the red warrior path april 2015

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http://www.facebook.com/one.twelve.infantry

1-12 IN

FANTR

Y

Greetings Red Warrior families

and friends!

The battalion has been

back from Afghanistan for

about four months and we are

proud of what they have accom-

plished. The companies have

accounted for, inspected, main-

tained, and in some cases up-

graded most of their equipment.

Many accolades go to the Com-

pany Executive Officers for

managing this, but the one who

really made it all happen was

CW2 Pena from G Company.

His efforts and dedication

earned him the West Point Soci-

ety’s Junior Officer of the Year

Award for Fort Carson.

The battalion held the

inaugural Red Warrior Non-

Commissioned Officer and Sol-

dier of the Month Competition.

Each NCO and Soldier had to

complete three minutes of push-

ups, three minutes of sit-ups, a

three and a half mile run (in

ACUs and boots), and as many

dips and pull-ups as they could

do. They also conducted a stress

shoot, land navigation, a formal

board, and a mystery event.

Each company had a NCO and

a Soldier participate in the com-

petition. Each candidate gave

100% throughout all of the

(Continued on page 3)

Command Team Update

by LTC Michael S. Avey and CSM Steven A. Brown

SSG

Sherman

from

Blackfoot

Company

prevailed as

the NCO of

the month .

The Red Warr ior Path

THE RED WARRIOR

PATH is published by 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment (Light) for the families and friends of Red Warrior Soldiers. 1-12 Infantry (L) is part of Task

Force Mountain Warrior (4 IBCT, 4 ID). Contents of THE RED WARRIOR PATH are not necessarily the official view of, or endorsed by, the U.S.

government or the Department of Defense. Please send all questions or comments about THE RED WARRIOR PATH to SGT Seth Price at

[email protected].

ON THE FRONT COVER: (FRONT) SGT Nathan Brown, holds the Nation’s Colors during a change of command ceremony.

LTC Avey celebrates with the 1-12 IN EIB Awardees Front Row, 1LT Nieminski, 1LT Goodin, 1LT Kapacinskas. Back Row, 1LT Moore, CPT Bowcutt, LTC Avey, 1LT Solmonson, 1LT Lee

LTC Michael S. Avey Battalion Commander

Volume 3, I s sue 1

Command Team Update (continued)

SPC Kinzel

from

Arrowhead

Company

prevailed as

the Soldier

of the month.

events, which made it a very

close competition. Despite the

tight competition, SGT

Sherman from Blackfoot Com-

pany prevailed as the NCO of

the month and SPC Kinzel from

Arrowhead Company prevailed

(Continued from page 2)

The PSD receives a patrol brief prior to leaving on a mission.

as the Soldier of the month.

Equipment reset is

normal for units returning from

a deployment, but what is not

normal is that they have begun

individual training in earnest.

Most recently, seven Red Warri-

ors earned the distinguished

Expert Infantryman Badge,

which was established in 1944

by the Army Chief of Staff,

General George C. Marshall.

1LT Nieminski was the Bri-

gade’s 12-Mile foot march

champion, completing the event

in 2:08. 1LT Kapacinskas was

one of the only Soldiers in the

Brigade to go “True Blue”

through the entire test. “True

Blue” is the moniker given to

those who complete the entire

test without any deficiencies.

LTC Avey pins 1LT Nieminski with his EIB

CSM Steven A. Brown Battalion CSM

April is the Army’s

Volunteer Recognition Month.

At the end of the month, we will

have a dinner ceremony for all

family members that have vol-

unteered over the last year and

those that have just stepped

forward to join our growing

numbers of volunteers. We will

recognize them with a token of

our appreciation and thank

them for their dedicated selfless

service.

—Red Warrior 6 and 7

Arrowhead Company—From the Tip of the Spear

by CPT David Michelson and 1SG Buddy Tucker

Great

training

lies

ahead.


Families and Friends of Arrowhead Company, The Company has had

a productive few months since

returning from Afghanistan.

After receiving all of our equip-

ment, and taking some well de-

served time off during block

leave, we got right in to training

for the Expert Infan-

tryman Badge train-

ing event. Getting

used to the altitude

again took time, but

the men did well

conducting tough,

but comprehensive

physical fitness train-

ing to get ready for

the PT test and 12

mile ruck march.

We’ve spent a lot of

time working on our

weapons skills and

land navigation. Af-

ter a few days at the

range, over 75% of

our company quali-

fied as expert marks-

man.

After over

a year in A Co, we

said goodbye to SSG

Anthony Wagner

and his family. SSG

Wagner is now a

platoon sergeant in

C Co and we are

proud of his selec-

tion to that position.

His leadership, dedi-

cation, and work

ethic will be missed,

but we know that C

Co will benefit from

having him lead

Soldiers there.

The next few months

will be busy, but filled with great

training. After Expert Infantry-

man Badge testing, we’ll train

on all the different weapons we

have in the company. Then,

we’ll focus on Fire Team tactics

and a live fire exercise where

teams have to enter a building

and clear a room. All in all, it

will be realistic, tough, and what

we signed up to do.

—ARROWHEAD 6 and 7

PFC Stone and PV2 Edwards from 1/A rock climb with their platoon at Iron Horse Gym.

Volume 3, I s sue 1

Arrowhead Families bowl at the most recent FRG function.

Arrowhead Soldiers check the results of their land navigation test in

preparation for EIB.

SGT Hooper and PV2 Edwards prepare for their night land

navigation range in March.

SSG Dornbrook begins the safety brief prior

to night land navigation.

