May newsletter

Inside this

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Volume 1 THE RAIL GUNNER MONTHLY Issue 7

Message from

RG6/RG7

2

41st Fires Bde. Volun-

teers receives recognition

3

Charles B. Allen Fishing

tournament casts off

4

Officer fitness challenge 7

Promotions and Re-up 8

Soldiers train on new DRASH system

The Rail Gunner

Monthly Staff

Commander

COL John C. Thomson, III

Command Sgt. Maj.

CSM Kelvin A. Hughes

Rail Gunner PAO

NCOIC

SSG Kyle Richardson

Rail Gunner Journalists

SGT Lucas Hoskins

SPC Dalinda Salazar

Story by

The 41st Fires Brigade is conduct-ing preliminary training on the new deployable rapid assembly shelter used to house the brigade operation center during field time. Soldiers are scheduled to con-duct validation training with the equipment through-out the months of May and June. Harvey Fletcher, a trainer for Northrop Grumman, said that the DRASH system is the new tent system that will be stream-lined Army-wide. “The Secretary of the Army wanted to make everyone com-mon across the board and re-duce friendly fire when units are deployed,” said Harvey. “This lessens the burden on Soldiers because when they move to another post, they will know the system.” As much as standardization

See DRASH, Page 3

Soldiers from the 41st Fires Brigade disassembles the new deployable rapid assembly

shelter system during the weeklong setup, April 14. The new DRASH system is used for

field operations and the Soldiers are scheduled to validate training on it throughout May

and June.

41st Fires Brigade

“Rail Gunners!!”

Spc. Dalinda Salazar

41st Fires Brigade, PAO

is a good thing, the new DRASH is also easier and less labor intensive. “This new system takes less Sol-diers to set up the tents,” said Spc. Latosha Rice, a human resource spe-cialist. “It helps that it is quicker to set up when we get to the field so we can focus our main goals.” Private first class Andrea God-boalt, unit supply specialist agrees the new system will save time when in the field. “This is more like a pop-up tent so we spend less time setting up and use less man-power,” said Godboalt.

Rail Gunner 6 & 7 Send rial Day holiday, May 28th to May

31st. Also, each unit is providing

training holidays in June as compensa-

tion for the weekend training. Your

Family Readiness Group leaders have

specific unit field training dates as well

as the compensatory holidays.

In addition to training, our units

have made time for fun and relaxation

with friends and families. 1-21 FA and

2-20 FA both held wonderful all-ranks

balls in April, affording the opportunity

to enjoy dining, dancing and socializ-

ing. On April 15th, we recognized over

75 Rail Gunner volunteers for their

exceptional service in helping others.

Of special note, Ms. Debbie

Jarzynkowski, the FRG leader for

575th Forward Support Company, was

named the Fort Hood and III Corps

Volunteer of the Year a week later.

Well done Debbie! On April 17th, the

Brigade held the first annual Charles

B. Allen Bass Classic which was a

great success with over 25 teams, com-

prised of Soldiers and local anglers

from throughout Central Texas. On

May 1st, over thirty Rail Gunners

joined our good friends from Leon

County for their annual Veteran’s Ap-

preciation Day with a Texas BBQ in

Centerville, Texas. Finally, on May

4th, four of our ladies – Ms. Alejandra

Weiss of 589th BSB, Ms. Lori Robert-

son of 41st Fires Brigade, Ms. Marcia

Reese of 2-20 FA, and Ms. Lauren

Hodges of 1-21 FA – were recognized at

the 1st Cavalry Division’s Distin-

guished Service and Welcome ceremony

for their extraordinary volunteerism.

These have all been great events that

do so much to strengthen our bonds

with each other and also strengthen

our ties with the local Fort Hood and

Central Texas community.

As we look forward to the Memorial

Day holiday, I encourage everyone to

enjoy the well-deserved break, but to

keep in mind the real reason we cele-

brate Memorial Day. Please take a

moment to remember the countless

heroes who have made the ultimate

sacrifice for our great Nation. Al-

though not in our physical presence,

their memory is always with us and

they will never be forgotten. Memo-

rial Day also marks the start of the

101 days of summer through the

Labor Day weekend in September.

