PERSHING CABLE

Vol. 23 No. 2

Quick Reliable Accurate

SPRING 1986

56th Brigade gains new na~e, status

Haddock commends command's progress

'

,,.

Brig. Gen. Raymond E. Haddock, commander of the 5eth Field Anlllery Command,
and CSM Thaodont Jackson, eommancl Hrgeant major of the command, eeM the
brigade colors during the redealgnatlon ceremony on Herdt K...rne.

Story and photo by Stephen Sehr~

The S6th Field Anilleey Brigade was redesignated the S6th Field A rtillery Command
and it's firing battalions were inaccivated and
re-activated as uniu of the 9th Field Anillery R,gimcnt during .a ceremony at th
Hudt Kaseme Gymnnium, in SchwiibiJch
Gmiind, Friday January 17, 1986.
According to the Command Resource
Manag,mcnt Office th dignation of brigade did not completely describe the unit's
funciions, mponsibilines and capabilities.
Rcdcsignation as a command occured specific.Jly to implement new doctrine, remedy
prior organ1utional dcficicnci and enhance survivability and combat effectiveness.
With the implementation of the Regimental Synem came new names for the firing
battalions. The 1st Battalion, 81st Field Artillery, louted in Neu Ulm, is now the 1st
Batulion, 9d, Field Anillery Regiment the
1st Ban.Jion, 41st Field Artillery, in Schwabisch Gmiind has become the 2nd Ban,lion,
9th Field Artillery Regiment and the )rd
Banal.ion, 84th Field Artillery, stationed in
Hcilbronn, was redignucd the 4th Batta
lion, 9th Field Anillery Regiment, The 4th
Infantry Regiment was also activated. It
consisu of only one barulion, the 2nd Bat
talion, 4th Infantry Regiment, whose headquarters uc in Neu-Ulm.
ln addition, the )8th Signal Battalion was
welcomed into ,he command when it was
activated as the newest and one of the largest
signal battalions in the U .S. Army.
Also, Echo Company, SSth Maintencnce
Ban.Jion, ...bicb recently moved 10 Goppin
gen, is now the 193rd Aviation Companr, a
sepcratt unit directly under the contro o!
the Command.
The event ..,as reviewed by Lt. Grn. Thomas 0 . Ayers, deputy commander in chief,
U.S. Army, Europe and Seventh Army and
Brig. Gen. R.aymond E. Haddock, commander, S6th Field Anillory Command.
The uremony, which was executed in tn
ditional military style, begin with a presentation of honors and colors and proceeded
with the 84th United States Army Band per
forming the national Anthems of the Fcdtral
Republic of Germany and the United Satu
of America.
Following the introduction, the colors of

the Command J uniu were cased and new

ones symbolii.ing their activation or redesignation were unfurled,
The last event on the agenda was the redignation of the Brigade. With the casing
of the old colon and the present.anon of the
new ones the unit stepp~d into the future a.s
the S6ch Field Artillery Command.
Recently, Haddock discussed the wellbeing of the unit in his firn Sme of the
Command Address since the unit's rcdes
ignation. The evrnc took place in Rodman
Theater on Bismarck Kaseme,
"Just as corporations get together with
their stockholders 10 discuss the condition
of their businesses, we need to talk about
the state of the command, H~ddock told
the audience of senior NCOs and officers
from around the command. "We as senior
leaders need to chc<k ourselves, he continued. The most important thing we can
leave bohind us is trained capable leader,
ho said ,
H addock then spoke on issues that covered the several key areas of combat readiness
- training, maintaining, practicing discipline
and having fun.
Haddock cited facto and figum in his
speech that reflected the quality of Pershing
soldiers. Some of those faru "'re:
- six out of every 10 soldim earned awards
in 198S.
- the S6rh F.A. Command had die best reenlistment program in Europe for I 985.
- the 193rd Aviation Company hu the best
aviation safety record in Europe.
- the percentage of soldiers who had positive urinalym was far below the Unittd
Stat Arrny Europe's average of S percent.
Haddock also nid that support of che family was extremely imponan1. It's our
community, and can only be as good as we
malt, it. We need to make sure that our soldiers get rime off (to ,hue with their funilies).
our combat readiness is moving in the
right direction. I commend you, H addock
told his audience, in the conclu,ion of his
addreu. "We have leaders who a.re 1..ding
weU and we have the best soldiers I've ever
stcn...

New battalion's signal growing stronger

Story by William Coffey, Jr.
Since it's inception, )8th Signal Batulion
ha, grown from , handful of personnel co a
force of over nine hundred. During that
time, it has been able 10 organize from the
ground up and uilor itself to fit the combat

missjon.

