Iowa Red Bulls

27Jun/110

Soldiers sweat during CMNJ Tribute workout

Blog post by Staff Sgt. Ashlee Lolkus, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs
Released 27 July, 2011

Soldiers push out a set of burpees, 21 of them, in honor of Spc. Donald Nichols at the CMNJ Tribute workout at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan June 25. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ashlee Lolkus)

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Soldiers of the 2^nd Brigade Combat Team, 34^th Infantry Division, came together May 25 on Bagram Airfield to suffer through a grueling workout to tribute four Soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice while deployed to Afghanistan.

The workout was inspired by a similar event called the “Memorial Murph,” that was completed Memorial Day for a fallen Navy Seal. A few of the Red Bull Soldiers that participated in the event began planning their own memorial workout to tribute the Red Bulls’ fallen: Sgt. Adam Craig, Sgt. Brent Maher, Spc. Donald Nichols, Staff Sgt. James Justice.

Spc. Keith Stradt, of the Scout/Sniper Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-133rd Infantry Battalion, finishes up a one-mile run during the CMNJ Tribute workout June 25 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Ashlee Lolkus)

They called it the CMNJ Tribute workout, the initials for each of the fallen. It was a CrossFit workout that they developed around the ages of each Soldier. The work out consisted of wearing their individual body armor and completing the following:

23 second PLANK exercise for Craig,
21 BURPEES for Nichols,
31 PULLUPS for Justice,
32 SQUATS for Maher.

Each rotation was followed by a one mile run down Disney Drive. Each Soldier completed this rotation three times and ended with one last PLANK exercise to quietly think about the four Soldiers before getting their total exercise times. All of their times were recorded and listed below.

All participants of the CMNJ Tribute work out pose for a group photo June 25 at Bagram Airfield Afghanistan. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ashlee Lolkus)

39:30 – Sgt. 1^st Class Shane Wrage, Plans, HHC 2-34^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team*
44:20 – Sgt. Ed Kane, Scout/Sniper Platoon, HHC 1-133^rd Infantry Battalion
45:23 – Spc. Andrew Miller, Fires Section, HHC 2-34^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
46:27 – Maj. Eric Wieland, Fires Section, HHC 2-34^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
46:31 – Spc. Keith Stradt, Scout/Sniper Platoon, HHC 1-133^rd Infantry Battalion
48:42 – Spc. Torey Lasater, Aviation Section, HHC 2-34^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
49:13 – Spc. Sasha Mendoza, Administration, HHC 2-34^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team*
49:23 – Spc. Aaron McNew, Scout/Sniper Platoon, HHC 1-133^rd Infantry Battalion
52:26 – Spc. Dan Kline, Scout/Sniper Platoon, HHC 1-133^rd Infantry Battalion
53:45 – Sgt. 1^st Class Garry Waldon, Command Section, HHC 334^th Brigade Support Battalion
55:18 – Sgt. 1^st Class Joe White, Supply Section, HHC 334^th Brigade Support Battalion
55:39 – Pfc. Jayson VanDeneinde, Co. A, 1-133^rd Infantry Battalion
56:40 – Spc. Teague Sivertson, Co. A, 1-133^rd Infantry Battalion
56:40 – Spc. Donny Hesseltine, Co. A, 1-133^rd Infantry Battalion
57:13 – Pfc. David Fountain, Intelligence, HHC 2-34^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
1:01:38 – Sgt. Michael Sullivan, Operations, HHC 2-34^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
1:11:03 – Staff Sgt. Jacob Pries, Engineer, HHC 2-34^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
Time keeper Pfc. Ashley O'Hearn, Aviation Section, HHC 2-34^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
* - denotes the Soldier did not complete the exercise with body armor

Once everyone finished the exercise, each Soldier signed four 34^th Infantry Division flags, one flag for each of the families of the fallen. The flags will be delivered to the families once the brigade returns from Afghanistan.

