Hammer Command Team

Friends and Family of the

Hammer Team,
Our first full month in theater
has been a busy one. Elements of
this company have participated
in nearly every battalion
operation, traveling to all ends of
our AO, and truly making a
difference in the lives of the
Afghan people. Our Scouts have
been preparing for an exciting
missions designed to capture
high level targets in the Task
Force AO, while our newest
addition3
rd
Platoon, Blackjack
Company has assumed much of
the patrolling for the Sharana
District. 1LT Barnes and SFC
Williams have built a great team,
that has really made an impact
on the company. Support Platoon
continues to supply the Task
Force with vital supplies, running
missions that last 25 plus hours
at a time. None of the
outstanding work here in
Afghanistan could happen
without the tireless maintenance
work from our Mechanics. SFC
Talbott and the maintenance
section work around the clock to
ensure our vehicles and
equipment are fully mission
capable.
-C1 S 8 P
-SC u 8 P
CPT Sam Rosenberg, Afghan Police Officer Said Ahmed, and
Martin (Linguist for Hammer 6) on patrol in a local village
1SG Reese monitors security during a Support Platoon
convoy to a nearby FOB
Headquarters Platoon
Headquarters Platoon received great
news this month that Platoon
Sergeant, SSG Franklin, is being
promoted to TF Staff, where he will
work to manage over 50 interpreters
8
operations. It is a great step for SSG
Franklin and his family and it shows
just the kind of leaders we build in the
company. SSG Alsopskeel will take over
for SSG Franklin as platoon sergeant
for headquarters. He has served as our
company intelligence NCOIC for 8
months and has proven his has what it
takes to lead a platoon. The Soldiers
of HQs platoon continue to run the
company command post, the training
room, the NBC room, the arms room,
the supply room and the company
intelligence cell. Much of their work is
behind the scenes but nonetheless
vital to our mission here. Our CoIST
Soldiers continue to set the example
for the other CoISTs to follow and are
analyzing a great deal of intelligence
that drives our operations.
-SSC A P
Headquarters Platoon
PFC Taylor, CoIST analyst, on patrol in a local village and
enjoying the time outside the wire
SSG Alsopskeel works the phones to ensure our patrols are
getting the best asset support possible
3/B/TF 3-66 AR
Bandit Platoon joined the Hammer
Family in July, as the Task Force
deployed to Afghanistan. They are
coming to us from Blackjack company,
and have made a great addition to our
team. Most of the security patrols in
our district are the responsibility of the
Bandit platoon. Bandits are led by 1LT
Barnes and SFC Williams. On any given
day, the Bandits patrol the district, act
as the Task Force Reserve and train the
local Afghan Security Forces to better
protect the Afghan people. They are
one of the more busier elements
within the company, often spending
entire days outside the wire. The
Soldiers in the platoon have performed
magnificently in a wide variety of
missions. Some of them, including SGT
Allen, have been featured on the AKO
W
bandits in the company and look
forward to working together over the
next twelve months!
The Bandit Platoon with their AUP counterparts
Bandits on patrol in the local Bazaar
3/B/TF 3-66 AR
ACP
The Assault Command Post has the all
important mission of securing the Task
Force Leadership during battlefield
circulation. We patrol nearly every day
and have seen almost every part of the
Task Force AO. Over the past month,
1 l
Commander to ANA BDE size

reconnaissance of future mission
locations. We have also spent time
patrolling Hammer AO, conducting a
KLE recently in the local bazaar.
Although the ACP remains busy, our
Soldiers are doing excellent work and
enjoying their mission.
Assault Command Post
LTC Taylor and SSG Lebel discuss the days events while
taking a break from patrolling
Soldiers from ACP conduct a dismounted patrol with the TF
Command Ground
Maintenance
Our mechanics have been working
extremely hard over the past month. If


helping to recover vehicles stuck in the
difficult Afghan terrain. Just the other
day, our mechanics assisted in the 25
hour resupply mission to a nearby FOB
and helped recover 15 vehicles at
various times over the course of the
mission. Our mechanics stand ready
for whatever comes their way over the
next 12 months. Mostly, the guys are
looking forward to the start of RR and
the cooler weather we expect in the
coming weeks!
-SFC Talbott W
Maintenance
SGT Okon having a good time in the maintenance bay
Our mechanics doing what they do bestfixing things
Maintenance
Although most of our medics are
tasked out to the line companies, we
still have a small contingent at FOB
Sharana with the PLT HQs. We remain
busy daily, working on reports and
ensuring that our Soldiers remain
healthy. PLT HQs often spends time in
the TF TOC, helping to battle track and
manage patrols in sector. We also visit
the outlying COPs and their Aid
Stations to check in on our Soldiers
attached to other companies. Our
Soldiers are happy and excited to be
here, working to keep our Soldiers in
the fight.
-C1 u 8
-SFC Knightt 8
Medical Platoon
Medical Platoon Sergeant, SFC Knight strikes a pose in his
office
Galarza typing away at his workstation!
Scout Platoon
Scouts have perhaps the most exciting
mission in the entire task force.
A 8uL l
Targeting Force, our Scouts will
conduct air assaults throughout the
BDE AO to capture high level targets
and disrupt insurgent networks in
Eastern Afghanistan. Already the
platoon has conducted two air assaults
to capture high level targets and
remove dangerous caches off the
battlefield. Over the next month, the
platoon will participate in TF and BDE
level operations as well as conducting
training to improve their targeting
skills. The Platoon recently received a
team of eight engineers and two
female engagement team Soldiers,
making the platoon the largest in the
Task Force. We would like to extend a
warm welcome to these Soldiers and
their families!
-C1 L S
-SSG Swinehart S
Scouts on patrol with their counterparts and some locals in a
village
Scout PL, CPT Lind, works with his counterparts and
interpreter during a recent patrol
Scout Platoon
Support Platoon
Support Platoon is one of the hardest
working platoons in the entire task
force. Conducting multiple logistics
patrols every week to resupply our
COPs, the Soldier of Support Platoon
are constantly on the move. Recently,
the platoon conducted a 25 hour
mission to resupply a nearby base.
Kids surrounded the patrol at every
stop and Soldiers were giving away
their MREs and pens in droves. The
Soldiers are working very hard every
day and are taking pride in their work.
We look forward to RR starting next
W
SPC Grooms on his recent promotion!
He continues to excel in the platoon
and shows great promise for future
leadership potential in the company.
-C1 k u
-SSC M u
Support Platoon
Soldiers from the Support Platoon take a break from
patrolling to strike a killer pose!
CPT Knell, the Support Platoon Leader, and our STT NCOIC
stand with our ANSF counterparts during a mission to assess
the Afghan Battalion Staff
Staff
Each month, we will highlight one staff
section. This month, we will focus on
the S6 Shop. Here is a word from OIC,
CPT Randall:
The communications staff continues to
be busy supporting the battalion to
improve command and control on the
battlefield. The soldiers have
upgraded over 110 Blue Force Trackers
(BFTs). Additionally, the commo shop
has provided outstanding information
technology (IT) support by doing
everything from setting up outlook to
configuring new computers for the
network. These soldiers put in long
hours on a daily basis to support the
companies and their work has made
the Task Force successful.
PFC Jones configures a new upgrade to the Blue Force
Tracker (BFT)
Staff
SSG Carmona, the S6 NCOIC, operating as Radio Telephone
Operator (RTO) during a major operation