1. PAGE 4
Although the Soldiers of the 623d
are putting in long grueling hours…they
are putting their limited down time, to
good use.
Many Soldiers are choosing to
further their military careers, by
completing correspondence classes for
promotion points and some are attending
actual military residence classes to help
assist them in the promotion system.
Over 100 Soldiers have completed their
SSD classes (Structured self development,
a requirement for consideration to the
next rank) since mobilized and for
some, online courses through
TTHHEE VVIIDDEETTTTEE
1st
Bn 623d Field artillery
Individual Highlights:
Cover Story 1
Commander 2
Sergeant Major 2
Law & Order 3
T&S Team 3
Chaplain’s Corner 4
S4 4
First Aid Station 5
Motor Pool 5
Genius Bar 5
Battery Block 6

JULY 2013
Vol. 1 Issue 7
Soldiers Choose To Utilize Their Down Time, To Further Education
With the new improvements to the computer lab, the resources are nearly limitless
for them to further their online education.
PhotosLayout/Design/Photographer
1LT Gordon Deming
Writer/Photographer
SGT Bryan Ploughe
Photo by SGT Bryan Ploughe
Continued on Page 6
By SGT Bryan Ploughe
civilian Universities have been the
way to go. Whichever they have
chose, they have truly excelled at
utilizing their time available to
prepare themselves for the next level
of Soldiering. One Soldier in
particular has completed over 200
hours of correspondence hours and
leading the way. Whichever route the
Soldier has decided on……there has
been ALOT of self improvement
taking place.

2. Page 2
COMMANDER’S WORDS
LTC Timothy Fanter
“The task of the leader
is to get his people from
where they are to where
they have not been.”
- Henry A. Kissinger
Greetings to our Soldiers, families, friends, and supporters of Morgan’s
Men. From the last issue, we successfully moved forward with our Military
Transition Teams to their Forward Operating Bases for Task Force 222I and
are preparing to receive Task Force 240C and 222J for the next cycle of pre-
deployment training.
The term, “handle it at the lowest level” implies that issues should be
taken care of at the team leader or squad leader level. Unfortunately, this is
also sometimes interpreted as, “Don’t let the CDR or CSM/1SG find out.”
Wrong is wrong and it must be dealt with in a fair and impartial way, but that
doesn’t mean your chain of command should not know. Your chain of
command must have visibility on issues that require disciplinary action. This
also works with favorable action when a Soldier does great things. Often we
do not take the time to thank or reward a Soldier properly for their “over and
above” actions. Positive behaviors need to show up in regular counseling,
documented so you can support impact or end of tour awards. It doesn’t
always have to be an award; you can do a lot for a Soldier’s morale just by
giving them immediate praise when deserved.
I will close with a few words on leadership. When you are in a
leadership position you have the awesome responsibility of being that person
others look up to for guidance, solutions to their problems, and your undivided
attention when they need it most. They don’t necessarily expect you to be
perfect but they do expect you to care and do your best and sometimes that
means placing their needs above your own.
Morgan 6
Morgan 6
Soldiers and leaders of 1-623d FA we have now crossed the half way
point of our deployment. I would like to thank everyone for their hard work
to this point and remind you that we still have a lot to do. As we enter into
the second half of our deployment the operational tempo will start to pick
up and we must stay focused on our mission of training two new task forces
as well as preparing to redeploy. We cannot allow ourselves to become
complacent and make sure we are paying attention to detail in everything we
do.
COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR
CSM Robert Neathery

3. Page 3
LAW & ORDER
Communication is always an issue that is on the minds of our
leadership. At every formation, meeting, and briefing communication is an
issue that is discussed. Using the Chain of Command to pass information
up and to pass information down has been proven to be the most
successful way to communicate in order to make sure every Soldier is on
the same page. When the entire Battalion is well informed the Battalion is
more efficient and has a greater chance of success. Situations may dictate a
need to go outside the direct chain from time to time, but unless it’s
absolutely necessary always use your direct chain.
A failure to use the proper chain of command is punishable in the form of an Adverse Administrative Action,
Non-Judicial Punishment under UCMJ Article 15, or UCMJ Punishment. Remember, using the chain of
command is important. Not only is it legally required, it’s also the right thing to do. The chain of command is
the most effective form of communication in the military.
CPT Nicholas Carter
Transportation & Sustainment Team
By SGT Cody Zimmerman
The sands of time keep going by our group of merry warriors. As they continue their stent in the
middle-east, work continues to get done with proficiency and in a timely manner. As I write this I am
reminded of the old adage “No news is good news.” Thinking that greatly applies to our situation; we have
no great problems or disasters to speak of. Nothing fantastic to put on the front page to make the papers fly
off the newsstands.
We simply are here in our little world waiting to go home. In the time being we enjoy what we have
been given; hot showers, air conditioned rooms, hot food four times a day if we wish. Among many other
great things that we take for granted in this day and age. If one was to crack the spine on a history book they
do not have to go back very far in the pages to see armies that froze to death in the winters, suffered horrible
consequences whilst trying to march through a desert, or had their force decimated by a simple ignorance of
germs and bacteria. (And we were mad because the internet in our rooms went down for a couple of hours.)
In closing I will simply say that we are okay. The things that we complain about really are not as bad
as they appear. So have a fantastic day today knowing that we carry on in our desert dwelling. We cannot
wait to be back to our old Kentucky home far away.

