The July Claw

The Claw

The Last Edition Because We Are Coming Home!

V O LUME 1 , I SSUE 9

The Claw 31 J U LY 2012

A Few Words from
Talon 6
To all family members and friends of Task Force Talon, this will be our last edition of “The
Claw” from Afghanistan. With the exception of the All American Dustoff, who will be heading
home very soon, your Talon Troopers have just completed our 10th month here in Afghanistan. Our
4,173 combat flight hours this month, was our highest ever. Your Talon Troopers continue to make
you proud by providing outstanding aviation support to our brothers and sisters throughout Re-
gional Command East and Capital. Unfortunately, this month we lost another TF Talon Trooper.
SGT Eric Williams, a member of the All American Dustoff, was killed on 22 July 2012 by indirect
enemy fire at FOB Shank. Our hearts and prayers go out to our Heroes’ family members back home.
The TF Talon family was obviously greatly saddened by this event, but remains focused. We con-
tinue to gain strength from each other and from you, our loved ones back home. Task Force Talon
hosted a beautiful Memorial Service for him here at Bagram. Although this has been a challenging
deployment for us all, no one will ever disagree with the fact that TF Talon has been ever present in
this fight. The Talon Family here in Afghanistan, as well as, our FRG and family members back
home, have more than proven our resilience over the course of this year.
The final main body for our Dustoff will depart Bagram early August and arrive back at Ft.
Bragg on soon after. They will be replaced by the MEDEVAC Company from 6-101st Combat Avia-
tion Brigade. The Shadow Dustoff hit the ground running and quickly completed all of their Relief
in Place requirements. I would like to personally welcome all of Shadow Dustoff Soldiers and family
members to the Talon Family.
Although the remaining companies of TF Talon, particularly here at Bagram, are approach-
ing what must be our 200th day of the so called “120 days of wind” season, we will proudly con-
tinue to support our brothers and sisters on the ground until our 17 September 2012 Transfer of
Authority Ceremony. We will continue to do our best to make a difference here, but look forward to
completing our mission and rejoining you. As always, on behalf of all the TF Talon Troopers, I thank
you for your continued love and support. I hope to see many of you soon.
Sincerely,
LTC LANDY D. DUNHAM
TALON 6

,
DAY
OR A
ON F FE!”
“TAL O R LI
ON F
TAL

We surveyed 50 Talons and this is what they said...

Would you rather… Would you rather…
Tell a classroom full of children that Santa isn’t real or Get caught singing in the mirror or spying on your crush?
eat a pizza in front of a group of starving children?

34 16 25 25
said spy
said E ught ing on
said AT said ca crush
PIZZA singing
Santa

Would you rather… Would you rather…
Run your tongue down ten feet of New York City street or Have every single hair on your body plucked one by one or
press your tongue into a stranger’s nostril? every fingernail ripped off?

12 said
38 42 ck
8
said rip
said New tong
ue said plu off
in n o air fingern
York Cit
y stril every h ails
street

Submit your own Would You ING :
WARN
Rather to...
ocking
amber.m.porter@us.army.mil
o ntain shhilarious
estions c re
… and I will put it in the next edition of
These qumeant to inspaiy be nauseat-
The Claw! contentn. Questions m isturbing!
discussio g, bizarre or d
in

T HE C LAW P AGE 4

-My Man!
-I just watched the Hook guys workout, you’re
killin’ me..
-I love them Hooks!
-The ONE, the ONLY..ALL AMERICAN
DUSTOFF!!!
-Billie Jean is not my Lover!

-Hey, Blackhawks can fly in formation!
-My gosh, that sham wow is amazing.
-Wow, that Chinook is awesome!
-What do you mean SPC Bradley is better looking
than me?

-Yes, I fly Blackhawks! Do you have a problem with
that?
-Your kidding me! Flying with Mr. Parsons AGAIN!
-If you guys only knew how bad I wanted a Saint
Pauly’s right now...