Families and Friends of Black-

foot Company,

Your Soldiers have hit

the ground running since we

came back from Christmas leave

a couple months ago. In addi-

tion to inspecting and repairing

a lot of the equipment that was

worn down during deployment,

we have been training hard in

preparation for EIB testing. EIB

stands for “Expert Infantryman

Badge” and is a significant

evaluation and achievement for

all infantrymen. Soldiers are

tested on a wide spectrum of

tasks and physical events, and

the evaluation typically has a

relatively low pass rate. The

testing occurred from March 23

– March 27. The high pace of

the training cycle will continue

through the spring as Soldiers

will conduct marksmanship

training on different weapons

systems. After Memorial Day,

the company will be traveling to

Ft. Sill, Oklahoma for a month

to train reserve units in prepara-

tion of their upcoming deploy-

ment.

1SG and I also want to

take the opportunity to recog-

nize some great performances

by several Soldiers in the com-

pany. SPC Diaz – who was

evacuated following wounds

from an IED blast during this

past deployment – has com-

pleted the majority of his reha-

bilitation and moved to his next

assignment at Ft. Stewart, Geor-

gia. Additionally, three NCOs in

the company excelled during

their time at the Warrior Leader

Course, which is a professional

development school for SGTs/

E5s. SGT Case finished second

in the class, SGT Liggett fin-

ished third and was awarded the

Distinguished Leadership

Award, and SGT Hernandez

made the Commandant's List.

Lastly, SGT Sherman competed

in the battalion’s NCO of the

month competition and won

first place. This success is a tes-

tament to the professionalism

and hard work of these NCOs.

1SG O’Donnell and I

are always available to answer

any questions you may have.

You can reach us at

[email protected]

and [email protected].

—Blackfoot 6 and 7

Blackfoot Company—The Blackfooted-Beast Lumbers On

by CPT Alex Tisdall and 1SG Russell O’Donnell


Your Soldiers

have hit the

ground running

since we came

back from

Christmas

leave a couple

months ago.

2nd Platoon, B Company conducts a team building off post Physical Training at the Manitou Incline.

Volume 3, I s sue 1

2nd Platoon, B Company Soldiers conduct training on the .50 Cal machine gun in

preparation for EIB.

PVT Rodriguez, the company armorer, com-

pletes weapons reset.

PVT Green and SSG Bethea conduct inventories

of their gear after deployment bags arrive three

months late.

SGT Morgan and SPC Munoz con-

duct EIB standard training on the

M240B machine gun.


Comanche Company—Continuing to Serve

by CPT JB Brown and 1SG Joseph Gaskin

Right from the

start, Comanche

Company prepared

to dominate the 4th

Infantry

Division’s

Ironhorse Week

Competition.

Greetings friends and

families of Comanche Com-

pany. Since returning from win-

ter block leave, the Soldiers of

Comanche Company have par-

ticipated in a wide array of train-

ing events. Right from the start,

Comanche Company prepared

to dominate the 4th Infantry

Division’s Ironhorse Week

Competition. The Soldiers of

Comanche Company competed

in a variety of events, to include:

a 10 kilometer run, a combatives

tournament, a 7.5 mile ruck and

shoot, a litter carry run, and

many more events. 1LT Alex

Beak, the 1st Platoon Leader,

was one of the top 4 combatives

contestants within the division

in his weight class. 1LT Trevor

Hanson and SSG John Pearson,

the 2nd Platoon leadership, led

the 45 members of the 7.5 mile

ruck and shoot to a top 3 finish.

Comanche Company was an

integral reason the Red Warriors

finished 2nd overall in the entire

division.

Comanche Company

welcomed leaders into new posi-

tions from within the company

and outside the unit. 1SG Jo-

seph Gaskin took charge on

March 26th. Additionally, we

welcomed SSG Anthony Wag-

ner into the Comanche Ranks.

SSG Wagner comes from Ar-

rowhead Company and is our 3rd

Platoon Sergeant. We are ex-

cited to see him lead Soldiers at

his new position of increased

responsibility. Lastly, Comanche

Company added a new Sergeant

to our ranks, Specialist Alan

Calderon was promoted to Ser-

geant. We know he will con-

tinue to provide excellent leader-

ship and mentorship to his Sol-

diers within 2nd Platoon.

Upon completion of

the change of command, the

company shifted focus to pre-

paring for the Expert Infantry-

man Badge Testing. The testing

is a week long, consisting of a

physical fitness test, a land navi-

gation and orienteering test,

multiple lanes that simulate

combat tasks, and finally, a 12

mile ruck march. In preparation

for this grueling week, Coman-

che Company was out in the

field, bracing winter storms and

cold, to qualify our Soldiers on

the M4 rifle and to prepare them

for the extremely difficult land

navigation test.

We are excited to be

back in Fort Carson after a suc-

cessful deployment and we are

ready to showcase some of the

best Soldiers from within the

brigade during EIB testing

week.

Comanches!

—Comanche 6 and 7

1LT Hunerdosse speaks to his Platoon prior to conducting night land navigation training

Volume 3, I s sue 1

Comanche Soldiers practice treating a casualty

PFC Haas conducts training on a M2 .50 Cal in preparation for the Expert Infantryman Badge Testing

CPT Kruck relinquishes command of Comanche Company to CPT Brown

SPC Maldonado conducts maintenance

1LT Beak conducts a safety briefing for Comanche Company prior to Land

Navigation Training

Comanche Soldiers practice calling for artillery fire in a simulator


son. Regardless of where they

serve, these three Soldiers are

certainly assets to the United

States Army and Dog Company

is proud to have seen them re-

enlist. One final congratulations

is due to SGT Korven Burns,

who successfully completed the

United States Army Air Assault

School in March. Great job

earning your Air Assault wings,

SGT Burns! With respect to

upcoming events, Dog Com-

pany will host a Section PT

Competition at the Company

Area on 02 APR. The competi-

tion will allow the 8 Sections in

the Company to compete


Dog Company—Moving, and Moving On

by CPT Jim Lee and 1SG James Edling

Congratulations

is due to SGT

Korven Burns,

who successfully

completed the

United States

Army Air

Assault School

Dog Company Families,

For the Months of

February and March, Dog Com-

pany has been busy focusing on

individual training. The Com-

pany has spent weeks preparing

all Soldiers for Expert Infantry-

man’s Badge (EIB) testing.

