This month's editioin of the Rail Gunner Monthly provides an insight to the 41st Fires Brigade's Best by Test competition, the combatives team, West Point Cadets, and various photos depicting multiple events throughout the brigade.
See TEST, Page 3 Participants of the 41st Fires Brigade Best By Test complete a two-mile run during the physical fitness portion of the competi- tion, June 17, here. 102 Soldiers from around the brigade competed in the competition to identify the best in the brigade. The Best By Test is a quarterly competition to test sections throughout the brigade. The last competition was held in 2004. Inside this issue Message from RG6/RG7 2 Combatives Training 5 Competitors List 6 West Point Cadets 7 Promotions and Re-up 11 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 41st Fires Brigade “Rail Gunners!!” FORT HOOD, Texas— Competition was fierce as 102 Soldiers through- out the 41st Fires Brigade competed for the title of best by test for the bri- gade June 14 through 17. The com- petition consisted of four main events: weapons familiarization, a MOS specific written test, MOS spe- cific hands-on competition, and a physical fitness test. “This competition happens quar- terly but this is the first competition since 2004,” said Staff Sgt. Jordan Lee, Saratoga, Calif. native and launcher chief with the Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment. “These events are well planned out but due to deployments we haven’t been able to conduct the competition.” The competition challenged sol- diers in multiple jobs to come to- gether and work effectively as a unit. Story and photos by Spc. Dalinda Salazar 41st Fires Brigade, PAO VOLUME 1 THE RAIL GUNNER MONTHLY ISSUE 9 Photo by Spc. Dalinda Salazar, 41st Fires Brigade PAO
Transcript
See TEST, Page 3
Participants of the 41st Fires Brigade Best By Test complete a two-mile run during the physical fitness portion of the competi-
tion, June 17, here. 102 Soldiers from around the brigade competed in the competition to identify the best in the brigade. The
Best By Test is a quarterly competition to test sections throughout the brigade. The last competition was held in 2004.
Inside this
issue
Message from
RG6/RG7
2
Combatives Training 5
Competitors List 6
West Point Cadets 7
Promotions and Re-up 11
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
41st Fires Brigade
“Rail Gunners!!”
FORT HOOD, Texas— Competition was fierce as 102 Soldiers through-out the 41st Fires Brigade competed for the title of best by test for the bri-gade June 14 through 17. The com-petition consisted of four main events: weapons familiarization, a MOS specific written test, MOS spe-cific hands-on competition, and a physical fitness test.
“This competition happens quar-terly but this is the first competition since 2004,” said Staff Sgt. Jordan Lee, Saratoga, Calif. native and launcher chief with the Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment. “These events are well planned out but due to deployments we haven’t been able to conduct the competition.” The competition challenged sol-diers in multiple jobs to come to-gether and work effectively as a unit.
Story and photos by
Spc. Dalinda Salazar
41st Fires Brigade, PAO
VOLUME 1 THE RAIL GUNNER MONTHLY ISSUE 9
Photo by Spc. Dalinda Salazar, 41st Fires Brigade PAO
Rail Gunner 6 & 7 Send leadership of 1SG Edgar Fuentes and SFC James Platt of 2-20 FA, the Brigade entered a team into this year’s Fort Hood Combatives Tour-nament, June 28-1 July. After not even fielding a team last year, our 24 Warriors represented the Brigade in outstanding fashion over four days of tough fighting, finishing in the top ten. They left everything they had on the mat and we are very proud of them. Throughout the rest of the month, most batteries/companies will be in the field for 4-5 day training exer-cises, but they do not include week-ends. These exercises are in prepa-ration