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September 24, 2009
COB ADDER – “I have a nine-line MEDEVAC, ready to copy?” a Soldier yells into the radio hand-set. “We copy, go ahead,” is the response. This is a call that happens on a regular basis in times of war, but even as the focus of opera-tions in Iraq is changing, the need for rapid medical evacuation remains.
The mission of Soldiers with 1st Batt alion, 52nd Aviation Regiment Air Ambulance Company doesn’t change with the ever-evolving operational cli-mate in Iraq. The UH-60 Black Hawks and their crews need to be ready to re-
spond at a moment’s notice. “We are a reactive unit. If somebody
calls, we move,” said Sgt. 1st Class Leonard Macias, operations noncom-missioned offi cer-in-charge, 1st Bn., 52nd Aviation Regt. “In the morning these guys do their run-ups, that’s like the (pre-combat checks) or (pre-com-bat inspections), then they are waiting for a call.”
“Any time we get an urgent litt er or urgent priority, we cover those,” said Macias. “Any time a patient needs the next higher care, we cover those as well.”
These calls include patient transport
and MEDEVACs primarily around Forward Operating Base Garry Owen, Al Kut and Diwaniyah.
“We are the largest MEDEVAC unit in theater,” explained Spc. Richard Tasa, Black Hawk mechanic from Se-
dona, Ariz. Providing air ambulance
service is the main focus of 1st Bn., 52nd Aviation Regt., but there is more behind the Black Hawks with the red-crossed, white shields on their sides.
“This is an aviation unit, but the medics are an integral part of what we do,” Macias said.
Medics spend as much time as the pilots and crews prepar-ing the Black Hawks and their own gear to be ready for ac-tion, according to Macias.
The 1st Bn., 52nd Aviation Regt. pulled a few diff erent elements together to make the company more independent.
“We are a unique unit. We are completely self-suffi cient,” said Sgt. 1st Class Rudy Men-dez, NCOIC, Quality Con-trol shop and native of Law-ton, Okla. “We have our own maintenance shop, the back
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Hydraulic specialist and Black Hawk mechanic Spc. James Reynolds performs an inspection of a UH-60 Black Hawk as he crawls into a cramped space wearing a respirator and environment suit.
Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Mullett
– Sgt. 1st Class Leonard Maciasnoncommissioned offi cer-in-charge,
1st Bn., 52nd Aviation Regt.
“We are a reactive unit. If somebody calls, we move.”
Always ready: Air Ambulance Co. provides MEDEVACBy Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Mullett MND-S
ave a nin
READYPage 5
September 24, 2009 Page 2The Red Bull Report
34th Inf. Div. PAO: Lt. Col. Kevin Olson34th Inf. Div. Deputy PAO: Capt. Dayna E. RowdenOIC, Command Information: Maj. Page BaldwinNCOIC, Command Information: 1st Sgt. Larry MearsNCOIC: Staff Sgt. Dave LankfordManaging Editor: Staff Sgt. Derek SmithAssignment Editor: Sgt. Debralee P. Crankshaw Graphics Designer: Sgt. Eric JungelsLayout/Design: Spc. Stephanie CassinosStaff Writers: Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Mullett, Sgt. Frank Vaughn, Sgt. Brandon LeFlore, Spc. Darryl Montgomery, Pfc. J. Princeville Lawrence
172nd Brigade Combat Team
17th Fires Brigade
4th BCT, 1st Armored Division
343rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Task Force 28
Media Queries please contact 34th Inf. Div. Public Affairs Offi ce at [email protected]
The Red Bull Report is an authorized publication for members of MND-S. Contents of The Red Bull Report are not necessarily offi cial views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army or the 34th Infantry Division. All editorial content of The Red Bull Report is prepared, edited provided and approved by the 34th Infantry Division Public Affairs Offi ce.
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FOB DELTA – The 1st Batt alion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment is working to improve the lives of Iraqis by working to facilitate improvements in the area of economics and agriculture in Wasit province.
