From my archive of press clippings:
Stars and Stripes
USAREUR cuts back summer training exercises in eastern Europe
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, April 18, 2010
Seth Robson / S&S
Spc. Brett Gardner, 25, of Las Vegas, with Company B, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, prepares to ambush a group of Romanian soldiers during an exercise at Babadag Training Area in Romania.
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Combat deployments and limited resources mean fewer U.S. military personnel will train in eastern Europe this summer compared with last year, according to U.S. Army Europe.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"About 1,000 personnel are expected to train in Romania and Bulgaria, down from the 3,200 who deployed there last summer, said Lt. Col. Daniel Herrigstad, a USAREUR public affairs officer.
In recent years, the U.S. has conducted regular training aimed at building relationships with both militaries, which have fought alongside U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Showing posts with label Seth Robson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seth Robson. Show all posts
Friday, May 7, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
S&S - Germany housing shortage stalls moving plan
A recent press clipping:
Stars and Stripes
Germany housing shortage stalls moving plan
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Monday, April 26, 2010
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Plans to consolidate the 172nd Infantry Brigade in Grafenwöhr, Germany, will stay on hold pending a decision expected late this year on whether to keep four U.S. Army brigade combat teams in Europe.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Housing shortages at Grafenwöhr — home to the 172nd’s headquarters and many of its troops — have forced U.S. Army Europe to postpone the movement of three of the brigade’s battalions from Schweinfurt this summer.
The 172nd and the Baumholder, Germany-based 170th Infantry Brigade were slated to return to the U.S. in 2012. But in February the Department of Defense’s Quadrennial Defense Review backed retention of the brigades in Europe pending a review of NATO’s Strategic Concept and an accompanying assessment of its European defense posture network."
&
"Other units that were slated to swap places with the 172nd in Schweinfurt — comprising almost 750 soldiers and about 1,120 family members — will stay in Grafenwöhr for now. These include the 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 23rd Ordnance Company, 574th Supply Company, 5th Maintenance Company, 1st Cargo Transportation Company, and the 71st Preventive Medicine Detachment, Henderson said.
If the Defense Department decides to retain the four combat brigades, approximately 40,000 soldiers will remain in Europe, facilities in Schweinfurt and Bamberg will stay open, and USAREUR will proceed with the 172nd consolidation at Grafenwöhr, she said.
However, it might take two years to identify developers and build homes for the 172nd soldiers.
That would require 300 more leased housing units and another 100 existing private rentals, Henderson said."
Stars and Stripes
Germany housing shortage stalls moving plan
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Monday, April 26, 2010
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Plans to consolidate the 172nd Infantry Brigade in Grafenwöhr, Germany, will stay on hold pending a decision expected late this year on whether to keep four U.S. Army brigade combat teams in Europe.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Housing shortages at Grafenwöhr — home to the 172nd’s headquarters and many of its troops — have forced U.S. Army Europe to postpone the movement of three of the brigade’s battalions from Schweinfurt this summer.
The 172nd and the Baumholder, Germany-based 170th Infantry Brigade were slated to return to the U.S. in 2012. But in February the Department of Defense’s Quadrennial Defense Review backed retention of the brigades in Europe pending a review of NATO’s Strategic Concept and an accompanying assessment of its European defense posture network."
&
"Other units that were slated to swap places with the 172nd in Schweinfurt — comprising almost 750 soldiers and about 1,120 family members — will stay in Grafenwöhr for now. These include the 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 23rd Ordnance Company, 574th Supply Company, 5th Maintenance Company, 1st Cargo Transportation Company, and the 71st Preventive Medicine Detachment, Henderson said.
If the Defense Department decides to retain the four combat brigades, approximately 40,000 soldiers will remain in Europe, facilities in Schweinfurt and Bamberg will stay open, and USAREUR will proceed with the 172nd consolidation at Grafenwöhr, she said.
However, it might take two years to identify developers and build homes for the 172nd soldiers.
That would require 300 more leased housing units and another 100 existing private rentals, Henderson said."
Thursday, April 1, 2010
S&S - Rebuilding Haiti’s demolished port is no small task for U.S.
From my archive of press clippings:
Stars and Stripes
Rebuilding Haiti’s demolished port is no small task for U.S.
