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THE

A Publication of the Task Force 49 Public Affairs OfficeVolume 1, Issue 2 February 2008

Desert TalonDesert Talon

412th Aviation Support Battalion Chaplain (Capt.) Gabriel Mizerani guides Spc.Karma Savage and Sgt. Alhaji Savage in a candle-lighting ritual during the couple’sJan. 15 ceremony at the Freedom Chapel on LSA Anaconda, Iraq. STORY AND PHOTOS

ON PAGE 4

The big day in BaladThe big day in BaladThe big day in BaladThe big day in BaladThe big day in BaladPhoto by Sgt. 1st Class Eric Reinhardt

Snow blanketssands of Balad

BY SGT. DALE SWEETNAMTask Force 49 PAO

Iraq’s rainy season hadnot yielded muchprecipitation during

the months of Decemberand January at LSAAnaconda, but onJan. 11, just asSoldiers andAirmen finishedup their earlymorning workouts,snow fell ontosand and dirt thathadn’t seen suchweather in morethan half acentury.

“I was walkingby myself from thegym and I had thiscrazy thought,” Staff Sgt.James Thompson,Headquarters andHeadquarters Company,Task Force 49 said. “What ifthe snow stuck and we gotto go sled riding? My wifeand kids would neverbelieve me.”

The snow lightened moodsnot only in the streets of See Snow, page 14

Baghdad that hadn’t seensnow in decades, butaround post whereSoldiers smiled andlaughed and rememberedhome.

Many units of Task Force49 hail from places like

Alaska,Minnesota,Germany andWashington, sothe snow was asweet taste ofhome forhundreds ofSoldiers.

Capt. DavidHoltz, 2nd

Battalion, 147th

AviationRegiment, was onthe flight line

when it began to snow.“There was quite a bit of

excitement when the bigfat snowflakes startedfalling and there were a lotof pictures taken,” Holtzsaid. “I couldn’t help butthink, ‘no one is going tobelieve this back home.’

Artist draws inspiration from TF 49 SoldiersBY SGT. 1ST CLASS ERIC REINHARDT

Task Force 49 PAO

The Task Force 49 flight line hereat LSA Anaconda felt like amovie set Jan. 13.

Against the backdrop of a crisp, clearday, actors in full combat gear re-enactedthe launch of an air-assault missionwhile a director choreographed theirmovements and poses.

The models were Soldiers from BCompany, 412th Aviation Support

Battalion, arranged and photographedwith a UH-60 Black Hawk and a Humveefor a painting by military and aviationartist James Dietz.

“My part is to be right behind the guythat’s getting on the aircraft, just likeI’m getting ready to get on,” said Private2 Andrew Fetz, B Company, 412th ASB.“I had no idea there would be this muchwork going into making a painting.”

Dietz travelled to Balad and Taji tophotograph Army aviation Soldiers inaction for a limited-edition print

commissioned by Task Force 49 and the12th Combat Aviation Brigade. Hismilitary history scenes adorn the wallsof U.S. Army offices and headquartersaround the world. Military art collectorsprize his work and Dietz prints oftenfetch hundreds of dollars after a fewyears.

“We chose Dietz because he isrecognized as the best military andaviation artist working today, and his

See Dietz, page 14

Soldiers built this snowmanduring the Jan. 11 snow.

Courtesy photo

‘Ask the XO’ column’sgot answers

- PAGE 6

Task ForceReady’s got

talent- PAGE 7

The Desert TalonFebruary 2008

Talon 6 sends . . . One team, one fight

Task Force 49 CommanderCol. Chandler C. Sherrell

Task Force 49 Command Sergeant MajorCommand Sgt. Maj. Richard A. Mitchell

Task Force 49 Public Affairs OfficerSgt. 1st Class Eric Reinhardt

The Desert Talon EditorSgt. Dale Sweetnam

Task Force 49 PAO Contact Information

Bldg. 4022LSA AnacondaDSN: 318 [email protected]@iraq.centcom.mil

The Desert Talon is an authorized publication for Department of Defense members. Contents of The Desert Talon are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsedby, the U.S. Government or the Department of the Army. The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of the Task Force 49 Public Affairs Office.

Greetings from a surprisinglychilly Iraq. Of course, it iscertainly not comparable to

the weather in Germany, thecontinental United States, or Alaska,where it was 35 degrees below zero thisweek, but it has been hovering aroundfreezing here during the eveninghours. Despite the change in weather,you can be proud of your Soldier, asthe Soldiers of the Task Force continueto do great work in a very professionalmanner!

On a daily basis, Task Force 49aircraft and crews are patrolling theskies day and night bringing peace andstability to this country. On average,our aircrews are flying nearly 2,000hours a month. In fact, since thedeployment began last year, they haveflown more than 35,000 hours andhave moved more than 100,000Soldiers around the battlefield! Whatan incredible testimony to the entireteam involved, from the 412th AviationSupport Battalion in preparing aircraftto launch, maintaining them toaircrews executing combat missions.The team has made the difficult seemroutine and I am amazed at the skilland ability demonstrated in the mostaustere conditions.

The 5th Battalion, 158 AviationRegiment and 2nd Battalion, 147th

Aviation Regiment continue to provideincredible medium and heavy lift, andcasualty evacuation support to all thecoalition forces in country as well asconduct the largest air assaultmissions in theater. If a Soldier isarriving or departing Iraq, he or she isprobably moving about the battlefieldcourtesy of these two great formations.For those at home, watch for stories

manage day-to-day operations withoutdedicated fixed-wing assets to moveleadership and cargo where we needthem to influence the coalition’sefforts.

Throughout combat operations thepast month, we have continued to bevisited by VIPs who continually singthe praises of your Soldiers; from theU.S. Army, Europe Commander, Gen.David D. McKiernan and CommandSgt. Maj. Iuniasolua T. Savusa; Maj.Gen. Larry W. Shellito, the AdjutantGeneral of the Minnesota NationalGuard; to the Multi-National Corps-IraqCommander, Lt. Gen. Raymond T.Odierno and Deputy Commander Maj.Gen. James Simmons. In fact, thismonth we will say farewell to Maj. Gen.Simmons, who has been a stalwartsupporter of Army Aviation and bothTask Force XII and now Task Force 49.We will miss his leadership andmentorship to the Aviation force as wellas the teamwork of the entire MNC-I S-3 air staff who worked closely with usduring their rotation. We wish them allthe best as they redeploy to Fort Hood.

In closing, we approach the month ofFebruary with the same determinationto operate safely and professionally aswe have every month. At home, theMinnesota National Guard’s 34th

Combat Aviation Brigade, as well as 6th

Squadron, 17 Cavalry Regiment inAlaska, and the 3rd Battalion, 159Aviation Regiment in Germany aretraining to join us in the fight. Godspeed to each of you at home andthank you for your continued support.

One Team! Arctic Talons!Col. Chandler C. SherrellCommander, Task Force 49

highlighting 2-147, that recentlyhosted reporters from MinnPost.comand ABC affiliate station KSTP inMinneapolis.

The Gunslingers of 2nd Battalion,159th Aviation Regiment remaincommitted to supporting a variety ofcoalition headquarters on the ground.Those who harm us know full well thatat all hours of the day and night, aGunslinger is close by to protect ourforces on the ground and to providesupport to other aircraft. Gun-tapefootage of a Gunslinger in action takingthe fight to the enemy is a thing ofbeauty!

Senior leaders continue to rely onTask Force Hawk for fixed-wingmovement; not only within Iraq, but toneighboring countries in the region aswell. I’m not sure how we would

Editor’s note

‘Point of View’ provides forum for Soldiers-produced photosWhen taking photos to e-mail

home to family and friendsdetailing your time in Iraq,

make sure to add The Desert Talon tothe address list: the “Point of View”section is designed for exactly thesekinds of photos.

