JUNE 15, 2005

A YEAR OF FIRSTS PAGEPAGE 6 Volume 26, Issue 44 The Desert Voice is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Contents of the Desert Voice are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government or Department of the Army. The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of the Coalition Forces Land CONTENTS Component Command Public Affairs Office. This newspaper is published by Al-Qabandi United, a private firm, which is not affiliated with CFLCC. All copy will be edited. The Desert Voice is produced weekly by the Public Affairs Office. 44 Happy 230th, Army Page 3 CFLCC Commanding General The Army has another great year. Find out Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb how folks marked the occasion in the United CFLCC Command Sergeant Major States. Plus tips for wearing your helmet. Command Sgt. Maj. Julian Kellman CFLCC Public Affairs Officer Page 4 The choice is yours Col. Michael Phillips Now you get to choose to participate in the Commander 14th PAD Anthrax Immunization Program. But depend- Maj. Thomas E. Johnson ing on the courts, the opportunity could be NCOIC 14th PAD available for a limited time only. Staff Sgt. Sheryl Lawry Desert Voice Editor 4 Page 5 Humanitarian mission Spc. Curt Cashour With the help of Army officials at the Desert Voice Assistant Editor Humanitarian Operations Center in Sgt. Matt Millham City, a severely-burned Iraqi girl found free medical treatment in Boston. Hear her story. Desert Voice Staff Writers Spc. Brian Trapp Spc. Aimee Felix Pages 6&7 We’re on our way 14th PAD Broadcasters Soldiers from four different combat units stop Sgt. Scott White in Kuwait on their way home from . Listen Spc. Charles Spears to their tales of heartbreak and heroism. 14th PAD Graphic Artist Sgt. Sergio Exposito Page 8 One more time After living as civilians for years, these Soldiers are back in Army DCUs. Find out what it’s like for IRR troops in Kuwait. 6 Page 9 Pack it up Camp Doha isn’t the only camp in Kuwait that’s closing. Camp Spearhead, home to troops who run the Seaport of Debarkation, will be a memory by July 31. Find out where the camp’s troops will find a home and what will happen to the camp after it closes. Page 10 Goergia in Virginia? Fresh off a deployment to Iraq, where they worked with the 3rd Infantry Division, the Georgian Army’s Commando Battalion stops into Camp Virginia before redeploying. 9 Page 11 Community Servicemembers and Soldiers in slacks ages 18 to 88: come join the fun. On the Cover Figuring out what is and isn’t a threat isn’t all that easy in Iraq, where telling Back page Soldier submissions the good guys from the bad is hardly A poem in memory of Sgt. Miguel Ramos, black and white. 10 fire safety tips from the Safety Corner crew Photo by Sgt. Matt Millham and a new “Nature Calls” comic.

2 Desert Voice June 15, 2005 Army turns 230

By Monica Barrera Golden Knights Army Parachute Team will visit the website at dvidshub.net. Army News Service jump into Yankee Stadium. Since 1775 – one year before Events in Los Angeles, Calif., began ear- the declared its Celebrations took place across the United lier in the week and will conclude with flag- independence in 1776 – the States June 14 and will continue throughout raisings at television stations. has protected the week in honor of the Army’s 230th birth- Flag-raisings, recruit swear-in cere- and fought for the nation’s freedom. day, monies, concerts, festivals, and other “Every year we want to recognize the More than 20 Army bands performed salutes will take place in Chicago. Soldiers who served, remember our her- across the country, from the commanding In Washington, D.C., events in tribute to itage, and to honor those who are serving general’s run at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, to the Army Birthday included a flag-raising today,” DeFrancisco said. a Magic Kingdom parade and Epcot Center ceremony at Fort Myer, Va., a wreath-laying For more information about events to concert in Orlando, Fla. Performances over- ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, a mark the Army’s 230th birthday, visit the seas included Camp Stanley, Korea. Army Pentagon Cake-Cutting and a Twilight Army’s special Web site at birthday ceremonies were also held at 14 Tattoo at the White House Ellipse. www.army.mil/birthday/230/. different Major League Baseball games Events throughout the rest of the week across the nation. will include a cake-cutting at the Senate and “This year, we are trying to reach out to House of Representatives June 15 and one Army birthday photos the community more and more and expand- at Walter Reed Army Medical Center June ing events,” said Laura DeFrancisco, mar- 16. The Army Birthday Ball for servicemen Send us crisp, digital photos of how you keting director of the Army’s Community and women and invited guests will be June and your friends marked the occasion. If Relations and Outreach Division. 18 at the Hilton Washington Hotel. they make the grade, your pics could be In New York, “Good Morning America” More than two dozen country-music featured in the the June 22 issue of the Desert Voice. and ’ “Dayside with Linda Vester” artists recorded messages honoring both covered Army Birthday celebrations Soldiers worldwide. Their public service Email to: and Flag Day parades held June 14. announcements are available to TV station [email protected] Members of the Association of the United managers and program producers nation- States Army rang the bell to close the New wide, at no cost. To view the recorded mes- Subject line: Army birthday photo York Stock Exchange. On June 18, the sages by country music artists to the Army, You’ve only got one head, use it

