BRAVO 106TH FINANCE MANAGEMENT SUPPORT UNIT

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NEWSLETTER FOR OFFICAL USE ONLY

ARMY FINANCE CORPS

BULLDOG NEWSLETTERS 16TH STB FACEBOOK PAGE

Questions and comments regarding the newsletter and/or the FRG can be directed to

Emily Graziano: Email: BulldogFRGAnsbach@googlemail.com

Cell: 0151-400-24022

DETACHMENT COMMANDER

CPT ANDREW GRAZIANO

DETACHMENT SERGEANT SFC GEORGE DRAKAKIS

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•M249 Range •Super Bowl Party •Indoor Soccer Team •Resiliency Training

•M9 Range •Pictures from around the Detachment

M249 Machine Gun Range

On Thursday, 31 JAN 13, members of Bravo Detachment participated in the M249 range that took place in the training area of Oberdachstetten. A primary purpose of this drill was to improve marksmanship skills of the Detachment Soldiers. To prepare for the range, warriors went through a preliminary marksmanship instruction on 17 JAN 13, and an engagement skills training on 24 JAN 13. Weather on the day of the range happened to be not quite ideal: even though, it was not raining, every now and then, somewhat strong wind caused damage to paper targets that eventually, resulted in unexpected delays. Bravo Soldiers were joined by their peers from Delta Detachment in Kaiserslautern, which without any doubt, provided them with an excellent opportunity to interact with fellow Soldiers and to further enhance a company cohesion. The Detachment was able to meet its primary goals of improving shooting skills of the Soldiers, and qualifying of all participating warriors. Based on my observations, this was possible due to perseverance and hard work of Soldiers that were assigned key roles in terms of preparation to the range. Needless to say that all stages of the preparation to the range and its execution over the three-week period were carefully planned, monitored, and supervised.

BY SPC Nikitin

What an awaited event, being able to share some good times with our leaders and mates from around Garrison. This was the first time I enjoy the use of two big screens to watch the Big Game! The party was in Barton Barracks ‘Eagle Nest’; a building next to our barracks that is designed to host large groups and a great place for a barbeque. As I arrived to the gathering a little past 2300 hours I could see the amount of food available and excitement in the faces of the people present. The XBOX was roaring while two Soldiers were showing off their abilities at the game of virtual soccer. Right beside it was the bigger TV transmitting the pre game commercials and the sport casters preview of the well anticipated football game. Beer and whiskey floated around the establishment, together with a great fellowship between everyone present. Chicken wings, hamburgers, chips, hotdogs, chilly and more were the main course of this party, following a great game of football between the 49ers and the Ravens, that made us stay until almost 0400 hours of Monday. About the people that could not make it to the party….we missed you, and we hope you had a great time as well. Thank you all that made this gathering a success…thank you to the Ansbach Spouses Club for sponsoring the food… I had a BALL.

SPC Vittorio M. Rapizza

Detachment Indoor Soccer Team Indoor soccer and outdoor soccer are similar to each other but have several key differences that make them a slight variant from outdoor soccer. Simply the control of the ball would be more challenging, passing should be more precise, and scoring is higher, as well the physical aspect is increased. Followings are the general rule changes for indoor soccer: No out of bounds, kick in, no throw in, timeout box, no sliding tackles, and no offside rule. Unlike an outdoor soccer field, the indoor soccer field has walls which slightly prohibit an ability to kick the ball far away to clear because the ball simply would bounce back onto the field. However, players are able to utilize kicking the ball against the wall as a one-two to steal past defenders. Due to the walls, throw-in is nonexistent which in fact cause more free-kicks in indoor soccer than outdoor soccer. For example, if there is a foul, there is kick-in which simply guides us to the third difference between indoor and outdoor soccer: timeout box. If a player commits a reckless foul, instead of being issued a yellow card, they will be banished to the timeout box (or bench) for two minutes (usually). There are absolutely no sliding tackles in indoor soccer as it is usually play on a hard surface or AstroTurf because falling over can have more painful repercussions. This case often considered by the goalies which they have to be extra more conservative of stopping the opponents (in many indoor games, they have no goalies but just defenders). Last but not the least, because of the diminished field size, there is often no offside for indoor soccer. This makes more for the players to concentrate on man-marking. Pay attention on defense in indoor soccer and likewise, look for opportunities to sneak forward on offense as it will often leave a player free to score goal.

