Rough Riders July 14

ContentsCommander:

COL Anthony K. Whitson

Command Sergeant Major:CSM Anthony A. Traylor

Public Affairs NCOIC Sgt. 1st Class Joe Stone

Public Affairs NCO/Editor: Staff Sgt. Alexis Ramos

Design and Layout By:Staff Sgt. Alexis Ramos

Front Cover Photo By:Staff Sgt. Alexis Ramos

Back Cover Photo BY:Spc. Travis Lyssy

Contents photo By:Spc. Travis Lyssy

Email:[email protected]@mail.mil

Rough Riders is an authorized publication for members of the 43D Sustainment Brigade. Contents of Rough Riders are not necessarily official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army, or the 43D Sustainment Brigade. It is published biannually according to AR 360-1. Editorial content is prepared, edited and approved by the 43D Sustainment Brigade’s Public Affairs Office.

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Chaplain Message pg.3

Rough Rider 6 message pg. 4

Rough Rider 7 message pg. 5

Stories highlighting Brigade pg. 6-13

Snapshots pg. 14 & 15

Stories continued pg. 16-22

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Chaplain’s Corner

Greetings! As the newest member of the brigade chaplain team, I want to serve our Soldiers, Families, and other members of the Department Of Defense (DOD). In addition to being a chaplain, I am also a marriage and family therapist with training regarding anxiety issues. I hale from Fort Bliss, where I was a member of the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness program. I provided resiliency training programs within the Spiritual, Social, and Family pillars of this program. My programs included classes concerning values and beliefs and how these concepts contribute to personal resiliency. We also had focus groups addressing the challenges of single parents and single Soldiers. Moral leadership training for E-4 (P) and new E-5’s were also available. I taught a class concerning responsible living that was very successful while I was in the 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion some 14 years ago. All of these programs we have made available to the brigade. I would love to share these measurable and result oriented programs with your units. As a chaplain, my door is always open for the total Army Family. As your ministry team, Staff Sgt. Adam Blackwood and I will strive to provide quality help within all of our professional capabilities. If we can’t help directly, we are competent to direct you to the best help available. Within my twenty plus years of service, I’ve realized that the country’s needs demand much from us as Soldiers, Families, and others within the DOD. These demands require a team effort and through this effort we can be strong. Blessings, Chaplain (MAJ) Larry Hamrick

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The Commander’s Desk

Anthony K. WhitsonCOL, LGCommanding

It’s a great day to be a SOLDIER and even a better day to be a ROUGH RIDER!I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of all the Rough Riders have accomplished over the past six months! You

truly have MADE IT HAPPEN. We have welcomed Soldiers home, continued to deploy our sustainment warriors to Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF), conducted realistic and outstanding training, and through it all, we have sustained JTF-Carson.

Thank you all for embracing our T.E.A.M. philosophy. Training Excellence through Accountability and Maintenance is allowing us to accomplish all our missions to standard and make us Rough Rider strong.

Accountability: You must have accountability of your personnel, equipment, and your own actions before you can do anything else!

Maintaining: Focus on the user and the first line supervisor. Learn to maintain ALL EQUIPMENT and SOLDIERS in the field under harsh conditions. That makes doing the same in garrison too easy. If you do not maintain yourself first you will not be able to maintain your Soldiers and equipment.

Training: Take advantage of opportunities. Be innovative. Be prepared to conduct “Hip Pocket” training as opportunities present themselves. Training must be well planned and executed; don’t waste valuable time. Train to standard, not to time. Allot time to correct deficiencies; successfully complete one before moving on to the next. (Bad techniques are easily learned, hard to correct.) I would rather train a few things right than a lot of things wrong and below average! Good training starts at the top. Physical fitness is one of the bedrock’s of being a Rough Rider Soldier. If you are not in shape now, get there. Train like we fight. This means utilizing our mission command systems all the time at the lowest level.

As the newly assigned Sustainment Brigade to USNORTHCOM, we become the Nation’s premier force to support and sustain DSCA and Homeland Defense missions. This requires innovative training, flexibility, and extremely expeditionary forces that can deploy within 24 hours when called upon. We will meet the challenges head on all while continuing to sustain JTF-Carson.

The 43D Sustainment Brigade meets all operational requirements with units fully prepared to accomplish all assigned missions and ensuring NO MISSION FAILS DUE TO LOGISTICS. The Brigade is the best Sustainment Brigade in the Army as measured by reputation with supported units, discipline of our Soldiers, the Army standards, quality of Soldiers and leaders we produce, the offensive sustainment we provide, our success in combat and our reputation with our Soldiers and leaders.

Finally, I am proud to serve with all of you. Thanks for making the 43D the best Sustainment Brigade in our Army.

Rough Rider 6

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AT EASE...Hello Rough Riders! As we end the summer and move into fall, I wanted to say how proud I am of all

of you. You continue to “Make it Happen,” on a regular basis. From units deploying, re-deploying, training and providing support, you all continue to make me proud to be the command sergeant major for the 43D Sustainment Brigade… the best sustainment brigade in the Army. Your continued motivation, team spirit and dedication to duty speak volumes of the quality of Soldiers we have in our brigade. Keep up the great work.

