March 29, 2013 - Colorado Springs Military Newspaper Group

10 MOUNTAINEER — March 29, 2013
St. Barbara’s Day goes off with a ‘BOOM’
Story and photo by
Sgt. Grady Jones
3rd Brigade Combat Team Public
Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
Artillerymen held their annual
event, the St. Barbara’s Day Ball, March
7, at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort.
The 3rd Battalion, 29th Field
Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade
Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division,
held the event to pay tribute to St.
Barbara, the U.S. Army Field Artillery
patron saint, and to award recipients
with the Order of St. Barbara and
Molly Pitcher awards.
“St. Barbara’s Day is the one day
out (of) the year when we can celebrate
our branch,” said Maj. John Eddy,
executive officer, 3rd Bn., 29th FA Reg.
St. Barbara’s Day is normally
celebrated Dec. 4, but the unit held the
event in March due to its recent return
from a nine-month deployment in
Afghanistan, Eddy said.
According to legend, St. Barbara
was kept secluded in a tower to
preserve her virginity, by her jealous
pagan father, Dioscorus. While
Dioscorus was away, St. Barbara
converted to Christianity. Enraged
about his daughter’s conversion,
Dioscorus denounced St. Barbara
before a civil tribunal. She was then
tortured, and eventually sentenced to
death by beheading. Dioscorus, who
carried out the sentence himself, was
struck and killed by lightning and his
body was consumed by flame, after
carrying out St. Barbara’s sentence. St.
Barbara was venerated in the seventh
century and was then considered to
be the Patron Saint of danger from
thunderstorms, fire and sudden death.
She is invoked to protect against
explosions due to the fact that early
artillery often had a habit of exploding
instead of successfully firing projectiles
from cannons.
During the St. Barbara’s Day ball,
12 Soldiers received Honorable Order
of Saint Barbara medals, which have an
effigy of St. Barbara on one side and a
relief of a cannon on the other.
Sgt. 1st Class Dewanda Beasley,
senior food service specialist noncommissioned
officer, 3rd BCT, received
The Honorable Order of St. Barbara
medallion for her work and contri -
butions when she was assigned as a
“Pacesetter” Soldier.
“I spent time with Company G,
3rd Bn., 29th FA Reg., as the executive
officer and senior food service noncommissioned
officer,” said Beasley.
Military spouses at the ball were
also honored and awarded the Artillery
Order of Molly Pitcher.
“Molly Pitcher,” or Mary Hayes
Ludwig McCauley, was married to
William Hays, a barber who enlisted in
the Continental Army and became a
gunner in the Pennsylvania Artillery.
McCauley attained the title as “Molly
Pitcher” at the Battle of Monmouth
when she worked with her husband
during the Revolutionary war.
McCauley would bring water for the
troops and cannons when they would
call out to “Molly Pitcher.”
Another person to have been given
the nickname “Molly Pitcher” was
Margaret Corbin, who replaced her
husband, John Corbin, as an artillery
gunner immediately following his
death at the Battle of Fort Washington,
current day Manhattan Island, New
York, Nov. 16, 1776, during the
Revolutionary War.
The Molly Pitcher Award is given by
the U.S. Field Artillery Association and
the Air Defense Association to recognize
wives of artillerymen who have significantly
contributed to the improvement
of the artillery communities.
A total of 10 wives in 3rd Bn., 29th
FA Reg., received the award to include
Danielle Butzin, wife of Sgt. Timothy
Butzin, a multichannel transmission
systems operator-maintainer, Head -
quarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd
Bn., 29th FA Reg.
Danielle Butzin was awarded for
her volunteer work and for being a
Family readiness group leader.
“I was surprised to receive the
award,” Danielle Butzin said. “I was
honored and humbled.”
For some, “Molly Pitcher” is the
epitome of what a military spouse is
supposed to do.
“She went above and beyond,”
Danielle Butzin said. “We are expected
to stand by our husbands and support
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Lt. Col. Derek Knuffke, commander, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment,
bestows the Honorable Order of St. Barbara medallion upon Capt. Teresa Christie,
commander, Company G, 3rd Bn., 29th FA Reg., at the unit’s St. Barbara’s Day Ball held
at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort, March 7.
their careers. Not only did (Margaret
Corbin) support her husband’s career,
but she helped with his job when he
was unable to do it.
“To be placed in the same category
as her is incredible,” Danielle Butzin said.
Col. Timothy J. Daugherty, commander,
214th Fires Brigade, Fort Sill,
Okla., was guest speaker for the night.
“I’m so honored to be here
tonight,” said Daugherty. “I love being
a Soldier.”
One of the main points Daugherty
spoke about was serving others.
“You will never be happy in life
unless you do something outside the
circle of yourself and for other people,”
he said. “The Army allows us to do
that every day. Our job is about
protecting our society, our nation and
the ones we love.”
Daugherty also spoke about
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increasing the strength of Army Families
and the competitive atmosphere that
can occur in military Family homes.
“What builds respect with your
spouse is telling her that you appreciate
her,” Daugherty said. “Treating your
spouses with respect is what will get
you to the desired end state.”
The formal event concluded with
informal dancing and music.
“The St. Barbara’s Day Ball is in
keeping with the U.S. Field Artillery
history and traditions,” said Command
Sgt. Maj. Joe Clayton, senior enlisted
leader, 3rd Bn., 29th FA Reg. “It showed
new Soldiers what artillery is all about.”
The St. Barbara’s Day Ball event
helped to build esprit de corps and
build camaraderie for the “Pacesetters”
following the deployment, said Eddy.
“(The ball) helped us get back to
our artillery roots,” Eddy said.