Muleskinner Team Vo

G reetings to

the families

o f a l l

M i s s o u r i

A D T I V

Soldiers and Airmen.

Things still seem to

be going very well here

on the other side of the

world in Nangarhar

Province, Afghanistan.

The Security Force

( S EC FOR ) p l a t o o n

con t inues t o do an

outstanding job keeping

the team safe and the

Agriculture Section is

mak in g s i gn i f i can t

progress in empowering

t h e A g r i c u l t u r e

E x t e n s i o n A g e n t s

(AEAs) to better serve

the farmers in their

districts.

W e h a v e n o w

co nd uc t ed t r a in i n g

sessions for the AEAs

i n b o t h P r o j e c t

M a n a g e m e n t a n d

Leadership, and we are

about to sponsor a

n u m b e r o f s m a l l

projects that will be

managed by the AEAs.

We also continue to

w o r k o n p r o j e c t s

unfinished by the prior

ADT . We hope to

close out all of those

p r o j e c t s i n t h e

December – January

timeframe.

Our t ravels have

taken us to a number of

i n t e r e s t i n g p l a c e s

including a Soviet-built

dam and power plant, a

huge state-run olive tree

f a r m , a n o l i v e

processing factory, the

Nangarhar University

c a m p u s , a n d t h e

Nangarhar governor‘s

palace in Jala labad

City.

We have also visited

at least ten districts and

inspected numerous

project work sites and

potential work sites.

The wea ther has

gone from temperatures

in the 110 degree range

in August to a much

more comfortable 75 –

85 degree range these

days.

I can‘t speak for the

rest of the team, but the

f i rs t quarter of our

deployment has flown

by very quickly for me.

I know the Airmen

and Soldiers on the

team really appreciate

the support packages

they get from their

families and friends

back home, so please

keep up the great work!

Message from the Commander

I N S I D E T H I S

S E C T I O N :

Senior’s Space 2

By any other

name

3

Life of a Soldier 4

What it takes to

get mail

5

Commo: All

talk

6

ADT runs Air

Force 10K

7

Meet the Team 8

Mail Deadline 13

Pictures from

the field

14

Back at the

homestead

16

Contact us 17

The Muleskinner Team Mo Agri-business Development Team IV

O C T O B E R 3 1 , 2 0 1 0 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 5

D R I V I N G

T H E T E A M

Commander

Col. Fortune

Deputy

Commander

Lt. Col. Charles

Senior Enlisted

Advisor

Senior Master

Sgt. Blankenship

www.facebook.com/

MONG.ADTIV

P A G E 2

Sweet treats from home

H e l l o

f r o m

the East-side….St. Louis

joke.

F i r s t o f f , l e t m e

congratulate the Soldier

o f t h e M o n t h : S P C

Virginia Fletcher and

NCO of the Month: SGT

Nelson Bunch. The two

not only shined above

o t h e r s i n t h e i r

performance of duties

a n d ca r e fo r f e l l o w

troops, but when meeting

the board they went the

e x t r a mi l e . A l l t h e

candidates did a great job

but we could only pick

one from each group.

Again, congratulation for

a job well done.

We are at that time

during our deployment

for real care packages.

Sending a care package

to a deployed Soldier or

Airman isn‘t really that

difficult. But what do

they need, what should

the package have in it?

Our men and women

always enjoy candy and

their favorite snacks in

their care packages. I

know they say don‘t send

it, they are trying to lose

weight and /or trying to

get into shape while

deployed. Don‘t believe

them, they love candy.

Besides, if they don‘t eat

it, they can share it with

someone who didn‘t get a

package.

Unfortunately, there

are Soldiers and Airmen

t h a t d o n ‘ t g e t c a r e

packages for some reason

o r a n o t h e r . T h a t i s

always a great thing to do

- ask your loved ones, is

there someone they know

in that situation? Maybe

you can send a small box

and surprise them.

Receiving a package

always lifts the spirits to

a height that can‘t be

described. One of the

h a r d e s t t h i n g s t o

overcome when deployed

is the sense of separation.

This is the time of the

y e a r f o r Ha l l o we e n

candy and Christmas

goodies. If you have left

over Halloween candy,

send it to the troops. I am

pretty much a health

freak, but it is hard to

pass up a grab of candy

when I walk by a bowl.

