Falcon Flyer, December 2012

Flyeralcon Volume 1, Issue 2 “Marne Air!” December 1, 2012

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INSIDEPilots Recognized . . . . . . . 2Chaplain’s Corner . . . . . . 3-4USAACE CG Visit . . . . . . . . . 4

Falcon Games,FITNESSFRENZY

3rd CAB Soldiers Compete in Functional Fitness ChallengeU.S. Army photo by Sgt. Scott Tant

by Capt. Chad Ashe, 3rd CAB Public AffairsHUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, Ga. — The 3rd Combat Avia-tion Brigade held the Falcon Games on the Hunter Army Airfield flight line Nov. 8 to display espirit de corps and raise resiliency as it relates to physical fitness.

Resiliency is a known factor

when preparing for deploy-ment, and physical fitness assists when dealing with stressful situations — before and during combat.

The event — which encour-aged and recognized excel-lence in physical fitness in a friendly competition — ex-

hibited constantly varied, high-intensity functional movement. The functional fitness exercises ranged from various Soldier carries, to weight ‘thrusters’, to a dead lift relay.

All exercises con-

tained a challenge, but the team events tested the ability of the task performer while encouraging team unity.

“This is about being physi-cally fit, but also designed to make you think as a team and push each other through the event,” said Col. Allan Pepin, commander of 3rd CAB.

Major Bryan Donohue is the operations officer from 3rd CAB, and was a part of the first place team from Headquarters and Headquarters Compa-ny, 3rd CAB. He agrees with commander and said that his participation was counted on by his teammates.

“The Falcon Games’ events

were just as much a mental challenge as they were a physical challenge. You have to keep the idea of quitting out of your mind in spite of the physical discomfort. My team was relying on me to perform, just like they will when we are deployed.”

After the games, Col. Pepin thanked 3rd CAB Soldiers for their efforts leading to the upcoming deployment.

“I thank you for everything you’ve done up to this point. It’s been a great few months, it’s been a great two years. I appreciate what you do and continue to do every single day,” said Col. Pepin. •

the Falcon Flyer

The Falcon Flyer is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. Army. Contents of The Falcon Flyer are not necessarily official views of, or endorsed by the U.S. Government, Department of the Army or the 3rd Infantry Division. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron. All editorial content of The Falcon Flyer is prepared, edited, provided and approved by the Task Force Falcon Public Affairs Office.

Do you have a story to share? The Falcon Flyer welcomes submissions from readers. Send to the Task Force Falcon PAO at [email protected]. The Falcon Flyer reserves the right to edit all submissions. For further information on deadlines, questions or comments, email Task Force Falcon Public Affairs.

task Force Falcon Commander - Col. Allan M. Pepin

Command Sergeant Major - Command Sgt. Maj. James SnyderChief Warrant Officer of the Brigade - Chief Warrant Officer 5

Randy Godfrey

task Force Falcon Public aFFairsTF Falcon PAO - Capt. Chad Ashe

TF Falcon PA NCOIC, Falcon Flyer Editor - Sgt. Luke Rollins

The Falcon Flyer December 1, 2012

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HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, Ga. — The Military Business Development Manager for Bell Helicopters presented unit and individual awards to pilots from 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade at Hunter Army Airfield Nov. 7 on the HAAF flight line.

Bell manufactures the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior used by 3-17 CAV for its capabilities such as long-range day and night target acquisition, multipurpose quick-change kits, and multiple armaments with low infrared

and acoustic signatures, accord-ing to Bell’s website.

The Pipe-Tomahawk unit and individual awards recognized and expressed gratitude for Kiowa Warrior pilots and their parent units who have flown the aircraft for more than 1,000 hours in combat, said Mike Simmons, military business development manager with Bell Helicopter.

“It’s a way that we can come back to our most valued custom-er and just in a very meaningful way say thank you for your

service,” said Simmons. “We’re proud to provide this product that the Army can deploy in the nation’s service.”

Simmons said the awards’ iconography was inspired by interactions between the Euro-pean settlers of colonial Amer-ica and their Native American counterparts. The pipe, a symbol of peace and leadership, was shared among the participants of an exchange. The tomahawk symbolizes the martial power of the helicopter.

The unit award transcends three different combat periods

and equates to over 112,000 com-bat flight hours. It’s an amazing feat that takes the entire unit to accomplish. From the aircraft mechanics to the Soldiers on the refueling points, the pilots couldn’t fly without the support from the squadron.

