Units of Task Force 1-151 HQ 1-151 Team Predator HHC 1-151 Team Wildcat Alpha 2-150 Team Ruff Ryder Alpha 1-151 Team Avenger Bravo 1-151 Team Wolfpack Charlie 1-151 Team Cobra Delta 1-151 Team Maddog Fox 113th Fwd Spt Co Site Map Home Battalion History News and Updates Previous CDR Updates Chaplains Corner Family Readiness Group Picture Gallery Reenlistment Point of Contact Unit Contact Information Helpful Links Red Cross Emergancy Contact	Previous Comments from the Task Force Command Team
	No video update at this time. LTC Ronald A. Westfall Commander, Task Force 1-151	No video update at this time. CSM Rodney A. Spade Command Sergeant Major, Task Force 1-151
	Dear Task Force 151 Families, Hello to all of the Task Force 1-151 Predator Families and Friends. It has been way too long since my last update and I apologize for that. Things here continue to be busy, which is good because it makes the days go by quickly. I cannot believe that the first week of August is already over and we have been mobilized for 8 months as of today! It doesn’t seem like it has been that long since we first reported to the Armories back on December 10, 2007. Our 12-month mobilization is quickly coming to an end. I know that is great news for all of the families and friends back home, and it is for all of the Predator Soldiers as well. We get busy doing our mission and sometimes don’t communicate back home as often as we should, but don’t think for a minute that we don’t miss each and every one of you. We continue to remain vigilant and focused on our mission at hand, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we are beginning to see it glow. Things here in Iraq continue to operate smoothly, even though we experience more changes. The 3rd Sustainment Brigade, which has been our higher headquarters since we entered Theatre, just completed their 15-month tour and turned over command to the 16th Sustainment Brigade. The 3rd SB will return to Ft. Stewart, GA where they will rejoin the rest of the 3rd Infantry Division. They were a great organization to work for these past several months and I wish COL Williams, CSM Johnson and all of their Soldiers well in their future endeavors. The 16th SB, commanded by COL Pitts and CSM Spencer, is another Active Duty Sustainment Brigade, and hails from Bamberg, Germany. They took over the reins on 9 August 2008 and will continue to command and control sustainment operations throughout the northern part of Iraq for the next 15-months. As you have read in the news, all Active Duty units who arrived in Iraq after 1 August 2008 are reduced from a 15-month tour to a 12-month tour of duty. The 16th SB actually arrived in Theatre prior to 1 August so they still fall under the 15-month timeline. I’m sure that all of you have heard the news by now of the tragic death of three Indiana National Guardsmen in the past week. SGT Miller, who was killed in an unfortunate vehicle accident, was in the 76th Brigade and was a member of the 1-293 Infantry Battalion. The other two Soldiers, SGT Henry and SPC Menke, were both killed by enemy actions and belonged to the 38th MP Company. Condolences and heartfelt sorrow goes out to the families of these Soldiers from every Predator in the Task Force. War is an ugly business and unfortunately there are times when someone pays the ultimate price for Freedom, be it ours or someone else’s. We never want it to happen, but we know that eventually it will. That is when we must continue to stand strong, stand together and refortify our wall of support and unity. In the military, we are all one family, whether we are part of the same unit or not. We ALL stand together and support each other in times of need. May God bless these three great Soldiers and their families. There are also many great things that happen here in Iraq. A perfect example of that is our very own SPC Ross Pierson, from B Co. SPC Pierson and his other two gun crew Soldiers from 1st Platoon, were struck with an IED on Sunday, April 10th, 2008 while conducting security operations in the Ninawa Province of Northern Iraq. SPC Pierson sustained injuries to his arm from the IED blast and was Medevac’d out of Theatre to Germany where he underwent reconstructive surgery and was told that due to his injuries he would not be returning to Iraq to finish the deployment. SPC Pierson was devastated at the prognosis as he wanted desperately to remain with his comrades and finish what he started. He was bound and determined that he would do whatever it would take to prove them wrong and return to his unit, to his fellow soldiers, to his comrades in arms. He left Germany and underwent five long weeks of occupational therapy at Walter Reed Medical Army Medical Center, followed by an additional six weeks of therapy at his home in Plainfield, IN. SPC Pierson stated “It was nice to be back home and see some of my friends and family, but it didn’t feel right with the company still being deployed. That might be hard for most people to understand, but you go through so much together in the Army that the bond between the soldiers is unbreakable and what you start together is what you finish together.” On July 12th, SPC Pierson finished his last appointment at occupational therapy in Indiana. Within a week later, he was back in Iraq and with his company and fellow Indiana Guardsmen. The Army has what is called the Army Core Values which include: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. SPC Ross Pierson gave 110% to get back to his company, and has since been out on his first mission in Iraq in over 3 months. “I’m ecstatic about going back out there again. That was the goal from the night of the blast…to return and finish the deployment and I’m finally here and looking at everything optimistically and with a positive outlook. I’m just looking forward to getting back out there and making a positive contribution to the mission and to the company. I know a lot of people make a big deal about it and give me an ‘at a boy’ for what I did, but I only did it because it was the right thing to do.” This incident epitomizes the true spirit of a Soldier and the bond that develops among these band of brothers. We are glad to have you back SPC Pierson.