Others are encouraged to try the workout. Although these Soldiers decided to complete the exercise June 25, the exercise can be done anytime to memorialize the fallen. It can be thought of a physically demanding exercise that will require you to give your all. If you decide to join these men and women Be sure to track your time and post it in the comments below!

Soldiers sign the 34th Infantry Division flag after completing the CMNJ Tribute workout at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan June 25. Once the brigade returns from Afghanistan, the flags will be delivered to each of the fallen Soldiers' families. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Ashlee Lolkus)

Additional photos can be viewed here.

Filed under: 2-34th Brigade Combat Team No Comments

6Jun/110

Communications Soldiers keep Red Bulls talking

Written by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Matson, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs and U.S. Army Sgt. Aaron Amos Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment

Monday, 06 June 2011 03:49

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Communications Soldiers at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam don’t have to go looking for work.
“If it has electricity running through it, people will bring it in to commo to fix,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Kyle Statema, the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the communications section for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 133rd infantry Regiment, Task Force Ironman, a part of the Iowa National Guard’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls, at FOB Mehtar Lam.

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Sgt. Samantha Kauffman, right, from West Union, Iowa, and U.S. Army Spc. Josh Klinzman, left, from Iowa City, Iowa, both signal support systems specialists with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Battalion, Task Force Ironman, test some vehicle intercom system headsets May 1 in the communications shop at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam, Afghanistan. Task Force Ironman is a part of the Iowa National Guard’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Matson, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs)

Statema, a native of Pella, Iowa, said the communications section or “commo guys,” as they are known by their fellow Soldiers, are “jacks of all trades.” Though their job is to maintain Army communications equipment, Statema said the commo section often ends up working on anything and everything with a plug and a cord.

“We don’t ever tell them no,” Statema said. “If we can fix it, we will.”

“I like this job because I get to use my brain,” said U.S. Army Spc. Josh Klinzman, a signal support systems specialist from Iowa City, Iowa, with HHC.

His boss, Statema, was quick to agree.

“This job will get you thinking,” he said.

Statema, a 10-year veteran of the National Guard with three deployments, said the old Army saying is true: You can’t shoot or move without communications.

Statema and his Soldiers maintain all Army radio, intercom, navigation and other computer equipment. Statema said there are nine different types of radio systems his Soldiers are responsible for maintaining or repairing.

U.S. Army Sgt. Samantha Kauffman, a signal support systems specialist also with HHC said a large part of the section’s day is troubleshooting equipment.
�
“We have vehicles that come in and we’ll work on their communications equipment,” Kauffman said. “But in between this, we’ll have parts in the truck that we’ll troubleshoot also. For example, we’ll have parts of the blue force tracker that we think may be bad and we’ll put them on our test bench and check it out and see for sure whether or not it is that piece of equipment that is bad rather than something else in the system.”

“The cool thing with communications is that you’re always going to find stuff that you may not know the answer to immediately, but you’ll find the answer out. It keeps changing – you’re going to keep finding new problems so you have to keep working at it.”

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Spc. Josh Klinzman, left, from Iowa City, Iowa, and U.S. Army Sgt. Samantha Kauffman, right, from West Union, Iowa, both signal support systems specialists with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Battalion, Task Force Ironman, test the harddrive on a Blue Force Tracker system May 1 in the communications shop at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam, Afghanistan. Task Force Ironman is a part of the Iowa National Guard’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Matson, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs)

The Soldiers said they use tools such as multimeters, radio frequency testing devices and signal testers to troubleshoot equipment. They are trained in the basics of troubleshooting at the United States Army Signal School at Fort Gordon, Ga.

“They taught us how to narrow things down to where a problem exists,” Statema said, “but most of our knowledge comes from experience.”

The Soldiers said one of the challenges of the job is when they troubleshoot a piece of equipment and still can’t find the answer to the problem.

“That’s the absolute worst,” Kauffman said. “It’s a terrible feeling to feel defeated by something man-made.”

“You feel like you’ve checked every possible component,” Statema said. “And that’s when it’s nice to have several experienced Soldiers who can take a look at it with a fresh set of eyes, and often figure it out.”

