<p> Gateway Today The Association of the United States Army St. Louis Gateway Chapter c/o Seiler Instrument & Manufacturing, 3433 Tree Court Industrial Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63122 www.gatewayausa.org July 2013</p><p>Students and Soldiers get $35000 in Scholarships and Awards The St. Louis Gateway AUSA Leadership Awards Ceremony took place at the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Louis on April 21, 2013. The black tie banquet featured a speech by the Honorable Ann Wagner from the 2nd Congressional District. The music was provided by the “Freedom Wings” of the Scott Air Force Band. The Joint Service Color Guard of the US Transportation Command presented the colors. The Invocation was given by Chaplain Timothy Walls. The award presentation to the students was emceed by Demetrious “DJ” Johnson. In addition to students the local commands of all branches of the Army were invited to send their Soldiers of the Year for an individual award. Colonel (Ret) W. William Hammerschmidt was in charge of that part of the ceremony. This year the chapter honored a record 17 soldiers with prizes of $500 each totaling $8,500. A list of the Soldiers of the Year appears below. Cash scholarships were given to 16 students for a total of $26,500. Students were recognized in four categories each applicant’s school record and a written essay were the method of selection Rick Seiler, the Chapter Vice President; Awards led the review committee with Keith Guller Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Stephanie Bass Advisory Board Member. The names of the winners appear below. This year the top award for $3000 was named for Colonel (Ret) Leo Ahola who was the Vice President, Membership. His instrumental contribution to the chapter was recognized. Leo died last year. His family was recognized at the ceremony.</p><p>1 AUSA 2013 Soldier of the Year Winners from 17 Major Commands</p><p>Cadet Daniel Riley St.Louis SGT Mathew R. Fish 10th PSYOP BN Gateway ROTC BN SGT Nguyen-Hao D. Cheun 70th Troop Command SGT Abubakr Abdul-Zahir SDDC SSG Robert G. Morley 175th MP BN SSG Karen L. McCottrell JRTC, SPC Nathan L. Cardoza 205th MP BN TRANSCOM SGT David A. Immier 229th MED Cadet Brennan P. Wilde SIUE ROTC BN BN SGT Nadia M. Porter 835th CSSB SGT Matthew A. Umfleet 620th CSSB SSG Ryan N. Williams 1140th ENGR BN SPC Sarah M. Boyce 648th RSG SSG Rad Ross 9th ARCD BN SSG Michael P. Craig 2/334th/3rd/95th SGT Amanda L. Guccione 3/383rd BN Division SGT Amy C. Hennrich US Army SDDC</p><p>Scholarship Winners and Category</p><p>Category 1 Children of Defense Industry Workers 1st Place Kristen Robles $3000 (Winner of the COL Leo Ahola Memorial Scholarship) 2nd Place Daniel Pollmann $2000 3rd Place Kyle Bagwill $1000 3rd Place Emma Geiger $1000</p><p>Category2 Children of Veterans 1st Place Morgan Gulley $2500 2nd Place John Doheny Jr $2000 3rd Place Ciara Kellogg $1000 3rd Place Kathleen Wright $1000</p><p>2 Category 3 Students with a Family Member Currently Serving 1st Place Ashley St. John $2500 2nd Place Allyson Brantley $2000 3rd Place Maggie Downs $1000</p><p>Category 4 Students in Uniform (ROTC, Active, Guard and Reserve) 1st Place 1LT Randy Downs $2500 2nd Place MAJ Adrea Castillon $2000 3rd Place CDT LaTeesha Davis $1000 3rd Place CDT Jessica Shanklin $1000 CDT Davion Wilson $1000</p><p>President’s Corner </p><p>The St. Louis Gateway AUSA has decided to renew our quarterly newsletter to keep our members informed and engaged. We have stories of exciting accomplishments such as the Annual Leadership Awards Banquet in April where the chapter gate 16 students’ awards equaling $26,500. The highlight of our event was the 17 Soldiers of the Year from local commands, more than ever, awards amounting to $8,500. This means we gave a total $35,000. This was thanks to our generous corporate sponsors and the participation in our Annual Golf Tournament. Read all about the Leadership Award on page 1. Earlier this year we recognize people who make us able to accomplish our mission with a Partnership Recognition Event at the 360 Club on the roof of the Hilton Hotel at the Ball Park in downtown St. Louis. We attracted a good crowd to hear Lieutenant General Kathleen Gainey, Deputy Commanding General of TRANSCOM talk about the challenges facing the nation due to the budget crisis. See the story and photos on page 5. Sequestration is the term for the mandatory cuts which affect all parts of the federal government. Some of the first indications in the defense area are the mandatory 11 day furloughs of civilian workers through the Department of Defense. Other affected is a possible down-sizing of the active duty force in all branches of the Armed Forces. The