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Cobra SIGNET is C Det 106th Financial Mgmt Company Quarterly Newsletter from Afghanistan
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CONTENTS
Page 2 …... From the Commander
and Detachment Sergeant
Page 3 …… Chaplains Corner
Page 4 …… Poems from our own
Page 5 …… Shout Outs
Page 6 …… Significant Actions
Page 7 - 9 …… Fitness Column
Page 10 - 11 …… Note from the
Editor
Page 12 …… Contributors
Commitment:
“The freedom to be your best means nothing unless you are willing to do your best.”
General (Ret)Colin Powell
Charlie Detachment 106th Financial
Management Company
COBRA SIGNET
Volume 1 march - April
COBRA SIGNEt Volume 1
2 | P a g e
From the Commander
I would like to heartily thank all my Soldiers for their support on the current
mission. Since we successfully completed the transfer of accountability with
C/101st FMCo last month, our Soldiers have remained focused on mission
fulfillment. My fellow Soldiers, I count on your ability and professionalism when it
comes to providing the best possible service to our customers. I am confident that
you will continue to uphold the esteemed reputation of the Charlie Cobras
throughout this deployment by providing superb service and support throughout
our area of operations. This detachment has truly grown together by always
looking after one another; let’s pass these same ideals of care and compassion on to
our customers. I genuinely believe we have what it takes to be the best finance
detachment in theater. I pray for the safety of each you every single day.
From the Detachment Sergeant
We have finally settled in to our area of operation, and have begun to demonstrate a
standard of excellence. I am proud of how quickly you have accepted responsibility of
the mission. As we begin to fully understand our duties and responsibilities, we will
begin to improve our work facilities and streamline the procedures we utilize to service
our customers. We are dispersed in three different locations but our commitment to
one another and to our mission has never been stronger. Over the next few months we
will have some hurdles to overcome both personally and professionally. We will
continue to fine tune our battle rhythm, we will search for the best times to reach our
loved ones back in the rear, and we will always be adjusting to the flow of operations
here in Afghanistan. As we have special events here we will keep the rear informed.
Thank your love ones for their dedication and support. Strive for Excellence!
CPT Khan Hossain Commander
SFC Terry Anderson Detachment
Sergeant
COBRA SIGNEt Volume 1
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Years ago I read an article in Sports Illustrated about football great Emmet Smith. The article probed
Smith on how he continued to be driven and push himself each and every season. Smith’s answer was
simple. Every year he sits down, thinks about his life and writes out ten goals he desires to achieve.
Then he spends the year pursuing those goals. He committed to his goals and shaped his life around
the milestones that would help him achieve them. We can see the effects of Smith’s commitment in
his being in the football Hall of Fame, holding rushing titles and his overall success at life. We can also
learn from how he approached commitment.
All worthwhile things in life require commitment. Serving America requires a commitment to defend
our country and serve where we are told to serve. If you are going to have the most intimate of
relationships it requires a commitment to love another in marriage. If you have children you must
commit to their education, emotional health and spiritual growth. We often fall in love with these
ideals: God, family and country. Then we struggle with the commitment to make the ideals work in
our life. Commitment is hard. It requires sacrifice and a willingness to do the hard thing. An Army
spouse once told me she always thought being married to a Soldier would be romantic. Then when
deployment came she said, “There is nothing romantic about being an Army wife. It is just hard at
times.” When we commit to something we obligate ourselves to accept the cost. That cost is what
makes the difference a life of goodness and a life of selfishness. We accept responsibility, separation,
and sadness. But the rewards of being committed are wonderful: reunion, celebration, honor and
character.
Have you ever thought about what you are willing to commit to? I think there are all kinds of things
you find yourself committed to without even thinking about it. You are probably committed to family,
church, groups, kids and work. If you want to thrive during a deployment instead of just survive, then
you might take a page out of Emmet Smith’s book. It is one thing to think about your commitments.
However, if you are going to attack life and be successful you have to move things from just thoughts
to action. Football legend Emmet Smith said, “It’s just a dream until you write it down.” Write down
the things you have given your heart to and think through how you can make those commitments
stronger. What goals can you set for this year that reflects your love of God, family and country?
Write them down. Make your dreams come true.