Prior to EIB testing, the Com-

pany had 56 Soldiers qualify as

Experts with their rifles, allow-

ing them to participate in the

EIB testing. Additionally, the

Company completed three days

of day and night Land Naviga-

tion Testing in preparation for

the Land Navigation Test por-

tion of EIB. Outside of EIB

training, the Company has been

busy training Soldiers on Heavy

Weapons Platforms, to include

the TOW/ITAS missile system,

and on individual skills needed

to operate other new equipment

and vehicles within the Com-

pany. Throughout the months,

Dog Company has had three

Soldiers reenlist. Please con-

gratulate on their commitment

to continue service, SPCs Jacob

Rannals, Manuel Pena, and Jo-

seph Wassenaar. SPCs Rannals

and Wassenaar re-enlisted to

PCS to Germany, while SPC

Pena will stabilize at Fort Car-

1LT Joshua Dragnett is promoted on 09 March by LTC Avey

Volume 3, I s sue 1

against each other in military

tasks and physical fitness events

and will be followed by a barbe-

cue to which all Soldiers and

families in the Company are

invited.

— Dog 6 and 7

Dog Company Soldiers refine the emplacement of the M18A1 Claymore Mine during EIB Lane 3 training on 17MAR

SFC Favor, 3rd Platoon Sergeant, instructs Dog Company Soldiers on the conduct of

Call For Fire during Lane 2 EIB practice.


Geronimo Company—Hot at Work

by CPT Matt Howard and 1SG Joseph Davis

We have fewer

Soldiers and soon

to be fewer

vehicles. As

always, the

platoon makes

the mission

happen and

works well as a

team.

SSG Bishop teaches a class to leaders on the proper installation and utilization of snow chains on a LMTV

Officer of the Year award, one of only three officers on Fort Carson to be awarded this pres-tigious award—congratulations!

Distro platoon has undergone a transformation with the establishment of the new company organization. We have fewer Soldiers and soon to be fewer vehicles. As always, the platoon makes the mission happen and works well as a team. Distro platoon has been hard at work supplying ammuni-tion to the many small arms ranges in preparation for the battalion to execute Expert In-fantry Badge training. During this time, Soldiers have made time to participate in ranges and improving their land navigation skills.

—Geronimo 6 and 7


Greetings friends and family of Geronimo Company, Over the last few months Geronimo Company, (formally Eagle Company), has been busy supporting the Battal-ion and reorganizing our forma-tion. Golf Company has had many Soldiers transfer to units within the Brigade and has wel-comed numerous Soldiers into Geronimo Company as well. During the last month, we wel-comed in our new First Ser-geant, 1SG Davis, previously assigned to Alpha Company, 704th BSB. 1SG Davis is eager to train and lead the Soldiers of Golf Company for what we’ve planned in the upcoming months. 1SG Meza transitioned to 704th BSB to be the First Ser-geant of Alpha Company.

Over the last few months, Soldiers have been get-ting back into the daily opera-tions while at home. The main-tenance platoon has diligently worked at maintaining the fleet of vehicles and finishing up the last few items during the post-deployment RESET phase and preparing the battalion to head into individual training. The specialty shops have been able to service and repair all the bat-talion’s weapons, radios, night vision devices and mortar sys-tems— well ahead of schedule! Maintenance platoon has also been re-integrating themselves with maintaining a fleet of home station vehicles, unlike the MRAP variants that we became so accustomed to over the pre-vious deployment. Recently, CW2 Pena was recognized and awarded the Fort Carson Junior

Volume 3, I s sue 1

CW2 Pena receives the Fort Carson Junior Officer of the Year from COL (R ) James

Distro platoon provides range safeties for PEO Soldier during the fielding of CROW

systems for Dog Company.

Maintenance

platoon has

diligently worked

at maintaining

the fleet of vehicles

and finishing up

the last few items

during the post-

deployment

RESET

SPC Williams, SPC Bozell, and SPC Wilson exchange an engine within the maintenance bay.

1SG Meza changes responsibility with 1SG Davis


HHC hit ground run-

ning as we returned from block

leave resetting our equipment

and personnel that make up

Hatchet Company. In addition

to inventorying and repairing all

our equipment we took on the

deployment, we also said good-

bye to dear friends and wel-

comed new ones.

In December HHC

said farewell to our outgoing

Company Commander, CPT

Ben Hooker, and our Executive

Officer 1LT Tyler Cline. These

Hatchet Company— RESET...Let’s Get to Work!

by CPT Jaylen Smith and 1SG Matthew O’Neil

As we move into

collective training

the mighty

Hatchet

Company is

ready to tackle

the difficult

mission

two outstanding leaders are both

moving on to great opportuni-

ties. CPT Hooker will attend

Graduate school at the Massa-

chusetts Institute of Technology

(MIT) in Cambridge Massachu-

setts, and 1LT Cline will attend

the Maneuver Captain’s Career

Course in Fort Benning Geor-

gia. As they leave we welcome

our new Commanding Officer

CPT Jaylen Smith and new Ex-

ecutive Officer 1LT Brendan

Weed.

