apache post 29 dec

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Happy Holidays Gunfighters! We hope that the holiday season finds all of you happy and healthy, and that the New Year is filled with hope and opportu- nity. Whether you have set healthy goals to improve yourself and your Family, to increase health and fitness, to become more financially stable, to learn a new skill, or even save for a vacation that you always wanted to take; the future is yours to make! Thanks to all who made it to the 1-1 Command Team Holiday Reception on 22 Dec. LTC Vedder, CSM O’Donnell, and CW4 Porter got an opportunity to meet with leaders from all of the companies in a social setting and put out some guid- ance for the New Year. It was not the best date to get maximum participation in the battalion with people traveling for the holidays, but a combination of LTC Ved- der and CW4 Porter’s training in Arizona, and the bad weather forecasted, made it the only reasonable time to get it done before the busy New Year. There was great fellowship and opportunities to connect as a team. Plenty of food, dessert, and drinks to go around and a whole bunch of it ended up at the barracks by about 1230 that day. It was great to see the leadership of the larger Brigade Team come by too as we had a surprise, but welcome visit by COL Morgan and CSM Thomson and his wife Jen Thomson (CAB FRG Advisor). We will get more social opportunities to get together over the next month as we will have a BN Hail and Farewell, on January 10 th at 1800 at Kites in Junction City, and then the Gun- fighter Winter Formal at the Marriott in Junction City on January 27 th . The New Year brings the Gunfighters even closer to fielding the Apache Block III helicopter and all of the training and testing that this huge program requires. Charlie Company 1-1 will be the company that goes through the Test and Evaluation that will begin sometime between late February and March, after they complete their initial Block III training at the Boeing Plant in Mesa, Arizona. As of right now, the tactics devel- opment and training and the test and evaluation of the new aircraft will take about a month out in the National Training Center in Califor- nia. Delta Company, Echo Company, Headquarters Company, and F Co UAS will also be sending personnel out to support the training. The supporting companies will not have to send too many, and they should already know who they are. We look forward to showing the Army what these new aircraft can do. We need everyone’s help in keeping the unit focused and safe during this busy and important time. We are proud of the entire team and everything that has been accomplished to get where we are today. Being the 1 st Aviation Battalion, of the 1 st Combat Aviation Bri- gade, of the 1 st Infantry Division, and now the 1 st Unit Equipped with the Apache Block III; is way too many “Firsts” to handle without the total Gunfighter Team effort! From the dedicated Soldiers, to the supporting Families, to the hard working civilians…you are all the reason why we are the First, and will remain the First. Happy New Year to all of you and thank you for your selfless service to the Nation. LTC Ed Vedder CSM Michael O’Donnell CW4 Ron Porter THE APACHE POST 1-1 ATTACK RECONNAISSANCE BATTALION Volume 1, Issue 2 29 December 2011 Above, from left to right: CW4 Ron Porter, LTC Ed Vedder and CSM Michael O‟Donnell Above: Members of the initial Apache Block III Training Class pose with the new helicopter in Mesa, AZ earlier in December.

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Newsletter for 1-1 ARB, 1st CAB 1 ID for DEC 2011

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Page 1: Apache post 29 dec

Happy Holidays Gunfighters! We hope that the holiday season finds all of you happy and healthy, and that the New Year is filled with hope and opportu-nity. Whether you have set healthy goals to improve yourself and your Family, to increase health and fitness, to become more financially stable, to learn a new skill, or even save for a vacation that you always wanted to take; the future is yours to make!

Thanks to all who made it to the 1-1 Command Team Holiday Reception on 22 Dec. LTC Vedder, CSM O’Donnell, and CW4 Porter got an opportunity to meet with leaders from all of the companies in a social setting and put out some guid-ance for the New Year. It was not the best date to get maximum participation in the battalion with people traveling for the holidays, but a combination of LTC Ved-der and CW4 Porter’s training in Arizona, and the bad weather forecasted, made it the only reasonable time to get it done before the busy New Year. There was great fellowship and opportunities to connect as a team. Plenty of food, dessert, and drinks to go around and a whole bunch of it ended up at the barracks by about 1230 that day. It was great to see the leadership of the larger Brigade Team come by too as we had a surprise, but welcome visit by COL Morgan and CSM Thomson and his wife Jen Thomson (CAB FRG Advisor). We will get more social opportunities to

get together over the next month as we will have a BN Hail and Farewell, on January 10th at 1800 at Kites in Junction City, and then the Gun-fighter Winter Formal at the Marriott in Junction City on January 27th .

