Arctic Warrior

EPHEMERAL COPING WITH PTSD PAGEVolume 6, A-5 No. 3 PRESENCEJOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON’S SOURCE FOR NEWS ARCTIC WARRIOR February 13, 2015 www.jber.af.mil Volume 6, No. 6 TRAILBLAZERS MARK AFGHANISTAN DEPLOYMENT Maintenance company set to deploy to Kuwait By Staff Sgt. William Banton JBER Public Affairs The 98th Maintenance Company, sched- uled to deploy to Kuwait for maintenance support operations soon, honored its Soldiers in a deployment ceremony at Buckner Physi- cal Fitness Center on Joint Base Elmendorf- Richardson Feb. 6. “This unit has been called by our nation to deploy, and I report they are trained and ready to answer that call,” said Army Lt. Col. Kirk Boston, commander of the 532nd Engineer Battalion (Provisional), the company’s parent battalion. “The past 60 days have been a blizzard of activity. This unit, on very short notice, has prepared for the Army Col. Peter Andrysiak, 2d Engineer Brigade commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Bradley Houston, 2d Engineer Brigade mission in Kuwait.” command sergeant major, uncase the unit colors during a Feb. 5 brigade redeployment ceremony at the Alaska Army National The 98th MC has been preparing since Guard Armory on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The uncasing of the colors symbolizes the brigade’s return from a seven- October to deploy for nine months to a year month deployment to Afghanistan and their reintegration with U.S. Army Alaska. (U.S. Air Force photos/David Bedard) providing maintenance in the Central Com- mand area of operations. “This time, it was a little different but Engineers we train [to deploy] regardless of a deployment,” said Army Capt. Andrew Rainey, 98th MC commander. “Normally we would be on a cycle. In the past, with more frequent among last deployments, we would come in and have at least a year to prepare.” Ground support equipment platoon units to leave leader Army 1st Lt. Kristen Bell, 98th MC, said she agreed and added the short time to prepare hasn’t prevented them from main- Afghanistan taining readiness. “We’re making sure they are ready in By David Bedard that aspect and prepared for what’s lying JBER Public Affairs ahead, that we know of,” Bell said. “We’ve done a lot of training – counter-improvised December 1950. The Korean War. Fol- explosive device and cultural awareness; all lowing the breakout of the Chosin Reservoir, kinds of different training courses to make Marines and Soldiers of the X Corps had sure everyone is ready and that there are no avoided destruction by Chinese Communist doubts.” forces and maneuvered south to the port Bell also said the company has many of Hungnam. If they couldn’t evacuate to younger Soldiers who are skilled at their United Nations lines, the battered unit would jobs supporting U.S. Army Alaska, and risk being encircled a second time. leadership is setting them up to succeed in It was up to the X Corps’ 2d Engineer Sgt. James Boker, 2d Engineer Brigade, guards the U.S. flag during the Feb. 5 brigade a contingency environment. Special Brigade to run the port and super- redeployment ceremony at the Alaska Army National Guard Armory. “It’s kind of hectic with our family life vise the loading of personnel and equip- and trying to get everyone trained up and ment aboard ship – an operation that would ing an engineer task force of more than a During his remarks, Army Col. Peter our gear packed up,” said Army Staff Sgt. quickly be dubbed an “amphibious landing thousand Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen. Andrysiak, 2nd Engineer Brigade Com- Ahmad Jimmerson, electronic maintenance in reverse.” Shields said the deployment was espe- mander, spoke about how the Trailblazers platoon sergeant. “This is my eighth de- All told, 105,000 troops, 98,100 Korean cially challenging due to the rapid drawdown partnered with the Afghan National Engineer ployment, so I’m kind of used to it, but for refugees, 18,000 vehicles and 350,000 tons of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Brigade to prepare them to fully take over my younger guys this is very stressful; they of bulk cargo were saved from falling into “The Trailblazers’ mission required them engineer duties. don’t know what to expect on short notice.” the hands of the communists, largely due to to reduce the U.S. and allied footprint in Af- The brigade commander said the Sol- Bell said the Soldiers’ families are sup- the efforts of the engineers. ghanistan, even as hostilities continued,” the diers couldn’t have accomplished their mis- ported by the unit’s family readiness group Nearly 65 years later, service members general said. “It is a very atypical challenge sion of transitioning the country to Afghan during deployments. of the 2d Engineer Brigade accomplished and not one we can routinely train for. It Forces alone, relying on the home-front “They maintain a