Combat Stress Clinic named after fallen Soldier

Courtesy of Captain Tanya Rosa

United States Division – South
Media Release
HQ, USD-South
Basra, Iraq
APO AE 09374
VOIP: 858-4087

RELEASE 20100910-01                                                                                                                                                                      Sep. 10, 2010

Combat Stress Clinic named after fallen Soldier

By Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. PAO

BASRA, Iraq – The new Combat Stress Clinic on the American base at Basra International Airport was named in honor of Sgt. Brandon Maggart in a ceremony Sept. 10.

Maggart, who served with Battery A, 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, was killed in an Aug. 22 rocket attack.

The clinic, which was recently refurbished, provides a place for Soldiers to meet with mental health professionals to deal with the stress that comes with operating in a combat zone. Controlling stress is an important part of the military’s overall fitness, and the support center aims to help Soldiers cope.

The Combat Stress Clinic renovations, under the direction of Sgt. Sonja Young, a behavioral health technician with the 162nd Area Medical Support Group, were completed the day before the attack. After helping the Soldiers in Maggart’s unit, Young, a San Antonio native, advocated that the new CSC be named after him.

Lt. Col. Pamela Breedlove, the commander of the Combat Stress Clinic, said Maggart’s leadership was the reason behind his name being placed on the clinic.

“As Sgt. Maggart truly exemplifies the Army Values, Soldier Resiliency, and the tenets of combat stress control,” said Breedlove, a Topeka, Kan., native. “Sgt. Young advocated that the new clinic area be dedicated in his name.”

Before the renovations, the CSC was an unattractive place for Soldiers to visit. The building would often become too hot inside to be comfortable, and thin walls kept many discussions from being confidential.
The building was improved by adding new air conditioning units, increasing the thickness of the walls, and remodeling the inside of the clinic.

Sgt. Jose Carrera, a Phoenix native serving as the 1st Inf. Div. behavioral health NCO, said the improved atmosphere helps Soldiers open up to the staff.

“Staff members are able to do their job better,” Carrera said. “Just by improving the environment of the clinic helps improve the Soldier’s [ability] to open up and be able to disclose more things the staff can use to help.”
Breedlove said the renovations to the clinic help her and her Soldiers do their jobs more effectively.

“We’re here for all Soldiers,” Breedlove said. “It is our role to do what we can to help Soldiers and return them to duty.”

Carrera described the CSC and caring for the needs of the Soldiers under stress as a force multiplier.

“When you have Soldiers coming in and are able to receive the treatment they need, they go back to their units and become more resourceful, more effective, and therefore able to carry out the mission,” Carrera said.

The clinic is situated across from the Troop Medical Clinic and is open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

From left, Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, the United States Division – South commanding general, Lt. Col. Pamela Breedlove, the Combat Stress Clinic commanding officer, and Capt. Lloyd Sporluck, commander of Battery A, 5^th Battalion, 5^th Air Defense Artillery Regiment,  unveil the placard dedicating the facility to Sgt. Brandon Maggart Sept. 10. (Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1^st Infantry Division Public Affairs.)

Spc. Devin Swanson, a Soldier in Battery A, 5^th Battalion, 5^th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, left, and Staff Sgt. Joshua Medina, also with 5-5 ADA, stand beside the plaque to commemorate the dedication of the Combat Stress Clinic Sept. 10. The clinic is used to help Soldiers deal with stress of a combat zone. (Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1^st Inf. Div. Public Affairs.)

For queries, contact the United States Division – South Public Affairs at USD-S_PAO@iraq.centcom.mil; by phone at (Iraqna) 0790-194-2865 or 770-263-9379. For more USDS news, visit our website: www.dangerforward.us.

New commander of U.S. forces in Iraq visits Basra

Courtesy of Captain Tanya Rosa.

United States Division – South
Media Release
HQ, USD-South
Basra, Iraq
APO AE 09374
VOIP: 858-4087

RELEASE No. 20100908-01                                                                                                                                                   September 8, 2010

New commander of U.S. forces in Iraq visits Basra

BASRA, Iraq – One week after assuming command, the senior U.S. Army commander in Iraq visited United States Division-South Sept. 8.

Gen. Lloyd Austin, commanding general of United States Forces-Iraq, toured Basra’s business center, the new resiliency campus, and the USD-S headquarters.

