USASMA inducts two into Hall of Honor

12A • September 10, 2015 • FORT BLISS BUGLE
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Photos by David Crozier / USASMA Command Communications
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Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Defreese, commandant, USASMA, assists Carol Koehler, widow of the
late Sgt. Maj. Erwin “Butch” Koehler, former branch chief of the Primary Leadership Development
Course, unveil Koehler’s Hall of Honor plaque during the USASMA Hall of Honor induction ceremony
held Aug. 28 in the Academy’s Cooper Lecture Center. Also pictured are fellow inductee retired Sgt.
Maj. Al Hobbs and Command Sgt. Maj. Joe Pritchard, deputy commandant of USASMA.
USASMA inducts two
into Hall of Honor
By David Crozier
USASMA Command Communications
The U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy recognized the singular and cumulative
achievements of two individuals who have
made significant contributions to the Academy and the Noncommissioned Officer Education System in a ceremony held Aug. 28 in
the Academy’s Cooper Lecture Center.
Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Defreese, USASMA commandant, hosted the ceremony
and spoke about each of the inductees – retired Command Sgt. Maj. Phillip Johndrow,
command sergeant major of the Combined
Arms Center and the late Sgt. Maj. Erwin
“Butch” Koehler, former branch chief of the
Primary Leadership Development Course
for the USASMA. His family, widow Carol,
daughters Terri Wills and Patti Hark and
granddaughters Daniella and Hannah, represented Koehler.
“Today we are inducting two very deserving individuals into our Hall of Honor,” Defreese said. “We couldn’t have chosen a better pair for both have served the NCO Corps
well and have been champions of enlisted
education.”
Defreese took note of Johndrow’s accomplishments during his time as a student of the
Sergeants Major Course and then later as the
command sergeant major of the Combined
Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas,
saying he pushed for excellence in everything he did.
Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Phillip Johndrow
addresses the gathered crowd Aug. 28 during
the USASMA Hall of Honor induction ceremony
held in the Academy’s Cooper Lecture Center.
“During his last assignment as the command sergeant major of CAC he pushed to
ensure that USASMA and NCO Academies
didn’t lack the resources they needed to successfully implement the Army’s NCO Education System,” Defreese said. “He has had
his hands in education for almost as long as
he has served. Even as a retiree, he continues to help Soldiers and NCOs everywhere
obtain the education they need as the national director of Strategic Military and VetSee HONOR Page 13A
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HONOR Continued from Page 12A
eran Relations for Trident University. He is
truly a Soldier for life and deserving of this
honor.”
With his comments complete, Defreese
invited Johndrow up onto the stage to unveil
his Hall of Honor plaque and to make some
remarks.
“I am humbled to be here and privilege to
be among such a prestigious group of individuals, many of them who have inspired me
along the way and continue to make a difference both in and out of uniform,” Johndrow
said. “Each of you have spent your entire
career learning to be a better leader. And
now it is your turn to help others to achieve
that same success. Eventually each of you
will pass that torch of leadership to someone else. This is your time to be able to give
some back to our Army all of the leadership
skills that you have learned along the way.”
Johndrow said his mentors told him good
leaders produce more good leaders, not more
followers and he should always look out for
two or three who have the potential to be
good leaders.
“Who do you see out there that has potential? Let them know, teach, coach, mentor,
train and motivate them. Tap into their potential; bring them along. Train them not to
be as good as you are, but to be better than
you are,” he said. “Education is one of the
keys to success. Education is knowledge and
is extremely powerful. Armed with knowledge we can perform better, solve problems
more easily, make wiser decisions and improve lives. You have to look at education
not as a tax on the present, but as an investment into your future.”
Following Johndrow’s remarks, Defreese
turned his attention to Koehler, whom he said
he had never met, but from the comments he
received from Koehler’s family, and those
who knew him, he was a great Soldier.
“Butch was one of those rare breeds who
knew what right looks like and how NCOs
and leaders should train,” Defreese said.
“When the Army went to a four-tiered education system for enlisted Soldiers, Kohler
was picked to lead the team that would be
responsible for the development of the Primary Leadership Development course, the
precursor of the Warrior Leader course and
soon to be Basic Leader course of today.”
Defreese noted Koehler did it all, from
developing the curricula to writing the instructor’s handbook and said that many in
the room had gone through the courses he
developed.
“Much of what we do today is because of
what he did in the early 1980s. There is no
telling where we would be as an institution
if it were not for his work,” Defreese said.