The section runs each month in TheDesert Talon. It’s dedicated to

highlighting photos taken by Soldiersduring their daily lives here in Iraq.

The Task Force 49 Public Affairs staffcan’t be everywhere at once, so that’swhere you, our readers, come in to play.

Take some time to snap a few shotsand send them our way.

Candid shots are always best, so lookat your job and daily life from the

outside looking in; what may seemordinary to you may be a perspective veryfew have ever seen.

CorrectionIn last month’s Page 11 photo feature“Christmas Across the World” Then-Cpl.(now Sgt.) Vernon Smith was misidentifiedas “Matthew Smith.”

This issue of the Desert Talon and back issues can be foundon the Task Force 49 website at:http://www.wainwright.army.mil/49TF/BDE_WEB/


Talon 7 sends . . . Thanks for the supportHello Soldiers and Families of Task

Force 49:

Well, another holiday seasonhas come and gone, I hopethat everyone found peace

and joy during the holiday season. TheSoldiers of Task Force 49 havecontinued the important role ofproviding first-class aviation support toMulti-National Corps-Iraq. This supporthas contributed immensely to theoverall success of past and currentoperations.

This month we held the 1st QuarterBrigade Soldier and NoncommissionedOfficer of the Quarter board. I wasoverwhelmed by seeing first-hand thequality and professionalism of ouryoung Soldiers and NCOs. Thecompetition was very close in bothcategories, but unfortunately, therecould only be one winner in eachcategory. The BrigadeNoncommissioned Officer of theQuarter is Staff Sgt. Joker Botin fromB Company, 412th ASB. The BrigadeSoldier of the Quarter is Pfc. JosephVrechek, also from B Company, 412th

ASB. Both the NCO and Soldierreceived Army Commendation Medals,certificates of achievement and $50 giftcertificates from the brigade familyreadiness group.

Col. Sherrell and I finally had theopportunity to visit with some of ourSoldiers serving in various locations inIraq. We had attempted to take this

journey many times over the pastcouple of months but due to eitherinclement weather or schedulingdifficulties we were unable to travel. OnJan. 10 we started off by visiting ourforward deployed Soldiers at ArRamadi. The Soldiers serving inRamadi are part of the 412th ASB andtheir mission is to provide aviation re-arm and refuel support for rotary-wingaircraft. These Soldiers work in aremote area of Iraq and they don’t haveall the luxuries we enjoy here at Balad.Soldiers are rotated out each quarterso that they can get a break from theaustere living conditions and the heavywork load they endure each and every

day. The Soldiers are doing a great joband are performing extremely well.

The next leg of our flight took us toAl Taqaddum, or “TQ” as it’s usuallycalled, where we visited with theSoldiers of Task Force Dragon (BCompany, 1st 52 Aviation Regiment).The Soldiers assigned to TF Dragon aredeployed to TQ and their primarymission is to provide medium-lifthelicopter support to the 2nd MarineExpeditionary Force. The Soldiers ofTask Force Dragon are out of FortWainwright, Alaska and have beendeployed since July 2007. During ourvisit we were able to present someitems, courtesy of the Fort WainwrightBOSS Soldiers. The items includedTVs, X-Boxes, and several X-Boxgames. The Soldiers were verysurprised and excited to receive thegifts. I would like to personally thankSgt. Laci Moore and the FortWainwright BOSS representatives whoworked to raise the funds. Their careand concern for their fellow deployedSoldiers of Task Force 49 is greatlyappreciated.

I would like to close by thanking allthe families and friends of Task Force49 for the support and devotion theygive their warriors each and every day.We couldn’t do what we do here in Iraqwithout your support. God Bless.

Talon 7 Out!CSM Richard A. Mitchell

Command Sgt. MajorTask Force49

Petroleum specialists respond to mass casualty

The petroleum supplyspecialists of A. Co. 412th

Aviation Support Battalionspend their days refuelingBlack Hawks, Chinooks andApaches, but on an earlyDecember day, they put thoseduties aside and becamepivotal players in a life-or-death situation.

On Dec. 6, a suicide bomberattacked a town just outsideof Forward Operating BaseNormandy, about 53 milesnortheast of Baghdad.

The explosion injureddozens and within moments,ambulances carrying 13 local-national causalities wereoutside the gates of FOBNormandy.

The medical staffimmediately realized they didnot have enough personnel tohandle the large number ofcasualties. They turned to thepetroleum specialists forhelp.

“The intercom called for allmedical personnel and thenthey started knocking on

doors,” said Sgt. RachaelDillon, 412th ASB.

Dillon was one of the six412th ASB Soldiers who cameto the support of the medicalstaff.

While the 412th ASBSoldiers weren’t medicallytrained, they were more thanequipped to help downloadthe casualties, keep themcalm and run the radio.

Dillon immediately jumpedon the radio where she called

in patient statistics.Dillon said despite the

gravity of the situation, thescene was surprisingly calm.She said the patientsremained composed whilethe medics tended to theirinjuries. Although the scenewas calmer than sheexpected, Dillon said she wasstill a little rattled while onthe radio.

“I was nervous on the radiowhen giving their stats,”

Dillon said. “These werepeople’s lives we were dealingwith.”

The scene lasted about 45minutes before airtransportation was preparedto move the casualties toLogistics Support AreaAnaconda.

A few months before theDecember incident, Soldiersof A. Co. watched a medicBlack Hawk on fire land ontheir FARP. The refuelingteam quickly extinguishedthe fire before any moredamage to the FARP or thehelicopter was sustained.

Platoon Leader, 1st Lt.Thomas Allen, said hearinghis Soldiers were involved inanother life-or-deathsituation was no shock.

“I really wasn’t surprisedwhen I heard,” Allen said. “Myguys are always doing greatthings.”

Dillon, Spc. MichaelMoody, Spc. Andrew Lavoie,Sgt. Kyle Ahart, Sgt. SarunChun and Sgt. Shawn Zandyhave all been recommendedfor Army CommendationMedals.


Courtesy photo

Petroleum supply specialists of A. Co. 412th Aviation Support Battalion conduct dailyoperations at Forward Operating Base Normandy.


SSSSSgt. Alhaji Savage and Spc. KarmaSavage of the 412th AviationSupport Battalion were

determined to get married, even whena deployment to Iraq intervened lastsummer.

When their unit arrived in Iraq in July,the two were assigned to separatelocations: Alhaji at LSA Anaconda as atechnical supply NCO, and Karma to ArRamadi, as an aircraft refueler.

Even that didn’t stop them. Once inIraq, the couple applied for a civilmarriage by proxy. So technically,though living apart, they were married.

“We wanted the blessings of a formalwedding ceremony,” Alhaji said.

The couple was reunited just daysafter Christmas when Karma was rotatedto LSA Anaconda, and they startedmaking plans for their ceremony.

Their Jan. 15 nuptials at the FreedomChapel drew a packed house of wellwishers from the 412th and other TaskForce 49 units.

Like the Army itself, it was acrossroads of many cultures.

The 412th Chaplain, Capt. GabrielMizerani, raised in Italy and Israel,conducted the couple’s MessianicJewish ceremony. The faith combinesJewish rituals, beliefs and symbolismwith Christian beliefs and traditions.

The Savages’ Battalion Commander,Lt. Col. Sam Hamontree, provided themusic for the service, playing thebagpipes and dressed in a formal kilt.

Savage, a native of Sierra Leone,moved with his family to Blackwood,New Jersey in 1999 and joined the Armyin April 2003.

Karma Savage was born and raised inColon City, Panama, and moved toLansing, Mich., in 1998.

She joined the Army Reserve in 1998but transferred to the active-duty Armyin 2006.

The two met when they were assignedto the 412th in Germany last year.

