Franks, the Commander-in-Chief of U.S.

Central Command, recently said of the Reservists supporting his operations, they “come trained and ready to do the

work. “This no-nonsense assessment from the warfighting

CINC, echoed by many others, shows the respect that the

Army Reserve and its citizen-soldiers have earned by their

deeds. This respect is not new. It had been well-earned

long before September 11. It will remain long after this

war ends and we are once again at peace.

Peace, however, may be long in coming. We have seen

that our enemy has plenty of fight left. We also know this

conflict will not end in Afghanistan.

Our challenge is to maintain our current momentum in

the months and perhaps years ahead, and to live up to the

implicit contract we have with every one of the thousands

of soldiers we have called to the colors. That contract is

simple: You will not be called without a mission; once

mobilized, you will not stay longer than necessary; and,

even though you are activated, we continue to be responsible for you and your family.

The soldiers who have answered the Nation’s call so

promptly are heroes, plain and simple. We must continue

to support them in this time of great sacrifice. We must

apply the lessons learned from units now serving so as to

streamline our procedures and facilitate the mobilization

of those called up in the future. We must also be sure to

properly welcome our soldiers home like the heroes they

are. They must be honored in the manner they deserve, as

must all who follow them until final victory. Much has

been accomplished in the six months since 9-11. Much

more remains to be done. Our resolve remains constant:

we are as committed to this struggle today as we were on

the evening of September 11, when the flames and smoke

still rose from the Pentagon, the World Trade Center and a

quiet field in Pennsylvania.

From the Commander From the Commander

Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Plewes

Chief, Army Reserve

9-11 Plus Six Months 1 Plus Six Months
Spring 2002 5

As I travel around the world I ask

soldiers and junior NCOs, “When

are you eligible for promotion?” In

most cases the answer is I do not

know. 

During my career, my NCOs

always counseled me and told me

exactly when I was eligible for my

next promotion. But that does not

mean a soldier cannot use the references available to find out for his or

herself what promotion criteria applies.

AR 140-158 Enlisted Personnel Classification,

Promotion and Reduction dated 17 December 1997

Chapters 3, 4, and 5 will be your primary reference.

(Change 4 Effective 17 January 1998 to AR 140-158 does

not apply.).

Following is some basic criteria for advancement and

promotion.

For advancement to Private Second Class, Chapter 3,

Soldiers assigned to Troop Program Units (TPU), paragraph 3-6 (page 21) gives the criteria for advancement to

Private. That is:

a. Normal advancement: completes 6 months of service

from date of entry on Initial Active Duty Training (IADT).

b. Accelerated advancement: At least 4 months of service from date of entry on IADT.

Paragraph 3-7 outlines advancement to Private First

Class:

a. Normal advancement: 4 months time in grade

(TIMIG) and 12 months Time in service (TIS)

b. Accelerated advancement: Wave two months of the

TIMIG and 6 months TIS.

Similarly, paragraph 3-8 provide the information for

advancement to Specialist and promotion to Corporal:

a. Normal advancement: 6 months TIMIG and 24

months TIS.

b. Accelerated advancement: 3 months TIMIG and 12

months TIS.

Promotions to the Noncommissioned Officer ranks are

covered in paragraph 3-11: 

a. Primary zone (PZ) to Sergeant: 12 months TIMIG and

36 months TIS.

b. Secondary zone (SZ) to Sergeant: waved to 6 months

TIMIG and 18 months TIS.

c. PZ to Staff Sergeant: 15 months TIMIG and 84

months TIS.

d. SZ to Staff Sergeant: Waved to 8 months TIMIG and

48 months TIS.

NCOs have a responsibility to provide career counseling

for soldiers in their charge and however commanders are

also responsible for counseling with regard to promotions.

Paragraph 3-10 states that “Soldiers in the zone of consideration but not recommended for promotion MUST be

counseled by their immediate commander.”

NCO promotions

Paragraph 3-31 covers the promotion criteria for NCOS

in the ranks of Sergeant First Class, Master Sergeant and

Sergeant Major.

Soldiers serving on Active Guard/Reserve (AGR) status

follow different criteria than their TPU counterparts.

For instance, paragraph 4-6, Advancement to Sergeant

(Page 57): 

a. Normal advancement to Sergeant: 8 months TIMIG

and 24 months TIS

b. Accelerated advancement to Sergeant: Waved to 4

months TIMIG and 12 months TIS.

Paragraph 4-7 (Page 58 3.d.1.3) states “Conditional promotion to Sergeant requires prior approval of Commander,

Army Reserve-Personnel Command (AR-PERSCOM).”

Promotion to Staff Sergeant, Sergeant First Class,

Master Sergeant and Sergeant Major is covered in paragraph 4-9:

Since January 1979 the AGRs have been promoted by a

centralized promotion board against existing or projected

vacancies. Headquarters Department of The Army

(HQDA) prescribes the eligibility and the board is convened by PERSCOM.

Soldiers in the zone of consideration will receive a letter

from the commander of PERSCOM directing them to:

1. Provide a current photograph according to AR 640-30,

paragraph 8, if needed.

2. Contact their FTSMD to review their personnel

records and verify the information contained on DA Form

2-1 and DA Form 2A.

3. Write a letter to the president of the board, if desired.

If you are a member of the Individual Ready Reserve

(IRR), an Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) or

Standby Reserve (Active List) soldier, your promotions are

covered in Chapter 5:

I have provided you with the regulation and basic information about how much TIMIG and TIS is required for you

or your soldiers to get promoted. I expect every NCO to

counsel their subordinates on this subject and make sure

they know the requirements for promotion to the next higher grade. 

The next time I see you I may ask, “When are you eligible for promotion?”

From the Command Sergeant Major From the Command Sergeant Major

Command Sgt. Maj. Alex R. Lackey

Do you know what to do to get promoted?
The Army Reserve unveiled its new

medium-lift aviation capability with ceremonies on both sides of the United States

recently.

On Feb. 15, a roll-out ceremony was

held for Company A, 158th Aviation

Regiment, and its four new UH-60L Black

Hawk helicopters at the St. PetersburgClearwater International Airport in

Clearwater, Fla.

On Feb. 22, a second ceremony was held

at the Southern California Logistics Airport

in Victorville, Calif., for Company D,

158th Aviation Regiment, and its four new

Black Hawks. 

These eight helicopters and two companies re-introduce a medium-lift capability

back into the Army Reserve after a

decade’s absence of this capability. That

capability went away with the restructuring

of the reserve components aviation

assets in the early 1990s.It returned to

the Army Reserve under the provisions

of the Army’s Aviation Transformation

Plan and thanks to the Fiscal Year 2001

National Defense Authorization Act,

which provided for the first eight Black

Hawks to be bought. Each company will

have eight aircraft when fully filled. 

The helicopters are a key feature of

the Army Reserve’s transformation as it

supports the larger Army

Transformation. They allow the Army

Reserve greater flexibility in its support

of the Army’s transition to a lighter,

more agile and more responsive combat

force.

Unit makeup

Each support aviation company will

Dual ceremonies kick off new 

6 Army Reserve Magazine

By Lt. Col. Randy Pullen and Maj. Jon Dahms

(left) Company 1, 158th

Aviation Regiment prepares to

give visiting VIPs a ride in one

of its four new UH-60L Black

Hawk helicopters.

(below) Three crewmembers

from D Company, 158th

Aviation Regiment, stand

beside one of the unit’s new

UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters. A roll-out ceremony was

held Feb. 22, at the Southern

California Logistics Airport in

Victorville, Calif.

(right) U.S. Representative

Jerry Lewis (R-40th District -

Calif.) and Maj. Gen Robert G.

Ostenberg, commanding general of the 63rd Regional

Support Command, chat in

front of a Black Hawk.

Photo by Steve Wideoff
consist of 35 soldiers and 20 civilians (pilots, crew chiefs, maintenance and

administrative specialists) and eight helicopters. Both units will fall under the

command and control of the 244th Aviation Brigade, which is headquartered

at Fort Sheridan, Ill., and is the higher headquarters for all Army Reserve aviation assets. The 244th is commanded by Col. Matt Matia.

Company D in Victorville will use existing facilities at the Southern

California Logistics Airport but Company A in Clearwater will be in temporary facilities adjacent to the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station, Clearwater, until a

new $17.8 million Aviation Support Facility can be built at the St. PetersburgClearwater International Airport. This facility, to be completed by mid-2003,

will consist of a state-of-the-art 29,500 square foot maintenance building and

an 8,300 square foot training building.

Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Plewes, Chief, Army Reserve, hosted the Clearwater

event. Also speaking at the Clearwater ceremony were U.S. Representative

C.W. Bill Young (R-10th District - Fla.), Chairman of the House

Appropriations Committee; Commissioner Barbara Sheen Todd, Chairman of

the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners; and Mr. Dean C. Borgman,

President of Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation.

era in Army Reserve aviation 

Spring 2002 7

Photo by Steve Wideoff

Photo by Steve Wideoff
8 Army Reserve Magazine

The airport is located in Pinellas County, which is in

Young’s district. Young was a key backer of the legislation

which resulted in acquiring these aircraft. The Black Hawk

is built by Sikorsky.

In his remarks, Plewes said that the Army’s transformation to fight the current global war on terrorism had not

started on Sept. 11. It began two years earlier when leaders

with the vision to see the sort of world situation now facing the United States started the Army down the path to

meet the challenges of that world.

“One of those leaders, a man whose efforts are very

much responsible for our being able to conduct this event

today, is sitting right here, Congressman C.W. Bill Young,”

Plewes said. “Chairman Young, thank you for your leadership and your vision.”

Following Plewes, Young said that he was committed to

providing the military with what it and its men and women

need in order to do their jobs.

“This is a symbol of that commitment,” Young said. 

He then called Capt. Jim Fitzgerald, the commander of

Company A, forward and presented him with a flag that

had flown over the U.S. Capitol.

“This flag is for you to fly over the headquarters of your

unit,” Young said, “when you have a headquarters to fly it

over.”

Commissioner Todd of Pinellas County reminded the

audience that the Army was no stranger to this airport.

There had been an Army air field here during World War II

and several Army Air Force units had trained here before

deploying to combat service overseas.

Representing Sikorsky, Borgman said “It’s a privilege to

build the aircraft that is being rolled out here today, knowing that it will serve you and our country with distinction

over the next several decades.”

He went on to say, “Our involvement with you does not

end when we hand over the keys to the aircraft. We want

to be sure that these aircraft are ready to go to

work when you need

them.”

“I’d also like to thank

and commend General

Plewes, whose vision and

perseverance has succeeded in bringing medium-lift

helicopter capability to the

Army Reserve.

“Finally, I’d like to

thank all the Reservists

who are here today. You

play an important – and

often unappreciated – role

in our nation’s defense.

It’s an honor to supply you

with these aircraft, and

thank you for everything you do for our country.”

At the end of the remarks, a camouflage net was dropped

to reveal a Black Hawk helicopter with a fully equipped

pilot standing beside it. The crowd rose to their feet,

applauding.

Victorville Ceremony

In Victorville, Calif., an equally enthusiastic audience,

which included Congressional representatives, local political and business leaders and interested citizens, cheered as

one of the Black Hawks assigned to D Company, 158th

Aviation Regiment, was unveiled in a second roll-out ceremony on Feb. 22.

Maj. Gen. Robert G. Ostenberg, Commanding General

of the Army Reserve’s 63rd Regional Support Command

represented the Chief, Army Reserve, at the ceremony.

U.S. Representative Jerry Lewis (R-40th District - Calif.),

(left) Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mike

Dessinger of A Company, 158th Aviation

Regiment, gives a safety briefing to

Congressman C.W. Bill Young and

Young's wife, Beverly, prior to an orientation flight. Dessinger was co-pilot of

the Black Hawk helicopter on this

flight. The other crew members were

pilot Chief Warrant Officer 4 Lanny

Morrison and crew chief Staff Sgt.

Raymond Toper.

(below) After the Clearwater ceremony,

local citizens and soldiers of the new

Army Reserve helicopter company mingle together as they check out one of

the new Black Hawks.

Photo by Steve Wideoff
Spring 2002 9

Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee of

the House Appropriations Committee, and U.S.

Representative Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-25th

District - Calif.), both key supporters of the legislation

approving the funding for this initiative, also attended the

ceremony.

Thomas C. “Kit” McKeon, Director, Army

Requirements, Government Business Development

Department, represented Sikorsky Aircraft at the

Victorville ceremony.

Lewis praised the military on its on-going transformation and commitment to national defense.

``We are living in a shrinking but increasingly dangerous

world,’’ Lewis said. ``That just shows how much more

important the work they do is. If we believe peace and freedom are what America is about, we can only move forward

if we have a strong national defense.’’

The Army Reserve is leasing space at the former George

Air Force Base, which has been converted to an air cargo

and airplane maintenance facility now called the Southern

California Logistics Airport. Like the airport in Florida, the

California site has a history with the Army. Terry Caldwell,

chairman of the Airport Authority, said the airport was

originally established as an Army training facility in 1940

just before World War II.

``The Army is just coming back home,’’ Caldwell said. 

Company D, 158th Aviation Regiment, is commanded

by Capt. Alan Hardin.

At each ceremony, the commanders and troops were

reminded of the challenges they faced in building a new

company from the ground up and that no matter how difficult that task was, it was also going to be a very exciting

and rewarding experience for all involved.

Plewes also made a final comment to the citizens of St.

Petersburg and Clearwater that was echoed by Ostenberg

to the citizens of Victorville: 

“The Army Reserve is going to be a good neighbor and

a value-added member of this community and we are going

to put this facility, this unit and these aircraft to good use

for our Nation.

“You can count on that.”

Lt. Col. Pullen and Maj. Dahms are with the Public

Affairs and Liaison Directorate, Office of the Chief,

Army Reserve, Washington, D.C.

(right) Congressman C.W. Bill Young, Chairman of the

House Appropriations Committee (right), shakes hands

with Chief Warrant Officer 4 Lanny Morrison of Company A,

158th Aviation Regiment. Maj. Jean McGinnis of the Public

Affairs and Liaison Directorate, Office of the Chief, Army

Reserve, was one of the project officers for the roll-out ceremony and Young's escort at the ceremony. Morrison piloted the Black Hawk that took Congressman Young and

other local officials on an orientation flight over the St.

Petersburg-Clearwater area.

Photo by Lt. Col. Randy Pullen

Photo by Steve Wideoff
10 Army Reserve Magazine

America At W rica At War

By Staff Sgt. Derrick Witherspoon

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.–From the ashes and smoke of the

September 11th terrorist attack on the United States arose

many heroes and a new way of living for many of its citizens. Two of these heroes were Army Reservists who had

no idea how a trip to Manhattan, N.Y., to help a fellow soldier would change their lives forever.

On September 10th, Rick Pace, acting information management officer for the 81st Regional Support Command

(RSC) and Army Reserve Sergeant Major for the Deputy

Chief of Staff Logistics office, flew to New York to be

admitted into Beth Israel Medical Center, which is about

four miles from where the World Trade Towers stood, to

have a serious surgical procedure performed on his throat.

Having no idea of what would occur on September 11th,

Pace arranged to have his family fly to New York on

September 12th to be with him; then it happened. 

I was watching the morning news and I got a call from

my Sunday school teacher in Pelham, Ala., and we were

talking about how I was doing and I saw the first tower

flash report come up on the news, and at first I didn’t know

what I was watching,” Pace said. “Then quickly I realized

it was an attack on the trade center and I was shocked that

it was happening. Then a little later I saw tower two get hit

and I was just astonished.”

Pace, being only four miles away from the World Trade

Centers, was now deeply concerned for his safety and the

Army Reserve Capt. Adrian Shanahan speaks with a New York National Guardsman at Ground Zero. 

Army Reserve Heroes Army Reserve Heroes Photos courtesy of Capt. Adrian Shanahan
Spring 2002 11

safety of his family if they came to be with him. After talking to his wife, Glenda, and realizing how much she wanted to be there to support him, he overlooked his fears and

they started to talk about ways she could get to New York. 

“After talking to some of my co-workers at the 81st, I

knew something was being worked on late Wednesday

afternoon to get my wife and daughter to New York, but I

didn’t know all the details until late that night,” Pace said.

“I found out that Captain Shanahan and Chaplain Winter

had volunteered to drive them down.”

Good friend

“Wednesday after work I received a call from my boss to

see if I would volunteer to drive Mrs. Pace to New York to

be with her husband because they couldn’t fly due to the

airports being closed after the terrorist attack. Well, Mr.

Pace is a good friend and because I’m always looking to

help him out I didn’t even hesitate. I said yes I would do

it,” said Capt. Adrian Shanahan, operation staff officer for

the 81st RSC Deputy Chief of Staff Engineer section.

Chaplain (Maj.) Glenn Winter, chaplain executive officer for 110th Chaplain Detachment located in

Birmingham, said once he heard of the situation he didn’t

think twice about helping either.

“I found out about Sgt. Maj. Pace’s situation from

Chaplain Nelson (81st RSC Chaplain) around 16:30 on

Wednesday and he also told me about Glenda having a

hard time getting a rental car to travel to New York to see

Sgt. Maj. Pace. I told him earlier that day that if he needed

me for anything he could give me a call. As soon as I

received his call explaining the situation I didn’t hesitate to

help,” Winter said. 

After Winter rendezvoused with Shanahan, Glenda, and

Pace’s daughter Nashley in Birmingham they departed on

their journey to New York. The trip took them about 15

hours, but for them the reason for the trip outweighed the

distance.

“Once we reached Mr. Pace, who was staying in an

apartment across from the hospital, we spent a little time

with him. That Thursday night, Chaplain Winter and

myself were adamant about getting down to the disaster

area to help out in some way. So that is what we did. We

changed out of our traveling clothes and into our BDUs

and we walked for about four to five miles passing through

check point after check point because the security in the

area was very tight, but we were able to get into Ground

Zero,” Shanahan said. 

With help of their Battle Dress Uniforms (BDU) and

military identification they were able to get pass the guard

posts and into Ground Zero.