annual Midwest Army Birthday Ball was cancelled in part due to Sequestration. In the past our chapter has been active in supporting the Midwest Army Ball with financial contribution. AUSA bought tables and furnished a VIP Reception for the event. Of course the Army community of this area will not allow the Army Birthday be uncelebrated. The Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) headquartered at Scott Air Force Base staged a “Fun Run,: the traditional birthday cake cutting, and an event presenting awards to the mayors of the surrounding cities thanking them for their support of Scott Air Force Base. The Gateway Chapter worked with SDDC to make this celebration possible. See the stories and the photos on page 4. This year the goal of the St. Louis Gateway Chapter is to increase membership in all areas: individual, corporate and sustaining. We are looking forward to serve soldiers which are part of our mission statement. In September the chapter will work with our partners in the Fort Leonard Wood AUSA to stage a Military Appreciation Day at the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Game. We will follow that event with our Annual Golf Tournament a few days later.</p><p>AUSA Celebrates the 238th Birthday of the Army</p><p>3 The Army in St. Louis usually celebrates the Army Birthday (June 14th) with a formal ball. The Gateway chapter always supports this effort by funding a VIP reception and purchasing a table at the event. The chapter also promotes and participates in a fund raising golf tournament sponsored by the Scott Army Boosters Club (SABC) for the annual ball.</p><p>This year the ball was cancelled due to sequestration but the members of AUSA still celebrated the birthday in a different manner. Gateway AUSA’s golf team won second place in the SABC Golf Tournament. On Friday June 14th at 0600 Chapter President Doug Stuart and Megan Richter, Vice President for Membership, fell into a formation in front of the US Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) of soldiers, a few Navy, Air Force and Marine personnel to take part in an Army Birthday Fun Run. The run was led by Major General Greg Couch, Chief of Staff, of USTRANSCOM. The formation ran around Scott Air Force Base. The formation returned to the SDDC. Later in the morning a formal ceremony was held in the courtyard of SDDC. Major General Thomas J. Richardson spoke, six new soldiers were sworn into the Army and the traditional birthday cake was cut by the youngest soldier, the oldest soldier and MG Richardson with a saber. Chapter President Doug Stuart, presented plaques to the six mayors of the communities that surround Scott AFB, thanking them for the support they give the soldiers stationed there. The ceremony concluded with the singing of the Army Song.</p><p>4</p><p>BG (Ret) E. Tracy Beckette selected Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for East Missouri Brigadier General (Ret) E. Tracy Beckette the Treasurer for the St. Louis Gateway Chapter was sworn in as the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) for East Missouri by Major General Mark Yenter the Commanding General of the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. CASAs serve a two year term without compensation And can be reappointed. “Since 1922 only about 500 people have ever been asked to serve as CASAs. Each CASA is in a key role that helps connect communities to the Army and the Army to those same communities,” MG Yenter said at the ceremony. Each state, the District of Columbia, and the five U. S. territories have one of more CASAs appointed to provide a vital link between the Army and the communities for which they serve. CASAs are usually business or civic leaders who process a keen interest in the welfare of the Army and their communities. </p><p>5 BG Beckette had a career in both the active, reserve and National Guard. He twice commanded the 35th Engineer Brigade of the Missouri Army National Guard headquartered at Fort Leonard Wood. For the past six years he has served at the state chairman of the Missouri Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee (MOESGR). He also serves as the chairman of the Advisory Subcommittee for the National ESGR Committee. He is Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of Heartland Bank in Clayton, Missouri</p><p>Gateway AUSA Annual Partnership Appreciation Event held at the “360” Last year the St. Louis Gateway Chapter staged a successful Partnership Appreciation Event and again this year the affair was a winner. About thirty corporate sponsors joined board member as well as non-members who have volunteered to make our chapter activities a success. The scene of this year’s celebration was the “360” Rooftop Bar at the Hilton Hotel at the Ball Park offering our guests a dramatic roof top view of downtown St. Louis. The highlight of the event was the presence and remarks by Lieutenant General Kathleen Gainey, the Deputy Commanding General of the USTRANSCOM. She spoke about the challenges that Sequestration is imposing on her command and about the impact on future activities. She took questions from the audience. Doug Stuart the Gateway Chapter President presented General Gainey with a St. Louis style “Gooey Butter Cake.” The chapter board is considering holding this event more often. This reception was assisted with a monetary contribution from the chapter’s AUSA Region. </p><p>Local College ROTC Cadets Are Honored Every year the areas two Army College Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC) battalions have award ceremonies for their cadets. The St. Louis Gateway Chapter sends a representative to present the AUSA ROTC medal and the AUSA History Prize to outstanding Senior Cadets. Major (Ret) Frank Tucker, VP, Public Affairs presented the awards to Cadet Brennan Wilde at the Cougar ROTC Battalion Awards Ceremony on April 25th. BG (Ret) E. Tracy Beckette Chapter Treasurer represented the chapter at the Gateway ROTC ball April 28th. He presented the awards to Cadet Daniel Riley on April 28th. Both cadets were honored at the St. Louis Gateway AUSA Leadership Awards Ceremony on April 21st. The Gateway Battalion is associated with Washington University and a number colleges and universities in the St. Louis, Missouri area. The Cougar ROTC Battalion is part of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. BG Beckette provided a Leadership Seminar for the Gateway ROTC Battalion earlier in April.</p><p>6 The Chapter gives Recruiting Command Assistance The motto of the Association of the United States Army is “Voice of the Army, Support for the Soldier” and nowhere is that support more important than help the US Army Recruiting Command. The Collinsville Illinois Recruiting Station asked for our help to fund food for a “Future Soldier” event at Lebanon High School. SGT Prince Yohannes anticipated about 100 recruits and their family members would attend the party. The recruits represented both Active and Army Reserve soldiers who have enlisted but have not reported for training. The party was a great success.</p><p>7 ARMY ANNOUNCES RESTRUCTURING PLANS</p><p>In response to the Army’s announcement that it is reducing end strength and reorganizing brigade combat teams, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., said, “As damaging as they are, these cuts don't begin to reflect the crippling damage sequestration will do to our Armed Forces and National Security. The Committee will carefully examine the implications of this initial restructuring, but we all must understand that this is only the tip of the iceberg, much deeper cuts are still to come. America learned the hard way that our pre- 9/11 military was too small. Now, even before sequestration, we are reducing the force to that same size and foolishly expecting history to teach us a different lesson. What lessons will we learn when sequester doubles these cuts in just a few months' time?” The Army plans to reduce the authorized endstrength of the Active Army from 570,000 to 490,000 and the Army National Guard from 358,000 to 350,000 and will inactivate a total of 12 BCTs. In a press conference last week, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said, “The reduction of 80,000 Soldiers or 14% from the Active Component will be completed by the end of fiscal year 2017. Let me be clear, we are taking these actions as a result of the Budget Control Act of 2011. This endstrength and force structure reduction predates sequestration. If sequestration continues into Fiscal Year 2014, Army reductions to endstrength, force structure and basing announced today will be only the first step.” Later in the press conference, Odierno reiterated, “I want to emphasize that these reductions do not reflect reductions due to sequestration. Full sequestration could require another significant reduction in Active, Guard, and Reserve force structure as much as 100,000 combined.” AUSA President Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan said that “Congress must find an alternative to sequestration. Everyone needs to be reminded of history’s lessons, of the dangers of a hollow Army that is called to fight the first battle of the next war – but without enough manpower, training or weaponry to do the job – of an Army which then pays the price of unreadiness in the blood of too many Soldiers killed or wounded while they train the hard way – during war not before it.”</p><p>8 9</p>