2 0 4 T H B R I G A D E

S U P P O R T B A T T A L I O N

S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F

I N T E R E S T :

A Message from Cobra 6

Electronic Warfare Opera-

tions

Camp Nathan Smith Heli-

copter Landing Zone

Marco Polo Restaurant

Owner-a Local National

Hispanic Heritage Month

Observance

Black Knights Interact with

Local Nationals

NEWSLETTER STAFF:

CPT Ashlea Cleveland

1LT Betsy Arndt

Rough Rider Connection

This newsletter contains official and unofficial information. The inclusion of some unofficial information in this

newsletter has not increased the cost to the Government, in accordance with DOD 4525.8-M

Greetings, Rough Rider Friends and Family! Your Soldiers are all working hard and staying motivated while away from home. This week, we would like to showcase Rough Rider medical support to Combined Task Force (CTF) Warhorse. SSG Carlos and his team at Kandahar Air Field (KAF) provide rou-tine medical care to all Warhorse Soldiers at KAF as well as treat and coordinate medical care and transportation for injured Soldiers at the Warhorse Wounded War-rior Unit (WWU) and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) Recovery Center. There, Soldiers re-cover so that they can return to their respective units and conserve the fighting strength. SSG Carlos also serves as the medical liaison for CTF Warhorse coordinating and tracking care of any wounded Soldiers and the dignified transfer of our fallen Heroes. Their job requires strength of character and a mental toughness as they serve with the utmost dignity and they bring a huge asset to CTF Warhorse and Regional Command- South (RC-S). At Forward Operating Base (FOB) Walton, SSG Ramotar and his team provide expert rou-tine and emergency medical care as well as behavior health and physical therapy services for CTF Warhorse, while SSG Choi and his team provide medical supplies, maintenance of medical equipment, and pharmaceutical capabilities to CTF Warhorse. Additionally, these medical pro-fessionals provide medical coverage for each and every Combat Logistics Patrol for the Rough Rider battalion and support the Logistics Training Assistance Team (LTAT) mission with basic first aid and first responder training to our Afghan partners. Their efforts impact all Rough Rider and CTF Warhorse Soldiers as well as our Afghan counterparts to successfully treat Afghan casualties and improve the quality of life in Afghanistan. At Camp Nathan Smith, SFC Braithwaite and her team provide skilled routine and emer-gency medical care as well as dental, laboratory, radiology, and patient hold services for CTF Warhorse. As the primary US medical facility in Kandahar City, these Soldiers are at a constant state of readiness. They are proficient and work diligently to provide care to everything from mi-nor ailments to combat-related injuries. Additionally, these Soldiers often augment medical sup-port to high risk missions at other locations. Finally, medical personnel play a vital role in augmenting FOB sustainment as well as other critical missions such as running the CNS HLZ, guards, escorts, cultural support teams, and any other mission where additional medical support is required. Rough Rider medical professionals can be found in DynCorps contracting, the support operations office (SPO), the battalion S4, and we even have our very own 1LT Malerk serving as the Medical Operations Officer and FOB Mayor at Camp Stone in RC-West (RC-W). Wherever your Soldiers are, wherever they go, medical professionals will be with them if for no other reason than to offer peace of mind. We bust ours to save yours.

As always, a special thanks to Friends and Family back home. Your love and support is vital for our mission success and we applaud you for your strength and courage on the home front. Your unwavering support and devotion to the Soldiers, your duty to Family – your mission is just as big as ours. Thank you! STRIKE FIRST!

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

R O U G H R I D E R C O N N E C T I O N

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan—As electronic and c yber techno log ies advance, so does the threat to every Sol-

dier de-ployed in all operat ions around the

world. The threat of radio fre-quency controlled devices that detonate IEDs, are ever persistent today and for years to come. The IED problem on the roads of war ravaged countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, are being coun-tered by the Army‘s acquisition of the MOS 29E (Electronic Warfare Specialist).

The 204th BSB has placed two

very confident and capable Soldiers in their ranks to control and alleviate the affect of radio controlled IEDs on convoy and resupply operations. SSG Patterson and SGT Liana dili-gently plan, coordinate, and man-age with all echelons of the Rough Rider Battalion to ensure radio fre-quency coverage over all vehicles. Consideration is a keen sense of the EWO duty as the effects may cause radio fratricide on friendly forces. Consequently, prior to trav-eling along some of the most dan-gerous highways in the world, the Rough Rider troops are reassured that their counter-IED systems are operational by the EWO at the mis-sion briefs. In regards to his job with EWO SGT Liana stated: ―I think that the

EWO job is very important to our mission success because people‘s idea of fighting the enemy involves seeing the enemy; in this situation we can‘t see them, but we‘re con-tinuously engaging them. Our phi-losophy is ―if nothing happens our systems are working.‖ SGT Liana says, ―As the enemy‘s technology advances, I like to think that we‘re always one step ahead of them.‖ In addition to deconflicting with S6, gathering Intel from S2, and co-ordination with S3; SSG Patterson and SGT Liana are entrusted to track, maintain, and repair sensitive systems installed in all the vehicles that also battle the radio controlled IED obstacles. SSG Patterson and SGT Liana are the epitome of true Rough Riders and the ―Make it hap-pen‖ attitude.

