Fort Stewart, GA 10/5-9/09

[SamD]

everyone, because without the national program, it never would have happened.

We had a great time and a great experience but the people that made it happen are everyone else in Appleseed that made it possible by building and spreading a strong program.

Colycat, you said it all right there.

[Old Glory!]

In honor of the 1st Battalion 178th Field Artillery, Marion's Men.  God bless you all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7mXOx12UCU

[DaveD]

   

[TaosGlock]

Awesome vid OG!
Way to go all you guys!

[kilogulf59]

I am speechless...all I can say is well done people. Thank God there are folks like you out there.

Old Glory...excellent job on the video presentation.

Incidentally, I know Appleseed works. We have friends in Afghanistan now who are AS trained. Our contact instructed his men is AS and they did very well. One GI made a 400 yard (paced off) shot with his issue M14 (open sights) and dropped the Taliban terrorist cold.

For the record, they had no training on the M14's before they left, no cleaning kits for them or the M4's either so we rushed some out there.

Anyway people, from my entire family, thank you for what you did and are doing, keep up the outstanding job and God Bless you all.

Ken aka kilogulf59

[colycat]

This thread is way to important to leave the first page of the AAR's.  Plus I just had a thought.  Master Instructor, Jr Birdman, once commented, that he was so imbaressed with South Carolina, (no Appleseeds) that he was telling people he lived in France   After this shoot, who were All South Carolina Men and Women,  maybe, just maybe, SC has had more AS attendees than California?

[DuaneRN]

Two Appleseeds in SC this year.  One last year.  I am trying to squeeze three in at my club for next year and am talking to another club in Charleston.

[Old Glory!]

178th Departure ceremonies scheduled for January 6, 2010 at multiple armories.

http://www.gtowntimes.com/local/Guard-set-to-deploy-Jan--62009-12-13T16-14-25

God Bless

[PHenry]

OG,
I have been awaiting this news with both dread and anxious curiosity. Thanks for keeping us all up to date. I will say a prayer for their safe return and another for their marksmanship. May they make safe all of the farmers by dispatching the evil men who would forced them to grow poppies and come home soon.

PH

[Old Glory!]

Amen, PHenry.

Tonight Scout played LT. Singletary's introduction on the Rifleman Radio Show, Blog Talk Radio, and talked with Son of Martha.  Next week he plans to play some more, and talk with more instructors.    Stay tuned to Blog Talk Radio / The Rifleman for more Fort Stewart audio.  I'll post transcripts here for you all to follow along with.  Tonight's transcript below.... (pictures you have probably already seen, but are related to the audio and transcript; and worth repeating)



LT. Singletary, Range OIC

Morning range orientation

LT. Singletary addressing the platoons


Lt. Singletary, range OIC addresses the platoons in the morning.