We are incredibly

proud of our outgoing Scout

Platoon Leader 1LT Brad Kelly

who was selected to serve in the

elite Ranger Regiment. This

strong leader made an incredible

impact on our entire battalion

during his time as a Red War-

rior, and we wish him well in

Savannah Georgia with 1st Bat-

talion, 75th Ranger Regiment. In

his place SFC Branden

Velasquez has taken over leader-

ship of our Scout Platoon, and

has already proven equal to the

task. The Scout platoon is train-


1LT Vytas Kapacinskas, 1-12 IN BN S4, conducts EIB training on the M2 .50 Caliber machine gun.

Volume 3, I s sue 1

1SG O’Neil keeps time as HHC Soldiers finish the 2 Mile Run

Major Hallows sets the pace of the 2 Mile Run during day 1 of HHC PT testing

SSG Mynor Rivera explains the requirements of the Army Physical Fitness Test to HHC

ing hard and getting our recon-

naissance Soldiers ready for the

next year of training.

The Mortar platoon

also said goodbye to it's out

going platoon leader 1LT Mike

Culak. He was accepted into the

Army’s Civil Affairs branch and

we wish him well as he begins

training to serve as an Officer in

this vital mission. His replace-

ment 1LT Jeff Lee successfully

completed Infantry Mortar Leader

Course (IMLC), and already

joined our mortar men during

their first live fire exercise.

Our Medical Platoon

was lucky enough to keep our

Battalion Medical Officer 1LT

Bieller through this critical time

of transition. The medics have

invested a tremendous amount

of time and effort these past few

months practicing the first re-

sponder and trauma treatment

techniques that they will use on

the battlefield. These Soldiers

can now bandage and brace any

injury you could I imagine, and

then some! The Red Warrior

docs are absolutely ready to get

back out to our Infantry compa-

nies and stand ready to save lives

when the time comes.

As we move into col-

lective training the mighty

Hatchet Company is ready to

tackle the difficult mission of

training for our next deploy-

ment. No matter where our

Commander need us, we will be

ready.

—Hatchet 6 and 7


Battalion Staff Sections

The Army is

about many

things, systems,

equipment,

processes, but at

its core it is an

organization

made up of people.

S1—“So, what exactly does the S1 do anyway?”

by 1LT Eric Brauninger

Two years ago as I in-

processed at Fort Carson an-

other new lieutenant struck up a

conversation about our different

branches. “So, what exactly does

the S1 do anyway?” The ques-

tion struck a humorous chord

with me. I chuckled to myself

and replied, “Well, everything.”

And yet, if you query the aver-

age person, their understanding

of the S1 is somewhat limited.

This is largely due to the fact

that Soldiers generally only

come to the S1 shop to resolve

problems.

Our Battalion S1 Shop

takes seriously the issues that

Soldiers care deeply about, such

as pay, promotions, evaluations,

awards, orders, mail, and a host

of other Soldier-centric respon-

sibilities. We are an entity explic-

itly purposed to serve Soldiers.

The Army is about many things,

systems, equipment, processes,

but at its core it is an organiza-

tion made up of people. And in

an organization that is all about

people, the S1 shop is particu-

larly relevant.

That is why my exagger-

ated response to my peer’s ques-

tion was so inclusive. Allow me

to give you a practical example

of why. If you see a Soldier in

the PX, pumping gas at the

shopette, or even at a ball or

unit function, take a look at his

uniform. Every piece of it is

evidence of the S1’s involve-

ment in his life as a Soldier.

Consider an E-5, a Ser-

geant. His rank, proudly dis-

played on his shoulder or chest,

indicates that he has gone to the

promotion board and has the

ability to lead other Soldiers. His

promotion was facilitated by the

S1, who organized the board,

integrated him into the promo-

tion standing list, cut his promo-

tion orders, and conducted the

ceremony wherein he was offi-

cially promoted. As he continues

to progress and be evaluated by

his superiors, the S1 continually

assists his chain of command in


PV2 Kaymore, SPC Dart, SPC Miranda, SPC Pryor, and PV2 McDonald gather for a quick conversation in the S1 Shop

Volume 3, I s sue 1

overseeing his NCOERs, ensur-

ing that he has the opportunity

to progress further.

His awards rack, hang-

ing above the left breast pocket,

displays his record of service

and decorations earned. The S1

reviewed, submitted, received,

and distributed each award on

that rack, whether it was a per-

sonal achievement, such as an

Army Commendation Medal, or

a deployment award, such as the

Overseas Service Ribbon. The

unit symbol, placed squarely

onto the right breast pocket,

indicating that he served with

the unit and is loyal to it. He

wears it because he belongs to

unit, and he belongs to the unit

because the S1 shop properly

placed him there.

When a Soldier arrives

at the post, his first stop is the

S1. After he is greeted at recep-

tion, he goes to the S1 for in-

processing. He is provided with

a meal card, his personal records

are reviewed and updated, such

his ERB, life insurance and next-

of-kin notification, he is added

to the unit’s identification code,

so that his command may keep

accountability of him, he is as-

signed a sponsor, who will assist

him in transiting to the unit, he

is assigned a Family Care Plan if

needed, and lastly he is intro-

duced to the command team

under whom he will serve. Con-

versely, when a Soldier leaves

the unit, the S1 ensures that he

has received an award for his

tenure with the unit, an evalua-

tion that tracks his professional

development, and updated per-

sonal records that will allow him

to easily in-process at his next

unit.

If a Soldier is regimen-

tally affiliated, that special action

is routed through the S1. If his

branch is Infantry and he re-

classes to Logistics, that branch

transfer is made possible by the

S1. When the S1 slots him, he

We believe that if a

Soldier does not have

to worry about his

pay, his end of tour

award, or if he’s

going to be promoted

or not, then he trains

better, fights better,

and serves better. PV2 McDonald works on awards for well deserving Red Warriors

may attend a school, such as

airborne or air assault, if the

position allows for it. And be-

fore he deploys, the S1 ensures

that he has fulfilled all the neces-

sary readiness requirements,

without which he would be ineli-

gible. The unit’s readiness is a

measurement maintained and

updated by the S1.