4. PAGE 4
CHAPLAIN’S CORNER
CH (CPT) W. Ryan Steenburg
On the Road Again.
Well, we are officially over the hump. As we pass from June
into July we all look expectantly to the time that our tour draws to a
close. This is true for the Soldiers here as well as the families at
home. It is exciting to consider how close we actually are to the end
of our mission. I have heard Soldiers explain every variety of
countdown imaginable. Some are counting down the number of days
left, eagerly waiting to get into the double digits. Others are counting
down the months trying to fool themselves into thinking that the
current month and the last month don’t actually count in an effort to
make our time seem shorter. One Soldier has actually figured out
how many meals are left and is counting down to the first steak they
can eat without A-1 steak sauce. Probably the strangest one I have
heard is the Soldier who is counting down bars of soap. He has
figured out about how long a bar of soap lasts him and has calculated
how many bars of soap are left on this deployment. With the soap
stacked on his shelf, he said it helps him to see the stack of soap get
smaller. No matter how we decide to count down our time until the
end, the good news is that the end is within sight. But, until we reach
the end, we have work to do.
As we begin a new phase of a training cycle it is nice to be
back on the road. Not only does this training help time move faster
for most of us, I think it also helps us feel fulfilled since this is the
mission we have come here to execute. In a recent sermon I pointed
out that Jesus never asked His disciples to do something that He
Himself had not already modeled and demonstrated for them. Jesus
was a leader who led by example. I compared that to my experience
in basic combat training where the drill sergeants never asked us nor
expected us to do something that they were not willing to do
themselves. Whether it was a confidence course, rifle ranger, or some
other training lane, the drill sergeants always showed us exactly what
we were to do, how it could be done successfully, and that they too
were willing to perform the task. As much as this illustration plays
extremely well into our current mission, I wonder what this might
mean for us as we anticipate our return home. Are we willing to lead
our families, friends, and community in such a way that demonstrates
our own desire and capacity to lead the way? Might I suggest that we
“seize the opportunity” to do just that? May God bless the 623d.
For God & Country,
CH (CPT) W. Ryan Steenburg
The supply section has been
busier than normal this month with the
support of Eager Lion and the additional
troops to the surrounding areas. Once
again we have been tasked to support all
units within our realm of reach here. It
gives us all a sense of pride knowing that
we continue to support our unit and to
be able to provide support to other units.
We have continually been thanked and
complimented for the hard work the
section does. Each unit has repeatedly
told us that they didn't know what they
would have done without us. It makes
you have a feel of gratification with a
handshake and a smile, at least you get
some recognition that you are working
hard and genuinely showing concern for
Soldiers of other units. Our Kuwait team
continues to provide us with everything
we have asked and a little more at times.
We have been working on getting
additional equipment up here to help
with the storage of food and ice that will
make the Soldiers lives here a little more
pleasurable. We have fielded a piece of
equipment that should enhance the ECP
so hopefully it will make their jobs a little
easier also. SPC Turner has made a huge
impact on the container accountability of
Jordan. With his hard work and
knowledge JTC was the first location in
Jordan with 100% accountability of all
conex's in Jordan. We have started
receiving ice so hopefully when the
training picks back up the units will be
able to keep water and other items cool
while on the ranges. In the next couple of
months we will start getting our
Organizational equipment ready to start
sending back home. We will be looking
for shortages from the units to be able to
order them so the unit replacing us will
be able to hit the ground running and
ready to pick up where we leave off.
S4
SFC Scotty Turner

