Hammer  Command  Team  

Friends  and  Family  of  the  Hammer  Team,

Our  first  full  month  in  theater  has  been  a  busy  one.  Elements  of  this  company  have  participated  in  nearly  every  battalion  operation,  traveling  to  all  ends  of  our  AO,  and  truly  making  a  difference  in  the  lives  of  the  Afghan  people.  Our  Scouts  have  been  preparing  for  an  exciting  missions  designed  to  capture  high  level  targets  in  the  Task  Force  AO,  while  our  newest  addition 3rd Platoon,  Blackjack  Company has  assumed  much  of  the  patrolling  for  the  SharanaDistrict.  1LT  Barnes  and  SFC  Williams  have  built  a  great  team,  that  has  really  made  an  impact  on  the  company.  Support  Platoon  continues  to  supply  the  Task  Force  with  vital  supplies,  running  missions  that  last  25  plus  hours  at  a  time.  None  of  the  outstanding  work  here  in  Afghanistan  could  happen  without  the  tireless  maintenance  work  from  our  Mechanics.  SFC  Talbott and  the  maintenance  section  work  around  the  clock  to  ensure  our  vehicles  and  equipment  are  fully  mission  capable.  -­‐

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CPT  Sam  Rosenberg,  Afghan  Police  Officer  Said  Ahmed,  and  Martin  (Linguist  for  Hammer  6)  on  patrol  in  a  local  village

1SG  Reese  monitors  security  during  a  Support  Platoon  convoy  to  a  nearby  FOB

Headquarters  Platoon

Headquarters  Platoon  received  great  news  this  month  that  Platoon  Sergeant,  SSG  Franklin,  is  being  promoted  to  TF  Staff,  where  he  will  work  to  manage  over  50  interpreters  

operations.  It  is  a  great  step  for  SSG  Franklin  and  his  family  and  it  shows  just  the  kind  of  leaders  we  build  in  the  company.  SSG  Alsopskeel  will  take  over  for  SSG  Franklin  as  platoon  sergeant  for  headquarters.  He  has  served  as  our  company  intelligence  NCOIC  for  8  months  and  has  proven  his  has  what  it  takes  to  lead  a  platoon.      The  Soldiers  of  HQs  platoon  continue  to  run  the  company  command  post,  the  training  room,  the  NBC  room,  the  arms  room,  the  supply  room  and  the  company  intelligence  cell.  Much  of  their  work  is  behind  the  scenes  but  nonetheless  vital  to  our  mission  here.  Our  CoISTSoldiers  continue  to  set  the  example  for  the  other  CoISTs to  follow  and  are  analyzing  a  great  deal  of  intelligence  that  drives  our  operations.  

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Headquarters Platoon

PFC  Taylor,  CoIST analyst,  on  patrol  in  a  local  village  and  enjoying  the  time  outside  the  wire

SSG  Alsopskeel  works  the  phones  to  ensure  our  patrols  are  getting  the  best  asset  support  possible

3/B/TF  3-­‐66  AR

Bandit  Platoon  joined  the  Hammer  Family  in  July,  as  the  Task  Force  deployed  to  Afghanistan.  They  are  coming  to  us  from  Blackjack  company,  and  have  made  a  great  addition  to  our  team.  Most  of  the  security  patrols  in  our  district  are  the  responsibility  of  the  Bandit  platoon.  Bandits  are  led  by  1LT  Barnes  and  SFC  Williams.  On  any  given  day,  the  Bandits  patrol  the  district,  act  as  the  Task  Force  Reserve  and  train  the  local  Afghan  Security  Forces  to  better  protect  the  Afghan  people.  They  are  one  of  the  more  busier  elements  within  the  company,  often  spending  entire  days  outside  the  wire.  The  Soldiers  in  the  platoon  have  performed  magnificently  in  a  wide  variety  of  missions.  Some  of  them,  including  SGT  Allen,  have  been  featured  on  the  AKO  

bandits  in  the  company  and  look  forward  to  working  together  over  the  next  twelve  months!

The  Bandit  Platoon  with  their  AUP  counterparts

Bandits  on  patrol  in  the  local  Bazaar

3/B/TF 3-­‐66  AR

ACP

The  Assault  Command  Post    has  the  all  important  mission  of  securing  the  Task  Force  Leadership  during  battlefield  circulation.  We  patrol  nearly  every  day  and  have  seen  almost  every  part  of  the  Task  Force  AO.  Over  the  past  month,  

Commander  to  ANA  BDE  size  

reconnaissance  of  future  mission  locations.  We  have  also  spent  time  patrolling  Hammer  AO,  conducting  a  KLE  recently  in  the  local  bazaar.  Although  the  ACP  remains  busy,  our  Soldiers  are  doing  excellent  work  and  enjoying  their  mission.  

