vol. 1, issue 6 18th military police brigade newsletter ... · vigilant times vol. 1, issue 6 18th...

VIGILANT TIMESVol. 1, Issue 6 18th Military Police Brigade Newsletter Apr. 15, 2005

Vigilant Times page I

Organizational Day

The HHC, 18th MilitaryPolice Brigade celebrated thecompletion of one third of itsyear-long deployment with anorganizational day April 16 atits Camp Victoryheadquarters. There was abarbecue, live music and lotsof competative sport action.

Above: Pfc. Lonnie Coleman, theyoungest Soldier in the brigade, cutsthe first piece of cake with CompanyCommander Wayne Ludwig. Right:The 3d ID band performed a varietyof music for the event from salsa torock. Outstanding job guys!

(more photos on page 6)

Brigade Briefs

• May Birthdays

01- SGT Donnis Swayzer01- SGT Larry Blake04- MAJ Thomas Lombardo06- MAJ Rob Simmons10- SPC Randall Love11- SGT Alan Suskey14- PFC Danelle Cavin18- PFC Arto Aaron24- SPC Andrew Tamez25- SPC Brandon Beck26- SSG Chelsea Spier28-SPC Douglas Krietemeyer31- CW3 Craig Schuster

•Welcome to 1st Lt.Micah Taylor as our newPublic Affairs Officer. 1stLt. Taylor is not new to thebrigade but comes to usfrom the 617th MP Co.

• With the temperature ris-ing, please remember todrink plenty of water. De-hydration is serious and, ifsevere enough, can causedeath.

• Help! We need your sub-missions for the BrigadeNewsletter. Artists, writ-ers, poets, photographers;please help us make thisnewsletter a success!

Vol. 1, Issue 6 Vigilant Times Apr. 15, 2005

VIGILANT TIMESProduced by the 18th Military Police Brigade

Public Affairs Office, Baghdad, IraqPhone: DSN 302-242-0112

Maj. Rob Simmons.....................................S-1 OICSpc. Lynne Steely............................Photojournalist

Vigilant Times page II

Staff Sgt. Eltons promotion on April 1. Congratulations, you earned it!

The newestaddition to the

18th MPBrigade family.Payten Collinsis the daughterof Spc. Joshua

Collins.WelcomePayten!


COMMANDERS CORNERBy Col. James B. Brown

D e a rf r i e n d s ,families andcomrades ofthe 18th

Military Po-lice Bri-gade!Spring isdef in i te lyhere in Iraq and we are already intoour sixth month of the mission hereas well! Just recently the tempera-tures have been over 100 degreeseveryday and it will continue to gethotter for quite some time! With theheat, added safety concerns fordrinking plenty of fluids and con-tinuing to wear all our protectivegear, become key areas of focus forleaders as we continue to fight theGlobal War on Terrorism here.During this past month, our Soldiershave given an incredible accountingof themselves in our contact with theenemy. The 306th MP Battalion wasabsolutely courageous in helping tofight off a major assault on AbuGhraib while continuing to preventan attempt at a massive detaineebreakout during the same time. The108th MP Company responded tothis attack and defeated numerousenemy fighters trying to cut-off re-inforcements to Abu Ghraib! The105th MP Battalion and 586th Expe-ditionary Security Forces Squadronfought through a very challengingseries of uprisings and riots at CampBucca during this past month andhave done a brilliant job of restor-

Vigilant Times page III

ing order to the facility and protect-ing the safety of detainees at thesame time. The Soldiers of the 179th

MP Bn (Provisional) under the lead-ership of MAJ David Oberlanderhave done a terrific job in provid-ing combat support to the Polish ledMulti-National Division CenterSouth and in serving as an emer-gency response force for CampBucca. The 503d MP Battalion hascontinued to battle to ensure that ourMain Supply Routes are secureagainst enemy attacks and is win-ning this battle every night. Unfor-tunately, we tragically lost one ofour heroes in battle on 30 Marchwhen SPC Eric Lee Toth of A com-pany/1-623 Field Artillery waskilled by a suicide VBIED. I askthat you would keep Eric’s wife,Andrea in your prayers and that wenever forget Eric’s sacrifice and ser-vice in the defense of our country.Our mission to establish and sup-port the Iraqi Highway Patrol con-tinues to move at an incredible paceunder the leadership of MAJ AndyJohnson and the 503d MP Battalion.Under MAJ Johnson’s leadership,the 18th MP Brigade established andis running a new academy for theIraqi Highway Patrol that graduates300 new officers every month! TheIraqi Highway Patrol is also doinga terrific job of expanding its roleevery day here and they recentlyrescued the son of the Mayor of AnNasiraya from a kidnapping.Throughout this exciting month, thebrigade staff has continued to do an

