Kuwait: Minnesota Guard Soldier earns second Purple Heart

By Army Spc. Mathew Schlueter
1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Red Bull Infantry Division

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait  - Army Spc. Skeeter R. Tomczak joined an honored group of Soldiers by receiving his second Purple Heart on Dec. 31 from Army Lt. Col. Eddie Frizell, the commander of 1st Squadron, 94th Cavalry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, while stationed here.

“The colonel told me he never expected to be handing out this award; he expressed how proud he was,” said Tomczak.

Tomczak, an M2 gunner in the lead Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, was honored for wounds he received from an improvised explosive device detonation during a route clearance mission from Victory Base Complex, Iraq, to Al Asad, Iraq, Oct. 5.

“An IED went off on the right side of us,” recalls Tomczak. “I dropped down into the vehicle to make sure everyone was ok.”

After Tomczak verified that his crew was ok, he jumped back up into the turret to engage the individuals who set off the IED.

“I was trying to find them through my thermal scope, but it wasn’t working,” said Tomczak.

Half of the scope was blown off during the IED explosion.

At that moment, Tomczak noticed a sharp pain in his elbow and dropped back down into the vehicle. After further inspection by his truck commander, Army Sgt. Cade Gornick, Tomczak had come to the realization that he had taken shrapnel in his arm from the blast.

Army Pvt. Jason Gates, sitting in the back of the MRAP, rendered aid to Tomczak’s arm, which temporarily stopped the bleeding until a medic was able to tend to Tomczak’s wounds.

“Gates patched up Tomczak and then jumped on the gun, so we could continue on the mission,” said Gornick.

Searching for IEDs is not out of the norm for Tomczak, as this is the second Purple Heart he has received.

The first Purple Heart was awarded to him on the brigade’s 22-month deployment to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in Feburary 2007, after an IED exploded next to his Humvee while on a short haul convoy from LSA Anaconda, Iraq, to Forward Operating Base Spiker, Iraq.

“The first IED I went through was by far worse, because it was the first,” said Tomczak.

He continued on to say, “After going through an event like that, it changes you. I know there are Soldiers who have never gone through the experiences I have, and I am thankful for that.”

When asked about what he was most thankful for after his second IED, Tomczak simply replied, “I’m glad it happened to me and not somebody else.”

Although Tomczak is thankful most Soldiers have not experienced what he has, Gornick was working side-by-side with Tomczak in the same truck when both IEDs went off. Gornick was the driver of the Humvee during the last deployment and is now the truck commander of Tomczak’s MRAP during this deployment.

“We are the luckiest unlucky people you will ever meet,” Gornick exclaimed. “I knew the day they paired us up on this deployment, we were going to get blown up again.”

Despite everything they’ve been through, Gornick was still able to say with a smile on his face, “I am very proud of Tomczak.”

After taking a few moments to reflect on his ceremony, Tomczak said, “If you look back at the people who have two Purple Hearts, you can’t help but have the utmost respect for them, and to find myself now in that category, it’s a real honor.”

Through the SPP, the Florida National Guard is partnered with Guyana and the Regional Security System (RSS) – an international agreement for the defense and security of the eastern Caribbean region.

“We take our role in the State Partnership Program very seriously,” Adjutant General of Florida Maj. Gen. Emmett Titshaw Jr. said. “Our growing role of building partnership capacity in the Regional Security System and in Guyana is important to Florida and our Nation.

“The SPP is helping provide a stabilizing global presence,” Titshaw added. “Its effect on future international relationships is a worthwhile investment.”

The SPP supports U.S. national interests and security cooperation goals by engaging partner nations via military, socio-political and economic conduits at the local, state and national level.

The SPP emerged 20 years ago, and links state National Guards with the defense ministries of partner nations. Currently the SPP includes 63 military-to-military partnerships with other nations.