Alhaji said they had thought of waitinguntil they returned to their home baseto have the wedding, but they’re gladthey had it here.

“The wedding was a very specialoccasion – it was a blessing,” Savagesaid. “We got a lot of support fromeverybody – our friends and our wholechain of command.”

BY SGT. 1ST CLASS ERIC REINHARDTTask Force 49 PAO

(Top) Sgt. Alhaji Savage and Spc. KarmaSavage, both Soldiers in the 412th AviationSupport Battalion, exchange vows in a Jan. 15wedding at the Freedom Chapel on LSAAnaconda.

(Above) Sgt. Alhaji Savage and Spc. KarmaSavage share a piece of cake after their Jan. 15wedding at the Freedom Chapel on LSAAnaconda.

(Left) Sgt. Alhaji Savage and Spc. Karma Savagepose for wedding snaps in front of a 412th

Aviation Support Battalion fuel truck theirfellow Soldiers decked out for the occasion.

photos by Sgt. 1st Class Eric Reinhardt

Couple celebrates in downrange ceremony


With surf and turf night, aspecialty coffee shop, and ahost of other amenitiesavailable to them, it wouldbe easy for the Soldiers of2nd Battalion, 147th AviationRegiment of St. Paul, Minn.,to ignore the conditions thatmost Iraqi people live underday in and day out.

Instead, some Soldiers inthe unit have formed ProjectCare Giver to collect itemsthey can to donate to localIraqi children through LSAAnaconda’s Civil AffairsTeam.

Sgt. 1st Class DarrellJones of E Company, 2-147got the program going afterhe met Sgt. 1st Class LeonaPropson of the 316thSustainment Command(Expeditionary) Civil AffairsOffice.

“When I met Sgt. 1st ClassPropson and she showed methe program, I wanted to seewhat I could do to assist,”said Jones, “She was justswamped by herself and Iknew we had people whocould help.”

Jones introduced hischain of command toPropson, and soon Soldierswere spending a few hours aweek requesting donationsfrom back in the UnitedStates and helping to sortthrough the donations atthe civil affairs building.

Most of the donations areschool supplies and toysbundled together in one-gallon plastic bags to begiven directly to localchildren.

“Civil affairs teams takethe packages outside theinstallation and give themdirectly to local children,”said Propson.

Giving directly to thechildren helps ensure thatthe donations stay in thehands of those for whomthey were intended.

The group is mainlylooking for school supplies,including erasers, smallscissors, pencils, colored

pencils, markers, loose leafpaper, pencil pouches andfolders.

“We’re also in need ofsmall girl and boy clothing,infant and toddler clothingand children’s shows too,”Propson said. “Also, we arealways looking for diapers.”

Propson noted that anyitems donated should nothave any religious symbolsor national flags, becausesuch items could place Iraqichildren at risk.

So far, the 2-147 Soldiershave donated several

Project Care Giver connects with IraqisSoldiers of 2-147

introduce Iraqicitizens to genuine

‘Minnesota nice’BY CAPT. RYAN CURL

2-147 AHB PAO

truckloads of toys, schoolssupplies, candy, clothes andanything else they could gettheir hands on.

“We want to make surethat civil affairs doesn’tbecome a dumping groundfor things we don’t want,”said Battalion ChaplainCapt. Buddy Winn, “So wemake sure we check aheadof time that they can find ahome for the items we bringover.”

Besides collecting items,the Soldiers havecontributed more than 30

hours of work helping sortand organize donations.Some Soldiers have evenhad a chance to go off theinstallation with civil affairsto the Civil MilitaryOperations Center wherethey handed out donationsdirectly to local Iraqis,including soccer balls to alocal sheik and his son.

Units interested incollecting donations cancontact Propson at the CivilAffairs Office directly at(318) 433-2753 or [email protected].

Minnesota National GuardSoldiers have been participatingin Project Care Giver, an on-going program designed tocollect items they can give tolocal Iraqi children through theLSA Anaconda’s Civil AffairsTeam. To donate contact Sgt. 1stClass Leona Propson at 433-2753.

Giving backGiving backGiving backGiving backGiving back

(Top) A local Iraqi girl enjoys ahomemade knit cap donatedfrom Minnesota Soldiers.

(Left) Spc. Timothy Stockingshares a few soccer balls with alocal sheik and his son.

Courtesy photos


Photo by Sgt. Dale Sweetnam

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Roger Sorben, 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment takes afew swings at the 2-147 driving range. Soldiers of 2-147 designed and built the range intheir company area to give Soldiers with a way to unwind.

Driving range easesstress of deployment


The miniature driving range designed and built by 2nd

Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment has been around for twomonths and even though it’s situated in the sands of Iraq, itstill draws avid golfers like the beautiful 18 holes of PebbleBeach.

“This thing is being used day and night,” Chief WarrantOfficer 3 Roger Sorben said. “I can hear people out herealmost constantly.”

The driving range was the brainchild of Sorben and thegolfers of 2-147. They built the range in their company areaand have managed to equip the tiny facility with clubs, golfballs and tees.

Hundreds of balls fly through the air on a daily basis; sonaturally, the backdrop that’s preventing the balls fromflying toward the dining facility in front of it is constantlyfalling apart.

Sorben says replacing the backdrop often is not a badproblem to have; that means the range is getting good use.He said finding the right materials to catch the ballseffectively is all a matter of trial and error. So far, plywoodand nets have been containing the drives.

Sorben says for now, the range is there just for fun, buthe doesn’t rule out the possibility of running someinstructional classes for inexperienced golfers in the future.

All that really matters, according to Sorben, is that thedriving range helps people relax and that it continues to getgood use, which at this point, doesn’t seem to be a problem.

“I’d say we have about 500 balls hit here a day, if notmore.”

Sorben said he’s seen interest in the range from all levelsof golfers, and he hopes Soldiers continue to enjoy the littlepiece of home, even if it’s not the grassy fairways of AugustaNational.

Just a quick introduction of myself as I start down thisroad to helping others. I am the Executive Officer.Why is that important? Because as the XO I get to

deal with the challenges of military life, personal life, andjust about anything else that otherpeople don’t want to deal withthemselves - hence the title of mycolumn. Full title should read: “Idon’t know; go ask the XO.” I am thebearer of bad news, the mediator ofmalcontent, the eradicator orirritants, the potentate of paperwork.You get the point. If you have aproblem, I have an answer. I am theXO!

Dear XO,I am having a hard time coping

with this deployment. You have allbeen gone for two months and itseems like eternity. I’m having a hard time sleeping at night.My work performance has been slacking. I can tell all of thepeople I work with have been making comments behind myback. It seems like every time I turn around someone istaking something from me. I want to take charge of my life,but am finding it’s all just a hollow shell.

- Scared and AloneDear Lt. Col. Alford: It will be OK. As for the sleeping

problems, Maj. Salvetti will continue to do the things he does –no reason to lose any sleep over it. Don’t worry about thework performance; Col. Sherrell is over here with me and hasno idea what is going on back there. You singlehandedlyhave been “providing the blanket of freedom which I and allothers are privileged to enjoy. If it was not for your actions ona daily basis the world would have collapsed in on itself bynow.” That response works well for when you come homefrom work late and wife wants to know where you’ve been.As for things being taken away from you, it was only aChinook company, a few enlisted soldiers, a couple ofofficers, and the ability to use a comb (the last is your fault).

Dear XO,Your thoughts on boxers or briefs?

- CommandoDear Commando: Obviously neither in your case. Boxers

are a clear favorite for those lazing-around-the-house kind ofdays. However, those get-out-and-do-some-heavy-lifting typesmay want to go with tightie-whities. My favorite, the best ofboth worlds, the boxer brief - relaxing yet supportive.