By Sgt. Scott White breaking statement, the fact is that a recent study cited by the SOUM says that roughly It wasn’t until hours after the improvised half of all Soldiers in the field are wearing explosive device blast that Staff Sgt. the ground combat helmets improperly. Shannon West realized his helmet had Most deployed Soldiers wear one of two saved his life. types of ground helmets, the Personnel “Hey Sergeant West,” his squad leader Armor System Ground Troops, which most said. “Have you seen your Kevlar?” West people refer to as a Kevlar, or the Advanced removed his helmet and saw a pencil-sized Combat Helmet. hole in the front and a golf-ball sized knot West was wearing the ACH. He didn’t on the inside. like it at first because he had “to adjust it West was traveling in a convoy from every time you take it off,” West said. But International Airport to Logistical for him, proper wear of it obviously paid off. Support Area Anaconda in Iraq when the So how do you know if you’re wearing attack happened. All of the Soldiers in the your helmet correctly? For the PASGT, a Photo by Sgt. David Foley convoy made it out with minimal wounds. quick reference is to make sure the lower Staff Sgt. Shannon West’s Advanced Combat Had West not been wearing his helmet edge of the front rim is at the top of the eye- Helmet has an egg-ssized knot on the inside, that day he would have undoubtedly been brow and level with the ground. Also, the the product of fragments propelled by an IED seriously injured, if not killed. Equally impor- bottom of the helmet should come to the near Baghdad, Iraq, in April. tant is proper wear of the helmet bottom of the ear. According to a recent Safety of Use For the ACH, ensure that the front rim is both helmets visit www.peosoldier.army.mil Message, or SOUM, from the Army’s Tank- about 1/2 inch above the eyebrow and the and click the helmet link on the right. If you Automotive and Armaments Command, bottom of the helmet comes to the top of don’t feel like reading, the site even has an improperly worn helmets can expose the Soldier’s ear canal opening. Keep in eleven and a half minute video on how to fit Soldiers to an increased risk of wounds and mind that the ACH may not be the same the ACH. (Editor’s note: this story is concussions from fragments. size as previously-issued PASGT helmets. based in part on an April 15 Army News While that may not sound like a ground For full instructions on proper wear of Service release by Sgt. David Foley. )

Desert Voice June 15, 2005 3 Anthrax vaccine now voluntary The military’s on-again, off-again relationship with the anthrax vaccine picks up again. This time, troops can decide for themselves whether to take it.

Story by Spc. Aimee Felix about the vaccine’s benefits and side effects anthrax contracted by skin contact, but before they decide whether or not to take according to the courts, the FDA didn’t pro- Coalition Forces Land Component the vaccine. vide sufficient evidence that the vaccine Command officials plan to resume anthrax “I have never seen a severe reaction to was effective against inhalation anthrax, vaccinations in early July on a voluntary the anthrax vaccine,” said Col. Eldon Bell, a said Col. John Grabenstein, director of the basis for servicemembers, Department of CFLCC surgeon, who has administered the Military Vaccine Agency. Defense civilians and U.S. contractors work- vaccine since it came into use in the 1970s. The FDA stands by the fact that the ing in the CFLCC area of operations. Back then, the vaccine was given primarily anthrax vaccine provides immunity against However, the program will expire July 27. to veterinarians, workers with a high risk of all forms of anthrax, whether it is contracted An Oct. 27 court injunction halted manda- exposure to anthrax, such as lab and textile by breathing, skin contact or ingestion. The tory anthrax vaccinations for U.S. service- workers who processed imported wool hair FDA backs its claim with a study conducted members. The program was reinstated on a and hides as well as livestock handlers. in the 1950s of 1,249 mill workers that voluntary basis after Secretary of Defense The court’s injunction that halted the vac- showed the vaccine is 92.5 percent effective Donald Rumsfeld sought a modification to cinations stated that the vaccine is an inves- at preventing anthrax. the injunction. tigational drug or is unapproved for its cur- The FDA has been conducting an admin- Rumsfeld’s request was approved April 6 rent intended use, inhalation anthrax immu- istrative review of its licensing and classifi- by the U. S. District Court of the District of nity. Also, the former vaccine program vio- cation of the anthrax vaccine. Columbia, resulting in a new plan. lated a congressional provision that pro- If the administrative review is not com- The new anthrax Vaccine Immunization hibits giving servicemembers a vaccine plete by July 27, DOD will request an exten- Program follows the conditions of an emer- unapproved for its intended use without sion to the vaccination deadline, said gency use authorization issued by the FDA. consent. Grabenstein. The EUA is a provision that allows the use There is evidence backing the vaccine’s For current info on the anthrax vaccine, of unapproved drugs or the unapproved use efficiency at providing immunity against visit www.anthrax.mil or www.vaccines.mil. of approved drugs if the secretary of defense determines that there is a military emergency. Anthrax throughout history Under the new plan, CFLCC medical units have to inform all CFLCC personnel of 1500 B.C. — Fifth Egyptian plague, affecting livestock, and the sixth, known as the the possible threat from anthrax as a bio- plague of boils, symptomatic of anthrax terrorism weapon and of the safety of the 1600s — “Black Bane,” thought to be anthrax, kills 60,000 cattle in Europe. current anthrax vaccine. They must also 1876 — Robert Koch confirms bacterial origin of anthrax. give CFLCC personnel the opportunity to 1880 — First successful immunization of livestock against anthrax. continue their anthrax vaccination series 1942 — United Kingdom experiments with anthrax at Gruinard Island off the coast of while in the CFLCC area of operations. Scotland. It was only recently decontaminated. The FDA-licensed dosage schedule calls 1943 — United States begins developing anthrax weapons. for an initial dose followed by a second 1945 — Anthrax outbreak in Iran kills 1 million sheep. dose two weeks later, a third dose at four 1950s and ‘60s — U.S. biological warfare program continues after World War II at Fort weeks, a fourth dose at six months, a fifth Detrick, Maryland. dose at 12 months, a sixth dose at 18 1969 — President Richard Nixon ends United States’ offensive biological weapons months, and then a yearly booster. program. Defensive work continues. But if Soldiers are behind on their sched- 1970 — Anthrax vaccine approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration. ule of doses, they don’t have to start over. 1972 — International convention outlaws development or stockpiling of biological They can simply resume where they left off, weapons. said Maj. Aaron Silver, CFLCC force health 1978-80 — Human anthrax epidemic strikes Zimbabwe, infecting more than 6,000 and protection officer. killing as many as 100. CFLCC medical officials are still working 1991 — U.S. troops vaccinated for anthrax in preparation for . on a plan to make the vaccine readily avail- 1995 — Iraq admits it produced 8,500 liters of concentrated anthrax as part of biologi- able to Soldiers across Kuwait, said Silver. cal weapons program. The DOD provided major commands with 1998 — U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen approves anthrax vaccination plan an education and information program, for all military servicemembers. including an FDA-approved brochure that 2001 — A letter containing anthrax spores is mailed to NBC one week after the informs potential vaccine recipients and September 11 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. It was the healthcare providers about the fact that the first of a number of incidents around the country. In Florida, a man dies after inhaling FDA has authorized the emergency use of anthrax at the offices of American Media Inc. the anthrax vaccine to prevent inhalation Source: CNN.com anthrax. Personnel will also be informed