-This is my GQ pose.. Wink! ;)
-Damn, I’m good looking..CHEESE!
-You gonna learn today..Alright Alright Alright!
-I can’t wait till tomorrow! Cause everyday I get better
looking1
-As I always say “TALON FOR A DAY, TALON
FOR LIFE..”

T HE C LAW P AGE 5

-That monthly BBQ thing, what ever happened to that?
-Man that Jet Lag is kicking my butt.
-Yes, CPT Dunham is my brother.
-Its July, What do you mean I missed the snowball
fight?!

-JELLO!
-Look at Michael Jackson GO!!
-Yes, I can whistle see…..
-Did you feel that, a smooth landing. I’m one bad
mother lovin’ pilot! Say I’m not..I dare you!

-You do know I’m TALON 6, Right?!
-Are you going to eat that?
-What do you mean we’re cancelled!!?!
-Fly with what, a WO1?! Not today, TALON 6
OUT!!
-Excuse me?! No, I don’t think you understand...I’m
TALON 6!

P AGE 6 V O LUME 1 , I SSUE 9

Holy talon
The end is near! No. Not the end of the world, unless you are following the Mayan calendar. The end
of which I speak is the end of our 12 month deployment. The satisfaction of a job well done is on our
faces. Return home and reunion with our Families will be our reward. In times like these it is appro-
priate to give thanks to God. What am I thankful for?
I am thankful that we have been able to accomplish the mission given to us by our nation. This has
required blood, sweat and tears from all of us, and we have done what was necessary for the sake of
the mission. We are proud of our Soldiers.
I am thankful for my safety and the safety of my fellow Soldiers. We will forever remember those who
have lost their lives here while maintaining thanks for the safety and security of all who remain and
all who will return home.
I am thankful for the relationships we have built with our comrades. These relationships have helped
us get through many challenges while away from our beloved homes and Families. We have been
aided daily by the Soldiers serving on our left and right and the leaders who command us from the
front. The Talon Family has been a way of life for us.
Finally, we could never do what we do apart from the loving support of our Families. They are excep-
tional. I am truly thankful that they have strengthened us throughout this time through words and
deeds. We were constantly reminded that the sacrifice of military service is a burden shared with our
loved ones. They bore that burden with us well.
I’m very thankful to God for these blessings and so much more. I hope you are too. In everything, give
thanks!

CH (CPT) Marlon W. Brown & SGT Nathaniel Began

T HE C LAW P AGE 7

GLADIATORS
The Gladiators have had a few new faces show up to the S-1 (Personnel) shop recently, including SPC
Faison and CPT Ruiz. SPC Faison is from Hinesville, Georgia, and comes to TF Talon by way of the 95 th Civil
Affairs Brigade and the 91st Civil Affairs Battalion, both from Fort Bragg as well. She currently tracks all of Fox
Troop’s personnel records and is preparing their files for redeployment. CPT Ruiz comes to TF Talon from the
18th Fires Brigade at Fort Bragg. She previously served at an enlisted rate in the US Navy aboard an oiler and
with Seabees, was commissioned, and subsequently served aboard the amphibious transport USS Austin and
then transitioned into the Army. Welcome to the Gladiators.
We will soon be headed home, with our lead elements departing in slightly more than two weeks, and
our last elements in just over two months. Each and every section held a high measure of performance through-
out this long year, and I and First Sergeant Awai are proud of each and every member of the Gladiator team.
Our S1 section has done an outstanding job of staying on top of personnel records and awards. S2 and S3 led
the way with maintaining a constant operational picture and feeding information to our aircrews as needed to
complete all 15 missions, every day. Our S4 section has performed with an excellent track record, and S6 has
been ‘winning’ the fight at keeping the portals and share drives alive in the heat. HHC’s supply section has kept
our troops in boots and ink cartridges, and our Orderly Room has been pumping the entire company through
PT tests as well as helping to lead PT. Thanks to our Doc, Chaplain, Safety, and Standardization for their out-
standing work to support the task force during the deployment, our special staff is an outstanding team of offi-
cers and NCOs.
We are looking forward to handing off our mission to the incoming unit, and they have shown a lot of
enthusiasm about maintaining the standard that Talon has set. With our eyes on the prize, we are packing con-
tainers, conducting inspections, and finishing up that last bit of paperwork to get our gear home. Even though
the end is in sight, we will remain vigilant up until the absolute last day to ensure that each Gladiator comes
home safely. Each member of HHC is looking forward to smelling the pine trees in Manas and then putting our
feet down on Green Ramp at Pope AAF. The only thing that can keep us longer is bad weather or Air Force
maintenance!