“Carol I want to thank you for allowing us to
use this great Soldier and leader. Your support allowed him to make our NCO Corps
what it is today and for that we are eternally
grateful.”
Defreese invited Koehler’s friend and fellow Hall of Honor inductee, retired Sgt. Maj.
Al Hobbs, to come forward and speak.
“Thank you for the privilege of allowing
me to speak on your behalf today for Erwin
‘Butch’ Koehler, Hobbs said to the Koehler
family. “He was a personal friend of mine
and a friend of all of you because he established where you are today by developing the Primary Leadership Development
Course. Butch was one of those individuals
that had to have, and wanted to have, education. He fought for it. It is a great day for me
to be here and honor my personal friend and
his family. He was just one of those guys that
continued to serve.”
Following the remarks by Hobbs, the official party moved out to the Hall of Honor where the inductees, unveiled the wall
plaques amongst the previous 28 inductees.
Additional photos of the ceremony
can be at https://www.flickr.com/photos/133821783@N02/albums.
Photos by David Crozier / USASMA Command Communications
Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Phillip Johndrow, accompanied by Lanette Vela, unveil his wall plaque following ceremonies that inducted Johndrow into the USASMA Hall of Honor. Also picture are Command
Sgts. Maj. Dennis Defreese, right, and Joe Pritchard, left, commandant and deputy commandant of
USASMA.
(Right) The Koehler family pose for a photo with
Command Sgt. Maj. Joe Pritchard, left, and Dennis Defreese, right, deputy commandant and
commandant of the U.S. Army Sergeants Major
Academy respectively, in front of the late Sgt.
Maj. Erwin “Butch” Koehler who was posthumously inducted into the USASMA Hall of Honor
Aug. 28. Representing the Koehler family is
Butch’s widow Carol, standing, daughter Terri
Wells and granddaughter Daniella, kneeling, Ed
and Patti Hark, Butch’s daughter, and granddaughter Hannah Regan.
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16A • September 10, 2015 • FORT BLISS BUGLE
Wisconsin engineers return from Afghanistan
By Adam Holguin
Mobilization and Deployment, DPTMS Public Affairs
Photos by Adam Holguin / Mobilization and Deployment, DPTMS Public Affairs
On a rainy early morning, Soldiers assigned to the 950th Engineer Company deplane and walk towards the Silas l. Copeland Arrival Departure Air Control Group, Aug. 24 after arriving stateside from
a deployment to Afghanistan.
Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, standing, U.S. Air Force, adjutant general, state of Wisconsin, welcomes home
the 950th Engineer Company, Aug. 24 at the Silas L. Copeland Arrival/Departure Air Control Group. The
Wisconsin Army National Guard unit returned stateside after completing a nine-month deployment to
Afghanistan.
After a night of thunderstorms in West
Texas, the rain let up just as the airplane
that carried the 950th Engineer Company
touched down here, Aug. 24. The Wisconsin
Army National Guard unit returned stateside
after completing a nine-month deployment
in Afghanistan in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Resolute Support.
The route clearance engineers from Superior and Spooner, Wisconsin, will return
home to the land of beer, brats and cheese
after completing the demobilization process
with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security.
Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, U.S. Air Force,
Adjutant General for the State of Wisconsin,
along with a contingent from the state, came
to Fort Bliss to welcome home the 950th
Eng. Co.
“I am very grateful to God to have them
all home safe and sound,” Dunbar said.
While addressing the Soldiers at the welcome brief at the Silas. L. Copeland Arrival/Departure Air Control Group, Dunbar
thanked the Soldiers for their service and
told them the elite group of citizens they all
are, due to the deployment they have just
completed.
“Only 1 percent of the public is wearing
a uniform, but a much smaller percentage
has gone overseas for combat operations,”
Dunbar said, “a very unique group of men
and women, I hold them in high regard and I
know our country does too.”
According to Capt. Andrew Thomas Redd,
commander, 750th Eng. Co., upon their arrival in Afghanistan, the unit was splintered
to three locations.
“We had two days when we landed (at
Bagram) to inprocess into Afghanistan and
then we had to ship them out to the two detachment locations, providing base security
in Kabul and Kandahar,” said Redd. “We
started running missions within in the first
week, so we hit the ground sprinting, luckily
the guys were ready for it.”
The ability for the entire unit to adapt to
mission that was somewhat unexpected, is
a testament to the each Soldier’s ability to
adjust fire.