To all my NCOs, do not forget you all are leaders. “No one is more professional than I,” … meaning we must be at the forefront of making stuff happen. This means that not only do we complete all our tasks effectively, efficiently and in a timely manner, but we are committed to mentoring, coaching and training our junior Soldiers. It is your responsibility to make sure that our future NCOs are capable of carrying the torch and continue being the back bone of the Army. Keep doing the right thing, setting the standard, and leading by example.

During the past few months we have been extremely busy participating in several Field Training Exercises. I can’t stress enough how important these exercises are for our mission. FTX sharpen our craft, hone our skills and helps us maintain battle rhythm. I ask that you continue to seek out opportunities for training. Also leaders, I encourage you to find the opportunities for Soldiers in your sections to go to their approriate NCOES school and different military schools. An educated Soldier makes a competent Soldier and allows them to bring innovative ideas to the Brigade.

As always, I am extremely proud of everyone. From our Soldiers to civilians and family members, you all continue to complete the mission. I am very grateful to be part of the team. Thank you for all your hard work and let’s end the year with the same proffesionalism, intensity, the make it happen attitude as we began.

Respectfully, Rough Rider 7

Anthony A. TraylorCSM, USA43D Sustainment Brigade

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Soldiers practice medevac operationsStory and photos by Sgt. 1st. Class Joe Stone43D Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office

A Soldier screamed out when an improvised explosive device hit his convoy. His battle buddies went into action to care for the injured man and get him on a stretcher before carrying him to a helicopter that flew him to an aid station and awaiting medics.

Sgt. Luke Sulak, transportation management coordinator, 152nd Movement Control Team, 43D Special Troops Battalion, 43d Sustainment Brigade, was a simulated casualty in an exercise Feb. 18-21on Fort Carson that taught the Soldiers how to react and get a wounded comrade to treatment.

The exercise not only provided required pre-deployment certification for the MCT, but helped medics from Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 43D SB, who were training on a different range the same days.

“Since HHC was out at the field site with the brigade aid station, we figured it would be the perfect opportunity to evacuate a casualty from one area to the aid station so both units got good training,” said Capt. Thorin Parris, operations officer, 43D STB.

After Sulak arrived at HHC’s location he was taken inside the aid station tent and the medical team went to work.

Staff Sgt. Robert Mullins, medical section sergeant, HHC, 43D SB, prowled through the aid station as he questioned and guided his team through the examination and treatment of their patient. He said he was pleased with the results.

"The work they've done in the clinic shows here when they take on their traumas. They can handle the patients and they know what they're doing,” said Mullins. "I'm very confident in them."

The Soldiers said they were glad to have the training."This is the kind of stuff we really love, this is the stuff we

look forward to,” said Pfc. Colleen Milfeld, health care specialist, HHC, 43D SB. "We spend the majority of our time in the clinic and it's very rare that we get to make it out to the field.”

Specialist Amber Brownstein, health care specialist, HHC, 43d SB, said she was better equipped for her job after the time in the aid station.

"We don't get enough time to practice the trauma part of our training so we come out here stressed out about it. Then we finish with a patient and feel confident in our skills again," said Brownstein. "So training like this is really helpful, especially for

our confidence.” The addition of an actual UH-60A Blackhawk helicopter,

provided by 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, to transport the simulated patient, was a bonus according to Mullins.

"Any time you can get a Blackhawk and duplicate Afghanistan, putting patients on and pulling patients off you increase the stress factor," said Mullins. “It gets them out of their comfort zone, it's the best training."

Col. Kirk Whitson, commander, 43D Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, watched part of the training and addressed

the team of medics."What I just witnessed here was awesome, you are getting

after it like you would down range and that's what this training is all about," said Whitson. "I'm very impressed and I appreciate what you're doing."

Mullins has plans for further training to ensure the Soldiers are ready to deal with whatever they face.

"The team is doing well, but we will be pushing on with more complicated training,” Mullins said. “We want to get six, seven, eight patients at a time to throw them off their game.”At the end of the last day, the training was complete and lessons were learned; and Sulak’s prognosis, according to Mullins, was good.

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Rough Rider Wellness Fair Story and photos by Sgt. 1st. Class Joe Stone43D Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office

The Rough Riders of the 43DSustainment Brigade held a wellness fair that saw more than 200 Soldiers and Family members in attendance March 7.“Wellness day was inspired by a conversation with my wife,”

said Col. Anthony Whitson, commander 43D SB. "We started talking about the commanding general's three pillars which are physical, mental and spiritual fitness. Today is about the physical pillar.”

The fair started at the Special Events Center with opening remarks by Whitson.

"We deploy, fight and win our nation's battles,” said Whitson. “You can't do that if you're not Rough Rider strong."