Whether we are meas-

uring readiness, handling pay

inquiries, updating records, as-

sisting in special actions, distrib-

uting mail, accounting for per-

sonnel, facilitating promotion

boards, or preparing scripts for

ceremonies, the S1 is directly

involved in the day to day activ-

ity of the unit. The bottom line

is that the S1 has an enormous

role in Soldiers’ lives. We believe

that if a Soldier does not have to

worry about his pay, his end of

tour award, or if he’s going to be

promoted or not, then he trains

better, fights better, and serves

better. This is why the S1 shop

exists. By sustaining our force

we ensure that it can fight and

win.

SSG Pondja works on Battalion Personnel

records and manning



The concept of

the COIST has

been present

within the

United States

Army as early as

the Revolutionary

War

S2— Intelligence, Winning Wars Since the Revolution

by 1LT Isaac Gutierrez

The Company Intelli-

gence Support Team (COIST)

was formally introduced into the

United Stated Army in January

2010 with the publication of

Handbook No. 10-20: COIST

Tactics, Techniques and Proce-

dures. The overall goal of the

COIST is to aid the company

commander in his decision mak-

ing by briefing a fused intelli-

gence picture and assisting the

battalion by providing a flow of

bottom-up intelligence to higher

units. However, the concept of

the COIST has been present

within the United States Army

as early as the Revolutionary

War with LTC Thomas

Knowlton. General George

Washington established the

Knowlton’s Rangers com-

manded by LTC Thomas

Knowlton in September of 1776

when the need for better intelli-

gence became apparent after the

Battle of Long Island. The crea-

tion of Knowlton’s Rangers is

regarded as the birth of Army

Intelligence as it was the first

intelligence and reconnaissance

unit in the United States Army.

Knowlton’s Rangers consisted

of 133 soldiers – most combat-

harden veterans, handpicked

from five regiments, many with

experience from the

French and Indian War.

Although the

fundamental concept of

the COIST existed, it was-

n’t until the Global War on

Terror that the COIST was

formally implemented. The

nature of decentralized

conflict, in which battal-

ions are required to own

large battle spaces, created

an intelligence vacuum due

to the vast human and

geographical terrain. It was

then that the COIST

gained momentum as a

powerful company asset

able to effectively fuse

diverse forms of informa-

tion to create an accurate

common operating picture

of the battlefield.

While deployed

to Afghanistan, 1-12 Infan-

try Battalion successfully

employed COISTs to

achieve phenomenal re-

sults on the battlefield.

Charlie Company’s COIST

lead, SGT Matthew Diehl,

(Continued on page 19) CPT Ferguson and SSG Edwards lead the S2 shop on a ruck march through the snow

Volume 3, I s sue 1

CoIST Analysts

will be able to

utilize various

enablers from

different echelons

to create a

common

operating picture.

worked tirelessly to gather intel-

ligence within the most volatile

district owned by the Red Warri-

ors. Daman District consistently

experienced kinetic attacks, from

indirect fire rocket attacks to

hundred pound improvised ex-

plosive devices, which required

an intensive intelligence team to

find, fix, and finish insurgents.

SGT Diehl, in conjunction with

Battalion S2, successfully tar-

geted insurgents by capturing

and conducting kinetic strikes

on the individuals attacking US/

NATO forces. Another ex-

tremely successful COIST was

lead by 1LT Elyse Ping Midvigy

in Delta Company. Delta Com-

pany gathered intelligence which

led to insights into criminal and

insurgent activity occurring

within 300 meters of Kandahar

Airfields perimeter. Most signifi-

cantly, Delta Company acquired

intelligence on the largest and

most active terrorist organiza-

tions in South Asia, Lashkar-e-

Tayyaba (LeT). LeT are notori-

ous for complex suicide attacks

on high value targets. Due to the

COIST, Red Warriors were able

to thwart various would be

catastrophic attacks, build rela-

tions with various civilian and

military leaders, and destroy

multiple insurgents networks.

Building on the success

of the Red Warrior COIST,

Battalion S2 will be conducting

CoIST training with company

appointed CoIST Analysts to

prepare them with the skills and

training proficiency for a hybrid

threat environment NTC rota-

tion and future Afghanistan

deployment. CoIST Analysts

will be able to utilize various

enablers from different echelons

to create a common operating

picture. They will also be able to

communicate to platoons, com-

pany leadership, and BN to en-

sure information is disseminated

accurately and effectively to

support the mission. For further

information on the COIST or

for possible job opportunities as

a COIST, contact the Red War-

rior S2 Section.

1LT Elyse Ping Medvigy, D CO FSO on the most recent deployment served as

the OIC of the Company CoIST and was the 1st female FSO in combat.

1LT Isaac Gutierrez, 1-12 BN AS2, distributes intelligence to the Afghan Uni-

form Police during a mission through the Village of Morghan Kechah

SSG Mathew Diehl, led members of C CO CoIST as they search a well during a

joint patrol with AUP in the Village of Morghan Kechah



The Expert

Infantryman

Badge was

instituted to build

and maintain

esprit de corps

within U.S.

Infantry units.

S3—A Tough and Thankless Job

by CPT Thomas Bowcutt

Last week, 247 Red

Warriors began testing for the

EIB. In 1944 Army Chief of

Staff, George C. Marshall initi-

ated the development of an

Award to honor the U.S. Army

Infantryman. The Office of

Heraldic Activity of the Quar-

termaster General began work

on designing a badge that would

represent the U.S. Infantry’s

tough, hard hitting role in com-

bat and symbolize proficiency in

the Infantry arts.

