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Features
Page 6 - 75th Soldier honored for second time as selectee in Best Warrior event Page 9 - Army Reserve Soldiers salute retiring spacecraft Page 10 - Reserve unit debuts new ‘simulation’ tech
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Page 12 - Reserve trainers ‘making ready’ for Far East opportunities Page 15 - Exercise prepares soldiers for real world missions Page 16 - Rodeo volunteer dubbed honorary Colonel
In Focus
Page 20 - Houston-based Army Reserve unit marks change in commanders
Page 4 - 2012
Page 23 - Army Reserve trainers help military leaders prep for action
Page 14 - 2013
Page 25 - Army Reserve team wraps support for massive US, South Korea exercise
Page 19 - 2014
Page 27 - Answering the call: Reservists add realism through role playing Page 29 - Far East missions blur lines between active, reserve forces Page 31 - Bill Brown’s Story Page 32 - 75th / 84th Synchronization Workshop Page 34 - 3rd Brigade HHC Change of Command Page 35 - NJEA Award for Excellence
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FORT MCCOY, Wis. - The 2012 Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition has been described as a grueling, exhausting and challenging week. Soldiers who have competed rarely return, but Spc. Ivan Pimentel has the heart and determination for a second shot at winning the title of soldier of the Year at this year’s competition at Fort McCoy, Wis. Pimentel, a Modesto, Calif., native, returns for a second round of intense, blistering, strenuous training competing against the best of the best the Army Reserve has to offer. “As a human resources specialist in my unit and especially in a unit like ours, I don’t always get the chance to train in events like these,” said Pimentel, representing the 75th Training Division.
75th Training Command Soldier honored for second time as selectee in Best Warrior event Story by Sgt. 1st Class Marisol Hernandez, United States Army Reserve Command
Competitors compete under extraneous conditions, little sleep, and the pressure and stress of the competition itself, but Pimentel welcomes the challenge. “This competition gives me an opportunity to prove myself among the brigade, the division and allows me to keep up to par with everyone else,” he added. Pimentel, a full-time student with a full-time job, manages to balance his time to train for a demanding competition. “It is difficult to juggle school and a full-time job, but I have two amazing sponsors this year and we were able to manage time pretty well,” he said. “They were both pretty flexible with my schedule.” Continued on page 8
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continued from page 7 When he thinks back on his experience from last year’s competition, he remarked that it was definitely taken up a notch. “I’m exhausted,” he said with a laugh. “This year has definitely been tougher; perhaps it’s because of the heat. It’s very humid.” “There were more events total and they definitely stepped it up physically,” he added. According to Pimentel this year he was well prepared for the physical aspect of the competition. “I definitely improved my ruck time, despite a tougher course,” he said with a smirk. “I always feel competent in the physical fitness events the APFT and the ruck march. Despite being a shorter man, I’ve always been able to go fast, which I’m proud of.” As the weeklong competition comes to its end, Pimentel manages a smile, and said, “If I win, fantastic. This is definitely fun and it’s great training.” Pimentel pauses as he thinks about whether he’ll return next year if he doesn’t come in victorious.
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Army Reserve Soldiers salute retiring spacecraft
“Perhaps,” he stated. “I may come back as a sponsor if I feel it would better benefit a younger soldier. Or I might come back in a couple years for sure to compete as a NCO. Story by Army Maj. Adam Collett, 75th Training Command
HOUSTON, Texas (Sept. 19, 2012) – Army Reserve personnel were among thousands on hand here today to salute the final voyage of a retired spacecraft.
flight in May of 2011. It is being transported to Los Angeles where it will be displayed at a museum complex there, but is making a brief stop in Houston before continuing. A facility at Johnson Space Center, about ten miles Soldiers and civilians from the 75th from Ellington, has been used as NASA’s Training Command watched, took photos and Mission Control Center since 1965. captured video as the Space Shuttle Endeavor circled the area several times before landing Bleakney, a Houston native, feels the at Ellington International Airport, twenty connection. “I’ve always felt close to NASA miles southeast of the city’s downtown. with Johnson Space Center being here. I’ve always felt like NASA was a part of home.” Staff Sgt. Chris Bleakney with the unit’s Headquarters Company watched the arrival Col. Jeff Ragland has called Houston home of the shuttle – borne by a Boeing 747 – from for nearly twenty-five years, and also works a parking lot on Ellington Field Joint Reserve in the 75th’s headquarters. He says that as Base, the military installation co-located with the arrival time neared, troops from multiple the airport. services streamed out of the building. “Navy, Army, Marines, Coast Guard…everybody was “To actually see it come in, it was really out front, watching it.” incredible.” The retired orbiter made its last space
Continued on page 17
Reserve unit debuts new simulation tech Story by Army Maj. Adam Collett, 75th Training Command
HOUSTON -- During a time of budget constraints, organizations all across the military are seeking ways to maintain effective training and readiness at the lowest possible cost. In October, a Texas-based Army Reserve unit used a multi-state exercise to roll out a new networked training system that helps with just that goal. The 75th Training Command successfully operated the computer-based system over a two-day span, with participants located in Texas, Louisiana, Iowa and Alabama.