“Once we got in we started talking to some of the firemen in the area and one of the first things they told us was

that if we hear three blasts of a horn to start running for

your life. The reason they said that was because we were

standing near the Millennium Hotel and another federal

building that had been destabilized by the towers collapsing,” Shanahan said.

Ground Zero

Winter added that once they were inside of Ground Zero

he received the opportunity to visit and pray with some of

the rescue workers, but it didn’t last very long. From out of

the smoke and darkness arose a sound that caught the

attention of everyone on site.

“Well after finding out about the three horn blast warning, sure enough, a little later we heard the three horn blast.

We were standing right there, 30 yards from the shadow of

this 54 story Millennium Hilton. We all took off and started running as far away as we could get and just waited to

see what was going to happen. Thankfully the building didn’t fall,” Shanahan said. 

“Amazingly, as soon as we got the all clear all the volunteers went right back to work — working in the shadow

of this building that was just about to fall on them. That

was the spirit of all the workers out there. They were not

going to stop for anything,” Shanahan said. “The spirit of

everyone there was just powerful because they were all

volunteers wanting to help anyway they could. There were

New York police and fire fighters there, union guys, brick

workers and soldiers.” 

Shanahan added that there were some civilians who

were trying to get in, but many of them were turned backbecause of fear that some of them might be trying to get in

to loot some of the stores that were damaged. 

After returning to Ground Zero, Shanahan and Winter

were approached by a man wearing a white firemen’s hat.

He turned out to be a New York Fire Department (FDNY)

Fire Chief. 

“The fire chief came up to me and said, ‘Sir, I need your

help,’ and he pointed behind me. There was a building sort

of above us, but behind us a little bit, and there was a large

mass of steel I-beams dangling off to the side and he said

they were afraid those beams would come loose and fall

and kill people. Because of that they wanted the whole

street where we were standing secured until the beams

could be removed,” Shanahan said. “He asked me if I

could take on that mission. I told him I would, and with the

help of the Chaplain we got everyone to move back about

two hundred yards. This wasn’t easy because everyone was

still in shock and wanted to do something to help, so there

was an eagerness of the heart that you had to overcome.”

Shanahan said while they were waiting to get back into

Ground Zero they began to come up with a plan for the

heavy equipment that would have to be used. “We began to
12 Army Reserve Magazine

America At W rica At War

start coordinating our actions for when we got the all clear.

I told the guy with the light sets that he could get set up on

the corner on the right side shining his light right to left;

The men with the bulldozers to have their bulldozers going

down the middle of the street; and the bucket loaders to

pick up here and feed off to the left filling up the dump

trucks. So we were coordinating all this stuff and it was

really great. The Chaplain and myself were in the right

place at the right time to help out as much as we could,”

Shanahan said. 

“It felt great to be able to help out. We were tired from

driving all night, but we didn’t mind.

The size of the devastation was

unbelievable. I still can’t believe it.

It’s still shocking. The first half hour

I was there I felt a sense of fear.

They were talking about buildings

falling and there was so much chaos

and so much going on it was a little

overwhelming to the senses. After

about an half an hour I started to

calm down and when we got the

mission to secure the street it really

helped me to get my mind off

things.”

Rest for the weary

After helping out at the site until

midnight, Shanahan and Winter left

to get some food and rest. The next

day they spent time with Pace and

his family. 

“We prayed with the Pace family

before Sgt. Maj. Pace’s surgery. We

stayed by his family’s side to make

sure they had everything they needed. I also stayed with Sgt. Maj. Pace that night because his

wife and daughter were not allowed to stay in the hospital

room because it was a male’s room and there was another

male patient in there with Sgt. Maj. Pace,” Winter said.

The next day Shanahan and Winter went to the New

York City National Guard Armory, where many of the family members of the missing were gathering. Shanahan said

there were hundreds of pictures of people missing in the

tragedy plastered on the walls of the armory. 

“Being raised in Long Island, N.Y., I felt lucky and honored to be there to help. Because I lived in the area I was

also afraid that some of my friends might have been hurt or

killed in the towers. It was just an overwhelming since of

sadness because of the national tragedy and all these innocent people that were missing. If there was anything we

could do to help we were going to make it our duty to do

it,” Shanahan said. Reflecting back on seeing Ground Zero

for the first time Shanahan said, “The thing I remember is

seeing layer after layer of ash, notes, computer paper,

memos, pictures and personal items all over the place. It

was a shocking site. I have never seen anything like it. I

thought, well if I ever saw anything that would be tough to

look at during my military career it would be on foreign

soil, not sixty miles from where I grew up.”

Ministering to victims

Winter said he was fortunate enough to

be able to minister to a number of the families at the armory that had a family member missing in the attack. He was also able

to minister to some of the New York

National Guardsmen helping out at Ground

Zero. 

“There will definitely be a continuing

need for ministry to several thousand family members of the missing and dead from

the World Trade Centers over the coming

weeks. Army Chaplains can help meet this

need, in a civilian capacity, if they have the

right credentials,” Winter said.

After making sure the Pace family had a

way to get back home, Shanahan and

Winter retuned back to Birmingham, but

they continued to stay in contact with Pace

and his family. 

“I think what these soldiers did was

exceptional. They had choices to do many

other things besides going down to Ground

Zero while they were in New York, but that

is what they chose to do. If I was able to go

with them I would have, but my illness

caused me to be unable to do anything extremely physical,” Pace said. “I really do consider them to be heroes. I

can’t thank them enough for what they did for my family

and me and I’m sure the families of the missing in New

York feel the same. I pray God blesses them and their families for not only being outstanding soldiers, but great

Americans.”

Shanahan and Winter were presented the Meritorious

Service Medal from Maj. Gen. James W. Darden, former

commander of the 87th Division, Birmingham, Ala., for

their meritorious service and support of the Pace family

and the city officials of New York City.

Staff Sgt. Witherspoon is with the 81st Regional

Support Command, Public Affairs Office.

Chaplain Glenn Winter (left) and

Capt. Adrian Shanahan (right)

stand on the steps of St. Patrick's

Cathedral in New York.
Spring 2002 13

Story and photo by Staff Sgt. Derrick Witherspoon

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.–Following Sept. 11th, many

Americans changed the way they lived their lives, and

a sense of heightened alert became a part of their daily

routine. Now with the presence of Anthrax being

detected in post offices in the United States, many

postal workers are putting their lives on the line to

provide mail to their fellow citizens.

One 81st Regional Support Command (RSC) mail

clerk is doing the same everyday, but she said the job

must get done.

Sgt. Tamika Lowe, a mail center supervisor for the

Headquarters, 81st RSC, in Birmingham, said being a

mail clerk at this time in the world has its disadvantages, but someone has to do it.

“It’s not a job many people want to do right now,

but it’s a job that has to be done. Personally I’m a little scare to do it right now, but someone has to do it,”

Lowe said. “It’s scary to think that it’s a possibility

that someone might send us something unsafe. A lot

of people ask me, ‘Aren’t you scared to open those

packages.’ Yes! I’m scared, but the job still has to be

done.”

Lowe said there are certain procedures the mail clerks in

her office follow every day to insure their safety and the

safety of their coworkers. 

“We take the packages out to the warehouse first before

bringing them into the mail room as a precaution. We started doing this after the Anthrax scare surfaced,” Lowe said.

“We open boxes and bulky letters out in the warehouse. As

a precaution we wear protective masks and gloves. These

are the precautions we are taking to ensure we don’t get

contaminated in case we do happen to find a package containing something unusual.”

Lowe said some of the things they inspect the packages

for are, “Misspellings on packages, bulky or soiled packages and misspelled words and names, but the biggest

thing we look at is the return address, because most of our

mail comes from our units. So, if the return address is one

that we don’t recognize, or it’s missing, we call our supervisor and the provost marshal to take a look at it, and from

there we deal with it accordingly.”

“Ever since Sept. 11th, performing my job has become a

little more difficult, but this is what I do. This is my job,”

Lowe said, as she gazed around the mail room.

Lowe said through all that has occurred with the attack

and the Anthrax scare, she would never think of giving up

her job as a mail clerk.

“There has never been a time that I have thought about

getting out of the Army or changing my job because of the

terrorist attack or Anthrax scare. I have been in the Army

for seven years now and this is all I really know. It’s not a

problem for me because I love it,” Lowe said. “I’m really

putting everyone’s safety before mine because I’m the one

opening the packages first, but all the precautions we take

are for the safety of the personnel that work in the building

here at the 81st RSC, and I want to make sure they are all

safe.”

Lowe said fear is still present in her life, but she knows

she must continue to do what she has to do for her 5-yearold daughter, coworkers and for herself.

“I’m still a little afraid. I’m even a little afraid to check

my own mail at home, but all you can do is be careful and

take precautions. Through all of this we must find a way to

continue on with our lives, and I plan on doing just that,”

Lowe concluded.

Sgt. Witherspoon is with 81st Regional Support

Command, Public Affairs Office.

Soldier work Soldier works hard to ensure soldiers, civilians safety s hard to ensure soldiers, civilians safety

Sgt. Tamika Lowe, a mail room clerk with the Headquarters,

81st Regional Support Command, wears a face mask and gloves

as she inspects packages at a nearby warehouse before delivering them to the mail room.
14 Army Reserve Magazine

America At W rica At War

Spc. Brian Puckett, a rigger with

the 421st Quartermaster Company

from Fort Valley, GA puts the finishing touches on a G-12 cargo

parachute used to drop humanitarian aid in Afghanistan. Army

personnel in Germany are processing and preparing humanitarian aid drops destined for

Afghanistan. They drop everything from wheat and MREs to

blankets.
Spring 2002 15

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany—Citizen-soldiers

from the 421st Quartermaster (QM) Company have helped

drop 2 million meals to starving Afghans.

The rigger unit from Fort Valley, Ga., was activated Oct. 31

to help “Task Force Firepower” prepare humanitarian aid

supplies for airlift to Afghanistan.

“I was sitting down watching the football game on Sunday

when the phone rings and they said pack your bags and get

ready, we’ve got a mission for you,” said Master Sgt.

Thomas Gilbert of the 421st QM Company.

Shortly afterward, the 421st soldiers deployed to Germany

and joined a composite task force made up of German

Army soldiers and U.S. soldiers from the 21st Theater

Support Command (TSC).

Task Force Firepower was organized specifically for the

mission of requisitioning, packing and preparing humanitarian aid supplies for airlift to Afghanistan, 21st TSC officials said. They said Army reservists from the 421st make

up almost 25 percent of the 400-person task force.

In the past, the 421st helped with humanitarian airdrops in

Bosnia. The 421st is one of only two rigger units in the

Army Reserve, and the other supports the 82nd Airborne

Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.

As well as working with active-duty soldiers, the 421st has

worked alongside soldiers from the German Army’s

Parachute and Rigger School and two German regional

commands.

“There’s really been nothing to do to integrate the reserve

soldiers,” said Lt. Col. Richard Mason, Task Force

Firepower’s commander. “They came ready to work and

less than 48 hours after arriving on the ground they were

up and running.”

Reservists from the 421st have been filling boxes, building

crates, and packing chutes. The unit packs between

100,000 and 200,000 pounds of humanitarian aid supplies

daily. What they are packing consists of rations, wheat,

blankets, and cold weather clothing. The supplies are

packed into large crates, each of which will contain either

humanitarian rations, bags of wheat wrapped in blankets,

or cold weather clothing packed in duffel bags. The crates

are fitted with parachutes and dropped from airplanes into

Afghanistan.

It is in the parachute packing part of the process where the

421st comes in. As a rigger company it is their job to prepare the crates for parachute drops. They fold and pack

parachutes and attach them to the crates, which they help

construct. The work they do is very demanding and leaves

no room for error, officials said.

“You have to be very careful with everything in rigging,”

said Spc Eric Wilson, a 421st rigger. “If you just attach one

string wrong or fold something wrong it can stop the parachute from working right. You really don’t want that to

happen.”

In, fact, the riggers are so exacting and careful with their

work, they actually put their own name, rank, and unit on

each parachute they pack, which gives them even further

incentive to make sure they do it exactly right.

“If you know your actual name is going on something you

do, you’re definitely going to do the best job you can,” said

421st rigger Spc. James Hagans.

Staff Sgt. Greg Jones is a member of the 21st

Theater Support Command Public Affairs Team.

Army Reserve rigger unit 

helps with Afghan airlift

Story and photo by Staff Sgt. Greg Jones
16 Army Reserve Magazine

Story and photo by Lt. Col. Burt Masters

“For extraordinary heroism on April 7, 1945, near

Lippoldsberg, Germany. As lead scout during a maneuver, Pvt. 1st Class James was the first to draw enemy

fire. He was pinned down for over an hour, during

which time he observed enemy positions in detail.

Returning to his platoon, he assisted in working out a

new plan of maneuver. He then led a squad in the

assault, accurately designating targets as he advanced,

until he was killed by enemy machine gun fire while

going to the aid of his fatally wounded platoon leader.”

Pvt. 1st Class Willy F. James, Jr. 

Medal of Honor Citation

BAMBERG, Germany—A 7th U.S. Army Reserve

Command (ARCOM) Reserve Center was dedicated on

Bamberg’s Warner Barracks (Building 7081) on

November 4, 2001 in honor of World War II Medal of

Honor recipient, Pvt. 1st Class Willy F. James, Jr. James

was posthumously awarded the nation’s highest honor by

President Bill Clinton in 1997. He was among a group of

only seven African American World War II heroes to

receive the award after an extensive Army review of war

records.

The Bamberg-based Reservists

chose to dedicate their Center in

James’ honor, as he epitomized the

values of duty, personal courage,

and self-sacrifice on behalf of his

fellow soldiers, and his nation. The

Center is home to three of the 7th

ARCOM’s 22 units – the 301st

Rear Operations Center; 345th

Rear Area Operations Center;

1172nd Movement Control Team;

and their servicing Regional

Support Detachment.

A native of Kansas City, Mo.,

James enlisted in the U.S. Army on

Sept. 11, 1942. He was assigned to

Company G, 413th Infantry

Regiment, 104th Infantry Division

- “The Timberwolves”- as an

Infantry scout. Near Lippoldsberg,

Germany, his unit was establishing

a vital bridgehead over the Weser

River, when James displayed

exceptional heroism, above

and beyond the call of duty,

resulting in the award of the

Medal of Honor.

“PFC James was a citizensoldier in every sense of the

word, who served in the greatest Army of citizen-soldiers

the United States had yet

assembled in war. In these

unprecedented times, when

our nation is once again at war,

and our freedom is threatened,

that we draw strength and

inspiration from the heroic

actions of great soldiers like

James on the battlefields of

Europe over five decades ago,”

stated Command Sgt. Maj.

Kenneth O. Preston, V Corps’

senior enlisted leader, the dedication’s keynote speaker.

Preston joined with Brig.

Gen. Paul D. Patrick, the

ARCOM’s commander, and

other participants in unveiling

Army Reserve Center dedicated to African Army Reserve Center dedicated to African 

Brig. Gen. Paul D. Patrick presents 1st Sergeant Gary D. Dewitt, representing the

Bamber Center's enlisted soldiers, with a proclamation from the State of Missouri

in honor of James.
Spring 2002 17

a bronze plaque in honor of James; a photo portrait of his

gravesite in the American Military Cemetery in

Margraten, The Netherlands; and the presentation of a

proclamation from the State of Missouri in his honor.

Participating in the ceremony were Mr. Johnny Pender,

Jr., and Mrs. Margaret Pender, representing James’

widow, Mrs. Valcenie James; World War II veterans of

the 104th Infantry Div. Association, Brig. Gen. John W.

Gillette and Mr. Glen Lytle; and Command Sgt. Maj.

Mark R. Wilsdon, from the USAR’s 104th Institutional

Training Div. – the successor organization to the 104th

Inf. Div. Representing the Center’s enlisted soldiers was

1st Sgt. Gary D. Dewitt.

The James Center is the third Army Reserve facility to

be dedicated by the 7th ARCOM in Germany. It represents the model for Reserve unit consolidation in Europe

by the command. The initiative is designed to consolidate units for improved efficiencies in operations near

their supported parent active Army organizations of U.S.

Army, Europe, in end-state communities consistent with

U.S. Army Europe’s long range stationing plans. Other

Reserve Centers in Germany are the Brig. Gen. Richard

J. Dirgins Center in Schwetzingen (7th ARCOM

Headquarters), and the Maj. Gen. James Earl Rudder

Center in Kaiserslautern.

Note: The 7th ARCOM expresses deep appreciation for the exceptional support by the State of

Missouri, 104th Div. Veteran’s Association and

104th (IT) Div., the James’ family representatives,

U.S. Army V Corps, 98th Area Support Group

(279th Base Support Bn.), 1st Infantry Div. Band,

and Margraten American Cemetery, in enabling

this dedication event. Lt. Col. Masters is the 7th

Army Reserve Command Public Affairs Officer,

Sweitzingen, Germany.

American Medal of Honor American Medal of Honor recipient recipient

)above) Brig. Gen. Paul D. Patrick talks with James' family representatives, Mrs. Margaret Pender, and Mr. Johnny

Pender, Jr. after unveiling a bronze plaque in James'

honor. Looking on is Command Sgt. Maj. Kenneth O.

Preston, V Corps' Command Sergeant Major, who served

as the dedication speaker. (right) Following the dedication, Mrs. Margaret Pender and Mr. Johnny Pender, Jr.,

visited James' gravesite at Margraten American Military

Cemetery in The Netherlands. A local Dutch family, the

Heuts-De Munter's, have adopted the grave and and routinely place floral arrangements there.
Army Reservists who are looking for a way to serve

on Active Duty on a short term basis are encouraged to

consider Active Duty for Special Work (ADSW) assignments.

Barb Hansen of the Fort McCoy Directorate of

Training and Mobilization (DTM) Training Division said

the installation has approximately 40 openings, mostly

for enlisted personnel. These positions run in the April to

September time frame to support the installation’s peak

training season and are available on a first-come, firstserved basis.