	SPC Pierson after receiving the Purple Heart	SPC Pierson and SGT Dustman at B Co TOC
	REDEPLOYMENT. I am sure that this is a word that all of you have been waiting to hear. I received the order last night that published the RIP/TOA dates. These are the dates that we turn over the mission to our replacements. Shortly after that happens, the units will fly back to the redeployment station and out-process. While I cannot tell you what the exact dates are due to OPSEC, I can tell you that the companies will flow home over the course of a week or two. The exact timing will depend on flight and aircraft availability. HOWEVER – for your planning purposes, I can tell you that some of the companies might make it home for Thanksgiving and others will just miss it. I will publish more guidance as it becomes available and we get closer to the actual time. But until then, you can put a mark on the wall of Thanksgiving as to approximately when your Soldier will return home. We are 2/3 of the way through this deployment, and as our time begins to draw nearer, we begin to think of our families more and more. We will continue to remain focused on the mission at hand and CSM Spade and I ask that you help us with that. We all want to talk about how great it will be when we come home, which it will, but we all still need to concentrate on the task at hand. I need each and every Soldier in this Task Force to continue to concentrate on his or her daily mission. We all depend on each other and I need their mind in the game. I know all of you realize this and will do your best to help, and the CSM and I thank you for that. We hope all of you are enjoying a great summer. Remember, if you ever need anything please contact your FRG Chairperson or Rear Detachment NCO and they will do everything they can to assist you. We have the best FRG and Rear Det team in the Brigade and they are always there to help you. It is because of you and our love for our family and our way of life that we continue to do what we do. Thank you for all of your continued support. Remember – we are one team, one family and together we will stand strong and finish this deployment successfully on both fronts.
	Dear Task Force 151 Families, Happy Fourth of July to all the Predator families! Today marks the birthday of the greatest country in the world. The United States of America turns another year older today. This special day has always been special to those of us in the military, but it seems even more so when you are on a deployment. The freedom and ideals that we hold so dearly are not shared in many other countries throughout the world. Unfortunately, there are also too many Americans that take our freedom for granted and forget the many sacrifices we have made over the years to hold on to that. You have all heard the saying “Freedom isn’t Free”, and it never means more than when you “gear up”, climb into your Armored Vehicle, load your weapons and head outside the wire to conduct a mission. Those of us in the military have learned to really appreciate our great country and there is nothing more beautiful than coming home to America and seeing your family. That day is fast approaching, so continue to hang in there and before you know it, we’ll be getting off that plane once again. Speaking of climbing into our Armored Vehicles, we are receiving the newest addition to the Army’s inventory, the MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected). These will be a welcome addition to our fleet of Up-Armored Vehicles. Below is a picture of the type we are receiving.
