tance with Christmas presents.

The company held a holiday party

based on the theme of “wear your

favorite team jersey”; fun was had

by all.

In recognition of actions on the

battlefield, SGT McPhaul, SGT

Grindle, SPC Falcon, and SPC

Crowley, received Purple Hearts

due to an event in September.

Their courage and strength in un-

certain circumstances have been a

lesson taught to all Soldiers in

396th TC.

Vigilance has remained key as we

are trekking through this journey.

We are ready to come home, but

we are not home yet. On behalf

of the 396th TC family, we would

like to wish our friends and fam-

ily Happy Holidays.

-SPC Ashten M. Wilkerson

“There must be a beginning of

any great matter, but the continu-

ing unto the end until it be thor-

oughly finished yields the

true glory.”

-Francis Drake

The Soldiers of

396th Transportation Com-

pany (TC) are looking for-

ward to bringing in the New

Year, as it brings us one

step closer to being home

with our loved ones. Times

have been busy this Holiday

Season as we approach our

halfway mark upon this

very important task that has

been set before us. In

preparation for New Year

resolutions, a physical training

program incorporating Crossfit

has been established. The pro-

gram has been designed to main-

tain the highest level of physical

readiness with the assistance of

1SG Durant and 1LT Dodge.

A few of our Soldiers have had the

opportunity to experience a white

Christmas as some of our missions

have led them to snow throughout

Afghanistan. Our safety while

driving in these cold conditions

have been enforced by classes on

winter driving, focusing on the

proper use of snow chains.

Throughout the Holiday Season,

Soldiers from the 396th TC have

participated in many events. A

Soldier’s Christmas is never easy

but as we come together as a fam-

ily we’ll make it as a team. 1st Sus-

tainment Brigade held a Holiday

ruck march, which raised funds for

gift card that were purchased for

families that needed a little assis-

Happy Holidays

3 9 6 T H

T R A N S P O R T A T I O N

C O M P A N Y Hell On Wheels D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

H I G H R O L L E R

A W A R D S

SPC Toth

SPC Ray

SSG Miller

SPC Voth

SPC Riley

SPC Hemra

Company

Miles

14,454

P A G E 2

HIGH OP– TANE

Commander’s Corner As the closure of the year

comes upon us, reflecting on

2012 identifies the true accom-

plishments that the 396th

Transportation Company (TC)

has, and continues to achieve.

The year has been filled with a

high operational tempo that

required navigating demand-

ing schedules, overcoming

challenging situations, all

while being conducted with

the added stressors of a com-

bat deployment. Highlights

included a successful National

Training Center (NTC) rotation

and multiple convoy live fire exer-

cises during pre-deployment train-

ing, providing convoy security in

support of Operation Enduring

Freedom, Soldiers enhancing their

military careers through promotion

and reenlistments, and countless

achievements that have strength-

ened us emotionally, physically,

and spiritually as Soldiers.

As 2013 approaches, the Soldiers

of the 396th TC look forward to

continued personal and profes-

sional opportunities. This previous

year has laid the foundation for

continued success, while the

Soldiers of this company are

eager to carry forth that momen-

tum. To the Soldiers, family,

and friends of the 396th TC, your

commitment has been phenome-

nal and vital to 396th TC’s many

achievements.

-CPT Willson

Ops has also gotten into the holiday

spirit by decorating the office with

Christmas trees and various decora-

tions. SGT Williams and SPC Voth

also made a Christmas tree that is

comprised of a wooden plaque rep-

resenting every state that is repre-

sented within the 396th Transporta-

tion Company, to include Guam and

Puerto Rico. There were glow

sticks put on the branches to repre-

sent lights, and ammo cans and sand

bags were put under the tree as pre-

sents. Operations would like to

wish all the friends and families a

The month of December has been

extremely busy for Operations

(Ops). The Ops section, including

training, communications and

armament, has played a vital role

in the surge Convoy Escort Team

(CET) concept, affording multiple

teams to mutually support each

other. In addition to assisting

convoy elements prepare for mis-

sion, the Ops section continuously

sends and receives information

that is to the success of each and

every mission.

wonderful holiday season. We

would also like to thank every-

one for all the holiday treats

that we have been receiving-

they were delicious!