A key responsibility for the 75th is to prepare large military units for deployments and other missions by conducting scenariobased simulations, while mentoring senior leaders on effective decision-making.
75th, says she was pleased with the results. “I am very proud of the team that helped develop and execute this concept. Many of our soldiers across the command contributed knowledge and experience from both their military and civilian backgrounds. When For nearly a decade, this training had to the Army Reserve uses the motto ‘Twice the be conducted at centralized locations, where citizen,’ this is what they mean.” either the unit being trained – or a large team of facilitators from the 75th – had to travel, A small team from the 75th did travel costing time and money. from Houston to the New Orleans area – where the exercise was being conducted – to But after months of effort, the 75th has oversee the implementation. But true to the debuted a system that will allow this vital intent of the system, most of the trainers in training to be conducted over computer the simulation cell stayed at their hometown networks. They are dubbing this system facilities in Birmingham and Houston, and Distributed Simulations Capability, or DSC. controlled the scenario from there. Maj. Darrin Husmann served as the project lead for the launch of DSC. Husmann says the simplified logistics and lower cost are only part of the picture. “[This system] allows units to train persistently over the complete training year to develop their staffs…it allows them to develop and season and mature.” The system launch was conducted as part of real-world support for the Louisiana-based 377th Theater Sustainment Command, which is required to undergo this organizational decision-making training as part of its periodic deployment readiness schedule.
Officials from the 75th indicate that there are a few improvements that need to be made to the system. They are confident, however, that this new capability will deliver a better learning experience throughout the training cycle in a safer, more efficient way, and at a greatly reduced cost.
“This frees [units] from the tyranny of time and distance. Soldiers are able to develop their skill sets, and develop additional ones,” says Husmann. “Like a marathon, just about everybody can run. But running 26 miles takes practice. DSC helps enable the practice so that soldiers, commanders, the unit, and Brig. Gen. Kate Kasun oversaw the the Army can do the long run when necessary exercise. Kasun, deputy commander for the to complete their missions.”
Reserve trainers ‘making ready’ for Far East opportunities Story and photos by Army Lt. Col. Elton Roberts, Gulf Division, 75th Training Command
SEOUL, South Korea – After years of preparing troops for military scenarios in Europe and the Middle East, a specialized Army Reserve unit is extending its training operations to the other side of the world – the Far East.
Combined Forces Command, and is centered on readiness, deterrence, and the ability to defend the Republic of Korea.
The event allows senior leaders to exercise decision-making capabilities, and trains commanders and staffs from both nations For the first time this August, nearly 100 in many mission management disciplines. soldiers with the 75th Training Command These include combined planning, command participated in the annual Ulchi Freedom and control operations, military intelligence, Guardian training exercise in the Republic of logistics, and personnel procedures. It is one Korea. And, although this was the unit’s first of the largest computer simulation exercises UFG, it will not be the last, as it is expected in the world, involving units and personnel to become an enduring mission. from bases in the United States and across the Pacific region. More than 30,000 US “Exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian is an personnel participated in the exercise. important mission for the 75th, the Army Reserve and our nation,” said Maj. Gen. Soldiers of the 75th Training Command Jimmie Jaye Wells, commander of the unit. served as exercise control staff, observers, “It is a tribute to the reputation and expertise post-exercise review facilitators, and of the soldiers of this command that we have augmentees to both US Forces Korea and 8th been requested to place this rock in our Army headquarters units during the exercise. training rucksack.” According to Jude Shea, the director of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian is an annual Korea Battle Simulation Center , the 75th’s partnership exercise on the Korean peninsula participation in UFG 2012 came about as a between the Republic of Korea- United States joint effort between Wells and the previous Page 12
Sgt. Maj. Chavela Cooper with the 75th Training Command visits with Jude Shea during a multi-national military training exercise in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Sep. 1, 2012. Cooper was among nearly one hundred personnel with the 75th who participated in the annual event. Shea, director of one of the facilities where the exercise was conducted, cited the contributions of the 75th during the exercise. The event was part of an effort by the Texasbased unit to extend its training audience and capabilities.
division commander, Maj. Gen. Eldon Regua, “Our 75th soldiers hone their simulation skills who is now the deputy commanding general using the latest modeling techniques and of 8th Army. software, operate in a real-world environment with a threat just across the border, and finally Shea said the unit’s involvement and are able to train in a joint,inter-agency,interplans for a continual relationship in Korea is governmental and multi-national role,” he of mutual benefit to both the 75th and the said. “No other training environment gives us simulation center. that ability.” “The 75th provides the rank and experience that we couldn’t get before and it reduces our dependence on augmentees from the active duty troops here on the peninsula,” Shea said. “And it exposes the 75th to exercises at higher levels than they normally operate.” Wells said the Ulchi Freedom Guardian mission was an opportunity for the 75th Training Command to expand its horizons.