Gladiator 6

SPC Sandoval Reenlistment
SFC Spigner-James Reenlistment

SPC Wentling Reenlistment

P AGE 8 V O LUME 1 , I SSUE 9

idaho
Alpha Company 1-168 “Idaho” has had an eventful first 2 months. Our pilots have flown a com-
bined total of 1,787 hours averaging about 110 hours per pilot. We have also been fortunate enough
to do multi-ship missions with our CH-47 “Hooks” and UH-60 “Regret” cohorts. All members and
sections of this company have quickly become a part of the Talon Family as evidenced by our main-
tenance section’s integration with D Co 3-82 and some of our fuelers doing a rotation at Methar
Lamb to conduct refuel and rearm operations. The Optempo has been high, and morale has stayed
with it. Every one of my Soldiers is eager to work hard, accomplish the mission, and not just meet,
but exceed the standard. I am fortunate to command such a dedicated company.
It is with bittersweet sentiment that we say “Farewell” to our Talon brothers and sisters. As the
new company coming into this fight, we could not have asked for better leaders and mentors or
Soldiers. Shortly after the Task Force departs theater, the “Hooks” will head home as well and by
the beginning of November, A 168 “Idaho” will be here, carrying on the Talon standard as the sin-
gle thread of continuity. I have no doubt that Task Force Talon will always do great things wher-
ever they go….from North Carolina to Boise, Idaho. Talon for a Day....Talon for Life!

CPT Nicole Smith
“Idaho 06”

An ALL female crew plus LTC Dunham, 25 July 2012.

T HE C LAW P AGE 9

REGRET
Thirteen months ago, to answer the calling of our mission that would follow in Afghanistan we formed Alpha
Company, later recognized by the call sign “Regret.” Since then, we’ve grown into what has been coined, “The Super
Company.” Crew members from all walks of Army Aviation to include 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Cor-
sair, Task Force Atlas, Task Force Saber, Task Force Attack, Headquarters and Headquarters Company and Charlie,
Delta, Echo Companies; Alpha Company, aka. “The Super Company,” has evolved into a 139 member family of 15 air-
craft flooding the battle space with rotary wing support. All of which has been in effort to enable our brothers and sisters
on the ground to succeed in their enduring fight for stability in Regional Command-East, Afghanistan. Their tireless ef-
forts, integrity of work ethic, and relentless pursuit of making the impossible look easy, truly marks them as professionals.
Further, these accomplishments and sacrifices cannot be quantified by flight hours, phases of maintenance or number of
air missions supported. Rather, it may be recognized when a young Captain or a Command Sergeant Major find their
way to Alpha Company’s headquarters simply to shake the hand of a crew chief or pilot in appreciation for an unprece-
dented level of support. When Generals visit our Task Force in search of how it is we achieve what many said wasn’t
possible. When Alpha Company walks into Green Ramp at Pope AFB to be greeted by fellow patriots and loved ones.
These are the criteria by which we draw the will to finish our mission and posture our 101 st brothers for success.
When we speak of professionals, when we recognize the impossible achieved, it is in light of the leadership and
hard work of Troopers like Sergeants’ Riddle and Schlorff. July welcomed the promotions of Jamie Riddle from Specialist
and Michael Schlorff from Corporal to non-commissioned officers at the rank of Sergeant. Further, Sergeant Riddle re-
enlisted to continue his path as a non-commissioned officer. It speaks volumes and inspires many when a Trooper is
willing to volunteer to stay in the Army while deployed and fulfilling his or her combat role. Both Sergeant Riddle and
Sergeant Schlorff are recognizable leaders in Task Force Talon and future leaders in Army Aviation. We congratulate
both them and their families on this joyous occasion.
“Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together.
Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your
entire life, wherever you may go.” ― Sarah Dessen.
July and August resonates a stronger yearning for home than ever before. Alpha Company remains vigilant
with the mission still at hand. From this your unwavering love and support from our “homes” has carried with us over
the past year and will carry us home again.