Dear XO,My fiancé and I are planning on getting married when I

return from Iraq, any advice?- Crazy in Love

Dear Crazy: Just one little bit of advice that will pay bigdividends in the end. If you have any bad habits or “hobbies”now, double them. For instance if you smoke two packs aday, increase to four packs a day. If you golf once a week,go twice. If you go over to your bud’s house and play pokerand drink every Saturday night, throw Friday night in also.Once you get married your spouse is going to ask you to stopdoing some of those things. So, when you cut back to twopacks, one day of golf, one night of poker, you haveappeased her and you’re back to where you started. Thechaplain does not recommend this plan, but I say; how manytimes have you seen the chaplain smoking two packs a day,golfing or playing poker and drinking? See, he had to give itall up. Point proven!

Please send your questions to:Maj. James Jones“Ask the XO”HHC TF 49APO AE 09391Or email them to: [email protected]

Ask the XOAsk the XOAsk the XOAsk the XOAsk the XO

Answers from the XOBY MAJ. JAMES JONES

Task Force 49 Executive Officer


Soldiers from 412th AviationSupport Battalion put theirfirefighting abilities to the testJan. 12 during a fireextinguisher course taught bythe Air Force fire fighters atthe Balad West fire station.

The main focus of theinstruction was to make surethe students knew whichextinguisher to use whenfaced with a specific fire. Thefirefighters discussed fireextinguisher identification,the different classes of firesand explained how toproperly use theextinguisher, using theacronym PASS: Pull, Aim,Squeeze and Sweep.

Following the in-classinstruction, the group wentoutside and each individualput out a real fire under thesupervision of the firefighters.

Staff Sgt. Gregory Austin,412 safety noncommissionedofficer, said that the class notonly teaches the basics, it

Firefighters school Soldiers on fire basicsBY SGT. DALE SWEETNAM

Task Force 49 PAO

gives Soldiers the confidenceto grab the extinguisher andexecute when faced with afire.

“The big thing is beingconfident with the equipmentand having previous use of it,”Austin said. “That way, you’reno longer a bystander, you’reno longer a victim, you are

now part of the solution. Youcan act, you can act safelyand you can act quicklywithout having thatmomentary hesitation due tothe lack of experience.”

Chief Warrant Officer 3Charles Fishe’ said that whenselecting Soldiers to attendthe class, priority was given


Staff Sgt. Hal Herring, 412 Aviation Support Battalion, attacks a fire during the fireextinguisher class at the Balad west fire station Jan. 12.

to those who worked withaircraft, in motorpools andfuel points.

Staff Sgt. Hal Herring hadtaken the class before, butsaid it’s always good to takethe class again.

“It’s a good refresher,”Herring said. “I had forgottenthe classifications of fires andwhat extinguishers you haveto use. It’s a good hands onclass; you actually get to usethe equipment.”

The class instructor,Airman 1st Class TaylorKetring, said the importantthing is deciding when tofight a fire and when toevacuate a building.

“Make sure you’re safefirst,” Ketring said. “Makesure you can handle the fire.”

Fishe’ said the class givespeople knowledge they canuse anywhere.

“It’s a good life skill,” hesaid. “No matter where you go,if you have some knowledgeof putting out fires, be it inyour pod, or at you home inthe rear, it’s a good life skillto have.”

Playin’ at the talent show . . .Playin’ at the talent show . . .Playin’ at the talent show . . .Playin’ at the talent show . . .Playin’ at the talent show . . .Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Eric Reinhardt


Leave it to the Army to give fun an acronym. In this case itwas an ACE, or “anti-complacency event,” as 5th Battalion, 158th

Aviation Regiment dubbed its Jan. 25 talent show at MWR West.In an effort to help Soldiers banish the Balad blues, the unit ischallenging its members to devise a morale event each month.The talent on display included (above) a Soldier’s-eye-view of

the Iraq war in song by Pfc. Michele Gerometta, which won theshow; (right) “Guitar Hero” game junkies from C Company, 101st

MEDEVAC taking their addiction to the stage; and (the front-page teaser photo that brought you here) Chief Warrant Officer 2

Brandon Durrett’s deadpan, Andy Kaufmanesque dance routineto The Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way.” Winners were

picked by audience response and a judging panel of 5-158Commander Lt. Col. Jack Bone, Command Sgt. Maj. John Moore

and Executive Officer Maj. Daniel Ruiz.


There are three kinds of people in life: there areaccusers, excusers and choosers. Accusers alwaysblame everybody else for their problems. Their

favorite phrase is, “It’s all your fault.” It’s never my fault. It’sall your fault. Excusers always have a rationale for wherethey are. The Bible says, “A lazy man is full of excuses.”Accusers and excusers, people who blame others and peoplewho excuse themselves, are losers. So you need to be achooser.

Choosers say, “I choose to assume responsibility for myown happiness. I’m not dependent upon somebody else. Ichoose the direction of my life. I’m not depending upon thecrowd. I am depending on God alone. I’m choosing to acceptresponsibility for my life.” If you do that, you’re already ajump ahead in 2008.

How faith changed a lifeThe Bible is full of stories of people who changed because

they believed that theycould change after Godtalked to them. God oncecame to Gabriel Mizeraniand told him, “Gabriel, Iwill shape you, and I willfree you from self-pity andself-righteousness.”

Gabriel’s mother wasborn in Haifa, in anorthodox Jewish family.His father was born inSiracusa, Italy. Because offamily interest, themarriage between hismother and father wasarranged. They werepractically kids at the time.His mother was 13, andhis father was 17.

After the first month ofmarriage, she found outthat his father had fivemistresses, with 15children. She confronted him, and he told her that wassimply his way of life. He didn’t realize that she had tried toexplain she was also expecting a child for him. After eightmonths of enduring suffering and neglect while carrying achild she left him and had the baby alone in Ragusa.

After five days, she left for Israel. Her father ordered her toreturn to her husband, and that she was no longer welcometo stay with him. With no place to go, sheslept under bridges, trees and around thegovernment buildings in Haifa, with herbaby alongside the entire time.

She was stuck in this routine until shefound work in a Greek restaurant, whereshe kept the baby in a crib underneaththe cash register. The chef made fruitshakes to feed the baby. That baby sheraised grew into the man we know today as GabrielMizerani.

Gabriel and his mother went back to Sicily to live on thewestern side of the island. This was where Gabriel startedworking on a farm to buy the minimum amount of clothingrequired to attend school. The remainder of the money wasused to help his mother sustain their household. He wasgrowing up in a poor environment, where there sometimeswasn’t any food to eat for many days.

Around the age of 12, Gabriel created a victim mentality

with a projection of anger resulting in depression, panic,resentment, aggressive behavior, identity confusion,blaming, guilt, feelings of obligation, isolation, anxiety andfinally hate towards his life and especially his father.

At the age of 13, Gabriel became very sick with cancer. Hehad received his death sentence from the doctors. With nohope, Gabriel asked God for healing. A few days later, hemet two missionaries at the hospital. 82-year-old Mrs.Margery was one of them. She told him that Yeshua (Jesus)was the Messiah/Christ, and that he was the savior of theentire universe. She even told him that Jesus had thepower to bring healing to him. As a Jew, Gabriel was notable to believe that Jesus was the savior. With furtherexplanation and research he was able to see past hisreligious boundaries and accepted that Yeshua Hamashiah,Jesus Christ, is truly the Lord and savior. He was healedafter the missionaries anointed him with oil and prayed inJesus’ Name.

Learning to forgiveAfter he was healed, Gabriel went back to school and

studied the bible. But one thing was missing; he had toforgive his father and his family. We all have skeletons inour closets; some are visible and some are not visible topeople, but God knows us so well. Gabriel had to learn toforgive and let go. He used to tell about his father’s cruelty,and lack of consideration to all his friends. Deep inside, hehated his father very much. Gabriel was in pain all thetime.