Positions are available at the DTM in Range

Operations, the Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport, Training

Division, and the Plans Division, at the Directorate of

Support Services at Installation Related Construction

troop projects and Plans and Operations, and at the

Chaplain’s Office, the Reserve Component Pay Support

Office, Army Community Service and the Troop Medical

Clinic.

“Everyone who applies for these positions must have

a suitable MOS (military occupational specialty) or

comparable experience in the civilian sector,” Hansen

said. “This is not an on-the-job training opportunity.”

“Fort McCoy benefits because it brings experienced

and skilled personnel to support the installation’s peak

training time. Individuals benefit by honing their skills

and gaining more experience, as well as earning retirement benefits,” she added.

Interested personnel can find out more about the ADSW

openings and how to apply at the Fort McCoy web site

http://www.mccoy.army.mil/garrison/DTM/train/adswtours.asp.

The positions are funded by the U.S. Army Reserve

Command. Applicants can be Individual Ready Reserve

(IRR) or Troop Program Unit (TPU) personnel from the

Army Reserve.

Hansen said applicants also can find instructions and

links to all forms required to complete the application

process at the Web site.

Billeting is available at Fort McCoy for those personnel who are not from the local area. The tours are unaccompanied. Anyone with questions can contact Barb

Hansen at (608) 388-4689.

ADSW assignments available

By Maj. Mark Wright

The U.S. Army Facility Engineer Group (FEG) is

offering a three-day course on Director of Public Works

(DPW) operations in Huntsville Alabama. The training is

a continuation of efforts to improve the DPW skills of

FEG soldiers and other senior engineer leadership personnel, and addresses many Mission Essential Tasks

required for successful execution of our mobilization

mission.

Our goal is to improve deployment capabilities of the

FEG by teaching doctrinal principles and sharing the

experiences gleaned from after actions reports and from

direct discussions from previous deployments of FEG

and non-FEG engineer personnel.

According to Lt. Col. Andrew Stewart, the Course

administrator, “We are trying to create a DPW basic

course, or DPW 101, to familiarize students with what it

takes to function as a DPW if deployed. We are giving

them “the basics. Our intent is not to make these soldiers

DPWs, but to make them aware of where to go to find

the answers.”

Day one of the course covers general DPW subjects

such as contracting, real property master planning and

environmental compliance. Students are broken down

into smaller teams and given two separate scenario driven practical exercises based on historical, real world

operations. They are confronted with real time problems

and are required to brief the Task Force Commander on

engineer operations as part of graduation from the

course.

On day two, FEG teams that have recently returned

from deployments to Bosnia and Kosovo provide information briefings on their respective theaters. These comprehensive briefings covered the entire deployment

sequence including preparation for deployment, movement from their home station, and finally theater specific situations and missions. Students also received a briefing from the Forces Command Engineer’s office on curDPW offers new course

18 Army Reserve Magazine
Spring 2002 19

rent real world situations followed by a panel discussion

during which students are allowed to ask questions to the

teams on any subject.

Day three provides the teams a chance to display the

knowledge they gained when they brief the outcomes of

their practical exercises.

At the completion of the course, students receive a

course certificate, and a CD with references, Army

Regulations, Training Manuals, Photos, and briefing

slides.

The next course is tentatively scheduled for July 31

and the deadline to apply is July 1. Units outside the FEG

are encouraged to attend. For course or application information, please contact Lt. Col. Andrew Stewart at (757)

727-3143 or DSN 680-3143, email

andrew.o.stewart@us.army.mil; or Maj. Mark Wright at (703)

693-2532 or DSN 223-2532, email

mark.wright@us.army.mil. More information can be found on

our website at http://tradoc.monroe.army.mil/dcsbos/reservist/index. 

Maj. Wright is the Information Management Officer

for the U.S. Army Facility Engineer Group,

Mobilization Planning Support Cell.

By Spc. Christopher Florence

ORLANDO, Fla.—The 143rd Transportation

Command, under the command of Brig. Gen William

Crupe, will get a new home in the future. The ground

was broken Jan. 12, 2002 for the construction of a new

Armed Forces Reserve Center – a center which will

combine the functions of the Army, Navy, and Marine

Reserve Command units.

The new three-story 121,116 square feet facility will

house 16 Army units, 17 Navy units and 3 Marine units.

The L-shaped building will contain an assembly hall and

auditorium at the intersection of the two wings. The twostory west wing will house the Navy, and the three-story

south wing will house the Army Reserve and Marines,

physical training and lockers, classrooms and building

support functions.

Crupe, who will be the ranking officer in the new

reserve center, said sharing the facility with the other

components will take some getting use to, but “it

will provide some great training opportunities.

“Military strategy and tactics reflect that we will

fight join and combined,” Crupe said. “This new

Armed Forces Reserve Center will enhance our

collective ability to carry out these efforts. One

only has to see on television and read in newspapers and magazines that this is truly the way the

United States and its allies are waging war in

Afghanistan and the surrounding region.”

The 16-million dollar facility is expected to be

completed by June 2003. Army Reserve unitds to

be housed in the new facility include: 

Ground broken for Armed Forces Reserve Center

Brig. Gen. William S. Crupe (far right) leads a group of dignitaries in groundbreaking activities as a joint service color

guard of the Army, Navy and Marine Reserves looks on.

Photo by Sgt. Ward Gros

* 143rd Transportation Command

* 841st Combat Engineering Battalion, C

Company

* 196th Transportation Company

* 146th Transportation Detachment (Air Terminal

Movement)

* 912th Adjutant General Company (Direct

Support Postal)

* 195th Transportation Detachment

* 76th Transportation Detachment

* 839th Transportation Detachment

* 1159th Transportation Detachment

* 508th Transportation Detachment (Movement

Control)

* 520th Transportation Detachment (Movement

Control)

* 536th Detachment (Movement Control)

Company B

* 345th Military Intelligence Battalion

* 154th Judge Advocate Team

* 174th Legal Support Office (Legal Services)

* 174th Legal Support Office (Military Judge).
20 Army Reserve Magazine

Story and photo by Bill Geddes

ROCHESTER, Minn.—Army

Surgeon General Lt. Gen. James B.

Peake returned to the roots of the Army

Reserve medical community recently, in

an effort to help build partnerships for

the future.

Peake visited the Mayo Clinic in

Rochester, as a part of a luncheon presentation of Army Reserve opportunities

by Army Medical Department

(AMEDD) Recruiting. During the visit

Peake recognized contributions by the

Mayo to the Army Reserve’s past.

“The Medical Reserve Corps was

started because of the need for health

care,” Peake said. “That was what ultimately evolved to become the U.S.

Army Reserve. That sense of service is a

part of the history of the Mayo Clinic.

The founding brothers both served in

WWI as special consultants (both brothers reached the

rank of brigadier general). The Mayo clinic itself fielded

special units to go to not just WWI but WWII as well.

There is a rich heritage of service. That is one of the

things that has helped make this place the great institution that it is.”

Reaching out to that rich heritage of service is what

drew AMEDD Recruiting and Peake to Mayo. “What

they have to offer us,” said Peake, “is the quality people

who are doing their medical skills day in and day out,

that are available to serve their country across the spectrum of operations that we, as a superpower, are required

to do.”

To help attract those quality people, and to highlight

what the Army Reserve has to offer the Mayo clinic,

AMEDD Recruiting worked with Army Reservists from

the 88th Regional Support Command (RSC) to develop

interactive displays highlighting medical opportunities

within the Reserve system.

“The Reserves are more extensive than I thought they

would be,” said Theresa Loessin, a registered nurse in

the Uro/Gynecology department at the Mayo Clinic.

“They cover a lot more than I thought. You watch

“MASH” and they cover the surgical end, but (the

Reserve) do a lot more.”

Kondra Jones, a first year medical student at the Mayo

Medical School agreed, saying she enjoyed learning

about the flexibility the Army offers with both Reserve

and active duty opportunities.

“That flexibility shows that you can have a family and

do civilian medicine and still be there to serve the country and tend to medical needs of those men and women

who are fighting for our country,” Jones said.

Flexibility was another part of Peake’s visit. The

opportunity to talk to hospital administrators about the

challenges inherent to having Reservists working for the

hospital, as well as to Reservists about the challenges

their Reserve duty brings to their civilian jobs, helps the

Army to be more responsive to the needs of both.

He noted that the need for flexibility was apparent

after the Gulf War. Some doctors lost their practice

because of time away during the war, and some hospitals

were left short-staffed. The Army has already started to

respond to the problem.

“What we’ve tried to do is keep the deployments to a

shorter time frame,” said Peake. The physicians in

Kosovo today are on 90-day rotations, Peake added,

unless they opt out or are in command positions.

“The proof will be in the pudding,” Peake said, “but so

far at least it seems to be a doable thing. They are having

Army Surgeon General visits Mayo Clinic, helps

build Reserve partnerships

Dr. Paul Julesrud, Mayo clinic and a captain in the Naval Reserve, demonstrates an advanced imaging device that helps diagnose congenital heart

disease to Lt. Gen. James B. Peake, Army surgeon general.
Spring 2002 21

a great experience and have a chance to bond with the

unit, but are still able to maintain their practice and their

skill sets, and therefore, their professional satisfaction.”

Peake also pointed out that not all deployments are for

90 days. “Many of the (Reservists) here are gone for two

weeks at a time to places like Costa Rica, Guatemala or

Nicaragua, helping people,” he said. “They see in that

time four or five thousand people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to any medical care. They come back

rewarded and refreshed, they’ve seen different things,

and they’re better in their own work environment

because of it.”

The humanitarian nature of those missions appealed to

those attending the symposium, according to Dr. (Lt.

Col.) Walter Franz, a consultant in the department of

family medicine for the Mayo Clinic, and one of the

planners of the event. “The people you talk to, both professionals in and outside of the Reserve, they want to

have a feeling that what we do has a humanitarian

nature,” he said. “They understand the reality that we

have to maintain the health of a fighting force, but in

times like we’re in now, where we’re mainly looking at

peacekeeping, the humanitarian type of mission has

some dividends. People like to see it, it’s a good feeling

on both sides.”

Jones agreed. “For me, the most effective part of the

presentation was the humanitarian mission aspect. The

financial aspect was also very beneficial; I’d heard about

your full tuition and all fees being covered, plus a

stipend, which is excellent in medical school because

Med students always need money. I really liked the

humanitarian missions though.”

Good news for Franz. “What I’m hoping is that we

would be able to serve as an ongoing reservoir, and

benevolent force of providing health professionals at all

levels to the Army’s mission,” Franz said. “I’m hoping

that since we’re the largest group practicing medicine in

the United States, and have a large number of people in

practice, that there’s strength in numbers, and that we

can develop some good partnerships with some very

benevolent outcomes.

Mr. Geddes is a Public Affairs Specialist with the

88th Regional Support Command Public Affairs

Office, Fort Snelling, Minn.

In an effort to attract quality non-commissioned officers to serve as full time Active Guard and Reserve

Recruiters and Retention-Transition NCOs, the Army

Reserve has begun to conduct Career Forums at locations across the United States.

These forums serve to educate and inform reservists

about the program and to centralize the selection, record

screening, application preparation, interviewing, medical

screening, and hiring of potential Army Reserve

Recruiter and Retention-Transition NCOs.

Hiring Recruiters and Retention-Transition NCOs is

currently the number one priority for the Active Guard

and Reserve Program. There will be twenty career

forums conducted in major metropolitan areas throughout the United States during the remainder of the year.

Soldiers selected through this program can be brought

on an Army Reserve AGR tour of duty in as little as 60

days.

For more information, contact the Office of the Chief

Army Reserve Retention and Transition Division. The

program manager is Maj. Curtis Both and Master Sgt.

Merrel Gage at (877) 718-5686 or by email at

USAR.Retention@usarc-emh2.army.mil or 

USAR.Recruiter@usarc-emh2.army.mil.

Full time Recruiters and Retention-Transition NCOs sought

Career Forums

Date Location Contact

May 3-5 Chicago, IL 88th RSC, MSG Raines at (612) 713-3684

May 17-19 Harrisburgh, PA 99th RSC, SFC Gorzynski at (412) 604-8284

Jun 7-9 Detroit, MI 88th RSC, MSG Raines at (612) 713-3684

Jun 21-23 Boston, MA 94th RSC, SFC Brooks at (978)796-2500

Jun 21-23 Charleston, WV 99th RSC, SFC Gorzynski at (412) 604-8284

Jul 12-14 Minneapolis, MN 88th RSC, MSG Raines at (612) 713-3684

Aug 2-4 Columbus, OH 88th RSC, MSG Raines at (612) 713-3684

TBD Nashville, TN 81st RSC, MSG Duncan at (205) 795-1720

TBD Memphis, TN 81st RSC, MSG Duncan at (205) 795-1720

TBD Houston, TX 90th RSC, SFC Bass at (501) 771-7837
22 Army Reserve Magazine

By Master Sgt. David C. Cooper 

HONOLULU—When a Japanese fisheries training vessel sank nine miles south of Oahu after being struck by a

U.S. submarine, our nation committed to a mammoth

$60M recovery operation to retrieve the remains of the

nine students, crew members and teachers who were lost.

On February 9, 2001, the Ehime Maru, an 830-ton

ship used to train high school students who plan to enter

the fishing industry, was struck by the USS Greeneville,

a Los Angeles-class attack submarine, as it was conducting a simulated emergency ascent. Although 26 people

were rescued, some went down with the ship as it plummeted more than 2000 feet to the ocean floor, a depth far

beyond the reach of conventional divers and equipment.

The incident served to heighten tensions between the

U.S. and Japan (compounding military issues in

Okinawa) and place the Navy on an international stage as

it investigated alternative approaches for dealing with

the emotionally

charged situation.

In order for the

recovery effort to

proceed, the ship

had to be moved

from the site of the wreck, which was two-fifths of a mile

underwater, to the shallows one mile off the Honolulu

International Airport’s reef runway, outside of Pearl

Harbor. Hauling the broken vessel up from that depth

and easing it eight miles closer to shore was a potential

environmental nightmare.

Army Reserve engineer, 1st Lieutenant John Moran,

with the Facility Engineer Group of the 416th Engineer

Command (ENCOM), provided the expertise to help the

Navy move the ship to the recovery site without damaging Honolulu’s delicate and beautiful coast.

Moran became involved in the recovery effort through

his civilian employer, Teledyne Solutions, Inc. in

Huntsville, Ala., two months following the incident. But

Tragedy at sea

Reservist uses military skills to help heal wound

Army Reserve engineer, 1st Lt.

John Moran points out the

location of the Ehime Maru to

Lt. j.g. Anne Cossitt, a public

affairs officer, and Lt. j.g. Ken

Ingram, a weather watch officer. The Ehime Maru is the

Japanese fisheries training

vessel that sank off the coast

of Oahu after being struck by a

U.S. submarine.

The Rockwater 2 along with

diesel recovery vessels performs the relocation maneuvers.
Spring 2002 23

for the actual recovery operation, he donned his Army

uniform. 

The plan was to raise the nearly 200-foot long vessel

that was lying nearly upright on its keel. It would need to

be raised just enough to clear the ocean floor in order to

tow it underwater for 14.6 nautical miles.

Moran’s first job was to ensure that the U.S. could

deliver on the Navy’s commitments to protect operational safety and the natural environment. After that, his

task was to determine the optimal day and time to carry

out the operation to minimize the risk of environmental

damage from the remaining marine diesel fuel on board

the sunken vessel.

When he set to work developing the operation’s scaled

shelf profile, he discovered that the ocean floor rose

more gradually than was originally thought, and by

charting the appropriate course, the operation could proceed more efficiently and have the greatest chance of

success.

“Keeping all the agencies happy was a huge task in

itself,” he said.

Over the course of his effort, he coordinated with nine

federal agencies including the

U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service and with nine State elements that included the

Governor’s Office and the State

health and environmental agencies. His coordination also included the Consulate General of Japan.

After working on the

Environmental Assessment (EA)

as a DOD contractor, he prepared

a list of mitigations, which were

essentially methods to prevent or

respond to environmental hazards.

The Environmental Assessment

became the guidebook for the

operation.

An environmental assessment of this magnitude and

complexity historically has taken 9 months to prepare. In

order to meet the project’s optimal weather window, the

analysis was required to be accomplished in 10 weeks.

Any schedule delays in the EA’s preparation would have

forced the mission into an unacceptable delay of one

year. At stake was a commitment made to the

Government of Japan by a Vice Admiral of the Navy and

the U.S. Ambassador to raise the vessel in a timely manner.

During the relocation operation, the private company

responsible for lifting the ship used air hoses on its

remotely-controlled deep-sea vehicles to cut channels

beneath the Ehime Maru’s damaged hull so that steel

cables could be fed beneath the keel to help drag two

giant straps around the vessel.

“A ship this large has never been recovered at such a

depth,” said Moran. “This was a precedent-setting operation.”

While the remotely-operated vehicles of the

Rockwater 2 salvage vessel created the giant cradle, the

Army Reserve engineer completed the analysis which

would determine when the lift would begin, taking into

account the direction of the wind, the ocean current and

the time of day. Over the course of the relocation operation, the lieutenant performed some of the mitigations

himself and monitored the efforts of other participants.

He also provided the Public Affairs Office with detailed

graphics and data for their use in informing the media of

the recovery progress.

Once secured, the Rockwater2 lifted the Ehime Maru

about 10 meters above the ocean floor. The trick was to

keep the vessel close to the surface so that if either support strap broke, the falling ship would return to the bottom without risking damage to its towing vessel.

As the Rockwater 2 towed the damaged vessel, minor

amounts of diesel were released, but these were identified and contained. Moran’s analysis was particularly

useful when the Rockwater 2 approached the Shallowwater Recovery Site (SWRS) where the Ehime Maru

was to be placed temporarily for recovery operations.

The vessels would have arrived late at night, which was

not the optimal time and his analysis showed that the

optimal time was 16 hours later, in the afternoon.