-SSG Winterstein

Do this, (with no thought of return) and

you will suddenly find people around

you opening to you in joy and happiness.

Make a decision that wherever you go,

to whoever you meet, to give. As long as

you are giving, you will also be receiv-

ing. The more you give, the more will

flow back to you and be returned many

times over. Giving creates a pattern of

happiness, joy and love in your life be-

yond your wildest expectations.

At this time of year let’s think of those

who don’t have and bless them with a

part of us. Holidays are the time of year

where miracles happen, let’s be a mira-

cle and a piece of happiness to someone

other than our selves

In ancient China,

Lao Tsu wrote

"Kindness in words

creates confidence.

Kindness in thinking

creates profound-

ness. Kindness in

Giving Creates

Love.”

-1SG Durant

First Hand from the First Sergeant The Art of Giving

What you give out is what comes back

in direct proportions to the feelings you

have in the act of giving.

It’s very simple. If you want to experi-

ence more joy, give joy to others, if

you want more love, learn to give love,

if you want attention and appreciation,

learn to give appreciation to others.

These are some of life’s most precious

gifts and they don’t cost you anything.

When you meet someone, you can si-

lently send them a blessing, wishing

them happiness, joy and laughter. This

kind of silent giving is very powerful.

BULLDOGS

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

For the month of December, the Bulldogs

have been on the grind, preparing for up-

coming missions, executing necessary

company tasking, and conducting mainte-

nance on vehicles and equipment. As

transporters, we are fully aware that our

trucks will take care of us as long as we

take care of them. Before any mission is

assigned, the preparation has long begun.

In recognition of actions on the battlefield,

the following Soldiers received the Army’s

Combat Action Badge: SSG Grimes, SGT

Cook, SGT Perez, SGT Mcphaul, SGT

Grindle, SPC Moses, SPC Crowley, SPC

Falcon, SPC Manspile, SPC Sandage, SPC

Mandelik, and SPC Blanco. All Soldiers

are performing superbly, utilizing training

and skills that have prepared us for this

deployment.

Even while we stay busy with missions,

members of the Bulldogs find time to

conduct professional development; SPC

Moses and SPC Kruger have continued

military and civilian education courses

this month. Additionally, the CET is

heavily involved in Crossfit. The team

is constantly improving.

-PFC Adams

compared to the many less fortunate. It’s not

always about what or how much we have, it’s

about the one constant that never fails…the true

power of love, and the value of a relationship.

We are so blessed and fortunate to have you all,

our friends and family that love us and that we

love. It’s your constant support that keeps us

motivated and gives us the will to continue our

mission and return home safely. This holiday

season for some will be their first time away

from home for the Soldiers and their families.

Rest assured your Soldiers are in good hands,

The Outlaws would like to start out by saying

that we hope our friends and families back

home had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Even

though we were not able to be there to share in

the festivities, the dining facility did an excep-

tional job preparing Thanksgiving dinner for

the Soldiers here at Bagram Airfield. Everyone was

able to relax, eat some great food and enjoy watch-

ing football. The Outlaws are doing well, staying as

busy as we possibly can with training, maintenance

and conducting convoy escort missions. For this

particular newsletter, we would like to focus mainly

on our thoughts as we enter this holiday season. We

would like to reflect on all of the sacrifices made by

the Soldiers and our families. We are in a unique

profession, one that we all can be proud of, and will

make our mark in history one day. We are blessed

and should always give thanks for what we have,

because we are an extension of

that family, we take care of one

another and we stick together.

This applies to all families,

whether it’s the first or multiple

deployments. How much more blessed can anyone

be? The Outlaws would like to give a shout out to

Specialist Bambe Hemra for being the recipient of

the company’s High Roller award for the month of

December. We would also like to recognize the

following Outlaws for receiving the Combat Action

Badge (CAB): SGT Treadwell, SPC Quezada, SPC

Yanes, SPC Hemra, SPC Preston, SPC Campbell,

SPC Marin and SPC Wood. In closing the Outlaws

would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and

a Happy New Year. We love you.

-SSG Bowden

set that has the ability to provide addi-

tional capabilities while a convoy is on

the road. Additionally, he also was recog-

nized as the “High Roller” of the month.

