July 10, 2009

COB BASRA – Pfc. Dustin Clark was manning the night shift when he heard the warning system go off .

Beep, beep, beep.For six months Clark, a Counter

Rocket, Artillery and Mortar systems operator, watched the skies above Contingency Operating Base Basra for indirect fi re att acks. For months there had been nothing. Now the system was

alerting him to the fact that someone, somewhere, was fi ring rockets toward

COB Basra.“Now it’s time to do my job.”Within seconds he acquired the pro-

jectiles and tracked them. Aft er sound-ing the general alarm for the Soldiers throughout the base, he turned to his peers and alerted them to the incoming rounds.

This was not a drill. Clark, a Dayton,

C-RAMPage 2

By Pfc. J. Princeville Lawrence MND-S

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Pfc. Dustin Clark, a Dayton, Ohio native and a Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar systems operator, calibrates the sights on a radar system at Contingency Operating Base Basra. Clark and other members of Echo Battery, 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, C-RAM, out of Fort Hood, Texas, go out every day to make sure the C-RAM systems will be able to detect indirect fi re attacks like mortars and rockets.

Photo by Pfc. J. Princeville Lawrence

– Staff Sgt. Queston NewellEcho Battery, 4th Bn. 5th Air Defense Artillery Regt.

“They know people’s lives depend on them. Without them, people would have to wear their full battle rattle armor all the time.”

C-RAM Soldiers scan the Basra skies

stin Clar

July 10, 2009 Page 2The Red Bull Report

34th Inf. Div. PAO: Lt. Col. Kevin OlsonOIC, Command Information: Maj. Page BaldwinNCOIC, Command Information: 1st Sgt. Larry MearsNCOIC: Staff Sgt. Dave LankfordManaging Editor: Staff Sgt. Derek SmithAssignment Editor: Sgt. Debralee P. Crankshaw Graphics Designer: Sgt. Eric JungelsPhoto Editor: Spc. Tyler MauldingLayout/Design: Spc. Stephanie CassinosStaff Writers: Sgt. Frank Vaughn,Sgt. Brandon LeFlore, Spc. Darryl Montgomery,Pfc. J. Princeville Lawrence

172nd Brigade Combat Team2nd BCT, 4th Infantry Division4th BCT, 1st Armored Division 41st Fires Brigade343rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment193rd Military Police BattalionSpecial Troops Battalion, 34th Inf. Div.Task Force 28450th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne)

Media Queries please contact 34th Inf. Div. Public Affairs Offi ce at MND-S_PAO@iraq.centcom.mil

The Red Bull Report is an authorized publication for members of MND-S. Contents of The Red Bull Report are not necessarily offi cial views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army or the 34th Infantry Division. All editorial content of The Red Bull Report is prepared, edited provided and approved by the 34th Infantry Division Public Affairs Offi ce.

Ohio native, is a member of Echo Batt ery, 4th Batallion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, C-RAM, out of Fort Hood, Texas.

He and other C-RAM systems operators provide 24-hour coverage against mortars and rockets across Multi-National Division-South.

“We man the duties of watching the skies here,” said Staff Sgt. Queston Newell, section sergeant, 2nd Platoon. “The bad guys shoot their weapons at us. We use our equipment to see them shooting at us. And then we tell people they’re shooting at us using an alarm. “

“It’s a two-fold mission,” said Newell, of Lubbock, Tex-

as. “We actually sense that the round is coming. We know where it’s going to land, and where it came from. Of course, our priority is to protect our Soldiers, but the second part is very important; to fi nd the guys who are doing that.”

“We’re very accurate,” Newell added. Much of a C-RAM Soldiers’ day is spent either monitor-

ing against hostile activity or maintaining and calibrating their equipment.

“The maintenance is the biggest part. We have to test speakers prett y regularly,” said Newell.

“We have to make sure everyone can hear the speakers. We have to maintain our radar equipment, make sure it’s calibrated correctly.”

While the hours may be long, the C-RAM Soldiers take their mission to heart, Newell said.

“They know people’s lives depend on them. Without them, people would have to wear their full batt le ratt le armor all the time,” Newell said.

“We allow them to relax a litt le, enjoy some volleyball and football. This team gives people in Basra peace of mind knowing we’re protecting them from IDF att acks.”

It’s this kind of commitment that al-lowed Clark to make the calls he did the night the rockets came in. Aft er sounding the alarm, Clark stood by and tracked the projectiles before and aft er impact.

“We didn’t have any injuries that night, which is a spectacular tribute to both the Soldiers here on the ground doing what they’ve been trained to do during an att ack, and a tribute to the Sol-diers who are manning shift and mak-ing sure that the area is protected,” said Newell.

“If our alarm saves only one life, we have succeeded in our mission.”