Just as the Combat

Infantryman Badge was in-

tended to be an award for those

U.S. fighting men whose pri-

mary mission was to close with

and destroy the enemy, both

German and Japanese, and later

Communist and North Viet-

namese; the Expert Infantryman

Badge was instituted to build

and maintain esprit de corps

within U.S. Infantry units. It is

more desirable for a Soldier to

enter a branch that is cleaner,

safer and less physically de-

manding, or provides more ca-

reer opportunities after military

service. The intent of the EIB

was to provide a drawing card

for a tough and thankless job on

the battlefield; to add prestige to

an otherwise undesirable yet

necessary task. (EIB, Maneuver

Center)

The first test began

before dawn on Monday when

all 247 candidates took the

APFT. 70% in each event was

required

to pass the

test to

EIB stan-

dard.

Following

the APFT,

the candi-

dates

moved

immedi-

ately to

the day

land navi-

gation

course

where they

were re-

quired to

locate

three out

of four

points in

less than

two hours. The remaining can-

didates then completed the same

course, to the same standard, at

night.

Tuesday began the first

day of skills testing. Each,

“lane” was split into two sepa-

rate sections, the MST (Master

Skills Test) and IIT (Individual

Tactical Tasks). The MSTs are

single events that focus on one

detailed test at a time and are

graded strictly to the letter of the

governing TM for each piece of

equipment. Tests in the MST

include tasks like, “clear, load,

correct malfunction, and unload

an M249 machine gun.” Upon

successful completion of each

lane’s MSTs, the candidates

moved to the ITTs. ITTs are a

series of tasks performed in a

continuous flow to simulate

tasks performed during combat

operations. A candidate had to,

for example, locate an unknown

point on a map by intersection

and resection, prepare a Javelin

for firing, move under direct

fire, and adjust indirect fire all in

one continuous test. Each lane’s

ITT is timed and the candidate

must complete all the tasks

within the time limit. The grad-

ing for ITTs is outcome based,

not as strict as the MSTs, but all

tasks must be completed to stan-

dard.

At the end of the three

days of testing, the remaining

candidates completed the 12-

mile ruck march. Candidates

were required to carry a 35


CPT Bowcutt conducts LandNav during training for EIB

Volume 3, I s sue 1

Candidates were

required to carry a

35 pound packing

list plus water and

individual

equipment. They

had to complete the

12 miles in less than

three hours in order

to meet the standard.

ments were presented with their

EIBs on Friday in a Brigade

formation. Out of the 247 Red

Warriors that began the testing

on Monday, 7 earned the EIB.

pound packing list plus water

and individual equipment. They

had to complete the 12 miles in

less than three hours in order to

meet the standard. The candi-

dates that met all the require-

1-12 soldiers constituted the

plurality of Mountain Warriors

who earned the EIB and

achieved the highest pass rate of

all the Battalions.

MSG Miller explains the proper use of a compass to members of the US Men’s Olympic Water Polo Team during a team

building obstacle course

1LT Kapacinskas, scored the most points in the EIB competition and was named True Blue, 1LT Nieminski as the EIB Ruck

March champion. Both were presented Army Achievement Medals for their performance.



Effective

communication

is essential to

the Army’s

ability to fight

and win the

nations war.

S6—“Can You Hear Me Now?”

by SSG Charles Howard

When trying to convey

the importance of the S6 shop, I

am always reminded of either

Verizon’s’ cell phone commer-

cial slogan “Can you hear me

now?”, or picture someone in a

movie climbing up a tree to get

a better signal on their phone or

radio. These types of humorous

situations on television, when

you need to send a combat pa-

trol to climb a tree to provide

line of sight for a directional

antenna. Infantry doctrine

teaches the importance of a

Soldiers ability to Shoot, Move,

and Communicate. If you are a

Soldier on a mission, you have

to communicate before and

after you shoot and move. Ef-

fective communication is essen-

tial to the Army’s ability to fight

and win the nations war. That is

where the S6 shop comes in.

The S6 shop is one of

several support elements in the

1-12th Infantry Regiment, and

simply responsible for all com-

munications throughout the

Battalion. Essentially, the S6 is

responsible for anything that is

plugged into the wall, to include

telephones, computers, printers,

scanners, and all of our ad-

vanced tactical radios. Even

though Soldiers in the S6 are

referred to as Commo soldiers,

the individual soldiers in the

shop have different specialties

and functions. There are radio

maintainers that set up antennas

and radios capable of jumping

3000 frequencies per second,

ensuring secure communica-

tions. There are computer and

networking specialist to set up

independent internet networks,

linking computer to servers for

data transfer around the world

almost instantly. There are spec-

trum managers to calculate fre-

quencies depending on solar

variables that determine what

frequencies will bounce off the

atmosphere, and what frequen-

cies will blast through and out

into space.

While most days work-

ing in the S6 shop can be re-

warding, others remind us why

corporations outsource this job

to India. The typical day for a

soldier in the S6 is to provide

customer service to the rest of

the Battalion.

This is done by

performing

computer up-

dates, repairing

and maintaining

radio equipment

and planning

for future op-

erations.

Communication

requirements

constantly

change as the

digital world

evolves. The S6

is tasked ensur-

ing that our

Soldiers are able

to effectively

and securely

communicate

(Continued on page 23) PV2 Mejia works on radios for HHC

Volume 3, I s sue 1

The S6 is tasked

insuring that our

Infantry soldiers

are able to

effectively and

securely

communicate on

diverse battlefield

in remote locations.

on diverse battlefield in remote

locations. We do this by having

subject matter experts in com-

munications embedded in the

companies and by providing

training to operators and indi-

vidual Soldiers. Our goal is to

support Soldiers and leaders’

ability to relay information re-

gardless of situational restraints

to include weather, terrain, or

the electromagnetic environ-

ment. If you are calling for fire,

calling for a medical evacuation,

or calling loved ones back at

home, the S6 will be there to

support.