All the best,
Captain Don Sulpizio
Commander
Regret 06

SGT Schlorff Promotion SGT Riddle Promotion

P AGE 1 0 V O LUME 1 , I SSUE 9

FLIPPERS
Dear Flipper Family and friends,

We are in the final stretch here of the deployment and we have already shipped out our first load of equip-
ment in preparation for our return. We are conducting operations and accomplishing our redeployment tasks
at the same time so everyone is very busy. Because we are busy - it is making the time go very fast. I was
pretty pleased the other day when I asked a few Soldiers how many days they thought we had left - every
one of them said they did not know the exact number but figured it would be around September. It is very
apparent that they are 'not counting the days' but 'making the days count'. I am so very proud of these great
men and women as they each do their part to accomplish our collective mission.

When we arrive home we will go through a re-integration process to ensure we meet all the physical and
emotional needs of our great Warriors. This will take some time as we move back into western culture and
adapt to life in the United States again. Please be patient, as well as vigilant as you reconnect with your Sol-
dier. Unfortunately, combat is a very ugly thing. Though the vast majority will have smooth transition home,
a number of our Soldiers have experienced some very horrific and traumatic events; therefore, they will need
some additional help adjusting to our environment back at Ft. Bragg. Friends and families will have a large
part in ensuring that those who need assistance get it - you know your Soldier better than anyone so please
help us make sure they get the help they deserve.

Thank you all for your never ending support to the Soldiers that make up this great Company. I am certain
that all your thoughts, prayers and care packages have made this a much more tolerable deployment away
from our families, friends and loved ones. We will see you all soon.

Airborne ATW!!!

Flipper 6

T HE C LAW P AGE 1 1

Motor city
muscles
“The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire. “ – Unknown author

Motor City Muscle has reached its six month benchmark for the deployment! Days
are passing quickly due to the operational tempo and busy mission sets. Flight crews
continue to fly numerous hours under dangerous conditions in support of ground
operations in RC-East.
A Big thank you to 1LT Garnett who helped bridge the gap between Bravo 7-158 and
Motor City Muscle as he stayed on the deployment for an additional four months. He
planned all deliberate missions and spent countless hours of his free time ensuring
mission readiness. We wish 1LT Garnett farewell as he redeploys to Honduras. He
was a great addition to the Motor City Muscle and will be missed!
Congratulations to SGT Prether who re-enlisted for another six years! SGT Prether is a 15U Crew Chief for Motor City
Muscle.
Hooks night crews were recognized by CSM Evans for demonstrating outstanding performance. Great job SPC Cham-
bers, SGT Osgood, SSG Webb, SGT Biehn, SGT Crampton and SGT Prether.
SPC Oswalt was selected to receive a coin from COL Jamison. Great Job!

The Motor City Muscles “Mustache Mayhem” was a great success!! There were four categories: Best Overall,
Creepiest, Most Feminine, and Hitler-ist. Well done Motor City Muscle Males!!!

