September Howler

From the Commander

PROMOTIONS

1LT Oberlechner

CW2 Allen

SGT Jusi

SSGT Mann

6 September 2013 Issue 7

Wolfpack Howler

Inside this

issue:

1ST PLATOON

2ND PLATOON

3RD PLATOON

4TH PLATOON

MAINTENANCE

OPERATIONS

SGT Falankio-Bledsoe—5 Sept SPG Cheeseboro—12 Sept

SPC Rew—14 Sept PFC Bass—16 Sept PFC Kearns—27 Sept

SPC Marshall—22 Sep

BIRTHDAYS

CW2 Allen and Karie

ANNIVERSARIES

This will be my final contribution from Guam! I cannot begin

to describe how excited I am to return to Hawaii and gather the ‗Pack

back together. What our soldiers have accomplished over the last nine

months can only be described as ultimate victory. We have succeeded

in every mission we‘ve taken on. This is what makes 643rd an elite or-

ganization. The professionalism and discipline of Wolfpack troopers is

evident in everything we do. Whether it is operating on a remote is-

land 7,000 miles from home or working 12 hour days on a concrete

roof in Guam, 643rd soldiers stand up straight, walk proudly and hold

their heads high. In August, we enjoyed several ribbon cutting ceremonies

which marked the end of construction operations in Palau, Kosrae and Majuro. In Palau, COL Holland and

CSM Etter made the long trip from Schofield to be at the turnover ceremony between 643rd and the incoming

CAT. It was a packed house on Camp Katuu; the team welcomed the friends they‘d made on the island, the

project beneficiaries as well as our Navy chain of command to the festivities. In Kosrae, the very next day, LT

Leedham handed over the keys to the three major projects CCAD FSM completed. The US Ambassador to

Micronesia as well as the Governor of Kosrae were there and spoke kind words about our soldiers‘ impact.

The formal ceremony was followed by food and fellowship as the team wrote the final chapter of the story in

Kosrae. Finally, in Majuro, 3rd Platoon put the finishing touches on the massive pre-engineered building cover-

ing a basketball court and claimed: Mission Complete! Commodore Moore flew out to commemorate the

occasion and the Wolfpack soldiers challenged the locals to a basketball game—in the comfort of the shade,

courtesy of the building they assembled. Here on Guam, the team tackled the most intense month of construction to date. 2nd Platoon fin-

ished its two-story MOUT building, but got little rest. Two days later it was all hands on deck for the largest

pour ever conducted by 643rd: a 100 cubic yard concrete pour on the infamous Pure Water Storage Facility.

After months of difficult work on the project, 2nd Platoon executed this complicated pour flawlessly and the

building looks great. In addition, 1st Platoon performed the battalion‘s final construction activity for the Guam

deployment. The final two-story MOUT building was poured on 21 August, marking the end of 84th Engineer

Battalion operations in Guam. All that is left is packing up and going home! I couldn‘t be prouder of the Wolfpack family. There is an energy about this formation that makes

me believe our soldiers are special and elite. This month we talked about the Spartans and how they forged

an identity of being a ―well-drilled military machine composed of soldiers who were obedient to the word of

command, capable of enduring hardships and achieving great victories in battle." I‘m certain that when non-

Spartans entered the front gates to this elite, disciplined society, they immediately knew that they were out of

their league. They had to know that Spartan men and women were capable of great achievement by how they

carried themselves and how they performed. This had to be intimidating. That aura exists in 643rd. Our

troopers carry themselves with pride and honor. We take on tough missions and, ultimately, achieve great

victories. Well done, Wolfpack.

SGT Barnett built the 84th's perma-

nent presence on Camp Covington.

Page 2 Wolfpack Howler

1ST PLATOON Roughnecks

The Roughnecks just recently redeployed back

to Schofield Barracks on August 24th, 2013 from a very

successful 71 day mission at Anderson Air Force Base,

Guam. Since then the Roughnecks have been busy com-

pleting reverse SRP and various administrative tasks, in

preparation for the New Wolfpack Order on Septem-

ber 16, 2013. The New Wolfpack Order will reconsoli-

date the company into three line platoons, with a head-

quarters and maintenance platoon.

