It looks like we will add Fort McCoy to our list of places that we will have

been during this long journey.  Yes, Wisconsin ... 850 miles from Athens ,

AL ... 16 hour drive from Birmingham , AL ... which brings me to my strong

recommendation that families avoid the urge to travel to the demobilization

station.   We intend to work extended duty days and get out of there in 5-7

days.  Soldiers will start the demob process as soon as we land and will work

thru weekends, holidays, everyday in order to get us in and out as quickly as

possible.  DeMobilizing Units are not authorized to stay off-post, not

authorized passes or leaves, and will be restricted to post during the demob

process...this is not a suprise, it is standard procedure for units to have a

"lock-down" period while weapons and sensative items are accounted for and

soldiers are debriefed... and we will be no different.

What you need to focus on is our arrival into Alabama .  We are not sure yet

if we will fly into Huntsville , Muscle Shoals, or bus to the Armory but that

is where you need to meet and greet your soldiers.  We intend to make

arrangements with our sensative items so that the soldier will be released

when we arrive into Alabama wherever/however that may be...so that is the

hug-and-kiss focal point...NOT the demob station.

Due to Operational Security we won't be talking about numbers or names or

exact dates.  Your unit commanders will be communicating with the Rear

Detachment to notify them a "few days" in advance of your soldier's arrival.

I am not naive enough to think your soldier won't be telling you stuff they

really shouldn't be talking about but you will know in time to meet your

soldier in Alabama ...

As I mentioned in the last RCR, we will not redeploy as one big unit.  We

will redeploy in 4-6 groups over a 6-8 week period with everyone back in the

US by early Mar.  I know that is pretty broad but thats the best I can tell

you today (because that is all I know for sure).

There are rumors flying around that one of our units will be home by

Christmas..... NOT TRUE, this is just a Cruel rumor... 

Here is a list of facts that I know today::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

(DISCLAIMER:  ALWAYS SUBJECT TO CHANGE!!)

We should ALL be back in the US by early-March.

Soldiers will be in a "semi-lock-down" at the demob station.

No passes, leaves, absenses, or off-post lodging will be authorized while at

demob station.

No POVs or rental cars are authorized at the demob station.

It will be a complete waste of time and money and dangerous weather

conditions for family to travel to the demob station.

If we work long days, we can be out of the demob station in 5-7 days...and

that is what we intend to do.

We have requested a "1-day-drill" for 30 April to do a Battalion level

Welcome Home Ceremony (not yet approved but I expect it will be).

Our first full drill will be 09-10 July and ALL soldiers that deployed will

be required to drill with the unit they deployed with for a State Reverse

SRP.

We are not currently scheduled for an Annual Training this summer.  This

could change but probably no AT this summer.

I plan to provide more frequent reports now that we are nearing redeployment.

Please continue your good thoughts and prayers.

r/agc  

ANTHONY G. COTTLES

LTC SC ALARNG

Commanding

Rumor Control Report, 25 Nov 2004. 

     Finally, we are in the double digits...97 days, plus or minus.  It has turned winter here almost overnight, much cooler temperatures with lows in the upper 30s and highs in the 40/50s, not really freezing weather but compared to the 130s just a few months ago, it seems cold.  Mosul is known as the "City of two springs", its true, everything was completely brown during the summer but over just a few short days the grass turned green and fruit trees started blooming...it looks much like it did when we got here last spring.

      If you have watched the news at all over the past couple of weeks, it is no secret that the enemy activity certainly got some headlines.  It was certainly a spike in bad stuff happening but at no time did we, US and Iraqi Forces, ever lose control of the city.  It probably didn't look that way On TV but it was much like a large "gang" roaming across the city looting and burning public buildings.  After a few days of extremely successful offensive operations, it has significantly settled down and is pretty much back to "normal" now.  During the heightened activity we did have 3 more soldiers Wounded in Action, and thankfully, all were non-life threatening and all three have returned to duty.

