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The official Magazine of the U.S. Army Reserve Fall 2007

www.armyreserve.mil

Developing Leaders

to be fit to fight

The Pentathlete Leader

Earn $2,000 In AR-RAP

Robots In Iraq

Best Warrior Competition

WWII Canteen Cup Returned 

To Honor Owner
 H Warrior-Citizen

Since 1954.

Warrior-Citizen is an authorized Department of the 

Army publication, published quarterly by the Chief, U.S. 

Army Reserve, ATTN: DAAR-ZXP, 2400 Army Pentagon, 

Washington, DC 20310-2400 in accordance with Section 

10210, Title 10, USC. The Secretary of Defense has determined that the publication of this periodical is necessary in 

the transaction of public business as required by law. Use 

of funds for printing this publication was approved by the 

Secretary of the Army on September 2, 1986, IAW provisions 

of AR 25–30. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily 

reflect those of the Department of the Army or the Chief, 

Army Reserve, nor should they be construed as official 

policy or directive in nature. Local reproduction of all materials is approved, except for copyrighted articles or photos.

Also on the cover: The yellow ribbon symbolizes our commitment to honoring those of our Army Reserve Soldiers who have fallen, those who are missing 

and those who are serving around the globe. It will appear on each issue until 

they all come home.

ON THE COVER

Sgt. Primus Brown, a drill sergeant, offers 

words of encouragement to a trainee 

negotiating the obstacle course at Fort 

Benning, Ga. (Photo: David Dismukes)

WARRIOR-CITIZEN

Fall 2007  Vol.53 No.1 www.armyreserve.mil

Upper Right

Pfc. Jim Hartenstine, Co. C, 961st 

Engineer Bn., adjusts fasteners on the 

school building’s wooden wall supports 

at the Higueron site during humanitarian 

assistance operations in Panama.

(Photo: Jack Gordon)

16

War Zone Humor

18

Robots in Iraq

8

The Pentathlete Leader
Fall 2007 H 

Editor’s Note

Welcome to the newly redesigned ARMY RESERVE 

MAGAZINE, now known as WARRIOR-CITIZEN Magazine. Not 

only does the magazine have a new name, it has a new 

updated look. This is the first such change since 2002. This 

re-design gives the magazine a more modern, contemporary appearance designed to attract more readers.

The photographs are larger and the articles more 

interesting. We have included a special feature article in 

the center of the magazine. When submitted articles are 

too lengthy for the print edition of the magazine, we will 

place the full article in an on-line edition of the magazine. 

Articles that have a more immediate need for publication 

will appear on the Army Reserve website. We post articles 

on the Army Reserve website due to the long lead time 

to publish the print edition. Each upcoming issue of the 

magazine will have a specific theme and will continue to 

have our News, Features, and People sections. Some of 

these changes will occur in this first edition while other 

changes will appear gradually in future issues.

Highlighting this issue is the Chief, Army Reserve’s 

article on the Pentathlete Leader, a new breed of leader for 

the 21st century environment. Also included are articles 

from such diverse locations where Army Reserve Soldiers 

are deployed, from Iraq to the Horn of Africa to countries 

in Central America. The authors report on how our service 

members are assisting the local populace in conducting 

humanitarian assistance operations, improving the quality 

of life and sharing knowledge and skills while partnering 

with a foreign military.

Warrior-Citizen Magazine will continue to rely on submissions from Army Reserve Soldiers, Family members and 

Department of the Army Civilians who make up our readership.

You are in the areas where the operations and events 

are happening. Your excellent stories and photos are 

anticipated and appreciated. Keep them coming.

We hope you will find this inaugural issue of the 

Warrior-Citizen to be both interesting and informative.

 Paul Adams

 Editor in Chief

NEW LOOK: WARRIOR-CITIZEN MAGAZINE
 H  Warrior-Citizen

Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz

Chief, Army Reserve

Command Sgt. Maj. Leon Caffie

Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve

Col. Dorothy A. Perkins

Director, Army Reserve Communications 

Col. Burt Masters

Deputy Director for Public Affairs

Lt. Col. Willie Harris

Chief, Command Information Branch

Paul R. Adams 

Editor in Chief, Warrior-Citizen

The Madison Design Group

Design Services

Submissions • Warrior-Citizen invites articles, story 

ideas, photographs and other material of interest 

to members of the U.S. Army Reserve. Manuscripts 

and other correspondence for the editor should 

be addressed to Commander, U.S. Army Reserve 

Command, Attn: Public Affairs (Warrior-Citizen), 1401 

Deshler Street, SW, Fort McPherson, GA 30330-2000, 

telephone 404-464-8500 or dsn 367-8500. All email 

submissions should go to usarcmag@usar.army.

mil. All articles must be submitted electronically 

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

Change of Address • Do not write the magazine. 

TPU Soldiers should notify their Unit Administrator or 

Unit Clerk. Members of the IRR and IMA should contact 

their Personnel Management Team at HRC-STL, 1 

Reserve Way, St. Louis, MO 63132-5200. AGRs should 

contact their PMO/PMNCO. Paid subscribers should 

forward their address change to the Superintendent 

of Documents, Attn: Mail List Branch SSOM, U.S. 

Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. 

Special military distribution recipients may write the 

editor directly.

Subscriptions •Warrior-Citizen is distributed free of 

charge to members of the United States Army Reserve. 

Circulation is approximately 320,000. 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.

ON THE Back COVER

How to earn $2,000. The Army Reserve Recruiting Assistance Program (AR-RAP) 

makes every Soldier a potential recruiter. Story page 5.

(Photo COURTESY: DOCUPAK)

WARRIOR-CITIZEN

Fall 2007  Vol.53 No.1 www.armyreserve.mil

6 NEWS 18 LEADERSHIP

14 FEATURES 28 PEOPLE

DEPARTMENTS

24

Estamos Unidos

40

Lost WWII Canteen Cup

23

Tradewinds 2007
A

rmy Reserve Soldiers can now earn 

$2,000 for each person they encourage to join the team.

The Army Reserve Recruiting 

Assistance Program (AR-RAP) was 

launched to increase the number 

of Soldiers recruited into the Army 

Reserve. The program makes every 

Soldier a potential recruiter.

Unlike traditional Army recruiting methods, AR-RAP involves Army 

Reserve unit members working on their 

own time to conduct recruiting in partnership with a contractor for non-prior 

and prior service recruits who contract 

and later complete training requirements. 

To become a Recruiting Assistant, 

Soldiers must first complete on-line training with the program’s contractor. Upon 

completing the on-line training, Soldiers 

will become certified as RAs and are 

immediately available to begin conducting their personalized recruiting efforts. 

Once certified, RAs receive a welcome kit 

and a recruiter store account from which 

to order marketing materials to support 

recruiting efforts.

The Recruiting Assistants are expected 

to work with their prospective Army 

Recruits throughout their accession 

process, but are not authorized to make 

legally binding commitments regarding 

bonuses, incentives or guarantee specific 

jobs upon joining the Army Reserve. 

Eventually, all prospects will be linked 

with full-time Army Reserve recruiters, 

who will assist RAs by administering the 

contract process, and schedule required 

medical and aptitude tests for recruits 

prior to their accession. The RAs will also 

serve as mentors to recruits until they 

depart for basic training; preparing them 

for military service.

For more information on the Army 

Reserve Recruiting Assistance Program, 

visit www.AR-RAP.com.

NEW S

News Briefs

Fall 2007 H 

AR RAP Launched

Pvt. Dustin McMore of Conway, Ark., flashes a grin almost as big as the ceremonial check that represents the first half of a bonus he earned by encouraging a friend to join his Army Reserve unit. 

McMore will collect the other $1,000 of his bonus when Pvt. Trent Harris completes his initial training. McMore was the first Soldier to be awarded a new bonus offered through the Army Reserve Recruiter 

Assistance Program (AR-RAP).

Sgt. 1st Class Larry Mears
OPMS was developed by the Human 

Resources Command (HRC) OPMS Task 

Force to improve officer career management and professional development 

across the total Army. The OPMS-AR 

effort is administered by the central AR 

organizations, which include AR G-1, 

Human Resources Command—St. Louis 

(HRC-S), and AR Full-Time Support 

(FTS). Under the three-phase AR implementation plan, each AR organization 

performs functions that pertain directly 

to the population of Soldiers for which 

it is responsible. For example, because 

HRC-S performs activities associated 

with Active Gurard Reserve (AGR) and 

Individual Mobilization Augmentee 

(IMA) personnel, HRC-S is the lead 

agency to administer OPMS implementation for AGR and IMA officers.

Multi-skilled Leader

“The Army’s officer management system 

must be flexible, responsive, and focused 

on developing officers with functionally 

relevant competencies to meet the needs 

of the Army and the nation throughout 

the 21st Century,” said Col. Pat Stallings, 

chief of the OPMS Review Task Force. 

“Flexibility is a critical aspect of the 

OPMS as it applies to the Army Reserve, 

given the structure and geographic organization and the breadth of skills among 

USAR officers. The objective—to develop 

the multi-skilled leader for the 21st 

century—is the same for all components, 

but the way we do that will be different 

based on the conditions.” 

In recent years, AR officer career management has been highly decentralized and 

unfocused, with troop program unit officers 

essentially responsible for their own career 

management. The system enhancements 

are designed to develop a population of AR 

officers with the right skills to meet increasingly demanding operational requirements. 

Additionally, the improved OPMS functionally aligned design provides better 

alignment of AR and Active Component 

(AC) officer career management, allowing 

for greater coherency and common focus.

New OPMS Design

The new OPMS design provides opportunities for officers to develop a greater 

breadth—as well as depth—of experience. 

For example, AR officers have largely 

been excluded from Joint, Interagency, 

Intergovernmental, and Multinational 

(JIIM) assignments. However, OPMS will 

provide more JIIM opportunities to AR 

officers, to include 90-day internships and 

2-year fellowships. As a result, this will 

provide another dimension to AR officer 

leadership development.

To facilitate this greater breadth, OPMS 

will employ the functionally aligned 

OPMS design. Its purpose is to align 

branches and functional areas to develop 

multi-skilled leaders with broader, more 

widely-applicable competencies, consistent with Joint and Army doctrine. The 

updated design contains three functional 

categories: maneuver, fires and effects, 

operations support and force sustainment, 

which combine branches with similar 

battlefield applications. For future assignments, officers may be able to fill multiple 

positions within their functional groups or 

categories, or across the entire design, thus 

achieving more experience.

OPMS Enhancements

The ongoing transformation of the 

AR will undoubtedly impact how OPMS 

enhancements are implemented and 

administered. Additionally, many dynamic 

factors will affect future management. 

These include modularity of units, the 

need for stabilization and predictability for 

AR Soldiers and families, active component and reserve component rebalancing 

and the Army Force Generation Model. 

Overall, the AR is moving to implement 

the new OPMS design that will help 

address these factors, and ensure a brighter 

future for its officer corps.

For additional information about 

OPMS, see DA PAM 600-3, Commissioned 

Officer Professional Development and 

Career Management, or the OPMS Task 

Force website: https://perscomnd04.army.

mil/opms.nsf. 

By Lt. Col. Mark Quartullo

Maj. Greg Eldred

Army Reserve Command Personnel

The Army Reserve (AR) is transforming itself to meet 

the challenges of today’s ever-changing operational 

environment. One area in which this is most evident 

is the AR implementation of the enhanced Officer 

Personnel Management System (OPMS).

NEW S

 H  Warrior-Citizen

Enhanced OPMS
By Sgt. 1st Class Derrick Witherspoon

Army Reserve Communications

B

UCKHEAD, Ga. — Army Reserve ambassadors from across the United States 

came together in April for the 2007 

Army Reserve Ambassador Conference to 

receive an Army Reserve update and to gain 

knowledge of ways they can be even more 

effective at supporting Soldiers and their 

Families.

Approximately 100 Army Reserve 

ambassadors and ambassador coordinators participated in the annual conference 

held in Buckhead. This year’s conference, entitled “Kickoff To the 100th 

Anniversary-Boots on the Ground,” 

highlighted the beginning of the Army 

Reserve’s yearlong celebration of its 100th 

Anniversary. The intent of the conference was to inform ambassadors of current 

Army Reserve issues and provide them 

with various ways they can continue or 

extend their support to Army Reserve 

Soldiers and their Family members.

Army Reserve ambassadors are private 

citizens who volunteer to serve the Army 

Reserve by establishing lines of communication with communities across the 

country. They educate organizations, 

community leaders and citizens about the 

capabilities, skills and value of the Army 

Reserve. Army Reserve ambassadors also 

work with local leaders to recognize and 

support Army Reserve Soldiers and their 

Families.

John Dyess, Army Reserve ambassador 

for Tennessee and master of ceremonies for the conference, said gatherings 

such as this are great because they allow 

Ambassadors to not only get updated 

information on the Army Reserve, but also 

a clearer picture of what Lt. Gen. Jack C. 

Stultz, chief, Army Reserve (CAR) desires 

from them.

“We have two major objectives for 

this year,” said Dyess. “One is to get all 

ambassadors actively engaged in meeting 

the CAR’s 3-2-1 expectations, and the 

other is replacing ambassadors who are 

not meeting

expectations.”

Stultz’s, 3-2-1 

expectations involve 

ambassadors annually 

performing one media 

interview, two personal visits with local 

leaders and three outreach events.

“Our role as ambassadors is to get the 

story out to the community and civic 

groups so everyone 

can comprehend the 

sacrifices that are 

being made by our 

Soldiers and their 

Families,” said P. 

Pasha Baker, Army 

Reserve ambassador for Hawaii. “I feel 

that it’s important that we get the word 

out about the great job that our Soldiers 

do, particularly during a time of war.”

Baker added that the Army Reserve 

Ambassador Conference gave the new 

ambassadors an idea of how to get the 

word out about the Army Reserve and its 

Soldiers and families. Stultz swore in 26 

new ambassadors during the conference.

“This really was a great introduction 

to the program for the new ambassadors,” said Lt. Col. Howard Sugai, 

public affairs officer for the 9th Regional 

Readiness Command. “It was a great 

opportunity for them to network and 

meet one-on-one with the CAR, and 

that’s good because they are the ones 

who are helping to deploy our messages 

and represent the chief, Army Reserve in 

their communities.”

Dyess said one of the first things the 

new ambassadors should do is make 

their presence known to their local Army 

Reserve units.

“Unit commanders and senior NCOs at 

all levels need to know there are ambassadors who can help them with unique 

unit training and mobilization issues,” 

said Dyess. “Army Reserve recruiters need 

to also reach out to Ambassadors and use 

them in community recruiting efforts. 

Even more important, ambassadors need 

to contact unit commanders and recruiters 

and make their acquaintance.”

Baker echoed the sentiments of all the 

ambassadors at the conference when she 

said, “We want the Soldiers to know that 

we are here for them and their Families 

and that we support them and love them.”

The next Army Reserve Ambassador 

Conference is scheduled to be held in 

Washington, D.C., in April 2008 during 

the celebration of the 100th Anniversary

of the Army Reserve. 

NEW S

Fall 2007 H

AR Ambassador

Conference

Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, chief, Army Reserve, talks with Maryland Army Reserve Ambassador Orfeo 

Trombetta, Jr., during the 2007 Army Reserve Ambassador Conference.

SGT. 1ST CLASS DERRICK WITHERSPOON
 H Warrior-Citizen

By Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz

Chief, Army Reserve

Commanding General, 

U.S. Army Reserve Command

A

s I stood on the parade field at Fort 

Myer, Va., while Gen. George Casey 

assumed responsibility as Chief 

of Staff of the Army, I could see nearby 

Arlington Cemetery, where many of our 

fallen warriors rest. I wondered when we 

would know peace again.

From his podium, Gen. Casey answered. 

He cautioned that Soldiers in today’s Army 

must think of wars as lasting a decade or 

more, not a few years, if we hope to wear 

down a foe who fights by ambush and 

suicide attacks.