“It was stressful, it was definitely a busy
times,” Redd Said, “it was a lot more than
we expected, a lot of stuff going on and we
had to setup a new leadership arrangement
at every location, it worked really well, my
guys adapted well.”
First Lt. Phillip Bruer, platoon leader,
Third Platoon, was located at Bagram for the
duration of the deployment, and he oversaw
his platoon work with a diverse set of Coalition Forces.
“We ended up working with the Czech
army and the Georgian army, they had a
really big presence at Bagram Airfield …
they ran most of the combat operations for
the base,” Bruer said. “So we went out and
cleared for the Georgians and Czechs. We
got to work quite a number of multi-national
coalition missions which was pretty cool.”
Redd recapped the diversity of the deployment: “We worked with the Czechs, Georgians, Marines, Air Force, (Afghan National
Army), and civilian contractors doing three
or four different types of missions.”
“There was enough experience and especially enough competence in every different
part of my platoon, form the squad leaders
all the way down to the ‘Joes’ who were
driving and gunning, that they were going to
do what they needed to do,” Bruer said of
his platoon.
“I’m super proud of my guys that they did
what they had to do,” continued Bruer. “At
the end of the day, every single person that
we worked with had nothing but awesome
things to say about the guys from Wisconsin.”
Before departing to billets and some much
needed rest, Redd summarized the collective
feelings of the 950th Eng. Co. “It’s good to
be back; God bless America.”
SPOTLIGHT
FORT BLISS BUGLE • September 10 • 17A
Guy Volb / Installation Public Affairs
Yolanda Brown, left, Department of Public Works, is awarded the 2014
Installation Management Command Housing Division Executive of the
Year, by Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty, right, 1st AD and Fort Bliss commanding general, Tuesday at the Centennial Banquet and Conference
Center during the Senior Leader Update.
Guy Volb / Installation Public Affairs
(Left) Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty, 1st AD and Fort Bliss commanding
general, honored First Light Federal Credit Union employees Tuesday for
being an “outstanding activity” at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center during the Senior Leader Update.
Capt. Guster Cunningham III / 11th ADA Bde.
A change of command ceremony between the outgoing commander, Capt. Jeanette Ontiveros and
incoming commander, Capt. Andre D. Ruff, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 11th Air Defense
Artillery Brigade, took place here Aug. 25. Maj. Michael J. Higgins, left, deputy commanding officer,
11th ADA Bde., and Ontiveros, right, stand at attention as Ruff passes the guidon to 1st Sgt. Tracey
Rosser at the completion of passing the battery guidon signifying Ruff taking command as members
of the battery watch the exchange.
Spc. Marie Von Donato / 3rd BCT, 1st AD Public Affairs
From left, Command Sgt. Maj. Terry L. Weiss, senior enlisted adviser, 3rd BCT, 1st AD, Col. Chip
Daniels, commander, 3rd BCT, Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commander, United States Africa Command,
and Command Sgt. Maj. Darrin J. Bohn, command senior enlisted leader, U.S. AFRICOM, pose for a
group photograph at 3rd BCT Headquarters Aug. 25 during a meeting about the completed Regionally Aligned Forces mission.
Sgt. Lance Pounds
Col. Chip Daniels, standing, commander of 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, sparks discussion
among the participants of the U.S. Army Africa Training and Leader Development Conference when
he spoke about lessons learned through shared best practices and alternative solutions, Aug. 17 at
the Golden Lion Conference Center at Vicenza, Italy.
Sgt. Reece Lodder / Marine Corps
El Paso native Sgt. Leo Andavazo, right,
a drill instructor with Receiving Company, Support Battalion, instructs high
school teachers from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana how to stand
at the position of attention after their arrival at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San
Diego, for Recruiting Station Seattle’s
Educators Workshop Aug. 4. The workshop provided educators and community influencers with firsthand knowledge
of the Marine Corps recruiting process,
entry-level training, job opportunities
and educational benefits available for
Marines.
Staff Sgt. Brian Kimball
(Left) Military police from the 93rd Military Police Battalion and the Zambian
Defense Force gather for a photo while
training during Southern Accord 2015 in
Lusaka, Zambia Aug, 10.
18A • September 10, 2015 • FORT BLISS BUGLE
Courtesy photo
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services welcomed 652 immigrants, to include 17 service
members, from 46 countries, as they are sworn in as new U.S. citizens Friday at the Abraham Chavez
Theatre in Downtown El Paso. Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is conferred
upon foreign citizens or nationals after fulfilling the requirements established by Congress.