outstanding job of fostering a cli-mate of success and mission accom-plishment. There have been somechanges as LTC Tom Blair departedto prepare to take command of the709th MP Battalion and LTC MikeBlahovec has now taken over as theBrigade Deputy Commander. Wehave also added new teammates tothe Brigade Battle Staff—CPT Tay-lor Lyle, LT Micah Taylor and LTSteve Lemelin have all joined us tofill critical needs in the brigadeteam. At all times, all staff teamshave continually provided expertcare and focus for this joint brigadeteam. The 18th MP Brigade also ex-ceeded all its reenlistment goals thispast month as well. Thank you toall our heroes who have decided tostay with the team and to help uscontinue to win the Global War onTerrorism. The biggest thanks in allour hearts goes out to our families.The truest patriots in this team arethe ones who serve alone at hometo keep our families together andgrowing during this time of ex-tended absence. We love you andthank you for your service and sac-rifice. Thanks as well to Task ForceEver Vigilant, under the leadershipof CPT Mike Capps and the 709th

MP Battalion—our rear detachmentthat has continually ministered toour wounded Soldiers and theirfamilies as well as continued to sup-port our needs at home and here de-ployed.EVER VIGILANT!Col. Jim Brown, VIGILANT 6


Vigilant Times page IV

Soldiers enjoy fun, sun and surf duringdeploymentBy Spc. Lynne Steely

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Think de-ployments are all work and noplay? Usually, but now there’s aprogram where deployed Sol-diers can blow off a little steamand take a much needed breakfrom the daily stresses of a war-time environment.The Rest and Recuperation PassProgram (RRPP) offers Soldiersa chance to get away from it alland live a somewhat civilian-esque lifestyle for four days atCamp As Sayliyah in the beauti-ful country of Qatar.The program is open to all activeduty, reserve, and national guardservice members as well as de-partment of defense civilians de-ployed in authorized contingencylocations. The purpose of the pro-gram is to maintain force readi-ness by giving Soldiers a chance

Photo by Pfc. Steven Dionne

to relax.Camp As Sayliyah maintains anaverage daily balanceof 600 Soldiers with120 Multi-NationalForce/Multi-NationalCoalition-Iraq Sol-diers arriving and de-parting each day.Transportation is pro-vided via C-130 fromMosul, Anaconda,Baghdad Interna-tional Airport, Talliland Kirkuk. Participants must beserving tours of more than 90consecutive days to be eligibleand are authorized to participatein the program up to once everysix months.For Soldiers who prefer to justhang out on post and unwind,Camp As Sayliyah’s Morale Wel-

fare and Recreationrepresentatives pro-vide plenty of activi-ties to keep them oc-cupied. There’s a fullgym to keep fit, aninternet and phoneroom, a day spa offer-ing facials, manicures,pedicures and a fullbody massage, a hairsalon, a movie room,

Photo by Pfc. Steven Dionne

x-box room, ping pong tables andan Orange Julius and Dairy

Queen stand.Going hungry on post is never anoption. Besides the dining facil-ity which is cost free to militaryID cardholders, there is a BurgerKing, strategically placed in frontof the gymnasium, a Chile’s res-taurant complete with ribeyesteak and fajitas, a Pizza Inn anda Subway. The Green Beans cof-fee shop offers 24 hours of lattes,cappuccinos, smoothies and awide selection of delicious past-ries.There is a swimming pool withan adjacent Jacuzzi, and twoclubs available serving a choiceof wine, imported and domesticbeer, and premium liquor such asBacardi and Jack Daniels. Thereis a three drink limit, but the com-