PV2 Guaglianone fills computer trouble tickets,

keeping Red Warriors on the network

PFC Visarraga and PV2 Stegall perform operation checks on radios for HHC


Before I came onto active

duty as an Army Chaplain, I served

two rural parishes in northeast Kan-

sas, in the area north of Fort Riley

but south of Nebraska. I was an

Army brat growing up and quite

familiar with the unique experience

of living in different countries and

different cultures. I had considered

myself pretty well traveled for a 26

year old brand-new pastor.

However, in all my cultural journeys, I had never lived

in a rural area. It quickly became obvious I was in a foreign land

experiencing a foreign way of doing things and, in some ways, a

foreign culture. I had always lived on Army bases or in large cit-

ies, but I suddenly found myself in a town of 600 people who all

considered ‘nice jeans’ to be dressy clothing and where the topic

of the rainfall had far more importance and relevance in daily

conversation.

The natural thing for a minister to do is to engage the

culture and the lifestyle as much as possible. I threw myself into

community events and activities. I also threw myself into as much

of the day-to-day life of the farmers and ranchers as they were

willing to drag their pastor along to. I saw calves ‘pulled,’ helped

plant crops, did chores with the high school youth and even got

to drive a half million dollar combine to ‘pick’ corn and ‘cut’

wheat at harvest time.

Although new, and foreign experiences to me, they were

mostly what I expected when I pictured rural life. That suddenly

changed in my first spring in Kansas, when the farmers all lit their

fields on fire. You could imagine my surprise at driving around

the countryside for weeks at a time seeing fallow fields charred to

a crisp and smoking into the evening sunset. Wasn’t this the ven-

erated Kansas tall grass prairie, the breadbasket soil that produces

enormous yields of food? I quickly took up the question with my

parishioners. Much like how they simply chuckled and shook

their heads at me the first time I described the rainfall as

“Enough to get the street wet” (farmers measure rain in 32nds of

an inch, not vague descriptions), they chided me and set out to

explain their world to me.

The Kansas tall grass prairie is often suffocated by it’s

own prodigious ability to support plant life. There are grasses

that are not as valuable to livestock grazing that have a tendency

to overwhelm a field and choke out the fresh grasses that help

calves grow into delicious hamburgers. The solution to this is not

found in a lawnmower or a chemical. Instead, when the wind

Chaplain’s Message and the season is right, a rancher will simply light his field on fire

and burn out all the plant growth on that plot of land in a matter

of minutes. The result looks almost like a moonscape. A field

that thrived yesterday with grasses as tall as a teenager becomes

reduced to a barren landscape of charred ash an inch off the

ground.

This is an apt image for how people feel when life isn’t

working out very well. We have such high hopes for so many

things, and we try so valiantly to use our access to enormous re-

sources to produce fruit for our families and our lives. Usually,

we do quite well for ourselves, and our careers progress while our

children grow and our relationships flower. But sometimes

things go terribly wrong, sometimes our children’s development

stunts into an awkward phase, sometimes our marriages crumble,

and sometimes our careers disintegrate. Sometimes our health

evaporates or a tragedy upends our entire way of life in the time it

takes a car to roll off of the highway in an accident. When we

step back from these low points and survey the carnage, it can

feel overwhelmingly depressing as we scan for anything hopeful

and yet find only an inch of cold, cruel ash.

Even after the famers explained their strange ways to

me, I still had my doubts. Because seriously, who lights one of

their most valuable possessions on fire on purpose? I didn’t

voice my doubts, and I’m glad I didn’t. For what I saw over the

next few weeks took my breath away.

Only a few days after a field is burned, shoots of green

grass start to break the ashen surface. A week later, buds of new

grasses are everywhere. This is exactly what the ranchers want,

because these fresh grasses provide much better nutrients to the

grazing livestock. Less than a month after the torch lit the field

on fire, the ashen landscape was nowhere to be found. In its

place was a field as far as the eye could scan of lush, green, succu-

lent grass, growing at an alarming rate, ready to support the

growth of cattle. Spring truly sprung out of the ground before

my very eyes in Kansas.

This is my prayer for you when you find yourself sur-

veying a barren field of ash and dust that so recently had been

something much better—may the God who brings forth life with

nothing more than a whisper work in your world to regenerate

what was lost, to replace your tragedy with triumph, to heal the

scars of the wounds of your relationship and make them fade into

nothing but a bad memory. May the God who has a peculiar way

of using death to make new life breathe into your marriage or

your children’s minds or your broken hearts or your fading health

to reinvigorate you with new growth, with shoots of hope and

strength and nourishment that can spring you forward into a new

chapter of wholeness. This is my prayer for you-where you know

death, may there be impossible life.

Chaplain (Captain) Jeremie Vore

pines against the insurrection.

The men fought through hellish

conditions of steaming rains and

temperatures over 120° to enve-

lope the enemy and ultimately

seize the key town of Luzon.

After several more years of spo-

radic fighting mixed with garri-

son duty the Regiment returned

to the United States in 1906. In

commemoration for the bravery

of the men and officers of the

Regiment a red sea

lion, brandishing a

sword, from the

Philippine coat-of-

arms was added to

the Regimental crest.

Today our

crest captures but a

section of the storied

history of the 12th

Infantry Regiment.

In the early twenti-

eth century, the

Regiment fought off

bandit Mexican ar-

mies along our

southern border.