The Roughnecks completed the block work (13

courses, core-filled) in 10 days on August 12, 2013. The

block layers completed over 1300 CMU block, consist-

ing of 4 door openings, 7 windows, and approximately

190 linear feet of interior walls. Upon completion of the

block SGT Hurst had crews begin prepping sections for the bond beam rebar to be emplaced on the 13th course

of CMU block; the rebar crew led by SPC Brink bent

over 192 stirrups. After completing the bond beam re-

bar, crews began the formwork for the pitched roof and

the two foot walking platform around the outer section

of the roof. Upon completion of the formwork for the

roof and outer walking platform, crew‘s emplaced 172

pieces of #5 rebar at 8‖ O.C. The Roughnecks recently

on August 23, 2013 poured the roof at Anderson Air

Force Base MOUT Site, completing building 1. The pour

consisted of 29 cubic yards of concrete with the support

of Red horse (Air Force). The Roughnecks boarded the

plane the next day before heading home to Guam.

Roughnecks posing after final roof pour.

Soldier using the Razorback A-Frame with

support of the Air Force to screed the

concrete.

Page 3 Issue 7

2ND PLATOON

Closing Up Shop

As everyone is still overjoyed with 2nd Platoon

Soldiers back from the long deployment to Guam,

let‘s recap the special events that occurred in this

last month of August.

3rd Squad worked hard and extensively at MOUT

Site as they prepared for their last roof pour.

Working throughout the night with a small crew,

SSG Martir’s squad poured over 25 CY of con-

crete on Friday, August 16. ―This is such won-

derful training, my Soldiers will be able to say

they poured four overhead concrete pours during

a single deployment. I‘m so honored to have this

rare opportunity,‖ said SSG Martir.

The GM 11-808 crew worked literally from sun

up to sun down, starting their days at 0500 and

not coming home until 1900 most days. In record

time, the Soldiers were able to erect the last half

of the roof formwork in less than three weeks to

include installing the rebar. Their efforts for the

last eight months finally paid off on Saturday, August 17 when the platoon successfully poured 100 CY of concrete in about four hours!

―I knew we could do it all along, finally all the Soldiers‘ hard work paid off, I couldn‘t be happier with the results!‖ remarked SSG

Charles E. Worley.

The legacy of 2nd Platoon will live on forever on the island

of Guam with multiple concrete pours, to include the big-

gest one at GM 11-808 throughout the entire deployment.

All projects were ahead of schedule and completed to the

highest quality standards.

September will focus on reintegration back into the

Schofield Barracks community and relaxing until the New

Wolfpack Order is released. The Soldiers are excited to

return home to their families and start block leave.

September will focus on reintegration back into the

Schofield Barracks community and relaxing until the new

Wolfpack order is released. The Soldiers are excited to

return home to their families and start block leave.

Significant Events:

Happy Birthday to SSG Worley-August 21

Happy Reenlistment to SSG Martir-August 21

Happy Birthday to PV2 Higuera-August 31

Page 4 Wolfpack Howler

3RD PLATOON

With the close of the Guam mission and Construction Civic Action Detail, the We Ready Platoon has truly made

some outstanding accomplishments. Working often longer than 12 hours a day and 6 days a week through intense heat

the Platoon completed a 100 foot long, 70 foot wide, and 35 foot tall pre-engineered building. Leading the way, SSG

Kennedy emplaced all 15 primary structural members, both operating and guiding a 15 ton crane. SGT Albarico led a

crew of Soldiers and apprentices as they installed over 150 purlins across the roof beams and columns to serve as secon-

dary structural members. SPC Marshall and PFC Fernandez greatly impressed everybody on the site by being critical

members of the team that installed over 140 feet of roofing panels in less than three days, ensuring the on time comple-

tion of the project. Working the intricate electrical system were SPC Ferreria and PFC Hardy, running over 300 feet

of wire and installing 8 lights and 4 receptacles. Congratulations are especially due to SSG Nation, the crew leader for

the project who mentored and managed every crew, helped coordinate material requirements, and tracked and logged the

work of every Soldier and apprentice on the site. Truly each and every We Ready Soldier demonstrated an outstanding

amount of toughness and technical expertise in August, ensuring that the building was both high quality and completed on

time. The open air building is the biggest steel structure ever to be completed by the 643rd EN CO and is the largest scale

project outside of Guam to be conducted on the deployment.