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Sunday, February 28, 2010
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Rebuilding the piers, cranes, warehouses and other facilities at Port-au-Prince — the seaport that the Haitian capital is named for — will be a key factor in the reconstruction of this earthquake-shattered nation, according to U.S. military personnel working there.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"When U.S. Army and Navy personnel began operations at the port on January 20, they found a facility in ruins."
"Military operations at the port have been overseen by Lt. Col. Ralph Riddle, 45, of Luray, Va., commander of the 832nd Transportation Battalion. Riddle is a member of Joint Task Force Port Opening, which activated as soon as the earthquake struck and arrived in Haiti on two LCUs (landing craft utility ships) a week later.
I
t’s a little-known fact that the Army runs seaport operations worldwide, mostly using commercial contracts, on behalf of the Department of Defense, he said Thursday."
"When the team arrived, there were no landing points among the ruins so the task force discharged equipment onto a nearby beach using the LCUs. The shallow-drafted vessels shuttle out to cargo ships, then pull up to dirt ramps bulldozed out into the surf so that the cargo can roll off, he said."
"In the weeks since the disaster, the port has been a point of entry for humanitarian aid, food, water, rice, beans, oil, MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat), USAID food packages, construction materials and tents, he said.
Six weeks after the disaster, the captain of the USAV Hobkirk, the first LCU to hit the beach was still at the port moving cargo."
"The port still employs its original Haitian workforce driving stackers, forklifts and loaders and the military is working with commercial terminal operators who continue to do business there, Riddle said."
&
"Most of the traffic has been imports although there have also been exports leaving the country, which is a big producer of mangos for overseas markets. For example, the port received a shipment of lumber and the cargo ship Tharinee Naree out of Bangkok was in port on Thursday, delivering an entire power plant that will run on heavy oil or coal and power an industrial park in Port-au-Prince. The car transporter Viking Princess was to arrive Saturday carrying 240 vehicles, Hahne said."
Stars and Stripes
Rebuilding Haiti’s demolished port is no small task for U.S.
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Sunday, February 28, 2010
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Rebuilding the piers, cranes, warehouses and other facilities at Port-au-Prince — the seaport that the Haitian capital is named for — will be a key factor in the reconstruction of this earthquake-shattered nation, according to U.S. military personnel working there.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"When U.S. Army and Navy personnel began operations at the port on January 20, they found a facility in ruins."
"Military operations at the port have been overseen by Lt. Col. Ralph Riddle, 45, of Luray, Va., commander of the 832nd Transportation Battalion. Riddle is a member of Joint Task Force Port Opening, which activated as soon as the earthquake struck and arrived in Haiti on two LCUs (landing craft utility ships) a week later.
I
t’s a little-known fact that the Army runs seaport operations worldwide, mostly using commercial contracts, on behalf of the Department of Defense, he said Thursday."
"When the team arrived, there were no landing points among the ruins so the task force discharged equipment onto a nearby beach using the LCUs. The shallow-drafted vessels shuttle out to cargo ships, then pull up to dirt ramps bulldozed out into the surf so that the cargo can roll off, he said."
"In the weeks since the disaster, the port has been a point of entry for humanitarian aid, food, water, rice, beans, oil, MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat), USAID food packages, construction materials and tents, he said.
Six weeks after the disaster, the captain of the USAV Hobkirk, the first LCU to hit the beach was still at the port moving cargo."
"The port still employs its original Haitian workforce driving stackers, forklifts and loaders and the military is working with commercial terminal operators who continue to do business there, Riddle said."
&
"Most of the traffic has been imports although there have also been exports leaving the country, which is a big producer of mangos for overseas markets. For example, the port received a shipment of lumber and the cargo ship Tharinee Naree out of Bangkok was in port on Thursday, delivering an entire power plant that will run on heavy oil or coal and power an industrial park in Port-au-Prince. The car transporter Viking Princess was to arrive Saturday carrying 240 vehicles, Hahne said."
Saturday, May 2, 2009
S&S - JMRC replacing ‘Huey’ helicopters next year
From my archive of press clippings:
Stars and Stripes
JMRC replacing ‘Huey’ helicopters next year
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, March 27, 2009
Seth Robson / S&S
U.S. UH-1 Hueys drop German personnel during air assault training Wednesday at Hohenfels, Germany. The Army will phase out the Hueys next year at the training center.
