LONGRIFLEs WEEKLYA publication of the 2/138th FAR

We have reached the halfway mark of this deployment. Regardless of what you have or haven’t achieved, you must begin thinking about your future in the Kentucky National Guard. Many of you have extended your enlistment,

while others are still contemplating if you should reenlist or not. To those of you within 270 days of your Expiration of Term of Service (ETS) and still holding off in order to collect as much Deployment Extention Stabilization Pay (DESP) allotments as possible, you must realize that your bonus may not be available in the months to come. So be sure to choose wisely and do the math. To help you make this decision you will need to discuss this with your family back home, your chain of command, and the battery retention NCO. Your retention NCO can help you know if there will be open slots upon your return to home station. If you do not have a chance for promotion due to your MOS no longer being in the battalion, or there are no vacancies in your MOS, you may want to look into Officer Candidate School or Warrant Officer Candidate School to further your career. ~Capt. Christopher Fitzwater

DJIBOUTI, Djibouti – What separates the Kentucky National Guard’s Task Force Longrifles from other active duty service men and women stationed here in the Horn of Africa is that they have a wealth of civilian job experience. Some of this experience is currently being tapped to oversee a much needed expansion at the Caritas Wound Clinic in Djibouti City.

The Caritas Wound Clinic is a Non-Government Organization (NGO) run by the Sisters of Charity, a non-profit all-volunteer, Catholic organization, founded by Saint Theresa. Its mission is to provide free medical care to the poor.

Many Djiboutians do not have proper footwear. They can be seen walking barefoot or with only flip-flops just about everywhere. So it’s no surprise the most common injuries seen at the clinic are cuts, scrapes, abrasions and sores on the feet.

A proposal was made to build an outdoor shower, concrete pad, and a new awning. These three projects would, at the very least, help disinfect wounds and keep infections at a minimum. The concrete pad would be constructed to double the amount of space the clinic has for treating people. While the new awning would provide much needed shade, especially during the summer months when temperatures regularly reach 120 degrees or more.

CPT’s Corner

I have really enjoyed being a part of Task Force Longrifles during this deployment. You have proved to be outstanding ambassadors of not only the Kentucky National Guard but the Army as a whole.As we are more than halfway through

this deployment, I think we need to remember to watch our buddies and not let complacency set in. I realize from time to time we have had our issues but we need to stay active in volunteer activities and military professional development courses. Continue to follow the rules during our remaining time and not letting complacency set in. This is of the utmost importance! I cannot stress enough the rules of the uniform policy, and military customs and courtesies. Let’s keep pressing until the very end and get home to our families safely.

~1st Sgt. Ray Fortier

1SG Thoughts

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A Much Needed Expansion Part - 1

Volunteers from Task Force Longrifles and local Djiboutians are creating a plan for a proposed expansion and shower project at the Caritas Wound Clinic in Djibouti, Africa on January 01, 2013.

February 15, 2013Volume 1, Issue 17

Story by Capt. Daniel Van Horn, Staff Sgt. Stephen Tressler, 2-138th PAOs, Photos by Spc. Christopher Johnson, A-Btry, 2-138th FA

Longrifles WeeklyPage 2

Chaplain ReflectionsWow! The Pope resigns, sequestration talk is in the air, and N. Korea threatens a third nuclear test. Yet, right in the middle of all this we observed Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day. Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent

for Christians) is a gentle reminder that we are dust. We are utterly helpless and hopeless without Divine assistance. Valentine’s Day comes as a symbol that God’s love from above often comes down camouflaged and expressed in those around us as a smile, an embrace, an act of thoughtfulness, or in the shared laughter of companionship. Now, the mind boggling part is that God keeps using creatures of dust to reveal a divine care and love for the human race. Indeed, we “dustened” (destined for dust) people often find meaning for life not by doubting that faith, hope, and love still reign in the chaos, but by sowing faith, hope, and love for someone else in-spite of the chaos. ~Chaplain Mark East

2-138th SOLDIERS CONTINUED FROM P. 1 > > >

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Soldier to Soldier • Any Soldier interested in participating in a shout-

out should stop by the Public Affairs office located in building 150, Monday through Friday from 1300-1600. POC is Capt. Van Horn, ext. 4807.

• Any Soldier interested in volunteering for Troops and Teachers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, contact 1st Lt. Weiler in building 150 or ext. 5031.

• The Chaplain’s Office will be collecting donations of 550 Cord from now until further notice. Any Soldiers interested in making donations can stop by building 150 between 0900-1600.

Quotations to live by...• Never let a bad day make you feel like you have a bad

life. - Author unkown

• You won’t always be punished FOR your anger but will always be punished BY your anger. - Author unkown

• There are two choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. - Dennis Waitley

FROM FRONT PAGEHowever, the clinic needed help figuring out how they going to pay for the expansion. Their prayers were answered when four Task Force Longrifles Soldiers each with a background in construction offered their services free of charge. Those Soldiers were;

Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Alan Spurlock from Lexington, KY., a building maintenance worker at the University of Kentucky Medical Center; Sgt. Michael Bryant from Louisville, KY., a licensed plumber; Spc. Chris Durham from Nicholasville, KY., a general contractor with his own business; and finally Spc. Christopher Johnson from Campbellsburg, KY., who has worked in construction for a nearly a decade.

The Soldiers conducted an initial assessment and created a step by step plan of action for the project. Those steps were as follows:

Step 1 – Grade construction area, remove vegetation, and install new drain and water linesStep 2 – Pour concrete footer for shower stall and concrete pad expansionStep 3 – Build shower stall Step 4 – Pour concrete for drain floor and showerStep 5 – Expand the awning to cover the new area

To offset the expenses associated with renting equipment, the Soldiers asked PAE, a government contract company, if they could borrow a cement mixer. The company agreed and even donated some left over cement mix from a previous project.

To lower the high cost of skilled labor, the clinic found young men in the

neighborhood eager to learn from the Soldiers. The Djiboutian workers would

complete most of the manual labor while the Soldiers would advise, teach, and mentor. With this approach the young men were able to learn construction techniques making them more marketable for future job opportunities in the area.

Sgt. Michael Bryant teaches a Djiboution work at the Caritas Wound Clinic how to install piping for an outdoor shower.

Task Force Longrifles volunteers teach Djiboutians how to lay cement block and mortar for an outdoor shower project at the Caritas Wound Clinic on January 23rd, 2013.