Spring 2011 MAGAZINE Vol. XXVII, No. 1 - The Society of the 173D ...

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Sky Soldier Gets Distinguished Service Cross By Sgt. Neil W. McCabe XVIII Abn. Corps and Fort Bragg PAO “Many talk about being in the company of heroes — today, we are truly in their company, and today we celebrate and recognize one of our very best — Staff Sergeant James M. Takes,” said Col. William Ostlund, who commanded Takes’ battalion, the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, during that deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The battalion is known as the Rock Battalion. to the arm, he said. Maj. Matthew R. Myers, who was the Chosen commander, said the attack came Nov. 9, 2007 as the 30-Soldier column, which included squad of Soldiers of the Afghanistan National army, moved on foot from a key leader engagement in the village of Aranas. “They were returning from that mission after they had stayed at the village overnight,” Myers said. The troopers traveled by foot because the area was inaccessible to vehicles. With the command, “Follow me!” Takes ordered his men to seek cover on a slope below the road and it was during this movement that the squad automatic weapon gunner tumbled down the hill losing both his weapon and helmet, he said. Before he went down to check on the saw gunner, Takes had already been temporarily knocked unconscious from a rocket-propelled grenade blast and a gunshot wound Takes, who gave his own helmet to the gunner, said he was hit the other arm at the bottom of the slope. When he was hit the second time, Takes said he was applying a combat tourniquet to the gunner’s leg with his left arm and firing his M-4 with his right arm. The gunner tells it the best, he said. “He said he was looking up at me from the ground and saw it go through and I kinda jumped a little bit. He said I got a really upset look on my face like I was mad. He said, ‘Man, that really had to hurt.’” As the bullet struck, Takes said he said to himself, “I am really tired of getting shot at.” Just before the ambush, Takes said he and the other squad leader had stopped to discuss the terrain they were about to enter. “You could not have asked for a better place to set up an ambush,” he said. The unit the Rock Battalion had replaced had also been ambushed in almost the same place. “It was called ‘Ambush Alley.’ We all knew it was coming. We had an odd feeling. The night before, nobody wanted to go out on this mission. We just knew.” After the ceremony, Anderson said the troopers from the battalion had the mission of creating enough security for the people in their area of operations, so that they did not feel threatened, and to convince them that development, such as roads, schools and civil governance offer them a better future. “It was an austere area with challenging terrain,” Anderson said. “But, the Rock Soldiers did their job and performed their duties very well.” 14
Sky Soldier receives Soldier's Medal By Kent Harris Stars and Stripes Published: February 4, 2011 VICENZA, Italy — Spc. Justin Paquet was six hours into a patrol up and down a mountain in Afghanistan, carrying almost half his weight in gear under a steady drizzle. He already had been shot at multiple times. And his day was about to get worse. It was Aug. 7, 2010, and a patrol led by Staff Sgt. Daniel Schaffer was returning to Combat Outpost Conlon. In order to get back, they had to cross a river that, under normal conditions, wasn’t much more than a stream. But several days of rain had added a lot of swiftflowing water. Still, it made sense to try to ford the stream rather than to use any bridges in the area, Schaffer said. Bridges are obvious places to stage an ambush, and Schaffer’s patrol — made up of a small group of soldiers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment — had already fought off two attacks during the patrol. Little did any of the soldiers know that it would take a heroic effort by Schaffer to make sure the day didn’t turn tragic. An effort that would eventually earn him the Soldier’s Medal, the Army’s highest award for valor in a noncombat situation. Paquet, 23, from Milford, Conn., waded into the stream in an attempt to get across. Twice he turned back, because the water was too deep and moving too swiftly. The patrol tried another spot. Paquet waded in again, the water level reaching his waist at some points. “I lost my footing, maybe four feet from the other bank,” Paquet said in an interview Thursday. “There are some parts I don’t remember after that.” “He went down for a long time and when he came back up, he was obviously not himself, probably in shock,” Schaffer said. So while most of the patrol manned security — waiting for another attack they thought was likely — Schaffer handed off his rifle, dropped some gear and went after his struggling soldier. “I’m a pretty strong swimmer,” Paquet said. “But with 60, 80 pounds of gear … not so much.” Schaffer, 28, from Boulder, Colo., is less confident in his swimming ability. “I can dog paddle and get where I need to be,” he said with a smile. With a combination of swimming and sheer determination, he reached a halfconscious Paquet, who was being carried away by the water. “At that point, I was so exhausted, I couldn’t do anything,” Paquet said. “I think I would have died if he wouldn’t have grabbed me when he did.” It took Schaffer a while to steady himself and Paquet. Other soldiers were eventually able to help them out of the water and back onto the same bank they had started from. They rendered aid to Paquet and got him back on his feet. This week, Schaffer was presented the Soldier’s Medal during a ceremony at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza for his actions that day. Paquet was left with a few cuts and a debt to his squad leader that he won’t soon forget. “I’m here today because of him,” he said. harrisk@estripes.osd.mil 15
Page 1 and 2: Spring 2011 MAGAZINE Vol. XXVII, No
Page 3 and 4: NEWS FROM THE TOP PRESIDENT’S REP
Page 5 and 6: As we enter a new year it would do
Page 7 and 8: Giunta says farewell to Army By KEN
Page 9 and 10: Sky Soldier inducted into Army Rang
Page 11 and 12: Mayville graduated from West Point
Page 13: 173d AIRBORNE BRIGADE ASSN. MEDAL T
Page 17 and 18: CHAPTER NEWS CHAPTER 1- WASHINGTON,
Page 19 and 20: Once a Sky Soldier, Always a Sky So
Page 21 and 22: from the State Senator Ed Hernandez
Page 23 and 24: CHAPTER 23 - QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA
Page 25 and 26: TIME TO GO GREEN In 2011, the Assoc
Page 27 and 28: HOW TO VOTE You must be a Regular M

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