It turned out that the decision to wait was an important

one because overnight the broken vessel released a

plume of diesel 2 miles by 3 miles wide.

“The fact that the Ehime Maru was in deeper water

and further off shore ensured the sheen did not threatened the shoreline,” he reported.

It took more than two months for 66 U.S. and 30

Japanese divers to complete the dangerous and tedious

task of recovering remains, which involved removing

mud, fishing nets and other objects. Eight of the nine

missing were found, as well as 1,500 to 2,000 personal

effects and mementos.

“This operation was a state-of-the-art engineering feat

that advanced the Navy’s understanding and capability

for future recovery missions,” said Moran as he, along

with the Facility Engineer Group finished their task of

helping America make good on its promise to bring solace to a bereaved ally and put this sad chapter in Naval

annuals behind us.

Note: Following the recovery efforts, the Ehime Maru

was towed back out to sea and given a permanent

burial. 

Master Sgt. Cooper is with the Facility Engineer

Group, Darien, Ill.

Photos by William Walker of Crowley Marine, Inc.
24 Army Reserve Magazine

Story and photos by Mr. Bill Geddes

The days of Reservists heading out

to drill with Weber grills and coolers

packed with beer and steaks for a

weekend of glorified camping are

gone. Perceptions created in those days

are harder to change.

“I thought Fort McCoy was just a

couple of barracks, and (Reservists)

came out, and they didn’t do a whole

hell of a lot, kinda like going off to college for the weekend,” said Rick

Chernick, owner of Camera Corner,

while on a 395th Ordnance Companyorganized Bosslift.

The Bosslift, set up with the help of

the Employer Support of the Guard and

Reserve (ESGR), was a step towards

changing those perceptions. Bosses

from the Appleton, Wis., area were

flown in to Fort McCoy, Wis., where

they observed the 395th’s weapons

qualification exercise, ate Meals Ready

To Eat (MRE) with the soldiers, and

saw the 120th Field Artillery fire their

howitzers.

“The basic concept is to show appreciation to these bosses that are letting

these Reservists do this stuff, sometimes at a moments notice,” said Capt.

Mike Vaessen, former commander of

the 395th Ord. Co., and the planner of

the Bosslift. “Some (Reservists) come

up to them a day before and say, ‘I need

Friday off because I have reserve duty

at Fort McCoy.’ Ninety-nine percent of

them let the soldier do that. They

understand (the soldiers) have a duty

and they’re not going to interfere with

that.”

Beyond that, the Bosslift also gave

the soldiers a chance to do some showing off. “When Capt. Vaessen came up

Rick Chernick and Jeffrey Russoldt watch as Sgt. Brad Nickel explains how

an M-203 grenade launcher works.

Changing perceptions Changing perceptions

Bosslift gives supervisors insight on
Spring 2002 25

with this, it was not to impress the bosses just for

the sake of impressing the bosses, it was to show

them what this unit is capable of doing,” said Capt.

Rick Badger, commander of the 395th Ord. Co.

“There is an intense measure of pride in the 395th

to show we’re true professionals.”

Vaessen agreed, adding that the soldiers appreciated the opportunity to show their bosses what they

were capable of. “It gives the soldiers a chance to

say, ‘Hey, I may be a forklift operator five or six

days out of the week at work, but when I’m in

Reserveland, I’m an NCO in charge of a section of

15 soldiers. During this drill, I’m running the .50

cal. Range, and I’m ready for bigger things at

work.’”

The bosses of the 395th soldiers were wowed by

what they saw. “I’m very impressed by this,” said

Chernick, who has Capt. Mike Seering working for

him. “I had no idea that this is what really went on;

I had no idea it was this big. More people should

get firsthand experience of this to see what’s really

going on. This is serious stuff — I’ve got a much

better appreciation for what’s going on.”

Mary Ellen DeByle, Library Media Services

Department Chair for the Manitowac public school

system, agreed, adding that while Sgt. 1st Class

Connie Specht never told her much about what she

did while on Reserve duty while working for her in

the offset printing office, it was never a problem

letting her go. “I really understand, since Desert

Storm, the importance of the reserves,” DeByle said.

“(Specht) is very good at training the replacements that

cover for her while she’s gone, and knows she has to follow up when she gets back.”

The fact that it was a joint exercise, allowed the bosses to see a broader spectrum of the Reserve Vaessen said.

Vaessen contacted the ESGR, the ESGR set up the C130

flights with the 440th Air Wing, an Air Force Reserve

unit out of Milwaukee.

“The pilots always need stick time,” said Vaessen.

“You throw that in with an actual real mission, where

they have to hit times and locations, and it works out

great for everyone involved.”

He then coordinated the rest of the operation with Fort

McCoy’s range control, which allowed him to shuttle the

bosses from range to range. Watching the 120th Field

Artillery, a Wisconsin National Guard Unit, coordinate

fire with F16s dropping ordnance rounded out the military experience for the bosses, impressing everyone who

took part.

“This is the largest, best organized Bosslift operation

I’ve seen,” said Brig. Gen. Michael Jelinsky, deputy

commanding general for the 88th Regional Support

Command, who had the opportunity to drop in on the

Bosslift. “What the 395th Ordnance Company has done

is fabulous.”

Mr. Geddes is a Public Affairs Specialist with the

88th Regional Support Command Public Affairs

Office, Fort Snelling, Minn.

Staff Sgt. Roy Strutz explains to bosses the difference between

the effective and maximum range of an M-250 caliber machine

gun.

Reserve soldiers
26 Army Reserve Magazine

By Lt. Col. Pamela Keeton

The lives of many Americans may have been turned

upside down by recent events, but the lives of

America’s military children are turned upside

down quite frequently. Whether their parent

is an Army Reservist who is mobilized,

or an Active Guard/Reserve soldier

who is reassigned, moving a

school-age child can be a

troubling experience for

the youngster.

New homes, saying good-bye to old

friends and making

new ones, unfamiliar surroundings, unfamiliar

schools, new teachers, and

new academic requirements

can be overwhelming. For the

children and families of Reservists

who may not have access to traditional military family support groups, military-related moves can be even more

challenging.

The Military Child Education Coalition

(MCEC) is dedicated to making school transitions a little easier for all of the children of our nation’s

armed forces. MCEC serves as an advocate for all military students in public, private, host nation, and home

schools around the world. Through professional development for school staff and faculty, informational materials for parents and students, and close working relationships with policy makers at all levels, MCEC is helping parents chart an easier course for their child’s education, schools adopt “military child friendly” policies, and

installations improve the quality of life for students and

families.

What began in 1995 as a vision by a handful of people

in Central Texas, MCEC has quickly grown to a nonprofit (501(C3)) organization—classified by the Internal

Revenue Code as a tax-exempt charity— with more than

500 members, including installations throughout the

world.

MCEC’s membership includes individuals, installations, schools, colleges and universities, corporations

and other non-profit organizations, all of whom share its

vision of easing educational challenges facing the

military child. Most of its members are military

parents and understand first hand the challenges children face as a result of military

service.

Nowhere is school transition more

complicated or critical than when it

involves high school-aged children.

MCEC recently completed the

Secondary Education Transition

Study (SETS) for the United

States Army and found that

more than 800,000 school

aged military-connected children will move

at least once during

high school, and many will

move multiple times.

Differing graduation requirements, exit tests, course equivalencies, transfer credits, sports and extracurricular activities, and preparation for post

secondary opportunities can present unprepared

students and parents with overwhelming hurdles to

success. Knowledge, organization, and persistence can

help students and parents successfully transition between

schools—and that’s where MCEC, through its web site

www.MilitaryChild.org, provides resources directly to

parents, educators, and military organizations.

Adopting “user-friendly” administrative procedures

and “transition-friendly” rules and regulations can help

schools ease the burden of transfers. For example, the

daughter of an Army officer stationed at Fort Hood, TX,

moved each year during her high school career, ultimately attending three high schools in three states over four

years. At each school, she was required to take that

state’s exit or graduation exam and she missed some preferred classes because of pre-registration procedures that

allowed existing students to fill classes in the spring

before military students arrived over the summer.

Additionally, she faced having to carve out positions on

sports teams that were organized in the spring of the previous year, often settling for a lesser position. Even elementary-aged children find that transitioning to new

schools require them to face academic as well as social

and emotional transition challenges, putting them in the

tough position of trying to catch up as well as “fit in”

with their resident peers.

A Helping “hand”

Making transitions for the military child less difficult
Spring 2002 27

MCEC is working with many communities to adjust

certain school policies by encouraging states to accept

exit test scores from other states, holding spots in desirable classes for children who arrive during the summer

break, and holding positions on teams and in organizations until the new school year begins. These students

aren’t looking for an advantage over other students, they

are simply hoping for an even playing field.

Additionally, MCEC has unique and growing experience in facilitating agreements among interested parties

that address the transition issues facing the mobile, military child. One exciting example is the growing momentum of the SETS Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)

between school systems. This is an outgrowth of the significant research that MCEC conducted for the U.S.

Army—the Secondary Education Transition Study

(SETS). Currently, more than fifty school systems are

signatories to the MOA.

The bottom line is that military children deserve the

same opportunities for success as their non-military

related peers, and MCEC is working very hard toward

that end. For more information, check out MCEC’s Web

site at www.MilitaryChild.org, or call (254) 953-1923

for more information.

Lt. Col. Keeton is an Individual Mobilization

Augmentee who was assigned to the Public Affairs

and Liaison Directorate, Office of the Chief of the

Army Reserve at the time this article was written.

She also volunteers time with MCEC.

Tips to smooth educational transition

* As soon as you find out you’re moving, notify your child’s current

school and request that they begin to make preparations for the transfer of

his/her files. Request unofficial copies of student transcripts and copies

of course descriptions to aid the new school in the selection of proper

classes. Parents who maintain educational portfolios for their children

that contain old report cards, contact information, and course descriptions

have a much easier time when registering at new schools.

* Call ahead to your new school to request an information packet, or use

the Internet to find out as much as possible about the new school. This is

especially important for high school students as many high schools are

switching to different types of schedules such as year round or block

scheduling. If your child needs special classes, it’s critical to inquire

about placement as early as possible so that he/she does not miss critical

services.

* When you leave your old school make sure that you have contact names

and phone numbers, especially a fax number, as well as the email address. 

* When you arrive at your new school, ensure that you have necessary

official documents and records such as shot records, your child’s social

security card and his/her birth certificate. Without these vital documents,

your child’s enrollment could be delayed. 

If you want a free copy of the MCEC’s SETS publication The Parent

Guidebook contact: mfrcrequest@calib.com.
28 Army Reserve Magazine

Army Reserve History Army Reserve History

By Lt. Col. Randy Pullen and Capt. Rebecca Leggieri

Leadership of the Army by freely elected civilian officials is one of the oldest and most fundamental principles

of the United States.

Equally as old is the tradition of service in the Army by

those with the power “to raise and support Armies.”

Long before the Constitution gave Congress this power,

it had already raised an Army. Its members were serving in

it, too. George Washington was a member of the Second

Continental Congress when he was chosen as the Army’s

commander-in-chief in June 1775. Several signers of the

Declaration of Independence served as soldiers in the

Revolution. Most saw combat against the British, some

were wounded in action and others became POWs —

which, considering the act of “treason” they had committed by signing the Declaration, must have made for tense

periods of captivity.

After the Revolution, Members of Congress continued

to serve as either part-time soldier in their respective state

militias or on active duty during time of war.

Birth of the Army Reserve

With the creation of the Army Reserve in 1908, there

was another option for service as citizen-soldiers. Harry S

Truman and Henry Cabot Lodge served simultaneously as

Organized Reserve officers and as Senators, from Missouri

and Massachusetts, respectively.

Truman, unsuccessful in his attempt to be recalled to

active duty during World War II, had to settle for becoming

Vice President and then President of the United States

instead. The Secretary of War

ordered Lodge, who had served

under Gen. George S. Patton in the

Army’s pre-war maneuvers and saw

action with the British Army in North

Africa, back to Congress. When his

request to return to duty was refused,

Lodge became the first Senator to

resign in order to go to war since the

Civil War.

Another World War II veteran is

Strom Thurmond, Senator from

South Carolina since 1954. An Army

Reserve officer from 1924 to 1960,

he was a leader in the fight that

defeated Secretary of Defense Robert

McNamara’s attempted merger of the

Army Reserve and the Army

National Guard in the late 1960s.

Members of Congress with Army

Reserve service in their blood continue to fight for the Army Reserve. The

Carrying on the tradition: 

Army Reservists on Capitol Hill

“Many of the emerging democracies in Eastern Europe do not have experience with a force of citizen-soldiers imbued with the belief that the democratically elected civilian leadership is in charge of the armed

forces. There are no better teachers of this tradition than our reserves and National Guard.”

Retired Gen. George A. Joulwan

Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe

May 28, 2001

Senator Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) congratulates the parents of newly promoted Capt.

Dave Whitney, at Whitney’s promotion ceremony held in the Capitol. Whitney is

chief counsel for the senior senator from North Carolina, as well as being an

Army Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps officer.

Photos by Lt. Col. Randy Pullen
Spring 2002 29

battle over the merger took more than two years to resolve;

the battle to get a third star for the Chief, Army Reserve

and the other reserve component chiefs took more than a

decade.

Leading that fight was Senator Jeff Sessions of

Alabama, who had served as a company grade officer in

the Army Reserve’s 1184th Transportation Terminal Unit,

Mobile, Ala., in the 1970s and 1980s. He called his service

in the Army Reserve “one of the most rewarding chapters

in my life.”

Elected to the Senate in 1996, Sessions quickly gained a

reputation as a committed advocate for the men and

women of the nation’s reserve forces. He was a prime

sponsor of the legislation introduced in 1999 to upgrade

the chiefs of the reserve components to three-star rank.

“This is the right thing to do and we are going to make

it happen,” Sessions said in 2000. “It’s important because

it recognizes the state of the American Armed Forces today

and especially the part played by the Reserve

Components.”

Victory

Sessions continued the fight and saw victory achieved

with the passage of the 2001 National Defense

Authorization Act, which directed that the reserve chiefs be

promoted. Those promotions took place in mid 2001.

Army Reservists serve in both houses of Congress. The

Hoosier State and the Prairie State each have a serving

Army Reserve field grade officer Congressman.

Lt. Col. Steve Buyer represents Indiana’s Fifth District

while Lt. Col. John Shimkus represents the 20th District of

Illinois.

Buyer, Co-Chairman of the House Reserve Components

Caucus, is a Gulf War veteran. Like some 84,000 of his fellow Army Reservists, Capt. Buyer left family, home and

job when called up in 1990. He provided legal advice to

forward-deployed combat service support units in Saudi

Arabia, to the commander of the 22nd Support Command

and to the Western Enemy Prisoner of War Camp.

Maj. Sue Riopel, a former Army Reserve Congressional Fellow for Congressman Charles Taylor (11th District,

N.C.) served as an escort officer for Senator Dan Inouye (D-Hawaii) in June 2000 and was on hand to see him

receive the Medal of Honor from President Clinton at the White House. Inouye received the medal for his World

War II valor as a member of the famed 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Photos by Lt. Col. Randy Pullen
30 Army Reserve Magazine

These and the other elected officials who serve or who

have served in the Army Reserve join others with Army

Reserve backgrounds who work on Capitol Hill. These are

the Congressional Staff Members.

Capt. Armand DeKeyser served alongside Capt. Jeff

Sessions for eight years in the 1184th. He deployed with it

to Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War. When Lt. Col.

DeKeyser retired after a 28-year career in June 2000, his

Army Reserve comrade, now the junior Senator from

Alabama, hosted his retirement ceremony on Capitol Hill.

In his civilian career, DeKeyser is Sessions’ chief of staff.

Army Reserve Capt. Dave Whitney is chief counsel for

Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina. Army Reserve

service is a family affair for Whitney. His father is a former

Army Reserve sergeant, his uncle was an Army Reserve

colonel, and his cousin is an Army Reserve major.

Besides the part-time Reservist staffers, there are also

full-time Reservist staffers. These Active Guard Reserve

(AGR) officers are Congressional Fellows. This valuable

program allows Fellows to learn first-hand how America’s

laws are made, while simultaneously allowing Members of

Congress and their staffs to use the Fellows’ knowledge of

the Army as they work to make those laws.

Mutual benefits Mutual benefits

The program’s mutual benefits are shown in the example of Maj. John Leggieri when he was an Army Reserve

Fellow in the office of Congressman John E. Sweeney

(22nd District, New York). Among Sweeney’s top priorities are veteran’s issues. Local veterans had voiced concerns by phone and mail to his office about military honors

rendered at funerals, especially with the growing number

of veterans’ deaths and a reduced active duty force. Other

legislation addressed this concern but did not protect

Reservists who volunteered for this duty.

Sweeney decided to use the reserve component expertise on his staff and handed Leggieri the task of coordinating the behind the scenes work of shepherding a bill

through House passage to the Senate. This bill became The

Honor Guard for Veterans Empowerment Act and, as a

component of a larger Senate bill, was signed into law by

President Clinton on November 2, 2000.

“It was a great experience for me.” said Leggieri. “I had

the unique opportunity of learning the entire process of

how a concern of district residents enters the legislative

cycle and remarkably, becomes law. The process was long,

difficult and involved, but at the end of the day it all came

down to one thing – helping people, not only in this one

district but also throughout America.

“My former Army Reserve assignments in New York

state, Nebraska and Arkansas,” Leggieri added, “allowed

me to explain to members of the Veterans’ Affairs

Committee how America’s veterans not living near an

active military post, would miss out on military honors due

them for serving our nation without the help of Reservists.”

Other Army Reserve officers who have been or are

Congressional Fellows include Lt. Col. Timon Oujiri

(Representative Todd Tiahrt, 4th District, Kansas), Lt. Col.

(above) U.S. Delegate for American Samoa, Eni F.H.