Assault  Command  Post

LTC  Taylor  and  SSG  Lebel discuss  the  days  events  while  taking  a  break  from  patrolling

Soldiers  from  ACP  conduct  a  dismounted  patrol  with  the  TF  Command  Ground  

Maintenance

Our  mechanics  have  been  working  extremely  hard  over  the  past  month.  If  

helping  to  recover  vehicles  stuck  in  the  difficult  Afghan  terrain.  Just  the  other  day,  our  mechanics  assisted  in  the  25  hour  resupply  mission  to  a  nearby  FOB  and  helped  recover  15  vehicles  at  various  times  over  the  course  of  the  mission.  Our  mechanics  stand  ready  for  whatever  comes  their  way  over  the  next  12  months.  Mostly,  the  guys  are  looking  forward  to  the  start  of  RR  and  the  cooler  weather  we  expect  in  the  coming  weeks!

-­‐SFC  Talbott

Maintenance

SGT  Okon having  a  good  time  in  the  maintenance  bay

Our  mechanics  doing  what  they  do  best fixing  things

Maintenance

Although  most  of  our  medics  are  tasked  out  to  the  line  companies,  we  still  have  a  small  contingent  at  FOB  Sharana with  the  PLT  HQs.  We  remain  busy  daily,  working  on  reports  and  ensuring  that  our  Soldiers  remain  healthy.    PLT  HQs  often  spends  time  in  the    TF  TOC,  helping  to  battle  track  and  manage  patrols  in  sector.  We  also  visit  the  outlying  COPs  and  their  Aid  Stations  to  check  in  on  our  Soldiers  attached  to  other  companies.  Our  Soldiers  are  happy  and  excited  to  be  here,  working  to  keep  our  Soldiers  in  the  fight.

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-­‐SFC  Knightt

Medical  Platoon

Medical  Platoon  Sergeant,  SFC  Knight  strikes  a  pose  in  his  office

Galarza  typing  away  at  his  workstation!

Scout  Platoon

Scouts  have  perhaps  the  most  exciting  mission  in  the  entire  task  force.  

Targeting  Force,  our  Scouts  will  conduct  air  assaults  throughout  the  BDE  AO  to  capture  high  level  targets  and  disrupt  insurgent  networks  in  Eastern  Afghanistan.  Already  the  platoon  has  conducted  two  air  assaults  to  capture  high  level  targets  and  remove  dangerous  caches  off  the  battlefield.  Over  the  next  month,  the  platoon  will  participate  in  TF  and  BDE  level  operations  as  well  as  conducting  training  to  improve  their  targeting  skills.  The  Platoon  recently  received  a  team  of  eight  engineers  and  two  female  engagement  team  Soldiers,  making  the  platoon  the  largest  in  the  Task  Force.    We  would  like  to  extend  a  warm  welcome  to  these  Soldiers  and  their  families!

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-­‐SSG  Swinehart

Scouts  on  patrol  with  their  counterparts  and  some  locals  in  a  village

Scout  PL,  CPT  Lind,  works  with  his  counterparts  and  interpreter  during  a  recent  patrol

Scout Platoon

Support  Platoon

Support  Platoon  is  one  of  the  hardest  working  platoons  in  the  entire  task  force.  Conducting  multiple  logistics  patrols  every  week  to  resupply  our  COPs,  the  Soldier  of  Support  Platoon  are  constantly  on  the  move.  Recently,  the  platoon  conducted  a  25  hour  mission  to  resupply  a  nearby  base.    Kids  surrounded  the  patrol  at  every  stop  and  Soldiers  were  giving  away  their  MREs  and  pens  in  droves.  The  Soldiers  are  working  very  hard  every  day  and  are  taking  pride  in  their  work.  We  look  forward  to  RR  starting  next  

SPC  Grooms  on  his  recent  promotion!  He  continues  to  excel  in  the  platoon  and  shows  great  promise  for  future  leadership  potential  in  the  company.  

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Support  Platoon

Soldiers  from  the  Support  Platoon  take  a  break  from  patrolling  to  strike  a  killer  pose!

CPT  Knell,  the  Support  Platoon  Leader,  and  our  STT  NCOIC  stand  with  our  ANSF  counterparts  during  a  mission  to  assess  the  Afghan  Battalion  Staff

StaffEach  month,  we  will  highlight  one  staff  section.  This  month,  we  will  focus  on  the  S6  Shop.  Here  is  a  word  from  OIC,  CPT  Randall:

The  communications  staff  continues  to  be  busy  supporting  the  battalion  to  improve  command  and  control  on  the  battlefield.    The  soldiers  have  upgraded  over  110  Blue  Force  Trackers  (BFTs).    Additionally,  the  commo shop  has  provided  outstanding  information  technology  (IT)  support  by  doing  everything  from  setting  up  outlook  to  configuring  new  computers  for  the  network.      These  soldiers  put  in  long  hours  on  a  daily  basis  to  support  the  companies  and  their  work  has  made  the  Task  Force  successful.

PFC  Jones  configures  a  new  upgrade  to  the  Blue  Force  Tracker  (BFT)  

Staff

SSG  Carmona,  the  S6  NCOIC,  operating  as  Radio  Telephone  Operator  (RTO)  during  a  major  operation