      Our redeployment planning and preparations are well under way.  We are inventorying, cleaning, packing, and planning...it is exciting to finally be really into the redeployment activities.  I am not sure what the latest rumors are about redeployment dates, but the facts are that we are still on track for a full year's deployment.  I would expect late Feb to early March...we won't know for sure until 2-3 days before we fly, thats just how it works.  I am sure you would like to know the exact day your soldier is coming back (I would too) but it just don't work that way.  Imagine 140,000 troops will be coming in and a different 140,000 are going out..not to mention the thousands of vehicles, trailors, connexs...its a pretty amazing operation.  Here is how it really works...when our replacements get up here, we hand everything off to them, pack up our stuff, do our pre-convoy preparations, move to Kuwait, wash trucks, go thru customs, go thru environmental, put all equipment in the shipyard, get redeployment briefings, go thru a medical review, and then once we are completely ready to redeploy...we go to transportation with our clearing papers and tell them we are ready to fly...they look at the aircraft schedule and assign us a plane or planeS, maybe that day, maybe a couple of days later...maybe 100 today and 200 tomorrow, etc etc..or maybe everybody on one plane... but you justdon't know until 2-3 days from departure.  The bottom line is, you won't really know til the plane takes off. 

     There are rumors about some units leaving before others.....I will tell you that we will flow thru the process in "groups" as different missions are complete.  For Example:  We have soldiers at a dozen or more different locations...some locations will be mission complete and prepared to move before others, and that means you will likely see "groups" flowing home over a period of weeks.  You could see 50 one day, 100 a few days later, 25 the next day, 200 a week later, etc etc....so don't expect the whole Battalion, or even a complete Company, to come rolling into the armory in one big convoy, it probably will not happen that way.  But to say that company "x" is leaving early would be an overstatement.  Also, just because your soldier or unit or group moves to Kuwait ahead of others, certainly doesn't mean they will leave Kuwait ahead of others, fact is we have a lot to get done and things will change daily. 

     Another redeployment unknown is where we will DeMobilize, we were scheduled for Ft Campbell but apparently that is going to change... no idea where it will be but I will let you know when we find out.  It is important for you to know that we will still have work to do at the MobStation, there is no plan for ANY off-time, we will immediately start the demobilization process and should be released in a week or so to redeploy to home station.

 EVERYONE WILL TRAVEL TO HOME STATION ON GOVERNMENT TRANSPORTATION, Hopefully we will be close enough for a bus ride but EVERYONE WILL TRAVEL FROM DEMOB TO HOME STATION ON THE GOVERNMENT PROVIDED TRANSPORTATION.....There will be No exceptions so DON'T ASK.  I strongly recommend you save your Welcome Home plans for the arrival at the armory, there won't be time for it at the DeMob Station.  We need to get in and get out without any delays. 

     Also I wanted to let you know we will be sending the CHAPLAIN back a week or two ahead of the unit.  He will schedule Re-Integration Briefings at all our unit locations to let the families know what to expect and help start the transition back to life with us home.  It will have been over a year and a lot will have changed at home and for us.  I think this will really be helpful and hope you all look forward to attending Chaplain Thornton's presentation.  It will still be a few weeks before we schedule times and locations for the briefs, but I will include them in the RCR once they are scheduled. 

     This is Thanksgiving Day and we have much to be thankful for... please continue to pray for our Soldiers!

Rumor Control Report 04 May 2004.

This is day #65, only 299 and a wake-up...we are 18% of the way, if this was a week, it would be 6:30 a.m. on tuesday morning...  so far, every day has been a great day because no one has been killed or serousley injured, help us keep it that way, continue the powerful thoughts and prayers.

I have started hearing a lot of chatter this week about when we are redeploying, thats all it is, chatter.  No signal unit in country knows what their redeployment date is yet so don't get caught up in any rumors.  I would expect to see the first draft of the redeployment plan sometime around mid-July, just keep counting on 365 in-country.  I have been in the Army long enough to know that we will be sure of our redeployment date as soon as we step off the plan in the US.

I can give you an overall guestimate of what I think it will look like;  assuming we stay the full 365 boots-on-the-ground in-country, that would mean late February redeployment... then we will stay at the DeMobilization Station for 10-20 days (I do Not know where our DeMob Station will be but it Won't be Ft Campbell).... 

(ALL OF THIS PARAGRAPH IS BASED ON OTHER UNITS' EXPERIENCES, I HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN THIS INFO OFFICIALLY) ...AFTER the DeMob processing, soldiers will then go "on leave" for up to 30 days to use the leave they have accrued while mobilized (the number of days will be different for some depending on how many they use...e.g.R&R Leave), you can choose to just get paid for the accrued leave and be Released From Active Duty (REFRAD), but it will normally be to the soldier's advantage to actually take the leave.  Taking the 30 +/- days of leave will also qualify the soldier for continued housing allowance, subsistance allowance, and medical coverage plus you are still on military orders and can spend some down time before returning to civilian employment.... However, if the soldier chooses to "sell back" the accrued leave and REFRAD, he is officially released from military orders and should report back to his civilian employer as required, also, when you sell leave it is ONLY the base pay, n