The New Year brings the Gunfighters even closer to fielding the Apache Block III helicopter and all of the training and testing that this huge program requires. Charlie Company 1-1 will be the company that goes through the Test and Evaluation that will begin sometime between late February and March, after they complete their initial Block III training at the Boeing Plant in Mesa, Arizona. As of right now, the tactics devel-opment and training and the test and evaluation of the new aircraft will take about a month out in the National Training Center in Califor-nia. Delta Company, Echo Company, Headquarters Company, and F Co UAS will also be sending personnel out to support the training. The supporting companies will not have to send too many, and they should already know who they are. We look forward to showing the Army what these new aircraft can do. We need everyone’s help in keeping the unit focused and safe during this busy and important time.

We are proud of the entire team and everything that has been accomplished to get where we are today. Being the 1st Aviation Battalion, of the 1st Combat Aviation Bri-gade, of the 1st Infantry Division, and now the 1st Unit Equipped with the Apache Block III; is way too many “Firsts” to handle without the total Gunfighter Team effort! From the dedicated Soldiers, to the supporting Families, to the hard working civilians…you are all the reason why we are the First, and will remain the First.

Happy New Year to all of you and thank you for your selfless service to the Nation.

LTC Ed Vedder CSM Michael O’Donnell CW4 Ron Porter

THE APACHE POST

1 - 1 A T T A C K R E C O N N A I S S A N C E B A T T A L I O N

Volume 1, Issue 2

29 December 2011

Above, from left to right: CW4 Ron Porter, LTC Ed Vedder and

CSM Michael O‟Donnell

Above: Members of the initial Apache Block III Training Class

pose with the new helicopter in Mesa, AZ earlier in December.

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Page 2 THE APACHE POST

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Season’s Greetings to all from the Bounty Hunter Command Group! It’s the time of year that we as Soldiers often return to our families to celebrate time-honored traditions, reflect on the past, and look forward to the upcoming year. It is also a time for some well deserved rest and relaxation – we all know that HHC has earned it. The Bounty Hunters have been asked to provide support to a number of different taskings and have been spread thin over the last month and deserve a break during the most wonderful time of the year. 2012 will prove to be a challenging year as we face Field Training Exercises, Combined Training Cen-ter rotations, and the fielding of the Army’s First Block-3 AH-64D Helicopters which will involve the first-class support, command and control that HHC provides to the Battalion.

December has proven to be no less memorable and challenging than expected, even though we did not work a full month. Sol-diers all across the company improved the administrative disci-plines necessary to thrive at Fort Riley and received favorable

marks during the Battal-ion’s RESET Assistance Visit from Division In-spector General’s Office. Officers from the Opera-tions Section also had the opportunity to plan and train alongside of Airmen from the 5th Air Support Operations Squadron during a weeklong exer-cise involving OH-58 Kiowa Warrior Helicop-ters, F-16 Fighter Jets, and B-1 Bombers.

To celebrate the spirit of Christmas, HHC Soldiers participated in a Christ-mas Potluck and “Dirty Santa” Gift Exchange. For those who came,

both Soldiers and civilians, young and old, it was an awesome experience filled with fun and fellowship. Most everyone brought a dish to share and over a dozen brought presents for a comical session of Dirty Santa. The children (and those young at heart) had the opportunity to color their favorite holiday scene, decorate ornaments, or watch a variety of Christmas-themed movies. Santa Claus even made an appearance for all the chil-dren to share their Christmas wishes and take pictures alongside of! Its success was a direct reflection of the efforts of volunteers from both within the company and our Families and it was truly

Page 4 THE APACHE POST

an event worth having next year!