Statema said it is rare for a piece of equipment to be broken and no one in the shop can fix it. More often than not, he said the problems can be fixed easily, such as by just changing a setting on a radio.

Besides troubleshooting and occasionally repairing radio or other equipment, Kauffman said the commo section also makes sure the radios are updated so that Soldiers have secure communications, they ensure radios are always stocked with fresh batteries and they also train Soldiers on how to do simple troubleshooting so they can fix common problems in the field when they occur.

The Soldiers said they also do a little bit of field modification, too. For example, they had a radio antenna which they modified. The inside of the antenna was pulled out of its case, because the cases often snap off and are lost in the field. Instead, the commo section lengthened and modified the antenna so that Soldiers can run it through their body armor or elsewhere.

“It’s just stuff we make to help the guys out,” Kauffman said. “They said it’s more tactical.”

Another team maintains and repairs Army computers and the secure Army Internet systems. Problem solving and troubleshooting are a big part of the automation section, as well.

“We’ll deal with problems as small as resetting passwords, to somebody bringing in a smoking computer,” said U.S. Army Pfc. Michael Shackleton, an information technology specialist from Waterloo, Iowa, also with HHC.

In the section’s office, U.S. Army Sgt. Gregg Gott, the automations section noncommissioned officer-in-charge from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with HHC, has a stack of different kinds of Rubik’s cubes on the edge of his desk. The cubes, which Gott can solve completely in less than three minutes each, are games for someone with the type of problem-solving mindset a person must have to be a good automations Soldier he said.

Shackleton said their job is divided into two main duties.

Shackleton explained. “First there is the automations piece, which deals with computers and software, and then you have network operations which deals more with routers and switches and getting the actual services working.”

Above everything else though, just as Soldiers need to be able to talk through radios, the automations section ensures that Soldiers can talk through Army e-mail systems, Shackleton said.

“Our primary focus is making sure that things like the (secure networks) are working because that’s how we get the tactical data (from the field),” Shackleton said. “If somebody’s in contact we use … secure channels to get the troops support.”

CJTF-101 release posted here

Filed under: 1-133 Infantry Battalion No Comments

5Jun/110

Guard CSM visits troops in Afghanistan

Written by U.S. Army Spc. James Wilton Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs

Sunday, 05 June 2011 03:15

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Richard J. Burch, the command sergeant major of the Army National Guard and Lincoln, Neb. native, visited Soldiers from Troop A, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment at Joint Combat Outpost Pul-E-Sayad, Afghanistan May 27.

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Command Sgt. Maj. Richard J. Burch, the command sergeant major of the Army National Guard and Lincoln, Neb. native, shakes the hand of Spc. Vernon Moore, a military policeman and gunner from Washington, Iowa, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Redhorse, a part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, at the entry control point on Joint Combat Outpost Pul-E-Sayad, Afghanistan May 27. Burch visited the JCOP during a battlefield rotation he conducted with Command Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler, the senior enlisted Soldier for the Army. (Photo by U.S. Army Spc. James Wilton, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs)

The visit was a part of a battlefield circulation Burch and Command Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler, the senior enlisted Soldier of the Army, conducted in Afghanistan over the past week.

“The main reason the Sergeant Major of the Army and I came out was to talk with the leadership and the Soldiers to make sure we are working on the right things back in D.C. to help them in their missions here in Afghanistan and making sure that they’re prepared, equipped, trained and ready to conduct the missions that are expected of them here in theater.”
�
Burch spoke with the TF Redhorse Soldiers, a part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls, about life on the JCOP, their plans for the future and whether they keep up with family back home.

The Soldiers had a range of questions for Burch including changes in uniform standards, the effect of the active force draw down on National Guard troops and the upcoming change to the Army physical fitness test. Burch addressed these concerns during an informal sit down at the JCOP’s dining facility.

“The biggest thing that anyone in a leadership position needs to make sure and relay to the Soldiers is that we want to hear what is important to them, and we are working on those issues to try and help make the quality of life for the Soldiers better,” said Burch. “We must ensure that our focus is on the Soldiers, the units and the missions that they are going to be expected to participate in. These things must receive our attention so we can make sure that we are doing the right things to best prepare them for the future.”