There were three stations, one at the SEC, one on the courts of Iron Horse Sports and Fitness Center and the other was behind IHSFC. Charlotte Morehouse, health promotions technician, Army Wellness Center, gave the Rough Riders information about programs and services offered by AWC.

“There are ways to naturally boost your metabolism,” said Morehouse, “like the meals in minutes class where we tour the commissary and debunk the myth that eating healthy is always more expensive.”

The AWC is providing ways to be more healthy, according to Morehouse.

“The services are free.” said Morehouse. “They cost anywhere from $1,200 to $1,500 off post.”

Lt. Col. William Werling, from the physical therapy had a team conducting tests. There was a 40-yard shuttle run, vertical leap measurement, seated medicine ball toss and others.

“It was a very motivational event, said Werling. “Impressive performances, everybody was motivated and was having a good time.”

The final station was instruction by 43D’s medic team. Participants carried simulated patients on litters and by hand.

“By the looks on people’s faces, you could tell they were having a good time,” said Sgt. 1st Class Sean Heath, master resilience trainer, 43D SB. “Not all Army training does that. Even the medic training, those were actual Soldier tasks and people were having fun.”

This is the first half of the event according to Heath.“We had 222 people for the first iteration and we are

projecting more than 500 for March 14,” said Heath.There was tremendous support from all the agencies

involved and it made a real difference according to Heath.“It wouldn’t have been the same if we had been teaching the

classes, to have the subject matter experts come out really made a difference in how the Soldiers received the material,” said Heath.

Rough Rider Wellness Fair, Take TwoStory and photos by Sgt. 1st. Class Joe Stone43D Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office

The wellness fair put on by 43D Sustainment Brigade ended its second and final day March 14 at Iron Horse Physical Fitness Center.

“Too often the army’s way of training is to sit through briefings,” said Maj. Amy Jackson, executive officer, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, “So we wanted this to be an event that got people physically active.”

The event definitely did get people moving, Soldiers and their Families took part in aerobics demonstrations, TRX familiarization and evaluations by the physical therapy team as well as briefings from the Army Wellness Center and a dietician.

Almost 450 Soldiers and Family members attended the March 14 fair, bringing the total to nearly 650 for both days, according to Sgt. 1st Class Sean Heath, master resilience trainer, 43D SB.

"The goal of the fair was to promote fitness, good nutrition and overall wellness of Rough Rider Soldiers and Families," said Heath.

Command Sgt. Maj. Anthony Traylor, senior enlisted advisor, 43D SB, believes that the event did that.“I think it was a tremendous success," said Traylor. "Soldiers had fun but also had some takeaways that they can use

not only in their profession but also in their personal lives."There were handouts for the participants that provided information on nutrition and healthy eating habits."This is something they can take home and refer to later," said Jackson. "We wanted to reinforce a healthy lifestyle for

the Soldiers and their Families."The 43D's wellness fair was a break from routine and provided some inspiration for the attendees, according to

Command Sgt. Maj. Jacinto Garza, senior enlisted advisor, 43D Special Troops Battalion. "Taking a day away from the office and thinking about health will help start a new mindset," said Garza. "We need to

go in that direction,"The focus this time was physical; it was the first of a series of events to instruct the Soldiers of the 43D on the three

pillars of the Rough Rider Strong Campaign, according to Traylor.“The mental-emotional pillar will be next quarter,” said Traylor. “That will have resiliency training and coping skills

to deal with the normal stressors of life as well as stress within our profession of arms.

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Soldiers learn mailroom operations

“Everywhere we have Soldiers, we need to sup-port them with a Post Office,” said Cassaretto.

Story and photos by Sgt. 1st. Class Joe Stone43D Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office

The primary mission of 43D Sustainment Brigade is to support the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson through the performance of its daily duties and missions. Occasionally though, a chance to serve in a different way comes along. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Vanessa Dilling, human resources technician, 43D SB, saw such an opportunity and made the most of it.

The Postal Operations class that graduated March 27 at 43D SB’s headquarters is the fruit of her efforts. “Our command provided the funding for this class, we were able to provide this class to the entire Ft Carson community,” Dilling said.Dilling saw a need for qualified Soldiers to work in Fort Carson’s many mailrooms.

“Working in the Human Resources Operations Branch, one of our garrison missions was to go out and inspect battalion mailrooms,” said Dilling. “We found some Soldiers who were high speed and some who didn't have a clue.”

Human resource specialists can receive an additional skill identifier that signifies they are qualified to work with international mail, U.S. mail, and money orders, according to Dilling.

“All the ones who are working hard, I wanted them to have a chance to get the identifier,” Dilling said. “It's worth promotion points, will help further their career and will make them a greater asset to the HR community.”Normally the class is taught on Fort Jackson and is five weeks long but when the instructors travel to teach it, it is condensed to four weeks, according to Staff Sgt. Alex Cassaretto, one of the instructors from Fort Jackson.The process of getting a Military Training Team to come to Fort Carson took several weeks of paperwork and phone calls to arrange, according to Dilling. After the team was confirmed, all the units on the post were invited to send two Soldiers to the course.