HOHENFELS, Germany — The Army will replace its fleet of UH-1 "Huey" helicopters with new UH-72 Lakotas next year at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"The aircraft were built in the early 1970s and some saw combat in Vietnam, although they have had most of their parts replaced many times, the 47-year-old Dexter, Maine, native said. The Huey became the signature aircraft of Vietnam, starring in television dramas and movies such as "Apocalypse Now," which featured a squadron of UH-1s assaulting a target accompanied by Wagner’s "Ride of the Valkyries."
This month, JMRC officials are training the last group of pilots who will operate Hueys at Hohenfels, said Maupin, who has been flying UH-1s since 1986."
"One of only five senior instructor pilots for the Huey left in the Army, Maupin will retire next month."
&
"The National Guard will retire its 70 Hueys in September with the last of the Army’s machines due to leave the service by 2012"
Stars and Stripes
JMRC replacing ‘Huey’ helicopters next year
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, March 27, 2009
Seth Robson / S&S
U.S. UH-1 Hueys drop German personnel during air assault training Wednesday at Hohenfels, Germany. The Army will phase out the Hueys next year at the training center.
HOHENFELS, Germany — The Army will replace its fleet of UH-1 "Huey" helicopters with new UH-72 Lakotas next year at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"The aircraft were built in the early 1970s and some saw combat in Vietnam, although they have had most of their parts replaced many times, the 47-year-old Dexter, Maine, native said. The Huey became the signature aircraft of Vietnam, starring in television dramas and movies such as "Apocalypse Now," which featured a squadron of UH-1s assaulting a target accompanied by Wagner’s "Ride of the Valkyries."
This month, JMRC officials are training the last group of pilots who will operate Hueys at Hohenfels, said Maupin, who has been flying UH-1s since 1986."
"One of only five senior instructor pilots for the Huey left in the Army, Maupin will retire next month."
&
"The National Guard will retire its 70 Hueys in September with the last of the Army’s machines due to leave the service by 2012"
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
S&S - Some Grafenwöhr units will have to move. Relocation of Army support units makes way for four infantry battalions.
Stars and Stripes
Some Grafenwöhr units will have to move
Relocation of Army support units makes way for four infantry battalions
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, April 25, 2009
Seth Robson / S&S
Because a planned 300-unit housing area for soldiers and their families in this village of Hütten, near Grafenwöhr, was put on hold, several Army support units will move from Grafenwöhr to other bases in Germany. The move was meant to make way for four Schweinfurt-based infantry battalions.
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — The scrapping of a 300-home off-post military housing project and the impending arrival of four Schweinfurt-based infantry battalions means several Army support units currently based at Grafenwöhr will have to move to other bases in Germany.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"On Thursday, U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwöhr commander Col. Nils "Chris" Sorenson told a gathering of leaders from German communities surrounding the base about plans to move the battalions to Grafenwöhr next year, after the 172nd Infantry Brigade returns from its yearlong mission to Iraq.
The movement of the battalions, at a time when there is a critical housing shortage at Grafenwöhr, "means some of our small enabling units will go elsewhere," he said. He identified one of the units on the move as the 12th Chemical Company, which is headed to Schweinfurt."
&
"The 172nd Infantry Brigade Headquarters and two battalions assigned to the brigade moved to Grafenwöhr last summer while the brigade’s four other battalions are due to join them next spring, he said.
Many of the additional soldiers and their families were to have moved into a 300-home off-post leased housing area in the nearby town of Hütten, he said. However, that project has been on hold since the German investor in the project — PPREF — declared bankruptcy late last year."
Some Grafenwöhr units will have to move
Relocation of Army support units makes way for four infantry battalions
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, April 25, 2009
Seth Robson / S&S
Because a planned 300-unit housing area for soldiers and their families in this village of Hütten, near Grafenwöhr, was put on hold, several Army support units will move from Grafenwöhr to other bases in Germany. The move was meant to make way for four Schweinfurt-based infantry battalions.
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — The scrapping of a 300-home off-post military housing project and the impending arrival of four Schweinfurt-based infantry battalions means several Army support units currently based at Grafenwöhr will have to move to other bases in Germany.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"On Thursday, U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwöhr commander Col. Nils "Chris" Sorenson told a gathering of leaders from German communities surrounding the base about plans to move the battalions to Grafenwöhr next year, after the 172nd Infantry Brigade returns from its yearlong mission to Iraq.
The movement of the battalions, at a time when there is a critical housing shortage at Grafenwöhr, "means some of our small enabling units will go elsewhere," he said. He identified one of the units on the move as the 12th Chemical Company, which is headed to Schweinfurt."