I already know there will be challenges and frustrations at the DeMob Station because we will still have a lot of work to do and accountability of soldiers will still be my responsiblity.... We will have to get closer to that day to know all the gory details, but, we will not be finished when we step off the plane so go ahead and work on your expectations now.   Depending on where our DeMob Station ends up being, will probably drive some of how we handle the DeMob processing...but...I am telling you now, well in advance, it will not be over until the DeMob processing is complete.  I am not saying you can't be there, I am just trying to do a little expectation-management to let you know there will still be formations, medical, dental, equipment turn-in, etc etc that every soldier will still have to do in a organized and timely fasion and accountability will still be a top priority, getting in the way or having soldiers unaccounted for will only slow the process.  I certainly intend to
"welcome back" time in there somewhere.

This is probably not too early to try and explain another redeployment "challenge" that we will face.  Just as we had an Advanced Party travel ahead of the unit to Ft Campbell, and Kuwait, and Iraq, and everywhere else we ever go, we also have Trail Party requirements ("party" is not really a good word for it)...   Just as other units have had to do as they leave Kuwait headed back to their DeMob Station, we will likely, or at least possible, have a Trail Party requirement.  I anticipate needing to have 20-40 soldiers stay at the port to ensure all of our equipment gets properly accounted for and loaded onto the ship...maybe not, we might get it done prior to departure, but just want to put that expectation out there early.  Of course there will be an Advanced Party requirment as well, we will need to send an element ahead of the unit to the DeMob Station to arrange for our barracks, baggage trucks, processing schedules, etc etc... I suspect this will be 10-12 folks primarily Admin a
s the only expectation to manage here is don't assume it will be the same folks that were on Advanced Party coming over here, the mission will be different, so the make up of the Advanced Party will be different and they will have a lot of work to do.

Associate with the Advanced/Trail Party challenges will be AirFlow, we actually got over here on 3 different flights spaced out over a 2 week period.  It will be my intent to try and get as many soldiers on a single movement as possible, but unfortunately a Lieutenant Colonel doesn't wheel much weight on the Army's airplane availability.  So don't be suprised if we "straggle" in to the DeMob Station on multiple flights over multiple days.

A follow-up to the R&R Leave and the Warfighter Pass policy from last RCR report.....  the Command Policy has been finalized and I am confident that the methodology is fair, each company will receive Leave and Pass allocations based on the number of soldiers each unit has in-country, I have no idea how many allocations we will get per month but based on some other units of simular size that have been here a while, I would guess 6-10 leave slots per month and 4-6 Pass slotts per month....  again the Leave is 15 days chargeable leave that starts the day after arriving in the US and ends the day prior to departing the US...the Pass is a 4 day non-chargeable trip to a military operated/controlled facility in Qatar, Spouses/Visitors of any kind are NOT allowed, it is a really nice place (I have seen pictures) and there are a lot of things to do at minimal cost to the soldier.

If you have a special request for a topic you would like to see addressed in the next RCR, drop me or Barbie and email to let me know.

Best Regards/agc

ANTHONY G. COTTLES
LTC SC ALARNG
Commanding

Rumor Control Report 26 April 2004...

Been a while since last report but don't really have any good rumors to talk about.  I have attached the 3rd Signal Brigade Newsletter for March, they are our higher headquarters here and there are a couple of articles on the 115th Sig Bn.  If you have any particular topic you would like for me to address, send it to me or Barbie.


The soldiers have started asking some questions about the Rest&Relaxation Leave and the Warfighter Pass Program so here is a quick run-down of what I know about it today; 

We will begin to get R&R Leave allocations in June, I have no idea how many or how often we will get seats.  I can give you some basic guidelines we will use for this program;  1) it is NOT a first come first serve program nor is it a pick-and-choose program, soldiers will be offered R&R methodically though I can't give you the details of what that method will be yet, but it will focus on our junior soldiers.  2)  I wish everyone could get R&R Leave but it is mathematically impossible, no more than 10% of the unit can be gone at any one time, you must be in-country 90 days to be eligible, and after the 10 month mark you are no longer eligible, mathematically that means that in a "best case" scenario no more than 60% will get an opportunity to take R&R.  3)  R&R Leave is "chargeable", which means it does come out of your accrued leave, if you don't get an opportunity to take the R&R leave then we will get it when we get home or get paid for those additional leave days.  4)  If you get R&R Leave it is 15 days, the leave starts once you arrive in the US and ends when you report back to the airport to depart the US.  5)  The Army will now pay airfare to an airport near the leave location, probably Huntsville or Birmingham for most of our soldiers. 

