The NCO Board Blogroll

This blog roll has sat quiet for sometime, primarily through my own lack of attention, but I'd like to introduce our newest member: Patrick Lasswell of Moderate Risk

Patrick has a series of posts he is running called "Things Your Team Needs" I'll let him describe the purpose"

I've got a series I'm doing to provide military units with descriptions of gear they need, called "Things Your Team Needs". I do this pretty darned well (the people who awarded me with the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal thought so) and I want to share this with a lot of other folks.

This is the kind of thing that long service NCO's (like myself) normally do for just their own unit, this way a lot of teams can get gear that helps them succeed.

This is just the type of item that came to mind when I created the NCO Board Blogroll. NCO's sharing their wisdom with other NCOs.

Welcome aboard Patrick!

Light Posting til Wednesday.

The Web Recon for today just isn't going to happen.

I took the wife to the out-patient surgery center this morning for a little reunion, at least thats what it turned into, since it appears that every nurse she has ever worked with is now working at the out-patient center. She had some minor surgery on her foot and is now home and resting comfortably, however, my posting time is going to be curtailed today and some tomorrow.

I'll be back on Wednesday I'm sure and if I can squeeze in some research tomorrow the Web Recon will return then. Thanks for coming by and don't miss this serial post by Jack Army its chaptered story told on many blogs.

MiTT focuses on Iraqi Army NCO Corps

Story and photo by Sgt. Robert Yde

FOB HONOR — As a member of a military transition team, 1st Sgt. Joseph McFarlane spends the majority of his days training and advising members of the Iraqi Army.

During the three month that he's been in Iraq, McFarlane, the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division's MiTT, said he has seen a great deal of progress by Iraqi soldiers. But one area he and his teammates would like to see more improvement in is the development and strengthening of the Iraqi Army's NCO corps.

"They have such a lack of NCOs in their ranks. We're trying to make them stronger," he said.
Read the Rest...
(Photo: Staff Sgt. Buakai Tamu demonstrates the proper way to report to the president of an Army promotion board for members of the Iraqi Army. Members of the 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment's Military Transition Team conducted a mock board for the Iraqis, so they could gain a better understanding of how the U.S. Army promotes its noncommissioned officers.)

Meet Your Military's NCO's

Staff Sgt. Clears Building and Saves Lives

Checking e-mail was never supposed to be this dangerous. On March 27, 2006, Staff Sgt. Martin K. Richburg was talking to his wife on his cell phone outside an Internet café on a base in Iraq. As he sat there, he noticed a man approaching the café with a blue bag. Something about the situation seemed slightly off.

Earlier that day, Richburg recalled, a suicide bomber had killed several civilians near the base’s gate. Richburg watched the man place the bag on top of the café’s air conditioner. Then the man turned and ran, but not fast enough to escape Richburg, who jumped out of his truck, chased the man down, and quickly learned that the bag held a bomb.

Richburg managed to clear the building just before the bomb destroyed the entire café. Richburg’s actions saved the lives of 12 soldiers and five Iraqi civilians. In March 2006, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal with a “V” and has been nominated for a Bronze Star.

Happy New Year!

I want to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and to welcome Mr. Crittenden's readers. I'm off to visit with family for the next few days and then Tuesday is a Day of Mourning for President Ford so I most likely will not be around 'til Wednesday.

Thank you all for your support over the last year and I look forward to a continued relationship with you all in 2007 and beyond.

What's in store:
A total redesign of The Thunder Run
and the premier of The NCO Board - the blog!

God bless you all, don't ever stop supporting the mission and Scouts Out!