Stryker Brigade News

Todd, What a great idea! A bulletin board would be a convenient way to continue to share news and connect with others. Annie

I agree, I think it is a great idea. I am currently a host for a Bulletin Board for military girlfriends, fiances, wives, etc. It has been a blessing for me over the past couple of years, and between all who post there and my future in-laws who are both retired Army, I feel like I have a treasure trove of knowledge to draw from. I think we all dislike the "unknown".

It can be a lot of work, particularly if there is a particularly major event. Last year when the War began, we saw a huge spike in activity and I was really burned out, but it is more than worth it. I think that we all can benefit from each other's knowledge and experience, and a bulletin board is a great way to share it!

I think it is a great idea ..I live in NJ and am out of the Fort Lewis loop.My son Brian is in the Stryker Brigade and my wife and I are loyal followers of your sites.If it cost more money for the sites and bulletin board ..I will be happy to make up the difference.It is well worth the cost to our family.Our prayers to all of the boys and all of their families.Thank you for all your time and effort.
jeff

I am sorry I didnt include the women in the service also ..my mistake ..sorry
jeff

I will vote with the majority on this one. either way is fine with me. All I have to offer is time and experience. As stated above, a newsgroup/bulletin board is a lot of work but in most cases, well worth the effort. Regards, Mike

Yep. Great idea. especially about maybe doing sections for the units. I would love to talk to other people that have family/friends in my son's unit as well as all the Stryker families. It would be a great way to network, share stories maybe?? There seems to be some comfort from sharing.

I think having a place for questions and answers is a great idea. It always helps to have other people who are going through the same thing to talk with.

Thanks for the suggestion and all the info.

Nicole

Great idea, Todd. I'm sure you're using a lot of time and resources to keep this website running, and we really do appreciate it. I'm willing to help, and I'm sure others would as well. Let us know what we can do.

Just wondering if there are any other family members and/or friends of soldiers with 18th Engineers out there??? Sappers forward!

Hi Sapper Wife-
I am the mom of an 18th Eng. Missing him terribly and following the website alot. how are you holding up? feel free to email me and we can "chat"
turtlebear3@iwon.com

Nightline Daily E-Mail
December 30, 2003

TONIGHT'S FOCUS: A plot to kill Saddam... a man in the wrong place at the wrong time... and inside a secret unit trying to track the insurgents in Iraq... war stories from Iraq tonight.

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First of all, lest any of you think that we are slacking off during the holidays, we did send out an email yesterday but for some reason it never made it out to all of you. Hopefully this one will. We're going to run three different stories tonight, all from the war in Iraq, but all stories that didn't make headlines at the time. We all see the pictures of troops on patrol, of the aftermath of bombings and ambushes, but there is a lot more going on outside of our vision, and that's what we'll try to bring you tonight.

First off, correspondent John Yang will report on an Israeli plan to assassinate Saddam after Desert Storm in retaliation for the Scud attacks on Israel during that war. It was a complex plot, that was scrapped only after a training accident killed a number of those involved. Secondly, we've all seen the pictures of the aftermath of various bombings. The attack on U.N. headquarters was one of the worst. You see the survivors, bloody, and clearly disoriented by what has happened to them. But what is that really like? One of the men inside that building when it was blown up will tell his story of what happened, how one minute he was having a normal conversation, the next he was buried by tons of rubble. It's a terrifying account. And finally, behind the scenes, there are special units trying to track the insurgents in Iraq, trying to head off the attacks before they happen. These are the guys who appear in the background sometimes, with beards, and civilian clothes, driving civilian cars. We'll take you inside that unit tonight. And finally correspondent David Wright will wrap up the day's news from Baghdad as we head into the new year. George Stephanopoulos will anchor tonight.

We won't be on the air tomorrow night, the only weeknight of the year that Nightline doesn't air. I hope that all of you have a wonderful and safe New Year's, and that next year we all find some of the peace that seemed to be so lacking in the world in this past year. We wish you all the best for the coming year.