Good morning, good morning, good morning!
Where's Scout platoon at?
Huah!
Scout platoon?
Huah!
Where's maneuver platoon at?
Huah!
Scout platoon?
Huah!
Maneuver platoon?
Huah!
Let's keep that motivation all day; it's goona be a long, long long day.
It's gonna be about 90 degrees, 92 degrees, so drink water.  Sounds good?
Huah!
I will orient you to the range real quick.  Right now you are sitting on my bleachers. Right behind me is the tower.  Over here are the latreens.  Do not put no trash or cigarette butts in that latrene.  If you do, you gonna be digging it out yourself.  Sound good.
Huah!
The ammo truck will be on the range.
The water buffalo is already on the range waiting.  You all should be drinking plenty, a lot of water today.  Sound good?  Stay hydrated. 
Over here, is my highly proficient, OUTSTANDING safeties/instructors.   They gonna teach you a lot about marksmanship, so I need you to pay attention and learn something today.  Sound good?
Huah!
We should have no weapons malfunction, right?
If you do have a weapon malfunction, this is what you're gonna do.  Put your weapon on SAFE, put it down on the ground, and notify a safety.  Sound good?
Huah? 
Say it with me now.
Weapon on safe. WEAPON ON SAFE.
Put it on the ground.  PUT IT ON THE GROUND
Notify a safety.  NOTIFY A SAFETY.
THAT'S WHAT YOU GONNA DO!!!
HUAH!
Like I said, it's gonna be hot; DRINK WATER.  During the course of the day I am going to be on the intercom saying to drink water.  I want you to stay hydrated.  We had an issue two days ago a guy fell out.  We had to stick him with an IV.  Do you want me to stick you with an IV?
Negative.
Stay hydrated.
Huah!
It ain't gonna rain, but in case it rains, this is what we are gonna do.  Leave your weapon on the range, come here to the bleachers, drop down all your gear, any type of metal equipment that you have, put it down here, and then you go into your vehicles.   Sounds good?  If it ain't rainin, we ain't trainin, right?
Huah!
Now, some more things.  Everyone have hearing protection?
Huah!
Check right now, do you have hearing protection?
Huah!
While you are doing that, do you have eye pros.
Huah!
Make sure you check that to.  Make sure you have eye pros. 
Everyone have Kevlar?
Huah!
You get on my range, you have Kevlar.
Huah!
There will be no eating on my range.  Only place we will eat is here.  Sound good.
Huah!
What did I say?
No eating on the range. 
Sounds good!
Gotta shoot down them targets, right?
Huah!
You already know how to fire. You are all experts at marksmanship.
EXPERTS!
You all set the standard for yourself already.  EXPERTS  Sounds good.
Smoking area!  Out here, this is your only smoking area.  Okay?  I've been nice to the group and designated a smoking area on the range.  I got it designated by two hills, you're gonna see a white tape, connected to the targets.  That's your smoking area.  No where else on my range can you smoke, just in that box.   Understood?
Huah!
You will be getting rodded on, your weapon is going to be cleared before you get on my range and off.  When you get your weapon down on the ground today you will not get your weapon off the range until the end of the day.   All right?
Huah!
When you come here for lunch, make sure you leave your weapons down. 
When you go to check your targets, you will be doing that all day, I want you to take off your Kevlar to relax yourselves.  Like I said, it's gonna be very very hot here.  I don't want no one falling out, right?  Sounds good?
Huah!
Nobody's gonna fall out, right?
Huah!
No falling out, right?
Huah! 
Sound good.   

[PHenry]

Man, does that bring back some great memories or what?! L.T. Singletary is one squared away soldier! Makes me feel safer just knowing he is on duty.

[Flathead]

After Instructing at that shoot, and coming back to work the following week, life was a lot better for me! Knowing what we taught those soldiers and where they are going in just a few weeks. As well as having an impact on this great nations war on terrorism!  We need to get some more Guard units on board with this program!
 

[Flathead]

I was watching the Military channel at 5:30 this morning and a program called "modern sniper" and was surprised to see the master gunner SFC Reinhardt was in a few of the clips about the 5:45 time frame!!!  I didn't not catch watch was the title under him but have set that program to record again if it comes on. 

[Old Glory!]

Hey Flathead!  

Master Gunner SFC Rinehardt; it was an honor to meet such a man, who holds high the standards of rifle marksmanship and proficiency and safety of the Swamp Fox Battalion.  


Also, here is a comment Lt. Skinner posted in response to a rough draft video that SGTCap has posted here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alv9yEf34Ys&NR=1

Very good instruction. I had some problems out there and couldn't figure out what it was. It ended up being a loose rear sight. Despite a poor showing that day, I was able to implement the techniques down the road and qualify expert. Prior to that I was always barely passing. Thanks Appleseed!

1LT Skinner

[Old Glory!]

Aired on blogtalk radio tonight The Rifleman

Appleseed shoot boss, Son of Martha addresses platoons in the morning.

Good morning gentlemen!
Good morning, sir!
My name is Ron Vandiver, and I'm from North Georgia.  I am the shoot boss for the Appleseed contingent that has come for this mission.   The Appleseed Project is groups of volunteer instructors who travel around the country and do weekend missions to teach marksmanship and Revolutionary War History to our Citizens.  The Army has invited us to come and help give ya'll refresher before you have to go overseas.   

