Download - MALS-16 FWD July eNewsletter
JULY 15, 2010 INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Not only are our Marines and Sailors demonstrating
superior performance within their designated Mili-
tary Occupational Specialties, they are also taking
advantage of the various professional growth oppor-
tunities through on-site, resident education. I com-
mend our Marines for looking beyond their daily
requirements to ensure our leaders of tomorrow are
prepared and equipped with the requisite knowl-
edge and skills to assume greater leadership respon-
sibility. Similarly, I salute our families, friends and
volunteers for their tremendous sacrifice to ensure
our sustained support, no matter the geographical
location.
My sincere congratulations go out to many - now
that we have reached the halfway point for this
portion of the OEF 10.1 deployment. Our skillful
planners have begun to work the redeployment sched-
ules and timelines. Please stay tuned for information
from our Family Readiness Officer notifying the fami-
lies of the latest deployment news. Remember the
sensitive information of reunions should be held in
the strictest confidence to ensure safety for one and
all.
In closing, I extend a fond farewell to the Marines,
Sailors and families entering the normal summer
Permanent Change-of-Station rotation cycle. We wish
you Godspeed in all endeavors. It has been a real
pleasure to serve with each and every one of you. For
those who remain in MALS, you can count our entire
leadership team to stay focused on safety and provide
steady, reliable support to 3D MAW Squadrons.
It is an honor and privilege to serve as your Com-
mander!
Semper Fidelis,
J.C Carroll III
LtCol USMC
From the Commanding Officer
Families and Friends,
Can you believe it is already July!
Wow - time here has been flying by
for your Marines and Sailors!
June has been a very dynamic
month for us. We continue to have
the squadron augments check-in and
check-out - it is a good process to
say goodbye to the Marines we have
grown with and also to welcome
aboard the new Marines who are
itching to get into the fight!
MALS-16 (FWD) Marines constantly
show what they are made of. That
was never more evident than during
Marine and NCO of the Quarter Boards.
The competition was tight but only
one winner could emerge for each
category. A hearty congratulations
goes to Cpl Charpied (AVNSUPDEPT)
and LCpl Murphy (AVI DEPT) for win-
ning these prestigious awards for the
3rd Quarter!
MALS-16 (FWD) hosted Professional
PME this past month with the MALS-
16 (FWD) Corporal’s Course 2-10. We
had 83 students from 9 different units
attend our courses. Special Kudos to
Cpl Cotto (Honor Graduate), Cpl Pohl
(Gung-Ho Award), and Cpl McLaughlin
(Leadership Essay Winner)!
Families, thank you again for your
daily sacrifice! Know that your
Marines are making a difference!~
~Semper Fi,
MGySgt Diane M. Sharpe
Sergeant Major’s Corner
e
MALS-16 Family and Friends,
As our daily pace continues to increase, the Ma-
rines and Sailors of MALS-16 continue to perform at
the highest levels of excellence. Each team member
has exhibited a personal commitment for success in
spite of the enormous logistical support challenges
throughout Southern California and across three
operating bases in Afghanistan.
Standing Out Page 2 Announcements Page 3
A Marine’s Point of View Page 5 Cpl’s Course Page 6
4th of July Page 7 A Little Bit of Kandahar Page 9 2010 OEF Souvenirs Page 10
In Other News Page 4
LtCol Carroll with the Headquarters Marines
MGySgt Sharpe addressing Marines
on the 4th of July Celebration
The Marine Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO), the emulating display of our core values of honor,
courage and commitment that make us stand above all the rest. The inspiring performance of the 14
leadership traits pull together those junior Marines around us in the wake of our duties. The demon-
stration of unyielding pride in enforcing discipline yet we show compassion and humility to those in
need and worthy of praise. The Marine NCO lives our history and bleeds our traditions because in
order to be a Leader of Marines, that is what our Corps requires from us.
Honor, courage and commitment; the values instilled in our minds and hearts since the very moment
we landed on those yellow footprints. A Marines will never lie, cheat or steal. A Marine will have
physical, mental and moral strength to accomplish the task at hand. A Marine will have the selfless
dedication to our Corps and to our country. As NCOs, we must demand nothing less of those Marines
in our charge, “and by example will inspire them to the highest standards possible.”