for our premier training event of the quarter, the conduct of battery-level evaluations in September. While we had originally planned to deploy to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin or Fort Polk, Louisiana for this event, we will now be doing these impor-tant evaluations in the Fort Hood Training Area. Although closer to home, plan on our Soldiers being in the field from September 13th to September 30th. Other upcoming important events include the U.S. Army Soldier Show on July 23rd, a Brigade Golf Tourna-ment on July 29th, and a III Corps Training Holiday on August 6th. Ad-ditionally, the monthly 1st Cavalry Division Distinguished Service and Welcome ceremony on Cooper Field is on August 3rd at 9:00 a.m. If you have never seen a “Cavalry Charge”, this is a superb opportunity to bring out the family to see the 1st Cav Horse Detachment in action. Four of our wonderful volunteers will also be recognized at this cere-mony: Julie Curran from 589th BSB, Samantha Swigart from 2-20 FA, Shaunta Underwood from 1-21 FA,
Colonel
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 9 THE RAIL GUNNER MONTHLY July 2010
John C. Thomson, III
41st Fires Brigade
Command Sergeant Major
Kelvin Hughes
41st Fires Brigade CSM
and Theresa Childers from HHB. Finally, we had to say good-bye to our Military Family Life Consultant, Ms. Arlene Holt, who provided our Soldiers and Families with fantastic support. The good news is that her replacement, Ms. Donna Tur-nage, is already on board and ready to serve our needs. We also welcome Ms. Andrea Nunez, who took over as our Brigade Family Readiness Support Assistant (FRSA) in late June and is already doing great things to support our Family Readiness Groups. Our Nation, Army, Families, and Friends depend on you, so please practice sound risk management 24/7 and be safe both on and off duty. We are honored and hum-bled to serve in your ranks and thank you for all you do, each and every day. It is the magnificent Sol-diers and Families that make us
Rail Gunner Strong!
Dear Rail Gunner family:
We trust that everyone had a safe, relaxing Independence Day and was able to enjoy time with friends and family over the four-day weekend. We enjoy freedom and our wonderful American way of life because of the dedication and sacrifices of our military, so thank you for your continued service to our great Nation. Rail Gunners continue to excel in many endeavors and June was no exception. Our senior Non-commissioned officers planned and executed a first-class “Best By Test” competition June 14-17 to recognize the top maintenance, food service, fire direction, person-nel, communications, supply, and launcher sections from the Brigade. The competition was fierce and ex-hibited phenomenal performances by all participants. Thank you for a job well done and for inspiring ex-cellence in our ranks! Under the expert coaching and
The “Rail Gunner Monthly” is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. Army. Contents of the
“Rail Gunner Monthly” are not necessarily official views of or endorsed by the U.S. Government, Depart-
ment of Defense, Department of the Army or the 41st Fires Brigade. All editorial content of this publication
is prepared, edited, provided and approved by the 41st Fires Brigade Public Affairs Office. If you have any
questions, comments, concerns or suggestions contact the 41st Fires Brigade PAO office at 254-287-0739 or
email [email protected]. Check out the unit’s Website at http://www.hood.army.mil/41stFires
or on Facebook for additional information.
Sgt. Sesay Mohamed, Sierra Leone, West Africa native and truck driver positions an empty pod on top of trailer as Pvt.
Michael Newkirk, Big Bear Lake, Calif. native and truck driver maneuvers the pod in place during the 41st Fires Bri-
gades’ Best By Competition located on Fort Hood, Texas, June 15. The competition tests the skills of the Soldiers.