The lnittalion was reactiva1ed for lhe first

tim< since 19~S on January 17. It is the
newest Bmalion .,.ith1n the S6th Field Anillery Command and one of the largest signal
b,nalions in the Unittd Sutes Army .
The Smalion's 900-plus soldiers have the
mission o! providing comm,nd control
communications for the S6th Command
Headquarters, SSth Support Battalion Head

quarters, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Headquarters, and forward communications support to each of the Command's three firing
Battalions.
The formation of a signal ban.Jion within
this command brings a new focus on communications r~uircments for the Com
m,nd. A consolidation of signal personnel,
equipment and expenise will mean more effectivo planning, training and maintenance
for this Command's communications usen .
When asked about training, Sgt. Kenneth L.
Owens, section chief, D Company 38th Signal. stated, Herc, we do a uaining sche..
dule, go by what we ny ,nd the rraining ac-

Nally gets done. He continued, "Now we

have tlic people 'up-cop' that can acNally
coordinate our signal assets and profile our
(signal) , hou 10 get communications.
Quality personnel and teamwork ue a
must for combat readinus. According 10
Sp4 Dennis A. Havens, Jr., Radio Teletype
(RATI) operator, D Company )8th Signal,
"I know a lot of our Platoon Scrgcanu from
up on 'the hill' (Ha.rdt Kaserne, 2/9 FA Bn);
they're cxcollent people. I think they picked
the right people 10 get che battalion mned.
They're qualuy people leading the troops.
For others like PFC Tracie S. Tnub, m tclitc communications operator, 0 Com-

pany )8th Signal, "everyone working 1oge1her is what she ~kc, best about the battalion's ptrsonnel. She sees the future of her
unit as being able to munuin combat readintss, beausc evcryone s determined to
make it ,he best.
"To be sure that the 56th Field Anillery
Command geu the right data and input
needed 10 accomplish iu mission if that ume
ever comes," is ,he way Owens defines the
38th'1 primary mission. Bue it was best sum
maritcd by Pfc. Troy Shores, Alpha Company, )8th, when he stated that tho miuion
of the 38th Signal batulion is simply 10 be
"Signal Ready.
1

Tests help clean up our act

Early detection the first step for correction

Story by John D'Amato
With recent revelations of wide-spread
drug abuse in sport$ and Olher sectors, many
people: are looking at the Armed Services
and their handling of alcohol and dru~-relatcd problems. The services arc now being referred to as pioneers in innovative programs
which c:ombine early screening, identifica
tion and rehabilitation.
lnnov.ations, such a.s the Portable
Urinalysis Kit introduced in 1982, caused a
substantial drop in drug ust with.in tht Unia
tcd Smcs Army, according to Sgt. Larry
Reed, NCO!C of the 2nd Battalion, 9th
Field Artillery's Drug and Alcohol Program.
The kit's frequent use coupled with tough
enforcablc guidelines for commanders, and a
workable rehabilitation program showed
soldiers that the Army was concerned with
the health of its soldiers and serious about
eradicating drug and alcohol abuse.
If penalties for drug and alcohol abuse
'9.'Crc considered tough in the past, Reed
claims ,hat they are even stricter now, As
many as 40 to 45% of those soldiers who
come up positive on the urinalysis test arc
being chaptered out of the Army," Reed
said. In addition to the administmive disch2rgcs that the "ehapring procedures
utilize, soldiers can a.lso face punishment under the Uniformed Code of Military Junice.
When a soldier messes around with any

kind of substance, like marijuana or coc,aine,

that soldier is a"'are that the penalties are really hard, Recd said. "first offenders con
g<i an Aniclc 15, which con mean loss of
rank, extn. duty, or extra training. For
some soldiers it can mean scpar.1tion from

the ser"ice.
No combat unit wants a drug user/' said
Sgt. Wesley Lant>, assiswit drug coordinator for l /9. A drug user affects tbe combat
readiness of a unit and jeopardizes security.
Lantz agreos with the "get-tough" policy
"Send them on home," he said. "The Army
doesn't want them."

The reason the Army doesn't want drug

and alcohol abusers is because they cut
down on the efficiency of the unit. The
pucetinne mission of many uniu, especially
Pershing is combat readiness, and anything
that dec-reaJes that readiness cannot be tolerated. But the get-tough policy is only

one pan of the campaign aimed at eliminating the problem.

Education of the soldier also plays an imponant pan of che Army's program to deter
tts members from abusing Drugs and Alcohol.
Nc.,.spaper articles, command information bulletin boards, flyen and dozens of informal and formal talks from leaders at all
levels of command, ensure that every member of every unit is aware of the dangers
drugs and alcohol """ represent. They learn
that the Army is not only inu,rcstcd in eliminating abusers, but auo in prevention,
and if the soldier seeks help early enough in rehabilitation.
"The program is used to chapter people
out of the Army," said Sp4 Udcbir Kang, a
fuel bandier at HHSB 2/9. "But that's only
for those people who are creating trouble.
The progn.rn is construaive for those
people asking for help.
"'If he doesn't take the initiative, then he
gets burned and it's his own fault, said SJ>"
Harold Oder, an HHSB light wheel vehicle
mechanic. "'The program is beneficial to the
soldier who abides by the guidelines, and it
can cure him of a problem he might have.
What Kang and Oder refcred 10 is another
<1age of the program that seeks to rehabilitate those soldiers who seek help before
their problems have reached the disciplina.r y
level. At that point, according to Reed, the
soldiers are encouraged to their supervisors
who can direet them to the proper community resources.
The supervisors schedule appointments
with the Community Counseling CcntcrS,
after coordinating through unit first .sergeanu. Once accepttd into the Rehabilitation
Program, the soldicts hopefully ..,il] be able
to kkk the habit'" and become productive
members of the Army ttffll once again.
Drug and alcohol abuse may not be u big
of a problem as it once wu, but Army cm
pha,is on such abuses is aimed at eliminating
th problem entirely, through removal of
some soldiers and salvaging others. ConStant
screening, identification and rehabilitation
are some of rhc way, the Army is coping,
and ..,inning the banle against drug and alcohol abuse, and that may be why many in
the civilian sector are now watching and taking notes.

