Volume 2, Issue 1 February 8, 2017

Volume

Page 2 Volume 2, Issue 1

COMMANDER’S CORNER

COL Larry Q. Burris, RAK 6

Fellow Rakkasans, Family

Members, and Veterans –

Greetings from Kandahar

Airfield! Your Rakkasans

continue the strong mo-

mentum gained in 2016

into the New Year. The

BCT continues to work

with our NATO partners in

Kosovo and Afghanistan

to enable security for the

local populace in both na-

tions. I am extremely

proud of the work our Sol-

diers continue to do in

these extremely complex

and challenging multi-

national environments.

The Rakkasans recently

welcomed a new senior

leader to its ranks. The

Iron Rakkasans recently

conducted an Assumption

of Responsibility ceremo-

ny and welcomed a new

Battalion Command Ser-

geant Major, Charles Hou-

ston, to the team. CSM

Houston and his family

come to us from the Ba-

stogne BCT at Fort Camp-

bell. CSM Houston, wel-

come to the team!

In Afghanistan, we also

welcomed the recent arri-

val of the BCTs Shadow

UAS platoon. The Shad-

ow platoon hit the ground

running and is currently

flying in support of Coali-

tion Forces and OPERA-

TION RESOLUTE SUP-

PORT.

Our team at Fort Camp-

bell continues to train and

maintain the highest level

of readiness. TF Torii

recently participated in

the Division’s change of

command ceremony

where MG Gary Volesky

relinquished command of

the Screaming Eagles to

MG Andrew Poppas.

Three months into the

deployment, for most of

the team, the BCT contin-

ues to receive only the

most amazing support

from all of our Rakkasan

Family Members, Veter-

ans and partners. Your

support enables our Sol-

diers to focus on the mis-

sion at hand. Thanks for

all you have done and

continue to do for our Sol-

diers.

Let Valor Not Fail,

Larry Burris

Volume 2, Issue 1

Inside this issue:

COMMAND CORNER

2

1-187 IN BN “LEADER”

3

2-506 IN BN “WHITE CURRAHEE”

3

3-187 IN BN “IRON”

4

1-33 CAV “WAR”

4

3-320 FA “RED KNIGHTS”

5

21 BEB “SOLID’

5

626 BSB “ASSURGAM”

6

CHAPLAIN’S

CORNER 6

FEATURE STORY 7-8

AROUND THE BRIGADE 9

RAKKASAN VALUES 10

CONTACT US 11

1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment “Leader Rakkasans”

Page 3

LTC Josh Bookout , Leader 6

CSM Shawn Chaney, Leader 7

Rakkasan Family,

We hope that the Rakkasan family back home in Fort Campbell had a great New Year celebration and is get-ting 2017 off to an excellent start! The Leader Rak-kasan’s started the year off right by maintaining 2016’s momentum and building up-on our hard fought gains. After celebrating the holi-day’s, Leader Battalion’s operational and training tem-po picked up significantly. Soldiers of Leader Battalion are using all resources avail-able to conduct training and missions across Afghanistan

effectively supporting US and Afghan interests. The forward support company and Leader Torii rear de-tachment also continue to train hard and build readi-ness.

We will remain in Afghani-stan to support Resolute Support and Operation Freedom Sentinel through the first half of the year. The Soldiers of the Battal-ion are looking forward to the dynamic and challeng-ing missions that requires us to be ready at a mo-ment’s notice. We are ready for any mission and excited for what the future holds for the Battalion de-ployed and back at Fort Campbelll.

CSM Chaney and I are extremely proud of every Leader Rakkasan Soldier and appreciative of the families that support us each and every day. The families back home are our hearts behind the shield and provide the purpose and love for our sol-diers. Lethal, Dis-ciplined, and Ready!

Let Valor Not Fail!

2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment “White Currahee Rakkasans”

LTC Kurt Smith, White 6

CSM Thomas Conn, White 7

Greetings Friends and Families of the White Currahee Rakkasans!