The visit was Austin’s first to Basra since he took command of USF-I on Sept. 1.

Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, commanding general of USD-S and the 1st Infantry Division, took Austin to the business center where he was briefed by Basra Provincial Reconstruction Team leaders on the economic way ahead for the province.

“This is what creates true change for the country,” Austin said. “When we get the economy going, we get people investing; this is really, really important work.”

Austin then got a preview of the Basra Resiliency Campus, which is scheduled to open Sept. 9. The campus features areas that help Soldiers focus on developing the five pillars of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness: physical, spiritual, emotional, social and Family.

“This is very impressive; you’ve managed to draw a lot of things together here,” Austin said of the facility. “I appreciate the hard work and the care that you’ve put in.”

After touring the campus, Austin went to the USD-S and 1st Inf. Div. headquarters, where he received an update on operations in southern Iraq, a critical piece of the civil capacity puzzle in Iraq due to its vast oil fields and ports on the Persian Gulf.

After the brief, Austin honored 10 USD-S Soldiers by presenting them with coins, an Army tradition for recognizing troops.

20100908-A-3544S-001
Gen. Lloyd Austin, commanding general of United States Forces-Iraq, returns the salutes of Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks (right) and Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Champagne at the Basra airfield Sept. 8. Brooks and Champagne serve respectively as the commanding general and senior noncommissioned officer of United States Division-South and the 1st Infantry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Smith, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

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Sgt. Maj. T.R. Compton, the personnel sergeant major for United States Division-South and the 1st Infantry Division, leads Gen. Lloyd Austin, commanding general of United States Forces-Iraq, on a tour of the Basra Resiliency Campus Sept. 8. Compton designed the portion of the campus that focuses on developing physical resilience. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Smith, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

Fallen Soldier honored by unit, friends

Courtesy of Captain Tanya Rosa

United States Division – South
Media Release
HQ, USD-South
Basra, Iraq
APO AE 09374
VOIP: 858-4087

RELEASE 20100911-01                                                                                                                                                                      Sept. 11, 2010

Fallen Soldier honored by unit, friends.

By Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. PAO

BASRA, Iraq – Sgt. Brandon Maggart was sleeping when the sirens went off August 22. Seconds after the warning, a rocket struck the roof of his housing unit on Basra,. Fellow Soldiers of the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment rushed to his side providing medical aid. He was removed from the room and rushed to the troop medical clinic emergency room.

Brandon Edward Maggart, 24, a husband and a father from Liberty, Mo., serving his second deployment as an air defense artilleryman with the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, was pronounced dead on arrival.

Four days later, a memorial was held for Maggart at the post chapel. Hundreds of people came to say farewell.

On the stage, his commander, fellow NCOs, and Soldiers stood side-by-side to talk about Maggart. From Capt. Lloyd Sporluck, commander of Battery A, 5-5 ADA, to Staff Sgt. Simon Cannon, Maggart’s platoon sergeant, the message remained the same: he was a man of character and a person to aspire to be like.

“Brandon was a man whose life could be summed up in one word: excellence,” Sporluck said. “In my years of military experience, I’ve never met a man of greater character.”

Spc. Kandise Phillips, one of Maggart’s Soldiers, remembered her NCO’s contributions.

“As we all know, Sgt. Maggart was a great NCO, leader and friend,” Phillips said. “Spending the last eight months with him, I have learned he was just a kid. He loved to make everyone laugh and was always trying to make the most of every day.”

“Every time I had a question or needed something fixed, Maggart was usually the first person I asked,” said Staff Sgt. Richard Hauser, a platoon sergeant with Battery A. “In addition to being a great Soldier, Brandon was one of the rare people you meet that single-handedly raised the morale of the people around him.”

The ceremony continued with a rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’, sung by Chief Warrant Officer Cynthia Choo, liaison with the 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, and Sgt. Shina Richburg, a counter rockets and mortars system operator with the 1st Infantry Division.

The end of the ceremony was marked by the last role call, where 1st Sgt. Billy Lingar, senior NCO of Battery A, called the names of the sergeants in attendance. When he reached SGT Maggart’s name, he called three times with no response. Outside the chapel three volleys of a 21-gun salute were fired to mark the passing of Maggart.

