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February 2004 |
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February 3, 2004
‘He lived as a hero, too’
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Army pilot
remembered at Greenwood service GREENWOOD - An Army pilot who was killed last month when his helicopter crashed during a combat mission in northern Iraq was buried Monday after being praised by his commander as a dedicated soldier. Chief Warrant Officer Brian D. Hazelgrove, 29, died Jan. 23 along with the Kiowa helicopter's other pilot when their aircraft crashed near Mosul soon after takeoff. He was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, N.Y. Hazelgrove's commander, Brig. Gen. Byron Bagby, flew in from Fort Drum to attend his funeral at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens, where friends and relatives gathered in cold, rainy weather for the traditional playing of "Taps" and a 21-gun salute. "Just a great American, a fine man who enjoyed his family; a great soldier; a great husband; just a great person to be around," Bagby said. More than 200 people earlier packed the small chapel at Camp Atterbury to hear tributes toHazelgrove, who grew up in nearby Edinburgh and graduated from Edinburgh Community High School in 1993 before joining the Army the next year. "He lived with this enthusiasm that not many people had," said longtime friend Rob Haines. "He died as a hero for our country, but I think it's just as important to know he lived as a hero, too." Amid the funeral wreaths at the front of the chapel were photographs of Hazelgrove. One taken just weeks ago in Iraq showed him at a laptop computer. Another showed him in his dress uniform and Air Cavalry black Stetson hat. Hazelgrove had been in Iraq since November. His survivors include his wife, Kimmi, who is an Army staff sergeant, and four children, ages 7 months to 11. Hazelgrove was the 19th person from Indiana to have died while serving in Iraq.
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Medina
guard unit (Akron, Ohio) to serve in Europe -
Medina County's
only National Guard unit is being called up to serve in Europe. Soldiers
with the Service Battery 1-134th Field Artillery that meets at
920 Lafayette Road in the city of Medina will leave for
Camp
Atterbury, Ind., in mid-February, said 1st Sgt. Bryan Archer. The
unit, with fewer than 100 members, has been activated to serve as
replacements in the European Theater as part of Operation Enduring
Freedom, Archer said. A going-away ceremony is scheduled for noon Feb.
11 at Medina High School, 777 E. Union St.
(Akron, OH Beacon-Journal)
February 4, 2004 - Families of hundreds of Hoosier guardsmen and women
could have their loved ones home by Valentine's Day. An advance team of
10 soldiers arrived at February 7, 2004 - If you were born before 1986, it is likely that you will be going back to school if you plan on hunting turkey at Camp Atterbury Maneuver Center. Starting in April, all hunters on the military base will be required to have passed a hunter education course. This move brings the base into compliance with U.S. Army regulations requiring all hunters to have the certification. Currently, only hunters born after 1986 are required to pass the course to purchase an Indiana hunting license. In a media release, Camp Atterbury post commander Lt. Col. Kenneth Newland said he anticipates limited hunting on the base this year but warned military activities could halt hunting at any time. Hunting will remain open at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area near the base. (Lafayette Journal & Courier, Lafayette, IN) - Guard chief proud of role in war - Beleaguered leader says his leaving after 2 years was a mutual decision with governor - When Maj. Gen. George A. Buskirk Jr. took the helm of the Indiana National Guard in late 2001, he set out to transform the state militia for the post-9/11 world, he said. Until his resignation Thursday, he was dogged by public criticism from former Guard officers and a recruiting scandal set in motion under his predecessor.