Iraq: Guard member has not so typical deployment in Iraq

By Army National Guard Sgt. Scott Raper
149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade

BAGHDAD - At Victory Base Complex here several civilian companies work to assist the military with the basics of what is essentially a fully functional city. The cooperation is vital and someone must be the go-between to keep up the relationship.

Coordinating the operation of a military base between civilians and the military overseas is not an easy task, and there is only so much a Soldier can do to handle such a job, but that is where Army 1st Lt. Geremy Harper comes into play.

“It’s my job to ensure that necessary services are provided and maintained by the contractors on VBC,” said Harper, a member of Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.

Harper’s position falls under the Directorate of Public Works in the brigade. He is responsible for the interaction with a contractor that provides such services as plumbing, electrical and construction. Their employees respond to problems ranging from a burnt out light bulb and faulty air conditioners to water main breaks on the base perimeter.

Harper must be aware of all the issues that the contractor deals with to ensure coordination with military assets to fix the problem.

His daily assignments include formal proposals for minor construction and repair projects. He also must include plans and applicable budget concerns to meet the needs of the military and the base.

Administrative work keeps him busy, but as he said, “something interesting happens every day. The best day is a boring day. It’s our job and theirs to keep life, health and [the] safety of Soldiers in mind.”

Soldiers of the 149th MEB have not been in Iraq long, but Harper is amazed at the amount of work his section has had to do. As soon as they become accustomed to the workload things change, as VBC shrinks in preparation for the redeployment of U.S. Forces from Iraq. Harper said as ideas of the shutdown shift, so does his operation – and it is not always a smooth transition.

“The hardest part of the drawdown is that we can’t fix everything that needs to be fixed,” he said.

As an engineer officer back home, he said he is usually doing all the work, from making the plan to executing it. However, he is grateful for the help that the contractors provide, calling them great people to work with. It can sometimes be a struggle he said, especially missing his three-year-old daughter, but being part of something historical means a lot to him.

He credits his fellow Soldiers such as Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason Brown for the camaraderie on the job day in and day out.

“Every time I leave the office, I take my radio because we are on 24/7, but it is the job satisfaction that makes me enjoy it. It is fun and exciting work.”

Face of Defense: Father, Son Reunite in Iraq

By Army Spc. Kandi Huggins

U.S. Division North

VICTORY BASE COMPLEX, Iraq, July 19, 2011 – Despite the strains military life can cause for families, being soldiers has proven to be a common denominator that has improved the relationship of a father and son serving in Iraq.

“We had the typical father-and-son relationship,” said Army 1st Sgt. Patrick Thomas. “But in advanced individual training, he started questioning if he could do this, and I would talk to him and work with him, and from that we started getting closer and closer.”

“It was different growing up,” said Army Pfc. Tyler Thomas. “We didn’t have much of a family life, because he was probably deployed every year and a half. Looking back, it seems like he was gone more than he was home, on either a deployment or just being at work before I woke up.”

Now, Patrick, senior noncommissioned officer in charge of the 1st Infantry Division’s Company A, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, and Tyler, a multi-channel transmissions systems operator with 50th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade, have reunited and become closer as NCO and soldier, and as father and son, while they serve in support of Operation New Dawn.

The son of a retired command sergeant major, Patrick enlisted as an infantryman, and, after completing basic and advanced individual training, attended airborne school. His first assignment was at Fort Bragg, N.C., with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and he deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield.

The Mobile, Ala., native said he credits his father for being the soldier he has become and hopes to influence Tyler in the same way.

“When I was younger, if I was doing something wrong or messed up, as my dad, he would talk to me. If it came to me getting hemmed up and my sergeant major called him, my dad would say he didn’t care, because the standards are the standards,” Patrick said. “And I treat Tyler the same way. You have to teach him to be a soldier, and that’s something my dad did for me growing up in the army.”

Tyler agreed. “There’s a level of professionalism we keep,” he said. “Just like any other NCO, he’s not my dad when I’m wearing my rank and he’s wearing his.”