Top and I would like to congratulate the follow-ing Soldiers: CPT John King, the Battalion’s Aeromedical Physician Assistant, who recently made the promotion list to Major. SSG Elijah Muhammad, a Strength Management NCO, re-enlisted indefinitely and reaffirmed his commit-ment to continue serv-ing with the Gunfighters team and an Army at war. CPT Billy Rose received an Army Achievement Award for

his superior performance as a Liaison Officer to Task Force Night-mare during their recent JRTC rotation. BN FRSA Mrs. Julie Petruccelli-Treen also earned her Associate’s Degree in Science from Barton College!

The Bounty Hunters wished a fond farewell to SPC Cherisma Aragon and CPT Patrick Taylor as they change duty stations and continue to serve in higher positions of responsibility. SPC Aragon will continue providing first-class service as a Unit Supply Specialist in a Basic Training Unit at Fort Sill, OK. CPT Taylor was selected to be the Attack Branch Chief for the Department of Evaluation and Standardization at Fort Rucker, AL. We’d also like to welcome Mrs. Michelle Clay to the FRG Volunteer Team.

The following people celebrated birthdays during the month of December: SGT Cymetra Tims (1st), SPC Pamela Frank (3rd), CW4 Philip Tharp (8th), SPC Kevin Vanderworken (17th), SSG Chris McClanahan, PFC Joshua Cook (18th), Brett Brown (26th), SPC Keith Dahle (27th), SGT Billy Morgan (28th), PFC Kendra Fuller (31st). Special birthday wishes go out to Hudson Berryhill, born on 05DEC to MAJ Joshua and Valerie Berryhill, and to Ryan Timms, born on 15DEC to SFC Matthew and SSG Kathy Timms. Welcome to the Bounty Hunter and Gunfighter Families!

As always, thanks again from the Bounty Hunters for all your continued support to our Soldiers and our Families. See you next year! – CPT William Hale II, Bounty Hunter 6

Above: „Bounty Hunter 6‟ sits and chills with his

wife, Sandy during the Christmas party.

Soldiers and children enjoy games, crafts and

fun at the Bounty Hunter Christmas Party on

10 DEC.

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Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat; Please put a feather in the old man’s

hat…

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Devil’s! December has been a busy

month so far. We started the month finishing up the last details of our Reset Assis-

tance Visit inspection from September. We also had a great combined convoy train-

ing event with our Crew Chiefs and our own pilots where we put into practice all of

those classes we’ve been doing for the last few months. We even had our famed

“Attack” pilots double as pseudo-Medevac for some great training. Everything we’ve

done is a culmination of individual tasks into a combined team effort in preparation

for this spring’s excursion to the National Training Center where we’ll put everything

to the test.

With the Holidays upon us, a large majority of the company is taking the time to go

visit friends and family. It’s important that we take that time to reset and come back

fresh. In this lifestyle we live, our Families and friends are vastly important in keeping

us strong, fit and vibrant in the pursuit of our duties. Even the snow-storm we had

recently didn’t take away the holiday spirit around the company. Cookies, fudge, cup-

cakes and goodies of all kinds have been showing up to the company area in record

numbers and have been disappearing just as fast! That just might mean some extra

PT for everyone once we get back, but at this time of year it is a welcomed treat.

Reflecting back on the past six months that I’ve been with the Devils, and the last nine months since we’ve redeployed, it’s amazing

how fast 2011 has passed and how much we’ve done. As we move into 2012, everyone is excited to take on the new challenges that

it brings with even more vigor and motivation. We’ve grown from an already great company to an incredible team with exceptional

people. Thank you to all of you, your Families, and your loved ones and may you have the best year ever.

-1SG Maynard Hinkle

Devil 7

Announcements:

The Devils welcome our newest member: PFC Augustyn and his wife Samantha

SGT Fertig’s wife Brittany gave birth to their first child – 9lb, 14 oz Madison “Maggie” Fertig

We bid a fond farewell to our long-time Platoon Sergeant, SSG Rojas and his wife Stacey. The Rojas’s will be heading on to greener

pastures at Fort Eustis.

Finally, we welcome back CW2 Spahn from successful completion of the Maintenance Test Pilot Course.

