2BSTB Newsletter

1. 2ND BRIGADE SPECIAL
TROOPS BATTALION,
2ND BRIGADE
COMBAT TEAM,
10TH MTN DIV
(LIGHT INFANTRY)
BATTALION NEWS 21 NOV 2011
Helpful Phone Headquarters, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion
Numbers: 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry)
 HHC Company Commander
CPT McCall
10120 North Riva Ridge Loop
HHC Company 1SG Fort Drum NY 13602
1SG Ward
772-4509
 A. Company Commander 20 November 2011
CPT Boyles
Alpha Company 1SG
1SG Volz Letter to the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion Family and Friends:
772-7410
 B. Company Commander
CPT Keay It is almost Thanksgiving and there hasn‘t been any snow accumulation yet in the North Country;
Bravo Company 1SG
1SG Pasol that in itself is something to be thankful for. With Thanksgiving just a couple days away and the
772-7412 holidays quickly approaching it is a great time of year to reconnect with families and friends but it
 C. Company Commander Highlander Family,
can also be a challenging time for some. Please focus on the positive, keep in mind what we have
CPT Remillard
Charlie Company 1SG to be thankful for and to reach out to those less fortunate than ourselves. Consider donating to the
SFC Gruby
772-7429 Mountain of Toys or volunteering at a local food pantry. If you find yourself in need of assistance
 HHC BDE Company Sincerely,
either emotional or financially do not turn inward but rather turn to your leaders for guidance or
Commander
CPT Freeburg
help. 2BSTB has an outstanding Chaplain Team as well as Military Family Life Consultants and
HHC BDE Company 1SG access Ruddie Ibanez
to other resources available free of charge.
1SG Perio Captain, Field Artillery
772-2492
 Battalion Staff Duty: Company Commander
Congratulations to the Bravo Company SIGINT Platoon for winning the Best Gladiator Platoon
772-5100
 Brigade Staff Duty:
Competition. This great team building event tested the readiness of our platoons and showcased
774-2199 the capabilities of our Soldiers such as PFC Kizis (B/2BSTB) who had the highest PT score and
 FRSA: SPC Hambley (HHC/2BSTB) who shot a perfect 40 out of 40 at the range.
Decima Chiasson
772-9166
We have some key transitions in the Battalion this month. We will be losing the XO - MAJ Ward-
robe, S4 - CPT Gerrity, the Doc - CPT Schultz, and our CSM - MSG Shipman. Thank you to all of
Who’s Who
you for your dedication and hard work you have given to this Battalion. Each one of you has made
In the
FRG
tremendous contributions and you will be missed. We are fortunate to be welcoming CSM Andre
Saint-Val, MAJ Leonard as the new Battalion XO, and CPT Robles as the new S4 - welcome to the
Advisor Gladiator Team.
Amy Cox
HHC FRG Leaders Thanks to all who donated items for the Thanksgiving dinner that we are hosting for our single Sol-
Lori Bogutskie
diers not going home and thank you to everyone that is spending time to come in and serve. This
Alpha FRG Leaders
Kim Boyles was a phenomenal event last year and I am sure that this year‘s event will be just as successful.
Bravo FRG Leaders
Stephanie Burke Looking ahead we will continue to prepare for winter and conduct a simulation exercise in Decem-
Jennifer Limerick ber. Each one of the companies is hosting a holiday party so watch for details on the locations,
Charlie FRG Leader dates, and times. Block leave is December 16 to January 6. Please have a very safe and happy
Teri Remillard Holiday Season.
HHC 2BCT FRG
Leader As always thank you to all the Family members for your steadfast support of our Soldiers, your
Sarah Freeburg dedication is appreciated!
You can make a
difference in your
FRG! Strength and Honor!
Call your FRG Leader
to volunteer or for
more information.
Please let the FRG RHETT R. COX
know if you have LTC, MI
moved or changed
Commanding
phone numbers so we
can keep our
records up to date!
Thank You!