Time has passed quickly and we are already over the half-way point of our deployment. These past few months have flown by and your Soldiers continue to conduct first class Advi-sor Force Protection. The Soldiers’ motivation and every day accomplishment continue to amaze me and I look forward to seeing it continue through the sec-ond half of the deploy-ment.

We had a great Christmas here in Kabul. The Kabul

Security Forces leadership was extremely proud to serve the Christmas meal to all our Soldiers, as they serve all of us each day. We were also privileged to have a visit from Tactical Santa. Santa visited sev-eral of our Soldiers as he made his way around the globe. It turns out Santa embraces the perfect, committed discipline of White Currahee and wore his Personal Protective Equipment while traveling through Afghanistan. The day after Christmas, MG Thomson visited and handed care packages out to the Soldiers. He also received a gift from us by leaving with some White Currahee swag.

This month we are saddened by the departure of BG Ian Thomas who has commanded the Kabul Security Force dur-ing our time here in Kabul. He will be heading back to the UK and we were fortunate to have him serve with us.

Until next month!

Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 3

Crusher Company forward observer PFC

Merritt observing 81mm mortar impacts

during a training mission.

2-056 IN BN soldier fires his weapon during a range.

1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment “War Rakkasans”

Page 4 Volume 2, Issue 1 Volume 2, Issue 1

LTC Scott Virgil, War 6

CSM Steven Campbell, War 7

Greetings from Kosovo to the Rakkasan Brigade and Family! 2017 is already off to a great start. Task Force War contin-ues to focus on its three enduring priori-ties within the Kosovo mission: provide a safe and secure environment; enhance relationships with our multinational part-ners; and build combat readiness. These three priorities often overlap, but I would like to emphasize some of ways the War Rakkasans are meeting the intent of enhancing relationships with our multinational partners.

We are enhancing multinational partner-ships through a concerted effort to incor-porate the other countries into our events, operational planning and re-hearsals, tactical execution, or just so-cial time on “the fields of friendly strife” or in the “House of War” gym. Recently, Apache Troop’s LT Thomas led Major General Fungo (Italy), the commander of Kosovo Forces, on a joint patrol with the Serbian Armed Forces. LT Thomas highlighted some of strides that are occurring in border cooperation as well as some of the current challenges. MG Fungo also presented KFOR coins to LT Thomas, SFC Joyner, and SPC Bombliss. Apache Troop also hosted

the Deputy Commander, Brigadier General Riener (Austria) for a night at Camp Nothing Hill. A highlight for BG Renier was his participation on 1SG Gaumond’s NCOPD re-garding NCO development and the role of NCOs in the Army. Shadow Troop expanded its relationship with the German forces by con-ducting a “Shutzenshnur” weapons proficiency competition. The event included the German Soldiers qualifying on Shadow Troop’s M9 pistol and M4 rifle. Shadow Troop then qualified on the German G36 rifle, P8 pistol, and MG3 Machine Gun.

Operating within the Total Army concept, we work with Active Duty, National Guard, and multinational forces, as well as other govern-mental agencies. To do so we constantly plan, rehearse, and train together in order to build a stronger Total Army team. MAJ Resnick, CPT Evans, and the staff continue to ensure that Task Force War and our allied partners are prepared to de-escalate any Crowd and Riot Control (CRC) event. The staff recently conducted a CRC Concept Rehearsal and a Communications Exercise with Hungarian, Polish, Danish, and Slovenian leadership.

On January 15 and 22, over 110 Soldiers from Task Force War participated in the DANCON March. The 26-mile march served as a cruci-ble event for many of the competitors, provid-ing a mentally and physically challenging experience that also afforded the opportunity for self-reflection and self-evaluation. All who finished are now mentally and physical strong-er because of it. Additionally, it honored the commitment of our partnered forces from Denmark, who undertook the first DANCON March during their mission in Cyprus in 1972.