Page 5

Above: SGT Fertig and PFC Weston are shown resetting

our “Victim” to the start point after simulating loading

on our nicely armed Medevac aircraft. Great training

for the Devils! (Photo courtesy of A CO 1-1 ARB)

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Happy Holidays!

We are back from JRTC and have been busy recovering our equipment and personnel from the field. The

holiday season will afford us all a little well deserved time off to spend time with our loved ones. Bravo

Company doesn’t have a lot of exciting training planned. Our largest training event in the next month will

include eight of our pilots attending school during January and February.

Regretfully, the Wolfpack will say goodbye to our long-time Platoon Leader CPT DiFrancesco and wel-

come 1LT Webb. Good luck CPT DiFrancesco in your future endeavors!

We will be hosting a Hail and Farewell on the 6th of January at Kites in Junction City for all those who

have been part of the Wolfpack family. Speaking of families, the Wolfpack has grown!!! We have two

new additions. PFC Infinger and his wife Stephanie had a little girl, Hayden, on Thanksgiving Day and

SPC Thrailkill and his wife Jennifer also had a little girl, Riley Grace on the 19th. SPC Payne and his wife,

Hilary are expecting their baby any day now!

I do want to take a minute to thank all of you for your support, we appreciate you patients while we com-

pleted the JRTC rotation with great success! Enjoy this well deserved time with your loved ones, Have a

Merry Holiday and a Happy New Year!

CPT Leslie R Shafer, Wolf 6

Page 6 THE APACHE POST

Post offers options for New Year's Eve

Story by: Melony Gabbert,1ST INF. DIV. POST

Two New Year's Eve celebration choices will be available on post Dec. 31. Bowl the night away at Custer Hill Bowling Center or play "Call of

Duty" in a tournament with the possibility of earning a Visa gift card at the Warrior Zone.

Tickets are needed for the bowling center event. Tickets purchased before Dec. 30 celebration are $15 per person. On Dec. 31, tickets are

$17.50 per person. Tickets may be purchased at the bowling alley. The cost includes a live DJ, bowling and shoes, party favors, two bottles of

sparkling juice, door-prize drawings, $10 one-topping pizzas and a breakfast buffet at 12:30 a.m. The bar will be open for the event.

This event has taken place for several years and sells out, said Jill Singleton, senior business manager. Lanes can accommodate eight bowlers.

Groups of less than eight will be kept separate as long as possible, Singleton said. However, groups will be combined if attendance is high

enough.

The Warrior Zone, with a minimum admittance age of 18, will host a no-entry-fee Call of Duty tournament at 8 p.m.

The winner of the tournament earns bragging rights and a Visa gift card, said Mark Desmet, program manager. The tournament may end be-

fore midnight, Desmet said, but there will be a free DJ until 1 a.m. and a free champagne toast at midnight

Page 7: Apache post 29 dec

ity. And like all good things, none of this could be accomplished

without the love and support from our Families. Yes, a new year

indeed! What do you know, where are you going, what drives you,

what’s in you?

Announcements

-Congratulations to 1SG James Bagg and his wife Hope on the birth of their son Olyver Marc Bagg! Born on Dec 18th, 2011, he weighed 7lb, 15oz and 20.25’ long. -Ladies Bunco Night!! Spouses, friends, and Family of Charlie co are invited to join us for a fun game of Bunco! Bunco night is set for January 5th at CW2 Josh and Michelle Cordova’s house (1935 Katie Rose Trail, Junction City KS). Starts at 6:30pm! -Charlie Co Pre Movement Briefing, 18 JAN 2012, 1800, Riley’s Con-ference Center: We will have a pre movement briefing/ informa-tional session similar to a pre-deployment brief at Battalion Head-quarters. We are requesting agencies such as ACS, MFLC, Ameri-can Red Cross, and Picerne to come and go over information that will benefit families during the upcoming extended training. -Congratulations to the Harms family on Kevin’s recent promotion to CW2. -Congratulations to the Vanmeter family on Brandon’s recent pro-motion to CW2.

New Year Fresh Start

Welcome 2012

By CPT Adam Marr

2011 is out and 2012 is in. With the holidays behind us and a multi-

tude of New Year’s resolutions on the ole to do list, we are ready

to look forward and take on 2012. Let’s just hope the Mayans

were wrong! I love this time of year because it’s a time for new

beginnings, time for a fresh start. No, nothing physically has

changed, but the mental outlook associated with a new year, that

is something I can get on board with.

