UNIT NEWS
UNIT NEWS
FORT BLISS BUGLE • April 23, 2015 • 3A
Training is the oil that keeps the
>> engine of our Army running
Army NG engineers
return from Middle East n 4A
Troops destroy 75,000
pounds of explosives n 13A
Food for thought:
Food bank fosters assistance n 15A
4-1 BCT
reflags to
3-1 BCT
By Staff Sgt. Killo Gibson
4th BCT, 1st AD Public Affairs
Spc. Julia Redding / 24th Press Camp Headquarters
Soldiers from 2nd Bn., 29th
FA Regt., 4th BCT, 1st AD,
render honors with a 13gun salute at 1st Armored
Division Field, April 15. The
weapons were fired during
the end of the deactivation
of 3rd Brigade Combat Team,
transferring the ceremony to
the reflagging of 4th Brigade
Combat Team, 1st Armored
Division, to 3rd Brigade
Combat Team, 1st Armored
Division.
(Right) Maj. Gen. Stephen M.
Twitty, right, 1st AD and Fort
Bliss commanding general, inactivates 3rd Brigade
Combat Team, 1st Armored
Division, at 1st Armored Division Field, April 15.
Spc. Julia Redding / 24th Press Camp Headquarters
Staff Sgt. Killo Gibson / 3rd BCT, 1st AD Public Affairs
Soldiers of the 4th Brigade Combat Team stand in formation for the last time as the reflagging of
the 4th BCT to 3rd BCT takes place at East Fort Bliss, April 15.
(Right) Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty, 1st AD and Fort Bliss commanding general, gives a speech
during the reflagging of the brigade combat teams.
Staff Sgt. Killo Gibson / 3rd BCT, 1st AD Public Affairs
The 4th Brigade Combat Team takes the
parade field for the last time as the “Highlander” Brigade before the deactivation
of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, and
reflagging of the 4th BCT to 3rd Brigade
Combat Team, “Bulldogs” April 15 at Fort
Bliss.
The host for the ceremony was Maj.
Gen. Stephen M. Twitty, 1st AD and Fort
Bliss commanding general.
The deactivation of the 3rd Brigade
Combat Team is due to the Army’s restructuring.
This scenario is all too common for
Twitty. It was only a few years ago when
then, Col. Twitty, 4-1 Cavalry commander, and his command team removed their
Stetson hats, and donned the traditional
Army berets.
The 4th BCT has undergone many
changes over the last decade transforming
from 4-1 Cavalry “Long Knife” to their reflagging in 2008 as 4th BCT “Highlander”
to now the 3rd BCT, 1st AD “Bulldogs.”
Along with the inactivation of 3rd
BCT, 2nd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery
Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st
Armored Division, reflagged as 4th Battalion, 1st Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd
Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.
With all the inactivation’s and reflagging of the units, 3rd BCT stands to gain
approximately 1,100 Soldiers.
Although the name has changed, the
same Soldiers and leaders remain in place.
Col. Chip E. Daniels, former 4th BCT
commander, assumes command the newnamed 3rd BCT.
“We hate to give up what was a proud
legacy of the ‘Highlander’ Brigade. However, we get the opportunity to build upon
the great legacy of the ‘Bulldog’ Brigade,”
said Daniels.
In honor of the sacrifices by the Soldiers, officers, noncommissioned officers
and families of the “Long Knife” and
“Highlander” Brigades, two tokens were
presented to ensure the legacy of these
units.
“I want the local community to know,
we are still the same brigade that was established in El Paso. We just have a different name, but we will still keep the unofficial motto, ‘El Paso’s Own,’ said Daniels.
During the ceremony Twitty, along with
Command Sgt. Maj. Lance Lehr, 1st AD
and Fort Bliss command sergeant major,
unveiled and dedicated Long Knife Road,
which replaced Tank Trail Road, and
Highlander Street, which replaced Half
Track Street.