“This foe will not go away nor will they 

give up easily,” he said in his April 11, 2007 

arrival message. “And the next decade will 

likely be one of persistent conflict. We are 

engaged in a long war.”

Instead of planning to deploy, win and 

return home, Gen. Casey said, we must 

prepare for a deployment and a long stay, 

not just in Iraq and Afghanistan, but in 

other countries where militant Islam may 

rise up.

Like Gen. Casey, I believe this will be a 

long war, and the road ahead will not be 

easy. There will be successes, to be sure, but 

there will also be setbacks and, regrettably, 

a price to be paid in lives and treasure. 

To win the fight, Army Reserve leaders 

at all levels must continue to demonstrate 

confidence, initiative, resilience and innovation. We must continue to adhere to our 

values and the Warrior Ethos and produce 

leaders who can perform under stress, make 

decisions and lead formations. We must 

continue to learn and adapt.

The complexity of the 21st century 

security environment requires more of 

Army leaders. To be effective today and 

tomorrow, we must develop a new breed 

of leader—a pentathlete—who is able to 

rapidly transition between complex tasks 

with relative ease.

The Pentathlete Leader

Warrior Leader course students review maps and a sand table prior to a mission.

LOU ANN M. MITTELSTAEDT
Fall 2007 H 

Pentathlete. Pentathletes are 

multi-skilled, innovative, adaptive, and situationally aware 

professionals who demonstrate 

character in everything that they 

do, are experts in the profession of 

arms, personify the warrior ethos 

in all aspects from war fighting 

to statesmanship to enterprise 

management, and boldly confront 

uncertainty and solve complex 

problems.

Army Reserve leaders, who 

bring skills acquired from

their civilian professions to 

the fight, are uniquely suited 

to become pentathletes. They 

are routinely challenged with 

experiences that take them out 

of their comfort zone, and they 

have learned to adjust their 

approaches and be inventive to 

complete their missions.

In my travels, I meet Army 

Reserve Soldiers who use their 

civilian-acquired skills to innovate, 

adapt and tackle any challenge.

In Germany, I met an Army 

Reserve Soldier who used his 

capabilities as a civilian medical 

technician to repair all manner of 

hospital equipment to save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of 

dollars and improve the quality of 

treatment Soldiers receive.

In Iraq, I watched Army Reserve 

Soldiers use civilian-acquired 

skills to build robotics that defuse 

improvised explosive devices.

In 2003, when we struggled to 

restore the Iraqi rail system to 

reduce the number of truck targets 

on the road, we found a lieutenant 

colonel in our ranks who was a 

railroader in his civilian life, and 

we moved him to Baghdad and the 

Ministry of Transportation where 

he worked with the Iraqis to get 

the system back on track.

My own experiences in Kuwait 

demonstrate that leaders who are 

able to learn and adapt as they fight 

an ever-changing enemy are essential to the Army and our nation.

Once, as I met with my Kuwaiti counterparts to discuss the operational and tactical 

details of bringing forces for the Iraq War 

buildup into the theater, Ambassador 

Richard H. Jones called me to our embassy.

There, Jones told me about EQUATE 

Petrochemical Company, a joint venture of 

The Dow Chemical Company and Boubyan 

Petrochemical Company, a public company 

traded on the Kuwait Stock Exchange. 

EQUATE is a model of American-Kuwaiti 

collaboration and success, he said. And oh, 

by the way, he added, EQUATE uses the 

port to import raw materials and export

Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz addresses an audience of Soldiers, family members and USARC headquarters staff.

PAUL ADAMS
10 H Warrior-Citizen

finished products. He said he expected me 

to ensure they had access to port facilities.

“Yes, sir! I got it.,” I said. “I understand.”

“That’s good,” he said. “The EQUATE 

board is waiting for you upstairs.”

I went right upstairs, met with the board, 

and we worked together very successfully.

That afternoon was a whirlwind tour of 

the worlds of the military, diplomacy and 

international business. 

Other afternoons, I joined a member 

of the Kuwait royal family, the Ports 

Authority director, to assure businessmen 

that the authority and the U.S. military 

were working together to secure Kuwait’s 

ports of Shuwaikh, Doha and Shuaiba, and 

that commercial shipping would continue 

on schedule.

After the war began, insurgents attacked 

our convoys and killed both American 

Soldiers and civilian drivers, about half of 

whom were from India and the Philippines. 

Very quickly, those governments told our 

Kuwaiti allies that their citizens were not 

to cross into Iraq. To convince the governments to lift their prohibition, I met with 

delegates from the Philippines and India 

and reassured them that we could protect 

their citizens. Both countries lifted the ban.

During my 22-month deployment, I put 

on my tactical-commander hat to fully 

use port facilities, protect our forces and 

maintain force support and sustainment. 

My nation and the Army also required me 

to serve as a statesman who can work with 

diplomats and royalty and as a corporate 

manager who can calm businessmen who 

are concerned that military operations will 

harm their economy.

My experiences convinced me that the 

stereotypical Army leader—the hard-charging, get-down-in-the-dirt, take-that-hill 

grunt—is a thing of the past. 

Today’s leaders must be warriors, 

strategists, diplomats, businessmen and 

humanitarians. They must learn to work 

with other government entities and to 

operate in other cultures. They must be 

able to rapidly transition between complex 

tasks with relative ease. 

The future environment will demand that 

Army leaders at all levels be multi-skilled, 

innovative, agile and versatile. Therefore, 

we are continuing to evolve our training 

and education systems to grow adaptive 

leaders who are ready to lead in times of 

change and uncertainty.

To sustain our operational force in the 

long war, we owe our Soldiers a leader 

development system that helps them 

develop effectively as warriors and as 

citizens. This includes expanding cultural 

awareness and educational and professional 

development opportunities. Our intent is to 

invest in leader development of our Soldiers 

as warriors and also to return them to their 

communities as citizens who positively 

influence their families, their employers 

and the nation. 

To ensure we invest scarce resources 

wisely, we established the Senior Leader 

Development Office (SLDO) to develop a 

process that shapes the force, develops bestqualified Soldiers and enhances readiness 

in support of an operational Army Reserve. 

The SLDO will help us develop our bench 

of future leaders – officers, warrant officers, 

NCOs and junior enlisted Soldiers – who 

are prepared to lead in an environment 

with constantly changing conditions. 

While the SLDO works to develop and 

refine processes and to accomplish this 

intent, Army Reserve leaders must take 

steps to continue their development into 

pentathletes.

Take the long view of your career. 

As Soldiers plan to triumph in battle, they 

must plan for success in their careers. 

Soldiers who are successful believe they 

are doing something important; they know 

they want to be part of the force. They 

plan for 30—even 40—years. They think 

long-term for professional development and 

assignments.

Orderly career planning provides for 

progressive duty assignments and military 

schooling to meet current needs and develop 

officer skills for future assignments. All 

Soldiers have access to the guidelines and 

expectations concerning career planning, but 

it’s up to them to use it.

Never stop learning. All the evidence 

suggests that the more Soldiers learn, the 

more value they bring to the force and to 

their civilian employers. The same is true 

A Pentathlete:

HThinks strategically and 

creatively

HBuilds leaders and teams

HIs a competent full-spectrum 

warfighter or accomplished 

professional who supports the 

Soldier

HEffectively manages and leads 

large changing organizations

HIs skilled in governance, 

statesmanship and diplomacy

HUnderstands cultural context 

and works effectively across it

HSets the standard for 

integrity, character

Pentathletes are:

HConfident and competent 

decision-makers in uncertain 

situations

HPrudent risk takers

HInnovative

HAdaptive

HEmpathetic and always 

positive

HProfessionally educated and 

dedicated to lifelong learning

HEffective communicators
Fall 2007 H 11

of those who are studying part-time or who 

have graduated after part-time study.

Continue to seek knowledge through 

assignments or educational opportunities. 

Attend a senior service college, or earn a 

masters or bachelors degree.

Push education down, and make 

time for professional development. 

Each Soldier has a responsibility for professional development from the time they 

join the Army Reserve. Individual study, 

reading and research are critical parts of 

leader development.

At the same time, developing subordinate 

leaders is a professional responsibility that 

must be carried out to guarantee the quality 

of future leaders.

Formal unit development programs 

explain both unit and individual performance standards, and provide periodic 

assessments and continual feedback to 

develop Soldiers.

Seek command, leadership positions. We are an Army at war. There’s 

been a fundamental shift in the way we 

look at our leaders. Those who seek out and 

succeed in demanding and difficult assignments demonstrate that they are capable 

of taking on even greater authority and 

responsibility.

Soldiers must forget the outdated philosophy of “checking the block” in certain 

positions and be more concerned about the 

quality of the experience gained in each job.

Deploy to current operations. 

Operational experience provides Soldiers 

the opportunity to use, hone and build on 

what they learned through the formal education process. In the operational domain, 

leader development is principally gained 

through first-hand combat and contingency operational experience, from lessons 

learned, and from individual and collective 

training, assessment, and feedback from 

superiors, peers and subordinates.

Operational experience demonstrates 

Soldiers’ capabilities to develop and care 

for their subordinates. Pentathletes have 

muddy boots.

Broaden your experience. Seek

different assignments. The success of a 

leader is not measured by length of service 

in any one component or group, but by 

the leader’s breadth of experience and duty 

performance.

Leaders’ professional capabilities are 

developed through planned and progressively responsible assignments, through 

experiences that take Soldiers out of their 

comfort zone.

Careful planning and programming by 

commanders and individual Soldiers is 

essential to maximize the career potential 

and efficient use of every Soldier’s skills, 

knowledge and attributes. Experience 

gained through challenging and varied 

assignments enhances Soldier development 

and provides trained men and women able 

to meet the dynamic needs of the Army.

Whenever possible, Army Reserve Soldiers 

receive operational assignments that allow 

them to apply the knowledge and leadership skills learned in institutional training. 

However, in the Army Reserve environment, assignment options are constrained 

by the force structure and demographic and 

geographic limitations. For these reasons, 

Soldiers may need to accept assignments 

throughout the force.

Performance. Army Reserve Soldiers 

must do their best at every task or job 

assigned. Enough said.

Take care of family, self, and your 

electrons.

A Soldier’s professional life is not a dash, 

it’s a marathon.

Soldiers must maintain their physical 

wellbeing and that of their families. They 

must understand how to balance the needs 

of their families with the demands of the 

Army, or they will end up as great leaders 

with no families, or they’ll have great families, but they won’t be leaders.

Learning how to balance their professional and personal lives helps leaders 

appreciate Soldiers who serve under them, 

because their Soldiers must do the same 

thing. Good leaders know they can’t push 

Soldiers so hard they neglect their families. 

At the same time, they know what it takes 

to balance aspects of their lives.

My own staff is an excellent 

example. When I became a general 

officer, a mentor pointed out that some 

people who become GOs like to be seen as 

workaholics. But he told me to think about 

the hours I set and add at least one hour 

on either end for my staff because they’re 

going to get in an hour before I do, and 

they’ll stay at least an hour after I’ve left.

So take care of yourself and take care of 

your Soldiers by doing the same for them. 

Master Sgt. Roy Waters (right), course manager of the Warrior Leader Course at the Fort McCoy NCO Academy, instructs a group of 

students during the collective training phase of the two-week course.

Capt. Monica Radtke
By Staff Sgt. Patricia Deal

Public Affairs Office

84th U.S. Army Reserve Readiness 

Training Command

F

ORT MCCOY, WIS. — Whether you’re a 

civilian, officer or NCO, AGR or TPU, 

new to the Army Reserve or well into 

your career, chances are you have had, or 

will soon have, interaction with the 84th 

U.S. Army Reserve Readiness Training 

Command (Leader Readiness).

The 84th Training Command, the 

“go-to” schoolhouse for a variety of training programs for officers and NCOs, is 

growing and changing, soon to emerge as 

the Army Reserve’s center, not only for 

leadership development, but also for functional training.

The transformation was first set in 

motion in 2004 when the Chief, Army 

Reserve, established the 84th Training 

Command, with the intent to have the 

organization be the focal point for training 

development and delivery across the full 

military spectrum. 

To help support the Army Reserve’s 

goals to an operational force, the 84th 

Training Command is restructuring to 

increase its training scope and responsibilities for all Army forces, services and 

agencies. The 84th is also expanding its 

current offering of key Army Reserve 

leader development training for officers, 

NCOs, and civilians to include support for 

the development and presentation of the 

Officer Education System (OES), Civilian 

Education System and Military Technician 

instruction.

The 84th Training Command, designated 

the Leadership Center of Excellence by the 

Training and Doctrine Command, will ultimately consist of two Divisions—the 104th 

Division (Leadership Development) and 

the 70th Division (Functional Training) 

with 12 brigades and battalions located 

across the country. Also, under Base Realignment and Closure, the 84th Training 

Command headquarters will move to Fort 

Knox, Ky.

“The transition simply broadens our 

mission, expanding the 84th Training 

Command’s reach from coast-to-coast and 

border-to-border. We’re adding some 3,000 

Soldiers and civilian employees who will 

bring a wealth of experience, knowledge 

and professionalism to further elevate the 

training excellence of the 84th Training 

Command,” said Maj. Gen. William C. 

Kirkland, commander. 

To complement its 

current professional 

development training for 

leaders, the restructuring 

gives the 84th Training 

Command added responsibility for various training 

aspects of the Senior 

Reserve Officer Training 

Corps (SROTC) and 

other OES training. The 

Professional Development 

brigades will manage two 

The Army School System 

(TASS) OES battalions, 

one SROTC battalion 

and one ROTC Camp 

Committee battalion.

In addition to increasing its professional 

development offerings, the 

84th Training Command 

will add functional type 

training with the addition 

of the 70th Division.

The 70th Division 

(Functional Training), 

consisting of a school 

brigade and a training 

development brigade, 

will be added to the 84th 

Training Command structure to manage various 

functional training areas. The Readiness 

Training Academy and the Information 

Operations Academy instruct over 40 

functional courses year round, graduating 

almost 10,000 students.

Kirkland is proud of the organization’s 

recent accomplishments and he is confident the 84th Training Command will 

exceed the Army Reserve’s expectations for 

being the go-to point for training. “With a 

projected student residency of more than 

30,000 students by 2010, the 84th Training 

Command will be the largest non-proponent center and school in the U.S. Army. 

12 H Warrior-Citizen

Leadership Center

of Excellence

Members of 3rd Battalion, 414th Regiment, 8th Brigade, 104th Division, provide 

first aid instruction to ROTC cadets from across the United States during the Leader 

Development and Assessment Course at Fort Lewis, Wash.

Capt. Monica Radtke
By Sgt. 1st Class Derrick Witherspoon

Army Reserve Communications

WASHINGTON — Continuously exploring ways to increase the 

knowledge and leadership abilities of its Soldiers, the Army Reserve 

(AR) created a Senior Leader Development Office (SLDO) that is 

aiming to grow leaders for the 21st Century.

The AR SLDO, established in late FY 06, was created to explore ways to increase the 

bench of “best-qualified” through direct development and utilization of all its senior 

leaders. Army Reserve senior leadership consists of Active Guard and Reserve (AGR), 

Troop Program Unit and Individual Mobilization Augmentee Soldiers.

Fairly new and still being built-up, the Army Reserve SLDO, which is modeled after 

the Army’s SLDO, has a number of goals that it would like to achieve, said Col. Lawrence 

Meder, SLDO director, at a hosted professional development seminar called “What’s in 

your Rucksack?” attended by approximately 125 officers, 35 enlisted and 10 civilians

“Leader development is a process that starts before you join the Army Reserve and 

continues throughout your career,” said Meder. “Ultimately, we are here to support and 

defend the Constitution, ensure the American way of life, our Republic’s democratic traditions, and fight and win the nations’ wars.” 

Meder said his office is working to ensure senior leaders have the knowledge, skills and 

abilities they need to accomplish the Army Reserve mission in the 21st Century. 

Fall 2007 H 13

Growing 21st Century Leaders

Some of the directorate’s

major goals are:

H Ensure the AR develops the bench of 

“best-qualified senior leaders.”