Gov. Joe Kernan's office called the resignation voluntary, but his successor, Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, told The Indianapolis Star the governor was "ready to make a change in the leadership." Buskirk, 54, said the decision was mutual. In his office Friday, he explained it through baseball: "It never hurts to put in a new pitcher once in a while when your arm gets tired." Under Buskirk's watch, thousands of guardsmen have served overseas, sometimes as long as a year -- and sometimes more than once. Indiana's Camp Atterbury has been revamped as a training base for activated Army troops. "When the country needed them, Indiana really stood up," Buskirk said. But he also drew criticism. Last month, an Army panel recommended the reinstatement of a recruiter whom Buskirk had fired in 2002. Earlier, a hearing had exonerated Kevin Copley and others accused of forging physical exam forms of more than 100 recruits. "I do not necessarily concur with the findings of the (Army) commission," Buskirk said, adding he still supports his firing decision. Two other recruiters alleged improper dismissals in a lawsuit filed Jan. 30 against Buskirk and Kernan. Buskirk dismissed charges from some Guard officers that his leadership was sub-par. Rob Palmer, a former officer transferred by Buskirk after testifying against a legislative proposal the adjutant general favored, told The Star some officers had met with the governor's staff late last year to lobby for a change. "Part of being a good soldier is taking direction," Buskirk said. "Ninety-nine percent salute the flag and complete the task." Those who complained, he said, couldn't adapt to changes meant to modernize the Guard's mission to protect the state from terrorism. Buskirk also has overseen the revamping of recruiting efforts and policies meant to retain soldiers. "This isn't your grandfather's National Guard," he said, and that includes the description of guardsmen as "weekend warriors." "We may need (new recruits) to make a six-to-12-month commitment once every four years." Currently, Indiana's Army Guard has 11,400 soldiers, and the Air Guard has 2,100. Buskirk said he planned to stay in his position through the end of the month and would assist with the transition of Umbarger, whom he has known for 20 years. Buskirk said he has not been approached about any government jobs and likely would pursue teaching or a legal practice.
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Preparing for war, hoping for peace -
Iraq-bound troops train in Indiana. -
- National Guardsmen prepare for Bosnia - CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - In true military tradition, some East Central Indiana soldiers hurried up and now are waiting for their ride to Bosnia. About 800 Indiana National Guardsmen, including some from local units, are wrapping up a month's worth of special training maneuvers today at Camp Atterbury, a sprawling military installation about 30 miles south of Indianapolis. Camp Atterbury opened for business during World War II and has been involved in every major military operation since then including the war on terrorism. The base covers about 300 square miles, or about 200,000 acres. (Note: Camp Atterbury originally covered approximately 43,000 acres and currently occupies approximately 33,000 acres) (By RIC ROUTLEDGE, Star Press, Muncie, IN) February 9, 2004 - Indiana unit deployed to Bosnia - After more than a decade, America's military presence in Bosnia is coming to an end and a National Guard team out of Indiana is one of the last U.S. units to go there. This past weekend, 800 National Guard soldiers geared up for the next and last tour of duty in Bosnia. They'll begin shipping out over the next two weeks. In all, more than 4,000 soldiers from Camp Atterbury will head to Bosnia, the largest mobilization of this unit since the end of World War II. Most of these soldiers say leaving their family is always the hardest part. Their mission is to provide peacekeeping support for the Bosnian people as that country rebuilds their government.
February 10, 2004
- Granville soldier deployed without vaccine February 13, 2004 - About 5,000 soldiers from the National Guard's 30th Heavy Separate Brigade are leaving in late February and early March. The brigade is based in Clinton, about 30 minutes east of Fayetteville. It is the largest deployment of North Carolina guardsmen since World War II. More than 3,000 of the soldiers are from North Carolina. Gov. Mike Easley said the 30th, known as the ''Old Hickory'' brigade, was honored by Portugal during World War I and fought in Normandy during World War II. He said he is proud of the current 30th's members and their families for making sacrifices, too. February 15, 2004 - VU, National Guard partnering in driver-training program. -Vincennes University has entered into a partnership with the Indiana National Guard and private trucking companies to provide driver training at Camp Atterbury in Bartholomew County. The Indiana National Guard/VU Truck Driver Training Program will involve guardsmen completing VU's 21 credit-hour Tractor-Trailer Driver Training Program at Camp Atterbury for eight weeks, serving a three- to four-week internship with a sponsoring company, and then undergoing a two-year on-the-job apprenticeship with a sponsoring company. During the apprenticeship, participants can complete general education courses to earn an associate degree from the university. The instruction that VU will