10th Mountain Division News Roundup

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Fort Polk announces pending command change
Brig. Gen. James C. Yarbrough, commander of the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, will relinquish command in a change of command ceremony Jan. 7 to Brig. Gen. Clarence K.K. Chinn. The public ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Honor Field at the Vernon Parish post.

10th Mountain Division Soldiers Send Holiday Love From Afar
MyABC50.com is proud to bring you holiday greetings from our dedicated U.S. Army, 10th Mountain Division Soldiers that are deployed during this holiday season.

Fort Drum soldiers pitch in at soup kitchen to fight hunger; others help at the Rescue Mission, Salvation Army,
US soldiers serve breakfast at the Samaritan Center
U.S. Army Sgt. Victor Velasquez, who recently returned from a 10-month tour of duty in Iraq, served a stint this morning at a soup kitchen in downtown Syracuse.

As Velasquez and 14 other soldiers from Fort Drum dished out oatmeal and other breakfast food at the Samaritan Center at 310 Montgomery St., several hungry guests thanked them for their military service. The volunteer experience was a morale booster for Velasquez.

USO tour visits with troops at FOB Fenty

Local Meets with soldier
A former teacher recently visited a local solider who was wounded while serving his country abroad.

Brian Bradley, of St. Marys, suffered severe injuries Nov. 24 while serving in the United States Army in Afghanistan. He is currently recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center in Alexandria, Va. Ronda Shelby, Bradley’s former eighth grade language arts teacher, said she had the opportunity to visit him in Virginia earlier this week.

Local Paragraphs
The Magrath Sports Complex gym and track areas will be closed from Wednesday to Feb. 4 because of construction.

News: COP Charkh Soldiers celebrate Catholic Mass
Soldiers assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, celebrated Catholic Mass at Combat Outpost Charkh here Dec. 10.

This was the first Mass offered at COP Charkh since August due to the non-availability of a Catholic chaplain.

Receiving recognition
Army 1st Lt. Jacob A. Keplar, who is serving in Afghanistan, recently received the Bronze Star Medal from Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, for meritorious service in connection with military operations.

News: TF Storm Soldiers work to secure local economy
As the mountain infantrymen vigilantly patrolled the streets of Charkh’s bazaar Dec. 11, the sounds of the metal store gates slamming open and children laughing increased along with the positive outlook of the village’s security.

Task Force Storm Soldiers of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment along with Afghan National Security Forces are providing around-the-clock security to keep insurgent influence and forces out of the bazaar.

Aviation life support shop ensures safety
Aviation Soldiers can perform their job on a daily basis without concern as to the functionality of their lifesaving equipment thanks to Task Force Phoenix’s aviation life support equipment shop at Bagram Airfield.

“The best thing about our job is that, in the end, we save lives,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Buck Atkin, Company D, 3rd Battalion, Task Force Phoenix, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, ALSE noncommissioned officer in charge.

A mother honors her son's family's sacrifice
Marianne O'Leary of Sunderland has her son and his family on her mind this holiday season. And as she made her annual donation to the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund, she wanted to honor their sacrifice.

Brian M. O'Leary, 34, and his wife, Monica K. O'Leary, also 34, both serve in the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division. Brian is stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y., where he lives with the couple's four children: Brian, 15, Jarrius, 12, Annette-Elizabeth, 6, and Patrick, 3. He has completed three tours of duty, two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Monica O'Leary is currently stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan, her third tour of duty. She has served twice in Iraq.

Carrying on the Tradition
Soldiers from Task Force Tigershark, 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment,10th Mountain Division, received their combat patches during a brief ceremony at Forward Operating Base Salerno Dec. 5, marking their first 30 days serving in a war zone.

The combat patch was started by the Army during World War II and remains a time-honored tradition for Soldiers who have served in combat operations.

Soldiers' housing allowances to rise 2.7%
FORT DRUM — While the 2011 housing allowance for Fort Drum soldiers will rise overall by 2.7 percent, the rates for some ranks will decrease.

Facebook Pages

Fort Drum Fmwr has info about New Year's Eve parties and Christmas celebrations on post.

2nd BN 22nd INF has pictures from the welcome home ceremony.

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division has pictures from the Quarterly Award Ceremony Dec. 10,2010 and tells us that 2nd BCT Dinning Facility wins Fort Drum Best Serving Line.

Ft Drum USO has pictures from the 12.15.10 RDF Redeployment of 2-22.

1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division tells us about Spc. Alan Bakula, of Flagstaff, Arizona, who was recently cited for Valor while in Afghanistan. we also hear about Sgt. 1st Class Dean Lee, of Buffalo, N.Y., and Spc. Michael Gannon, of Pinehurst, Calif., who also received awards in Afghanistan.

2nd BN 22nd IN has pictures from the Welcome home Ceremony.