One night, God told Gabriel, “There are a lot of things Iknow about you that you do not want me to let others know.Stop using your tongue as a weapon to punish your father.You are trying to hurt his credibility and reputation inreturn for the past. The only thing you are doing isreflecting it on yourself. Gabriel, my son, you have to forgiveyour father…”

That day Gabriel was delivered from bitterness and self-pity. He learned in Corinthians 1:13 that “Love keeps norecord of wrongs, love is not self-seeking…” Gabriel went tosee his father and allow forgiveness to take place.

When meeting his father for the first time, he faced hisfather and told him, “Father I forgive you for all the past andI let it go in Jesus’ name.” His father asked, “How much doyou want Gabriel?” Gabriel told his father God has alreadypaid him for everything. Gabriel again told him, “Father Iforgive you for all the past and I will pray for you always inJesus’ name.”

Gabriel was free from all the emotional pain from thepast, and his father changed his relationship with God andwas also healed. Gabriel learned to become a chooser, andassumed responsibility for his own happiness. He chose tolove God and allowed Him to bring forth the beautiful plan

of redemption that restored his lifeand his family, by forgiving his fatherand all his past.

Life is a beautiful road when we arewilling to make a partnership withGod. It doesn’t matter how manyvalleys, hills and mountains we haveto cross, God will pave the way. Hewill lead us into green pastures and

quiet waters. He will provide for all of our needs, andsustain us through all situations.

The biggest lesson I learned in my life is that God will nottake us around our problems, over them, or under them. Hewill take us right through them.

Jesus Christ changed my life, and everything I have todayI owe to him. He can also change your life. If you want to beset free from the prison of unforgivingness, self-pity andself-righteousness, you like me, need Christ Jesus to tradeyour ashes for His beauty.

Chaplain GabrielMizerani

BY CHAPLAIN (CAPT.) GABRIEL MIZERANI412th ASB Chaplain

Take responsibility for happiness in 2008

“God will not take usaround our problems, over

them or under them. He willtake us right through them.”

Chaplain Gabriel Mizerani


“In this world nothing can be said to becertain, except death and taxes.”

Benjamin Franklin

This quotation is true for all of us andthis year is no exception. However, thereare some benefits that our deployedstatus grants us that can both delaypayment and drastically reduce what wehave to pay when tax time comes.

Most of us know that some or all of ourmilitary income earned while deployedis tax free for federal tax and for moststate tax.

Depending on how much other incomeyou have or your spouse earns, it is likelythat you will owe far less for 2007 thanin past years, or maybe owe nothing atall.

If I owe, when do I pay?Because you are deployed, you, and

your spouse (if you are filing a jointreturn) are entitled to a combat-zoneextension to file your 2007 taxes. Thecombat-zone extension grants you 180

days from the date ofreturn, plus one dayfor every day youwere in the combatzone between Jan. 1,2008 and April 152008. R&R leave isnot considered yourdate of return becauseit is not a permanentredeployment.

If you redeploypermanently, thedate you return is the

date from which the combat zoneexclusion is calculated.

I’m getting money back and want to file.Can I?

You do not have to wait to file. You canfile your taxes at any point after Dec. 31,2007, but you will likely not be able tofile until you have received your W-2 andother documents. Deployed Soldiers willbe able to receive assistance in filing theirtaxes here at LSA Anaconda through theLegal Assistance Office starting inFebruary and spouses in Germany or theUnited States will be able to receive

assistance at the legal office tax centersat home stations.

What can I do to prepare now?If you are married and wish to file a

joint return with your spouse before youredeploy you must arrange to eitherhave your spouse complete and sendyou the IRS’s power of attorney form toyou so you can file from Iraq, or youmust complete the same and send it toher or him so that she or he can filefrom Germany or the United States. Ifyou have already given your spouse ageneral power of attorney or a specialpower of attorney that permits them tofile taxes on your behalf you do not needto execute the separate IRS form.

If you decide you wish to file from Iraq,you should also start thinking aboutwhat receipts and documents you willneed sent from home so you do not haveto wait any longer than necessary to file.Your W-2 should be available now fordownload from the My Pay website.

If you have questions about taxes orother legal assistance matters contactthe Task Force 49 Legal Office at 483-4156.

Tax season has arrived; start planning nowBY CAPT. MARY ANN BOWERY

Task Force 49Brigade Judge Advocate

Capt. MaryAnn Bowery

AL TAQADDUM AIRBASE, Iraq - TaskForce Dragon’s headquarters here isequal parts wild west and “Mad Max.”

Its weathered plywood shacks fend offthe dustbowl gusts of Al Anbarprovince.

A strange and constant parade ofoutlandishly equipped trucks, jerry-rigged subcompacts and armored carsrumbles by the compound and kicks upeven more of the desert floor.

Just in case there’s a surface the dusthasn’t touched, the massive rotors ofthe unit’s UH-47 Chinooks finish thejob.

In one of Task Force Dragon’s fewconcrete buildings, Combat Medic Pfc.Corey Brown works to keep the Soldiersof B Company, 1st Battalion, 52nd

Aviation Regiment healthy and fit to flymissions throughout western Iraq.

Brown has been with 1-52 Aviationsince June 2005, when it moved to FortWainwright, Alaska from South Korea.He deployed with the unit to AlTaqaddum last July.

“What I do here is like a constant, all-day sick call,” Brown said. “And ifsomething happens while I’m sleepingin my can, they just come and get me.”

When the Gordon, Ga., native arrivedin Al Taqaddum with Task Force Dragonlast Summer, he became the highestranking Army medic on the U.S. MarineCorps installation and chief of his unit’said station.

“Nothing was left for me except for adesk and computers,” Brown said. “I

brought everything I needed with meand then some, so it didn’t take long toset up. Getting resupply was an issue Ihad to work, but it has all worked itselfout now and is flowing very well.”

He can send anyone who needs moreadvanced care than he is able to provideto the doctors at the base clinic. After afew months, Brown got some help fromthree Navy Corpsmen, but their tourshave ended.

“The first two months here were thebiggest struggle,” Brown said. “I had to

BY SGT. 1ST CLASS ERIC REINHARDTTask Force 49 PAO

TQ’s lone Army medic holds down fort

(Inset) Task Force Dragon Combat Medic Pfc. Corey Brown visitswith Sgt. 1st Class Charlie Scott of Task Force 49 in Brown’s aidstation on Al Taqaddum Airbase. (Above) A reminder of Task ForceDragon’s Alaskan home station adorns the roof of the aid station.

Photos by Sgt. 1st Class Eric Reinhardt

find a doc and find out where I couldtake my people for a higher level ofcare. It was a new experience dealingwith the Navy Corpsmen and docs bymyself.”

Until he returns to Fort Wainwrightand his wife, Lanisha, Brown said hetakes a day-by-day approach to copewith life in the sands of Al Anbarprovince.

“I go to my can and sleep and wakeup and live my life beside this flight-line,” he said.


Home on the rangeHome on the rangeHome on the rangeHome on the rangeHome on the rangePhoto by Sgt. 1st Class Eric Reinhardt

Pfc. Parris Mathis, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Task Force 49, familiarizes himself with a M9 pistol Jan. 25 on LSA Anaconda’s Smith Range. The Soldiersof HHC, Task Force 49 spent the day reinforcing their marksmanship skills.

5-158 leaders lighten load for tower guardsBy SGT. DALE SWEETNAM

Task Force 49 PAOThe tower guards of E Company 5th

Battalion, 158th Aviation Regimentreceived a different kind of gift thisThanksgiving and Christmas.

Officers and senior noncommissionedofficers of 5-158 took to the towers fromNov. 26 to 27 and Dec. 24 to 26 so thatE Co. guards could take some muchneeded time to enjoy the holidays andcall their families.

