PUBLISHED BY SPC KERRY LYNCH

THE RAPTOR REPORT

VOLUME 1
MARCH 2011

1-168TH GSAB
Raptor 6 Report
R aptor Friends, Families, and Soldiers-
On all fronts, it appears that the battalion is off to a great start in
preparing to execute our downrange mission and to support our
families back home. The Raptor Family Program network is alive and well
and ready to meet the needs of our great families. Over the next few weeks
we will transition from Ft. Hood to Kuwait. During this transition, com-
munication between Soldiers and their families may be challenging. How-
ever, I will ensure full access to phone and e-mail connections for all of our
Soldiers after we establish our operations downrange. During this period,
please feel free to route any urgent communication through our Rear De-
tachment and we will ensure that all messages are received.

I am incredibly proud of each and every one of our Soldiers and the excep-
tional level of competency and performance they have demonstrated in
post-mobilization training. This Battalion has set many new standards for
training readiness and mission validation. This success is directly attrib-
uted to the sacrifices that our soldiers and families made during the train-
up back home.

We will continue providing this newsletter each month to help keep you
connected and share with you the accomplishments and lessons learned
that we experience as we move forward.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
If there is anything the Deployed or Rear Detachment Command Teams
can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask. You all remain in our Raptor 6 Reports 1
thoughts and prayers daily.
A Message From CSM 2
May God Bless the Raptors as we move downrange and assume the mis-
sion. The Home Front 3

RAPTOR 6 Upcoming Events 3

A Word From The Chaplain 4

Co. Commander/1SG 5-7

Raptor 6’s Wall of Honor 8

Honorary Raptors 9

Promotions 10

Past Events 11

1-168th pilots landing at Shorthorn Airfield, TX Who You Gonna Call 12

Our Fellow Soldiers 13

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 THE RAPTOR REPORT
VOLUME 1
MARCH 2011

1-168TH GSAB
A Message From CSM Spaulding

H ello Fellow Raptors both here and at home at Fort Lewis,

It is hard to start this article because so much has occurred in just a few short
weeks here at Ft. Hood. I cannot express how proud I am to be here at ―the Great
Place‖ with our troops and have the honor to serve as your Battalion Command Sergeant
Major.

The 1-168 GSAB Raptors demobilized our of North

Fort Hood back in 2008 but since then, there have been
improvements to the facilities. Our Soldiers have good
accommodations and a choice of three mess halls to eat
in. We utilize our three 10-passenger vans to move
Soldiers to the main Post for PX runs, as well as, to the
Walmart which is just outside North Fort in Gatesville,
Texas. After three weeks here, I believe everyone has
settled comfortably into their bunk!

Everywhere I go here at Ft. Hood, I see our Soldiers doing their work in a professional
manner and with a fighting spirit, combining enthusiasm and teamwork. I believe we have
some of the finest citizen Soldiers in the Washington Army National Guard. This, coupled the reality that we have a large
group of experienced NCO’s and staff who have previously deployed, create an environment where our junior enlisted Sol-
diers and NCO’s are afforded the opportunity to learn their jobs– mentored by the best Soldiers in the Guard.

We hit the ground running in February and March is now speeding by. Our flight crews have traveled to Florida and New
Mexico for training. Our maintainers have worked long hours to keep our UH60’s ready for any mission. Our Headquarters
staff, Tactical Operations Center and Flight Operations Center staff are preparing for our Culminating Training Event (CTE),
which involve all our Soldier’s deploying. We deployed as individuals and are now successfully building our teams; focused
on accomplishing the mission and most importantly taking care of each other.

We have three hard weeks in store for us before we close this chapter of our deployment. As we come to the end of this post-
mobilization training phase our Soldiers will be afforded the opportunity to take a short, but well deserved pass. We are plan-
ning for safe travel during this pass. I hope all our Soldiers take the time to thank families, friends and employers for their
persistent support now and throughout the year ahead. We know that our families are
making a greater sacrifice than those of us who are moving forward. To all the Mothers
and Fathers, Wives and Husbands, Sons and Daughters– we want all of you to know that
you are the true heroes of this deployment!

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 THE RAPTOR REPORT
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1-168TH GSAB
The Home Front

H ERE AND THERE– A GREAT JOB!