The individual sections through-out the brigade that were tested were Multiple Launcher Rocket Systems, Fire Direction, Food Services, Supply, Communica-tion, Maintenance and Person-nel. The Battalions from around the 41st Fires Bde. conducted competitions to see who was best at their jobs and sent the top sections to compete in the brigade competition. The win-ning team will receive an Army Commendation Medal, a 4-day pass, and a streamer for their battalion guide-on. “These Soldiers are the best of the battalion competition and are competing to see who the best in the brigade is,” said Sgt. 1st Class Adam Scarr, the Bri-gade Operation NCO and native
of Edmonds, Wash. “The com-petition promotes esprit de corps and gives bragging rights for the battalion that wins.” The best by test competition started off with a weapon famili-arization test where the Soldiers had to assemble and disassem-ble a M16A2, a M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, a M240B MG, and a M2 .50 Cal. within a given time limit. “It’s not about weapons fa-miliarization, it’s about weapon proficiency as all Soldiers should be familiar with their weapon,” said Sgt. Jorge San-chez, a native of Puerto Rico and a supply sergeant for the Headquarter and Headquarter Battery, 1st Battalion, 21st Field Artillery Regiment. “We are seeing who the fastest in the brigade is.” The next event was the MOS specific written test which consisted of fifty questions that were related to the Soldiers daily job duties. “The written test was hard,”
said Spc. Alan Koukoui, a power generator mechanic for Battery C, 1st Bat., 21st FA Regt., and a native of Alexandria, Va. “The questions seemed to be more for higher ranking non-commissioned officers, so I found myself really thinking
TEST, cont. from Page 1
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 9 THE RAIL GUNNER MONTHLY PAGE 3
Pfc. Andre Figueroa, a native of Tacoma, Wash. and
supply specialist for Headquarters and Headquarters
Battery, 41st Fires Brigade completes the sit-ups portion
during the physical fitness test of the brigade’s Best by
Test competition held on Fort Hood, June 17. The compe-
tition included a weapons familiarization , a MOS written
test, a MOS specific skills competition, and a pt test.
Pfc. Andre Figueroa, a native of Tacoma, Wash. and supply
specialist for Headquarters and Headquarters Battery 41st
Fires Brigade assembles a 240B MG during the brigade’s
Best By Test competition located on Fort Hood, June 14. The
Best by Test Competition tested participant’s weapon famili-
arity and confidence in one of four events,
See TEST, Page 4
TEST, cont. from Page 3 of Hattiesburg, Miss. “I am moti-vated that we will win.” 41st Fires Bde. has many tal-ented Soldiers and this competi-tion gives them a chance to show those talents off. “I think it’s great that the bri-gade put this together,” said Sgt. Joshua Roth, a wheeled vehicle repairer for Battery B, 1st Bat., 21st FA Regt. from Gibbon, Minn. “All soldiers in the 41st are awesome and I wish that every-one could have been a part of this competition. Each team started off with the same amount of points dur-ing all the events. At the end of the competition all scores were totaled and average together to come up with a group score. The names of the winners will be announced at a cere-mony scheduled for June 23.
standard test consisting of two minute push-ups, sit-ups, and a two-mile run after an initial stretch. “We have been doing well throughout the competition and the run,” said Spc. Antonio Johnson, a supply specialist for B battery 1-21 FA and a native
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 9 THE RAIL GUNNER MONTHLY July 2010
about the answers.” After the written test, the competitors completed MOS specific competition consisting of multiple tasks the group had to complete at a given time limit. “We were hands-on in the field,” said Sgt. Tommy Ferrell, an all-wheel vehicle mechanic for Battery A, 1st Bat., 21st FA Regt. from Mem-phis, Tenn. “We did a land navigation course and were the only team to find the faults on the Light Medium Tactical Ve-hicle.” The physical fit-ness test was the final event and the teams completed a
Sgt. Joshua Victor, Baton Rouge, La. native and fire directions NCO with Bat-
tery C, 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, locates targets on a map
during the Best By Competition, Fort Hood, Texas, June 15.