Faleomavaega, a retired Army Reserve officer, shakes

hands with Maj. Gen Craig Bambrough, Deputy

Commanding General of U.S. Army Reserve Command

(right) P. Pasha Baker, Army Reserve Ambassador for

Hawaii and Brig. Gen Robert Lee, Commanding General

of the 9th Regional Support Command (left), look on.

(right) Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) gives a warm handshake to his Army Reserve commander, Lt. Col. Armand

DeKeyser, at DeKeyser’s retirement ceremony in June

2000. Sessions and DeKeyser had served together as

company grade officers in the 1184th Transportation

Terminal Unit, Mobile, Ala. They still serve together –

DeKeyser is chief of staff to the junior senator from

Alabama.

Photos by Lt. Col. Randy Pullen
Spring 2002 31

Danelle Scotka (Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas), Lt.

Col. Wanda Good (Senator James Inhofe, Oklahoma), Lt.

Col. Paulette Mittelstedt (Senator Max Cleland, Georgia),

Maj. Sue Riopel (Representative Charles Taylor, 11th

District, North Carolina), Maj. Marianne Burtnett (Senator

Patty Murray, Washington), and Maj. Desiree Wineland

(Senator Bill Nelson, Florida).

Oujiri and Good inaugurated the Army Reserve

Congressional Fellowship Program in 1995. Following her

fellowship, Good became the first AGR officer assigned to

the Senate Liaison Division, Office of the Chief,

Legislative Liaison, as well as the first woman officially

assigned as a liaison officer to the U.S. Senate.

The Army Reserve’s connection with the Congress is a

long and honorable one, steeped in the American tradition

of service in the armed forces by those who govern the

Nation. Those who have been or continue to be Army

Reserve citizen-soldiers take pride in their service and in

being one of those who, as Winston Churchill once said,

are “twice the citizen.”

Lt. Col. Pullen and Capt. Leggieri are with the Public

Affairs and Liaison Directorate, Office of the Chief,

Army Reserve.

(above) Congressman Steve Buyer (5th District,

Ind.) points out Senator Strom Thurmond (RS.C.), (shaking hands with then Maj. Gen

Thomas Plewes, Chief, Army Reserve) during a

ceremony held at the U.S. Capitol to mark the

92nd anniversary of the Army Reserve in 2000.

Thurmond is an Army Reserve World War II

combat veteran and retired major general.

Buyer is an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel

and veteran of the Persian Gulf War. (top right)

Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) talks about driving with two Reservists from the 375th

Transportation Group, Mobile, Ala. Sessions is

a former Army Reserve Transportation Corps

officer who served in both the 375th and the

1184th Transportation Terminal Unit. (right)

Senator Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) congratulates newly promoted Lt. Col. Wanda Good, as

her husband Jim (right), and Senator James

Inhofe (R-Okla.) look on. Good served as an

Army Reserve Congressional Fellow on Inhofe’s

staff in 1995. After her Fellowship, she became

the first Active Guard Reserve (AGR) officer

assigned to the Senate Liaison Division of the

Office of the Chief, Legislative Liaison,

Headquarters, Department of the Army. Good

legislative liaison officer with the Public Affairs

and Liaison Directorate, Office of the Chief,

Army Reserve. 

Photo by Paul Adams
Putting out f

Story and photos by Spec. Christopher Rowe

Spc. Christopher Svendsen and Spc.

Robert Olson evacuate a 'casualty.' 
ires

Fear is not part of

the program.

Inside a secluded airplane hanger, a group of soldiers waits patiently. Two

compete in a game of chess,

as onlookers enjoy lighthearted conversations.

Others kick back on cots and

read, while outside a football

is tossed in a friendly game

of catch. All seems to be at

peace.

Spring 2002 33

Soldiers from the 336th Engineer Detachment (Firefighting)

advance an attack hose .
34 Army Reserve Magazine

With one ring of the telephone, this easy-going atmosphere snaps into an intense, wellrehearsed routine of men grabbing gear and rushing to a fire

truck in a matter of seconds.

As part of its two-week annual

training, the 336th Engineer

Detachment (Firefighting) was

on call for 96 hours during

LANES training exercises here.

The combination of all units in

the 336th is rare and was taken

full advantage of when units

from Sturtevant, Wis., and

Duluth, Minn., merged into one.

Fear does not seem to be a part

of the 336th’s program. Most of

the soldiers view the dangers of

their job in terms of “calculated

risk taking.” Fighting fire is

intense work, and this intensity

seems to have an addictive quality.

“Moral is high,” said 1st Lt.

Noel N. Lee, the 336th unit commander. “That’s one of the reasons why a lot of them have

joined the unit, because they want

to be firefighters. They really

(above) Spc. Robert Olson extinguishes the last flames of a smoldering fire on the last

routine check through a burning building. (middle) Spc. Dale Moss couples two hoses.

(right) Sgt. Michael Lohr, and Spc. William Vanaxen get ready for a rescue response.
Spring 2002 35

enjoy what they do. It’s challenging.”

“We have a really good bunch of people here, everybody’s close, we know

how dangerous this job is,” said Sgt.

Michael K. Lohr, a firefighter with the

unit. “Something goes wrong while

we’re out, we’ll take care of each other.

We’re all tight. You gotta be a tight

group. If you’re not a tight group, then

someone can get hurt.”

Deployed to Bosnia in 1998, the

336th is a unit that knows the dangers of

deployment and the importance of reallife training. 

The focus of the unit’s recent annual

training was structural firefighting.

Structural firefighting involves responding to a variety of burning building situations. One of the mock burn sites used

in training the firefighters was a threestory building that could be repeatedly

set on fire. A room on the first floor of

the building is lined with ceramic tiles.

These tiles restrict most of the heat and

flames of fires set in the room. The

smoke from these fires fills the entire

building.

Firefighters arriving on the scene have

to evaluate the situation and immediately decide how to approach the fire.

Visibility is near zero as

firefighters enter many

of the burning buildings. A search for the

flames and victims

soon takes place as different teams enter

the building.

The teams have to put out the fire as

quickly as possible and evacuate any

people that may be trapped in the building. There are several different fire situations the unit must prepare for, including

knowing how to handle being the first

responders in many cases.

They have to remember how they

were trained to assess the situation, how

to attack the fire, how to deploy the people and how to deploy equipment.

“It’s not just putting out the fire, it’s

ventilation, it’s overhaul, its rescuing

people, it’s giving first aid, it’s searching

and rescuing — there’s a lot of things

involved,” said Lee, “We have to

respond to all sorts of emergencies. It’s

not just structure but aircraft, vehicle,

(and other) incidents, and we have to be

trained on medical skills and tasks

because we’re usually the first people on

the scene.”

Much of the 336th is composed of

full-time and volunteer firefighters.

There are many differences between

firefighting in the civilian world and

being firefighters in the Army Reserve.

First and foremost, the people in the

336th are soldiers. The unit is always

responsible for conducting militaryrelated tasks, even when responding to

calls. Along with honing their firefighting skills, the unit has worked on conducting a convoy, troop leading procedures, water tanker resupply operations,

and operating basic security at the fire

scene and the Fire Command Center.

The soldiers of the 336th have a

unique and challenging job in the Army

Reserve. These particular individuals

work well under pressure and feed off

the “rush” of the fire. With the intensity

in which this unit trains, there’s no call

this unit can’t handle.

Spc. Rowe is with the 364th Mobile

Public Affairs Detachment, Fort

Snelling, Minn.
36 Army Reserve Magazine
Spring 2002 37

Story and photos by Maj. Jerry Traylor

The 100th Division (Institutional

Training) is the Army’s leader in training

soldiers in the use of the Biological

Integrated Detection System (BIDS).

There are only two units in the Army

equipped with the BIDS – the 7th

Chemical Company, and the 310th

Chemical Company – both Army Reserve

units. 

100th Division (IT) B 00th Division (IT) BIDS Det.

completes another class completes another class

(left) Staff Sgt. Greg Terry instructs that

proper grounding is mandatory for safe

generator operation.

(above)The BIDS Unit is housed on the

back of the standard US Army Humvee.
38 Army Reserve Magazine

The BIDS Detachment, 4th Battalion (Chemical), 3rd

Brigade, 100th Division (IT) at Fort McClellan, Ala.,

performs the qualification training for BIDS operators.

The 25 day school teaches soldiers in Military

Occupational Specialty (MOS) 54B and officers in MOS

74A who are assigned to BIDS units or supporting units. 

“The only instructors in the world are right here,” said

BIDS Senior Instructor and NCOIC Master Sgt. Karen

Kirkpatrick.

As the number of countries pursuing an offensive biological warfare program continues to increase, the priority of the Army’s Biological Defense Program is to limit

the effects of large area biological warfare attacks. The

Biological Integrated Detection System exposes suspected air samples to antibodies that react with a particular

biological agent. The BIDS is capable of quickly identifying organisms and toxins that can be used as biological

weapons; vital information for commanders in the field.

According to Capt. Joye Brown, Officer in Charge

(OIC) of the course, “If we’re in the field, thousands of

soldiers depend on us. If we set up in the city, it would

be the same.” 

(above) Staff Sgt. Greg Terry instructs that proper grounding is mandatory for safe generator operation.
Spring 2002 39

(above) "Safety in training is the number one concern.

Master Sgt. Karen Kirkpatrick, BIDS Senior Instructor,

conducts the Range Safety Brief to start the day.

(left) Sgt. 1st Class Rickey

Robinson discusses the BIDS

with one of his students.

Each BIDS Company consists of five Platoons and a

Headquarters Platoon. Each BIDS Platoon has seven

teams consisting of a BIDS, two vehicles, a generator

and four personnel.

The Army’s newest BIDS qualified soldiers graduated

November 6th. More than 30 students ranging in rank

from Private to Captain, from four states, Alabama,

Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina, completed the

course.

In the words of Sgt. First Class Ricky Robinson, “The

bottom line, it’s all about the soldiers.” Sgt. First Class

Robinson travels from Tennessee to teach the course. He

goes on to say, “If you love BIDS, it’s all you want to

do.” It is this motivation that energizes him to do his

very best to make sure the students receive the best possible training. 

Maj. Traylor is the Public Affairs Officer for the

100th Division (Institutional Training), Louisville,

Ky.
Silver Scimit

Soldiers adjust their NBC mask as they learn how to survive on a battlefield contaminated by NBC agents.

40 Army Reserve Magazine
tar

Story by Master Sgt. Nestor Tamayao

Spring 2002 41

Photo by Staff Sgt. Michele Hammond

A large map of Saudi Arabia faces you from

the easel. The noncommissioned officer conducting the briefing talks about the local customs and although the room is warm, it is not

as hot as it is outside. Beads of sweat roll

down your nose and your mind wanders as

you gaze outside through the window when all

of a sudden you hear “...and welcome to Fort

McCoy and Exercise Silver Scimitar 2001.”

The briefing was the beginning to what all

soldiers go through during in-processing for

exercise Silver Scimitar.

Referred to as the Army’s largest administrative personnel exercise, Silver Scimitar was

conducted at Fort McCoy, Wis., in late July

and involves more than 1,100 Army Reserve

and National Guard soldiers from 16 states.

Participating in the recent exercise were

units from the 81st Regional Support

Command, Birmingham, Ala. The units

included the 3rd Personnel Command (PERSCOM), 678TH Personnel Services Battalion,

461st Personnel Services Battalion and the

310th Personnel Group (AG).

During the first several days prior to the

actual exercise start date, soldiers negotiated a

confidence course, received training on force

protection techniques, combat lifesaving,

nuclear biological and chemical protection,

leadership and communication skills and military vehicle drivers’ training. The exercise also

provided training opportunities on a variety of

other personnel systems.

Senior personnel policy makers from the

Army’s Soldier Support Institute and Total

Army Personnel Command worked directly

with Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers during the exercise.

Silver Scimitar was designed to simulate the

mobilization of soldiers to Southwest Asia. It

tests personnel systems and soldiers’ capabilities through a series of scenarios and training.

The seasonally hot weather at Fort McCoy

provides soldiers the experience of working in

temperatures similar to those in Southwest

Asia.

The exercise depicts a battlefield that suffers heavy casualties. The 3rd PERSCOM and

its subordinate units are tasked to conduct

operations to maintain theater personnel readiness, and to sustain and maintain personnel

support systems. Silver Scimitar challenges

commanders, leaders and soldiers in areas

such as security, logistics and equipment

maintenance while continuing to perform

essential tasks in a combat environment.

A provisional personnel and administration

battalion in the mid-80s developed Silver

Scimitar. The battalion was assigned by 3rd

Army to become a provisional personnel command, according to Col. James Greenwood,

3rd PERSCOM deputy commander.

“The battalion became involved in various

training activities to prepare soldiers for their

new provisional PERSCOM wartime mission

and found that the exercises, although helpful,

did not provide the in-depth theater-level procedural and systems training the soldiers needed,” said Greenwood. “So the provisional battalion staff designed a training program in

conjunction with the 3rd Army AG and decided to have an exercise of its own that focused

on theater personnel systems,” he said. “We

developed this exercise to provide theater

level procedural and systems training for personnel units.”

“The Army invests a lot of money in supporting Silver Scimitar and the 3rd PERSCOM invests a great number of man-hours in

developing and coordinating the many facets

of the exercise,” said 3rd PERSCOM’s commander, Col. Clyde Leavelle. “Each year it

continues to grow more complex and to more

closely resemble the technical personnel challenges in a major theater of war.”

Master Sgt. Tamayao is with the 304th

Mobile Public Affairs Detachment,

Bethell, Wash.
42 Army Reserve Magazine

On Land and Sea: 1174

Giant forklift is lower Giant forklift is lowered to waiting Ar ed to waiting Army water my watercraft.
4th’s ‘round-the-clock mission

Spring 2002 43

NORFOLK NAVAL STATION, Va.—Members of the 1174th Transportation

Terminal Battalion, Fort Totten, N.Y., waited patiently in the predawn hours for the

USNS Mendonca to pull into Pier 14. With the ship’s stow plan in hand they were

prepared to move into action to discharge almost 600 pieces of cargo returning

from Operation Bright Star, in Egypt.

Beginning late last year, the unit worked

closely with a deployment support team from

the 832nd Transportation Battalion, Fort

Buchanan, Puerto Rico, and members of the

Fort Eustis-based 7th Transportation Group.

Divided into two teams they worked 12-hour

shifts around the clock to ensure the ship

would depart on time.

“This exercise was of great training

value,” said Lt. Col. Robert Oliveras,

Commander, 832nd Transportation Battalion.

“It showed the seamless integration of both

Active and Reserve components to complete

the mission. Mission accomplishment is

important – and even more important is to

accomplish the mission and do it safely.”

In all, the Mendonca carried 597 pieces of

cargo. This cargo included 200 containers,

234-wheeled vehicles, and an assorted array

of heavy engineer equipment. As an added

challenge, the unit members were required to

use cranes to unload the heaviest vehicles

directly to Army watercraft alongside the

ship. The equipment was then moved by water to Fort Eustis to avoid movement

over local highways.

After staging the cargo, it was transshipped to such military bases as Fort Polk,

La.; Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; and Fort Carson, Col.

The unit was further challenged when no documentation was found for 83 pieces

of cargo. That meant the Worldwide Port System section had to create records for

the missing pieces.

“Our unit hasn’t done a download such as this in quite a while,” said Maj.

Damon Taylor, the battalion’s officer-in-charge. “This gave us a good overview of

all the many details that are required to accomplish our mission.”

Maj. Wasserman is the Public Affairs Officer for the 1174th Transportation

Terminal Battalion, Fort Totten, N.Y.

Spc. Harriet Servio scans a container discharged from the USNS Mendonca. Photos by Maj. Richard Wasserman

By Maj. Richard A. Wasserman
44 Army Reserve Magazine

Story and photo by Master Sgt. Dave Johnson, 

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE,

Ohio–Seeing all the pieces of a moving puzzle start in

different directions only to mesh together like the mosaic in a finely woven tapestry is a delight to a commander.

The 643rd Area Support Group, a brigade-sized unit

based in Whitehall, Ohio, conducted and coordinated

multiple training exercises in October to foster cohesion

Force protection
Spring 2002 45

among its four battalions.

The commander, Col. Robert Morrow, according to

Sgt. 1st Class Gilman R. Duckworth, an operations noncommissioned officer with 643rd, wanted an exercise

that required each battalion to participate.

“This is a battle-focused assessment of the 643rd’s

assets in a simulated base cluster, a little city, if you

will,” said Duckworth. “This exercise gives Col.

Morrow a picture of his units from the top down.”

Col. Morrow’s plan, utilize support personnel from

many different units during the multiple exercises,

forced leaders to work hard.

Each battalion was tasked

to perform specific functions. 

The 718th Transportation

Battalion, based in

Columbus, Ohio, conducted

its truck rodeo and trained on

force protection. The 633rd

Quartermaster Battalion,

Sharonville, and the 423rd

Quartermaster Battalion

(Water), Warren, Ohio, sent

units to perform field sanitation and practice force protection. The 325th Finance

Battalion, Whitehall, sent

administrative personnel.

Pre-initial entry soldiers,

who prepared for basic training on soldiering skills, also

participated. 

“The emphasis on force

protection is not in response

to the terrorist attacks in

September,” said

Duckworth. “The commander planned this exercise

long before September 11th.

We emphasize protecting our

soldiers year round.”

“We’re training to handle certain situations, whom to

question, how to react to terrorists,” said Pfc Leslie A.

Rucker, a truck driver with 705th Transportation Company,

Dayton, Ohio.

“I think we should do black-out drive, map reading,

and what we need to know when we deploy,” said Pvt.

Rhonda T. Noble, a truck driver with the 705th. “We

need NBC [Nuclear Biological Chemical] training.”

Noble got her wish partially granted when she was

trained on the reactionary force.

Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer D. Carroll, training NCO for

the Headquarters Detachment, 718th, trained her units in

force protection. The primary tasks were implementing

a reactionary force, defending a perimeter and using an

M-8 alarm to detect biological agents. 

According to Carroll, the after action review conducted by the 718th indicated most soldiers loved being in a

field environment, and they want more tactical training.

