I hope everyone has seen the invitation

and advertisements for our battalion St.

Barbara’s Day Ball on September 19th

and I look forward to seeing everyone

in their ’Sunday Best’!

Lastly, we’ll have our final battalion

’Town Hall’ on September 23rd & 24th

at McMahon Auditorium where I hope

to answer any questions you have prior

to our deployment.

Once again, thanks for your service to

our Army and our Soldiers ...

Go Forth With New Strength!

ROLLING THUNDER

Thunder Soldiers & Families: greet-

ings! I write to you as I try to work off

the remaining jet-lag I have from my

week long recon trip to Kuwait last

week. I was able to go visit each of

the locations that Thunder Soldiers

will be living and working at and get a

sense of exactly what their mission

will be on a day to day basis. Without

getting in to too many details, rest as-

sured that all of our Soldiers will be

living very comfortably while per-

forming the extremely important roles

of providing force protection and train-

ing with Kuwaiti military forces. As

many of you know, Bulldog Battery’s

role has shifted dramatically from re-

maining as a stand by force with 1-10

CAV to their anticipated deployment

with us to Kuwait this fall. I appreci-

ate your continued patience and flexi-

bility with this as our task organization

of the Thunder Battalion adapts to our

evolving mission. The battalion re-

mains on track for a deployment win-

dow some time in October, with more

specific deployment dates be-

coming available later in Sep-

tember.

3-16 FIELD ARTILLERY REGIMENT

August 2013

Inside this issue:

Chaplain

Hails and Farewells

2

Calendar 3

BN Ball FAQs 4

Did you Know? 5

HHB & Alpha 6

Bravo & Golf 7

Soldier Spotlight 8

Photos Gallery 9

Benefits and Retention 10

I would like to thank the family members for your support you have given this Battalion. Please continue to be flexible as we

prepare for our deployment to Kuwait. Our Soldiers need your encouragement, we cannot do this without you, remember you

are the strength of this organization. While deployed, your Soldier will be able to rest well, knowing the support you give him or

her will keep them safe. Everything the Soldier goes through, you go through, and don’t think that’s not noticed. The strength of

our Soldiers comes from the strength of their families. You need to know that you’re just as valuable as the Soldier.

“We must ensure each Soldier is equipped and trained to fight and win. We must also provide for our families. We will not be

successful if we fail to care for our loved ones waiting for their Soldiers to return.”-SMA Kenneth O. Preston

Thunder 7

http://www.facebook.com/pages/3-16-Field-Artillery-Regiment/192925627398006

Page 2 THUNDER TIMES

HAILS

MAJ Gatlin, Tim

CPT Quint, Mark

CPT Mason, James

CPT Lands, Kehmes

1LT Walters, Mark

2LT Cook, Michael

2LT Madden, Cheryl

FAREWELLS

CPT Fullerton, Adam

CPT Griffith, JayPatrick

CPT O’Connell, Dan

CPT Lilley, Matthew

CPT Lengel, Michael

CPT Howard, Roger

CPT Henry, Doug

1LT Oliver, John

1LT Cyphers, Travis

1LT Majchszak, Carolyn

2LT Coleman, Jovauna

1SG Harris, Carl

SFC Davis

SGT Balderson

SGT Tiffany

SSG Parchment

SGT Iwen

1LT Balzer

1LT VanVliet

1LT Hill

1LT Lara

Congratulations to all!

Daddy Knows Best

By CH (CPT) Kehmes Lands

A few months ago I discovered an auto auction that auctions off

wrecked vehicles. I am pretty good at working on cars and thought it

would be a good idea to purchase "1", fix it and resale it for a profit. I

saw the opportunity and went for it. "3"cars later, I felt a sense of

anxiety and regret because I realized I had taken on more than I could

handle. Not only that, I realized that my wife is going to kill me be-

cause I did not talk it over with her first. I was able to resale one of

the cars back to the auction but still I have two with more damage

than I expected. These cars have caused more headache and heart-

ache in my life than the profit I hope to make on them one day.

One of the most difficult things to do in our lives is to wait on God.