H Support all facets of HR transformation,

to include AGR re-engineering.

H Validate, enhance, align, correct senior 

leader development path from top down.

H Develop and utilize all categories of AR

senior leaders.

H Standardize senior leader contact 

throughout the AR.

H Support officers and units in the field.

H Develop and support AR SLDO seminars, 

joint training, pre-command course, 

fellowships, and Joint, Interagency, 

Intergovernmental and Multinational

(JIIM) experiences.

H Provide senior leaders with development 

recommendations, advice and direction, 

assignment assistance, selection board 

trends, and confidence in development 

path.

H Leverage technology—use the WEB.

By Staff Sgt. Patricia Deal

Public Affairs Office

84th Training Command

F

FORT MCCOY, WIS. — As the Army 

Reserve transforms from a strategic reserve force to a more agile, 

operational expeditionary force, its success 

depends greatly on its leaders.

The Soldier has always been, and will 

remain, the Army Reserve’s greatest asset. 

Top military officials such as Lt. Gen. 

Jack C. Stultz, chief, Army Reserve and 

commanding general, U.S. Army Reserve 

Command, believes that “we must reorient 

the way we recruit, retain and maintain our 

force. Recruiting future leaders, retaining 

battle-tested veterans and transforming our 

force to enable us to better answer the call 

to duty is paramount.”

The Officer Corps—the leadership of 

today and tomorrow—is striving to become 

the most relevant force to meet the challenges of the Global War on Terrorism.

Today’s officer is a leader of the greatest army in the world, and must be able to 

adopt a wide variety of roles and operate in 

ambiguous environments. 

One way to develop strong leadership 

is through the Army Reserve Officers’ 

Training Corps (ROTC), which has been 

the major source of Army Reserve officers 

and is now a major source of Regular Army 

officers as well.

The program, formally established with 

the passing of the National Defense Act of 

1916, produces approximately 75 percent of 

all Army officers. ROTC is offered at thousands of universities across the country, 

combining classroom time with handson experience. Traditionally a four-year 

program, studies include leadership development, military skills, management skills, 

tactics and Army ethics. The first two years 

are taken in the freshman and sophomore 

years (basic course) with the second two 

years taken in the junior and senior years 

(advanced course). During the summer 

between the junior and senior years, cadets 

attend the Leader Development and 

Assessment Course (LDAC).

To help ensure the continued success 

of its ROTC program, the Army Reserve 

has turned to the 84th Training Command 

(Leader Readiness). Designated as the 

Leadership Center of Excellence by 

U.S. Army Reserve Command, the 84th 

Training Command is expanding its 

training scope and mission to include the 

Shaping Future Leaders
14 H  Warrior-Citizen

added responsibility for various training aspects of the Senior Reserve Officer 

Training Corps (SROTC) and other officer 

education training.

All six SROTC Brigades from the Army 

Reserve’s Institutional Training Divisions, 

recently aligned under the 84th Training 

Command. They augment the Senior 

Reserve Officer Training Corps at assigned 

university SROTC programs. As mandated 

by the Army Reserve, the 84th Training 

Command will partner with the U.S. Army 

Cadet Command (USACC) to assist in the 

increase of quality and quantity of U.S. 

Army and Army Reserve new lieutenants. 

The partnership allows for assigning Troop 

Program Unit (TPU) personnel at select 

universities.

Members of the 84th Training Command 

SROTC brigades also provide cadre to 

support the Leader’s Training Course 

(formerly Basic Camp) at Fort Knox, Ky., 

the Leader Development and Assessment 

Course (formerly Advanced Camp) at 

Fort Lewis, Wash., and support to the 

Cadet Basic and Field Training at the U.S. 

Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

“The ROTC program is just one 

aspect of officer development,” said Ted 

Jendusa, deputy G-7 for the 84th Training 

Command. The G-7 oversees the execution of policies for the SROTC program. 

“With the added responsibility for ROTC, 

the 84th Training Command becomes an 

integral part of the Army Reserve officers’ 

career. As an officer progresses from lieutenant to lieutenant colonel, chances are the 

84th Training Command has touched their 

career,” Jendusa said.

In order to produce quality officers, it 

is important to have quality instructors. 

The SROTC instructors are highly trained 

professionals, many having graduated 

from ROTC programs. Many have earned 

advanced degrees and awards.

In addition, many of the instructors demonstrate their dedication by giving more 

than the typical weekend battle assemblies 

and two weeks of annual training. Often 

the instructors are Troop Program Unit 

Soldiers, teaching two days a week during 

the school year.

Not only are they dedicated and wellprepared, many of the instructors are very 

experienced. “We have some instructors on 

staff who have served tours in Iraq,” said 

Maj. Eric Stallmer, assistant professor of 

military science at Georgetown University 

in Washington, D.C., and assigned to 8th 

Brigade, 80th Division. “It’s one thing 

to read about military operations like at 

Normandy or the Vietnam War, but it’s 

entirely different to be able to impart the 

reality of today’s battlefield firsthand,” said 

Stallmer.

Stallmer has been teaching Military 

Leadership Skills I & II to sophomores 

at Georgetown since 2005. “I find it very 

enjoyable. I have always wanted to teach 

and find it gratifying to reach out to future 

leadership,” he said.

He considers himself fortunate to have 

a group of students who are among the 

brightest and most motivated. “All of them 

go above and beyond,” he added.

Not only do the instructors exceed the 

standards for training excellence, many 

help in the recruiting efforts, striving to fill 

the slightly-diminishing officer ranks.

“I have gone into some high schools 

which are typically dismissed by recruitment. They are some of the most 

prestigious, private schools with something like a 99 percent college-bound 

rate,” explained Maj. Dan Arzonico, 9th 

Brigade, 108th Division. “While the financial benefit is certainly a key motivating 

factor to entering a ROTC program, I’ve 

found that just the patriotic spirit and 

desire to serve their country is reason 

enough for some students to choose 

ROTC. We try to expose as many students from all types of backgrounds to the 

ROTC program.”

Always the staunch supporter of ROTC, 

Arzonico, who teaches Military Science I 

& II at the University of South Alabama in 

Mobile, Ala., finds it useful to use himself 

as an example of how ROTC allows students the opportunity to have a civilian 

career and yet serve their country.

His efforts appear to be paying off, as 

he is proud to announce that they have 21 

ROTC scholarships already confirmed for 

the fall semester 2007.

Capt. Daniel Whitlock, right, instructs ROTC cadets attending the Leader Development and Assessment Course at Fort Lewis, Wash. 

Army Reserve SROTC battalions recently aligned under the 84th Training Command and provide support to university SROTC programs.

Courtesy 8th Brigade, 104th Division
Fall 2007 H 15

Another ROTC instructor, Maj. Chris 

Marinakis, an instructor at Appalachian 

State University at Boone, N.C., and 

assigned to 9th Brigade, 108th Division, is 

also impressed with today’s cadets. “The 

program attracts many quality cadets,” he 

said. “They are definitely motivated. They 

have to be to enter the Army in such a 

turbulent time. Active or Reserve, these students understand that they will very soon 

be in Iraq or Afghanistan.”

Knowing the volatile environment the 

students will face, all the instructors strive 

to provide the best training possible to 

their cadets. They all are pleased with the 

military program, which is more centralized and structured than when they went 

through. “It’s a different war, and these 

future officers will be leading a different force. The demands will be greater,” 

Marinakis said.

The ROTC experience has proven to be 

exceptional for many cadets. “I think the 

program is great,” said Cadet Susan King, a 

senior at the University of South Alabama. 

King plans to graduate in December 2007 

with a degree in nursing and enter duty as 

an Active Component officer. “I was active 

duty as an enlisted Soldier for seven years. 

Honestly, the ROTC program has taught 

me more than I ever learned during my 

active duty time. I am confident that I will 

be an asset to the Army officer corps.”

For more information on the Army 

ROTC program, visit www.goarmy.com/

rotc and for more information about the 

84th Training Command, visit https://

www.arrtc.mccoy.army.mil. 

Watchful ROTC cadets keep an eye on Cpl. Michaell Alva, 3rd Battalion, 414th Regiment, 8th Brigade, 104th Division, as he instructs airway 

management during a first aid class.

Capt. Monica Radtke 
By Chuck Prichard

Army Reserve Public Affairs

Master Sgt. Steve Opet keeps his eyes 

and ears open on each assignment that he 

performs for the Army Reserve. He pays close 

attention to everything and everyone, noting 

details that a casual observer might miss. He 

mentally catalogs the information in case he 

needs it later to complete his mission.

While Opet’s keen observation skills might make him a good 

spy or inspector general staff member, he applies his talents in a 

more lighthearted way. The things he sees often end up as subjects of one-panel cartoons that Opet produces to bring levity to 

situations commonly experienced by Soldiers.

“I don’t go out looking for ideas. I just keep my eyes open 

and something comes to me,” said Opet, an AGR training NCO 

assigned to the 354th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, located 

in Coraopolis, Pa.

He was part of a team that traveled to Iraq in February 2007 

to provide public affairs coverage of Army Reserve units serving 

there. In addition to plying his trade as a print journalist and 

photographer, Opet drew about half a dozen cartoons depicting 

some of the more humorous aspects of living in a war zone.

For example, one of his cartoons rendered on the trip depicts a 

Soldier fully laden in cumbersome battle gear suddenly realizing 

16 H Warrior-Citizen

WAR ZONE HUMOR
Fall 2007 H 17

that he has to go to the restroom. Another 

panel shows a Soldier complaining about 

the repetitive menu at the dining facility: 

“Darn it! Steak and crab legs again.”

“Every Soldier has experienced those 

little absurdities that go with the job. I like 

to show those so we can all get at least a 

little smile out of them,” said Opet, who 

draws the cartoons with a pen and colors 

them in with markers.

Opet credits his mother with sparking 

his interest in art. When he was a child 

she drew pictures for him to color. Pretty 

soon, he was drawing his own pictures. 

High school art classes furthered his 

talents. In 1975, Opet graduated from 

the Art Institute of Pittsburg, Pa., with a 

degree in commercial art.

Despite his talent and training, Opet 

was not able to find a job as an artist when 

he got out of school. With a small family 

to support, he went to work in a steel mill. 

Eventually, the steel company managers 

learned of his artistic abilities and moved 

Opet from the production line to a newly 

created communications department. His 

duties included drawing safety posters and 

producing graphics used in presentations.

Opet had a similar experience when 

the joined the Army Reserve. Initially, he 

enlisted to be a personnel clerk. But his 

artistic abilities attracted the attention 

of a public affairs unit, which took him 

on to produce cartoons for a command 

newspaper.

“I really enjoy doing it, especially when 

I get feedback from Soldiers,” Opet said. 

“When I was in Kosovo, I was in the 

PX one day and a Soldier looked at my 

nametag and figured out I was the one who 

drew the cartoons for the base newspaper. 

He said he cut out all of my cartoons and 

sent them to the folks back home because 

they showed exactly how things were at 

the base. It made me feel good that my 

drawings connected so well with him.”

In addition to the cartoons, Opet also 

produces more serious art. His works have 

earned numerous prizes.

Opet posts examples of all of his work 

on his web page, www.steveopet.com. 

Opet drew about half a dozen cartoons depicting some of the more humorous aspects of living in a war zone.

Master Sgt. ANTHONY MARTINEZ
MOTOR SERGEANT 

KEEPS Robots

running in Iraq

By Master Sgt. Anthony Martinez

Army Reserve Public Affairs

C

AMP VICTORY, Iraq — In the business 

world, entrepreneurs are on the hunt 

to cash in on emerging ground floor 

opportunities. Although he is no businessman, Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Willie 

Turner is making an investment of his 

own in an emerging opportunity of ground 

robotics.

Ten months ago, Turner, 34, a member 

of the 377th Chemical Company at Fort 

Picket, Va., was in the middle of his Basic 

NCO Course when he received a tip from 

the Army Reserve about an opportunity 

to do something just a little different in 

support of the Global War on Terrorism 

– ground robotics repair. It was just the 

opportunity he was looking for.

“The Army sent me an e-mail with a 

brochure that summed up what I would 

be doing in Iraq, if wanted to do it. It was 

robotics,” Turner said. “It was something I 

had wanted to do anyway, something new 

for me instead of being a motor sergeant, so 

I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

For Turner, an Army brat who calls 

Alexandria, La. home, it was an unexpected 

opportunity and to this day he is not quite 

sure how his name came up as a candidate 

for the new program. With a laugh he says, 

“That’s how the Army works. When you 

want to volunteer for deployment they 

don’t consider you, but as soon as you stop 

trying and look for other options, they give 

you a call,” Turner said.

Within a few weeks Turner had mobilization orders in hand and was on his way 

for a month of robotics repair training at 

Redstone Arsenal, Ala., before deploying 

to Iraq. For now, the Army has no military 

occupational specialty for the new job and 

so, like the other Soldiers Turner works 

with in Iraq, it is on-the-job training.

“History will record that ground robotics really took off during Operation 

Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi 

Freedom,” said Marine Reserve Maj. 

Stephen Mufuka, officer in charge of the 

Joint Robotics Repair Detachment at 

Camp Victory. “What we’ve basically done 

in a short time frame of about three years 

is gone from an initial requirement of 

about 160 robots in theater to somewhere 

around 4,000,” he said.

For Turner that increase translates into 

a lot of repair work and a great deal of job 

satisfaction. “I think the thing that I’m 

really proud of about working here is that 

whenever somebody brings in a robot, 

even if it’s damaged or blown up, that 

means that a Soldier did not get blown 

up. That’s the main purpose of the robot 

being here. Instead of Explosive Ordnance 

Detachments going down range to do it by 

hand, a robot can do it,” he said.

For Turner, that is an impact in the war 

fight he and his fellow robotics repair soldiers are proud of. And it’s also something 

the Army and Marine Corps Reserve programs can tout since the program, from the 

military side of the house, is entirely supported out of the reserve components.

However, unlike most mobilized 

reserve Soldiers, robot repair technicians 

in Iraq are not mobilized as a unit. They 

are Individual Mobilization Augmentees 

brought together to work at the Joint 

Robot Repair Detachment. Turner’s 

detachment is commanded by Mufuka, 

a Marine major. Working along side 

members of the Army Reserve and Marine 

Corps Reserve are civilian contractors, 

mostly military retirees, making the operation truly a joint venture.

But, for Turner, what uniform the person 

next to him is wearing does not seem to 

make much of a difference. “I pretty much 

get along with everybody. I mean this is 

a job and we’re here to save lives. Petty 

things get put aside because we’re here to 

do a mission and complete the mission and 

that’s the main focus of it.” 

18 H Warrior-Citizen

Trained as a light wheel mechanic, Sgt. 1st Class Willie 

Turner now uses his hands to repair damaged robotic 

devices used in the Global War on Terrorism. The Army 

Reserve in conjunction with the Marine Corps Reserve, is the 

sole source of military repair technicians for the growing use 

of robotic equipment in support of military operations in Iraq.

Sgt. 1st Class Willie Turner makes repairs to a Talon 3B 

robot at the Joint Robotics Repair Detachment located at 

Camp Victory, Iraq.

Master sgt. ANTHONY MARTINEZ

Master Sgt. ANTHONY MARTINEZ
Sgt. 1st Class Willie Turner diagnoses and repairs valuable robotic 

equipment, like theTalon 3B, used to detonate and disarm Improvised 

Explosive Devices throughout Iraq. (PHOTO: Master sgt. ANTHONY MARTINEZ)
By Sgt. 1st Class Steve Opet

Army Reserve Public Affairs

(Editor’s note: Sgt. 1st Class Opet traveled to 

Iraq with the U.S. Army Reserve Public Affairs 

Acquisition Team and filed the following story.)

C

AMP TAJI, — 

IraqMembers of the 

Army Reserve’s 108th 

Training Division, 

headquartered in Charlotte, 

N.C., are accustomed to serving 

as drill Instructors who teach 

enlistees the basics of becoming a 

Soldier. At Camp Taji, the largest 

Regional Training Center (RTC) 

in Iraq, the “Rough Riders” are 

giving their mission a train-thetrainer flavor by instructing Iraqi 

drill instructors, who, in turn, are 

training brand new Iraqi soldiers.