&
"The 172nd Infantry Brigade Headquarters and two battalions assigned to the brigade moved to Grafenwöhr last summer while the brigade’s four other battalions are due to join them next spring, he said.
Many of the additional soldiers and their families were to have moved into a 300-home off-post leased housing area in the nearby town of Hütten, he said. However, that project has been on hold since the German investor in the project — PPREF — declared bankruptcy late last year."
Thursday, April 16, 2009
S&S - Reserve, Guard chaplains in demand. Deployments help religious advisers relate to soldiers.
Stars and Stripes
Reserve, Guard chaplains in demand
Deployments help religious advisers relate to soldiers
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, April 4, 2009
War-zone deployments for active-duty Army chaplains mean many clergy serving soldiers in the rear are members of the National Guard or Army Reserve.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Since Sept. 11, 2001, some 2,700 chaplains and chaplain assistants have been called to active duty, according to Lt. Col. Carleton Birch, a spokesman for the Army’s Office of the Chief of Chaplains. "
Reserve, Guard chaplains in demand
Deployments help religious advisers relate to soldiers
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, April 4, 2009
War-zone deployments for active-duty Army chaplains mean many clergy serving soldiers in the rear are members of the National Guard or Army Reserve.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Since Sept. 11, 2001, some 2,700 chaplains and chaplain assistants have been called to active duty, according to Lt. Col. Carleton Birch, a spokesman for the Army’s Office of the Chief of Chaplains. "
Friday, April 3, 2009
S&S - Verdict in gang-initiation death trial angers victim’s mother
From my archive of press clippings:
Stars and Stripes
Verdict in gang-initiation death trial angers victim’s mother
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, February 27, 2009
Seth Robson / Stripes
Pvt. Bobby Morrissette, right, waits for the verdict during his court-martial Thursday at Vilseck, Germany.
VILSECK, Germany — Pvt. Bobby Morrissette’s acquittal on a voluntary manslaughter charge for his role in the 2005 gang initiation beating death of Sgt. Juwan Johnson makes a mockery of claims the Army is tough on gangs, the dead soldier’s mother said Thursday.
Read the whole article here.
Stars and Stripes
Verdict in gang-initiation death trial angers victim’s mother
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, February 27, 2009
Seth Robson / Stripes
Pvt. Bobby Morrissette, right, waits for the verdict during his court-martial Thursday at Vilseck, Germany.
VILSECK, Germany — Pvt. Bobby Morrissette’s acquittal on a voluntary manslaughter charge for his role in the 2005 gang initiation beating death of Sgt. Juwan Johnson makes a mockery of claims the Army is tough on gangs, the dead soldier’s mother said Thursday.
Read the whole article here.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
S&S - Vilseck remembers fallen soldier
From my archive of press clippings:
Stars and Stripes
Vilseck remembers fallen soldier
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, June 28, 2008
VILSECK, Germany — Michelle, 2, clung to her tearful mother, Lien Tran, and stared at a sea of faces in the Rose Barracks Chapel on Friday.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Those who congregated were paying their respects to Lien’s husband and Michelle’s father, Staff Sgt. Du Tran, 30, who died in Baqouba, Iraq, when a roadside bomb detonated near his unit during combat operations on June 20."
"Du Tran was in Iraq from May 2003 to July 2004 and from January 2006 to February 2007 before he left with Battery C, Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment for his last assignment, in August 2007."
&
"Tran, who was Vietnamese, led a colorful life before he joined the Army. He’d tried to escape from Vietnam four times and was detained in Cambodian prisons before joining family in the States,"
Stars and Stripes
Vilseck remembers fallen soldier
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, June 28, 2008
VILSECK, Germany — Michelle, 2, clung to her tearful mother, Lien Tran, and stared at a sea of faces in the Rose Barracks Chapel on Friday.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Those who congregated were paying their respects to Lien’s husband and Michelle’s father, Staff Sgt. Du Tran, 30, who died in Baqouba, Iraq, when a roadside bomb detonated near his unit during combat operations on June 20."
"Du Tran was in Iraq from May 2003 to July 2004 and from January 2006 to February 2007 before he left with Battery C, Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment for his last assignment, in August 2007."