2. Page 2 BRAVO COMPANY
21 Nov 2011
To the Badgers and their family,
Another great week of progressive training has passed for Badger Company. Last week, the Best Platoon Competition
was a great assessment of the hard work your Soldiers put out for the past several months. The Battalion led Best
Platoon Competition consisted of an APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) followed by a layout of what the Soldiers would
need for the day. From there the Platoon‘s started their 7 mile ruck march with graded tasks along the way that
consisted of a Communications lane, vehicle PMCS lane, IED Awareness lane, Evaluate a Casualty/Conduct 9 line
MEDVAC lane and Pashtu Language Evaluation lane. The ruck march ended at Range 8 where they qualified on M4‘s
and finished the competition with a Gladiator history exam. I am extremely proud to say that the SIGINT Platoon took
first place. Additionally, there was a 3x way tie for second place that included two of the remaining Bravo Platoons
(TUAS and ISR). The company as a whole did an outstanding job and it was a good bench mark competition that
showed the metrics of all the hard work each and every Soldier has been contributing within this formation. I am
constantly preaching to Soldiers to be proud of their accomplishments, but not satisfied because if they are then they
accept where they‘re at and stop growing. But, I was extremely satisfied with the results of the Battalion competition.
Even though I get to see how hard the majority of these Soldiers work it‘s good to see it recognized across the Battalion
formation.
I would also like to thank Mrs. Phaneuf for her time and effort towards our Turkey lunch after
the competition. We purchased 2x Turkey‘s and Mr. Ellis and Mr. Phaneuf brought in their
deep fryers. All the sides were cooked by Mrs. Phaneuf.
This week we are having a short week for the Thanksgiving holiday. Beyond the day to day
training we will be having a turkey bowl (ultimate football game) within the Company and the
DFAC will be having there thanksgiving meal for the Soldiers (served by the leadership, to
include myself). Additionally, our Battalion will be doing an internal thanksgiving meal on the
24th for those Soldiers that aren‘t headed home or to a friend‘s house for the holidays.
After the long weekend we will have a multitude of training that we will be focusing on. ISR
will have Soldiers at the Geospatial Production Course at the Washington Naval Yard, the
ISR Synchronization course at FT Huachuca and a Trojan mobile training team here at the
brigade SCIF. SIGINIT will be in Utah conducting their 2X week LLVI course. HUMINT will
be at the virtual battlefield simulator here on post and the rest of us (HQ/IEW) will be conducting preparation for COM-
MANDO SUMMIT, the Brigade‘s CPX (Command Post Exercise) event 28NOV-9DEC.
The next Company/family event will be a Christmas party on the evening of 15DEC. I am looking forward to a great
Company level event just prior to block leave that our FRG has already put a lot of work into.
It has truly been a great month of training and the Platoons continue to progress. I am pleased with where we are at
and I look forward for what is to come.
Until next write up
V/R
CPT Barclay Keay
Commander
B Co/2 BSTB
Noteworthy Soldier accomplishments
-SFC Burris is 38 and achieved a 296 on his APFT at the Best Platoon Competition
-SPC Kizis achieved a 297 on his APFT at the Best Platoon Competition
-SPC Devera donated the most money out of the Company to the CFC ($480).
-Stephanie Burke (1LT Burke‘s wife) contributed a ham, cider and soda to the Battalion Thanksgiving meal.
-Jen Limerick (Mr. Limerick‘s wife) donated a turkey to the Battalion Thanksgiving Day.
-SSG Lucas Da Silva got selected to attend WOC (Warrant Officer Candidate School).

3. CHARLIE COMPANY Page 3
20 Nov 2011
Greetings Cobra Families and Friends,
I hope this newsletter finds you healthy, happy and looking forward to the upcoming holiday season. As for your
Soldiers, I hope you get to enjoy the some time with them this Thanksgiving weekend. A vast majority of the Soldiers
are leaving the area to be with families and friends, and the few that stay behind will be able to enjoy some fun and food
in the Fort Drum and Watertown area. The Battalion is again holding a Single Soldier Thanksgiving Meal in the
Battalion classroom. Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and money to assist the Company in the
preparation and execution of our part in this event.
As for the future, the Company expects to execute one more training exercise prior to block leave. The exercise will
test once again our ability to set up the Brigade‘s digital network in support of a Brigade wide command post exercise.
So, for the next couple weeks you can expect some long hours ending on December 9 th.
I look forward to seeing you all at our Holiday Party at the Watertown Ice Arena on December 15 th.
Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication,
FRANK D. REMILLARD
CPT, SC
Commanding
ALPHA COMPANY
21 Nov 2011
Dear Sapper Families and Friends,
After several months of intense training the company was finally rewarded with some downtime this month, as the
Battalion conducted recovery operations following the Brigade field training exercise (FTX). The company represented
itself well during the FTX and as a result several Soldiers were awarded the Army Achievement Medal for their
outstanding contributions. It is great to be able to recognize excellence within our formation.
Although the company did not go to the field this month there was still plenty to accomplish. NCO‘s from 1 st Platoon
assisted MPs from Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) during their urban breaching demolitions range,
training them on basic demolitions and ensuring the safety of all Soldiers on the range. Additionally, both Sapper
Platoons competed in the battalion‘s first Gladiator STX Platoon Competition and displayed great motivation and focus
throughout. We will close out the month with mine detection training, providing our Sappers with valuable skills
necessary to perform their wartime mission.
This month has also been a great month for promotions as six Soldiers were promoted to PFC and SGT Brandon
Wolsett received his promotion to the grade of E-5. Finally, I would like to say congratulations to SSG Ariel Martinez
and his wife Amber on the birth of their baby boy Lorenzo Antonio.
I wish everyone a great Thanksgiving Holiday. Be safe and until next time, Mountain Sappers!
CHESTER D. BOYLES
CPT, EN
Commanding