Rough Rider Electronic Warfare Operations By SGT Kalanikaimakani B. Liana, Alpha Company’s Electronic Warfare Operations NCOIC

SGT Liana, Alpha Company‘s 92E, Elec-tronic Warfare NCO.

P A G E 2

K A N D A -HAR, Af-ghanistan—Charlie Co-bras are and have always been a truly m u l t i f u n c -tional com-pany, ready to take on any task

necessary to support the brigade, and no other task exemplifies our mission dedication and flexibility like the work of SGT Rod Nichols and SPC Christopher Pantle who serve at the Helicopter Landing Zone (HLZ) for Camp Nathan Smith (CNS). By trade, SGT Nichols and SPC Pantle work in the Brigade Medical Supply Office (BMSO) as a Medical Logistician and a Bio-Medical Maintenance Technician, respectively. Since arriving at CNS, they have been reassigned

to the HLZ where they have learned a variety of mission-critical tasks, including firefighting proce-dures in the event of a helicopter fire/crash; emergency procedures to assist in casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) and medical evacua-tions (MEDEVAC); scheduling air movement requests (AMRs); coor-dinating movement for various units on the FOB like the State Department, United Nations, and DynCorp contractors, and all mili-tary; de-conflicting airspace with rotary aircraft and unmanned air-craft such as Ravens and Pumas. They also assist passengers with bags and cargo, synchronize in-coming and outbound aircraft, and conduct regular foreign object damage (FOD) walks to keep the HLZ free of debris that could other-wise damage aircraft. SGT Nighols and SPC Pantle are experts at proper radio communications pro-cedures as well as various radio systems. One of the most impor-

tant tasks these Soldiers have is to receive honored dignitaries and VIPs at the CNS HLZ. SGT Nich-ols and SPC Pantle are the first Soldiers that every person travel-ing by air meets once they arrive at CNS. Life at the HLZ is full of interac-tion with many people and different organizations. They have made several improvements to the HLZ including a flat screen TV and movies to keep our passengers occupied while awaiting travel. SGT Nichols and SPC Pantle as-sist any unit trying to obtain a flight by translating a complicated flight plan into how many passenger spaces are available to fly to vari-ous destinations. These Soldiers work hard to get everyone to their objective as safely and quickly as possible, moving elements of Combined Task Force Warhorse, civilian support, and our partners as efficiently as possible by air.

Camp Nathan Smith Helicopter Landing Zone Crew By SGT Rod Nichols, Charlie Company, Camp Nathan Smith HLZ NCOIC

Above: Passengers await travel at the CNS HLZ terminal. Right: SPC Pantle communicates on the radio.

P A G E 3

R O U G H R I D E R C O N N E C T I O N

A Special Place with a Friendly Face on FOB Walton By an Anonymous Soldier in the 204th Brigade Support Battalion

the front man and main waiter of the restaurant. Rohullah was born and raised in a small village of 300 people in Ghanzi Province to the Northeast of Kandahar. When Ro-hullah was 16 years old he moved to Kabul to learn English and even-tually got a job with US forces in Kandahar. While in Kabul, he met his first American. This person was an 86 year old woman named Rachel and she worked for a non-governmental organization. Rohullah says he re-members that moment clearly, be-cause she said he had beautiful eyes. Later he met his first rude American! Rohullah asked the man what he did for a living, knowing that he was an American by his accent, as was promptly told to mind his own business. Of course, in a few minutes Rohullah was able to explain that people from Afghani-stan are naturally inquisitive. Ro-hullah said the experience was un-pleasant, but that he knows very well that people are different every-where and does not expect all peo-ple, even Americans, to be nice. He found this out the hard way not long later. One day on his way home from Kabul his vehicle was stopped by Taliban. They told him they were going to kill him because they knew

he worked for Americans. Rohul-lah said he thought he was going to die for sure, but then two women whom he did not know, but were riding with him told the Taliban that they were is mother and Aunt and that he did not work for anyone. After a few tense minutes, the Taliban let them go. Rohullah laughs and says it is like that all over the country and that he is very thankful that the Ameri-cans have helped.

To this day, Rohullah and many Afghans live their lives, ap-preciative of a brighter future. To be able to laugh, play, and eat their favorite foods like kabuli palaw. One day, Rohullah says he wants to visit other countries like Australia and Italia. When asked if he would like to come to Amer-ica, Rohullah bursts out in a tre-mendous laugh and replies, ―OF COURSE‖!

