Text Box: Washington Rifles  

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Text Box: June 18, 2003  

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Text Box: THE 81ST BRIGADE SOLDIER’S NEWSPAPER  

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Text Box: Volume I, Issue 2  

Text Box: Message from the Brigade CSM CSM Arthur Ohler Pictures by LTC Erik F. Brun     Safety is number one.    We’re going down to a different environment.  I don’t know if it will be a lot different than Yakima– hot summers.  I suspect it will be really hot.  The same normal things we always do.    NCOs need to do NCO things; take care of soldiers, watch after them, perform their duties in a safe manner.    If we can do that, if we can get there and get home with all of us and not hurt anybody seriously, then we’ll have a successful A.T.    All accidents take away from training successes. You’ve got to be aware because it happens so quickly.    The whole intent of this A.T. is to set us for 2004 and NTC.   We’ve spent a tremendous amount of time trying to plan and execute this, to rehearse this, to get our equipment there and go through RSOI,  instrumentize our equipment, get ready for the field and move out.    It’s a huge exercise that we haven’t been through since… I don't know if we’ve ever gone through it at this level.  This brigade has never been deployed outside of Washington State as a brigade since it’s re-activation in the 60’s   We took a task force to Korea in ‘89.  That was a

Text Box: huge operation.  That was a one battalion task force.  with some command and control and some support, but this is a brigade operation!   For us to be able to prepare and move our equipment, get it there and get it operational, build to combat power and move into the training is the exercise and recovering from that.   We’re going to go through some hardships we aren’t accustomed to going through.  So I think we need to keep the right mental attitude about what we’re doing.  Nobody’s going to die if we get dirty and stay dirty for a few days and don't get the showers that we normally have, at least in years past.   We’re going to do good as long as everybody keeps the right attitude about it.    Nothing’s going to happen in 15 days.    Think of what some of those soldiers went through just a few months ago in the desert.  Their hardship is much bigger than we endure.    We’ve severed the umbilical to our home station.  What we take is what we’re going to live with.  It’s not going to be ‘oops, I forgot that, let me run back and get it.  Once you get there, it’s a done deal.  There’s no going back.        

Self-propelled artillery being unloaded at Fort Hunter LiggettFort Hunter Liggett training area

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