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ARMED fORCES dAY - May 21Armed Forces Day

was established onAugust 31, 1949 bySecretary of DefenseLouis Johnson. Thiscelebration came aboutafter the unification ofall Armed Forces underthe Department ofDefense. In an excerptfrom the PresidentialProclamation ofFebruary 27, 1950 Mr.Truman stated:Armed Forces Day,Saturday, May 20, 1950,marks the firstc o m b i n e ddemonstration byAmerica’s defense teamof its progress, under theNational Security Act,towards the goal of

readiness for anyeventuality. It is the firstparade of preparednessby the unified forces ofour land, sea, and airdefense.The firstA r m e dForces Day,t h e m e d“Teamed forD e f e n s e ” ,was designedto expand publicunderstanding of whattype of job is performedand the role of themilitary in civilian life,and to honor andacknowledge the peopleof the Armed Forces ofthe United States.The first Armed Forces

Day was celebrated byparades, open houses,receptions, and airshows. In WashingtonD.C., 10,000 troops of

all branches ofthe military,cadets, andv e t e r a n smarched passthe Presidentand his party. InBerlin, 1,000

U.S. troops paraded forthe German citizens atTemplehof Airfield. Inthe harbors across thecountry were the famedm o t h b a l l e d“battlewagons” ofWorld War II, theMissouri, the NewJersey, the North

Carolina, and the Iowa,all open for publicinspection. Precisionflying teams dominatedthe skies as trackingradar were exhibited onthe ground. All acrossthe country, theAmerican people joinedtogether to honor theArmed Forces.Take time this May 21to honor all the men andwomen of our ArmedForces and thank themfor everything they do,everyday, in thehomeland or overseas,protecting freedom andmaking a better world fortomorrow.

pany and atmosphere more thanmake up for the lack of spirits.For those who may need addi-tional supplies there is a small PXavailable to serve Soldiers needs.There are also three gift shops tochoose from to purchase gifts tocommemorate the excursion.For the more adventurous type,there are several off-post activi-ties offered. Free trips include aday of shopping at a choice ofthree traditional European shop-ping malls, or at the local Qatarmarkets.

A few trips are offered at a mini-mal fee of 21 dollars each includ-ing water sports such as jet ski-ing, water skiing and tube rides.A sightseeing cruise is availablecomplete with a Qatari lunch.There is also a deep sea fishingadventure, and hotel leisure withtotal pampering in its sauna, spa,hot tub and fitness center.Pfc. Steven Dionne of the 18thMilitary Police Brigade said heparticularly enjoyed the SaharaDesert tour. “I liked touring thedesert in SUV’s. We were also

provided a BBQ on the beach ofthe Persian Gulf.”“It was worth it”, added Dionne.“It was nice to be able to set yourown schedule for a few days.Eating at Chili’s was great too.”For more information contactyour unit R&R representative.

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Let the games begin...

Grill masters, Master Sgt. Donald Greaux and Sgt. 1st ClassJeffrey Johnson, keep the steaks coming for a crowd of hungrySoldiers.

Even Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Shelleytakes time out of his busy schedule for aheated game of basketball with Spc. BrandonBeck and Pfc. Arto Aaron.

Capt. Charles Green has control of the ball in a struggle for thewin in a two on two Officer against enlisted competition withteammate Maj.Michael Matthews against Pvt. Courtney Townesand Pfc. Lonnie Coleman.

An awesome play by Master Sgt. ThomasFrancis as he slapped the ball out of thehands of Sgt. Cecil Gregory as he tried toscore.

Vigilant Times page VI

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The crowd looks on as the brigade holds its first official“Carp Ball” tournament. It’s played by batting a golf ballas far into the lake as possible. Whoever hits it the farthestwins. (It’s more fun than it sounds!)

Brigade Commander Col. James Brown tries his hand atCarp Ball. He didn’t take first place but the competitionwas fierce. Maj. Matthews took home the win on this game.

An intense Spades competition ensued throughout theafternoon between teammates Spc. Joshua Collins and Sgt.Jamey Watson against Spc. Lamika Fisher and 2nd Lt.Shikith Russell.

Left to right, Sgt. David Jones, Spc. Joshua Collins andPfc. Matthew Vanderlugt. Collins took 1st place in the X-box Halo tournament while Jones and Vanderlugt were thebrigade basketball champions.

