http://marsmen.org/ Marsmen.org en-us Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:20:10 GMT 1440 CPG-Nuke Dragonfly Marsmen.org News http://backend.userland.com/rss http://marsmen.org/images/logo.gif http://marsmen.org/ http://marsmen.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=210 The following book is available on Ebay: Quote:: This is the sixteenth in a series of indexes of all infantry regiments and independent infantry battalions of the US Army in WWII. Note that the 124th Cavalry Regiment fought dismounted as infantry during WWII. Others will be published as they are completed. This work includes all decorations cited in the general orders of the 124th Cavalry Regiment. Please note that some decorations to members of the 124th Cavalry Regiment may have been cited in general orders of other commands. This index lists members of the 124th Cavalry Regiment that were awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge or the Combat Medic Badge by the 124th Cavalry Regiment. Combat Infantryman Badges and Combat Medic Badges are important, since the recipients of these badges are retroactively entitled to a Bronze Star Medal under Change 13 to Army Regulation 600-45, Department of the Army, 4 November 1947. I have made no attempt to list the Unit Awards, awards of specific Battle Stars, or Good Conduct Medals. How to read the sources: (GO#12,1945,124CAV) is broken down as “GO” (General Order), “#” (Number 12, 1945), “124CAV” (124th Cavalry Regiment). Troop assignments were penciled into the margins of the some of the general orders. This required the editor to interpret the handwriting. This could have resulted in errors. Please verify troop assignments though another sources before forming any conclusion. Every effort has been made to minimize errors and misspelled names. An error may be attributable to the source document, or may have occurred while transcribing the names/units. Some of the original documents are of very poor print quality, making them difficult to decipher. Corrections with supporting documentation can be sent to D-Day Militaria. I've yet to receive my copy but this could be helpful to family members interested in seeing what awards or decorations are available to their CBI veteran. Link: Index to the General Orders for 124th Cavalry Regiment Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:20:10 GMT http://marsmen.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=209 Taken from the DailyCommercial.com (8 July 2010): http://www.dailycommercial.com/localnews/story/070810calvary Click Read More below to read the entire article. Soldier was one of the last of WWII mounted troops THERESA CAMPBELL Staff Writer Leading 2,400 mules, each packed with 300 pounds of supplies and ammunition, Barney Miller of Wildwood marvels how he and his fellow soldiers survived a 400-mile march across rivers, jungles and mountains as they fought the Japanese in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II. "Six mules were used to carry one cannon," Miller, 86, said. His unit, the 124th Cavalry, became known as the last horse cavalry regiment in the U.S. Army. "We did things that we thought we would never accomplish," he said of marching from dawn to dusk for nearly six months on muggy hot days and through many monsoons with their mule supply train. "You think that you'd never be able to do those things, but you'd do them." Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:40:18 GMT http://marsmen.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=208 Cavalry Ball Info as follows: 5 December 2009 7:00 PM Waco Convention Center Waco, Texas RSVP NLT 18 November 2009 to your Troop Readiness NCO Tickets:$40 E6 and Above and Guests (E5 and below still have to pay for guests) Dress/Attire:Dress Blue/Mess or Class A’s with white shirt and black bow-tie; Civilian Formal Official invite with directions: Download PDF Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:39:01 GMT http://marsmen.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=207 Not sure if anyone would come to this site to find info but I noticed that it's difficult to find any phone numbers to Fort Hood to find out if your family is ok. Since a lot of people who would be interested in the site also have ties to the military and, consequently, to Fort Hood, I thought I'd post what I've found. Family Hotline numbers: toll free: 866-836-2751 local: 254-288-7570 Rumor has it, the phone circuits are overloaded, and I suspect that's a reasonable conclusion given the circumstances. Cell phone towers will be overloaded as well so if anyone is having difficulty contacting family and friends in the Killeen area, that would probably be the reason. Texting may be a little more reliable but even that will take longer than usual. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:49:42 GMT http://marsmen.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=206 I received an email from Para about the pistol I posted about below. Apparently, there are only 9 pistols ordered so far. Until we meet the 32 pistol minimum, they won't process the order. They will keep it open a while longer to see if they can get more orders in, so if you're still interested, you still have time to place your order. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:28:01 GMT http://marsmen.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=204 As I'm sure everyone is aware, the Cav is coming home. Combat Spurs were awarded this week to members of the Squadron and, for the most part, we're all relaxing and waiting for our redeployment. The Squadron will be home shortly and after a demobilization at Fort Bliss, we'll be ready for some much deserved leave. I can't say I'll miss this place much, though it has definitely been a much more comfortable and uneventful tour than my last foray in the sandbox. In other news, Para USA is offering a great deal on a custom pistol to commemorate the deployment. This will be a limited production run and you can view the details on the linked flyer. A separate Excel spreadsheet version of the order form is also available for download. Pistols are purchased through a factory direct payment and shipped to either Praco Pawn in Waco or Guns Galore in Killeen. Para USA Flyer Order Form Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:26:35 GMT http://marsmen.