March 5, 2010

Vol. 68 No. 9 March 5, 2010 Word of the month: Culture ‘Raiders’ conduct air-drop training Story and photo by Capt. Earl Brown leaving for the Joint Readiness Training Center at small portion of air-centric logistics, which is critical 1st Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs, 4th Fort Polk, La., in April. to practice now for emergency supplies of ammunition Infantry Division An Army Sherpa C-23 air-dropped food and and food that may be needed in remote combat supplies onto a blanket of snow and ice, which outposts in Afghanistan, said 1st Lt. Thadd Wilson, Soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th covered hills near Camp Red Devil to train on support operations officer, 4th Brigade Support Infantry Division, pulled out all the stops Feb. 22 to emergency aerial resupply during Raider Blitz. Battalion, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div. deliver the “Raiders” a robust training blitz prior to Low-cost low-altitude aerial resupply training is a “We worked with 43rd Sustainment Brigade to make this training all come together,” said Wilson. “Our guys are being trained on how to prepare various loads, packages and seeing what it takes to push out the door (with) varying weights.” On the ground, each of the Raider battalions strategically pull into position and prepared to receive supplies near the drop zone, said Wilson. “Our job is to retrieve the supplies, pull security and wait for the chutes to fly,” said Staff Sgt. Brandon Elam, platoon sergeant, Support Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div. Elam directed his men to orient their weapons in all directions as he positioned each vehicle into a hasty defensive position. “Training is the basis of everything we do,” said Elam. “Through repetition, we master skills like land navigation, radio procedures and medical evacuations, until all these drills become second nature.” Elam prepared his Soldiers for the aircraft’s final approach while re-emphasizing their training on how to recover bundles in a safe, efficient manner. “I have all the confidence in the world in my troops to accomplish our mission — any mission,” said Elam. “But nobody outranks ‘sergeant safety’ out here. We do it right now so we can all come home later.” When the ground controller cleared the drop zone, the “Thunderbirds” swooped in and wrestled two pallets of Meals-Ready-to-Eat into their truck and were back on the road within minutes, he said. A C-23 Sherpa delivers pallets of Meals Ready to Eat to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Feb. 22 “First ones in, first ones out,” said Elam. “We’re during Low-cost low-altitude aerial resupply training at the Camp Red Devil training area. definitely ready for this deployment.” Cav. Reg. hosts deployment fair by 2nd Lt. Jeremy Aho especially hard on young children, who for the hardships of deployment. Operation Give a Hug and the Colorado 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry may not fully understand the changes Dozens of Families attended the fair State University branch of Operation Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat taking place. to speak to representatives of various Military Kids. Team, 4th Infantry Division The 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Family assistance organizations about the Stephanie Poche, wife of Capt. Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, many resources available during a Michael Poche, commander, Troop B, Separation from Families during a 4th Infantry Division, held its Children’s deployment. Among the organizations 4th Sqdn., 10th Cav. Reg., and mother deployment can be hard on both the Deployment Fair at the Fort Carson present were the Directorate of Family of three, organized the event with the deploying servicemembers and the Family Readiness Center to better prepare and Morale, Welfare and Recreation; See Fair on page 4 Family they leave behind. It can be children and parents of the squadron Child, Youth and School Services; USO; II Military Community Feature NN SS II DD EE Page 6 Page 11 Pages 18-19 2 MOUNTAINEER — March 5, 2010 MOUNTAINEER Commanding General: Know thyself; embrace cultures Maj. Gen. David G. Perkins Garrison Commander: Commentary by Master Sgt. Jose A. Colon Rivera know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a Col. Robert F. McLaughlin Senior Equal Opportunity adviser single loss. If you only know yourself, but not your Fort Carson Public Affairs Officer: opponent, you may win or may lose. If you know neither Dee McNutt The set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.” Chief, Print and Web Communications: that characterizes an institution, organization or group I do not claim to be as smart as Sun Tzu, but I think Douglas M. Rule is called culture. that we can add one more precept to the “Art of War,” Editor: Julie M. Lucas Staff Writers: Rick