“It didn’t work out exactly like that, but we filled all the seats. In fact, the instructors allowed two extra,” said Dilling. “Soldiers from all over Fort Carson attended the course.With funding being tight for many units, most of the Soldiers would not get a chance to go temporary duty to Fort Jackson for five weeks, according to Dilling.

“I knew that they had come here a few years ago, and in my experience, if something has happened once, it can be done again,” said Dilling. “I was pretty determined to get them here and I knew I had the command's support and we got it done.”

The 27 Soldiers left the class with the knowledge necessary to go with their unit on a contingency operation and set up a Post Office at that location, according to Cassaretto.

“Everywhere we have Soldiers, we need to support them with a Post Office,” said Cassaretto.Cassaretto said the class went well and the students were involved in the whole process."It was a good class, we had good participation and good [noncommissioned officers] to help with the soldier issues,"

Cassaretto said.There is not another class scheduled yet, according to Dilling, but when the need arises, 43D will make it happen.

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43D fulfills mission, trains Soldiers in SLICCStory and photos by Staff Sgt. Alexis Ramos43D Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs

Soldiers turn away, shielding their eyes from tumbleweeds as the sounds of rotors churning escalate.

A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter draws closer to a group of Soldiers waiting for the next rotation of sling loading operations. Its return marks the culmination of a week of training.

The 43D Sustainment Brigade hosted a Sling Load Inspector Certification Course April 21-25, at 4th Brigade Combat Team motor pool, with the live sling load portion taking place the last day of training at Fort Carson’s training area eight.

“Sling load operations are important for deployments,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Nivian Pickett, brigade schools noncommissioned officer in charge, 43D SB. “If they have to get equipment out or equipment in and they can’t do it through other venues, then this is a good way to do it.”

The course certified 47 Soldiers from different units within Fort Carson in rigging, hooking a sling load package and verifying that a sling load is ready to be lifted and transported.

The actual live rigging was not planned or mandatory, but ended being a bonus, explained Staff Sgt. Micah Voss, transportation management coordinator, 573rd Movement Control Team, 43D SB, who served as liaison officer for the training.

“It’s not required, because we learn on the ground how the (rig and sling) is supposed to be,” said Voss. “But it’s nice to see the stuff up in the air.”

Providing the aerial support and carrying the sling loaded cargo were Soldiers and aircraft from 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, who also benefitted from the training by providing pilots with an opportunity to get hours with

the cargo attached.“It worked out better for us, because they actually ended up

taking off with it,” said Voss. “They flew around, so we knew it went over the road and it came back to us. We know that we did the sling right.”

The Soldiers enrolled in the course were taught by a Mobile Training Team based out of Fort Lee, Va., who traveled to Fort Carson upon request from 43D SB.

The 43D SB’s mission is to provide support to 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson and to train. The SLICC course helped them prepare to better assist more units in the future.

"I think for us, it's easier than any other brigade because we're a sustainment brigade, so we have most of the equipment already," said Pickett.

One individual who is used to coordinating equipment and who had an integral part in the planning process is Chief Warrant Officer 3 Anthony Haiduk, aerial delivery officer, 4th SB.

No such bumps occurred however, throughout the entire process. A factor that can be attributed to Haiduk's expertise explained both Voss and Pickett.

Haiduk said the support the brigade offers in hosting training such as the SLICC course contributes to the overall success of the installation.

"For us to sponsor (the training) and run the courses… so the brigades don't have to deal with it…it allows the brigade's to stress less over planning, and they are able to just send Soldiers to the course," said Haiduk.

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Pilot program conditions Soldiers for

Air Assault School

Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Alexis Ramos43D Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs

Thunderous shouts resonate off the walls of a Headquarters building, as the moon’s glow provides a glimpse of mist escaping silhouettes that are standing in formation.

“Air assault, Air Assault, Air Assault,” are the words chanted by the Soldiers in the cold, early morning.

The 15 selected Soldiers are part of a Pre-Air Assault pilot course conducted by the 43D Sustainment Brigade, May 12-14, in Fort Carson, Colo.

"This pre air assault course is a preparatory measure that we've done to help assist our Soldiers to be more successful when they go to Air Assault school," said Sgt. 1st. Class Paul Zyskowski, senior waters operations noncommissioned officer, 43D SB, who served as the operations nco for the course.

"We are trying to mirror the exact same settings or the exact same conditions as the Air Assault School," said Zyskowski. "This way that muscle memory and the mental capabilities, or data input, are going to be present and they'll be able to open the folder and retrieve the data that they need and apply the data in a timely manner, under stressful conditions."

Although Soldiers prepared mentally for the course, the stressful conditions were unexpected, explained Sgt. Alberto Ortiz, wheeled vehicle mechanic, Headquarters Support Company, 404th Aviation Support Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade.

