Guardian East by Valerie Palacios

l o r t n o c t rio page 16 Meet thepage EOD8 Morale Multipliers page 14 Soldiers of Finance page 27

GUARDIAN east May 2011, Vol. 19, Issue 9

The official magazine of Multinational Battle Group East

Contents 3 7 10 12 18 19

928th Financial Detachment Soldiers that make sure we make the money for doing the job.

Meet the EOD They’ve got one of the toughest missions in Kosovo. Get to know the triple six.

Crowd & Riot Control C. Company joins Hungarians and Portuguese in team CRC. Radioactive inspection Engineers check in on Kosovo companies

Mass casualty training Task Force Medical hone their skills

4 14 20 22 24 26

MNBG E Commander and CSM

A brother lost Task Force Vortex remembers Capt. Joseph L. Cullinan

Novo Brdo castle Locals celebrate St. George’s Day

Swiss pilot exchange program Capt. Francisco J. Figueroa gets licensed on the Swiss AS332 Super Puma helicopter

Staff Sgt. Michael Russ Keeps the mail coming, even on his seventh deployment

Medic dispatches good will Spc. Tara Sawyer works hard and plays hard as an LMT Soldier

Holocaust Remembrance Day Soldiers pay homage during Yom HaShoah

It’s a family thing Brothers and sisters give 100% on Camp Bondsteel

200th Public Affairs Detachment Commander 1st Lt. Casey Staheli

Commanding Officer, MNBG E Col. Michael D. Schwartz

Editor, Photojournalist Staff Sgt. Anna Doo

Command Sergeant Major, MNBG E Command Sgt. Maj. Abel Villesca

Layout, Photojournalist Spc. Evan Lane

Public Affairs Officer, MNBG E 1st Lt. Valerie Palacios

flickr.com/photos/kfor-14

Fitness Legal Safety Chaplain

Morale multipliers Soldiers of the 678th Human Resources Company deliver love from home

Level One Combatives CAT-C gets up close and personal

Front cover: Pfc. Kyle Sanchez, squad member in 1st squad, 2nd platoon with the 1-200th Infantry, rebuffs a rioter’s attack during training at the Kosovo Security Forces compound in Pristina May 3. Hungarian and Portuguese instructors ran the Soldiers of the 1-200th through intensive crowd and riot control exercises to perfect their responses as both individuals and as a unit. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Evan V. Lane) Back Cover: Two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters fly in to Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, following a mission transporting infantry Soldiers to a simulated riot. Task Force Aviation maintains an always ready state in case they are called on to transport Soldiers, retrieve injured troops, or conduct training in order to maintain a level of competency. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Anna Doo)

inspection

Radioactive

Photojournalist Spc. John A Montoya, Jr.

“ G u a rd ia n Eas t is p ro d u ce d fo r p erso n n el o f MNBG E, and is an authorized publication for members of the Depar tment of Defense. Contents of Guardian East are not necessarily the official views of the U.S. government, the Department of the Army, 111th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, or MNBG E.”

facebook.com/KFOR.MNBG.East

Broadcast Journalist Pfc. David Sherwood Photo Credits for editorials: Safety, Legal, Chaplain: Staff Sgt. Anna Doo

youtube.com/KFORPAO

Kosovo Forces Italian Hazardous Materials Team members give a ‘thumbs up’ indicating a proper reading of radioactive levels was captured. The information will then be recorded into a database that is tracked by KFOR, Kosovo Security Forces, and other Institutions in Kosovo in order to determine the threat to the safety of citizens.

story and photos by Staff Sgt. Anna Doo

he Kosovo Secur it y Forces Hazardous Materials team worked in conjunc t ion w it h t he Italian Kosovo Forces Hazardous Materials team to inspect three barrels of radioactive materials May 6, 2011, in Prvi Tunel/Tuneli I Pare near Mitrovica/Mitrovice, Kosovo. According to Miftar Hyseni, director of the Trepce South Plant where the barrels are housed in a concrete building, the barrels have been at this location since before the war of the late 1990s. Including this site, the KSF and KFOR have inspected more than 115 sites around Kosovo checking for toxic industrial materials and other potentially harmful environmental hazards.

The KSF, while only two years old, is beginning to take a lead role in maintaining the wellbeing of the people in Kosovo. Highly trained hazmat teams conduct inspections on numerous sites depending on the severity of the

perceived threat to safety of the local population. The KSF Hazmat Company is in line with the Regiment for Civil Protection and as such receives training specialized for the particular mission. Training includes monitoring of materials and conservation of terrain in Kosovo, as well as utilizing monitoring equipment and decontamination procedures.

The KSF and KFOR have access to a database where all the sites around Kosovo are tracked to ensure no loc at ion remains unmonitored longer than is safe. The database dictates zones which are divided into two groups with one group being led by KSF with KFOR assistance, and the second group of sites monitored by KFOR with assistance from KSF. “Kosovo is full of factories that contain, or are holding places for materials and dangerous materials of hazmat nature,” said Staff Sgt. Gnver Fonoluj, KSF Hazmat

team leader. “We do monitoring of these materials in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment, KFOR, and [Emergency Ma n a gement D ep a r t ment].”

For the inspection on May 6, the Multinational Battle Group West Italian KFOR hazmat team, led by Sgt. Michele Alessemalzelli, worked w it h t he local KSF to measure the amount of radiation emitted by the three barrels. Each team wore protective equipment including full body suits, gloves, shoe coverings and protective masks leaving no exposed skin. Prior to the Italian and KSF hazmat professionals entering the bunker, a plan of action was discussed, rehearsed and agreed upon through two interpreters who spoke It ali a n , A lb a n i a n a nd E n g l i sh . On hand to observe the interaction and the results of the test were inspectors from the Ministry of Environ- radioactive, P. 6

MNBG E Commander CSM I

t has only been 60 days since our arrival in Kosovo, but it seems like a much longer period in some respects and much shorter in others. As always, I depend on the junior enlisted Soldiers and NCOs to provide honest, sincere feedback on their deployment experience. We truly do make important decisions based on your feedback. As many have surely surmised by now, most of our assigned and unit developed tasks can be accomplished in a variety of ways. I leave it to the creativity and intellect of the junior enlisted Soldiers and NCOs to refine and perfect our processes for accomplishing these tasks in the most meaningful, efficient manner. As with any other endeavor in life, one can develop a positive perspective on the duties at hand and diligently and professionally go “beyond the standard” or minimally achieve missions and taskings with the usual average results. From my observation, Soldiers are all tackling the great variety of tasks with vigor and enthusiasm, so KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND GREAT ATTITUDES!!!! Be wary, however, of falling into a rut or a daily routine that precipitates mediocrity or routines that facilitate careless actions. We are at the point in the deployment where carelessness and inattention to the task at hand begin creeping into our daily routines and we must remain alert and vigilant of our true task.

Again, it goes without saying that every unit has performed beyond any of my expectations and we continue to learn and grow every day as a battle group. I challenge each organization to continue to learn and develop new and innovative ways to tackle everyday challenges as we move together for the progress of Kosovo. Many of you have taken the initiative to develop your own “value added” programs and are moving out sharply and with a great deal of energy to accomplish your assigned mission as well as any number of “value added” programs. As an example, Task Force Aviation is teaching English as a second language and the Liaison and Monitoring Teams each participate in their community functions as if they were members of the community. I am truly impressed with

Key points from the Commander: • keep up the great work • maintain a positive perspective • avoid falling into ruts • keep MNBG E’s long term goals in sight • “I am very proud of the entire battle group.”

Key points from the CSM: • we’re now well adjusted to the environment • avoid the lure of complacency • follow all command guidance for safety • MNBG E is one large family • make sure to keep interractions professional • “I … have the highest confidence that you all will accomplish this mission with the professionalism and discipline that has been the hallmark of this rotation.”

counting on your professionalism to do two things.