Leroy Sievers and the Nightline Staff
ABCNEWS Washington bureau

Yes, I agree with the stryker mom, it would be good to get to people from the same unit that our loved ones are with. I also think the bulletin board is a great idea.

We would love to make a connection with others who have loved ones in the Stryker Units. We have been going crazy trying to find a site that speaks specifically. Until tonight all we found was Michael Gilbert's reports on the Tribnet.com site.
We have read of some soldiers making daily e-mail contacts and weekly phone calls. We haven't heard from our son since the day before Thanksgiving. We are feeling desparate for news.
If a bulletin board will help us feel connected, I think it is a terrific idea.

Ok, bulletin boards are a major concern because of the risk of posts that reveal last names, places where soldiers are, etc. PEOPLE listen: if you email address has your last name in it, and you are posting that your son is in the Stryker Brigade, you've just told the enemy the name of one of the soldiers. By putting enough information together, the enemy can (and will), use it to harm the soldiers. So please, stop posting your last names. Change your email address so that your last name is not posted. And stop posting locations of the soldiers.

Thank you very much and good luck to everyone with family and friends overseas.

I think a bullentin board would be great, because of the one the reasons you mentioned. The old ones fall off and sometimes we want to reply or don't get a reply. Point... I ask cannoneer 4 about a pic he had on "flameturnsblue" site title How soldiers spend their time at Camp Pacesetter. I wondered if he knew troop that was, but no reply. Thanks again to everyone for all their time and effort in this site.

I just wanted to make a comment on the above statement regarding posting soldiers names and units. Alot of what we seem to talk about is already on the news.I do not think we are giving up any info that is not already in cyberspace or in the news. I do no think any of us would post anything that is not common knowledge anyway. I cannot change my e-mail address that I use. It is what it is. The insurgents already know where we are over there because it is talked about daily and they SEE US OVER THERE.
Being diligent and careful goes without saying. You see stories daily that say soldiers names and units so I am not understanding how a bulletin board could be a concern. Just my opinion and someone feel free to correct me if I am wrong. It certainly is not like it was in WW2 when secrecy was key. That does not seem to be a concern in this day and age. Or maybe it is a concern but the government cannot do anything to stop it. I know Todd and Mike will do their best to keep us in line anyway. I hope all of you Stryker supporters have a Happy New year and may our soldiers come home safe soon!

I do agree that there seems to much more "common knowledge" that is floating around out there. But that doesn't mean that just because you've been told something or heard something that it should be posted. A bulletin board is still a good idea for people to meet, greet, exchange ideas, and support each other but this is not a secure site obviously and what may seem like "common knowledge" may be helpful to the enemy. As a wife with this brigade our unit's FRG leader has already warned and advised us to be careful what we say (and write) when it comes to things concerning missions they are participating in, when they are moving and where they are convoying to, where they are located, what weapons and capabilities they have, etc. Leave those technical details for the Army to release. The soldiers have been instructed to watch what they disclose as well. While I have talked to my husband he cannot and will not give me any info. Names are not such a big deal, although I would check with your soldier first because some of them are particular about it, I know my husband is. Safety of our soldiers is the #1 priority here. For those of you who have yet to talk to your soldier, hang in there, he or she will contact you soon. Sometimes they lose track of time over there and don't realize that days and weeks have passed.

Thank you sapper wife and I agree with all you said as well. I have talked to my son and he does not tell me anything either which is fine. Guess the saying better safe than sorry applies and I would never want to do anything to put them in danger and it is all education on our parts or at least mine. I do not know all the rights and wrongs about things like this but I want to learn. Having a deployed son is new to me and I will listen and understand the points people are making because there are alot of them out there that know far more than me what you should and should not do. I could also use some help in getting info on the Fort Lewis FRG. I have no info on that and do not know how I can go about getting it. Can someone help me?

I think it would be a great idea. I would love to hear from other parents and loved ones of our Strykers. My husband and I check this site so many times a day.
We did talk to him the other day and the biggest secret we found out is he wants Copenhagen in his next care package.
I want to thank you for this site.

