Obama thanks soldiers at Ft. Drum for Afghanistan efforts

 Cynthia Rose 3rd person to the President of the United State's left

Obama thanks soldiers at Ft. Drum for Afghanistan efforts

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-afghanistan-fort-drum-20110623,0,3736812.story

 Matthew Jon shaking hands with the President of the United States, Cynthia Rose smiling to the Presidents right.

President Obama greets troops from the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division in a dining hall at Fort Drum June 23, 2011 in Fort Drum, New York. (Mario Tama, Getty Images)




 
 
 
  President Obama speaks to soldiers from the U.S. 10th Mountain Division during his visit to Fort Drum in New York, June 23. (Jason Reed, Reuters)

By Michael Muskal
June 23, 2011, 1:35 p.m.
President Obama on Thursday thanked soldiers in upstate New York for their work in combat and said their efforts had helped the United States to turn the corner in Afghanistan and allow some troops to be brought home.
“You guys have sacrificed mightily,” Obama said in Ft. Drum, the home of the Army's 10th Mountain Division, which has often been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and will probably see more fighting in the coming years.
For all the sacrifices that you’ve made, I want to say thank you. For all the sacrifices that your families have made, I want to say thank you,” Obama said. “To all of you who are potentially going to be redeployed, just know that your commander in chief has your back.”

Obama traveled to Ft. Drum as other members of his administration began the difficult process of selling the president’s policy to a skeptical Congress and American electorate. Obama outlined his policy in a speech from the White House on Wednesday night.
Obama said he would order 5,000 troops home next month and 5,000 more to leave Afghanistan by the end of the year. About 23,000 troops would come home in 2012, leaving about 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan to continue fighting the Taliban and help the Afghan government build its security forces.
Top officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, praised the president’s plan, which has drawn mixed reviews from both sides of the congressional aisle.
“We have broken the Taliban’s momentum,” Clinton testified Thursday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We do begin this drawdown from a position of strength.”

But military officials were less enthusiastic, though they insisted that they supported Obama’s plan.

Speaking at a Senate hearing, Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said he had recommended a slower withdrawal, but agreed with the president’s timetable.

“The ultimate decision was a more aggressive formulation, if you will, in terms of the timeline than what we had recommended,” Petraeus said at his confirmation hearing to become the head of the CIA.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Michael G. Mullen, sounded a similar note in an appearance before the House Armed Services Committee.
“The president's decisions are more aggressive and incur more risk than I was originally prepared to accept,” Mullen said, adding that keeping more troops in Afghanistan longer would have been safer. He also insisted that he supported the president’s action.

During his appearance at Ft. Drum, Obama repeatedly praised the soldiers and their work, which he said allowed him to bring some troops home.

“You guys have always been there in the toughest fights. And the fact that you are continuing, even as we speak, that many of your comrades are there right now under some very tough circumstances, is a testimony to your dedication and your patriotism.

“Because of what you’ve done, areas like Kandahar are more secure than they have been in years,” the president said. “Because of you, we’re now taking the fight to the Taliban instead of the Taliban bringing the fight to us.

“And because of you, there are signs that the Taliban may be interested in figuring out a political settlement, which ultimately is going to be critical for consolidating that country,” Obama said.
But Obama warned that the job was not yet over and that troops can expect to return to the fighting. Under Obama’s plan, there would still be about 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan until 2014. When he took office in 2009, there were 32,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

“So the main message I have for all of you here today is that the American people understand the sacrifices you’re making; they understand the sacrifices that your families are making. Our job is not finished,” Obama said. “You guys are the tip of the spear. You guys are the ones that keep us safe each and every day.”

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-mistake-medal-of-honor-20110624,0,4244870.story

Psalm 103:11-13 (The Message)

"As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him."

