New Mexico Minuteman - Spring 2012 - Keep Trees

“My squad is currently tasked with being
the North Camp response team when we
get there,” said Zollo, “so our training has
been a little more rigorous and in-depth
than some of the other squads have been
doing.”
Zollo’s squad has trained extensively
in skills such as vehicle recognition, especially
as it pertains to identifying armored
vehicles, since they are prevalent in the
area, particularly the Gaza Strip. They have
also been trained to recognize potential
improvised explosive devices and unexploded
ordnance, not only because of Al
Qaida’s known presence in the region, but
also because of the large number of land
mines in the area.
“The wind will shift and suddenly
expose mines,” said Zollo, “so we have
been doing a lot of battle drills to help prepare
ourselves.”
Zollo said he felt extremely prepared
by his training, but the opportunity to train
with Soldiers from the unit currently in theater
was possibly the most valuable part of
his time at Atterbury.
“We have gone through all the slide
shows and all the classes over and over,
trying to prepare ourselves,” said Zollo,
“but to actually talk to subject matter
experts from MFO 55, with not only real-
By Chief Warrant Offi cer 2 Anna Hall
Brig. Gen. Juan Griego, land component commander, promoted
Chief Warrant Offi cer 4 Donald Bragg to chief warrant offi -
cer 5 in a ceremony on Feb. 12, 2012. Bragg was accompanied by
his wife Sherri, whom he has been married to for 35 years. Also
present for the ceremony were his son, Sgt. Jeffrey Bragg, his wife
Julie and children Hunter and Tylon, and daughter Sunny and her
children, Casey and Alex.
Bragg’s father-in-law, retired Guardsman Chief Warrant
Offi cer 4 Willard Lamb and his wife Joan did the honor of pinning
the new rank on.
“My wife has been supportive of me my entire career,” said the
newly promoted Bragg. “She grew up in a Guard family with her
dad Willard, so she understands the time we have to be away and
all of the challenges that we encounter in the military. I attribute my
success to my wife’s never ending support.”
Bragg’s maintenance career includes 11 years in Air Defense,
10 years in Field Artillery, and the last seven years at Joint Forces
Headquarters G4 as MAIT team member and state readiness offi -
cer. Bragg will be assigned as the state command chief warrant
world experience, but recent real-world
experience, standing there telling us what
has changed and what to expect when we
get there was extremely educational.”
Although in partnership with 11 other
countries, the United States provides the
largest contingent of the MFO, even as
two-thirds of the force is fi nanced by Egypt
and Israel, as they are the parties most
directly interested in the program’s success.
According to Zollo, the long-standing
success of the mission is one of the things
that make the MFO mission unique.
“It’s one of the longest effective peacekeeping
operations,” said Zollo. “There are
a lot of other countries that come together
to form the MFO, and it is effective.”
For Spc. Jessica Griego, Albuquerque,
native and mail clerk and human resources
specialist with the 1-200, this is her fi rst
deployment. She said she feels not only
nervous, but excited as well.
“This is a whole new experience. It’s a
little nerve-wracking,” said Griego. “I feel
like we’ve been well prepared, though.
They have given us all sorts of training,
and they have made sure to take the time
to fi eld all of our questions and make us
all feel as prepared as possible. I feel like
fi rst-timers like me have a lot of really great
people here in our unit that we can rely on.
Bragg promoted to chief warrant offi cer 5
A lot of our leaders are experienced, and
they work to make sure that younger Soldiers
know what to expect.”
The Soldiers of MFO 56 will continue to
train at Camp Atterbury into early March as
they prepare for their deployment. Soldiers
like Zollo and Griego deploy with a sense
of pride at the opportunity to take part in a
successful and long-standing peacekeeping
operation.
This multinational force of a dozen
different nations from all over the world
stands watch over a lasting peace in a part
of the world that has been torn by war for
centuries.
Because of Soldiers like those from
the 1-200th, as well as their peers from 11
other countries, President Carter’s words
on March 26, 1979, continue to ring true.
“Obviously time and understanding will be
necessary for people, hitherto enemies,
to become neighbors in the best sense of
the word. Just because a paper is signed,
all the problems will not automatically go
away. Future days will require the best of
us all to give reality to these lofty aspirations.
Let those who would shatter peace,
who would callously spill blood, be aware
that we three and all others who may join
us will vigorously wage peace.”
offi cer, inactive duty training, and will remain as FMS2 shop chief
in Las Cruces.
When asked what his new job will entail, he responded “to take
care of the junior warrant offi cers and their career fi elds.”
Bragg is the only warrant offi cer left in the New Mexico National
Guard who graduated in 1991 from the only NMARNG Warrant
Offi ce Basic Course run in our state.
Spring 2012 / NEW MEXICO National Guard 19