Stryker Mom,
Believe me, everybody is going through a huge learning experience right now and nobody knows all of the rights and wrongs but that is why this site, and others like it are so helpful. We're all in the same boat (or Stryker!) so it is good that we all can lean on each other and learn from each other even if we are strangers. Deployments are a scary experience. As far as FRG goes, each individual unit within the Stryker brigade should have an FRG. If you know what exact unit your son is in and you have the number for the rear detachment group (the soldiers that stay behind) you should be able to contact them for info. Let me know if you need any more info.

whoops, my last post should be for kw

sapper wife,

No, you were right. A couple people used "Stryker Mom" as a username, so I changed one to "KW", which I just changed again to "Katy". Confused yet?

Todd

Sapper Wife,
I was Stryker Mom but I realized another mom had that user name so I am just Katy now. Thank you for your kind words, I feel at such a loss sometimes. I do know my son's exact unit but not the rear detachment number. I guess I will call Fort Lewis and see if they can get me the info. I know when the two Strykers went into the canal just after they got to their FOB I was in a panic because he drives one. I had no idea who to call other than my chapter of the Red Cross that is dealing with military deployment and they could not tell me anything. I just want to know who I can talk to if I have concerns or need support. I also know that if something bad happened I would get notified pretty quickly but I need to also understand what the FRG does and so forth. I enjoy reading your postings. Seems like you have alot of experience and I hope to learn alot from this site and the people that post on it.

Katy,
If fort lewis doesn't have or won't give you the info let me know. I'll check with my FRG leader and see if it is okay to give the rear detachment number on a site like this. If not, maybe we can figure out a way to get it to you without posting on an unsecure site. FRG is the the Family Readiness Group. It is set up for support for each unit's soldiers, spouses, family members, and significant others. Some are more active than others. It just depends on the FRG leader and the support and participation level they receive. Usually the leader is a spouse of an officer or NCO and they are kept in the loop as much as possible. They are the first person you should be contacting for questions and concerns. If they can't help you, they will find someone who will.

Katy, I now have tears after reading your last posting. I can't imagine how lost you've felt...that's got to be awful. We will all have moments when we hold our breath until we can find out some info, but you should know right where to go or who to call. I have the contact info related to my son, and it's comforting to have...just in case. I don't know how to offer you help right now, but contacting Ft. Lewis sounds like a good first step. From there I hope you are able to get the rear detachment, and then FRG information. Please let us know...I'll feel better when you have it available, too!

sapper wife,

Can you send me an email (todd@strykernews.com); I have a question for you. Thanks.

Todd

Sapper Wife,

I will see what I can find out on my own and will let you know. Was I supposed to have this info before he left?? I have no idea.

Sue,

Thanks. I can tell you to be hit with that his first day there was beyond description but I learned from it. Do not get upset until you have a solid reason too. Guess I had to go through that to get to the place I am today almost a month later which is having faith and trying not to worry alot. It is hard to do but I am trying. You all are the best and it helps me try to maintain my sanity with all of this. THANK YOU

Yes, it is a learning process, I agree with all of you. I have had the GREAT pleasure and honor to know multiple military spouses and girlfriends from just about every unit deployed in Iraq. I have a dear friend whose husband was in one of the 3rd ID most forward units when they stormed Baghdad, I have another dear friend who's boyfriend is in the 101st Airborne and will hopefully be coming home next month (which gives me SO much hope!). Through their experience, I was about as prepared as I could be for this, and yet it still is a more than stressful situation. And having other people going through it to communicate with is a real blessing. My Medic and I are not married yet, we knew that might make things more difficult for us during the deployment as far as news/communication goes, but neither of us wanted to tie the knot and have to say good-bye. However, this means I have to pretty much go on the "No news is good news" mantra when I don't hear anything. I am very close with his parents, and I know the minute they heard anything they would call me, so that helps as well.