Many have asked themselves which of the 14 leadership traits is the most important? I have to
answer, “All of them.” There is no one trait more essential and imperative than another. When used
in proper correlation to the given situation, the NCO must be able to use all distinctively separate as
well as in combination with “training new Marines and influencing the old.”
When asked the question, “What is the most important characteristics of being a Marine?” I first
replied with a clear and concise, “Discipline.” The instant willing obedience to all orders; to do
what is right when no one is looking. Although every recruit that makes it past processing and
forming has some sort of discipline. With the roar of a drill instructor blasting in your face, it is
quite easy to “do this” and “don't do that.” What makes a recruit a Marine and, eventually, a
Marine an NCO is something entirely different. If I were asked that same question today, I would
have a very different answer: humility. The humility we have for our rank and for the Corps. Humil-
ity in knowing, understanding and perceiving that no one Marine is greater than the mission, their
unit or the Corps as a whole. We have humility as the small unit leader knowing that the smallest
task, when put together, adds up to the accomplished mission. “Their performance will reflect an
image of me.”
Honor, courage, commitment, bearing, decisiveness, dependability, enthusiasm, endurance, integrity,
initiative, judgment, justice, knowledge, loyalty, tact, unselfishness, discipline, humility. All impor-
tant individually in their own way, all needed and required of a Marine Non-Commissioned Officer.
Our history lives in each and every one of us, from the sword we carry, to the stripe marked with
blood down the side of our trousers. And it is up to us to enrich our traditions to our junior Marines,
it is up to us to keep them alive and well.
How is the Marine NCO the embodiment of the Corps’ history and traditions?
PROMOTIONS
LCPL LASHWAY, CODY
CPL BRU, GABRIEL
CPL CASAREZ, DEREK
CPL DUTILE, JUSTIN
CPL FLAGG, ANDREW
CPL FLORES, CHRISTOPHER
CPL HARPER, CRAIG
CPL LOVETT, GORDON
CPL MOORE, ROGER
CPL PRICE, WILLIAM
CPL ROBERTSON, JOSEPH
CPL RUTTER, JONATHAN
CPL SHOLTIS, ANTHONY
SGT COCIMANO, ANTONIO
SGT RIOS, LUIS
SGT VEGA, ANTHONY
GYSGT HAMILTON, MICHAEL
GYSGT SIMMERS, JOSHUA
AWARDS SSGT HOLTFRETER, KURT
SSGT WAGNER, ROBERT
SSGT EDENS, MATTHEW
SSGT MILTON, CHERYLE
SSGT PAYNE, WILLIAM
SSGT ROBERTS ELIZABETH
SGT LUNSFORD, ZACHARY
SGT JOHNSON, KENAN
CPL COLLINS, DONNOVAN
CPL CABEZAS, BRYANT
CPL MAXWELL, BRANDON
CPL PEREZ, CALEB
CPL CHILDRESS, CHRISTOPHER
CPL NEWCOMB, BENJAMIN
CPL LATOUR, DANIELA
LCPL COX, CHRISTOPHER
LCPL WHITE, JAMES
JULY BIRTHDAYS SSGT ARNOLD, JASON 1st
LCPL VERMILYER, MATHEW 1st
SGT CORONADO, VALENTIN 2nd
LCPL BOBBIT, ERIC 3rd
MSGT FONSECA, ADRIAN 3rd
GYSGT BARNWELL, LEONARD 4th
CPL KNEZECVICH, NICHOLAS 5th
SGT KNIGHT, MICHAEL 5th
SGT LOVELESS, AMBER 6th
LCPL NEWTON, JAMES 6th
SGT WEST, TRAVIS 8th
CPL ADRIATICO, RAMON 9th
LCPL CRUZ, ANGEL 9th
CPL MARTINEZ, JOSE 9th
CPL OLIVER, LAWRENCE 10th
SSGT WILSON, RICHARD 10th
SGT MARCIAL, CHRISTOPHER 11th
SGT GARCIA, CARLOS 14th
LCPL RUDE, RODNEY 14th
SGT ALVARADO, ANDREW 15th
LCPL CHAUTIN, BRANDON 15th
CPL DINATALE, ANTHONY 15th
SGT WARNER, JERMAINE 15th
CPL WYER, TREVOR 17th
SGT WHITMORE, SAMANTHA 18th
CPL COSTA, ARTHUR 19th
CPL BECKER, PATRICK 20th
CPL COHOE, DAVID 20th
MSGT RODRIGUEZ, FELIPE 20th
CPL TEIXEIRA, JOHN 20th
CPL ZARRABI, SEAN 20th
LCPL TURNER, SPENSER 21st
SSGT CASTILLO, ORLANDO 22nd
LCPL KRIZO, DAVID 22nd
LCPL MARTINDALE, ZANE 22nd
CPL OLIVE, JACQUELINE 23rd
LCPL PETERSON, STEVEN 23rd