However, construction was only part of the extremely successful completion of 3rd PLTs mission in the Marshall

Islands. 3rd PLT was also tasked with building grass roots relationship with Marshallese citizens. Continuing to work with

16 apprentices from the College of the Marshall Islands‘ (CMI) Carpentry Program, Soldiers and apprentices became fast

friends through the tough work. Soldiers and apprentices would frequently spend much of their time together even on off

hours, and it took no less than 3 goodbye ceremonies before many of the apprentices were satisfied that the Platoon truly

appreciated how much they would be missed. As a reminder that fallen Soldiers may be gone, but they are never forgot-

ten, The We Ready Platoon hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony where the project was dedicated to the late SSG Solomon

Sam. A 523rd EN CO Soldier who passed away in Iraq in 2008, SSG Sam is the last Soldier in the Battalion to die in com-

bat. SSG Sam was originally from Majuro and many of his friends and family visited the project often to check on construc-

tion and talk with Soldiers. SSG Sam‘s parents, wife, and children were present at the ribbon cutting ceremony to bless

the building and stayed afterwards to meet with the Soldiers.

September sees the We Ready Platoon finally get some well-deserved down time. After completing redeploy-

ment inprocessing, the 3rd PLT will inventory all equipment and tools to ensure accountability, catch back up on all manda-

tory training requirements, and prep for the reorganization of the Company at the end of the month. Additionally, the

Platoon will celebrate the birthdays of SPC Cheeseboro (12 SEP), SPC Lopez (18 SEP), and SPC Marshall (22 SEP).

Thanks so much to all the family and friends who have offered their support through the tough times of the past few

months. Your Soldiers‘ hard work and great accomplishments are a testament to your continuing care. Kommol Tata!

(Left) SSG Kennedy guides

the first roof beam into

place

(Right) Project site at com-

pletion on 19 August.

Page 5 Issue 7

4th PLATOON Mighty Rhinos

Over a year ago the Mighty Rhinos were assembled for the purpose of conducting CCAD FSM, Kosrae phase. Our

original platoon of 46 Soldiers began training September, 2012 with construction field exercises at Schofield Barracks where we

were thrown head first into a new system of construction management recently adopted by our Armed Forces. By April of this

year, the 20 Soldiers that conducted CCAD FSM were selected to get the job done in Kosrae. In Kosrae, our mission read as

follows: 84th EN BN (CE) executes Humanitarian Assistance projects and provides informal skills training in the Federated States

of Micronesia (FSM) state of Kosrae from 25 April to 25 August, 2013 IOT build sustainable relationships while increasing infra-

structure capabilities, improve education infrastructure and provide a positive national presence. As of August 23, we can confi-

dently say MISSION COMPLETE. Over the past four months, the team has completed 6 major construction projects including

the Gymnasium Awning Renovation, Malem Elementary School Drainage Improvement, Tafunsak Elementary School Classroom

Renovation, Special Education Fencing Construction, Malem Courtyard Improvement, and the Roadside Flowerbed Project. We were able to place five different NCO‘s into crewleader positions including SSG Lanning, SGT Snead, SGT Fickel, SGT

Landry and SGT Simangan. Our Soldiers worked side by side with our host nation workers as we improved both our leader-

ship capabilities as well as our construction and Soldier skills through-

out the deployment. As impressive as the construction efforts proved to be, what

was just as successful was our extensive community relations program

that was built with the community from the ground up. In August, we

completed our final COMREL activity with the 5K ―Walk to a Healthier

Start‖ headed by Chief Hackley. PFC Welch finished off his final

medical training class, SGT Snead and his crew completed their final

weeks of ASVAB tutoring and our skills workers were taught their final

lessons. 30 years from now, the gymnasium awning will have been re-

placed, the pipes under Malem will have been forgotten and Tafunsak

will have a new school replacing the one we renovated. But what we

left behind will last long after this. We and the people of Kosrae will

remember the basketball and

softball games, our Insanity

Program and our field days.