It is a pleasure to write a report on the tremendous success of the Rap-
tor Battalion. As the Rear Detachment Battalion Commander, I enjoy
hearing the praises your Soldiers are receiving for their hard work and prepara-
tion. And to the families, know that your sacrifices are counted in their success.

I witnessed the touching moments as Soldiers said goodbye the their loved ones
HERE in Washington. It was a good reminder of our values and priorities. To
that, families remember the Rear Detachment (R/D), the Family Readiness
Group (FRG) and Army Community Services (ACS) stand ready to help you.
FRG leads, Lori and I are providing opportunities for families to meet and sup-
port on another over ―Coffee‖; you are invited to a Yellow Ribbon seminar to
review ACS on 2 April; and, we are scheduling fun activities in the coming year.
Please, contact Lori Snyder at (253) 370-7872 or lorena.dorsett@us.army.mil to
insure you get the information.

I accompanied your Soldiers down to Fort Hood, Texas. THERE your Soldiers
blew away all expectations. I participated in the most efficient in-processing
Fort Hood has probably ever conducted. When LTC Dent initially briefed the
training brigade commander, the Colonel couldn’t believe the unit’s training sta-
tistics.

As I left Fort Hood, the Raptors were refining their training plan to continue to improve and hone their skills. This final
preparation will insure their safety and success during their deployment. Their preparation earned them a four day pass
later this month, at the same time as our weekend training and Yellow Ribbon seminar. I realize you want to be with your
loved ones; but, if you need to finish any unfinished support, let us know.

Blessings,

Jeff C. Allen
(253) 912-3103
Jeffrey.craig.allen@us.army.mil

DATE TIME LOCATION EVENT

2 April 0800-1615 American Lake Club During Deployment

Yellow Ribbon Event

19 April 1830-2000 Falcon Chapel Coffee Social

20 April 1000-1130 Falcon Chapel Coffee Social

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 THE RAPTOR REPORT
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1-168TH GSAB
A Word From The Chaplain

H ello from Texas!

One month down, eleven months to go! Hopefully, this statement is not depressing
to you. I am amazed that time has gone by that fast. It seems like it was just yesterday that
we were feeling various waves of emotion while observing the Farewell Ceremony at the
flight facility. Most of you probably agree with me that it was extremely difficult to say
goodbye. However, I want to give you a few
words that I hope will encourage you.
Separation from loved ones can be a very hard
thing to deal with. It can be somewhat like riding a roller coaster. Some of you love
roller coasters. I don’t like roller coasters, especially emotional roller coasters. You
are forced to go up, down, round and round: one day you are happy, the next day you
aren’t. One day you think your relationship with a loved one is just fine, the next day,
doubt creeps in that can endanger trust and commitment. Deployment can truly be an
emotional roller coaster. But, it doesn’t have to be.
One of my favorite passages of Scripture was written by the Apostle Paul.
After experiencing extreme persecution from people who hated him AND while sit-
ting in jail waiting his impending, wrongful, condemnation, Paul writes this:

―Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness
be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanks-
giving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, what-
ever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.‖ Philippians 4:4-8

Battling against the emotional roller coaster that comes with deployment is truly a battle
in your mind. It is a battle against negative thoughts, assumptions, and fearful ―what ifs.‖ One of
the best ways to experience victory in this battle is to truly believe the words of the Apostle Paul
in Philippians. If you really believe that God is Who He says that He is then you will acknowl-
edge what I say in the next paragraph as true:
Our God is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-loving. He knows what you are experiencing, what
you will experience AND He knows why. He knows how the pieces of your life all fit together
and the purpose of each one of them. And, He wants you to
trust that He is allowing it for your benefit and His glory—
He wants you to trust that He knows what He is doing.
So then, you can truly REJOICE! Instead of being anxious
and worried you can trust that God is working in and through this time of separation. And
when you come to Him with your thankful prayers, He will give you a peace that passes
all understanding. And, He will give you the ability to replace anxiety, and depression
with those things that are excellent and praiseworthy.
I am praying for you. Please know that you can contact me anytime. Before you
know it, we will have eleven months behind us and only one month to go.

May God Bless you and your family!