The unit served val-

orously in World

War II, including a

crucial role on the

D-Day landings.

After WWII the unit continued

to serve in Germany in the early

days of the Cold War and even-

tually deployed to Vietnam in

1966. Since then it’s been heav-

ily deployed to both Iraq and

Afghanistan in the first two dec-

ades of the 21st Century.

west, build telegraph lines, guard

gold fields, and continually

fought off native tribes.

The yellow band, or

“chief”, across the top repre-

sents the Regiments role in the

Spanish and Philippine Wars.

The 12th worked in concert with

the famed Rough Riders to cap-

ture key Spanish forts in the

summer of 1898. While the

Rough Riders assaulted the San

Juan Hill strongpoint, the 12th

captured its twin, the fort at El

Caney, five miles to the north.

After withstanding withering

rifle and cannon fire, the 12th

surged over the bastions of the

fort and carried the day. The

broken block, or castellated, line

separating the yellow and blue

portions of the crest represent

the victory at El Caney.

Scarcely a year later the

12th saw action in the Philip-

Units have long used

crests as a symbol both of their

heritages and to represent their

current identity, and the 12th

Infantry Regiment follows in

this long tradition. The crest of

the 12th Infantry Regiment

represents the current regiment,

which dates from May 3rd, 1861.

Our first engagement was at

Gaines’ Mills, Virginia on June

27th and 28th, 1862 not long

after the Civil War be-

gan. The battle devas-

tated the unit as our

regiment suffered al-

most 50% losses over

the two days. The two

Moline crosses in the

center of the crest repre-

sent the crushing losses

sustained at Gaines’

Mills. The Moline cross

itself was chosen since it

represents a “millrind”,

which was an iron clamp

that bore the weight of a

mill stone and held the

machine together. The

pair of crosses repre-

sents the weight of the

losses borne by the

Regiment.

A wigwam with five

poles represents the five sepa-

rate campaigns the 12th Regi-

ment fought in during the al-

most 25 years of Indian Wars on

the western frontier in the later

part of the 19th century. Alone

and unafraid, the Regiment de-

ployed to the far reaches of the

country, often in company out-

posts with as little as forty to

fifty men. In its service on the

frontier, the Regiment helped

secure pioneers in their first trek

Volume 3, I s sue 1

1-12 Infantry History

by 1LT Aaron Pool

cies, and traumatic amputa-

tion/ compartment syndrome.

The class had three

days spent in a cadaver lab

where every system of the

body was covered in detail. We

were shown where everything

in the body from muscles to

organs and bones were lo-

cated, how they were con-

nected, and how they worked

in conjunction with the parts

around it. This was useful be-

cause in books everything is 2

dimensional but by seeing it in

person it gives you a 3D view,

helping you better understand

the complexities of the body.

It is important that

medics should be offered the

opportunity to go to this class

or similar classes to learn from

the knowledge of medical pro-

fessionals covering topics that

can also be used by the mili-

tary.

Six outstanding 68W

medics graduated from the Wil-

derness Advanced Life Support

training in Denver. Medical pro-

fessionals provided instruction

on their fields of expertise to

include Skeletal System injuries,

chest decompression, and a ca-

daver portion. These medics are

bringing back their knowledge

to improve the medical profi-

ciency across the battalion. We

will continue looking for oppor-

tunities to develop our individ-

ual medical skills for our medics

and Soldiers.

During the EMT Wil-

derness class there was a lot of

knowledge to be gained. There

were multiple experts in differ-

ent fields who came in to talk to

us about their respective fields

like altitude related problems,

proper foot wear and feet inju-

ries, respiratory issues, fluid

management, dental emergen-

SPC Hostetler participates in hands on training during EMT

Wilderness School

Special tools and plasters used for dental emergencies

Specialized medical equipment and training aids used by stu-

dents in the EMT Wilderness School

EMT Wilderness Training

By SPC Hostetler

Volume 3, I s sue 1

lenges include solving problems,

and working through an obsta-

cle without verbal communica-

tion, balance, and pictograms.

Divided into two

teams, the athletes battled

through the course ending in a

neck-in-neck finish. The group

of men enjoyed their unconven-

tional training at Fort Carson as

they continue their journey of

traveling and training to reach

their collective goal of winning

gold in the 2016 Summer Olym-

pics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Coach Kocur appreci-

ated the opportunity to train

with the U.S. Army so his team

can see and feel how they repre-

sent the U.S. while competing

around the world.

1-12 IN Soldiers spent

Saturday, March 21st conduct-

ing team building exercises with

the US Men’s National Water

Polo Team. LTC Avey wel-

comed Coach John Kocur and

his athletes to Fort Carson to

train with the Red Warriors. The

Water Polo Team includes

members that have competed in

up to 4 Olympics.

CPT Amy Tang and

1LT Amanda Young, Army

Master Fitness Trainers out of

Fort Jackson, SC, conducted

Physical Readiness Training and

Military Movement Drills with

the team prior to the event. The

athletes stated that they conduct

very similar exercises for their

dry-land training in the gym.

Coach Kocur was most im-

pressed with the level of disci-

pline expected out of Soldiers

during Physical Training which

is something that he wanted his

team to experience.

Throughout the event,

the team rotated between physi-

cal challenges and team building

exercises. Physical challenges

included log carries, water jug

carries, litter carries, HMMWV

push, and running. Mental chal-

Volume 3, I s sue 1

U. S. National Water Polo Team

Trains on Fort Carson

LTC Avey welcomes the US Men’s Olympic Water Polo Team to Fort

Carson

MSG Miller leads the US Men’s Olympic Water Polo Team through the

obstacle course

Members of the US Men’s Olympic Water Polo Team push a humvee

as a team building activity

the red warrior path april 2015

Documents