Soldiers with experience and edu-cation in these areas have stepped out of their usual duties to help the Iraqi people help themselves.
“We’re not fi ring cannons anymore,” said Maj. Jimmy L. Anderson, batt al-ion operations offi cer, 1st Bn., 77th FA Regt. “We picked these Soldiers out of the formation because of their edu-cational background and previous life experiences.”
Two noncommissioned offi cers, with backgrounds in biology and econom-ics, originally fi eld artillery automated tactical data systems specialists, were chosen to help the Wasit Provincial Re-construction Team.
“This job is completely diff erent from the one I was originally trained to do,” said Staff Sgt. Brett A. Castellanos, PRT member, 1st Bn., 77th FA Regt. Castellanos was chosen for his econom-ics experience. “I’m no longer working in a combat job. Instead I’m organizing data with businesses within Wasit.”
To assist with agriculture in the province, Sgt. Mark O. Harris, agricul-ture advisor team noncommissioned offi cer, 1st Bn., 77th FA Regt., draws upon his education in biology from
Virginia Tech University.“This job presents a diff erent chal-
lenge for me,” the Waynesboro, Va., native said. “I’m no longer looking at things in a day-by-day perspective. In-stead, I have to look at the bigger pic-ture for projects I work on by looking at the cause and eff ect those projects have on the land or citizens here.”
Harris is in charge of three agricul-ture projects, using his knowledge to
help the PRT and improve the lives of citizens in the province.
“These Soldiers have done an excel-lent job so far,” said Anderson, a native of Fairview, Calif. “I expect exceptional results from the projects they work on.”
Skills land Soldiers new positionsBy Pfc. Bethany L. Little172nd Inf. Bde.
1st Batt al
Sgt. Mark O. Harris, agriculture advisor team noncommissioned offi cer, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment and a Waynesboro, Va., native, shakes hands with Iraqi children during a visit to the Al-Hay Youth Center in Wasit Province recently. The visit was to meet with members of the youth center to view the improvements needed.
Photo by Pfc. Bethany L. Little
For more of Pfc. Little’s stories, visit: www.TheRedBulls.org/Little
COB ADDER – You can fi nd tucked away in a quiet corner of Contingency Operating Base Adder, next to the cha-pel, and near the cafeteria, an area of repose and comfort; an oasis called God’s Grounds.
There you’ll fi nd Sgt. Maj. Virginia Stickler, a Half Moon Bay, Calif., native and a member of the 287th Sustain-ment Brigade.
She’s in charge of the place, and if you ask, she will be more than happy to give you an espresso, a slurpee, a honey bun or a muffi n. There is a re-frigerator full of drinks and shelves of snacks courtesy of the chaplains, people back home and Army supply. If you so desire, you can kick back on the couch while you munch your muf-fi n and watch a movie. The best part is that it’s all free.
If you’re in need of some guidance in your life, well, that’s free too.
“A number of Soldiers come here, and they’re stressed and they’re away from their families, away from their support systems and they come here to kind of talk and ventilate, and I’m able to listen,” said Stickler.
For many Soldiers, God’s Grounds is a source of help in troubled times. Soldiers can talk to people like Stickler, who draws from a lifetime of experience in helping people. She has two masters degrees, a Ph.D. and experience as both a drug and alcohol counselor and a marriage counselor.
“That experience and knowledge has helped me help some Soldiers get their lives back on track,” said Stickler, “and the ones that I wasn’t able to help, I generally refer some to the chaplains’ offi ce or various other resources.”
“But for the most part, I have been able to talk to Sol-diers who have been in crisis and they came here, basically for something to drink, and just started pouring their heart out,” said Stickler, “and I listened and gave them some guid-
The Red Bull Report September 24, 2009 Page 3
By Pfc. J. Princeville Lawrence4th BCT, 1st Armd. Div.