The Warfighter Pass Program gives soldiers a 4-day pass to a military resort here in the area.  It is a beach resort with American restraunts, deep sea fishing, pool, parasail, etc etc and is ran by the military for the military.  We will get slots starting in June, this does not cost you any leave and all soldiers are eligible.  My intent is to use the same methodology that we come up with for the R&R Leave but in a somewhat reverse order so that everyone at least gets one or the other while here.  Taking R&R Leave does NOT preclude a soldier from the Warfighter Pass Program.  Again the 10% rule applies inclusively.


FIRST IN DUTY!
R/agc

ANTHONY G. COTTLES
LTC SC ALARNG
Commanding

Rumor Control Report April 6


The main thing I want to talk to you about is Information Security, (or the lack there of), I have had several reports (from 2 spouses that I didn't know and a "friend" of a soldier) of family members and friends knowing entirely too much about our operations.  It is OK for your soldier to give you the nearest City Name of where they are at, no problem.  But basically any more detailed information, especially future operations like convoys, unit movements, routes, missions, anything that happens in the future especially is an absolute no-go...and your soldiers knows it!  You need to help me remind your soldiers when they start talking too much about our operations that LTC Cottles will prosecute them to the fullest extent allowed in the Uniform Code of Military Justice for talking about any current operations, future operation, or anything else that could be useful to the enemy.  I am telling you as plain as I know how that there will be no mercy and no second chances in this particu
dier to shut up when they start telling you anything other than the nearest city that they are at right now.  The bad guys are not totally stupid, ease-dropping on email and phone conversations, especially cell phones, can be done by a 12 year old, it is not hard and our enemy is doing it right now.

We have only been here a month and the "going home" rumors are already flying...it is almost funny sometimes the things soldiers can dream up.  I have heard that we are "redeploying next week and going to Camp Shelby, Mississippi"..... "we are leaving in June because that is when the country is handed back over to the Iraqi people"....  "we are leaving in October because they only gave us Malaria pills to last until then"....  "we are leaving soon and going to Fort Lewis to backfill an active duty unit there for the rest of our tour"....  Let me tell you where these all come from:  Camp Shelby has now been approved as a Mobilization Station...but that doesn't mean we are going there, much less next month.....  the US Army will be here long after the the country is handed back to the Iraqi people in June.....  you don't need Malaria pills after the mosquitos hybernate in October.....  we are not back-filling anyone at Fort Lewis because they are all here with us!   Well, I am now conv
a soldier from coming up with a good rumor, so I will just keep addressing them with the facts....the fact is:  We are scheduled to be here 365 days and we are currently at day 37. 


A lot of stuff going on over the past few days that look really scary on CNN or Fox, actually it is pretty intense but you have to understand that those are normally very isolated events.  It is not like that is happening "everywhere" all at the same time.  As far as all that stuff you see on the news, this is a dangerous place, that is why we are here.  But let me share just a very few accomplishments so far:  The 115th Signal Battalion is mobilized for the first time since WWII, 1945, Adak, Alaska as Coastal Anti Aircraft Artillery.   The 115th "Colors" (Bn Guidon) was unfurled in a ceremony here in Mosul on 29 MAR, it was the first time since the birth of the 115th Signal Battalion in December 1959 that our Colors had ever been unfurled in a Combat Zone.  As of a couple of days ago, every 115th soldier, Currently in the Combat Zone, has earned the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and at least one unit Combat Patch(3d Signal Brigade, Ft Hood TX).  We have soldiers that h
 Infantry Division, 2nd Infantry Division, and I Corps combat patches.  For the first time in anyone's memory, and we got some old farts, we have conducted Convoy Live Fire Training, 3 times in the past 6 months.   And with all this, we have yet to lose a single soldier to an accident or  combat, not even a near life threatening injury...I attribute this to excellent, hard training...outstanding cream-of-the-crop soldiers,  and your many thoughts and prayers!

That is all I know for now....help me with the Information Security!

