dec 12 277th asb long version newsletter
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Mountain Eagle Families,
This is a month to re-
flect and give thanks. As
I reflect on five months of
command, I am extremely
thankful to the great Sol-
diers that I have in this
battalion. They are work-
ing long hours and self-
lessly putting the needs of
our unit and higher head-
quarters above their own.
I am thankful for the fam-
ily oriented command we
have here in Fort Drum. I
attend many meetings
with senior leader here on
post and I can assure you
that they are committed to
caring for families here in
North Country. I am
even more thankful to
you the Families. With-
out your sacrifices our
efforts to be ready would
not be possible. Thank
you.
Please remember to
enjoy the holiday. These
are the times to have
quality time at home.
Next year’s training
schedule is busy and time
will go by very fast. I
appreciate all that you do
every day and count my
blessings for this battal-
ion.
Vr
ME6
Eagle Commander’s Corner
T A S K F O R C E
M O U N T A I N E A G L E
2 7 7 T H A V I A T I O N
S U P P O R T B A T T A L I O N Liberty Times D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 . V O L U M E I , I S S U E 3 1
H O T T O P I C S
Alpha FRG Meet-
ing: Friday, Decem-
ber 14, 2012,
11:30am at SSA
Warehouse.
Bravo FRG Meet-
ing: Wednesday,
December 12, 2012
3:00pm, at Bravo
Hanger.
Charlie FRG Meet-
ing: Thursday,
December 13,
2012, 4:30pm, at
Charlie Company.
HSC FRG Meeting:
Friday, December
14, 2012, 6pm at
Rhicard Commu-
nity Center.
C O N T A C T S
B A T T A L I O N S T A F F
D U T Y D E S K
3 1 5 - 7 7 4 - 1 2 0 0
C H A P L A I N
3 1 5 - 7 7 4 - 1 2 0 7
F A M I L Y R E A D I N E S S
S U P P O R T
A S S I S T A N T ( F R S A )
M I C H E L E G A L L O W A Y
3 1 5 - 7 7 4 - 1 2 0 6
M I L I T A R Y F A M I L Y
L I F E C O N S U L T A N T
( M F L C )
3 1 5 - 4 0 5 - 7 4 4 9
3 1 5 - 2 1 2 - 6 9 1 9
A R M Y C O M M U N I T Y
S E R V I C E ( A C S )
I N F O R M A T I O N
A N D R E F E R R A L
3 1 5 - 7 7 2 - 6 5 5 7
1 - 8 0 0 - 8 2 6 - 0 8 8 6
M I L I T A R Y
O N E S O U R C E
1 - 8 0 0 - 3 4 2 - 9 6 4 7
By LTC Enrique Ortiz
Battalion Commander
Family Readiness Group Advisor’s Updates
For the rest of the article, go to page 8.
Happy Thanksgiving to
all Mountain Eagle Mem-
bers!
In these days I am re-
minded to be Thankful to so
many every day actions that
happen right next to or
around us. First of all let me
start by saying thank you to
the professional work our Soldiers
do every day. We are proud to
know that some of our Soldiers
were recently in New Jersey as-
sisting the Hurricane Sandy Re-
lief.
By Diana Ortiz
FRG Advisor
P A G E 2
L I B E R T Y T I M E S
Headquarters & Support Company - Talons
Hello Families of HSC
277 ASB, December came
quick as everyone is getting
ready for the holiday season.
I’m sure it was a welcome
relief spending many days at
home during November. De-
cember brings the 277 ASB
Field Training Exercise that
will place limited Soldiers in
the field from 3 to 11 Decem-
ber. The remaining Soldiers in
the company will act as rear de-
tachment in preparation for the
upcoming deployment. We will
also take this opportunity to ini-
tiate the call roster to ensure we
have the proper information to
contact all family members.
I would like to welcome the
following Soldiers and their
families, PV2 Emisael Avila,
PFC Jordan Devlieger, SGT Ian
Fleming and SPC Jay Mendoza.
Now its time to say goodbye to
SPC Joshua Seal as he moves
on to another unit.