lthough Ulchi Freedom Guardian is the 75th’s initial entry into exercises in the Pacific theater, the simulation center director said it may just be the beginning of a larger scope of operations, including the annual Yama Sakura exercise in Japan, between the US and the Japanese self-defense force. “There will probably be other opportunities in the Pacific theater and Korea,” Shea said. Page 13
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Exercise prepares soldiers for real world missions “With every unit that goes through this training, the training improves along with the CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. (August 8, 2013) readiness of the individual units,” said Sgt. - 75th Training Command Soldiers evaluate 1st Class Jae Ho, the collections analyst for training exercises from July 27 through Aug. 7 the 75th TC. “I correct all their observations 2013 to help improve efficiency and accuracy reports, go through it for mistakes and send in real world scenarios through a mission on it to Lessons Learned (after action review).” Camp Atterbury. The examinations help the training by making midcourse corrections “To prepare for this mission, we reviewed and sustaining proficiency. Lessons Learned from Vibrant Response 12, that included insights and failings that United States Army North (Fifth Army) led everyone could learn from before,” said Capt. Vibrant Response 13-2 is the largest domestic Andrew Vallejos, an observer with the 75th support for civil authorities in the U.S. The TC. “Reviewing the tips can help the observers 75th TC, 3rd Brigade Great Lakes Division, coach the units this year, which untimely is the observer-controller for Task Force prepares everyone for the real world.” 51, which is the highest headquarters for this mission. Their responsibility is to make As units become more knowledgeable sure units accurately conduct their training and prepared throughout training exercises objectives according to standards. such as Vibrant Response, observations and corrections completed by the 75th TC can “We need to have a fair and objective literally be the difference between life and person who is taking a look from the outside, death. who knows the military standard on how we operate and can give us feedback on where we need to improve,” said Maj. Gen. Charles Gailes, commanding general of Task Force 51. With the observers’ input, soldiers learn to respond to emergencies, save lives, alleviate suffering and help governments get back into a state of normalcy in a disaster. 318th Press Camp Headquarters
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Rodeo volunteer dubbed ‘Honorary Colonel’
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Story and photos by Army Maj. Adam Collett, 75th Training Command
HOUSTON (Feb. 27, 2013) – A local woman was honored by the military here today for a multi-year effort in recognizing area service members.
It was then that she decided to intertwine the two great passions of her life – an abiding gratitude for the military, and a love for Houston’s long-standing rodeo. As the program has grown over the years, it has attracted military families from as far as Fort Hood and San Antonio.
The woman, Robin Young-Ellis, has been a volunteer for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for twenty years. In 2008, she initiated an effort to bring local troops and Young-Ellis is a structured settlement their families to the rodeo at no cost. In that consultant by trade. She is quick to give credit time, the program has grown from just a few for the success of the event – which has come hundred attendees to over 4000. to be known as Armed Forces Appreciation Day – to the more than 125 volunteers who “I looked around and noticed that Houston now compose the committee that powers the did a lot for our veterans and for our wounded program. warriors,” Young-Ellis says. “But we weren’t doing as much as we could for those who “Once again, the committee executed currently wear the uniform, whether active beautifully this year,” Young-Ellis says. “They or reserve.” did a tremendous job.”
to see them come out.”
Ragland, who visited with one of the 747’s The day’s events sparked strong feelings in pilots, learned that the multiple circles over Ragland. “I felt very proud of the whole space the Houston area were NASA’s way of saying program, very proud of our accomplishments thank you to the community for its support of as a nation.” the space program through the years. The 75th Training Command prepares Several astronauts visited with troops large military units for deployments and stationed at the base, as well as with the other missions by conducting live and virtual crowds that came to see the orbiter while it scenario-based training, while mentoring was on display throughout the day. senior leaders on effective organizational decision-making. Commanded by a major Mike Foreman, a mission specialist on general, it is the senior military headquarters two shuttle flights and a former Captain in in the Houston area, and has subordinate the Navy, was appreciative of the service units in several other states. members’ presence. “I think it’s great. We are like a big family here in Houston with the support we get from military units…it’s great
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2012-2014 The 75th created its Honorary Colonel program to recognize individuals from outside of the unit who have made significant contributions to the command, its soldiers or its families. The program draws inspiration from the American colonial period, when military commissions were granted partly due to standing in the community. The 75th maintains a permanent record of every supporter to receive the distinction.
The 75th Training Command
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75InFocus
But on this particular day, it was hard for her to escape the spotlight as multiple For each gesture she received throughout military entities publicly thanked her for the day, Young-Ellis insisted that she was founding the program six years earlier. accepting on behalf of the team she helped Several units from Fort Hood and bring into being. But when Kasun pinned the elsewhere publicly presented certificates and rank on Young-Ellis’ lapel, it was clear that plaques to her as part of a ceremony on the the volunteer felt it more deeply and more afternoon of the event. But one of the more personally. personal tributes came later in the evening, when a nearby Army Reserve unit inducted her into their ranks as an honorary colonel, a senior officer rank one step below general. “It wasn’t just The unit, the 75th Training Command, is the senior military headquarters for Houston and the surrounding region. Brig. Gen. Katherine Kasun, the 75th’s deputy commander, conducted the ceremonial pinning using an actual colonel’s rank – a silver eagle with wings spread. After visiting with each other over the course of other military-related events in recent months, Kasun and Young-Ellis have become close. Kasun says she was very pleased to be the one to recognize her friend. “Robin is such a dynamic person. Even outside of the work she does for the rodeo’s Armed Forces Appreciation Day, she does so much throughout the year for the 75th and every other military unit in the city.”
any rank pin. I am wearing her wings, and that means so much.”