With warmer, longer days and our

children’s school year winding down,

folks are planning travel, outdoor

fun, and water activities. We ask

that everyone put safety first – em-

ploy battle buddies, respect the

heat, use the right protective equip-

ment, don’t over estimate your own

abilities, wear seat belts, obey speed

limits, and be responsible with alco-

hol. We need every member of the

Rail Gunner Family to make the 101

Days of Summer Campaign safe and

disciplined. Rail Gunner Safe is Rail

Gunner Strong!

To all of our wonderful mothers

in the Rail Gunner Family - thank

you for all you do and best wishes

for a Happy Mothers Day!

MAY THE RAIL GUNNER MONTHLY PAGE 2

Want more news and information, become a

Facebook fan of the 41st Fires BDE

By Command Sergeant Major

Kelvin Hughes

41st Fires Brigade CSM John C. Thomson, III

41st Fires Brigade Commander

By Colonel

Dear Rail Gunner family:

As the Rail Gunners enter our

fourth month in the Train & Ready

Phase, we are happy to report that

our troopers are maintaining excel-

lence on multiple fronts. April was

a good month across the entire for-

mation as we continued to

strengthen our capability to inte-

grate accurate, timely, and decisive

fires in support of full spectrum op-

erations. Both 2-20 FA and 1-21 FA

successfully fielded advanced soft-

ware for their rocket launchers,

while all units received new and

improved operations centers. Addi-

tionally, our Target Acquisition Bat-

tery received its second counter-fire

radar. In short, all of the pieces are

coming together as we focus on our

next critical training event, the con-

duct of platoon level evaluations

later this month.

While our upcoming May field

training will be 8 to 10 days in

length, it occurs after Mother’s Day

and ends before the four-day Memo-

41st Fires Bde. volunteers receives recognition

“The older models were more complicated and took at least 15 Soldiers to set-up.” “The medium tent can be set up in approximately 30 minutes by four trained per-sonnel and the large tent can be set-up in an hour by eight trained personnel, said Fletcher. “The older tents took much more resources to set-up and tear down.” Safety and durability are factors that the Soldiers feel are just as important. “This new system is more reliable, larger and durable,” said Sgt. 1st Class Adam Scarr, brigade land and range operator. “Basically

the tent rises with air and all we have to do is hammer down the stakes and secure the lines.” Along with reliable construc-tion, the new DRASH system comes packaged together to help insure all pieces are avail-able for use. All the durable pieces of the system are la-beled with the same serial numbers. “This is the new version trailer mounted system and is more compact. The older ones were not trailer mounted and came in separate pieces,” said Sgt. Maj. Robert Norvell, op-erations sergeant major for the 41

st Fires Bde. “When I pull it

in, I know what assets I have available and all auxiliary equipment is stored inside the

trailer.” The new DRASH system offers Soldiers a more reliable workspace for field operations. With 1100 sq. feet of work-space available in the large model, setting up a stable command control environment takes less time and resources which can be used for other necessary functions. Having standardized equipment takes the burden off Soldiers when they change units and gives all units the ability to be digital-ized and free up resources. The Soldiers trained on the new system, see the improve-ment and believe the Army is doing the right thing to stream-line field operation equipment.

DRASH, cont. from Page 1


The 41st Fires Brigade hosted a volunteer recog-nition ceremony at Fort Hood‟s Club Hood, April 16. The ceremony is held to honor and thank the many distinguished volun-teers who sacrificed their time and skills to support the brigade and local community. Col. John C. Thomson, brigade commander for the 41st Fires Bde., and Command Sgt. Maj. Kelvin A. Hughes, command sergeant major for the 41st Fires Bde., along with their wives, pre-sented volunteers with awards and thanked them for

otic and generous partners in the Central Texas Community,” said Thomson. “All of you willingly gave your time and en-ergy because you truly care, and we are forever in-debted to you for your unconditional love and genuine compassion.” The honored volunteers said they were ex-

tremely humbled at receiving such recognition and enjoy helping the Soldiers. Mrs. Jeanne Isdale, an honored supporter, said that she

their service. “We could not have accom-plished our mission without the unyielding commitment and pro-found strength of our spouses, our families, and several patri-

Marcia Reese, a volunteer, was honored with a brigade certificate of achievement from

Col. John C. Thomson, brigade commander for the 41st Fires Brigade and Command

Sgt. Maj. Kelvin A. Hughes, command sergeant major of the 41st Fires Bde., at the

annual volunteer recognition ceremony held at Club Hood, April 15. Volunteers were

honored for supporting the family readiness groups through various events.