The next company gathering
will be on 14 December at Rhi-
card Hills Community Center
for HSC’s Holiday party. It is a
potluck event so please call in
to the orderly room (315-774-
1466) and let SPC Alford know
what you will be bringing for
food. There will be a raffle and
presents for the younger kids.
We look forward to seeing eve-
ryone there.
Natalie Nissen
Talon 6
(315)774-1465
By CPT Natalie Nissen
HSC Company Commander
Happy Holiday's HSC Families,
A US holiday held on the
fourth Thursday in November,
commemorating a harvest festi-
val celebrated by the Pilgrims in
1621. It's that time of year when
families all get together and en-
joy some yummy food. Thanks-
giving is a time to be thankful,
not only for what we have, but
also for each Soldier deployed or
here at home. As we all sit and
watch our football games, or go
hunting on Thanksgiving day.
We should remember what that
day really means.
As the FRG continues to
grow, as we welcome new fami-
lies,and say goodbye to the old
ones, I am thankful to have met
and worked with them. We should
all get together with someone for
the holidays. Some soldiers, single
or with families are not able to re-
turn home and have big holidays
with their families and so on. This
holiday season find it in your heart
to help a soldier. Single soldiers
especially. Invite a soldier to your
home so they can enjoy the holi-
day's instead of being alone.
The cold weather is soon ap-
proaching, Please make sure your
ready and have an emergency kit
inside your vehicle to include:
flash light, extra batteries, blan-
kets, and small snacks for little
ones, and a small shovel, also start
your car every so often as to main-
tain heat especially if you have
little one. Also make sure you
have a cell phone with a full
charge.
Happy Holidays
HSC 277th ASB
Dawn Marie DeGrave
315-777-6152
HSC Family Readiness Group Notes
Dawn Marie DeGrave
HSC FRG Leader
P A G E 3 V O L U M E I , I S S U E 3 1
Alpha Company Family Readiness Group Updates
Alpha Company - Atlas
gle soldiers as well as our Alpha
families. We hope that all Alpha
families had a wonderful Thanksgiv-
ing and wish everyone a blessed
holiday season.
Our Soldiers, Our Family, On Our
Shoulders
Jennifer Mulder
423-506-0034
Jennifer Mulder
A Company FRG Leader
Hello Alpha FRG members!
Alpha Company is working hard to
support our families and soldiers. We
have our next meeting scheduled for
Wednesday November 28th. A guest
speaker from ACS will be there to
talk with our families about positive
thinking in our daily military and
family lives. Alpha Company is also
looking forward to fundraising in the
month of December, and organizing
a community assistance project for
the New Year. We will also be par-
ticipating in various activities during
the holiday season to support our sin-
By CPT Bryan Bolin
A Company Commander
Greetings Alpha Company
families!
We have been tremendously
busy keeping up with the high
tempo lately. We had the privi-
lege of supporting the first re-
sponders in the wake of Hurri-
cane/Superstorm Sandy. Our
Soldiers were doing great things
down where the storm had the
most impact. Not only were
they supporting those in need,
but we still had missions going
on back home. During this time
I learned how Alpha Company
can come together in times of
need and get the job done.
We have an FRG meeting
scheduled for November 28 and
we hope to have another great
turnout. We will continue to
expand and improve our FRG
program. FRG has welcomed
SGT Smith as its TAFP; he will
act as a liaison between the FRG
and the single Soldiers of Alpha
Company. FRG is not only for
Families but will continue to and
build stronger bonds with the sin-
gle Soldiers of Alpha Company.
If anyone is interested in vol-
unteering for the FRG feel free to
stop by the office and talk to me
about which position(s) interest
you. We are looking various FRG
positions as well as key callers. I
want to take this opportunity to
thank all of the Families and Sol-
diers of Alpha Company for all
that you do and all of your sup-
port.