The commander of the unit, Lt. Col. Michael Demirjian said that his unit is fortunate to have an incredible aircraft to fly. “Bell provides our pilots a product and we appreciate the com-pany’s efforts to recognize all Kiowa Warrior Squadrons,” said Demirjian. •

Helicopter Pilots Recognized for Combat Flying Time by Capt. Chad Ashe, 3rd CAB Public Affairs

Lt. Col. Michael Demirjian, far right, commander of the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Combat Avia-tion Brigade, and Command Sgt. Maj. James Hall, far left, command sergeant major of the 3-17 CAV, accept the Pipe-Tomahawk Award from Mike Simmons, center-right, military business develop-ment manager from Bell Helicopter, and Lt. Col. Kirk McCauley, product director with Armed Scout Fielded Systems, during a ceremony Nov. 7 at the Hunter Army Airfield flight line. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Chad Ashe)

The Falcon Flyer December 1, 2012

Suicide prevention and resil-iency are two sides of the same coin. Resiliency is the ability of an individual to bounce back from the ups and downs of life. Building resiliency is sometimes referred to as building human capacity or strengthening life skills. Resiliency is about devel-oping skills in life that assist us with the life-long quest to dis-cover what it means to be fully human. Resiliency is the pres-ence of hope in spite of whatever we might be called upon to face in life. What are some resiliency skills that assist us? Some of those skills include fostering a sense of optimism, developing a strong inner self, overcoming the daily effects of stress, strik-ing a balance between work and play, and building on the tradi-tions and stories of our families.

The first is fostering a sense of optimism. There is something about attitude that is contagious. We tend to shy away from those who go through life with a bad attitude; they have that ten-dency to quickly wear everyone down around them and to cause us to shy away from them before we too adopt the same dreary outlook. On the other hand, we all like to be around those who are positive about life – you know, those who have the ability to see the glass as half full instead of half empty. Genuinely positive people are not exempt from problems nor do they live in denial. They choose to take an optimistic outlook on life. A resilient attitude is one of hopeful expectations for positive results. However, if the results are not quite what was expected, the resilient individual displays a

flexible attitude that can project a serendipitous capacity to look for the best even in the worst situations. The ability to look for the best is a key factor that carries resilient people through hard times.

The second is developing a strong inner self. A person with a strong inner self is not one who is an egotist, but a person who has a strong ego capacity char-acterized by healthy self-esteem,

self-confidence, and a positive self concept. In other words, to have a strong inner self means that we know who we are, and we are comfortable living in “our own skin.” We are at peace and not at odds with our inner selves regardless of what is going on around us. A strong inner self is necessary for maintaining both spiritual and emotional health. Spirituality above all other aspects of life gives us the capacity for inner peace. Prayer, in the deepest sense, persistently guides us to the source of our inner strength. When emotional health begins to fail, clinical de-pression, clinical stress, and oth-

er mental health issues can rob us of inner peace and of a strong inner self. Depression in the workplace has an estimated annual

price tag of $44 billion. This does not begin to take into account the impact on the individual or their families. Resilient individ-uals and resilient organizations constantly seek and find posi-tive, creative ways to build inner strength and healthy organiza-tional strength.

The third is overcoming the daily effects of stress. Especial-ly as economic factors become more critical, we are called upon

to do more with less at work and at home. Those who have children know the stress that can occur when the children want more than we are able to give and they cannot understand why they are told “No.” Life is naturally stressful, but as we learn the lessons of resiliency we learn how to manage stress so that stress does not manage us. As difficult as it may seem at the time, we learn how to say “No” and set boundaries. The other side of overcoming stress is to practice unwinding from stress. Some people unwind as they drive home from work. Others, need that little bit of time to

themselves when they arrive home to unwind and to switch gears before being bombarded by the family. Physical exer-cise, meditation, prayer, doing hobbies, and so forth are all ways to relieve stress. Stress out of control is costly to us as individ-uals and to our families. Stress affects the work environment. Stress related issues such as absenteeism, turnover, short and long-term disability payments, medical costs, and work place accidents cost US companies an estimated $300 billion per year. Resiliency is that capacity to deal with the daily stress of life in a manner which builds rather than diminishes our human capacity.

