United We Roll at Stardust Radio

United We Roll World Tour Show
Stardust Radio www.stardustradio.com
Tuesday 1/25/11 2:00pm – 4:00pm Central (Live)
Wednesday 1/26/11 6:30pm – 8:30pm Central (Repeat)

Welcome Stardust Listeners! Thank you for joining us on United We Roll this Tuesday, the 25th day of January 2011.

This week, we are honored to bring you three great visits with deployed members who are serving far from home and in harm's way as they stand guard over freedom. The show will end at our regular time of 4pm Central. Remember, if you are not able to stay with us through the show, it will repeat again Wednesday, Jan 26th at 6:30pm Central. In addition, an MP3 copy will be placed on our show archive site for listening and downloading after the shows have been broadcast. You can reach our archive site at www.stardustradio.info or on the United We Roll page at www.stardustradio.com.

(2:08pm) Our first visit is with Army SPC Brigham Long, who is currently deployed with Bravo Battery 1-7 FA, 2-1 AAB, where he is an Electronic Warfare Crew Specialist and is involved in convoy tactics. Having no days off is just part of the job that is to be done. The rewards that his service has and is bringing to SPC Long are quite clear in this visit and should reach right out to touch your hearts.

(2:42pm) Next is our visit with MSG Brian Brookins, who is on his 11th deployment in 20 years of service, this time with the 376th Exp Civil Engineer Squadron at Transit Center Manas in Kyrgyzstan. MSG Brookins' job is a little bit different this time as his unit is charged with construction projects in the local community that fall under the humanitarian assist program. MSG Brookins brings us a wealth of information that will make you very proud of the way our military members reach out to others.

(3:25pm) Our third visit for this show is with Air Force SSG Matthias Lilly who is about midway in an 8 month deployment with the 332 Air Expeditionary Wing, where he serves in the Safety Office. In civilian terms, the safety position could be described as OSHA, so you can well imagine this job involves plenty of training, updates, inspections and much more. As a National Guard member, SSG Lilly is one of our Citizen Soldiers who must balance both a civilian and a military life.

All of these visits should make your hearts swell with pride for all who stand guard over our freedom and for their families who provide their loved ones with the incredible support to make it through their deployments.

We would like to thank some folks without whom the visits this week would not be possible. Our deepest appreciation goes to CPT Brian Cotter, CPT Selina Tolonen, TSG Jerome Baysmore, and SSG Charles McNamara.

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Stardust Mascot Is On The Mend

Snowball has handled his recovery from surgery better than expected, even with wearing the dreaded plastic cone around his neck. Thankfully, the pups (Snowball and Buffy) no longer have to be kept apart and things are back to normal

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Our hearts and prayers go out to all of our military members, families, Veterans and to all of our first responders & their families - everyone who puts their lives on hold and on the line for us and our families.

We thank our listeners for tuning in and keeping in touch with our Heroes of Freedom as they share their experiences and thoughts with us at home.

From the volunteers here at United We Roll and Stardust Radio, we wish all of you a safe and happy week.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL & MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!

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For more news and articles on current happenings, please visit our United We Roll sites at:
Stardust Radio – www.stardustradio.com
Stardust Radio Show Archive (MP3 Copies of Past Shows) – www.stardustradio.info
United We Roll Blog – http://stardustradio.info/b2evolution/blog1.php?blog=1
United We Roll Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/UnitedWeRoll
Twitter – www.tweeter.com/JudiBUSA

How To Listen to Live Stardust Radio Broadcasts:
www.stardustradio.com
1) Local Area Riverside, Iowa - Tune in to 1690 AM radio
2) Simple Audio with Live 365 - Go to our website at www.stardustradio.com Click on the Listen Live button in the center of the screen which will connect you with the Live 365 listening service at no charge. You may need to click on the settings button to select whether you prefer to listen through Windows Media Player or Flash Player. You will immediately be able to listen to the broadcast at any hour of the day or night.
3) If you are a member of Chat Star, sign in and meet us in the appropriate room for the show that you are coming to hear. See the list of the rooms on the left side of the screen after you sign in to Chat Star.
************************************************
To Listen & Download Previous Episodes Of United We Roll World Tour Shows
Tapes are in MP3 Formats - No Streaming
1) go to http://www.stardustradio.info (episodes after 6/10/08)
2) Click on United We Roll button top left
3) Scroll down to desired show date
4) double click with LEFT mouse button on download line to listen to tape
OR
5) click once with RIGHT mouse button on download line to download tape to your computer
6) In the box that opens, left click on SAVE TARGET AS and choose your folder on your computer where the tape will be saved

We hope you enjoy the show! Please feel free to sign our guest book on our website. Your feedback is very important to us.