4 Desert Voice June 15, 2005 Hurt by fire, healing with help

Story by Sgt. Matt Millham girl could get treatment outside of Iraq. The translator, working with de la Guardia, In February, 10-year-old Maryam began ferrying information about the girl’s Murtada went outside to fill her family’s gen- case between Bucca and Kuwait City. erator with gasoline. Next thing she knew, Rubalcava, who has worked at the HOC she was enveloped in flames. Third-degree since December, has handled more than burns charred more than a quarter of her two dozen cases of Iraqi children who need- body. ed treatment for various illnesses and If this sort of thing happened in the injuries that can’t be treated by the strug- United States, her parents would have gling Iraqi medical system. But Murtada’s called an ambulance to rush her to a burn case is probably the worst he’s seen, he unit. said. But in Um Qasr, Iraq, there is no ambu- Working with the non-governmental lance company to call. Maryam’s family organization Global Medical Relief Fund, brought her to Basrah, which had the clos- headquartered in Staten Island, N.Y., est Iraqi hospital, but doctors there said Rubalcava found a hospital to treat they couldn’t treat her. They gave the family Murtada’s burns: the Boston Shriners some antibiotic ointment and some bandag- Hospital in Boston. es and sent them on their way. But while the HOC had found a hospital, With the aid of a local nurse, the family Photo courtesy of Kuwait City Humanitarian Operations Center the process of getting approval from U.S. treated Maryam for about three weeks. In Maryam Murtada, a 10-yyear-oold Iraqi girl from government officials was mired in red tape. that time, the burns became infected, and Um Qasr, suffered third-ddegree burns over 28 As they waited for the green light from Maryam lost 20 pounds as she succumbed percent of her body in February. Washington, de la Guardia and others at to dehydration and malnutrition. When her venous drips for nutrition and hydration. the 115th and the HOC arranged for the girl parents carried her to the Camp Bucca After treating her at Bucca for four days, and her mother to get Iraqi passports, detainment facility in southern Iraq looking the 115th had Maryam medically evacuated Kuwaiti visas and commercial transportation for help, Maryam weighed just 26 pounds, to a burn center in Baghdad. The Italian from Kuwait to Boston, a process that took about the same as a healthy 2-year-old. medical unit that had been treating burn vic- additional time. “We really don’t take civilians in here,” tims at the hospital had already packed up With the help of the 105th Military Police said Lt. Col. Enrique de la Guardia, the and left, and the Iraqi staff that had taken Battalion, stationed at Camp Bucca, the 115th deputy commander of clinical services at over turned out to be ill-equipped to treat transported Maryam and her family by convoy Bucca for Task Force 115th Med, which burn patients, according to de la Guardia. to the Iraq-Kuwait border. Despite having all runs the medical operations for all major “The burn centers are there really in the necessary passports, visas and an MP detention facilities in Iraq. “It’s against all name only,” said Maj. Glenn Rubalcava, the escort bristling with weapons, Maryam’s the orders.” public health officer at the Humanitarian ordeal wasn’t over; The Iraqi national guards- But Maryam’s parents pleaded with per- Operations Center, or HOC, in Kuwait City. men manning the border refused to let her sonnel there to help their dying daughter. “I Maryam’s father canvassed the burn unit and her mother over the border and forced de thought she was going to die in a day or and discovered that infection was rampant la Guardia to speak with their general. “It was so,” said de la Guardia, an Army doctor and among patients there. He couldn’t leave his kind of like a Mexican standoff for a minute,” general practitioner deployed from Fort daughter in these conditions. He took his said de la Guardia. He went to talk with the Hood, . After talking it over, the 115th daughter and his wife, got into a cab and general, and said to him, “Look, I’m a doctor. medical personnel decided “whatever hap- headed back to Camp Bucca. I’m trying to save this little girl’s life,” said de pens, happens; let’s take care of her,” said Two days after leaving Bucca, Maryam la Guardia. “Once I said that, his whole atti- de la Guardia. and her parents were again at the gates of tude changed, and he let her go.” Maryam needed around-the-clock treat- the detainment facility begging for help. In After more than two months of treatment ment, and everyone at the hospital pitched the 48 hours since leaving the camp, the at Bucca, Maryam was flown to Boston from in, in some way, to help care for the girl. girl’s condition had deteriorated. The first Kuwait May 26. She had progressed to the The girl’s parents were put up in a room at time the 115th treated Maryam, “We went point that she could walk on her own, and the camp, and they required 24-hour super- three steps forward,” said de la Guardia. was able to sit in a regular seat on the flight. vision since they weren’t technically allowed The doctors at the burn unit “took her five Doctors at the Shriners Hospital are con- to be there. steps back.” cerned about the thickness of the scabs that In the weeks before Maryam came to Assuming they were on their own to treat now cover Maryam’s burns, which affected Bucca, she had not gotten a single dose of her, the 115th performed an operation that most of her chest and neck as well as part of pain medication. Her parents had changed took skin from Maryam’s thigh and grafted it her arms. The scabs are anywhere from one- her bandages a number of times, and every to her abdomen. The 115th hadn’t even quarter to one-half of an inch thick. time the dressings were removed, the pain heard of the HOC, which routinely finds help Though she will undoubtedly have scars had been excruciating. The 115th gave the for Iraqi children and young adults who from her near-death encounter, thanks to the girl the first relief she’d had from the pain need treatment they can’t get in Iraq. A efforts of a handful of brave doctors in Iraq, a when they put her under anesthesia to Kuwaiti who works as a translator for the Kuwaiti interpreter and Kuwait’s HOC, the girl change her bandages. They started 115th at Bucca found out about the HOC has survived and has a chance at living a Maryam on antibiotics and gave her intra- and told de la Guardia there was hope the normal life.