See Volunteer, Page 5

Story and photos by



Fishing tournament casts off

As the day began to break and the sun fought to shine through, the unrelenting rain refused to let up on the boat-ers and spectators during the first Brig. Gen. Charles B. Al-len Bass Fishing Tournament held at the Union Grove Pier, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Salado, Texas, April 17. In an unfortunate helicopter crash, Allen along with five others died in the crash south of Waco, Texas, Nov. 29, 2004. The 41st Fires Brigade hosted the first bass fishing tournament to commemorate the memory of the late Allen. Allen was a sports enthusiast, but his true passion was in bass fishing. During Allen‟s tenure as the

commander of the 4th Infantry Division Artillery, he hosted and participated in many bass fishing tournaments at Still-house Lake, said Maj. Ryan

Remley, executive officer for the 41st Fires Bde. “Col. Thomson and General Allen used to go fishing on regular basis,” said Remley. “He thought it was important to remember Brigadier General Allen as he would have wanted to be remembered, and that probably would have been here, out on Stillhouse Lake, fishing.” As the downpour continued and weather relief not in sight, Capt. Jarod Shelton, company commander for Company B, 589th Brigade Support Battal-ion and tournament organizer, called the official start time at 6:48 a.m. The 27 boats full of soaking wet bass anglers hit the lake in anticipation landing one of the top five finishing places.

Story and photos by

Staff Sgt. Kyle J. Richardson


Brian Allen, son of the late Brig. Gen. Charles B. Allen, hands the first place plaque to the win-

ning team of Sgt. 1st Class Lewis Decker, military police officer with the 720th Military Police

Battalion and Sgt. 1st Class James Platt, fires platoon sergeant with the 2nd Battery, 20th Field

Artillery Battalion, during the first Charles B. Allen Bass Fishing Tournament held the Union

Grove Pier, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Salado, Texas, April 17.

Brian Allen, son of the late Brig. Gen. Charles B. Allen, pulls his largemouth bass out for

weighing at the first Charles B. Allen Bass Fishing Tournament held the Union Grove

Pier, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Salado, Texas, April 17. Allen teamed up with Col. John C.

Thomson, brigade commander of the 41st Fires Brigade, and caught the biggest bass of

the tournament weighing close to seven pounds. See Bass, Page 6


doesn‟t volunteer for the recognition. “I do not feel like I‟ve done much to deserve this, said Isdale. “I do this to support and thank all for the sacrifices made by Soldiers and their families.” Mrs. Erika Perez, an honored volunteer and a family readiness group leader, agrees and volunteers her time because she loves to help out families. “It feels wonderful to help out families and provide guid-ance to those who need it,” said Perez. I understand the workings of the military and like to help families find the re-sources available.” The volunteers recognized have played various roles and helped out in many different ways throughout the year. “My job is easy compared to theirs, they are amazing,” said Jessica Stocker, Family Readi-ness Support Assistant. “They take care of family issues and are the voice of care and

concern. I don‟t think we can ever thank them enough.” “As FRG leader, I or-ganize monthly meetings, fundraisers, listen to spouses needs, and pro-vide resources to fami-lies,” said Perez. “Mostly, I just listen when they want to talk. The volunteers at the 41st Fires Bde. have special memories that make them smile and keep them volunteering. “I make military bears that I give to Soldiers be-fore they deploy,” said Isdale with a smile. “I love when I get pictures back of the bears on duty in different places. It touches my heart and

makes me smile.” The volunteers of the 41st Fires Bde. are a special group of people who genuinely give their time and resources to support the brigade. From organizing events, to listening to spouse‟s needs, and everything in between, they provide a compassionate ear to soldiers and families and are a greatly appreciated asset. They make us “Rail Gunner Strong.”