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=203 Troop A has lost one of their own. Sergeant Christopher Loza died on 10 April 2009 at Walter Reed Medical Center. He was promoted to Sergeant prior to his death in a ceremony in his hospital room. His mother and wife were present for the presentation of his awards and combat spurs. Many were praying for his recovery and are now praying for his family during this trying time. Sergeant Loza was a member of my platoon, 2nd Platoon, and he will be missed. As a Platoon Sergeant, you prepare yourself for combat deaths. But the relative safety of an ECP minimizes that possibility. Losing a soldier to illness, let alone an illness with no known cause or treatment, is especially hard. A memorial service will be held at Camp Slayer in the next couple of days and funeral arrangements will be posted here as soon as I learn them. UPDATE: Funeral information can be found at the following link: http://elmwoodfuneralhome.com/services.asp?locid=32&page=odetail&id=8709 Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:40:17 GMT http://marsmen.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=202 Given the steady state operations, there just isn't much to write about. I'll try to catch everyone up on the latest happenings in the Troop and the Squadron...though Squadron information is a little sketchy since we're all spread out on different missions and I don't get many opportunities to speak to the other Troops. Troop A has now taken over all ECP operations in the VBC with much needed help from troopers in HHT. Though it doesn't seem as glamorous as running patrols outside the wire, it has it's moments. Take the recent surprise visit by President Obama. It's always amazing to see Air Force One land, especially against the dust filled skies over Baghdad. And to see his convoy pass by is a pretty interesting sight, especially with the helicopter gunship support flying overhead. We've come to see the local government officials (the Iraqi President, Prime Minister, and various Vice Presidents) as a boring daily occurrence, so a new foreign head of state is a pleasant change in pace. I had an opportunity to speak with Troop B's First Sergeant last week and he says they're equally hard at work on ECPs in the International Zone. The IZ has been turned back over to the Iraqi government but there is still US oversight and Troop B still sends troopers out to the ECPs to make sure the Iraqi Army soldiers do their job right. HHT has taken over the defensive operations centers for the entire VBC and has oversight of Troop A's ECP mission. I haven't really had any opportunity to follow-up with Troop C, but I'm told they're enjoying their Joint Visitor's Bureau mission...and who wouldn't, given the various celebrities and dignitaries they get to meet. I have uploaded a few more pictures and am sorting through more that I've received from 1st Platoon, Troop A. I've spoken with the CSM about getting more pictures from him and will work to get those uploaded and posted as soon as possible. I apologize for the infrequent updates, but there's only so much to say about life in paradise and the running of ECPs. On a more somber note, please keep Specialist Christopher Loza in your thoughts and prayers. He is a member of my platoon and has become seriously ill...enough to be sent to Walter Reed for treatment. I'm told his wife and mother are there with him and he's stable. Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:10:16 GMT http://marsmen.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=201 Greetings from Iraq! I wanted to take a few moments to update you on your soldiers, as well as share some information with you. We have been executing our mission for over two months now. For many of us, the time is flying by. As you may have heard, we have had some changes in our mission. Currently, A Troop is responsible for many of the Entry Control Points on the Victory Base Complex (VBC). Our role is that of a Force Protection unit, providing security to the VBC. While this mission isn't the most exciting, it's just as important to the safety and security of the Coalition Forces and the Iraqi people. Many of your soldiers will have the opportunity to take leave while they are here and some of them have already been able to do so. My goal is to send as many of your soldiers home on leave as possible. Unfortunately, we are required to keep a certain percentage of the unit in Iraq at all times, and that, coupled with the short duration of the deployment, prevents us from sending everyone home. For those that are able to come home, I would ask that you be patient. We are only able to forecast leave about a month in advance. For example, I will get the leave allowance for March on or about the 15th of February. So the soldiers will know what day they will leave Iraq, however, they will not receive their final itinerary until they arrive in Kuwait. They will be able to call you from Kuwait to tell you when they will arrive in Texas. I will try to give you and your soldiers as much predictability as I can when it comes to leave. I know there are some rumors out there concerning our return to Texas. However, they are only rumors at this point. The most common rumor is that we will redeploy to Fort Bliss in El Paso. There are many factors that will determine when and where we redeploy. Any changes in the timeline, will likely result in a change to the date and location of our redeployment. I expect that we won't know anything for sure for another month or two, at the earliest. As soon as I know the details of our redeployment, I will pass it on to the FRG. CPT Shaw Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:30:00 GMT http://marsmen.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=200 I have finally gotten around to uploading a few pictures that I've taken here. I'm not as prolific with the camera this time around, but you can only take so many pictures of the same thing everyday. Being static here just isn't quite as exciting as last time I was here. I'm still working on gathering pictures from other people in the area. In other news, the Squadron is spreading out here and taking over some pretty important force protection missions. It's not exactly what the guys want to do, but you follow the orders you've been given and make the most of it. Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:47:44 GMT