By: CH (CPT) Neal K. Hicks
COBRA SIGNEt Volume 1
4 | P a g e
My Commitment
My commitment in life holds on strong
It’s real and loyal and flows so long
I’m more than proud, so motivated
And glad to be so dedicated
An army of one we serve together
A proud nation I’m apart of forever
I never ever think to fail
Where the mission goes, I’ll prevail
The bond, the support, the families made
Will always be here and grow each day
What my future hold is at no end
I will always hold on to this commitment
SPC Eiri Cohen
COBRA SIGNEt Volume 1
5 | P a g e
SHOUT OUTS
Shout out to magnum PI over @ eggers I.E. Alex Thrift – Alvey
Shout out to my awesome family back in Vicenza – Alvey
This is a shout out to all my peeps in BAF SSG Mais, SGT Jolly, SPC Akani, all my peeps in
Eggers: LT, SSG Cortez, CPL Ojeda, SGT Davis, SPC Lord, SPC Alverez, SPC Ipili, SPC
Cheruiyot, and PFC Thrift......
Love ya; Miss ya...... 7 more months SFC Cruz
This is for my friends and family back home in Vicenza and for my Peeps in BAF and Eggers – SGT Herter
S/O to my daughter Asia Nicole, daddy loves you! PFC Williams
Shout out to SPC Ledo and PFC Williams form the CVS crew from BAF – SGT Mais
COBRA SIGNEt Volume 1
6 | P a g e
PROMOTIONS
THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS HAS BEEN AWARDED THE FOLLOWING RANK EFFECTIVE MAY 1ST:
SGT MAIS – STAFF SERGEANT
SPC DAVIS – SERGEANT
RE ENLISTMENTS / EXTENSION
THE FOLLOWING SOLDIERS HAS CHOSEN TO CONTINUE THEIR SERVICE:
SFC TERRY ANDERSON
SFC ANTHONY CRUZ-DIAZ
SGT KENTON JOLLY
SPC MAGELA LEDO
SPC KEVIN ALVEY
BOARDS:
SPC ALICA DAVIS IS THE 33RD FINANCIAL MGMT COMPANY SOLDIER OF THE YEAR
SFC ANTHONY CRUZ-DIAZ IS THE 33RD FINANCIAL MGMT COMPANY NCO OF THE YEAR
SFC ANTHONY CRUZ-DIAZ IS THE 18TH FMC NCO OF THE YEAR
SPC ANTHONY ALVAREZ & PFC HASSAN WILLIAMS WILL BE REPRESENTING OUR DETACHMENT AT
THE 33RD SOM BOARD
SFC ANTHONY CRUZ-DIAZ WILL BE REPRESENTING 18TH FMC AT THE FINANCE NCO OF THE YEAR
BOARD AT FORT JACKSON, SC
Quarterly
Significant Actions
COBRA SIGNEt Volume 1
7 | P a g e
WELCOME COBRAS TO YOUR FITNESS CORNER
By: SFC Anthony Cruz-Diaz & SPC Sarah Lord
I understand that many of us are skeptical about squats. You ask yourself; if I add weight are my knees
going to hurt? What happened if I hurt my back? These questions are a valid point, but like I always
say to my guys here….technique and form over anything else. If you have the proper technique you
will get the maximum effect of the exercise. I know how proud we are in our detachment and we have
a lot, a lot of trash talking people (starting with me), but when it is time to work out the intensity level
raise, the rush increase, but always, always exercise with the proper form and technique.
Here are some tips to help you with your squats:
First practice your squats without any weight. This will help you in your form. Remember
form and technique over weight and talk.
1. Bar placement is the most important piece of the puzzle, make sure the bar is on the
bottom of your rear shoulders not on the top of your shoulders.
2. Maintain your knee position and don’t let them drift over your toes. Keeping your
lower leg straight is the best way to protect your knees.
3. Tighten your whole body as you perform the exercise.
4. Rise up, keep your eyes towards the ceiling, if you look down or straight, you will
drop your chest and put all the weight in your lower back.
Remember to conduct the exercise to the best of your abilities. You don’t need to impress
anybody. You are doing this for yourself.
If you are starting with squats I advise you to start without the bar. These are some easy steps
to prepare you to the perfect squat.
1. Find a flat wall and position your back on the wall.
2. Lower your body keeping your back straight to assume the sitting position.
3. Hold the position for 45 seconds
4. Lift your right foot about 3 to 4 inches from the ground and straight the right leg.
Hold this position for 45 seconds
5. Alternate to the left leg and repeat step 4.
6. Go back to the sitting position and hold for 30 seconds.
7. Rise up straight. Take 30 seconds rest and repeat steps 1 through 6. You will
complete 5 sets for this exercise.