Desert Voice June 15, 2005 5 Photos courtesy of the 58th Combat Engineer Company The sun sets over Camp Liberty, which is in Baghdad’s Sadr City district. Inaugural experience

Story by Sgt. Matt Millham marked them. In speaking with Shields and ations, though. Most were killed by enemy other Soldiers from four different units that snipers after the fighting had died down in Barely four weeks out of advanced indi- spent the last year attached to the 10th the insurgent enclave. One exception to that vidual training, and only three weeks after Mountain Division’s 2nd Brigade in was the death of one of his former troops. arriving at his first duty station, Pfc. Lee Baghdad, it seems the experiences most Spc. Yoe M. Aneiros Gonzales had been Shields found himself in Baghdad, Iraq, Soldiers remember are their first experi- the loader on Peterson’s tank crew when pulling dangerous missions for his unit, the ences. the 2/70th took part in the invasion of Iraq in 58th Combat Engineer Company from Fort “I remember when we first rolled into 2003. Gonzales was transferred to a differ- Irwin, Calif. Sadr City, it was a war zone – three months ent platoon after he was promoted to spe- He arrived in Iraq two months after the of straight fighting,” said cialist, but still, Peterson rest of the unit, and that made him, by Staff Sgt. Jan-Marco “It was just amazing was always nearby. default, the unit’s “cherry.” Until he saw any Peterson, a tanker with Peterson was there on sort of action, Shields had to carry around a Fort Riley’s C nobody got killed in Sept. 7, 2004, when packet of cherry-flavored drink powder from Company, 2nd Spc. Tim Bassett Gonzales’ tank came under a meal, ready to eat. Battalion, 70th Armor, that.” - a barrage of rocket-pro- Four days into his tour and less than 24 who just finished his pelled grenade fire in the hours after the cherry powder was issued, sophomore Iraq rotation. The beginning of heart of Sadr City. One of the RPGs he wound up in his first improvised explo- his second tour was spent fighting forces bounced off the loader’s hatch of Gonzales’ sive device attack. Though he’d confront loyal to rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr tank and struck him in the head, killing him three more IED attacks, the first was the in the notorious Sadr City section of instantly. It was the first time a Soldier most memorable experience of his entire Baghdad. Peterson had personally mentored was time in Iraq, he said. Every Soldier lost by Peterson’s unit was killed, but what made it worse was that it Most Soldiers returning from tours in Iraq killed in Sadr City, he said. The bulk of the happened on Gonzales’ 20th birthday. have war stories that have, for good or bad, deaths didn’t stem from major combat oper- Spc. Tim Bassett, an infantryman and

6 Desert Voice June 15, 2005 Left: An improvised explosive device attack on one of the 58th Combat Engineer Company’s M113 Armored Personnel Carriers in Baghdad’s Sadr City severed both legs of Sgt. Manuel Mendoza Oct. 3, 2004. He survived and is recover- ing at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Below: The 58th patrols Sadr City in the early hours of the day. Center: Staff Sgt. Jan-MMarco Peterson, a member of C Company, 2nd Battalion, 270th Armor, was in this Abrams tank when it was hit by a vehicle-bborne IED. The tank was almost undamaged, though the blast left a gaping hole in the road and killed Iraqis in passing cars (Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Jan-Marco Peterson). Bottom: To the 58th, there is no such thing as a one-wway road while patrolling Baghdad.