20 H Warrior-Citizen

An Iraqi drill Instructor demonstrates the proper marching technique to his 50-Soldier platoon before they practice drill and ceremony on the Camp Taji parade field.

Sgt. 1st Class STEVE OPET

108th

Rough Riders

Help Train

New Iraqi Soldiers
The training program has grown since 

its start in March 2005, when U.S. Army 

personnel did the bulk of the training while 

mentoring their counterparts. “In the last 

two years we’ve gone from standing right 

over them and telling them what to do, to 

standing way off to the side and just observing as they conduct all the training,” said 

Sgt. Rodney Guinyard, one of the instructor-advisers with the 108th. “We have a 

good professional working relationship 

with the Iraqis,” he said.

Guinyard, who in civilian life works as 

an undertaker in his family’s funeral home 

in Barnwell, N.C., has been here for the last 

four training cycles. Each cycle lasts for five 

weeks. “They receive the initial knowledge 

of what the Army is all about. After careful 

observation by their drill instructors during 

basic, some are chosen for more specialized 

training later at Camp Taji,” Guinyard said.

Training for the neophyte Iraqi soldiers 

includes drill and ceremony, rifle marksmanship, first aid, movement training and 

searching and clearing buildings. 

The training is a learning experience for 

everyone. “From the Americans we learn 

about selfless service, integrity, honor, 

responsibility and how we take care of the 

Soldiers. The Americans learn from us how 

to be one team, we Iraqis love each other,” 

said one of the Iraqi platoon sergeants, who 

is in charge of 50 new recruits.

The camp currently has 22 advanced 

courses, ranging from computer training to 

vehicle and weapons repair, with a capacity 

for 1,000 students. Camp Taji has graduated 8,010 commissioned officers and NCOs 

since starting in 2005.

Assisting at the motor pool where lightwheeled and heavy-wheeled vehicle repair 

and maintenance classes are held is Staff 

Sgt. James Sprehe, Bogalusa, La. Sprehe, a 

corrections officer back home, is one of the 

American advisers at the institute helping 

the new Iraqi soldiers become skilled 

mechanics. “We’re teaching the Iraqis to 

become light and heavy-wheeled vehicle 

mechanics. Our biggest goal is to teach 

them the theory of tearing a motor down, 

putting a motor together, what its function 

is, and why it’s there,” Sprehe said.

Sprehe said the classes are off to a good 

start, even though the Iraqis are at various 

levels of mechanical experience. “Some of 

them have experience and some don’t have 

any at all. I have 27 in this class and out of 

that eight have never done any mechanical 

work at all,” he said.

The mechanics course is a copy of the 

U.S. Army course that has been translated 

into their language and then taught in a 

classroom setting. “Then we bring them 

into the shop and we have them physically 

do the work and they catch on real quick,” 

Sprehe said.

Sprehe is well liked among his Iraqi 

trainees and was given the nickname “Ali 

Baba” for his skill in finding replacement 

parts from wrecked vehicles to get other 

vehicles up-and-running. Ali Baba is the 

central character in a classic tale about a 

band of Persian thieves.

Evidence of a successful training 

program was voiced by Rough Rider, Staff 

Sgt. Elijah Ragin, West Palm Beach, Fla. 

Ragin is a gunner on an armored Humvee, 

manning the .50 caliber machine gun 

mounted in the roof turret while the Rough 

Riders escort convoys from Baghdad to 

Camp Taji. “We see a lot more of the Iraqi 

armed forces now and we get hit a lot less. 

There are less improvised explosive devices, 

and rocket propelled grenades now that 

the Iraqis have more of a presence on the 

ground,” Ragin said.

Ragin, a ramp agent with Delta Air Lines 

in West Palm Beach, Fla., is also a drill 

instructor with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 

321st Regiment, 108th Training Division. 

This is his first tour for Operation Iraqi 

Freedom and he feels the experience is 

invaluable for his position as a trainer.

“This is an excellent experience to 

bring back to the young troops that I 

train,” he said.

The new Iraqi army is training hard 

and shouldering more and more of the 

security responsibilities needed for their 

country with the help of the 108th Rough 

Rider Soldiers. And the Rough Riders 

are learning from their Iraqi counterparts 

while gaining valuable training experience 

to bring home and share with America’s 

newest Soldiers. 

Fall 2007 H 21

108th Training Division Sgt. Rodney Guinyard, observes the Iraqi army recruits practice drill and

ceremony on the Camp Taji parade field.

Sgt. 1st Class STEVE OPET
By the U.S. Army Reserve 

Post-Deployment Health 

Reassessment Team

WASHINGTON —

Sgt. 1st Class 

Carmen Román 

returned from a 14-month 

deployment in Camp 

Fallujah, Iraq in May 2006. “I formed 

strong bonds with my fellow Soldiers, and 

I was able to apply my training so that I 

could do my job. But it was difficult at 

times. I worried about my fellow Soldiers 

and the risks we faced each day during our 

time in combat,” she said. Román, 597th 

Quartermaster Company, Caguas, Puerto 

Rico, completed the Post-Deployment 

Health Reassessment, (PDHRA) six months 

after she returned to Puerto Rico, where she 

lives. “The PDHRA helped a great deal. As 

it turned out, I needed physical therapy for 

a knee injury, and I was referred to a social 

worker and therapist for depression.”

THE STORY ON PDHRA

More than 14,000 U.S. Army Reserve 

Soldiers have completed the PDHRA since 

the start of 2007. The Army Reserve fully 

adopted the PDHRA in April 2006 as part 

of the Department of Defense’s Force 

Health Protection Program. All Soldiers 

who returned from a combat zone since 

September 11, 2001, are eligible to complete 

the PDHRA.

“U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers want 

to spend time with their families after 

redeployment from theater, but it’s also 

important their possible medical needs 

are met,” notes Maj. Gen. Alan D. Bell, 

deputy commanding general, U.S. Army 

Reserve Command. “That’s why it is vitally 

important the Post-Deployment Health 

Reassessment be done within 90 to 180 

days of redeployment. It is a priority for 

leaders to ensure their Soldiers complete 

the PDHRA.”

HOW IT WORKS

“Research tells us after Soldiers return 

from combat, health concerns may begin to 

surface,” explains Lt. Col. Page Sikes, who 

leads the PDHRA program for the U.S. 

Army Reserve. “The PDHRA is unique 

because it brings the medical system to the 

Soldier through the screening process and 

the one-on-one conversation with a health 

care provider. This is especially important 

for U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers after they 

return home. The PDHRA gives Soldiers 

the opportunity to voice concerns regarding 

his or her health. ”

The PDHRA consists of filling out the 

DD Form 2900, speaking one-on-one with 

a health care provider and viewing the 

Battlemind II Training video. Information 

shared during the PDHRA is confidential. 

Battlemind II Training, created by the 

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 

includes video vignettes that help Soldiers 

relate combat skills to feelings they may be 

experiencing after deployment. Battlemind 

II Training emphasizes safe and healthy 

personal relationships and teaches Soldiers 

to look out for each other’s health.

Soldiers can check their PDHRA status by 

logging into Army Knowledge Online and 

visiting “My Medical Readiness.” Soldiers 

can also access a list of answers to frequently 

asked questions about the PDHRA.

A COMMANDER’S PROGRAM

In most cases, commanders will notify 

Soldiers when it’s time to begin the 

PDHRA process. Soldiers complete the 

PDHRA in one of two ways, either through 

a unit-scheduled screening event or by 

using the PDHRA Call Center. “The 

Post-Deployment Health Reassessment 

is a commander’s program,” emphasizes 

Command Sgt. Maj. Leon E. Caffie. 

“Commanders must ensure their Soldiers 

complete this very important health 

screening in order to facilitate a smooth 

post-deployment transition for the Soldiers 

and their Families.”

As a platoon sergeant, Román admits that 

being physically and mentally fit is very 

important, not only for her but for the men 

and women she cares for. “Soldiers need to 

know about the services and benefits available to them, from both the U.S. Army and 

from the Department of Veterans Affairs,” 

she said. “So many Soldiers don’t know 

who to talk to about problems they might 

be having. The PDHRA is an opportunity 

for Soldiers to open up and talk about what 

might be bothering them.”

POST-DEPLOYMENT SUPPORT

Family and friends already play a 

strong role in a Soldier’s transition back to 

post-deployment life. The Army Reserve 

encourages loved ones to take part in the 

PDHRA process by reminding their Soldier 

to complete the screening beginning 90 

days post-deployment. Román affirms how 

important it is for the Family to be a part 

of the post-deployment process. “My social 

worker encourages me to involve my 14-

year-old daughter and my mother as I work 

through my health issues.”

If you or your loved one recognizes any 

health-related issues that may need to be 

addressed, you do not have to wait for the 

PDHRA. Encourage your Soldier to seek 

professional advice for any health problems 

or concerns he or she may have. 

SOLDIERS’

HEALTH

RESOURCES FOR 

SOLDIERS AND FAMILIES

Battlemind II Training: www.battlemind.org

Military OneSource: 800-342-9647 or

www.militaryonesource.com

Military Home Front:

www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil

U.S. Army PDHRA:

http://fhp.osd.mil/pdhrainfo

U.S. Army Reserve Family Programs:

www.arfp.org

U.S. Army Families Online: 800-833-6622 

or www.armyfamiliesonline.org

DeploymentLINK (Deployment Health 

Support): www.deploymentlink.osd.mil

Department of Veterans Affairs: www.va.gov

U.S. Army Behavioral Health:

www.behavioralhealth.army.mil

22 H Warrior-Citizen
By Cadet Ryan Jones

314th Public Affairs Operations Center

P

RICE BARRACKS, Belize — Under the glare 

of the tropical sun and stifling humidity Army Reserve units answered the 

call in support of TRADEWINDS 2007. 

The yearly joint training exercise involves 

14 Caribbean nations and support elements 

from across the Army Reserve. Spanning 

12 days from May 5–16, 2007, the exercise, 

hosted this year by Belize, brings 

together approximately 1100 U.S. 

Soldiers, Marines and members of 

various defense and security forces 

throughout the region to participate in hand-to-hand combat, 

riot control, live fire and disaster 

preparedness training. The goal 

of the training is to strengthen 

regional partnerships, enhance 

interoperability and cooperation 

between military, police and civil 

organizations.

In a Quonset hut located on 

Price Barracks, 20 minutes outside 

of Belize City, the 652nd Regional 

Support Group (RSG) coordinates 

everything from food service and 

billeting to transportation and 

laundry services for all exercise 

participants. “We’re doing for the 

Caribbean forces exactly what we would 

do for any U.S. forces or combined forces,” 

said Lt. Col. Dennis Ecord a Helena, Mont. 

native and commander of the 652nd. “This 

is a great exercise for us. It’s the first opportunity this staff has had to actually leave 

Montana and come to another country.”

The 652nd is comprised of units from 

six states—Montana, Wyoming, North 

Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho and Utah. 

The majority of the detachment assigned 

to TRADEWINDS ‘07 hails from 

Montana. In addition to acting as a logistics command and control element the 

unit provides various types of support via 

a composition of units including medical, 

quartermaster and transportation. “With 

that composition we can provide support to 

U.S. or allied forces within the operation,” 

Ecord added. 

Members of the 430th Quartermaster 

Company, Bayamon, Puerto Rico, play an 

active part in the support role of the Army 

Reserve. The 430th Soldiers deployed to 

TRADEWINDS ‘07 to provide laundry 

support to all exercise participants while 

gaining valuable training and joint operations experience.

“I’m a mechanic but, right now, helping 

these guys,” said Spc. Mario Rotundo, San 

Sebastian, Puerto Rico. I’m a light-wheeled 

vehicle mechanic and I also train with the 

Laundry Advance System.” 

Sgt. Hector Degro, also of the 430th, 

discussed what he and his unit has learned 

supporting the exercise. “Organization and 

teamwork is very important. Everyday we 

learn something about teamwork, how to 

make the mission easiest for us. Every time 

you work you learn something, said Degro.

The 592nd Ordnance Company’s Sgt. 

1st Class Jacqueline Woosley, with the 

Ordnance Company’s Mobile Kitchen 

Trailer (MKT), describes the various missions her detachment is assigned. “I have 

seven guys who are actually working at 

the ammo storage point. They’re doing 

guard duty and issuing out all the bullets 

for this whole exercise and they’re doing 

24-hour shifts.”

In addition to munitions support, the 

592nd also deployed their MKT to provide 

meals during the exercise. With shifts 

beginning as early as 1 a.m. and working 

in temperatures that can exceed 125 

degrees the mission is truly a team effort 

requiring support from across the Army 

Reserve. “We’ve got numerous units that 

just send a cook here and a cook there,” 

Woosley added. 

Beyond direct service and 

support, Army Reserve Soldiers 

provided training to coalition 

partners in the area of disaster 

preparedness. The 350th Civil 

Affairs Command, Pensacola, 

Fla., was assigned the challenging mission of training 

representatives from the 14 

participating nations to handle 

disaster response. Col. Will 

Rosario, team leader of the Civil 

Affairs cell assigned to U.S. 

Southern Command, took a 

moment to discuss the role of 

his organization in the exercise. 

“Our intent here, as part of 

Marine Corps Forces South, is to 

share ideas, knowledge and skills 

on disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.” 

Also, the 314th Public Affairs Operations 

Center, from Birmingham, Ala., facilitated 

local and international media coverage 

and produced news stories for numerous 

military publications and outlets such as 

Soldiers Media Center, Navy/Marine Corps 

News and Defenselink.mil highlighting the 

operations in Belize.

Whatever the mission, Army Reserve 

Soldiers supporting TRADEWINDS ‘07 

understood the importance of participating 

in and supporting training in peace time 

and how mission essential they are to real 

world combat missions.

Ecord explained that the billeting, 

hygiene and food service support his unit 

provided contributed greatly to the training 

experience of all Soldiers and the goal of 

the 652nd. “Every day we try to make life 

better for the Soldiers we’re supporting.” 

Tradewinds 2007

Spc. Angel Rivera loads a bundle of laundry into the Laundry Advanced System during 

exercise TRADEWINDS. The LADS washes and dries clothing for all exercise participants.

Courtesy TRADEWINDS 2007

Fall 2007 H 23
24 H Warrior-Citizen

“Estamos 

A young Panamanian man peddles a bicycle past the road at 

Canazas, which will link the main highway through the region 

with the Canazas School. (Photo: Jack Gordon)
Spring /Summer 2007 H 25

 Unidos”

ARMY RESERVE SOLDIERS CONDUCT 

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

OPERATIONS IN PANAMA

“We Stand United”
26 H Warrior-Citizen

By Jack Gordon

Army Reserve Public Affairs

J

OINT TASK FORCE 

PANAMA BASE CAMP, 

RAMBALA, Panama —

Ask any soldier what 

they’re doing here, regardless 

of their assigned duty, and 

you’re likely to get, in endless 

variations, the same answer 

– “I’m helping the people of 

Panama.” And ... they are.

“It’s beautiful here ... but it’s horrible 

here,” said Task Force Panama Commander 

Lt. Col. Thomas Jones. “This is exactly the 

kind of place where we should be—and this 

is exactly the kind of mission we should 

be conducting here, where it’s so remote 

nobody else wants to.” Jones is referring 

to the inherent natural beauty of Panama, 

especially here, where bays and lagoons are 

settled at the bases of gentle sloping land 

dotted with villages, all shadowed by towering mountains and triple-canopy jungle. 

The horror... is the poverty.

From Feb. 12 through May 20, 2007, 

thousands of Army Reserve Soldiers will, 

in seven rotations of two-week increments, conduct engineer and medical 

support training missions at selected sites 

in Bocas del Toro Province here, including the establishment and removal of the 

base camp that serves as an operational 

center for Nuevos Horizontes 2007. The 

base camp is self-sufficient and provides 

Soldiers with dining, laundry and bath, 

and rest facilities and services, as well as 

force protection from military police and 

Panamanian National Police (PNP).

