“Wolfhounds” Combat Patch Ceremony

1-27 Infantry “THE BARK”

US ARMY

Wolfhound Soldiers gath-

ered August 7th for a Combat

Patch ceremony. Wolfhounds

that have deployed for the

first time have now earned

the right to wear their Divi-

sion's emblem on their right

shoulder sleeve, showing

they have served their coun-

try during a time of war.

The Battalion leadership

presented the soldiers with

their patches. The ceremony

was conducted by Headquar-

ters and Headquarters Com-

pany. The Brigade Com-

mander, COL Frost and the

Brigade Command Sergeant

Major, CSM Hain, were also

in attendance to present LTC

Brown and CSM Higgs

Volume 1, Issue 2 1 September 2010

“SHOUT OUTS” 1lt Stevens, Nicholas from A co “Happy birthday Bridgett, I love you and miss you.”

SPC Lopez, Juan from C co “Hey Linda I miss you and wish I could make it

home to celebrate your birthday but we have many more. Happy birthday.”

SPC Duvol, Carlos from HHC “To my wife and my little girl, I love the

both of you and miss you two very much. You two are my universe!!!!”

Congratulations to the following new

parents!

SPC Colin & Jana Smy-

sor, 14 June 2010

SGT Jesse & Christina

Johnson 9 August 2010

SFC Moses & Tamika

Tolbert, 4 August 2010

1LT Fredrick & Oxana

Sanabria, 25 August

2010

CSM Higgs congratulates soldiers of 1-27 on receiving their combat SPC Davies receives his combat patch during the ceremony

with their combat patches,

showing their support to

“Wolfhound” Soldiers. COL

Frost shared a few words over

the history of the Combat

Patch and reasons why

“Wolfhounds” should be

proud to receive it. The Com-

bat Patch is now a part of

their uniform.

“We go where you go.”

That is the motto of the

Army Air Force Exchange

Service, (AAFES). AAFES

has been providing deployed

personnel with a bit of home

comfort since the early

1900’s. AAFES provides a

variety of goods and ser-

vices. On COB Speicher

AAFES has games, gaming

systems, music CDs, per-

sonal hygiene items, army

attire, food and even weight

training supplies available

for purchase. This gives the

soldiers a break from their

daily duties when time per-

mits. Everything that is ac-

cessible at the PX/BX here

is pretty much up-to-date

with what is coming out in

the states. New movies and

games that come out, arrive

here in theater about a month

after they are released state

side. Even though Soldiers

are able to purchase sup-

plies, care packages from

friends and loved ones still

provide the biggest impact

on Soldiers moral. In addi-

tion to the PX/BX is the

COB Speicher mini mall.

This is a collection of spe-

cialty shops that sell many

items that cannot be found at

the PX/BX. Fancy jewelry,

tailor-made clothes and

leather goods can be bought

at the COB Speicher Mini

Mall. Crystal figures and

wine glass sets made in Tur-

key can make great gifts for

friends and family members.

There is even a perfume

shop and a rug shop. Most

items at these specialty

shops are discounted for

military members. Soldiers

can even special order items

that they want that are not

sold in the mini mall. Even

though Soldiers are deployed

here in Iraq, AAFES is here

to help them pass the time

with a bit of home comfort

from the PX/BX.

“We Go Where You Go”

1-27 Infantry “THE BARK”

Volume 1, Issue 2 1 September 2010

An array of video game con-

soles, video games, and

other personal electronics

are in stock at all times

Soldiers have personal

hygiene items readily avail-

able to them

Page 2

“Courtyard Restaurants and Shops”

Located in the PX/BX courtyard are a multitude of fast food restau-

rants, to include Subway, Taco Bell, and Burger King. Stores and shops

found here are the Oakley Retail Store, a tailoring shop, an auto-

financing store, a fine jewelry store and a Kodak Photography shop.

Among these many places to purchase food, gifts, and collectibles there

is also an AT&T Call Center where soldiers can stay in close contact

with family and friends back home. During time off from work and mis-

sions, soldiers are afforded the opportunity to visit and take advantage of

the many restaurants and shops available to them. The main shuttle bus

hub is also located at the PX, offering timely transportation for all sol-

diers on Speicher.