"It's not where you're from; it's where you're going. It's not what

you drive; it's what drives you. It's not what's on you; it's what's in

you. It's not what you think; it's what you know." ---Gatorade com-

mercial

Gatorade definitely has some motivational appeal in their ad cam-

paigns. Charlie Company is no different. Physically, we are pretty

much the same as we were right before the nice holiday break.

But mentally, we must be able to springboard off the momentum

of 2011 working to be more positive and optimistic; we must con-

tinue to put in the quality time to ensure we are putting out a qual-

ity product, whatever that product may be.

January is going to be a busy time at the office and in the sky.

With Apache Block III training on the horizon we still have several

questions that need to be answered before we can come up with

an adequate plan of attack. While some of this information has

been coming a little slow, the good news is we will know very soon

what the dates, location, and size of the company that will partici-

pate in the training will be. So a lot of things will have to happen

at the last minute and things will get very busy. But in the six

months I have been in the company, I know that if ever a team was

up for the challenge, we are it.

The Ghostrider team continues to impress me, other companies,

and the battalion with its can do attitude, resiliency, and ingenu-

Page 7

Above: CW2 Vanmeter and his Family on the day of his promotion.

Congratulations!!

Page 8: Apache post 29 dec

SPC Orsini will move on to the civilian workforce. Thank you for your hard work in the Desperados. Spe-cial recognition goes to the family of PFC Stephanie Infinger who had a baby girl over Thanksgiving week-end. As we enter the holidays, thank you again to our friends and Families who support us. The Desperados are a true team with each member looking out for one another. If there is anything you or your Soldier needs please do not hesitate to give us an email or a phone call. I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday sea-son and a well earned vacation. DESPERADOS! CPT Dan O’Donnell [email protected] 785-307-9368

Family and Friends of the Desperados, First of all, I’d like to thank all the Soldiers and Families that made it to our last Family Readiness Group meet-ing on November 30th. We were able to present a lot of information on how training over the next few months will be conducted. The upcoming months will be filled with training and preparing for the brand new Apache Block 3. At the meeting, we also discussed the upcom-ing Battalion Formal on January 27th at the Junction City Marriott. I hope to see all the Soldiers and their dates there! November and December have been filled with a lot of great training headed into the holiday season. Every Soldier has truly been giving their all as we support everything from Division level exercises to courses for professional development. In the last month we have said farewell to numerous Soldiers who have spent a long time in the Gunfighter family. SFC Pimentel, SGT Foye, SGT Friel and SGT Koones have PCSed to other posts while SGT Petty and

Page 8 THE APACHE POST

Far Left: Desperado Soldiers hard

at work in the hangar while Fort

Riley receives its first snow fall of

the season.

Near Left: SPC Rice working hard

at organizing bench stock.

(Photos courtesy of D CO 1-1 ARB)

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Greetings to the Outlaw Family,

Outlaw 6 here wishing everyone Happy

Holidays during this wonderful time of

the year. The Outlaw team is taking the

month of December

to reset our opera-

tions from the Field

Training Exercise

(FTX), wrapping up

our Reset Assistance

Visit (RAV) deficien-

cies, and begin focus-

ing on the upcoming

tasks for the New

Year.

We are all excited to

begin the half day

schedule and I am

proud to say that every member of our

amazing team deserves these next few

weeks to reset and relax. We will need

both the Soldiers and Families to be

revitalized upon returning to full day

schedules in

January in

order to pre-

pare for our

National

Training Cen-

ter rotation

and support

requirements

for the new

Apache Block

III fielding in

early 2012.

Your time to reset with your Families

will help us prepare the Company and

ultimately the Battalion for all upcoming

missions and ensure that our team is

ready for whatever obstacles come our

way. Please take full advantage of these

next few weeks with your loved ones in

order to make up for the time sacrificed

while they were away. I am extremely

proud and privileged to lead these men

and women and I look forward to seeing

everyone back in 2012 safe, healthy, and

mission ready! May everyone have a

safe and joyous holiday season.