“Leaders really show the Soldiershow much they care when they’rewilling to place themselves in theirshoes and tell them that they canshare the burden,” said Capt. EuniceSorrell, E Co. Commander.

When Soldiers heard about theopportunity to cover down for theguards, 32 of them came forward toanswer the call.

Lt. Col. Jack Bone, 5-158commander, and battalion CommandSgt. Major John Moore led a team ofvolunteers, with representativesranging from chief warrant officers allthe way down to two junior enlistedvolunteers.

The tower guards were not notifiedthat the senior leaders would be takingtheir shifts. Soldiers like Spc. CadeGibson and Pfc. Corlieus Moss went tothe towers like it was just any otherday.

“I was pretty surprised,” Gibson said.“I really didn’t expect it. It definitelyput me in a better mood.”

Moss said it was not only nice to getthe extra time to relax, but the Soldier

who relieved him was also his platoonsergeant.

“It helped morale a lot,” Moss said. “Itwas real good to have my platoonsergeant take over the hardest shift forme.”

Bone not only participated in theevent, but insisted he take the firstwatch on both Thanksgiving andChristmas Day.

“It was an eye-opening experience forthe majority of [the Soldiers], to includeme,” Bone said.

A few individuals, like Capt. JoshuaHawkins, took as many as three shifts,the normal workday for a regular towerguard.

Leaders who were not accustomed tothe conditions and nature of the workfound out that pulling tower guardshifts was considerably harder thanthey expected, according to Hawkins.

“I can’t imagine having that dutydaily,” Hawkins said. “Complacency,exhaustion, and boredom are yourgreatest battles. It’s the perfectopportunity for leaders to see theexecution of policy at the lowest leveland the results of their guidance andhopefully inspires them to makeimprovements.”

Staff Sgt. Michael Wischnack, 5-158Force Protection NoncommissionedOfficer, was there at the beginning andend of every shift change to signequipment over. He also made sure thevolunteers completed all the necessarytraining.

Wischnack explained that, on anormal day, Soldiers pull three four-

hour shifts, so it was a logisticalchallenge to change out so manydifferent volunteer Soldiers during a24-hour period.

“It’d be quite a headache if I had todo it everyday,” Wischnack said.

Despite the challenge, Wischnacksaid it was important to give the guardSoldiers some downtime and, as awhole, the operation went as well asplanned.

“Considering some of these seniorleaders had never pulled tower guardduty before, I’d say it went smoothly,”he said.

Bone said he makes it a point as acommander to get out there and seehis Soldiers in action so he can betterunderstand what they’re experiencing.In this instance he not only got to seewhat they were dealing with toaccomplish the mission, but he got toexperience it. Pulling guard duty gaveBone the opportunity to evaluate whatwas going right and what could beimproved in the towers.

“It was a dual-purpose mission,”Bone said. “The overall intent was togive the Soldiers a break during theholidays, but any time I can kill twobirds with one stone, it’s a good day.”

Sorrell said she was pleased with theevent and is very proud of what theleaders contributed.

“The holidays could have been alonely and challenging time for ourSoldiers due to being away from lovedones,” she said. “But our leaders gavethe gift of comfort, and made them feela little closer to home.”

February 2008

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Reinhardt

Task Force 49 Commander Col. Chandler C. Sherrell greets Maj. Gen. James Simmons, Multi-National Corps-Iraq deputy commander, during the general’s last visit toBalad before redeploying to Fort Hood, Texas this month and retirement later this year. Simmons has spent more than 31 months in Iraq and, as the senior Army aviator intheater, has logged more than 361.4 hours. He has more than 4,300 total flight hours in his 32 years as a rated aviator.

MNC-I deputMNC-I deputMNC-I deputMNC-I deputMNC-I deputy commander bids farewell to Ty commander bids farewell to Ty commander bids farewell to Ty commander bids farewell to Ty commander bids farewell to Task Force 49ask Force 49ask Force 49ask Force 49ask Force 49

A lack of ice may prevent local fansfrom showing their appreciation forhockey, but it hasn’t stopped hockeyfrom showing its appreciation for thedeployed fan.

Soldiers from E Company, 2nd

Battalion, 147 Aviation Regiment werethe proud recipients of Christmas giftsfrom the Minnesota Wild professionalhockey team. Their care packagesincluded Minnesota Wild hockey pucks,decals and a Minnesota “State ofHockey” flag.

As it turns out, a staff member withthe Minnesota Wild recently returnedfrom a deployment to Iraq with the 1stBrigade Combat Team. While deployed,office members constantly workedtogether to send care packages to theirown citizen/soldier. Now that he hasreturned, team management stillwanted to continue supporting localtroops deployed overseas.

A member of the arena managementteam for the Minnesota Wild is also afriend of Chief Warrant Officer 2 JimMastenbrook, battalion maintenanceofficer for 2-147.

“I received an e-mail from her askingif we would like some Minnesota Wildgifts,” Mastenbrook said. “Knowing how

NHL’s Wild sends pucks and decals to IraqBY CAPT. RYAN CURL

2-147 AHB PAO

many hockey fans we have, I couldhardly say no.”

It gave Wild fans in the company abig morale boost during the holidays

“I can honestly say, it was the bestChristmas gift I received this year,” saidPfc. Amanda Junkans, food servicespecialist, adding an enthusiast “GoWild, Woooo!”

Thanks to support from localorganizations and friends and family,members of E Company, 2-147 AHBwere reminded of how much they areappreciated back home.

Now they’re looking forward to nextwinter when they’ll be able to cheer onthe Minnesota Wild in person.

Courtesy photo

E Company, 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment maintenance platoon proudly displays a Minnesota “State ofHockey” flag donated by the Minnesota Wild.

The Desert Talon

Point of ViewPoint of ViewPoint of ViewPoint of ViewPoint of View Your images of Task Force 49


Sgt. Jerry AndersonHHC, 2-147 AHBMarvin Gaye – “Abraham, John & Martin” Remindsme of three special people in my life who have passedin the last two years.Jimi Hendrix – “All Along the Watchtower” Reflectsmy feelings about unnecessary wars past andpresent.ZZ Top – “La Grange” Makes me feel good and givesme the power to keep on going.Jim Croce – “I’ve Got a Name” Reminds me of myheritage and family ties.Tina Turner – “Proud Mary” Great concert I attendedin Ludwigsburg, Germany in 1975.

Spc. Stefan ParsonHHC, Task Force 49Jay-Z - “What More Can I Say” He uses a samplefrom “Gladiator” - when Russell Crowe asks thecrowd in the coliseum “Are you not entertained? Isthis not why you are here?” and they start chanting“Spaniard!” And Jay-Z just tells you why he is thegreatest rapper ever.DJ Khaled, T-pain, Rick Ross, Plies – “I’m So Hood”This song is just like an anthem. It gets me pumpedwhen I’m in the gym.AC/DC – “Big Balls” It’s just funny and I know thewords.AudioSlave – “Cochise” The intro is great. It remindsme of when I was in AIT at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. It’s ina county called Cochise.Stone Temple Pilots – “Dead and Bloated” It’s just agreat song and the intro is hot.

Pfc. Rahkeia BarfieldHHC, Task Force 49India Arie – “Slow Down” Because this songdescribes me.Lyfe Jennings – “Made Up My Mind” Because it’smaking a point about a problem today in society.Mary Mary – “There Will Be Mountains” Because itgives me motivation not to give up, ‘cause god willnever leave nor forsake you.Yolanda Adams – “Don’t Give Up” An inspirationalsong to me.Brian McKnight – “Home” Just a very beautiful song.

What’s on your iPod?What’s on your iPod?What’s on your iPod?What’s on your iPod?What’s on your iPod?

