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2-122 FA defeat IEDs page 4

Environment Msg page 4

Disciplined Soldiers page 5

NCO Importance page 6

Official Newsletter of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat TeamIssue 2 | July 13, 2012

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In this issue

by Lt. Col. Marc Sullivan, Commander, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment

One of the most significant as-pects of this training event that all the 2nd. Squadron, 106th Cavalry troopers are excited about is that notional is not ac-ceptable. Nearly every piece of the combined arms fight is in place and everything is in play. Illinois put the resources and the

opportunities at our fingertips that only elite units have access to.

In the past, we’ve had to be creative in accomplishing our training objectives by simulat-ing an infantry platoon or sap-per squad from our ranks and create a role-playing scenario. XCTC, however, immerses us in an environment with a high level of realism by adding ci-

vilians and a free thinking OP-FOR. This ensures we are train-ing to be lethal and survivable.

With this opportunity we have the ability to exercise the full spectrum of our capabili-ties while being fully integrated within the brigade. Here we have the battlefield enablers needed to train and assess our skills. Working in concert with both the infantry and the artil-lery, along with all the other enablers, we will steel our dis-cipline and train to our fullest

capabilities. The training realism provid-

ed by XCTC is practically on par with a rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center. Years pass before opportuni-ties to conduct training like this come along again. By owning our training and challenging ourselves, this experience will be amazing. At the end we’ll be the most lethal and survivable brigade in the National Guard.

Notional is not acceptable Lt. Col. Marc Sullivan, Com-mander, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment

Polish Army Lt. Gen. Zbigniew Glowienka, the Polish Land Forces Component commander was awarded the Illinois Military Medal of Merit July 11 at Camp Ripley in Lake Falls, Minn. (U.S. Army photo Sgt. Michael Camacho /released)

Polish Commander receives Illinois Military Medal

by: Sgt. Michael Camacho, 108th Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs

Polish Army Lt. Gen. Zbig-niew Glowienka, the Polish Land Forces Component com-

mander was awarded the Illinois Military Medal of Merit July 11 at Camp Ripley in Lake Falls, Minn.

Glowienka’s leadership has

played a pivotal role in the mili-tary partnership between the Il-linois National Guard and Pol-ish Forces.

The Illinois National Guard have held a state partnership with Poland since 1993. Over the past two decades our candid and professional working, train-ing, and mentoring relationship has solidified.

Poland and Illinois have co-deployed together to Iraq and Afghanistan since the start of overseas combat operations. Bilateral Embedded Staff Team A9 is serving in Afghanistan supporting operations with Task Force White Eagle and the Pol-ish Land Forces.

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Brigade’s CAV unit leads the charge

Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment based in Pon-tiac makes its way to the center range July 11 to qualify on and run the .50 caliber ranges during day five of the Army National Guard’s XCTC program. Maj. Del L. Saam of Springfield, executive officer of 2nd Sqdn. 106th Cav., said he is very happy with how things are going so far and looking forward to seeing things come together in upcoming platoon tactical training. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Allison Lampe/released)

Spc. Steve Garnica of Dekalb with Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment based in Aurora posts security during a reconaissance patrol July 10. It was the first day on the lanes for the 106th Cav. Regt. who were working on a squad level tactical excellence. According to first squad leader Staff Sgt. Kareem Abraham of Chicago, these smaller exercises are all about increasing proficiency and building on basic battle skills. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Allison Lampe/released)

Soldiers with Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment based in Dixon, Ill. conduct an air insertion from a UH-60 Black-hawk helicopter from the 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment out of Decatur July 11. Cpt. Michael R. Kowalski of Chicago Heights said “it’s something special when you get all the guys together for an extended training like this. . You can see the camraderie and cohesion quickly come together.” Kowalski continued, “This is the best organization in the guard - it is a priviledge to lead them.” (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Allison Lampe/released)

Soldiers with Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment based in Dixon, Ill wait to fire M2 .50 cal. machine gun at a practice range during the XCTC program. The training is a well rounded program that encompasses all the battle drills re-quired of a Soldier. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Al-lison Lampe/released)