L a s t b u t m o s t

i m p o r t a n t , s e n d

photographs. They are

without question the

most popular content of

any care package. A

picture on top of goodies

when they open their box

sets the mood. I know,

t hey ge t p i c tur es i n

emails, but it just isn‘t

the same. Pictures on

photo paper are real .

P i c t u r e s a r e l i k e a

treasure, shared among

the unit, then hung on the

bedroom ―wall of fame‖.

W e l l h a p p y

packaging…did I forget

to tell you I like red

licorice?

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R T E A M

By Senior Master Sgt. Jerry

Blankenship

SEPTEMBER

BOARD

NCO of the

month:

Sgt BUNCH

Soldier of

the month:

SPC

FLETCHER

Whichever

name is

used, a day

in the life of

Operations

can be

summed up

as “making

things

happen”

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 5

T r a i n i n g a n d

O p e r a t i o n s .

OPS. S-3. The 3-shop.

Whichever name is used, a

d a y i n t h e l i f e o f

Operations can be summed

up as ―making th ings

happen.‖

Missouri ADT IV‘s

Operations cell is a two -

man, joint team manned by

Capt. Ken Huenink and

Senior Master Sgt. Steve

Counts.

S - 3 h a s s t a f f

responsibility for plans,

operations, and training as

d i r e c t e d b y t h e

commander.

T h e S -3 t a k e s t h e

command group‘s and the

Ag team‘s requirements

and turns them into daily

missions.

O p e r a t i o n s h a s

numerous da i l y t asks

including preparing the

night ly mission br ief ,

planning future operations,

coordinating with higher

and adjacent units, and

managing flight requests.

The ADT Operations

office is a collage of large

maps, calendars, white

boards , and computer

monitors.

The office gets a lot of

traffic from the Soldiers,

Airmen, and civilians of

t h e b a s e r e q u e s t i n g

coordination for various

tasks involving the ADT.

ADT IV Soldiers and

Airmen visit the office

requesting flights to and

from other bases in the

a r e a . T h e 3 - s h o p

coordinates with a private

C a n a d i a n c o m p a n y ,

M o l s o n A i r , w h i c h

p r o v i d e s e x t r e m e l y

efficient helicopter flights

throughout our area of

operations.

Ops also spends a lot of

time analyzing routes and

terrain on an imagery

program called the Tactical

Ground Reporting system

(which we abbreviate as

TIGR, but – being good

M i s s o u r i a n s – w e

pronounce as TIGER),

which is basically Google

Earth on steroids.

Additionally, the OPS

cell for ADT IV pulls

d o u b l e d u t y a s t h e

Intelligence cell or S-2. S-

2 d u t i e s i n v o l v e

researching and analyzing

enemy activity in the area

to ensure the troops going

on mission have the most

r e c e n t a n d a c c u r a t e

informat ion about the

threats they may face.

Finally, the S-3 acts as

the section leaders for the

Headquarters section, and,

when we get the time, we

d o e n j o y g o i n g o n

missions.

By any other name

By Capt. Ken Huenink

Senior Master Sgt. Steve Counts is the

operations and headquarters sections

non-commissioned officer in charge.

The acrid smell of smoke, sewage and dawn,

waking the FOB with nature's chirps.

That's life as a soldier.

The chingle of dog tags, crunching gravel,

endlessly walking to and fro.


PT, oh blessed PT,

the pain in your joints, sweat pouring down.


Three meals a day, the same,

the same today, the same yesterday.


The weapons are clean, fingers are dirty,

the smell of CLP and kiss of cold steel.


Ready to go, out into the unknown,

first deployment jitters, old deployment wisdom.


The last door slams shut, pressure on my ears,

locked in tight, safe but not really.


The engine roars, radio chatter nonstop.

Is today the day, the one dreaded day?


Time flees, scenes whiz by the tiny window,

archaic, ancient, but today, right now.


Relief. We're inside. All are still one,

removed weight, more than helmets and plates.


Family, none related but all brothers,

I do for you as you would give for me.


Because we all stand together,

live, breath and fight – together.

That is our life, as a soldier.

Anonymous Author

MONG ADT IV

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 5

P A G E 4

Life of a Soldier


What it takes to get the mail

P A G E 5

W hat does it take to

get the mail?

For most of you reading this,

you open the door and grab it, or

heaven forbid you may have to

walk down the sidewalk to the

mailbox. If you stop and smell

the roses and say hello to the

neighbor it may take a grand total

of five minutes.