4. HHC BRIGADE COMPANY
21 Nov 2011 Page 4
HHC/2BCT Soldiers and Families,
I hope everyone gets to have a relaxing Thanksgiving with family and friends. I want to thank everyone who donated
items and is helping make the single Soldiers‘ Thanksgiving meal a success. This is an annual event that afforded the
single barracks Soldiers across 2nd BSTB, including HHC/2BCT, the opportunity to have a home cooked Thanksgiving
dinner.
The end of November will see the BCT conducting Commando Summit. This is a Command Post Exercise in which the
BCT and all Battalion staffs will face scenarios much like they would in Afghanistan. As we head towards December,
the main event the FRG has planned will be a Christmas party on December 8th that we‘ll hold at the Adirondack
Community Center here on post. There will be gift card giveaways, kids‘ games and appetizers. For more information
on this event please feel free to contact my wife or I. That‘s it for now. Happy Holidays!
V/R,
MATTHEW W. FREEBURG
CPT, AD
Commanding
HHC 2BSTB
HHC/2BCT
21 Nov 2011
Happy Thanksgiving to Avenger friends and family! I hope you're enjoying this holiday season
and getting ready for a well-earned block leave in December.
It's been a busy month for the Avengers, conducting a wide variety of training across the
company. The CBRNE Platoon conducted gas mask training, providing extremely effective
and necessary training on the use of CBRN equipment. As a culminating event, Soldiers wear
their mask into a chamber filled with tear gas.
The Military Police Platoon conduct several ranges this month-including two days of
demolition training, three days of close quarters marksmanship and a platoon competition. For
the demolition training, the MP Platoon borrowed several instructors from Alpha Company.
The training involved various ways to use explosives to enter a building, and was extremely
effective. The Military Police Platoon also conducted three days of close quarters
marksmanship instruction. Each Soldier fired almost 700 rounds throughout the training. In
addition, Soldiers participated in training on room clearing at night utilizing the shoot-house
next door to the range, and an urban assault course. On November 18th, the Military Police
platoon also participated in the battalion's Best Platoon competition, and placed second. This event involved a wide
variety of events, including communications tasks, vehicle maintenance, and rifle marksmanship.
The Maintenance Platoon continues to work hard to take care of the battalion's equipment. Their efforts help ensure
the Battalion's vehicle and weapons are always available when needed.
In the next few weeks, the Company will prepare for block leave and recover from the training density of the last few
weeks. This is a good time to spend time with family and prepare for the holidays. I hope you enjoy this time with
family and find time to rest.
Very Respectfully,
CPT McCall
CPT, LG
Commanding

5. A Word from the Chaplain
21 Nov 2011 Page 5
2BSTB Families,
The Thanksgiving Message this year comes from a woman that I admire very much—Bonnie Parkin. Have a
blessed Thanksgiving! –Chaplain James Willis
Gratitude: A Path to Happiness
BONNIE D. PARKIN
Gratitude is a Spirit-filled principle. It opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of
a living God.
Blessing Basket
Let me share a sweet story with you. A family was going through a difficult time. It was hard for
them not to focus on their challenges. The mother wrote: ―Our world had completely crumpled, so
we turned to Heavenly Father for guidance. Almost immediately we realized that we were
surrounded by goodness and were being cheered on from every side. We began as a family to
express our gratitude to each other as well as to the Lord daily. A close friend pointed out to me that
our family‘s ‗blessing basket‘ was overflowing. From that conversation came a sort of game, which
my children and I grew to love. Before family prayer each night we would talk about how our day
had gone and then share with each other all of the many blessings that had been added to our
‗blessing basket.‘ The more we expressed gratitude, the more there was to be grateful for. We felt
the love of the Lord in a significant way as opportunities for growth presented themselves.‖
What would a ―blessing basket‖ add to your family?
A Spirit-Filled Principle
Gratitude requires awareness and effort, not only to feel it but to express it. Frequently we are
oblivious to the Lord‘s hand. We murmur, complain, resist, criticize; so often we are not grateful . . .
The Lord counsels us not to murmur because it is then difficult for the Spirit to work with us.
Gratitude is a Spirit-filled principle. It opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of
a living God. Through it, we become spiritually aware of the wonder of the smallest things, which
gladden our hearts with their messages of God‘s love. This grateful awareness heightens our
sensitivity to divine direction. When we communicate gratitude, we can be filled with the Spirit and
connected to those around us and the Lord. Gratitude inspires happiness and carries divine
influence . . .
Mercies and blessings come in different forms—sometimes as hard things . . . good things, difficult
things—not just some things. He has commanded us to be grateful because He knows being
grateful will make us happy. This is another evidence of His love.
How do you feel when someone expresses gratitude to you? One Sunday I sat next to a sister and
got to know her a little better. A few days later I received an e-mail: ―Thank you for sitting next to my
daughter. You put your arm around her. You will never know how much that meant to her and to
me.‖ This mother‘s words surprised me and brought me happiness.