―On our shoulders!‖
C P T B y r o n M u l d e r
3 1 5 - 7 7 4 - 1 0 4 1
L I B E R T Y T I M E S
P A G E 4
Bravo Company - Hangar Rats By MAJ Del Boyer
B Company Commander
Greetings Hanger Rat
Families: Bravo Company
News: Well, we all made it
back from Colorado. It
was some great training for
all of our Soldiers as we
conducted aircraft mainte-
nance on 18 airframes over
a 40 day period. Our
downed aircraft recovery
team (DART) was also util-
ized on the top of a 9000
foot mountain. This train-
ing proved to be very bene-
ficial to everyone involved
as it included several rides
for our Soldiers on a UH-
60 and CH-47. Team work
played an integral role as
our Team found out work-
ing on a hilltop at 9000 feet
has several challenges, to
include: resupply of food
and water for the security
element, navigation to the
site, cold weather training
and some combat focused
Physical training. All to-
gether, it was an incredible
month and a half in Colorado
and the weather was abso-
lutely beautiful. Hopefully
next time we can get some
down time to enjoy the area
that we were in. Thanksgiv-
ing came upon us so fast that
I’m not sure the reality of the
situation is setting in, this
unit will deploy in about six
months. That means that we
have a lot of work to do to
get our Soldiers up to speed
with tactics and procedural
courses of action. Our phase
teams are plugging away in
the hangar on a daily basis
and will continue to do so
through the beginning of the
year. We are
still planning
on getting a
DART train-
ing exercise
incorporated
in the Battalion December
FTX as well as another train-
ing event in March. Our Sol-
diers will remain busy, but I
know that they are up for the
challenge. I am truly thank-
ful for their service and I’m
continually humbled by the
dedication that I witness on a
daily basis.
ARMY STRONG-
.
Bravo Company Family Readiness Group Updates
Karri Boyer
B Company FRG Leader
Bravo Company Happenings!!!
We would like to take this
time to let everyone know how
very thankful we are to be a
part of the 277 family that
makes Ft. Drum such a won-
derful place to be. We want to
wish everyone a wonderful
start to their holiday season
and a quick reminder to be
careful on the roads as the
weather turns cooler. May you
have safe travel wherever your
holiday plans may take you.
We care about you all and
wish you the BEST in all you
do!
I hope to see you at our
next FRG meeting on 27NOV
@ 1800 at the Monument
Ridge Community Center.
Everyone is welcome to come
out! Please let me, Karri
Boyer, know if you plan to
bring your craft/business/or
hobby to show off & sell at
our meeting. It is going to be
F U N !
[email protected]. Fin-
ger foods of any kind are wel-
come if you can make some-
thing, but are not necessary. If
we have enough people, we
will also have a bunco game or
two. I hope to see as many
Bravo spouses as can fit it
into their schedules.
9 DEC we are meeting other
FRGs at our DFAC to make
cookies together @ 1000--I
hope those of you with culi-
nary talent will rescue me, as
I am not gifted in the baking
department. Ha! We will be
making cookies and packing
up some holiday cheer for all
277th single soldiers.
Respectfully submitted,
Mrs. Karri Boyer.
MAJ Del P. Boyer
Hangar Rat 6
(315) 772-4239
Charlie Company - Ravens
P A G E 5 V O L U M E I , I S S U E 3 1
By CPT Matthew Thompson
C Company Commander
November was a hectic month for
the Ravens but hopefully everyone
enjoyed the breaks for Veteran’s Day
and had a great Thanksgiving with
friends and family. We spent the
month upgrading our Warfighter In-
formation Network-Tactical (WIN-
T) communications equipment. The
upgrade involved two weeks of train-
ing on the expanded capabilities of
the upgrade and involved most of the
company. Once the upgrade was
completed, we validated the systems
to ensure they were all performing as
expected.
We also sent a team of our radio
operators out to the field to support
Task Force Tigershark’s aerial gun-
nery exercise. 2LT Negron, SPC
Cortese, SPC Martinek, SPC Elkhill,
and PFC Catlin spent the week oper-
ating a radio retransmission site to
extend radio communications for the
training exercise. We also welcomed
back our CPN team we sent to the
Joint Readiness Training Center
(JRTC) at Fort Polk, Louisiana. SGT
Loaiza, SPC Dever, and PFC Martin
spent the month supporting Task
Force Knighthawk’s training rota-
tion.