Best Personnel Section HHB, 2-20 FA Section Chief: SSG Lonnie Leary SGT Temeshia Best SGT Terrance Parker PFC Bryant Moore
Best Fires Direction Center C/1-21 FA Fires Direction Officer: 1LT Cameron Clay Section Chief: SSG Joser Candilario SGT Johnboyd Salazar SGT William Laura PVT Andrew Detwiler
Best MLRS section A/2-20 FA Section Chief: SSG Jordan Lee Spc Robert Mullins
Best Supply Section C/2-20 FA Section Chief: SSG Shru Nena SPC Roricruz, Aubrey
Best Food Service Section 67th FSC/2-20 FA
Section Chief: SSG Tobias Jones SGT Luis Arguello SGT Angel Marrero SPC Danielle Sedano
Section Chief : SGT Terry Charlett SGT Franklin Bevel SGT Matthew Prich CPL Robert Coss SPC Grant-Arthur, Derick SPC Daniel DeJesus PFC Xavier Ferrell
Best Retrans commo section HHB, 2-20 FA Section Chief: SSG Ferdinand Cajandab PFC Jimmy Sengdetka
“It was not easy to choose 14 people for the team,” said 1st Sgt. Edgar Fuentes of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regi-ment. “We have a lot of talent and everyone worked really hard for this.” Fuentes, a former boxer and was the team’s captain, took charge of all striking training as well as the physical training ses-sions. Other coaches included Sgt. First 1st Class James Platt, who has a strong wrestling back-ground. Sgt. Jason Reyes and Sgt. Lucas Hoskins have taken the reins on the Jiu Jitsu portion of the training. “We have such a wide variety of skills on the team, not only with the coaches but also from our teammates,” said Andress. “We have guys who are black belts in taekwondo, other boxers, and
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 9 THE RAIL GUNNER MONTHLY PAGE 5
Rail Gunners finish top 10 Story and photos by
Sgt. Lucas Hoskins
41st Fires Brigade, PAO
getting the Soldiers ready for the competi-tion. There was no lack of participation as 33 soldiers from the bri-gade volunteered to participate in the tour-nament four soldiers volunteered as coaches. With seven weight classes and two openings per team, everyone did not have a chance to enter the tournament as a part of the 41st Fires Bde. team. However, others were able to enter the tour-nament as an individ-ual.
Soldiers of the 41st Fires Bri-gade prepared themselves to compete against Soldiers all over Fort Hood and various states during the Fort Hood’s combatives tournament spon-sored by the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade and the Fort Hood’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation office, sched-uled for June 28 through July 1 at Abrams Gym. The Rail Gunner practiced every day at Starker Gym from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. to con-duct strength and conditioning workouts as well as to work on the technical aspects of combat-ives. The workouts focused on
Soldiers of the 41st Fires Brigade practice on the mats at Starker Gym in
preparation for the upcoming combatives tournament scheduled to begin
June 28 at Abrams Gym.
Rail Gunner soldiers of the 41st Fires Brigade practice arm bars in preparation for the upcoming Fort Hood
combatives tournament scheduled to begin June 28 at Abrams Gym. Soldiers throughout the brigade practiced
and conducted drills for conditioning and techniques at the Starker Gym. Some striking is allowed during the
finals.
Sloan took overall fourth place in the welterweight divi-sion. This was the first time the brigade has ever had a combatives team. “For little time to prepare, I was proud of the effort from all our fighters,” said Sgt. Lu-cas Hoskins, an assistant coach for the 41st Fires Bde. “This is the first time this bri-gade has ever had a team, a top 10 finish is great. I just can’t wait to see what hap-pens at the next tournament.”
lots of guys who have wrestling experience. With that kind of tal-ent, it’s hard to not get better working with them every day.” The Rail Gunners combatives team fought hard with more than half of the team and individual competitors advancing to the second round. One team mem-ber advanced into the champion-ship round, 1st Lt. Daniel Sloan, a platoon leader for Battery A,
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 9 THE RAIL GUNNER MONTHLY July 2010
COMBATIVES cont. from Page 5 2nd Bat, 20th FA Regt. The grueling cage match was a per-sistent battle but the referee called a stop to the fight. From 20 registered teams, the 41st Fires Bde. combatives team ended with an eighth place finish.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 9 THE RAIL GUNNER MONTHLY Page 7
Future West Point graduates continue to train Story and photos by
Sgt. Lucas Hoskins
41st Fires Brigade, PAO
Now, I get the chance to do that and better myself as a leader. School is completely different from Fort Hood, it’s good that we get to see what goes on behind the scenes instead of people try-ing to sell us the Army.” Cadet Aaron Greer, a native of Calypso Montana, said his first days here almost put him in shock. “This has completely ex-ceeded my expectations. “I’ve learned that you have to rely so much on your soldiers and NCO’s because as a lieutenant you really don’t know what you’re doing,” said Greer. When asked what his favorite experience of his time on Fort Hood was Greer replied, “Fort Hood introduced me to CrossFit. Being here has completely changed my perspective of what physical fitness means.” Greeny, who also serves as a manager for the West Point
dets a feel for what life in the Army is like outside of the classroom. “West Point is not what people like to call the real Army, so it lets the cadets have the real-life experi-ence of what it’s like in the real world to lead troops,” said 1st Lt. Dave Meador, a platoon leader in Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment. Meador, a 2008 gradu-ate of West Point, along with other platoon leaders on post, are sponsoring some of the cadets en-rolled in CTLT. “I’m grateful for this op-portunity,” said Cadet Jonathan Greeny, a sophomore at West Point. “I knew I wanted to be in the Army and I knew I wanted to be an officer.