The general told her friend that the newly bestowed silver eagle on her shirt was one that Kasun herself had worn on her beret when she was a Colonel. “It was so touching. She put her wings on me,” Young-Ellis says. “It wasn’t just any rank pin. I am wearing her wings, and that means so much.”
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“This is a unit that saw combat service in WWII’s Battle of the Bulge, and that currently runs complex training exercises all over Asia and the rest of the globe.”
2012-2014
Houston-based Army Reserve unit marks change in commanders Story by Army Maj. Adam Collett, 75th Training Command
HOUSTON (May 10, 2014) – The list of Texas population centers that are well known for a military presence is reasonably short. Central Texas has Fort Hood. West Texas has Fort Bliss. And the community known as Alamo City has Joint Base San Antonio (which itself comprises the Army’s Fort Sam Houston as well as the Air Force’s Lackland and Randolph bases).
But the position is not just the top military job at Ellington. It is also the senior military position in all of Greater Houston, and for at least 150 miles in any direction. Someone in Houston would have to travel to Austin, San Antonio or western Louisiana to find another serving 2-star general, whether active or reserve.
(commanded by colonels or generals or their equivalents), it is not uncommon for those commanders to live in a different city or state than where the unit is located, meaning that they travel regularly to supervise the operations of their assigned unit.
Such is the case with the 75th. The unit’s outgoing commanding general, Jimmie That senior-ranking Jaye Wells, resides just Houston is the nation’s entity is the 75th Training outside of San Antonio. The fourth-largest city, yet is not Command, an Army Reserve incoming commander, James normally included on such a unit. While the 75th was Young, Jr., calls Virginia list because it lacks a large created for combat infantry home. But both men have a active-duty installation. operations in WWII, it special affinity for Houston. Yet the Bayou City does currently specializes in In addition to being the have a significant military designing and supervising and veteran population, simulations-based trainings commander of the 75th for and some will tell you that for other military units. the last three years or so, this population centers And though the 75th has Wells has also previously around Ellington Field Joint subordinate units in New served as a commander for Reserve Base, a military and Jersey, California, Arkansas one of the unit’s subordinate homeland security compound and elsewhere, Houston is divisions, which happens to also be headquartered co-located with Ellington home base. in Houston. During both of Airport, approximately 15 In reserve military his tours on the Texas Gulf, miles south of the city’s units, the full unit only Wells has maintained close center. gathers for once-a-month Houston ties by being active The job of commander weekend assemblies, yearly in the local community. for the senior-ranking unit field training exercises “I can’t say enough about at Ellington – that of a major and of course activations general – changed hands here for missions at home and how meaningful my time in today. abroad. In the most senior of these reserve units Continued on page 22
Army Reserve trainers help military leaders prep for action Story by Army Spc. Omari Simpson, 75th Training Command
continued from page 21 Houston has been,” Wells says. “From the livestock show and rodeo to the Kemah boardwalk to high school events in Cypress and elsewhere, the Houston area has shown over and over how much it cares for its troops and veterans.”
for deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.”
“It will be a part of my challenge to ensure that we continue to play such a Wells also points out that key role in America’s overall in that same time frame, military preparedness, while many of the unit’s troops staying firmly connected with have deployed individually the Houston community, and to those combat zones with other cities where our units other units. are based.”
Young is about to get The change in leadership Wells cites that his first significant taste of for the military unit was community support as key Houston, and he says he’s marked by a formal ceremony in helping the unit’s soldiers glad it’s with the 75th. held on Ellington Airport, just and families survive and outside of the joint reserve “This city already can base’s perimeter. Troops and thrive in the last decade-plus be quite proud of the 75th,” guests alike converged for of war. Young says. “This is a unit the event in an open field “While the 75th’s that saw combat service in adjacent to a civilian hangar current mission does not WWII’s Battle of the Bulge, that houses the private Texas include full-unit overseas and that currently runs Flying Legends Museum. The deployments, these Houston- complex training exercises all program featured a horsebased soldiers have definitely over Asia and the rest of the mounted review of troops, the contributed to the fight,” globe.” ceremonial firing of artillery Wells says. “Practically noncannons, and the symbolic Young has a plan for his stop since 9/11, the 75th transfer of the unit’s flag, has been helping to train tenure as commander. known as the colors. units both large and small Page 22
MONROE COUNTY, Wis. (May 13, 2014) -- Members of the general public can usually picture military troops conducting traditional training such as firing weapons and driving armored trucks. But not all training is so concrete. Just as troops must practice their on-theground skills, commanders and other leaders have to train in the process of making the kind of behindthe-scenes decisions that can make missions succeed or fail. At a military base here today, an Illinoisbased Army Reserve unit concluded a yearlong collaborative training effort, as part of a large exercise aimed at improving that exact skill set. The unit, the Great Lakes Division of the Army Reserve’s 75th Training Command, worked with senior leaders from more than a dozen military organizations for several months before deploying to Fort McCoy for the training event, which Continued on page 24
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focused on effective decision-making.
the better leadership team is going to be the one that prevails.”