Charlie Company has been under-
going some changes to our mission
and organization, so over the next
month you might hear about some
changes to the Raven’s structure of
the company and some elements as
we refocus our training on radio
transmission and retransmission opera-
tions in our Combat Net Radio special-
ties.
December will be a short month for
the Ravens as we take a break or the
holidays during our block leave period
but we will be fully involved in sup-
porting Task Force Mountain Eagle’s
battalion field training exercise and the
brigade’s convoy live fire exercise with
our TF Mountain Eagle CPN team lead
by SGT Ellis.
We are still planning to have an
FRG meeting at the company on Thurs-
day, the 13th of December at 1630 (4:30
PM) to put out information regarding
training in the new year, so I hope to
see all of you that can make it! Be safe
on the roads once the North Country
weather hits!
CPT Matthew Thompson
(315) 774-1056
Visit www.myarmyonesource.com
There are options to Login with your
username and password or Register if
you don’t have a profile.
Fill out your information.
When you’ve created a profile, click on
―Volunteer‖ on the top right section of
the page. This will take you to the Vol-
unteer Management Information System
(VMIS)
Click on ―Opportunity Locator‖
Select ―Fort Drum‖ under Military
Community and ―FRG: 10 AVN– 277‖
under the Organization and click Search.
Choose the volunteer position you’d like
to apply for. When the new page loads,
click Apply.
Online VMIS FRG Volunteer Registration
Check out the FRSA Flash! The 277th ASB FRSA Flash has lots of
in-formation and is our Bi-weekly News-
letter for our Family Members and Sol-
diers. If you are not receiving the FRSA
Flash, please contact the 277th FRSA
Michele Galloway at 315-774-1206 or
Charlie Company Family Readiness Group Updates
By Sarah Ellis
C Company FRG Leader
November has been a very busy
month with ranges and training – and
December is going to be just as busy,
but crammed into 2 weeks. I wanted
to say thank you to everyone who
showed up to the FRG meeting on 14
November. I mentioned that if there
is ever a specific topic that you would
like to discuss at the FRG meeting,
please let me, CPT Thompson, or
SGT Ellis know. There are plenty of
programs on base that can send peo-
ple out to speak to the company and
families, like we had at our October
meeting. We are currently trying to get a
fun, relaxed meeting planned for De-
cember, so keep your eyes and ears
open for details. Also congratulations
are in order for the Wilsons who wel-
comed their daughter, Taylor Elizabeth,
into the world on 8 November at 2130.
She weighed 6lb 5oz. That is all from
the FRG for this month – I hope every-
one enjoys their holidays!
Sarah Ellis
865-621-2621
P A G E 6
L I B E R T Y T I M E S
D I D Y O U K N O W ?
Army Community Service
(ACS) has clinical Military
Family Life Consultants
(MFLCs) available for walk-
in confidential consults? If
you feel you need some-
one to talk to or are hav-
ing marital problems,
please call them at 315-212
-6919 or just stop by M-F
8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
ACS also has a Financial
Readiness Program that
provides free counseling or
advice on financial matters?
They can provide all types
of financial assistance: pull
credit reports, budgeting,
debt management, invest-
ing, etc. Call 772-0050 for
more info.
Behavioral Health Con-
tacts: Suicide Resources/
Hotlines Connor Clinic Appoint-
ment Line: 315-772-2778
After Hours Emergency
Services (Holidays and
Weekends) Before 9:00
pm: Acute Care Clinic,
315-772-5236
After 9:00 pm: Samaritan
Medical Center Emer-
gency Department: 315-
785-4100
Local 24-Hour Crisis Line:
315-785-4516
National Suicide Preven-
tion Lifeline: 1-800-273-
TALK
Suicide Prevention Action
Network (SPAN):
ww.spanusa.org
By MAJ Jerry Johnson
10th CAB Chaplain
Greetings to everyone from
here at the Brigade offices.
I will now add to the intro-
duction I gave last month.
Willard Harley teaches
these five basic needs men
and women have, subject to
adjustment, but true in at
least 80% of marriages.
We will look at the top two
of each His Needs and Her
Needs.
Two of the top five most
important needs for men:
Sexual Fulfillment – men
in general have a stronger
desire for the physical part
of the sexual relationship.