Col. Michael D. Schwartz, commanding the enthusiasm and tenacity of each and every unit and am proud of the accomplishments to date.

As for the way ahead, we will continue with our specific mission taskings and value added programs, but remain vigilant to keep the tasks within our capabilities and always with the precept of creating innate capabilities within the institutions in Kosovo. Always keep in mind our long term goal is to develop a self sustaining, transparent entity capable of democratic self rule. So, as we move forward, we must remember the age old tenet of “teaching a man to fish versus catching the fish for him.” So, our challenge as we move forward is to maintain that delicate balance between advising, mentoring, coaching, facilitating, and teaching versus doing. Again, I am very proud of the entire battle group and keep up the good work! I routinely receive compliments from the other national contingents and our higher headquarters on the professionalism and dedication of our Soldiers. As a final note, I also promise to keep consistency in our MWR trips to the extent possible so we may take a few moments of our time to enjoy the “Kosovo experience” and develop a true appreciation of the beauty and cultural heritage of the area in which we serve.

“Bata a n

Never

Broken”

Command Sgt. Maj. Abel Villesca

he other day I was waiting for a haircut at the Southtown PX barber shop. As I sat there looking out the open door I could clearly see Mount Duke (Ljuboten Peak) in the background. It was a warm spring day. Soldiers from the U.S. and our multinational partners were walking about as well as AST, KBR and AAFES employees. It amused me how normal and familiar everything seemed. As I write this, it has been only two months since the bulk of our Soldiers arrived in Kosovo.

It occurred to me that there is some risk in “normalcy”. The twin of normalcy is complacency and while feeling comfortable in our environment is something we strive for as an organization, being complacent is not. When we become complacent we begin to take force protection and safety measures at face value or see them as inconveniences. That is something that we cannot afford to do. We’ve all been here long enough to identify loopholes and gaps in the procedures here on Camp Bondsteel and out in Kosovo. We have a good understanding of what we can “get away with”. I challenge you to resist the temptation to take short cuts and follow all of the command guidance that relates to safety and force protection. I know that there are probably easier ways to get things done, but I’m

The first is to do the right thing and follow the established procedures. The second is to make formal recommendations through your chain of command when you have identified a better way to accomplish something and still meet the battle group commander’s intent for ensuring we can rapidly account for any Soldier, anywhere in Kosovo and mitigate risk of injury or other serious incidents. The commander was sincere in his statement to all of you at the Town Hall meeting the other day that the best ideas come from Soldiers at the battalion task force and separate company level. Send us your ideas and we will consider them.

It also occurred to me that there is risk in “familiarity”. We’ve all worked together for four months since arriving at mobilization station. One of the characteristics of this organization that we derive strength from is our inclusive command climate and the fact that we view every member of the Battle Group as a part of the family. As Soldiers we must balance that inclusiveness and familiarity against the requirement for maintaining the discipline, customs, courtesy and respect that is due each other while we are interacting with our peers, subordinates and superiors. I continue to be truly proud of each and every member of this great organization and have the highest confidence that you all will continue to accomplish this mission with the professionalism and discipline that has been the hallmark of this rotation.

“Bata a n

Never

Broken”

Radioactive

Task Force Medical on high alert

n May 2, 2011 Task Force Medical conducted a Level 2 Mass Casualty exercise in order to validate its ability to respond to medical situations that overwhelm the capabilities of the medical treatment facility on Camp Bondsteel. A Level 1 MASCAL requires all TF MED personnel to report to the medical treatment facility and a Level 2 MASCAL requires that all medical personnel located on Camp Bondsteel report.

T he mu lt inat iona l manner of this inspection speaks t o t he work ing relat ion sh ip between members of KFOR, the KSF and Institutions in Kosovo.

Hyseni said, “I think it’s nice. It ’s in our interest t hat t hey are showing interest for this, Sgt. Michele Alessemalzelli, center in white, Italian Hazardous Materials team to do these inspections and to leader, speaks with Staff Sgt. Gnver Fonoluj, Kosovo Security Forces Hazardhave this thing under control.” ous Materials team leader, prior to entering a bunker where barrels of chemi-

MNBG E Operations and Higher Headquarters Company supported TF MED through simulating crowd and riot control related injuries at the Military Special Unit camp, while simultaneously on Camp Bondsteel three HHC soldiers suffered simulated injuries

The inspec t ions conduc ted are a joint effor t in order to of fer ex per t i se a nd e x per iences across international teams with the collective goal of keeping an eye on hazardous waste.

to know new kinds of equipment, and the way they operate with them. This helps a lot in our job. Of course we get recommendations and advice and some kinds of help.”

Fonoluj said, “We see it (multinaThe KFOR and KSF teams comtional partnering) as a gathering pared the results of the inspection of more and more experience, conducted May 6 with historical exchanging of experience, getting data of the site and discovered

the amount of radiation left in the barrels at the Trepce South Plant is decreasing. The barrels will remain in the shelter of the concrete building until the next time the KSF hazmat team works with a KFOR hazmat team to inspect the site once again ensuring the continued safety of the employees of the factory and the locals.

The End

cals are kept safely secured. The teams inspect several locations in Kosovo.

while jousting with guidons and wooden spears. These events resulted in an air evacuation and ground evacuation being conducted, further straining TF MED’s resources, resulting in an Exercise Level 2 MASCAL being called.

TF MED’s Chief Nurse, Maj. Elizabeth Naman, stated that the exercise provided realistic events and a chance to exercise the training conducted over the past few months.

The End

story by Capt. Jason Dufour

ment and Special Planning, Vehbi Ejupi and Shqipe Buzuke; KFOR chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear officer, Portuguese Lt. Col. Pedro Ferreira; as well as the U.S. Army MNBG E engineer officer, Lt. Col. David Giesler; and the KFOR mentoring and advising team leader for the KSF hazmat team, Austrian Capt. Robert Kastle.

Sgt. Antonio Max Roybal, supply sergeant for the 111th Headquarters and Headquarters Company, obtains treatment from Task Force Medical personnel for simulated injuries received while jousting.

Soldiers with Task Force Medical treat a simulated casualty during the exercise. All medical staff on Camp Bondsteel reported to duty during the MASCAL.

Ready to respond

C. Company, 1-200th Infantry, the U.S. Contingency here at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, await a UH-60 Blackhawk for a lift to a simulated riot. The Soldiers were tested on their readiness for responding to a call for assistance from Kosovo Forces if the Institutions in Kosovo need the back up. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Anna Doo)

Mee t t h e E OD michael huettel

stephen rodgers

Q: Why did you get into EOD? A: It was one of the few cool jobs that I couldn’t do in the civilian world. It’s an opportunity to save people’s lives when others can’t. Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?

story and photos by Spc. Evan V. Lane

he 666t h E x plosive Or d ina nce Di sposa l company provides an essential service to the people in Kosovo. In just over one month, the 666th responded to 41 calls, requiring them to disarm or detonate in place all manner of unexploded ordinance. Their expanded mission, which now encompasses half of Kosovo, has vastly increased the number of UXOs they respond to. “ T he p r e v i o u s r o t a t i on responded to around 83 UXO calls during their entire nine months,” said 1st Lt. Bryce Williams, commander of the 666th.

A long w it h t heir ow n UXO disarming mission, the 666th has been working in close proximity with Kosovo Sec ur it y Forces’ ex plosive or d i n a nc e d i s p o s a l t e a m . “ T he y s e e m l i k e g o o d guys,” said Sgt. Stephen Rodgers, a team member with the 666th. “We’re here to enable them to complete their mission. We’re helping them make sure they’re completely ready t o t a ke over w hen ever ything is turned over to them.”

W it h t hat level of commitment and teamwork, it’s no wonder “ T he Gua r d ia n East ” chose to inter v iew a few of their team members.

delon lee Q: Why did you get into EOD? A: What other job in the military can you come in and blow stuff up and play with explosives? Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?