As Rakkasans, physical fitness is a top priori-ty. SFC Castergine has spear-heading the development of the “House of War” gym by re-purposing an empty building, obtaining workout equipment from numerous areas, and developing the gym to include numerous large Toriis painted throughout. His initiative had a direct impact upon this vital necessity to Troop fitness and morale. Additionally, in order to maintain proper relationships, he organized an international soccer tournament to share his work with the entire NATO alliance.

As always, a sincere “thank you” to the friends and families of the War Rak-kasans. We received our “family table-cloths” that have hand-prints and mes-sages from our families. They are hang-ing proudly in the Squadron area. For those participating in the “Walk to Koso-vo,” keep up the great work! Over 1,000 miles have been submitted!

They include: a movie night, ice cream social, an Easter egg hunt, and a fitness event for the ladies dubbed “Iron Maiden Day.” In theater, we created deployment t-shirts and hats available for purchase for Soldiers and families with all infor-mation available on the Battalion Face-book page. On February 1st, we will kick off the “Iron Race to Afghanistan” en-couraging Soldiers in theater and fami-lies at home to get out, walk, jog, and run in support of the Battalion reaching the total 7,402 miles from Fort Campbell to Afghanistan.

Thank you again for all that you do to support our Soldiers here overseas and at home. Your patriotism and steadfast loyalty is remarkable! We miss our fami-lies and friends more than ever but con-tinue work hard and accomplish this very important mission in Afghanistan.

Iron 7

Happy New Year to all of our family and friends back in the states. Your presence was certainly missed by all the Iron Rak-kasans as we celebrated the New Year with some of our friends here at TB Dwyer. Even though the New Year is

LTC Hank Barnes, Iron 6

CSM Chuck Houston, Iron 7

Families and friends – as we begin 2017, the men and women of Task Force Iron, 3rd Battalion 187th Infantry, are hard at work here in Afghanistan!

We enjoyed a great Christmas and New Year celebration as we closed out 2016 away from home. We rang in 2017 with a base-wide fitness competition and a small party at midnight. I remain very proud of the professional Soldiers and civilians that continue to work hard every day here in Helmand, Afghanistan, to accomplish the mission.

This year holds a variety of events at home and here in theater de-signed to connect Soldiers to their families and build teamwork. At home, our Family Readiness Group is planning a series of activ-ities to keep families connected.

3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment “Iron Rakkasans”

only a few weeks old, your Sol-diers have been extremely busy working at making TB Dwyer a better place. Each day they con-tinue to press forward and do great things for their country and family back home.

This month we had the honor of recognizing SGT Joseph Martinez, a Soldier from Breacher Compa-ny, and PFC Christopher Tow, a Soldier from Wolfpack Compa-ny, as the winner of the NCO and Soldier of the Month competition for January. The Battalion Commander and I are very proud of the continued hard work and dedication your Soldiers con-tinue to display each and every day. Thank you for your continued sup-port and love.

Let Valor Not Fail!

1-33 CAV Soldiers during German Schutzenschnur qualification.

our missions safely. As always, we greatly appreciate your support and we love and miss our families back home. Best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Solid 7 Happy New year to TF RAK Solid families and Soldiers. With a new year comes new beginnings, I hope you are all blessed with hap-piness. TF RAK Solid established our first Soldier and NCO of the Month boards with Battlehard winning the Soldier and Beast Troop winning the NCO of the Month boards. For those of you that do not know it gives Soldiers and NCO’s the chance to sharpen their skills and prep for promotion boards espe-cially for the Junior Enlisted. We often talk about routines while on deployments and boards offer the opportunity to break up that rou-tine a little and prepare for some-thing other than a patrol. This

