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The Centaur Roll Call 3-6 Field Artillery
Preparation for a deployment takes more than just pre-
paring the Soldier for the mission. Spouses, children, and
parents need time and help understanding what the effects
of a deployment means to them. For a spouse and child,
this event can mean a parent relying on themselves to ac-
complish things around the house and the day to day
events of the family. For a parent it may be not talking to
their Soldier daily or weekly. One way or another in relation
to that Soldier, deployments can take a change on a per-
sons psyche.
Anyone who’s been through multiple deployments will
tell you that each deployment is different; different mission,
different place, different ways of communicating back
home. However, sitting down with your spouse or loved
ones prior to deployment and going through things can
make a difference. First, attend the Predeployment Brief for
your unit. 3-6 Field Artillery will conduct our brief on the 7th
of Nov at 10am & 6pm at the Main Post Auditorium (Post
Theater). Now, no one wants to go to a meeting to hear
about what you already know is coming up; a deployment.
But, there is good information that can help make that Sol-
dier and their families life a little bit easier. Commanders
brief on what they know about the deployment, conditions,
mail, communication and so on to ease the families’ minds
and know that their Soldier is in good hands with their Com-
mand. Agencies brief what they can provide, financial plan-
ning, where to find help and assistance, or someone to talk
to. Scenarios are brought up for your benefit to realize the
importance of getting things together, having a plan, and
then having a contingency plan for when plan A falls
through. Don’t be that Soldier who leaves their family unpre-
pared for something that could have easily been prevented.
I cannot stress enough the importance of attending, no mat-
ter how many deployments you have been through.
Things get rough around the house and at times it feels
like things are falling apart. From personal experience, my
husband deployed and things just happened. The garage
doors quit opening, my car started making noises that
sounded like it was going to croak over at any minute, loss
of a dog, the lawn mower wouldn’t start, when it did start
the self propel belt tore off, and the list goes on. As spouses
and family members of Soldiers, we all go through events
that feels like they will break us, but in reality can make us
stronger in the end. We all are tested, but it is how we buck
up and face these tests that makes us stronger. They hurt to
the core, and even anger you that you are dealing with this
alone. But, remember you are not alone. Many before you
have gone through their own set of tests. It is about reach-
ing out to that person; that battle buddy at 2AM and know-
ing everything will be fine and you will make it through this
hurdle.
Spouses and parents, please get involved in your Soldier’s
unit. Find out who the FRG Leader is, when there are FRG
Meetings, and go to them or get the information from those
meetings. Being active is a great way to meet new people
whether you are local or far away. Meet other family mem-
bers going through what you are about to go through, be
that voice to suggest meetings with other mommies or
forming a group to exercise together. Parents can volunteer
with the FRG as a key Caller or organizing morale packages
to send to the troops. The FRG is here to help provide ad-
vice, support, and referral on a problem you may have.
Kimberley Williams, FRSA
OCTOBER 2012 Page 1
Headquarters & Headquarters Battery Gladiators
SPCs Meneses, Spearman, and Tiner being pro-moted to Corporal.
OCTOBER 2012
A Huge thanks to the HHB FRG Volunteers: Mindy Thompson, Cindy Aldana, Ruthie Van Orman, Kathryn
Peacock, Myndee Ellis, Christina Hackler, Emily Smith, Amy Tiner, Kelly Hecker, Brenda Bejar.
Swift and Bold Soldiers and Families, I want to
start out by telling you how immensely awesome
the Gladiator Soldiers are. In the last two months
they have supported the first Division Field
Training Exercise that has occurred in the last
ten years. Not only did they support it, but they
set the bar for other Battalions to aim for. Then
less than a month later we deployed to the Na-
tional Training Center in Ft Irwin California. Most
units have 6 months to a year to plan for this
mission; well the Swift and Bold Battalion did it
in 4 weeks. Not only that but we got there and
accomplished the mission with excellence. The
Battery actually made the job of the Observer/
Controllers (O/Cs) more difficult because they
did such a good job in the field that it was harder
for the O/Cs to find something for us to improve
on. Then we redeployed to Ft Drum and haven’t
missed a beat. These Soldiers are awesome, and
I don’t get to tell them that enough.
Things in the future are not slowing down
though. A decent amount of us are preparing to
go to Afghanistan next year and that requires a
lot of training. We have identified the team that
will deploy and now we are preparing. While that
means a lot of training there is also a lot of time
off on the calendar. I encourage all of you to
make the most of this time off, because the time
you have with family now is extremely valuable
when you consider that we will be gone for nine
months. We will have a lot of briefings also that I
encourage families to attend. Some of you have
never had your husband deploy, or you weren’t
married during his last deployment. There is a lot
to know. I also encourage you to prepare for the
winter. If you have never experienced a winter in
Northern NY or last winter was your only experi-
ence, then you may be in for a surprise. Make
sure the kids are prepared as well.