full contact roster a similar feat during their seven-month de- required flexibility and adaptive leadership. support of their families. of everybody’s spouses and next of kin, so ployment to Afghanistan where the brigade Our Arctic Trailblazers delivered just that “I know too well that the sacrifices they if there was an emergency, or one of the headquarters commanded engineer units under austere conditions.” have made, we can’t give [that time] back,” spouses needs help around the house, we across the country, partnered with Afghan Shields said the brigade deconstructed Andrysiak said. “There were far too many have people who can reach out and lend a engineer units, and undertook a massive and retrograded 108 tension-fabric struc- missed anniversaries, births and graduations.” hand,” Bell said. retrograde of equipment and infrastructure tures, synchronized the closure or transfer of Though most of the focus was justifi- “This is my first time stationed overseas to the states. 48 bases, demolished 662 wood structures, ably placed on what the Theater Engineer and the support system here is awesome,” Brigade and U.S. Army Alaska leaders hauled away more than 120,000 cubic yards Brigade accomplished, much work was Jimmerson said. “In terms of family readi- took the opportunity to share the accomplish- of debris from project sites, and returned required at the small-unit level to support ness, this is probably one of the best places ments of the 2d Engineer Brigade during a more than $51 million worth of equipment the larger effort. I’ve ever been.” Feb. 5 redeployment ceremony at the Alaska to the Army’s supply inventory. Army 1st Sgt. William Shoaf, Head- Army National Guard Armory on Joint Base The brigade also managed the technical quarters and Headquarters Company, 2d Elmendorf-Richardson. oversight of clearing explosives from more Engineer Brigade first sergeant and a native During his remarks, Army Maj. Gen. than 104 training ranges across the country, of North Augusta, South Carolina, said pre- Michael Shields, USARAK commanding disposing of more than 10,000 high-explo- paring headquarters Soldiers for the deploy- general, said approximately 250 Soldiers sive munitions. ment proved to be a challenge. 98 from the 2d Engineer Brigade Headquarters, “This effort was critical, as it demon- “Half of our formation had never de- the 23rd Engineer Company and the 17th strated our commitment to reducing the ployed before, and that was a little nerve Combat Sustainment Support Battalion de- military presence in a responsible manner,” wracking with them not knowing that they ployed to Afghanistan last spring. Shields said. “Every range the Trailblazers didn’t understand what it’s like to deploy,” Once the brigade headquarters arrived, cleared of potentially dangerous ordnance, Shoaf explained. “But they performed ex- they assumed responsibility as the Theater leaves one less concern for the people of tremely well. We were surprised at what we Brigade Engineer Headquarters, command- Afghanistan as they face the future.” could do with so few people.” POSTAL CUSTOMER POSTAL Publishing Inside Canadians integral to 962nd mission, A-2 Call of Duty Anchorage PAID Cleaning HAZMAT in arctic conditions ................ A-2 Team Thunderdome Guardsman to address South Africa conference ..... A-2 nabs win in BOSS U.S. Postage U.S. Balancing service to country, family .......................B-1 Black Ops tourney, PRSRT-STD Matters of Faith: What is church? ............................B-2 Photos, B-5 ECRWSS Losing weight and feeling great ...............................B-4 A-2 News February 13, 2015 Royal Canadian, U.S. air forces create integrated top cover JBER Public Affairs sight that is going to tell us what “It’s definitely a crew-com- portunity to work with allies and cultures that are dissimilar.” Staff report to do. We are squadron members posed aircraft,” said Senior Airman be involved in international opera- The cultural similarities be- first, and that is understood by the Scott Ellis, a 962nd communica- tions that attracted him to becom- tween Canada and its southern During the Cold War, the So- entire structure here at the 962nd; it tion technician. “You’ve got your ing an ABM, and that desire paid neighbor mean that integration is viet threat lay not far to the west is a unique thing because you don’t flight deck; they are driving us to off when he had an opportunity to less taxing, while still providing a of Alaska. The state’s nearest often see that. where we need to be. You’ve got support the NATO flying mission new outlook, Derenzis said. neighbor shared more than 1,500 “We’ve found that level of your techs, which is my job ... we on board an E-3 stationed out of “Coming here, you see a miles of border and the mission to integration has become part of the make sure all the equipment is Germany.

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