These steps will prepare your legs and will give you a good workout anywhere. When you
don’t have time to go to the gym, and you at work looking at the walls, get your legs a
workout.
SFC Anthony Cruz-Diaz
COBRA SIGNEt Volume 1
8 | P a g e
Okay that is enough for the squats now let me share some of
my chest exercise for the week.
Focus for this week is MASS GAIN!!! I like to work out in
different levels every week. I like to have a heavy week, a
light week and a max out week. Our focus for this month
edition will be mass gain. The weight will be heavier, the
repetitions will be fewer, but the results will be amazing. You
can modify the workout as you please. I do not use the barbell
when I exercise the chest muscles.
Chest
1. Dumbbells Bench Press. Warm up with lightweight
dumbbells.
(3 sets 8/6/4 reps) (Burnout set with lighter weight)
2. Incline dumbbell Press. Warm up
(3 sets 8/6/4 reps) (Burnout set with lighter weight)
3. Dumbbells bench flyes Warm up
(3 sets 8/6/4 reps) (Burnout set with lighter weight)
4. Incline dumbbells flyes. Warm up
(3 sets 8/6/4 reps) (Burnout set with lighter weight)
5. Bent-arm Dumbbell Pullover.
(3 sets 8/6/4 reps) (Burnout set with lighter weight)
6. Cable crossovers. Warm up (three different positions.
Up/Middle/Down)
(3 sets 8/6/4 reps) (Burnout set with lighter weight)
7. Dips chest variation.
(3 sets of 15)
8. Elevated pushups.
(3 Sets of 15)
SFC Anthony Cruz-Diaz
COBRA SIGNEt Volume 1
9 | P a g e
Females typically don’t
like to have big bulky
muscles. Most women
desire the hourglass
shape. In order to lose
the arm jello and the
back boobs there are a
couple things that need to be worked on. As
for the lower part of the body, we want it
firm (not hard, that’s a bit much) and thick.
To lose the arm and back fat use
light weights and high reps to build lean, cut
muscle. Cardio before and after workouts
will burn more fat and will build more
muscle on legs while strengthening the
core. No one wants to look like they have
chicken legs, and doing sprints will cut
down run time as well as build bulk into the
thighs and gluteus. For those taking birth
control, more work is needed in order to
build muscle due to the high levels of
estrogen being pumped into the body.
Routine is the enemy, once the body
adjusts to a workout routine, the effects on
the body hit a plateau and the
improvement stops. Master the basics of
gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climbing,
push-ups, sit-ups, flips, splits, and holds.
Also bike, run, swim, row, any cardio, hard
and fast. Mix these elements into your
workout with as many combinations and
patterns as creativity will allow in order to
stay away from that dreaded plateau.
Do not starve yourself. Constantly
snacking on healthy foods and drinking
plenty of water will aid in a healthier
metabolism. We don’t want to look like
Paris Hilton so I recommend eating high
protein low fat meats in proper
proportions. Everything in excess is bad;
moderation is the key. Also consider any
medications you take and how they will
affect your body’s need for food and water.
The malaria pills (doxycycline) are a diuretic
and dehydrate your body faster. So beat the
heat and drink water and stay away from
drinking all the calories that should be
eaten.
SPC Sarah Lord
COBRA SIGNEt Volume 1
10 | P a g e
Charlie Detachment,
I hope this message finds you all well. This being the first edition
of this publication I’d like to give you a quick public service
announcement about the Signet. Before that, however, I’d like to
thank SPC Kimbrough for all his time and effort putting the Signet
together. The formatting, topics, and layout are amazing and it’s
because of his hard work and dedication that this product is so
exceptional. Someday I’m sure his talents will be better utilized
creating and instituting domestic and foreign policy but until
then, we’re extremely fortunate to have his creativity and
enthusiasm as a part of our team.
Now for a bit of admin information. If there’s something you’d like to see added to
the Signet, whether it’s the forecast for the week, a Spanish lesson, a joke section,
anything at all, please let either me or SPC Kimbrough know. The Signet is truly
your publication. It is put together for the Cobra Soldiers and no one else. Other
people may read it, but this is all about you and putting some memories down on
paper for you to look back at later in life. So send us poems, songs, pictures,
drawings, ideas, your thoughts on current events, comics, anything at all and we’ll
find a way to get it in here. This is your chance to share what’s on your mind with
some close friends and colleagues.