Building those skills is often accomplished Col. Mike Ansay, one of the division’s through training simulations, in which subordinate commanders, led the 75th’s military leaders are presented with a fictional support of the exercise. He says those scenario – a scenario that is based on a coordination skills are critical for all military combination of past real-world military missions, especially those involving armed missions and likely future missions. conflict. The leaders must then respond to the “If you look around the world you will find given scenario by drafting operational plans, that many of our adversaries have access to and allocating and deploying their resources. the same technology that we have today,” Some of these resources, such as troops says Ansay. and vehicles from certain units, are physically “If everything else is equal, the force with present during the exercise and actually
2012-2014
Army Reserve team wraps support for massive US, South Korea exercise Story by Army Maj. Adam Collett, 75th Training Command
SEOUL (Aug. 28, 2014) – A team of more But every unit involved in a conflict or than 100 Army Reserve trainers concluded other operation – whether real or simulated their support of a large, bi-national defense – has a commander. And each commander simulation exercise here this week. is supported by a staff of senior personnel who make the fight happen through the The exercise, known as Ulchi Freedom integration of planning, logistics, personnel Guardian, involved some 50,000 South and other support. Korean service members as well as more than 27,000 American troops currently stationed Making all of that gel isn’t easy, and that’s on the peninsula, making it the largest where the 75th comes in. They specialize in exercise of its kind. helping to run the parts of a simulation that test the mettle of the senior leaders working The team of reservists, hailing from the behind the scenes. Pacific Training Division of the 75th Training Command, was part of a contingent of nearly Army Reserve Col. Thomas Lewis was 3,000 exercise participants coming from duty also a part of the 75th’s team in Korea. stations outside of Korea. “Can the critical communication get to Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Robert Karmazin the front-line unit in time? Is the ammunition commands the division, and personally led resupply sent to the right location?” Lewis his team on the ground in the Republic of asks. “These are the questions our scenarios Korea, as it is formally known. Karmazin says help answer.” this was a great opportunity for the reserve component. Team sought out for expertise “It’s a chance to support not only the Once the training simulation is underway, security of the Republic of Korea, but also U.S. teams from the 75th also specialize in national security,” Karmazin says. “No other observing those senior leaders in action, reserve unit has this type of opportunity.” and providing feedback to help improve that coordination in the future. It was this exact Behind the scenes skillset that led the commanders in Korea to specifically request the 75th. Different units in the Army specialize in training different aspects of military Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti leads not operations. Some focus on initial soldier only the U.S. forces in Korea, but also the training, as when someone first enters the bi-national headquarters charged with the service. Others specialize in simulating actual ongoing defense of the southern half of the ground combat, with infantry and other peninsula. That headquarters is known as troops physically practicing how they would the Combined Forces Command. operate in a fight. Continued on page 28
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Answering the call: Reservists add realism through role playing Story by Army Maj. Adam Collett, 75th Training Command
FORT MCCOY, Wis. - In May of 2014, a group of facilitators from the Army Reserve’s 75th Training Command helped simulate communications for units participating in a large training exercise in Wisconsin. Real-time on-site coaching is only one factor helping millitary leaders become more proficient at what they do. A realistic environment during the exercise is also key. The 75th assists with this as well, by providing a team to simulate external communication within the fictional scenario.
activities with other deployed units, and share information with relevant nonmilitary organizations. During this exercise, a team of trainers from the 75th – distinct from the observeand-mentor group – provided role players to replicate that web of communications. Tying into the temporary infrastructure the units set up for the exercise, 75th role players sent and received scenario-related emails, made and received calls, and provided other in-character interactions, all with the goal of enhancing the experience for those being trained.
When military leadership teams deploy for a simulation exercise such as this one, they establish a temporary working area - an array of tents complete with networked computers, phones and other supplies. The idea is that the evaluated units practice operating as a team just as if they had been deployed to a combat zone, humanitarian crisis or other mission. In such a real-world situation, the unit would have near-constant communication with multiple outside entities. It would send status updates to its higher headquarters, along with inquiries or requests for support. They would coordinate Page 26
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The Bulge Buster As his team is preparing to depart for the United States, Karmazin points out that “The 75th Training Command played a part of their accomplishment was providing critical role during Ulchi Freedom Guardian,” that support at such a high level. The bulk of Scaparrotti says. “They provided critical the time when a team from the 75th deploys observations and analysis of the Combined to support an exercise, they are observing Forces Command staff that will be very useful battalions and brigades, which are normally to me in the future.” commanded by lieutenant colonels and colonels.