SPC French SGT Zischke SSG Girvin 1LT Garnet
Most Feminine Hitler-ist Best Overall Creepiest


DUSTOFF
Friends and Family of DUSTOFF, our companies little field trip are finally coming to a close and this
will be our final newsletter submission from Afghanistan. Days are starting to roll into one as the
summer fighting season becomes more intense, reminding us of our arrival here last year and signal-
ing that time to go home is fast approaching!! I think I speak for everyone here when I say our bags
are packed and we are ready to hand the keys over to the 101st.
As we are all busy packing and cleaning up in preparation for the “big day”, we have still found time
for one of our favorite things to do during the year here at Bagram, BBQ steaks and burgers. Thanks to
4th PSG SFC Giraud and his amazing ability to acquire the most delicious food from reliable contacts.

During the last few weeks we have had the privilege of
seeing SPC Derk and SPC Vestal join the Noncommis-
sioned Officer Corps, SGT Allen was promoted to Staff
Sergeant, CW3 Narhi receive an Air Medal with Valor,
and our nurses receive Air Medals enroute to their re-
deployment. SGT Allen was promoted to Staff Sergeant
and SPC Derk and SPC Vestal were both promoted to
Sergeant on July 1st. This is one of the most significant
events in any Soldier’s career, and as MAJ Bundy
would say “the reward for hard work is more work,
now get to work”. Congratulations on the promotions.
It has absolutely been an eventful year. Looking back to
the beginning of this deployment, many company
members have moved all over the battlefield to fill vacancies for various reasons. Many company
members have either made a pit stop in Shank or they have pulled duty long enough to understand
the sites oddities: Banana Cat, the Christmas visit from Uncle Eddy , the ump-teen thousand times a
few select people (who shall remain nameless) fell in the snow…or tripped during the long run to the
aircraft during a 9 line, the Unattended ID Card Wall of Shame, Super Mike and the Polish team, Dog
Visits, and The Nandi Cup.
Jalalabad platoon has been the most secretive of all platoons and the only thing we really know about
them is that they workout all day long and fly once in a while. In their recent communication, this is
what JAF platoon wrote:
“Our pilots have been working around the clock getting ready for the upcoming turmoil. They’ve fig-
ured out the flight schedule down to the last duty cycle. The end is near, and they’re the ones that
have planned everything out. The backseaters are irreplaceable aircrew members and then again, that’s
how it usually is. CW2 Schaures has worked all the logistics of getting our containers home and we’ve
begun sending containers back to Fort Bragg to await our arrival. SSG Bostick also “legally attained”
another container to ensure we have enough space to get everything that we need back home.

This month we lost CW2 Nordberg to some other equally important team site, and we received CW2
Adams. I wish I could think of something witty to say, but they’re both such amazing human beings that I
am at a loss for words.

The Crew Chiefs have set the incoming unit up for success. All aircraft are in great condi-
tion and have plenty of replacement parts on hand. The incoming unit has it much easier
than we did one year ago. On top of that, the new unit will be faced with unique challenges in
the future.
SGT Allen was promoted to Staff Sergeant at the same ceremony SSG Bostick reenlisted
indefinitely. I both congratulate and feel immense pride for them.
In closing, I would like to say this year was easy, but it wasn’t. Every single Gypsy's abili-
ties and stress tolerance has been put to the test in combat. We’re exhausted and ready to
come home to our families. We could not have done this deployment without the love and
support of friends and Family back home. Thank you all for the support and love.