When MO ADT-IV goes to get

the mail, it takes considerably

more time than five minutes, more

like five hours. We‘re not in Mis-

souri anymore.

Getting the mail here requires

at least 12 Soldiers or Airmen,

four armored trucks, and enough

weapons and ammunition to start

a small war.

Let me explain; you have

about 10 to 12 man hours in mis-

sion planning and vehicle prep

prior to any mission. The Convoy

Commander has to write a trip

ticket, assemble a team and pre-

pare vehicles for the particular

mission. He will need to pick ma-

chine gunners, drivers, and truck

commanders. Oh yes, we can‘t

forget, we also need someone

trained and certified to pick up

our mail—this is the U.S. Army

after all.

The convoy commander then

can send the information to Oper-

ations personnel. Ops will do their

thing and create an Operations

Order.

You just can‘t leave the FOB

without everyone knowing where

you are going and what you are do-

ing.

Once our mission is approved, we

are ready to roll out and leave FOB

Finley-Shields. On the way out we

have to stop and load our crew

served weapons.

From there we move out to High-

w a y O n e , t u r n i n g o n t h e

―DUKES‖ (electronic countermeas-

ure system to defeat remote con-

trolled improvised explosive devis-

es) before we hit the highway.

Once on Highway One it is only

a mile down the road to FOB Fenty.

After we enter Fenty we do it all in

reverse; roll into FOB Fenty, turn off

our ―DUKES‖, clear and check our

crew served weapons and proceed

on to pick up our mail.

When we get to the FOB Fenty

Post Office, the mail handlers make

sure we only get the mail going to

Finley-Shields. We load the mail on

our truck and secure it for the jour-

ney back to Finley-Shields.

While we are at Fenty, troops also

take advantage of services not availa-

ble at our smaller FOB. Some go to

finance, or see the Personnel Section

for Common Access Card (CAC)

changes, or visit the big Post Ex-

change; big is a relative term, the

FOB Fenty PX is more like a Seven

Eleven than it is a Wal Mart.

Now we are ready to make that

one mile ride back to FOB Finley-

Shields. Yes, you guessed it, load

and lock weapons and turn on the

DUKES. One mile drive and do it all

in reverse one more time.

Once back at Finley-Shields, we

are far from being done. We park

the vehicles in the ADT motor pool

and have a quick After Action Re-

view; this will take about 10 to 15

minutes.

Then we drop off the mail at the

mailroom and the mail orderlies sort

it out for each of the units on our

FOB.

Meanwhile the rest of the 12 Sol-

diers and Airmen who made the trek

to Fenty have post-convoy checks to

complete and weapons and ammo to

turn in.

Now you know why getting our

mail here in Afghanistan is not a

walk down to the end of the side-

walk, but a four to six hour mission

for a dozen troops.

That said, the ADT Soldiers and

Airmen really appreciate getting

packages from home.


Staff Sgt. Billy Fox takes a turn at delivering mail

to Soldiers and Airmen on FOB Finley-Shields

from the mail room. In order to pick up and

deliver the mail, it takes at least a dozen combat

troops, four armored trucks, and half a day to

make the two-mile round trip.

By Master Sgt.Bob Weber

Commo: All talk and they walk the walk

P A G E 6

F or years, Army doctrine

stated that the fundamen-

tal Soldier tasks were to

―shoot, move, and communicate.‖

In order to ensure that the MO

ADT is fully capable and prepared

to perform the fundamental task

of communicating, a two-person

ADT Communications Section

provides technical guidance, per-

forms repairs and maintenance,

and trains the ADT Soldiers and

Airmen on how to use their equip-

ment.

The Communications Section

(also called, in Army lingo, the

‗Commo Shop‘) is comprised of

two Soldiers, Staff Sgt. Jodie

Beydler and Sgt. Nelson Bunch.

They provide technical guidance

to ADT leaders regarding commu-

nications-related issues.

When the Security Force Pla-

toon NCOs need to know which

frequencies they should input into

their radios for a particular mis-

sion, the Commo Shop provides

that information. When the Com-

mander needs to know how effec-

tively a convoy‘s communications

will operate in certain terrain, the

NCOs at the Commo Shop re-

search and explain the issues.

Whatever the question, the

ADT Commo Shop is prepared to

provide the necessary technical

information for ADT leaders to

make informed decisions.

