Sent:
Subject: Apache Update - As of 15 APR 05
Hello everyone,
The next edition of our company newsletter will be published
early next
week. In the mean time, I wanted to send some of my comments today since
I
know many of you are participating in the Bataan
Memorial March back in
Brainerd this weekend.
We held a Bataan Remembrance
Ceremony here this past Saturday. We selected
one of our young soldiers and one of our NCOs to speak on duty and
sacrifice. Their speeches, along with my remarks, will be included in the
upcoming newsletter.
It was a tremendous honor to be a part of the
ceremony. I was so proud to
be in the company of such fine warriors. We stood together in the court
yard of the unit area we built with our own hands. We stood together on
this foreign soil, in this far away land, in this war, and we remembered.
We remembered the great heroes of the 194th Armor who made such amazing
sacrifices for our country. Together, we all renewed our vow to “Remember
Bataan, Never Forget.”
SSG Klitzke and SPC Whittemore were the selected speakers. Their remarks
on
duty and sacrifice inspired me and reminded me how truly blessed I am to
serve with such great Americans. SFC Ken Schmitz gave the invocation and
benediction. His words and prayers reminded all of us that it is possible
to be both a good Christian and an American soldier. It is our Christian
values that make us honorable warriors who fight evil and treat everyone,
even our enemies, with dignity and respect. I have full confidence that
our
actions in this place honor our forefathers, families, communities, and
nation every day.
This past week we promoted three soldiers from Specialist to
Sergeant.
Sergeants Ternet, Schlag,
and Stanbrough are great junior leaders and will
make the NCO Corp proud. Additionally, SPC Marchell
was recognized as the
Battalion Hero of the Month for his work in the electrical wiring of the new
tent area and the battalion motor pool. We simply would not have been
able
to complete our new living area without Marchell.
All of us are fully aware
of his contributions every time we turn on the lights or enjoy the cool air
from our air conditioning units. I also presented SPC Marchell
with the
much coveted 194 Armor Battalion Coin in appreciation of his hard work.
Outside of the wire, we continue to be as busy as
ever. We are continually
reminded that danger is never far away. All of the Apaches are safe and
well. It is our discipline and operational skill as Apaches that gives us
the advantage. We make a very conscious effort every day to stay vigilant
and not lose our edge. This will become more and more difficult as the
temperatures rise. We will continue to take care of each other and not
let
our standards slip.
Finally, we learned earlier this week that SPC Horn’s mother
passed away.
We were able to get him home on emergency leave so he can be with his
family. As I sat down with SPC Horn to tell him about his mother’s
passing,
I was reminded of how precious, and too often fragile, life is. Death is
a
regular part of life here. However, we don’t think about having to deal
with the death of a loved one back home. We know that we are all family.
This deployment has forever bound us together. When one of us hurts, we
all
hurt. When one of us struggles, we are all there to provide support.
Please keep SPC Horn in your thoughts and prayers.
Honor is the courage to fulfill your obligations.
God Bless,
Mike Pazdernik
Captain, Armor
Commander, A CO, 1-194 AR