"There is a sense in which gratitude and faith are interwoven joys that strengthen each other. As gratitude joyfully revels in the benefits of past grace, so faith joyfully relies on the benefits of future grace. Therefore when gratitude for God’s past grace is strong, the message is sent that God is supremely trustworthy in the future because of what he has done in the past. In this way faith is strengthened by a lively gratitude for God’s past trustworthiness. "(John Piper)

Well Done - love dad

1 BCT Transfers Authority to 170 IBCT

 
 

Photo by Sgt. Blair Neelands

Col. Bill Burleson and Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Defreese, the command team of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, case the Brigade’s colors during a Transfer of Authority ceremony to mark the end of their 12-month deployment at Camp Mike Spann in northern Afghanistan March 7. First BCT handed over responsibility for their area of operation in northern Afghanistan to the soldiers of 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

 

Story by Sgt. Blair Neelands
CAMP MIKE SPANN, Afghanistan – First Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division handed over responsibility for their area of operation in northern Afghanistan to 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during a transfer of authority ceremony March 7 at Camp Mike Spann in Mazar-e-Sharif.

The ceremony included Col. Bill Burleson and Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Defreese casing the 1st BCT colors to mark the end of a 12-month deployment, while Col. Patrick Matlock and Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Grinston uncased the 170th colors to symbolize the unit’s readiness to conduct training and joint-operations with the Afghan National Security Forces in the Faryab, Balkh, Kunduz and Baghlan provinces

“For the past 12 months, our goal has been to support Afghan security forces so that they can provide security for their country,” Burleson said during his speech. “I am proud of what Afghan and International Security Assistance Forces have accomplished over the last year.”

First BCT trained thousands of Afghan Uniform Police and Afghan National Border Police through multiple programs over the year-long deployment. The soldiers of the brigade also worked side-by-side with the ANSF to clear many areas throughout the North of insurgents.

“Many places are now safe and secure for the people of Afghanistan to live, work and flourish,” Burleson said. “In a series of operations, the security forces of combined team north have taken an unrelenting fight to the enemy and have denied insurgents areas of safety.”

The Warrior Brigade arrived in northern Afghanistan in March of 2010 with the mission of training and partnering with the ANSF, but over the year friendships were built.

“Equally important as security gains that have been achieved are the friendships developed over the past year,” Burleson said. “These relationships, and the resulting trust, will shape the lives of all our soldiers and Police.”

Burleson concluded his speech by thanking the local leadership from the ANSF and the Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

“In the next few days, the soldiers of 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division will return to the United States,” he said. “The 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team comes in highly trained and well led, they replace us without interrupting the steady progress underway. They will carry on this mission and perform exceptionally.”

Upon completion of 1st Brigade’s mission in northern Afghanistan, Burleson and the remainder of the brigade will redeploy to Fort Drum with celebration and families awaiting their arrival.

German Bundeswehr Recognizes U.S. Forces in Northern Afghanistan







U.S. Army Brig. Gen Sean P. Mulholland, deputy commander, RC-North, U.S. Army Col. Daniel Williams, commander, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade and U.S. Army Col. Willard Burleson, commander, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. The commanders accepted the award on behalf of their units and all U.S. soldiers throughout the region

 ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2011-02-D-209
For Immediate Release

KABUL, Afghanistan (Feb. 28, 2011) — Commanders of U.S. forces in International Security Assistance Force Regional Command North were presented with Germany’s second highest military decoration for merit in Mazar-e Sharif district, Balkh province, Feb. 26.

The Silver Honour Cross of the Budeswehr for outstanding meritorious service was presented to U.S. Army Brig. Gen Sean P. Mulholland, deputy commander, RC-North, U.S. Army Col. Daniel Williams, commander, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade and U.S. Army Col. Willard Burleson, commander, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. The commanders accepted the award on behalf of their units and all U.S. soldiers throughout the region.

“We are honored to accept these prestigious awards on behalf of our soldiers in RC-North,” said Mulholland. “Teamwork is a great word but means nothing if there are no tangible actions demonstrated towards that goal. All ISAF participating nations in RC-North as well as our Afghan partners have made great strides towards synchronized plans and operations. RC-North soldiers and Afghan National Security Forces have executed operations with great success. We thank the German government and the German military for this consideration. We are all humbled by this great honor and are committed to continue to ‘press the fight’ as one team.”