Not only does the Commo Sec-

tion provide technical guidance,

but it also performs maintenance

and repairs on the various types of

equipment it manages.

―We manage seven different

types of radio systems, plus as many

computers as a mid-sized business,‖

said Bunch, the tactical communica-

tions non-commissioned officer.

―There‘s no shortage of things to

do. If we‘re not setting up new

equipment, we‘re repairing the old

equipment. If the old equipment (for

some miraculous reason) doesn‘t

need repair, then we‘re trying to

come up with ways to make it bet-

ter.‖

Managing repairs and mainte-

nance for more than $2 million

worth of equipment, the shop does

its best to use the public‘s money

wisely. For example, one type of

headset used regularly by the ADT

costs the government about $800.

―We‘ve salvaged at least four of

them since we arrived here that

would have otherwise been discard-

ed.‖ reported Beydler, the ADT‘s

LAN Manager. ―It‘s important to us

to try to get the most out of every-

thing we use.‖

Although advising leaders and

repairing equipment takes a large

portion of the Commo Section‘s

time, training Soldiers is arguably its

most important function.

In addition to formal weekly clas-

ses prepared and conducted by

Bunch, both Commo NCOs look for

any and every opportunity to train

Soldiers on how to use their equip-

ment, especially since much of this

equipment is highly technical and

the skills needed to operate it are

very perishable.

―Any time a Soldier comes to us

with a problem, we try to do more

than just fix it for them – we try to

show them how they can fix it them-

selves,‖ says Bunch. ―When things

go bad out in the field, we may not

be there to help them. The old adage

about teaching someone to fish defi-

nitely applies.‖

Learning the technical concepts

necessary to manage the ADT‘s

communications has been a difficult

process. Both Commo NCOs have

very different responsibilities in the

civilian world.

Beydler lives in Liberty, Mo.

where she repairs mail processing

systems for the Post Office. Bunch is

a full-time law student at the Univer-

sity of Missouri – Columbia.

Without a heavy communications

background, both NCOs have

worked long hours to learn what is

necessary to fulfill their duties to the

highest standard possible.

―We‘ve worked a lot of really

long days to get where we are now,

but we know that the work we do

here is important. Without reliable

equipment and quality training, the

ADT would be unable to do its job

safely and effectively,‖ said Bunch.


By Sgt. Nelson Bunch

Sgt. Nelson Bunch, tactical communication Non–

Commissioned Officer, sets up a temporary tacti-

cal satellite system in the district of Achin.

P A G E 7

W hi le near ly

10,000 run-

ners were scheduled to

run the Air Force Mara-

thon, Half Marathon and

10K at Wright Paterson,

Ohio, runners from Mis-

souri ADT IV were

ready to run the 10K at

FOB Finley-Shields, Af-

ghanistan.

Some questions were

asked:

- A 10K run, why

would I want to run 6.2

miles, I don‘t like run-

ning the 2 miles for PT.

- Let me see; get out

of bed before the sun

comes up to run?

I hung a sign-up sheet

in the barracks to see

how many people were

interested. The sheet was

up about a week and

there was 12-15 people

signed up.

I thought ok, I will

plan on maybe about 18

to 20. I made running

bibs numbered 1 to 25,

just because in was on a

roll copying and pasting.

It was 5:15 a.m. on

Sept. 24; I headed down

to the so called track

(more of an obstacle

course) to set up water

tables and hand out run-

ning bibs.

There were five people

that asked if they could start

early because they were go-

ing to walk the 6.2 miles and

it would take them a lot long-

er to walk.

I wave to them while set-

ting up the water tables.

Abou t 5 :45 a . m. t he

troops started showing up

and didn‘t stop until we were

35 runners strong. Thirty five

runners, I only had 25 bibs!

I pulled out some note-

book paper and instant bibs.

Not only did we have 35 run-

ners but 8 volunteers to help

o u t . Mi s so u r i ADT IV

showed up in force for the

first Air Force 10K run at

FOB Finley-Shields.

It was amazing. If I told

them they had to run two

miles for the fitness test they

would have had all kinds of

excuses why they couldn‘t,

shouldn‘t and wouldn‘t.

But they ran the distance

and had a great time. All the

runners received a T-shirt,

and a nice medallion. The

volunteers received an Air

Force Marathon towel and

patch.