The renaming of these two streets will
etch the lineage, history and the legacy
of the brigades into storied history of the
post.
“The ‘Long Knife’ Brigade will always
be remembered for the hard work and accomplishments put forth by the thousands
of Soldiers who had the privilege of calling themselves ‘Long Knife’ Soldiers,”
said Twitty.
4A • April 23, 2015 • FORT BLISS BUGLE
Arkansas, Georgia engineers return from Middle East
By Adam Holguin
Mobilization and Deployment, DPTMS, Public Affairs
The 1038th Engineer Company, Arkansas
Army National Guard, and Soldiers from
the 876th Engineer Company, Georgia Army
National Guard, arrived at the Silas L. Copeland Departure/Arrival Control Group airfield
April 10, after completing nine-month deployments in the Middle East.
The 1028th Eng. Co. spent the majority of
their time in Kuwait, both at Camps Arifjan
and Buehring, while also undertaking missions in Jordan, Afghanistan and Iraq. The
876th Eng. Co. first deployed to Afghanistan
before assisting the 1028th Eng. Co. with missions in Kuwait.
Col. James Treece, commander, 87th Troop
Command, was here to represent the brigade
headquarters and greet the 1038th Eng. Co.
upon their arrival.
“The first thing I am going to tell them is
welcome back. I am not going to say welcome
home until they are on the ground in Arkansas,” said Treece, “I want them to focus on
what they have to do here. There is a lot of
good information they’ll receive here.”
While in Kuwait, the majority of the missions the company undertook were improvements on the facilities and substructure in
Kuwait.
“We were doing horizontal construction,
mainly improving infrastructure on both
Camp Buehring and Camp Arifjan, to include
additional drainage, retention ponds, road
grading and sidewalks,” said Capt. Clayton
Shelley, commander, 1038th Eng. Co. “We
did some force protection measures … We
also built a staging area, a taxi runway on Ali
Al Salem Air Base for an Apache (helicopter)
squadron.”
Shelley was proud of the work ethic his
Soldiers displayed and the amount of effort
they put in.
“We were able to complete over 62 missions (with) just under 200,000 man hours,”
said Shelley. ”We were able to do that on seven different locations in four different countries.”
First Sgt. James Holm, first sergeant, 1038th
Eng. Co., was proud of the schooling some in
his unit members were able to complete.
“We had 15 Soldiers that we got through
Warrior Leader Course while we were over
there, which I am very honored that we accomplished,” said Holm. “That was a task
they took on and it’ll help move them along
in their careers, it’s already done out of the
way for them.”
Ultimately, Holm was happy to be home
without incident, “I am glad I brought each
and every one of them home. That’s what
counts,” he said.
The units will complete out-processing and
demobilization requirements with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security before departing for their home states.
Treece recognized Fort Bliss’ role in getting
Soldiers home.
“This is the second unit that has come
through Fort Bliss since I have taken command of the brigade … I have nothing but
positive remarks on the level of support that
this installation gives these incoming and outbound Soldiers.”
The units efforts over the past nine months
resulted in numerous improvements to U.S.
bases in the Middle East and although horizontal engineer work may not be as glamourous as vertical construction, there can be no
building without a solid foundation, something the engineers of the 1038th and 876th
took great satisfaction in providing.
“As engineers we really do take pride in
improving the conditions for Soldiers that are
there now and that will be there in the future,”
said Shelley.
Col. James Treece, right, commander, 87th Troop
Command, briefs Soldiers from the 1038th and
876th Engineer Companies at the Silas L. Copeland Arrival/Departure Air Control Group after
their arrival from the Middle East, April 10. Treece
was a representative of the brigade headquarters
and greeted the Soldiers upon their return from a
nine-month deployment to the Middle East.