The qualifications of these instructors; most of them, not all, are prior service.  The main qualification, the most significant to me is, they are all what I define as Riflemen.  They are all able to take a rack grade, military type of rifle, zero the rifle, and effectively engage man-size targets out to 500 meters with iron sights.  They can all do this.   They have done it.  You have to do it to get the hat.   

Not only that, they are all volunteers.   You men all volunteered, didn't ya? 
Huah!
Ain't nobody here got drafted; you stepped up and you did something that you knew needed to be done.  Likewise with us.   

Not only are we volunteers, but whenever we came down here to do this mission, Appleseed headquarters, in its infinite wisdom, did not see fit to offer reimbursement for expenses.  So not only are we volunteers to come teach you, we are paying to come here for the week to teach you.  These men and woman have spent their own money on airline tickets and travel. They are taking time away from their business, time away from their vacation time, time away from their families, because they think this is something important that we can contribute to. 

In my book, that means that you owe us.  What you owe us is one day out of your one and only life.   One day where you focus on what we try to tell you, and you make an honest effort on your part, to implement the things that we are going to ask you to do.   The things that we are going to ask you to do are going to be unfamiliar.   The training you are going to have today is unlike anything that the army has ever trained you with.  You are going to be crowded together on the firing line.  None of this nonsense about 10 or 20 meters between soldiers.  You are going to be almost shoulder-to-shoulder on the firing line.   Your buddy's brass is going to be bouncing of your K-pot, and if you're very unlucky, going down the neck of your body armor.   You are going to have muzzle blast very close to you and dust blowing over you.   This is intentional.  When you get into combat it's gonna be this way, or worse.  You need to have some experience with it before you get into combat.  We call it the Rifleman's Bubble.  Whenever you step up to the firing line, and you are about to fire a string of fire, you need to mentally put yourself in a little bubble that pushes away the rest of the world; where the only thing you are thinking about is the most important thing to you for the next two or three minutes; put the bullets where they need to go.   

By the end of the day, you won't even notice it when the brass bounces off your helmet.   When you go to a normal army firing line, you've got 10 meters between each other, it's gonna seem boring after this.   

The other thing is, we are very detail oriented.   We are not going to tell you to show up on the line, load 20 rounds, shoot it and get the hell off the line.   What we are gonna do is have instructors coming down the line, giving you individual attention.  That will be correcting your positions and your techniques, giving you advice.   That will be going to the target line with you to look at your targets, analyze them, and give you advice.   This is not merely an exercise where you get to go shoot guns.  This is an exercise where you are taught a better way to do it; with a lot of attention to details. 

Most of the things we are going to tell you will seem to be nit-picky.  Things about breathing, trigger control, check points in particular firing positions.  They will seem to be very minor issues.  When you add them all together it makes a huge difference.   

American soldiers have had a tradition of marksmanship.   At the North Bridge on April 19, 1775, in three minutes of concentrated firepower, a bunch of civilians, civilian militia as a matter of fact, farmers and shop keepers, they broke three companies of British infantry in three minutes of concentrated firepower and sent them routing through the streets of Concord.   It has not changed since then.   In every war that we have fought, individual marksmanship, proficiency with the soldier's individual weapon has been a significant factor.   Where you are going, it will be no different.   Marksmanship always matters.  You may be able to shoot 40 out of 40 on the Army Qualification Course.  That's pretty good.  However, it can be much better.   Because hitting a man size target at 300 yards is one thing, but your enemy is not stupid.  He is not going to intentionally expose a man sized target to shoot at at 300 meters.  What you are going to have to shoot at is half his head and his right shoulder.   So you are going to have to hit a basketball sized target at 300 meters. 

