official site on AKO

I am happy to announce that there is an "Official web site" on ako. You must log into ako and then go to groups. Run a search for 872nd. There are a couple of "dummy sites" with no info on them at all. Keep looking.
You will be able to view all the newsletters as soon as they come out. This is being done by FRG leader Megan Guntermann one of the co-president's. Thanks Megan!!
I am no longer updating this unofficial blog as I have resigned from the Newsletter. And with there new site there is less need.
I do however have a personal blog at xanga.com. Look for "justplainruth" under users. Please join our blog ring weather you are a member of the 872nd, the 298th or just a military wife or girlfriend. It is entitled "so many men, so far away" under xanga.
Thankyou for reading. I am grateful for the few friends that I have made through this blog.

Major Clements December letter

1 December 2005

Holiday greetings from Mosul, Iraq,

The following soldiers were promoted during the month of November. Congratulations to these soldiers and their families.

Specialist Black, Warren Bayville, NJ
Specialist Just, Simon Sandy, UT
Specialist Ouch, Suye Lakewood, CO
Sergeant Altman, Donald Harrisburg, SD
Sergeant Blair, Ammon Salt Lake City, UT
Sergeant Chipman, Cavett South Jordan, UT
Sergeant Domingo, Ruelle Layton, UT
Sergeant Gleason, David Wellington, CO
Sergeant Holloway, Dennis Clearfield, UT
Sergeant Morris, Stephanie Baltimore, MD
Sergeant Nguyen, Kevin Logan, UT
Sergeant Penman, Jeremy Ogden, UT
Sergeant Pierce, Brandon Clinton, UT
Sergeant Sanchez, Charles Fort Collins, CO
Sergeant Warby, Benjamin North Logan, UT
Sergeant Williams, Loren Sterling, CO
Staff Sergeant Brown, Ronald Ogden, UT
Staff Sergeant Jesus, Jerome Riverdale, UT
Staff Sergeant Joiner, Gerald Little Rock, AK

We celebrated our first major holiday this month away from our families and loved ones. The dining facility put together a great holiday meal. There was turkey, roast beef, ham, cornish game hen, lobster, roast pig, shrimp, mashed potatoes & gravy, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, cranberries, stuffing, pies, and sparkling grape juice. The only thing that was missing was sitting down to the dinner table with our loved ones. The dining facility was open from noon until 7:00 pm to ensure that everyone could enjoy the meal. We are very thankful that we have not had any serious injuries since we have been mobilized. The living accommodations, the food, the facilities such as the PX, the weather, and the overall working environment are all better than we expected. We have a lot to be thankful for. We thank you for supporting us while we fulfill our duty to our country.
This month will be another difficult month to be separated from our loved ones. It will not be easy for us in Iraq, and it will not be easy for you at home. We have received several boxes of Christmas cards from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Lodge in Ogden, Utah and have distributed them amongst the soldiers to be mailed to their loved ones. Care packages have been arriving daily for many of the soldiers. Some soldiers have had the opportunity to send holiday greetings that will be aired on local television networks back home. We are coordinating for a Morale Video Tele-Conference (VTC) to be established between our base camp and other military installations back home. We are looking at military installations in Utah, Colorado, and Pennsylvania for the VTC connections. As we get more information, we will contact the Family Support Group Leaders to inform everyone. We are thinking of you during this time of year and wish you happy holidays. As always, we will do our best to stay safe and to take care of each other.


Sincerely



Major Harold C. Clements
872ND Maintenance Company
Commanding

January FRG meeting

We will be holding the next FRG meeting at the unit. On January the 7th at 1400 hrs. We will meet in the upstairs classroom. As always this is a great opportunity to meet with other soldier's families and participate in supporting our troops. For more information on Family Support contact megan.guntermann@us.army.mil or stormy.smith@us.army.mil

Christmas Party

Thank you to everyone who came to our Christmas party. It was fun to get to know more people. We especially appreciate VFW Post 1481 for Sponsoring the party. They have been a great support to our unit. You may contact VFW Post 1481 at 393-1585 or