Task Force 49 and 12th Combat Aviation Brigade officers take charge during lastNovember’s relief in place.

(Left) Sgt. TimothyGarrison, Headquarters andHeadquarters CompanyTask Force 49, helps build apatio in the housing area.

(Above) Spc. Justin Snyder,Headquarters andHeadquarters Company TaskForce 49, frolics in theflurries that fell on LSAAnaconda Jan. 11.

Dusk at LSA Anaconda, January 2008Courtesy photo

Photo by Capt. Ross Mathieu

is a regular feature of

The Desert Talon, highlighting reader-submitted photos.Send them to:[email protected]

Point of ViewPoint of ViewPoint of ViewPoint of ViewPoint of View

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

AWARDS

MILESTONESFebruary 2008

Purple HeartSSG Anthony Cox 5-158 AVN

Air MedalCW4 Daniel Ayers 244 AVNPFC Luke Backes 3-158 AVNCW4 Jesse Baxter 244 AVNCW2 Rachel Bertrand 3-158 AVNCW3 Eugene Bishop 244 AVNCW2 Joshua Brock 5-158 AVNPFC Daniel Brown 3-158 AVNSGT Brian Brown 244 AVNCW2 Eugene Caballero 3-158 AVNCW4 Jonathan Case 2-228 AVNSPC Grayson Colby 3-158 AVNSGT Christian Crear 2-147 AHBPFC John Crisafulli 3-158 AVNCW2 Timothy Davis 5-158 AVNCW3 Tony Dohse 244 AVNMAJ David Doran 244 AVNCW3 James Dowdy 5-158 AVNSPC Eleuterio Duarte 3-158 AVNCW4 Michael Eddings 244 AVNCW2 Harold Eggleston 5-158 AVNCW3 Jessy Eismann 5-158 AVNPFC Timothy Feist 5-158 AVNMAJ Gregory Fix 2-147 AHBCPT Jarat Ford 2-159 ARBCPT Kyle Gaylor 3-158 AVNSSG Duane Gendreau 2-147 AHBCW4 Hector Gonzalez 2-228 AVNSPC Joseph Grabrick 2-147 AHB1LT Nathan Greer 3-158 AVNSGT Richard Gregor 2-147 AHBSGT Scott Gustafson 244 AVNSGT Todd Hacker 2-147 AHBSGT Anthony Hammond 3-158 AVNLTC George Hamontree 412 ASBCW2 Tyler Hartstock 5-158 AVNCW2 Brandon Heller 5-158 AVNCW4 Geoffrey Hennig 2-228 AVNCW2 Jessica Henry 5-158 AVNCW4 Kerry Holder 2-147 AHBPFC Derek Holen 5-158 AVNSFC Thomas Imm 2-147 AHBCPT Phoebe Inigo 2-147 AHBCW2 Joshua Jacobsen 2-147 AHBCW2 Sean Johnson 3-158 AVN1LT Meagan Kelley 3-158 AVN2LT Andrew Kelly 2-147 AHBCW2 Andre Kidd 5-158 AVNCW4 Mark Knigge 2-159 ARBSPC Devin Kral 2-147 AHBSPC Angel Kramp 3-158 AVNSPC Keith Lajoie 3-158 AVN1LT Andrew Lang 2-147 AHBCW3 Justin Larson 2-147 AHBCW2 Blake Leibach 5-158 AVN1SG Mark Logan 244 AVNCW3 Fred Loofbourow 244 AVNCW2 Ricky Maldonado 3-158 AVNCPT Christian Mariani 5-158 AVNSGT Christopher Marks 2-147 AHBCW2 Cort Mcallister 5-158 AVNCPT Adam McCarthy 244 AVNCPT Danielle Medaglia 3-158 AVNSPC Joseph Moreno-Solarte 3-158 AVNCW3 Damon Nicolas 244 AVNSSG Jarod Odum 5-158 AVNCW2 Sean Omara 5-158 AVNPFC Tyrone Owens 3-158 AVNSGT Christopher Pacheco 2-147 AHBCW3 Timothy Paopao 2-147 AHBSPC Marcus Paprzycki 3-158 AVNCPT Marc Rassler 2-147 AHBCW4 Timmy Richards 2-147 AHBWO1 Aaron Richards 3-158 AVNSPC David Robinson 3-158 AVNCW2 Mary Rone 5-158 AVNCW4 Timothy Sanders 244 AVNCW4 Douglas Schuebel 2-147 AHBCW2 Anthony Shaw 3-158 AVN

SSG Michelle Smith 2-147 AHBCW4 James Soltani 244 AVN1LT Sean Spencer 2-147 AHBSGT Shad Stenersen 2-147 AHBCW2 Micheal Tucker 3-158 AVN1LT Andrew Ueland 2-147 AHBCW3 Dirk Vandermeyden 244 AVNSPC Hilde Vega 5-158 AVNCW4 Darrell Wagner 2-228 AVNSSG Terry Walls B/1-52 AVNCW3 Robert Walthouse 2-147 AHBCW2 Sean Whitfield 3-158 AVNMAJ Scott Williams 2-159 ARBCW2 Joshua Williams 5-158 AVNMAJ Scott Williamson 2-159 ARBCPT Johnny Wong 2-159 ARBCPT Clinton Woody 3-158 AVNSPC Tyson Yee 5-158 AVNSPC Andrew Zwack 3-158 AVN

Army Commendation MedalSGT Cheryl Bolden 412 ASBSSG Terry Bottin B/1-52 AVNPFC Mathew Bowles 412 ASBSPC Fred Carson 412 ASBSSG Rogelio Cortez 412 ASBSPC Luke Darnauer 412 ASBCW2 Galen Durbin HHC, TF 49SPC Joel Ellis 412 ASBSPC Kristy Fonfield 5-158 AVNSPC Elmus Frazier 412 ASBSGT Jeremy Gearhart 412 ASBSGT Marc Hickman 412 ASBSGT Jason Hutchinson 412 ASBSPC Donato Isa 2-147 AHBPV2 Amanda Junkans 412 ASBSGT Jean Lesperance 412 ASBPFC Jason Livermore 412 ASBSGT John Lloyd 5-158 AVNSPC Donato Magallanes 2-147 AHBCW4 Daniel Mariscal 5-158 AVNPFC Jaime Medina 412 ASBSPC Cho Monroe-Warren 412 ASBSGT Brian Mumford 2-147 AHBSFC Shunnie Nuniss 412 ASBSPC David Olson 412 ASB

SGT Stephanie Owens 5-158 AVNPFC Damaris Rivera-Chaparro 412 ASBSGT Issac Rodgers 412 ASBSPC Tiffany Ruff 412 ASBSPC Mirinda Singmanichanh 5-158 AVNSPC Tony Spencer 412 ASBSSG Mark Stallings 412 ASBSSG Gregory Sullivan 2-147 AHBSPC Kailey Thornton 412 ASBSGT Tyrone Thorpe 412 ASBSPC Alfred Van Damme 412 ASBSPC Joseph Vrechek HHC, TF 49SGT Mandy Wiegert 412 ASBSSG Dedrick Williams 412 ASBSGT Marc Williams 412 ASB