LTC Stephen Douglas, Solid 6

SGM Jeffery Bond, Solid 7

Our Soldiers continue to excel in all they do, and we had a very good holiday season with our mili-tary family here in Afghanistan. Missions continue to provide am-ple opportunity to keep all of our Soldiers engaged and growing in their profession while helping to keep the time moving until we re-turn. We welcomed some addition-al Soldiers from Delta Company, 21st Engineer Battalion right be-fore Christmas, and CSM Bond and I were proud to be able to present them with their combat patches for the deployment. As with other members of our team, it is great to see all of their hard training over the past year being put to use during this mission. We are all excited about the new year and looking forward to all that it brings, including our eventual re-turn home. In the months between then and now though, we will stay focused and continue to exe-cute

month Beast Troop is rotating with Battlehard between Quick Reac-tion Force missions and getting out into the Ground Defense Area and conducting patrols along with our Romanian partners. The one thing the Army is built upon is the ability to adapt to changing environments. Mutual support within this organization is also an important aspect of mission accom-plishment. Battlehard continues with Security Forces and Guardian Angel missions furthering our cause to create a safe and secure Af-ghanistan while ena-bling the Afghanistan National Defense Forces to lead from the front.

21st Brigade Engineer Battalion “Solid Rakkasans”

3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment “Red Knight Rakkasans”

Page 5

LTC Bryan Schott, Red Knight 6

CSM Darrell Walls Red Knight 7

Happy New Year to all from the Red Knight Rakkasan Team in Helmand, Afghanistan. The dec-orations are down and the team is looking forward to this year’s Christmas at home. I hope you all had a great holiday. I was proud and pleased to hear that everyone arrived back home to Fort Campbell safely, and ready to get back to work. I think I can speak for all when I say, it is great to know that we will be home later this year!

The Holidays here in Afghani-stan were certainly not the same as those back home with friends and families but the Red Knight Team forward made the best of it and made our own memories in the process. Christmas morn-ing started by handing out stock-ings, care packages and gifts all graciously donated by the USO

Volume 2, Issue 1 Volume 2, Issue 1

times.

In closing, the Soldiers continue to amaze me and the CSM on a daily basis. We are humbled and honored to lead such an out-standing team of professionals. We will continue to post pictures and updates to the Facebook page so you can see all the amazing things your Soldiers are doing. If you have pictures or requests, please send us a message and we will work to get it posted. Thank you for all you do to support our Soldiers. Happy New Year!

and support groups to all per-sonnel on Shorab Annex. We hope you had the opportunity to see some of the photos on our Red Knight Facebook Page to catch a glimpse of your loved one.

For the Christmas meal, the DFAC put on an incredible spread with something for everyone. It also gave the Senior Leaders an opportunity to serve chow and say a per-sonal thanks to each Soldier for the work they are doing each and every day.

We closed out the evening with the worst display of carol-ing you could ever imagine. If you are brave enough, you can watch it on Facebook. What it did though was bring the team together and create an experience we may not appreciate now, but will look back on years from now and remember funnier and lighter

PV2 Carlin examines second degree burns on the hands of an Afghan policeman on a patrol.

626th Brigade Support Battalion “Assurgam Rakkasans”

Page 6

LTC Erin Miller, Assurgam 6

SGM Travis Birchfield, Assurgam 7

Happy New Year Friends and Families of the Assurgam Rak-kasans!

Over the past month, the BSB executed a M240 Range, our an-nual Holiday Ball, and two weeks of leave to closeout 2016. We wel-come the changes, challenges, and training opportunities that the new year will bring. We have be-gun 2017 with a focus on training the formation. One of our primary focuses this month is individual training with 6 Soldiers already graduating Air Assault School in the first class of the new year.

Our Charlie Company team has been extremely busy training the Battalion- providing 40 Combat Life Saver and 25 Field Sanitation certified Soldiers across the battal-ion.

Additionally, our medics trained to complete Table I-VII qualifications.

Across the battalion, compa-nies are focused on squad, section, and platoon level training. They have executed Company Command Post and convoy training, all while still maintaining the readiness of the brigade’s fleet of equip-ment.

In the coming weeks, we will focus on M2 and M240B weapons qualification, while building and preparing crews for Unstabilized Gunnery. Our Bravo Company will as-sume duties as the lead for TF Torii’s Eagle Guard mis-

sion in support of the Garri-son Command.