Col. John Thomson, com-manding officer of the 41st Fires Brigade, his wife Holly, as well as the Heart of Texas West Point Society, hosted a recep-tion at the Thomson’s residence for the U.S. Military Academy cadets participating in the Cadet Troop Leading Training pro-gram, Thursday evening. The reception presented an opportunity to the cadets for time to relax and talk with former West Point graduates and senior leaders. Thomson said that the pro-gram is designed to give the ca-
U.S Military Academy cadets participating in the Cadet Troop Leading Training gathered at the residence of Col. John
C. Thomson, brigade commander of the 41st Fires Brigade, to enjoy a Texas barbecue and well deserved time off at a
reception held in their honor June 10.
Maj. Gen. Dan Allyn, commanding general, 1st Cavalry Division
addresses U.S Military Academy cadets with inspirational words
during a reception honoring the cadets’ dedication and hosted by
the 41st Fires Brigade for students participating in the Cadet
Troop Leading Training at Fort Hood this summer. The recep-
tion was held at the residence of the Col. John C. Thomson,
brigade commander, 41st Fires Bde.
See CTLT, Page 7
was a cadet or a lieutenant that I would still be here going into my 30th year of service, I would have told them they were crazy.” He also added, “I didn’t join the Army for a long time; I joined the Army for a good time. Now I’ve been having a good time for a mighty long time.” This marks the first of three iterations of cadets to conduct CTLT on Fort Hood this year. The second will consist of ROTC cadets and the third will again be West Point students. West Point graduate Richard Powell who now serves as the III Corps historian and is also a member of the HOTWPS said “This event gives the cadets a chance to talk to higher ranking officers that have been in their shoes in a relaxed environment. They get to share their experi-ences with the cadets and hope-fully help to guide them in their final years of school.”
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 9 THE RAIL GUNNER MONTHLY July 2010
CTLT cont. from Page 7
hockey team said he has learned a lot about Army life since being here. “I’ve learned to trust in the NCO Corp. They obviously have the ex-perience and are the backbone,” said Greeny. “We have to use them and their ex-perience as much as possible to build our-selves as leaders.” Among distinguished guests attending the reception was Maj. Gen. Dan Allyn, com-manding officer of the 1st Cavalry Division, who gave his remarks to the cadets. “You will find you could be like me in 1981 when I showed up to my first battalion, and I was an Army of One as far as West Point graduates go. So this comradery that you have enjoyed for the last four years, bottle it up. You need to learn to
wrap your arms around your brothers and sisters in arms, re-gardless of their commissioning source,” said Allyn. As encouragement for the cadets to keep an open mind after graduation Allyn said, “If someone had told me when I
U.S. Military Academy cadets participating in the Cadet Troop Leading Training listen intently to encouraging words and enjoy a
Texas barbecue as well as deserved time off at a reception held in their honor June 10. The event was hosted by the 41st Fires Bde.
Cadets from the U.S. Military Academy participating in the Cadet Troop Leading Training listen intently as former
West Point graduates offers pointers during a reception and barbecue hosted by the 41st Fires Bde, June 10.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 9 THE RAIL GUNNER MONTHLY Page 9
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 9 THE RAIL GUNNER MONTHLY July 2010