CH (MAJ) Don Brewer
donald.c.brewer@us.army.mil

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 THE RAPTOR REPORT
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MARCH 2011

1-168TH GSAB
CPT Goertzen

H eadhunter Family and Friends,

We’re continuing to look to the future, leaning forward like no other Battalion before us.
Trained, disciplined and prepared for upcoming combat operations, we stand ready, should-to-
shoulder as one. Poised and eager to complete our upcoming mission, we’ve
learned greatly from each other’s strengths and weaknesses over the last
year, molding ourselves into a rock solid team. I could not ask for a better
group to take forward. The motivation and dedication of each and every
soldier is evident daily.

I would like to personally thank the families, as you are the foundation for
our success. Your unwavering support and dedication shows daily in the
faces of your Soldiers. Thank you.

1SG Jensen

F amily & Friends,

So far everything is going well here at Ft. Hood. ―AKA‖ the Great
Place. The training that we completed in the last year has really
paid off. The Soldiers have been able to focus on their MOS (Military
Occupations Skill) training in order to prepare themselves and the Bat-
talion to a high level of readiness.

The Battalion is located on North Fort Hood which is about a thirty min-
ute drive to the main Post, South Ft. Hood. Within walking distance, we have three mess halls, bar-
bershop, shopette, laundry facilities, and at the USO and MWR we have internet café, movies, video
games, books, pool, and a snack bar. Our Soldiers are also able to go to the main PX at South Fort to
purchase any other items that cannot be obtained at the shopette. So over all the moral is high and
with the authorized 4-day pass prior to departure into country the troops are stoked! I want to per-
sonally thank the families and friends of the Raptor Battalion for your support.

1SG Bret Jensen

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 THE RAPTOR REPORT
VOLUME 1
MARCH 2011

1-168TH GSAB
CPT Sieglock

G reetings Cougar Families,

This will be the first installment of a newsletter
that we hope to publish at least every couple of
months detailing what is going on with our unit. As
most of you are aware, we have been extremely busy
since we left Ft. Lewis on February 16th. Our cross
country flight that was scheduled to take 3 days ended
up taking 5, due to inclement weather along our fight
route. Immediately upon our arrival at Ft. Hood, every
Soldier was required to complete the in-processing pro-
cedure and identify any potential health risks that they
may have had. Fortunately, all of our Soldiers are
healthy and had no issues with the Ft. Hood Medical
team. After completing our in-processing at Ft. Hood,
our first mission was to relocate to Pensacola, FL for our
Deck Landing Qualifications (DLQ). For many of the
Cougars, this was their first time ever conducting over
water operations and actually landing on a ship. As you
can imagine, we were all very excited for the training
opportunity. Following our DLQ training, we moved
back to Ft. Hood for one day to reset our aircraft and
plan our next training event. On March 7th, we took 4
of our Blackhawks to Albuquerque, NM to complete our
Environmental and Low Contrast Flight Training.
This training consists of landing the aircraft in various
field environments where ere are large amounts fo dust
and minimal visibility, during both day and night. Over-
all, everyone has enjoyed this training as well and are
looking forward to heading back to Ft. Hood.
Overall, your soldiers are doing incredibly well and the
morale of the entire company is very high. As always,
we owe a lot of the credit for this to each of you. Each
of us knows that without a strong family and great
friends, this job would be absolutely impossible. Thanks
again for the burden that each of you are carrying and
will continue to carry throughout this deployment.
Stay safe and remember-each day that passes is one day
closer to our return.

1SG Grau

G reetings to Our Cougar Family,

We departed Ft. Lewis on or journey to Ft. Hood,
landings in preparation for our mission in Kuwait.

The time here at our mobilization site in Ft. Hood is go-

TX as a flight of eight aircraft. The weather was ing fast. As we move toward our departure for Kuwait
not in our favor as we moved south, causing us to stay in know that your husbands, wives, sons and daughters are
Eugene, OR. After we left there it was smooth flying doing amazing things that you will be proud of. I am
and we made it to Texas safely. proud of each and every one of them and all the things
they do daily. We hope that all is well with you at
We began our SRP process, updating our personnel re- home. For we know that you have the toughest job of us
cords, and doing medical checks. Everyone completed it all.
without any problems. Our next mission was to fly four
of our aircraft to Pensacola, FL to complete deck qualifi- God bless you and know that our families are in our
cation, allowing us to land on ships. This was great thoughts always!
training and was exciting because we had never done his
type of training before. We returned to Ft. Hood for a 1SG James Grau
couple of days before we were off to New Mexico for
environmental training. There we practiced our dust