Spc. Letti Togia, a native of American Samoa and a member of the 664th Field Artillery Battalion, serves a customer a slurpee at God’s Grounds, a coffee shop at Contingency Operating Base Adder that serves Soldiers with coffee and snacks. The snacks are courtesy of the chaplains, people back home and Army supply.
Photo by Pfc. J. Princeville Lawrence
Soldiers receive coffee, counsel at God’s Grounds
The World War II United States Navy sea-plane tender USS Half Moon (AVP-26) was
named for Half Moon Bay and retained the name when serving as a United States Coast Guard weather reporting ship USCGC Half Moon for
more than 20 years after the war.
ance and helped them put their lives back together.”It’s gratifying to help people, said Stickler, noting in par-
ticular a “special case near and dear to my heart.” “There was a very troubled individual whose marriage
was on the rocks. This Soldier had two children,” said Stick-ler. “I was able to talk to this Soldier, as well as the spouse in the states, and we worked on their priorities.”
Helping other Soldiers is Stickler’s way of breaking the cycle. Stickler has been dealing with family issues her whole life.
“I came from a prett y messed up background,” said Stickler. “My father was a World War II veteran and he had post-traumatic stress. As a kid I didn’t know what that was. He was a very violent man. And all I could think of in my high school days was leaving my family because I was tired of being afraid of my dad.”
“When I turned 18 years old I left home and joined the Marine Corps. And I met other people in life, and I realized that not everybody’s like my dad and I started to grow.”
Stickler started building up her self-esteem as she went to college. Aft er taking a psychology class, she was hooked. Between gigs as a school teacher, college professor, coun-
COFFEEPage 5
The Red Bull Report September 24, 2009 Page 5
shop, consisting of hydraulic repair, engine and power-train, supply, (qual-ity control and production control).”
Production control monitors and schedules the aircraft for any required maintenance, which depends on the number of hours it spends in the air.
“Maintenance is the heart and soul of this operation,” said Mendez.
The maintenance section works 12-hour shift s, seven days a week, making sure they have enough Black Hawks to accomplish the mission. At some point during the deployment, each of the Black Hawks will be nearly completely disassembled, according to Macias.
“They have what is called ‘Phase,’ where they break it down completely and rebuild,” he explained.
Last, but not least, there is the opera-tions section, which receives the initial call, determines the priority and scram-bles the Black Hawks if needed.
“Operations monitors the patient priority and the location of the Black Hawks at all times,” said Macias.
When the call goes out for a MEDE-VAC, whether it is from U.S. Soldiers or local citizens, 1st Bn., 52nd Air Am-bulance Company stands ready and willing to respond.
From Page 1READY
SUDOKU
For puzzle solutions visit: www.TheRedBulls.org/puzzlesolutions
selor and government worker, she amassed years of experience and was
gett ing ready to retire. Then she got deployed.“I had just fi nished a weeklong re-
tirement seminar with my civilian job and that Saturday following, I received
a FedEx package in the mail with a set of military orders for (Iraq). So I put my civilian retirement on hold and in six weeks I had to go to Fort Jackson, South Carolina.”
A religious person, Stickler said she found her purpose dur-ing a sunrise Easter service at the birthplace of Abraham. As the sun came up over the ruins, she had an epiphany of purpose, and she knew why she had been placed in Iraq.
“I didn’t want to do this because it really disrupted my life. But you know, sometimes God places us in places we don’t want to go and when we get there - aft er the expe-rience, I realized why I was here.”
“I think I’m blessed as a Sol-dier who came here kicking and screaming, so to speak,” Stickler said. “Not only was I able to help a lot of people, but I myself have had a lot of spiritual growth and devel-opment while I was here. God has used me in a great way and I’m glad for that.”