That is how Tyler learns, his father said, and that is how he will build himself to be a better leader.

“[Being a soldier] has definitely helped my relationship with my dad,” Tyler said. “I wasn’t making the best decisions, and I probably didn’t live up to his expectations, but I can say after I graduated basic training, it’s continued getting better.”

Tyler also began his service at Fort Bragg and deployed to Iraq within six months, following the same path his father set out on 20 years earlier. Patrick said he shares a series of interesting and unique experiences with Tyler.

“In October 1990, I deployed for the first time in support of Desert Shield/Desert Storm,” he said. “I remember that Christmas Eve, I came off guard duty and the phones were open to call home. So I called my wife, and her dad said she was in the hospital having my son.

“I told Tyler on his 20th birthday last December, that it’s crazy because he will turn 21 here,” he continued. “I was here all those years ago when he was born. Now he’s here, helping to close out what I started.”

Although Patrick makes it clear to Tyler that he is bound to fulfill his duties as a soldier, he said he has not taken for granted the moments the two have shared so far.

“I went to his basic training graduation from Fort Gordon [in Georgia],” he said. “It brought a tear to my eye, especially seeing him as a father. You think, ‘Is he going to do good? Did we do everything we could as parents?’”

Patrick added that seeing Tyler on the parade field in his uniform and beret during graduation made him proud as a father.

“I can’t measure how proud I am of Tyler,” he said. “I’m ecstatic he’s done something with himself. Will he ever know how proud I am? Oh yeah, he gets tired of me telling him.”

And Tyler continues to try to earn and reciprocate his father’s pride.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my dad, it’s that it takes years to build a reputation and a day to mess it up,” he said. “There’s a continuous proud moment of knowing how much he has accomplished, how hard he’s worked, and how many crazy things he’s done that no one but his little group will ever know about.”

Deployed S.C. National Guard unit trains in suicide intervention techniques

By Brian Hare

151st Expeditionary Signal Battalion

BAGHDAD (4/1/11) – South Carolina Army National Guard members serving with the 151st Expeditionary Signal Battalion participated in suicide-intervention training at Victory Base Complex in Baghdad, March 17-18, 2011.

The Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training workshop was coordinated by Army Capt. Charles Poore, 151st ESB battalion chaplain. Poore also served as one of the course instructors.

"Right now the Army is seeing more Soldiers die by suicide than from combat," Poore said. "As responsible Soldiers, each of us needs to know how to intervene in a suicidal situation."

"ASIST teaches soldiers the skills to help their battle buddy who is in need," he said.

The ASIST training module was approved for use by the Army in 2009. In addition to the two-day workshop, a five-day "train the trainer" version is available for instructors who, upon completion, are qualified to conduct the two-day course.

The purpose of the course is to prepare Soldiers to identify others who may be at risk for committing suicide or displaying suicidal behavior, and to know how to properly intervene with immediate action.

During the course, the Soldiers were each required to participate in a role-playing exercise, acting as the at-risk soldier and the caregiver.

The scenarios were based on a variety of situations which might put a soldier at-risk of committing suicide, such as relationship and financial problems. After each scenario, Poore asked for feedback from the rest of the group.

Army Lt. Col. Richard Wholey, 151st ESB battalion commander, pointed out to the students that suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S., and that for every successful suicide attempt, there are 11 more unsuccessful attempts, placing an emphasis on the importance of the training.

"The training was invaluable," said 151st ESB Headquarters & Headquarters Company 1st Sgt. David Wilson.

"As a First Sergeant, it may help me to save a number of lives." Wilson said.

To date, 28 soldiers from the 151st have been trained and certified in ASIST, putting them well within the current Army requirement to have one soldier trained for every fifty soldiers within the unit.

Florida National Guard assists with finance issues in Iraq

By Army Sgt. Jennifer Sardam,

Maryland National Guard

BAGHDAD (3/30/11) -- Guard members from the Florida Army National Guard's 1153rd Financial Management Detachment have been working hard to resolve military pay issues for Soldiers at Victory Base Complex and Forward Operating Base Union III.