6. A Word from the Chaplain Continued
How do you feel when you express gratitude to another? I‘d like to express Page 6
gratitude to someone who cares about my grandchildren. A few months ago, while
visiting in Texas, I asked six-year-old Thomas to tell me about his pastor. He said, ―Oh,
Grandmother, you will know him. He wears a dark suit, a white shirt like Papa, and he has shiny
shoes and a red tie. He wears glasses and always has a smile.‖ I recognized Thomas‘s pastor as
soon as I saw him. My heart was filled with gratitude for him. Thank you, Pastor Goodman, and
thank you, all you wonderful pastors.
An Expression of Faith
Luke chapter 17 records the experience of the Savior when He healed 10 lepers. As you recall, only
one of the cleansed lepers returned to express his appreciation. Isn‘t it interesting that the Lord did
not say, ―Your gratitude has made you whole‖? Instead, He said, ―Thy faith hath made thee whole.‖
The leper‘s expression of gratitude was recognized by the Savior as an expression of his faith. As
we pray and express gratitude to a loving but unseen Heavenly Father, we are also expressing our
faith in Him. Gratitude is our sweet acknowledgment of the Lord‘s hand in our lives; it is an
expression of our faith.
Gratitude in Tribulations: Hidden Blessings
The kind of gratitude that receives even tribulations with thanksgiving requires a broken heart and a
contrite spirit, humility to accept that which we cannot change, willingness to turn everything over to
the Lord—even when we do not understand, thankfulness for hidden opportunities yet to be
revealed. Then comes a sense of peace.
When was the last time you thanked the Lord for a trial or tribulation? Adversity compels us to go to
our knees; does gratitude for adversity do that as well?
President David O. McKay observed, ―We find in the bitter chill of adversity the real test of our
gratitude … , which … goes beneath the surface of life, whether sad or joyous.‖
Conclusion
To my remarkable, faithful sisters of the Church, I thank you for the ways you extend the Lord‘s love
through your service: your care for families at the death of a loved one, your watchcare as you visit
teach, your willingness to build testimonies in children as you serve in Primary, your time preparing
young women for womanhood. Thank you for your devotion. I have experienced the love of the
Lord through your faithfulness. I have been blessed to serve among you; my heart is brimming over
with gratitude and love for each of you. I have deep gratitude for the priesthood brethren with whom
I‘ve served.
My most profound gratitude is for my Savior—an obedient Son, who did all that His Father asked
and atoned for every one of us. As I remember Him and acknowledge His goodness, I desire to be
like Him. May we be blessed to feel of His love in our lives daily. ―Thanks be unto God for his
unspeakable gift.‖ In His sacred name, Jesus Christ, amen.

7. WHAT IS HAPPENING: FORT DRUM HOLIDAY
RELIGIOUS SERVICE SCHEDULE
November 14, 2011 – January 7, 2012
Onondaga Lake Park, Liverpool, NY MAIN POST CHAPEL BUILDING P10785 (772-5591)
Lights on the Lake 01 DEC1700 Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
08 DEC1200 Catholic Immaculate Conception of Mary
08 DEC1700 Catholic Immaculate Conception of Mary
http://lightsonthelake.com/ 13 DEC1800 Catholic Advent Penance Service
24 DEC1930 Christmas Eve Service
TRAINING INFORMATION
MOBILIZATION AND DEPLOYMENT (YOU MUST RSVP TO 772-0470 CHILDCARE IS
AVAILABLE)
FRG Leader : JAN 17 0900-1300 ACS
Key Caller: DEC 13 1400-1500 or 1700-1800 ACS
Key Caller: JAN 10 1400-1500 or 1700-1800 ACS
Informal Funds: JAN 17 1400-1500 or 1700-1800 ACS
Care Team Training: DEC 12 0900-1230 ACS
FINANCIAL READINESS
Budgeting Class (772-6894/5196) Every Thursday 1800-2030 ACS
Stress Management - For more information, contact Michelle Wojcikowski at 772-2279.
DEC 06 1330-1530 ACS
COMMAND SAFETY CLASSES (You must register to attend these classes by calling 772-5352)
Winter Driving: NOV 29 1400-1500 M-10282
Snow Thrower: NOV 29 1530-1600 M-10282
Winter Driving: DEC 06 1400-1500 M-10282
Snow Thrower: DEC 06 1530-1600 M-10282