Volunteer cont. from Page 3

MAY THE R AIL GUNNER MONTHLY PAGE 5

Volunteers were honored with a brigade certificate of achievement from Col. John C. Thomson, bri-

gade commander, 41st Fires Brigade and Command Sgt. Maj. Kelvin Hughes, command sergeant ma-

jor, 41st Fires Bde., at the annual volunteer recognition ceremony, Club Hood, April 15.

Soldiers and civilians from the 589th Brigade Support Battalion were honored by from Col. John C. Thom-

son, brigade commander of the 41st Fires Brigade and Command Sgt. Maj. Kelvin A. Hughes, command

sergeant major of the 41st Fires Bde., at the annual volunteer recognition ceremony at Club Hood, April 15.

Volunteers comprised of Soldiers and civilians, whom were honored for donating their time and resources

“The tournament is a good cause; it feels really good to put all of this to-gether,” said Shelton. “This is a pretty good cause because we‟re going to raise some money today for the Lone Star Chapter of the Field Ar-tillery Association, even if I don‟t catch any fish, I‟m happy to be out here with everyone and supporting a good cause.” To help with the event and honor his father, Brian Allen flew in from Virginia to fish in his father‟s favorite spot one more time. “I appreciate all the differ-ent sponsors and everyone else that organized this event,” said Allen. “It means so much to me and my family that my dad‟s name lives on at Fort Hood. Allen teamed up with Col.

John C. Thomson III, brigade commander for the 41st Fires Brigade, to fish some familiar locations using the

same bait and techniques the late Allen would use. “We‟re hitting the same

spots today, I call them Thom-son point and Allen point in honor of my father and Col. Thomson,” said Allen. Allen caught the biggest

largemouth bass in the tournament, weighing in close to seven pounds. “It‟s been about six years since I‟ve been fishing,” said Allen. “The last time I went fishing here on this lake was about a

week before my dad passed, he must have showed up to-day.” In addition to being fun and

Bass cont. from Page 4

successful event, the tourna-ment offered Soldiers and civil-ians a chance to get out on the

water and relax, said Shelton. “It‟s a morale event to help out the Soldiers, have some fun, get through the week, re-lax and do some team build-ing,” said Staff Sgt. Scott Cus-ter, an air traffic controller for the 41st Fires Bde. “I enjoyed it, it‟s like they say „a bad day of fishing beats any day work-ing.‟” The first place winners in-cluded the team of Sgt. 1st Class Lewis Decker, military police officer with the 720th Military Police Battalion and Sgt. 1st Class James Platt, fires platoon sergeant with the 2nd Battery 20th Field Artillery Battalion. The team won more than $600 for catching the highest combined total of fish weighing in at 15 pounds and 76 ounces. Allen caught the biggest largemouth bass weighing nearly seven pounds.

Family readiness group leaders, Soldiers and family members of the 41st Fires Brigade

showed their support at the first Charles B. Allen Bass Fishing Tournament held the

Union Grove Pier, Stillhouse Hollow Lake, Salado, Texas, April 17. The group weath-

ered the wind and rain waiting for the fishers to return.

Col. John C. Thomson, brigade commander for the 41st Fires Brigade

and Brian Allen, son of the late Brig. Gen. Charles B. Allen, teamed up

and caught the biggest largemouth bass at the first Charles B. Allen Bass

Fishing Tournament held the Union Grove Pier, Stillhouse Hollow Lake,

Salado, Texas, April 17.


ticipating and in organizing it as a major. “Maj. Gen. Ret Hernandez started the event and Brig. Gen. Charles Allen, who our building is named after, liked it and kept the event going,” said Thomson. “When I took command I thought it was a great event to build cama-raderie and a friendly sense of competition.” The event was scored using the extended PT grading scale. Both personal scores and team scores were calculated and the average was used to find the win-ner. Captain Cory McKoy, an intelli-gence analysis officer and native of White Oak, N.C., won the event with a score of 381. “I pride myself in athletics and overall competition,” said McKoy. “I always want to do my best and try to get ahead of the person who is one step ahead of me.” The teams were split up by battalions with the winning team coming from the 1st Battery, 21st Field Artillery Battalion for the sec-ond time in a row. 1-21 FA won a golden cup they can display in their offices. “I asked the officers to give me a little more effort on this test,” said Maj. James Davel, Shawano, Wis. native, the battal-

