I cant wait until Zac sends me some pictures! I will post them immediately!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
A few things.....
First, a picture of some of their vehicles.....picture title, "Mission Preparation." When they arnt on a mission, they are getting ready for the next. Zac said the base is so huge, that they take a bus from their sleeping quarters, to the motor pool (where they work).........
And secondly, another update:
Good Evening Nightfighter Family,
Thanks for all the nice comments about the updates I am glad everyone is enjoying them, we will keep them coming. The weather has been crazy here causing a lot of delays with our missions (sand storms), but we are back and running, trying to play catch up. I am sure many of you have heard we had an explosive land right in the middle of our housing area a few mornings ago. NONE OF OUR SOLDIERS WERE HURT! Many of our soldiers were among the first on the scene. Our housing is surrounded pretty well by barriers which greatly reduces the risk during such an event. Our soldiers remained calm throughout the ordeal and very quickly had accountability formations to ensure everyone was okay.
Everyone is continuing to improve their working and living conditions, making it feel more like "home". There are some Indiana Flags flying over motorpools (which is nice) and of course the Jolly Roger Flag hanging in our headquarters. We have started two contests for the soldiers: one is to design a Task Force Nightfighter Coin for the end of the deployment and the other is to design a Task Force Nightfighter PT Shirt. The winner of each competition will be given a 4 day pass to Qatar. Qatar is a small country not too far from here where soldiers go for short R&R trips. They set up excursions for the soldiers.
I have come up with one complaint since I have been here and it is pretty serious... The mess hall is out of chocolate cheesecake, and has been for over a week. I don't ask for much but chocolate cheesecake and pralines and cream ice cream have become a staple in my diet (and amazingly I am still losing weight). In all seriousness we have really nothing to complain about here, except missing our families. The living conditions are very nice (other than a few explosions). We are still working to create a more predictable schedule for everyone, so we can ensure everyone is getting enough rest between missions. The majority of the soldiers still have very little down time, they are usually on mission, preparing for a mission or sleeping.
This Sunday Toby Keith is going to be here doing a concert, hopefully we will get a few of our soldiers over there (the ones that are not out on missions).
Well I am going to go check on the nightly missions in the TOC (Tactical Operations Center) and catch up on paperwork. I will provide another update in a few days.
Follow Us
LTC Jerry Hadley
I would love it if Zac won one of the contests, and got a mini vacation.....he isnt the most creative person when it comes to this kind of stuff, but his wife isnt too bad.....HMMM......=)
And the concert would be awesome too!!!
Zac said he is getting so much stuff! So much more than last time. So the letters coming!!! I know he loves getting letters from back home. He misses it so much.
Last night I was a loose canon. It was the first time I cried that hard since Sery died. I was mad. I was screaming, sobbing and praying. I kind of scared myself. I want Zac home. I want him home NOW. And I want our Sery back. I hate this. I put up such a front for everyone. I am scared for people to see how I am actually handling it, so I build a wall. And then there are times that it crumbles down and I lose it. That is what happened last night. I miss Zac, I miss Sery and I want them both back in my arms.
And secondly, another update:
Good Evening Nightfighter Family,
Thanks for all the nice comments about the updates I am glad everyone is enjoying them, we will keep them coming. The weather has been crazy here causing a lot of delays with our missions (sand storms), but we are back and running, trying to play catch up. I am sure many of you have heard we had an explosive land right in the middle of our housing area a few mornings ago. NONE OF OUR SOLDIERS WERE HURT! Many of our soldiers were among the first on the scene. Our housing is surrounded pretty well by barriers which greatly reduces the risk during such an event. Our soldiers remained calm throughout the ordeal and very quickly had accountability formations to ensure everyone was okay.
Everyone is continuing to improve their working and living conditions, making it feel more like "home". There are some Indiana Flags flying over motorpools (which is nice) and of course the Jolly Roger Flag hanging in our headquarters. We have started two contests for the soldiers: one is to design a Task Force Nightfighter Coin for the end of the deployment and the other is to design a Task Force Nightfighter PT Shirt. The winner of each competition will be given a 4 day pass to Qatar. Qatar is a small country not too far from here where soldiers go for short R&R trips. They set up excursions for the soldiers.