Dennis Howland (commander) 394-1195 DennisHowland@comcast.com

Mark Lamb (Sr. Vice commander) 940-0878 mlamb@westlandford.com

Brian Sellers (MAP coordinator) 1-801-865-6814 brian.sellers1@us.army.mil

Mike Jensen (Service Officer) 1-801-326-2387 michael.jensen@vba.va.gov

Novembers letter from the commander

1 November 2005

Greetings from Mosul, Iraq,

This month, I would like to start out this newsletter by recognizing the soldiers who have been promoted since our mobilization. Congratulations to the following soldiers and their families:

PV2 Trinidad, Dan Roy, UT
PFC Brown, Cassandra Magna, UT
SPC Bement, Myron Ashland, MT
SPC Campuzano, Uriel Denver, CO
SPC Clark, Nicholas Evanston, WY
SPC Contreres, Matthew Sacremento, CA
SPC Granillo Cynthia West Valley, UT
SPC Greenwald, Michael Englewood, CO
SPC Henderson, Cole Boulder, CO
SPC Just, Simon Sandy, UT
SPC Kraich, Kimberly Fleming, CO
SPC Latu, Maika Salt Lake City, UT
SPC Miller, Matthew Roy, UT
SPC Nalls, Gary Woodbridge, VA
SPC Noorda, Kevin Midvale, UT
SPC Ouch, Suyet Lakewood, CO
SPC Parry, Justin Woodland Hills, UT
SPC Robson, James Sandy, UT
SPC Rodriguez, Jason West Jordan, UT
SPC Romeo, Craig Bristow, VA
SPC Tisher, Gabriel Ogden, UT
SPC Tomison, Justin Rock Springs, WY
SPC Uihamonhaano, Albert Denver, CO
SPC Warner, Daniel West Valley, UT
SGT Burbank, Robert Logan, UT
SGT Heisterman, Scott Heber City, UT
SGT Kiser, Bradley Lawton, OK
SGT Orton, Andrew West Valley City, UT
SGT Pugh, George Philadelphia, PA
SGT Stanton, Brian Philipsburg, PA
SGT Steele, Ronald Brookings, OR
SSG Alexander, Daniel Salt Lake City, UT
SSG Santiago, Erasmo Meadville, PA
SFC Barner, Harry Franklin, PA
SFC Brow, Shane Rolling Hills, WY
SFC Daniels, Johnny Ogden, UT
SFC Kerstetter, Leland Tooele, UT
SFC Robinson, Rebekah Hagerstown, MD
MSG Hamm, Terry Ogden, UT
CW3 Good, Todd Aurora, CO
1LT Marshall, Lynnette Colorado Springs, CO
1LT Young, Matthew Hyrum, UT
MAJ Clements, Harold Roy, UT

To date, the unit has logged over 48,800 miles providing vehicle recovery missions and gun-truck escorts to Third Country Nationals (TCNs is the acronym around here but they are Turkish truck drivers) to re-supply all of the Forward Operating Bases in the northern region of Iraq. We have also repaired 1,248 pieces of equipment.
We had a battalion Halloween party on 31 October. We were directed to have some mandatory fun by our chain of command. Some of the costumes were very creative. The vote for the best over-all costume went to Specialist Donald Altman who dressed as Dr. Phil. He did a very good impression of Dr. Phil. Specialist Justin Parry won the twister competition. Specialist Gabriel Tisher won the apple bobbing contest with nineteen apples in 45 seconds. Specialist Gabriel Tisher has also won every race that he has competed in. He has won three 5K races. We also had a semi-truck driving competition. Sergeant Andrew Orton took third place in the competition. Specialist Kimber Tolson was voted by her peers as the best overall truck driver. Specialist Loren Williams, Specialist Kimber Tolsen, Specialist Donald Altman, and Staff Sergeant Nathan Barchi all received back-stage passes to an Aaron Tipon concert.



Sincerely



Major Harold C. Clements
872ND Maintenance Company
Commanding

Christmas Gift Ideas

Most requested items in Iraq

1.Pictures
2.DVD's
3.C.D.'s
4.Homemade Goodies
5.Snacks

More ideas...

Photo card's
I-Pods
Micro tape player
hand held games
card games
love letters

T-Shirt Orders

The T-shirt orders have gone to the printers. We are expecting the T-shirts to arrive Monday the 28th. We will ship the orders out on Wed. the 30th. Thank you for your support of this fund raiser. All funds will be used in support of the troops of the 872nd and their families.