Sincerely,

CPT Robert J. Pugh III

‘Outlaw 6’

Outlaws,

Happy Holidays from Outlaw 7! The month of December has finally arrived which

means the clock is quickly winding down to get those last minute errands com-

plete before Christmas and New Years arrive. With that in mind, I would like to

take a moment in order to encourage both our Warriors and their Families to be

prepared for worst case scenarios. In regards to the weather, please watch the

news and listen to the radio to see if Fort Riley is on a delayed schedule and/or is

closed for the day.

Also, ensure that you have adequate food and supplies at home in case a winter

storm does come through our area. Kansas has always been unpredictable and

we must all be prepared. It would also be wise to have an emergency kit inside of

your car in case your vehicle breaks down on the side of the road during extreme

weather. Finally, during this holiday season make the most of the time you have

together. This time of the year is hard on some of our Warriors, so please keep an eye out on those who might not be as fortunate and

reach out to them so we might all have a joyous holiday experience. Please remember that life is sometimes about choices and the

decisions we make now may have an impact on ourselves or those around us. May you all have a wonderful holiday!

Very Respectfully,

1SG Clifford M. Bell

‘Outlaw 7’

Page 9

Above: The Motor Pool performs squad movement drills

during the Force on Force exercise during Echo Company‟s

four day field Training Exercise. (Photo Courtesy of E CO 1-

1 ARB)

Above: 1SG Clifford Bell proudly displays the Gunfighter Gals

Guidon outside of his office door after Echo Company won the

Big Red 1 “Spirit” Song

Page 10: Apache post 29 dec

Greetings!

On 9 December, F Company cele-brated its first Christmas party and the FRG planned and delivered a wonderful event. Held at the Bat-talion conference room, the night was highlighted by a visit from Santa. I would like to thank the entire FRG team for their tireless planning and work to make the event a great success. F Company is about to enter a new evolution after the first of the New Year. We will move most of our training to Edwards Air Force Base, in California, and over a nine month process, F Company will put into place the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) needed to

ensure the unit is ready for Gray Eagle testing and the deployment cycle. We are excited to be at the forefront of new technology, and the introduction of a new UAS into the Army inventory. First Sergeant Tony Farinosi will also enter a new evolution in life. He will soon retire and move onto new adventures. First Sergeant Farinosi is F Company. His influ-ence, vision, and work ethic gave F Company its identity. He was given the task to start and build a com-pany and not only did he build a company, he built a great relation-ship with the UAS community, the CAB and Division. First Sergeant Farinosi will be greatly missed, and

I cannot thank him enough for teaching and guiding me on a daily basis. He is a great mentor and sol-dier and I hope I have the opportu-nity to work with him again some-where down the road. I want to thank F Company for making the past three months a great experience for me and my family. As we look forward to the New Year, I believe F Company will do great things for our Army and our Country. Happy New Year and be safe, healthy and happy.

CW3 Jeff Stokes

Page 10 THE APACHE POST

From Left to Right: Pictures from F

CO‟s Christmas party that was held

on 9 DEC at the Battalion HQ. They

had a great turnout and all seemed to

have a great time!!

Page 11: Apache post 29 dec

Page 11

It’s Time for Your Annual Financial Checkup!

By Tom Gray, Achieve Solutions Financial Planner through www.militaryonesource.com

You’re another year older, but do you really know if you’re getting richer or poorer? Should you make any changes in the way you save, spend and invest your money? To answer such questions as these, it’s a good idea to regularly review your financial health. This doesn’t have to be done just after the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day. And sometimes you shouldn’t wait for the new year to review certain aspects of your finances that can change because of life events. For exam-ple, it’s important to review your life insur-ance coverage when you have a child on the way, whatever the date or season. And when you’re measuring your progress to-ward retirement goals, your birthday may be a more fitting time to take stock. But there's a certain logic to reviewing your finances at the start of the calendar year. For one thing, you pay your income taxes on a calendar-year basis, so going over income and expenses at this time is a good way to get a head start on the tax-filing process. Also, the end-of-year pay stubs give you a quick snapshot not only of the past year's income but also the taxes you paid. Finally, you may be more in the mood for personal reassessment and the making of reso-lutions. Financial checkups are in the spirit of the season. “The begin-ning of the year is a good time to look back to ‘where I’ve been and where I’m going’," says Clark Randall, a Dallas, Texas-based financial planner. Here are some areas that planners suggest you include in your yearly review. Review your cash flow Look at your checkbook balance for January 1 and compare it to where it was at this time last year. Is it higher or lower? Do you know where all the money has gone? It’s never a bad time to start addressing these questions, and the start of the year is as good as any.