In closing I would like to stress that if you
ever need anything from me or the commander,
our phones are always on, and our doors are al-
ways open. I would like to say a final thank you
to the Gladiator Families for all that you do. I
know we ask a lot of you, but your support for
your Soldier is amazing.
GLADIATOR 7
Page 2
OCTOBER 2012
Over the past couple of months, the Sons of
Alpha trained more than most units train in an
entire year and did it with panache. The men of
Alpha Battery vindicated their already well
wrought reputation as empirically best battery in
the Division through their hard work, flexibility,
and outstanding performance over a multitude
of short notice and momentous training exer-
cises.
On 15 JUL 2012, the battery returned from
block leave and hit the ground running. After a
week of rigorous preparations and certifications,
the battery took to the field once again as the
premiere firing battery in support of Operation
Mountain Peak, which was the largest division
exercise in 11 years. Over the 10 day exercise,
the men of Alpha Battery performed flawlessly,
masterfully firing 1707 rounds in support of five
simultaneous infantry maneuver lanes, receiving
praise from the Commanding General and Dep-
uty Commanding General of Operations for its
exemplary performance. During the operation,
the battery received fidelity that it would be tak-
ing part in a National Training Center (NTC) rota-
tion in Fort Irwin, California, in August, and that
half the battery would transition to the M777A2
weapon system.
Immediately coming off of Mountain Peak, the
battery immediately jumped into simultaneous
recovery operations, NTC preparation and con-
tainer outload, and M777A2 transition training.
Alpha Battery Sons of Alpha
The men of Alpha Battery displayed remarkable
resilience in this tumultuous period. Sections
transitioned from a light M119A2 105mm howit-
zer to medium M777A2 155mm howitzer. In a pe-
riod of two weeks, the sections took on the com-
pletely new and complex weapon system that
they have never seen before and mastered the
crew drills, culminating with a 54 round live fire
exercise that went off without a hitch. All the
while, sections were inventorying, packing, and
shipping out their containers to NTC, which is
onerous task in its own right.
With barely enough time to blink an eye, our
men were on a plane destined Fort Irwin, Califor-
nia, where the plane ride itself provided a wel-
comed five hour respite from the chaos. Once
the entire battery had arrived, the training en-
sued. The men of Alpha Battery geared up for the
“box,” conducting a panoply of logistical tasks
and prepatory training in the staging area, rightly
known as the Dust Bowl. Upon entering the box,
the battery performed exceedingly well, firing
over 100 105mm rounds and over 600 155mm
rounds in support of STX lanes and during Force
on Force operations. Additionally, the battery
was lauded by the NTC trainers as being the best
battery they have seen in years.
The Sons of Alpha continue on its historic
journey, transitioning the battery in its entirety to
M777A2s in preparation for an impending de-
ployment in support of OEF. In late October the
battery will conduct a three-day LFX, where the
battery will certify its new M777A2s sections and
conduct air assault sling load operations.
Continued on page 4
A Huge thanks to the Alpha Battery FRG Volunteers: Jill Burke, Genessee Brinker, Katie Parker,
Michelle Johnson, & Stephanie Holcombe.
Page 3
Most of you probably can’t remember when
you were enjoying uninterrupted time with your
Service member. Since returning from some
time off after NTC the Sons of Alpha went right
into section certification for Mountain Peak
where all your Soldiers excelled beyond expec-
tations. This was about the same time most of
you heard about the upcoming mission to Af-
ghanistan and the more recent time spent apart
while your Soldier was in California. Busy isn’t
even the word for our current OPTEMPO. The
Soldiers of Alpha Battery are currently conduct-
ing inventories for upcoming Change of Com-
mand while attending classes on the different
communication platforms, conducting weapons
qualifications, and preparing to go to the field
for the week of 22 October. That’s a mammoth
task, however all of your Soldier’s are taking it in
stride and continuing to perform at the highest
level. All is not lost; there is plenty of time off
coming in the near future, multiple four day
weekends and block leave. We will have a family
readiness group meeting today and I highly en-
courage all and any family members or friends
of Alpha to attend. We will discuss the upcom-
ing deployment and the numerous training
events.
I would like to take this time not to recognize
any one Soldier, but to recognize the battery and
the Soldiers in the battalion for all the resiliency
they have shown over the past couple months.
All -
ROCK 7
OCTOBER 2012
2nd
Platoon, Alpha Battery, conducts a training
AIR MEDEVAC during NTC Rotation 12-10 at Fort
Irwin, California.
Continued
I just want to say thank you to families,
friends, and FRG of the Sons of Alpha for all
their support during the high operational tempo
that we have endured. There is a method to
madness, and the bottom line is that winning
happens in practice. Our goal is to prepare the
battery to the utmost, so that it is combat ready
and will win in combat once it is called upon to
do so. We couldn’t do it without your support.