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 THE RAPTOR REPORT
VOLUME 1
MARCH 2011

1-168TH GSAB
CPT Gering

d ragon Family Members and Friends, forming six engine and aircraft wash regiments, perform-
During the months leading up to our mobilization ing field maintenance to support training at Pensacola, FL
date, I was asked several times about what to expect at and Double-Eagle, NM, as well as conducting unsched-
North Fort Hood, Texas. Haunted by the tribulations of uled maintenance at the highest level. While the Army
past experiences, I struggled to spin my answer in a posi- standard for maintaining aircraft at flyable status is 75%,
tive light. Liberal use of the terms ―team building‖ and ―a D Company has been maintaining a 89% rate.
leadership challenge‖ was a must. ―Basically…Ft. Hood Outstanding performance has been demonstrated by a
should make Kuwait seem like Kauai‖. But Fort Hood number of Soldiers. SSG Travis Johnson, along with SPC
didn’t buy it. Jessica Hultgren, PFC Lucas Gilmore, SPC Adam Wal-
lace and the rest of the UH-60 mechanics have shown
D/1-168th GSAB Soldiers were greeted at the gate by the terrific potential. Newcomers PFC Cameron McKee and
opportunity to perform the work they were trained to do: PFC Roman Merenovskiy have been outstanding addi-
maintain the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The adminis- tions to the Company. SFC Michael Luna’s Shops Pla-
trative processes known by the terms ―SRP‖ and ―RFI‖ toon, to include SPC James Amadeo, SPC James Watson,
are usually akin to a week of standing in line at the DOL, and SPC Stephanie Hayes, has displayed true profession-
alism. Finally, the leadership team of 1LT Jason Miller,
making combat-tested Soldiers run for cover. The proc-
1SG Thomas Turner, CW3 Jeff Burkhardt, and SFC Mi-
ess, however, was remarkably efficient and D Company chael Twaddell continue to demand the highest standard
Soldiers were able to begin performing their primary du- from each and every Soldier assigned to D Company.
ties within just a few days.
In the weeks ahead, we look forward to completing de-
Some of D Company’s significant accomplishments to ployment certification and pushing forward to Kuwait.
date include two preventative maintenance services, per- Thanks again for the continued support from all!

H ello Dragon Family,
We have accomplished much over the last 9
months. Now here some of us are at Ft. Hood
Texas completing our training for Operation New Dawn.
The unit has performed well above standard and expecta-
tions.
With the accolades come some other benefits of our hard
work. PV2 Becker and PV2 Mckee are promoted to Pri-
vate First Class. PFC Hust and PFC Gilmore are pro-
moted to Specialist. I expect several more promotions
soon.
The unit has completed SRP, and is currently in Company
collective training. With the ADVON passes coming up
and CTX just around the corner. The unit equipment has
been loaded and moved to the port. Thanks to the hard
work of SFC Luna and his crew.
1SG Turner
SSG Johnson and the maintenance crew have been hard at
work with 120 hr inspections on 2 aircraft and many un-
scheduled maintenance problems on the aircraft. In addi-
tion to the guard duty and classes going on.
The Headquarters platoon has been hard at work with
parts ordering, supply functions, production control func-
tions and quality control of aircraft maintenance.
Selected individuals have completed training in Pensa-
cola, Florida and in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
So as you see we have been very busy. Our thoughts and
prayers go out to our family and friends at home, support-
ing this deployment as only they can. Thank you for your
support!
1SG Thomas Turner

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 Raptor 6’s Wall of Honor
These Soldiers have shown exemplary
performance and are recognized for their
outstanding performance.

TACOPS EXCELLENCE
CW3 JOHN COLE
ALSE EXCELLENCE
SGT LINDSAY VALDIVIEZO

DOOR GUNNERY EXCELLENCE

SSG SHAWN BENTLEY

OPERATIONS EXCELLENCE
SFC PATRICK THOMAS

LT HANISCH CPT COLLINS CPT GERING

These Soldiers scored 100% on

every event, push ups, sit ups, and
a 2 mile run during the Army
Physical Fitness Test (APFT).