Greetings to the Able Company friends and families.

1SG Malcolm and I hope this short update finds you all

well and confident your Soldier is doing well in Iraq.

Able Company hit the ground running as soon as we ar-

rived in Kuwait only to come to a screeching halt. Sand

storms swept through, grounding our flight into Iraq and

delaying us for an additional three days. After spending

10 days on ranges and preparing our equipment in Ku-

wait, the company finally made it up to our new “home”

on COB Speicher.

Almost immediately upon arriving at COB Speicher the

Soldiers began doing joint patrols with the outgoing com-

pany to learn the area we would be responsible for. The

men have been keeping busy with daily patrols moving

Provincial Reconstruction Teams & Civilian Police Advi-

sors all around the battlefield as we hand off a lot of our

jobs to the US Department of State over the next year or

so. Leaders have been engaging and advising local Police

Chiefs and City Councils on how to better govern their

counties or what they call Qa’das and Nahiyas.

2nd Platoon was sent forward to assist 2-14 CAV with

operations along the Iraq-Iran border. The rest of the

company has stayed together on COB Speicher and we

receive weekly updates from 2nd Platoon. All the Pla-

toons are contributing in a different way to the transfer of

authority to the Iraqi government.

The living conditions are far better than any of us antici-

pated and the combat veterans have never had it this nice

on previous deployments. Even though we don’t get to

spend much time relaxing in our rooms, it is nice to have

a trailer with a working air conditioner for the brief mo-

ments we aren’t out on patrol. Acclimating to the weather

has been a constant struggle. Its often said that it isn’t as

bad because

it’s a “dry heat,” but

as the Soldiers will

tell you, anything

over 100 is hot re-

gardless of whether

or not it’s humid.

Temperatures have

been averaging 120

during the day and

90 at night and we

are all looking for-

ward to the winter

arriving so we can

get a break from the

sun.

Time is passing by

quicker than ex-

pected and all the

Soldiers of Able

Company are doing

an excellent job in

their assigned du-

ties. The much

anticipated R&R for

each Soldier will

begin here in the

next several weeks

so that each Soldier

has an opportunity

to come home and

see their friends and

family.

Page 3

CPT HILLS

COMPANY COMMANDER

1SG MALCOLM

COMPANY FIRST SERGEANT

Commander’s Corner

Page 4

2nd Platoon. SPC Cole distinguished

himself by his actions when his platoon

was engaged by the enemy during a

patrol. His ability to engage the enemy

and report information to the rest of his

platoon, resulted in his platoon success-

fully defeating the en-

emy. We are extremely

proud and thankful of

SPC Cole and all of his

hard work so far in this

deployment. Borzoi!

Each month, Borzoi Company will se-

lect a Borzoi Soldier of the Month to be

featured in the Battalion and Company

newsletter and the Company Facebook

page. In addition, the soldier will re-

ceive 2-days off from the First Sergeant

and the keys to the Company Com-

mander’s non-tactical vehicle for an

entire day. A couple other smaller in-

centives will also be rewarded that will

vary from month to month. This month

the featured soldier is SPC Cole from

Borzoi Company is off to a great start

here in Iraq. We have been very busy

getting to know all our Iraqi counter-

parts and assessing how to best support

the Iraqi government and security

forces. The draw down of forces have

placed tremendous amounts of respon-

sibility on soldiers of all ranks. Com-

panies and platoons are now responsi-

ble for what battalions and brigades

used to be responsible for. Our area of

responsibility includes a large portion

of northern Iraq and it can take up to 3-

4 hours to drive to some areas. We

routinely spend the night in some of

these places in order to accomplish

everything we need to do. However,

with all that being said your soldiers

have done nothing short of outstanding

in everything we have asked them to

do. In the first month, we were able to

assist in the completion of a million

dollar electrical project, providing

electricity to thousands of people in the

rural areas of Iraq. We have also as-

sisted in the completion of several

schools that will enable many Iraqi

children to receive a proper education.

Health clinics are currently being fin-

ished to provide much needed medical

support. We are also starting many

more projects aimed at providing essen-

tial services to the people of Iraq.