Courtesy photo
The Fort Bliss Officer and Civilian Spouses’ Association had its annual Super Sign Up at A Little Bit
of Bliss Gift Shop at 1717 Marshall Road inside the Trading Post, Aug. 27. To learn more, go to http://
fortblissocsa.org/.
Mass Comm. Spec. 1st Class Pat Migliaccio /
Navy Office of Community Outreach
Timothy L. Hale
Mass Comm. Spec. 3rd Class Taylor A. Elberg
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Peter Garza, from El Paso, Texas, chains an MH-60S
Seahawk, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25, to the deck in the hangar bay on board
forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard. The lead ship of the Bonhomme
Richard Expeditionary Strike Group is on patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.
Sgt. Zedrik Pitts, Army Reserve, is a student at
the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa. He
won five gold medals in cycling and track at the
2015 Warrior Games. Assigned to the Warrior
Transition Battalion at Fort Bliss, Pitts doesn’t
let Grave’s Disease stop him from achieving his
academic and athletic goals.
Seaman Diego Dominguez, a 2013 Austin High
School graduate and El Paso, Texas native, is
helping the Navy keep sea lanes safe and open
in the Middle East, serving on the mine countermeasures ship USS Devastator. Dominguez is a
Navy mineman who lives and works at a Navy
base in Manama, Bahrain, where the Devastator
is based.
Ray Seva / N.M. Dept. of Veterans’ Services
Spc. Von Marie Donato / 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Public Affairs
From left, Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commander, United States Africa Command, Command Sgt. Maj.
Lance P. Lehr, 1st AD and Fort Bliss command sergeant major, Maj. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty, 1st AD
and Fort Bliss commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Darrin J. Bohn, command senior enlisted leader, U.S. AFRICOM, pose for a group photo at 3rd Brigade Combat Team Headquarters Aug. 25.
Spc. Julia Redding / 24th Press Camp Headquarters
Lt. Col. Jason Crow, left, commander, rear detachment, 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade,
and Sgt. Maj. Ronald Houston, right, present Dr. Vera Carter-Shields, center, with a plaque for her
participation in Women’s Equality Observance Day at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center
here, Aug. 19. Carter entered the military in 1978 as a Medical Corps officer and served more than
24 years in the military, retiring as a major.
The Upper Fruitland (New Mexico) Veterans Association Honor Guard unit captured the top prize in
the “Small Unit” competition during the competition phase of the 2015 Honor Guard Conference at
the New Mexico Veterans Memorial in Albuquerque Aug. 21. The state’s 34 all-volunteer units were
established under the state’s Military Honor Burials program to ensure all honorably discharged
veterans are buried with the honor and dignity of a military funeral. Representing the UFVAHG were
Ricky Willie, Larry Curtis and Alvis Kee.
Sgt. Maricris C. McLane / 24th Press Camp Headquarters
Former Military Policeman Sgt. Doug Davis, left, and retired Sgt. 1st Class Richard Wilson, right,
share stories during the celebration of the 75th National Airborne Day at the 82nd Airborne Division
Association, Benavidez-Patterson Chapter, El Paso, Texas, Aug. 15. Airborne veterans gathered to
honor airborne Soldiers and paratroopers in the past and present.
FORT BLISS BUGLE • September 10, 2015 • 19A
Army trains Malawian Defense Force on maintenance
By Spc. Von Marie Donato
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Public Affairs
LILONGWE, Republic of Malawi – Soldiers from the Malawian Defense Force
celebrated their completion of a small arms
maintenance program management course
taught by Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade
Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.
Eager to tell their family and friends, they
rushed to take pictures with their admired
course instructors.
“I remembered the students being thrilled
and shouting, ‘The United States Army, the
best Army in the world, is here teaching
us,’” said 1st Lt. Carlisle E. Lane, maintenance control officer, 123rd Brigade Support
Battalion, 3rd BCT, 1st AD, and the lead instructor for the small arms maintenance program management course.
Lane was part of a military-to-military
traveling contact team, referred to as M2M
TCT, with Sgt. Miguel A. Nuñez, a small
arms repairer for 123rd BSB, 3rd BCT, 1st
AD. They deployed to Lilongwe, Malawi,
June 20 through 26 to train soldiers from
the MDF. Located in Southeast Africa, the
country borders Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique and has a population of about 16
million.