"As I stood in formation the first day, I was in shock," said Ortiz. "It was not how I had pictured in my head. Screaming and yelling, seconds to complete tasks that would usually take a couple of minutes. It was a real wakeup call."

The three day course was designed to both physically and mentally prepare potential Air Assault candidates and provide them with an idea of what they can expect when they go to the course, explained Command Sgt. Maj. Jacinto Garza, senior enlisted advisor, 43D Special Troops Battalion, 43D SB.

"Candidates get the opportunity to negotiate the obstacle course, conduct an Army physical fitness test and a 12 mile foot march in a three day span. Our candidates get blocks of instruction on the identification of aircraft, hand and arm signals, sling-load operations and preparation of their individual Swiss

seats for rappelling," said Garza. "Upon the completion of this course, Soldiers and leaders can assess their candidates and make good decisions on whether the candidate is ready for Air Assault School or if the candidate needs to continue preparing. In the end, this course was designed to improve the candidates’ chances of being successful at the Air Assault School."

In the past, Soldiers have relied on seeking out a subject matter expert within the unit to help them prepare. The pre-air assault course has researched the data for all objectives, explained Zyskowski.

"There are units who are doing some internal training and they are doing some good stuff. The problem is, are they doing the right stuff and do they have the data that we have based off result from Sabaluski Air Assault School?," said Zyskowski. "We're in direct communication with the head of the schoolhouse. Having that data is the most valuable portion of this course."

That data combined with the experience of the cadre is what made the course run smoothly, said Zyskowski.

"This course was a success," said Garza. "It was a pilot program and we have since made some adjustments to the training schedule and added a few more objectives. We queried the brigade, found the right cadre that were either Air Assault, pathfinder or sling load certified and conducted the training in a professional manner. We had all the resources needed to reach the command's intent. That intent was to prepare Soldiers for Air Assault School."

There were 15 Soldiers who completed the course, but of those 15, only five were selected to proceed to Air Assault school. A testament to how tough the pilot program was, Ortiz said to prospective students.

“Make sure (you) prepare before attending the pre-course,” warned Ortiz. “Don’t show up thinking it’s going to be a walk in the park. The pre-course is as tough as the actual air assault course.”

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SNAPSHOTS

Photo by Staff Sgt. Alexis Ramos





Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Stone

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SNAPSHOTS





Photo by Spc. Travis Lyssy

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Joe StonePhoto by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Stone

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Stone

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170 warriors return

Story and photo by Staff Sgt. Alexis Ramos43D Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs

Children were running and playing games on a basketball court floor, as family members and friends talked among themselves, anxiously awaiting their loved ones’ return.

The scene marked the moments before a welcome home ceremony held for the 576th Engineer Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, and the 60th Ordnance Company, 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43D Sustainment Brigade, at the Special Events Center, May 17.

Then the moment arrived.Family members and friends stood up, holding signs and cheering loudly, as the two companies made their entrance

through smoke as music played in the background.Col. Heidi Hoyle, special assistant to the 4th Infantry Division commander, took to the podium and welcomed home

the 170 Soldiers, and briefly explained their missions.The two companies spent nine months in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, clearing routes and

providing mobile ammunition support, said Hoyle.Noting family members’ and friends’ eagerness to receive their loved ones, Hoyle kept the speech short.“I know you don’t want to hear any more of this. I know you want to hug your Soldiers, right?” asked Hoyle, who

received roars from the crowd. “Welcome back. Job well done. Iron Horse Strong.”The Soldiers were joined by family and friends in the singing of the 4th Infantry Division and the Army songs before

being dismissed by Capt. Donald Schmidt, commander, 576th Engineer Company. Upon the order, Soldiers and loved ones sprinted toward each other and embraced one another in a mixture of kisses, hugs and tears.

For Spc. Orlando Jones, supply specialist, 576th Engineer Company, it was the first time holding his 7-month-old son, Carter.

“It’s pretty good,” said Jones, while holding and feeding his son. “Excited to get back to my little man.”Sgt. Matt Withrow, ammunition specialist, 60th OrdnanceCompany, smiled as he hugged his daughter and kissed his

wife.“It feels fantastic,” said Withrow. “I’m going to take my family to dinner.”

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4th Inf. Div., 43D SBhost observance

There are many cultures, religions, and ethnicities which form the bond of the United States of America and the U.S. Army. Recognizing those differences within our ranks, the 4th Infantry Division Equal Opportunity team and the 43D Sus-tainment Brigade hosted an observance during Asian American Pacific Islander heritage month at the Elkhorn Center, May 19.

The event celebrated the many contributions that the Asian American and the Pacific Islander culture have made to the U.S. by having two guest speakers, performances, an award ceremo-ny and food sampling.

After welcoming remarks, the national anthem, and an invocation, the first guest speaker, Honorable Judge Kerry S. Hada, second judicial district, Denver County judge, took the podium and talked about his friends in World War II, the struggles he faced during his upbringing and the changes he has seen.

"I am so pleased to see such a diverse audience here today," said Hada. "When I came in the service there were African American and Caucasians, but not a whole lot of Asians. I just want to give a little of my background."

