posted by 147 FA on Oct 14
As the fall season begins in South Dakota, the temperature in Kuwait begins to fall. For some back home hearing a high of 107 degrees may seem hot, but it is a relief for the Soldiers here. The days are now comfortable to work in and the evenings are starting to feel cool. Some Soldiers are finding the cooler weather an opportunity to get outside to enjoy a jog. A few have used the change to participate in some local MWR 5K runs. SPC Murray and LT Stokes are prepping for the army 10 mile race happening in October. Running is not the only activity our Soldiers have found time to do. We have had Soldiers finding time to play some softball, basketball, weight lifting competitions, body building competitions and enjoying a Mark Chestnut concert or a comedian show. The Soldiers are finding many ways to spend their after duty hours to better themselves both physically and mentally.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by 147 FA on Oct 13
The MWR staff hosted a Kuwait Cultural event on the evening of Sunday August 30, 2009. The Hosts and Hostesses were dressed in Kuwaiti attire, creating an atmosphere of the Middle East. With music, décor and large tent, the mood was set for the cultural festivities to begin.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by 147 FA on Oct 12
We are collecting donations of toys to hand out at a local orphanage over the Christmas season. We are looking for new or lightly used toys (please—no junk or happy meal toys) that our soldiers can give out to brighten the holiday season for kids who otherwise go generally unnoticed.
You can mail the items to your service member, or directly to the chaplain’s office. Just about anything is fine; stuffed animals, action figures, coloring books and crayons, whatever. Please do try to stay away from overtly religious or seasonal things. While our intentions may be honorable, we must be sensitive to the culture of the host nation in these type endeavors.
Thank you!
Chaplain Tom Tedmon
posted by 147 FA on Oct 11
Someone once said that “Love is like a booger…you keep picking at it until you get it, then you wonder what to do with it.†But in order to know what to do with it, you have to know what it is. That may start by first understanding what love is not.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by 147 FA on Oct 9
Greetings HHB,
It’s been a busy month for all of us in the unit. We recently sent out our first group of Soldiers on R & R. There were lots of smiling faces as we dropped them off at the R & R LSA. AND THEN, lots of long faces as they arrived back to the desert, the heat and the reality that they were back. It was a wonderful experience for everyone though, but especially for two of the Soldiers who went home to see their new babies that had arrived just days before their scheduled R & R flight. Congratulations to SGT Pohlen and SPC Ramberg. Eight more groups of R & R to follow.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by 147 FA on Oct 8
On the evening of September, eleventh 2009 Kuwait Naval Base held an evening ceremony in recognition and remembrance of the victims who sacrificed their lives during the 9/11 attacks on our country. The somber event took place on camp grounds between the post office and dining facility. All Military members in attendance were dressed in their respective branch uniforms. The solemn event was well planned and executed with reverence. The Master of Ceremonies, Chaplain, Readers, Singer, Flag bearers, and those involved with flag retirement preformed their duties flawlessly.
During the flag retirement ceremony Military members witnessed a remarkable event that is not frequently experienced. Cutting the American flag, separating its colored fields and the culmination of burning it resulted in a personal experience for all. As each colored field was cut from the flag, a meaningful message was delivered about what it represented. The three colored fields red, white and blue were held high for all to see and placed in a fire. After the flag cutting ceremony other flags were brought forward to be properly retired.
Story and Photos by SSG Aadland
posted by 147 FA on Oct 7
Hello everyone.
It’s hard to believe we are only a few weeks from hitting the half-way mark on our one year deployment. As things have settled down we have become more familiar with our duties on KNB and Camp Patriot. The days and weeks blur into your memory and before you know it another month has passed.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by 147 FA on Oct 6
1/147 FA published their October 2009 newsletter. Click on the link below to download the pdf of the newsletter.
1-147 FA BN Kuwait Newsletter October 2009
posted by 147 FA on Oct 5
Greetings from South West Asia,
It is hard to believe another month has passed already since our last newsletter as I had mentioned keeping busy has really helped the time pass quickly. Speaking of busy this will put the work our soldiers are doing in perspective. As you know we have a huge security mission covering two critical facilities in our area of responsibility. Part of keeping those facilities safe involves individual searches of civilian workers, contractors, and military personnel as they enter and exit our facilities. The numbers of personnel that our soldiers search is mind boggling. Since we have taken over this mission our soldiers have searched roughly the equivalent of the population of Sioux Falls! Think of that – how long would it take to search every man, woman and child in the city of Sioux Falls that would be a daunting task. For the soldiers of the 147th it’s just another day at the office.
Read the rest of this entry »
posted by 147 FA on Oct 4
Two new members of the HHB NCO Corps, SPC Wade Anderson and SPC Joshua Fields, were recently promoted to Sergeant during a unit formation. SGT Anderson serves as a Team Leader for the Area Reaction Force (ARF) platoon and SGT Fields is the unit Armorer. Presenting these new NCOs their stripes are CPT Sprecher and SSG Brandon Wolf.
SSG Shawn Bastian was recently promoted to Sergeant First Class during a ceremony in Kuwait. SFC Bastian serves as a Supply NCO in the BN S-4 Supply Section. SFC Bastian also serves as the Unit Movement Officer (UMO), organizing the transportation of all the unit’s equipment into and out of theater. SFC Bastian was pinned with his new rank by CPT Sprecher, CPT Nathan Moore and MSG Lathe Ragels.
