Thunder Times A Bi-Monthly Chronicle of the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team Volume 1 Issue 20 December 1, 2018
THIS ISSUE From the Top Current News
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Frontline Frames
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Play It Safe
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Chappy’s Chat
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From the Front
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Meet Your Team
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Parting Shot
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155th ABCT FAMILY READINESS 24 HOUR HOTLINE 601-313-0155
FROM THE TOP It is a great honor and privilege to be asked to contribute to this month’s newsletter. As you know, we are past the half way point in Lt. Col. Christopher Cooksey this deployCommander, 2-198 AR ment and I want to point out significant achievements that have been reached and let you know what is coming for the next few months. 2-198 AR just completed the Eastern Action Exercise in Qatar. This is a partnership exercise between the United States and Qatar; and until now was just a computerized command post exercise. This year, enough trust was established between our allies to achieve a bi-national live-fire exercise. I am proud to say that the 2-198 AR was the first unit to exercise mechanized forces in the country of Qatar. We are in the final days of our initial equipment turn in. This was a test run, to give an idea of what to expect for the final turn in. We identified a lot of
issues and are working on solutions to solve them to ensure a seamless operation. Very shortly, the brigade replacing the 155th ABCT will have its first Soldiers on the ground for a site survey. We will teach them what we have learned while we have been here, and will help guide them in their planning to come in and replace us. This is a huge milestone for the brigade because anytime we start engaging with our replacement unit, it reminds us that the end is in sight. Therefore, it is an exciting time and we are able to begin to see the end. Still we cannot let down our guard and become complacent, we must remain vigilant and deliberate in all our operations. Leadership will keep everyone engaged throughout the second half of the deployment. Families, please keep the care packages coming. They are great for morale and are especially important during the holiday season. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.
Cottonmouth 6 We Came To Fight!
CURRENT NEWS Rep. Trent Kelly serves a Thanksgiving meal to Service members stationed at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Kelly was visiting the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, who has been deployed to the Middle East for nearly six months in support of Operation Spartan Shield. Kelly also serves as a brigadier general in the Mississippi Guard and is a former battalion commander in the 155th ABCT. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Williams)
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FRONTLINE FRAMES
Sgt. Mangum, assigned to 106th Support Battalion, conducts a weapon check on a .50 Caliber Machine Gun before night fire. (Photo by Sgt. Khume Rhymes)
Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Gen. Joseph Lengyel, presents coins to Soldiers of the 155 ABCT on Thanksgiving Day. (Photo by Sgt. Kaci Tidwell)
S A F E T Y
SPC Colon Davis, 2-198 AR fires a Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile during a live-fire exercise as part of Eastern Action 2019. (Photo illustration by Spc. Jovi Prevot)
A California National Guardsman from Bravo Troop, 1-18 CAV conducts sniper training. (Photo by 2nd Lt. Marco Jimenez)
Fire Prevention Tips • ENSURE QUALIFIED PERSONNEL ARE USED TO WORK ON ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT • DON’T USE ELECTRICAL CORDS THAT ARE DAMAGED AND
DAISY CHAIN CORDS
DO NOT
• DON’T OVERLOAD ELECTRICAL OUTLETS
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CHAPPY’S CHAT Greetings to the men and women of the mighty 155th ABCT serving in the Middle East, and to the families who are tirelessly and sacrificially supporting our efforts back home. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas! As we come to this point in the deployment we have just over Chaplain Sean McMackin three months left in our misChaplain, 155 ABCT sion. With the end so close it would be easy for us to let up, or “get off the gas,” but that would not serve our brigade well. True, we are close, but we are not finished. It is going to be that much harder, because we are hitting a very special time of year. We all know how deep our family memories of this time of the year are. Not everyone has fond or good memories, but all of us can find joy and happiness during this time of year. And because this season is so full of emotions, it is also a time that can be very distressing for some. One of the best things we can do while deployed is find activities that occupy our minds. We need to