For all of Pfc. Lawrence’s stories, go to:www.TheRedBulls.org/Lawrence

Pfc. Dustin Clark, a Dayton, Ohio native and a Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar systems operator, adjusts the sights on a radar system in Contingency Operating Base Basra. Clark and other members of Echo Battery, 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, C-RAM, out of Fort Hood, Texas, go out every day to make sure that the C-RAM systems will be able to detect indirect fi re attacks like mortars and rockets.

Photo by J. Princeville Lawrence

From Page 1C-RAM

FOB KALSU – With infl uences like Earl Scruggs and Jody King, it would be hard for someone not to fall in love with the simplicity and the complexity of bluegrass music.

Starting at 11-years-old, Pfc. Chris-tian J. Josey, an infantryman for Head-quarters and Headquarters Company, 172nd Infantry Brigade, and Lawson-ville, N.C. native, began playing the banjo aft er his dad suggested he learn to play an instrument.

“I’ve always liked the banjo, but I love it now because I took the time to learn how to play,” said Josey, who practices two to three hours a day to stay profi cient.

Josey’s passion for playing grew when he began to take lessons from a local bluegrass musician, Jody King. King taught him everything from chord progressions to precision of fi n-ger placement.

King also helped Josey enter sev-eral fi ddlers’ conventions and competi-tions.

“I’ve won second place and third place in two of the competitions I en-tered,” Josey said. Of all the conven-tions and competitions Josey has been in, he is particularly fond of two.

“My brother and I went to the Mox-ville Fiddlers’ Convention and dressed up as Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs to play our set,” said Josey. “Although we didn’t win anything, it was fun to do what I love and have my brother with me to share that experience.”

The other competition Josey is most proud of was at the Galax Fiddlers’ Convention which aired all the com-

petitors on the radio during the com-petition.

“I was very excited to play in the Galax competition just to be on the ra-dio,” stated Josey. “It didn’t matt er that I didn’t win anything. It was cool to know that I was on the radio playing my banjo.”

Aft er 10 years of playing, Josey has the same challenges he faced when he fi rst started.

“My biggest challenge has been mo-tivating myself to practice longer,” said Josey. “But I knew the more I practiced, the bett er I would become. So far it’s been very benefi cial for me.”

Josey currently owns one banjo, a gift from his parents.

“I didn’t bring my banjo with me be-cause I didn’t want to run the risk of

having it get warped by the heat or ruin-ing it,” said Josey. “My parents paid a lot of money for my banjo, my lessons

and everything else of which I am truly thankful for.”

Borrowing the chaplain’s banjo, Jo-sey practices every day to hone his skills.

“Josey played a song for the depu-ty commanding offi cer a litt le while ago and it was passed through to the brigade commander and command sergeant major. He was then asked to play in the farewell video for Maj. Gen. Michael Oates of the 10th Mountain Division,” said Master Sgt. Karl F. Goe-hlich, HHC, 172nd Inf. Bde., assault command platoon operations sergeant and a native of Lupburg, Germany.

“Playing the banjo helps me to calm down and collect my thoughts, espe-cially aft er a long day,” said Josey. “The most rewarding thing from playing is aft er I’ve practiced a song for so long, I fi nally play it to the point where it is smooth. There are no interruptions and it sounds almost fl awless. That’s when I know all the practicing and eff ort was worth it.”

The Red Bull Report July 10, 2009 Page 3

Photo by Pfc. Bethany L. Little

A Soldier and his banjo:

By Pfc. Bethany L. Little172nd Inf. Bde.

The ruins of Lupburg Castle, which was destroyed by the Swedes in the Thirty Years War, towers

over the city’s cobblestone market square.

Pfc. Christian J. Josey, an infantryman for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 172nd Infantry Brigade plays “Two Highways,” originally by Alison Krauss and Union Station, at the Green Beans Coffee lounge here. Josey has played banjo for 10 years and has placed in two different fi ddler conventions.

Soldier uses music to remain calm, collected

th infl u

For all of Pfc. Little’s stories, go to:www.TheRedBulls.org/Little

Mid-tour leave is an event Soldiers and their families look forward to. It is an opportunity for the Soldier to leave the batt lefi eld to rest and reconnect with friends and family. It is usually a joyous time.

Some pitfalls can undermine your mid-tour leave and sabotage the intent of the break: renewal and refreshment.

The following are the four things I have seen during three deployments and 26 years in the Army that ruined mid-tour leave.

1. Trying to do too much – Too much partying, too much shopping, too much of friends and family making demands on time, etc… The secret to a great mid-tour leave is moderation. Make time to relax. Be reasonable in expectations and limit the number of people you try to squeeze in for visits.