SSGT DEVOY, ANTHONY 24th
LCPL PREMACHANDRAN, DYLAN 25th
SGT BALDONADO, SHERYL 27th
LCPL HALL, ZACHARY 27th
MGYSGT SHARPE, DIANE 27th
MGYSGT ALYWARD, DAVID 29th
CPL ASKIN, WESLEY 29th
SSGT BENHAM, BRIAN 29th
SGT FLORES, ADRIAN 29th
SGT NEIL, VINCENT 29th
CPL PLACHNO, HAILEE 29th
CPL VAZQUEZ, MIGUEL 29th
LCPL ALVAREZBALMACEDA, JOSE 30th
CPL DUTILE, JUSTIN 30th
LCPL EVERETT, DAVID 30th
CPL GERRITY, SHANE 30th
SSGT MONTES, ALFONSO 30th
SGT RIOS, MERLINA 30th
CPL MITCHELL, ZACHARY 31st
LCPL RICHARDSON, STEVEN 31st
GOOD CONDUCT
MEDAL
When we first arrived here, I remember how easy it was to spot
the Marines who had been for almost a year. You could see it in their
faces, in the way they held themselves, even sense it in the way they
spoke. Everything about them was screamin exhaustion. They just
seemed...tired. They seemed worn out, mentally drained. Physically ex-
asperated. They seemed impatient with this country and their eagerness
to be home was overrun by how lifeless they had become over the course of
the past year. And here we are, only 5 months in and, I feel it. I feel the exhaustion that I saw in the
faces of the Marines I came here to replace, and I have only been here a meager 5 months. I have only one
to go. For any of you reading this, in any branch of the military that have ever done an entire year over-
seas, my utmost respect and admiration goes out to you. I don’t know if I could do it. I just don’t know if
my body and mind would hold out another 6 months.
June and now the beginning of July have been interesting months...to say the least. Things that
have stuck out to me the most over the course of the past and a half:
One: The animal life in Afghanistan. The mice. THE MICE– THE MICE– THE MICE. Who knows
where they come from, but they have taken up residence in our clamshell and we dare not fight them
anymore. We started out with just one - Mama Mouse. Mama Mouse finally met Papa Mouse and the
two must have hit it off because they continue to work on their family. Now we have meeces and mices of
all sizes. The itty bitty guys are the fearless ones (they are my favorite). You open a cupboard and see
their little black, bead eyes staring back at you while they sit there perched on SSgt’s jar of peanut butter.
They don’t move or make any attempt to flee anymore. They just sit there - staring. Then they poop and
leave our cupboard a bacterial mess.
And where there are mice, there will be cats. I’ve noticed that a family of cats has taken over the
supply van pad. Skinny little, tiger striped Afghani cats! They have no problem minding their own busi-
ness and we dare not touch them. But just like the meeces and mice, they have no fear. I know this first
hand seeing as though one or two have almost become “rock kill” means of the gator. And quite possibly,
the most surprising of this wildlife adventure...are the ladybugs. It was cute at first. Someone spotted one
in my hair, which is supposed to be good luck. But one turned into thirty. Did I say thirty? I meant
thirty MILLION. It was refreshing to see them around for a while, little red specks in a sea of sand and
dirt...but only in Afghanistan will you find KILLER LADY BUGS. LADY BUGS THAT BITE. Needless to say,
they quickly lost their endearment and fell nicely into the same category as the steroid induced flies.
And last but not least - and quite possibly the most dangerous of all Afghani animals: the desert
bear. Don’t worry. Desert bears only lurk in the daytime and don’t pose an immediate threat to all Ma-
rines. For the handful of you who know and understand this joke, I hope you are laughing uncontrollably
right now.