The fourth is striking a bal-ance between work and play. Resilient people enjoy life by making the intentional choice to participate in life to the full-est. On the days when we do not feel like working, we do it anyway, but duty is not the sum total of life for the person who has learned resiliency. To have fun is just as important as to work. We all need things to look forward to in life. We all know the old saying, “All work and no play makes for a dull boy.” The balance of responsibility and freedom, of work and play, keeps us fresh and alive. We should experience each day both a sense of accomplishment and of joy and so gain new energy for life. The renewed energy for life is a booster shot of resiliency when life is becomes a struggle.

The fifth is building on the traditions and stories of our families. Another old adage states, “A burden shared is a burden halved.” Families and those who are like family to us give us a sense of belonging and a safe place to share our problems so that the burdens indeed are halved, Since I have been at Tobyhanna, I continue to be amazed by the strength of

Chaplain’s Cornerwith Maj. Tammie Crews,

3rd CAB Chaplain

See CHAP, Pg. 4

Marne Air Social Media

www.facebook.com/3rdCABwww.twitter.com/3rdCABwww.flickr.com/3rdCAB

To read more stories and see the photos that go with them, as well as some videos, check out the links be-low. Read and share what you see and pass along the Soldiers’

stories.

The Falcon Flyer December 1, 2012

so many of our families bound together by a deep sense of her-itage and religion. My grand-parents seemed to know a great deal of what resiliency was about without ever knowing the word. They were southern sharecroppers – not an easy life to be sure – but a life rich in resiliency in all the seasons of life. My fondest memories of my grandparents were to listen to them tell the family stories. The accounts were sometimes funny stories, sometimes sad stories, sometimes stories of struggle, and sometimes stories of simple daily living. The com-mon thread that ran through all the stories was a sense of belonging, strength, acceptance, survival, and overcoming – the meat and potatoes of resilien-cy. Our families are one of our greatest resource in building resiliency. They are the first ones who teach us about coping endurance, connection and sur-vival by example and through the family stories. They are a testimony to us that problems are not permanent fixtures and that more importantly, we are connected and loved. In this way, they pass on to us an heri-tage of resiliency.

Both individuals, families, and organizations who have

learned and who continue to learn the lessons of resiliency have a far greater capacity for taking care of others. They are able to maintain motivation, control stress, and enjoy what they do. Resiliency gives us the capacity to bounce back, to maintain hope that regardless of the situation there is still a deep hope that keeps us alive. To a large extent suicide is the loss of hope and the capacity for hope; it is the loss of resiliency. It is a resignation to an ethos of hopelessness that penetrates the entire being of a person so that they cannot see that prob-lems at their longest are short. The inner self collapses and the ability to face life no longer exists. We can do our best to prevent suicide, but we cannot prevent all suicides. Building resiliency, however, goes a long way toward the prevention of conditions that might otherwise lead to suicide.

CHAP, cont’d from pg. 4

HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, Ga. -- Major General Kevin Mang-um, commanding general of United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence, visited leaders from the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, Nov. 28, at Hunter Army Airfield, deliver-ing words of encouragement as the unit readies to deploy.

The 3rd CAB is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan before the end of the year, marking the sixth time the Falcon brigade has deployed since 2001.

The commanding general gave awards to four 3rd CAB Soldiers. Major General Mangum then spoke on the three verses of leadership as they related to illustrations he applied to his own career. He also mentioned the importance of being a team player. The purpose of aviation operations is supporting the ground commander in combat, Maj. Gen. Mangum said.

This breeds an “other-ori-

ented” leadership philosophy, Maj. Gen. Mangum said, which keeps the focus on Soldiers. A self-proclaimed Boston Red Sox fan, Maj. Gen. Mangum said he was unashamed to admit the inspiration for this “humble ser-vant” leadership style was none other than New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

Colonel Allan Pepin, com-mander of 3rd CAB, who served with the commanding general before on previous assignments, thanked him for visiting his Soldiers and imparting his lead-ership experience.

Major General Mangum, in turn, thanked the deploying 3rd CAB Soldiers, underlining the role of selfless service in effective leadership and as a governing life principle.

“The most precious gift that we can give somebody else is the gift of selfless service. You’re doing that,” Maj. Gen. Mangum said.

USAACE CG Visits 3rd CABby Capt. Chad Ashe, 3rd CAB Public Affairs

U.S. Army photo by Capt. Chad Ashe