“The seven rotations are designed to 

allow Army Reserve units an opportunity 

to conduct their battle training tasks during 

annual training here,” said Jones, who 

volunteered for the duration staff position 

from his unit, the 961st Engineer Battalion, 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Jones said “Estamos Unidos,” which 

translates to “We Stand United” is not new 

in concept, but is providing today’s Army 

Reserve soldiers with a refreshing

Spc. Laura Daigle, Company C, 961st Engineer Bn., Milwaukee, Wis., uses a hole-saw to bore through resin-based 

polymer walls to ensure wet concrete will flow and fill every chamber before the walls are erected, plumbed and 

shore-supported.

Jack Gordon
Fall 2007 H 27

opportunity, especially since many of those 

now serving here are veterans of operations 

Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom.

“It’s a chance to come someplace and 

really provide a service,” he said. “Most 

people who serve in our military want to 

serve and help, and here – they’re able to 

do that in a purely positive way. Everybody 

here is glad to see us, and many of the 

(engineer) projects that are no big deal to us 

really make an impact on the lives of these 

people.”

The road to the school at Canazas

Walking is a way of life here – everybody 

walks out of necessity. There are no yellow 

school buses so familiar in cities and small 

towns across America. Here, children walk 

to school, often for miles, or kilometers. 

Like many dichotomies existing here 

– wealth and poverty; beauty and economic 

despair; travel in Panama is measured 

in “klicks” but propelled in vehicles by 

gallons of gasoline—not liters.

The proposed road here, which will link 

the main highway through the region with 

the Canazas School about one kilometer 

distant, is now marked with orange, day 

glow spray paint. It passes between two 

occupied houses and when complete, will 

almost spread from doorstep to doorstep.

Judging from the volume of foot 

traffic it bears, both to the school, the 

village and beyond, an improved road 

will permit vehicle traffic. This existing 

“road”... won’t.

“We’re going to widen the path here 

by building up a berm to the road,” said 

Staff Sgt. Christopher Dean, A Co., 844th 

Engineer Bn., Gray, Tennessee, who is 

serving as the project site NCOIC (Noncommissioned Officer In Charge).

Dean said the soldiers in his unit are 

using heavy equipment to acquire the 

necessary fill material—soil—to get the 

project started.

“We’re using an excavator to pull material from the hill, then having a five-yard 

scoop loader load it in the dump trucks and 

haul it to the site,” said Dean. “Then a ‘D7 dozer’ spreads it out. We’ll compact and 

grade it as we go.”

The site poses a natural challenge too, 

since the land is marshy, it retains moisture 

from rains and has two streams traversing it. Both will require culverts to permit 

the water to flow beneath the road surface 

through them.

“We’re going to get a good fill base of 

rock in there,” Dean said, “and get the 

slope and flow set right on the culverts so 

they won’t wash away during the heavy 

rains they get here. Then we’ll cover the 

whole thing with dirt and compact it.”

Working with such heavy machinery so 

close to the Panamanians, who are interested and often stop to watch the activity, 

presents another challenge—safety.

“We never have any piece of equipment 

moving on the project or near the houses 

without having someone right behind it,” 

Dean said. “The PMPs are helping us with 

the traffic on the main road, and also with 

the language barrier. We have a translator 

on site, and MPs (Military Police) so there 

are always extra people here specifically for 

safety.”

In spite of the obstacles and challenges 

facing him and his crew working the 

Canazas Road project, Dean is optimistic.

“Once we get this (road) opened up, a 

lot of change can happen here,” he said. 

“It will definitely make things a lot easier 

for the people here, and the kids who walk 

to school. A lot of them walk a long way 

to get here (Canazas Road is a perpendicular intersection with the main highway), 

then have to walk another kilometer to get 

to school.”

“Something like this gives us a chance 

to put it all together—to actually plan for 

and conduct a mission. It’s a lot of planning 

and adapting trying to keep the project on 

schedule, but we’re all learning a lot and 

we’re helping the people here while we’re 

doing it,” said Dean. “The kids always 

smile and wave.”

“I’ve been on a lot of different jobs in the 

Army and I feel good we’re doing something here that will make someone else’s 

life better. It makes me feel a lot better than 

paving a runway or improving a road on a 

military base,” said Spc. John Garrett.

A much-needed clinic rises at Higueron

“At home, we assume everything. It’s 

an eye-opener being here,” said Spc. Jacob 

Brendall, C Co., 961st Engineer Bn., 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Being in Panama marks the first overseas 

military service for Brendall, who said he 

has been in Central America before, but 

never “...this far south.”

“The culture is interesting—seeing 

how these people live and how they make 

so much from so little,” Brendall said. 

Brendall and other soldiers assigned to 

his unit are working the clinic project at 

Higueron, the site most distant from the 

base camp, about 45 kilometers of road that 

twists, turns and winds its way through 

some spectacular scenery.

“This project is a seven-room clinic,” 

said Sgt. 1st Class Lon Stachowiak, also 

A bulldozer operated by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Harrison, Co. A, 844th Engineer Bn., Gray, Tenn., moves fill dirt to shape 

a ramp leading from the main road onto what will be a secondary road to a school and village a kilometer distant 

at the Canazas School project.

Jack Gordon
Spc. Colin Maxfield (left) slides a specially-cut cinderblock to Spc. Adam Teaff 

across a ramp the two soldiers constructed as they build the “underground” portion 

of a three-stall restroom for the clinic at Molejones. The old structure still in use is 

adjacent to the new project. (Photo: Jack Gordon)
Fall 2007 H 29

with C Co. “It’s an RBS, or resin-based 

polymer system that has walls we’ll stand 

and then pour concrete into the cavity. 

This is more structurally sound than what 

we see around us, a lot of wooden buildings 

made from wood cut by a chain saw using a 

guide. They do a phenomenal job given the 

limitations, but they’re (indigenous dwellings in the area) just not as strong as this 

building will be.”

Stachowiak said the structure will feature 

windows with bars for security, and internal 

louvers for weather and to aid in ventilation. Vents in the roof will facilitate better 

cross ventilation and the release of hot air 

from inside, making the new clinic much 

more climate comfortable than the existing 

buildings around Higueron, most of which 

are either open to the rains or hold heat.

The clinic will be a completely new addition and service to Higueron – and is badly 

needed since the site lies midway between 

the area’s two cities, Chiriqui Grande to the 

south and either Almirante or Changuinola 

to the north, where the closest medical 

treatment facilities are located.

Aside from the obvious hands-on training and experience to be gained from 

an exercise such as “Estamos Unidos,” 

Stachowiak sees a broader geography lesson 

in the soldiers’ actual experience here.

“In Iraq, the general populace was welcoming, as it is here,” he said, “especially 

the children. Here, they love to see us. They 

ask questions, just like we do – since it is a 

different culture for us and for them, as far 

as what our lives are like. It’s an awakening 

to see how other people live.”

As these soldiers sweat under oppressive 

heat unlike anything Milwaukee might ever 

offer, the walls to the structure are fastened 

into place. Rebar is dropped and wired 

in to provide additional internal support. 

Then begins the exacting task of leveling 

the walls to vertical and horizontal plumb 

while installing a bracing support system 

of wood to help the walls remain in place 

and prevent bulging when the concrete is 

poured. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth 

it, not only for the training and sense of 

accomplishment, but for the people of 

Panama.

“I personally believe that a country 

cannot develop without two things,” said 
Stachowiak, “education and medicine, and 

that’s what we’re doing. Classroom space is 

very limited, so we’re helping that (at the 

other sites) and the expanded opportunity 

for education will advance their culture. I 

take a lot of pride in this.”

Building classrooms for Panama’s 

schools ... and learning for soldiers

“We’re building a school,” said Sgt. 

1st Class Melissa Cantrel, A Co., 844th 

Engineer Bn., Gray, Tennessee. Soldiers 

from her unit are cleaning the forms used 

by the previous rotation to pour the concrete slab on which the classroom will stand 

at the Nueva Estrella site, closest to the base 

camp and surrounded by pineapple fields.

Her unit was mobilized and deployed 

in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 

in 2004, first at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, 

then north in Iraq, where the soldiers built 

FOBs (Forward Operational Base), and ... 

cohesion.

“We’re like a family,” Cantrell said. “We 

know each other’s strengths and weaknesses 

and we all know another one of us has our 

back. We’re close and tight.”

She feels the mission in Panama offers 

additional opportunity to excel not only in 

the Army, but in life.

“We’re actually ambassadors from the 

United States on this mission,” Cantrell 

said. “We’re showing these people that we 

care and want to help them.”

As the unit readied the slab, striking 

chalk lines to mark the walls, the soldiers 

parceled out the day’s duty assignments.

“There’s a lot of preparation to set the 

RBS,” said Sgt. Robert White, also with 

the 844th. “We’re cleaning and re-utilizing assets that are already on site. It lessens 

the expenditure and we’re able to continue 

working and using the materials we have.”

White, as well as being an OIF veteran, 

has seen more than his share of similar 

humanitarian assistance in Central America 

through his time in the service.

“I’ve enjoyed serving in the military,” 

White said, “and I’ve been to a lot of 

places, like Honduras, Guatemala, El 

Salvador, Panama, Egypt, Germany, and 

the Mid East. I like to relate stories about 

my service to other people, and there is no 

shortage of stories. I wish they all could 

have seen what I have.”

White said the senior, more experienced 

soldiers teach and train the younger and 

new in the 844th, and everybody is happy 

as long as the unit is collectively getting the 

mission accomplished.

“In the year I served in Kuwait, I missed 

my kids ... and they had grown when I 

came home,” said White. “Now I’m away 

from home again, but it’s good. This is a 

different exhilaration when you see the 

people here.”

At the Molejones site, the classroom/

school project was in a different phase, since 

different site construction phases are depen-

30 H Warrior-Citizen

Top, Spc. Sarah Bein readies a section of the resin-based polymer walls for the Molejones school site. Bein serves with Co. 

C, 461st Eng. Bn., Milwaukee, Wis. Above, Maj. Steve Herod, Co. C, 961st Engineer Bn., stands the first of many vertical wall 

sections of what will become a clinic at Molejones. Soldiers slid the resin-based polymer wall sections over steel rebar that 

will solidify the walls after they are filled with concrete.

Jack Gordon

Jack Gordon
dent upon the productivity of the preceding 

rotations. Here, the slab was prepared and 

the RBS walls were being set. Soldiers from 

C Co. were working this site too.

“I’m doing a little bit of everything. We 

did the rebar yesterday and we’re doing the 

walls today,” said Spc. Sarah Bein.

A student in nursing school and doubling out as a waitress, Bein said she’d 

helped her father build small projects 

around the house before using hand tools, 

but she’d never done anything like what 

she was doing here. From the on-the-job 

attitude she exuded, a casual observer 

would never know.

“I’m learning to use a lot of tools I’ve 

never used before. It’s hard work and it’s 

very hot but it’s fun too,” Bein said, confessing she was sore the first few mornings 

after logging in long days at the site. Like 

everyone, she had personal sentiments 

about the mission.

“I value education,” Bein said, “and these 

kids need every educational opportunity 

they can get. We’re able to see them here 

while we’re working so it’s a good experience.”

Nothing seems to rattle Staff Sgt. Patrina 

Bermudes, site NCOIC at Molejones, and 

she’s equally comfortable directing the 

individual and team-assigned efforts of her 

platoon as she is grabbing a broom and 

sweeping the cement slab free of dust that 

might compromise the bonding of the concrete walls to it.

“We’re building this two-classroom 

school and latrine to help these wonderful people, the Ngobe-Bugle Indians,” 

Bermudes said. “There are more than 300 

people living in this little community and 

they have to split the schoolday in half, so 

we’re helping them.”

Bermudes is driven to get the project 

back on track under her watch. She’s happy 

to be here and isn’t afraid to say so.

“It was 45 degrees when I left 

Milwaukee,” said Bermudes. “It was in the 

90s when we arrived in Panama ... at night! 

I like the weather and I love the people 

here.

“I’m determined to get this project 

back on schedule so the next rotation can 

finish it.”

Bermudas said Nuevos Horizontes has 

provided the chance for her to develop 

leadership in the troops under her charge, 

as well as coordinate their daily work 

efforts.

“Nothing happens the way you want 

to,” she mused, “with regard to time, surprises or weather, but I’m managing three 

projects, so I can always go to other tasks 

within the projects to keep the progress 

moving forward.”

NORTENO “We’re mainly dirtpushers ...”

Before a floor slab is framed and 

poured, the site has to be prepped 

and leveled, then footers dug according to blueprint plans. Soldiers 

from four companies of the 463rd 

Engineer Bn., headquartered in 

Weirton, West Virginia, are serving 

through the rotations here, and 

getting a wide array of experience 

– from bottom to top.

“We’re mainly dirt pushers,” 

said Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Dillon, 

C Co., 463rd, “and when we got 

here we were expecting to be building a clinic and classroom/school 

– both vertical missions. But ... 

there was a lot of horizontal work. 

We had to improve the road and 

build a river crossing just to get the 

equipment over here.”

Dillon said the remoteness and natural 

obstacles required his soldiers to create a 

rock bed spanning a river to a height that 

permitted flow without damming, but 

shallow enough to permit the unit’s vehicles to cross safely and without incident. In 

doing so, he completed another project beneficial to locals, who began using the access 

crossing too.

Fall 2007 H 31

Top, an elderly woman watches the construction at the school being built at the El Norteno site. Above, Army Reserve Soldiers 

from Co. C, 461st Eng. Bn., are hampered by rain as they continue work on the school at the Molejones site.

Jack Gordon

Jack Gordon
“The river crossing is helping,” Dillon 

said. “Before the people were carrying 

everything across an existing, suspension 

foot bridge. Now a few of the vendor trucks 

are able to cross over and sell watermelons 

and pineapples.”

Dillon said that after the crossing was 

complete, the unit improved the road back 

to the Norteno School and village, putting 

120, 20-ton dump trucks full of soil on the 

road surface. He said the challenges posed 

here were good for leadership development.

“This environment is new to amost of 

our junior soldiers, and I have to remember 

that this is an annual training exercise and 

those junior soldiers need to get the experience running the heavy equipment and 

vehicles.

“I’ve been on similar mission in 

Honduras. I’ve also served on missions in 

Africa and Ethiopia, and a few tours Iraq of 

course, so that’s what this is all about.”

The Norteno site is perhaps the most 

“removed” site for Estamios Unidos, being 

further from the main road than the others. 

The school is the area’s largest but still not 

adequate for the educational demographic. 

Clapboard dwellings and hutlike structures 

with thatched roofs surround the school 

area and trees reach as high as the mountains often covered in clouds. Lush tropical 

foliage springs from everywhere, and the 

sounds of Panama’s bird echo through the 

air from morning until night.

“Our young soldiers were skittish at 

first, but the people here are really polite 

and friendly. Now everybody’s waving and 

trying to talk to each other so it’s good. Our 

junior troops are doing great. It’s improving 

the soldier and the communities here,” said 

Dillon.

After the site has been prepped and 

formed for the slab, the big event of the 

projects occurs – pouring the concrete. The 

heat and water availability both play critical 

roles in this phase of construction, and the 

slab must be square and level before further 

phases can be completed. Sgt. 1st Class 

Todd Clairborne, A Co., 463rd, has been 

up all night from the Norteno classroom/

school pour.

His soldiers are still sleeping under a 

shelter that hosts community and school 

gatherings here. They are oblivious to the 

children who gather courage enough to 

walk up close and peer at them with curios 

eyes. A rooster sounds from somewhere in a 

banana grove.

Light has broken. Dillon is covered in 

mud and cement. He’s smoothing over 

small patches of the slab where a chicken 

has tracked through before the sergeant 

major arrives to inspect, and hopefully 

approve, the pour.