A: What spare time? [He laughs] I’m actually working toward a nursing degree while at Camp Bondsteel, but right now I’m only able to take a nutrition course for my degree’s biology requirement. It’s the only thing I can take online right now that fulfills a degree requirement. Q: What’s the best part about being in the 666th?

A: The personalities, definitely. Everybody brings something different [to the teams] and has great ideas about how to do things. Q: What are you looking forward to?

A: I’m hoping to get to a point where the EOD can hand over Kosovo’s EOD needs to the KSF entirely and be able to let them take care of things.

A: Well we train a lot. I practice for upcoming calls and work with the robots.

Q: What’s the best part about your mission? A: Seeing everybody and how thankful they are after we complete a mission; saving people’s lives. Q: What are your goals here in Kosovo?

A: I want to be able to run a mile in a bomb suit. I think the world record right now is seven minutes or so– I want to do it in six.

Q: What’s the fastest the 666th has run it? A: We’ll find out when I do it.

Q: Why did you get into EOD?

anthony blackmon Q: Why did you get into EOD? A: I’ve always thought about doing this. It wasn’t my first choice, however I couldn’t get my first choice in the Guard. So I put in my packet for EOD, and here I am, loving it. Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?

A: I like to talk to my family back home and play flight simulators and computer games. I also watch NASCAR and read my “Essentials of Firefighting” handbook to stay current with my knowledge for the fire department.

A: I got tired of waking up from concussions and traumatic brain injuries and stuff like that. IEDs are the most deadly threat that coalition troops face, so if you want to make a real difference, counter IED is the way to go. Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?

A: Stateside, I like to dive. My wife is a diver, so by extension, I’ve become a diver. Here I’ve been training for a triathlon. I did an Olympic-length triathlon last year. It was the first time I’ve swam long-distance in the ocean, it was awesome.

Q: What are your goals while you’re here? A: I’m going to pay off all my debt. I’m going to get back in sexy shape so that when I get back to the beach it’ll be on and poppin’.

Q: Who’s your favorite NASCAR driver?

A: Greg Biffle. Number 16, Ford Fusion. I’m not too much of a Chevy fan, so I’ve always been a Rouch Fenway guy. Q: What’s the best part about being in the 666th?

A: You get to blow stuff up. This mission’s all about saving lives. It’s really rewarding to be on that end of things. Not everybody can do it.

Hard knocks pay off

Friendly Farewell

On the go

story and photos by Spc. Evan V. Lane

ometimes things just hurt: car wrecks, dental work, being punched in the face. While no one signs up to wreck their new car, most people from time to time submit to dental exams. They do so because they know the importance of protecting their bodies. While it might seem odd at first, this same logic is behind twenty Soldiers’ recent choice to get punched in the face.

Sgt. Michael Carson, an instructor with the Combat Arms Training Company, watches a sparring match during a Level One Combatives course held at Camp Bondsteel.

“Modern Army Combatives is designed to simulate real-world scenarios and to provide more realistic training,” said Staff Sgt. Eric Solano, who has been an instructor with CAT-C since 2009.

The realism comes both from the wellresearched curriculum and the experience level of the instructors. “All of us have combat experience, and we do internal training all the time to make sure we’re teaching the moves right,” said Solano. Each Soldier received one-on-one and group instruction, committing the moves to muscle memory.

“We learned a lot of clench drills and some very technical ground fighting techniques,” said Spc. Adam Sanchez, mail clerk for Task Force Falcon on Camp Bondsteel. To get the techniques out to all Guardsmen, the course is designed to prepare participants to the point where they can return to their home units and train others in those techniques.

that incorporated striking, grappling and weapons retention.

French Capt. Pierre Ginot, commander of the outgoing French contingency, enjoys one final meal with U.S., Moroccan and Ukrainian soldiers before returning to France. Ginot wore an honorary New Mexico National Guard patch for the evening and presented several U.S. Soldiers with the insignia of his battalion in exchange. Each country brought a traditional song and all present sang them, despite language and tonal barriers.(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Evan V. Lane)

The training peaked in intensity on day three, when Soldiers had to use their skills to approach an actively striking opponent and subdue them.

“That’s definitely the toughest day,” said Sanchez. “You’re beat up because the exercises that they do are rigorous. You throw yourself on the mat every day during grappling and by day three even your skin hurts. On top of that, you’ve got big guys like Astorga and Solano who have to throw punches at you.”

Task Force Aviation, part of Multinational Battle Group East is comprised of National Guard units from Nebraska, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Arkansas. The task force flies the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter with a wide range of missions including transportation of VIPs, quickly moving infantry soldiers to quell riots, and are always prepared with a helicopter on medical evacuation stand by. Look for articles in “The Guardian East” June edition highlighting the aviation asset. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Anna Doo)

Ready for Action

Those punches serve a purpose, said Solano. Soldiers need to know that they can close the distance between themselves and their opponents to end a fight quickly.

“Really, it’s also designed to build confidence,” he said. “The students do real good. The first time, they’re really scared, but by the second time they’re on top of it.”

On the last day, the students took their hardearned confidence along with every piece of the self-defense puzzle to compete against one another “We had lots of practice teaching what we had in a grappling tournament with winners in each just learned,” said Sanchez. “The course was geared weight class. for instruction. I think I could go back and teach this to pretty much anybody.” Each Soldier entered the course with a different level of self-defense knowledge, but by the end of From day one, Sanchez and the others gradually the week, they all had the experience and bruises built up their skills by repetition of hands-on drills necessary to earn a Level One certificate.

The End

Instructors with the Combat Arms Training Company from Santa Fe, N.M., conducted Camp Bondsteel’s first Combatives Level One certification course in April. Throughout the 40-hour course, Soldiers familiarized themselves with Modern Army Combatives techniques.

Graduates of the first Level One Combatives course at Camp Bondsteel pose for their class photo with instructors from the Combat Arms Training Company. In April, CAT-C began the first of many Level One Combatives courses to be instructed at Camp Bondsteel. (Courtesy photo.)

According to the office of the European special representative to Kosovo, an event was held last month to encourage the establishment of a task oriented working group to produce a road map for sustainable development of the historical site of the medieval castle and town of Novo Brdo.

The Novo Brdo castle sits atop a hill overlooking the municipality of Novo Brdo/ Novoberde. St. George’s Day celebrations take place underneath it where people congregate to picnic and relax.

Fragile ruins become site of celebration

Peter Feith, the European Union special representative to Kosovo, echoed Novobrdaliu’s concerns and offered some solutions to help preserve the castle when he The medieval castle at Novo Brdo stands in ruins above the municipality spoke about the significance of itself. the historical site last month in an interview posted to his website.

Spc . A lber t Romero, a driver and team member of monitoring team two, Liaison Monitoring Team, based in Roswell, N.M., was observing the festivities as a part of team two’s sensing and monitoring operations. He said the festivities reminded him of home as the local people celebrated the holid ay r eg a r d le s s of t hei r nationality or ethnic origin.

“We are waiting and expecting that we’re going to fix this area, what is left of the site,” said Beqiri.

Members of the Kosovo Forces command staff joined several Christian and Muslim religious leaders and Greek soldiers to celebrate Easter at the Camp Rigas Feraios dining facility, Apr. 25.

good time,” said Romero.

A long w it h fest iv it ies, t he local people enjoyed the weather. The head of the Department of Urbanization, Environment, and Cadastre for Novo Brdo/ Novoberde munic ipa lit y, Selatin Beqiri, said it usually rains on the sixth and spoils the festivities, but this year the weather was mild and sunny. He also said the castle is used as a traditional picnic area for the local residents.

