Wild Times 1/34 BSTB

June 2011 Updated News

Page 1 of 5

Departure Ceremony

Specialist Jonti Roos, Specialist Derek msande, Specialist Scott Haworth, and Second Lieutenant

Jacob Cavanaugh waiting patiently for the start of

the Departure Ceremony at Normandale Community College.

Left photo: Soldiers of

the 1/34 BSTB stand in

formation during the

departure ceremony.

Right photo: Sergeant

First Class Robert Kis-

caden along with his

family sharing some

conversation .

Captain Lotzow, Com-

pany Commander of

HHC 1/34 BSTB shar-

ing some family time

together, while his son

colors a sign saying “I

Love You Dad!”

Final formation at Bloomington Armory

prior to departure to Fort McCoy, Wis-

consin for Pre-Mobilization training.

Patriot Guard Riders and State Patrol

escorting Soldiers to the MN/WI bor-

ders.

Lieutenant Colonel Gary Mundfrom,

Battalion Commander of 1/34 BSTB

accepts the Patriot Guard Riders flag to

travel along overseas.

Soldiers arrived to Fort

McCoy, Wisconsin led

by the Minnesota Patriot

Guard Riders

BSTB is now on Facebook!

Check us out at the follow-

ing link:

https://www.facebook.com/

home.php#!/pages/134-

Brigade-Special-Troops

Battalion

Wild Times

1/34 BSTB

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Training at Fort McCoy, WI

Staff Sergeant John Wadsworth conducting a

search on a civilian during Entry Control Point

training.

Left and right photos:

Specialist Krista Han-

son, Sergeant Andrea

Wittlief and SPC

Nickie Buschette con-

duct hand and arm

signal training.

\.

Left photo: Soldiers

waiting for lanes train-

ing.

Right photo: First Ser-

geant Jeffrey Kasprzyk

stands along a Humvee

prior to lanes training.

Specialist Richard Leonard, Sergeant Nikolaus

Curley, Sergeant First Class Derek Bronson, and

Sergeant First Class Robert Kiscaden conduct a

briefing and map recon prior to lanes training.

Wild Times

1/34 BSTB

Page 3 of 5

July 1– 4

4-day Pass for Soldiers of 1/34 BSTB

Sunday, July 10th– Serving Our Troops!

Saint Paul to Fort McCoy– Steak Dinner

2 p.m.– 7 p.m.

Upcoming Events

Recreation Day

Soldiers take a day off and play volleyball.

A game of softball is also played during a

day of recreation and fun.

Right photo: Soldiers of the

1/34 BSTB participate dur-

ing Fort McCoy’s 5k in

celebration of the Army’s

birthday

Congratulations to Sergeant An-

drea Wittlief on her promotion.

Sergeant First Class Brittany

Thingvold and Captain Amber

Manke of the Fighting S1 is

awarded for their hard work and

dedication to personnel readiness

prior to arriving at Fort McCoy.

Left photo: Congratulations to

First Sergeant Jeffrey Kasprzyk

on his promotion.

Page 4 of 5

1/34 BSTB Wild Times

Battalion Commander-Lieutenant Colonel Gary Mund-

Family and Friends,

I'm happy to report that the Battalion is doing well. As I write this,

the Brigade Special Troops Battalion is mobilized in support of three

different missions. Soldiers from Alpha Company (Military Intelligence) and

Bravo Company (Signal) are completing their training at Camp Shelby and Fort

Polk. They have done a fantastic job and will soon be conducting operations in

Afghanistan as part of the 45th Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National

Guard. Our Tactical Unmanned Aerial Surveillance (Shadow) Platoon is also

conducting training at Camp Shelby in preparation for a mission to Afghani-

stan. Upon mobilization, our Shadow Platoon was ranked #1 of all the Shadow

Platoons in the United States Army National Guard. They are not resting on their

laurels, they have continued to set the standard for others to follow. Here at Fort

McCoy, approximately three hundred Soldiers from the BSTB Headquarters

Company, Brigade Headquarters Company and Charlie Company "Earthpigs" are

getting ready for the Brigade's mission to Kuwait. I can tell you firsthand that the

Soldiers are working hard, morale is good and we are getting great results. You

have every reason to be proud of the great work that is being done by your Sol-

dier.

You are a critical part of the team as we continue forward. Thank you for all

the sacrifices you make on a daily basis in order to allow your loved one to

serve. If you need help, I urge you to reach out and tap into the network that's

available to you. Your local Family Assistance Center (http://www.btyr.org/

family-assistance-centers or (888) 234-1274) is the best resource to help family

members with military pay and benefits problems. Military One Source

(www.militaryonesource.com or 1-800-342-9647) offers many free services rang-

ing from career advice to legal assistance to money management to counseling

services. The Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Network (www.btyr.org) can get you

plugged in with individuals and groups willing to help with the daily challenges

of running and maintaining your household. If you're not sure where to go with

an issue please contact either the unit or your local Family Readiness Group

leader.

In closing thank you again for all your love and support!

LTC Gary W. Mundfrom

Lieutenant Colonel

Gary W. Mundfrom

prepares to step on the

charter bus to depart

Bloomington Armory

for Fort McCoy.

Greetings from Ft McCoy to all our Task Force Wild families. First and fore-

most, thank you for your support. The encouragement and support from family

members keeps us going and helps us do what we need to do. I wish I had

enough space to talk to you about every single Soldier and the good things he/

she is doing. I'll lump them all together and tell you they are doing fantastic.

Their enthusiasm, work ethic and positive attitudes have kept them focused on

our training and readiness. The days start early with physical fitness before we

get on with what ever training needs to be done on any given day. The Task

Force Wild Soldiers continue to perform above standards. Everything we've

asked them to do, they've done and better than most. I'm very proud of this

team. I do mean team. They work together and watch out for one another. I

wish we could do something about connectivity to computer networks during

off duty hours, it's simply not available. That should change when we get to our

final destination. I want to close with two items. OPSEC is a term we use to de-

scribe Operational Security. Please refrain from discussing sensitive issues like

where and when we are going and any specifics you may know about our mis-

sion in public, on Facebook, and in the media. It will help us keep your Soldier

safe. Second, we have a couple days off soon, please enjoy this time with your

Soldier but please keep safety in mind. Safety is stressed here every day and we

will encounter different risks on our days off. Thank you again for all you do.

CSM Bruce L. Stowe

Wild Times

1/34 BSTB

Battalion Command Sergeant Major-Command Sergeant Major Bruce Stowe

Page 5 of 5

Command Sergeant Major Bruce L. Stowe

assists with Container Operations.

During a training exercise, Command Ser-

geant Major Bruce L. Stowe is tied onto a

litter carrier and hung face down.