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A new level
This exercise, however, was conducted at As much as the Korea-based participants the four-star general level. were tested by the exercise, the sheer scope of the simulation proved to be an opportunity to “This year’s Ulchi Freedom Guardian challenge the members of the 75th’s support challenged our observers to think strategically. team as well. It required the ability to see the complicated nuances of working in an environment that The networked exercise was conducted involves not just multiple armed services, but from five distinct sites, not just in Korea but also multiple nations,” Karmazin says. also in Japan and in Hawaii. And while the personnel from the 75th wore the Army colors, “The Army Reserve can be proud of the they were not just supporting other Army support our team provided.” units. Their expertise was made available to Air Force, Navy and Marine elements as well. Additional reporting by Army Reserve Col. Thomas Zubik, Pacific Division, 75th Training Command
What is Ulchi Freedom Guardian? For more than 35 years, active duty military forces from the United States and South Korea have participated in an annual multi-day defense simulation exercise aimed at helping uniformed leaders from both countries hone their skills in coordinating a complex operation. Though the event has been known by several names in its history, it has been dubbed “Ulchi Freedom Guardian” since 2008. No front-line combat forces actually mobilize for the yearly exercise. That kind of participation is simulated purely within a computer program. However, the headquarters elements of hundreds of units from all levels do actually activate, and this alone represents tens of thousands of troops from the two allied nations. Once assembled, they establish tent-based compounds and other work areas for the training event, just as if they were about to oversee a real-world wartime operation. During the exercise, the leaders of the participating units are presented with a scenario involving a fictional attack on South Korea, presented through a computer simulation. The two allied forces must then play out the scenario, allocating their forces and resources virtually, and seeing how effective their decisions have been as the battle ensues. Page 28
2012-2014
Training unit’s Far East missions highlight Army effort to blur lines between active, reserve forces Story by Army Maj. Adam Collett, 75th Training Command
HOUSTON (Sept. 17, 2014) – In the Fall of 2012, U.S. Army officials looked back at nearly a dozen years of combat involving both active duty and reserve component units. With increasingly fewer deployments (and therefore smaller budgets) on the horizon, they sought to answer several key questions.
cycle of exercises that seems to be the embodiment of this approach of training active and reserve jointly, which the service has dubbed Total Army Training.
ambushed in a combat area,” Young says.
“What people don’t realize is that military operations – whether focused on combat, humanitarian relief Working in the background or something else – those operations don’t happen The unit is the 75th unless the planning, logistics Training Command, which and other coordination is based in Houston, but is happening in the How can it keep the has subordinate units in background,” Young says. reserve forces in a state such California, New Jersey and “The 75th’s mission that they are easily able is focused on the people to be integrated with doing those things in active forces in a short time frame when the “The 75th’s mission is focused the background. We help them do that need arises again? How on the people doing those things coordination in the most can the nation ensure it in the background. We help effective way possible.” gets the full benefit of the hard-won experiences them do that coordination in the That support takes of both its active and most effective way possible.” the form of modestlyreserve units? And how sized teams of highcan it do all of that in a ranking officers and nonway that is as low cost commissioned officers as possible? who deploy throughout the many locations in between. The answer was to adopt The 75th is commanded by year to simulation exercises reserve and a renewed focus on exercises Maj. Gen. James Young, involving and other training events who admits that his team’s National Guard units, active where active and reserve specialty is somewhat Army units, and even units forces practice and learn side abstract to many outside of from other services. by side – not just right before the military. One of the capabilities a specific deployment, but the 75th brings to exercises “When people think of rather throughout each year, military training, they tend like this is experience in and from year to year. to think of soldiers practicing designing and helping to Two years into the effort, shooting a rifle at a range, or run the simulations. Just one Army Reserve unit is rehearsing what they might as often, however, they are Continued on page 30 marching through an annual do if they were
continued from page 29 tapped for their other key skills – observing and mentoring. Once a simulation is underway, members of the 75th’s teams are stationed alongside of the senior leaders of the unit or units being trained. They watch as the background coordination for an operation is conducted in response to the scenario presented in the simulation. “Combined, the observers on any given one of our teams have decades of real-world experience in running Army operations like the ones called for in the simulations,” Young says. “Plus they know Army doctrine inside and out, so they know the ‘textbook’ way staffs of senior leaders are supposed to get the job done,” Young says. “So when our teams give observations and recommendations, the commander of a unit being trained can have confidence in the value of that feedback.”
Earlier this month, a team of more than 100 trainers from the command finished a month-long deployment to Korea, where they lent their talents to an annual exercise known as Ulchi Freedom Guardian.
Finding A World War II Veteran of the 75th Infantry Division in Canada
Young says Ulchi was a prime example of that combined active-reserve training philosophy being carried out, inasmuch as the Army Reserve – through the 75th – was shoulder to shoulder with the active component in carrying out that important exercise.