I think I have created a

monster. The next race is the

Kansas City Garry Gribble‘s

Race. I have 13 troops signed

up to run a half marathon…

that is 13.1 miles. OMG!!


“ If I told

them they

had to run

two miles

for the

fitness test

they would

have had all

kinds of

excuses why

they

couldn’t,

shouldn’t

and

wouldn’t.”

By Senior Master Sgt. Jerry

Blankenship

Staff Sgt. Colson, Spec. Anderson, and

Spec. Saufley run the Air Force race.

P A G E 8

Training brought to a new

level by state trooper

C apt. Ken Huenink

i s t h e A D T

operations officer.

He is a member of the

175th Military Police

Battalion in Columbia as

the assistant operations

officer. He has been in

the Missouri National

Guard for 12 years.

As a civilian Huenink

is a state trooper with the

Missouri State Highway

P a t r o l . H e h a s a

bachelor‘s degree in

criminal justice from the

University of Central

Missouri.

He is from Jefferson

City and graduated from

Helias High School.

Huenink is also the

unit intelligence officer

a n d s a i d , ― T h i s

deployment is unique. I

like working with a small

team. My goals are to

make sure unit operations

are efficient and make

sure troops are properly

trained, and have the

latest intelligence for

missions.‖

Huenink offers the

unit additional training

opportunities they would

n o t n o r m a l l y h a v e

available. His training

with the Highway Patrol

has benefited the entire

unit.

He said, ―I also want

to use my experience as a

S W A T me mb e r a n d

firearms instructor to

train SECFOR to a high

level of proficiency.‖

Huenink no t only

o f f e r s a v a r i e t y o f

training challenges on the

firearms range, he was

responsible for putting

t o g e t h e r a n i n t e n s e

fitness program for the

pre-deployment phase of

t raining for the uni t

utilizing techniques and

e x e r c i s e s f r o m h i s

personal cross-fit training

regimen.

He also participates in

recreational kickboxing,

and using his experience

he al so ass is ted and

i m p r o v e d u p o n t h e

c o mba t i ves t r a i n in g

conducted for the unit

during pre-deployment.

For his mid-tour leave

Huenink has plans to

visit Greece with his wife

Kristy, and daughter

Natalie, to spend time

with his parents, who live

in Athens.

H e s a i d , ― I l o o k

forward to good food and

drink.‖ Huenink said he

is a history buff and

wants to see the ancient,

historical sites in Greece

too.

By Capt. Marie Orlando

“My goals

are to make

sure unit

operations

are efficient

and make

sure troops

are properly

trained, and

have the

latest

intelligence

for

missions.”

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R R E P O R T

Capt. Ken Huenink is responsible for training and operations of the unit,

as well as intelligence gathering. He also like to go out on missions when

he has the time.

P A G E 9

Rios: the go-to guy

B efore the Russian

invasion, fruit and nut

o rchards shaded the

valleys and spread across

the foothills of the Hindu

Kush Mountains.

Now, after years of

w a r , r o w s o f d e a d ,

broken trees are spread

throughout the province.

The surviving trees are

often times uncared for

and do not reach their

f u l l p r o d u c t i o n

capability. As part of the

agriculture revitalization

in Nangarhar, farmers are

being taught to care for

the orchards and new

trees are being planted.

Sgt. Guadalupe Rios,

a team leader in the

3175th Military Police

Company in Warrenton

was not selected to join

the ADT for his military

police background, or to

put his Criminal Justice

degree from Missouri

Baptist University, into

action with the Security

Force platoon. It was his

skills as a horticulturist

that that the leadership

found most valuable.

H e w o r k s a s a

supervisor and vice -

president assistant for

Forrest Keeling Nursery

in Elsberry where he has

been employed the past

12 years.

H i s s k i l l s a n d

knowledge a r e v i t a l

assets for the agriculture

team. Rios works closely

with the managers of the

Olive Farms owned by

the Nangarhar Valley

Development Authority,

a government entity.

He is on-hand to field

questions and provide

input to the other team

m e m b e r s a b o u t t h e

var ious t rees around

Nangarhar which include

citrus trees, almonds,

apricots, and a lot of

pomegranates.

R i o s i s a s k i l l e d

horticulturist, and is also

knowledgeable on many

types of vegetables. He

has worked in vegetable

f ie lds in Cal i forn ia ,

where the climate is more

comparable to Nangarhar

than is Missouri.