	We are scheduled to receive several of these vehicles over the coming months. These are the newest vehicle specifically designed to safeguard our soldiers from the hazards we face daily as we conduct our missions along the roadways throughout Iraq. Each of our Companies will be receiving some in order to complement the array of other Armored Vehicles in our fleet. Things here in Iraq continue to run smoothly. The weather is definitely getting hotter as our average daily temperature reaches a high of 115 and a low of 85. We are reaching the hot part of the summer, so the temperature should continue to raise some more before reaching its peak. I have heard several people say “yeah, but it’s a dry heat so it’s not so bad”. It is a very dry heat, but let me tell ya when it’s over 115 degrees outside and the sun is bearing down on you, I don’t care how dry it is…….it is just friggin hot! Especially with all of the combat gear that your soldiers are required to wear when operating outside the wire. But everyone here does a great job. They go about their daily routine with minimal complaints and continue to get the job done. The American Soldier is amazing as they can endure the hardest of times and yet still smile about it. And your soldiers of the Predator Task Force are among the best. I hope all of you back home are enjoying the Holiday weekend with Fireworks displays, cookouts, family get-togethers and other fun activities. There were cookouts here as the DFAC did a great job of grilling BBQ chicken, ribs and sausages. The USO put on a concert for the troops, there were movies to watch and several games and contests available to take part in. No fireworks here, although there were places that did a mock display of red, white and blue chemlights. All in all it was as enjoyable as we could make it in a combat zone. All of the Predators here in Iraq wish all of you back home a Happy 4th of July. We hope you and all the kids have a great holiday weekend and a pleasant summer as we wind down the last half of our deployment. Remember, if you ever need anything please contact your FRG Chairperson or Rear Detachment NCO and they will do everything they can to assist you. We have the best FRG and Rear Det team in the Brigade and they are always there to help you. It is because of you and our love for our family and our way of life that we continue to do what we do. Thank you for all of your continued support. Remember – we are one team, one family and together we will stand strong and finish this deployment successfully on both fronts.
	Dear Task Force 151 Families, Hello to all the Predator families. Can you believe that June is almost over already? The time here in Iraq is flying by very quickly as we continue to stay busy. All of the units are doing extremely well at accomplishing their mission and the soldiers continue to do an outstanding job. They are truly great Americans. We have definitely had all of you in our thoughts, especially with all of the terrible weather that has been go¬ing on back home. We have seen the pictures of the tornado and flood damage throughout Indiana. Thankfully, with all of that destruction, I have heard of nobody with any injuries. We have however, had a few families with some major damage. If you would like to offer any help or assistance to them, I’m sure you can do so through your FRG. They will be able to give you the necessary information. We pray for those who are struggling every day. If any of you have suffered any damage and you are not receiving any needed assistance, then please contact your Rear Detachment NCO or your FRG Chair. We have plenty of organizations and contacts that can provide you with assistance. As I told you in my last letter, all of the soldiers here at COB Speicher received the combat patch from Gov¬ernor Daniels. The soldiers up at Qwest also received their combat patches and I have attached some of their photos as well.
	CPT Goettler places combat patch on 2LT Jerabek	A/2-150 soldiers stand ready after receiving 76th IBCT Combat Patch
	TM Wolfpack receives 76th IBCT combat patch	CPT Zartman presents combat patch
	CPT Deckard presents 76th IBCT combat patch	TM Cobra stands ready after receiving combat patch
	Father’s Day weekend was celebrated recently as well. HHC decided to hold a Luau on two continents at the same time. The company held a genuine Luau here at COB Speicher, Iraqi style. We had all the sand, wind and dancers running around in grass skirts and coconut tops. All we were missing was the surf. At the same time this was going on, the FRG hosted a Luau for the families in Jasper. And from what we heard, they had all the water! In fact, too much water which prevented some families from attending. The company here had plenty of food to eat, played some volleyball and cornhole and just all around good times and camaraderie. However, now that I think about it, the dancers with grass skirts and coconut tops weren’t quite what I expected. Below is a picture, you decide for yourself.
	1SG Moody with the Hula Dancer (SPC Hunter)	CPT Smith with his two Hula Dancers??
	SPC Payton & CPL Dotterweich in the Luau spirit	HHC soldiers playing volleyball
	We are over the halfway mark for this deployment and 4th of July is fast approaching. Things are continuing to go well for the solders of TF 1-151. We consistently perform our mission every day and the troops are praised by our higher headquarters, the 3rd Sustainment Brigade, for doing such a great job. I continue to be very proud of our young men and women as they get up every day and perform a difficult job, to the best of their ability, and they do it with a smile on their face and positive outlook. There is nothing more inspiring than an American Soldier; and there is no American Soldier I am more proud of than each and every Predator of Task Force 1-151. All of us here in Iraq wish all of you back home happy and fun-filled summer. The kids should all be out of school and the parks should be filling up with ballgames, swimming and all around fun activities with kids running everywhere. Even though we may not be there in person to share this with you, we have you in our thoughts every single day. It is because of you and our love for our family and our way of life that we con¬tinue to do what we do. Thank you for all of your continued support. Remember – we are one team, one family and together we will stand strong and finish this deployment successfully on both fronts.