Germany and the U.S. are two of 16 nations contributing to the 11,000 soldiers in RC-North and partnered with Afghan National Security Forces to provide not only a safer nation but also to develop governance and socio-economic programs.

Germany and the U.S. have enjoyed a long partnership of cooperation which was highlighted by German Army Maj. Gen. Hans-Werner Fritz, former RC-North commander, during a U.S. Department of Defense news briefing Jan. 4.

“They came down, they recovered the wounded, and then they started again,” describing the actions of two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from the U.S. Army’s 4th Combat Aviation Brigade after an insurgent attacked a German position. “And obviously, being in the air again, they became aware that there was a dead soldier on the ground. And they came back under fire, they recovered the soldier and they said: we are taking home a fallen hero. This is the quality of the cooperation we are talking about.”

The award, signed by German Minister of Defense Karl-Theodor zu Guttenburg, was presented by German Army Lt. Gen. Rainer Glatz, commander, German Operations Command during a ceremony on Camp Marmal.

Love and War...

Love and War: Two couples thoughts on dual-military marriage
1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs
Story by Capt. Cynthia Holuta

Photo by Capt. Cynthia Holuta

Dual military couples, Capts. Blair and Joe Didomenico and Capts. Dave and Maria Gregory have an opportunity to spend time together at Camp Mike Spann located in northern Afghanistan. Both couples are deployed with 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan - Marriage is hard. Ask any couple no matter how long they’ve been married and they’ll tell you it takes work. Throw in long periods of separation and a war on top of that and it becomes that much more difficult.

Such is the case for two dual military couples in the 10th Brigade Support Battalion of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division who are currently deployed across Afghanistan.

Of the 130 dual military couples in 1st BCT, 24 of the couples are in the BSB, and of that three of them are officers holding a command or leadership position.

The first couple, Capts. Dave and Maria Gregory are both company commanders in forward support companies in the 10th Brigade Support Battalion.

Dave is commander of Company F, 10th BSB in support of the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment and Maria of Company G in support of 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery. Though they are in the same battalion each is located at a different Forward Operating Base.

Dave, currently located at FOB Kunduz in north east Afghanistan met his wife Maria, currently located at FOB Griffin in north west Afghanistan, during a land navigation course at Transportation Officer’s Basic Course in Fort Eustis, Va., back in 2004. They began dating in 2005 when they were both stationed at Fort Drum, New York where they were quickly separated due to opposite deployment schedules. During their courtship, the two Soldiers took their Rest and Re-cooperation leaves together whenever possible and spoke on the phone or e-mailed each other as often as possible.

“I think the biggest challenge for me is being apart from Dave,” said Maria. “Dave and I were never in sync with each other’s timeline so whatever time we got to see each other we made the best of it.”

When Maria was home on rest and recuperation leave from her deployment with 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, in July 2009 she and Dave decided it was time to get married and had a small ceremony with family in Las Vegas.

When Maria redeployed to Fort Drum, she requested to be transferred to 1st Brigade knowing that they were getting ready to deploy again in January so that she and Dave would be on the same deployment cycle.

The couple agrees that knowing the ins and outs of each other’s job is a good advantage, especially with the plethora of acronyms the Army uses.

“Communication about a hard day at work would be even more frustrating if you had to explain the situation and all the acronyms to a nonmilitary spouse,” said Dave. “It is nice to have a spouse that speaks the language too.”

The Gregory’s also agreed that finding time to spend together is probably the most difficult part of being dual military.

They celebrated their first anniversary July 4 at Camp Mike Spann, located in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan when they both had business to conduct. They were able to enjoy the day together and look forward to quality time when they redeploy.

The second couple, Capt. Blair Didomenico is a company executive officer in the 10th BSB and is married to Capt. Joe Didomenico who is an operational planner on the 1st Brigade staff.

The Didomenico’s met in the Virginia Military Institute Pipe Band where they were both attending in Lexington, Va. Though they met in 2004 during Blair’s freshman year and became friends, they did not start dating until after Joe graduated in May of that year. They married three years later on May 26, 2007.