The luncheon began with an invocation sung jointly by Bishop Teodosije Mraovi, Serbian Orthodox bishop of Raska-Prizren, and Marinos Baterakis, Greek Orthodox priest for Camp Rigas Feraios. Grand Mufti Naim Ternava, the Muslim leader of Kosovo, and Reverend Lush Gjergji, General Administrative Vicar of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prizren, both observed quietly and joined in the conversations and meal that followed. “This event gave me a chance to meet Grand Mufti Ternava for the first time,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Michael P. Lindsay, chaplain of Task Force Falcon at Camp Bondsteel. “It’s wonderful meeting people of different cultures and enjoying the diversity of their cultures and languages.”

A lt hough t he medieval castle helps bring the p e ople t oge t her t o c elebrat e St . George’s Day, it f aces ma ny pr oblem s with its upkeep and care.

“I don’t like the holiday because t he v isitors are “I haven’t seen any prob- ruining t he castle walls. lems and everyone is getting Even though I have a small a long and jus t hav ing a business here, I’m not happy

As for the future of the site, Beqiri believes it’s only a matter of time before something i s done t o pr ot ec t t he sit e.

KFOR 14 Officers Celebrate Easter

story and photos by Spc. John A. Montoya

eople in t he Novo B r d o/ N o v o b e r d e municipalit y came together to celebrate St. George’s Day on Apr. 6, at the ruins of a medieval castle overlooking the municipality. People played live music, enjoyed picnics and explored t he remnant s of t he old structure left on the site.

“There is a growing recognition that the cultural heritage and its conservation is a shared responsibility of all levels of government and all members of a communit y. T here should be immediate action to preserve the remains of Novo Brdo/Novoberde castle considering removal of brickwork and unauthorized digging are threatening the integrity of the site,” said Feith. “The castle has great importance historically as well as archaeologically and represents a potential for economic development, as it can be one of the spots attracting tourists to come visit Kosovo.”

The End

when they destroy the historical monument,” said Faik Novobrdaliu, a local shopkeeper and Kosovo Electric Corporation manager for Novo Brdo. “It would be much better if we could prevent people from going on the walls and destroying the monument.”

“I also enjoyed the dancing quite a bit,” Lindsay continued. “It reminded me of the beat of my home’s traditional dances. They are delightfully similar, yet distinct.”

Local residents play traditional instruments as part of the festivities. Many musicians brought their bands to contribute.

Col. Michael D. Schwartz, commander of Multinational Battle Group East, shares a dance with Greek soldiers during an Easter celebration Apr. 25., at Camp Rigas Feraios. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Evan V. Lane)

Following the official dancers, Greek soldiers began to dance arm-in-arm, embracing others as they moved their feet in sync with the live music. Col. Michael D. Schwartz, commander of Multinational Battle Group East, and Baterakis both enjoyed a dance, alongside Lt. Col. Larry Wilbanks, deputy commander of MNBG E.

Keep ‘em busy: Make sure you’re using the right address format.

Pvt. Joe Snuffy [Task Force] [Unit] APO AE 09340

(un) Shippable

For a list of non–mailable items check out the Multinational Battle Group East’s Facebook page.

From left to right, Spc. Bradley Burgess, Sgt. 1st Class Roberta Jones, and Staff Sgt. Michael Russ, of the 678th Human Resources Company, pitch in to unload truckfulls of incoming mail each day. The mail is then sorted by Task Force and scanned or further sorted so it can be pushed out to the individuals it belongs to.

Morale Multipliers

story and photos by Staff Sgt. Anna Doo

n any given week the Post Office on Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, processes an average of 500 pieces of mail. Daily, a semitruck full of bags of mail from family, friends and online shopping retailers arrives from Germany chock full of packages and letters. The 678th Human Resources Company is responsible for receiving, sorting, and delivering all the mail that arrives or is sent from here.

Sgt. 1st Class Roberta Jones, from Charlotte, N.C., runs a well oiled machine. Each member of the team pitches in when the mail truck arrives to help unload bags and sort the mail. The efficiency of the Camp Bondsteel Post Office is due in large part to the teamwork and routine instilled in the Soldiers. Jones said when she came on this mission she met a great group of individuals that she will remember for a lifetime. These individuals make up the 678th HRC postal detachment, an Army Reserve unit based in Charlotte, N.C.

Each of the Post Of fice Soldiers holds the human resources occupation but have additional skill identifiers for the postal operation. Spc. Curtis Pooler specializes as the directory

clerk where he manages mail being returned to the sender, or redirecting mail sent improperly. As Pooler says it, he keeps the traffic f lowing.

Spc. Bradley Burgess, primary registry and operations clerk, handles mail that arrives insured or accountable and ensures it is scanned in properly to the electronic tracking system. The duty requires a good amount of hands-on movement to sort, scan and input the mail properly. “I’m not always stuck in an office,” said Burgess. “I have a chance to do the physical stuff.”

Sgt. Thomas Warrick, lead finance clerk, greets customers at the front desk and assists with mailing packages and letters in addition to assisting with unloading and loading the trucks that transport mail. Warrick advises Soldiers sending packages to the states to ask any questions they need to and to not try to mail Kinder™ eggs, perfume or aerosol cans. He also mentioned that any liquids and vitamins or supplements have to be inspected prior to mailing. Warrick enjoys this mission and the daily rou-

Here’s a (case sensitive) shortcut to our note:

http://goo.gl/Cvt3E

tine he has. “The thing I like most about this their mail arrives at the proper destination. mission is that I am able to help people every First, address the mail properly. Second, do not day, and the job is different every day,” he said. attempt to mail contraband. Third, send mail with plent y of time to reach its destination. Even though six Soldiers work daily at the Post Office, Camp Film City has only two mail clerks. One of the 678th HRC Soldiers recently spent three weeks as the non-commissioned officer in charge of the mail room for Camp Film City. Sgt. Bryan Kirby earned an Army Achievement Medal for his professional service. Kirby plans to spend the deployment in Kosovo learning about the area and gaining more postal experience.

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Spc. Bradley Burgess, primary registry and operations clerk with the 678th Human Resources Company helps unload truckfulls of incoming mail each day.

According to Jones, mail leaving Camp Bondsteel for delivery in the U.S. travels by surface vehicles to Germany where it is x-rayed again by an even more powerful machine and then sent by U.S. Air Force aircraft to one of four ports of entry in the U.S. If there is contraband in a package that might have been missed at Camp Bondsteel, it will get caught in Germany, sent back for removal of the items and then can be repackaged and resent. The four ports of entry that mail is shuttled to are based on the zip code of the final destination of the parcel and can be San Francisco, Miami, Chicago or New York. From there, mail is once again sorted and delivered to the final destination. Many of the Post Office Soldiers see their job as boosting spirits for the people stationed here by being the conduit of delivery of care packages, letters with hearts and perfume on them, and goodies purchased online that are unavailable in a deployed environment. Jones said, “We are the morale of the task force!”

While the Soldiers who keep the mail flowing in and out of Camp Bondsteel are professionals, there are a few steps senders can take to ensure

Spc. Curtis Pooler, directory clerk with the 678th Human Resources Company unloads bags of incoming mail from a semi-truck onto a conveyor belt.

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Riotous Fun

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story by Spc. Evan V. Lane | photos by Spc. John A. Montoya and Spc. Evan V. Lane

individual techniques, and progressing slowly to squad- and platoon-level movement s.

“ T here are so many limit at ions to using weapons in a r iot cont rol sit uat ion,” sa id Frankó. “We help teach the Soldiers how to act non-lethally and avoid harm from rioters.”

Baton use was limited to side strikes, avoiding the head and neck. The Soldiers then practiced working in a line and successfully resisting rioters’ strikes and grabs. The final day, Soldiers were put to trial by fire. Instructors burst molotov cocktails at Soldiers’ feet to acclimate them to what they may experience while subduing a riot.

“They’re doing well,” said Frankó of the training. “It’s important for individuals, teams and command“Traditionally, riot control is a Frankó’s instructors began ers to learn how to minimize the police-level activity,” said Frankó. with the basics, starting with threat and accomplish their tasks.”