Any you guys play football?
Huah!
In a past life?  What are the two things you have to be able to do to win at football? 
Defense?
More basic than that.  BLOCK and TACKLE!
To win at football, you must be able to block and tackle.  If you can't do that, you're hosed.  If you can block and tackle, it doesn't guarantee you will win, but it just means you can start to make you playbook.   What we teach are the fundamentals; like blocking and tackling.   Once you get the fundamentals down, then you build your playbook on top of that.   A CUB, a sniper, a practical rifle, or a normal army rifle.  That's your playbook.  But the fundamentals have to under gird it.  The fundamentals are what we drill on.   

The M4 weapon systems is a marvel of design and modern manufacturing.   This weapon system is capable of effectively engaging man-sized targets to 500 meters and beyond.   One of our instructors, who is also an army guy, taught a class recently for designated marksmen in which they were engaging targets with an M4 platform and M855 ball at 800 meters and getting hits.  The rifle will do it if you can do it.   

Has everyone zeroed their rifles?
Negative. 
Have any of you gentlemen had experience on these optics prior to today?
Okay, a couple, but not all.  Te Aimpoint M68 Spokes Combat Optical gun sight.  First off, it has an on off switch here.  As you rotate it, it will click; as you continue to rotate it, the dot will get brighter, brighter and brighter.   You want to set the dot to the minimum brightness level for your ambient light conditions.   Your gonna be out here in bright sunlight, you're gonna have to turn it up kind of high.   When it starts getting dark, and especially at night, you're gonna have to crank it down real low.  Remember that you are going to have to fiddle with this.  There is no one place to set it and forget it.   It has an elevation adjustment on the top.  Unscrew the weather cover, when we go to sight in, you'll fire your first group, we're going to teach you a thing called Inches/Minutes/Clicks where you can make calculations as to how many clicks you need to put in here to zero your weapon.  Unscrew the weather cover, you have what looks like a slot screw driver head inside.  It is marked with UP and L.  If it is on top, it means UP.  It has an arrow pointing direction.   If you turn it in that direction, you will move your shot group up.  Use an expended cartridge case to adjust these.  Once you have dialed your clicks in, take your cartridge case and just tape on it to make sure it settles in.   Make sure the adjustment settles in.   You have a windage adjustment on the side.  Left and right adjustment on the side.   It is marked UP and R with an arrow.  Since it is on the side, it means R.  If you turn it in the direction of the arrow it will move your shot group to the right.   Same thing; cartridge case to adjust it, tap on it and make sure it takes.   During the day as the sun moves overhead, you are going to have more or less light on your target.   You may come back after chow and find that you need to readjust your dot setting.  Don't forget to do that.  If the dot is turned up too high, it blooms and it makes it will obscure your target.   This gun sight is designed particularly for close combat and intermediate range combat.   Out to about 300 meters.  It is also extremely good for low light conditions and time critical engagements, when you do not have time to necessarily take a proper firing position like we are going to show you, but you have to get a flash sight picture; it's good for that.   

Anybody have ACOGS?   The Advanced Combat Optical Gun Sight. That gunsight is designed to take up on the range span that this one leaves off.   Those are optimized for engagements beyond 300 meters.  If you are using an ACOG, it's got a Chevron with a vertical post beneath it.  Use the top of the vertical post as your 25-meter aiming point when you zero.   

When we go out to zero, we have an army zero target posted and we also have a target that is just one-inch squares.  We are going to start on the army zero target and if we need to we will overflow on the squares.  We are going to end up doing probably five or six, three round groups to zero.   Before zeroing, we are going to give you some instruction on position.  Your line boss, if he needs to, he may give you a sandbag or something to use for zero to make sure we get it dialed in in a timely fashion.   Has everyone zeroed on an army target?
No.
When you are zeroing on these, ignore the blocks.   Pay no attention to the blocks.   Use the Inches/Minutes/Clicks formula that we are going to teach you.   

