My World Tour shares the challenges and experiences I had while assigned to Charlie Company, 2D Forward Support Battalion, 2D Brigade Combat Team, 2D Infantry Division. We were stationed at Camp Hovey, Korea. On 18 May 2004, we received...
On 18 August 2005, an improvised explosive device (IED) killed the four-man crew of Saber 70 in Samarra, Iraq while they served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I had a personal contact with all four Soldiers the very day before they died....
On 29 August 2005, hurricane Katrina struck southeast Louisiana. The storm caused major damage to New Orleans, killing residents and leaving many homeless. Two days later, 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters notified our unit that it “might” go...
On 9 December 2004, I found myself in a comfortable position; the 1SG of a cavalry troop just returning from combat. Soon, things would change. The 2d ACR moves to Ft. Lewis, Washington and what follows is the scramble to stand up the 4th Brigade...
On March 23, 1989 the oil tanker Exxon Valdez departed from the Valdez oil terminal in Valdez, Alaska, heading south through Prince William Sound, with over fifty million gallons of oil on board. The captain that evening was Joseph Hazelwood a name...
Over time, Haiti has experienced everything except freedom and the pursuit of happiness. In 1990, Haitians held their first free election by electing Jean Bertrand Aristide as president. Less than a year later, General Raoul Cedras led a military...
Several key experiences have had a significant impact on my growth as an NCO and leader. First, I served in two 0-3 positions where I lead cadets as a ROTC instructor and NCOs as a Special Forces Detachment Commander. Second, a deployment during...
Taking over as a company First Sergeant (1SG) is one of the most difficult transitions I have had to make in my military career. There is no how too books on the subject. As hard as I looked, I couldn’t find the book “1SG for Dummies”...
The 3d Battalion, 27th Field Artillery, XVIII Airborne Corps, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, became the First Unit Equipped with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The battalion was the logical choice to be the first unit so...
The 642nd Engineer Company, 41st Engineer Battalion, 10th Mountain Division participated in
Operation Iraqi Freedom 1 (OIF) from March 2003 to March 2004. The 642nd Engineer
Company’s wartime mission was seizure, clearance and repair of selected...
The Department of the Army would mission the United States Army Recruiting Command to recruit an “All Volunteer Army” of 80,000 during Fiscal Year 2006. The Los Angeles Recruiting Battalion, as well as others, would be attempting to accomplish...
The experience you are about to read is not that of combat. This experience does not have the glamour of jumping out of planes, nor does it have me receiving the Purple Heart. The combat and airborne experiences only connect some. I think this...
The Field Artillery has evolved over the past 20 years. The technology used in developing today’s Field Artillery weapon systems requires Soldiers to become more technically proficient. Test and Evaluation (T&E) teams, to ensure the accuracy and...
The focus of this paper relates to the unique experiences of SGM Gillis during the beginning of OEF/ OIF through June 2006. The author attempts to highlight his contribution to the Nations fight in the Global War on Terror (GWOT). Topics include...
The following is an account of Combat Actions or lack thereof experienced by members of the 729th Transportation Company while participating in Operations Iraqi Freedom III from 23 December 2004 until its redeployment on 29 November 2005. This...
The main objective in this personal experience paper is what I experienced during the time period I was mobilized in support of OIF and OEF with the 75th Division (TS). The experience of working everyday in a MOS I have held for over 25 years was a...
The objective of this Personal Experience Paper is to briefly explain my Iraq deployment experience during Operation Iraqi Freedom from March 2003 through March 2004, in various locations throughout Iraq. My Personal Experience Paper will touch on...
The purpose of this paper is to describe and outline my personal experience in the process of developing a Mentoring Model for the Army Chaplaincy. The concept of a mentoring initiative formulated during my assignment to the Army Chief of...
The purpose of this paper is to share a very dramatic and challenging experience I that shared with my Company Commander. In March of 2003, while serving as the First Sergeant of Charlie Company 440th Signal Battalion, I was deployed to Kuwait in...
The transition to becoming a First Sergeant in Special Forces (SF) is much different from many other Army units. Most SF Master Sergeants have spent multiple years working in 12 man teams with ranks ranging from Staff Sergeant to Captain. Having...