We are a culture who make decisions based mostly on emotions and

desires and in many situations, these decisions leads to acquiring

things or get into relationships that are outside of God's will and these

things or relationships end up causing stress in our lives that God

never intended for

us to have.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6 that "we should not be anx-

ious about anything." In this Scripture, avoiding anxiety mean, not

making hasty decision and putting careful thought into decision mak-

ing. We are instructed to present our heart and our desires to God in

all areas of our lives so that he can direct us to make wise, healthy

choices that not only bring peace in our lives but will also please Him.

Decisions that are not guided and led by God ultimately lead to stress,

anxiety, and heartache. These symptoms can and will ultimately lead

to depression. But when we take everything to God in pray and make

our request known to him, the peace of God that surpasses all under-

standing guards our

heart and our mind. This means that you can be confident that you

are where you suppose to be, doing what you suppose to do, and liv-

ing how you suppose to live because you know that true peace is be-

ing in the center of God's will for your life.

Don't let "you" get in the way of true peace but rather give everything

to God because Daddy knows best.

Phil 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and

petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the

peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your

hearts and your

minds in Christ Jesus.

Page 3

Page 4 THUNDER TIMES

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Question: Is Childcare available:? Answer: Childcare is available at the Ivy CDC. Children must be registered with CYS. The cost is $4 per hour per child. You must RSVP with the names and ages of the children NLT 4 September to dyanne.beckman@us.army.mil or 719-526-1635.

Question: Will there be discounted rooms available at the Double Tree Hotel? Answer: Yes , there are a limited number of rooms available at the special rate of $59 per night. Please call the Double Tree Hotel directly to reserve your room. You must mention our event to get the discount.

Question: How do I RSVP and/or pay? Answer: Please go to https://einvitations.afit.edu/inv/anim.cfm?i=165807&k=036747017B50 to RSVP. You must pay your unit representative NLT 5 September (1LT Walters –HHB, 1LT Cashero-Alpha, 1LT Cook-Bravo, 1LT Davis-Golf). Checks can be made payable to 3-16 FA Cup and Flower fund.

Question: Will the Soldiers be released early on the 19th?

Answer: We will make every effort to ensure that Soldiers are released in a timely manner.

Question: Will the Soldiers have Friday, September 20th as a day off? Answer: Friday, September 20th is a DONSA for the battalion, so most Soldiers will have the day off, unless they have been designated for staff duty, and/or another detail or assignment.

Page 5 THUNDER TIMES

Dress Tips A Tea length dress or a Floor length

gown is appropriate

Check with friends

Check with thrift shops

Don’t buy the first dress you try on

Wear shoes several times before the event

Check stitching

Walk around the store, sit, lean over, wiggle

Receiving Line The woman precedes the man except at the White

House or Air Force functions

First person in the receiving line is the Aide/Adjutant-DO NOT shake his/her hand.

Service member introduces themselves and the spouse to the Aide/Adjutant

Speak briefly to those in line, and then move on through the line.

Place drinks, purses, and gloves elsewhere while going through the line.

Shake hands firmly-no “limp fish” or “bone crushers”

You may correct a mispronounced name; speak clearly

Avoid vulgarity and profanity.

Dinner Dining-outs are meant to be dignified and formal occa-

sions.

Arrive on time. If cocktails are prescribed, arrival should be there no later than ten minutes after cock-tails begin.

Most of the time it is a 3-course meal-Salad, Main Dish and Dessert

You DO NOT start eating until the Head table starts.

Start with the outside silverware and work your way in.

Drinks glasses on the right side of your plate are yours.

Do not depart until all of the official guests have de-parted

Military Ball Etiquette

Toast One custom that is often part of a formal ball, dining in or dining out is the toast. The toast is given before sitting for dinner. The host of the affair will ask all the “Charge” their glasses. Service members are chosen to give the toast and will be interspersed in the room. The num-ber of toast varies but will usually include the following:

1. To the United States of America.

2. To the President.

3. To the Army

4. To the Division, Battalion, etc.

5. To fallen comrades.

6. To the Ladies

An important point to remember is a toast is only offered to an office or an institution never to an individual.

