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Bama Guard unit deploys to Iraq; another heading out later this week
March 9, 2010 by Nicki Faulk
Posted to Breaking News at The Birmingham News:
About 50 members of the an Alabama Army National Guard unit that specializes in explosive ordnance disposal have deployed to Iraq and a transportation unit with about 170 soldiers is slated to arrive there shortly.
The 111th Ordnance Group from Opelika arrived down range last week. While in Iraq, the 111th will head up Combined Joint Task Force Troy, which coordinates and oversees efforts to counter improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, throughout the country. Task Force Troy will oversee 600 to 800 U.S. troops involved in anti-IED operations, and several dozen of those troops are soldiers with one of the 111th’s subordinate units, the 441st Ordnance Battalion out of Huntsville.
Meanwhile, state Guard public affairs officer, Lt. Col. Cynthia Bachus, said the 2101st Transportation Company out of Demopolis, Aliceville and Butler is now in Kuwait and will be moving into Iraq soon. The upcoming tour will be the second one for about a third of the unit’s soldiers. The first was in 2004-05.
This morning, the commander of an Alabama Guard military police unit said in an e-mail Sunday’s national elections went smoothly in his unit’s southern sector of Iraq.
“The Iraqi Security Forces did a great job executing the security plan that they established for the province,” said Lt. Col. Charles
Buxton, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 203rd Military Police Battalion, now based in Basra Province.Soldiers with the Athens-based 203rd have helped train Iraqi police and did pre-election assessments to improve security at 20 critical polling places throughout the province.
Through last December, according to the latest Pentagon figures, more than 4,700 Alabamians were deployed in and around Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bama Guard unit to deploy on anti-explosive mission in Iraq
January 25, 2010 by Nicki Faulk
Posted today in The Birmingham News:
Bomb attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq have been going down, but bombers appear to be focusing more on Iraqi security forces, government officials, and civilians.
An Alabama National Guard unit will be deploying to Iraq in less than a month and one of its main jobs will be to train Iraqis in bomb detection, disposal, and other related measures to make their country more secure.
A send-off ceremony was held today for about 50 members of the 111th Ordinance Group from Opelika. The unit’s specialty is explosive ordinance disposal and in Iraq it will head up Joint Task Force Troy, which coordinates and oversees anti-IED efforts throughout Iraq. IED stands for Improvised Explosive Devices, which killed or wounded many U.S. soldiers during much of the Iraq war.
“We are the fight against the IED,” said Col. Jose Atencio III, of Florence, the 111th commanding officer.
The task force will oversee 600 to 800 U.S. troops involved in anti-IED operations throughout Iraq. Several dozen of those troops are soldiers with one of the 111th’s subordinate units, the 441st Ordinance Battalion out of Huntsville.
Atencio said that the task force will be working closely with Iraqi security forces because U.S. forces are drawing down in Iraq and are no longer leading the anti-IED efforts around the country.
“We have got to transfer the capability and the capacity over to the Iraqi military, federal police, and the police to give them the ability to counter (IEDs) once we are gone,” Atencio said.
The 111th’s command sergeant major, Gerald Miller, of Helena, said the unit has a lot of soldiers with expertise who had previous deployments – some as far back as Desert Storm.
The 111th soldiers leave Wednesday for Camp Shelby, Miss., where they will spend about three weeks in final training before deploying.
Hey Huntsville, honor your soldier on Saturday!
August 27, 2009 by Nicki Faulk
Courtesy of the Huntsville Times:
Military families will have the chance to honor their soldier at Saturday’s Military Family Day, hosted by the Madison/Marshall County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
The event is designed to help increase awareness of agencies, organizations and faith-based groups in the community that provide support and services to the military and their families. Representatives from area agencies will be on hand to provide information. Families of service members in all branches of the military, including the National Guard, Reserve, recruiters and veterans, are invited.
Throughout the day, families can honor their soldier by creating postcards to send to their soldier.
There will also be carnival activities and refreshments. It will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Max Luther Community Center, 207 Max Luther Drive, in Huntsville.
For information, visit www.redcrossrelief.org or call 536-0084, ext. 311.
Alabama loses another hero
August 14, 2009 by Nicki Faulk
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Captain Luce’s loved ones:
Yesterday, the Alabama Army National Guard confirmed the death of 27-year-old Captain Ron Luce. Luce was serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
The soldier was serving as Team Commander in Qole Gersdar, Afghanistan when his vehicle was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device. He was assigned to 1st Battalion 20th SFG in Huntsville, AL.
Two other soldiers were killed in the attack including Sergeant First Class Severin W. Summers 43 of Baton Rouge, LA and Sergeant First Class Alejandro Grenado 42, of Tatum, TX.
Funeral Services were held for Luce at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Chapel on Fort Bragg, NC Thursday.
Family welcomes home soldier from Iraq
July 14, 2009 by Nicki Faulk
Courtesy of WAFF 48 News:
A Huntsville family is having a celebration. Corporal Cody Majors was welcomed home Monday afternoon by his family and friends. Majors is on his second tour in Iraq. He’s home for some rest and relaxation.
Majors’ mom says she’s happy he’s home safe.
“It means the world to me that he’s coming home safe. I miss him, he’s been gone since February,” said Pam Majors.
Cody is a 2005 graduate of Lee High School. His unit is stationed in Fort Hood, Texas.
(Video and photos are available here.)
Welcome home, Cody!
Paying it forward helps man, soldier son
June 9, 2009 by Nicki Faulk
Posted yesterday to Huntsville’s WAFF 48 News website, an article about a man who helps out a soldier and whose act of kindness would be paid forward when his own son needed it most.
There are still people that love soldiers, and will go out of their way and in this case above and beyond what anyone would imagine.
