Photo By Sgt. Maj. Nathan Hoskins | Traverse City, Mich., native Col. Dan Shanahan, commander of the 1st Air Cavalry...... read more read more
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By Spc. Nathan Hoskins
1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – For most of the Soldiers in the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade (ACB) "Warriors," 1st Cavalry Division, their tour has now lasted a little more than 10 months. But for others, it has only just begun.
New Warriors who arrive at Camp Taji will, within a month, attend a newcomers' brief with Traverse City, Mich., native, Col. Dan Shanahan, commander of 1st ACB, and Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Spiva, the senior non-commissioned officer of the brigade, who hails from Sutter Creek, Calif.
The briefing is a welcome of sorts to the new Soldiers, most of who have never deployed before. It also gives them an orientation to the forward operating base they will call home for the next several months and introduces them to their brigade commander and command sergeant major, said Spiva.
The briefing is a definite help when you don't even know who the brigade commander or command sergeant major is, said newcomer Pvt. Matthew Brockie, an all-wheel mechanic for Headquarters Support Company, 615th Aviation Support Battalion.
During the briefing, Shanahan gives his thoughts on the troopers' contributions to the effort to provide security and stability to the people of Iraq, after which he talks about the 1st Cavalry and Warrior Brigade's history, said Spiva.
"It was very informative. It got me up to date on 1st Cav. and how important we are here. It (also) let me know a lot of things about (Taji)," said Brockie who hails from Detroit.
Spiva stresses the importance of staying disciplined in everything they do – no matter what.
"Discipline is the foundation for everything you do. From getting up and getting dressed to writing code, there's a discipline involved in everything. Without discipline you don't have a good operating Army," said Spiva.
Many Soldiers who attend come from their advanced individual training to Fort Hood, Texas, for a short period of time and then are sent straight to Iraq, Spiva said.
"(The briefing) kind of lets them see a bigger picture other than the little reality they've been exposed to up to now," he said.
This was exactly the case for Grand Rapids, Mich., native Pvt. Ashley Page, a food service specialist for Company E, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment.
"This briefing made me feel a little bit more acclimated with the policies and I understand our chain of command now," said Page, a first time deployed Soldier.
Along with hearing from the brigade leadership, the Soldiers also get to watch a short video encompassing life on their installation and the Warrior Brigade's mission in Iraq.
"It's kind of a minute and half snapshot of what the Air Cavalry Brigade does on a daily basis – helicopters flying, shooting things, blowing things up, folks working and doing their day-to-day jobs. Some of those Soldiers will never see that stuff occurring based on their jobs," said Spiva.
Despite the heckling that many of the new arrivals have to put up with for not having spent the entire deployment in Iraq, they are a welcome addition to the team, said Spiva.
"(The newcomers) bring a fresh outlook on things. They're not worn down and tired like some of our Soldiers are getting," he said. "We've been going at this for 10 plus months now and it takes its toll on you, physically and mentally."
As for the heckling, well, Spiva says it has a bit of historical value to it.
"Everybody is going to be called the new guy or the rookie. That's just the ways it's always been wherever you go whatever you're doing. From baseball teams to football teams to our military, there's always a label for the new guy," he said.
"I've been in the Army for almost 27 years and if I just came over here I would be the new guy. That's just how it is," said Spiva.
Regardless of rank or position, all Soldiers attend the briefing so they are more aware of their surroundings and of the importance of their work, said Spiva.
Page takes her new temporary home as a challenge and an experience to be remembered, she said.
"You see a whole other part of the world and you're doing something for our country that most people don't get the chance to do," said Page. "I definitely feel like I can contribute – it's my job."
| Date Taken: | 08.17.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2007 07:55 |
| Story ID: | 11862 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 227 |
| Downloads: | 200 |
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