Bradley Fighting Vehicle driver with B that turned into an eight-day excursion Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry around Abu Ghraib. Regiment from Fort Riley, Kan., must have The added time outside the wire wasn’t had luck on his side when he got his first what made the mission memorable though. taste of car bombing in Baghdad. Barton had made points for his promotion to His most memorable moment came sergeant, and “I just kept bugging them when his Bradley responded to an RPG about when I was going to get pinned,” he attack on a light infantry patrol from the 10th said. His leadership decided to pin him out- Mountain Division. side the wire on the roof of a building near Just as Bassett showed up on the scene, the prison. “My heart was pounding when near Abu Ghraib, an RPG flew out of we were just out there on the roof doing it,” nowhere, knocking off one of his Bradley’s said Barton. lights. Thankfully, the round didn’t detonate. Spc. Douglas Westcott, a mechanic with Relieved that the close encounter resulted Fort Irwin’s 31st Maintenance Company, in nothing more than another adrenaline found his stint in Iraq memorable for the rush, Bassett lowered the Bradley’s ramp simple fact that this was his first deployment and his infantry squad dismounted to pro- since he joined the Army more than five vide security for the pinned 10th Mountain years ago. “Just being able to go out in Soldiers. Bassett had just gotten his ramp combat was great,” he said. up when, out of nowhere it seemed, a Sgt. Salvador Chavez, a member of the Chevrolet Suburban loaded with explosives 58th Engineers, said the best part of the rammed into him from behind. deployment was taking on the role of an “It was just amazing nobody got killed in infantryman, he said. Instead of certifying that,” said Bassett. bridges or building obstacles, Chavez spent Capt. Mark Stubenhofer, commander of much of his time on patrol. “To me, that was Headquarters and Headquarters Company the best part of my engineer career,” he for the 1/41st wasn’t so lucky. When said. Stubenhofer was killed by sniper fire on Going out on patrols earned him the kind Dec. 7, 2004, the first death in the company of street credibility that engineers and since it arrived in Iraq, the incident stuck in Soldiers in other non-combat jobs don’t Spc. Scott Sargent’s mind, and remains his often get. “You can tell who goes out and strongest memory of the deployment. who doesn’t” just by what they do when After Stubenhofer died, the entire compa- there’s an attack, he said. The guys who ny grew closer, said Sargent. It was like the spend most of their time outside the wire company rallied around their fallen com- don’t flinch if a mortar drops on the camp, mander in death, and “it sort of especially if they’re in the middle of some- super-bonded everyone together,” said thing like a phone call or e-mail. Those who Sargent. don’t go outside the camp sprint for cover, Not all first-time encounters for these he said. Soldiers were memorable for their scrapes All these troops came to Kuwait more with death. than a week ago to clean vehicles, a job For Sgt. Michael Barton, a mechanic with that is often unpleasant and tedious. But the 58th Engineers, trips outside the con- spending time here before heading home fines of camp were few and far between. He was a good release from the rigors of com- really only went out once, and that was for a bat, said Chavez. “I think it’s a good thing to mission pitched as a 24-hour in-and-out job come here first and just slowly let it go.”

Desert Voice June 15, 2005 7 IRR Soldiers to the rescue Story by Spc. Curt Cashour For the 263rd, which is responsible for now and his active duty days. Nowadays, keeping Zone 6 running smoothly, IRR living conditions are more comfortable and it It’s called the Individual Ready Reserve: troops fill manpower shortages that, if left is much easier to communicate with family a manpower pool spanning the entire mili- vacant, could have a crippling effect on the members, said Zachgo, who added that tary and consisting of nearly 300,000 people unit, Peake said. during his time at Camp Pelham, Korea, he who have had military training, served previ- “For all the work we have to do, if we did- and his fellow Soldiers had no air condition- ously in an active duty or Reserve unit, and n’t have those extra IRR Soldiers, we’d be ing and were permitted one morale phone have some period of military obligation overwhelmed,” he said. call per month. remaining on their contracts. Another 263rd IRR Soldier, Sgt. Janet Another improvement is the amount of IRR members are technically in an active Henderson had started a career as a sec- Army-related information available to troops status, but do not perform regularly sched- ond-grade teacher in Coppers Cove, Texas, over the Internet. During this deployment uled training. Although some pundits and a after she left the Reserves in 2002. Zachgo has used Army Knowledge Online few IRR Soldiers reluctant to deploy have She was called back to active duty in to study up on the Reserve component. cast the component in a negative light, the September 2004. Serving in Kuwait since Apparently he likes what he sees. Following IRR also has its share of success stories. November, the 263rd billeting NCO said this deployment, he plans to resume his mil- IRR Soldiers are proving themselves to she’s doesn’t regret being called up. itary career in the Army Reserve, he said. be “extremely valuable assets” in the war on “My nation called, I answered. I’m proud “This is another opportunity,” he said. “I’m terror, said David S.C. Chu, undersecretary to wear the flag on my sleeve,” she said. excited.” of defense for personnel and readiness, in a When Sgt. 1st Class Michael Zachgo May 19 release from American Forces learned about his impending deployment in Information Service. September 2004, he hadn’t donned an IRR Promotions About 3,500 IRR Soldiers are serving in Army uniform in nearly 13 years. Are you an IRR Soldier who wants to various capacities throughout the Central He separated from the service in 1992 be promoted? E-4s vying for E-5 need Command Theater, said Sgt. 1st Class under the Voluntary Separation Incentive 300 promotion points and a completed Patrick Anderson, United States Army program. The program guaranteed Zachgo DA-3355 promotion packet. E-5s going Reserve Command personnel liaison officer 35% of his Army salary for the next 30 for E-6 need 350 points and the 3355. for Coalition Forces Land Component years under one condition: that he remain a The Theater Enlisted Promotions Command. A number of these Soldiers are member of the Individual Ready Reserve. Division holds monthly boards where in Kuwait. The lull in service didn’t bother Zachgo, three board members review promotion Sgt. Nicholas Alfarano said he uttered “a who spent 15 years on active duty and packets. You don’t have to be present for few choice four-letter words” when he found likened this deployment to putting on an old the board, and if two of the three mem- out he was being called up to deploy in sup- glove. bers approve your packet, you’re in. For port of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The A billeting NCO with the 1st Battalion, more information contact Theater EPD at Pennsylvanian had been on IRR since 487th Field Artillery Headquarters and 318-430-7033 or visit them on the web at 2000, when he left the Reserves to pursue Headquarters Service Battery at Camp http://w3.arifjan.arcent.army.mil and click a college degree. Spearhead, Zachgo has noticed some major on the “SWA Enlisted Promotions” link. After receiving his activation orders in changes in military quality of life between June 2004, Alfarano had three months to prepare for his deployment. Despite his initial frustrations, Alfarano said it didn’t take him long to revert to the Jesus Christ ... we pray to you military lifestyle. A few days into his three- week train up at Fort Jackson, S.C., which The Camp covered everything from drill and ceremony Arifjan Gospel techniques to tactics for handling insurgents Choir sings at a and improvised explosive devices, Alfarano June 5 dedica- had gotten used to being in uniform again. tion for Arifjan’s Alfarano has been at Camp Arifjan since new Zone 1 November and now works for the 1st chapel. The Battalion, 263rd Air Defense Artillery, a chapel has a National Guard unit headquartered in seating capacity Columbia, S.C. Both 263rd leaders and of 667, nearly Soldiers have been helpful in making his three times that deployment as manageable as possible, of the old Alfarano said. In fact, Alfarano received a chapel, said promotion to sergeant in March. Staff Sgt. The 263rd personnel section works hard Amannda Fix, to ensure all Soldiers – IRR or not – eligible noncommis- for promotion are promoted, said 263rd sioned officer in Zone 6 Officer in Charge Maj. James charge of the Peake, who added that three of the unit’s camp’s chap- six IRR Soldiers have been promoted dur- lain’s office. ing this deployment. Photo by Spc. Aimee Felix 8 Desert Voice June 15, 2005 Camp Doha isn’t the only camp in Kuwait So long Spearhead: that’s closing. Story by Spc. Aimee Felix