We hope a few of our ASVAB

students will have had a long

and impressive career in the

Army. We hope the con-

struction skills our skills transfer workers have learned will have served them well and

they‘ve gone on to lead construction projects of their own. August 17th marked the grand finale for CCAD FSM when the team conducted

its ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the end of mission. The Kosraean Governor,

Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, Chief Justice and various Directors and Senators

were in attendance along with the US Ambassador to show their appreciation to the

CCAD team. After the ceremony, the team enjoyed food and the company of those in

attendance as they recalled the past four months of building relationships and improving

infrastructure.

After the mission comes reverse SRP, reintegration and time with loved ones.

Every member of the Mighty Rhinos is deserving of some rest and relaxation. Come

mid-September, the Mighty Rhinos will be broken up and split apart into 1st, 2nd and 3rd

Platoons. Our tenure was short but success undeniable. Be sure to check out our

photos on the Company FB page to see the completed projects!

Soldiers complete the final concrete pour at Malem Elemen-

tary School.

LT Leedham and SFC Stewart celebrate the

completion of the final concrete pour at

Malem.

Page 6 Wolfpack Howler

Operations

Aloha to the friends and family of the Wolfpack Headquarters Sec-

tion, the heart and soul of the U.S. Army's best engineer company! August has

definitely been a fast-paced month for this busy group of Soldiers. It has been a

month of reunions - this month the Wolfpack soldiers that have been deployed

to Palau, Guam, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia all returned to Schofield

Barracks. This busy time has been more than just reuniting with battle buddies

for the headquarters section. In addition to the normal fast-paced work, Head-

quarters soldiers have been working around the clock to make sure that every-

one coming back to Schofield is reintegrated smoothly. Their hard work is

making a huge difference so far - and it will only become more evident when

the company seamlessly executes its plan to receive Soldiers back from their

deployments and then reor-

ganize the whole company.

The hard work invested in

terms of logistics and adminis-

trative tasks will make the

change flawless! In addition to difficult day-to-

day tasks, Headquarters was

able to take the time out to go

to the field and set up its Tacti-

cal Operations Center - the

tent that serves as the com-

pany's base of operations in

the field. The Soldiers con-

ducted a convoy out to the

site, validating the company's

radio communications systems. SPC Chris Irby did a great job working as Wolf-

pack Main. PFC David Kearns was able to show off his recent skills learned in

the RTO certification course. SGT Jaesun Won was also able to lead the effort

to set up a special

antenna on the com-

pany building that

allowed radio com-

munication to reach

between the com-

pany and the far

reaches of East Range. Great job to the whole team! Also, congratulations are due for SPC Wolfe Brower. He was

recently honored in an awards ceremony at the Joint Venture Educa-

tion Forum, a summit between top military leaders in the Pacific and

the Hawaii State Board of Education. The leaders met to discuss its

programs that partner the military and Hawaii schools. SPC Brower

was recognized for his volunteer work at Mililani Uka Elementary

School. Job well done!

We have seen an amazing amount of hard work and dedication

throughout the Wolfpack Headquarters section this past month –

can‘t wait to see all of the amazing things we will accomplish this

month! Great job all!

The experts and professionals of HQ conducted

TOC build and radio communications training at

East Range.

SPC Brower poses with grateful staff members

of Mililani Uka Elementary

SPC Gaeta gives us his best ―Blue Steel‖ at a company

barbecue

Page 7 Issue 7

Maintenance

643rd Maintenance Platoon, the Backbone of the Company, worked diligently throughout the month of August.