“The strength of our families, is the strength of
our Soldiers, is the strength of our nation.” The
good news is that there is substantial time off in
the near future, and your Soldiers will be avail-
able for some quality time, so plan accordingly. I
appreciate what you do! ROCK SOLID!
-Rock 6
SSG Diaz of 1st
Pla-
toon, Alpha Battery,
motivates his sec-
tion during STX live
fire exercise at Fort
Irwin, CA
Page 4
OCTOBER 2012
Welcome to the Rock:
PV2 Baker
PFC Bertram
PV2 Bolds
SPC Boyle
PFC Breene
SPC Brown
PFC Cash
PFC Day
PFC Deforest
PV2 Dixon
PV2 Duarte
PV2 Galbraith
SSG Garant
PV2 Garcia
SPC Garibay
PFC Gomez
SSG Graham
PVT Hall
SSG Hall
SPC Haughton
SGT Hernandez
SPC Herring
PFC Hibbard
PFC Holcombe
SGT Howard
PVT Jones
PFC Kundert
PFC Kwasnik
PV2 Mcqueen
CPL Meneses
PVT Mevissen
PFC Miles
Alpha Continued...
2nd PLT, Alpha Battery, conducts M777A2 live fire
training at FDNY in Aug 2012, marking the first time in
the Centaur Battalion’s history that it has fired
M777A2s.
SFC Newton
PVT Owens
SSG Pennington
1LT Rinaldi
SGT Stevens
PFC Walston
PV2 Whittaker
Congratulations to the
following Soldiers on
their awards:
SSG Rhodus
SSG Rose
SPC Johnson
SPC Frechette
SPC Benson
PFC Hughes
PV2 Owens
Congratulations to the
following families for
their new additions to
Sons of Alpha:
SPC Brandon
SPC McFarland
SPC Towzen
2nd PLT Prepares to fire the Excalibur Round at
Fort Irwin, CA.
2nd PLT prepares to fire high angle during
M777A2 transition live fire training in AUG
2012 at FDNY.
Page 5
fires, firing over 300 rounds in close coordina-
tion with dismounted Soldiers and aircraft. The
Battery was commended by the trainers at NTC
for its performance as one of the best firing
units they have seen.
The Battery has also undergone a lot of
changes in the past few months. The Battalion
has changed its task organization in order to
support the upcoming deployment. As a result,
the Battery has lost 25 Soldiers as they are now
spread out between HHB and A Battery. I would
like to thank those who have joined other Batter-
ies for the deployment for all their hard work in
making Bravo what it is today and wish them the
best of luck during their upcoming mission. The
remainder of the Battery will continue to train on
key artillery skills in order to maintain profi-
ciency and prepare for future operations. The
Battery will remain busy in the coming months
with supporting pre-deployment training for the
BCT and Battalion, to include a field exercise
from 05 – 09 November. The Battery will be firing
in support of the Brigade’s Security Force Assis-
tance Teams as well as certifying new section
chiefs in the fire direction center and on the
gunline.
Finally, there will be a change of command
ceremony on 01 November as CPT Rodney Bun-
yan will take over as the new commander of
Bravo Battery. Although it is difficult to leave
such an outstanding unit, I know that this Bat-
tery will continue to excel in accomplishing its
mission and that CPT Bunyan will be successful.
It has truly been an honor to command this or-
ganization and I wish all the Soldiers and fami-
lies good luck in all their future endeavors.
Ryan W. Graf
Bulls Deep!
OCTOBER 2012
A Huge thanks to the Bravo Battery FRG Volunteers: Tessa Conaway, Chelsey Dingbaum,
& Brittney York.
It has been a busy few months for the Sol-
diers of Bravo Battery. Since our past newsletter
in June, the Battery commenced its busy sum-
mer schedule by supporting the Cadet Summer
Training Program at the United States Military
Academy (USMA) in West Point, NY. The Battery
performed flawlessly as they trained over 1,400
Sophomore cadets in fire mission processing,
advanced party procedures and howitzer crew
drills. The Bulls of Bravo supervised and as-
sisted cadets as they fired 7,700 rounds without
incident. The Soldiers of the Battery were com-
mended on their performance by the Deputy
Commanding General of Operations for 10th
Mountain Division, the Commandant of Cadets at
USMA, the Commander of 4th BCT 10th Mountain
Division and the fire support cadre at USMA.
They represented not only 3-6 FA, but the 10th
Mountain Division proudly and I could not be
more pleased with their performance.