Spc. Tyler J Sullivan of Morris, a member of Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment based in Dixon fires a M2 .50 cal. machine gun at a practice range dur-ing the XCTC program. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Allison Lampe/released)

Lt. Col. Marc Sullivan, commander of the 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment and Cpt. Mi-chael R. Kowalski, commander of Troop B, 2nd Sqdn., 106th Cav. Regt. discuss the range routes July 11. Kowalski said his goal for XCTC is the development of his junior leaders and refinement of senior leaders. With a fairly even mix of both previously deployed and new Soldiers, XCTC is an opportunity to work on the very building blocks of training, said Kowalski. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Allison Lampe/released)

Spc. Scott Lange of Aurora with Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment posts security while his squad and team leaders determine their location beginning a reconnaissance patrol July 10. The patrol used land navigation skills to make their way through the rough terrain before coming under fire. These practice lanes allow the Soldiers to figure out what areas need to be ad-dressed for final validation. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Allison Lampe/released)

Soldiers with Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment use a compass to navigate through the rugged terrain at Camp Ripley, Minn. The training is meant to test Soldier’s ability to adapt to unknown environments and still continue forward with the mission. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Allison Lampe/released)

A Soldier with Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regi-ment walks the woods during a squad tactical training mis-sion during XCTC. (U.S. Army pho-to by Pfc. Allison Lampe/released)

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2-122 FA defeats IEDs in training.

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Spc. Tyron K. Jones of Chicago with B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery Regminent based in Crestwood searches an enemy combatant taken prisoner during an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Defeat training exercise. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Christopher A. Garibay /released)

by: Spc. Christopher A. Garibay, 33rd IBCT Public Affairs.

Soldiers with Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery Regiment based in Crestwood navigated through an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and Ve-hicle-Borne IED (VBIED) dur-ing an exercise at the Army Na-tional Guard’s XCTC program on July 11, 2012.

The training provided Soldiers with the most up-to-date, real-life scenarios they may encoun-ter while deployed overseas and may prove to be life-saving.

“Soldiers conducted four it-erations of IED/VBEID train-ing exercises which included scenarios where they reacted to contact from enemy forc-es,” said 1st Lt. Sebastian M. Tarchala of Chicago, platoon leader, Btry B, 1st. Bn., 122nd FA based in Crestwood. “It pro-vided opportunities for Soldiers who are not normally in leader-ship positions to take charge of stressful situations and react in combat situations,” he said.

The Soldiers were given dif-ferent obstacles to provide them with the most opportunities to enhance their learning.

“Our Soldiers caught on quickly to unit Standard Operat-

ing Procedures if their leaders go down,” said Sgt. 1st Class Hardy L. Williams of Chicago, platoon sergeant, Btry B, 1st. Bn., 122nd FA. “There’s a different feel when you’re in charge and you have to make the call on a dif-ficult decision. But we did this because you never know what might happen.”

After each training scenario, Soldiers would stop to discuss the events that took place after each event. There was notice-able improvement following each iteration - Soldiers would make better decisions, said Wil-liams.

“I think we did great,” said Spc. Tyron K. Jones of Btry B, 1st. Bn., 122nd FA. “We were rusty at first, but by the end we were aggressive. It was especial-ly great for new Soldiers in the unit because we don’t get this type of training every day.”

Spc. Maurice M. Burrows of Chicago with Battery B, 2nd Battal-ion, 122nd Field Artillery Regiment based in Crestwood pulls se-curity during a training exercise. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Larry F. Thorpe /released)

Notes from the Environmental Officer at Camp RipleyMaster Sgt. Martha Miller would like to remind Soldiers of their expectations while here at Camp Ripley.

• Unused MRE heaters are haz-ardous waste (HW) and must be collected for disposal in the containers labeled “UNUSED MRE HEATERS” available at all of the DFACs. • All spills of hazardous mate-rials must be reported to MSG Miller at 217/725-1251. • The Post recycling program accepts plastic, paper, card-

board, glass and scrap metal. Scrap metal containers can be found at the SW Transfer Sta-tion (SWTS) SW of Range Control. Contact SWTS for more information about obtain-ing recycle containers for your building. Shred documents con-taining Classified, FOUO or PII information before recycling.The SWTS is open from 0630 to 1500.• Used batteries need to be taken to SWTS. Contaminated soils will be containerized and also taken to the SWTS.