And lastly, a little note from our friends at the
most remote location in all of Afghanistan, FOB
Warrior:
“Greeting Families of 1St Platoon. I would like to
entitle this article “Hard Work.” 1st Platoon has
had to do a lot of hard work and overcome many
obstacles due to the areas where we have had to
live and work in. I do not think I can even count
the amount of man hours that each member of the
platoon has put in to making better work areas,
storage areas, or even a place to live. To start
things off when we first arrived at Sharana we
had a big dilemma, not enough space for our duty
crews to have a crew rest area and not fall over
each other. So our Crew Chiefs sprang into action
lead by SGT Chandler and created the Crew Chief
Operations Center which housed not only the Crew Chiefs who were on duty, but their entertainment. Their
accomplishment not only became a place for the Crew Chiefs to live, but the happening spot for all duty
crews to hang out. Our next dilemma was not enough storage space for all of our equipment to be housed
during the winter months, so once again 1st platoon with a few brilliant minds constructed the vehicle altera-
tion garage. This place not only housed all of 1st platoon’s vehicles, tools, equipment, and SSG Burrows’ gym
it was a great warm welcoming area after hours of aircraft maintenance.
After things were going well the decision was made to move to FOB Warrior, which was a FOB ran by the
Polish and had not been maintained for about 5 years. The day that SSG Burrows and SGT Chandler arrived
at FOB Warrior was a day that will live in infamy, or at least it will in our minds. Not only did the 82nd not
have a place for 1st platoon to live, but there were no work or storage areas either. So the 2 men set out to the
task of making the 1st platoon MEDEVAC compound, which at the time was the site of the FOB landfill. I
will never forget the look on MAJ Bundy’s face when he arrived to see our area we would be in-habiting, and
also the look when we were basically finished. They spent many hours clearing and leveling the land, not to
mention the hours spent on building the bases for the tents. Now the FOB Warrior site has everything a Sol-
dier could ask for besides a PX. From the operations building constructed by Mr. Jesse and SGT Mitchell to
the newly constructed Cobra’s Lair Gym for which the equipment was acquired by SSG Burrows and SGT
Stopnik. The entire platoon helped with the construction. Every member of this platoon is appreciated and
thanked for all of the hard work they have done to make this platoon successful this year.”

Lastly, C Co would like to thank everyone for supporting the All-American DUSTOFF’s while deployed for
365 LONG days. It has been a challenging yet rewarding 12 months. See you all soon!!


DARKHORSE
Greetings from Afghanistan Darkhorse Family and
Friends! This past month has been busy, but exciting for the com-
pany. While we are still continually working hard on aircraft, we
have begun to make preparations for our redeployment back to
the States. SFC Garcia and SSG Records have been occupied mak-
ing arrangements to get everything home, while the platoons are
inventorying equipment and starting to pack up containers.

The company completed the SSG Records getting ready to go
Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)
this past month and D Company
learned who our PT studs are. Awe-
some job SFC Monsulick and SGT
Rodriguez on scoring 300 on the
APFT!

While we may not have been
SFC Monsulick’s victory face! able to celebrate 4th of July with
fireworks, going to the beach, or
home cookouts, the Task Force had a little Independence Day
celebration of our own which consisted of a Task Force Dodgeball
Tournament and a barbeque. D Company had an excellent show
of force at the Dodgeball Tournament with the Honeybadgers,
the Young Guns, and the Wolfpack teams. The Honeybadgers
and the Young Guns definitely sported the best uniforms at the
tournament with their specialty made t-shirts. Everyone had fun
and no one got hurt, except for three of the dodgeballs. After the
tournament, we all chowed down on some hot dogs, hamburgers
and bbq ribs. Happy Independence Day from the Darkhorses!

This month we also
said good-bye to SPC Eric
Picarella and SPC Steven The Honeybadgers—poised for
dodgeball battle
Anderson as they headed
back to Bragg to begin the
ETS process. Thanks for all the work you guys did for us
and we wish you the best as you move on from the Army.