By PFC Park Work Cited- http://www.totallysoccer.com

On January 23, 2013 Bravo Bulldogs had the opportunity to exercise their minds rather than their bodies. Not to say that PRT is not importance but exercising the mind is just as important. The entire family Bulldogs’ met at the Eagle Nest and to their surprise not only where they greeted with a home cooked breakfast but they also were presented with some training on Master Resilience. The chefs for this home cook breakfast consisted of CPT Graziano and 1LT Newberry. And the instructor for MRT training was conducted by SFC Irby. Also the Bulldogs’ gave a warm welcome to 1SG Folwer who was able to travel for the breakfast and training. The Master Resilience Training consisted on several modules such as Resilience and MRT Competencies, Building Mental Toughness, Building Characters Strengths, and Building Relationship. Even though we only had a short amount of time to cover all of these modules SFC Irby made a point to cover each of the modules in a professional and detail manner. This training was very useful for the Bulldogs’ because as SFC Irby stated this type of training material is not just something that you use in your professional life in the military but it’s a continuous process that must be used on a daily life basis. Over all the MRT breakfast was a great turn out for all of the Bulldogs which as whole give them all another tool to apply to living their life in which they can implement during personal and professional life. Finally one of the type example that SFC Irby informed the Bulldogs of when they think of what is mastering resilience is more like a tennis ball falling to the ground and bouncing back and non master resilience refer to how an egg when it falls to the ground and it breaks and scatter to pieces…

By SPC Harris

Mental Fitness Breakfast

Pistols & Precision: The Bulldogs Take the Range

On Thursday, 7 February, Bravo Detachment conducted Prime Time Leaders Training (formerly known as Sergeant’s Time Training) at the Oberdachstetten Range Complex. The Bulldogs had the opportunity once again to test their proficiency with the Beretta M9 semiautomatic 9mm pistol. The somewhat unfavorable weather conditions in the early morning hours had little effect on the unit’s ability to effectively prepare and execute a productive day of training. With numbers dwindling within the ranks, each member of the detachment was tasked out for a specific mission. Some Soldiers performed duties as a range safety, combat lifesaver, medevac driver, and gate guard, while others were responsible for maintaining accountability of ammunition or resetting the targets between firing iterations. Teamwork, in addition to safety, became the overall theme of the day. The detachment commander and senior NCOs allowed Soldiers the chance to step into leadership roles and exhibit their ability to work together. By staying focused and fully engaged, range operations ran very smoothly and the stress level was reduced significantly. This allowed firers to perform to the best of their abilities. Several members of the unit were able to qualify as experts on their first attempt while others, who faced minor challenges, were very receptive to on-the-spot corrections and tips provided by other team members. This was a perfect example of how the Bulldogs are able to pull together, complete the mission, and achieve a common goal. By the time the last shot was fired, Bravo Detachment was 100% qualified on the weapon system with 10 experts. Even with inclement weather conditions, limited weapons, and decreasing personnel strength, the unit was able to remain dedicated to the task at hand, execute safely, exceed the standard, and make it back to Barton Barracks by 1400 hours. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. This day of training was just another testament of the solidarity within Bravo Detachment. It has been proven that the Bulldogs are skilled, trained, and will work hard until the end

SPC Antar

Preparing for Deactivation

Bare Walls!

Empty Conference Room

SPC Michalowicz assists PFC Park in loading scrap wood and metal. These Soldiers assisted the Det in clearing out supply rooms in support of the

upcoming deactivation

Team work while removing the policy board.

Transitioning to temporary furniture.

For Your Information!

Simulator Training on the M249

Safety Awards from the 21st TSC

PFC Robotham’s Farewell Dinner

Funny Valentine’s Day Card from the Armor School