It is not necessary or proper to drain the glass at the completion of each toast. A mere touch of the glass to the lips satisfies the ceremonial re-quirements. Toasts should be proposed in sequence and at intervals during the program of the evening.

Page 6 THUNDER TIMES

A/3-16FA August Newsletter

Following a successful rotation at the

National Training Center, Automatic Bat-

tery focused on an array of maintenance

and recovery tasks before signing out on

block leave for two weeks. The Soldiers

and families of Automatic Battery did

everything from take road trips to the

East Coast, welcomed family in from

Puerto Rico, celebrated marriage, gave

birth to children, enjoyed fishing trips

and took advantage of the great Colorado

outdoors.

Upon return from leave, the Battery

shifted to pre-deployment tasks. The

Battery was able to pack all of the nec-

essary equipment for deployment and send

it enroute to Kuwait in less than two

weeks, thanks to our outstanding junior

officers, non-commissioned officers and

motivated Soldiers. Additionally, the

Battery has welcomed over twenty new Sol-

diers to the formation this past month,

getting us to full strength in prepara-

tion for a wide array of training, part-

nership and security missions during the

deployment.

Looking forward, we continue to focus on

preparing our unit, Soldiers and families

for deployment through theater-specific

training and classes as well as FRG meet-

ings, fund raisers and social events.

The Battery expects to use September to

execute multiple small arms and machine

gun ranges, as well as train on convoy

and forward operating base operations.

We will host an Automatic barbeque, final

date to be announced in late September or

early October.

CPT Collins and 1SG Murphy

To all the families of the Hardrock

Battery:

We hope that everyone is enjoying

the last bits of warm weather before

the fall season is among us. Every-

one is working hard as we make final

preparations and training for our

upcoming deployment. We would like

to welcome Jesse Weiss to the team

as FRG co-leader along with Berna-

dette Childress! We also want to

congratulate the COLT platoon on

their performance during the BEST

FIST competition and certification

from 12-16 August. Everyone in the

Hardrock family is looking forward

to the 2013 St. Barbara’s Day Bat-

talion Ball on the nineteenth of

September which will be a huge event

for everyone to get together and to

recognize those individuals being

awarded the Order of St. Barbara.

As we continue to move forward and

cannot emphasize enough the thanks

for your unwavering support that al-

lows your soldier and the Hardrock

family to be successful!!

CPT Coats and 1SG Childress

Page 7 THUNDER TIMES

Bulldog Battery continues to

maintain its’ high standards.

Bulldog Soldiers showed off their

skills during the NTC rotation,

where the Battery was recognized as

the “Best Battery” the Observer/

Controller-Trainers (OC-T) had EVER

seen. Upon redeployment from NTC,

Bulldog Battery recovered all of

the equipment and conducted Change

of Command inventories on a short

timeline before block leave. After

block leave, the BN hosted a Family

PT day and we thank each everyone

that participated. We look to do

more events like this in the fu-

ture.

In the past month, Bulldog

has undergone numerous changes.

The Battery said their good-byes to

1SG Harris and CPT Lengel. We

thank them for their service to the

Bulldog family and wish them both

the best of luck in their future

jobs. Another big adjustment was

our change of mission and attach-

ment to 1-10 CAV. Bulldog Battery

looks forward to working with the

“Buffalo Soldiers” and maintaining

a high level of training profi-

ciency as we conduct our Prepare To

Deploy Operations (PTDO) mission.

In the coming months, the Bulldogs

will be on a short notice timeline

to deploy in support of operations

anywhere in the world. Thanks again

for all the support from the fami-

lies and attendance at our last FRG

meeting. We look forward to seeing

everyone at the Saint Barbara’s Day

Ball!

CPT Mason and 1SG Henriquez

To the families, friends, and Soldiers of Golf

Company; we have been very busy in the month of

August. Golf Company just recently packed out

the Company’s equipment for its voyage to Kuwait.