KANDAHAR, Af-ghanistan—The Soldiers of 204

th

Brigade Support Battalion often find themselves with a ‗cabin fever‘ feel-ing as they start to

see the same faces whether they are at work, the gym, or the dining facility (DFAC). However, another popular gathering spot for our troops is ―Marco Polo‖, a local na-tional restaurant. Here Soldiers can relax, play cards, watch T.V., or eat things like kabuli palaw, which con-sists of rice, carrots, raisins, and lamb and is one of the waiters‘ fa-vorite foods. This is also the place where thousands of Soldiers residing on FOB Walton have met Rohullah,

Top: The Marcopolo Restaurant sign on FOB Walton. Below: Rohullah enjoying a cup of tea as he shares his stories. Right: Soldiers enjoy the atmosphere during a game of cards.

Observing Hispanic Heritage Month KANDAHAR, Afghanistan—On October 8, 2011 resi-dents of FOB Walton gathered in the gazebo to recognize and reflect on the great service of Hispanics in the military. The observance began with some history from SFC Letha Gutierrez of HHC, then Soldiers read scripts of out-standing Hispanic service members. The guest speaker was LTC Heber Olguin who spoke of the great diversity of the military and his keys to success. LTC Olguin was fol-lowed by SGT Cesar McAffee of Charlie Company and SPC Yurany Salinas of Alpha Company as well as SSG Stephanie Hawkins of the 33rd Finance with some tradi-tional Hispanic dancing styles.

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Bravo Company Leadership Interacts with Locals for Contracts

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan—First Lieutenant Meghan Housel, the Ex-ecutive Officer of Bravo Company was not in Afghanistan for more than a week when she took initiative to make major progress for the con-struction and growth of the expan-sion on Forward Operating Base Walton. 1LT Housel set up a few appointments with a couple of Af-ghan locals who would be laying cement in the expansion so that of-fices could be built for the Black Knights. Most of Bravo Company has moved to the expansion which is considered the new motor pool, after trading in the smaller motor pool due to lack of space. The only thing missing in the new motor pool is of-fices for the platoon sergeants and warrant officers who would be the key elements in the decision making process for the various Bravo Com-pany sections. Having the offices in the expansion would improve deci-sion making and efficiency. 1LT Housel interviewed two local Afghan local nationals for a job to help with the construction on FOB Walton. The Afghan company that will be chosen will be based on fre-quency of contracts on other local FOBs and of course whichever com-pany has the most experience in laying concrete. The area in the ex-pansion that will need to be ce-mented with four pads. After hiring the Afghan Company, 1LT Housel will let 1LT Elizabeth Larke, the offi-cer in charge of contracting, know who she chose so that an account-

ing classification code can be setup which will allow the Afghan company to be paid.

One of the Local Nationals that was interviewed, Ahamad Jawid, was 22 years old when he started laying cement. Many Afghan locals lay cement as an occupation be-cause it is an easy way to make a living in Afghanistan. Ahamad Jawid has been with his current company for two years and they operate out of Kabul, Afghanistan. He actually flew from Kabul, which is three to four hours from FOB Walton to make the interview. If hired, Ahamad Jawid plans on working twelve hour days so the project can be completed in one month. The translator, Muham-madi who was present during the interview was very beneficial in mak-ing the communication between 1LT Housel and Ahamad Jawid more understandable. There are many steps that must be taken to ensure personnel al-

By SPC Natasha Gaskins, Bravo Company Unit Public Affairs Representative

lowed on the FOB do not hinder the safety of Soldiers and civilians occu-pying FOB Walton. Interviews and screenings are abundant in order to initiate the badging process which will display the individual‘s access to cer-tain locations on the FOB. It will take thirty days to have the concrete laid, then thirty days for the contract with DynCorp to take effect then 180 days for the tents to be set up. Because of the time-consuming process, many of the objectives to be accomplished by the execution of this contract may not even be seen by the Rough Riders. Bravo Company may not be able to have the luxury of see-ing the benefits of the concrete and offices being set up in the expansion, but units that precede the 204th BSB will. ―Even though Bravo Company may not be able to see or work out of these tents, we are leaving a func-tional working space that is more effi-cient for the use of the next unit to come to FOB Walton,‖ says 1LT Hou-sel. 1LT Housel hit the ground running when she arrived on FOB Walton, ensuring Bravo Company has a more effective communicative relationship with the Bravo Company Soldiers already occupying the expansion. 1LT Housel not only is ensuring that the expansion is laid with concrete, but also assists in many more tasks that allow the overall smooth opera-tion of Bravo Company tasks. Many Soldiers are very optimistic about where 1LT Housel will take Bravo Company.

1LT Meghan Housel, along with inter-

preter Muhammadi (center), interviews

an Afghanistan concrete contractor.