2. The “DREAM” vacation or honeymoon – Some Soldiers and families try to squeeze in the vacation of a lifetime during mid-tour leave. They forget the tremen-dous jet lag Soldiers have when they get to their desti-nation … on top of the normal batt lefi eld fatigue. An exhausted Soldier doesn’t make a great vacation partner. Trying to meet the expectations of a dream vacation can get in the way of time together to relax and reconnect.

Scale back expectations and keep the time together as uncomplicated as possible.

3. Politics – Soldiers respect the freedom of every American to have an opinion about the war we are fi ghting. Mid-tour leave, however, is not a good time to engage a tired Soldier in a political debate. There will be plenty of time to do so when the Soldier is home for good. Mid-tour leave is the time to rest, renew, put war aside for awhile and let the Soldier be a citizen at home, not a political representative.

4. The Soldier’s body is home but their mind is still in Iraq. The more responsibility a Soldier has for other Soldiers the harder it is for them to leave those Soldiers in harm’s way to go home and enjoy life. Consequently, many of you may see your Soldier checking email from their Soldiers or calling to check up on the unit. To families this may feel like your Soldier is neglecting you. That isn’t the intent. It is simply hard to leave the Soldiers you love in harm’s way. We feel responsible for them. We aren’t trying to ignore you. We just can’t stop praying that our Soldiers don’t get hurt while we are gone.

Mid-tour leave will be a great experience for you and your family if you have reasonable expectations, take time to relax, keep everything in moderation and realize that we have two families, our Army family and our family at home.

Have a great mid-tour leave.

The Red Bull Report July 10, 2009 Page 4

RED BULL RED BULL CHAPELCHAPEL

Chaplain: Making the most of mid-tour leaveBy Chap. (Lt. Col.) John MorrisDivision Chaplain

ttt SSSSSololo dididiererr

The Red Bull Report July 10, 2009 Page 5

COB BASRA – The landscape of Contingency Operat-ing Base Basra is changing rapidly. Some buildings have already been erected to improve the operational capa-bility of Multi-National Division - South, with others planned for the near future.

The progress evident all over COB Basra is due largely to the eff orts of the U.S. Air Force’s 557th Expe-ditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operation Repair Squadron Engineers.

The 557th “RED HORSE” Sqdn. is comprised of engi-neering specialists from 76 bases all over the U.S., said Air Force Master Sgt. Barry Snyder Jr.

“We have multiple skills from multiple bases,” said Snyder, who is currently deployed in support of Opera-tion Iraqi Freedom with 819th RED HORSE Squadron from Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. “We have 11 specialties on our team, including heavy equipment operators, pest management, plumbers, power produc-tion, (vertical construction) and logistics.”

The team has already constructed a 30,000 square-foot headquarters building here for 2nd Brigade Combat

Team, 4th Infantry Division. Snyder, the acting 1st Ser-geant for the squadron, said his team is especially proud of the 2nd BCT, 4th Inf. Div. headquarters.

“We put a lot of work into that building to make it functional for those guys,” he said.

Snyder credits his troops and their leaders for the suc-cess of the RED HORSE mission so far.

“These guys are phenomenal,” he said. “They work hard and make me proud to be a RED HORSE. Leader-ship over here has also been outstanding in keeping everyone focused on our goals.”

Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeff rey Ratliff , a carpenter with the squadron, said staying focused has been fairly easy under the circumstances.

“I love this job,” said Ratliff , a native of Lexington Park, Md.

“We get to the job site at 7 a.m., get our materials together and discuss what we’re going to do for the day. Then we get to work! This job is fun. I love seeing the contributions we’ve made to this place when the projects are completed.”

Ratliff also said the squadron has come together well since meeting each other at the beginning of this deploy-

ment.“We all mesh together prett y good,” he said.

“We’re not all from the same station, but it’s good to meet new people.”

The RED HORSE service members are cur-rently working on a hall for the Red Bull Band. The building, located near the mail sorting facility they have already constructed, will house offi ce space and plenty of room for band rehearsals, said Ratliff , who is currently serving his fourth deployment.

Snyder said future projects include a post chapel that will be located near Dining Facility 3. He said the RED HORSE service members are dedicated to meeting all the needs of the tenants of COB Basra, including work space and a place to worship.

The RED HORSE squadron, through hard work and lots of sweat, is doing its part to im-prove our foxhole.

By Sgt. Frank VaughnMND-S

he lands

RED HORSE builds for future on Basra

Questions or Comments about our Foxhole? Leave them at:www.TheRedBulls.org/ImprovingOurFoxhole

Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Ratliff, 557th Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron, helps build a new hall for the Red Bull Band recently. The squadron has already completed a 30,000 square-foot headquarters building for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and plans to start construction on a post chapel here soon.

Photo by Sgt. Frank Vaughn

The Red Bull Report July 10, 2009 Page 6

Maj. Gen. Rick Nash (right), commanding general, Multi-National Division – South, greets Lt. Gen. Scott C. Black, Judge Advocate General of the United States Army, at the Basra International Airport shortly after his arrival here July 7. Black, the fi rst lieutenant general to hold the position, came to Basra to meet with legal Soldiers and discuss issues they may have when giving legal assistance.

