SSG Baum was serving with Company B, 1-111th Infantry out of West Chester, which was the unit I deployed to Kosovo with in 2003-2004. We at FT. Sill received the news from Jim Quinn who was serving with SSG Baum. Jim and I were in Kosovo together after graduating a year apart at Ridley.

I hope this is the last post I have to write of this nature. From the Allentown Morning Call :

Staff Sgt. Mark C. Baum of Quakertown died Saturday shortly after he was shot in the Iraqi city of Mushada while responding to a roadside bomb attack.In addition to his wife, he's survived by daughters Alexis, 6, and Kailey, 3, and a 7-month-old son, Conrad.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6673875

In an exciting change of events, we have been informed that my three roommates and I will no longer be door gunners in the Chinooks we had been training on. We are now assigned to a Blackhawk Company. Since we have been detached from our home unit, Sergeant First Class Kevin McCreary, Staff Sergeant Kevin Leonhard, Specialist Cody Noble and I are now known as the "four horsemen".

In a very non-chalant manner, we were approached by our first sergeant who said "you, you, you, and you are all now with A Company". We all chuckled until we realized he was serious. A Company is a unit of the Montana National Guard who fly Blackhawk Helicopters. We are getting to know the guys. They all seem like great guys, but we do miss operating with the guys from PA. The Montana guys have already done this gig once. They were in Iraq a couple years ago and all of their pilots and crew members are well trained and tested. Our operations shouldn't change a lot.

Going from Chinooks to Blackhawks normally would not be a big issue, except for the fact that I spent my entire last night at home convincing my mother that she shouldn't worry, since Chinooks are the safest thing in the sky. I assured her that Blackhawks would be a more dangerous job and that we should be thankful that I do not have that mission.

I believe it went something like this, "What could go wrong mom? The Chinooks are built right here in Ridley Township! Dad worked there for 20 years! Those Blackhawks are dangerous. Chinooks are safe."

Open mouth, insert foot.

In actuality, despite my attempts to convince my mother otherwise, the Blackhawk is about as safe as any other aircraft in the sky (regardless of the fact that SGT Probst of B Company says he has yet to see a movie called CHINOOK DOWN http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265086/) according to all of our pilots.

I am comforted by the fact that my family worries at the same level regardless of the bull I try to feed them about the safety of our mission. In all sincerity, they are much calmer this time than last time. As many of you read on Totten's article, Ramadi was no place nice in 2006. Iraq seems to have been pacified quite a bit since then, and flying above the action is safer than being on the ground in the thick of it. As my platoon sergeant put it, "if you're on the ground and you're not in the chow hall, your bunk, or getting ready to fly, you got problems" meaning we're aviators and our job is to stay in the sky.

"Still hanging out down here at Camp Shelby. The guys are cool and things are going about as well as can be expected. There is a study stream of soldiers going in and out of this post. Most of the guys coming back are fountains of knowledge regarding procedure and what it's really like over there. I guess I'll find out soon enough."


- ar-Ramadi Dreamin'


Some of you may know I kept a blog during my first deployment to Iraq. I will be posting excerpts from it on here from time to time. The above writing is from our time spent training up at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. The living conditions are considerably better here in Oklahoma. We are four to a room as opposed to the open squad bays of forty to a room in Mississippi. Unfortunately the chow is about the same.

We are also restricted to post in order to maintain our combat effectiveness. In Mississippi we were allowed off post (when we didn't have training) to have dinner or have a drink together. It's not looking like we'll have the same ability here at Fort Sill. While it is an added hardship on the troops, most of us understand the reasons behind it.

To the right is the airfield here at FT. Sill. It's known as the Henry Post Army Airfield. It was the first home of Army Aviation until that distinction was moved to FT. Rucker, Alabama. This a very historic airfield. The first aircraft in the Army Air Corps used to be assigned here and before that balloons were flown here.


We've been up flying, and training is progressing rapidly. We have taken dozens of classes and are getting oriented with the aircraft in a more in depth way. By the time this is over, I think we will be able to break them down to the skids and put them back together.

I said in an earlier post, that I would be discussing another sacred place for me at FT. Indiantown Gap. This is the 2nd Brigade Combat Team Memorial. It was constructed in Ramadi, Iraq during my first deployment to Iraq. It was disassembled and reconstructed in front of divison headquarters at the Gap.

Check out the website at http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=12543


Two of the men on that plaque are SGT Joseph Proctor and Captain Brian Letendre. They were members of the Military Transition Team I was a part of in Ramadi. Proctor and I were partners on combat missions together, and had spent 12 days together on the position where he died just days before. Here's a broad description of what Proctor did on May 3 2006. http://www.defenselink.mil/heroes/profiles/proctorJ.html




To the right you'll see the names engraved on the memorial Proctor is one up from the bottom right. The 2-28th Brigadge Combat team took a pretty good beating in Ramadi, but we also helped to tranform what Time Magazine called "Iraq's Toughest City" and "The Most Dangerous Place" during our tour, into the center of the "Anbar Awakening". Journalist Michael Otten has a pretty good description of the changes we were able to help with. More on Proctor on May 3.
http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/001514.html

Letter:
Miccarelli, Nicholas
A Co 2-104 GSAB
6609 N.W. Ft Sill Blvd.
FT Sill, OK 73503-1800

Package
Miccarelli, Nicholas
A Co 2-104 GSAB
6609 N.W. Ft Sill Blvd. 930
FT Sill, OK 73503-1800

Today we had a little time off and I decided to pay a visit to my deceased great-uncle Dominic Miccarelli. Uncle Dom was a Staff Sergeant in Patton's Third Army during World War II. He received the Purple Heart among other awards for his service. He is among the many in my family who have fought and shed their blood for this country. My Grandfather Nick Miccarelli is the last surviving of their siblings. At 99 years old my Grandfather recalls fond memories of his Brother Dom and swells with pride whenever his name is brought up.

I also took a brief walk around the Pennsylvania Veterans Cemetery and Memorial here at Indiantown Gap. I must say that this breathtaking memorial was money well spent. There is a massive memorial (pictured behind the grave) which, as a veteran I think is very fitting of the service of so many. Along with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team Memorial (more to follow on that at a later post) which is also here at the Gap, this cemetery is among the most sacred places for me. Check out the website for the cemetery at http://www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/indiantowngap.asp.

Also, if anyone understands how it can be 12 degrees before the sun comes up and 9 degrees after it comes up, please let me know. This phenomenon occured this morning here at Fort Indiantown Gap. I am sure Hurricane Schwartz would not have let this happen.

The doorgun platoon for 2nd Battalion 104th Aviation arrived today at Fort Indiantown Gap. We are making preparations for our flight to Fort Sill Oklahoma on Friday. I volunteered to be a gunner on the flight from Harrisburg to Oklahoma, but my command assured me that while they applaud my vigilance, my services would not be required just yet.

The platoon is truly a cross section of Pennsylvania with people from the eastern, central, and western parts of state represented, and after one day with the guys I know this trip will not be uneventful.

The Western PA guys are understandibly proud of their "Stillirs" and I'm sure the barracks will be well decorated with terrible towels.