At the beginning of the month, we welcomed a new member of the team into our ranks, 2LT Yunmi Sefers, who will

be taking over as the 643rd Maintenance Platoon Leader as 2LT Tyler Skomp gets ready to leave. The next big tasks

that the Backbone had to take care of were the change of responsibility and cyclic inventories. Even though these tasks

are tedious, time consuming, and usually dreaded, the Backbone showed some amazing resolve in knocking them out

with amazing efficiency. The next big task that the Backbone knocked out was then turn-in of nearly 30 lines of class IX

excess worth nearly $5,000. This was able to be accomplished because of the diligent work put forth by our two supply

clerks, SPC Adams and SPC Moge, in organizing the paperwork needed to conduct the turn in. Next, with invento-

ries out of the way, the Backbone worked to finish up the T.I.‘s due at the end of August. With some good coordination

with FSC, support from 1st platoon, and some elbow grease from SGT Thao, SPC Ramey, and SPC Warthon, all of

643rd‘s rolling stock and generators were inspected to the highest standard. Finally, while this occurred, 2LT Sefers and

SGT Won started working on scrubbing all of the driving packets within the company, and began organizing a method

to properly license and train all 643rd Soldiers. The coming month of September is going to be a month of reorganization for the Backbone. We will be work-

ing on installing all of the parts coming in from the

T.I.‘s. Furthermore, the clerks will be working on

the last half of the excess class IX items that still

need to be organized, tagged, and turned in. Fur-

thermore, the Backbone will assist the company

master drivers in revamping the company drivers

training program in order to meet First Quarter

training guidance in getting everyone properly

licensed. Next, the Backbone will be working with

the First Sergeant in creating a new organization

for the company vehicle line. Finally, we will get

ready to reorganize the platoon under the guid-

ance of a new motor sergeant. We look forward

to working with him, learning from him, and build-

ing a stronger team with him.

Finally, the Backbone welcomed home 4 Soldiers

and NCOs this month from their deployments

throughout the Pacific: SSG Pino, SGT

Rutledge, SPC Cheeseboro, and SPC Moya.

It is definitely good to have you guys back in the

fight. We all look forward to building a bigger and stronger team than before with you guys at our side. Furthermore,

the Backbone would like to bid farewell to Cadet Brian Ellis. CDT Ellis was attached to 643rd Maintenance for the

entire month of August and used that time to learn what it takes to be a leader in today‘s military. He will be heading

back to Texas A&M on the 1st of September, and the Backbone wished him a safe journey and a good school year.

SGT Thao welcomes SGT Rutledge back to Schofield Barracks

Page 8 Wolfpack Howler

Schofield Barracks

Page 9 Wolfpack Howler

Micronesia

Guam

Visit us on FaceBook!

643rd EN CO—Wolfpack!

FRG

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS

Army Community Services: (808) 655-4227

Army Substance Abuse Programs: (808) 655-8700

Battalion Chaplain: (808) 655-1297

Military Family Life Consultant: (808) 226-7307

Military One Source: 1-800-342-9647

Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

Tripler Trolley: (808) 433-1200

Tripler Trolley: (808) 433-1200

FRG Committee Contacts:

FRG Leader: Darcy Mainwaring (205)310-3515, [email protected] or [email protected] Secretary: Gabrielle Johnson

Treasurers: Kristina Spohn and Beatrice Marshall Activities Coordinator: Vacant Fundraising Chair people: Vacant

Hospitality Chairperson: Kristina Spohn Points of Contact/Key Callers:

Traci Kendall (253)720-2033, [email protected] or [email protected] Kristina Spohn (810)5 516 1550 [email protected]

Soldier Liaison POC: SPC Fernando Gaeta

Headlines:

FRG Meeting: There will be no meeting in September—but get ready for the Wolf-

pack Bowling Social in October! Details will be published on Facebook.

The Schofield Barracks dream team poses in front of the Wolfpack‘s dump trucks