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i o t c o n t r o l t r a i n - “There’s generally only one element ing is not f requent ly active at a time, and all the individc o n d u c t e d f o r m e m - uals know the same commands.” bers of the U.S. military. The current worldwide operaIn Kosovo, riot control is taken t iona l env ironment requires care of by both the Kosovo Police more practice in other skill sets and KFOR. Because Kosovo Forces’ said Maj. Imri Frankó, deput y CRC elements are divided between commander of the Hungarian multiple contingencies, KFOR cont ingent of Kosovo Forces. developed a training program intended to help each unit work However, here in Kosovo, Sol- cohesively with every other one. diers with C. Company, 1-200th Infantry, took part in several “It is almost impossible to work days of intensive crowd and riot well as a unit if the first time control training with Frankó’s they rehearse together is durelement at the Kosovo Forces ing an actual riot,” said Frankó. c omp ou nd M ay 2 , 3 a nd 4 . Soldiers from C. Co. spent sevT he Hung a r ia n a nd Por t u- eral days studying and rehearsing g uese have been undergoing toget her w it h and under t he training there since February to direction of their Portuguese and perfect techniques for crowd and Hungarian counterparts. Practiriot control using multiple units cal exercises followed quickly on hailing from many countries. the heels of the classroom portion.

Hundreds of names of Holocaust victims dressed the walls to honor their lives and legacy.

Staff Sgt. Michael Russ, supervisor of the 678th Human Resources Company, adroitly catches a package destined for one of the Soldiers on Camp Bondsteel. Russ is in the middle of his seventh deployment with over 20 years of service under his belt.

Honoring valor, sacrifice Yom HaShoah gives soldiers, civilians glimpse into Kosovo’s WWII resistance

Delivering Happiness

eka Rezniqi stepped to the podium and recalled a story told by his greatg r a n d f a t h e r ’s f r i e n d :

Mr. Hasan said, ‘We were coming from Skopje. I was in the car with a Jewish family. It was very dark and of course I couldn’t switch the lights on. We were travelling and we arrived at a Nazi checkpoint. I had heard once that the army officials, when they arrive at the checkpoint, honk their horn so they open the gate and don’t have to stop. I did the same. I switched the car lights on and honked the horn. And they opened it, so we arrived safe.’

About 22 years later, Russ is still enjoying service in the Army and is planning to grant the GI Bill earned on deploy-

Even though Russ has worked Russ look s for ward to t he in post offices around the world remainder of the deployment during deployments, training a s a rela x ing t ime a nd a s a exercises and annual training t r u ly peacekeeping mission . event s, he has received only four letters during his tenure. He pl a n s t o comple t e h i s c areer in t he milit ar y when He says it makes more work he returns home and continue for his fellow mail clerks and he’d in his civilian line of work as rather email, or call friends and a cor r ug at ed eng i neer w it h family using an international cell International Paper Company. phone. Russ received letters from his mother, wife, church, and a Looking back on the more than sister’s school that adopted him. twenty years of service peppered He asked them not to send any- with numerous overseas training more mail to him while deployed. opportunities, Russ said, “I enjoy it; the travel and being able to Russ does however mail pack- see the world two to three weeks ages home to his wife, four children at a time. We hold the key to the a nd ot her f a m i l y memb er s . morale of a mission, it is great!”

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Russ joined the Army Reserve during his sophomore year of college when a recruiter told him extra money was available on top of the baseball scholarship he was already receiving.

ment s to his eldest daughter He said, “Presents [sent home] who will begin college this fall. a r e b e t t er w hen I ’m gone .”

a time for people the world over to gather to commemorate the approximately six million Jews and five million others who perished in the Holocaust. Soldiers of several nations and local civilians came together at Camp Bondsteel on May 1, to join in Yom HaShoah. Each gathering is different, but many Yom HaShoah meetings have similar features such as Rezniqi’s story, which allowed the attending soldiers to see a more personal side of such a large scale event.

“This is a piece of history that people don’t know about,” said 1st Sgt. John Folkner, first sergeant for Joint Regional Detachment East. “You normally have to research these things, but sometimes they’re handed to you. For instance, here I get to hear about Mr. Rezniqi’s great-grandfather and Mr. Xërxa.”

Rezniqi, t he Kosova-Israeli Friendship Association secret ar y, prov ided the histor y of Hasan Rema Xërxa, an Albanian protector of Jews in Kosovo during the Holocaust, as par t of Along with the personal recolthe tradition of Yom HaShoah. lections, the soldiers participated in a candle lighting ceremony, Yom HaShoah, termed Holocaust with each candle representing Remembrance Day in English, is one million of those lost during the

Holocaust. This, coupled with musical selections sung by Capt. Kellie Whittlinger, set a somber mood.

Many of the at tendees also chose to take time to read through hundreds of names adorning the walls, only a small fraction of those lost during the Holocaust. The feel of the event allowed each participant to reflect on the impact the Holocaust had on the world, both globally and personally, and hopefully take something away.

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story and photos by Spc. Evan V. Lane

story and photo by Staff Sgt. Anna Doo

t a f f Sg t . Michael Ru ss, super visor of the 678th Human Resources Company, is currently serving on his seventh deployment: Desert Storm, Somalia (a 90 day short tour), Haiti, two tours in Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan and now Kosovo. During each deployment Russ served in the postal field delivering mail to fellow troops.

Leka Rezniqi, secretary of the Kosova-Israeli Friendship Association, speaks on the largely undocumented and unrecognized role Kosovo Albanians played in rescuing and protecting Jews during the Holocaust. Hasan Rema Xërxa is pictured on screen.

Lt. Col. Elaine H. Berkowitz, special events officer for Camp Bondsteel, helps an audience member light a candle during the ceremony.

A brother lost

story by Spc. Lucretia Wilcox | photos courtesy of C. Company 1-150th Aviation

g reat person has been taken away from us too early in life. At age 32, Capt. Joseph L. Cullinan, “Joey C,” passed away due to cancer. Cullinan was part of C. Company 1-150th Aviation from Wheeling, W. Va. Multinational Battle Group East soldiers here at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo send our condolences to the Cullinan family, especially his wife Jess.

followed mine so we were always together in some form or capacity.”

“Joey C knew just what to say and when to say it,” said Figueroa, w ho k new Cu l l i n a n for eig ht years. “Life was Joey C’s passion. He embraced all that he could.”

“Joey C came busting into my office one day and he said, ‘I’m going to flight school’ and then gave me the low down,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Robert McAninch. “I met him when he was becoming a senior at Northern West Virginia University, as he was coming out of the [Reserve Officer Training Corps] program.”

Here’s what a few of his fellow brothers in arms had to say.

McAninch said Cullinan w a s ver y posit ive, ex t r emely funny, and everyone liked him. McAninch said they of ten ran, worked out, and f lew together.

Capt. Joseph L. Cullinan flying a UH-60 Blackhawk. “Life was Joey C’s passion,” said Capt. Francisco J. Figueroa. “He embraced all that he could.”

“Joseph I deeply love you and you are my hero,” said McAninch.

“Joey C’s passion in life was his family, friends, his work ethic, and he wanted nothing more than to be here with us right now,” said Muller.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mark Phillips from C. Company 1-150th AVN met Cullinan in 2007 when he showed up to a National Guard drill weekend.

Mu ller met Joey C when he arrived at C. Company 1-150th AVN. He was the first person Muller met. “That day Cullinan said we’re going flying and he made it happen. From that day on we have been the best of friends,” Muller said.

Phillips said t hat jumping into the cockpit and going f ly ing w it h him was his most memorable moment with Cullinan. “Joey C’s passions, I would have to say, were doing things right and making sure everyone was taken care of,” Phillips said. “Motorcycles, flying, and working out was another part of his passion. I miss you.”