Emert The Army has learned many things over centuries of “know your brothers-and sisters-in-arms.” Add this to the Devin Fisher successful wars and campaigns. Probably the most important previous two precepts and you have the total package. Our Geoffrey Roper lesson so far, is the need to know your enemies. Know your nation’s military is made of many cultures, and every Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith enemies’ tactics and you will know how to defeat them. one of those cultures engraves a very particular set of Sgt. Alexis Ramos Our enemies’ tactics, techniques and procedures are rules in our subconscious, makes out our personality. Happenings: Nel Lampe subjects of studies in our military academies. We do well The rules passed down to us by our parents or those Sports Writer: Walt Johnson to study the techniques used against us in Iraq, Afghanistan who were originally responsible for our education. The Layout/graphics: Jeanne Mazerall and back in the ‘90s in Mogadishu, Somalia. That allows concepts accepted by our respective families as important This commercial enterprise newspaper is us to develop new tactics, techniques and procedures to and or essential. The importance of respect in our families; an authorized publication for members of the survive and win. how our fathers treated our mothers; the role of religion in Department of Defense. Contents of the The reason more Soldiers come back home alive Mountaineer are not necessarily the official our families; how an older brother protects his younger view of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government or is because of the constant improvement and progress brother or sister. All of those precepts have made us what the Department of the Army. Printed circulation implemented on the battlefield and in battlefield hospitals. we are today. All of those things are our individual culture. is 12,000 copies. Today, our rate of survival is greater than ever before. We look around at our Soldiers, or we look at the news, The editorial content of the Mountaineer is the responsibility of the Public Affairs Well, enough with the need to know and developing and see patterns of behavior in society that for us are Office, Fort Carson, CO 80913-5119, Tel.: battlefield strategy. incomprehensible. Those things that at times we do not 526-4144. The e-mail address is The Greeks popularized the phrase: “Know thyself,” understand are for the most part, a byproduct of those [email protected]. The Mountaineer is posted on the and that phrase alone has made giants out of normal men individuals’ cultures. The thing is, that our military is a Internet at http://csmng.com. and women. As young people, we sometimes get ourselves team; and for a team to be able to be effective, one ingredient The Mountaineer is an unofficial in trouble trying to figure out our purpose in life. I am sure is primordial: cohesiveness. We need to understand each publication authorized by AR 360-1. The Mountaineer is printed by Colorado Springs you know a 40-something year old man or woman who other. In order to understand each other, it helps to Military Newspaper Group, a private firm in knows nothing about making themselves useful, because remember that for the most part, we come from different no way connected with the Department of the they haven’t found their real passion in life. Again, “know backgrounds. Yes, we are Americans, but our families have Army, under exclusive written contract with thyself,” and those who actually do either have or soon different ways of looking at life. When we make the Fort Carson. It is published 49 times per year. The appearance of advertising in this will make a name for themselves. extra effort to understand our Soldiers and the rest of our publication, including inserts or supplements, Knowing your enemy and knowing yourself — put fellow Americans, we are forging a cohesive team. does not constitute endorsement by the together, were basic war precepts taught by the famous Know your enemies, know yourself and know your Department of the Army or Colorado Springs Military Newspaper Group, of the products or Chinese general Sun Tzu in “The Art of War.” Tsun Tsu brothers-and sisters-in-arms, and our military will continue services advertised. The printer reserves the wrote: “So it is said that if you know your enemies and to be the mightiest fighting force in the world. right to reject advertisements. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation PPOOSSTT TTAALLKK or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. If a violation or rejection of this equal opportunity policy by an advertiser Do you think the military does a good job of is confirmed, the printer shall refuse to print advertising from that source until the violation bringing together different cultures/ethnicities? is corrected.

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