It’s a great story! You can read the whole article here, and view the video here.
Huntsville mourns the loss of a hero
June 4, 2009 by Nicki Faulk
Our thoughts and prayers go out to SSG Hall’s loved ones:
SSG Jeffrey Hall of Huntsville was in Afghanistan when he was killed in a roadside bombing. WAFF 48 News was told Hall was a platoon leader and one of three soldiers killed in the IED attack.
This wasn’t Hall’s first tour of duty in Afghanistan. He’s described as a man of high character and morals, and as a decorated soldier who will be greatly missed by his community.
Hall attended Westminster Christian Academy his freshman year of high school and was enrolled at Grissom High School from 1997 to 1998. He spent the next two years up until graduation at Huntsville Christian Academy.
“He’s left a rich deposit into my life personally,” said pastor Dr. Reggie Whitton. “I remember him as if I’d seen him yesterday.”
Whitton recalled the first day he met hall.
“I asked him, ‘What do you want to do with your life after graduation?’ And he immediately said, ‘I’m going to join the Army.’”
On Wednesday Whitton scanned the handwritten student application Hall filled out, where he said Jesus was his favorite character in the bible.
“One of the questions I asked him was, ‘What do you do on weekends?’ He said, ‘I visit my grandparents, who are sick. and I help them with their household things and their yardwork.’”
Hall attended a community college in Syracuse and enlisted in the Army, where he made his way up to a Ranger, one of the most elite and dangerous groups in combat.
His family called his loss one from which they’ll never recover, saying the United States has lost a great soldier and son. He was also a husband and father of a 1-year-old little girl. Finally, he is a hero who many will remember for his dedication and ultimate sacrifice.
“If I could speak to him personally I would just embrace him and tell him how proud and thankful I am for him and of him,” Whitton said. “He’s a hero.”
In the news this weekend
February 22, 2009 by Nicki Faulk
Courtesy of The Anniston Star:
Army Reserve Col. Roy A. Hall recently graduated from the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks in Carlisle, Pa. He is the son of Thomas D. Hall of Weaver. He graduated in 1980 from Anniston High School and received an associate degree in 1982 from Marion Military Institute. He received a bachelor’s degree in 1984 from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.
Congratulations, Col. Hall!
Air Force Staff Sgt. Shane Law was recently decorated with the Air Force Commendation Medal. He is the son of Larry and Connie Downey of Piedmont. He graduated in 1993 from Piedmont High School and received an associate degree in 2006 from the Community College of the Air Force in Montgomery.
Congratulations, Sgt. Law!
Air Force Airman 1st Class Nicholas W. Byars recently arrived for duty at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, N.M. He is the son of Christopher W. and Sherry D. Byars of Jacksonville. He graduated in 2007 from Jacksonville High School.
Congratulations, Airman 1st Class Byars!
Army Pvt. Jesse D. Harper recently graduated from the Land Combat Electrician Advanced Individual Training course at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. He is the son of Timothy L. and Karen D. Harper of Anniston.
Congratulations, Pvt. Harper!
Army Pfc. Corbett L. Futral was one of more than 300 Army soldiers who participated in the “Spirit of America 2008″ performance for the residents of Rochester, N.Y., and Worcester, Mass., on Sept. 12 and 13, respectively. Futral, an infantryman with two years of military service, is assigned to the 4th Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. He is the son of Harry Futral of Oxford and Shannon Moreira of Gulf Shores. The private is a 2004 graduate of Gulf Shores High School.
Congratulations, PFC Futral!
Tuscaloosa native to command brigade
January 10, 2009 by Nicki Faulk
Featured this weekend in the Tuscaloosa News:
Col. Charles H. Gailes Jr. will take command of the 31st Chemical Brigade from Northport during a ceremony Sunday at Fort McClellan Army National Guard Training Center.
Gailes, a Tuscaloosa native living in Huntsville, will receive the unit colors from Brig. Gen. Wendell B. McLain of Auburn. The Alabama National Guard brigade includes chemical and military police units across the state.
Congratulations, Colonel Gailes!
In the news this weekend
January 4, 2009 by Nicki Faulk
The Montgomery Advertiser had several announcements this weekend:
Army National Guard Pvt. James L. Lambert III has graduated from Basic Combat training at Fort Sill, Lawton, Okla. Lambert is the son of B.J. Lambert of Montgomery.
The private is a 1996 graduate of Robert E. Lee High School.
Congratulations, James!
Air Force Airman 1st Class Daniel C. Betz has graduated from the Air Traffic Control Operations Apprentice Course at Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Miss. Betz will be assigned to the 325th Operations Support Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base, Panama City, Fla.
He is the son of Steve T. Betz of Hope Hull.
Congratulations, Daniel!
Air Force Airman Jeremy C. Dauzat has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. Dauzat earned distinction as an honor graduate. He is the son of Craig and Annette Dauzat of Montgomery.
The airman is a 2007 graduate of Robert E. Lee High School.
Congratulations, Jeremy!
Air Force Airman David H. Patrick has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. Patrick is the son of Kim Patrick of Prattville.
In 2007, the airman graduated from Prattville High School.
Congratulations, David!
Air Force Airman Mark B. Stadlberger Jr. has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. Stadlberger earned distinction as an honor graduate. He is the son of Patricia Stadlberger of Prattville.
In 2007, the airman graduated from Prattville High School.
Congratulations, Mark!
Staff Sgt. Rodney Hall of Montgomery, a member of the 4-108th Chemical Battalion at Huntsville, graduated from the Army Basic Instructor Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Congratulations, Rodney!
Army Pvt. Lawson W. McGlamery has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. McGlamery is a 2004 graduate of the Elmore County Adult Learning Center in Wetumpka.
Congratulations, Lawson!
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