“I miss and love him,” says Capt. Francisco J. Figueroa C. Company 1-150th AVN. “We met at the unit. He showed up as a brand new lieutenant and it was kind of refreshing that he was quiet and shy, but boy was I w rong about bot h.” F i g u e r o a’s mo s t me mor a ble moment with Cullinan was when they were deployed. “We were roommates in Iraq, so we spent a lot of time together talking about everything, including f ut u r e pla n s a nd work ,” s a id Figueroa. “His career progression

Cullinan’s unit and Army family, C. Company, 1-150th Aviation from Wheeling, W. Va., send him a heartfelt message from Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.

Cullinan poses in front of a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter.

Capt. Joseph L. Cullinan, “Joey C,” will be missed by everyone. Your smi le w i l l espec ia l ly be missed by all. To the family and friends back home, the soldiers of MNBG E, here at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, are deeply sorry for your loss. To the soldiers of C. Company 1-150th AVN, we are sorry for the loss of your fellow brother in arms.

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“In the three and a half years I’ve known Joey C my most memorable moment is last October when we went to Vegas and he stood for me as my best man for my wedding,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2, Joseph Muller, from C. Company of the 1-150th AVN. “Joey C was outgoing and full of energy. His energ y wa s so intox ic at ing it would rub off onto other people.”

AS332 Super Puma Length: 53 feet 5 inches

UH-60 Blackhawk Length: 64 feet 10 inches

Top Speed: 141 knots (163 mph)

Top Speed: 295 knots (183 mph)

Crew: 2 pilots

Crew: 2 pilots and 2 crew chiefs/ gunners

Powerplant: 2x Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshaft (1,742 shaft horsepower each)

Powerplant: 2x General Electric T700-GE701C turboshaft (1,890 shaft horsepower each)

Effective Payload: 9,040 pounds Passengers: 19

Range: 452 nautical miles

Service Ceiling: 20,000 feet

Effective Payload: 9,000 pounds Passengers: 14

Range: 592 nautical miles

Service Ceiling: 19,000 feet

Capt. Francisco J. Figueroa and Swiss Capt. Philippe Weber stand in front of the Swiss AS332 Super Puma. Figueroa recently completed the Swiss pilot exchange program, making him the first U.S. pilot at Camp Bondsteel on record to complete the training and be certified to fly the Super Puma.

story and photo by 1st Lt. Casey Staheli

wiss Aviators at Camp Bondsteel have certified many foreign aviators to fly their AS332 Super Puma helicopters over the years through their Pilot Exchange Program, but have never certified an American pilot. On May 3, Capt. Francisco J. Figueroa, commander of C. Company 1-150th Aviation, changed that, becoming the first American aviator to complete the Super Puma training with Swiss aviators here. “It was a perfect day to fly; bright beautiful blue sky made for an incredible experience,” said Figueroa.

For 90 minutes above Kosovo Figueroa conducted maneuvers and approaches, many of which were different than U.S. tactical maneuvers, while being evaluated by Swiss instructor pilot Maj. Lukas Rechsteiner.

“Amazing,” is how Figueroa described his favorite Swiss maneuver called the Return to Target Movement, demonstrated by Rechsteiner.

“The Return to Target maneuver is when the helicopter is going straight and then begins a steep climb, with the nose at about 40 degrees and continues to climb until the nose is almost straight up… hangs for a second, then nose dives straight towards the earth, pulls out and returns to a straight line of flight,” Figueroa said.

While learning maneuvers was enjoyable, Figueroa said the most difficult part was making ground approaches in the aircraft.

“The Swiss approach is conducted at a shallower angle, closer to the ground, which made it challenging to make a perfect, smooth landing,” said Figueroa. During the flight exchange, Swiss Air Transport Squadron Four member, Capt. Philippe Weber was in the cockpit along with Rechsteiner sharing the controls with Figueroa.

Rechsteiner was there in order to help evaluate the performance and to assist incase anything went wrong, said Figueroa. Though the Swiss aviators would be there with Figueroa, preparation and instruction was given well before any flying was allowed. Usually this is a 12-week course, however, Figueroa received the condensed version of the course, said Weber.

The instructions began with familiarization of the helicopter, switchology, flying characteristics, aircraft performance and performance planning, said Figueroa.

UH-60 Blackhawk (not to scale) (CC licensed image)

It was very interesting as we talked about operations, because some training is very different and yet some of it is very similar, said Weber.

Having successfully passed a hands-on evaluation in the Super Puma, Figueroa’s certification will be kept on a Swiss permanent record log indicating that he is competent and capable of flying the helicopter.

Figueroa has a background flying European style helicopters back home as an emergency medical service pilot and credits this experience as the reason for being selected to participate in the exchange.

The similarity with the Swiss Super Puma and the Eurpoean-manufactured civilian aircraft back home is the fact that the main rotor system turns clockwise. The main rotor systems on U.S. helicopters turn counter clockwise, explained Figueroa. Figueroa feels fortunate to have participated in the training.

“In order to participate in the exchange program there must be a Swiss aviator certified instructor,” said Figueroa. “And considering the Swiss aviators usually rotate in and out [of Camp Bondsteel] about every 2-3 weeks, the timing was good and everything came together.” Approval from a Swiss major general was also required and granted.

Figueroa suggests that if given the opportunity future pilots should participate in the exchange program.

“We weren’t expecting to have this great working relationship with our NATO partners, but to become friends and to work together in this capacity has been a real pleasure,” said Figueroa.

Weber shares those sentiments, and said, “It brings us together. Individuals from different countries might be a little standoffish and unsure at first, but you become closer and recognize the differences, but build upon the similarities becoming friends and learning from each other.” Currently the U.S. does not have a pilot exchange program, but both Figueroa and Weber would like to see that change.

“I would love to fly the UH-60 Blackhawks because we always see them around and they’re so often utilized,” said Weber.

“It’s nice that one of our two-star generals is a former helicopter pilot because it allows for a direct “It’s a shame and pity we don’t have such a prolink. The major general understands the program gram because we’d love to do the same for our and how special it is, making it easier for us to get Swiss friends as they’ve done for us,” said Figueroa. higher command approval,” said Weber.

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Swiss pilot exchange program

AS332 Super Puma (not to scale) (CC licensed image)

“I have a good time and I experience so many things,” said Sawyer. “It’s much better than sitting at Camp Bondsteel.”

Spc. Tara Sawyer, a member of the Liaison Monitoring Team based in Roswell, N.M., greets Maj. Gen. Erhard Bühler, commander of Kosovo Forces, during his review of Strpce/Shterpce, the town Sawyer and her team are assigned to.

Medic Dispatches Good Will

In addition to her motivation level she brings a lot of other assets to her team. She is outgoing and she helps keep her team up on their combat life saver training with her medical background.

“She’s a medic and she’s always concerned about the Soldier’s health and makes sure their readiness is to

the max,” said Capt. Kellie A. Whittlinger, officer in charge of team seven. Overall Sawyer believes she is going to take a lot of experience and knowledge back with her when she returns home.

“I think the one thing that I’m going to take with me from being an LMT is the ability to go up and randomly talk to somebody,” said Sawyer. Most importantly Sawyer is enjoying her work as she interacts with the populace of the Strpce/Shterpce area and especially playing soccer with the youth of Razim Cokli elementary school.

“First of all I love soccer; second, I love kids and being able to mix the two. I had the best day,” said Sawyer.

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Sawyer said the day in the life of a liaison team member can vary in importance from preparing to help brief a major general to playing a soccer game with school children, but she said it’s a great job to have and she’s having fun doing it.

Sawyer loads produce in preparation for Bühler’s visit.

story and photos by Spc. John A. Montoya

liaison team Soldier weaves through a group of school children kicking a yellow soccer ball as she pushes toward the goal, but she is stopped in her tracks by the opposing team which consists of the older students from the local Razim Cokli elementary school east of the city of Strpce/Shterpce, Kosovo, on Apr. 28. She teamed up with the younger students who put up a good game against the older students, but lost nonetheless.