,_.,

___

Sgt. Urry RNcl opel'8tn the Portable Url1111lysla Kit during chemical teat.

New commanders challenge is change

Story by Ron McKinney
Command represcncs .1 pen'od in ~n offi-

unit? What does tht commander not want to

change? What arc the 1rcas in which the or-

cer's life when he is given sicr~ rtsponsi- ganization needs to improve?"

bilitr.
Just a.s a sudden change in climate """
A special trusr and confidence is pfaccd in cause an illness, a change in command could
hi, hands bv rhc Commander-in-Chief of lead 10 a drop in troop morale. After workrhe Armec Forces, and every member of rhe ing with one commander for 18 months or
Chain of Command. Ir is a trust and confi- more, work patterns and rules arc set. With
dence th,r he can exercise judgement with the change, the troops have a new set of
wisdom bqond his years.
principles to follow, a new swidard to
He i~ charged with making cleu wd im- maintain.
partial decisions tht direcrly aff<ct each and
Sp4 Steven Gobbel, a senior security
every member of his command.
guard in Headquaners and Hcadquancn
He must posse,s the wisdom to anticipate Service Banery, 2/9, appreciates the changes
problems rhac have not yet been identified. that have come to his banery since Capt.
Finally, he musr be willing ro accept the Jack.son L. Flake took command in Decem.illWt'SOme

r~sponsibiliry due, in rime of ,var,

he wilJ be called on ro make decisions upon

which t:ht lives of so/dim will depend.
Commanding troops is a challenge that
many officers will experience in their miliury careers. One aspect of the challenge comes at tht beginning of a tour as a new com
mander.
According to Maj. Troy M. Tylor, Commander of Delta Battery, 2nd Bnalion, 9th
Field Artillery, one of the first objmivcs of
i

new commander is to make an a.ssessmcnt

of the unit: "What are the strengths of the

ber 1985. "It makes me feel bener that the

ruJcs arc stricter. For me, it's a Jot better
than it's been;" he sa.id.
While it's common for their rcpuution to
precede chem, new commanders share a consensus that they shouldn't be pre-judged.
"The soldier needs 10 give the commander
th, benefit of the doubt," Taylor said. "He
needs to uke the new commander's state
mtnt.s at face value. Give the new comman
dcr your whole suppon before you decide
the new change he i, trying to implement i,
not good."

"Later on, afttr the change has gone

through, if they (th soldiers} think they
ought to be disappoint<:<! in the new commander, then they've got a right to be," be
said.
While a soldier in garrison may feel mild
apprehension during a change of command,
according to Sgt. Mahlon Jenkins, security
section chief at HHSB, a change in command in combat can bring out extremely ne
gativc feelings. "But that only la.sts a few
days: said Jenkins, who served in combat in
Vietnam for cwo years.
Tht new commanders ue not immune to
the pressures a change of command nunures. Even in rhe case of a commander taking
over a bancry with a reputation of being
"the best", it may not necessarily be true
that the pressures for success arc induced by
the previous commander's success.
"I feel more pressured 10 meet the demands and requirements of the go.Js I've set
for myself, and to ensure that my battery
meets its responsibilities," said Flake.
"That's where my pressure comes from, not
from any previous commander."
As the tenure of the command builds,
personnel adjust ro the new commander and
his priorities, "'Anytime you have . new

people coming into key positions in a battery, they look at the battery through different ms of eyes," said Flake. "They see
things that are problems that others may not
be sc,ing."
. "Every officer has his own leadership
traits," Jenkins said. "The biggest question
mark in every soldier's mind is, 'What is the
commander going to change about my
jobl'"
.

"'But change is good: Jenkins continued.

"A change in command is positive. It gives
every person in that unit a chance 10 look at
themselves. It keeps 1ou on your roes."
PFC Les Drury o Delta Company, 38th
Si~al Batulion agrees. A change is good,
,a.id the single sideband radio operator. "It's
a good chance for troops 10 get a Ire.sh stan
on things."
"(The fact) that they're doing things differently definitely has an impact on the individual ,oldier," said PFC Andy Hill, a battery
aidman with HHSB, 219.
"The soldiers and the new commander
have to work like hand-in-glove because
they're a unit, a team. They have to work
together. That's the key to a battery's success."