38 EN CO Newsletter (Vol 1 Iss 1) v2

8/2/2019 38 EN CO Newsletter (Vol 1 Iss 1) v2

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Letters from the Breach Volume 1, Issue 1Page 2 of 12

You know-theres been times, but itshard to say. Its such a team sport. Itstoo difficult for me to just say I be-cause I didnt do any of this by myself.You could take me out the equationand the mission is still gonna happen.I consider myself an assistant and ahelp rather than the guy that makesthe decision.

But from talking with yourselfand with those around you, youthrive in the fight. Its your ele-ment.I guess you could say that. I guess itsbeen ingrained in me over the years. I

been in almost 15 years, so I guess itsingrained in me. I will say my pride istaking a group of men, forming theminto a cohesive team and watchingthem grow within that. Thats my

pinnacle moment. Thats what I loveto do.

You mention the collective men-torship. Tell me about the indi-

vidual mentorship.Its hard to pinpoint what I do because

theres such a variety of things I do tolead. Its basically coming to know

that Soldier, where he comes from,what he responds to and adaptingleadership based on that. Knowingwhere hes trying to go and helping to

facilitate that. Definitely it requires you to go kinetic at times and othertimes be more passive (soft knockapproach). Its all situationally based.Knowing that you cant put all youreggs in one basket. You have to have awide variety of tools.

Tell me about trying to balanceyour personal life with your pro-

fessional life.Definitely that is 100% my wife. Sheis my number one fan and supporter.Shes the one that keeps me balanced.I try to apologize to her because this

job takes up a lot of my time we got asix month old girl and shes trying tobalance a lot of stuff on her own. Its asalute to her actually. The balance

comes from her end. She knows that Ilove what I do here and supports me init. I told her Im giving Uncle Sam 20

years and she gets me forever.

Aside from the input youvalready given, what advice wouldyou give someone who wants tobecome a leader in the Army(38th Engineers)?Id say flexibility is key. Sometimes

you need a field dressing, sometimes a

tourniquet. Were in a high-demandrole. Under-strength at times, but

flexibility and attitude will be yousuccess. Walk around with your chest

out and your chin up because as aleader youre constantly watched. YourSoldiers watch everything about you.Its not sayin youre not human andcant have a bad day, but definitelykeep a good attitude and be flexibleand confident. Ive been a loyal mem-ber of this Company for a long time,and Ive seen a lot of changes, butthats what the Army is. Change. Itschangin right now as we speak.

Anything else you want to add?Gotta say Ive become a better person,

a better Soldier bein a member of 38th Engineers. I will miss everyone fromthis Company both past and present.It got bumpy at times, but we wereable to pull through it. Thats it.

SFC Burtons demeanor ischanged. His guard is down. Hiseyes softened, almost sad,fiercely proudas if he weresending a son off to college andthis is the moment right beforethe sideways hug and firm hand-shake. But this time when the

Lincoln pulls out of the drivewayit is we at 38th Engineers who watch it leave and wave ougoodbyes. Ahead of SFC Bur-ton are warmer weather and anew challenge. Behind him is agrateful and improved Companydue to his leadership.

Since SFC Burton is PCSingsoon, I (2LT Sorensen) sat down

with him to ask about his experi-ence with the 38th EngineerCompany. SFC Burton is visi-bly agitated, almost pained. Heshakes his head and smiles thatcourteous I hate this, but Illhave a good attitude because Ihave to smile.

This is hard its hard for me to be

talkin about myself. Youll have toask me some questions.

When did you arrive to 38 th EN?

I arrived here 10 June 2005 as anE5 promotable. My first job was as ateam leader in 2nd Platoon, 3rdSquad.

Then you became a SquadLeader in 2nd Platoon as well?Roger. Then a Platoon Sergeant in 1stPlatoon.

What deployments did you ex-perience with the 38th Engi-neers?I went twice with Operation Iraqi

Freedom. First in 2007 and then in2010. The first was during the surge.It was probably the toughest of all (mydeployment) fights. This last deploy-ment was interesting.

Interesting? Why would youdescribe it as interesting?It just seemed so clich. I helped on theinitial push into Iraq and then havinthe opportunity to lead the Brigadeback in 2010. It was a defining mo-ment. I was proud of my guys; they dida good job.

Obviously you know Iraq.I probably know Iraq better than Iknow my own hometown.

Any specific experiences thatyou would say your leadershipreally stood out? Any times youfeel that defined you as a leader?

First platoon, hellhounds

2LT Travis Sorensen (Sapper 1-6), SFC Tyson McElhaney (Sapper 1-7)


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ing the CALFEX each squadcompleted live breaches of amine-wire obstacle while mortarsand infantry fired overhead.