5. Page 5
“Combat medics never stand
taller than when they kneel to
treat the wounded saving lives
in the midst of utter chaos.”
-Unknown
FIRST AID STATION
MOTOR POOL
S6
Hey guys, summer continues and it is important to remember to continue to
hydrate with water and make sure you are eating even when you do not feel like it
because your body needs the nutrients to control the body from getting to hot and
continue to work properly. And as we are out training and MWR trips make sure you
are protecting your skin with sunscreen and wearing proper clothing to protect your
skin to prevent sunburn. The medical section has ordered plenty of sunscreen to
prevent sunburn but we are not able to order cream to treat sunburn. Please come and
get sunscreen to prevent sunburn.
MAJ “Doc” Hayden
The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) warns that hot
weather and under-inflated tires are a dangerous combination. The heat and
hot road ways contribute to the breakdown of your tire’s material. This
combined with improper tire pressure can cause your tires to fail. Keeping
your tires inflated properly is the most important part of maintaining a
vehicle’s tires. According to the NHTSA, tires lose approximately one psi per
month, so be sure to check your tires with a gauge routinely. Don’t ignore
your tire pressure warning light when it comes on. Proper tire pressure
improves steering, stopping, traction, load carrying capability, and improves
fuel economy by around 3%. If you spend $50 a week in fuel, proper tire
pressure could save you $75.00 in annual fuel costs. Refer to your Owner’s
manual or Operators TM for proper tire pressure. And don’t forget to check
your spare tire as well!
WO1 Melissa Propes
The S-6 shop is focusing on improving our technical proficiency
at this stage of the deployment. CW2 Young has left to take the CISSP
exam, so we wish him best of luck. SGT Jeremy Jackson has completed
his CompTIA A+ certification and has completed the CompTIA trifecta
of certifications! Congratulations to SGT Jackson and good luck
Chief…great job team.
1LT Matthew Speer

6. Page 6
Battery Block
Alpha Battery
Headhunter Soldier’s and families, what an exciting and busy month of June at the Joint Training Center. Soldiers of
the Tompkinsville KY Armory have spent most of the month of June improving their individual skills and
qualifications. Headhunter Soldiers began the month by refreshing their skills on First Aid taught by the Battalion
Medics. Soldiers attended a three day training event consisting of evaluating injured soldiers, field dressing various
types of wounds, tactical field care, and evacuation of the injured soldier. After learning and performing each
different task, the soldier’s put their skills to test with a culminating event in a field training exercise.
Headhunter Soldier’s receive a block of instruction prior to demonstrating their First Responder Skills.
Headhunter Soldiers always want to increase their knowledge and sharpen their skills. Headhunter Soldiers set up
training events during the month of June to assist them on keeping their skills sharp and maintaining the highest level
of readiness. Throughout the month, Headhunter Soldiers practiced their skills on AFATDS and HIMARS
operations and were given instruction by the SR NCO’s in the Battery. Soldiers also practiced their skills on the range
with a Reflexive Fire Course to demonstrate their proficiency with weapons and close quarter’s combat scenarios.
HHB
Happy Independence Day! We can almost smell the bar-b-q and fried chicken from here…almost. As families gather at home
to celebrate the holiday and watch the fireworks, we will be thinking you and good times we look forward to in just a few more
months.
The HHB Soldiers are working hard. The medics have been busy teaching First Responder Courses and treating boo-boos and
allergies. The mechanics are always engaged in unit maintenance as well as supporting other units, working on refrigeration
units to keep our food cold and safe, conducting fork-lift operations, and fueling everything; not to mention all the associated
paperwork. Our hard workers on base defense probably have the toughest job working in the sun for several hours with all
their gear on, and they do it without complaint and not near enough thanks. (Thanks guys!) The communication folks are
working hard. They tell us what they are doing but few of us speak their language so we have to take their word for it. Our
good guys in supply are working hard, too. They’re always on the road to pick up and drop off gear and goods at the airport,
stock the chow refers, and occasionally cook some of that good ol’ T-ville BBQ. As we are closing in on the deadline to submit
awards and evaluations, the personnel guys hardly even look up from their desk. They stay busy proofreading our work,
pouring red ink on it, and sending it back. Our mobility team has logged more miles between here and the airport than the
Starship Enterprise, but they seem to love their job. And the rest of the staff and command teams are trying to keep all the
parts oiled, moving, and in working order.
And finally, thanks to the rear detachment team who continues to support us as Soldiers come home for emergency leave,
coordinate with state and Camp Shelby for our return home, and looking out for our families as needs arise.
Tear another page off that calendar. The year is getting thinner and thinner. See ya’ll soon.
Charlie Battery
The past few weeks have allowed us to catch up on refreshing basic skills and admin requirements. Summer “break” is winding
down as we prepare for the next task force. The start of the new task force signifies the back half of the deployment and puts us
one step closer to redeploying back home to our family and friends.
While we would have loved to have spent the 4th of July on the lake or at family cookouts back home, we took the opportunity
to have cookout here at JTC with our C battery family. Burgers with BACON! and cooked potatoes were enjoyed by all.