The Battery was also tasked to support a Na-
tional Training Center (NTC) Rotation at Fort Ir-
win, CA in August and September. The Soldiers
performed above expectations during the rota-
tion given the short notice of the deployment and
minimum manning throughout the sections. The
Battery supported maneuver Situational Training
Exercises (STX) for the Brigade with indirect
Bravo Battery Bulls
SGT Featherston super-vising cadets as they load a 105mm round.
Page 6
OCTOBER 2012
The Soldiers of Bravo Battery participated in two
big events over the Summer, from the United
States Military Academy (USMA) summer train-
ing at West Point NY to the National Training
center (NTC) rotation at Fort Irwin, CA. The Sol-
diers performed superbly during both events
and proved once again that they are well trained
to perform their wartime duties if and when
called upon. I am proud and confident in the Sol-
diers of Bravo Battery and looking forward to
continue building on this Battery already great
reputation.
Farewell
SSG Roy -Recruiting
SGT Abbate- Recruiting
SGT Peterson- ETS
SGT Lester- PCS to Fort Benning
Thank you for your service to our great nation
and especially to the BULLS, you will be missed.
Hails
As we say farewell to these outstanding Sol-
diers, I would like to welcome the newly as-
signed members of our team. I have no doubt
that they will be an asset to our team.
SFC Mullin, SSG Leiter, SPC Wolosyzn
The following Soldiers have been a part of the
Swift and Bold Battalion for a little while, but
FIRST SERGEANT CORNER
have recently joined the Bulls team and are wel-
come with open arms.
SSG Odell, SGT Barilani, SGT Griffith, SGT
Glass, SGT Estep, SGT Bostwick, SPC Brandon,
SPC Dray, PFC Paiz
Promotion
1 August 2012 we had the honor and privilege to
promote SPC Alcantara to the rank of Sergeant.
Getting promoted is a great accomplishment es-
pecially to the Ranks of an NCO. It not only dis-
tinguishes the individual from their peers, but it
comes with the responsibilities to teach, coach
and mentor our nation’s greatest resource; an
American Soldier. With these newly given re-
sponsibilities, I have no doubt that SGT Alcan-
tara will accomplishment them all and even ex-
ceed expectations. Congratulations.
SPC Alvarez training a cadet on fire direction center operations at West Point.
Page 7
pany. I am very fortunate to be a part of such an
outstanding organization and am thankful to all
the Soldiers and their families who make this
Company the best Forward Support Company in
the Brigade!
“Strength through Support!”
CPT Keith Carroll
Guardian 7
From the First Sergeant:
Over the past couple months Golf Company
have had new Soldiers come into the Guardian
family and Soldiers that have been recognized
for overall duty performance by means of
awards and promotions. We welcome PFC
Pereida, PV2 McQueen, and PV2 Gracia to Golf
Company. We also had 2 babies born into the
Guardian Family: SPC Acevedo son (Stephen
Thomas) and SSG Hibbert daughter (Nyssa
Naomi) Soldiers have received awards for their
contribution to the mission of 3-6 FA during NTC
10-12: SSG Southern, CPL Mahaffey, SPC For-
rester, and SPC Robinson. The following Sol-
diers have been promoted to the rank of Special-
ist: PFC Mitchell and PFC Marzett .
“Strength through Support!”
1SG Toby Gibson
Guardian 7
OCTOBER 2012
From the Commander:
The Soldiers of Golf Company have been
working hard to support the greatest battalion in
the Army. The majority of the Company deployed
to the National Training Center in September in
support of the Battalion and during our time in
beautiful Southern California, we supported the
Battalion with timely delivery of ammunition,
fuel, and other supplies in less than ideal condi-
tions. The distribution platoon had zero safety
incidents in delivering ammunition to the firing
batteries over a two week period to include driv-
ing at night with no white light and with the use
of Night Vision Devices. The Maintenance Pla-
toon supported the fight at the National Training
Center by working countless hours keeping the
Battalion’s vehicles and howitzers in full mission
capable condition. Our cooks worked tirelessly
preparing and serving thousands of meals to the
Brigade during the NTC rotation. Our Soldiers
who stayed at Fort Drum worked just as hard
keeping the Battalion’s rear detachment operat-
ing flawlessly. Over the past couple of weeks,
the Company have enjoyed some well deserved
time off with friends and family. The next coming
weeks will have the Company supporting the
Battalion in various field exercises to include
small arms ranges and Battery live fire exercises
and anything else that is required to support the
Battalion. The months of November and Decem-
ber will have the Company continuing support of
the Battalion as we prepare for the Battalion’s
upcoming deployment in January. The Guardi-
ans have lost some great Soldiers either due to
PCS or end of army service recently but are ex-
cited about the new Guardians joining the Com-
Golf Guardians
A Huge thanks to the Golf Company FRG Volunteers: Rachel Hirons, Patricia Navarro,
Kisha Elliot, Lisa Carroll, Shawna Robinson, Carol Natarelli, & Amanda Van Heel
Page 8