The battalion will conduct a myriad of support missions

across the installation and in support of our TF Torii ele-ments over the coming months, while maintaining readiness.

Until next month!

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Who Are You Becoming?

CH (MAJ) William Sheets

Rakkasan Chaplain

All types of problems face us: downsizing, illness of a loved one, family problems, money problems, and all sorts of other complex local, national, and international challenges that require our best efforts and our endur-ing courage.

During challenges like these you may hear or have heard the saying: “What doesn’t kill you, makes you strong-er.” Yes, enduring life’s hardships can make us stronger and has the poten-tial to strengthen our men-tal, physical, emotional and/or spiritual fortitude. But writer Max Lucado in his On The Anvil goes further with this thought. Lucado likens the challenges and hard-

ships we face to being on a blacksmith’s anvil where the metal (us) is pounded and run through the fire in order to become what it is intended to be. The forg-ing of metal can take a lump of steel and shape it into a finished, beautiful object.

As you go through those life experiences that shape you, who are you becom-ing? Is your character being shaped for the bet-ter or for the worse? You know you are not the same after you have suf-fered a loss or great chal-lenge, but are you strong-er in what is good? Are you learning from those experiences and challeng-es? Or are you becoming negative, hardened, or bitter?

We all have a choice in which path we take. It is true that God has a plan in this shaping process, but I also believe individuals have a choice in letting their character be shaped for the better or for the worse.

Moving to a foreign country for the first time such as Germany or Japan may be a challenging period as you adjust to a new job, culture, language, etc. It is during this time you do indeed have a choice: accept the de-mands of this new life and be open to learning about new cultures or you can let this rich and maybe once in a lifetime opportunity escape you by refusing to have your horizons broadened.

As you face the challenges before you whether good or bad, remember to think about who are you becoming during this time on the anvil?

Chaplain’s Corner

626 BSB soldiers stand in formation awaiting safety brief.

FORT CAMPBELL – Alpha Com-pany, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment ‘White Currahee’, 3rd Brigade Combat Team ‘Rakkasans’ took to the Fort Campbell Training Area to prepare themselves for their Global Response Force mis-sion with a platoon live-fire exer-cise Jan. 9 to Jan. 12, 2017.

The exercise took place on Range 28, a sprawling pop-up target lane that tests Soldiers mounted and dismounted combat skills, move-ment capabilities and communica-tion in contact in open and forest terrain. Soldiers also practiced how to clear buildings with flashbang grenades, how to treat and move casualties to safety and how to co-ordinate flanking attacks on dug-in enemy positions.

CPT Travis Seale, commander of Alpha Company, 2-506, said that he planned the training to help his Soldiers see how a dynamic opera-tion would happen in an uncertain environment, and his Soldiers have done well.

“They’ve adapted well. In any live fire you look for two things: for them to progress and learn and for no one to get hurt,” Seale said. “And thus far they’ve all progressed from where they started. They all learned, which is important.”

Practicing their techniques helps the unit stay ready to deploy around the world as part of the Global Response Force, the U.S. Army’s answer to the unexpected. Units on the GRF are expected to be able to deploy within less than a day to anywhere in the world, and their Soldiers have to be prepared for whatever they might face once they land.

“I think it prepares us pretty well,” SPC Austin Nenow, an infantryman

with A Co., 2-506, said. “It gives us expe-rience with flashbangs, working as a small team unit and clearing buildings.”

.

Easy Company test Global Response By SSG Cody Harding, 3BCT Public Affairs

Page 7 Volume 2, Issue 1 Feature Story

SPC Austin Nenow, SPC Jesse Sanger and PVT Aaron Meade from Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment ‘White Currahee’, 3rd Brigade Combat Team ‘Rakkasans’ enter into a room with the help of a flashbang grenade during their platoon live-fire exercise Jan. 11.

Combat Medics from Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment ‘White Currahee’, 3rd Brigade Combat Team ‘Rakkasans’ evacuate a simulated casualty as part of their live-fire exercise Jan. 11.