I have come up with one complaint since I have been here and it is pretty serious... The mess hall is out of chocolate cheesecake, and has been for over a week. I don't ask for much but chocolate cheesecake and pralines and cream ice cream have become a staple in my diet (and amazingly I am still losing weight). In all seriousness we have really nothing to complain about here, except missing our families. The living conditions are very nice (other than a few explosions). We are still working to create a more predictable schedule for everyone, so we can ensure everyone is getting enough rest between missions. The majority of the soldiers still have very little down time, they are usually on mission, preparing for a mission or sleeping.
This Sunday Toby Keith is going to be here doing a concert, hopefully we will get a few of our soldiers over there (the ones that are not out on missions).
Well I am going to go check on the nightly missions in the TOC (Tactical Operations Center) and catch up on paperwork. I will provide another update in a few days.
Follow Us
LTC Jerry Hadley
I would love it if Zac won one of the contests, and got a mini vacation.....he isnt the most creative person when it comes to this kind of stuff, but his wife isnt too bad.....HMMM......=)
And the concert would be awesome too!!!
Zac said he is getting so much stuff! So much more than last time. So the letters coming!!! I know he loves getting letters from back home. He misses it so much.
Last night I was a loose canon. It was the first time I cried that hard since Sery died. I was mad. I was screaming, sobbing and praying. I kind of scared myself. I want Zac home. I want him home NOW. And I want our Sery back. I hate this. I put up such a front for everyone. I am scared for people to see how I am actually handling it, so I build a wall. And then there are times that it crumbles down and I lose it. That is what happened last night. I miss Zac, I miss Sery and I want them both back in my arms.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Grim Reapers
Nightfighter Family,
I hope all is well with everyone! It is 2340 (1140 PM) here and I am sorting through emails and work keeping track of our operations. We continue to stay busy as many of you probably know a lot of our soldiers are becoming nocturnal. The majority of what we do is at night so all of us are learning to adjust our hours, I think most people are adjusting pretty well. Everyone continues to be all okay over here. I wanted to let you know we did have a vehicle in Team Echo hit this week with a road side explosive. EVERYONE is FINE the vehicle is repaired and the guys are ready to get back on the road. Remember I do not give you specifics of what is happening over here because it is dangerous for our soldiers. Just know we are taking care of each other and growing more as a team each day. I went out two nights ago with the "Grim Reapers" of Team Foxtrot (they made up the call sign not me). The professionalism and focus on the mission was incredible, they looked like seasoned combat veterans throughout the mission. While this job does have its risk, when it is well planned out and rehearsed the execution normally goes well...we continue to get better every day, which is all I can ask.
I did get to do some fun "commander" things this week. I awarded three army achievement medals to Team Echo soldiers for locating an explosive before it located us out on the road. I also reenlisted SGT Kelly Sparks for six more years. The soldiers that are reenlisting while deployed will receive any bonus money tax free, which is nice.
I know you would like for me to provide more details of what we are doing but operational security does not allow me to. I will keep my promise to let you know as soon as I can if we have something happen, like the road side event with Team Echo. Remember we are moving in well maintained heavily armored vehicles that provide a good level of protection. We will keep training every day to get better, me and the CSM will not allow complacency and I am sure it will not be an issue with this bunch of soldiers. As always I could not be more proud of them and you should be too. No matter what some one's politics are you can't help but be in awe of the service and sacrifice of these outstanding Americans.
Proud to Serve,
LTC Jerry Hadley
Nightfighter 6
I hope all is well with everyone! It is 2340 (1140 PM) here and I am sorting through emails and work keeping track of our operations. We continue to stay busy as many of you probably know a lot of our soldiers are becoming nocturnal. The majority of what we do is at night so all of us are learning to adjust our hours, I think most people are adjusting pretty well. Everyone continues to be all okay over here. I wanted to let you know we did have a vehicle in Team Echo hit this week with a road side explosive. EVERYONE is FINE the vehicle is repaired and the guys are ready to get back on the road. Remember I do not give you specifics of what is happening over here because it is dangerous for our soldiers. Just know we are taking care of each other and growing more as a team each day. I went out two nights ago with the "Grim Reapers" of Team Foxtrot (they made up the call sign not me). The professionalism and focus on the mission was incredible, they looked like seasoned combat veterans throughout the mission. While this job does have its risk, when it is well planned out and rehearsed the execution normally goes well...we continue to get better every day, which is all I can ask.