Staff Sgt. William

Fox says that if someone

has a question about

horticulture, ―Rios is

pretty much the guy.‖

Fox and Rios have

s t a r t e d g r o w i n g

vegetables from local

varieties of seeds in a

smal l demonst ra t ion

garden using a simple

drip irrigation method.

Their ideas are shocking

t o m a n y A f g h a n s ,

including the local hired

gardener on the FOB,

who is reported to have a

doctorate in horticulture.

―I feel good about this

d e p l o y m e n t . I l o o k

forward to bringing Cash

- For- Work programs to

as many communities as

possible, training the

AEAs, and helping my

f e l l ow t eammates . I

e n j o y u s i n g m y

horticulture skills.‖

Rios is enrolled in a

h o r t i c u l t u r e d e g r e e

program at the Meremac

Campus of St. Louis

Community College and

he l ooks forward t o

starting classes again

upon his return to the

U.S.

R i o s s a i d h i s

employer has been very

supportive. This is his

second deployment; he

previously deployed to

the Balkans with the

Kosovo Force 10 (KFOR

1 0 ) a s a n M P t e a m

leader. Both times,

Forrest Keeling Nursery

vo l u n t a r i l y p a i d 2 5

percent of his base salary

during the deployment.

Additionally, he said they

also send care packages.

Rios lives in Foley

with his wife, Jessica,

and their two children.

He enjoys reading,

wo r k i n g a ro u n d th e

house, gardening and

landscaping. When he

returns for his mid-tour

leave he hopes to take the

f a m i l y o n a s h o r t

vacation to Branson.



P A G E 1 0

Crapps: Senior Medic

T h e s e n i o r

medic with

ADT IV, the

―doc‖ for the

unit, is the first place

most of the unit members

go when they need some

m e d i c a l a d v i c e o r

treatment.

Sgt. Jason A. Crapps

j umped r i ght in and

started working soon

after the start of the

unit‘s pre-deployment

training at Camp Clark.

He assisted during the

C o m b a t L i f e s a v e r

Training and taught the

unit basic skill level one

medical tasks to improve

the chances of everyone

arriving home as healthy

as possible.

He has continued to

offer refresher training

for the unit throughout

the deployment. He has

also volunteered to work

at the Troop Medical

C l i n i c w h e n h e i s

available to keep his

medical skills current and

to continue to learn.

Crapps said it is good

to be a part of the ADT

and he is glad to try and

help the underdogs gain

ground in Afghanistan.

Crapps is assigned to

HHC, 1/138th Infantry

Regiment, Kansas City,

Mo., as a medic. This is

his second time around as

a senior medic during a

deployment; he has also

served in Bagdad, Iraq.

Altogether, he has been

in the military a total of

10 years with the Army.

W h e n h e ‘ s n o t

treating Soldiers and

Airmen on a deployment,

Crapps works as a charge

nurse for Sharon Lane

H e a l t h S e r v i c e s ,

Shawnee, Kan.

Crapps is originally

from Augusta, Ga, and

his mom still lives in

Harlem, Ga. But now

Crapps calls Kansas City,

Mo. home.

He spends his spare

time playing music; he‘s

been a drummer for a

little over 20 years and

he‘s been playing the

acoustic guitar for about

two years.

He also likes to write

poetry and song lyrics for

his own kind of self

therapy.

He says, ―It‘s the way

I can let out feelings and

emotions without saying

it out loud.‖

Crapps sa id he i s

planning on spending

quality time as a family

with his wife, Jackie, and

their three kids during his

R&R.


Sgt. Jason Crapps travels with the

unit on missions as the team

medic.

P A G E 1 1

No spring break for law student

SGT Coulson doing it right

E t han Coul son

was promoted to

sergeant while serving in

Afghanistan at Forward

Operating Base Finley-

Shields.

Coulson is a member

of the Security Force Pla-

toon wi th t he Agr i -

Business Development

Team IV.

Coulson has been in

the Army National Guard

for four years. He is a

heavy construction oper-

ator with the 220th Engi-

neer Company in Festus.

Coulson said, ―My

goals are to train myself

to be a good NCO and do

the right thing at all

times. My expectation is

for everyone else to do

the same.‖ He added, ―I

try to make the Army a

better place.‖

Coulson is married to

Jazzie and they have a

son, Isaiah. His family

lives in L.A., where he is

originally from, and he

plans on returning to Cal-

ifornia after the deploy-

ment.