The Soldiers said they appreciated his insights.

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Richard J. Burch, the command sergeant major of the Army National Guard and Lincoln, Neb. native, and U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Chad Schweitzberger, the Troop A, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Red Horse, a part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls, first sergeant from Moville, Iowa, pause on top of a guard tower at Joint Combat Outpost Pul-E-Sayad to enjoy the view of the Parwan/Kapisa border May 27. Burch joined U.S. Army Command Sergeant Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler, the senior enlisted Soldier of the Army for a battlefield circulation in order to visit with troops and answer questions on their mind about the future of the Army. (Photo by U.S. Army Spc. James Wilton, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs)

“I think his comments and answers had a positive impact on the Soldiers,” said U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Chad Schweitzberger, the Troop A first sergeant from Moville, Iowa. “It seems we are serving in the Iowa National Guard and the U.S. Army in a time where there are a lot of questions about the present and future. These questions seem to be on everyone’s minds so it was great he was here to provide us with some of his insight on the topics.”

Answering Soldiers’ questions is only part of visits like these which also help to connect Soldiers with the Army’s higher-level leadership.

“Solders see their leadership in pictures on walls, read articles about their leadership in magazines and on the Internet, when they get an opportunity to meet them in person it adds something more to it,” said Schweitzberger. “I think the Soldiers have a better appreciation for leadership after the visit is over. It shows the Soldiers, he cares enough to come and see how they are living and conducting day-to-day operations.”

Burch said, like many leaders in the armed forces, does care about his troops and their families and he wanted to make sure they were aware of that.

“We obviously recognize the scarifies that the families and employers are making and we want to make it perfectly clear that we know that we can’t do what we are doing these days in Afghanistan and Iraq without their continued support and continued understanding,” said Burch. “The big picture can’t happen without that support of those families and employers out there.”

On a final note, Burch touched on a subject that is troubling him and many leaders through out the U.S. Military.

“The National Guard and the Army as a whole has experienced a very troubling spike in suicides in 2010,” said Burch. “There are so many stressors that impact our soldiers and our families out there and the military is part of those stressors that hit them. We don’t want to continue to be part of the problem we want to be part of the solution.”

Emphasis on communication and seeking out assistance is needed in order to not let things like financial or relationship trouble get to a point where Soldiers think they have no other way out, Burch explained.

“It is not all about always being ready for the missions, it is about being there and being ready to assist the Soldiers and the families in there times of need,” said Burch. “Whatever it might be... we are here and always ready to be there for them, to help them out.”

CJTF-101 release posted here

Filed under: 1-113 Cavalry Squadron No Comments

4Jun/110

Operation Care donates goods to Afghans, Soldiers

Written by U.S. Army Spc. James Wilton Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs

Saturday, 04 June 2011 02:41

BAGRAM, Afghanistan – Service members volunteering with Operation Care distributed more than 150 care packages filled with basic necessity items to Afghans exiting the entry control point near the Egyptian Hospital on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan May 29.

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan men, with a bandanged-up child in tote, leave the Egyptian Hospital on Bagram Airfield with donated care packages from Operation Care May 29. Coalition forces volunteer to sort, package and distribute donations that include clothes, books, pencils and more. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. James Wilton, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs)

U.S. humanitarian organizations and personnel stationed on Bagram donated the items in the packages.

“We know that we aren’t going to win the war by kicking down doors,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Derek Melendez a 1st Cavalry Division, Combined Joint Task Force-1, intelligence sergeant and the assistant director of Operation Care, from Philadelphia. “The way we are going to win is through the support of the people, so we provide what little amenities that we can and try to build a stronger relationship with the locals here in Bagram.”

Operation Care is dedicated to the welfare of both the people of Afghanistan and International Security Assistance Forces, according to their mission statement. The program is a part of counter insurgency deployed by ISAF to fight the insurgency.