I did get to do some fun "commander" things this week. I awarded three army achievement medals to Team Echo soldiers for locating an explosive before it located us out on the road. I also reenlisted SGT Kelly Sparks for six more years. The soldiers that are reenlisting while deployed will receive any bonus money tax free, which is nice.
I know you would like for me to provide more details of what we are doing but operational security does not allow me to. I will keep my promise to let you know as soon as I can if we have something happen, like the road side event with Team Echo. Remember we are moving in well maintained heavily armored vehicles that provide a good level of protection. We will keep training every day to get better, me and the CSM will not allow complacency and I am sure it will not be an issue with this bunch of soldiers. As always I could not be more proud of them and you should be too. No matter what some one's politics are you can't help but be in awe of the service and sacrifice of these outstanding Americans.
Proud to Serve,
LTC Jerry Hadley
Nightfighter 6
Sunday, April 13, 2008
From Anaconda
Nightfighter Family
Well we have officially taken over responsibility for the mission we have been training so hard and so long for, and I can tell you I think everyone is relieved. Yesterday we conducted the Transfer of Authority Ceremony with the outgoing unit. During the ceremony the Battalion Colors (flag) of the outgoing unit is rolled up (cased) and the colors of the incoming unit (us) was uncased signifying that we now are in charge of the mission. It was a proud moment uncasing the colors and looking at the many battle streamers representing the conflicts this unit's previous soldiers have fought in. For those of you that do not know our history it is traced back to the Mexican War in 1846. We also have battle streamers from the Civil War, WWI, WWII and of course Operation Iraqi Freedom. We are now writing another chapter in the proud history of the Nightfighter Battalion and our soldiers are once again setting the standard for others to follow. As I have told you many times I know I am a lucky man getting to command such an outstanding group of citizen soldiers. Our missions continue to go well, every mission we complete we are learning and getting better. Every night we talk about what is going well and not so well with all the commanders so we can ensure we get better each day. Myself and CSM Cox have both been out a few times (never together, that would drive people crazy) and we both are seeing our young NCOs and officers "growing up" very quickly. It is amazing how much responsibility they have and how well they handle it. You can see the bonds growing stronger daily through the long hours of preparation and the teamwork needed to execute our missions. Most soldiers continue to average 14-16 hour days which leaves little time for much other than sleeping, eating and a little PT (physical training). Any of you who have been reading my messages know, me and the CSM are all about keeping soldiers busy we find it keeps the morale high. Which, I can tell you right know it is about as high as I have seen in the 18 months I have been commanding. I was out last night with the Delta Company "Dogs" on a mission and those soldiers were motivated and alert from the moment we left the motor pool until we pulled back in the following morning.
Well now that I have my office up and running I will try to send these notes once to twice a week. I enjoy bragging on our soldiers and I am sure you enjoy hearing about your soldiers.
As always thanks to the families who support us, it truly makes our job easier.
Proud to Serve,
LTC Jerry Hadley
Nightfighter 6
"Follow Us"
Well we have officially taken over responsibility for the mission we have been training so hard and so long for, and I can tell you I think everyone is relieved. Yesterday we conducted the Transfer of Authority Ceremony with the outgoing unit. During the ceremony the Battalion Colors (flag) of the outgoing unit is rolled up (cased) and the colors of the incoming unit (us) was uncased signifying that we now are in charge of the mission. It was a proud moment uncasing the colors and looking at the many battle streamers representing the conflicts this unit's previous soldiers have fought in. For those of you that do not know our history it is traced back to the Mexican War in 1846. We also have battle streamers from the Civil War, WWI, WWII and of course Operation Iraqi Freedom. We are now writing another chapter in the proud history of the Nightfighter Battalion and our soldiers are once again setting the standard for others to follow. As I have told you many times I know I am a lucky man getting to command such an outstanding group of citizen soldiers. Our missions continue to go well, every mission we complete we are learning and getting better. Every night we talk about what is going well and not so well with all the commanders so we can ensure we get better each day. Myself and CSM Cox have both been out a few times (never together, that would drive people crazy) and we both are seeing our young NCOs and officers "growing up" very quickly. It is amazing how much responsibility they have and how well they handle it. You can see the bonds growing stronger daily through the long hours of preparation and the teamwork needed to execute our missions. Most soldiers continue to average 14-16 hour days which leaves little time for much other than sleeping, eating and a little PT (physical training). Any of you who have been reading my messages know, me and the CSM are all about keeping soldiers busy we find it keeps the morale high. Which, I can tell you right know it is about as high as I have seen in the 18 months I have been commanding. I was out last night with the Delta Company "Dogs" on a mission and those soldiers were motivated and alert from the moment we left the motor pool until we pulled back in the following morning.