“We’re putting a lot into these projects,” 

Clairborne said. “I had to motivate my 

soldiers to work outside of their MOS to 

meet the challenges here, and to come 

from behind. If we can get ahead on this 

project it will be one of those ‘come from 

behind’ victories, because we started out in 

the hole.”

The 463rd is a combat heavy engineer unit and like Dillon said, it mostly 

“pushes dirt,” but these vertical construction projects expand and diversify the skill 

sets of the troops here. It seems to be part 

of the plan.

32 H Warrior-Citizen

Army Reserve Soldiers are silhouetted against a blue Panama sky at the Higueron school site as the work 

continues to support the plastic walls before the cement is poured.

Jack Gordon
“Whatever my mission, I try to look at 

the good in it,” said Clairborne. “When 

we were in Iraq, there were things we were 

doing that assisted in the overall mission 

to stabilize the country. I see similarities 

here, in different surroundings and circumstances. It’s much easier working here, 

without the full uniform, equipment, body 

armor and weapon like in Iraq, and it’s the 

humidity here versus the dry heat of Iraq.

“I think this a positive mission in all 

regards. Concrete is new to me. I’ve only 

poured one small slab before, so it’s been 

great for our first-timers, including me. I’ve 

just taken a vertical construction crew and 

poured a flat, concrete slab.” In the distance 

... the rooster crowed again.

Norteno teacher and community chief 

extend heartfelt thanks to Army Reserve 

soldiers

“The children want to know why the 

soldiers are here – they asked and we 

explained that they are building us a 

new school with more classrooms,” said 

Zuleika Caballero, a teacher at the Norteno 

School. Caballero teaches English, so she 

spoke to us briefly during the students’ 

exercise period. 

“There’s not enough room at the 

school for the students,” Caballero stated, 

so the first level children come in the 

morning and the higher tiers attend in 

the afternoon.”

Like many teachers, Caballero said she 

stays near the school during the week, 

then returns to her home in David, about a 

three-hour drive, on weekends.

The village community has several 

chiefs, but William Clemente expressed 

his feelings about the facilities being constructed by Army Reserve soldiers here, 

through a translator.

“It’s important to have this new school 

and clinic,” Clemente said, “because even 

though we are using all the space we now 

have – it isn’t enough. We are happy the 

Armerican soldiers are here helping us. We 

have been waiting a long time.”

Maj. LindaSue Schwarz, 962st Engineer 

Bn., is serving as the duration staff operations officer. She commanded an engineer 

firefighting unit in Bosnia in 1998 and 

more recently served two years with a military police unit at Guantanomo Naval Base 

in Cuba. Her job during Estamos Unidos is 

organizing and coordinating the millions 

of details that must be addressed in order 

to make the overall exercise objectives successful.

“After a slow start and safety issues, I’m 

confident we can finish the projects on 

time,” said Schwartz.

With only two rotations left and 

Panama’s rainy season fast approaching, 

Army Reserve soldiers coming here will be, 

like those before them, adapting to overcome whatever obstacles and challenges are 

placed before them, and they’ll be working 

toward the shared goal of the exercise 

effort—helping people in Panama to have 

better educational and medical facilities, all 

projects schedules aside—a thought not lost 

on Schwarz.

“This is the first mission I’ve had with a 

lot of interaction with the local population,” 

she said. “You can see the positive impact 

we’re having here on a daily basis.”

She’s right. Just ask any soldier ... any 

soldier. 

Fall 2007 H 33

Panamanian children attending the school at Norteno wave as they move from classroom to classroom.

jack Gordon
Best

 Warrior

Competition

Staff Sgt. Joseph Bessette, 863rd Engineer Battalion, Darien, Ill., climbs hill 

after finding his second point during the day land navigation event for the 

2007 88th Regional Readiness Command’s Best Warrior Competition held 

at Fort McCoy, Wis. (Photo: Sgt. 1st Class Chris Farley)
Fall 2007 H 35

By Sgt. 1st Class Chris Farley

Public Affairs Office

88th Regional Readiness Command

F

ORT MCCOY, Wis. — It took him 27 

minutes to find his first point 

during the land navigation event. 

It’s a compass course that is densely 

populated with trees, leaves and broken 

branches. Four more points to find, then 

he can break for lunch and eat his Meals 

Ready to Eat (MRE).

For Staff Sgt. Joseph Bessette, 863rd 

Engineer Battalion, Darien, Ill., this was his 

third event out of seven during a long April 

weekend in the 88th Regional Readiness 

Command’s (RRC) 2007 Best Warrior 

Competition (BWC). Bessette is one of 13 

Soldiers competing in the BWC.

What was once called the “NCO and 

Soldier of the Year” competition was 

renamed and Soldiers now have to do 

more than make sure all the dust and lint 

was off of their Class A uniform for the 

appearance board.

Until recently, the BWC was one event, 

the appearance board.

The BWC tested candidates on aspects 

a Soldier encounters in a combat environment, said Command Sgt. Maj. Robert 

Stanek, BWC NCO in charge of operations 

and appearance board member.

The day before, each Soldier was given a 

multiple choice test on basic Army knowledge followed by weapon qualifications, 

warrior tasks and the appearance board. 

Day and night land navigation and 

the Army Physical Fitness Test 

(APFT) was day two of competition.

To say this year’s competition had 

more than a few changes would be 

an understatement. In essence, the 

2007 competition had a facelift to 

transform it to be more relevant to 

what the Army Soldier is today: a 

warrior and a war fighter.

As candidates advance to the next level 

of competition at the U. S. Army Reserve 

Command (USARC) or U. S. Army Forces 

Command, the BWC will progressively get 

harder. But this competition gives warrior 

contenders an idea of what they will face.

 The event will hone the skills of those 

Soldiers who are selected to go on to the 

USARC warrior competition.

“I like the idea it [BWC] doesn’t make 

a distinction between Soldiers and NCOs. 

It really is one competition. We’re all warriors, there are just two categories in one 

competition,” said Sgt. Theodore Bouthilet, 

2006 Army Reserve Soldier of the Year. 

Bouthilet helped run the 2007 competition.

The BWC concluded with the appearance 

board. The appearance board weighed more 

heavily on points than all other events combined. If a candidate does 

not earn the maximum 

amount of points on 

weapons qualification or 

the APFT, they could 

still be named the Best 

Warrior if they do well on 

the appearance board.

The appearance board 

is the closest candidates 

will get to unfamiliar surroundings and dealing 

with something they 

may know but can’t 

recall right away, said 

Command Sgt. Maj. 

Thomas Dunne, president of 88th RRC BWC 

board. “If we ran this 

board based primarily 

on just Soldier skills we 

would be eliminating and 

missing a certain part of 

being a whole Soldier.”

Dunne said he was pleased with the 

Soldiers’ sponsors, subordinate first sergeants and sergeants major and the amount 

of work they did to prepare their Soldier for 

this competition.

Sgt. Bernard Brock, 643rd Area Support 

Group (ASG) was named Best Warrior and 

Sgt. Randell Krug, 645th ASG was named 

Best Warrior NCO.

In the end, Bessette found his second 

point after negotiating the alpine mess that 

stood in his way. He was the first to finish 

by finding three points with his compass 

and one using a Defense Advanced Global 

Positioning System Receiver (DAGR). He 

noticed his Army Combat Uniform pant 

pocket was ripped after he tried to put 

something into it. 

Spc. Joel Keith, Northern Engineer Brigade, Fort Snelling, Minn. performs first aid.

Sgt. 1st Class Chris Farley Sgt. Steven Vanstrein, 300th Military Police Brigade, Inkster, 

Mich., reacts to simulated indirect fire.

Sgt. 1st Class Chris Farley

Spc. Anthony Schmollinger, 646th Area Support Group, 

Madison Wis., reacts to simulated indirect fire by low crawling 

on the ground.

Sgt. 1st Class Chris Farley
By Staff Sgt. Roderick Turner

314th Public Affairs Operations Center

S

AMANA, Dominican Republic — The 369th 

Combat Support Hospital (CSH) 

concluded their Medical Readiness 

Training Exercise (MEDRETS) with 

a closing ceremony held outside of the 

Los Cacaos Primary School in Samana, 

Dominican Republic.

For two weeks, U.S. Soldiers and host 

nation health professionals worked side 

by side in the joint training exercise that 

focused on providing deployment and exercise training for medical units in the U.S. 

Army Reserve. The exercise also provided 

a much needed medical relief to the people 

of Samana. 

According to Maj. Fernando Santana, 

chief of the medical exercise branch, U.S. 

Army South, preparation for this exercise 

started a year in advance.

“Most of the preparation involves getting 

the unit ready in the pre-deployment 

phase,” said Santana. “Force protection 

training and the Soldier readiness process 

aids in getting the unit ready for the 

MEDRETS. This is usually the longest part 

of the process.”

Coordination between the U.S. Army 

and the host nation also takes place in the 

preparation phase to establish the type of 

personnel the host nation will provide for 

the exercise.

“We normally speak with the Ministers’ 

of Health, Agriculture and Education of 

the host nation. They contribute doctors, 

nurses, dentists, veterinarians and assistance in translation,” said Santana. “The 

host nation contributes the same amount 

of health professionals and security that we 

have coming over for the exercise.”

The 369th CSH, located in San Juan, 

Puerto Rico, provided 32 personnel includMedrets aiding People’s needs

Maj. Lourdes Williams administers medication to a Samana native during 

MEDRETS Exercise in the Dominican Republic. Williams is a nurse with the 

369th CSH located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Photo Staff Sgt. Roderick Turner)
Fall 2007 H 37

ing doctors, nurses, and support staff, many 

of whom had participated in MEDRETS in 

the past. The unit has two valuable assets 

that make them attractive when selecting a 

medical reserve unit for this exercise.

 “They meet the necessary pre-deployment requirements such as having passports 

and immunizations due to their past participation in MEDRETS,” said Santana. “And 

they speak Spanish. Puerto Rico is very 

close to the Dominican Republic so culturally there is a real connection and nothing 

important gets lost in translation.”

With the amount of people that came 

needing medical attention, translation 

was a major factor in ensuring that people 

received medical attention quickly and kept 

the exercise running smoothly.

“Between 500 to 1,000 people were seen 

on a daily basis during this exercise,” said 

Lt. Col. Luz Rivera, officer in charge of 

MEDRETS. “Not having to use a translator 

meant more time to attend to the patients 

and less time waiting for someone to translate for us.”

Many services were provided in this 

exercise such as dental, general medicine, 

preventive medicine and optometry. But 

the common theme among the people participating in this exercise was that more 

supplies were needed.

“I feel that we need to come more often 

to areas such as Samana” said Rivera. “We 

need to come more often and bring more 

medicine in the process.”

Maj. Yolanda Anca, a nurse with 

the 369th CSH, said the pharmacy 

experienced a shortage in supplies 

as well.

“We definitely needed more 

medicine for these people,” said 

Anca. “Everyone from toddlers 

to the elderly needed vitamins, 

antibiotics and aspirins and we 

didn’t have enough to give to 

everyone.”

“More equipment is needed,” 

said Sgt. Melvin Ocasio, a medic 

with the 369th CSH. “We treated 

88 to 95 patients a day. It was 

hard to see everyone when you 

only have two chairs to accommodate them.

Dr. Merarys Guzman, a Samana dentist 

serving in the navy, feels that her government could do more to aid in this exercise.

“I feel our government should be able 

to provide more health professionals that 

would like to help for a good cause,” said 

Guzman.

Even with all of the equipment, personnel and medicine shortages, there was 

personal satisfaction and gratification with 

those involved in the exercise.

“It is a very fulfilling experience,” said 

Rivera. “I have learned to appreciate the 

things I have back at home. These people 

have just a little bit but yet they always 

seem to be happy.”

“I get the satisfaction of knowing that we 

are doing a good job because people that are 

humble and poor tell us ‘thank you’ and ‘we 

appreciate everything that you are doing for 

us’,” said Ocasio. “They will bring us fruit 

and vegetables and in many cases this is 

their source of money. That makes me very 

emotional.”

“Personally this has been the most satisfying experience I have ever had,” said 

Santana. “These people are not only receptive to Americans but American Soldiers. 

By doing these missions, our Soldiers have 

face to face contact with these people and 

the spread of goodwill is unbelievable.”

And the hard work put in by these 

Soldiers and host nation personnel did not 

go unnoticed by the Governor of Samana, 

Dr. Elsa A. DeLeon.

“It is great to see these two different 

factions working together for a common 

cause,’ said DeLeon. “The hard work 

that was performed will go a long way 

and the people of our country are very 

appreciative of the medical services being 

provided here.”

At the closing ceremony, the traditional 

exchanging of flags took place as well as 

the presentation of awards. The ceremony 

was attended by U.S. Ambassador Hans H. 

Hertell and Governor DeLeon. 

“I have learned to appreciate the things I have back at home.

These people have just a little bit but yet they always seem to be happy.”

Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Fernandez takes the blood pressure of a Samana native during MEDRETS Exercise in the Dominican Republic. 

Fernandez is a medic with the 369th CSH located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Staff Sgt. Roderick Turner
38 H Warrior-Citizen

By Air Force Capt. Tony Wickman

CJTF-HOA Public Affairs

T

ANGA, TANZANIA — Peace

through humanity.

The motto of the U.S. Army 

Reserve’s 413th Civil Affairs Battalion 

exemplifies the Combined Joint Task 

Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) mission 

of providing support to countries in East 

Africa to improve the quality of life and 

stop extremism from taking root.

A great example of this is in the Tanga 

region of Tanzania, where members of 

Team 415, Company B, 413th Civil Affairs 

Battalion, a U.S. Army Reserve unit based 

in Lubbock, Texas, are working diligently to help Africans help themselves. 

The Soldiers were cross-leveled from the 

478th CA Bn., Perrine, Fla., for the Africa 

mission.

The small, four-person team is working 

in the northeastern area along the Swahili 

coastline of Tanzania to bring much needed 

aid to this poor region of Africa. Much of 

the work done by the team is assessing and 

completing projects that impact the local 

population’s quality of life.

According to Maj. Mark Dobson, Team 

415 leader, the majority of the team’s 

efforts center on water, school and medical 

projects.

“We focus our efforts on projects that 

are important for an entire village or sub 

village,” said Dobson.

Some of the ongoing projects the team 

is overseeing are replacing broken water 

pumps, drilling new wells or improving 

existing ones, repairing existing schools and 

clinics and building new infrastructures 

that support the needs of the local communities.

“Our challenge is to find projects that 

we can do that cost under the U.S. Central 

Command’s humanitarian and civil 

assistance (HA/HCA) deminimus value 

of $2,500, which includes material and 

installation,” said Dobson. “With inputs 

from the Tanzanian government, local 

officials and the U.S. Embassy, my team 

goes out and assesses projects that will 

get the biggest bang for the buck. We are 

working off a priority list established by the 

Tanzanian government that was approved 

by the U.S. Embassy, European Command, 

Central Command and CJTF-HOA.”

One such project is the Kirare Primary 

School, which provides education to more 

than 600 boys and girls from the villages 

of Tundaua, Kirare and Mtambuuni. Built 

in 1972, the facility has not undergone any 

renovations and much of the facility is in 

disrepair. The school’s corrugated iron 

roof has holes ranging from two inches to 

two feet in each classroom, its windows are 

open with no mesh screens, its doors do not 

properly close and have gaps in them, and 

the concrete floor has large holes exposing 

the dirt underneath.

All of these structural damages make 

it hard for the teachers and students to 

achieve an environment that is conducive 

to learning. By making these structural 

improvements, the team felt it would 

increase student tentativeness and graduation rates for both males and females.

It is also much appreciated by the 

school’s faculty.

One of the eight teachers assigned to the 

school is very happy to have the Tanzanian 

government, regional leadership and CJTFHOA helping to repair the school.

“I am very happy to have these repairs 

done, it will be good for teaching and learning,” he said. 

The team’s assessment is that the school 

will last quite a long time since it is the 

only one in the area and the three villages 

help with routine maintenance and cleanup. 

