1ST BATTALION, 62D AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY REGIMENT REACTIVATES AT FORT HOOD
Article by Major Ramona L.B. Bellard, 69^th Air Defense Artillery Brigade Public Affairs
(Posted 20 October 2011)


Colonel (COL) Randall A. McIntire, Commander, 69th Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Brigade, guides Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Aaron J. Roth, Commander, 1st Battalion, 62d ADA (1-62 ADA) Regiment, and Sergeant Major Robert Navarro, Command Sergeant Major (CSM) of 1-62 ADA, as they uncase the unit's colors heavy with campaign streamers during the reactivation ceremony at Fort Hood, Texas, on 18 October 2011.
(Photograph by Sergeant Maria L. Kappell, 69^th Air Defense Artillery Brigade Public Affairs Office.)


History was made as service members and families looked on as the 69^th Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Brigade reactivated the 1st Battalion, 62d Air Defense Artillery (1-62 ADA) Regiment in a ceremony at Fort Hood, Texas, on 18 October 2011.

The 62d ADA Regiment has a rich and long legacy in defense of the United States, spanning over 200 years until its deactivation in 2005. Led by Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Aaron J. Roth and Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Robert Navarro, 1-62 ADA is the 15th Patriot battalion to be added to the ADA force to maintain air and missile defense (AMD) operations around the world.

“Today marks the beginning of the journey when these great Soldiers march off the field today. Now comes the really hard part—building a fighting organization from the ground up. LTC Roth and his team of professionals will face numerous challenges as they build their organization’s systems, field new equipment, train and finally, certify to deploy in just a little over a year,” said Colonel (COL) Randall A. McIntire, the commander of the 69^th ADA Brigade.

The battalion stood up three of its six batteries in a ceremony in June of 2011, with three more batteries following in September. With the battalion’s official reactivation, it continues its proud history and is now the only active battalion in the 62nd Regiment.

The “SKYSTRIKER" Battalion can now officially call Fort Hood home, and the Soldiers are eager to train and prepare to execute their air defense mission.

“Now, with our regimental colors and the colors of its 1^st Battalion flying in the wind, a new chapter is opened in the history of this distinguished regiment, and all of us here are witness to the beginning,” LTC Roth said.


LTC Aaron J. Roth, Commander of 1-62 ADA, stands before his unit as the newest battalion commander in the Air Defense Artillery branch, as the battalion prepares to pass in review at the completion of the reactivation ceremony on 18 October 2011 at Fort Hood, Texas.
(Photograph by Major Ramona L.B. Bellard 69^th Air Defense Artillery Brigade Public Affairs Office.)

FIRES COMMANDING GENERAL ACKNOWLEDGES
69TH ADA BRIGADE SOLDIERS
Photographs by Major Ramona L.B. Bellard, 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade Public Affairs

FORT HOOD, Texas -- Major General (MG) David C. Halverson, Commanding General of the Fires Center of Excellence (FCoE), Fort Sill, Oklahoma, talks to several Soldiers and Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs) of the 69th Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Brigade after presenting them with Fires Center of Excellence coins in recognition of their achievements and dedication to excellence during a ceremony held here on 18 October 2011. General Halverson applauded them for their commitment as he reminded them that it is important to get better every day. "Soldiers are the life insurance policies for many countries," Halverson said, and he encouraged the Soldiers to continue to strive to be the best they can be.
 
FORT HOOD, Texas -- MG David C. Halverson, far right, Commanding General, FCoE, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, poses with several members of the 69th ADA Brigade, and the brigade command team, far left, Colonel Randall A. McIntire and Command Sergeant Major Finis A. Dodson, at the brigade’s compound - affectionately referred to as “The Ranch” on 18 October 2011.

Army Scholarship Foundation Announces the
Lieutenant General Jack Costello
Memorial Scholarship Awardee for 2011-2012 Academic Year

The Lieutenant General Jack Costello Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Ms. Victoria Inman of Vilseck, Germany. She is the daughter of Command Sergeant Major (CSM) and Mrs. Jeremiah Inman. CSM Inman is assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2d Stryker Regiment in Vilseck. He is a veteran of numerous combat deployments in the Middle East. Victoria is a freshman at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina.

For more information on this award and a complete list of Army Scholarship awardees for the 2011-2012 Academic Year click on the following link:
http://usma1970.blogspot.com/2011/09/army-scholarship-foundation-news.html

CALL FIRES - OCTOBER NEWSLETTER
Provided by Lieutenant Colonel Will Johnson,
Fires Team Chief, CALL, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Attached for your review is the October issue of the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) Fires Newsletter. Our discussions continue with commanders, fire supporters and air defenders at all levels, as well as observer controllers and trainers around the world; these  collaborative efforts have given us great visibility of some of the most current and relevant tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) and trends emerging from the Fires Warfighting Community, active duty, National Guard, and Army Reserve.

Included in this issue:

Fires Best Practices: 2d Stryker Cavalry Regiment
***
Fires Best Practices: 2d Brigade Combat Team (BCT) 25 ID (Stryker BCT)
***
Combat Training Center and Training Unit Partnership:
Supporting and Designing Pre-deployment Training Events for a Mixed Field Artillery Battalion by Major Corey Landry and Captain(P) Brad Fausnaugh, Joint Multinational Readiness Center
***
"The Maneuver Commander's Most Versatile, Lethal Weapon System: The Trained and Equipped Forward Observer by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Thomas M. Taccia
***
"Digitally Aided Close Air Support (DACAS) - a Joint Perspective"
by U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Major Jabari Reneau and Mr. Leonard Longhenry
***
Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative (APMI) Update
***
Airspace Command & Control Trends

(To read the October issue in its entirety, click here.)

To read past editions of the CALL Fires Newsletter
click on the individually hyperlinked months below.

CALL FIRES - MAY 2011               CALL FIRES - JUNE 2011

CALL FIRES - JULY 2011               CALL FIRES - AUGUST 2011

CALL FIRES - SEPTEMBER 2011