SSG Owens and SGT Garris at her promotion


WAR DAWGS
With the heat of summer and Baseball season in full swing, the Wardawgs are ready to close
up the ninth inning of our deployment. With the smell of redeployment in the air, every Wardawg is
ready to start packing their bags and handing over the mission to the next unit, while safely executing
today’s mission. Echo Company also started preparing for redeployment by inventorying our equip-
ment, packing containers, and moving cargo ready for departure.
The Wardawg Ground Maintenance Team did an excellent job in repairing equipment, prepar-
ing equipment for reset, and prepping for redeployment to home base Fort Bragg. The maintenance
team have repaired three 350 pumps at two Forwarding Operating Bases in order to keep our Talon
aircraft in the fight. Echo Company showed true motivation and determination by engaging the reset
target and stayed on top of it, finishing ahead of schedule for the battalion.
Our Wardawg Distro Platoon had another great month filled with accolades that brought both
great credit and distinction to the Wardawg family. PFC Cody Bradshaw received a long awaited pro-
motion to SPC (See picture below). SGT Michael Wagner proudly represented Task Force Talon and
Echo Co at the Brigade Trooper of the Quarter Board; although he did not get the victory, the Distro
family is still proud of the effort that he put forth living up to the motto, “Pumpin’ Ain’t Easy ". The
FOBs are busy as always with daily refueling and rearming operations and preparing for redeploy-
ment. Congratulations to SPC Dennis Jones for standing out among his peers and receiving the honor
of Trooper of the Month. An honorable mention also goes to SPC Jamario Roberson for a second place
finish. This accomplishment extends an outstanding streak of the Distro platoon producing a winner
at every Task Force board attended for Fiscal Year 2012.
As another month passes, each and every Wardawg is so thankfully for the love and support
that we have received from our loved ones back home. We all look forward to the day when we will
be back home at Ft. Bragg and the time off work in which will be spent with those that are closest to
us. Talon for a day, Talon for life! WARDAWGS!!


BLACKHORSE
Fox Troop Team,
I would like to start by saying what an honor and privilege it is to be given the opportunity to stand
before this great Troop. Although I am new to the Troop I am no stranger to the CAB or 1-17. After
being in this unit for over 5 years it was great to come back and see some familiar faces and get to
know those who have since been added.
I look forward to meeting all of you once we return home; let the countdown begin!
Congratulations to CW2 Fagan who just became an AH Pilot-in-Command! The Troop’s mechanical
surgeons (CREW CHIEFS) have truly gone above and beyond this month, completing engine services
and maintenance that is beyond our typical scope of work. Their diligence and hard work is what
keeps us flying and what allows us to consistently support theses ground commanders.
There is no doubt that the end is around the corner. As we close out this tour, both First Sergeant and I
would like to thank everyone who has supported the Troop through this challenging deployment.
Without each and every one of you this Troop would not have been able to stand as tall or strive as
far. We owe you all a great deal of gratitude and many thanks.
Everyone here is extremely excited to be going back to the good Ol’ Pine Tree Paradise we call Fort
Bragg and are ready to be home with all of you!!!

SCOUT/ATTACK!
CPT Mallicoat
Blackhorse 6


TALONS OF THE MONTH
SPC Ramos, Gloritsi
Company/MOS: HHC/92Y
Hometown: Dorado, Puerto Rico

Q: What do you do on your free time?
A: Skype with the husband and exercise
Q: What do you want to achieve in your
MOS this deployment?
A: Become and NCO..almost there!
Q: Goals for this deployment?
A: I successfully lost all my baby weight
Q: What do you miss most about home?
A: My two children and husband

SGT Farris, Matthew
Company/MOS: A 1-168/ 15T
Hometown: Boise, Idaho

A: #1 Eat #2 Sleep..those are the most
important things to me
A: Be more high speed in maintenance. I
want to be the go to guy
A: Get in good enough shape to compete
in a triathlon and reach level 50 in Call of
Duty.
A: I miss real spaghetti


SGT McGrath, Timothy
Company/MOS: A 3-82/ 15T
Hometown: Seoul, Korea

Q: What do you do on your free
time?
A: I play the video game Ape Escape
(You catch escaped apes with differ-
ent capturing tools)
Q: What do you want to achieve in
your MOS this deployment?
A: Reach 1000 flight hours
A: Obtain promotable status
Q: What do you miss most about
home?
A: Being able to eat when I want
when I want

PFC Allison, Cecilia
Company/MOS: B 3-238/ 92Y
Hometown: Livonia, Michigan

A: Read novels
A: Become more technically proficient in
my MOS
A: Save money to go to college
A: Driving my own car and listening to
music