R/agc
ANTHONY G. COTTLES
LTC SC ALARNG
Commanding

In a message dated 4/1/2004 12:38:04 AM Central Standard Time

A lot of confusion and concern over the mailing addresses, particularly in the Mosul area.  Let me try to explain: Our soldiers are deployed to several locations, several of those locations are in the Mosul area, once our mail arrives in-country it is sorted by army postal units, BY-HAND... the changes have been an attempt to make it easier for these postal guys to get our mail sorted in a timely manner AND to ensure that it clearly identifies the 115th Signal Bn as it's own entity so that if another unit, or our unit, gets moved, our mail will only move with us.  That is a long way to say that all the addresses you have seen will get the mail to us, but these recent changes should ensure we get it a day or two sooner AND that other units moving around won't effect our mail.

Everything else continues to go well, we still haven't gotten all our equipment moved to where it needs to go but we have everything we need to accomplish our mission.  Specifically everyone's "nice-to-have" personal extra stuff that is in a Connex somewhere is out there "somewhere" waiting for a tractor-trailor truck to pick it up and bring it to us... not keeping us from doing our mission but certainly an inconvenience.

This is a dangerous place and your thoughts and prayers, coupled with our extensive tactical training, have kept our soldiers safe.  I am extremely proud of the professionalism of our soldiers, they are as good as any and better than most.  I know you are proud of them as well you should be.

Today marks the 32d day in-country, now that we are at our destinations and have our equipment installed, "down-time" is starting to become an enemy of home-sickness... make sure you are writing your soldiers, email and phone calls are great but they are no replacement for a hand-written letter, also, new pictures of family and friends are helpful.  We will be installing more MWR internet access and phones over the next few weeks, I expect our soldier's ability to communicate with family and friends will continue to get better and more frequent.

FIRST IN DUTY

LTC ANTHONY G. COTTLES
Commanding  

Rumor Control Report Tuesday, March 23, 2004 10:23 am


We are at our final destination.  It will take us a couple of days to get everyone access to phone/email but we are all here... the trip was quite an experience... our realistic, hard training clearly showed during our movement, it was impressive.  In a couple of days, we will do a press release with pictures and I have requested to "go public" with our location(s).

FIRST IN DUTY!
LTC Anthony G. Cottles

Rumor Control Report     Thu, 18 Mar 2004 08:51:44 -0600

You only have to watch the news, or read the local paper to know that this is still a very dangerous place, but let me assure you that the past 100 days of training has made us a viable fighting force capable of defending ourselves against the threat in Iraq.  Just since we have been here in Kuwait we have hardened our vehicles, conducted more Convoy Live Fire Training, Close Quarters Marksmanship Training, and a multitude of other combat related tasks.  If you had seen us a year ago at Annual Training and could have seen the training events we just completed here today, you would not believe it was the same unit, we are exponentially better.  However, this is a dangerous place and soldiering is dangerous business, some days are better than others, and, on occasion, a soldier pays the ultimate price whether he is doing anything wrong or not.  I am not trying to make you worry, I just want you to understand that we are moving into the next phase of our deployment and it will be a completely different environment than the one in which we have trained.  You take care of each other back there and we will take care of each other over here. 

Everyone is still doing very well.  Your thoughts and prayers are working, it has been 103 days since mobilization, we have trained hard, traveled half way around the world, trained hard some more, and have not lost a soldier or had any real life-threatning injuries, you are doing your part, keep it up!

I heard a lot of good comments on the FRG Community Event, I know a lot of you expended a lot of time and effort to make it a success and we all appreciate it.  It sounded like it was an extremely good turn-out for the event, THANKS.

I have been out of the loop on rumors lately, don't really have any to squash this week so I will leave it at that.

REGARDS
LTC Anthony G. Cottles
FIRST IN DUTY!

Rumor Report 15 March

This is a subject that is very important about the welfare of your soldier and the soldier of other spouses assigned to the 115^th.  Only a handful of people know where the locations are and they are in Iraq.  Missions change daily. 

If you are e-mailing or in chat rooms, calling on the phone, or even discussing with anyone about the 115^th deploying don't do it.  The Intelligence community has a statement about EEFI, Essential Elements of Friendly Information.  This is where terrorist networks or any hostile groups take information that is not considered classified such as, e-mails, watching chat rooms, or even monitoring cell phone conversations.  They take all of this friendly information and make a very good rational determination about whoever it is they want to target.  (It's not hard to do this and it doesn't cost a lot of money to get friendly information).  Your conversations about where they are going or where they will wind up will provide valuable information.   These unfriendly groups will know something is about to happen with the 115^th. Don't be the one that let's the enemy know about our soldiers.  