Clothing, food, pens, pencils, schoolbooks and other school supplies are a big part of what the program distributes to the Afghan people. Amidst the poverty-stricken families, items like this are often considered frivolous but according to Melendez, the children would disagree.
�
“The kids are more vocal and they will tell you that they don’t have things like books,” said Melendez. “For them, it means being able to go to school and have the basic supplies and things that they need to just be a student.”

The volunteers don’t let this request go unheard, and the Afghan children make sure they know how grateful they are, he said.

“They’re always happy and excited when we come,” said Melendez. “They’re always very grateful, saying thanks for the help that we provide to them.”

This gratitude, while more than enough payment, is not the only reason the service members said they take the time out of their day to help the program.

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Heidi Lansing a land management specialist, from Ely, Iowa, with Company B, 334th Brigade Support Battalion, Task Force Archer, a part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls, sorts women’s clothes at the Operation Care storage site on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan May 29. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. James Wilton, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs)

“It is a way to give back and help out. I feel that there is a part of Afghanistan that I didn’t get to see,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Heidi Lansing, a land management noncommissioned officer from Ely, Iowa, part of Company B, 334th Brigade Support Battalion, Task Force Archer, a part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls. “I volunteer in order to do something and help out where I can, it is an aspect of our military jobs that I enjoy.”

Selfless service and doing what is right are common themes among the volunteers but some said they have more personal reasons.

“I grew up without a lot of things, so for me (it’s about being able) to give back and not have a kid go to school without a book or spend a winter without a warm coat and the basic necessities that we take for granted,” said Melendez. “I think it is a good thing to do, giving back to the people. No matter what country you are in.”

The program distributes packages to more than just locals. They also send basic supplies out to service members stationed at remote outposts.

“I think that the packages let the Soldiers know that somebody cares for them,” said Lansing. “We put the basics into the packages what many of the Soldiers without Post Exchanges can’t get. So I am pretty sure that they are grateful for what we send them.”

The volunteers work with Operation Care in their off-time three days a week to sort and assemble the packages for distribution. They said they do it because they know how important the items are to both the Afghans and service members.
�
“What I have learned since I have been working with Operation Care is the overwhelming generosity of the American people,” said Lansing. “We get so many packages from individuals to large organizations or groups.”

Lansing makes sure all the contributors know their donations are appreciated.

“I write thank you letters to all the people and organizations telling them how much everything they are sending means to the Soldiers and Afghan people,” she said.

The distributions occur once every 30 days, but the program needs volunteers through the week to prep the items.

For more information or to volunteer, visit www.operationcareafghanistan.net.

CJTF-101 release posted here

Filed under: 2-34th Brigade Combat Team, 334 Brigade Support Battalion No Comments

4Jun/110

Dand Patan cooks keep it hot

Written by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ashlee Lolkus Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs

Saturday, 04 June 2011 02:30

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – In the ‘80s, a U.S. Army recruiting commercial said, “In the Army, we do more before 9 a.m. than most people do all day.”

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Sgt. Antonia Santiago IV, native of Boone, Iowa, and one of two American food service noncommissioned officers, place food in the dining facility for the evening meal at Combat Outpost Dand Patan, Afghanistan, May 28. Santiago supports his unit, Company F, 334th Brigade Support Battalion, and Company B, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, both of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ashlee Lolkus, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs)

That is the reality for the food service noncommissioned officers of Company B, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Lethal, charged with feeding Soldiers at Combat Outpost Dand Patan.

U.S. Army Sgt. Antonio Santiago IV of Boone, Iowa, and U.S. Army Sgt. Jeremy Ewoldt of Persia, Iowa, are responsible for feeding the Soldiers of Co. B, a part of the Iowa National Guard’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls.

“We cook 336 meals a day, seven days a week,” said Ewoldt. “We do three hots a day.”

“Never done an MRE lunch!” Santiago said matter-of-factly.

“The whole time we’ve been here. We’ve never done MREs,” Ewoldt repeated.