Camp Marechal de Lattre De Tas-signy, Kosovo. Following in the footsteps of Viking warriors and Danish armies, the 1-33 CAV Squadron participated in the DAN-CON March on Jan. 15 and 22. “DANCON” is short for “Danish Contingent.”

Over 1,000 participants from multi-ple national forces from across Ko-sovo Force (KFOR) marched either 40 kilometers (approximately 26 miles) or 25 kilometers with 10 kilo-gram (22 pound) loads and their weapons through the wintry Koso-var countryside.

The original DANCON March took place in 1972 during the Danish army’s mission in Cyprus and has been a source of pride and tradition for Danish Soldiers ever since.

To the Danes, the DANCON March signifies “stamina and endurance” to a people who have been “good at walking and marching since Vi-king days,” according to Cpt. S.K. Sorensen, the Danish Contingent Commander.

He said the march “builds confi-dence and psychological self-reliance while promoting bonding and relationship building across nationalities.” The vast majority of the proceeds from the march will go to a local Kosovar charity.

LTC Scott Virgil, 1-33 CAV Squad-ron Commander, called the DAN-CON March “a crucible event providing a mentally and physically challenging experience that also affords the opportunity for self-reflection and self-evaluation.” He also sees it as a way to “honor the commitment of our partnered forc-es from Denmark.”

The Soldiers of the 1-33 CAV were

honored to participate in this proud Danish tradition while challenging themselves mentally and physi-cally in ways that promote resiliency and combat readiness.

In the Footsteps of Vikings: KFOR DANCON March By 2LT Daniel Herbster

Page 8 Volume 2, Issue 1 Feature Story

1LT Erik Dettenmayer, XO for A "Apache" Troop, 1-33 CAV Squadron bears his troop guidon during the DANCON March at CMLT, Kosovo

Soldiers from HHT, "Hammer" Troop, 1-33 CAV Squadron finish the DANCON March near CMLT, Kosovo bearing the Troop guidon.

Page 9 Volume 2, Issue 1

Snapshots Around The Brigade

Rakkasan soldiers deployed to Afghanistan competed in the 1000-lbs weightlifting completion Jan. 19. at Kandahar Airfield.

Leader Rakkasans following lieutenant physical training with Leader 6. Soldiers from C “Shadow” Troop, 1-33 CAV Squadron, as well as other German and American Soldiers, participate in the Schutzenschnur at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.

Field Artillery soldiers supporting 21st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd BCT,101st Airborne Division provide fire support to Train, Advise and Assist Command - South with M777 Howitzer.

GEN Joseph Votel, CENTCOM commander, visits 3-320 FA soldiers

deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Iron Rakkasans unveiled a 40-foot Torii downrange. It’s the largest outside of mainland Japan.

RAKKASAN VALUES Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 10

21BEB Deployed Address: Name Beast, TF RAK Solid KAF APO AE 09355

3RD BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION (AIR ASSAULT)

“LET VALOR NOT FAIL”

Volume 2, Issue 1

3rd BCT,101st ABN DIV (AASLT) HHC 3BCT Deployed Address: Name TAAC-S HQ, (Section) APO AE 09355

2-506 IN Deployed Address: Name Company, 2-506 IN BN NKC APO AE 09354

Mailing Addresses

3-320 FA Deployed Address: 3-320 FA Task Force Forge Shorab Annex APO AE 09354

1-33 CAV Deployed Address: CMLT, FCP S4, HHT, 1-33 CAV APO, AE 09340 CBS, LMT C/1, C TRP, 1-33 CAV APO, AE 09340

3-187 IN Deployed Address: HHC, 3-187 IN REGT TB DWYER APO, AE 09354

Ft. Campbell Address: A Shau Valley Rd Fort Campbell, KY 42223

1-187 IN Deployed Address: TF Leader 1-187 IN Bagram, AF APO AE 09354 TF Leader 1-187 IN Camp Buehring, Kuwait APO AE 09330

Family Readines Liasion SFC Paula L. Bond OFFICE: 270-461-1699