He is looking forward

to reacquainting himself

with his son and spend-

ing valuable time with

his wife when he goes

home for mid-tour leave.

Regiment, Kansas City,

Mo.

He graduated from

the Pensacola Christian

College with a bachelors

in Pre -Law and i s a

second year student of

t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f

M i s s o u r i - C o l u m b i a

School of Law.

He said the school

faculty was supportive

when he was called for

the deployment.

Bunch has a wife,

R e b e k a h , a n d t w o

children. The youngest

was born just before his

deployment. He said it is

a great sacrifice to be

Sgt . Nelson Bunch

is the tact ical

communications non-

commissioned officer for

A D T I V f o r t h e

Communications Section,

also known as the S-6.

He has been in the

Missouri National Guard

for a year and has served

s e v e n y e a r s i n t h e

military.

This is his second

d e p l o y m e n t a s a

communications NCO.

He also served in Iraq in

2 0 0 5 -2 0 0 6 w i t h t h e

Army Reserves.

Bunch is a member of

HHC, 1/138th Infantry

s e p a r a t e d f r o m h i s

family.

While here Bunch

said his goals ―are simply

to do everything possible

to prepare the ADT IV

for success and to make

ADT V ‘ s t r a n s i t i o n

smooth.‖

B u n c h i s a l s o

pursuing, ―very slowly,‖

a master‘s degree from

Pensacola Theological

Seminary.

He looks forward to

spending time with his

family when he returns

for his mid-tour leave.


P A G E 1 2

S gt. First Class Earl

Eisenbacher, the ―E‖

in Big E and T‘s Afghan

Pizzaria, is an agriculture

specialist with the ADT.

H e i s a p l a t o o n

sergeant with the 294th

E n g i n e e r C o mp a n y ,

2 0 3 r d E n g i n e e r

Battalion, Carthage. He

h a s s e r v e d a

total of 21 years

in the service

and has been

w i t h t h e

M i s s o u r i

National Guard

for 17 of those

years.

This is h is

s e c o n d

deployment. He

d e p l o y e d i n

2003-2004 with

the 203rd EN

B N f o r 1 4

months to Iraq

a s a g r a d i n g a n d

compaction squad leader.

Eisenbacher said the

living conditions here are

vastly different from Iraq

- for the better. He said ―I

look forward to making

a n i m p a c t o n m y

assigned district and

seeing positive results by

the time we leave.‖

E i s e n b a c h e r i s

assigned the Kuz Kumar

district and is responsible

f o r m e n t o r i n g t h e

agriculture extension

agent and coordinating

projects in his district.

E i s e n b a c h e r i s a

Project Manager and

E n v i r o n m e n t a l

Consultant for Leigh

Environmental, LLC. He

h a s b e e n w i t h t h e

company for 11 years.

He graduated from

Missouri State University

w i t h a m a s t e r s o f

biology.

Eisenbacher spends

his time off fishing in

bass tournaments and

operates a small business,

E i r o n Br e a ke r L u r e

Company.

E i s e n b a c h e r h a s

brought his enterprising

skills to the barracks, and

he operates a small pizza

factory out of his room,

along with his roommate.

H e p u r c h a s e s

ingredients from local

suppliers, including the

Afghan flat bread used

for the crust, and gathers

fresh toppings from the

dining facility. Family

m e m b e r s s e n d

ingredients he is unable

to procure locally. Using

a toaster oven sent by his

wife, Sara, he fills the

halls with tantalizing

sme l l s not t ypi ca l l y

found in Nangarhar.

Last Sunday

the unit gathered

for a relaxing

afternoon off,

and the Big E

and T‘s Afghan

Pizzaria moved

i t s o p e r a t i o n

outs ide under

the maintenance

s h e d , s o t h e

entire unit could

try one of his

tasty creations.

Eisenbacher

said, ―I enjoy

cooking pizza

for the unit Soldiers. I

try to give them a taste of

home.‖

Eisenbacher has two

chi ld ren , Emi ly and

Ryan. He is looking

forward to spending

Thanksgiving with his

family during his mid-

tour leave.

He said, no, pizza is

not on the holiday menu.


T H E M U L E S K I N N E R R E P O R T

Wishin’ I was fishin’

“I look

forward to

making an

impact on my

assigned

district and

seeing positive

results by the

time we

leave.”

