BN Commander and Senior FRG Advisor Words MARCH 1, 2012 MONTHLY ISSUE BLACK DRAGONS BULLETIN BN CSM 2 Chaplain’s Corner 3 HHB Hardcore 4 ALPHA Apaches 5 BRAVO Bulldogs 6-7 GOLF Ghostriders 8 Calendar 9 Current Events and News 10-20 Inside this issue: BLACK DRAGON Family: Well another month has gone by and your loved ones con- tinue to work hard distinguishing themselves and the battalion. Since our last letter a lot has changed in the battalion. Primarily we have qualified on our individual weapons and we have drawn our equip- ment back from the civilian contracting personnel. In events outside the battalion the Chief of Staff, GEN Raymond Odierno and the Ser- geant Major of the Army, SMA Ray Chandler announced new retention guidance. Finally, Fort Hood unfortunately has seen an increase in motorcycle accidents involving Soldiers. All the Batteries and Company did a great job qualifying on their as- signed weapon (rifle or pistol). A lot of hard work was done by the Non-Commissioned Officers and Officers as they prepared for and then conducted the ranges. If you haven’t had a chance to read the article in the Fort Hood Sentinel I have included a link, a great story about our Soldiers and Leaders in the battalion. http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=64408 The battalion accomplished a key milestone this month as we completed the draw of all of our equipment. Again a great job done by the Soldiers and Leaders in the battalion working with our civilian counterparts to get our Paladins as well as our tracked and wheeled vehicles back under our control. However, signing for this equipment is just the beginning of the process, now we start fixing, maintaining, and training on our equipment. See the below pictures of our Soldiers signing for and maintaining our equipment. At the beginning of February, the Chief of Staff and Sergeant Major of the Army along with the Secretary of the Army announced new re-enlistment directives, which will in part change the way we ask Soldiers to stay in the Army. First, as the Army down sizes after nearly a decade of conflict certain specialties will be over strength, Soldiers in these specialties may have to re-enlist for another spe- cialty if they want to stay in the Army. Also, the Army has asked us to look at Soldiers using the “Whole Soldier” concept, not just focusing on Soldiers who meet standards, but re-enlisting those that demon- strated “the greatest potential for future service”. I wanted to share this information with you as families look towards their futures, in par- ticular those families whose Soldier’s re-enlistment opportunity opens in fiscal year 2013 (which starts October 1, 2012) as their window for re-enlistment opens in March 1, 2012. Therefore, starting on March 1 of this year, Soldiers who want to re-enlist should have already met with the battalion Career Counselor, Staff Sergeant Blackmon. Once specialties and slots fill up, and the Army meets its re-enlistment goals, the re-enlistment opportunity for Soldiers whose eligibility is in fiscal year 2013 will close this means that they will not be able to re- enlist. Plan for you and your family in advance so you can meet your family’s future goals. Lastly, I wanted to let you all know there has been a slight increase in Soldiers getting injured and in some instances killed while riding motorcycles. It saddens all of us to see a Soldier seriously in- jured or lose their life in a motorcycle accident. Preventable acci- dents due to Soldiers not wearing all of their gear, racing from law enforcement, or not following proper procedures really break our hearts. See the note from LT Gary Cheatwood later in the newsletter on things that you can do to make sure our (your) (Continued on page 2) BLACK DRAGON Soldiers conduct inventory lay- out as they sign for their equipment BLACK DRAGON Soldiers clean and check the service- ability of their guns while, PUNCHING THE TUBES!
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Transcript
BN Commander and Senior FRG Advisor Words
MARCH 1, 2012 MONTHLY ISSUE
BLACK DRAGONS BULLETIN
BN CSM 2
Chaplain’s Corner 3
HHB Hardcore 4
ALPHA Apaches 5
BRAVO Bulldogs 6-7
GOLF Ghostriders 8
Calendar 9
Current Events and News 10-20
Inside this issue:
BLACK DRAGON Family:
Well another month has gone by and your loved ones con-
tinue to work hard distinguishing themselves and the battalion. Since
our last letter a lot has changed in the battalion. Primarily we have
qualified on our individual weapons and we have drawn our equip-
ment back from the civilian contracting personnel. In events outside
the battalion the Chief of Staff, GEN Raymond Odierno and the Ser-
geant Major of the Army, SMA Ray Chandler announced new retention
guidance. Finally, Fort Hood unfortunately has seen an increase in
motorcycle accidents involving Soldiers.
All the Batteries and Company did a great job qualifying on their as-
signed weapon (rifle or pistol). A lot of hard work was done by the
Non-Commissioned Officers and Officers as they prepared for and
then conducted the ranges. If you haven’t had a chance to read the
article in the Fort Hood Sentinel I have included a link, a great story
about our Soldiers and Leaders in the battalion.