Hada continued by speaking about his childhood and how he picked melons with his grandmother when he was young. Picking melons was too hard of a life for him, he said jokingly, so he became a judge. He held lots of job before being a judge and he was always the only Asian. Even now, he's the only Asian judge in Colorado, said Hada.

"The world has come such a long way from those days. When I was in the military there were no females at any place; Annapolis, West Point, Air Force Academy," said Hada. "I've been privileged now to appoint some people to committees that were Air Force Academy graduates and Air Force Academy instructors. So the world has come a long way, but we still need to go a ways further."

Staff Sgt. Jen Lee, Soldier-athlete, World Class Athlete Pro-gram, and 2014 Winter Paralympic Games gold medalist spoke

next and started off with a stereotypical joke to break the ice with the audience.

"When my first sergeant asked me to do this I said I would be honored. Plus I was joking with him... it's kind of hard to miss a six foot, two Asian," said Lee as the attendees laughed. Lee discussed how his family wanted him to become a lawyer or doctor, but how he wanted to serve his country. He contin-ued about his service and talking about his athletics, until he spoke about the 2009 motorcycle accident that made him an amputee.

"Everything changed. My life changed forever," said Lee. "Not only was I conscious when I was hit, but I knew I was going to lose my leg."

"I had a decision to make," continued Lee. "Either accept who I’m going to be for the rest of my life or sit there and lay in a hospital and feel sorry for myself and blame the world."

Lee explained how the wounded warriors at Fort Sam Houston motivated him and how his rehabilitation led him to discover sled hockey and eventually the WCAP, culminating in a spot as a goalie for U.S.A’s Paralympic sled hockey team which won a gold medal in 2014.

"I'm just happy that I'm able to continue to serve my coun-try and represent my country in a different way," said Lee.

The attendees were then entertained by some ethnic and rhythmic dancing courtesy of Pacific Pride & Island Hearts, a non-profit organization from Colorado Springs.

Col. Heidi Hoyle, special assistant to the 4th Infantry Di-vision Commander, closed the event by thanking everyone.

"Thank you to all our guests," said Hoyle. "Thank you for sharing your culture with all of us."


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68th CSSB conducts safety

stand down

Soldiers from the 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43D Sustainment Brigade participated in a Safety Stand Down day held at Iron Horse Park, May 21.

The training day was held to promote awareness regarding proper safety precautions heading into the Me-morial Day weekend and the start of the 101 Critical Days of Summer, which end with Labor Day weekend.

"Memorial day weekend, we all know it's a dangerous weekend and a lot of things happen," said 1st Lt. Victor Cruz, assistant operations officer, 68th CSSB, who served as the safety officer for the event. "We wanted to do it right before (the holiday weekend), so we could go over a lot of safety tips."

Throughout the day, Soldiers rotated through eight different stations to receive safety tips about Army Sub-stance Abuse Program, natural wildlife conservation, motorcycle safety, camping precautions, boating and water safety, firearm precautions, sport injuries and Morale, Welfare and Recreation advice.

"This is not a mandatory requirement," said Cruz. "But it helps Soldiers understand that leaders truly care about their safety. We could easily do classes within the company levels, but it's not the same and it's boring."

Sgt. Steven Sokul, truck driver and team leader, 32nd Transportation Company, 68th CSSB, said the training was valuable.

"I'm partial to the ASAP that's out here doing the drunk driving (prevention training)," said Sokul. "But I'm really happy for the local law enforcement coming out and teaching motorcycle safety."

"Safety is everybody's responsibility," added Sokul. "It doesn't matter if you're correcting a small deficiency to something major, it can be a life changing event."

Cruz echoed that sentiment: "On and off post, there are a lot of things happening with the Soldiers. If we help Soldiers with training, safety tips for them and their families, we can help out with the whole safety envi-ronment within our ranks.”

There were a lot of agencies involved that made the entire event possible and a success, said Cruz."It went great, because they went over a lot of topics," said Cruz. "We had the Colorado Springs Police

Department, MWR, Wildlife conservation and ASAP… real people that actually do this every day. It is also motorcycle (safety) month and we had the motorcycle section of the CSPD brief the Soldiers. I definitely think they received great information."


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Training NCOs, preparing for the future

In their continuing effort to build “Rough Rider Strong” Soldiers, the 43D Sustainment Brigade sponsored a junior leader symposium to prepare about 170 sergeants and staff sergeants to be better leaders, May 29.

This is the second quarterly event in the “Rough Rider Strong” program and was focused on spiritual and mental strength. The first, the wellness fair held in March, was focused on physical fitness and health.

There were nine different classes ranging from resilience to ethics. The subject matter was much the same as what might have been taught to newer Soldiers, but with a special emphasis on leadership, said to Sgt. 1st Class Nivian Pickett, schools noncommissioned officer, 43D SB.

