June 1990

561h Fleld Artillery Command

'>I. 291 No.9

Task Force 2-9 earns Toftoy

by John L. Morgan
Staff Writer
History r~ated itself once again, June 1, when
Maj. Gen. William Chen, Commander of U.S. Army
Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Al., presented
the restigiou, Toftoy Award to Task Force 2-9 in a
bric ceremony at Mudangcn Missile Storage Arca.
A group of warrant officers from 2nd Bn., 9th FA;
A Co. 55th Spt. Bn.; and a civilian repmcntative
from Missile Command accepted the 7th Annual
Toftoy Award marking the second time a Pershing
un.i t was recogni~cd for their superior missile materiel readiness ratings in u many years.
Task Force 2-9 received the award in the Best Fire
Support" category. Last year Task Force 1-9 received
their Toftoy in the "Best Rocket System category.
The award's seven categories were created to rccogni~e units that have worked hardest to improve
and sustain a high missile sy1tcm rndinus rate.
ln addition the Toftoy awards promote competition imong units and generate enthusiasm for
improving readiness.
The U.S. Army Missile Command established the
annual award in June 1982 in honor of Maj. Gen.
Holger Nelson Tofmy.
Toftoy, credited with starting the U.S. Army Missile Pro gram in 1945, was responsible for examining
and evaluating captured German equipment. Enough
pans ...,ere confiscated to assemble 100 V-2 rockets.
T oftoy perso nally selected 127 German rocket
scicntins and brought them to the United States to
assemble the paru. Toftoy's missile program was
born from the captured equipment and the group of
expatriated scicnuru.
Army missile system units from around the world
were evaluated on their monthly missile materiel

,,.., bf .,....,..,.

eono,.tultltlonal Maj. Gen. WIiiiam Chen, Commander, U.S. Army Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, AJ. presents
the Toltoy award to Task Fon:e 2-9 repr.entativt CWO 3 GNlgOl'Y Pnons during ceremony at Mullangen Missile
Storage Area.

readiness ratings from Aug. 16, 1988 through Aug.

15, 1989. The winner in each category was selected
by comparing the readiness reportS of comparable
systems in the same category.
Winning the award represents untiring dedication
to detail, support and technical proficiency from all
players, according to Lt. Col. Thomas Bowden, commander, Tuk Force 2-9.
Dedication and hard work on the part of the missile maintenance warrant officers, A Co., SSth SpL
Bn. and the civilians from MICOM (missile command) combined in a collective effort to make this
the best fire support batulion in the Army," Bowden

stated.
Bowden accrcditS the soldiers with proficient
handling of the equipment while working on the missile systems and providing the elbow grease and technical know-how.
"It all goes back to the soldiers, be said. "Because
it's the soldiers who u~e the equipment and parts
during mating and demating operations.
Pershing's retrograde next year will mean the end
to future recogrution by Toftoy for a job well do ne.
1ts better late than never," Bowden concluded.
"We were always 'second to none' and now we
proved it."

Lord Mayor cites soldiers for good deeds

by Anthony J.C. Hosch
Staff Writer
Four 56th Field Artillery Command soldim
received the "Cavalier of the Road" award from Dr.
Wolfgang SchuSt.cr, Lord Mayor of Scbwibisch
Gmiind last month.
Staff Sgt. Larry Billman, Sgt. Robert Krumcich,
Sgt. 1st Class David Bennett, and Staff Sgt. Larry
Dom, HHB, S6tb FA C MD were honored for their
outstanding humanitarian deeds.
The circumstances which led to the award occurred
when the four soldiers left Autobahn 81, according to
official reports. They wimcssed a Mercedes Ben~
pulling into the path of an oncoming truck.

The soldiers stated, "The truck slammed into the

automobile, causing an impact so great that the engine dropped out of the truck and the Mc.rccdcs was
hurled into a culvert.
The four PERFECT Team members noticed
smoke mtitting from underneath the hoods of both
vehicles. "We used our fire extinguishers to smother
whatever was burning, said the soldicn' report.
Dom rendered aid to the truck driver while Krumeich assisted the occupants of the Mercedes. The other two soldiers directed traffic until the German poLice and ambulance arrived.
1 checked for vital signs of the two people in the
Mercedes and discovered that the driver was dead,
Krumeich recalled.

inzihr
the Cable

Courts Martial explained, see page 2

Nijmegan nears, see page 3

Soldiers of the Year, see page 6

"I covered the deceased and removed the surviving

passenger (who had extensive injuriu) from the vehicle and clieckcd for bleeding and comfoC'ted him.
Billman said, "It felt really good when the Command recogniz.ed us for helping the accident victims.
The Cavalier of the Road award is presented to individual, who prevent accidents that appear to be inevitable and support effective searchcs for hit-andrun drivers.
Other criteria include a show of consideration for
vehicle operators in relation to children o r exceptional penoni and assistance in traffic accidents in
which the proposed recipients of the award arc not
involved.

In a18pl Second
Bn., 4th Inf. Warrior
ltlt wing Mano A
yea gall tangled up
wtth 55th Spt Bn.
90CC8lballtf Malit
Farley at the COmmand Soccer Championships. See page
7.