Their precision and timing dur-ing the breach exemplified ourgreatness to the BDE Com-mander and allowed freedom ofmaneuver for the assaulting in-fantry. Also while at Yakima, weexecuted a force on force mis-sion with 1-38 IN BN where weseized a foothold for the Bri-gade, executed the BrigadeQuick Reaction Force mission,conducted close quarters marks-

manship and demolitions ranges,trained on and executed the firstbreach with the Lane MarkingSystem, executed a gap crossing

with the MSP, and much more. While our time in the field waslong and cold, we executed greattraining, stayed highly motivated,and showed the rest of the Bri-gade that the Outlaws can takeon any mission and execute withgreatness.

Transitioning out of Yakima, webegan recovery; yet, we stayed

very busy. While we completed

recovery, we moved to a newbarracks and moved motorpools.

We also executed a Ruck, Drag,Shoot competition where ourSquads were given a mission,and 90-minutes later had to ruckto a M4 range, drag a SKEDCO,and, while still stressed, executea barrier shoot. Our 2nd squadand 1st squad took first and 2nd

respectively out of the wholecompany. We then ran a Qualifi-cation range for the whole BN.

With the start of this newsletter, we are going to highlight an

outstanding Outlaw with eachissue. PFC Wongkee Fine is thisissues selection. Despite comingoff of surgery, PFC Fine dis-played exceptional motivationduring all tasks, including themost physically strenuous. Heperformed exceptionally withouta single complaint. PFC Finealso excelled as the grapple manfor 2nd Squad and as one of thetop M249 SAW gunners in thecompany.

Since the beginning of the New Year, the Outlaws of 2nd Pla-toon have been quite busy pre-paring, executing, and recoveringfrom YTC. In January, we sup-ported 1-38 Infantry Battalionand 2-1 Cavalry with their prepa-rations and planning for YTC byexecuting the Virtual Combined

Arms Live Fire Exercise andteaching them the ins and outsof breaching. Following fieldpreparations, inspections, andpack-out, we made our coldjourney to Yakima through therain, sleet, and snow.

In our third Yakima rotation weproved once again that 2nd Pla-toon is the unit of choice forSapper operations. Some majorhighlights from YTC wereStryker Gunnery and the BDECombined Arms Live Fire Exer-cise (CALFEX). During Gun-nery, our squads performed wellbeyond expectations. All four ofour Strykers qualified, and twosuccessfully engaged 100% oftheir targets, which no other

squad did in the whole BN. Dur-

second platoon, outlaws

1LT Andrew Mellon (Sapper 2-6), SSG John Yost (Sapper 2-7)

Third platoon, war pigs

2LT Brian Moscicki (Sapper 3-6), SFC Brandon Babyak (Sapper 3-7)

In the last two weeks we havebeen back from Yakima, wehave recovered ourselves andequipment, moved all of our

vehicles and attachments fromthe old motor pool to the newone, and moved into our new

offices and barracks in Building3278. Our Platoon continues tosucceed and improve. It hasbeen quite a ride so far, but wehave a lot more training on ourcalendars, including the Warrior

Training Tasks at the end of themonth, which will be a valida-tion of our training.

It is my goal to keep our Soldiersand their families informed. OurFamily Readiness Group (FRG)is getting under way, and is agood source for information.

The FRG Point of Contac(POC) for 3RD PLT is SSG Sta-

ceys wife, Tera. We are devel-oping our FRG as we speak, sothe flow of information will getbetter over time. It was a pleas-ure to inform you on what yourSoldiers have accomplished insuch a short time, and I see goodtraining for our Platoon in thefuture.

Greetings to 3Rd PLT family andfriends from the Platoon Leader-ship, 2LT Moscicki, the PlatoonLeader and SFC Babyak, thePlatoon SGT. Since we havetaken charge at the beginning ofthe year, its been our pleasure to

command your sons or friends.With only two and half monthsdown for the year, we have al-ready completed a 30-day tour tothe Yakima Training Center andhave completed three rangesincluding a zeroing range, astress shoot, and a M4 qualifica-tion.


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our increased proficiency by emplac-ing and retrieving the REBS for the

Brigade Commander and DeputyCommander. MSP, with the help of1st and 2nd Platoons, planned andexecuted a tactical scenario includingmachine gun and artillery simulatorsthat required the REBS for success.SGT Canales and SPC Rolon effort-lessly exceeded the standard, tacti-cally bridging a 30-foot anti-tankditch (emplaced by our very ownHeavy Equipment Operators atnight while conducting 24-houroperations) in less than 12 minutes.