Well now that I have my office up and running I will try to send these notes once to twice a week. I enjoy bragging on our soldiers and I am sure you enjoy hearing about your soldiers.
As always thanks to the families who support us, it truly makes our job easier.
Proud to Serve,
LTC Jerry Hadley
Nightfighter 6
"Follow Us"
Monday, April 7, 2008
I received another call from Zac yesterday =)
Their mission they got back from was to Normandy (another base), which is right next to the Iranian border. He said their missions are boring (which I think is good!) I dont want them to see any action! He also said something about their windows being 4-5 inches thick. And their Humvees have ceramic plating all over them. Which is basically body armour for the trucks. That made me feel better!
He said he is the "Convy Commander," so he is in charge of the convoys. Prior to each mission he also has to do a lot of administrative work to prepare for them.
Not much new stuff to report. He loves and misses everyone.
He said he is the "Convy Commander," so he is in charge of the convoys. Prior to each mission he also has to do a lot of administrative work to prepare for them.
Not much new stuff to report. He loves and misses everyone.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Command Update
Nightfighter Family,
I hope this update finds everyone doing well, all is well over here. We are having a very productive Transition of Authority (TOA) with our counterparts, in fact I could not be happier with how well both units are conducting themselves. Often times during a process like this the two units start getting on each others nerves but I think we have been moving so fast that has not been the case. Plus both our Task Force and the Task Force we are replacing are made up of professional dedicated soldiers who take their job serious and that makes a difference. We have been going out on missions for about a week now and the soldiers of this unit have been learning a lot and coming back safe. That is not to say that some missions are not more "intense" than others but overall we have encountered nothing we have not trained for or expected. The vehicles we are travelling in provide outstanding protection to our soldiers as well as ample firepower to deter any prolonged attacks. I am sure some of the families will start hearing a few stories of encounters outside the wire from their soldiers over here. I remind our leaders quite often that it is imperative that we limit specific communication about missions we are conducting here, it is for the safety of our soldiers. While we limit who has access to this site, that does not mean people are not trying to intercept what we write. So be careful what you email back and forth to your loved one. Trust that we will keep you as informed as we can throughout this deployment. Do not listen to rumors or spread rumors of activities over here, no one benefits from that... especially not the soldiers. If anything serious happens to any member of this Task Force we will ensure the communication is handled professionally and as quickly as mission allows.
The 76th Brigade has invited several reporters to write about what is going on over here. While their information is interesting to the general public, it can sometimes be disturbing or misinterpreted by the family members. If you read something that does not sound in line with what you are hearing from this website feel free to ask myself or the CSM a question. We will answer it the best we can given the constraints we have. Just know that I feel very secure living on this base camp and I believe the soldiers do too. I will ensure that the leadership of this Task Force does not ask any soldier to do something that we will not do ourselves. That is why I have mandated that platoon leaders, company commanders and myself travel frequently in the convoys with the soldiers (the NCOs already are). We have been somewhat "tied" to the camp during this TOA process due to administrative and logistics demands, but that is about to come to and end and we will all be out and about very soon.