The M2M TCT conducted a small arms
maintenance program management course
that not only taught the MDF soldiers basic
maintenance, but also strengthened their armament units.
“The curriculum educated the Malawian
soldiers on the foundation of small arms
maintenance principles, including testing
serviceability of weapons, general maintenance, managing repairable weapon parts,
weapons familiarization, range safety operations, and planning inspections with company leadership,” Lane said.
Traveling in small groups of two as an
M2M TCT allowed for more up close and
personal training and a great opportunity for
relationship building, which was crucial to
the mission.
“This mission allowed us to build great
repertoire with the MDF. This group is the
first generation of armorers and maintainers for the MDF,” Lane said. “They are the
foundation for the MDF’s maintenance procedures for weapons, cannons and all things
related to smalls arms maintenance.”
Not only were Lane and Nuñez able to
build a great relationship with the Malawians, but they also helped the Malawians build
a better relationship among themselves.
“Each of the soldiers came from different tribes and units in Malawi and did not
acquire an infrastructure to communicate
amongst each other,” Lane said. “So we laid
out the foundation for them to be able to
communicate and help each other once we
left. That was a great benefit to them because
some units had more exposure to a variety of
weapon systems than others.”
Amid relationship building, the main mission was in full swing: small arms maintenance and how to build the foundation for
the MDF armament units.
“We were able to compare how we do
maintenance and how they do maintenance.
There wasn’t any command emphasis on
preventative maintenance checks and services and making sure they are taking care of
their weapons,” Lane said. “We taught them
how they can go about respectfully request-
ing a time to inspect their arms rooms and
making sure their weapons are being maintained.”
Safety procedures and proper weapons
handling was another portion of the course
that Lane and Nuñez were passionate about
sharing.
“Another large component of the class focused on safety and the proper handling of
weapons. The U.S. Army has programs in
place to ensure safety: Clearing as you get on
and off the range, clear before you receive a
weapon,” Lane said. “Those are things they
had not considered. We encouraged the utilization of range safety officers and rules to
follow while on the range and showed them
how to implement it.”
Since educational lectures can become
redundant after a few days, Lane decided to
create a more engaging environment and allowed the MDF soldiers to discuss maintenance topics among themselves for a more
practical learning style.
“Every morning we allowed time for casual educational discussions. There were
a few seasoned soldiers that were able to
share knowledge with the younger, less experienced soldiers on different weapon systems,” Lane said.
Soldiers from the MDF marine corps and
air force were also in the class. During the
morning discussions, it gave them an opportunity to share with each other what their
military background had taught them.
“There was only one MDF noncommissioned officer with artillery experience, so
he was able to share his artillery knowledge
with the class,” Lane said. “The other students would always take notes during the
TRAVIS
CRAWFORD
C R A W F O R D
B U I C K
I S Y O U R
G M C
D E N A L I
H E A D Q U A R T E R S
Spc. Von Marie Donato / 3rd BCT, 1st AD Public Affairs
First Lt. Carlisle E. Lane, left, Malawi Defense
Force 1st Lt. Patrick Banda, center, and Sgt.
Miguel A. Nuñez, right, pose for a photo at the
Malawian Defense Force Air Base in Lilongwe,
Malawi, June 26.
morning discussions.”
They were also able to discuss proper
maintenance based on their fiscal budgeting.
Lane and Nuñez taught them how to repair
weapons parts, but also to know when to retire unfit weapon systems that could potentially endanger the operator.
“Mornings were all about knowledge
sharing. We explained to them that knowledge is power; the more you know, the better
you are,” Nuñez said. “We had a ‘train the
trainer’ session with them.”
“We were able to teach them how to teach
their soldiers upon returning to their units,”
Lane said. “Now they can all take this program back to their units and help develop
their units.”
At the end of the week, the students received their certificates of completion in
small arms maintenance. On behalf of the
U.S. Army, coins were also handed out to
select students who provided knowledge
throughout the course as discussion leads,
those who consistently assisted their classmates, and those who were highly engaged
and wanted to learn more.
Photographs were taken, and their accomplishment honored.
“All the students were happy. It was a big
achievement for them,” Nuñez said.
The students and leadership, including
MDF 1st Lt. Patrick Banda, the officer who
led and managed the program, expressed
satisfaction with the level of professionalism and knowledge acquired from Lane and
Nuñez.
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