Please contact unitedweroll@gmail.com for assistance

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United We Roll World Tour Show
Stardust Radio www.stardustradio.com
Tuesday 1/18/11 2:00pm – 4:00pm Central (Live)
Wednesday 1/19/11 6:30pm – 8:30pm Central (Repeat)

Welcome Stardust Listeners! Thank you for joining us on United We Roll this Tuesday, the 18th day of January 2011.

We are honored to be hosting four great visits with deployed members who are serving thousands of miles away from home and families as they stand guard over freedom. The show will end at our regular time of 4pm Central. Remember, if you are not able to stay with us through the show, it will repeat again Wednesday, Jan 19th at 6:30pm Central.

(2:08pm) Our first visit is with Amn Jessica Phillips, who is currently on deployment with the 332 AEW in the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron. As an apprentice with the Aerospace Control and Warning Systems, Amn Phillips is involved in the high tech world of surveillance and coordination of aircraft in tactical airspace. Having received two awards while on deployment ought to give at least a hint as to how dedicated and enthusiastic this young Hero of Freedom is for her service and for her country.

(2:42pm) Next is our visit with SPC Ashley Lake, an Army member who is on deployment with A Co BSTB, 2-1 AAB. Similar to Amn Phillips, SPC Lake also has a family with military history and is also involved in a high tech area as she works with analyzing images for situational and tactical awareness. However, unlike Amn Phillips, SPC Lake will be on deployment for another 10 months, having arrived in Iraq just about two months ago with what may be one of the last brigades to serve in this country.

(3:07pm) Our third visit for this show is with Air Force SSG Corenthia Fennell who is currently on deployment with the 332 Air Expeditionary Wing at Joint Base Balad. As a Still Photographer with a Public Affairs unit, SSG Fennell covers a wide variety of news stories from visiting dignitaries to award ceremonies to unit news and on and on. The days are long as the photos must also be downloaded, edited and sent on to the appropriate destinations.

(3:29pm) Our fourth visit for today is with Army 1LT Michael Sprigg, who is in the third month of his deployment with the 5-4 CAV/ B TRP, 2-1 AAB. This visit is chock full of interesting information as 1LT Sprigg talks about his unit and operating from COP Falcon, including the facilities they have, some of the daily duties and much more. As always, the hours are very long and there are no scheduled days off for the members of the 5-4 CAV/B TRP, but they continue to take on the mission, to make accomplishments and to protect freedom each and every day.

These visits should make your hearts swell with pride for all who stand guard over our freedom. If you do not already have your flag flying, please do so to show your support.

We would like to thank some folks without whom the visits this week would not be possible. Our deepest appreciation goes to SSG Charles McNamara, Capt Selina Tolonen, and 1LT Joseph Malins.

*****************************************************************

Our hearts and prayers go out to all of our military members, families, Veterans and to all of our first responders & their families - everyone who puts their lives on hold and on the line for us and our families.

We thank our listeners for tuning in and keeping in touch with our Heroes of Freedom as they share their experiences and thoughts with us at home.

From the volunteers here at United We Roll and Stardust Radio, we wish all of you a safe and happy week.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL & MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!

*****************************************************************

For more news and articles on current happenings, please visit our United We Roll sites at:
Stardust Radio – www.stardustradio.com
Stardust Radio Show Archive (MP3 Copies of Past Shows) – www.stardustradio.info
United We Roll Blog – http://stardustradio.info/b2evolution/blog1.php?blog=1
United We Roll Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/UnitedWeRoll
Twitter – www.tweeter.com/JudiBUSA

***************************************************************
How To Listen to Live Stardust Radio Broadcasts:
www.stardustradio.com
1) Local Area Riverside, Iowa - Tune in to 1690 AM radio
2) Simple Audio with Live 365 - Go to our website at www.stardustradio.com Click on the Listen Live button in the center of the screen which will connect you with the Live 365 listening service at no charge. You may need to click on the settings button to select whether you prefer to listen through Windows Media Player or Flash Player. You will immediately be able to listen to the broadcast at any hour of the day or night.
3) If you are a member of Chat Star, sign in and meet us in the appropriate room for the show that you are coming to hear. See the list of the rooms on the left side of the screen after you sign in to Chat Star.
************************************************
To Listen & Download Previous Episodes Of United We Roll World Tour Shows
Tapes are in MP3 Formats - No Streaming
1) go to http://www.stardustradio.info (episodes after 6/10/08)
2) Click on United We Roll button top left
3) Scroll down to desired show date
4) double click with LEFT mouse button on download line to listen to tape
OR
5) click once with RIGHT mouse button on download line to download tape to your computer
6) In the box that opens, left click on SAVE TARGET AS and choose your folder on your computer where the tape will be saved
We hope you enjoy the show! Please feel free to sign our guest book on our website. Your feedback is very important to us.