The three ‘hots’ Ewoldt mentioned are the three hot meals they serve the Soldiers each day. This saves the Soldiers the trouble of having to eat an MRE, also known as a meal-ready-to-eat.

MREs have never been very popular with service members, a fact not lost on Santiago and Ewoldt. They said they believe most Soldiers appreciate having hot meals for every meal, although it’s not something their fellow Soldiers are vocal about.

Ewoldt, having served 19.5 years as both an infantryman and a cook understands that you don’t always get recognition being a cook in the military.

“Being able to see this situation from both sides, I can recognize that they are just focused on their mission,” said Ewoldt. “It’s not a glamorous job, so many (infantrymen) don’t really notice it,” he said of the meals they prepare. “We’ve been fortunate to have some kitchen patrol help who take notice to the amount of work we put in, and that’s come as the deployment has gone along…

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Sgt. Jeremy Ewoldt, native of Persia, Iowa, and one of two American food service noncommissioned officers for Combat Outpost Dand Patan, Afghanistan, shows a contracted Afghan worker around the kitchen trailer unit May 28. Although Ewoldt is a part of Company F, 334th Brigade Support Battalion, he mainly supports Company B, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, both a part of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ashlee Lolkus, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs)

“They bust our chops, but it’s guaranteed: if you’re with the infantry, they’re going to bust your chops,” Ewoldt said with a smile.

U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Christopher Casey of Neola, Iowa, and the senior enlisted Soldier of Co. B. said the infantry soldiers may grumble from time to time about the menu, the available snacks or having to perform KP duty, but they appreciate the hot meals.

“It doesn't matter what happened on a mission or whatever they did that day … they know they have a good, hot meal waiting for them at the end of the day," Casey said.

Ewoldt said he plans the meals out a couple weeks in advance and orders the food re-supply based on that plan.

“It helps to have people give suggestions as well,” he said. “Someone suggested grilled sandwiches the other day and they were a hit. Everyone loved them because they were hot off the grill.”

Santiago worked in the food service industry since he was 16 and served as cook for all of his five years with the National Guard. He said getting used to being with the infantry has been a challenge. He was previously assigned to the 3655th Maintenance Company out of Camp Dodge, Iowa, before he volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan.

“I’ve been trying to volunteer for a deployment for the past two to three years and I finally got lucky to get on this one,” Santiago said. He said there were differences between serving with the maintenance unit and serving with the infantry.

“It’s different,” Santiago said about being a cook in Afghanistan. “We don’t have as much equipment here as we do stateside, so it makes things a lot more challenging. That, plus with the work space we have, it’s not really big. But, overall, it’s not too bad.”

Casey said the cooks bring variety to the table.

“Sgt. Ewoldt is a more seasoned veteran with lots of experience and Sgt. Santiago is the young, energetic NCO who keeps Soldiers entertained," said Casey.

Despite the differences in age and experience, the team of two said they work well together. They rotate the breakfast shifts to allow the other a few extra hours of rest. Even so, the two Soldiers don’t get much down-time. A 15-or-more hour day is pretty common for them, and they do it day after day, but still manage to help the infantry company manage base operations if needed.

“If they need us for something else, they know that they can come and get us; even if it’s for something like entry control point duty or whatever,” said Ewoldt.

Not only do they help with the base operations, Santiago has even helped the infantrymen on their daily missions.

“I’ve actually been on three missions. I’m stoked!” Santiago said. “I’ve been wanting to go on more because I don’t want to be (stuck on the base).”
Helping out around the COP and with missions allows the two to break up the monotony of the life of a cook in the Army, but they said they know their main mission is what is most important.

"I have told the cooks that the meals they prepare are the highest contributing factor to Soldier morale,” said Casey.

CJTF-101 release posted here

Filed under: 1-168 Infantry Battalion No Comments

Older Entries »

Welcome, Iowa Red Bull Fans!

Viewing tip:
When you are reading the articles, at the very end of every story will be a hyperlink. That link most often will go to another site that features additional photos.

Thank you for visiting and supporting your Iowa Red Bulls!