“It’s not a random thing that those (participating in the classes) are sergeants and staff sergeants,” said Maj. Amy Jackson, executive officer, 43D SB. “Those are people that we feel are going to have the most impact at the Soldier level.”

Pickett, also one of the brigade’s master resilience trainers, agreed. “They’re the ones that have more influence with the Soldiers,” said Pickett. “They’re the ones actually lead-

ing the Soldiers.”Classes, such as Equal Opportunity training, met quarterly training requirements. Others, like the class by the brigade’s Family Readiness Support Assistant, were introduced to show the leaders some of the tools available to them.

“This was not ‘let’s just pile on a bunch of requirements,’” said Jackson. “We’re mentoring and resourcing them so that they can continue on in the Army knowing all of those (things).”With the Army moving away from the wartime footing, noncommissioned officers are facing a new set of chal-lenges. Many of the Soldiers have never known anything but the deployment cycle of the last 12 years.

“We understand the challenges that the junior NCOs face and this training was intended to equip them to take better care of Soldiers,” said Jackson.

Sgt. Frank Miranda, human resource specialist, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 43D SB, felt like the curriculum was the right stuff for the right audience and the people teaching.

“The instructors were extremely knowledgeable and competent, they answered every question thoroughly,” Miranda said. “I couldn’t have asked for better as far as instruction.”

Story by Sgt. 1st. Class Joe Stone43D Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office

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NCO, Soldier of the year: JTFC Soldiers advance to FORSCOM

Joint Task Force Carson’s Sgt. Ruth Hanks and Cpl. Zachary Bandli will compete at the U.S. Army Forces Command Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year competition later this month after the duo swept the III Corps event, July 22-23, 2014 at Fort Hood, Texas.

The contest featured 13 events: the Army Physical Fitness Test, drill and ceremony, an M4 carbine qualification range, weapons assembly and disassembly, single channel ground and airborne radio system operations, medical assessment, adjust fire, call for fire, map reading, night land navigation, a written test, an essay and board proceedings.

Sgt. Ruth Hanks“I couldn’t believe that I won the III Corps NCO of the year. I started at the

company level and to make it this far is awesome,” said Hanks, military police, 984th Military Police Company, 759th MP Battalion. “It has been an extremely humbling experience.”

With her latest win, Hanks now has her sights set on FORSCOM competition.“I really like competition. It is going to be fun and a great opportunity to learn

and further develop myself as a leader so I can bring that back to make my Soldiers better,” she said.

Cpl. Zachary Bandli“It feels amazing to win. To know that all the hard work and late nights have paid off in full,” said Bandli, a

signal support systems specialist,534th Signal Company, 43D Special Troops Battalion, 43D Sustainment Brigade.

“I was truly surprised to be announced the winner, because the competition was so close,” he said. “Now I just need to buckle down again and keep refining all my warrior tasks and continue preparing for a more difficult board.” Bandli said he didn’t know what to expect at the FORSCOM event.

“I’m still in shock of winning III Corps,” he said. “I think if anything, I will be looking forward to being one step closer to the All-Army (Best Warrior) competition and also bringing all that knowledge and experience back to my Soldiers and Carson. I want to be an example for (my Soldiers) to follow, not just someone who tells them what they need to do.”(Editor’s note: Courtesy photos. Story compiled by Sgt. William Smith, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, and Staff Sgt. Alexis Ramos, 43D Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office.)

By Public Affairs

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68th CSSB sharpens skills at PCMS

Soldiers from the 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43D Sustainment Brigade, were able to train-up on skills at the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, June 10-20.

“You asked for the time and space to train your com-panies…here we are, and you are getting it done, said Lt. Col. Stephanie Barton, commander, 68th CSSB, 43D SB.The battalion focused its training on small arms ranges, qualifying and increasing its proficiency with the M4 car-bine, M9 pistol, M203grenade launcher, and the M249 and M240B machine guns. The Soldiers practiced their land navigation skills, day and night, and became familiar with their vehicles.

“You see the staff operating in an austere environment exercising mission command, not just here at Pinon Can-yon,” said Cpt. Sae Hwan Kim, commander, Headquar-ters and Headquarters Company, 68th CSSB. “We have elements at [Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La.], on Fort Carson in training area 40, here and in gar-rison. We have people downrange also. That’s all being tracked right here in this field environment.”

The battalion staff worked at their tasks and planned for contingencies. Training was the focus of the battalion from the moment they arrived at PCMS.

“We’re still running missions for Fort Carson but we’re getting our training completed down here,” said Maj. Brian Purdy, support operations officer, 68th CSSB.The day-to-day mission of 68th CSSB is to support Fort Carson’s resident units. There could not be any interrup-

tion to those services, so there was quite a bit of coordina-tion required, said Purdy.

“Because we received the support, not only from our brigade but also from division,” We were able to unplug the battalion for these 10 days and get us healthy with our training and give us a chance to operate some of our systems,” Purdy said.

Leadership was pleased with the progress that was made, according to Command Sgt. Maj. Shannon Cavi-ness, command sergeant major, 68th CSSB.