At the end of the ceremony, each row stood and offered final respects to Maggart. As the line continued, the small memorial stand was soon covered with coins and personal effects as the Soldiers and officers offered tribute to the fallen Soldier.

Maggart is survived by his wife, Teresa, and his three year-old son, Blake.

20100824-A-7921H-001
Capt. Lloyd Sporluck, the commander of Battery A, 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, speaks to the assembled Soldiers and leaders at the memorial ceremony for Sgt. Brandon Maggart at the Contingency Operating Base Basra chapel Aug. 24. (Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

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Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, the United States Division – South commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Champagne, senior noncommissioned officer of USD-S, pay their respects to Sgt. Brandon Maggart at the Contingency Operating Base Basra chapel Aug. 24. Maggart, a member of Battery A, 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, is survived by his wife and son. (Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs.)

20100824-A-7921H-003
First Sgt. Billy Lingar, the Battery A, 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment senior noncommissioned officer, salutes the memorial to Sgt. Brandon Maggart after the ‘Last Role Call’ during a ceremony at the Contingency Operating Base Basra chapel Aug. 26. The Last Role Call, followed by a 21-gun salute, is an expression of honor for Soldiers who fell in service to the country. (Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs.)

Courtesy Photo
Sgt. Brandon Maggart, 24, an air defense artilleryman with the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, was killed in a rocket attack on Contingency Operating Base Basra Aug. 22. He is survived by his wife and son. (U.S. Army photo)

For queries, contact the United States Division – South Public Affairs at USD-S_PAO@iraq.centcom.mil; by phone at (Iraqna) 0790-194-2865 or 770-263-9379. For more USDS news, visit our website: www.dangerforward.us.

New campus in Basra to strengthen Soldier resiliency

Courtesy of Captain Tanya Rosa

United States Division – South
Media Release
HQ, USD-South
Basra, Iraq
APO AE 09374
VOIP: 858-4087

RELEASE 20100909-01                                                                                                                                                                       Sept. 9, 2010

New campus in Basra to strengthen Soldier resiliency

By Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. PAO

BASRA, Iraq – Nine years of persistent conflict have placed Soldiers under a number of stressors as they continue their mission. Physical demands, emotional stress, Family issues, spiritual challenges, and social hurdles can increase the demands of an already-stressful environment.

The Department of the Army is helping Soldiers develop their ability to be resilient and thrive in the face of these stressors with the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, and the 1st Infantry Division Headquarters deployed to Basra, Iraq, is working to improve the resilience of personnel in United States Division-South while they are still operating in a combat zone.

The first “resiliency campus” in southern Iraq was opened on Contingency Operating Base Basra with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 9. The facility is the second resiliency campus in Iraq, the first being opened on Camp Taji two days earlier by the 1st Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade.

The Basra resiliency center was designed to strengthen the ‘Five Pillars’ of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness for service members from all branches of the military. The pillars of fitness are physical, social, emotional, spiritual and family, each pillar matching a basic need for every person.

Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, the U.S. Army Director of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, was the guest of honor for the grand opening. She joined Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, the 1st Infantry Division commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj Jim Champagne, the 1st Inf. Div. senior noncommissioned officer, to cut the ribbon and pronounce the campus open to service members on Basra.

Brooks said the resiliency centers are a symbol of action taken on the idea of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness

“This is just a start,” Brooks said. “It really matters most when we apply [Soldier Fitness] internally and we apply it to each person we touch. Then, we will be fit.”

This was Brig. Gen. Cornum’s first trip to Iraq since she was captured by Iraqi forces and subsequently rescued two weeks later during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. She spoke about the importance of resilience in today’s Army.

“We want people who are physically fit, emotionally strong, and this is an opportunity,” Cornum said. “So take advantage of it. It’s only a building if people use it.”

The campus itself is made up of several buildings, each with its own purpose within the scope of CSF. There are internet systems to speak with Family, a bio-feedback room to help gauge stress, a spiritual reading room, a fully-functional gym and cross-fit area for Soldiers to improve their physical strength, and a ‘break room’ and classroom for Soldiers to continue their education or study on their own.

Cornum said the CSF Program helps Soldiers by allowing them to share experience and improve themselves.