Photo by Spc. Darryl L. Montgomery

Judge Advocate General visits MND-S legal Soldiers

The Red Bull Report July 10, 2009 Page 7The Red Bull Report

1. A celebrity5. Decay8. Cold-shoulder12. Passion13. Yearns15. Wood heaped for burning a dead body16. Detail17. Not nati onal18. Largest continent19. Wayfaring22. Make lace23. Grandmother

(Briti sh)24. Bring26. Someone who makes an off er29. Shoot for31. Religious sister32. Things34. Ancient Roman magistrate36. Goddess of discord (Greek mythology)38. Sudden burst

40. Leave in a hurry41. Aromati c compound43. Bowel cleansing45. Dined46. Tongue-lashing48. Meander50. A type of hair style51. Prefi x meaning “New”

52. L54. Gargantuan61. Be in an agitated emoti onal state63. Acclaim64. Bonnet65. A clown66. Remove whiskers67. Decorati ve case68. Gush69. Half of two70. Rave

1. Slide2. Carry3. Affi rm4. Prompt5. Violent disturbance6. A single time7. Nipple8. Resort9. Agitated10. Murres11. Tidy

13. Jupiter and Neptune for example14. Long narrow opening20. Mats21. A superhero might wear one25. Children26. Explode27. Format (a computer disk)28. Indian coin

29. Not before30. Cheer up31. Born33. Air movement device35. French for “Summer”37. Lowly worker39. Give forth42. Scarce44. Ends a prayer47. Handouts

49. Annoy52. Wanes53. Coil55. Refl ected sound56. Scheme57. Possess58. Bit59. Person, place or thing60. Modify written material62. Not high

Across

Down

Crossword

For puzzle solutions visit: www.TheRedBulls.org/puzzlesolutions

The Red Bull Report July 10, 2009 Page 8

World News: SEOUL, South Korea - U.S. authorities on July 8 eyed North Korea as the origin of the widespread cyber att ack that over-whelmed government Web sites in the United States and South Korea. They warned it would be diffi cult to defi nitively identify the att ackers quickly. The att ack targeted dozens of government and private sites. While Treasury Department and Federal Trade Commission Web sites were shut down by the att ack, which lasted for days over the holiday weekend, others such as the Pentagon and the White House were able to fend it off with litt le disruption. The North Korea link, described by three offi cials, more fi rmly connected the U.S. att acks to another wave of cyber assaults that hit South Korean government agencies July 7. The offi cials said internet addresses were traced to North Korea. That does not necessarily mean the att ack involved the Pyongyang government.

U.S. News:SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Environmentalists who used National Park Service rock anchors to scale Mount Rushmore and unfurl an anti-global warming banner along President Abraham Lincoln’s face July 8 were charged with trespassing. The 11 activists also were charged with the misdemeanor crime of climbing on Mount Rushmore National Monument, U.S. Att orney Marty Jackley said. They pleaded not guilty to all charges. The environmental group Greenpeace said in a statement that its members used exist-ing rock anchors to scale the mountain and unfurl a 65-foot-by-35-foot banner reading, “America honors leaders not politicians: Stop Global Warming.” The activists were released on their own recognizance aft er the court hearing. A conviction carries up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fi ne, prosecutors said.

Sports News:NEW YORK - Even before it has any players or has announced its stadiums and schedule, the new United Football League has some rules. They’re not all the same as NFL rules. When the four-team UFL kicks off its premiere season in October, it will give both teams a possession of the ball in overtime, allow quarterbacks to ground the ball inside or outside the pocket and eliminate the controversial tuck rule. There also will be more leeway given on touchdown celebrations in the end zone or bench area, with “tasteful” group celebrations allowed. Offi ciating decisions using instant replay will be made by an offi cial in the replay booth, not by the referee. “The UFL’s Competition Committ ee looked at the current rules that govern most professional football leagues and determined ways to enhance the overall experience for both the players and the fans,” said San Francisco coach Dennis Green, the chairman of the committ ee.

Odd News:STRATFORD, Conn. - Police say a Connecticut man has been arrested because he showed up at a dental offi ce naked. Police say 41-year-old Christopher Hoff , of Stratford, also was fi ve days late for his appointment. Authorities say Hoff entered Opti-mus Dental’s offi ce July 6 with nothing on. A startled female receptionist screamed, and he ran away. Offi cers went to his home, and Hoff told them he had been sleeping all day. Police took Hoff to the dental offi ce, where the receptionist identifi ed him. Hoff was charged with disorderly conduct, public indecency and failure to comply with fi ngerprinting.

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The Red Bull Report