Join the conversation:

facebook.com/KFOR.MNBG.East flickr.com/photos/kfor-14

Spc. Tara Sawyer, a member of monitoring team seven with the Liaison Monitoring Team based in Roswell, N.M., tends to energize her team and is said to arrive at work motivated and prepared to tackle the day.

Sawyer plays football with a few children and their principal, Avni Limani, at the Razim Cokli school near Shterpce.

Staff Sgt. Joshua Ford, a team leader on team seven said, “She’s a good Soldier, I like working with her. She’s a good person, with a lot of motivation and she keeps the team going.”

Master Sgt. Anna Spears, administrative NCO to the commander of Multinational Battle Group East and her brother Spc. Daniel Apodaca, the commander’s driver, are serving their deployment on KFOR 14 working closely with one another.

Sgt. William Tamplen, left, and Sgt. Rance Tamplen, right, both work in the communications section of Multinational Battle Group East.

Spc. Leslie Rivera, a cashier with 928th Finance Detachment based in Lebanon, Pa., counts euros and dollars from a deposit made by a courier from the local post exchange here.

Siblings serving side-by-side

Soldiers of Finance: The 928th

story and photos by Spc. John A. Montoya

Master Sgt. Anna Spears, the commander’s administrative non-commissioned officer, and Spc. Daniel Apodaca, the commander’s driver are a brother a nd sis t er work ing closely with one another. They both answer directly to the commander and they see each other on a daily basis, said Spears. “It’s kind of nice, when we go out with the commander we’re together. The commander, h i s per sona l se c u r it y, a nd Danny’s driving,” said Spears.

This deployment gave both

story and photos by Spc. John A. Montoya

of t he S old ier s t he opp or- “Sometimes it’s nice, in case t u n i t y t o r e c o n n e c t w i t h I need a couple extra euro, I each other and help fight the can borrow it and I don’t have fe el i ng of bei ng home s ic k . to worry about paying it back r i g ht aw ay,” s a id W i l l i a m . “It’s actually nice, because when I get homesick I go spend “It’s nice, because I can hit some time with my brother,” him whenever I feel like it,” said said Spears. “I get to get that Rance. “I get the added bonus of family love f rom him and I having somebody, that if I hit I know that if I ever got in trou- could be ‘Hey it’s a family feud’.” ble he would be there with me.” William decided his choice Apodaca said, “We were real o f b r i n g i n g h i s b r o t h e r close growing up and as you a lon g on t he m i s s ion m ay grow older, get married, have have been made too quickly. chi ldren, you go your ow n separate ways, but being on “If you don’t get along and this deployment has definitely there’s a big rivalry, same rank, brought us back f ull circle.” same section, it’s probably not the best of ideas,” said William. Different siblings have different perspectives on being Sibling teams can work well, deployed together. The Tamplen or they can be a never-ending brothers, Sgt. Rance M. Tamplen sibling war, but families are a and Sgt. William M. Tamplen, key part of this mission. They both work in the communica- keep the mission going strong tions section with each other and regardless of whether your famthey have a slightly different take ily is thousands of miles away or on being deployed with a sibling. in the office next door.

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any Soldiers go on deployment and say goodbye to their families, but a few Soldiers have an opportunity to serve their deployments alongside family members. Although there are several pairs of family members serving on this deployment, this story is about siblings who serve side-by-side, day in, day out.

Lt. Col. Ricardo Giron, Task Force Falcon officer in charge of personnel, queues up at the finance office to make a deposit into his Savings Deposit Program.

oney, cash, greenbacks, euros, dollars, dinero or whatever you want to call it, the finance office here on Camp Bondsteel can handle Soldiers’ cash queries.

and what he puts out is what we go by.”

In addition to keeping Bondsteel up to date with the current rules and regulations the finance office is tracking any pay issues which may arise over the current impasse in Washington over raising the debt ceiling.

The 928th Financial Detachment based in Lebanon, Pa., is running the money operations here and making sure everyone is getting the money they are entitled to, said Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Bowman, the “The Soldiers pay is guaranteed for the rest of the non-commissioned officer in charge of the detachfiscal year,” said Bowman. ment and overall operations. Should questions or concerns arise, Bowman is The number of services the detachment proable to draw upon thirteen years of military finance vides is long, some of which include collecting and experience. disbursing funds, collecting funds for the Savings Deposit Program, disbursing funds for the local “I was a federal tech for my first five years in vendor’s contracts and selling meal tickets to the accounting and then I did three years in budgeting multinational soldiers, said Bowman. and for the last five years I’ve been the readiness non-commissioned officer for the finance company,” As well as providing the basic financial services said Bowman. for everyone on Bondsteel, the staff also provides those on Bondsteel with the most up to date rules The most interaction customers have with the and regulations in regards to military finance. employees at the finance office is usually with the cashiers and customer service representatives who “The most difficult aspect of our mission is foldeal with pay problems and the usual disburselowing regulations. When something new comes ments, such as withdrawing euros or depositing out or is based on the guidance we have, we then money into the savings deposit program. Customput it out to the Soldiers,” said Bowman. “1st Lt. ers usually speak with Soldiers like Spc. David McDonald is our disbursement officer and he gets P. Zeravsky, a customer service specialist at the Finance, P. 28 guidance from the 266th Finance out of Germany finance office.

Finance “I help customers with pay problems and entitlements and we figure out what they’re not getting paid and why they’re not getting it,” said Zeravsky.

Zeravsky also helps Soldiers fill out their Savings Deposit Program paperwork. “I handle anywhere between five and 40 people a day, depending on the day,” said Zeravsky.

The popularity of the savings deposit program has kept him busy.

“There are probably 15 to 20 people on the post who’ve maxed out the program. There are a lot of people using it,” he said.

By Capt. Jason D. Barber

itness professionals use specific principles to evaluate training programs and help clients achieve their goals. These principles are easily remembered with the acronym PROVRBS; Progression, Regularity, Overload, Variety, Recovery, Balance and Specificity. By applying these fitness principles any training program you may want to purchase or commit to can be evaluated for its effectiveness in relation to your fitness goals.

Occasionally large sums of physical money pass through cashiers hands.

Pfc. Curtis L. Witmer, a cashier, said, “We had Romanian and Hungarian paymasters come in and pay €88,000, which transferred over to $123,000. It was all in 500 euro notes, 176 of them. It was awesome. It’s like a Dodge Viper in your hands.” The Soldiers of the finance office are prepared to take care of the financial needs of Bondsteel, but if any Soldier needs to speak to a customer service representative at the finance office they should come prepared.

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“If they know they are going to have pay problems make sure they bring orders,” said Zeravsky. “If Although their job may seem somewhat mundane, they want to do a SDP deposit make sure they have the cashiers have the huge responsibility of hanan eagle cash card or something other than a credit dling large sums of money. or debit card.”

Zeravsky estimates that around $150,000 passes Any Soldiers having pay issues are in good hands. through the cashiers every week. The 928th is more than capable of taking care of Multinational Battle Group East, along with every“Most of our money is electronic funds transfer, one else living and working on Camp Bondsteel. so it’s mainly just a paper trail,” said Zeravsky.

Fitness

Progression: Following this principle means that you take a systematic approach to increasing t he physical demands over time. Progression could be used to increase an individual’s routine of performing long runs of 35 minutes and increase them to 60 minutes. The general rule-of-thumb with cardiovascular training is to progress time/distance by no more than 10% per week. Doing the math, you see that it will take about six weeks to safely progress from 35 to 60 minutes. R egul a r it y: Consistenc y can be one of the most difficult challenges of an exercise program. But there is no need to worry; even fluid programs are still effective. A technique used to stick with a training plan is to write out your goals for a week. This will allow you to visualize your goals. If for whatever reason you cannot do PT for two or more consecutive weeks, assume you’ve lost some degree of fitness. You should then resume PT at a lower level and gradually build back up. Endurance is lost faster than strength. Overload: To improve strength, endurance, or movement skills, you must provide a stimulus. This means moving outside your comfort zone by progressively lifting a little more, running a little faster or farther, or practicing agility drills that don’t come easy. It is extremely easy to overload, therefore the challenge is to do it intelligently. You must apply the principles of progression and recovery together with overload.