Between a cement factory and an oil refinery is a camp Soldiers and Sailors have called home for more than two years, and now it’s closing down. Camp Spearhead, a camp located at the Seaport of Debarkation for troops who run the port’s military operations, will officially close July 31. The news of the decision, which was made after a year of plan- ning, came to the Spearhead command group in early May. Shutting down the camp is part of a long-term goal to move the U.S. military footprint from the towns and industries of Kuwait to the U.S. camps in Kuwait, said Col. Brick T. Miller, Area Support Group-Kuwait commander. In the past, people have raised concerns about the air quality at Camp Spearhead. However, tests conducted by Coalition Forces Land Component Command preventive medicine personnel and members of the 95th Chemical Company have shown that the air is safe. Nevertheless, Miller conceded the area around Spearhead does tend to stink. Now that it can be avoided, Miller prefers to not have Soldiers in that environment. The move will also cut costs. A lot of money goes into maintain- ing the force protection tents that house Spearhead residents. Because the tents are not designed for maintaining a permanent operation, they require regular maintenance services, Miller said. The money saved from the closure of Spearhead will be put into quality of life improvements at Kuwait Naval Base, where a number of Spearhead residents will soon reside, Miller said. In the coming weeks, Spearhead residents, which total about 650 permanent party and transient Soldiers, will move into pre-cast billets at either Camp Arifjan or Kuwait Naval Base. The deadline for the completion of KNB’s PCBs is set for July 4, just in time for Spearhead residents to move in. It will be the responsibility of each unit that works at the SPOD to shuttle its troops to and from work, said Camp Spearhead Photo by Master Sgt. Hak Haskins A worker empties sand bags into a loader during preparations to Commander Maj. Roy Macaraeg, with the Headquarters and remove another tent from Camp Spearhead June 2. The bags had Headquarters Service Battery, 1st Battalion, 487th Field Artillery. been used to anchor in place one of the camp’s tents. The camp, The units have a fleet of shuttle buses and non-tactical vehicles, so which is located at the Seaport of Debarkation, will close July 31. the commute should not be a problem, said Macaraeg. There will be a short-order dining facility, a fire station and a For Santos, packing will be a little more difficult than he original- troop medical clinic portside, for troops to visit throughout the work ly thought. Since beginning to gather his things, he’s realized he day, said Miller. has a lot more belongings than he thought. The 20 members of the 143rd Transportation Command, the The troops don’t have a limit on what they can bring to their new unit in charge of port operations, have already moved to KNB. homes, but they expect to have less space than what the tents at “We’ll definitely meet our deadline,” said Macaraeg, who added Spearhead provide, so they’re trying to travel light. The lines at the that the most difficult part of the process has been the immense Spearhead Post Office have been a lot longer recently because amount of paperwork he has to submit just to take down a row of troops have been mailing home items they don’t want to get rid of, tents. but won’t have room for. “I’m looking forward to stretching out at KNB,” said Sgt. 1st Though he is glad most of his friends will be stationed with him Class Michael Zachgo, billeting noncommissioned officer in charge at KNB, Spc. Vaatofu Fai is sad to leave Spearhead because of the for Camp Spearhead. At Spearhead, Zachgo said he goes from his cohesion the camp residents had developed through all the regular tent, to the DFAC, to the command cell, and then right back to his Morale Welfare and Recreation events and barbecues the MWR tent. He is looking forward to the access to the beach and trees at folks at the command cell held. KNB, he said, adding that the air is a little fresher at KNB. “Camp Arifjan and KNB, those are like the big cities. The SPOD While living at KNB will have its advantages, Staff Sgt. has that small town feel,” said Macaraeg. Francisco Santos, a Camp Spearhead billeting NCO got used to The small town of Spearhead will soon be nothing but land, as living at Spearhead. “It feels like home already,” said the Vietnam contractors take down the tents, row by row. veteran. Once it is completely stripped, the plot of land on which Because the work of taking down the camp is being contracted Spearhead sits will be returned back to the Kuwaitis, who plan to out, Soldiers can spend their down time packing their own things. build a plastics factory at the site.