“All my FTXs have been productive,” said Spc.

Kathryn E. Kaczmarek, a water purification specialist

with 810th Supply Company, Kings Mills, Ohio.

“Mistakes you make a first time usually don’t happen a

second time. Training can’t help but be more realistic

because of recent events.”

Combining force protection with other exercises, the

643rd trained in the field, the environment many operations NCOs enjoy.

“Everything the Army does can be done in the field,”

said Duckworth. “Even the showers are tactical.”

New soldiers appeared excited to see the Army operate as a team.

“It’s great that the pre-IET soldiers see how the Army

operates,” said Duckworth. “They acted like stallions

with reins on. They wanted to get involved. These new

soldiers see how we work together out here, and they

want to join in and help. This is great for recruiting.

They’ll tell their friends when they get back home.”

The 1001st Quartermaster Company, located in

Chillicothe and Columbus provided laundry and bath

support.

“It’s a real relief to get a good shower out in the field.

The 1001st did an excellent job,” said Lt. Col. Kenneth

L. Mottice, commander of the 718th. “This is great for

the troops.”

We should base cluster at least two times per year,

preferably quarterly,” said Duckworth.

The soldiers, soaked, muddy and tired, could be heard

screaming “Hooahs” as they packed equipment and prepared to depart for home.

Apparently, they love being in the field.

Master Sgt. Johnson is with the 367th Mobile

Public Affairs Detachment, Whitehall, Ohio.

Soldiers from the 656th

Transportation Company,

Springfield, Ohio, part of the

718th Transportation Battalion,

capture a potential terrorist

during Force Protection training.
46 Army Reserve Magazine

Story and photo by Master Sgt. Robert F. Cargie

In back of a U.S. Army Reserve building on the south

side of Chicago, soldiers from the 472nd Chemical

Battalion respond to incoming casualties; casualties of

war in the middle of the third largest city in America.

Drivers on a nearby highway slow and stare as they pass

the startling scene. There is an obvious incongruity.

“Gas!” was called moments before, causing the soldiers to don their gas masks. Identities are lost in the

hoods of the masks, but the knowledge gained through

constant training is apparent. The action is instinctive.

As part of an extensive ambulatory and non-ambulatory patient decontamination exercise “Dragon Soldiers”

face the reality of blood and evisceration. Pvt. Lisa

Becker, 18, of Crete, Ill., was on hand to help remove the

boots and gloves of the afflicted soldiers.

“I welcome the challenge of training like this,” Becker

said. “When you see someone lying unconscious with

bloody hands you realize what could happen. It becomes

real.”

The “train as you fight” mentality is strongly in place.

The soldiers have setup a battlefield encampment that

sends injured soldiers through a five-step process. The

process includes medical triage, removing contaminated

clothing and decontaminating the soldier who was a victim of a nuclear, biological or chemical attack.

Spc. Anthony Kraus, 20, of the 472nd Headquarters

and Headquarters Detachment became a casualty. With

theater blood applied and a prosthetic that imitates a disembowelment wrapped around his midsection, a second

look is required to see that the injury isn’t real. Playing a

casualty is a far cry from his usual role of working in the

supply section.

“I’m glad to be part of this,” said Kraus. “It helps my

unit prepare and lets them know what it takes to work

faster. And besides, I was told this blood washes out easily.”

With worldwide concern growing about Weapons of

Mass Destruction (WMD), the battalion recently

received new equipment that addresses this threat.

Soldiers trained on that equipment as part of the weekend exercise. 

Doctrine is being developed that includes U.S. Army

Reserve units in a scenario where civilians are targets of

WMD. The newly arrived equipment is employed in

those scenarios. The equipment includes a rapidly

deployable shelter that will act as a mobile field decontamination station. The shelter can be operational in a

very short time.

Capt. Meredith Kerr-Pagor, 34, an operations officer

with the battalion, said units like the 372nd and the 379th

Chemical Companies are beginning to train based on the

new doctrine. “We don’t wish for anything of the kind to

happen – in fact we pray it never does – but if it does

occur we will be ready to assist,” Kerr-Pagor said.

According to Kerr-Pagor, realistic and gruesome training in scenarios that include civilians will hone the skills

of the battalion soldiers. She said it would act as a deterrent for those who may consider exacting some form of

punishment on citizens of the United States by using

weapons of mass destruction.

Capt. James Lincoln, commanding officer of the 379th

Chemical Co., summed up the training effort. “We are

trying to prepare our soldiers. We are preparing them for

a situation that might require them to work in their own

backyard.”

(Master Sgt. Cargie is with the 350th Mobile Public

Affairs Detachment, Indianapolis, Ind.)

Train as you fight

WMD equipment gives 472nd soldiers realistic training

A 472nd Chemical Battalion soldier treats

the wounded during a simulated chemical

attack.
Spring 2002 47

Story and photo by Spc. Daniel Lucas

CAMP DODGE, Iowa–Army Reservists from the 19th

Theater Army Area Command (TAACOM) and 3rd

Corps Support Command (COSCOM) participated in a

virtual firing exercise with the Fire Arms Training

Simulator (FATS) recently.

The system uses a combination of lasers, video and

computers to teach soldiers how to use the variety of

weapons that the FATS can support.

“We had (FATS) installed a

little over 10 years ago,” said

Maj. Floyd Everett, the range

control officer for Camp

Dodge. “The system is made up

of three computer systems running a variety of video simulations.”

Everett said the system could

support the training of all

branches of the military and

civilian police departments,

from individual scenarios to

squad-size exercises. 

“The system can support the

training on the AT-4 anti-tank

rocket, M-60 machine gun, .50

caliber machine gun, M-240B

machine gun, M-249 Squad

Automatic Weapon, M-16 rifle,

M-203 grenade launcher and

the nine millimeter pistol,” he

said.

Everett said there are plans to add a Mark 19 grenade

machine gun during the system’s next update.

The new 2001 FATS version will be a Windows-based

system. That will make it faster and user-friendlier,

Everett said. There will be the possibility of running a

wider variety of weapons systems, plus the ability to create computer-generated scenarios to fit specific types of

training that the system’s manufacturer believes the soldiers need. 

In addition, Everett said, the new system will store

scenarios on laser disks, saving space on the computer

hard drive and making for faster scenario loading time.

On top of all of that, the new system will also be quieter,

he said.

“The only thing that the system is missing is the smell

of gunfire,” said Brig. Gen. Donald L. Jacka, Jr., commander of the 3rd COSCOM.

The FATS system uses compressed air, supplied by

tanks located in the back of the room, to fire the

weapons. As the weapon fires, it shoots a laser beam at

the screen, where it is recorded in the computer program

that marks shots fired, hits and kills. 

A system this complicated should take a lifetime to

learn, but soldiers can become trained up on how to run

the FATS in a couple of hours, according to operators.

“I was trained yesterday for two hours on how to operate the FATS,” said Staff Sgt. Joel Dingman of the 19th

TAACOM, one of the system

operators. “I went to range control to take the class; it didn’t

take long at all.”

Except for all three computer

systems needing to be started

simultaneously, the setup is

rather minimal. The scenarios

come on a disk of 10, and there

are more than 200 total scenarios.

Even though the system

shows a little age, it is still has a

lot to offer the units that visit and

use it.

“This system is fantastic; it

truly helps soldiers be prepared

for live fire,” said Command

Sgt. Maj. James “Jim” Rosacker,

the COSCOM’s command sergeant major. “The FATS system

teaches soldiers to familiarize

themselves with the different

weapons that they might have to use in their careers.”

But the soldiers that used the system the most had the

most to say about the FATS.

“I think that it’s good for soldiers to use different

weapon systems in an indoor environment,” said Spc.

Matt Andrews, of the 3rd COSCOM’s materiel section.

Andrews also said the indoor environment is more

appealing to soldiers, especially when it’s cold and

snowy outside.

“It is like playing a big game of Nintendo,” said Spc.

Anthony Deal, another 3rd COSCOM soldier. “With this

system, we can train up on different weapons, so we do

better when we do live fire. I wish we could do the simulator more often.”

Pvt. Ben Fox, a new 3rd COSCOM soldier, said the

Reservists get ‘real’ training with ‘virtual’ equipment

Sgt. Troy King of the 366th Mobile Public

Affairs Detachment instructs soldiers from

the 3rd COSCOM about when to engage their

targets on the FATS range at Camp Dodge,

Iowa. 

See FATS, page 61
By Capt. Rebecca P. Leggieri

It started out as just another routine tour of duty for an Army

Reserve general.

On Sept. 10, 2001, Maj. Gen.

Robert W. Chesnut left his wife,

Vivian, at their home and business

in Tupelo, Miss. He was on his way

to the airport for a four-day tour of

duty in Washington, D.C., as he has

done for the past 21 months. 

This time, he was traveling to

attend a meeting of the Army

Reserve Forces Policy Committee

(ARFPC) in the Pentagon, filling in

for his active counterpart, Maj. Gen.

Philip Kensinger. As he boarded the

plane, he was unaware, as was the

rest of the world, how everything

would change on September 11.

During a break from the ARFPC meeting, Chesnut had just left his office headed

a short distance away. He was going to the

office of Maj. Cole Hogan, his executive

officer, and escort, Maj. Pat Richardson

when a hijacked Boeing 757crashed into

the Pentagon. 

The shockwave blew him off the escalator. He could see people in the corridors

blown up against the walls or rolling on the

floor. He tried to fight his way to the hallway where he left his escort to check on

him but was swept out of the building by

the crowd. 

The next few hours were spent helping

wherever he could and looking for his staff.

He eventually found Richardson, who had

escaped the blast because he had steeped

into an office seconds before the plane hit. 

Hogan was not so lucky. He was in his

office and that section on the E wing of the

Pentagon took most of the blast.

“It’s one of those things when you look

back and say if I hadn’t done this or done

that, I might not be here,” said Chesnut quietly.

Chesnut is currently assigned to

Headquarters, Department of the Army as

the Assistant G-3 (Individual Mobilization

Augmentee) for Mobilization and Reserve

Affairs. Before Sept. 11th, this position

required traveling to the Pentagon from his

hometown of Tupelo three to four days at a

time, two to three times a month.

Eye of the Storm

Since those horrible moments of terror,

Chesnut has been in the eye of the storm for

the Army. He works night and weekend

shifts in the Army Operations Center

(AOC) as the general duty officer for the

Crisis Action Team. The Crisis Action

Team, otherwise known as the CAT, consists of 30 plus officers representing each

area of the Army and was stood up within

minutes of the September 11th attacks at the

World Trade Center and Pentagon. 

His orders are open-ended, he said. That

means they could last as long as two years

under the partial mobilization signed by

President George W. Bush.

Chesnut is no stranger to serving his

country in times of need, as evidenced by a

33-year career that started in Vietnam as a

platoon leader, where his service and valor

earned him two Bronze Star Medals and a

Purple Heart. It took him through Operation

Desert Storm and peaked, so far, with a proFrom financial secur

Maj. Gen. (then Brig. Gen.) Robert

Chesnut.
Spring 2002 49

motion ceremony on the CAT floor on

Jan. 18, which stopped activities for

15 minutes to allow this soldier away

from home to pin on his second star. 

“That’s where all the people I work

with are and they’re mainly Reserve

or Guard. I think of us as a team,” said

Chesnut.

Typical day

An ordinary day for Chesnut begins

at 6 p.m. when he reports for his shift

at the Army Operations Center. There

is an ebb and flow to activities, he

explained. The big event is the 7:30

a.m. Army Staff Brief. Rehearsal

begins at 4 a.m. for the 30-35 minute

briefing. The senior leadership of the

Army attends each briefing to include

the Secretary of the Army, Thomas E.

White and the Chief of Staff of the

Army, General Eric Shinseki.

In the first months after the terrorist

attacks, most of the efforts were

focused toward homeland security,

specifically involving military support

of civilian authorities. The Director of

Military Support is the executive

agent for the Secretary of Defense to

provide joint (all services) support to

civil authorities. Any civilian request

for military support, such as force protection, is sent to DOMS, who then

sends it to the Secretary’s office, who

works the request through the CAT to

get the right military unit to the right

place.

These requests consumed most of

the CAT’s assets in the first two

months, according to Chesnut. He

noted that as the war on terrorism

gained momentum; more time was

spent with homeland defense, force

protection, U.S. Central Command

and other areas.

Mobilization

One such area is mobilization. The

mobilization branch of the CAT develops the mobilization request and

works closely with the general duty

officer who approves the mobilization

orders for the reserve components but

only after “a lot of give and take, mission analysis by U.S. Forces

Command, discussion with Joint

Staff, the unified commands and various Army representatives” said

Chesnut. 

Mobilization issues seems like a

natural task assigned to an Army

Reserve general, but Chesnut feels

there is no distinction between the

components on his watch.

“It takes a while for everyone to

gain your confidence and not having

done this full time, it takes a while to

get into the flow, to get an overarching

feel for the whole picture,” said

Chesnut. “I’m not surprised at the

high level of talent in our reserve

rity to ‘Homeland Security’

Then a 2nd Lieutenant, Chesnut stands in front of "Barbarella" in his company's motor pool at Fort Hood, Texas, just prior to deploying to Vietnam.

Chesnut takes a break during training at

Camp Blanding, Fla.
50 Army Reserve Magazine

component soldiers because I’ve

worked with the Guard and Reserve

for 30 odd years in training, seen their

ability and know how effective all

three components work together as a

team.”

“The Army Reserve has really

shown the active component what volunteerism and being ‘twice the citizen’ is all about,” said Maj. Will

Flucker, an active component soldier

who is assigned to the Office of the

Chief, Army Reserve, and now ironically occupies the Army Reserve desk

for the Crisis Action Team.

Flucker added that the “Reserve

guys” always raise their hands first

when something needs to get done. He

also commented on Chesnut’s style of

CAT leadership.

Out of the three “CAT GOs” (Crisis

Action Team General Officers) Gen.

Chesnut’s style is quiet and unassuming, Flucker said. 

“When he asks you for an answer to

a question, you almost feel as though

you outrank him, he is so polite.

However, woe to him who does not

know the answer or take Gen. Chesnut

seriously. When Gen. Chesnut is

through with you, you feel as if you let

not only him down, but yourself,” he

said.

Reservists serving

Slowly over the past few

months, the night shift’s active

soldiers have been replaced by

reservists. Currently 80 percent of

the personnel are Reserve

Component soldiers.

In talking with his soldiers,

Chesnut found out that many have

left jobs, financial opportunities,

and small children and just left

their lives on hold. They come

from all branches of the Reserve

Components: Troop Program

Unit, Individual Readiness

Reserve and Individual

Mobilization Augmentee.

“And it is impossible to figure

out who is which – as far as the

total Army, the work product is

there,” states Chesnut with pride

in his voice. “I think given the time

and training to get acclimated, the

Reserve has done very well.”

Chesnut’s soldiers are not the only

ones who have left behind a job or

family. Vivian Chesnut, Chesnut’s

wife of 16 years, could easily feel

overwhelmed with her husband, now

gone for an indefinite period of time

and not at home to help her with their

business and their life in Tupelo. She

could feel that way. She does not.

She anticipated separations when

she married him 16 years ago on a

Friday night because he left for his

weekend Army Reserve duty the next

day at 4 a.m.

“My job is to keep the home fires

burning, candles lit and the kids taken

care of,” she said. “It can be lonely but

I knew that if I loved this man, I

would need to let him work in this

way.”

Spousal support

Vivian Chesnut is much more than

the traditional homemaker. The

Chesnuts both share responsibilities in

the office where Bob Chesnut is selfemployed as a Senior Financial

Advisor and a Certified Financial

Planner with American Express

Financial Advisors. Vivian runs the

office and Robert makes the decisions,

even now when he is 883 miles away.

Phone calls are essential to the business, since Chesnut has not been home

since the week of Sept. 17. He was

able to fly home for four days to be in

the office the Monday after the terrorist attacks because he had no idea of

what might happen when the stock

market opened that Monday morning.

“My wife has been very, very helpful. I’ve put a lot on her,” “said

Chesnut.

Vivian, however, considers her situation very simple.

“I have a heavy heart because I feel

so fortunate for myself and others are

sacrificing. We are lucky he is stateside and a phone call away. The soldiers overseas are true patriots.”

Her experience through the years as

an Army Reserve spouse has helped

her in her current family situation. She

reminisces about drill weekends

where “Theater Nights” were common, with a rented movie and popcorn

for the couple’s children and friends.

The children, all four of them, never

felt left out, just proud of him she said. 

The wife of an Individual

Mobilization Augmentee does not

have much of a support system,

Vivian pointed out. There is no Troop

Program Unit or base to fall back on. 

My age has helped me. I remember

the sick overwhelming feeling I had

waiting for the word about cousins

and my brother in Vietnam. I felt the

same feeling when I saw the pictures

of the Pentagon because I knew he

was in there.”

It was not until many hours later

that she found out exactly where her

husband had been when the plane hit

that September morning. He was still

in the Pentagon but he was safe and

serving his country once again. 

He is still there and still serving.

Capt. Leggieri is a Public Affairs

officer with the Public Affairs and

Liaison Directorate, Office of the

Chief, Army Reserve

Bob and Vivian Chesnut during a visit to

Hawaii.
Spring 2002 51

By Master Sgt. Vicki Washington

An Army Reservist helped the United States end nearly half a

century of Olympic frustration for the U.S. men's bobsled team

by earning a silver medal during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Garrett Hines received the medal for

his part in the men's four-man bobsled race Feb. 24 and, along

with teammate Randy Jones, made Olympic history by becoming the first black U.S. men to win medals in the Winter

Olympics.

The four-man team, which included team members Todd

Hays and Bill Schuffenhauer, drove the fire-engine red USA-1

sled to second in 3:07.81 to snag second place.

Hines, the brakeman for USA-1, is an environmental engineer

in the Army Reserve and was competing in his second Olympic

Winter Games. In 1998, he was a member of the two-and fourman American bobsled teams in Nagano, Japan.