Vigilant Times page VII


“ ... The unthinkable can free you,break the barsof old thoughts,shatter habit,

open space for new thinking.Even if it is truly outrageous,

the impossible can still, perhaps,scatter a seed,

so a new plant canpossibly

grow.

But don’t confuse the impossiblewith the merely implausible,

for there’s a difference-The implausible fits.

The impossible has to come from outsideto shake freedom

loose.”-Author unknown

Vigilant Times page VIII


Football Superstars visit Camp Victory aspart of the “NFL Salute The Troops Tour”

NFL greats LarryIzzo of the New

England Patriots andWarrick Dunn of theAtlanta Falcons met

with Soldiersstationed at Camp

Victory in Baghdad,Iraq at the MWR

gym April 4 as partof the NFL SaluteThe Troops Toursponsored by the

United ServiceOrganization.

Pfc. Luis Trevino poses for a photo with Izzo and Dunn while theysign autographs.

Soldiers wait patiently in line as the footballsuperstars sign footballs, t-shirts, photos andvarious items.

Izzo and Dunn practice their throwing skillsas they toss footballs to an excited crowd offans.

Vigilant Times page IX


Around Camp Victory

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Vigilant Times page XII

IRAQ FACTSHealth and Welfare - Healthstandards in Iraq are lowbecause of poor sanitaryconditions and many endemic

diseases. For 2004 the average life expectancyat birth was 41. The infant mortality rate wasestimated at 53 per 1,000 live births. Iraq hasone physician for every 2,091 people and onehospital bed for every 690 people.

Labor - The Iran-Iraq War, The Persian GulfWar, and the U.N. sanctions crippled the Iraqieconomy, resulting in an unprecedented rate ofunemployment. Following the U.S.-Iraq war of2003, Iraq’s minister of planning andinternational cooperation estimatedunemployment at more than 50 percent.

Communications - In 2002 Iraq had 28telephone mainlines in use for every 1,000inhabitants. There were 229 radio receivers and82 television sets in use for every 1,000 peoplein 2000. The ath-Thawra, issued by the BaathParty, was one of the country’s largest Arabicnewspapers with a circulation of 250,000. TheHussein government controlled all radio andtelevision broadcasting.

Currency and Banking - The monetary unit isthe Iraqi Dinar, consisting of 1,000 fil or 20dirham. 0.31 dinars equal 1 dollar U.S. Currencyis issued by the Central Bank of Iraq, which alsocontrols the banking system and foreign exchangetransactions. All banks in Iraq were nationalizedin 1964. Besides the Central Bank the systemconsists of the Rafidain Bank, which handlesgovernment accounts, and five specialized banks.(“Iraq,” Microsoft ®Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2005)

Happy Mother’s Day - May 8

“I love you,”

said a great mother.

“I love you for what you are.

And I love you more yet, child,

deeper yet than ever, child,

for what you are going to be,

knowing so well you are going far,

knowing your great works are ahead,

ahead and beyond,

yonder and far over yet.”

--Carl Sandberg

“Youth fades; love droops, the leaves of friendship fall;A mother’s secret hope outlives them all.”-Oliver Wendell Holmes

“I remember my mother’s prayers and they have alwaysfollowed me. They have clung to me all my life.”- Abraham Lincoln

“The most important thing a father can do for hischildren is to love their mother.”- Unknown

“Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be amother.”- Lin Yutang


CONNECTIONSBy Brigade Chaplain, Lt. Col. Thomas Evans

Vigilant Times page XIII

Each time I visit a new county, I learn more and more about people and social structures. Being in Iraq is veryenlightening; people here are divided by family, tribe, religion and geographicareas, and that also describes their basic loyalties. Citizens here tell you their name, and then tell what familythey are from, and what village/town they come from,and what religious group they belong to. Historically,political divisions have been by these religious group-ings. Theological issues led to the separate organiza-