• CLP used for weapons clean-ing is only HW if it was manu-factured prior to MAR1994. If the CLP used is dated after MAR1994, this waste can be thrown in the trash. • There are buffer zones around Bald Eagle nest sites to protect fledglings. Human disturbanc-es are restricted from entering these buffer zones; 200m for ground maneuvers and 400m for aircraft flyovers. Active nest sites are depicted on the Range Bulletin.• Any encounter with black

bears should be reported to Range Control. When reporting, include whether the bear has a radio collar and/or the colors of the ear tags. Do NOT feed, tease or approach them. Field mess hall operations should haul gar-bage to the cantonment area af-ter every meal. • Natural vegetation allowed for camouflage includes oak, maple, aspen, and other hard-wood species less than 2 in. in diameter. Dead or down trees are also allowed. Do not cut ev-ergreens.

by: Maj. Gregory C. Moser, 33rd IBCT Chaplain

Too often tough soldiers think that seek-ing out help is a sign of weakness. It is not! Tough soldiers ask for help.

Over a period of months I watched as a sergeant friend of mine began to change. His attitude started to deteriorate. He was late for meetings. His appearance became less than sharp. He was increasingly disen-gaged. Slowly his PT began to deteriorate.It became obvious that his sleep patterns were off. His once warm conversations about home turned into stories of nights out with friends and distance from family. A once focused, disciplined, and combat tested soldier was a shadow of the warrior he once was. Finally, after several months of increasing concern the situation reached a critical point. Because of stress he was making increasingly poor choices. The re-sult, he now faced disciplinary action.

One afternoon I went up to him and asked,“What is going on?” At first he was quiet and did not want to talk, his com-ments to me where short and to the point. “I just have to take it.” “My problems are my problems.” “This is just the way it is.” “Nothing will change. “Chaplain you can-not help me!” One day he came up to me and asked to talk. We walked around the Post … no one knew why we were talking or what we were talking about. He opened up with his story of stress and worry. The pain came pouring out. His marriage was

in serious trouble and financial problems were mounting. He told me that is was hard to talk about his problems. He told me he was not an emotional kind of person who liked to share his feelings. He shared that he felt shame and worried that if people knew he had issues, that people would judge him and think less of him as a sol-dier. He thought that no one else was fac-ing these struggles.

As we walked and talked I offered as-surance to the soldier that a path forward was possible. I told him that despite his struggles a hopeful future could be realized and that getting his life and the life of his family back on track was not out of reach. We agreed that he would need to face the consequences of his choices, but in those consequences the seeds of new possibility were realized. As we talked a plan for the

future emerged. It all began with honesty. The soldier was honest with himself. He would be honest with his wife. Together they would go to counseling. Together they would seek out financial help. They would consider going to church and see if a community of faith could be the right thing for their family and kids. Things began to change…. and for the better! Today that soldier is a First Sargent and has the pos-sibility of an even brighter future. Why? Because that soldier did the toughest thing. He took the hard right instead of the easy left. He asked for help!

Tough soldiers seek out help. I want each of you to know that everyone has is-sues, struggles, or problems in life. That is normal. What has changed is the Army National Guard’s approach to personal problems and struggles? Years ago a tough soldier kept their problems to themselves and hid them from others. The result was soldiers internalizing their problem. Prob-lems only got worse and the Army mission suffered. Today the Army National Guard is finding that tough soldiers address their problems early on. When it comes to per-sonal trouble, or even thinking about sui-

Disciplined Soldiers know when they need to ask for help

CH (Maj.) Gregory C. Moser of Palatine, brigade chaplain of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

“Tough soldiers seek out help. I want each of you to know that everyone has issues, struggles, or problems in life. That is normal.”

Chaplain Gregory C. Moser

cide, movement to contact is the best way to overcome obstacles.