In closing I feel very good about how the mission is going and how our soldiers are responding to the challenges. This Task Force is proving it is motivated, trained and ready to conduct any mission we are definitely living up to our motto of ..."Follow Us"
Sincerely,
LTC Jerry Hadley
Nightfighter 6
I hope this update finds everyone doing well, all is well over here. We are having a very productive Transition of Authority (TOA) with our counterparts, in fact I could not be happier with how well both units are conducting themselves. Often times during a process like this the two units start getting on each others nerves but I think we have been moving so fast that has not been the case. Plus both our Task Force and the Task Force we are replacing are made up of professional dedicated soldiers who take their job serious and that makes a difference. We have been going out on missions for about a week now and the soldiers of this unit have been learning a lot and coming back safe. That is not to say that some missions are not more "intense" than others but overall we have encountered nothing we have not trained for or expected. The vehicles we are travelling in provide outstanding protection to our soldiers as well as ample firepower to deter any prolonged attacks. I am sure some of the families will start hearing a few stories of encounters outside the wire from their soldiers over here. I remind our leaders quite often that it is imperative that we limit specific communication about missions we are conducting here, it is for the safety of our soldiers. While we limit who has access to this site, that does not mean people are not trying to intercept what we write. So be careful what you email back and forth to your loved one. Trust that we will keep you as informed as we can throughout this deployment. Do not listen to rumors or spread rumors of activities over here, no one benefits from that... especially not the soldiers. If anything serious happens to any member of this Task Force we will ensure the communication is handled professionally and as quickly as mission allows.
The 76th Brigade has invited several reporters to write about what is going on over here. While their information is interesting to the general public, it can sometimes be disturbing or misinterpreted by the family members. If you read something that does not sound in line with what you are hearing from this website feel free to ask myself or the CSM a question. We will answer it the best we can given the constraints we have. Just know that I feel very secure living on this base camp and I believe the soldiers do too. I will ensure that the leadership of this Task Force does not ask any soldier to do something that we will not do ourselves. That is why I have mandated that platoon leaders, company commanders and myself travel frequently in the convoys with the soldiers (the NCOs already are). We have been somewhat "tied" to the camp during this TOA process due to administrative and logistics demands, but that is about to come to and end and we will all be out and about very soon.
In closing I feel very good about how the mission is going and how our soldiers are responding to the challenges. This Task Force is proving it is motivated, trained and ready to conduct any mission we are definitely living up to our motto of ..."Follow Us"
Sincerely,
LTC Jerry Hadley
Nightfighter 6
Friday, April 4, 2008
Now its my birthday!
Last night, Zac called me to wish me a happy birthday. Since Iraq is 7 hours ahead, it was my birthday in Iraq, but still his birthday here in the states. So, for a while, while we were on the phone with each other, we shared the same birthday! How COOL is that!?! We were teasing about how we had a birthday for two days.
Zac is doing good. He sounded great. He has been getting tons of packages. He is so spoiled. He even got a package from someone he doesnt even know. (Thanks Kelly!) She is someone that is friends with my sister Amy in Knoxville.
He had a SMALL accident. Ok, I shouldnt say accident, how about a mishap.......he got his thumb slammed in an armored window......(I think that is what he called it.) But it tore his thumb nail off, half way down. He said it was bleeding everywhere. It was right before his mission, so he just bandaged it up, and would get it taken care of later. He showed his boss and TOLD him that he WAS still going on the mission. I think we was anxious to get out and start his job, after his mission got postponed twice. He said it hurt like hell. =( But it was nothing serious.
He is working out everyday, so I am glad that he has a way to blow off steam! =)
And, how adorable is my husband!?!? (scroll down to the next entry)
Zac is doing good. He sounded great. He has been getting tons of packages. He is so spoiled. He even got a package from someone he doesnt even know. (Thanks Kelly!) She is someone that is friends with my sister Amy in Knoxville.
He had a SMALL accident. Ok, I shouldnt say accident, how about a mishap.......he got his thumb slammed in an armored window......(I think that is what he called it.) But it tore his thumb nail off, half way down. He said it was bleeding everywhere. It was right before his mission, so he just bandaged it up, and would get it taken care of later. He showed his boss and TOLD him that he WAS still going on the mission. I think we was anxious to get out and start his job, after his mission got postponed twice. He said it hurt like hell. =( But it was nothing serious.
He is working out everyday, so I am glad that he has a way to blow off steam! =)
And, how adorable is my husband!?!? (scroll down to the next entry)
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