tions, and struggles for religious and political power have led to adivided nation.We have some very energetic debates in our government, but they arenormally between members of political parties. Can you imagine anAmerican headline like this? “Baptist, Methodist, and PresbyterianSenators criticize a bill introduced by the Lutheran, Episcopalian andCovenant Senators.” That sounds completely “foreign” to us. Many ofour Senators have a rich and fulfilling church affiliation, but they knowthat they are not elected to represent a church.In my estimation, the GREATEST contribution that the founding fathersgave our nation was the Separation of Church and State. We can be rich in faith, but not try to use/coerce the political systemto support the doctrines of our faith. We can be intensely loyal to our denomination, but happy to share our community withpeople of other denominations or faiths. We can be free to follow our spiritual conscience, without government interference,and without using the government to interfere with anyone else’s spiritual conscience.History has given us too many examples when the opposite is true. Some of the most egregious examples of human crueltyhave occurred when someone used Political or Military power to promote their Faith. When equipped with those powers,thousands, even millions have died, because they did not believe the right theological doctrines. Many of our nation’sfounders fled religious persecution in their homelands, and when they established our new nation, they wanted to makecertain that we would not fall to that same transgression.

The barrier between faith and government is good for the churches;we don’t want the government telling us how to worship. That samebarrier is good for the government; we don’t want churches dictatinghow we manage our country. Let churches grow, flourish andtransform people’s lives. Let the government legislate, guarantee ourliberties, and defend our security. And we can all be thankful that ourconstitution prevents churches from competing to see who can garnerthe most power over the government and the government from tryingto rule over churches.Thomas Jefferson, et al., we thank you for setting the United States ona course where church and government are not in conflict with eachother nor are they in competition with each other.The new Iraqi constitution and legislature are taking bold steps in thissame direction. They are establishing a cooperative assembly that

will represent all groups, respect all groups, and seek to establish a body that will make decisions to benefit all their citizens.The new government is choosing statesmen who will recognize that their national calling takes them to a level that is higherthan religious favoritism. They too have seen the value of Separation of Church and State. What a privilege to be herehelping them in this courageous new venture.

Pro Deo Et Patria, For God And Country.


Photo of the Month Winter in GermanyThis one was sent in byChristine Fitzek, AGerman national.

(Please send us yourphotos! We would loveto feature it on ourphoto of the monthpage!)

[email protected].

Vigilant Times page XIV

Iraq’s Future ...

...make a difference.

WebsitesCarepackagesHere are some new websites tosign up soldiers to receive carepackages:www.patriotpacks.orgwww.operationwecare.com

Help troops in Iraq and Afghanistanget helmet upgrade kitswww.operation-helmet.org

Family Support - www.emilitary.org

Financial Insider


Legal Tips

Claims-Congress has passed lawsgoverning payment to youfor losses as a result of yourmilitary service. You mayhave a claim against the government if-√ Property is stolen from government quarters, privatequarters outside the U.S. or from an authorized storageplace.√ Property in government quarters or storage isdamaged or destroyed by unusual occurences such asfire, theft, flood, etc...√ Property, including POV’s, is lost, damaged ordestroyed while transported or stored undergovernment orders.√ Property is lost damaged or destroyed as a direct resultof enemy action, riots against Americans overseas, andSoldiers saving human lives or government property.√ Property is lost or damaged due to negligent acts ofArmy agents.

TIDBITS

Great resources for Soldiers going onR&Rwww.armyg1.army.mil/WellBeing/RRLeavewww.armymwr.com

Read about what we’re doingwww.mnf-iraq.comwww.hqusareur.army.milwww.vcorps.army.milwww.18mpbde.mannheim.army.mil

Vigilant Times page XII

Credit Repair-Anyone is at risk forfinancial problems no matterhow small they may be. Ifyou have collected a blemishor two on your record, here are afew tips to follow:√ Beware of companies who claim they can “erase”your bad credit. They can do nothing for you butdisappear with your money.√ No one can legally remove accurate and timelynegative information from a credit report. You are,however, able to request an investigation of informationin your file that you feel is inaccurate at no charge.√ If you’ve been denied credit, you are entitled to a freecopy of your credit report within 60 days. You candispute mistakes for free.√ By law, credit repair organizations must give you acopy of the “Consumer Credit File Rights Under Stateand Federal Law”

vol. 1, issue 6 18th military police brigade newsletter ... · vigilant times vol. 1, issue 6 18th...

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