Spring's Here!

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. There is a new letter from Lt. Col. Fant which I am posting below. There are also some new pictures of 2-17 SVC Battery getting their purple hearts. Have a great week!
_________________________
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
Headquarters, 2d Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment
Unit# 15418
APO AE 09395-5418

March 22 , 2005


Office of the Commander


Dear family and friends of the Steel Battalion,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. Your Soldiers have performed well in the last two months as we continue with our part in the global war on terrorism and I am proud of them.
The weather here in Ramadi was chilly for what seems a long time, but the winter is finally coming to a close. We have also dealt with rain and lots of mud, and for awhile it almost felt like Korea again. The entire command focused this winter on improving the living conditions for our Soldiers and we saw many walkways built through muddy areas, many heaters purchased and installed, and we continued with cold weather training. It is just starting to get warm now; the days are beautifully sunny and we are getting just a hint of the summer to come.
In February we rotated jobs amongst the batteries again. Alpha Battery is back to our traditional Artillery mission—manning the guns as they do so well. Bravo Battery is now manning outposts and traffic control points, and Charlie Battery is defending our forward operating base against the enemy. Headquarters and Service still perform a wide variety of missions, everything from manning outposts and securing the base, to logistically supporting the battalion. They all are doing well in their respective missions.
Though it may seem a long way away, we are planning for our deployment to Ft Carson. The uniqueness of this situation (having come from Korea to Kuwait to Iraq and to the states) is prominent in our planning. We will run into issues we have never seen before, and we are committed to dealing with them quickly and efficiently in order to minimize the turbulence in our Soldiers’ lives. One way in which we are accomplishing this was by sending a team in early March from Iraq back to Ft Carson. This team has accomplished a lot in preparing Carson for our arrival, and when they return to Iraq we will have detailed information from them on our move. The goal here is ensure our Soldiers and families will be good to go upon our deployment back to the US.
In March we received a visit from a reporter and photographer from the Army Times (www.armytimes.com). Gina Cavallero and Rick Kozak spent much time with your Soldiers, interviewing them, photographing them, and building friendships. Some photos of your Soldiers have already appeared on the Army Times website and I hope you get the chance to see them; hopefully soon we will see some stories in the print edition as well. You can find the print edition at most post exchanges and if you live near one, keep an eye out for stories about your Soldiers. Special thanks to Gina and Rick for their visit!
On a much sadder note, we lost one of our Steel brothers in March. Specialist Francisco Martinez was a fire support specialist attached to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment. Steel Soldiers have very diverse missions, and his was to support an Infantry company by calling indirect fire on the enemy. Francisco was killed in action in Ar Ramadi on March 20th, 2005, while conducting a civil affairs patrol to help the people of Iraq. He will be sorely missed, and our prayers are with his family during this terrible time.
Once again, allow me to thank you for your continued support of our Steel Soldiers; we miss you very much and look forward to seeing you soon.


STEEL!


John S. Fant
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army
Commanding