For more of Sgt. 1st Class Mullett’s stories, visit:www.TheRedBulls.org/Mullett
For more of Pfc. Lawrence’s stories, visit:www.TheRedBulls.org/Lawrence
From Page 3COFFEE
At God’s Grounds Soldiers can pick up some coffee or snacks courtesy of the chaplains, people back home and Army supply. “It’s a pretty nice little area for the Soldiers to hang out. It gives me a chance to relax; grab a cup of coffee,” said Staff Sgt. Brent Ingersoll, a Williston, N.D., native and trainer with 1st Bn., 77th Armd. Regt.
Photo by Pfc. J. Princeville Lawrence
The Red Bull Report September 24, 2009 Page 6
Know a Red Bull Kid with something to say? Submit their works to: [email protected]
The Red Bull Report September 24, 2009 Page 7
Around the world in 34 secondsUNITED NATIONS - Although some 100 world leaders met Sept. 22 for a U.N. climate summit, most of the att ention was on just two — President Barack Obama and China’s Hu Jintao. Both vowed to take the threat of rising seas, drought and deforestation seriously, but only one had some momentum behind him and it wasn’t Obama. Obama acknowledged that pursuing costly emissions reductions is diffi cult at a time when the world is trying to recover from a recession, but said
it has to be done. Activists criticized Obama’s speech for lacking specifi cs. “While other countries announced specifi c targets and timetables, including China, Japan and the Maldives, President Obama did not address these critical elements,” said Keya Chat-terjee, head of the World Wildlife Fund’s climate program. The United States hasn’t passed any mandatory curbs on greenhouse gases, and the U.N. climate chief on Sept. 21 said China was leaping ahead of the U.S. in terms of climate leadership. “China and India have announced very ambitious national climate change plans,” Yvo de Boer said. “In the case of China, so ambitious that it could well become the front-runner in the fi ght to address climate change,” de Boer said. “The big question mark is the U.S.”
WASHINGTON - Counterterrorism offi cials have issued security bulletins to police around the nation about terrorist interest in att acking stadiums, entertainment complexes and hotels — the latest in a fl urry of such internal warnings as investigators chase a possible bomb plot in Denver and New York. In the two bulletins — sent to police departments Sept. 21 and obtained by The Associated Press — offi cials said they know of no specifi c plots against such sites, but
urged law enforcement and private companies to be vigilant. These two bulletins followed on the heels of a similar warning about the vulnerabilities of mass transit systems.
ANAHEIM, Calif. - No champagne. No plastic sheets on the lockers. Just a few handshakes and hugs on the fi eld. Al-though the Yankees secured their return to the playoff s Sept. 22 aft er a year away that sometimes felt like an eternity, they haven’t forgott en which clinchers really matt er. Brett Gardner scored the tiebreaking run on Alex Rodriguez’s sacrifi ce fl y in the ninth, and the Yankees got ready for their 14th playoff appearance in 15 seasons Sept. 22 with a 6-5
victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Rodriguez homered and drove in three runs before Mariano Rivera earned his 41st save for the Yankees, who were guaranteed a return to the postseason about 55 minutes before the last out in Anaheim when Oakland beat the Texas Rangers 9-1.
NEW YORK - A veteran New York City news anchor fl ubs a line and an obscene catch phrase goes viral on the Internet. Ernie Anastos of Fox affi liate WNYW was bantering with the weatherman Sept. 16 when he cheerfully dropped an F-bomb on the air. What he likely intended to say was, “Keep plucking that chicken.” Anastos didn’t appear to recognize the error, though co-anchor Dari Alexander’s eyes bugged out aft er he said it. Videos of the mistake circulated widely
online Sept. 17, as the phrase took on a life of its own. Fox isn’t laughing, though. The vice president and general manager of WNYW, Lew Leone, said he’s “disappointed” in Anastos’ comment. Anastos apologized during Thursday’s newscast. “I misspoke during last night’s newscast,” he said. “I apologize for my remarks to anyone who may have been off ended.”