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=64408
The battalion accomplished a key milestone this month as we
completed the draw of all of our equipment. Again a great job done
by the Soldiers and Leaders in the battalion working with our civilian
counterparts to get our Paladins as well as our tracked and wheeled
vehicles back under our control. However, signing for this equipment
is just the beginning of the process, now we start fixing, maintaining,
and training on our equipment. See the below pictures of our Soldiers
signing for and maintaining our equipment.
At the beginning of February, the Chief of Staff and Sergeant
Major of the Army along with the Secretary of the Army announced
new re-enlistment directives, which will in part change the way we
ask Soldiers to stay in the Army. First, as the Army down sizes after
nearly a decade of conflict certain specialties will be over strength,
Soldiers in these specialties may have to re-enlist for another spe-
cialty if they want to stay in the Army. Also, the Army has asked us to
look at Soldiers using the “Whole Soldier” concept, not just focusing
on Soldiers who meet standards, but re-enlisting those that demon-
strated “the greatest potential for future service”. I wanted to share
this information with you as families look towards their futures, in par-
ticular those families whose Soldier’s re-enlistment opportunity opens
in fiscal year 2013 (which starts October 1, 2012) as their window for
re-enlistment opens in March 1, 2012. Therefore, starting on March 1
of this year, Soldiers who want to re-enlist should have already met
with the battalion Career Counselor, Staff Sergeant Blackmon. Once
specialties and slots fill up, and the Army meets its re-enlistment
goals, the re-enlistment opportunity for Soldiers whose eligibility is in
fiscal year 2013 will close this means that they will not be able to re-
enlist. Plan for you and your family in advance so you can meet your
family’s future goals.
Lastly, I wanted to let you all know there has been a slight
increase in Soldiers getting injured and in some instances killed while
riding motorcycles. It saddens all of us to see a Soldier seriously in-
jured or lose their life in a motorcycle accident. Preventable acci-
dents due to Soldiers not wearing all of their gear, racing from law
enforcement, or not following proper procedures really break our
hearts. See the note from LT Gary Cheatwood later in the newsletter
on things that you can do to make sure our (your)
(Continued on page 2)
BLACK DRAGON Soldiers conduct inventory lay-
out as they sign for their equipment
BLACK DRAGON Soldiers clean and check the service-
2,10,16,23, & 30 March: American Red Cross month at the Clear Creek Exchange. Information table will be set up on the dates listed. Stop by and get information on how you can give the gift of blood.
4 March: Garden Shop Grand Opening, 0900-1900. Planting demonstration, Master Gardener Gary L. Moore, information tables, and giveaways. Join us and let us help you prepare your yard, garden, or patio for Spring.
15 March: Book Signing with author Darla Marx signing her book “I’ve Got my Big Girl Panties on Now”. Darla recounts her experiences growing up in small town Texas. She is active in rais-ing public awareness of “Ritter Rules”. A portion of every book sold goes to the Aortic & Vas-cular Disease center of the University of Texas Health Center.
24 March: Pet Show I Second Chance Pet Adoption at the Clear Creek Exchange from 1000-1600. Help us welcome the volunteers as they work to find forever homes for homeless pets. Show off your pets at our Pet Show from 0900-1100.
25 March: Magic Tree House Show will make a repeat appearance at the Clear Creek Food Court. Come
Upcoming Events For The Exchange
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BLACKDRAGONS BULLETIN
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VOLUME 1, BLACK DRAGONS BULLETIN
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BLABLACK DRAGONS BULLETIN
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BLACKDRAGONS BULLETIN
The Texas Stars would like to thank you for your service through a special Military Appreciation Weekend.
To show our gratitude, we will offer complimentary tickets to area military families.
Reserve your FREE tickets now for Friday March 9th and/or Saturday March 10th as the Texas Stars take on the San Antonio Rampage.
To reserve your tickets today, please respond to Amber Cooney ([email protected]) with
the following:
Name
Branch
Qty. of Tickets Requested
Handicap Access (if necessary)
Email Address to issue a confirmation
(If you are the point of contact for multiple reservations, please include a separate email address for each reserva-tion)
Our players will skate in special camouflage jerseys on both evenings, which will be auctioned off to benefit area charities serving our military community. We will feature flag presentations, color guard presentations, and spe-
cial activities throughout the weekend. On Saturday evening, the first 3,000 fans in the building will receive a Texas Stars Digi Camo baseball cap courtesy of United Heritage Credit Union.
Tickets will be available for pickup at the Cedar Park Center box office beginning Thursday, March 8th. Tickets not picked up in advance will be placed at will call the evening of the requested games. The Cedar Park Center box
office hours are Monday – Friday 10 am – 6 pm and on Saturday beginning at 10 am –
game time due to an Austin Toros basketball game.
Thanks to generous corporate partners and sponsors, we have a high quantity of tickets available. Please feel free to send this information out to other military families in your network. Questions or concerns may be directed to
me at the contact information below. We are very excited to recognize the service of our community’s heroes and I hope to see you all on the 9th and 10th.