LTC DENT CSM SPAULDING SGT GITAU SPC SERRANO

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 HONORARY RAPTORS
VOLUME 1
MARCH 2011

1-168TH GSAB

1-168 AVN (GSAB) and Major General Charles Anderson

reunited during deployment training at North Ft. Hood, Texas

T he Soldiers of the 1-168 AVN (GSAB)

proudly represented the Washington
Army National Guard during a surprise visit
from Major General Charles Anderson, the
Commanding General of the First Army Divi-
sion West. On Sunday morning, March 27th,
2011, the 1-168 AVN (GSAB) conducted a
Battalion run to cap five days of collective
company and staff training to include the pre-
deployment Culminating Training Event
(CTE). MG Charles Anderson presided over
the pass and review with LTC Dan Dent at the
end of the Battalion run. Major General Charles Anderson was the Deputy Commanding General of Third Army/
United States Army Central, Camp Arifjan, Kuwait during the deployment of the 1-168 AVN (GSAB) in 2007/2008.

T he 66th TAC Commander, COL Stephen Kent, visited the 1-

168th AVN (GSAB) with CSM Eden, LTC Linton and CSM
May on 25-26 March 2011. The 66th TAC Command team was
able to observe Soldiers of the 168th AVN conducting operations
during the Battalion’s Culminating Training Exercise (CTE).

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 PROMOTIONS
VOLUME 1
MARCH 2011
1-168TH GSAB

Major William Blakey

Master Sergeant Lawrence Shurman
Specialist Hali Sayers
Specialist Tyrell Collier
Specialist Sonny Gunderson

Specialist William Hust

Specialist Kenneth Langston
Private First Class Daniel Becker
Private First Class Cameron McKee

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RAPTOR REPORT
VOLUME 1
MARCH 2011

1-168TH GSAB

 SRP

 MSG Janie Sutton Memorial

Service

 Pensacola, FL Training

 Load Out

 Albuquerque, NM Training

 1-168th B.B.Q

 CSEL Lane Training

 ADVON 4 Day Pass

 24hr CTE OPS

 Battalion Run

 PT Test

 Main Body 4 Day Pass

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 Who You Gonna’ Call?
Every family of a deploying Soldier from the 1-168 AVN should have this list of the
most important contact numbers during the deployment.

This guide will help you decide who to call when you need to get some assis-
In command of the Soldiers The PAC is available to
remaining at JBLM to sup- help route your call to the
port the troops in Kuwait. appropriate assistance at
Contact LTC Allen when the 66th or 1-168.
unit support is needed.

FAC’s have links to commu-

nity and other resources. Chaplains provide 100%
Contact Denise to help with confidential counseling to
family issues, financial assis- Soldiers and NG families.
tance, finding counseling, etc. They also provide reli-
gious support and guid-
ance.
MFLC’s are available as
counselors and links to
additional resources.
They are especially good J9 is the WANG directorate
listeners and advisors. for Soldier and Family sup-
port. Departments include:
Yellow Ribbon, Resiliency
Training, Sexual Assault Re-
Specializing in helping children, sponse, Suicide Prevention,
Kim is especially good at help- Family Programs (Marriage
ing youngsters and their parents Retreats, Family Retreats,
cope with deployment. FAC’s), and Employment
Visit missionaclchaplain.com to
read an interview with Kim.

In case of emergency, contact the We encourage you to write in

A comprehensive collection of re- your own emergency contacts in
Red Cross to send an official no-
sources, help, and counseling for any this space. Keep this in a visible
tification to your deployed Sol-
situation a military family may en- place, as well as in this magazine,
dier. The Red Cross is available
counter. Suicide Hotline, free coun- in case you need to contact a fam-
24/7 and will verify the emer-
seling, and other free assistance to ily member or friend in a hurry.
gency and notify your Soldier.
military families.

Red Cross Messages

The American Red Cross provides a means of verified, official emergency messages to be transmitted
between Soldiers and their families. Red Cross messages are used to communicate the birth of children
and emergency situations. In order for a Soldier to receive permission to return home for an emergency,
an official Red Cross Message must be received by his or her unit.

To initiate a Red Cross Message, contact the Red Cross-Mt. Rainier Chapter at
253-474-0400
http://www.rainier-redcross.org

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OUR FELLOW SOLDIER’S
VOLUME 1
MARCH 2011
1-168TH GSAB

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