For Calvert Brothers, Military Really Is Family! We salute Col. Paul T. Calvert and Col. Mark E. Calvert!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20110112-04 January 12, 2011
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Calvert brothers bond over history while serving in Iraq under USD-C

Story by Capt. Selina Tolonen, 2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div., USD-C

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq— Two brothers, both colonels in the U.S. armor branch, got the chance to reunite recently for a historic mission in Baghdad while deployed in support of Operation New Dawn.

Born 20 months apart in Spartanburg, S.C., Col. Paul T. Calvert, commander of 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, Kan., and Col. Mark E. Calvert, chief of staff for 1st Armored Division out of Wiesbaden, Germany, found themselves working together under United States Division – Center in Baghdad for more than five weeks during November and December 2010.

It was during that time that 2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div., replaced 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, out of Fort Stewart, Ga., and 25th Infantry Division, out of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, replaced 1st Armd. Div., which redeployed to Germany in December.
Mark, the older of the two, said 1st Armd. Div.’s mission had served to set the stage for Paul and 2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div., one of the last brigades in Baghdad. “I knew (Paul) was the right guy for the job,” he said. “He has the right mentality coming here and to lead this organization to be able to get things closed.”

Commissioned four years apart, the Calvert brothers have continually crossed paths throughout their careers, sometimes even serving in the same regiment or unit together. Both were assigned to 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment in Germany and deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. They were assigned to Fort Knox, Ky. and Fort Irwin, Calif. simultaneously, and also deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003 to 2004 at the same time.

“What’s always been a blessing for me is the fact that I could pick up the phone and call somebody I trusted implicitly and say, ‘Hey, how did you deal with this problem or how did you do that?’” Paul said.
Paul said getting unfiltered advice and mentorship as he entered into the things his brother had already been through has been positive.

Military service runs in the Calvert Family—with representation between their grandfather, father and uncles in World War II and the Vietnam War. Mark said he decided to join the Army at an early age. “I pretty much knew that’s what I wanted to do,” he said. Paul, however, wasn’t so sure after high school. “I just had a hard time getting myself together,” he said.

Growing up, the Calvert brothers were actively involved in sports, though they both agree that basketball was not their strong suit. They focused on football and baseball, and they both were coached by their father, who lost a five-year battle with cancer when Paul was a junior in high school and Mark was a freshman in college.

“We were both pretty close with him,” Mark said. “So, both of us spent a little bit more time in school than we probably should have.”
After seeing his brother get his commission and how much he loved it, Paul finalized his decision to join the Army.
“It’s a team-oriented sport, so to speak, and playing high school football and everything, I loved being in that environment … I jumped in and ran with it,” he said with a smile. “It’s worked out pretty decent I think.”

Sports and the Army continue to connect the Calvert brothers today, as they jokingly recall a particular game of golf played on the Anderson-Lindsay Golf Course at Fort Knox when Paul was a newly-promoted captain and Mark was an instructor at the Cavalry Leader’s Course.
“(It was) the highly-competitive, big brother, little brother thing,” Paul said.
“Paul lost track of how many putts he’d done on the second green,” Mark said. “He disagrees with that and we had a disagreement over the score on the hole.”
Still unsure to this day on who was ultimately right, Paul said they just don’t keep score any more.
“As opposed to making complete idiots of ourselves and having a fight right in the middle of the golf course, we simply quit keeping score and played on,” he said.

Another memory fondly shared is when the brothers were both stationed at Fort Irwin working at the National Training Center. The commanding general at the time was Gen. James D. Thurman, current commander of United States Forces Command, who also served alongside his own brother in the Army. Paul said Thurman has always treated him and his brother very well and that he took great pleasure in introducing them to visitors at the NTC.

“He’d put Paul in one headlock and me in another headlock and he’d rub our heads and hold us in (and say), ‘These are my pups!'” Mark said. “These boys run the rotation for me!”
With Paul serving as a brigade commander and Mark as a division chief of staff, the opportunity for the two to spend time together rarely presented itself. Yet, the Internet helped alleviate that.
“We always stay connected,” Paul said, who even recently joined Facebook. “And the first thing I post on Facebook, he comes back with some smart comment.”
“(I said) ‘Welcome to the 21st century or something like that,” Mark said with a laugh.

Saying goodbye to loved ones, friends, and in this case, brothers, is often a certainty in military life. It’s nothing the Calverts haven’t done before.
“You know, we don’t say goodbye,” Mark said. “I’ll see him when he gets back (from Iraq).”
“Yep, until our next post,” Paul said.