This speed, without sacrificing safetyor standards, is a mission-critical partof what we do. By the end of Raider

Focus, all 12Cs, to include the mostjunior Bridge Crew members, PFCChandler and PV2 Eanes, were ableto launch the REBS in under 12minutes. We were even recognizedin an on-line article for excellence inall Bridging tasks.

The Chucks were not the only MSPSoldiers performing tasks that turnedheads at Raider Focus. MSPs HeavyEquipment Operators got an un-precedented amount of operatortraining: daily trips to the EngineerDig Site, filling in fighting positionsfrom the BDE Defensive TEWT,

digging gray-water pits and backblad-ing damaged terrain in the Training

Areas. Digging gray-water pits, whilenot the most glamorous of jobs,enabled the Brigades Field Feeding

Teams to prepare hot chow for allSoldiers in the Brigade. Withoutthem, Soldiers would have beeneating MREs for 30 days (not fun).

After a month of Stryker traffic,much of the terrain at YTC wasscarred with ruts from tires. Back-blading these ruts into a smoothsurface allowed the Brigade to clearout of YTC with minimal environ-mental damage. This work received

recognition from the YTC GarrisonCommander, LTC Daniels.

On a slightly more somber note, anessential member of the MSP team,SFC Williams will be PCSing toHawaii in the very near future. He

will be missed and rememberedespecially for his leadership duringthe 2009-2010 deployment to Iraq.

Our new Platoon Sergeant, SFC Winn, has come on board and will

undoubtedly fill those shoes quicklyand without issue.

Back from YTC, MSP has refocusedand is ready to train again. We havealready planned and run a Ruck,Drag, and Shoot Squad-level rangein which our Squads took 3rd and 4th

out of 10 Squads. Next on the hori-zon is Warrior Task Training, apossible helicopter sling-load opera-tion with the REBS, and preparationfor NTC. Needless to say, the nextfew months will be just as exciting asthe last.

Thanks for your continued support!

Hello friends, family, Bridgers andHeavy Equipment Operators, both

past and present! The MobilitySupport Platoon (MSP) has much toreport!

The Winter of 2011-2012 has beenextremely busy and very productivein spite of the typically tropicalPacific Northwest weather. Betweenthe Company Change of Command,getting our Rapidly Emplaced BridgeSystems (REBS) back from refit, andsending all Bridgers to a 2-weekclass, we barely found time tosqueeze in a 30-day trip to the

Yakima Training Center (YTC). Your support and your Soldiers

flexibility and professionalism en-sured that all missions were accom-plished above the standard and pre-pared us for success.

As part of a Company Change ofCommand, the unit has to lay out allof its assigned property in order forit to be inventoried. This is one waythe Army ensures that equipmentdoes not get lost or misplaced.MSPwith our 6 HMEE backhoes,6 DEUCE bulldozers, 4 REBSbridges, 4 CBT bridge transportersand 2 HMMWVshas nearly asmuch property as the rest of the

Company combined and with muchless manpower; however, our Sol-diers rose to the occasion, flawlesslyorganizing equipment and paper-

work, proving our ability to maintainaccountability of all assigned vehi-cles, sets, kits, and outfits.

While the Change of CommandInventory was happening, all ofMSPs 12C, or Chucks, attended a13-day class about operating theRapidly Emplaced Bridge System.

This training, instructed by Govern-ment civilians who live, eat, andbreathe the REBS on a daily basis,

was very technically challenging andrequired our Chucks to study hardand execute well. All of them passedthe testing at the end of the course,greatly increasing our ability to pro-

vide mobility support to the entireBrigade.

During Operation Raider Focus at YTC, we were able to demonstrate

Mobility support platoon, mobility mafia

1LT Philip Cotter (Sapper 4-6), SFC Eric Winn (Sapper 4-7)


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Greetings, I have so much information to share with you and your families! I would first like to thank Tera Stacey and Krystal Tirey for stickingwith us through the Change of Command. I would also like to extend my gratitude and a big thank you to Elisha McCann, Leslie Sorensen, andJessica Moscicki for coming on board and agreeing to give their time to the families of the 38 th.

Many of you may or may not know that the FRG is driven by volunteers for the purpose of creating a network of resources and support forfamilies. As the FRG Leader, my first priority for our FRG is to make sure relevant information is reaching all of our families. We are doingthis through our Company Facebook page, e-mail distribution via our current roster, and now through our company newsletter. If we are notcontacting you and you would like to hear from us, please email me at [email protected] we can add you to our roster. Also,be sure to join us for our next FRG meeting on Tuesday, March 20 at 6:00 p.m. in building 3278 (the new Company Bldg.).