Soldiers have 'what it takes'

by Rkbard J. Clememon
Staff Wricer
One of cbe many topics of discussion
in the Army today ,s quality of the
for.
Military leaders are faced with the
cough issue of bow co detennine a qua
lity soldier.
Whieve:r the criteria may be three
56th FA CMD soldiers seem co have
"wbac it takes" co succeed in the Army.
They arc Spec. Wesley Crain, Spec.
Thomas Holtman and P{c. Thomas
Trimble.
The trio have three important things
in common: 18 months in service; Pershing crewmcrnbers, and each was
selected as the winners of the 1989 Association of the United States Army
(AUSA) Soldier of the Year for their re
spective military communities.

_.,...._.
Mr. Senc!IMnl Pie. Thomas Trimble, C
Btry., 2nd Bn., 91h FA, sands a one and
one-quarter ton canvas sup!)Of1 aro during
relrograde activities in his battery's motor
pool.

..J

1h11 eye hN ltl Spec. Thomas Holtman, c

Btry., 1st Bn., 9th FA, Neu Ulm's Soldier ot
the Year. checks the barrel of his weapon
prior to tum in.

w~Jey Cr ain
Heilbronn's Soldier of the Year, Spec.
Wesley Crain, D Btry., 4th Bn., 9th
FA, is ecstatic about being chosen as the
cop troop from hundreds in his military
community. But you wouldn't know 11
by asking him.
"It was nice, murmured the 19-ycar
old Akron, Iowa native.
His low-key attirude seemed to pay
off. In addition to winning the competi
cion, Crain and the ochers won cash
awards equaling $150 and a free trip to
the Armed Forces Recreation Center in
Garmiscb, West Germany.
Crain remembered chat onl.>; 18
months ago, he didn't know if the
Army was what he wanted co do.
"I wasn't sure where I was going, be
said.

"I was thin.king about a1tending college

in hopes of becoming an atcountanc. I
wasn't SW"e, so I joined the Army:
added Crain.
He bas no regreu thoupi. According
co Crain, the Army apenence has been
only positive.
Crain credits Staff Sgt. Keith Jennings
for getting him on bis feet when he
arrived in Germany.
"He squared me away when I came
here, and he squared me away for the
board, Crain said.
"He gave me all the materials I needed and helped me srudy.
While Crain assesses the possibilities
the Army ha.s co offer, he's also tak.ing
advantage of the Army's tuition assistance {'_rograrn. He is presently tak.ing
an English course offered by the University of Maryland.
His leaders seem co be noticing him
coo. First sergeant Noah Hodge, D
Btry., th Bn., 9th FA, swnmed up
Crains efforts witb two simple words simply outstanding.

Thomu Holtman

agreed with Crain that winning the Sol

dier of the Ycar competition was definitely the highlight of bis career.
Holtman said, "My section chief,
Staff S~. Lamont Johnson, was a major
factor m preparing me for the boards.
"He gave me everything I needed to
study for and then gave me the motivation to srudy," he said.
Most soldiers spend weeks or months
"burning the midnight oil srudying for
boards. But, on the other hand, the
amazing thing about Holtman's first
success is that be spent only three days
studying for the company level board.
First Sgt. Edward Bartbolomai, C
Bery., 1st Bn., 9th FA, thinks Holtman's military furure has no limits.
Bartbolomai said, "He's a good example of today's soldier. He's intelligent, physically fit, assen.ivc and performance oriented. He strives to be the
best."
In striving co be the best, Holtman is
seeking to enhance his promotion op
porrunities through civilian enducation.
Like Crain, he is enrolled in an English
course offered by the University of Ma
ryland.

Crain confessed that coming co Germany had been the highlight of bis miliThomas Trimble
tary career prior co his selection as
Private First Class Thomas Trimble,
Heilbronn's Soldier of the Year.
2nd Bn., 9th FA said that he is "always .
But for Thomas Holtman, coming co looking for a challenge.
Germany was like rcruming home.
That is why he /'oined the Army.
Bom in Wiesbaden, West Germany in
rm constantly ooking for new chal1969 and raised a.s a "military brat" in lenges. Being successful in the Anny,
different cities throughout Europe, seemed like another mountain co
Holtman, C Btry., ht Bn., 9th FA, bad climb, he said.
plenty of time CO aperience and learn
Only 18 months inco his first enlistEuropean cult\lrC and customs.
ment, Trimble took a big step cowards
Even though Holtman doesn't share that peak when he beat all challengers
Crain's excitement for Germany, he and won Schwiibisch Gmiind Soldier of
the Year. Like his count~rparts, he admits that earning the honor was a big
boost tO bis career.
"It was cruly an honor to win. I srudied a lot with the people in my platoon
and battery (C Btry., 2nd Bn, 9th FA),"
explained Trimble.
Trimble credits his father, a retired
Air Force Master Sergeant for his success in the Anny.
"He taught me to take everything in
stride. He told me that lile has its peaks
and valleys and that sucessful people
take each peak with each valley," be
said.
Trimble is preparing a packet for
Warrant Officer flight school. He hopes
the Army will approve his packet and
give him an opporrunity to fly.
If it works out, I'll make a career
out of the Army," Trimble said. "If it
doesn't, then I'll have to sit down and
look a.t my options.
With two years of college from Louisiana Tech already under his belt, Trimble's future, along with the other two,
seems bright.
Trimble's first sergeant, William
Hundley, said, "He has a lot of inner
drive towards completing his mission.
He wants to be the bes.t at everything
he does and will do anything t0 achieve
that goal."
Troop Training! Spec. Wesley Crain (right). D Btry.. 4th Bn., 91h FA, studies with Sgt
Those types of accolades seem to folJohn Burnett !Of the Soldier of the Year boerd.
low Trimble and the ochers wherever
they go.