This might be the reason why convoys are being attacked every day.  (It's not hard to get friendly information)

First in Duty, 

Rumor Control Report for 11 March

It is Thursday morning, 11 March, here in Kuwait.  Everyone is still doing great, some minor sick calls for stuffy heads and colds but very few considering all the blowing sand.  The temperatures have really let up the last couple of days, only around 80 but the wind is terrible, sand in everything and everywhere. 

We continue to prepare our selves and equipment for the move north, we should be at our final destination in a couple of weeks.  I know you are all eager to start sending real mail and will send you the mailing addresses the first day we are there ... we will be in multiple locations so there will be 3 or 4 different addresses depending on what unit your soldier is in, I will give you that brake down once I have the addresses.

We have pretty good access to the basic necessities and the chow is pretty good.  We have a small PX but the lines are long, a lot of folks have asked me what to put in care packages, let me give you some good-ideas...first of all, I don't recommend sending big boxes, something about shoe box size is less likely to be delayed, individually wrapped wet-wipes are best and are impossible to get here, also pictures and hand written letters are the number one requested item, don't send anything that will melt especially chocolate, plastic picture frames and a local newspaper would be nice.

A lot of rumors this week on when we will re-deploy, don't get sucked into these rumors, we are using 01 March as our "mark on the wall" for our 365 day deployment, so we have 354 days and a wake-up.  It will be months before the redeployment plan is even addressed by the big-dogs, so anything you are hearing now, other than 1-year, is a rumor.  I promise I will let you in on it if there are any changes to the date.

I hear there is quite a ceremony planned for Sunday to thank the community for all the support, this is a great idea and I am sure it will go well.  We still sit and talk about the outstanding show of support on our departure day and the bus ride home for Christmas, it was very impressive.  I would also like to thank all the Family Readiness Group leaders for all their efforts, each group has several folks that really have devoted a lot of time and effort to the cause and I assure you the soldiers notice and appreciate it.

That is all for now, FIRST IN DUTY!

LTC Anthony G. Cottles
Commanding

Rumor Control Report ,    5 MAR 2004
We now have all deployable soldiers on the ground in Kuwait, the last flight made it to the base camp about 0400 this morning.  Everyone is dog tired but doing well.

First, let me ask you not to talk to other spouses too much about phone calls, emails, mail, etc etc that you get from your soldier... not every soldier has the same access to services as others.  For example, our switchboard operators naturally have better access to phone lines, where maybe our maintenance contact teams are on service calls and seldom get access..this doesn't seem fair, but, it is just the nature of the business...  you might be surprised how much turmoil it can cause if you "brag" about getting calls and emails to a spouse who's husband can't get regular access... most of the time the spouse will assume her soldier is just ignoring them, and that is almost always Not the case.  So, just be sensitive to this one.  thanks.

We are living in 70 man circus tents on cots, but we do have lights and air conditioning (at least most of the time).  The tents have plywood floors, the showers are out of water most of the time but it is better than bathing out of a bucket.  The chow is probably the highlight of the support, the lines are long but move pretty quick and the chow is plentiful.  We have a PX, Post Office, Finance Office, Pizza Inn, Subway and even a Hardees....only problem is, the lines are usually an hour or more wait to even get in.

It was 96 yesterday and felt like a 196.  This is a very different place, they have towns tents, heards of camels and sheep, they really do wear the head bands and long robes as everyday wear... they will build and entire city, and when it is completely done, then they let people move in..  it is very interesting.

That is about it for today, my computer battery is low and I don't have power access right now so I will send this and get back to work.

FIRST IN DUTY!

Regards/agc
LTC ANTHONY G. COTTLES

Rumor Control Report, 23 FEB 2004.

Finally, we are ready to move on to the next phase of our mission. We will be departing in the next few days, I hope everyone has said their good-bys and that there won't be any distractors in the area. The leadership went to great lengths and liability to allow the several opportunities, especially the 3-day pass, to see your soldiers...but, those opportunities are over, the goodbys and hugging is over, I need you to Not be here this week. If you thought about coming up this week, don't. If you thought about coming up this next weekend, don't. If you have reservations, go ahead and cancel them, there will be no more time off regardless of our flight date.

We will have reasonably good access to email and phones once we get to our destination. You shouldn't be completely out of contact with your soldier for more than a few days, maybe a week at most. We won't know our actual mailing address until we get to where we are going, I will email you the address as soon as it is available but it may be a couple of weeks after we arrive before we will know it for sure.