While the last combat troops departed in

the month of August, we have been

focused on transitioning to stability

operations. A critical part of our mis-

sion will be advising and assisting the

Iraqi government and security forces.

This is ac-

complished in

many ways,

from conduct-

ing combined

missions with

Iraqi police and army to arrest criminals

all the way to helping the city council

effectively manage their cities.

other supplies needed to sustain their

operations. When the convoy shows up

with all the supplies, it does not matter

what rank you are...everyone helps out.

In addition to running FOB Dagger,

there is an advisor team located on the

FOB that the MGS platoon is responsi-

ble for escorting to many locations

within our area. Between both these

tasks, the MGS platoon has their hands

full, but has done a great job in all ar-

eas.

Our mobile gun system (MGS) platoon

is tasked to operate and manage FOB

Dagger. It is a very small and remote

Forward Operating Base located near

COB Speicher. This is a mission essen-

tial task and would severely disrupt

operations if not done properly. The

living conditions are a little austere, but

they have all the essentials to keep them

comfortable. Weekly re-supply mis-

sions are a must as everything is brought

in by trucks. This includes their shower

water, drinking water, food, fuel and all

Soldier of the Month

Company News

Everyone helps out when the weekly re-supply comes in.

FOB Dagger

Commander’s Corner

SPC Smith in

the gunner’s

hatch of the

Stryker .

CPT DEFIORI

COMPANY COMMANDER

1SG HOLT

COMPANY FIRST SERGEANT

Dear Coldsteel Families,

Aloha from the Bayji Oil Refinery, where 1st, 3rd, Weapons, and Headquarters Platoons have been living and operating for over

one month. Unfortunately for the Coldsteel Company, 2nd Platoon was selected to move to northeastern Iraq to work for the

2/14 Cavalry Squadron. We miss our 2nd Platoon brothers, but are proud to hear that they are representing Coldsteel and Wolf-

hounds exceedingly well. We hope to get them back soon…

The rest of the Company is well settled on a patrol base in Bayji, Iraq in the Salah

ad Din province. Bayji is an hour plus drive from the Battalion Headquarters on

Contingency Operating Base (COB) Speicher in Tikrit. Our Company Patrol Base is

actually located on an Iraqi oil refinery (known as the Bayji Oil Refinery or BOR),

so after a year, we’ll all be ready to work for Exxon or BP with our oil knowledge

and experience. We got used to the oil fumes pretty quickly, and have embraced our

industrial home. The living conditions (air conditioned CHUs, running water, gym,

dining facility, MWR building) on our patrol base are as good or better than any

FOB (minus Burger King and PX), so don’t let your Soldier complain that he has it

rough. The only thing your Soldier should complain about is the weather-- Salah ad

Din province is definitely brutal this time of year, as high temperatures have ap-

proached 130 degrees throughout the summer and nasty dust storms roll through

about once a week.

The Platoons at the BOR maintain a fairly steady rotation between patrolling, force

protection, and quick reaction force missions. The Company’s primary responsibil-

ity is to assist the Oil Police Force with security of the BOR and its key leaders,

since the BOR produces more than half of Iraq’s fuel. We also have the responsibil-

ity for providing quick reaction force to US forces between Bayji and Mosul. But

the majority of our time is spent advising, training, and assisting Iraqi security forces

in the Bayji and Sharqat districts (each district is larger than the Brigade’s operating

area on the last deployment). So the Company is staying busy, and each Platoon is

making a significant contribution to the team effort.

The security situation in Iraq is much better than it was on the Brigade’s last deploy-

ment, although there are still enemy groups aimed at destroying the progress we

have made. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we face the ever-present

dangers of an active insurgency. But in general, Iraq is enjoying the fruits of seven

years of American sacrifice. The sacrifices made by American Soldiers and their

Families have effectively set the conditions for Iraqis to experience the freedom,

security, and democracy that most Americans take for granted. I know that any de-

ployment is harder on the wives and children than it is on the Soldiers, so I want to

thank you for sacrificing your loved ones for a noble cause.