Variety: Researchers and trainers have learned that athletes maximize their potential by dedicating a given period of time to a particular aspect of physical development, then changing the focus at regular intervals. For example, many strength programs begin with the focus on mass-producing

workouts, then strength, later emphasizing general power training, and finally moving to activity-specific strength/power drills. Regular changes to workouts force the body to continue adapting. If you stay with the same routine, the body becomes accustomed to it and development slows. Change your resistance training program every 6-8 weeks. Maintaining variety in a program also helps to control overuse injuries. Recovery: The principle of recovery is related to the principles of overload and progression. Overload must be followed by some degree of recovery. Some workouts demand more recovery than others. Sessions that aggressively train speed, power, or heavy lifting should be followed by either a day of rest or PT that involves a moderate session of some other component. If you plan all your workouts to be “crush” sessions or total burnout sessions and don’t allow periods of rest or active rest, the body is likely to break down. Giving your body rest periods is more likely to produce gains in your performance. Balance: Means your program consistently incorporates training that develops strength, endurance, and movement skills that are pertinent to specific tasks that you regularly perform. It is important to note that you should consider developing all aspects of strength: strength-power, strength, strength-endurance. We use them all in one form or another all of the time. The balance philosophy should also be incorporated into cardiovascular training. Specificity: Every mission has an end state, a goal, an objective. Apply that same mindset with your fitness program. With that said, it doesn’t mean that every workout is a mirror of what you do to accomplish your mission, but that your program at some point stresses these specific activities.

It is important that you understand these simple rules that govern how fitness programs are set up. This knowledge gives you fire power to effectively evaluate your programs. There are many fitness plans available that have great marketing behind them and people that look great, but evaluate them using the PROVRBS philosophy to analyze their effectiveness in relation to your fitness goals. GOOD LUCK!

TRY THIS: Monday

core strength weight training aerobic training* flexibility training

Tuesday

core strength agility training anaerobic training* flexibility training

Wednesday

core strength weight training movement skills flexibility training

Thursday

core strength agility training aerobic training flexibility training

Friday

core strength weight training anaerobic training movement skills flexibility training

aerobic exercise: low intensity, long duration anaerobic exercise: high intensity, short duration

JAG

the report. It is your responsibility to look over and ensure that the report contains accurate and complete information. Although many people check their report only once a year, it is oftentimes better to monitor it at least 2-4 times per year with a credit monitoring service. If there is anything that is not accurate then this is where Capt. Donnial Hinds, legal the challenge will begin. The assistance & claims officer longer you wait to correct problems the more difficult and time he world of consumer consuming it may be to correct. c r e d i t i s mu r k y a nd filled with sharks allegTo c o r r e c t a n y i n a c c u r a ing that they can provide cies you must contact the credit quick fixes and short term solu- agency and provide them with tions to building a better credit documentation to support your report. Unfortunately, many of position. The credit reporting these so called programs to fix company must investigate the and repair your credit cannot do item in question. If the investigawhat they promise and are only tion doesn’t resolve the dispute a temporary fix to a long term you can request that a notation problem. Only time, a deliberate of dispute be made in your file. effort and a plan to repay your bills will improve your credit as When negative information in indicated in your credit report. the report is accurate, only the passage of time can assure its The first step to improving your removal. Most accurate negative credit report is obtaining a copy of information can only be reported

Safety T

he Station Nightclub Fire occurred in West Warwick, R.I. in 2003. This fire claimed the lives of 100 people and injured approximately 230 people. The entire building was engulfed in flames within five minutes. In three minutes, the billowing smoke inside of the building prevented people from breathing or seeing where the doors were.

citizens, as well as soldiers of other nations, have to the culture, history and ancestors who labored over and lived upon the land.

Also, it is a good idea to make sure that your credit file reflects all credit accounts especially those in good standing or those which have been paid off. Having accounts in good standing has the potential to raise your credit score which in turn can put more money in your pocket. The better the credit report the better deals and opportunities may be offered.

For more infor mat ion, www.ftc.gov is a great resource to assist in building better credit. It provides sample dispute and inquiry letters. Your local legal assistance judge advocate can also assist in drafting let ters of dispute, letters of settlement and negotiations with creditors. The road to better credit starts with you.

you evacuate quickly:

1 Never block exit doors 2 A 32” wide pathway must be maintained 3 No fastening devices may be placed on doors 4 Readily visible exit signs mark exit doors T her e a r e r u le s i n pl ac e her e at C a mp 5 Evacuation plans are Bonds t eel to help prevent such f ires f rom posted in plain sight Maj. Harvey Johnson, occurring and from accelerating if one does: 6 Coordinate and conMNBG E safety officer duct fire drills periodi1 Do not hang blankets or poncho liners cally 2 No open flames or candles Some items sold in the PX are not allowed to be 3 Extension cords are only for temporary purposes used inside of the living quarters. A sign should 4 Power transformers, coffee pots, lamps, microwaves, be on the shelf advising customers of the restricand refrigerators may not be plugged into power strips tion. Some of these items may include toaster 5 Do not “daisy chain” power strips ovens, space heaters, hot plates, and candles. 6 Keep barbeque grills at least 15 feet from any building Fi r e i s one of t he mos t overlooke d a nd 7 Smoking is not permitted inside buildings

Chaplain

for seven years, however bankruptcies can be reported for up to ten years. If it has been longer than the prescribed period of t i me you c a n r e ques t t o have this information removed.

underrated hazards by many people, and yet In the event that a fire does start, give yourself the it can be devast ating to lives and proper t y. best chance possible to escape. Know where all exits in the building are – not just the door you walked Fires a re prevent able when we fol low a in through. The below rules are designed to help few simple rules and take some precautions.

A s d i ver s e c u l t u r e s , l a ng uages and relig ious belief s interac t , t here are t wo possible results: the “blending” or “ blanding ” of t radit ions and heritage. With “blending”, the diverse histor y, w isdom, and traditions are remembered and celebrated. W hen “ blanding” occurs, like an overcooked stew, the stories, wisdom, lived experience, and traditions are lost.

society: “Although religions have different beliefs about God and man, the social, psychological, and spiritual needs of a human community are met in their faith practice. It is in the context of addressing human need that peoples of faith can communicate.”(The Army Chaplain, Spring , 2009, pg 8) Religious beliefs and practices help society to define and celebrate life. Religion helps us in directing, explaining and setting standards for the journey of life. Its ceremonies become rites of passage and lines of demarcation in the phases of life. Parents are able to draw from the well of religious traditions to help form and prepare their children to live as a part of the human community.

The histor y and cult ure of each group are intrinsically tied Chaplain (Capt.) Jeffrey Hicks, to religious beliefs and practices. When religion has been Deputy Chaplain used as an excuse for conflicts between people, we often forPossibly one of the greatest gifts nother month has passed get the positive contributions of we bring as a nation of differing and ser ving with you religious traditions to society. religious beliefs and traditions is in this area of diverse experience in developing common culture, language and Chaplain Chet Lanious affirms values and honoring our diversity. religious belief has been interest- the positive contributions that ing to say the least. I am impressed religion can make for fostering G o d ’s b l e s s i n g t o e a c h with the connection that the local understanding and cooperation in o f y o u a n d y o u r f a m i l i e s .

Moment for music

Lt. Col. Larry Wilbanks, deputy commander of Multinational Battle Group East, plays the laouto, a traditional Greek instrument similar to a mandolin, prior to a lunch meeting with U.S., French, Moroccan, and Ukrainian soldiers. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Evan V. Lane)

Never Broken

From Bataan to the Balkans