The other thing, my number 2 and almost seemingly impossible to ignore now that summer has
arrived, is the temperature. It climbs everyday. The kind of heat that makes it annoying to breathe in
the daytime. You inhale and your lungs just want to deny the hot air you’re taking in. They want noth-
ing to do with it, but then again...it’s all there is, so they are forced to adapt. I vividly remember coming
home from Iraq and the first breath of fresh air I took once we landed in Germany. No sand, no dirt, no
stench of porta potty whirling about my nostrils. Just air. CLEAN, FRESH, LADY BUG FREE AIR. It was
great then; I can only imagine what it’s going to be like this time around. I dream about that first breath
of fresh air. The kind of dreams you don’t want to wake up from.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
A MARINE’S POINT OF VIEW
FACULTY ADVISORS: Sgt Stevens, Anthony Sgt Taylor, Byron
SSgt Cardona, Diego, SNCOIC Sgt Knight, Jared Sgt Weiss, David
SSgt Castillo, Orlando Sgt Gonzalez, Karen Sgt Land, Mario
Sgt Spoon, Tyler Sgt Osorio, Gunther
ACADEMICS: DIRECTOR:
GYSGT GREENE, CHRISTOPHER MGYSGT SHARPE, DIANE
IN AFGHANISTAN
PIE
EATING
CONTEST
BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS
W
I
N
N
E
R
The heat has arrived and welcomed us with open arms. One thing that you will never forget about your time
in the desert is the heat. Something that I can say for Marines is that they are inventive; adapt and overcome. If your
AC is out, hook up a C17; if the sun is beating down your work space, build an awning; if your work space is hot, build
AC ducting using water bottles and duct tape to ventilate it. Even with the motivating Marine Corps Martial Arts Pro-
gram (MCMAP) training going on, Marines are getting up before the sun so they can get to class and get all their train-
ing before the heat hits. MCMAP is motivating in its own right. It is great to watch these Marines progress in their
belts. They are out there doing their daily Physical Training in the dust and dirt, and then continuing on the mats
learning new moves. It is awesome to see these guys and girls at the end of their training, covered in dirt, faces white
with dust and smear marks from rolling on the mats, but they are smiling and happy because it is good training.
Maintenance here at MALS is ongoing. With a month under our belt of having the F18s aboard station, we have identified most
all glitches and have quickly fixed problems or found solutions that will keep gear returning to the squadrons.
GSE has made the downed Pettibone operational in order to help the squadron with engine lifts. They have also assisted the
squadron with their support equipment to keep their maintenance running smoothly. Supply has been n the move non-stop, inventory-
ing AV8 gear being moved to a safe storage and ordering needed gear for the F18s. Tire shop is constantly turning tires around to keep
the birds I the air. An astonishing amount of liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen has been produced by Cryo to not only support the F18s,
but also to support the British and other contractors here in KAF.
Celebrating the 4th of July here not only helped camaraderie, but also reminded us that we are fighting for our great nation
and protecting our loved ones at home. It is going to be wonderful to get home to our families when we are done with our deployment.
Sgt Ihnen, Jessica
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
And now to my number 3 - the constant chit chat about our departure dates. It’s gone by quick, it really has. There is no
more getting used to this country. I think for me, as well as many others, this country has really gotten the best of us. It’s drained s
in every way possible. I’ve changed over the course of the past month and I can’t seem to put my finger on how or why. It’s almost
certain that I go into panic mode every night, I finally know and fully understand the meaning of the phrase, “running around like a
chicken with its head cut off.” I do that. I literally do that. And it’s been an exhausting experience. I want to blame it on Afghani-
stan, but I know that the underlying reason is all in my head. I know that one more month may be all that my little body can han-
dle and California has never seemed so beautiful. I see it in my dreams, the same ones where I think I taste fresh air. I see GREEN
and SHRUBBERY. I see the ocean. I see the skyline of San Diego. I see my hand wrapped around a glass of wine. I see all these
things and they are finally within reach. We are on the last leg of this deployment, ladies and gentlemen. Where that old saying,
“There’s no place like home” means more to us than it did to Dorothy and Toto.
Cpl Gerlak after MCMAP training Training never stops Sunset over Kandahar
FOR SALE
Coin $ 3.50
Patch $ 2.00
Coffee Mug $2.00
MALS-16 (Fwd) Deputy Family Readiness Officer
Sgt Sheryl Baldonado
Newsletter Point of Contact
POINT OF CONTACT: GYSGT GREENE
email: [email protected]