Christmas Ideas 101

How do you get through the holidays without your soldier?
Young children can send messages to the moon for delivery to Mom or Dad. Before going to bed, write a note to be left for the soldier on the window sill for the man in the moon to send to them. Children will be able to send daily messages this way. Let your soldier know so they can mention the messages from the man-in the-moon to reinforce the fun.
Build a ginger bread house to be placed in the frezzer until your soldier returns. Take a picture to send over now.
Walk a heart in the snow, take a picture of it from an upstairs window to send to your soldier.
Fill a stocking full of fun items for your soldier, send it in a decorated with marker box.
Write a Christmas story on the computer, adding to it nightly to send to your soldier to open on Christmas eve.
Take a trip to the dollar store for New Years Eve items to send for that night, keep duplicates for your celebration.
Double the fun—celebrate twice, once on his day, and once on yours.
Bake cookies and send them overseas—send extra's to share.
Shop after Christmas sales for your soldier, wrap and save for when he comes home on leave or even next year.
Visit a Veterans or retiree home. Visit an injured soldier in the hospital with small gifts or just to play cards.
Call a special friend to wish them Happy Holidays just as he/she would have.
Pick five special cards, send them for the soldier to send one back as your child's a special card for Christmas.

FRG Meeting

We will be holding the next FRG meeting at the unit. On January the 7th at 1400 hrs. We will meet in the upstairs classroom. As always this is a great opportunity to meet with other families of deployed soldiers and participate in supporting our troops.

Christmas Card Service Project

The VFW sponsored a service project to collect Christmas cards for the soldiers. The community donated over 3000 cards to be given to the soldiers from the 872nd and the 146th. Each soldier will be able to have 5 Christmas cards to send to their family and friends.

Op0eration Care Package

Thanks to all those who helped with operation care package. The FRG collected enough items for everyone to have their own personal care package. These included toothbrush, paste, floss, etc. The packages have all been sent out and the soldiers will be receiving them soon. The original kick off for this was sponsored by Orbit irrigation. They also supplied the packaging for shipping and paid most of the shipping cost. Thank you, to Orbit, their employee's and the families who were able to help with this project.

Christmas Party

This years Christmas Party will be held on Dec. 3rd from 1100 hrs. to 1300 hours. It will be held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Ogden Utah. The address is 907 west 12th street. Take the 12 street exit and turn east, it is found on the south side of the road. There will be a Santa with gifts for the children. The VFW will be serving hot dogs and a potluck supper. Please bring your favorite dish to share. The party will be for both the soldiers and families of the rear detachment and the families of the deployed soldiers at no additional cost. The party will be sponsored by the VFW. Please take a minute to check your calenders and see if you will be able to attend. Please RSVP through the telephone tree or directly to Megan or Stormy.

Tribune Blogs

The SLC Tribune has some imbedded troops that have visited our troops, as well as other Utah Troops. They have written some good and some controversial articles. The blogs are the best. There is one about Lt. Cowley, Lt. Young, Spc. Ammon Blair and 1st Sgt Kirschmann. There are many otheres about the 146th and the 222nd as well as our soldiers. Go to SLC Tribune's home page: www.sltrib.com Then click on the square that says "News in Iraq". This brings up a selection of pictures and articles about the units. Then there is a list of blogs. Click on "Reporter in Iraq" and also check out "Photographer in Iraq". These both give very good personal stories that I am sure you will enjoy reading.

Christmas Card Service Project

The 872nd FRG is collecting old, unused christmas cards. These will be sent to the soldiers in Iraq. The soldiers can then write on them and send them to friends and family. This is a great service as the soldiers cannot purchase christmas cards out there for themselves. Please bring any cards you are willing to donate to Novembers meeting. Thanks for your help!

Care Package Items

Care Package Items are still being collected for the care packages that we are sending overseas. Here is a list. Bring them to the FRG meeting or contact Megan or Stormy.

Baby wipes
Razors
Shaving Cream
(Travel size)
Mouthwash
(Travel size)
Deodorant
(Travel Size)
Eye drops
Chap stick
Sun block
(Travel size)
Dental Floss
Liquid hand sanitizer
(Travel size)
Breathe mints
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
(Travel size)
Bug spray
(Travel size)
Kool-Aid
(Pre-Sweetened)
Crackers
Hard Candy
Beef Jerky
Granola Bars

AFTB

The Army Family Team Building, AFTB classes this month will be held October 22nd in building 131 Ft. Douglas, SLC, Ut FROM8:30-11:00. This month's classes will be Military Acronyms and Terms, The chain of command, Traditions, Customs Courtesies and Protocol. Please contact LuAnne Minnig at 1-801-646-3398
luanne.minnig@us.army.mil
to pre-register.
Online classes are available of these excellent classes. www.aftb.org

Computer Deals

The Army has established a program where they are buying computers in bulk to save money. There are computers and Notebooks available for resale at a discount to all AC/AGR (Active Component/ Active Guard Reserve) and government employee's. Those of you personally wishing to buy a computer will wi`sh to go the ASCP website to view the discounts offered. Https://ascp.monmouth.army.mil

872nd FRG meeting

FRG meeting

We will be holding the next FRG meeting at the unit. On Nov. 4th at 1:00. We will meet in the upstairs classroom. This month we have a great opportunity to meet with other families of deployed soldiers and participate in supporting our troops.
We will be sorting out the items that were gathered for our troops care packages. Don't forget to bring with you anything that you, or your friends and family would like to donate.

Eagle Scout Project

Trevor Andrews is making “neck coolers” for our soldiers for his Eagle Scout Project. He could use donations of desert camoflauge material or money to purchase the goods for the project. All proceeds will be used in the project and the excess donated to The FRG. Trevor will be asking volunteers to help with cutting and sewing the “neck coolers”. We wish to recognize him for his efforts. For more information on this project please contact Trevor at ruth.g. andrews AT us. army.mil

Shipping for Christmas

Mail early. That's the advice of the Military Postal Service Agency. Nov. 12 is the recommended deadline for packages and cards shippped parcel post. Dec. 5 is the latest deadline for all First Class letters and cards and Priority mail packages being sent to Iraq or Afgahnistan with the zip code that begins 093.
The post office now has flat rate Priority Mail boxes available for shipping. They will provide free boxes and will only charge $7.70 for shipping no matter what the weight. They are 11-7/8 x 3-3/8 x 13-5/8. they can be shipped to your home or you can pick them up at the post office. For more information www.usps.com.
The post office also offers a free “Mili-kit” to military families. You can receive 10 boxes in two sizes, five Ty-vek envelopes, a roll of priority mail tape and 10 customs forms with envelopes. Kits can be obtained by calling (800) 610-8734, toll-free. Choose option 1, and when a live agent responds, ask for Care Kit 4. Be aware of restrictions on items that can be sent to certain countries. For example, pork, or pork byproducts and obscene material are just two items that are prohibited in the Operation Iraqi Freedom area. Specific rules and mailing rates are available at www.usps.com/supportingourtroops.

Marraige Enrichment Retreat

Attention Demobolized Soldiers:

You are invited to attend a cost free romantic retreat with your spouse at a luxury hotel. We all need to improve when it comes to the people we love the most. Join us at the Commanding Generals Marriage Enrichment Retreat. Both soldier and spouse will be on orders. Tentative date: November 11-13 in SLC. Three more retreats will be determined during the year. For more information contact, SFC Tina Saunders.

VFW adopts the 872nd

The veterans of foreign wars is adopting the 872nd. The VfW is a community service oriented group. There motto is “We Honor our Dead by taking care of our Living”. They are offering to be the extended family for our soldiers families. From financial assistance to relocation and career assistance the VFW can help with their military Assistance Program (MAP). They also will help with care packages and our Christmas Party. On a more personal basis the VFW will also send a handyman directly to your door when you are in need. To learn more about their various programs including “The Voice of Democracy Contest” for youth and other scholarship programs please contact
VFW Post1481 at 393-1585 or

Dennis Howland (commander)
394-1195 DennisHowland@comcast.com

Mark Lamb (Sr. Vice commander) 940-0878 mlamb@westlandford.com

Brian Sellers (MAP coordinator)
1-801-865-6814
brian.sellers1@us.army.mil

Mike Jensen (Service Officer)
1-801-326-2387
michael.jensen@vba.va.gov