&
"Tran, who was Vietnamese, led a colorful life before he joined the Army. He’d tried to escape from Vietnam four times and was detained in Cambodian prisons before joining family in the States,"
Thursday, February 5, 2009
S&S - Stryker Cavalry celebrates 172nd birthday with party at Vilseck
From my archive of press clippings:
Stars and Stripes
Stryker Cavalry celebrates 172nd birthday with party at Vilseck
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, May 25, 2008
Seth Robson / S&S Pvt. Carroll Shavasia of Newark, N.J. slaps a pie in the face of 1st Sgt. Veronica McReynolds at the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment birthday party on Friday.
VILSECK, Germany — The 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment — the Army’s oldest continuously serving active regiment — celebrated its 172nd birthday Friday with a party at Vilseck. Members of the regiment’s rear detachment donned Stetson hats and spurs for the party, which was a chance for families of 2nd Cav soldiers deployed to Iraq to let their hair down. Bouncy castles, face-painting and balloons were the big draws for Ailani Rucobo, 3, according to her mother, Yvonne Rucobo, 34, of El Paso Texas.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Maj. Tiger Bartle, 33, of Seattle, said the regiment is the only one in the Army that hasn’t been inactive in the past 172 years.
The unit started during the Seminole Wars in Florida, served in World War II and spent 47 years in Germany during the Cold War before heading back to the States. It returned to Germany and deployed to Iraq last year, he said."
Stars and Stripes
Stryker Cavalry celebrates 172nd birthday with party at Vilseck
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, May 25, 2008
Seth Robson / S&S Pvt. Carroll Shavasia of Newark, N.J. slaps a pie in the face of 1st Sgt. Veronica McReynolds at the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment birthday party on Friday.
VILSECK, Germany — The 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment — the Army’s oldest continuously serving active regiment — celebrated its 172nd birthday Friday with a party at Vilseck. Members of the regiment’s rear detachment donned Stetson hats and spurs for the party, which was a chance for families of 2nd Cav soldiers deployed to Iraq to let their hair down. Bouncy castles, face-painting and balloons were the big draws for Ailani Rucobo, 3, according to her mother, Yvonne Rucobo, 34, of El Paso Texas.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Maj. Tiger Bartle, 33, of Seattle, said the regiment is the only one in the Army that hasn’t been inactive in the past 172 years.
The unit started during the Seminole Wars in Florida, served in World War II and spent 47 years in Germany during the Cold War before heading back to the States. It returned to Germany and deployed to Iraq last year, he said."
Sunday, January 25, 2009
S&S - Exceptions can be made to 90-day policy
From my archive of press clippings:
Stars and Stripes
Exceptions can be made to 90-day policy
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, November 30, 2008
When a U.S. soldier dies while downrange, the surviving spouse is required to leave Germany after 90 days.
Read the whole article here.
Stars and Stripes
Exceptions can be made to 90-day policy
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, November 30, 2008
When a U.S. soldier dies while downrange, the surviving spouse is required to leave Germany after 90 days.
Read the whole article here.
Friday, January 23, 2009
S&S - German woman adopts dog neglected by American family
Stars and Stripes
German woman adopts dog neglected by American family
By Seth Robson and Marcus Klöckner, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, January 18, 2009
Seth Robson / S&S
A German woman has adopted this dog, which was left outside by an American family that went to Puerto Rico for three weeks during the Christmas holiday.
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Military police may charge the American owners of a dog left tied up outside while the family went on a three-week Christmas holiday to Puerto Rico.
German woman adopts dog neglected by American family
By Seth Robson and Marcus Klöckner, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, January 18, 2009
Seth Robson / S&S
A German woman has adopted this dog, which was left outside by an American family that went to Puerto Rico for three weeks during the Christmas holiday.
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Military police may charge the American owners of a dog left tied up outside while the family went on a three-week Christmas holiday to Puerto Rico.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Grafenwöhr resident Angelika Berlinski said she and other locals became concerned about the dog, which was tied up on the front porch of a house in Grafenwöhr during one of the coldest winters on record in Germany."
"Berlinski said the dog’s owners left a fan heater running on the porch and a large quantity of dry dog food.
There was also a bowl of water but it was frozen because of the cold, she said.
Two weeks after the dog’s owners went on holiday, Berlinski contacted German police to report a case of animal cruelty. But when the authorities failed to act she took matters into her own hands."
&
"Shawn Driscoll, Provost Marshall for U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwöhr, said the incident is under investigation and that the owner could be charged with animal cruelty. Stripes was unable to ascertain the family’s identity and therefore could not interview them for this story."
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