You could say the couple started their lives together being separated due to the schools followed by subsequent deployments. But despite the separation, the couple enjoys that they know firsthand what the other one does for a job.

Having someone to share the whole military experience with is one of the biggest advantages said Blair who is currently stationed in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

“We both pretty much understand what the other is going through and we can help one another through the many ups and downs,” she said.

Joe said he thinks it funny that he can speak “Army” with his wife when they are at home.

“Sometimes we talk in acronyms while we are cooking dinner,” he said. “And more often than not when we choose to do things on our weekends, there is a clearly defined intent, and a task and purpose that allows us to achieve our end state.”

But as with anything, the advantages don’t come without challenges. Finding time to spend together and worrying about each other’s safety are two of the Didomenico’s greatest struggles.

With Blair away and running convoys in southern Afghanistan, Joe worries about her safety while he remains in northern Afghanistan at Camp Mike Spann.

Earlier in their deployment a Hungarian Provincial Reconstruction Team soldier’s wife was killed the day after he left to go home, when her convoy hit and improvised explosive device on its way to the airport. This “hit close to home” for Joe.

“It gives you an uneasy feeling knowing that this deployment is not over for you or your wife until you both have your feet back home,” he said.

Of the three deployments the couple has endured to both Iraq and Afghanistan, this is the first that they resided in the same place, even if it was for a short time. Joe and Blair spent the first three months of their deployment at Camp Mike Spann located near Mazar-e-Sharif when Blair was serving as platoon leader for Company A, 10th BSB’s Convoy Security Element.

“There is just very little time to spend together in a deployed environment,” said Blair. “You almost struggle to get time together, and when you don’t live together that is another challenge. Eating meals and walking around the FOB together is great and all, but it’s just not the way a married couple should have to spend their time together. It often made us wonder if it would be easier doing this apart from one another.”

Overall, the couples agree that while being dual military has its added challenges; it is not much different than any other marriage. All marriages have their high points and low points and its how you communicate and work through them that are key.

Blair, who had the unique experience of being the spouse at home during Joe’s first deployment and being deployed at the same time as her husband and with her husband said that keeping busy and reminding yourself that it is all temporary, is the best way to deal with the challenges.

She said the keys to staying together are, “not forgetting what life is like when you’re together, and communicating as much as you can, and just understanding the circumstances that you’re both under.”

Both couples take advantage of any chance they might get to spend together while they are deployed and look forward to their return home to Fort Drum in mid-March.

http://www.dvidshub.net/news/61981/love-and-war-two-couples-thoughts-dual-military-marriage

Welcome home Rose of our heart!

Welcome home 2/25/11 6am

Greatest Generation Holuta, Band of Brothers and the next Greatest generation...

George, Peter,Michael Holuta WWII

Left to right on picture:

George Holuta – Pvt.Medical Corp. 3ID, Killed in Anzio Italy from the bombing of the hospital while he was helping the wounded.

3RD Infantry Division was ordered to hit the beaches at Anzio, 22 January 1944, where for four months it maintained its toe-hold against furious German counterattacks. On 29 February 1944, the 3rd fought off an attack by three German Divisions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzio

Peter Holuta- Cpl. 28TH ID, Germany and France
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28th_Infantry_Division_%28United_States%29#World_War_II

Michael Holuta –Gunner & 3rd Class Barber WWII.
USS Kearny-  Sunk a submarine in the Mediterranean
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Kearny
Due to their daily fire-support trips to the Anzio beachhead area, the warships became known as the "Anzio Express."
(Great Aunt Julia Galla- pcitures)

 "Let this be recorded for a generation to come,

   so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD": Psalm 102 : 18

Matt and Cynthia thanks so much for serving.

Welcome Home Matt- 2/18/11 0900




Bronze Star

The award that eventually became the Bronze Star Medal
was conceived by Colonel Russell P. “Red” Reeder in 1943,
who believed it would aid morale if there was a medal which
could be awarded by captains of companies or batteries to
 deserving people serving under them.
“Heroic or meritorious achievement or service”