SPC Alvaro Arzuza
Company/MOS: B 3-82/
Hometown: Yauco, Puerto Rico

A: Read, watch movies, spend time
with the family
A: Become a Flight Engineer
A: Fullfill my mission at the best of
my skills
home?
A: My wife, my son and my house

SSG McGrath, Michael
Company/MOS: C 3-82/ 15P
Hometown: Waynesville, Missouri

A: Smoke cigars
A: I have 5 days left here so..make it
home!
A: My goal was to get promoted and I
did!
A: We adopted a little boy (Collin) who
is now two months old, two months
ago. I haven’t met him, but I miss him.


SPC Anderson, Michael
Company/MOS: D 3-82/ 15F
Hometown: Miami, Florida

A: Help my buddy study for the Soldier of
the Month board and workout
A: Gain general knowledge on avionics and
components of the aircraft
A: Continue training with my secondary
MOS and help my battle buddies study
A: My wife and 2 year old son

SGT Warren, James
Company/MOS: E 3-82/91C
Hometown: Bronx, New York

A: Work out and play video games
A: I transitioned into the 91B world, so I
want to continue learning the ins and outs
of this MOS.
A: One goal was to get promoted, which
I did, and the other is to increase my
physical fitness.
A: My 46” TV and the freedom of driv-
ing my car


SPC Michael, Cameron
Company/MOS: F 1-17/15R
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Q: What do you do on your free
time?
A: SLEEP!
A: Learn as much as I can about the
aircraft
A: Get a 300 on my PT test
home?
A: Papa Johns Pizza!

SGT Eric Williams was born in California on the 5TH of Septem-
ber 1984. He entered military service on the 19TH of April 2007 to serve
the United States Army as a Combat Medic.

Upon completion of Basic Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he
attended AIT at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He became an Army Medic in
December 2007 and was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters
Company 1ST Battalion, 6TH Infantry Division, in Germany. Less than six
months after SGT Williams arrived in Germany, he was deployed to Iraq,
where he did a 14-month tour in support of Operation IRAQI FREE-
DOM, as a Combat Medic. Upon redeployment, he was reassigned to
Fort Sill, Oklahoma. While at Fort Sill, SGT Williams served as a Health
Care Specialist at USA MEDDAC. After serving16 months at Fort Sill,
SGT Williams was reassigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he
joined the All-American DUSTOFF in March of 2011.

His military schools include the Combat Casualty Course, the
Emergency Med-tech Ambulance Course and the Flight Medic Course.

SGT Williams’ decorations include the Air Medal, Army Com-
mendation Medal W/Valor and 2OLCs, Army Achievement Medal, Army
Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan
Campaign Medal W/Bronze Service Star, Iraqi Campaign Medal
W/Bronze Service Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army
Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon W/Numeral 2, NATO Medal
and Combat Medical Badge.

SGT Williams is survived by wife, Wendi and parents Bruce and
Janet Williams.

Weeke
nd s!

hol
A lco

Drivin
g

ear
to h y-
ving er
N o t ha e off ev Playing
Bask
ak
J ets t day! with Fri etball
ends

My familie Chees
ers s Fries e
Sh ort Pi smiling fac ..YUM
es

Fam
ily
me Tim
l ity ti fe.. Seafoo e
Qua e wi d
th
with EY!
H

TALON FOR A DAY
You can kiss your Family and friends good-
bye and put miles between you, but at the
same time you carry them with you in your
heart, your mind, your stomach, because you
do not just live in a world but a world lives in
you. ~Frederick Buechner

Our address is still the same:

LAST NAME, FIRST
TF TALON, C/O
BAGRAM, AFGHANISTAN
APO, AE 09354

Thank You for all the support throughout the de-
ployment from our beloved family and friends. We
are happy to be on our way home back to our loved
ones.

SPC Porter, Amber
TF Talon PAO
amber.m.porter@us.army.mil

TALON FOR LIFE!

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