Your Soldiers are guaranteeing that the next generation of Iraqis will never see or

feel the horror of war or terror. Your Soldiers receive daily praise for their efforts

from Battalion through Division levels. Because the BOR is a strategically impor-

tant site, we have received many distinguished visitors and on August 23rd, SGT Sleep, PFC Stapp, PFC Grider, PFC S.Singh

were formerly recognized by Major General Cucolo, the Commander of the 3rd Infantry Division for outstanding performance.

And the Company presented combat patches to first time deployers on the first of August.

Overall, the Coldsteel Company is living and performing very well, and it is my honor and privilege to lead such fine men in

combat. Unfortunately, my time in Command is coming to an end. First Sergeant Clifton and I will both be moving on to other

jobs before the end of September, but our replacements have been handpicked to lead the Company through the remainder of

the deployment. I am confident that CPT Morinaga and 1SG Tuiolemotui will take the Company to new heights in the next

year. Stacy Bautista has graciously agreed to take over the Family Readiness Group, and she brings an enormous amount of

energy and experience to the job. Many thanks to Chrissy Clifton and my wife Tanya for your leadership over the last year,

and for the many other FRG volunteers that have provided such selfless service to the Coldsteel Families!

Much love and aloha from the men of Coldsteel in Iraq,

Commander’s Corner

CPT WEBB

COMPANY COMMANDER

1SG CLIFTON

COMPANY FIRST SERGEANT

Page 5

Page 6

(QRF) for the entire Battalion. The

Medical Platoon is doing a fantastic job

running the Aid Station and augmenting

all patrols with Medics. Probably the

most short-staffed of everyone, the Med-

ics do a good job of keeping us in the

proverbial fight.

The Medical, Reconnaissance, and

Mortar platoons are very busy with

daily mission and active training. The

RECON and Mortar platoons alternate

schedules where they are either es-

corting the Provincial Reconstruction

Teams (PRT) through Iraq or are serv-

ing as a Quick Reactionary Force

Greetings everyone. It’s the end of

another month and HHC has closed out

Operation Iraqi Freedom with a lot of

hard work from all hands. We are busy

with everything from patrols, to logis-

tics, to PT and everyone is rowing hard.

The staff sections have their hands full

as they labor away wilth all manner of

mission planning and support. Each

day everyone shows up to work, and

starts grinding as we keep the big ma-

chine moving forward. Most folks have

no idea how much staff work goes

into making a Battalion successful

but let me assure you it’s enormous.

For every mission that is success-

fully conducted by the companies,

there is countless hours put in behind

the scenes by the mission planners and

logistical supporters. Your boys here

in the Wolfhound pack are making it

happen.

right now. They go on patrol every

day, in all manner of engagements,

ensuring that the boss and everyone

who is part of the Battalion Command

Group get to where they need to be in

a safe and timely manner. It’s a huge

responsibility that SSG Cheever and

his soldiers are doing an excellent job

with.

The HELLHOUND Command Team

of 1SG McGhee, CPT McKinney, and

me (CPT Wilson) keep the headquar-

ters section busy with all manner of

things that need to happen. They are

two “go to” guys to get anything done.

Keeping everyone moving along is a

lot of work for a few dudes and they

do a great job with it. LTC Brown’s

TAC, led by SSG Cheever, could

qualify as the busiest guys in Iraq

A “Hello” from the Platoons

Words from the Staff

Headquarters and the TAC

Commander’s Corner

CPT WILSON

COMPANY COMMANDER

1SG MCGHEE

COMPANY FIRST SERGEANT

The HELLHOUND Family was saddened to see the

transition of responsibility for the duties of Company

First Sergeant from 1SG James McGhee to 1SG Derek

Clifton. 1SG McGhee’s performance as the “Top” for

HHC was outstanding and earned him the opportunity

to move to B Troop, 2-14 Cavalry Regiment. While

we were sad to see him go, we wish him the best of

luck in his new position. Also of note is the work that

SFC Inabinet is doing as the interim First Sergeant.

1SG Clifton is due to arrive from Charlie Company in

mid-September.

We thank you all for your constant support.

HELLHOUNDS!

Headquarters and the TAC