Recreational Companion-
ship – men desire for their
wife to be a ―playmate‖ in
a sense when it comes to
doing activities. Of course
many women want their hus-
bands to do things like go
shopping, take part in their
hobbies, and engage in con-
versation. Men tend to like
adventurous outdoor activi-
ties or have their wife enjoy
watching games with them,
etc.
Two of the top five most
important needs for women:
Affection – Women are more
relationally-oriented than
men, and the intimate part of
the relationship is not based
so much on physical pleasure
as it is on developing a bond-
ing, an oneness with their
husband. So men, if you
want sexual fulfillment you
better show affection toward
your wife non-stop.
Conversation – According to
Les and Leslie Parrot, men
usually speak to get a report
(i.e. just the facts), whereas
their wife wants rapport (to
build a relationship). Men
often need to work on eye
contact, body language, and
removing distractions like the
television to give their wife
undivided attention.
Just like some of the other
marriage materials we chap-
lains have presented and will
present, Harley speaks of the
―emotional love tank‖ that
needs to have regular deposits
and rare withdrawals to create
a strong marriage, with an
irresistible love. So as we are
about five to six months out,
husbands and wives ask your-
selves and your spouse how
you can meet each others
emotional needs. Have a
great beginning of North
Country Winter and Happy
Holidays!
THE CHAPLAIN’S CORNER: PART TWO
CONTACT INFORMATION BN Staff Duty 774-1200
24-hour BDE Staff Duty 774-1100
FRSA 774-1206 email [email protected]
FRG Leaders
HSC – Dawn Marie DeGrave cell: 315-777-6152; [email protected]
A Co – Jennifer Mulder, cell 423-506-0034, [email protected]
B Co—Karri Boyer-cell: 315-767-6067, [email protected]
C Co—Sarah Ellis-cell: 865-621-262, [email protected]
FRG Advisors
Diana Ortiz – cell: 571-228-1962, email [email protected] Marion Harris - cell: 315-955-9106; [email protected]
WRITE A FRIEND MONTH
BINGO MONTH
HOLIDAY SEASON
WINTER BEGINS AND MAYBE SNOW WILL FALL
ENJOY BLOCK LEAVE BE SAFE
V O L U M E I , I S S U E 3 1
December 2012
P A G E 7
Annual Holiday Celebration , Tuesday,
4 Dec 12, 5-7pm, at the Commons.
Holiday Ham Buffet Luncheon, Thurs-
day, 6 Dec 12, 11:30am - 1:30pm, at
the Commons.
Fort Drum Tree Lighting, Thursday, 6
Dec 12, 5pm, at Post Chapel.
Waterloo Shopping Outlet Trip, Sat., *
Dec 12, 8am-6pm, Parks & Recreation.
Teen Middle School Holiday Dance,
Sat., 8 Dec 12, 7-10pm, Youth Center.
Community Events Need Help? Call or visit Military
OneSource to find infor-
mation about taxes, par-
enting, deployments,
finances, taxes, counsel-
ing, PCS moves & more!
Upcoming Key Caller
Class Dates: December 12th
All Classes are at ACS from
10-11:30am. or 2-3:30pm
Call Mobilization and Deployment to
register at 315-772-0470.
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
Training/Classes
FRG Suspenses
BDE/BN/CO FRG
Meetings/Training/
Events
1
2 3 4 5 6 Care Team
Training 7 8
9 10 OPSEC
Safety Class 11 12 Key Caller
Class 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Personal Financial Counselor is avail-
able . Call him at 315-523-3765 to
help set up a budget, check your
credit, develop a plan to get out of
debt, get started investing, or what-
ever you need assistance with. You
can also always call Financial Readi-
ness at 772-0050 for this same type of
assistance.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND NEW YEARS! BE SAFE AND ENJOY
YOUR BLOCK LEAVE AND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY!!!
Family Readiness Group Advisor’s Updates, continued
P A G E 8
L I B E R T Y T I M E S
Thank you to all the great volun-
teers in our Battalion who took the
selfless step and donate their time
every day and energy in assisting the
Family Readiness Group in essential
needed positions. Thank you to all
the provided systems created by the
U.S. Army or other entities that sup-
port our families and military today.