provide includes 80 hours of classroom instruction, 80 hours of instruction on the backing range learning to master a variety of backing skills, and 160 hours of road instruction that includes a minimum of 30 hours of road driving (approximately 1,000 miles). This program is being closely watched nationally, according to John Delgado, state director for the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training. "The National Guard is looking at Indiana as being in the forefront of training throughout the nation in the apprenticeship area," Delgado said. ( February 17, 2004 - Nothing to smile about - For the past three years, about one in four Army reservists and National Guard soldiers called to active duty couldn't be cleared to climb on a plane and head for one of the dozens of hot spots where our troops are deployed around this blood-spattered globe – because of "rotten teeth." Out of approximately 165,000 National Guard and Reserve soldiers currently on active duty, the Army surgeon general estimates that around 30,000 won't be good-to-go. The cost for this dental care alone runs into the millions of dollars, and the need for it dramatically erodes the readiness of the Army. Not to mention that U.S. Army dentists plain can't cope. They're working overtime and frequently have to ask civilian docs for a hand. In one case, "Class 3s" – the Army's label for soldiers who are non-deployable because of dental problems – were actually bused three hours from Camp Atterbury, Ind., to Army dentists at Fort Knox, Ky. (WorldNetDaily)
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U.S. Army Makes
Exceptions To Anthrax Shots Rule -
The U.S. Army has sent to Iraq
at least four soldiers who have refused to be vaccinated against
anthrax, despite the Pentagon's long-held insistence that the vaccine is
mandatory for all service members assigned to areas of combat or
probable terrorism. The deployments by base commanders in Indiana,
Kentucky, New York and Wisconsin has led Pentagon critics to question
the seriousness of the anthrax threat and the fairness of penalties
meted out by the armed services earlier for scores of service members
nationwide who refused the vaccine. "This is the first hint that a
few courageous operational commanders are beginning to exercise
judgment, and are acknowledging what Pentagon leaders will not - that
the anthrax threat was simply political hype that is no longer worth
losing good soldiers over," John Richardson said. Richardson is a
retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and Gulf War veteran who has been a
leaders nationwide in seeking an end to the anthrax program. Three
of the four soldiers were charged between December and January with
disobeying a direct order to take the vaccine, but the Army dropped its
prosecution in favor of deploying them. The fourth was charged over a
year ago before he was sent to Iraq. Decisions to drop the prosecution
in favor of deploying them were made by the soldiers' unit commanders in
conjunction with higher command headquarters. One of the four
deployed soldiers, an Ohio National Guardsman, had been court martialed
for refusing the order to take the vaccine, but his 40 days in the
stockade, drop in rank and dishonorable discharge have been put on hold
while he serves in Iraq as a public affairs specialist. Spec. Kurt
Hickman got a reprieve earlier this year after a federal judge in
Washington, D.C., temporarily barred the military from continuing any
anthrax vaccinations. Hickman's penalty was put on hold and he was
reassigned to Camp Atterbury in Indiana, where he once again was
ordered to take the vaccine. He refused, and again was charged with a
refusal to obey a direct order. But, said Ohio National Guard spokesman
James Sims, the
Camp Atterbury commander, Lt. Col. Kenneth D. Newlin
intervened and the charge was dropped. February 19, 2004 - Indiana National Guard Engineering Unit Activated for Duty - An engineering unit from the Indianapolis National Guard is being activated for duty. There are 57 members in the 1413th Engineer Detachment based at Camp Atterbury. Most are from Columbus, Franklin, Seymour, Edinburgh and the Indianapolis area. Military officials would not give the detachment's destination. The unit will provide construction, utilities and electrical power teams for specialized engineering support. Unit members will report to Camp Atterbury the first week of March. Their deployment is scheduled to last one year.- After the recent return from the Persian Gulf the Indiana's national guard 152nd Infantry were honored at a Camp Atterbury ceremony to reward their bravery. Rows of Hoosier Guardsmen in Desert Tan and rows of boxes lined in white and rows of medals in bronze and purple. Awarded by the President of the United States the Bronze Star Medal was presented to 45 members of the 152nd for heroism or achievement in combat. Sgt. Douglas Meadows of Martinsville was in combat with company B when one of the earliest to take critical Baghdad Airport. Sgt. Meadows said, "This award is for them. You don't know how proud I am of that platoon." Five Purple Hearts were awarded for injury in action. "Sgt. John Thompson said, "We drove by a roadside bomb and it hit my vehicle wounding me and my gunner." But fortunately both soldiers survived. Sgt. Thompson said, "It's really hard to get out of your head. Every once in a while you think about it. It will take awhile to get over it." Maureen Welton a soldier's mom said, "Very happy it's