Photos by Adam Holguin / Mobilization and Deployment, DPTMS, Public Affairs
First Sgt. James Holm, first sergeant, 1038th Engineer Company, is greeted while arriving stateside
after completing a nine-month deployment to the Middle East, April 10, at the Silas L. Copeland Arrival/Departure Air Control Group airfield.
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8A • April 23, 2015 • FORT BLISS BUGLE
FORT BLISS BUGLE • April 23, 2015 • 9A
PUT TO THE
TEST
DIVARTY Soldier, NCO of the Year
competition held at Bliss
2
By Sgt. Maricris C. Cosejo
24th Press Camp Headquarters
1
4
3
What does it take to be the
best? The Division Artillery, 1st
Armored Division, challenged three
Soldiers and two noncommissioned
officers to answer that question during DIVARTY’s Soldier and Noncommissioned Officer of the Year
competition, held across Fort Bliss,
from April 15 to 17.
Sgt. Anthony Spall, DIVARTY
NCO of the Year, medic, Headquarters
and Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion,
27th Field Artillery Regiment, and DIVARTY
Soldier of the Year, Spc. Raymond King, cannon
crewmember, Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, answered.
Spall, King and their fellow candidates competed
in various events during the three-day competition.
They completed the marksmanship qualification, day
and night land navigation, combatives, warrior tasks
and battle drills, an obstacle course, a written exam,
a modified Army Physical Fitness Test and a leadership board. These events tested the Soldiers’ capabilities to think and act in stressful situations.
“The competition we do here is to select the
best and prepare them to face their competitors
in the division level,” said Command Sgt. Major
Franklin Jacobs, command sergeant major, Division Artillery, 1st Armored Division.
“This competition was specifically designed to
mirror the division-level competition to give the Soldiers a better idea of the events in the higher level,”
said Jacobs.
Ultimately, according to Jacobs, the competition
was designed to challenge them mentally and physically, because if they aren’t challenged at a brigade
level, they’ll be at a disadvantage at the division and
higher competitions.
Now with their results in hand, the two Soldiers
are ramping-up their preparation for the division level.
“Lots of studying, lots of combatives, more range
time and more full days preparing for the division
level,” said Spall.
In addition, with preparation comes motivation to
excel.
“My family and my friends motivated me. They
kept pushing me. They gave me the drive to keep going during the competition,” said King. “It feels good
to win.”
The competition isn’t all glory for King and Spall.
It reinforced the need to lead and share their knowledge and experience with their units.
“I learned things that I can show my guys and teach
them. I would like to help other Soldiers compete one
day too,” said King.
As for Spall, the upcoming competition (or the
ones thereafter), isn’t the end of a journey. He began at
a company board months ago, but this is the beginning
every Soldier from private to general can experience.
“Better, a better Soldier,” said Spall.
“This competition
was specifically
designed to mirror
the division-level
competition to give
the Soldiers a better
idea of the events in
the higher level.”
>> Command Sgt. Major
Franklin Jacobs
Photos by Sgt. Maricris C. Cosejo / 24th Press Camp Headquarters
1. Spc. Davis Karran, combat medic, HHB, 4th Bn., 27th FA Regt., DIVARTY, 1st AD, plots his points during the night land
navigation portion of the 1st Armored Division Artillery Soldier and NCO of the Year competition, April 15, at Fort Bliss.
2. Staff Sgt. Karl Coulson, section chief, Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, Division Artillery, 1st
Armored Division, plots points during the night land navigation event.
3. Candidates of the 1st Armored Division Artillery Soldier and NCO of the Year competition start with marksmanship
qualification, April 15, at Fort Bliss. All candidates were winners of the quarterly competition.
4. Spc. Raymond King, cannon crewmember with Btry. B, 2nd Bn., 3rd FA Regt., DIVARTY, 1st AD, climbs up the ladder
during the timed obstacle course event.
5. Sgt. Anthony Spall, combat medic, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, Division Artillery, 1st Armored Division, carries a casualty during the warrior task and battle drills event.