Yes, there is the issue of information "leaks", but I think we all care enough about our loved ones to keep that information to ourselves. I would, however, like to reiterate keeping last names off, not because of the enemy so much, but because of the criminal element in our own neighborhoods. Like I said before on the old page, one of my co-workers had a relative come home from R and R to find his credit ruined. (We did manage to bust the guy!) It is a perfect opportunity for a crook who knows that they are going to be gone a full 12 months, and finding out personal information is extremely easy. All it takes is a credit card and internet access. So, protect yourselves and your loved ones by protecting your personal information. Other than that, I think that creating an online community is a great way to make it through times like these.

Katy-your comment regarding the first rollover was exactly how I felt. It was so hard-I called the base and they gave me the rear detachment but while being very kind and respectful, they could not tell me if it was my son that may have been involved. They did assure me that all families would be contacted within 24 hours. My daughter in law has been kind enough to ask the FRG to put me on her email list so I do get info. The latest is a website with all the newsletters from the brigade. I am not sure that I can post the URL but will be happy to give it to anyone that wants to email me (turtlebear3@iwon.com) We have not heard from our son since the evening before they went in country so this site, the tribnet and army times have at least kept us somewhat informed. These postings have assured me that I am not the only one feeling the way I do. Happy New Year to you all.

Todd,
my reply to your request should be on its way through earthlink e-mail!

Katy, Your post regarding information available to the public such as locations, names, rank, etc. is very well put. I know I for one would never want to be responsible for putting anyone is harm's way. I suspect that any information that I have is 'old news' as far as the unit's movements go. As for the debate over using a full name, I do read the newspapers daily and am aware that name, rank and general locations are used frequently. I don't think that we have much news that would be of any use to insurgents. That said, there are many reasons for descretion, one of which is that we don't worry other family members and thereby take away from the wonderful gift of this site for others and ourselves. Most of our soldiers have someone monitoring their finances at home for them and identity theft can happen to anyone so it does pay to be careful. Let's just not get so caught up in this that we don't enjoy what we have here.
As for the name I use online or my e-mail, it may look like my full name to those who read it but whether or not it is my full name is an asumption on the part of the reader. I think that the main concern of all of us is for our soldiers safety and well being in Iraq, on that topic I'm pretty sure we all are in perfect concert. Happy New Year's to all. I'm going to share some sparkling apple cider with my grandkids who I am watching as Mom gets a well deserved break. Annie

Katy,
Our FRG had a deployment briefing just before they left and we received our contact info at that time. I'm not sure what other units did or what your son's unit might have done, unless he's in the same unit as my husband. Is he an engineer?

Annie,
points well taken. Thank you.

Sapper Wife,

No. He is not an engineer.He is a Recon scout/driver. I am sure I can get the info. It may be info I would not receive unless I was on base. I am sure I can get what I need from Fort Lewis. I had just heard of Frg's but did not know what they were about. Thank you for your help and if I do not get what I need and I am sure I will..I have you and others to help. ;)

Katy,
I believe I may be able to give you a good number...but the 2nd line of the snail mail addy..that is what unit he is in. Post locator can help you.
But you said scouts, so I can prob just email you the #. Please feel free to email me but you will have to place FRG in the subject, I erase a lot. :)

Thanks to all of you for your help. I got what I needed and then some!

I have been reading the postings between Katy and sapper wife. I don't know about all the frgs but ours has included all family members on updates. We even had an informational sheet that we passed around made especially for the single soldiers with points of contacts in case of questions and emergencies. Most of our wives and family members, brothers, aunts, cousins, and parents, have email but some of it is via phone calls too. For those parents that don't have a contact with their frg the rear detachment would be a great place to find out who the frg leader is or to give them your name to pass along.

I also like to say that this site has been a tremendous help in locating parents and relatives of the soldiers in our company. I am our frg leader and I want to make sure we can share all the information we get, whether it be pictures, or news updates with the families. By meeting him, we have added a few members to our company frg email. Thanks TODD.

looking for staci mcnaughton. good friends but have not seen in years. heard she got married and moved to ft. lewis. can anyone help me find her