Desert Voice June 15, 2005 9 I got it at the PX Deals so hot, you’ll forget about the weather By Spc. Curt Cashour

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Optic Aids glasses repair kit Here’s a nickel’s worth of free advice: if your glasses look anything like the ones pictured on this package, they’re not $1.99 worth the $1.55 it costs to buy the kit. $3.70 3M Nexcare Winnie the Pooh bandages You probably never thought it Absorbine Jr. pain relieving liquid would be possible, but now you Junior’s father, a powerful podiatric potion by the name of Absorbine Sr., never can wear Pooh on your skin. This quite got the recognition he desired. There just wasn’t enough demand for his package includes nine Pooh vari- one-dimensional talent for healing hot, itchy feet. The elder Absorbine wasn’t ations -- enough to wear a differ- about to let his son’s talents go to waste. He sent Junior to the Swiss Alps to ent piece of Pooh every day. The study with top ointments Bengay and Preparation H. After years of intensive best part? With 25 Poohs in a training, Junior was among the best at relieving arthritis and sore muscle pain. box, it will be days, if not weeks Despite his primary profession, the young liniment still enjoys going to work on before you run out of Pooh. a pair of hot, itchy feet in his free time. Like father, like son.

Georgia meets Virginia Patton’s Own Peachtree Road Race Participate in the largest 10K road race in the world. The contest starts at 5 a.m. July 4 at Camp Arifjan and will be held in conjunction with the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. In order to compete, fill out a registration form at the Zone 1 Fitness Photo by Spc. Aimee Felix Center by 5 p.m. Georgian Army Capt. David Usenashvili shows his AK-447 to Sgt. 1st Class Kurt Hoehn June 10. Usenashvili and his unit, Commado Battalion, spent a June 30. week at Camp Virginia before redeploying to Georgia.