The 32-year-old Chicago, Ill. native was also the brakeman on

this year's two-man bobsled team in which he paired with driver Todd Hays. The Hines-Hays team finished in fourth place,

missing a medal by three tenths of a second.

Hines’ Stats

Year Event Place

1998 Olympics 4-man 4th

1998 Olympics 2-man 10th

2000 World Championships 4-man 4th

2000 World Championships 2-man 6th

2000 Goodwill Games 2-man 8th

2000 Brakeman Push Championship 1st

Army Reservist makes Olympic history

Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Garrett Hines, USA-1

brakeman, waves to the crowd after receiving

his silver medal for the men's four-man bobsled

during a 2002 Winter Olympic Games medal

ceremony in Salt Lake City, Feb. 24, 2002. 

(inset) Driver Todd Hays and

brakeman Army Reserve 2nd

Lt. Garrett Hines of USA-1

prepare to push off for their

final heat during the Men’s

two-man bobsled competition

at the 2002 Winter Olympic

Games, Feb. 16, 2002. The

two make their way down the

track at the Utah Olympic

Park as they attempt to bring

in a medal-winning time.

U.S. Navy photos by Journalist 1st Class Preston Keres
52 Army Reserve Magazine

Story by Spc. Brandon S. Katz

Ft. Meade, Md.—The phone rings and Maj. Donna

Garnett, an Army Reservist and the Budget Officer for the

311th Theater Signal Command here, turns to grab it. An

incoherent voice screams from the other end, “They selected us!”

Garnett didn’t understand the message but knew it was

Lisa Goldman, a student in a fitness class called The

Sergeant’s Program, based in Rockville, Md., where

Garnett is an instructor.

After Goldman calmed down, she explained that she had

nominated both Garnett and herself for the 2002 Olympic

Torch Run. She told Garnett she had just received the confirmation letter explaining her acceptance as a runner and

was calling to see if Garnett had received it as well.

After a little investigation, Garnett

discovered she too had been selected

to run. “They decided to select us as

a pair. She and I both were given the

opportunity to participate,” Garnett

said with a big smile on her face.

“We were notified in July or

August that we had been selected

and asked to respond if we wanted to

participate. Three weeks later, they

sent us uniforms and instructions,”

she explained.

Garnett and Goldman were selected as part of the Greater D.C. Group.

Garnett’s leg of the run was held on

December 21, 2001 and went from

13th St., NW into Freedom Plaza on

Pennsylvania Ave., just east of the

White House. There, she would hand

off the torch to Goldman who would

then carry it towards the White

House.

Garnett received the course layout

three weeks before the actual run.

She wasn’t worried about it though. “The route is only like

one-fifth of a mile, three or four hundred yards,” she

explained as a little smile crossed her face. “I don’t know

the time limit...you can run, you can walk.”

“Everyone was very excited for me,” she said, “and very

thrilled and probably as flabbergasted as I was. ‘You’re

going to do that?’ was the reaction I got,” explained

Garnett.

The runners were carried on a bus or van in front of the

procession. As they approached their pre-selected starting

points, they would get out and receive their torch and wait

for the flame. They would then turn and receive the flame

from the runner behind them.

“As I got off the bus and was handed my torch, several

of my friends were there, some of my clients, and they

were all yelling and screaming, ‘Donna, Donna!’. My parents live in the Midwest, and they were not able to come,

but they were rooting for me.”

Garnett knew she was lucky because, not only had she

been nominated, she was actually selected to run. Knowing

the process and the odds of being chosen, gives many people with the thought, “There’s no chance, no snowball I can

get that or someone that I know, someone that I nominated, could,” explained Garnett. “I would definitely encourage people to do it. You could be as lucky as I was,” she

said with a gleam in her eye.

When asked if she would run again, Garnett explained,

“I would definitely run again...it was weird I wasn’t nervous, I was just excited beyond belief. It was the most exciting thing I can remember doing.”

Spc. Katz is a Public Affairs Specialist with the

311th Theater Signal Command, Fort Meade, Md.

Maj. Donna Garnett from the 311th Theater Signal Command holds the Olympic

Torch aloft.

A different call to duty Reservists selected to carry torch
Spring 2002 53

By John D. Wagner

WILDOMAR, Calif.—Displaying a

smile of amusement, Sgt. 1st Class

Jeff Wardwell cradled a

simple duck sculpture in

his hands and recalled it as

the first he painstakingly

carved from a wooden

block 21 years ago.

“I call it the ‘tugboat,’ ”

he said, chuckling as he

looked at the simple black

and white carving in his

hands. “But at the time, I

was thrilled with it.”

Next to him was a carving of another bird—a pintail duck that looked virtually alive with its green,

yellow gray and white

body, brown head and

exquisitely-detailed feathers.

It was a sign of how far

Wardwell had come. The

duck won second place in

the Ward World Wildfowl

Carvers Championship in

1997 in Ocean City, Md.

Wardwell, a platoon sergeant with the 653rd Area

Support Group during his

Reserve drills, is a worldclass bird carver who not

only places repeatedly in

world competitions, but

makes his living by selling

his creations. He has won

about 80 awards in national and international meets.

“I have a passion for

taking a block of wood and turning it

into something lifelike,” he said. 

Wardwell first got started back in

1980, then a marine at Quantico, Va.

One day he looked at a copy of

Outdoor Life magazine and noticed an

ad for a water fowl carvers’ festival in

Easton, Md.

“I decided to go and I saw the carvings of duck decoys,” he said. “I

noticed how elaborate and highly

detailed they were. They look so real,

like they could walk off the table. I

liked the detail. I was really amazed at

how they got that wood to look.”

Professional full-time carvers

advised him to get the “bible” of the

art—the 382-page book, Game Bird

Carving by Bruce Burk. He’s never

formal formal training, but life has

never been the same since. When stationed on a Navy ship he brought his

wood and carving tools with

him. Some on the ships didn’t like him doing it. But he

kept his area clean. He continued honing his skills during stints in the Navy,

National Guard and then

Army Reserve.

Wardwell, 43, estimates

he carved 50 to 60 ducks the

first 10 years and would typically sell them for $250 to

$300 each. He has created

about 175 birds since he

began. He won his first

award in 1990 at the Decoy

and Wild Fowl Carvers

Association Competition in

Palm Springs, Calif. He

entered and won first place

in the Novice Decorative

Floating Waterfowl

Category against about 50

other applicants.

For the last two years, he

has carved birds of prey,

mainly hawks. He either

sells the carvings or uses

them to produce bronze

reproductions.

His latest project, still in

process, is a hawk on a

glove-covered hand. The

hand was actually patterned

after Wardwell’s, who is a

licensed “falconer” and

“hawker.”

“Birds of prey are very

intense” he said. “But hawks

are easy to tame the falcons.”

Mr. Wagner is with the 63rd

Regional Support Command

Public Affairs Office, Los

Alamitos, Calif.

The “Birdman” of the 653rd ASG

World-class carver makes a living shaping wood

Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Wardwell cradles one of his sculpted creations.
Story and photo by Lt. Col. Randy

Pullen

WASHINGTON—The first Army

Reserve nurse to wear two stars was promoted to major general at the National

Headquarters of the Reserve Officers

Association January 18.

Maj. Gen. Donna F. Barbisch had her

stars pinned on her jacket by Lt. Gen.

Thomas J. Plewes, Chief, Army

Reserve, and her mother, Jean B.

Feigley. Barbisch’s daughters, Rebecca

and Patricia Barbisch, placed her major

general insignia on her uniform shirt.

Barbisch, a Vietnam veteran, is the

Military Assistant (Individual

Mobilization Augmentee) to the

Assistant Secretary of the Army for

Manpower and Reserve Affairs in

Washington, DC, a major general

assignment. She has been in this position since May 2001. Besides being the

first Army Reserve nurse to serve in a

major general position, she is also the

first Army Reserve nurse to serve in a

non-Army Medical Department major

general assignment.

After pinning on her stars, Plewes presented Barbisch with her major general’s flag. He also praised her work in

preparing the Army Reserve and other

military, federal, state and local organizations to effectively work together to

deal with the results of a domestic terrorist event.

“We would not have responded so

well on September 11th and since then

without the contributions of Donna

Barbisch,” Plewes said.

Barbisch thanked those attending the

ceremony, especially her mother. Her

Army Reserve nurse makes

history, pins on second star

Maj. Gen. Donna F. Barbisch has her major general stars pinned on her by Lt. Gen.

Thomas J. Plewes, Chief, Army Reserve, and by her mother, Jean Feigley, in a

January ceremony held at the National Headquarters of the Reserve Officers

Association in Washington, DC. She is the first Army Reserve nurse to wear two stars.
Spring 2002 55

mother received flowers but

Barbisch’s daughters received

something different. Rebecca, an

electrical and computer engineer,

and Patricia, a mechanical engineer, each received a compass “ to

help them find their way and to

stay on course.”

Barbisch entered the Army as a

private first class in 1967. After

completing her nursing education

in the Army Student Nurse

Program, she was commissioned

as a second lieutenant in the Army

Nurse Corps on December 31,

1968. She has had numerous command and staff assignments in her

more than 32 years of active Army

and Army Reserve commissioned

service and in 1991 became one of

the first Army Nurse Corps officers

to command when she took command of the 350th Mobile Army

Support Hospital (MASH).

In April 1997, she became the

chief nurse of the 3rd Medical

Command in Decatur, Ga., a

brigadier general assignment. She

was promoted to brigadier general

in November 1997. She was also

the deputy commander for clinical

support of the 3rd Medical

Command.

One of the Defense

Department’s leading experts on

managing the consequences of a

domestic terrorist event, she serves

as the senior consultant on homeland defense and homeland security to the Chief, Army Reserve.

During her assignment with the 3rd

Medical Command, she did a temporary tour of duty as senior advisor to the commander of the

Soldier Biological Chemical

Command for Weapons of Mass

Destruction, Consequence

Management, at Aberdeen Proving

Ground, Md.

In her civilian career, Barbisch is

Chief Executive Officer of Global

Deterrence Alternatives, a strategic

planning organization for creative

policy, planning and integration

solutions for the threats by

weapons of mass destruction. Her

focus is on organizational effectiveness, strategic planning and

leader development as it applies to

national and international response

to terrorism and emergency planning. She has advised the

Department of Defense, the

Department of Veterans Affairs

and the Washington, DC, Council

of Governments. She is also an

adjunct professor at the College of

Health Professions, the Medical

University of South Carolina.

Story and photos by Jack Gordon

Moon Township, Pa.—The four stars that

were proudly pinned upon the shoulder epaulets

of freshly promoted Maj. Gen. Karol A.

Kennedy’s uniform were important – but perhaps not as important as who placed them –her

husband, her brother, her son and his fiancée.

For Kennedy, family is everything. 

Citing the support and inspiration of her family as what has always given her “the right

stuff,” Kennedy was surrounded by those who

shared in the milestone achievement of a military career that spans nearly 40 years beginning

with the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in 1963.

Kennedy first served as an enlisted soldier

for two years before she was commissioned

from the Officer Candidate School in Fort

McClellan, Ala., in 1965. Since her initial

enlistment she has served on active duty, in the

National Guard, and the Army Reserve.

In May 2001 she became the first female soldier appointed as commander of a regional support command in the Army Reserve – the 99th — where she had served

four years as deputy commander prior to being selected as commander.

Command performance! Command performance!

First female commander of RSC promoted to major general

Maj. Gen. Karol A. Kennedy's son Rob pins on one of her stars.
56 Army Reserve Magazine

“This is a great day for the Kennedy family,” said Maj.

Gen. Craig Bambrough, deputy commander, U.S. Army

Reserve Command, Atlanta, Ga., acknowledging the presence of Kennedy’s son Rob; his fiancée Joan; and her

brother Michael, who had traveled from Kennedy’s – and

Bambrough’s – home state of California to attend the promotion ceremony. 

It’s also a great day for the Army Reserve,” Bambrough

said, “since about 30 percent of the Army Reserve is

female, and I think we’re finally ‘getting it.”

Success Parameter

“Recently,” Kennedy said, “somebody asked me if I’d

ever considered leaving the Army Reserve because I

thought I’d never become a general. If that had been my

success parameter, I’d have been a long time ago. I can tell

you that I never – ever – thought I’d become a general officer. In my early days in the Army, the military culture and

my experience were not such that becoming a general was

something women expected – or even aspired to.”

Kennedy says it was not without reservations that she

approached her appointment as the first female selected to

command an RSC. She knew she would become a symbol

– and that her achievement would likely inspire other

female troops to aspire toward greater goals, and firmly

embedded in that symbolism was opportunity, but even so,

a reality check was in order.

She recalled an email exchange with Bambrough only

an evening before she was to assume command of the 99th.

“I said ... ‘I’m a little nervous – I’m a little in awe of

what I’m about to take on here,’” she told Bambrough.

“And his response to me was ‘Just think of what you can

do; and what an opportunity it is to be able to do something

for 25,000 soldiers!’ And I said ‘Wow!’ So this is a great

mission ... and I have taken it on.”

She cited, sometimes with the wry humor her family and

friends know she may spring at any moment, the trust, support and motivation supplied from her family as inspirational, for early in her journey, it was that support of her

duty that once created, and yet comprise the inner, driving

force that has brought her here today, to this unprecedented position of leadership.

She also offered advice about what it takes.

“If you want to become a general officer – don’t worry

about your OERs – worry instead ... about the soldiers

under your charge,” Kennedy said. “Be concerned about

the whole soldier – his family; his employer — the civilians who are responsible for his care, and those who been

entrusted their son, or daughter, to us.”

“Don’t worry about your mission, because if your intent

is clear and your expectation high – if you don’t confuse

leadership with interference – your soldiers will accomplish the mission. Don’t plan to be a general, because if

that’s your focus – if you’re political, or guarded in your

actions and communications, and only concerned with

your career progression or self-preservation ... you’ll miss

what is best. And remember, your success is not measured

by what is on your shoulders – it’s measured by what’s on

the shoulders and sleeves ... of your soldiers!”

Family is important to Maj. Gen. Karol A. Kennedy, and

as commander of the 99th Regional Support Command of

the United States Army Reserve – her “family” now numbers ... 25,000!

Mr. Gordon is the Chief of Information, Public Affairs

Office, 99th Regional Support Command, Moon

Township, Pa.

By Maj. Jon Dahms

WASHINGTON—The story of a heroic Vietnam War rescue mission was recently brought to light when after an

Army Reservist, who was honored for his part in the rescue, was featured with other heroes of the mission on an

ABC reunion show called “Come Together” which aired

Dec. 24, 2001. 

On July 22, 2001 (now) Maj. Michael L. Horsch was

awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions on

Aug. 31, 1970. Maj. Gen. Richard Cody, the current commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division located at

Ft. Campbell, Ky, presented the award.

Others involved with the rescue, Master Sgt. (Ret.) Rick

Tipton, Chief Warrant Officer Harvey Reints and Maj.

(Ret.) Lee Brooks, along with Horsch, were presented with

the 101st Airborne Division Commanding General’s

“Recognition of Excellence” coins. 

“It was quite an honor to receive the Distinguished

Flying Cross even 30 years after the mission,” Horsch said,

“and even more meaningful to have it presented by Maj.

Gen. Cody.”

The producers for the LMNO Production’s segment

called “A Soldier’s Story,” Bill Paolantonio and Colom

Keating, worked with ABC Television to fly those

involved with the rescue and their families from locations

all over the United States to Los Angeles to tell their stories and be reunited. 

Horsch currently serves as Battalion Operations Officer

for the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion (MP), 3rd Brigade

(CS), 84th Division (IT).

Army Reservist awarded Distinguished Flying

Cross for rescue 30-years after heroic event
It all started with an attempt to insert some Rangers

from L Company, 75th Ranger Regiment in a bomb

crater, behind enemy lines, for a reconnaissance mission. The OH-6A light observation helicopter (called a

Loach) that was being used for the insertion, crashlanded at its landing zone (LZ) after its tail rotor struck

a tree stump. The three soldiers quickly exited the aircraft, took up defensive positions in the crater, and

called for help.

Horsch was part of the rescue team sent to extract

the personnel from the downed helicopter. Initially,

they had to secure the area by inserting members of an

Aero Rifle Platoon from two UH-1H (Hueys). Ten soldiers were inserted in the crater to secure the perimeter for the upcoming extraction. Rifle fire and Rocket

Propelled Grenades from enemy positions began to

increase as the rescue operation was being carried out.

Cobra helicopter gunships and Air Force F-4

Phantoms joined the battle, keeping the enemy at bay

and creating the appropriate environment to attempt

the extraction.

Maj. (Retired) Mac Jones, who piloted the C Troop

2/17th lead Huey, said “Over a period of five hours,

twenty six Cobra helicopter gunships and six Air Force

F-4 Phantoms expended their ordnance to keep an estimated company-sized element of North Vietnamese Army

(NVA) at bay thus creating the appropriate environment to

attempt the extraction of the American soldiers on the

ground.”

The commander of the 2nd Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry

Regiment, Colonel Robert Molinelli, decided the only way

to get the men out of the LZ was a ladder extraction. Back

at base, three C Troop 2/17th Hueys were rigged with ladders and were soon on their way to the battle area.

Around four hours after the initial crash, the first extraction helicopter came into the LZ. The air support was able

to keep the enemy fire down enough to allow the extraction

of 6 members of the Aero Rifle Platoon and the pilot of the

crashed Loach.

A second ladder-rigged Huey, piloted by Capt. Mac

Jones, came in to rescue the remaining personnel on the

ground, but Staff Sgt. Rick Tipton lost his grip and fell

back into the crater as it was lifting off. Alone in the crater,

Tipton alerted the remaining ladder-rigged helicopter that

he was still on the ground.

The final Huey, piloted by Chief Warrant Officer Reints

and co-piloted by Capt. Brooks with Horsch aboard as

Crew Chief, came in, under heavy enemy fire, to extract

Tipton. Tipton quickly grabbed the ladder and motioned

them to lift off.