At 6:00 a.m. more than 130 officers from the 41st Fires Bri-gade lined the 3rd Armored Cav-alry Regiment softball field to par-ticipate in a physical fitness com-petition, April 20. The competition consisted of push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run to promote friendly competi-tion and physical fitness among the corp. Colonel John Thomson, a na-tive of Tyler, Texas, the brigade commander of 41st Fires Bde., kept this event going from when the 4th Infantry Division Artillery used to do it and remembers par-

ion commander for 1-21 FA. “I was very impressed with the work ethic and effort put out.” Training is also as important as effort to do well in physical fitness competitions. It takes work and dedication to prepare the body. “We did PT in the morning and a lot of running,” said Capt. Jose Leon, the battalion information officer and Puerto Rico native. “We also worked on our push-ups and sit-ups.” Major Sandra Wilks, operation officer from Boston, Mass., trains for half marathons and triathlons on her free time. “As a group, we prepared about eight weeks out,” said Wilks. “We worked out and tailored our efforts to the PT test.” Physical fitness competitions can promote friendly rivalry as well as physical fitness. “These events brings out ca-maraderie and lets us meet and mingle with people we may not work with,” said McCoy. “We should have events like this more often.” With another competition be-hind them and more to look for-ward to, the officers of the 41st Fires Bde. train for the next obsta-cle. Physical fitness is very impor-tant to them and nothing shows it better than friendly competition.


Pushing to win physical fitness challenge Story and photos by



Capt. Cory McKoy, an intelligence analysis officer and

native of White Oak, N.C., receives a Army

Commendation Medal from Col. John Thomson, brigade

commander for the 41st Fires Bde., April 23 at Club Hood

here for receiving the highest score during the physical

fitness competition. McKoy won the event with a score of

381 on the extended scale.

The officers of the 1st Battery, 21st Field Artillery Battalion, pose after receiving a gold cup trophy from Col. John

Thomson, brigade commander for the 41st Fires Bde., April 23 at Club Hood here for having the highest team score

during the physical fitness competition. This is the second time in a row 1-21 FA had the highest group score.


To SSG

Sgt. Ronald J. Miller, B 1-21st FA

To SGT

Spc. Colin C. Cabarrus, HHS 1-21th FA

Spc. Edmond G. Edwards, 324th NSC

Spc. Walson Florvilous, A 1-21st FA

Spc. Christopher D. Hetu, B 2-20th FA

Spc. Jessica Pearce, 575th FSC

Spc. David A. Vanduinen, HHS 2-20th FA

1-21 FA

Spc. Jeremiah L. Anderson Spc. Jesus Navatorres

2-20 FA

Staff Sgt. Jeremy J. Cringle Staff Sgt. Tony D. Jones

Staff Sgt. Grant V. Walkington

Sgt. Luis E. Arguello Sgt. Johnny R. Benavidez

Sgt. Brandon L. Cartwright Sgt. William H. Clarke IV

Sgt. Raul Guardado Jr. Sgt. Timothy A. Jordan

Sgt. Timothy R. Long Sgt. Jonathan R. Marr

Sgt. Raymond D. McKanna Jr.

Sgt. William T. Mostiler Sgt. Dewayne M. Phillips

Sgt. William J. Stowers III

Spc. Allison D. Curry Spc. James M. Galindo

Spc. James H. Hickson Spc. Laurance J. Hollis Jr.

Spc. Michelle M. Spring Pfc. Justin R. Smith

589th BSB

Sgt. Herminio Chaparrojaramillo

Sgt. Solomon, Christian Sgt. Jose E. Lopez

Sgt. Curtis D. Wilson

Spc. Loni L. Guerrero Spc. James T. Marshall

Spc. Timothy J. Murray Spc. Rene N. Ntumnui

324th NSC

Spc. Alex Bloyed

Spc. Russell Walker Jr.

Spc. Emanuel Cook

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