Soldiers within this CET continue to per-

form exceptionally, exceeding all expec-

tations set before them.

The Bone Crushers want to wish every-

one a Happy Holidays and Happy New

Year!

-PFC

Halls

As the month of December comes to a

close, the Bone Crushers have contin-

ued to successfully support combat

security and sustainment operations

throughout Regional Commands (RC)

East and South, in support of Opera-

tion Enduring Freedom. The Soldiers

continue to gain additional knowledge,

skills, and experience that are valuable

on the battlefield.

SPC Carter had the opportunity to

receive training on the PUMA, an as-

BONE CRUSHERS

OUTLAWS

It aint the

individual,

nor the Army

as a whole,

but the

everlasting

teamwork of

every bloomin’

soul

- Jay Mason

DOG POUND

P A G E 4 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

The Dog Pound has accepted a new mis-

sion this month. The CET has success-

fully worked as a team to ensure the secu-

rity of the National Afghanistan Trucking

yard located on Bagram. We have estab-

lished two teams to ensure the task has

been efficiently maintained day and night.

Along with our daily tasks of security, we

have recently promoted three Soldiers:

SPC Wagner, SPC Lee, and PV2

Flannery. A very heartfelt congratulations

is sent out to the Soldiers and their fami-

lies for this milestone in their careers.

After a busy month last month the Dog

Pound has awarded SSG Miller as this

month’s High Roller. Her dedication to the

team has ensured many successful missions.

SPC Gullotti attended PUMA training, certify-

ing him to operate this much needed asset,

while conducting missions. As we have

rounded this deployments half-way

mark, the Dog Pound team is more than

ready to finish up the job and take it on

home. We look forward to next month

and getting back on the road. We would

like to take the time to wish all of our

families and friends back home a very

Merry Christmas and a Happy New

Year!

-SPC Ashten Wilkerson

the road and also working on the vari-

ous equipment that is needed to sus-

tain our mission. Soldiers within this

section will never complain or show

any signs of giving up. The Petro-

leum, Oil, and Lubricants (POL)

Clerks have worked tirelessly prepar-

ing for and conducting missions.

The month of December

has been exciting for the

396th TC Maintenance

Platoon by constantly

supporting the mission

and conducting all neces-

sary maintenance require-

ments. The Soldiers in

this platoon are always

motivated with going on

The deployment has pro-

vided many opportunities

for Soldiers within the

Maintenance section to

work on new equipment,

which has afforded for a broadening

experience. Happy Holidays!

-SGT Wilkerson, D.

SPC Wooten was promoted to SGT and

2LT Liberator advanced to 1LT. Con-

gratulations! Additionally, SPC Ray

received the “High Miler” award for the

CET, and SPC Tonneson received a

Certificate of Achievement for his par-

ticipation in the Army 10 miler BAF

shadow run. We would also like to of-

fer a sincere thank you to Mrs. Edmon-

son and her church organization for

sending stockings for the company, the

Blue Star Mothers of Northeast Louisi-

ana for care packages, and the Duck

Commander for sending hats to the

Soldiers of 396th TC. Thank You!

-1LT Liberator

This month the Rough Riders

have spent a considerable amount

of time on the road, with missions

focusing on Regional Command

(RC)-South. During their last

mission South, Soldiers experi-

enced their first snow fall of the

season while in Ghazni. This al-

lowed them the opportunity to

enjoy a little down time and have

fun playing in the snow.

The month of November pro-

vided the opportunity for two

Soldiers to advance profession-

ally within their military careers,

ROUGH RIDERS

Maintenance

Tough times never last, but tough people do.

~Dr. Robert Schuller

Congratulations to those

who re-enlisted!

SPC Quezada

.

SGT Membrila

SGT Hillman

SGT Riley

SPC Guiste

SPC Eubank

SGT Oncza

SPC Harrelson

SPC Daniels, T.

SPC Wood

SPC marin

Ssg Boddie

Pfc wagner

Spc ray

Spc toledano

396th held their monthly Friday

Night Lights celebrating everyone’s

birthdays for the month of December

by sharing cake and singing them all

a Happy Bithday! December Birthdays