Our firing line procedures.  We have a firing line marked with engineer's tape, and about 10 feet behind it we have a dashed line painted on the ground that is the staging line.   The ammunition boxes are to be evenly distributed along the staging line at each platoon, of course, but evenly distributed.  Whenever you are not in a preparation period or firing a string, stand behind the staging line.  Take your magazines with you and step back there.  You can load magazines.  We will tell you what the next string of fire is going to be and how much you need to load.  When your magazines are ready just stand easy then.   Once everybody is ready, we will say.  SHOOTERS, YOUR PREPARATION PERIOD BEGINS NOW.  You step up to the firing line; you can handle your weapon at that point.  You can get into position, adjust the sling, and make any sight adjustments you need to get ready to fire the string of fire.  The initial preparation periods will be rather long; probably 2, 3 minutes because people are making sight adjustments.  It will speed up considerably once zeroing is complete.  We will get to where the preparation periods are approximately 60 seconds.   At the end of which you will hear the command;  SHOOTERS, YOUR PREPARATION PERIOD HAS ENDED.   WITH XXXX ROUNDS, LOAD.  At that point you may insert the magazine, chamber a round, keep your finger off the trigger, and be ready to fire.   The line boss will ask IS THE LINE READY?  You only answer this question if you are NOT ready.  If you are not ready, waive your hand over your head, the nearest instructor will step up.  He is going to determine if it is a safety issue.   If it is NOT a safety issue, we will proceed while he helps you catch up.   IS THE LINE READY ON THE RIGHT?  IS THE LINE READY ON THE LEFT?  ALL READY ON THE FIRING LINE.   FIRE!  Engage the designated number of rounds, or until the time limit expires.  We'll call CEASE FIRE, CEASE FIRE, CEASE FIRE! UNLOAD AND CLEAR.   You unload your rifle, take your magazine, step behind the staging line, and if you know what is coming up next, start loading up, or otherwise just wait for instruction.   

A clear rifle.  What we define as a clear; here's what we do.   We're going to be issuing you chamber flags.   It looks like this.   It is a little orange plastic tab that has a rod on it.  When you unload your rifle, MAGAZINE OUT, BOLD LOCKED TO THE REAR, SAFETY ON, CHAMBER FLAG INSERTED THROUGH THE INJECTION PORT INTO THE CHAMBER, GROUNDED ON ITS LEFT SIDE, POINTED DOWN RANGE, WITH NO ONE TOUCHING IT.  That is what we define as a safe rifle.  It has multiple overlapping layers of safety.   Multiple overlapping layers of safety.   When you get in your preparation period and can handle the rifle, one of the first things to do is go ahead and get the chamber flag out of the way, and you are going to sling up, get your position using what we teach you, and then start dry firing.   

Questions?  Comments?
It's one day gentlemen.  It is going to be a long day, and a hot day.  I am sorry there is nothing I can do about that.  Do not look at this though as being a bad thing for your future welfare.  Look at this as a training opportunity.  Where you go, you are going to have uncomfortable conditions, it may be hot, you're gonna be wearing body armor almost all the time.   You need to be able to fire effectively.  Look at these as challenges to be overcome.   Eleven hours from now, twelve hours from now, when you are sitting in these bleachers again and we are about to leave, it will all be over with then and it will be okay.   Between now and then there are going to be times when it is going to suck.  Embrace the suck and work through it. 

[Old Glory!]

Ft. Stewart Appleseed closing by Son of Martha

Gentlemen,
Eleven hours ago I stepped out in front of you and had to introduce an Appleseed program that you had never heard of, have a bunch of civilians teaching soldiers something about shooting.  At that time I said you owed me something.   You owed me one day out of your life, and your focus and attention and honest effort to do what was best.   I have been paid back fully.  And I think you for that.  

Huah!

Did it work?

Huah!

You saw it on your qual scores.  You saw it on your AQT's.  By the way, after shooting this (holds up AQT), when they post that army qual test, it don't look nearly so imposing, does it?  

No, not at all.

The Quick and Dirty AQT that we use for our qualification is extremely difficult to shoot to a Rifleman standard.  It is intentionally made that way.   It is made so that when most people are studying rifle shooting, they improve fairly fast, and then it slows down, and then they plateau.   They stick at a certain level.  A 210 score that we set is above that level, to force them to push through that plateau and go from being merely a very good shooter, to being an excellent shooter.  