“I think that what Comprehensive Soldier Fitness does is make people better able to face any challenge,” Cornum said.

“So they’re more amicable – they’re able to endure mission change without being resentful or being critical.

Brooks challenged leaders to learn and understand the five pillars of CSF so they could assess themselves and their Soldiers.

“This is a milestone, like so many things,” Brooks said. “We don’t end here, we begin from here.”

For queries, contact the United States Division – South Public Affairs at USD-S_PAO@iraq.centcom.mil; by phone at (Iraqna) 0790-194-2865 or 770-263-9379. For more USDS news, visit our website: http://www.dangerforward.us.

20100909-A-7921H-001
From Left, Sgt. Matthew Richards, of the 329th Forward Support Company, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, the United States Division – South commanding general, Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, the director of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, Sgt. 1st Class James Padilla of the 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, and Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Champagne, the USD-S senior noncommissioned officer., cut the ribbon to the entrance of the USD-S Resiliency Campus Sept. 9.

20100909-A-7921H-002
Maj. Scott Williams, left, from the 1st Infantry Division surgeon’s office talks Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, director of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, through the use of a bio-scanner at the bio-feedback room of the Basra Resiliency Center Sept. 9. The center is open to all service members, providing support for the Five Pillars of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness. (Army Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs.)

20100909-A-7921H-003
Sgt. Maj. Teddy Compton, the 1st Infantry Division personnel sergeant major, shows Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, director of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, through the physical wing of the Basra Resiliency Center Sept. 9. The center uses unique methods to help Soldiers become more physically and mentally fit. (Army Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs.)

20100909-A-7921H-004
Sgt. Jose Carrera, a mental health noncommissioned officer with the 1st Infantry Division, shows 2nd Lt. Sterling Coleman, a medical operations officer with the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, how to use a massage chair at the new Resiliency Campus on Contingency Operating Base Basra Sept. 9. The facility is only the second of its kind in Iraq. (Army Photo by Sgt. Cody Harding, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs)

First U.S Advise and Assist Brigade Arrives Under New Dawn

Courtesy of Captain Tanya Rosa

United States Division – South
Media Release
HQ, USD-South
Basra, Iraq
APO AE 09374
VOIP: 858-4087

RELEASE 2010009-05-01                                                                                                                                                      September 5, 2010

First U.S Advise and Assist Brigade Arrives Under New Dawn

BASRA, Iraq – The first brigade of Soldiers to deploy exclusively in support of Operation New Dawn has arrived in southern Iraq.

The lead elements of 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, from Fort Hood, Texas, recently arrived in Iraq and are preparing for their new mission. The regiment previously deployed three times during Operation Iraqi Freedom – serving successfully in tough areas including Fallujah, Tall Afar, Ramadi and Baghdad. This new deployment is the first of its kind under Operation New Dawn.

The 3rd ACR, known as the “Brave Rifles,” is a combat-capable brigade sized unit with a distinguished history that will continue the mission of advising and assisting the Iraqi Security Forces in five of the nine southern provinces. They are replacing 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, one of the first heavy brigade combat teams configured for an advise and assist role. The 3rd Brigade deployed from Fort Benning, Ga., a year ago under Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The Brave Rifles will operate under the 1st Infantry Division headquarters as part of United States Division-South. The unit will advise and assist Iraqi security units of the Army, Federal Police, border guards, and also the U.S. Department of State-led teams located in each southern province.

Operation New Dawn represents a change in the mission of U.S. forces in Iraq from combat missions conducted by U.S. forces, to stability operations conducted by Iraqi Security Forces with U.S. advice and assistance.

The change in mission also reflects a continuing commitment of military forces that began over a year ago to help advance the emerging stability of Iraq.

Advise and assist operations are not new to United States Division-South units operating in southern Iraq. Neither are the operations to provide security throughout the south new to the Iraqi forces.

“We are able to reduce the number of U.S. forces and bases in southern Iraq because the Iraqis have demonstrated their ability to provide for their country’s security,” said Maj. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division and U.S. Division-South.

“Iraqi Security Forces have been and will continue to be the lead provider of security today and into the future,” Brooks added. “I am fully confident in the abilities of Iraq’s security forces to secure Iraq’s people.”

The 3rd ACR, as an advise and assist brigade, will begin duties in five provinces by the end of September.