By this I mean positions like the
Family Readiness Support Assistant
– our FRSA Michele. This position
was created in the past four years and
it offers an extra set of hands to sup-
port Company Commanders and
their FRG Team. The FRSA is the
perfect connection between soldiers
in their work environment and the
Family Readiness Volunteers.
I am also mesmerized by the
wonderful ACS building and its end-
less free courses that families can
enjoy each and every day. Finally
the many provided sports and venues
that we do have today for our families
on post. Having moved and seen many
garrisons and lived in various countries
I can truly say that what is offered in
Ft. Drum is a wonderful palette of op-
tions for Soldiers and their Families.
Please look around and discover the
many and easy to reach options we
have in this area. The ACS can assist
you on places to go and things to do
even in the coming winter months.
Sure we can always find a corner to
make improvements but take a minute
consider and compare (or ask a mili-
tary spouse who was here some time
ago) what the daily options where in
this area fifteen years ago and you will
discover how grateful we ought to be!
Thank you to all the resilient military
families in our Battalion. Your support
and love to the Soldier helps shape his
or her everyday work. Thank you for
what you do and what you will do in
the coming months. May you all en-
joy a wonderful, safe and special
Thanksgiving!
Please take a minute and partici-
pate in the 277 ASB Family Readi-
ness Survey. Share with us your
thoughts and needs and know that
we do listen and support every mem-
ber of our Battalion. Looking for-
ward to hearing from you!
Diana Ortiz
FRG Advisor
TF ME
GREETINGS FROM Chaplain (CPT) Steven Rindahl, 277th ASB Chaplain (Incoming)
Greetings from the Chaplain Captain Career Course, Ft Jackson. Let me introduce myself. I am Chaplain
Steve Rindahl and once this course is complete I will be en route to Ft Drum and the 277th. This will be
my first assignment in Aviation and I am very excited to have this opportunity to serve such a specialized
field. Prior to becoming a chaplain I served as an enlisted Soldier for 17 years. Since returning to the
Army as a chaplain I have served with Armor and Infantry as well as at one of our fine Army hospitals
working with Soldiers recovering from wounds and injuries. As I prepare for this move to the 277th, I look
forward to meeting everyone and getting to know you. I have had opportunity to see the schedule of terri-
fic events CH (MAJ) Johnson has laid on for strengthening marital and family bonds – if you have not al-
ready done so, I encourage you to take full advantage of these opportunities to build your relationship skills
which will be so vital during upcoming times of separation. Check with CH (MAJ) Johnson as to what
events still have slots available.
P A G E 9 BRAVO PICTURES
Photos taken by Vincent Boyer Bravo Leadership serving Thanksgiving
Dinner on 20 NOV 2012 to our
wonderful 277th soldiers, families, and civilians.
P A G E 1 0 CHARLIE PICTURES
CHARLIE ON THE MOVE ( RE-TRANS training, WIN-T Inc1B training, and at the last Raven FRG Meeting ). NEVER A DULL MOMENT!!!
277th Aviation Support Battalion History
In February 2006, the 277th Aviation Support Battalion
deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring
Freedom VII, where it provided combat service and support
to the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Falcon.
The Unit redeployed in February of 2007 after earning the
Lieutenant General Ellis D. Parker Award for best Aviation
Battalion in 2006 and the Meritorious Unit Commendation.
In October 2008, the 277th ASB deployed to Iraq in sup-
port of Operation Iraqi Freedom 09-11, where it provided
support and combat services to the 10th CAB, Task Force
Lightning. The unit redeployed in October 2009 and earned
the Lieutenant General Ellis D. Parker award for the Best
Combat Service Support Battalion for the work performed
during its 2008-2009 deployment.
20125 Hangar Access Road
Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield
Fort Drum, NY 13602
Phone: 315-774-1206
Fax: 315-774-1231
E-mail: [email protected]
277th Aviation Support Battalion
10th Combat Aviation Brigade
“Freedom and Liberty”
P A G E 1 1