One day is not much time to do it in.  It is awfully hard to do in one day.  We got some gentlemen who came awfully close and I want you guys to know the men amongst you who scored so well on these AQT's.  

First off, Morris; 173.  Huah!
Foster: 173  Huah!
You guys take those back, take your shot group analysis sheet and do your homework.
Next up, Bowman: 178  Huah!
Sgt Powell: 182  Huah!  Knocking on the door, absolutely!  That's where that plateau starts.
Welch: 185  Huah!
Norcudy: 191  Huah!  
Lachance: 192  Huah!  
Spc Turner: 193  Huah!
Name???   This one was a heart breaker 203  Huah!

Now you remember from the history presentation earlier; Lord Percy.  I don't know if they told you or not, but just in case they didn't, Lord Percy wasn't just English nobility.  He was the son of a British Peer.  There are only 500 Piers in the British Empire at this time.   Out of a country of 5 million souls, they were the top 500 at the top of the heap, and he was the son of one of them.   Remember that letter he wrote home; that anyone who thinks this war is going to be easy is very much mistaken.   They have men amongst them who know very well what they are about.   Well, we have a man amongst us who knows very well what he is about.  Very, very well.  He didn't just shoot a 210.   And for a first ever AQT, this is really outstanding.  

Richard Ernest:  223!
Huah!

Come on down here Ernest.   Appleseed; one of my personal things about being in Appleseed is that I firmly believe that the problems that America faces are not political, they are not social, they are not even really cultural.  The problems America faces are due to a moral failing on the part of American people.  At Appleseed, when you come and you shoot to a Rifleman level of shooting, think of the virtues you have to exhibit to do that:  
Attention to detail.  
Discipline
Humility
Honesty
Persistence.  
These are all good virtues.   They are virtues that modern Americans are not often called upon to exercise.  So we like to recognize Rifleman scores with a patch.  When you see a man wearing one of these, you know he earned it.  We do not sell em.  You have to earn it.   So congratulations!
HUAH!  
Pass it on!

I know you are ready to go back to chow; just one more thing on a personal level.   There is a man who lived back during Victorian England names Rudyard Kipling.  He was poet and he had a son who he loved very much.  He called his son Jack for whatever reason because the boy's actual name was John.  And he wrote a poem for his son.  The poem is called "If".   And it goes something like this....
Huah!

If you can keep your head when all about you 
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, 
But make allowance for their doubting too; 
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, 
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, 
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating, 
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; 
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; 
If you can meet with triumph and disaster 
And treat those two imposters just the same; 
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken 
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, 
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, 
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings 
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, 
And lose, and start again at your beginnings 
And never breath a word about your loss; 
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew 
To serve your turn long after they are gone, 
And so hold on when there is nothing in you 
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, 
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch; 
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; 
If all men count with you, but none too much; 
If you can fill the unforgiving minute 
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run - 
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, 
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

John Kipling enlisted in the British army.  He died in 1914 in some obscure little town in Belgium, and Rudyard Kipling was never the same again.  

Every one of you has somebody that loves you, and cares about you and depends on you.   Parents, grandparents, siblings, children.   You men take care of each other over there.  You are going half way around the world to meet up with a bunch of 10th Century bloody-minded barbarians who are going to try to kill you dead.   You only get to die once; do everything you can to make that at the end of your life.  Take care of each other.  Come back to us because we need people like you in this country.  

That's all I have to say.  You have a good evening.

HUAAAAAH!!!

[Old Glory!]

Attempting to attach the Front Sight Article....

[PHenry]

Outstanding! This is what we need more of - fair and balanced exposure. Kudos to Jeff and Chris - their father would be proud.
PH

[AFTERMATH]

SWEET!!!

Thanks Old Glory!

Thanks Mr. Knox!

[Old Glory!]

Remembering and honoring the Swamp Fox Batallion on the Lord's Day.   God bless them all.