I heard several comments about dates that we were leaving and exactly where we were going from spouses this weekend, even if you think you know, you should not be spreading rumors or talking to anyone about it to anyone. For the safety of your soldier, do not spread rumors about dates and times and places, you might occasionally guess right and endager the lives of our soldiers. It is a documented fact that there are multiple organizations monitoring the web/email all day every day...you need to assume that the bad guys read every email you send, because, they very well could be.

There should not be any visitors here this week, I will put the entire battalion into barracks lock-down if I perceive this to be a problem. I recommend you shift your efforts to thanking the local community for all the support so far, preparing for a letter writing/care package effort, an adopt-a-soldier campaign, and especially be thinking about the return home welcome plan...there are plenty of constructive things to be doing rather than being in the way at Ft Campbell.

Thanks for your support and watch for us on CNN. FIRST IN DUTY!

R/agc

ANTHONY G. COTTLES

LTC SC ALARNG

Commanding

In a message dated 2/18/2004 7:27:26 PM Central Standard Time

We will have a non-duty day on Sunday, 22FEB, with a relaxed curfew on Saturday night, 21FEB.  Final formation on Saturday will be 1500 (and not a minute sooner).  Curfew will resume at 2300 (11p.m.) on Sunday night (and not a minute later).  This will be the last non-duty day.

No, I don't know our flight schedule and couldn't/wouldn't tell you even if I did, for the safety of your soldier you shouldn't even want to know, if your soldier tries to tell you, remind them about operational security and the penalty for discussing classified information.  Your soldier doesn't know the flight schedule so anything they tell you is a rumor anyway.

Not a lot of good rumors floating around this week, just the same old one about us not going anywhere...and it is still just a rumor.

Regards/agc

Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2004 4:56 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: RCR Weekend UPDATE


The plan has been approved . . . please keep the event low-key and enjoy
the time with your soldier.  I have not heard from anyone, so I assume all
is going well.  Please advise if you have any questions.

Regards,
Sweeney

E-MAIL RECEIVED FEB. 12, 2004

I wanted to let you all know that this weekend's schedule has not been approved yet.  It may sound like a simple task but I assure you it is not.  It is an exception to the normal policy to allow mobilizing units to leave their mobilization station, that is why this request has had to be elevated through the chain-of-command and, of course that just takes time. 

Unfortunately I can't tell you when it will be settled but I will let you know about 5 minutes after I know.  I would recommend you make contingency plans to spend the weekend in the Ft Campbell area, just in case of a last-minute disapproval.

Either way, I can tell you we are looking forward to getting a couple of days off.

Regards/agc

Rumor Control Report, 15 FEB 2004.  

I am a day late but wanted to clear up a couple of things before I sent out this week's report. The delay was due to the policy that Mobilizing units must stay in the local area of their Mob Station.  In order to make an exception to this policy, there are several restrictions and limitations, as well as the usual "things can always change" criteria. I am going to list them for you so that you can help make sure your soldier adheres to the guidance:

  1.  DA Form 31 (Request for Leave/Pass) MUST BE COMPLETED WITH    CURRENT/ACCURATE CONTACT INFORMATION PRIOR TO DEPARTURE.

  2.  THE PASS TIME/DISTANCE LIMITATION IS "WITHIN A 4-HOUR DRIVE, NOT TO    EXCEED 250 MILES"... THIS IS NOT NEGOTIABLE.  (The Cottles' are staying  in the local area)

  3.  FAMILIES ARE IMPORTANT TO THE TEAM AND CONCERNS FOR THEIR SAFETY ARE CONSIDERED IN THE PLAN,  THEREFORE, TRAVEL PLANS CAN NOT INCLUDE THE FAMILY MAKING 2-ROUND TRIPS TO PICK UP AND DROP OFF THEIR SOLDIER, THATs JUST TOO MUCH TIME ON THE ROAD (I know this was the plan for some soldiers, we have got to fix this by carpool/rental vehicle or consider just staying in the local Ft Campbell area).

  4.  RETURN TO POST IS NOT-LATER-THAN 5:00 p.m. ON MONDAY. EVERY SOLDIER    MUST RETURN....DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO DEPART AND DO NOT BE LATE!

   5.  EVERY SOLDIER SHOULD HAVE THEIR COMMANDER'S CELL PHONE NUMBER AND THE RED CROSS 1-877-272-7337.

   6.  AS OF 16 FEB....POV ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT AUTHORIZED ON FT CAMPBELL.    THE ARMY POLICY HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT MOBILIZING UNITS ARE NOT AUTHORIZED POVs AT THE MOBILIZATION STATION.  I ASSUMED THE RISK AND ALLOWED THEM UP UNTIL NOW, BUT, NONE AFTER 16 FEB. 

