DESERTDESERT VOICEVOICE November 16, 2005 Serving the U.S. and Coalition Forces in Kuwait Turn it up Page 6&7 Volume 27, Issue 17 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 DESERT content of this publication is the responsibility of the CONTENTS Coalition Forces Land 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 VOICE be edited. The Desert Voice is produced weekly by the Public Affairs Office. 17 Page 3 No excuse for complacency CFLCC Commanding General Command Sgt. Maj. Ashe talks about the Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb importance of not becoming complacent. CFLCC Command It could lead to accidental deaths. Sergeant Major Command Sgt. Maj. Franklin G. Page 4 Navy takes over law & order Ashe The Army military police finish their tour CFLCC Public Affairs Officer and hand over Area Support Group- Col. Barrett King Kuwait law enforcement responsibilities to the Navy master of arms. CFLCC Public Affairs Officer, Forward Page 5 46th Eng. Bn. deploys Lt. Col. Debbie Haston-Hilger The combat-heavy engineer battalion from Commander, 11th PAD Fort Polk, La., and Fort Rucker, Ala., Capt. Chevelle Thomas deploys to Iraq after overcoming a chal- lenging mission on the homefront. NCOIC, 11th PAD 4 Staff Sgt. Kerensa Hardy Pages 6&7 Drowning Pool plays Desert Voice Editor The rock/metal band Drowning Pool per- Sgt. Jonathan M. Stack formed for troops at three camps in Kuwait with Dallas afternoon disc jockey Desert Voice Assistant Jessie Jessup. Editor Spc. Robert Adams Page 8 Australians screen soldiers Desert Voice Staff Writers The Australian Force Extraction Team, a Spc. Janine Coogler medical team of doctors, came to the Spc. Debralee P. Crankshaw Middle East to identify Australian sol- Spc. Michael R. Noggle diers with any diseases or illnesses. 11th PAD Broadcasters Spc. Christina Beerman Page 9 Third U.S. Army birthday Pfc. Jheridiah Anderson 5 Soldiers from Camp Arifjan celebrated the Third U.S. Army 87th birthday, Nov. 7. The event was celebrated with a cake- Editor cutting ceremony. CFLCC PAO/ Run tests mind, body Desert Voice Page 10 Camp Arifjan Lt. Col. J. Mathew Lissner completed his APO AE 09306 very first 50-mile ultra marathon. He trained for serveral months while in [email protected] Kuwait before going on leave. Find us online at www.dvidshub.net Page 11 Community Events Here are upcoming events: Aaron Tippin 6 show, tree trimming, flag football league, Turkey Trot 5K run, Thanksgiving Wheel of Fortune, volleyball tournament. On the cover Photo by Spc. Debralee P. Crankshaw Back page Track & Field Lead vocalist of Drowning Pool, Ryan Spc. Robert Adams McCombs, performs with the band Audrey Korang sprints ahead of Lakicia during a tour for the troops in Kuwait.j 6-77 Cooke in the 400-meter relay at the Veteran’s Day track and field meet. 2 Desert Voice November 16, 2005 No excuse for complacency Command Sgt. Maj. present, making sure the Soldier mind as well as in the minds of Franklin G. Ashe is following the steps correctly. their troops. Another thing that happens is We should be physically com- CFLCC Command Sergeant Major we’re constantly clearing fortable in certain areas but we As Soldiers, we engage in weapons in areas where they should never be mentally com- high-risk activities every day shouldn’t be loaded anyway. fortable in terms of thinking because of the nature of our busi- Soldiers become used to clearing “nothing can happen.” ness. It is one thing to say a a weapon that doesn’t have a Complacency is like a cancer Soldier died leading his troops magazine in it, so they go and it’s killing Soldiers. It can during combat operations or he through the steps without think- be defined as a leadership failure, died while putting the lives of ing about it. because it’s up to leaders not to others in front of his own, but Safety is also part of force allow themselves or their when a Soldier is killed because protection. Anytime we keep our Soldiers to become complacent. of complacency and a lack of Soldiers from getting killed or Leaders should realize when they Command Sgt. Maj. Ashe safety it’s unacceptable. injured, we’re protecting the think they’ve talked about safety get in their head “Hey, I’m not Accidental deaths, most of the force. Force protection has two or pre-checks too much, they’ve going to get hurt, I’ve done this time, are preventable. meanings in a combat zone. One become complacent themselves. before and nothing happened.” By not wearing seatbelts in part is keeping people healthy You can’t place enough emphasis The next thing you know their tactical and non-tactical vehicles, and alive by doing things correct- on safety. mom or dad, husband or wife is not wearing helmets with the ly and safely. Even by doing Sometimes people think getting visited by a casualty chinstrap fastened, not wearing simple things like washing your because we’re in a combat zone, assistance officer and chaplain reflective gear when you’re out hands so you don’t get sick when that makes it okay for them to do and being told their loved one running and not keeping muzzle you eat or making sure weapons things they wouldn’t be doing was killed in a situation that did- awareness on weapons, Soldiers are cleared and on safe, Soldiers otherwise, and that’s not true. n’t have to happen. We’ve had are putting themselves and their have a hand in force protection. This is when it becomes more too many Soldiers killed in acci- buddies in jeopardy. There is no The other part of force protec- important to do the right thing. dents. We don’t have to just one safety issue out there that is tion, of course, is the security You need to be going through all accept the fact all these Soldiers more important than others, but measures we take to keep the your proper checklists, making are dying, but what we can do is the commonality to all of it is enemy from getting any type of sure people are prepared to exe- honor their memory by doing the complacency or leadership fail- advantage on us. Information cute the mission to the standard right thing. When you see a ures. that pertains to operational secu- and safely. When they see some- Soldier doing something unsafe, Leadership and safety are rity, whether it’s when our mis- thing isn’t quite right, leaders don’t allow it. Make sure they united and the two cannot be sep- sions are, where our missions are have the responsibility to correct understand how wrong that is arated. We don’t do safety in or how we do our operations, it. and how important safety is addition to what we do, it’s a part needs to be protected, and we One of the concerns people through some type of reinforce- of what we do. Leaders are sup- can’t take that for granted either. have is “Oh, we have to start at ment. posed to accomplish the mission Force protection also includes this time” or “Oh, we have to get Everybody is responsible for and take care of their Soldiers, making sure our host-nation sup- this done right now.” None of it safety, regardless of their rank or but sometimes they get so port personnel are wearing a is worth killing or crippling position. In fact, we’re obligated wrapped up in the mission part, badge where we can see them someone else. Even if you check to say something and the person they forget about the safety and they’re in the right places something a thousand times, who’s on the receiving end of aspect. with the right escort. We also that’s all right. The one time you that should stop and think about Leaders have to make sure have to make sure that sensitive don’t check it is when you have a this. That person cares enough to their Soldiers, as well as them- information in our work spaces breakdown. If you think you’re correct you, so don’t get angry selves, are conducting their busi- are properly secured and only losing time by stopping some- about it, fix it. ness in a safe manner. One way being accessed by the right peo- thing for a brief period of time to Sometimes we have to go out to do this is by conducting cor- ple. fix it, just think about how much of our way to stop something rect troop leading procedures. The security we have protect- time you’re going to lose when that’s wrong and fix it. I’d rather We have to be careful about ing our bases provide force pro- that piece of equipment is com- be tired of stopping people from some of our procedures, because tection also. Security forces pletely destroyed and the individ- doing the wrong thing, than be if we don’t pay attention to make sure the bases aren’t uals using it are gone for good. refreshed and full of energy sit- exactly what we’re doing, we breached by any unauthorized It doesn’t equal out.