While at an altitude of around 800 feet, Tipton began

loosing his grip under the weight of his full rucksack and

other equipment. Weak from his ordeal and with blasts of

air pummeling him at that altitude he lost his grip and fell

back until he was hanging on only by his knees.

Without regard for his own safety, Horsch unsnapped his

life line; removed his flight helmet, body armor and 45 caliber pistol; left his position and started to descend down the

ladder as the helicopter flew through the sky. The exhausted Tipton began loosing his final leg hold and began slipping off the ladders.

At the last moment Horsch managed to grab Tipton and

trap both of his legs in a ladder rung, telling him to hang

on. By now the pilot was aware of what was happening

below and quickly searched for a place to set the ship down

as the two men on the ladder held on for dear life.

Spotting a dirt road he began his decent with the men on

the ladder nearing the end of their endurance. Just before

touch down Horsch lost his grip and fell to the ground with

Tipton crashing down close behind. Looking up they saw

the tail rotor of the Huey coming down directly over their

heads. Horsch used hand and arm signals to communicate

to the gunner to have the pilot move the aircraft forward,

and the aircraft rose up and repositioned about 30 feet in

front of them. 

Horsch grabbed the exhausted and dazed Tipton then

made a mad dash to get to the aircraft. Upon reaching the

aircraft Horsch threw both Tipton and himself on the cargo

deck as the pilots took off with the UH-1H, which was still

under enemy fire. The helicopter returned to Phu Bai, and

dropped off Tipton at the 85th Evacuation Hospital for a

check over. The mission was completed approximately 5

hours after the initial crash.

Maj. Dahms is with the Public Affairs and Liaison

Directorate, Office of the Chief, Army Reserve,

Washington, D.C.

Spring 2002 57

Maj. Michael L. Horsch (third from right) poses after receiving

the Distinguished Flying Cross. Pictured from left to right, Mr.

Eric Schotz, President of LMNO Productions; Maj. (Ret.) Lee

Brooks, 1970 Troop Executive Officer & UH-1H Pilot; Chief

Warrant Officer 2 Harvey Rients, 1970 Aircraft Commander &

UH-1H Pilot; Master Sgt. (Ret.) Rick Tipton, 1970 Ranger Team

Leader; Mr. Bill Paolantonio, LMNO Executive Vice President

and Executive Producer of "A Soldiers Story" Program; Mr.

Colom Keating, LMNO Productions Producer of "A Soldier's

Story" Program; Ms. Meredith Vieira, ABC's Host of the "Come

Together" Program; Horsch, 1970 UH-1H "Huey" & AH-1G

"Cobra" helicopter Crew Chief); Maj. Gen. Richard A. Cody, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division and Capt. Chris

Cassibry, Aide to the Commanding General of the 101st.
58 Army Reserve Magazine

Story and photos by Dorea Fowlkes

His unit’s mission in Laos was secret.

As a consequence, Master Sgt. Kenneth Mair never considered wearing his U.S. Army Support Thailand patch on

the right shoulder of his uniform signifying he was a combat veteran.

That was more than 30 years ago. When Mair left the

Army in the spring of 1971, he forgot about it. Now, thanks

to the research of a fellow Reservist, Mair, the personnel

services NCO for Individual Mobilization Augmentees, is

wearing the patch again.

Capt. John Wydock met Mair when both men were

mobilized for duty with the Military Traffic Management

Command after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America.

Wydock was intrigued to learn about Mair’s participation

in the Vietnam War – particularly his time served in

Thailand. An avid historian, Wydock immediately began to

research Mair’s former unit.

“I knew that there were forces in Laos, and I was now

more eager to learn about Mair’s unit,” said Wydock.

While reviewing records, Wydock made a critical discovery. In 1992, the Army publicly recognized personnel

who had served in Thailand, Laos or Cambodia from

March 1961 to March 1973 and authorized the wearing of

the U.S. Army Support Thailand patch.

“I felt Master Sergeant Mair had served his country for

two years in Thailand and deserved to be recognized for

it,” said Wydock.

The next challenge was finding U.S. Army Support

Thailand patches. After an extensive search, Wydock

found a battle-dress uniform subdued patch at a local military clothing sales store. On the Internet, he located a Class

A dress-uniform patch through a military artifacts company.

Wydock proudly presented the patches to Mair at an

informal birthday ceremony Jan. 15. He also presented

Mair with a display case containing the patch and several

authorized medals.

“I am very proud to now wear this uniform again with

the U.S. Army Support Thailand patch for my support to a

unit that I am very proud to recognize,” said Mair.

Mair served in Korat, Thailand, with the undisclosed

unit in 1969. For security reasons, members of the unit

were not recognized for one of its mission in Laos.

Even after his departure from Thailand, Mair kept his

duty assignment confidential for national security reasons.

After his discharge, he worked as a computer programmer/analyst at an insurance company in Maine.

Mair joined the Army Reserve in 1981. He began working for MTMC’s Plans, Readiness and Mobilization staff

seven years later.

Ms. Fowlkes is with the Operations Center, Military

Traffic Management Command.

Confidential work, public recognition

(left) After 30 years, Master Sgt.

Kenneth Mair, proudly wears a U.S. Army

Support Thailand patch. (inset) U.S.

Army Support Thailand patches - subdued and dress uniform.

(below) Capt. John Wydock used both

the Internet and shoe leather to

research the military history associated

with his fellow Reservist.
Spring 2002 59

Story by Staff Sgt. Patrick J. McDonald

Everything she hoped for could have ended with a car

accident. In May 1999, Army Reserve Capt. (then 1st

Lieutenant) Billie Cartwright of the Fort Lewis-based

448th Civil Affairs Battalion nearly brought a promising

career that included membership on the All-Army Cross

Country Team and running in the Army 10 miler in

Washington D.C. to an end after sustaining a fracture in her

back. Still, her will to win and her own undaunted determination brought her where she is today...once again competing in her primary sport of distance running and having

the opportunity to train with top athletes and run in top

notch events.

“The car accident changed my perspective on dedication

to my sport and I was determined to come back at an even

higher level and I have since made it my goal to qualify for

the Olympic Trials,” noted Cartwright. “I don’t consider

quitting as an option. I keep to a rigid schedule, one that is

developed with the help of my coaches and training advisors, and I constantly monitor myself.”

“I look for signs of over training and fatigue. If you push

yourself too much all at once, you will end up digging

yourself into a hole. You need to pay attention to your body

and the signals it gives off. However, you have to balance

that with the will to train when tired and to overcome the

minor aches and pains that are a part of competitive sports.

Determining how much is to much is a fine line that you

are always testing the limits of.”

She credited a number of factors with her training regiment and running success. “I did not consider myself an

athlete prior to high school. My family moved a lot, so I

used running to meet people who would have similar interests. As I grew with the sport I seemed to win more and

more races, it wasn’t the most important thing, but, it was

a nice bonus.”

Cartwight, who originally enlisted in the Army out of

High School, spent most of her initial military obligation in

the motor pool at a Forward Support Battalion in Germany.

“During that time I decided I wanted more choices in my

life and a great way to achieve that would be to go to college and take advantage of my strengths, running and a

knack for science.”

She attended Penn State University and received her

Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry. “I chose this

path because it sounded hard and I wanted to see how well

I could do. It reflected my own philosophy of life – to take

on a challenge head on and apply my self to it wholeheartedly.” During her time at Penn State, she also joined a college running club

team to keep up her

training regime. It

was during that time

where she began to

formalize her training and understand

what needed to be

done to improve her

running ability.

Today, Cartwright

lives by a strict goaloriented training regiment. “You have to

put your heart and

mind into it and you

will see it pay off,

but to be really good

takes an incredible

amount of time.” To reach her personal goals, she runs ten

to fifteen miles a day, in addition to physical therapy exercises that keep her back pain to a minimum.

As far as relating her fitness to a military perspective,

Cartwright completed the required 448th CA Bn 10K ruck

march in 64 minutes. The 448th is part of the Army’s

Special Operations Command. Members of the unit are

required to complete the 10K ruck march with 55 pounds

of weight in their rucksack.

Most recently, she competed in her first half-marathon

finishing in a respectable 12th place.

“Currently I am sponsored by Mizuno which covers my

equipment expenses, eventually I hope to be selected to the

Army World Class Athlete Program so that I can work less

and focus more on training. It takes a lot of work to get to

the next level and you definitely make some personal and

social sacrifices. I know that I am going to have to do more

to compete at the level I want and I am willing to do what

it takes.”

In addition to running, Cartwright will attend graduate

school to complete a Physician Assistant certification. She

also has hopes of qualifying for the Olympic trials.

“While I recognize that my goals are high, I don’t think

they are out of reach and I don’t believe you accomplish

much if you never take a risk. I also think it is important to

verbalize your goals because it makes you accountable.”

Cartwright recently deployed to Bosnia in support of

Operation Joint Guard. 

Staff Sgt. McDonald is with the Public Affairs Office,

448th Civil Affairs Battalion, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Overcoming adversity

Determination sees Reservist through tough times

Capt Billie Cartwright.
60 Army Reserve Magazine

By Master Sgt. David Cooper

Across the United States, closing military bases stand as

decaying monuments to the greatest battle of the second

half of the Twentieth Century – the Cold War. Like ghost

towns of the Old West, countless barracks, piers and runways now sit idle.

At the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California, Army

Reserve Engineers are returning some of these assets to

productivity.

For the past four years, members of the U.S. Army

Facility Engineer Group have helped convert part of Mare

Island Naval Shipyard to a Maritime Center of Excellence

through a steady stream of customized consulting engineering services, including design, project and construction management, inspections, surveys, independent government estimates and scopes of work. 

These Reservists provide this service at a fraction of the

cost of civilian contractors. Team members estimate that

the cost savings for the work of the Army Reserve engineers on over $13 million of completed or proposed construction projects exceeds $120,000.

The U.S. Navy established Mare Island Naval Shipyard,

or MINSY, in 1854, for building and outfitting war fighting sea craft. Under continuous construction and adaptation, MINSY became an intricate maze of facilities, piers,

dry docks and berths producing 512 ships between 1854

and 1970.

When MINSY closed in 1994 under the Base

Realignment and Closure Program, the Army Reserve’s

63rd Regional Support Command acquired a 25-acre,

waterfront site, with two 700-foot finger piers, two 55,000

square-foot barracks buildings, one 22,000 square-foot

wooden office building, a bunker, a former McDonalds

restaurant, two maintenance buildings and a fire station. 

Mare Island’s infrastructure, with its piers, offices,

maintenance facilities and access to the San Francisco Bay

and the Pacific Ocean seemed a choice location for the

63rd’s Maritime Center of Excellence. The plan was to collocate Engineer, Heavy Boat and Port Construction units,

and create a realistic water-training site for water borne

units. 

(left) Maj. Steven Strem checks

relocated pier electrical power

near Army landing craft.

(right) A distinctive bend can be

seen in the failing quay wall that

Maj. Steven Strem stands beside.

(below) The newly refurbished

home of Brig. Gen Mason Hall

Army Reserve Center.

“The 416th Engineer folks were

a real force multiplier.”

Photos by Maj. Erwin Ruiz Balncaflor

Army Reserve Engineers
Spring 2002 61

The Reserve Engineer

team, which included

Registered Professional

Engineers with decades of

construction expertise, provided detailed analyses on

how this could best be accomplished. They provided the

contracting agency with a bidready document that could

immediately be given to contractors, which expedited construction. 

Over the course of the project, the team submitted work

on remodeling barracks buildings into offices, relocating a

Marine Army Maintenance

Support Activity (AMSA),

converting a bunker into a

brigade-sized arms room,

options for dining facilities

and adapting an asphalt lot to

a Military Equipment Storage

area, including a hazardous

waste storage site.

The pivotal selection factor for locating the Maritime

Center of Excellence at MINSY was the two 700-foot finger piers. Potentially capable of supporting ten US Army

Port construction Landing Craft, Unit (LCU), the piers

required repair, and the utilities on the piers required

upgrade. The Reserve Engineers investigated the condition

of the utilities and provided recommendations to independently meter and upgrade sewer, water and electrical. 

Since the finger piers were not configured for US Army

watercraft, the points of connections for the services had to

be dismantled from the unit’s former location, brought to

MINSY and installed on the piers.

The team conducted coordination with the local utility

providers for current metering strategy and developed

Scopes of Work for repair and upgrade. At final count,

eight U.S. Army LCUs are anchored on the two 700-foot

piers, each with its own dedicated services. 

An essential part of the operations of the boats were the

associated maintenance facilities. The Reserve Engineers

developed a flexible plan combining a temporary Marine

AMSA solution with a permanent Marine / Ground

AMSA. In early 2000, relocation of a Butler building and

conversion into a structurally sound Marine AMSA with

dedicated utilities, cranes, generators and maintenance

tools was completed at a cost of less than $260,000.

Other projects included the $1M renovation of a 55,000

square-foot, three-story brick

building, including the lastminute addition of a Total Army

Distance Learning Center; a

750 drilling Reservists dining

facility proposal for an abandoned McDonalds restaurant;

and perimeter and grounds construction projects totaling over

$250,000.

Maj. Gen John Scott,

Commanding General of 63rd

RSC, expressed his appreciation, by saying, “The 416th

Engineer folks were a real force

multiplier. Under general direction from my Engineer, they

took the point and provided the

initial site surveys and engineering analyses that enabled

the Mare Island acquisition to

proceed.”

Army Reserve Engineers

from the U.S. Army Facility

Engineer Group showed their

effectiveness with this mission

and provided not only fiscal value and improved quality of

life, but proved that innovative thinking within the military

engineer community can produce high quality construction

results, on time and within budget.

Because of them, Mare Island Naval Shipyard is neither

resting in peace nor rusting in peace, but continues to contribute to the Nation’s safety and well-being.

Master Sgt. Cooper is with the Facility Engineer

Group, Darien, Ill.

FATS was a totally new experience for him.

“I have never shot a gun before the simulator,” he said.

“When I signed up two months ago, I had no idea about

the FATS system. Now that I have fired, though, I think

that it is pretty cool, and I think that it will better prepare

me for basic training.”

Jacka agreed, saying, “Anytime we can make a training

event more realistic and more enjoyable, soldiers will take

more of the training with them to use in the future.”

Spc. Lucas is with the 366th Mobile Public Affairs

Detachment, Des Moines, Iowa.

FATS, from page 47

Help Convert Base
Snapshots

62 Army Reserve Magazine

Special Honors

Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Plewes, Chief, Army

Reserve, is presented a replica of the

Reserve Officer Association's (ROA)

Minuteman Award by Col. David E.

Davenport, ROA's Army Section Vice

President. A letter was also presented

to him following an announcement of

the establishment of "The Lieutenant

General Thomas J. Plewes Reserve

Components National Security Strategy

Writing Award" at the Army War

College. The letter, signed by Maj. Gen.

Robert Ivany, Commandant of the Army

War College, stated that this award,

sponsored by ROA, recognizes student

authors judged to have written the best

papers addressing Reserve Component

roles, missions, and contributions to

the National Military Strategy or other

significant strategic issues related to

the Reserve Components. Two awards

will be presented to the graduating

class, beginning with the Class of 2002,

one to a student enrolled in the

Resident program and one to a student

in the Distance Education program.

Iowa 

U.S. Navy photos by Lt. Col. Randy Pullen

Photo by Maj. Mark Pritchard 

Brig. Gen Collis Phillips, Commander of the

65th Regional Support Command, headquartered in Puerto Rico, presents a plaque to the

Washington, D.C.'s Fire Chief Ronnie Few for

support provided during the Pentagon's rescue and recovery efforts in the aftermath of

Sept. 11. Phillips also presented a plaque to

the United States Naval Criminal (NCIS)

Investigative Service Director David L. Brant

during the Washington, D.C. ceremony. The

plaques were presented on behalf of Army

Secretary Thomas White and Army Chief of

Staff General Eric Shinski.

A Show of Thanks
Spring 2002 63

vs Iowa

The Army Reserve's first member of the

Senior Executive Service was sworn in during a Pentagon ceremony recently.

Professor Daniel F. Wiener II became the

first SES member in the history of the Army

Reserve when he assumed the position of

Chief Information Officer (CIO), United

States Army Reserve, in January 2002. Prior

to assuming this position, Weiner served in

the private sector as President and

Managing Principal for Astron

Communications Group. As CIO, Wiener is

responsible to the Chief, Army Reserve, for

directing and overseeing plans and programs for all Army Reserve corporate information systems. The Jackson, Mich. Native

is married to the former Susan Hoff of

Brooklyn, N.Y., and together they have four

children: Janet, Rebecca, Brett and Christi.

Army Reserve Gains its First SES Member 

The 366th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment,

an Army Reserve unit whose loyalties are

split evenly between Iowa State University

and the University of Iowa, settled their bragging rights recently with a flag-football game

at the Eagle Base, Bosnia, soccer field. The

unit held its own version of the annual Iowa

State University/University of Iowa football

matchup, on Oct. 2, 2001. Pictured are (front

row L-R) Capt. Ed Bryja, Spc. Daniel Lucas,

Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Larsen (Iowa

State team captain), Staff Sgt. Ray Calef

(Iowa team captain). (back row) 1st Sgt.

John Talbott, Capt. David Cruse, Spc. Grant

Calease, Cpl. Anthony Koch, Spc. Joe

Villines, Spc. Shawn Vodenik. 

U.S. Army photo

Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class

James "Chico" Hernandez of

Washburn, Maine was recently

selected as finalist in the

Wheaties Energy Crunch Search

For Everyday Champions.

Hernandez is an 18-year veteran

of the Army and excels in the grueling sport of Sombo wrestling. He

is a two-time member of the Team

USA World Cup. When he is not

working as a social worker at the

Maine Correctional Institute, he

volunteers his time with area

schools to warn kids of the dangers of drugs and crime. He is a

Combat Basic Training Instructor

from A co.1/391st, 7th. Brigade,

98th Division (IT).

Wheaties Everyday Champion
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