10 Desert Voice June 15, 2005 Community happenings for June 15 through June 22

Walking Club (5 miles), 5:30 a.m., command cell Self Defense Class, 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., basketball flagpole court Arifjan Aerobics, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., MWR Tent 4 Aerobics Class, 6 p.m., MWR game tent Thursday Wednesday For more information call 844-1137 Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders Variety Show, 7 Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders Variety Show, 7 p.m. (Call for info) Spearhead/SPOD p.m., Zone 6 stage Walking Club (5 miles), 5:30 a.m., command cell Father’s Day Fashion Show models sign-up flagpole For more information call 825-1302 deadline, Community Center Tae-Kwon-Do Class, 7 p.m., MWR Tent 1 Country Night, 7 p.m., Zone 6 stage Victory Friday Legs, butts and guts, 5:30 a.m., Stretch and flex Weightlifting Competition, 5 p.m., Gym Thursday 8 a.m., Step Aerobics, 1 p.m., Circuit weight Walking Club (5 miles), 5:30 a.m., command cell NBA tour, 3:45 - 5:45 p.m. (Call for info) training, 3 p.m., Zone 1 gym flagpole Friday Lap swimming, 5 to 7 a.m., pool Saturday Survivor M&G, 8 to 10 a.m. Thursday Spa Day, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Tent 1 Saturday Country Western Night, 7 p.m., Zone 1 Tae-Kwon-Do Class, 7 p.m., MWR Tent 1 Kempo, 4 p.m. (Call for info) Community Center Sunday Movie Night, 8 p.m. (Call for info) Cardio kickboxing, 5:30 a.m., Stretch and Flex, 8 Spa Day, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Tent 1 Sunday a.m. Circuit Weight Training 3 p.m., Zone 2 gym Walking Club (10 miles), 5:30 a.m., command cell Bazaar (Call for info) Lap swimming, 5 to 7 a.m., pool flagpole Tuesday Friday Monday Spa Day (Call for info) Arifjan Boxing Team, 7:30 p.m., Zone 6 gym Massage Therapy, 9:30 a.m., MWR Tent Wednesday Salsa Night, 7 p.m., Zone 1 Community Center Walking Club (5 miles), 5:30 a.m., command cell Club night, 8 p.m., (Call for info) Lap swimming, 5 to 7 a.m., pool flagpole For more information call 823-1033 Interval training, 5:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Aerobics, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., MWR Tent 4 Zone 1 gym Virginia Tuesday Saturday Walking Club (5 miles), 5:30 a.m., command cell Hip Hop Music Night, 7 p.m., Zone 1 Community Wednesday flagpole Center Country Western Night, 7 p.m., Dusty Room Tae-Kwon-Do Class, 7 p.m., MWR Tent 1 Bench Press Competition, 7 p.m., Zone 1 gym Thursday Wednesday Audie Murphy Club study sessions, 3 p.m., Ping Pong tournament, 6 p.m., MWR tent Walking Club (5 miles), 5:30 a.m., command cell Building 508 Room 25B Karaoke Night, 7 p.m., Dusty Room flagpole Country Western Night, 7:30 p.m., Zone 6 MWR Friday Aerobics, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., MWR Tent 4 stage Bazaar, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Circuit weight training, 5:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 1 p.m. For more information call 828-1340 Salsa Night, 7 p.m., Dusty Room and 3 p.m., Zone 1 gym Kuwaiti Naval Base Saturday Lap swimming, 5 to 7 a.m., pool Hip Hop/R&B Night, 8 p.m., Dusty Room Sunday Friday Dominoes Tournament, 6 p.m., Dusty Room Father’s Day Fashion Show, 7 p.m., Zone 1 Poker, Spades, Trumps, Black Jack Tournament, Sunday Community Center (Call for info) Old School Jams, 7 p.m., Dusty Room Summer Basketball begins, Zone 1 gym Sunday Billiards Tournament, 6 p.m., MWR tent Salsa Night, 7 p.m., Zone 6 stage Father’s Day 5K run (Call for info) Monday Lap swimming, 5 to 7 a.m., pool For more information call 839-1063 Move Night, 7 p.m., Dusty Room Cardio kickboxing, 5:30 a.m., Stretch and Flex, 8 Spa Day, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., MWR tent a.m., Circuit Weight Training, 1 p.m., Step Navistar Tuesday Aerobics, 3 p.m., Zone 1 gym Bingo Night, 7 p.m., Dusty Room Wednesday Wednesday Monday Self Defense Class, 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., basketball Arifjan Boxing Team, 7:30 p.m., Zone 6 gym Horseshoe Tournament, 4 p.m. (Call for info) court Country Western Night, 8 p.m., Dusty Room Lap swimming, 5 to 7 a.m., pool Aerobics Class, 6 p.m., Game tent Legs, butts and guts, 5:30 a.m., Stretch and flex Thursday For more information call 832-1045 8 a.m., Step Aerobics, 1 p.m., Circuit weight Horseshoe Tournament (Call for info) training, 3 p.m., Zone 1 gym Karate Class, 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., basketball court Doha/Arifjan Shuttle Schedule Tuesday Friday Lap swimming, 5 to 7 a.m., pool Horseshoe Tournament (Call for info) Aerobics Cardio kickboxing, 5:30 a.m., Stretch and Flex, 8 Class, 6 p.m., MWR game tent a.m., Circuit Weight Training, 1 p.m., Step Saturday DepartsStop Doha 1*ArrivesStop Doha 2* DepartsStop Doha 2* ArrivesArifjan DepartsArifjan ArrivesDoha Aerobics, 3 p.m., Zone 1 gym Computer Pinball Tournament, 6 - 10 p.m., com- 0545 Wednesday puter tent 0700 0715 0830 0845 1000 Spades Tournament, 7 p.m., Zone 1 Community Sunday 1015 1025 1040 1200 1300 1430 1445 1450 1505 1615 1630 1745 Center Computer Pinball Tournament, 6 - 10 p.m., com- 1900 1910 1925 2045 Country Western Night, 7 p.m., Zone 6 stage puter tent Legs, butts and guts, 5:30 a.m., Stretch and flex * Stop 1 is behind the Building 6 PAX Tent Monday Stop 2 is between Buildings 28 and 31 8 a.m., Step Aerobics, 1 p.m., Circuit weight Aerobics Class, 6 p.m., MWR game tent training, 3 p.m., Zone 1 gym Self Defense Class, 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., basketball Lap swimming, 5 to 7 a.m., pool court Are you holding an event you’d For more information call 430-1202 Tuesday Karate Class, 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., basketball court like to see listed in the DV? Send your event listings to the Desert Buehring Smoking Cessation Classes, 10 a.m., Rec. tent Education/Awareness/Prevention, 1 p.m., Rec. Voice editor at the e-mail address listed Wednesday tent on the back page of this issue. Chess Tournament, 7 p.m., MWR Bunker Wednesday

Desert Voice June 15, 2005 11 When God Picks an Angel Safety Corner By Spc. Santovia Hornsby 807th Signal Company In case of fire... When God picks an angel, God only picks the very best. From the 377th Theater Support Command Safety Office Remembering the acronym S.P.E.E.D. will help you during a fire. God chooses when to call them home so that they may rest. Sound the alarm. Activate the alarm system if available, if not available yell FIRE. hone the fire department (DSN: 911 or Cell: 389-9911) from a safe location. When one is called to be God’s angel, they P must answer his voice. Evacuate the area. Assist others without jeopardizing your own safety. Extinguish the fire if it is small enough and safe to do so using a fire extinguisher. They do not have time for questions, doubts, goodbyes or to hesitate; it is not a matter of Direct the fire department by phone. Escort them if the location is hard to find. their choice. For questions or comments on this information or to register for upcoming safe- ty classes contact the 377th safety office’s Maj. Phelps at DSN 430-6113 or 1st Lt. Yes, at times God’s angels unfortunately Surgi at 430-5414. have to leave behind loved ones, family, friends and even small kids to raise.

But amidst all the hurt and the tears, God By Capt. Paul Nichols should still get all the glory and praise. 377th Theater Support Command

I know that you loved this person and do not want to be without him.

But God loved him more and gave his only son just so he could forever be with him.

One way to deal with your lost may be to always dwell on the good times that you had with each other and help one another to stay strong.

Also, remember that God is too wise to make a mistake and to just to do anybody wrong. -dedicated to the family, friends and loved ones of Sgt. Miguel “Angel” Ramos

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