LONGRIFLEs WEEKLYA publication of the 2/138th FAR

I will begin my last letter to the battalion with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “The time is always right to do what is right.” It is time to go home very soon but it is still time to act like a professional Soldier.

During the last few days of a deployment, it’s always hard to be focused when the only thing that is really on your mind is home.My advice for you is that it’s perfectly fine to day dream about going to the house and all the great plans you have for this summer back in Kentucky, but you need to knock down the 50 meter target first. The immediate target is getting our administrative paperwork done right and getting all of the information required by brigade and mob station reported in a timely manner. Logistically, there is a lot of packing and moving still left and we must be ready to accomplish that. Let’s stick together and help one another get these last tasks finished without letting any of our battle buddies get into UCMJ trouble along the way. Thank you for all your hard work this deployment, and it was an honor to serve with you. ~ Capt. Christopher Fitzwater

CPT’s Corner

The end of this deployment is near, and we need to start thinking of what awaits us when we get home. Some of us have jobs to return to, or will be attending school full-time. Others of us may not have a job to return to.

If you don’t have a stable job to return to or would like to find a better one, you need to already have a resume completed and start submitting applications. Your resume is an essential part of getting a job, and the way you sell yourself to your future employer in that resume might be the determining factor on whether you get hired or not. Lt. Michael Lowry has volunteered to help anyone in the battalion who needs help writing a resume or making an existing one better. Stop by building 104 during office hours or send him an email at michael.s.lowry20.mil@mail.milKeep your head in the game, and make sure you are making all the preparations necessary to finish up strong. Great job Soldiers, it has been an honor! ~ 1st Sgt. Ray Fortier

1SG Thoughts

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Soldier Goes from Milking Cows to Becoming CSM

Story and photo by Sgt. Alexa Becerra, 2-138th FAR PAO

May 18, 2013Volume 1, Issue 30

CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti - What comes to mind when you hear the title of Command Sgt. Major? Do you picture a tall, intimidating man barking out orders and yelling to get off his grass? That’s a common thought.

Well the Task Force Longrifles Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Gividen, although tall and a bit intimidating, has a different approach when it comes to leadership. He is stern, yet mild mannered, and one of his biggest pet peeves is when Soldiers wear dirty patrol caps.

Gividen, a native of Sulphur, Ky., joined the Kentucky Nation-al Guard on Jan. 21, 1976 at the age of 17. He married around that same time, and a year later had a daughter. Gividen has been a member of the 2-138th during his whole career, going from Alpha Battery to Service Battery and now Headquarters Battery.

However, Gividen said that at the time he joined, the thought of becoming the Command Sgt. Major of the 2-138th Field Artillery Battalion hadn’t crossed his mind.

“After my first contract ran out, I got out for a little over a year,” said Gividen. “I was working on a farm milking cows

Longrifles WeeklyPage 2

Chaplain ReflectionsDo not be held back by your failures. This week I am reminded of a story about how a powerful animal is held captive only by its memory of past failure. As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a

small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” the trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life. In life you will fail, and that’s ok. Get up dust yourself off and try again. ~ Chaplain Mark Slaughter

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and I only got two days off a month and two weeks during the summer. And those were spent training with the Guard.”

During that time, he decided to return to the Guard and per-haps make a career out of it. Shortly after rejoining, he start-ed working as a technician at the Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site in Ft. Knox, Ky. He’s been there for 27 years now and is the supervisor for the shop (MATES) that works on all the artillery equipment for the 2-138th.

“Eventually, I would like to become brigade Command Sgt. Major, and then retire on the technician side in a few more years,” said Gividen.

Gividen says there have been some challenges that have come along with being in his position. For example, he’s responsi-ble for ensuring that 600-plus Soldiers complete all of their self-development and career-progression courses, which is no easy task. Especially for National Guard Soldiers who have their civilian lives and careers to consider as well.

Nevertheless, he has found a way to get the job done with ease. There have been many gratifying moments for him as well.

“Seeing Soldiers get promoted and progress in the Guard is very gratifying,” said Gividen. “I have been in the Guard lon-ger than many of my Soldiers have been alive, so it’s great to see them grow into all they can be.”

Gividen enjoys fishing in his spare time. He participates in bass fishing tournaments as often as he can, but one of his favorite things is to be around Soldiers; after all, 35 years of service will do that to you.

Just don’t walk around with a dirty patrol cap and everything will be fine and dandy.

Photo of the Week!

CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti - Sgt. Rusty Wilson, a Soldier of C Battery 2-138th Field Artillery Regiment, participates in a game of Shuffleboard during the Captain’s Cup Spring 2013 held here on Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. Captain’s Cup is a semi-annual sports competition held at Camp Lemonnier among all units and branches of the military deployed here. The purpose of these events is to build esprit de corps and a sense of camaraderie among all personnel here. (Photo by Camp Lemonnier MWR)

Quotations to live by...• “Change is the law of life. And those who look only

to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” -John F. Kennedy

• “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential...these are the keys that unlock the door to personal excellance.” - Confucius

• “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” - Benjamin Franklin

• “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” - Thomas Paine