If you’re already tracking and categorizing your expenses, good for you. You should now be able to add things up and get a picture of your spending habits. If you’ve already made a budget, better still. You can see if you’ve stayed within your budgeted amounts.

Using your latest pay stubs, you should be able to tell how much money you took home after taxes in the past year, and if this is more or less than what you spend. If it’s more, you’re saving. If it’s less, you need to find out why. Unless you had an extraordinary expense (something that doesn’t happen every year, like a down payment on a house or car), then you need to take another look at your spending and figure out what to cut.

Review (and rebalance) your investments If you’ve done your homework and defined your investment goals, such as retirement and college, you should check regularly to see if you’re still on track to reach them. The start of a new year is a good time to take stock of your stocks and bonds—to see which investments have done well or poorly in the past year, and to make adjustments. If you have a 401(k) or other employer-based retirement plan that gives you several investment options, you may want to change the mix at this point.

Deciding exactly what to adjust is something of a judgment call. Generally, experts say you should try to maintain a mix of stocks and bonds (or stock and bond mutual funds) that fits your long-term strategy. If at this point you’ve planned to have 70 percent in stocks and 30 percent in bonds (or money-market funds), you should “rebalance” your portfolio if it has strayed from those proportions in the past year. If the stock (or “equity”) part of your portfolio has shrunk, you should shift money to stocks. In effect, this means doing what does not come naturally to most inves-tors: selling winners and buying last year’s losers.

“Holding on to winners may be very tempting,” says Ernie Ankrim, direc-tor of portfolio strategy for the investment research firm Frank Russell Co., “but it can chip away at your portfolio’s diversification over time.” For investments in taxable accounts, remember that any sales can create capital gains that may result in a tax bill next year. But you also can sell securities that have lost money and use the loss to cancel out the taxable gains. Most investors carry out such tax strategies later in the year, but it never hurts to plan ahead. Make sure you’re prepared for the worst The bittersweet passage of another year brings up issues that you usually keep on a mental back-burner—like the question of what happens after you’re gone. Randall suggests reading your will regularly—“maybe on a cursory basis every year,” and more carefully every few years—to make sure it still reflects your wishes. Regardless of the calendar, he says you should review your will whenever you’ve been through a major life-changing event or a significant change has been made in the tax laws. You also should review your insurance, making sure that you have ade-quate life and disability coverage. If you haven’t done so already, check with your employer’s human resource department to see what coverage you already have.

This article is reprinted from Military One Source Financial articles.

Page 12: Apache post 29 dec

1-1 ARB traces its roots to the formation of the 1st Aviation Company, 1st

ID, constituted on 15 February 1957 at Fort Riley, KS. Later redesignated

as 1st Aviation Battalion, one of the first aviation units to employ helicop-

ter gunships and reconnaissance helicopters in unison to conduct search

and destroy teams, commonly referred to as "hunter/killer" teams. Cur-

rently stationed at Fort Riley, the Gunfighters continue to provide invalu-

able reconnaissance and lethal attack helicopters fires for the Soldiers of

the Big Red One.

The Gunfighters are commanded by LTC Edward M. Vedder. CSM Michael

P. O’Donnell is the senior enlisted advisor.

This is the informational newsletter of 1-1 Attack Reconnaissance Battal-

ion, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division that contains both

official and unofficial information. The inclusion of non-official informa-

tion in this newsletter has not increased the cost to the United States Gov-

ernment in accordance with DoD 425.8-M.

1-1 ATTACK RECONNAISSANCE BATTALION

Battalion Headquarters

BLDG 802 Marshall Avenue

Fort Riley, Kansas 66442

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