P A G E 1 3 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 5

The deadline to send mail holiday packages to troops in Afghanistan is Nov. 12 for

Christmas delivery. Mail sent to APO addresses is only charged the domestic rate.

Furthermore, a special rate of $12.50 is in effect from USPS for large Priority Mail flat

-rate boxes sent to servicemembers.

Letters and cards should be sent by early December and Express Mail Military Service

packages should be sent by Dec. 18 for Christmas delivery.

For more information on military shipping and dates, visit www.usps.com.

HOLIDAY MAIL DEADLINES

P A G E 1 4

Pictures from the field

SGT Coulson is promoted and

“pinned” twice by COL. Fortune.

For more photographs of our activities and some video clips, visit us on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MONG.ADTIV


SSG Fox and LTC Charles use GPS to mark a

project site.

SSG Maloney is greeted by a village elder while

on mission.

“Jingle” trucks are a common sight in Afghanistan.

Many trucks hang cow bells from bumpers. CPT Paluczak and LTC Legg enjoy a cigar after work.

1LT Wischmeyer and the AEA from his

district pinpoint project sites on a map.

The future of Afghanistan looks out

beyond the walls of a village that is likely

hundreds of years old.

SFC Squires and CPT Orlando attend a

women’s shura at the Governor’s Palace.

SECFOR takes watch from above.

P A G E 1 5

Pizza Party and Washers


A good time was had by all. We threw washers and had plenty of

pizza to eat, thanks to all of the items sent from back home and

what we could gather from the DFAC.

“Big E and T’s Afghan Pizzaria” expands operations

Name (NO RANK)

MONG ADT IV

FOB Finley-Shields

APO, AE 09310

A HEARTY THANKS TO ALL

THE FOLKS THAT HAVE SENT

DONATIONS TO THE UNIT

MEMBERS AND AFGHAN

CHILDREN:

Angela Lanaker

Hero Hugs

Missouri 4-H

USO

Maloney Family

Jim and Katie Roberson

Dennis O’Leary, Local 136 Fenton

Rick and Mary Rutledge

James Tinder

Holly Cronk

Give us a holler!

MONG

ADT IV

Celebrating Birthdays in November

Anniversaries

● Eric and Kim Fizer

● Ken and Kristy Huenink

● Robert and Thomasine Weber

Brandon Fizer Johnathan Sims MSG Bradley 1LT McCall

Zach Gore Tess Counts SPC Chapman SGT Runyon

Kaycee Orlando Jackie Crapps SMSgt Counts SPC Saufley

Julian Rios Kim Fizer SSG Fox

Sierra Saufley Tracy Legg SGT Kostron

www.facebook.com/MONG.ADTIV

The Muleskinner Team provides a

monthly update for families and

friends of the Nangarhar Missouri

National Guard Development Team.

The Muleskinner Report provides

insights and analysis on the

Nangarhar Missouri National Guard

Development Team’s mission. If you

have questions or comments on the

Muleskinner Report, please contact

Col. Mike Fortune at

[email protected]

The Muleskinner is an unofficial publication au-

thorized by AR 360-1. It is published monthly

by the Missouri Agribusiness Development

Team IV to provide important information re-

lated to their deployment for the Soldiers and

Airmen, their Families, units and commands,

the Army, DOD and the public.

Views and opinions expressed in the

Muleskinner are not necessarily those of the

Department of the Army or DOD.

If you would like to receive this publication to

your email or have questions or comments

concerning ADT IV please contact:

[email protected]

Public Affairs Officer

Capt. Marie Orlando

ADT IV

MONG

ADT IV

• Family Readiness Group Leader Paula Ann Maloney

417.250.1703 or 417.683.3711

• ArmyOne Source 800.342.9647

• Family Program Office 800.299.9603

• Family Assistance Center 877.236.4168

• Deployed Pay Issues 877.276.4729

• Employer Support of Guard and Reserve

573.638.9500 ext. 7730

• 131st Fighter Wing Coord. 314.527.6362

• 139th Fighter Air Lift Wing Coord. 816.236.3511

• Military Family Life Consultants

- Child/Youth (Amy Bledsoe) 573.418.3588

- Adult (Phil Pringle) 573.418.3588

• JFHQ-MO Chaplain 573.638.9618

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