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Following is from the first issue of the 204th FRG newsletter. you might like to read the letters from LTC Tostrud (Commander of the 204th) and from Linda Heussner (204th Battalion FRG leader).
Dear Family and Friends of the Roughriders,
Greetings from Iraq. Your husbands, wives, sons, daughters and loved ones are doing a magnificent job supporting the 2d Brigade Contact Team. Each day they amaze me with their dedication, commitment and hard work. Their selfless service to our nation is what helps keep the United States of America strong. None of us could accomplish these amazing feats though without the support and love from all of you back home. You are all truly the unsung heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Today, Sunday, 28 September the battalion sent its first group of nine soldiers on mid-tour leave to Camp Anaconda. They are scheduled to depart Iraq on 30 September. They will have 15 days of leave that will start the day after they arrive at BWI, Maryland or Frankfurt, Germany and end the day they return to the airport for embarkation. As you can imagine they are all excited to visit with family and friends. The leave program is an expensive undertaking and is designed for soldiers to take advantage during their fourth through tenth month of deployment. The 2d Brigade Combat Team is in its sixth month of deployment and will only be able to take advantage of the mid-tour leave program for the next four to five months. This means only approximately 60% of the battalion will be afforded the opportunity to take mid-tour leave. A! s we receive our seat allocations we will send information back to CPT Mike Martin, the 204 FSB Rear Detachment Commander as to who is scheduled to fly.
We also opened the new Roughrider Saloon today. It's our new MWR facility and internet cafe. Soldiers from the battalion, lead by 1LT Chao from the 1982 Forward Surgical Team built an outstanding facility that will help soldiers relax during their time off and also to communicate with their families and loved ones via internet. The facility has a large screen TV, three Playstations, a pool table and two ping pong tables. We are still working to obtain a few more computers for the facility but there are enough computers to go around for all to use.
On Saturday, 27 September approximately 30 soldiers from the battalion participated in Operation Pencil Box. The battalion was partnered with a local school and worked with the school leaders, students and parents to prepare the school for upcoming school year. Much of the work was contracted out but soldiers still had to help clean the school, deliver new desks, coordinate for the delivery of new playground equipment, and provide quality control inspections for the contractors. It was a very rewarding experience for all who participated. We will continue to visit our school on a routine basis to continue to foster a relationship with the Iraqi people. The battalion will also continue to work with the Diyala Province fire stations to purchase new uniforms, fire fighting equipment, repair fire stations and fire trucks. We also plan to start on! our next project of coordinating with the local World Food Program Chapter to make sure needed supplies are being delivered to the Iraqi people.
We are continuing to press force protection issues across the battalion and division. We recently received some small arms protective inserts (SAPI) for our outer-tactical vests. This "body armor" is new to the Army and has done an incredible job protecting soldiers. The SAPI plates slide into the outer tactical vests and rated to stop bullet calibers used by non-compliant forces in Iraq. While not everyone has received the SAPI plates due to their limited supply we pass them around to make sure personnel leaving Camp Warhorse with a convoy have them. In addition, we have placed sand bags throughout our vehicles to absorb blasts in the event of an improvised explosive device (IED). This is an age old technique used for decades but is very effective in keeping our soldiers safe. Everyday we look for better means ! to increase our force protection.
This week CPT Richard Marzan will give up command of Charlie Forward Support Company supporting Task Force 3-67 to Captain Jennifer Hafey. Best of luck to CPT Marzan, his wife Rosanna and daughter Ana. Thank you for your service to our great nation. Gods speed and best of luck in all your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
LTC Doug Tostrud
Roughrider 6
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