over for him and hope it's over soon for everybody else." Sgt. Rathgeber saved the life of a fellow soldier during a missile attack and now wears the Army Commendation Medal only one of four in the 152nd. Sgt. Christopher Rathgeber said, "We were sitting in our tent watching our TV and the next think we knew everything went dark. Me and Jamie were laying on the floor." Both hit by shrapnel from an enemy rocket. His friend was bleeding badly. Sgt. Rathgeber said, "The only thing I could think of doing was grabbing him and pulling him out of the tent." Eventually medics stopped the bleeding. Sgt. Rathgeber said, "An emotional day in my life I kind of wish Jamie were here to see this day." The soldier he is credited with helping save is at Walter Reed Army Hospital recovering. Another member of the unit will also receive the Purple Heart and it will be given to his widow. (David MacAnally/Eyewitness News, Channel 13 Eye Witness News)- Camp has storied history - The 512th from Cincinnati is, by no means, the only unit training now at Camp Atterbury for deployment to Iraq. Dozens of other units from the Midwest - thousands of soldiers - have moved through the sprawling base - 12 miles long by about 7 miles wide - in recent months. They live under corrugated-steel roofs of Quonset-style barracks lining a grid of streets in the north end of the camp, which is about 30 miles south of Indianapolis. Atterbury's roots go back to the early days of World War II, when it was a regular Army base that trained raw draftees for service overseas. Today, Camp Atterbury is operated by the Indiana National Guard. The largest part of the camp is the artillery range, which stretches for miles along the Clifty Creek Valley. One morning last week, about 20 soldiers of the 512th, clad in Kevlar vests and combat helmets, filed out of the day room and into vans to make the 10-mile trip to one of the most remote parts of the base, in the middle of a mortar range where the snow-covered forest floor is pock-marked with bomb craters. There, in a sheet-metal building, they were greeted by their commanding officer, Lt. Col. Mike Ernst, who led them through a pitch-black room into an area with three large projection screens and 20 M16 rifles spread out on the floor. They were just like the standard-issue rifles they will carry in Iraq, except these were connected by cable to a computer room behind them. Each of the soldiers dropped to the floor, grabbed a rifle, and assumed a firing position, as the screens lit up with images of human figures - some armed, some not; some with their hands in the air, others running toward them. "This is a 'shoot-don't shoot' exercise,'' Ernst explained. "It is not unlike the simulated training police officers get. The idea is to know when to shoot and who to shoot at.'' The guns blazed away, the sound of the blanks echoing off the sheet-metal walls, creating the kind of noisy chaos the soldiers would face in a real firefight. "We're engineers,'' Ernst said. "But we're soldiers first. We have to know how to use a weapon.'' Enjoy the food while you can - After the practice session - which the commanding officer proclaimed to be "excellent'' - Ernst rode back to the main base in the back of a van, talking about his unit. "We are going to have to work on 'drive and fire,' said Ernst. "We have to be able to use the heavy machine gun from a moving Humvee. But we can't do that here. We'll have to use those two or three weeks in Kuwait for that." At the noon hour, Ernst, a former Marine and Milford resident, sat down in the Camp Atterbury mess hall with fellow officers, chowing down on meat loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, steamed vegetables - washed down with plenty of chocolate milk. "A lot better than we'll probably get over there,'' Ernst said. Only about a quarter of the long rows of tables in the mess hall were filled with camouflage-clad soldiers. It is large enough to hold 1,000 soldiers at a time. "If you had been here a week ago,'' Ernst said, "every seat in here would have been taken. They're going fast. We won't be around much longer.'' Ernst, his staff officers and the 512th's company commanders are marking their final days on American soil by sending small groups of soldiers out for more training on the unit's principal mission - construction of temporary buildings, roads and bridges. February 25, 2004 - Leader chosen for effort to retain Indiana military bases - Lt. Gov. Kathy Davis will lead the new Indiana Military Base Task Force, which will focus on how to keep the federal government from closing Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, and other state military facilities. Gov. Joe Kernan, who made the announcement this week, met recently with military officials. The Department of Defense is drafting criteria for a round of base closings. The nine-member task force will focus on maximizing the value of the state's facilities and selling the importance of these bases to the federal government. Besides the Crane base in Martin County, Indiana's active, reserve and National Guard bases also include Camp Atterbury in Bartholomew and Johnson counties and Grissom Air Reserve Base in Miami County. Indiana also has facilities in Terre Haute and Fort Wayne. Lawrence is home to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
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Army Campaign
Features Local Soldier,
By:
Chris Hamilton,
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