“We are definitely achieving what we wanted to achieve and even more. The Soldiers that are out here with us have exceeded our expectations,” said Caviness. “It’s an exciting time for the Stagecoach Battalion.”

The Soldiers could concentrate on training without their usual distractions by being away from Fort Carson.

“We’ve done night drivers’ training and land naviga-tion, stuff we don’t get to do on a regular basis that we have the opportunity to do while we’re out here in the field at Pinon Canyon,” said 1st Lt. Mark Sopkiw, maintenance control officer, 183rd Support Maintenance Company.

The Stagecoach practiced convoy operations as well.“We rolled 132 vehicles from Fort Carson all the way

down here with no major breakdowns. Not often does a battalion get (its) vehicles on the road and drive that kind of distance,” said Purdy. “A lot of times we are limited to a training area on Fort Carson, a 20 to 30 minute drive.”

Story by Sgt. 1st. Class Joe Stone43D Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office

Photo by Spc. Travis Lyssy

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New program reduces processing timeStory by Staff Sgt. Alexis Ramos43D Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs

A Lean Six Sigma process improvement program resulted in a 75-percent decrease in the processing time for personnel actions for Soldiers assigned to the 43D Sustainment Brigade.

The program, which falls in line with the overall LSS methodology, was conducted Oct. 13 through July 16 in order to help improve processing of the Department of the Army form 4187, assignment deferment/deletion throughout the brigade.

“Our working group of the S1's (Admin) and myself as the black belt lead, sought to decrease the processing time of 4187's for assignment deletion/deferment to below 30 days to meet DA guidance,” said Maj. Amy Jackson, Executive Officer, 43D SB. “We had not been meeting that goal and there was a lot of variation in the process.”

During the 10 months of running the program, the brigade saw a reduction in processing time and cost savings associated with man hours and other resources.

“Our baseline was 39.2 processing days with 8 days of variation on either side of that,” said Jackson. “During our pilot we were able to get the time down to 10 days with 1.33 days of variation. Ultimately over the next five years, we could realize a cost savings of $112,000.”

In addition, the admin personnel identified issues and addressed some areas of concern, explained Jackson.“We discovered many issues along the way, such as lack of information, lack of systems, lack of leader engagement,” said Jack-son. “We assessed the issues and developed "quick wins" to address some of those points of potential failure and saw immediate results.”

“This project helped find where the problems were within the processing of actions,” said Sgt. 1st Class Leon Franklin, S1 noncommissioned officer in charge, 43D Special Troops Battalion, 43D SB. “The process will streamline the routing of actions through the channels to Human Resource Command.”While the Soldiers and family members are the primary beneficiaries of this program, it will ultimately benefit several areas.

“The benefits are pretty profound. First and foremost, it's all about the Soldier and his/her Family. If they do not know when or if they are moving, it affects their ability to plan and prepare for a Permanent Change of Station,” said Jackson. “Sec-ond, the gaining unit thinks they have a Soldier coming to their unit who potentially will not arrive on time or at all. Third, HRC believes they have covered all their personnel issues and have no knowledge that there is a problem until the 4187 is submitted.”

She said she believes that the biggest benefit in the future will be the digitalization of all administrative submissions, which will improve timeliness and save money.

“We have to change the culture and that takes time and dedication,” said Jackson. “…so we will start with the 4187's and hopefully begin to process our awards applying the same procedures.”

The 43D Sustainment Brigade hosted its first golf scramble at the Cheyenne Shadows Golf Club, Fort Carson, Colo., July 25.

About 80 Soldiers, Family members and civilians showed up to the event and competed in four man teams for various prizes.

"First and second place prizes received Cheyenne Shadows gift certificates, longest drive received a trophy, longest putt received a (brand name) putter," said Delaney. "They all received $100 gift cards.”In addition to the prizes, 43D SB participants were also able to tally up points for the brigade’s commander's cup that will be presented at organizational day, explained Delaney.

While most participants came to the golf scramble to show pride in their unit, one individual came because golf is his passion.

"I have great love for the game of golf," said Spc. Jeffrey Neilsen, command group, 43rd Special Troops Battalion, 43D SB. "I was able to share the love for the game with other people. My grandfather started me with lessons at 6 years old, and I've been playing ever since."

Despite a brief rain and distant lighting, participants weathered the storm and continued playing into the evening. "It was a great… event that golfers and non golfers enjoyed alike," said Delaney. "Seventy-five percent of the partici-

pants were from 43D SB, but we did have players from each unit on post showing great team spirit."Neilsen was one of those golfers who enjoyed the event."I think it was a great team building event and also a great morale booster," said Neilsen. "It gets Soldier's involved in

brigade events."The next 43D SB team-building event is its organizational day that will be held at Iron Horse Park, Aug 12.

Golf Scramble builds moraleStory by Staff Sgt. Alexis Ramos43D Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs

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FINAL FRAME

Rough Riders July 14

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Transcript of Rough Riders July 14