They are very proud of this school and 

realize this is the future for their children.

MAKing A DIFFERENCE

IN TANZANIA By Maj. Steven Moon

362nd Public Affairs Detachment 

N

IAMEY, Niger — Engineer Soldiers from 

the Army Reserve’s 368th Engineer 

Battalion, Londonderry, N.H., 

spent 30 days in Niamey, Niger in March 

2007 training side-by-side with engineer 

soldiers and airmen from the Nigerienne 

army and air force in the erection of one 

of four buildings at the Exercise Reception 

Facility (ERF). The results of their efforts 

were concrete partnerships and friendships developed between the builders from 

both countries; shared knowledge, skills 

and construction techniques; appreciation 

of the unique environmental conditions 

required in building structures in Niger 

and the pride of accomplishing a sturdy 

structure in harsh conditions.

“This was a great opportunity,” said ERF 

Project Officer and Manager, 2nd Lt. Justin 

Belford, 368th Engr. Bn. “We worked 

closely with the Nigerienne army and 

air force. They were very supportive and 

highly motivated. It was a great partnership. Soldiers from both countries learned a 

great deal from one another,” said Belford.

One of the key objectives of the training was to share construction knowledge, 

skills and techniques. Soldiers from the 

Nigerienne military shared unique brick 

and mortar techniques they use due to the 

extreme heat, harsh dry climate and persistent sand. Conversely, 368th Soldiers taught 

Nigerienne soldiers and airmen standard 

U.S. techniques in roofing and electrical 

wiring. All were pleased with the training.

“This was a good experience,” beams 

Spc. Brian Herman, carpenter and mason, 

Company C, 368th Engr. Bn. ”These guys 

are hard working. I really enjoyed working 

with them. They are very friendly and 

helpful.”

Spc. Andrew Smith, electrician, Co. B, 

368th Engr. Bn., echoed that feeling, “These 

guys were very competent. This is especially true when we tapped into the base’s 

main power grid. These guys were invaluable. This was a great mission. I hope the 

368th comes back here every year.”

Partnersh 
Fall 2007 H 39

Nigerienne soldiers and airmen 

expressed the same admiration for their 

American counterparts.

Speaking through an interpreter, Cpl. 

Ahmed Agali said, “I like the Americans. 

They are hard working and gentle people. 

I’ve learned a lot from them.”

Soldiers from both countries appreciate the opportunity to train together and 

develop strong bonds but more importantly 

they realize the importance of the ERF in 

counterterrorism efforts worldwide and in 

Africa specifically.

“Our assistance here and the completion of this facility will help Niger address 

threats from terrorists as well as threats 

from within and on their borders,” said 

Belford. “We are helping them as well as 

ourselves in fighting terrorists worldwide. 

The fight against terrorists is not limited to 

Iraq and Afghanistan. 

It is a worldwide 

problem for everyone.”

The ERF project 

is funded by 

Headquarters, U.S. 

European Command 

(EUCOM) in support 

of the Trans-Saharan 

Counterterrorism 

Partnership Program 

(TSCTP) and being 

hosted by the government of Niger. The 

ERF will help enable 

Niger to respond to 

threats within and 

across their borders as 

well as develop a sustained counterterrorism 

capability in the region. 

It will also build and 

sustain a strong partnership between Niger 

and EUCOM as well as 

strengthen and sustain 

security and stability of 

the TSCTP countries. 

More importantly, it 

aims to enhance the 

military capability of Niger to stem the flow 

of illicit drugs, goods and people, and to 

deny terrorists and terrorist organizations 

from seeking or establishing sanctuaries or 

resources in the Trans-Saharan region.

The facility will service all visiting 

EUCOM Soldiers, Airmen and Marines 

in support of future training with the 

Nigerienne air force and army. By utilizing the ERF, partnering nations’ militaries 

will be able to identify, test and document 

shortfalls and strengths in the San Saharan 

region. Because of the rise of asymmetric 

warfare worldwide, EUCOM’s engagement 

strategy in Africa is a vigorous, multifaceted approach that takes into account 

military training and assistance at all 

levels. Africa is of vital importance to the 

international security environment. The 

United States and EUCOM are committed 

to robust engagement with African nations 

and institutions that foster stability and 

democracy. Future Sun-Saharan assistance 

will take the form of military-to-military 

joint training exercises, humanitarian 

assistance projects such as medical, dental 

and veterinary clinics and civil affairs 

assessments. All of these are designed 

to institutionalize regional cooperation 

among regional security forces to promote 

democratic governance, discredit terrorist 

ideology and reinforce bi-lateral military 

ties.

The whole experience for both the 

Nigerienne soldiers and the Soldiers of the 

368th Engr. Bn. is summed up by Spc. Josh 

Fager, Co. B, 368th. “This is unforgettable. 

I was surprised at the training and especially impressed by the Nigeriennes. They 

were always happy.” 

iping with nigerian Military

Spc. Andrew Smith (left), electrician, 368th Engineer Battalion, Londonderry, N.H., and Nigerienne Cpl. Ahmed Agali, tie rebar for the construction of the 

horizontal pillars for the Exercise Reception Facility (ERF) building #1 in Niamey, Niger.

Maj. Steve Moon
By Maj. William Ritter

Public Affairs Office

81st Regional Readiness Command

(Editors note: Maj. William Ritter was one 

of the 81st RRC Soldiers that presented Sgt. 

Lumpkin with his WW II canteen.)

Y

ORKTOWN, Va. — During the Memorial 

Day season, Americans reflect on 

the memory of those lost during our 

nation’s wars. On Memorial Day weekend 

2007, Soldiers of the 81st Regional 

Readiness Command (RRC) honored a 

member of our “Greatest Generation” in a 

more personal manner

in Yorktown, Va.

Members of the 81st RRC traveled from 

Birmingham, Ala. to Yorktown, to meet 

retired Sgt. Lee. R. Lumpkin, 86, a local 

resident. They came to present Lumpkin 

his canteen cup, shot-up in the horrors of 

battle 63 years ago on the Island of Peleliu.

Lumpkin was part of the 81st Infantry 

Division that served in the Pacific theater 

during World War II. The “Wildcat” 

Division saw action on Angaur and 

Peleliu Islands before finishing up the

war occupying Japan after the surrender.

On the cup was the name Lee R. 

Lumpk (the “in” was blown out by 

shrapnel). The cup was found during 

casualty excavations on Peleliu by 

Mr. Kageyama (first name not 

available), the son of a Japanese 

major who was killed in the 

battle. When Dan King, a 

Japanese military historian 

in the United States, learned 

of this he requested the cup 

so it could be returned to its 

one time possessor, Lumpkin 

and he could arrange some 

sort of presentation. Through 

contacts in the 81st Infantry 

Division Association, King was able to 

determine that Lumpkin was alive and 

living in Virginia.

Prior to the ceremony, all had the 

opportunity to mingle. Soon, the 

presentation of the cup became the secondary purpose of their visit, however, 

as the current 81st 

Soldiers became 

enthralled by 

the stories 

of their 81st 

ancestral 

Soldier.

Several of 

the 81st RRC 

Soldiers visiting Lumpkin 

had seen combat 

in Iraq, but 

the stories he 

told seemed 

unimaginable 

even in light of 

the horrors they 

witnessed there. 

Dr. (Lt. Col.) John 

Boyd, 81st RRC 

historian and an 

Iraq War veteran 

stated, “When 

Sgt. Lumpkin and 

the 81st Infantry hit the 

shores of Peleliu, they were 

facing an enemy that was dug 

in. They were in caves and concrete 

pill boxes waiting for them. It is a true 

testament to the courage of Sgt. Lumpkin 

and his fellow Soldiers that enabled them 

to triumph is the face of tremendous chaos 

and adversity. Nothing we face in today’s 

warfare can compare to that,” said Boyd.

The fierceness of the warfare the 

“Wildcats” experienced is still reflected in 

40 H Warrior-Citizen

Lost, Found, WWII Cant

Returned To Honor Its 

MAJ WILLIAM RITTER

Sgt. (retired) Lee Lumpkin, 

was a member of the 81st 

Infantry Division during WWII.

(Photo: Maj. William Ritter)

Sgt. Lee Lumpkin’s canteen cup, and other WWII military memorabilia.
Lumpkin’s voice. “It does bother me that 

my best buddies that I was with for three 

years got killed and I was the lucky one 

that didn’t. I could have gotten killed so 

easily,” he said. Lumpkin’s voice cracked 

as he talked about the loss of his comrades, 

Soldiers he too was paying homage to 

during this time of remembrance.

Everything 

about 

Lumpkin’s 

demeanor 

exemplified 

the “greatest 

generation.” 

He was a true 

patriot worthy 

of high admiration. As they 

drove up to his 

house, they 

were greeted 

by his red, 

white and blue 

mail box. Inside 

his home, his 

medals earned on 

the hellish beaches 

years before were 

proudly displayed. 

He recited the 81st 

Infantry fight song 

he learned 60-some 

years prior as he trained 

for his deployment to the South Pacific. 

And yes, the bullet-riddled canteen cup, 

that may have saved his life, was proudly 

displayed.

But what made Lumpkin great was his 

humbleness. Though the 81st Soldiers 

were there to recognize him, he repeatedly thanked them for their service. He 

thanked them for taking time out of their 

schedules to come and present him with 

his battle-tarnished cup. He even got 

choked up when he spoke of interacting 

with today’s Soldiers.

“Every time I see some service members, 

I’ll go up and shake hands with them 

because that’s what we have to do, to be 

behind them to do their job,” Lumpkin 

said. “You young fellas keep up the good 

work. I know you will.”

As the morning wore on, the 81st 

Soldiers formally presented Lumpkin 

with his holey canteen cup, dug up during 

casualty excavations on Peleliu. The cup 

was returned to Dan King, a Japanese 

military historian from a Japanese friend 

who discovered the cup while searching 

for Japanese was dead.

They offered other tokens of their 

appreciation as well, but none seemed 

adequate for what they were trying to say 

to this old 81st Soldier and the millions 

of other service-members they wanted to 

honor with their actions that day. The 

opportunity to share stories, some amusing 

and some sad, helped all Soldiers bond 

regardless of when they served.

As it turned out, a simple hand-shake 

and a thank-you was all this Wildcat, or 

any Soldier wants.

“I was never as surprised in my life as 

the day I got this cup. The fact that you 

wanted to come up here and present it to 

me means so much,” said Lumpkin. 

Fall 2007 H 41

Sgt. Lee Lumpkin’s bullet riddled canteen cup was 

formally return to him during Memorial Day observances 63 

years after he lost it during the battle for Peleliu Island in 

the South-Pacific. (Photo: Maj. William Ritter)

een Cup

 Owner

Staff Sgt. Brian Horgan, 81st RRC, and WWII color guard re-enactor, stands at attention as Col. Margret Boor, 81st RRC 

Chief-of-Staff, talks to the Soldiers honoring Sgt. (retired) Lee Lumpkin, a member of the 81st Infantry Division during WWII, 

during Memorial Day celebrations at his Yorktown, Va. home.

MAJ WILLIAM RITTER
42 H Warrior-Citizen

P E O P LE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Staff Sgt. Jason 

Todd Fetty became the first 

Army Reserve Soldier to receive 

the Silver Star for service in support of 

Operation Enduring Freedom. He received 

the award for his heroic actions in thwarting a homicide bomber attack during a 

dedication ceremony at Khost Hospital, 

Afghanistan. Since the Vietnam War, only 

two other Army Reserve Soldiers have 

earned Silver Stars, which is conferred 

solely for valor in the face of the enemy.

“Staff Sergeant Fetty’s actions demonstrated commitment, selfless service, and 

personal courage.,” said Lt. Gen. Jack 

C. Stultz, Chief, Army Reserve. “This 

Warrior-Citizen is a great American 

hero who put his life on hold—and on 

the line—to defend our country and our 

freedoms. The sacrifices Army Reserve 

Soldiers and their Families make every 

day make a difference in people’s lives”

On Feb. 20, 2007, while assigned to 

the Civil Affairs Team, Joint Provincial 

Reconstruction Team Khost, Combined 

Task Force 76, Fetty attended a ribbon 

cutting ceremony for a new emergency 

room that his team had built at Khost 

Hospital in Afghanistan. When he identified a suspected bad guy among the 

gathered dignitaries, Fetty approached 

the man, confirmed his suspicions and 

held the bomber at bay long enough for 

the crowd to clear. As soon as a clear 

line of fire was established, Fetty and 

his fellow Soldiers fired on the attacker, 

bringing him down. While on the ground, 

the terrorist reached under the doctor’s 

coat he wore as a disguise and detonated 

his bomb. Fetty suffered shrapnel wounds 

to his face and body from the explosion, 

for which he was awarded a Purple Heart. 

His actions stopped the terrorist from 

reaching his intended targets and no one 

other than the bomber was killed.

“In this situation, I didn’t have time 

to think – I could only react, relying on 

my Army Reserve training and the faith 

that my fellow Soldiers were supporting 

me,” said Fetty. “I took caution not to 

fire at the suicide bomber and risk hitting 

the innocent Afghan civilians who we 

were there to help. I did what any other 

Soldier in my situation would have done; 

I’m just proud to be able to serve my 

country.”

Shortly after Fetty left active duty 

after five years in the Army, he joined 

the Army Reserve as a pharmacy specialist. The West Virginia native is assigned 

to the 339th Combat Support Hospital, 

Coraopolis, Penn. In April 2006, Fetty 

completed four months of training and 

deployed to Afghanistan with a civil 

affairs unit. 

First Reserve Soldier

Receives Silver Star for

Valor in Afghanistan

Staff Sgt. Jason Todd Fetty

Photo: U.S. ARMY
Fall 2007 H 43

P E O P LE

By Maj. Jerry Gray

Army Reserve Aviation

N

EW ORLEANS — Lt. Col., Walter 

Bradley, a veteran aviator with 

more than 2600 flight hours and 

300 combat hours, and commander of 

Company B, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation 

Regiment, was recognized May 15, 2007 

as the 2006 USAR Troop Program Unit 

Aviator of the Year. The President of the 

Military Officers Association of America, 

Vice Admiral Norbert R. Ryan Jr., U.S. 

Navy, retired, presented Bradley with 

his award during the U.S. Army Reserve 

Command’s Senior War Leaders Council 

in held in New Orleans.

Bradley’s unit, a CH-47D (Heavy Lift) 

Chinook helicopter company, was recognized as the 2006 USAR Aviation Unit of 

the Year. Bradley accepted the unit award 

from Gen. Doug Brown, then commander 

of U.S. Special Operations Command, 

MacDill Air Force Base, at the 2007 Army 

Aviation Association of America annual 

convention held in Atlanta, May 11, 2007.

Company B, 7th Battalion, 158th 

Aviation Regiment, was the first Army 

aviation unit to deploy to Pakistan for 

“Operation Lifeline” following the devastating earthquake that killed more than 

70,000 people. On the second day of their 

mobilization, the unit received a mission 

change to divert from Afghanistan to 

Pakistan for relief and rescue operations. 

Nineteen days after receiving the change 

of mission from Operation Enduring 

Freedom to Operation Lifeline, the 

Spartans deployed aircraft, supplies and 

Soldiers half way around the world and 

were conducting relief and rescue operations in Pakistan.

Company B Soldiers saved thousands 

of lives in Pakistan. During “Operation 

Lifeline” in Pakistan and the Enduring 

Freedom mission in Afghanistan, the unit 

literally rewrote aviation history by flying 

Chinooks to never before seen altitudes. 

They flew 7,728 accident-free hours while 

delivering more than 25 million pounds of 

cargo, rescuing more than 4,000 refugees, 

evacuating 300 casualties and conducting 

65 combat operations. The Chinook unit 

maintained an operational readiness rate 

of over 80 percent and never cancelled 

a mission due to maintenance. They 

conducted simultaneous 24/7 combat 

and humanitarian relief operations from 

four locations in two countries. The unit 

returned home with a spotless record of no 

lost lives, no injuries and no accidents.