I am excited to get our FRG off the ground and running. We have a lot of new faces and ideas and would love for everyone to be a part of it.Each Platoon has one Point of Contact (POC); feel free to get in touch with them via the e-mail address listed on the back page of the newslet-ter. We will be holding our first fundraiser on April 9th during the Land Navigation portion of the Battalion EIB/WTT testing. We will have afood booth for 2 hours and need help manning the booth. If you are interested in getting involved get in touch with your POC.

On a final note, I would like to tell you about one more project we are working on. We have some very talented volunteers who are able to turn

your old ACUs into fashionable bags that we can sell to raise funds for our FRG. In addition, we plan on turning some of them into gifts forfamilies of the 38th who are expecting a new addition. Everyone who donates ACUs will receive a dozen homemade cookies! Please drop offyour ACUs at the 1st PL/PSGs office, and be sure to fill out the information sheet so we can get the cookies to you.

As always, feel free to contact me with any ideas, concerns, or suggestions for improving our FRG. I am looking forward to seeing you all onthe 20th. Thank you for your support!

Family readiness group

FRG Leader: Mrs. Jessica Mason (Household 6)
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Yakima training center (YTC)

January and February 2012


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Yakima training center (YTC)

January and February 2012

Soldiers from the Mobility Support Platoon position the

Rapidly Emplaced Bridge System for a gap-crossing opera-tion Feb. 14 at the Engineer Dig Site at the Yakima Train-

ing Center. SGT Canales and SPC Rolon from the Mobility SupportPlatoon fold up the stands stabilizing the chassis of anM1977 Common Bridge Transporter after launching theRapidly Emplaced Bridge.

Soldiers from the 1st and 2nd Platoons prepare to assaultan objective after driving through a safe corridor desig-nated by a Lane Marking System and crossing a RapidlyEmplaced Bridge over an anti-tank ditch.

Soldiers from the Mobility Support Platoon lower theextended bridge of the Rapidly Emplaced Bridge Systemacross an anti-tank ditch to allow SGT Winns Stryker tomake the crossing.

Engineer Squad Vehicles (ESVs) of the 38th EngineerCompany cross an anti-tank ditch on a Rapidly EmplacedBridge Feb. 14 at the Engineer Dig Site.

Photos and captions courtesy of SPCReese Von Rogartsz. Read/see moreat http://www.dvidshub.net/news/84058/stryker-engineers-live-

longest-12-minutes#.T1A-jPLFmSo


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Select promotions and awards

05 march 2012


9/12


Ruck, drag, and shoot

06 march 2012


10/12


Morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR)

Upcoming events

Down and Dirty Mud Run

Saturday, June 30, Starting at 9 a.m.

Saturday, August 4, Starting at 9 a.m.
http://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/images/slide_2.jpghttp://www.jblmmwr.com/images/slide_7c.jpghttp://www.jblmmwr.com/images/slide_5c.jpghttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://ow.ly/i/ud7D/original


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Morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR)

Upcoming events (Continued)
http://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.html


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I have reviewed and approved the 38th Engineer Spring Newsletter for distribu-

tion. The Point of Contact for this publication is CDR, CPT Jefferson D. Mason

at office (253) 966-5406 and e-mail address: [email protected] .

Building 3278

2nd Division Drive

JBLM, WA 98433

Letters from the Breach

Phone: 253-966-5403E-mail:

[email protected]

through the BreaCh!

3 8 t h E n g i n e e r C o m p a n y

2nd Platoon

Point of Contact

Mrs. Krystal Tirey (Outgoing)

[email protected]

1st Platoon

Point of Contact

Mrs. Leslie Sorensen

[email protected]

Frg contacts

3rd Platoon

Point of Contact:

Mrs. Tera Stacey

[email protected]

MSP Platoon

Point of Contact

Mrs. Elisha McCann

[email protected]

Battalion Family readiness

support assistant (FRSA)

Mrs. Maria Aponte (Outgoing)

253-477-5552

[email protected]

2/23 IN BN HQ

Newsletter corrections, suggestions, and requests are encouraged and appreciated, and may be sent to

1LT Jon McCann at [email protected] .

FRG Leader and HQ POC

Mrs. Jessica Mason

719-510-6500

[email protected]

38th Engineer Company:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/38th-Engineer-

Company/104302482944644

Treasurer: Jessica Moscicki
http://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlhttp://www.jblmmwr.com/races/mud.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.facebook.com/pages/38th-Engineer-Company/104302482944644mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

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38 EN CO Newsletter (Vol 1 Iss 1) v2

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