Leonard Wood when the In November of 2014, I 75th ID was established. He was taking a lunch break at was attached to HQ Battery, a local Canadian coffee shop 17th FA Battalion. when I met William (Bill) H. After training in Brown, Sr. I asked him if he Missouri, Bill and elements was a veteran of Korea War or of the 75th went on to World War II? He told me he England on the HMS was in the Battle of the Bulge Aquitania, a WW1 ocean and he belonged to the 75th liner resembling the Titanic, Infantry Division! for additional training in After telling him I was England. He was in Paris in the 75th ID as well, we when the Battle of the Bulge talked about how it is now a began. The 75th ID was U.S. Army Reserve Training called in and by Christmas Command. Just after Eve, Bill was thrown into Christmas, I was able to get the Battle of the Bulge.
“And in an environment like that, I think everyone wins. Obviously, our reserve component personnel learn from their active duty counterparts,” Young says. “But just as important, it is a chance for our active duty brethren to take advantage of the experience of our Army Reserve warriors – to plumb not just their military background, but also the full depth of information available from their concurrent civilian careers.”
Before year’s end, the 75th will have A busy calendar in the Pacific, elsewhere provided similar support to another large biIncreasingly, the exercises where the national exercise, that will also showcase the 75th is providing that feedback fall under Total Army Training approach. This exercise the umbrella of the ‘Total Army’ method of is known is known as Yama Sakura, and will training. That is, they involve not just reserve be held in Japan. units, but active duty forces as well.
By Major Stephen F. Conway
an interview with him at his As a supply and retirement home. His story communication Technician, is just amazing as the man he worked putting up and himself. fixing communication lines He was born in Colorado on telephone poles. He once City, North Texas, in 1923. was exposed to constant He grew up in the Great German artillery fire and he Depression. His family moved had to take cover. to California in the late 1930s to find work along with the mass of farmers escaping the plight of the dust bowl. He lived at Camp Shafter, one of the clean work camps set up by the Department of Agriculture for displaced farm workers. Due to his High School being far away, he was drafted in the Army 1942 at the age 19 with only a 10th grade education. The 75th was nicknamed the “Diaper Division”. Bill remembers Missouri Governor Harry Truman being present at Fort
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Bill survived his supply column being strafed by a German fighter plane on the first day of clear weather about the 26th of December, 1944. Another time, he once thought a bomb was dropped by his column and it turned out to be a drop (fuel) tank from one of many U.S. P-51 Mustang fighters escorting thousands of bombers to targets in Germany. Bill, while laying telephone wires, sometimes heard German Tiger tanks warm up their
engines hourly but never sure if those tanks were about to attack. He was there when 75th ID crossed the Rhine three days after Bill’s 22nd birthday. He was awakened at 0200 by 1800 artillery pieces lighting up the sky and firing into Germany along a 20 mile front. On 1 April 1945 Bill observed a German Jet fly overhead. Bill later participated in liberating slave labor camps of captured allied soldiers and noticed Red Cross packages all kept in the German Guard barracks. In the final days of the war, Bill and others in his team were taking down serial numbers and taking inventory of captured or Continued on page 33
Brig. Gen. Cardwell helps plan the way ahead at the 75th / 84th Synchronization Workshop JOINT BASE MCGUIREDIXLAKEHURST, NJ (Novemember 19, 2015)– Five general officers and their staffs came together at the Atlantic Division’s Mission Training Center to plan for upcoming exercises, discuss lessons learned from past training events and map the way ahead for how units should be trained in the years to come. Leading the synchronization meeting were Brig. Gen. John Cardwell, deputy commander of the 75th Training Command, and Maj. Gen. Scottie Carpenter, commander of the 84th Training Command.
Carpenter praised the 75th Training Command and recognized its reputation for running outstanding exercises. This reputation for excellence, however, has led the 75th Training Command to risk becoming tasked with too many missions, because the “product it delivers is so World class that everyone wants it” said Carpenter.
Looking to provide more realistic training, Maj. Gen. Carpenter shared his vision of how future exercises should be run. Currently, the combat service support (CSS) Battalions and Brigades participating in the exercises Cardwell stressed the need to improve conducted by the two Training Commands knowledge management within both Training solve logistical issues for fictional combat Commands. He said he has observed their units in simulated settings. He would like training divisions working hard to come up to provide more realistic training by having with solutions to issues that other divisions these CSS units support actual combat units in both Commands have successfully resolved during future field exercises. in years past. Better communication between Later in the day, the Commanders of the the staffs of the various training divisions, and the improved capturing and sharing various training divisions participated in a of lessons learned, would eliminate such series of breakout sessions to refine the plans for the exercises their units will be conducting unnecessary duplication of effort he noted. in 2016.
Brig. Gen. John Cardwell lays out his vision for future training exercises at the Synchronization Workshop.