Ya'll will remember Sgt. Bledsoe as our personal chauffeur.

Here he is at work in Afghanistan:
http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=images/images_gallery.php&action=viewimage&fid=295098

Powell at the Ft. Stewart Appleseed

Sgt Powell provides security in Afghan village!!!

http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=images/images_gallery.php&action=viewimage&fid=290413



Along with other images of the
Swamp Fox Batallion, 178 Field Artillery
http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=media/media_tags.php&tag=swamp-fox-battalion&table=images&page=1&perpage=25

There are four pages of pictures.  Check them out!  Many names and faces that you will recognize; McInnis, MacKenzie, and many more.

God bless them all.

[EEL]

May they stay safe and return to us!

[Old Glory!]

For those of you who desire to follow the Actions of the Swamp Fox Batallion in Afghanistan, check out "A Chronicle of the 1-178 FA BN in Afghanistan" located at this page:

http://www.dvidshub.net/units/934

under recent publications. 

[PHenry]

OG!
Way to go girl! U R the best!
PH

[Old Glory!]

looking for an update on the Swamp Fox Battalion.

Anyone know???

http://www.facebook.com/photoselect.php?oid=138932925124&aid=159231#!/group.php?gid=138932925124&v=wall


There is an October, 2010 newsletter publication on this page.  
http://www.dvidshub.net/units/1-178FAB

Unable to attach here; must be too large.

[techres]

looking for an update on the Swamp Fox Battalion.

Anyone know???

http://www.facebook.com/photoselect.php?oid=138932925124&aid=159231#!/group.php?gid=138932925124&v=wall


There is an October, 2010 newsletter publication on this page.  
http://www.dvidshub.net/units/1-178FAB

Unable to attach here; must be too large.

Article Link:  Some are back, but not all:

178th troops arrive home

Mayor Dukes announced that most if not all members of the 178th Field Artillery Battalion deployed to Afghanistan in January had returned home...

Article Link:  Donations still needed for returned soldiers

Although Saturday's parade was a joyous occasion, the state of the economy is causing difficulty during the holiday season for many of the troops who returned in November from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

As reported last week, a movement is underway to help the soldiers whose jobs were eliminated while they were in Afghanistan.

Sadly many of the soldiers are returning to no jobs.  Company closures mean even a safe return is not necessarily a return to a job.  Be sure to read the article and help as you can.  The irony is that they helped to clothe and protect children and families while they were gone.  They were even kind enough to give an APO to send supplies to and somewhere in Afghanistan there are a pair of young girls with a nice set of tap shoes that my girls sent amongst a pile of stuff.

So they are back, but their need for help and support is not over.

I see you hit them on Facebook, I have them friended too and will watch for their response.  In the meanwhile I will see what I can do to send something.  Thanks OG for keeping our eyes on them.

Techres

[Son of Martha]

OG!  What happened to the slideshow you had on youtube??!?

SoM

[colycat]

OG!  What happened to the slideshow you had on youtube??!?

SoM

It had to be removed because we do not have copy right permission for the J Cash song

[PHenry]

I was just "speaking" to OG on this - surely we have folks in AS that can write, sing and play an un-copyrighted tune for the slide show.  Me, I cain't carry a tune in a bucket! 

I went looking for the slide show about a month ago and when I saw it  was pulled by author - figured it was a copyright issue. I liked to watch it when I needed a boost.

[4merUSMC1803]

I was just "speaking" to OG on this - surely we have folks in AS that can write, sing and play an un-copyrighted tune for the slide show.  Me, I cain't carry a tune in a bucket! 

I went looking for the slide show about a month ago and when I saw it  was pulled by author - figured it was a copyright issue. I liked to watch it when I needed a boost.

Ditto what PHenry wrote.  Even if a background tune can't be added, I'd enjoy being able to look at the slide show without audio.  The photos evoke fair memories; for the men and women we supported and the fine Patriots met, sweated with, learned from, and even loved, in just a few days time!