find things to do in lieu of sitting around and focusing on the fact that we are not home with our families. The MWR programs are very helpful since they offer many activities for us to participate in. Your Chaplain and Religious Affairs NCOs also offer several opportunities for enjoying the season with hymn-singing services, special services, watch-night services, and Christmas eve worship. Please know that we are always ready to place an arm around you, walk along beside you, or just sit with you when you come to a hard place in your journey. We are very aware of the importance of this time of year and we want to strengthen you as you serve your God, your family, and your country. Please stop in and see us over the next few weeks, or we’ll be happy to come visit you. We’d love to pray with and for you as we approach the holidays, and as we approach the final leg of our deployment. May God richly bless you all! Ch. McMackin
Lengyel: Every Service Member Has Role in Building Readiness, Lethality Story by Sgt. 1st Class Jim Greenhill
Gen. Joseph Lengyel visited with guardsmen during a special holiday trip to the Middle East. The Chief of the National Guard Bureau wanted to express his gratitude to Guard members and reaffirm the importance of their role in our nation’s defense. “We’re part of this awesome operational force - part of the Army, part of the Air Force - out here just doing what America needs us to do,” Lengyel told members of the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team. Dozens of members of the 155th gathered in a horseshoe on the desert sand in front of their vehicles to hear the National Guard’s most senior general officer explain how their Mississippi National Guard unit and their deployment contribute to the big picture of Defense Department priorities. “These are all great pieces of equipment,” Lengyel said, gesturing to the 155th’s hulking sand-colored vehicles. “But they’re not the most important thing. The most important thing is you - you are the most important weapons system we’ve got. We can’t run any of these machines without trained, disciplined professionals. It takes every one of you.” “This is lethality. This is what Secretary Mattis talks about when he says, ‘I need you to be ready, I need
you to be out there, to do your job.’ You build readiness here: When you go home, you’ll be better than when you got here.” Lengyel and NGB Senior Enlisted Advisor Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Kepner met with service members in groups and one-on-one, in part to hear comments on all aspects of the troops’ deployment experiences, including the mobilization process, training and equipment and ongoing support. “The only reason we exist is to support our Soldiers and Airmen and the National Guard in their states and territories so they can come here and perform our nation’s work outstandingly,” Kepner said.
Gen. Joseph Lengyel addresses Soldiers with the 155th ABCT.
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Meet Your Team
Maj. William Lowry S-3, 2-114 FA
I enlisted in the United States Army in 1990 as a M1A1 Mechanic (63E). Upon completion of Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training, I deployed with the 24th Infantry Division in support of Operation Desert Storm. I joined the Mississippi Army National Guard (MSARNG) in 1999 and completed Officer Candidate School in 2003. This is my fourth deployment, but the first with the 155th ABCT. I love training and
working with Soldiers. I have served the MSARNG in several roles since 1999, but currently I am the battalion Operations Officer (S-3) for the 2-114 FA, as well as the Property Book Officer for the 154th Regional Training Institute at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. The S-3 section is responsible for creating and implementing the battalion’s training plan. Our main goal for this year was to create depth in our certified gun crews.
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PARTING SHOT
The section worked hard to create a plan that would meet and exceed that goal. Since arriving in Kuwait, I have participated in mutliple field exercises that helped the battalion earn a 200% certification rate for Table VI requirements in gunnery. I take this job to heart; if we are not proficiently trained in our jobs, then Soldiers could be placed in situations that could get them in serious danger. Another important mission for our battalion has ben participating in Key Leader Engagements (KLEs) and partnership exercises. One of the best learning experiences I recently had was participating in the KLEs with a Kuwaiti field artillery unit. These exchanges with the Kuwaitis about field artillery and their culture has been truly humbling. It is interesting and invaluable to see different perspectives about the same craft. This deployment has been a great learning experience for me and I’m so grateful for the professionalism and dedication of our dragon battalion Soldiers. STEEL RAIN! Maj. Lowry
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PUBLISHED BY THE 155TH ABCT PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE PAO - 1st Lt. Terry Hill II Rep. Trent Kelly poses with a battalion guidon, November 22, 2018, while visiting the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, who has been deployed to the Middle East for nearly six months in support of Operation Spartan Shield. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Williams)
PAO NCOIC - Staff Sgt. Michael Williams PA SPECIALIST - Spc. Jovi Prevot
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