How many times have we enjoyed a stroll through one of our beautiful zoos with fascinating animals, interesting landscaping for their enclosures and lessons to be learned? Adults and children alike enjoy these visits in countries all over the world – even in Baghdad. Photo will be added to our 2-1 AAB Photo Album on Facebook.

HQ, USD-Center
Camp Liberty
Baghdad, Iraq

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20110112-06 January 12, 2010
______________________________________________________________

USD-C ‘Griffins’ escort provincial reconstruction team to Baghdad Zoo

Story and photos by Cpl. Stephen Rouss and Staff Sgt. Richard Matte
2nd AAB, 1st Inf.. Div.,USD-C

BAGHDAD—When the word “Army” is mentioned, most Americans envision fire fights, tanks and flanking maneuvers but in Iraq, one of the Army’s primary missions is to help the Iraqi people stabilize their infrastructure.

Provincial reconstruction teams provide the Iraqi government with resources and technical knowledge to aid in rebuilding the country.
Soldiers with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division – Center, have been assigned to protect the members of the Provincial Reconstruction Team – Baghdad. The various missions assigned to the Soldiers of 2nd Squad, HHC, STB, 2nd AAB take them through many parts of Baghdad.

“Walking along the road, Baghdad can appear bedraggled and run down,” said Staff Sgt. Henry Pogue, a squad leader with HHC, STB, 2nd AAB and a Vine Grove, Ky., native. “However, lately the citizens of Baghdad have been re-emerging from the streets more vigorous and prepared for the future.”

One of the squad’s most recent missions was escorting PRT-B to the Baghdad Zoo—a popular attraction before Operation Iraqi Freedom. The purpose of PRT-B’s visit was to evaluate the safety of the zoo and ensure that the organization running the facility was self-sufficient, Pogue said.

“While we all expected old buildings and sand dunes, what we found was truly a sight to behold,” said Spc. Katrina Carpenter, a military police officer with HHC, STB, 2nd AAB, and a Columbia, Ga., native. “It looked just like any zoo in the United States. Iraqi citizens and United States forces were working side-by-side to rebuild and maintain the place.”

Once inside the grounds, the Soldiers were greeted by the guards. The staff ushered the Soldiers onto the grounds and showed the troops the exhibits and the two groups shared a meal. As the Soldiers looked around the zoo, Iraqi families strolled past the exhibits seemingly unconcerned by the presence of the Soldiers. “The children were so excited to see all the animals,” said Pogue. “Children were asking us our favorite soccer team and ask how we enjoyed their city.”

The officials with PRT-B found the zoo to be operating effectively on its own, having improved considerably since the team’s last visit.
“Of all the missions 2nd squad has conducted, the escort mission to the zoo was the most pleasant and what the squad witnessed in their visit seems to make the last several years worth it,” Pogue said. “The Iraqi people are growing and striving as a society and a community, trying to make their lives better as well as the lives of their children.”

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Riding Through What Could Be The Final Chapter In The Book On Iraqi Freedom With the 2nd AAB

As our regular listeners are aware, throughout most of 2010, we had the great honor of hosting weekly interviews with the 1-3 AAB (Advise & Assist Brigade) which was the deployed name of the 1st BCT, 3rd ID during most of their 12 month deployment from Dec 2009 to Dec 2010. We are continuing on this tradition with the 2nd AAB (2BCT, 1ID) as they took over from the 3-1 and will likely be one of the last units in Iraq. The tasks for both units involve mentoring and assisting the Iraqi forces and government units with the assumption of their own police/security, military, medical and so much more.

Through the many hundreds of Stardust interviews with deployed members over the years, we have seen much of the progress in Iraq through the eyes and experiences of the very special men and women who have been there to help the Iraqi people regain their country and their freedom. Obviously, this has been at great cost. But to listen to those who have actually been there two, three and more times, you can hear the dedication to the missions they have had in order to free the Iraqi people from the horrors that were part of their daily lives to the fresh produce markets, schools, utilities and so much more that they now have.

We will continue to bring frequent and current visits with members of the various units who serve under the 2nd AAB (2 BCT, 1ID) as they complete their deployment into late 2011, which may be one of the last such tours of duty in Iraq. As such, we will also bring you, our readers, frequent news releases in our blog and some great photos on our Facebook page. We hope you will share these with family and friends as this truly has been history in the making all along and the stories from the 2nd AAB may be last chapter in this book about freedom in Iraq.

As always, our deepest appreciation goes out to those who share their information with us through our interviews and in print/photos. Mostly, we can never truly express our deep gratitude and pride for those who serve to protect freedom and for their families who also contribute so much every day.

So proud and thankful to be an American. And I do have to add that being a military brat with a claim to Texas roots is pretty neat, too