The Army National Guard has resources to help you. The Army National Guard has a track record of helping soldiers … a re-cord of really helping those who want help. The key is to be tough and ask.

Where can toughness begin in addressing your struggles? With you ….In the ask! Ask for help. Give you chain of command the opportunity to assist you.

I’m proud of your 33rd IBCT Chaplain Corps. The Chaplains I know care and work hard for you. If you don’t know where to begin when looking for help, let me suggest the Unit Ministry Team. Reach out to the Chaplain Assistant or the Chap-lain. Things can change for you. Your situ-ation can improve. Your future can be that bright destination that you once hoped for. Help is only … an Ask Away.

33rd IBCT Chaplain Corps

CH (Maj.) Gregory C. Moser33rd IBCT Chaplain

CH (Cpt.) Vincent Lambert2-122 Field Artillery Battalion

CH (Cpt.) Eric Hughes2-106 Cavalry Regiment

CH (Cpt.) Jenny Nielson634th Brigade Support Battalion

CH (Cpt.) David Brady1-178 Infantry Regiment

CH (Cpt.) Jenkins33rd BSTB

CH (First Lt.) J Kent Kroencke2-130 Infantry Regiment

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by: Sgt. Jesse Houk, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Soldiers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment began their evalua-tion process July 10 in the XCTC program.

The company worked on basic infantry maneuvers including reacting to contact, performing squad attacks, and clearing buildings. They began with dry runs using blank rounds at squad level and will com-plete the evaluation with a platoon-size live fire.

The training provided an environment where the company could work together on movements and tactics for an extended pe-riod of time.

“It’s a whole different ballgame moving through the woods as opposed to moving through a village, but all of the fundamen-tals still very much apply; the discipline, the communication, all the small things that make or break a mission,” said Staff Sgt. Barry A. Engelhardt of Pinckneyville, Ill., squad leader, Co. A, 2nd Bn., 130th Inf. Regt. “The bigger objective will take care of itself if you get the small things right.”

Company A has had to handle, like many other units, the transition of Soldiers getting out and other Soldiers coming in. Annual training is a great opportunity for Soldiers to connect.

“We have a lot of new privates to integrate into our squads,” said Capt. Matt Morse of Carterville, company commander, Com-pany A, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regi-ment. “The goal is to maintain that squad proficiency and increase unit cohesion and this is a great training event for those guys to do that.”

Others within the unit agree.“I’ve got three people in my squad who

have deployed before and I have a lot of people who are attending their first annual training,” said Engelhardt. “This is their first time working with the people they’re working with. We have a long road to go, but lanes like these make a world of differ-ence and that should steer us in the right direction.”

“With alpha we strive for success,” said Sgt. Troy M. Downen of Royalton, Ill., team leader, Co. A, 2nd Bn., 130th Inf. Regt. “We come across a couple bumps every once in a while, but that’s what we are here for; to learn from it. When it comes time for the live fire we will be proficient at it.”

The company relies on many of their se-nior noncommissioned officers to help make

Senior NCOs Play Pivotal Role In Mission Success

Capt. Matt Morse of Carterville, company commander, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment directs his Soldiers prior to making an assault on an enemy location during their annual training. The training was a part of live fire exercises as a part of the Army National Guard’s eXportable Combat Training Capability program at Camp Ripley, Minn. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jesse Houk/Released)

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the missions work. Many of them have two or three deployments under their belt and look to pass their knowledge and experi-ence on to some of the junior enlisted.

“I rely on the experienced noncommis-sioned officers and specialists quite a bit,” said Morse.“We rely heavily upon those guys to make sure the junior enlisted knows what they’re supposed to be doing.”

Expectations for this training were high and it was accepted that some things will have to be addressed, but success is the ex-pected outcome within Company A.

“We’re not where I would like to be; there’s a lot of positive just like there’s a lot of negative,” said Engelhardt. “You’ve got to assess, adapt, and rearrange and just keep moving forward and improving. Things will start to click.”

Building and growing together is the key to making their XCTC experience a suc-cess.

“I have been looking forward to this train-ing opportunity with these guys just to find out what level they’re at and I expect good results,” said Morse. “Every day is going to build on itself.”