We still continue to execute training in prepara-

tion for the October deployment to Kuwait includ-

ing rollover simulation, MRAP driver’s training,

and combat life saver. The next FRG meeting will

be on the 26th of Septemeber. For anyone who like

to join the Compnay’s Facebook page here is the

link:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/21002433904115

6/ or you can search “Gladiators FRG (G FSC, 3-

16 FAR) “. We would like to encourage all of our

Gladiator families to attend the Battalion St.

Barbara’s Day ball on Sept 19th.

Headquarters Platoon would like to extend a warm

welcome to SPC Robles’ daughter Mariah to the

Gladiator family. Our former company Executive

Officer, 1LT John Oliver, left the company to

work for 204th SPO. Thank you John for all that

you did and we wish you the best at your new po-

sition. 1LT Davis will be taking over as the new

company Executive Officer and is excited to take

on his new responsibilities as the company pre-

pares for the upcoming deployment.

In our Maintenance platoon this month we’d like

to congratulate a few Soldiers. PV2 James on his

promotion to PFC. PFC Xiong on his promotion to

SPC. SPC Juarez on his award for his hard work

at the National Training Center. We would also

like to welcome our new Maintenance Control Offi-

cer, 2LT Halverson. For the month of September we

have a few activities on the calendar that we

will be participating in. We will be executing a

M2, M4, and M240/M249 ranges as well as a one 3

day field exercise.

Distribution Platoon has been working diligently

to complete Pre-deployment training such as Com-

bat Life Saver, Master Resilience Training, and

Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention

while simultaneously supporting 3-16 FAR during

Unit Movement Operations in order to move the

Battalion's containers to the rail head. We are

happy to welcome SSG Medico as our new General

Supply Section Sergeant. We also welcome SPC Ca-

randang's daughter, Janelle, into the Gladiator

family.

CPT Figueroa

1SG White

Page 8 THUNDER TIMES

What is your favorite thing about the Army? SGT Miller enjoys the culture of the Army as a whole, along with the ability to develop professionally and personally.

Where are you from? Streetsboro, OH

MOS: 13B

Date Joined the Army: Oct 2006

Most interesting thing he has done since he has been stationed at Fort Carson: Color in motion Run (Downtown Colorado Springs)

Why did you join the Army? To

understand our world from the

governments point of view and broaden

my life’s experience through the

opportunities .

What is your favorite thing about the Army? How everyone works as a team to accomplish the mission.

Where are you from? Stockton, CA

MOS: 13F

Date Joined the Army: Jan 18 2011

Most interesting thing he has done since he has been stationed at Fort Carson: Fister

Why did you join the Army? To better

my life .

Page 9 THUNDER TIMES

BN Family PT August 6, 2013

BN Family PT August 6, 2013

BN Family PT August 6, 2013 BN Family PT August 6, 2013

BN Family PT August 6, 2013

both Soldier and their family to be on the same page with the same information so the best decision can be made. As a Career Counselor I have a unique opportunity to give a neutral point of view as well as give the most up to date information on the Army’s ever changing ways. When a Soldier talks to me I end up giving them so much informa-tion on a wide range of differ-ent topics that sometimes things get lost in translation. This is a sincere invitation and encourage any family mem-bers that may have questions to please contact me. LTC

Retention in the Army is al-ways changing when it comes to regulatory guid-ance and I would prefer to take a different approach this month and touch on some-thing that is at times forgot-ten and that is Family. I would like to personally invite Spouses and/or family mem-bers to accompanying their Soldiers to visit me SSG Kelley, Michael 3-16 Career Counselor and ask any ques-tions they may have about the Army as a whole not just retention related. When re-enlistment is brought up it is a huge decision and requires

Jarolimek always tells me “when you reenlist a Soldier you reenlist their family” and I believe this 100%. I can be reached by phone or email and they are 719-503-2358 or Michael.j.kelley176.mil@mail.mil .

Page 10 THUNDER TIMES

The Thunder times is an authorized online publication for the members of the Department of Defense. Contents

of the Thunder Times are not necessarily official views of or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, DoD, or

Department of the Army. The editorial content of this monthly publication is the responsibility of the 3rd

Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment.