Sgt. James Quatro -left-, a military policeman assigned to 105th Military Police Company, guides Cpl. Patrick West during a demonstration of proper stance for firing an AK-47 rifle during training at the Provincial Directorate of Police Headquarters in Mosul, Iraq, June 29, 2011.

Sgt. James Quatro enlisted in the 105th Military Police Company, New York Army National Guard, to be a part of something greater than himself.

Answering the call of duty, the military policeman recently deployed to Iraq, attached to Task Force Shield, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, in support of Operation New Dawn.

His mission involves advising and training Iraqi Security Forces in U.S. Division – North, helping to make the ISF a sustainable force for their country.

“Since I was little, I always wanted to be a soldier,” said Quatro, a native of Rochester, N.Y. “My grandfather served in Korea, and I wanted to honor him.”

Quatro trains his Iraqi counterparts on tactics to increase their overall proficiency as policemen, including counter-improvised explosive device procedures and rifle fundamentals.

“Weapons have always been my strong point, and I enjoy teaching,” said Quatro, who said he is knowledgeable on a wide variety of weapon systems.

Sgt. James Quatro -right-, a military policeman assigned to 105th Military Police Company, Task Force Shield, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, instructs Iraqi Police assigned to the 2nd and 4th Emergency Response Battalions, how to stand properly when firing their AK-47 rifles. Quatro, a native of Rochester, N.Y., also trained the policemen on how to assemble and disassemble the weapon, and basic rifle marksmanship. Photo by Spc. Angel Turner

Since arriving in Iraq, Quatro conducted two iterations of AK-47 training to help Iraqi emergency response battalions become proficient on their rifles.

“We build our relationship with ISF through this training,” said 1st Lt. Joshua Bode, a platoon leader assigned to 105th MP Company.

Serving as a team leader, Quatro is the primary instructor in his squad and is an asset to the squad and company, Bode added.

“Sgt. Quatro is an outstanding soldier and a well-disciplined [non-commissioned officer],” said Bode, a native of Buffalo, N.Y. “It’s great to be able to watch how well [Iraqi policemen] respond to his training, and you can see how well they implement what he trains when they conduct their range.”

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New York Army National Guard Sgt 1st Class Victor Lopez, the retention non-commissioned officer for Company G 427th Brigade Support Battalion tosses a practice grenade during pre-mobilization May 9.

Members of the New York Army National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team are now conducting their annual training at Fort Drum, N.Y., to prepare soldiers, leaders and staffs for the brigade’s upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.

More than 2,200 members of the New York Army National Guard will mobilize later this year and are expected to deploy to Afghanistan in early 2012.

The training at Fort Drum includes nearly 300 Soldiers from the 27th Brigade’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, along with elements of the Brigade Special Troops Battalion and 427th Brigade Support Battalion.

Key leaders from across the brigade deployed to Fort Drum in early May to conduct their individual training tasks and allow them to supervise and lead their units during the remainder of the training cycle.

Training includes land navigation, recognition and reaction to improvised explosive devices, artillery calls for fire, first aid, employ mines and hand grenades, conduct convoy operations, weapons training and specific skill-related tasks for military police, logistics, medical and other tailored forces.

The rotation of forces has approximately 750 soldiers on the ground at Fort Drum at any given timeframe for training, with another 600 soldiers from across the state providing training support, instruction, logistical support and administration of the entire scenario.

The overall effort of the premobilization training began on May 1 and will continue with unit rotations through June 10.

News media are invited to attend the training as the soldiers conduct a variety of individual and small unit training tasks.

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New York Army National Guard Capt. Elizabeth Ramsey of New York City leads a discussion during a mock trail held as part of the Fundamentals of Criminal Law college class she teaches at the Laura Bush Education Center. Ramsey, a logistics officer in the 369th Sustainment Brigade and a public defender in Elizabeth, N.J., has deployed to Kosovo for a year as part of Mulit-National Task Force East. (Photo by Spc. Joshua Dodds)

New York Army National Guard Capt. Elizabeth Ramsey is a logistics officer in the 369th Sustainment Brigade, a public defender in New Jersey, and now a college professor.

Ramsey, a Manhattan resident who volunteered to deploy here as trial defense service attorney for Multi-National Task Force East, is teaching a class in Fundamentals of Criminal Law through Central Texas College which is offered at the Laura Bush Education Center. Next semester she’ll teach Court Systems and Practice and Legal Aspects of the Law.

“My ultimate career goal is to become a law professor so when I heard that Central Texas College and the University of Maryland needed adjunct instructors I quickly put my application in to get experience,” Ramsey explained by e-mail.

“I was a teaching assistant in law school, but that is the extent of my teaching experience,” she said.

University of Maryland College-Europe and Central Texas College are the two institutions from which Soldiers can take classes during their off time here. Other colleges and universities also are available through on-line distance-learning courses.

The structure and stability of the NATO peace-support mission in Kosovo makes getting an education while deployed a hard option to pass up for U.S. Soldiers stationed here.

At last count, about 400 uniformed men and women in Multi-National Task Force East were filling classrooms after hours and on weekends, taking full advantage of college-credit opportunities for personal and professional growth.

The Laura Bush Education Center on Camp Bondsteel has provided thousands of Soldiers with these services since its start in 2000.

Ramsey, recently put her class of a dozen students to work using their acquired knowledge to the test in a mock court trial on Camp Bondsteel.

“This trial was a good exercise where they showed themselves what they learned in the class, and also to have some fun while getting to know each other better,” Ramsey said.

Throughout the course, students participate in more than one trial as members of either the defense or prosecution. The juries are made up of volunteer Soldiers from throughout Camp Bondsteel.

“The students were given a scenario and a list of 10 witnesses who they had to interview,” Ramsey said.

The students were told that an alleged assault with a deadly weapon occurred, but that the defendant may raise the defense of self-defense at trial.

The prosecutors for the first trial were Spc. James V. Mann, Menifee, Calif., 1-144th Maneuver Task Force, and Master Sgt. Louis Suchon, Mosinee, Wis., Task Force Falcon Medical.

“I am previous law enforcement, so it is interesting to see how it works in the court after we arrest someone,” Mann said. “I think I put what I learned in class to good use. Captain Ramsey is a great teacher and we learned a lot from her.”

Ramsey, whose year-long deployment will end in August, said she’s honored to be teaching the Soldiers who take her classes.

New York Army National Guard Capt. Elizabeth Ramsey, New York City, teaches her class in Fundamentals of Criminal Law Dec. 26 at the Lauara Bush Education Center. (Photo by Spc. Joshua Dodds)

“These Soldiers have to balance military duties, staying in touch with family back home, and everyday responsibilities with numerous college courses while deployed,” she said.

“I believe it is important not only to encourage them to continue their education, but also important to provide the means for which they can achieve their future career goals,” she added.

Getting Soldiers to think about their civilian or military career goals is an important service that the education center offer said, said Laura L. Greenfield of Starkville, Miss., the Camp Bondsteel education service officer.

“Once they establish a goal, I explain what the two colleges we have here can provide the Soldier,” she said.

Greenfield has worked in the education field for the past five years, the last six months at the center here.

The classes are scheduled during evenings and weekends to accommodate Soldiers and not interfere with their duty day.

“I just think it is amazing to see all five of our classes full on a Friday night,” Greenfield said.

Command Sgt. Maj. Jack W. Cripe, Dickinson, N.D., command sergeant major of MNTF-E, said he was pleased so many MNTF-E Soldiers are pursuing an education while deployed.

“I challenge the Soldiers of MNTF-E to use their time wisely and to make a commitment to themselves and to return from this deployment better educated, civilian-wise and military-wise, than when they deployed,” he said.

“Do not re-deploy back home regretting that you did not take advantage of the opportunities that you had available,” Cripe added.

Throughout the next seven months, several more classes will be offered at the education center, ensuring that any Soldier who enrolls will not have any educational regrets.

“The center has a lot to offer,” Greenfield said. “Soldiers can request certain classes. If enough requests are made, and a qualified teacher is available, that class will be added.”

Multi-National Task Force East is a U.S. led task force commanded by Brig. Gen. Al Dohrmann. This task force is comprised of nearly 2,200 Soldiers, including Task Force Hellas and Task Force Polish/Ukraine. The charter mission of MNTF-E is maintaining a safe and secure environment and providing freedom of movement for the people in Kosovo.

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Soldiers with the 42nd Division (center) pose with Ikedas, the family they visited during Yama Sakura 57, the bilateral command post training exercise with members of the Japan Ground Self Defense Forces. The visits were part of the cultural exchange aspect or the exercise. The Soldiers are (clockwise from top left): Staff Sgt. Robert Lant of Staten Island, Staff Sgt. Fredric Trunzo of Buffalo, Pfc. Kelly Rushing and Pfc. Callie Haynes, both of Saratoga Springs. Photo by Staff Sgt. Raymond Drumsta

There was some nervousness at first, but in the end, the similarities between the 42nd Infantry Division Soldiers and their Japanese hosts outstripped the differences.

“I felt completely at home and completely welcome,” said Sgt. 1st Class Denis Topliffe, who was one of eight division Soldiers selected to visit Japanese homes during Yama Sakura 57, the bilateral command post training exercise with members of the Japan Ground Self Defense Forces.

The visits were part of the exercise’s cultural exchange aspect. Most of the New York Army National Guard division’s command staff arrived here on Dec. 2, and accompanied by interpreters, the Soldiers visited the homes the following evening.

Topliffe of Guilderland, and Warrant Officer Kelly Fancher of Valatie visited the Segawa family. A family of five, the Segawas have three girls, ranging in age from 20 months to seven years old, Fancher said.

“I was excited to do it because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Fancher said of the visit. “But I was nervous too.”

Fancher and Topliffe both like Sushi, and expected a traditional Japanese dining experience. In addition to Sushi, the Segawas served hotdogs, French fries and chicken – all prepared equally well, Fancher said.

“It was good,” Fancher said.

They went out of their way to make food they thought was culturally appropriate, said Topliffe, referring to the American cuisine.

“Of course, I didn’t eat any of that,” Topliffe said with a smile. “I filled up on Sushi. It was fabulous.”
Though shy at first, the children grew more carefree as the evening wore on – playing and horsing around, reminding him of his own children, Topliffe said. The fact that he is part-time soldier and fulltime special education teacher at Peter B. Coeymans Elementary School in Ravena helped as well, he added.

“When I told them my fulltime is teaching, they seemed more relaxed,” he said.

At the children’s request, he and Fancher sang “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” Topliffe said. They then sat on the couch and enjoyed the children’s rendition of the song in Japanese, he explained.

Staff Sgt. Fredric Trunzo of Buffalo visited the Ikeda family with Staff Sgt. Robert Lant of Staten Island and Pfc. Kelly Rushing and Pfc. Callie Haynes, both of Saratoga Springs. Trunzo said he felt privledged to visit with the Ikedas and nervous.

“I wanted to make sure I represented my unit and the United States as best as possible,” he said.
But when he saw the trappings of the Ikeda home — which included a living room with a television set and the childrens’ toys – Trunzo, too, felt right at home.

“It looked like my home,” he said. “There doesn’t seem to be any differences in how we live our daily lives.”

One new experience was sitting cross-legged at the Ideka’s foot-high table, dining on Sushi and a enjoying a number of dishes, most of which he didn’t know the name of, he said.

“It was huge spread,” he recalled. “There was probably 20 different Japanese food items. It just kept coming.”

They ate while wearing ceremonial robes the Idekas had provided, and “talked about everything” – from music and Michael Jackson to Pokemon, Trunzo said. They also spoke with the Ideka’s grandfather, a former major and engineer in the Japanese Defense Forces, he added.
The Soldiers said they exchanged gifts like Japanese fans, baseballs, T-shirts and the 42nd Division rainbow patch.

It seemed as though the Segawa’s children didn’t want the evening to end.

“They actually didn’t want us to leave,” Fancher said. “One of them was crying.”

It was wonderful that they created a bond in such a short time, Topliffe said. For him, the evening with the Segawas hearkened back to his experiences in a Egyptian cultural exchange program and his interactions with Iraqi civilians while helping them to rebuild a school in Tikrit.

“It doesn’t matter where I go in the world, people are all the same,” he said.

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Story by Staff Sgt. Raymond Drumsta

Members of the New York National Guard welcomed a new “recruit” to the Army National Guard, Oct. 6 when the National Guard helped fulfill the dream of a local area boy battling Leukemia.

Nine-year old Jacob Kaminski was surprised by his family with a day-long visit with the New York National Guard as the state’s “Soldier for a Day.”

The event was arranged, in part, by New York Army National Guard Sgt. Mathew Starr, assigned to the Joint Forces Headquarters staff and a long-time fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Starr, a marathon runner, completed a fundraising run at the Rock’n'Roll Marathon in San Diego in May, where he met Theresa Petrone, the Campaign Manager from the Upstate New York/Vermont Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

“In August [Petrone] approached me about Jake, who was the Chapter’s Boy of the Year, and asked if I would be able to assist in any way to make Jake’s dream of being a “Soldier for a Day” a reality,” Starr explained. “I immediately presented the idea to the Chief of Staff, and here we are!”

Staff Sgt. Starr has run four marathons as part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training since 2007, raising more than $10,000 towards research for treatments and to assist families with medical costs.

Jacob’s battle with cancer began at age four in May of 2004. After months of bone pain, fevers and a long illness. Jacob was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. After three and a half years of chemotherapy, spinal taps and numerous stays in the hospital, Jake’s cancer went into remission and he completed his last day of chemotherapy in August of 2007.

He became a normal, healthy 7 year old and even went on to a perfect 2d grade attendance in elementary school.

In December of 2008, Jacob learned after an oncology visit that his leukemia had returned. One week after his 9th birthday Jacob once again had to endure chemotherapy, now at a much higher dose to help him once again gain control over this disease.

“We did have a lot of treatments,” Dawn Kaminski, Jake’s mother, said, “We were in the hospital a lot, every weekend for seven weeks.” The family is again thankful that Jake’s cancer is back in remission.

The Kaminski family kept the day’s events for Jake, telling him he was on his way to have blood drawn for testing. His visit to the military facility was a complete surprise.

“That surprised look on his face this morning was well worth it,” Dawn Kaminski said.

Jake’s day began with a meeting with New York State’s Director of Recruiting, Lt. Col. Robert Hawthorne. Hawthorne reviewed all the military skills and specialties for Jake so that he might choose his Military Occupational Specialty, or MOS. Jake selected 19D, or cavalry scout.

Before heading off for a full day of training, Jake met with The Adjutant General for New York, Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Taluto.

“In our Army, we have a slogan to be Army Strong,” Taluto told Jacob, “but that means both physically strong and mentally strong.

“You already know how important it is to be physically strong,” Taluto explained, “and I want you to know that it is just as important for you to remain mentally strong; have the right attitude and you can accomplish any mission.”

The day-long training for Jake included a tour of the New York National Guard’s Joint Operations Center where “Private” Kaminski learned about his important part in domestic operations, viewing photos of recent New York National Guard response missions for floods, wildfires and blizzards in past years.

Then Jake met with Soldiers from the Joint Force Headquarters for an orientation with Army National Guard weapons and a try at the Beamhit Marksmanship Training System.

After a lunch of sandwiches (Meals, Ready-to-Eat, MREs, were provided but noticeably packed away for another day), it was off to the motor pool for familiarization with an array of National Guard vehicles, including humvees, uparmored humvees, an armored security vehicle and the family of medium tactical vehicles.

Soldiers from the Organizational Maintenance Shop all participated and took turns giving Jake an individual vehicle orientation.

“To have this, and all of these people just showering him with attention and affection and everything is just overwhelming,” Dawn Kaminski said.

“I think everyone, from the family to the participants, were completely blown away by the pouring out of gifts from all the key players and the reaction of the family to each different event,” Starr said. “It takes a lot to amaze me and I was completely amazed.”

From the motor pool, Jake was taken to the Army Aviation Support Facility where aircrews and maintenance Soldiers provided Jake with a simulated flight mission, fitting him with aviation survival equipment and tours of the UH-60 and OH-58 aircraft.

To complete his long training day, Jake and his family then travelled to the nearby Scotia Air National Guard Base where Jake received an orientation of the 109th Airlift Wing’s LC-130 aircraft. The airlift wing provided Jake with a brief aircrew mission, even placing his name onto one of the aircraft on the tarmac to reflect Jake’s important role as a crewmember.

He then visited the Army National Guard’s 501st Ordnance Company to familiarize himself with the capabilities of the unit’s robots that remotely detect and disarm explosive devices.

“Unless you are around people who are going through stuff like this, you never really know what they’re going through,” Starr said. “To be able to distract him like this for a day is great. “It makes you cry, it melts your heart.”

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