   7.  SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY, DO NOT SPEED, DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE, WEAR    YOUR SEATBELTS!  EVERY SOLDIER IS IMPORTANT TO THE MISSION, WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE ANY OF OUR SOLDIERS.

   8.  THINGS ARE ALWAYS SUBJECT TO CHANGE....SOLDIERS ARE SUCCEPTABLE TO  "RECALL", MEANING, THEY COULD GET A CALL AND HAVE TO RETURN    IMMEDIATELY....I DON'T EXPECT THIS TO HAPPEN, JUST BE PREPARED.

   9.  PASS IS A PRIVALAGE, NOT A RIGHT...  COMPLY WITH THE GUIDLINES OR    SPEND YOUR WEEKEND IN THE BARRACKS. 

   This is the Last pre-deployment vist, hug, kiss, opportunity.  Do not plan on another pass, overnight stay, or visit of any kind. We will have a Battalion Run on Friday morning, do a clean-up police call in the area, and have final formation at 1300 (thats 1:00 p.m. for the new military folks).  Soldiers should be released no later than 1:30, that should give everyone time to be at their destinations prior to dark.  "when the situation changes, the plan changes"

ANTHONY G. COTTLES

LTC SC

This week's rumor control report.    Feb. 2, 2004


First I would like to thank all of you that followed the guidelines this past weekend and made our non-duty day a nice break without getting anyone in any serious trouble.

The current plan is to allow a 3-day pass on President's Day weekend.  If all goes as planned, we will be dismissed after final formation on Friday, 13 Feb, with a return to barracks not-later-than 2300 (11p.m.) on Monday, 16 Feb.  I recommend you don't make any non-refundable arrangements as plans do change regularly.  There is a mileage/time limitation on authorized distance, we MUST stay within a 4-hour drive of Fort Campbell, not to exceed 250 road miles.  This will encompass a region basically from Fort Campbell an imaginary line thru Haleyville, Jasper, North Birmingham, Gadsden...  it is imperative that this limitation not be violated.   I am one of the few who live outside this limit and will stay here in the Fort Campbell area.

Expect the President's Day weekend to be the last off time opportunity, we might get another weekend but I hope we don't hang around that long.  Also, ALL privately owned vehicles are required to be off Fort Campbell not-later-than that Monday, 16 Feb, so please plan accordingly.


I haven't heard any good rumors lately so that will do it for this report.  Feel free to forward me any rumors that you hear floating around and I will address them as soon as possible.  Your soldiers continue to perform as professional soldiers and you should be very proud.

"FIRST IN DUTY"
R/agc

DISTRO TO FSGs....

I am going to change the format up a little this week and just list some "Facts as I know them today"...that way you can apply them to multiple rumors as required.  There was a flurry of rumors floating around this week, most of them were recurrences of rumors that have come up and been addressed in earlier reports so I will revisit some of those today:

#1:  The "Rumor Of The Week" is that we have scheduled a weekend off, I have heard all kinds of dates, but Currently, this is still JUST A RUMOR!  There has NOT been a PASS weekend scheduled.  In the last 2 reports, I have told you that we will try to create a pass opportunity prior to our departure IF OUR SCHEDULE PERMITS.  I don't expect to know for sure either way until the end of this month but understand that a pass opportunity is NOT guaranteed.

#2:  We have NOT had any days off.  EVERY day is a training day.  Other than Red Cross Verified Emergency Leave, nobody has had, nor is currently scheduled to have, a day off for any other reason.

#3:  Soldiers are NOT allowed to miss training for family visits or any other personal business.  We are all REQUIRED by Command Policy to be in the barracks from 11:00p.m. to 5:00a.m. unless overnight FTX is being conducted, there are no exceptions and violation WILL be punished under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

#4:  I don't have the authority to restrict family members from being in the area (it would be simpler if I did, but, I don't).  However, if you don't take my advice and plan to visit a soldier at Ft Campbell anyway, refer to items #2 and #3.  I strongly urge you NOT to distract from your soldier's training by being in the area.

#5:  We have NOT been cut from the mission.  We are right on schedule and will be shipping our equipment soon.  We have not been replaced by another unit.

Again I have to tell you that your soldiers are a highly motivated bunch of professional.  Be proud of them and make sure you write often, getting a letter from home has special meaning that can't be replaced by a phone call or an email.

"FIRST IN DUTY"

Anthony G. Cottles
LTC SC ALARNG
Commanding