Combat Action BadgeSPC Jason Abe 5-158 AVNSGT Brendan Anderson 2-147 AHBPFC Skyler Bieber 2-159 ARBSSG Nelson Chanquin 2-147 AHBCPT Jeremy Chiglo 2-147 AHBPV1 Gavin Coplin 5-158 AVNSSG Anthony Cox 5-158 AVNSSG Damon Cropp 412 ASBSGT David David 2-147 AHBCW3 James Dowdy 3-158 AVNSPC Christopher Freeman 2-159 ARBSSG Duane Gendreau 2-147 AHBSPC Eric Gerber 412 ASBSGT Craig Gocha 2-147 AHBSPC Joseph Grabrick 2-147 AHBSPC Tammie Grimes-Hill 2-147 AHBSPC Suzette Guarino 2-147 AHBSSG Michael Gunderson 2-147 AHBSSG Craig Hackett 2-147 AHBSSG Gerald Hatcher 5-158 AVNWO1 Matthew Hicklin 3-158 AVNPFC Adam Hite 2-147 AHBSPC Donato Isa 2-147 AHBSSG Trevor Johnstin 5-158 AVNSPC Daniel Kaleohano 2-147 AHBPFC Thomas Kirsch 2-147 AHBSPC Kody Klimek 2-147 AHBSPC Daniel Knapp 2-147 AHBCW2 Brian Kokesh 2-147 AHBPFC Christopher Krajeck 5-158 AVN

CW2 Blake Leibach 3-158 AVNSPC Michael Magallanes 2-147 AHBCPT Dylan Malcomb 5-158 AVNSGT Erik Malenke 2-147 AHBSPC Brandon Marko 2-147 AHBSPC Kupono Matson 2-147 AHBSPC Kenda Mayfield 5-158 AVNSPC Christopher Mazzara 2-147 AHBSGT Brian Mcfarland 5-158 AVNSPC Isaac Mcfarland 3-158 AVNCW5 Edward Mcintyre 2-147 AHBCW2 Bradley Moore 5-158 AVNPFC Stalin Mosquera 5-158 AVNSGT Brian Mumford 2-147 AHBSGT Robert Murph 5-158 AVNCW2 Gary Ng 2-147 AHBCW4 Kelvin Nokes 2-147 AHBSPC Jason Nowling 5-158 AVNCW2 Brian Pardue 5-158 AVN1LT John Penshorn 2-147 AHBSPC Christopher Peters 2-147 AHBSGT Matthew Ragasa 2-147 AHBPFC Bobby Ramsey 412 ASBSPC David Robinson 3-158 AVNSSG Alejandro Rodriguez 2-147 AHBSPC Gerald Sadler 2-147 AHBSPC Darin Sakarias 2-147 AHBSPC Chantel Sakarias 2-147 AHBCPT Benjamin Selzer 5-158 AVNCW2 Anthony Shaw 3-158 AVNCW2 Brian Spotts 2-147 AHBSGT Michael St. John 3-158 AVNSPC Justin Stalmer 2-147 AHBSPC Jennifer Stiglet 2-147 AHBSGT Mike Stribling 2-147 AHBSPC Nichole Twedt 2-147 AHBSGT Jesse Wandling 5-158 AVNSPC Chantel Weaver 2-147 AHBSGT Mike Wendover 2-147 AHBSPC Lee Werhan 5-158 AVNSPC Craig Wernimont 2-147 AHBSSG Jeremy Whittaker 3-158 AVNSFC Charles Winchell 5-158 AVNCPT Johnny Wong 2-159 ARBSGT Xue Xiong 2-147 AHBSPC Tyson Yee 5-158 AVNSGT Daniel Zerbis 2-147 AHB

Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloessler, 101st Airborne Division commander, presents the Air Medal to members of C Company, 7thBattalion, 101st Aviation Regiment (MEDEVAC) during a Jan. 30 visit to the unit.

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Eric Reinhardt


It is hard to convincepeople that it’s not over 100degrees all the time.”

While the snow fell,Soldiers became kids again.They looked to the sky withtheir mouths open and sometried to make snowballs withthe few flakes sticking tosandbags and aircraft.

“Everyone was a little moreshiny-happy and there weremore than a few snow ballsexchanged,” Holtz said. “Itwas probably just arefreshing change to seesomething out of theordinary.”

The snow lasted onlythrough the morning, but itleft a lasting impression.According to Associated Press

SnowContinued from Page 1

reports, no violence wasreported in the streets ofBaghdad as the thick snowblanketed neighborhoods alltoo familiar with small armsfire and perpetual mortarattacks.

Once the snow stoppedfalling, all that was left werepuddles and miles of mud,but the few hours of snowbrought a new sense of hopeand a brief window of peace.

According to some mediareports, many Iraqis viewedthe snow as a sign of goodthings to come, a promise ofpeace in their country.

“I saw on CNN that thepeople of Iraq saw it as anomen, and a new peace,”Thompson said. “I was hopingat that time that they wouldthank the American militaryand their allies for possiblybringing that peace.”

Photo by Eric Bowen/MinnPost.com

Minnesota Army National Guard Capt. Andrea Ourada, 2nd Battalion, 147th AviationRegiment, revels in the brief Jan. 11 snowfall on LSA Anaconda. Ourada was escortingreporters from Minneapolis that day, one of whom captured this image on the flight line.

work is both highly realisticand highly collectible,” saidTask Force 12 ExecutiveOfficer Lt. Col. CharlesBowery. “His limited-editionprints always sell out andincrease very rapidly in value.”

Bowery met Dietz in 2004when the artist wascommissioned to do a print forBowery’s Command andGeneral Staff College class.Bowery was committee chairfor the project.

“Out of that process I formeda good friendship and workingrelationship with Jim,” Bowerysaid.

Rotary-wing aviation is arelatively new subject for Dietz.

His last brush with thesubject was depicting theSoldiers and helicopters of the160th Special OperationsAviation Regiment (Airborne),or “Night Stalkers,” as they’realso known.

“The difficulty level is havinga vision that matches thevision of the people that wantthe painting done,” Dietz said.“I’ve done this for 35 years,and have a pretty good idea ofhow to accomplish that. Theeasiest way I can say it is thatyou create one scene from amovie … and have the peopleyou’re working with cooperatewith that vision.”

Dietz uses a rough sketch asa storyboard to place andphotograph his models.

When the scene is set, hedirects them in various posesthat might seem unnatural, oreven uncomfortable, to anonlooker, but they allow himto accurately capture facialfeatures, body movements anddetails of the aircraft.

While he directed the photoshoot, he reminded his modelsto put a little of themselves intothe scene, and to let him knowif anything about the scene“doesn’t seem right” oraccurate.

“He does a very good jobshowing the Soldiers in actionand the hard work we do outhere,” said Spc. Justin Duh,B Company, 412th ASB. “Hehad me helping a soldier ontothe Black Hawk, showing usgetting ready to go out on amission.”

After visiting units inAfghanistan, Dietz will returnto his studio in Seattle anddraft four proposed scenes forhis Task Force 49 and 12th

CAB clients to consider. The

top pick will become an oil-on-canvas painting used as themaster for the print series.

“We decided on the scenesby taking proposals done byeach of the battalions in thebrigade, plus the brigadestaff,” Bowery said. “Thecommand groups of [TaskForce 49 and Task Force 12]met and narrowed theproposals down to two maincandidates. When Jim arrived,he looked at both proposalsand provided input as to whichhe thought would make themost compelling scene.”

Not every airframe type,vehicle type, equipment type,or military occupationalspecialty will be depicted inthe print, according to Bowery.

The chosen scene will be arepresentation of both taskforces’ collective effort in Iraq.

“I hope this print will portraythe Soldiers of our two taskforces at a typical ‘moment intime’ that represents what weare doing 24 hours a day,seven days a week, for 15months, and that we do itprofessionally, safely and withconsummate skill anddiscipline,” he said.

Private 2 Andrew Fetz of the412th said just being part ofthe project was satisfyingenough for the time being.

“It feels pretty good knowingthat I’ll be in a painting that alot of people will hang on theirwalls.”

DietzContinued from Page 1

Artist James Dietz poses Black Hawk crew members from 2nd Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment and the 412th Aviation SupportBattalion during a Jan. 13 photo shoot. The photos will be used to draft a limited-edition print for Task Force 49 and the 12th CombatAviation Brigade.

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Eric Reinhardt

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