We’ve had some incredible things go on in the short six weeks since we left
Vicenza! I trust everyone had fun during the two weeks in transit it took us to get
here…. Or at least enjoyed the free candy and Chocó Tacos in Manas! It was
especially fun living in a biohazard transient tent while every cold strain known to
man circulated between our 200 tent mates. Those of you that were able to avoid
the sickness, I’m proud of you, it’s an incredible feat. Those of you that got sick the
day we were getting on the C-17, I’m sorry. I was a primary suspect in spreading
the germs via the games of Spades. And for the females, the junior officers from
your tent called and they said TO QUIET DOWN, THEY WILL NOT TELL YOU AGAIN!
You know, a very, very small part of me was sad to have missed the opportunity to
deploy to Iraq. After spending the last nine or ten years hearing about the
scorching heat and miserable sandstorms it sounded like an interesting experience!
Well lucky for me, Afghanistan had a special treat in store for us on the flight line
trying to get from Bagram to Kabul! For many of us it was our first and (now that I
know what they’re like) hopefully last sand storm. I truly did not believe how sandy
you get from sitting outside during a sand storm. Those of you that deployed to
Iraq, Kuwait, and other likewise sandy locales… wow. I can’t imagine living with
that every day for 12 or 15 months. Unbelievable! I don’t even want to think about
how bad the sand would be with 130 degrees of heat piled on top.
COBRA SIGNEt Volume 1
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But, unfortunately, the sand storm was also the day after we had to say “hasta
luego” to our friends SSG Mais (congrats on the promotion!), SGT Jolly, and SPC
Akani. Hope you guys are doing well and making some new friends! We’ll see you
soon enough! Send us some BBQ from the barbecue tent, that place is delicious! All
in all, Bagram wasn’t so bad. We got some free pizzas from the Pizza Hut one night,
the showers were pretty nice, and the DFAC had some great desserts. But despite all
that, it was definitely nice to get on that CH-47 and head towards a more permanent
lifestyle.
The day we left Bagram was a long day for all of us. After we showed up at 0400,
our first flight got canceled. Then we got put on another flight. Then that flight got
canceled. Then we got on another flight. And we finally took off. I think we all
found it an interesting task carrying six bags each from Vicenza to Afghanistan and
everywhere in between. Lesson learned, pack light. The flight from Bagram to Kabul
was short and uneventful. The land between the two areas appeared to be
extremely barren so there wasn’t much to look at from the helicopters.
Once in Kabul it was time again to say goodbye as those of us going to Camp Eggers
left on the evening convoy. Since then we’ve successfully completed the RIP/TOA
and settled into our respective locations. The crew at BAF participated in an Easter
morning 5K. The Cobra basketball team at Camp Phoenix has been competing
regularly. SFC Cruz-Diaz and SPC Davis won the 33rd
FMCO NCO and Soldier of the
year. SFC Cruz-Diaz (and more than likely SPC Davis would have if not for being
disqualified because of her promotion) won the 18th
FMC NCO of the year and will
compete for the Finance Regimental NCO of the year. SGT Mais and SPC Davis will
very soon be SSG Mais and SGT Davis. SPC Cohen has participated in poetry
readings. Multiple Soldiers and NCOs have re-enlisted or extended. SPC Lord will
soon MC and dance in an Asian Heritage celebration. Multiple Soldiers will head to
BAF for the Soldier of the Month Board. And everyone has started to evaluate and
change their work processes to make our offices more efficient.
That’s a very brief summary of all that we’ve seen, done, and experienced since
making the 12 hour trek from Vicenza to Ramstein. Know that everyone is very
proud of you and the success you’ve seen thus far. It’s not uncommon for the
Commander, SFC Anderson, and I to get on the phone after the business day and
gloat about how lucky we are to have such amazing Soldiers in the detachment.
Keep up the good work! And shoot me an email when you do things at your
respective locations so I can write about them!
Stay safe,
LT Ulrey
COBRA SIGNEt Volume 1
12 | P a g e
Contributors
CPT Khan Hossain – Commander
SFC Terry Anderson – Detachment Sergeant
1LT David Ulrey – Chief Editor
SPC Thomas Kimbrough – Creator
SSG Matthew Bailey – Photographer
PFC Alex Thrift - Photographer
CH (CPT) Neal Hicks – Chaplain Corner
SPC Eiri Cohen – Poems from Our Own
SFC Anthony Cruz-Diaz – Fitness Corner
SPC Sarah Lord – Fitness Corner