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continued from page 31 abandoned German vehicles and equipment around his unit. By VE Day, Bill’s Battalion was put in a large hotel in Winterburg, a ski resort in Northern Rhine-Westaphilia. He volunteered for the Invasion of Japan so he was allowed 30 days of leave. He came back on the ocean liner HMS Queen Mary (that famous ship is now a floating hotel in Long Beach, California). He was on leave for less than a week when the Japanese Surrendered. He was finally discharged on 15 Nov 1945 at Fort Bliss, Texas. Six weeks later he married his sweetheart Charlotte in January, 1946. After being discharged from the U.S. Army, Bill got married and started a career as a drilling rig roughneck for Superior Oil Company. At 25 years old and with 2 ½ years on the job, he and his crew drilled the deepest hole on record in 1949 at 18,734 feet near Ventura, California. In 1951, he was promoted and given the responsibility of moving a drilling rig to Alberta, Canada. He later was promoted to the position of Manager of Drilling and Production. In the world of oil, Alberta is the equivalent of the Texas of Canada and Bill helped the Canadian Superior Oil Company gain significance in that province. As Superior Oil Company expanded beyond the U.S.A., Bill supervised their drilling and production in other areas of the world from Canada. Bill retired from Superior Oil in 1978 after a 32-year career. He then went into business for himself forming his own companies for tools he invented. Bill developed 6 oil industry related tools that he patented in the US, Canada, the United Kingdom and Norway; the last patent on his 80th birthday. These inventions reduced the environmental impact of the petroleum industry and increased safety for all those involved. Bill was elected President of the Edmonton Petroleum Club in 1977-78. He acquired Canadian Citizenship in July, 1978. Bill was inducted in the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame in 2003. Bill shut
Bill Brown today at age 92. He lives ina nice retirment community in Edmonton, Alberta Canada.
down his last company in 2013 at age 90. While many Americans were escaping the draft by fleeing North to Canada, Bill’s patriotic American-born sons went South to volunteer in the U.S. Army. Bill’s son, Bill Jr., served in the U.S. Army as a Chief Warrant Officer Helicopter Pilot in Vietnam in 1970-1971 flying an OH-6 scout helicopter that earned Bill Jr. the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star. His Son, Jim Brown, served as a Special Forces Medic in an A-team in Korea during the early 1970s and works today as an Emergency Physician for Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta. I am a delivery driver so I visit Bill almost weekly when a package is sent to his retirement home. He is a very knowledgeable and proud man who was a dedicated Father and a hard worker. He remembers his experiences in great detail as if they just happened last week. It has been an honor and good fortune to have met this 75th ID World War II veteran and successful Oil Entrepreneur in Edmonton, Alberta. Page 33
The Bulge Buster
2012-2014 The HHC guidon is given to Cpt. Peter Ro by Col. Dennis R. Duffy, thereby representing his assumption of command.
Brig. Gen. Alberto C. Rosende joins Maj. Gen. Charles W. Hooper as this year’s recipients of the NJEA Award for Excellence
Captain Ro takes the helm of 3rd Brigade’s HHC JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIXLAKEHURST, N.J. (November 7, 2015)– The November Battle Assembly saw a change in leadership at the 3rd Brigade’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC). On November 7, 2015, Cpt. Hjalmar “Jay” Canela turned over command of the HHC to Cpt. Peter Ro, during a ceremony presided over by 3rd Brigade Commander, Col. Dennis R. Duffy. Unlike line companies, where the company commander is the highest ranking Soldier, the HHC can pose a unique set of leadership challenges to a young captain. One of them being that the ranks of the HHC are filled with the senior officers who are responsible for overseeing the Brigade’s operation. While these higher ranking officers are focused on running the Brigade, the HHC commander must ensure that they complete all mandatory training and administrative requirements. Canela reflected fondly on his 18 months as the HHC Commander. He chuckled when asked if getting all of the majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels in the HHC to complete their annual training sometimes felt like he was herding cats. While noting that there may be some truth to such a description, he also said he was extremely grateful to all of the senior leaders in the HHC for their understanding
and mentorship. Duffy presented Canela with the Army Commendation Medal in recognition for his outstanding performance as the HHC Commander.
Maj. Gen. Charles W. Hooper and Brig. Gen. Alberto C. Rosende display their 2015 NJEA Awards for Excellence in Atlantic City, NJ.
Col. Dennis R. Duffy presents outgoing HHC Commander Cpt. Hjalmar “Jay” Canela with the Army Commendation Medal in recognition for his outstanding leadership.
Ro expressed his excitement about taking his first command. Prior to doing so, he served as an Observer Controller / Trainer for the 3rd Brigade. In that capacity, he supported several key exercises with the Atlantic Division, including participating in Ulchi Freedom Guardian in 2014 in the Republic of South Korea.
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (November 6, 2015)- The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) presented Brig. Gen. Alberto C. Rosende, commander of the 75th Training Command’s Atlantic Division, with the 2015 Award for Excellence. The award was also bestowed upon Maj. Gen. Charles W. Hooper, U.S. Army. Senior U.S. Defense Official / U.S. Defense Attaché, Cairo, Egypt. The awards were presented on November 6, 2015 at the NJEA’s annual convention held in Atlantic City, NJ.
Jersey public school graduates, and is presented to those graduates who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in their fields of expertise. Rosende was a 1980 graduate of Willingboro High School, NJ before going on to the University of Miami and then embarking on a military career after being commissioned through the
University’s ROTC program. Hooper is a graduate of John F. Kennedy High School The NJEA Award for Excellence in Willingboro, NJ and the U.S. Military celebrates the accomplishments of New Academy at West Point.
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