Many of these Guard members feel proud of the responsibilities they have to their fellow service members in Iraq.

"I feel like I'm a part of history," said Army Staff Sgt. Kimberly Stevenson, chief of military pay for the 1153rd FMD at the Camp Liberty Finance Office on VBC. "We're National Guard, and so there's something very deep in your heart that you feel privileged to be a part of something like this."

As Guard members who share the same deployed environment and personal concerns as their customers, 1153rd FMD personnel are well aware of the stress that financial difficulties can create.

"You almost take it personally when they're having a pay problem, because you really do want to help," Stevenson said.

This understanding is evident to many who visit the finance office here, where pay personnel strive for timely responses to their customers.

"From the time a Soldier comes in with a pay issue, we make every attempt to resolve that within 72 hours," she said. "However, the goal is to try to answer pay questions immediately, when possible."

For some military pay staff, that means occasionally sacrificing down time to get the job done.

"We do get stressed out when we don't know how to help a Soldier or resolve it quickly enough," Stevenson said. "But, I know every one of my Soldiers feels the same way. At 6 o'clock at night you don't want to talk about work because you just want to relax for a few minutes, but you go back and work it till 10 o'clock, trying to fix it."

To better assist with finance issues, Guard members are encouraged to address pay concerns as soon as they surface.

"You can put it off so much, but it adds up," she said. "Pay, to me, is the most important thing. That keeps the mortgage going and the family happy."

Many of the major finance issues that bring Soldiers in for assistance come from them not properly addressing problems early on, she said.

"We see a lot of that here, such as, people not getting [their basic allowance for housing], that's due to them, because they didn't turn in the appropriate paperwork," she said. "Some of these are taking a long time to resolve, but it does feel good once you complete that for the Soldier."

Stevenson recommends that Soldiers stay informed of their basic pay by reviewing their leaves and earnings statements by logging on regularly to MyPay, the online self-service tool from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.

"I had one Soldier come in [and] he hadn't looked on MyPay for a couple of months ... one day he looked, and he hadn't been paid for two months," Stevenson said. "What he thought was a simple problem, was a really big problem because his expiration term of service hadn't been put into the system."

Even with the convenience of direct deposit, Soldiers are advised to still check their pay regularly to ensure it is accurate.

"We always tell people [to] look at your LES's," said Army Spc. Cayce Hickey, the customer service noncommissioned officer in charge for military pay. "I go into my bank account twice a month and make sure that pay is there. I know what [the amount] should be. If it's not that, then that's when I go and I start asking questions."

If there is a pay issue, resolving it means tracking down paperwork and contacting various unit personnel offices. That keeps the military pay staff of the 1153rd FMD the busiest, Stevenson said.

Being personally prepared at the beginning of a deployment helps streamline the process of addressing issues later, should they arise.

During pre-deployment, Soldiers should have their affairs in order by reviewing any associated paperwork and bringing copies of important documents, said Army Sgt. Jason Johnson, a certifier in the disbursing section in the finance office.

"[Before deployment] a lot of units are really distracted with pay issues and also other personnel stuff," Johnson said. "We're finding out they don't have their stuff together, and [some] Soldiers have had issues since 2008."

Ongoing communication with the finance office helps servicemembers avoid many pay issues altogether.

"If you have a child, come let us know," Hickey said. "If you move duty stations, come let us know. If you have any significant life changes, come in and let finance know, even if we just tell you that we don't need to know that, at least you're not putting yourself in debt or missing out on money that you're eligible to get."

Many of the finance Soldiers are aware of the impact of their daily duties on deployed servicemembers.

"It's very important because no one [works] for free," Johnson said. "If we're taking care of their needs, or they have a problem, and they perceive that we are working hard to resolve it and get them some answers, they're going to be more focused on their mission."