Soldiers from the aviation unit and 

their Family members gathered in a movie 

theatre in February to view the premiere 

showing of a PBS documentary entitled 

“Kansas to Kandahar” made by embedded reporters in the aviation unit. The 

screening was the highlight of a weekend of 

activities that officially welcomed home the 

“Spartans.”

Ninety minutes of compelling video 

documented the deployment of the Olathe, 

Kansas-based unit on its record-setting 

mission. The film chronicles the hard work 

of the unit’s Soldiers on the warfront and 

the coping of their Families on the home 

front. The film captures the controlled 

chaos as the unit members work in a frenzy 

to prepare their helicopters for transportation aboard a huge C-5 cargo jet.

The documentary has breathtaking 

aerial scenes of the mountains, terrain and 

the earthquake destruction in Pakistan. It 

includes combat operations in Afghanistan 

to include insertion of Special Forces 

Soldiers and the capture of insurgents.

The latter portion of the film depicts the 

Company B Soldiers shifting away from the 

humanitarian effort to their original combat 

support mission in Afghanistan and, eventually, their safe return home. 

Lt. Col. Walter Bradley, second from right, and his first 

sergeant, Russell Reece, Company B, 7th Battalion, 158th 

Aviation Regiment, proudly display the 2006 USAR Aviation 

Unit of the Year trophy presented by Gen. Doug Brown, 

then commander, Special Operations Command. At right is 

Maj. Gen. Virgil L. Packett II, commander of the U.S. Army 

Aviation Warfighting Center and Fort Rucker, Ala.

(Photo: Maj. Jerry Gray)

AR AVIATION’S BEST
P E O P LE

44 H  Warrior-Citizen

By Capt. Aaron Jenkins

318th Public Affairs 

Operations Center

D

ETROIT — During 

his more than 34 

years of service as an 

Army Reserve officer, Maj. 

Gen. John R. Hawkins III, 

has earned his fair share of 

medals and awards.

While he is grateful for 

all of the recognition he 

has received through the years, Hawkins 

was recently presented an award that, in his 

eyes, takes the top spot on his mantel.

The National Association for the 

Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) 

bestowed its highest honor upon Hawkins 

by presenting him the Roy Wilkins Renown 

Service Award.

“Receiving this award is humbling. I am 

grateful beyond belief. Of all of my military 

accomplishments, this means the most to 

me,” Hawkins said after being recognized at 

a dinner during the NAACP’s national convention, which was held in Detroit, Mich. 

in early July, 2007.

The award was established in 1980 to 

recognize members of the Armed Forces 

who embody the spirit of equality and 

human rights. It is named for civil rights 

activist and NAACP Executive Secretary 

Roy Wilkins, who created the organization’s 

Armed Services and Veterans Affairs 

Division to support African Americans in 

the military.

Hawkins currently serves as the Assistant 

Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel (G-1). 

He is responsible for the overarching guidance and execution of human resources 

at the Department of the Army as well 

as Senior Advisor at the Army Diversity 

Office.

Hawkins’ selection for the award serves 

as a testament to not only his military 

service but other aspects of his life as well. 

In addition to his military service, Hawkins 

is a member of the Greater Washington 

D.C. chapter of 100 Black Men of America. 

The mission of 100 Black Men of America, 

Inc, is to improve the quality of life within 

communities and enhance educational 

and economic opportunities for all African 

Americans. He is a regular participant in 

the Saturday Leadership Academy and 

Monday night tutoring in inner city schools 

in Washington D.C. and has also personally 

tutored, mentored, and counseled in inner 

city schools in St. Louis, New Orleans, and 

Los Angeles. Hawkins is also involved with 

Habitat for Humanity in North Carolina. 

“Members of the military serve and are 

not employees. Serving is an endeavor of 

the heart,” he explained. “Serving your 

country doesn’t stop when you take off your 

uniform. Your serving as an example is the 

most effective way of influencing our youth 

to do the right thing.”

Hawkins and his wife reside in the 

Washington D.C. area. They have two 

children; John Hawkins IV, of Washington 

D.C., and Mercedes Hawkins, of Tampa 

Bay, Fla. 

Maj. Gen. Hawkins Receives Prestigious NAACP Award

Maj. Gen. John R. Hawkins III

Photo: U.S. ARMY

By Mass Communications Spc. 1st Class 

Mary Popejoy, USN 

Combined Joint Task Force—Horn of 

Africa Public Affairs

D

JIBOUTI, Horn of Africa — A majority of 

the leading men in Hollywood play 

military roles at some point in their 

career, but for one actor finding the inspiration to play a Soldier is easy to do.

With 20 films under his belt, Staff Sgt. 

Leland Jones, deployed forward with the 

554th Adjutant General Company serving 

as postal supervisor, has taken on roles 

that have mirrored his personal life with 

roles such as a preacher, father, coach and 

doctor. His unit of assignment is with the 

81st Regional Readiness Command’s 678th 

Personnel Services Battalion, Nashville, 

Tenn.

“Each character I’ve played has been a 

part of me,” said Jones. “I haven’t had to 

dig real deep to find character inspiration.”

Jones’ film credits include “Daddy’s 

Little Girls,” “Broken Bridges,” “Domestic 

Disturbance,” “The Naked Truth” and 

“The In Crowd” to name a few. He’s also 

made it big on the small screen starring in 

such shows as “Kenan and Kel,” “Mama 

Flora’s Family” and “Flash.” And, he hosts 

a radio show called “Faith and Fame” on 

the Gospel Music Channel.

As a working actor, it would seem ideal 

for him to live in Hollywood near his agent, 

surrounded by the paparazzi and walking 

the red carpet for film premiers, but for 

Jones, happiness is living in Atlanta and 

serving his country when called upon. 

“Acting is business, and it simply occurs 

in between all of the other things I do,” he 

said. “I don’t ever allow one element of my 

life to touch another, so it never gets in the 

way of something else.”

With his latest movie, “Daddy’s Little 

Girls,” premiering at the Oasis Theater at 

Camp Lemonier, Jones will soon be a local 

celebrity signing autographs, which puts 

him into an “uncomfortable spotlight” that 

he’s grown to accept.

“Camp is a very small place,” said Jones. 

“There’s no place to hide and that makes 

it almost uncomfortable, which is why you 

have to sit back and say let’s have fun with 

it because there’s nothing private about 

being an actor.” 

LIFE ON THE BIG SCREEN

Staff Sgt. Leland Jones displays a copy of his latest movie 

“Daddy’s Little Girls.”

MC1 Mary Popejoy, USN
By Paul Adams

Army Reserve Public Affairs

F

rom wrestling on the boy’s team 

in New Jersey in her senior year 

in high school to competing in the 

2007 World’s Wrestling Championships 

(Women’s Freestyle) on Sept. 22, in Baku, 

Azerbaijan, 1st Lt. Leigh Jaynes, 26, is 

fulfilling her dream to compete in the 

2008 Olympics.

Jaynes won first place in her weight 

class (59 Kg. / 130 lbs.) in the World Team 

Trials in June 2007 in Las Vegas. She won 

the U.S. National Championship in April 

2007 which propelled her to the number 

one ranking in her sport and weight class 

for women.

As a member of the World Class Athlete 

Program (WCAP), she is one of three 

women on active duty for women’s freestyle wrestling. Jaynes trains at the U.S. 

Olympic Training Center in Colorado 

Springs and with her Army coaches at 

Fort Carson, Colo.

“The standards are high for this 

program, however, I know being out here 

training with the best in the world, my 

wrestling knows no boundaries. I just keep 

a strong mind and never let anybody tell 

me I’m not good enough, because I am,” 

Jaynes said.

Jaynes is an Army Reserve Soldier 

assigned to the 5502nd U.S. Army Hospital 

in Aurora, Colo. where she is the S-1/S-3 for 

the unit. She enjoys the Army Reserve and 

is considering making the military a career. 

“I have my degree in Exercise Health 

and Fitness and my masters in Business 

Management. I may want to start my own 

business someday, but, right now I am 

leaving my options open,” Jaynes said.

Jaynes has come a long way in her 

quest to represent the United States in 

Women’s Freestye 

Wrestling at the 

2008 Olympics. In 

high school she 

faced adversity 

wrestling the men, 

as each day in the 

wrestling room 

was a challenge. A 

few of the assistant 

coaches and wrestlers were not that 

thrilled to have a 

girl in the room.

“There was no 

mercy for me, no 

pity and no breaks 

for me. Wrestling 

filled a void in my 

life. It is a passion that has given me the 

strength to overcome even the toughest of 

life’s challenges,” Jaynes said. She finished 

as a high school all-American.

Jaynes was also a successful wrestler 

at Missouri Valley College, holding the 

number one ranking in her last year.

With another successful wrestling year 

in 2008, Jaynes is poised to one day see her 

dream of becoming a world champion and 

an Olympic Gold Medalist. 

P E O P LE

Fall 2007 H 45

FULLFILLING A DREAM

Wrestling for the U.S. Army in the World Team Trials, 1st Lt. Leigh Jaynes sizes up her 

opponent, Tatiana Padilla, before executing a double leg take-down from the clinch, 

above. (Photos: Paul Adams)
By Timothy L. Hale

Fort Lee Public Affairs Office

C

ould you endure the physical and 

mental challenges it takes to be the 

Army’s top NCO or Soldier?

One pair of U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers 

found out just how much one’s body, 

mind and spirit can take in pursuit of 

that goal. 

Sgt. Edward J. Chisholm and Spc. 

Brian J. Hancock competed with 24 

others during the Department of the 

Army’s NCO and Soldier of the Year 

“Best Warrior” competition held recently 

at Fort Lee, Va.

Though they were not chosen as the 

overall winners to represent the Army, 

both Chisholm and Hancock exhibited 

the true Warrior-Citizen spirit and are 

a shining example for Reserve Soldiers 

serving at home and abroad.

“My motivation is to represent all of 

the Reserves and prove that we are not 

just ‘weekend warriors’,” said Chisholm, 

representing the 323rd Maintenance 

Company, 94th Regional Readiness 

Command, Devens, Mass.

A native of Woburn, Mass., Sgt. 

Chisholm has served in the Army for 

four years and is a light wheeled vehicle 

mechanic. He is currently pursuing his 

bachelor’s degree in criminal justice 

from the University of MassachusettsLowell. His civilian goal is to become a 

Massachusetts State Trooper.

“The best warriors are those putting 

their lives on the line for us now—any 

award I win can only be held in trust for 

them. It is a great honor that I do not 

take lightly,” said Spc. Hancock, a psychological operations specialist with the 

304th PYSOP Co. in Sacramento, Ca.

Spc. Hancock has served in the Army 

for nearly two years. He is married with 

one daughter. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in Business 

Administration.

Hancock added, “I want to be the best 

Soldier, Citizen, and Father that I can 

be—and when it becomes my turn to 

lead, to teach others to be the same.”

This was the sixth year of the DAlevel competition which falls under the 

Sergeant Major of the Army, Kenneth O. 

Preston.

The five day competition pits the each 

Warrior not so much against each other 

as it evaluates them against Army standards.

These Warriors faced rigorous tests 

that challenged their Soldier skills, qualities and abilities in every aspect. Events 

included an APFT; completing a written 

examination on general military topics 

and a written essay on an assigned topic; 

firing M-4 rifles for qualification; negotiating day and night Urban Warfare 

Orienteering courses; being evaluated in 

a number of critical Warrior Tasks and 

Battle Drills and the ever-challenging 

Mystery Event.

The Warriors also faced selection 

boards in front of their Army peers. 

Sergeant Major of the Army, Kenneth 

O. Preston chaired both the Soldier and 

NCO selection boards, along with six 

senior command sergeants major from 

throughout the Army. The boards evaluated each Soldier’s appearance, military 

bearing and knowledge in a number of 

key areas. 

USARC Warrior-Citizens show true 

spirit in “Best Warrior” competition

46 H Warrior-Citizen

Competitor Sgt. Edward Chisholm negotiates a barricade as part of a reflexive fire exercise.

Jorge Gomex, Fort Lee Public Affairs

Competitor Spc. Brian Hancock assembles crew-serve 

weapons

Jorge Gomex, Fort Lee Public Affairs
A message on AR-RAP from the 

Chief, Army Reserve

Dear Soldiers, Family Members and Friends,

My number one priority is to fill our ranks with 

quality Soldiers through the Army Reserve Recruiting 

Assistance Program (AR-RAP.) AR-RAP is a community 

based recruiting program for Army Reserves Soldiers to 

talk to people they know in their community. I’m sure 

everyone knows someone in their community who can 

benefit from this program.

The Army Reserve implemented the AR-RAP to 

directly assist the Army Recruiting Command meet their 

Army Reserve recruiting mission. This program allows 

Army Reserve Soldiers and Active Guard and Reserve 

(AGR) Soldiers to support AR-RAP during off-duty hours 

through a civilian contractor to assist recruitment into 

local Army Reserve units.

AR-RAP is a critical element for the success of 

the Army Reserve recruiting mission. Every Soldier 

is Recruiter. I encourage all Army Reserve Soldiers, 

Department of the Army Civilians and AGR Soldiers to 

continue to support this program so we can continue to 

grow our ranks and reach our strength goals.

Since the beginning of the program on June 15, 

2007, there have been many Citizen-Soldiers who have 

made significant contributions to the Army Reserve 

by participating in this important program. Recruiting 

Assistants have identified and nominated numerous 

potential Soldiers from their own communities. Many 

of these potential Soldiers have proceeded to take the 

oath of enlistment and joined our ranks in defending 

our Nation.

I am proud of your dedication and service to 

the Army Reserve. I personally thank you for your 

continued support and success with AR-RAP. For more 

information regarding AR-RAP, log onto to the AR-RAP 

https://ar-rap.com/.

Jack C. Stultz

Lieutenant General, U.S. Army

Chief, Army Reserve

Fall 2007 H 47

Message from the National 

Commander, Veterans of

Foreign Wars

Just last year, the VFW joined forces with the Army 

Reserve with both parties signing a Memorandum 

Of Understanding (MOU) to work in harmony in 

expanding outreach support programs for Reserve 

Soldiers and their families. In signing the agreement, 

Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief, Army Reserve, praised 

the VFW for joining the fight to take care of his 

Soldiers and their families.

I feel a veteran is a veteran no matter if he or she 

is active duty, in the National Guard or in the Army 

Reserve. And it is our duty—and our honor—to ensure 

our deployed servicemen and women that we – the 

VFW –promise to take care of the families they leave 

behind when they are called to active duty, as well as 

continue in the fight for better veterans’ benefits and 

entitlements for our Reserve members.

We encourage Army Reserve and National Guard 

Soldiers to visit a service officer with the VFW’s 

National Veterans Service program for help in filing for 

VA benefits.

The VA does have specialized resources but you often 

need help in finding those services. The VA system is 

too difficult to interpret for a service member to file a 

claim without professional help. Our service officers 

help unravel that red tape and get to the heart of the 

entitlement. Last year alone our VFW service officers 

helped veterans recover more than $1 billion dollars in 

VA compensation and pension claims.

We find out—via the support centers—who needs 

assistance. That helps us resolve emergency issues 

before they escalate into bigger problems. The MOU is 

valuable in helping identify service members and their 

families who do need help.”

For more information, please visit: http://www.vfw.org/.

George Lisicki

National Commander

Veterans of Foreign Wars
Presorted

Standard

US Postage 

Paid

Louisville, KY

Permit #336

Editor

U.S. Army Reserve Command, Public Affairs

1401 Deshler Street SW

Fort McPherson, GA 30330

NEW! Recruiting

Assistance Program

Check out the benefits of AR-RAP:

• Prompt payments

• Ability to nominate Non-Prior Service, Prior Service and

 Direct Commissioned Officer referrals

• Earn credit for nominating friends and family

• Work with an ARCC of your choice

y

for each new Army Reserve Soldier

you enlist TODAY!

Visit www.AR-RAP.com or call

(866) 837-2541 for more information.

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