Local Soldier Sends Memorial Day Greetings from Kuwait

Westminster's Department of Planning, Zoning and Development Director Thomas Beyard departed for a 400-day rotation with the Maryland Army National Guard last August.

Beyard joined the Guard in 1997 after years with the Army Reserve. He has worked for the city of Westminster for close to 24 years.

Until his return, his position is being filled by interim Director Steve Horn.

Beyard sends occasional correspondence to Patch and we will post his letters and photos as we receive them.

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Hello everyone! I wish each of you a very great Memorial Day from here at Camp Buehring. This day allows us all to reflect on those who gave their lives for our freedom. Freedom is not free; it comes with a price in blood, sweat and tears. I am proud to serve and do the best job I know how. I hope you enjoy your day, maybe even enjoying a nice barbeque.  We had a nice barbeque last Saturday night in honor of Memorial Day. It was a party for 2,000 plus Soldiers. We had burgers, hot dogs, ribs, etc. The leaders served and I kidded that I was the “salad girl” for the event since I served salad and made sure our Soldiers ate their vegetables.  Our Soldiers had the chance to relax and enjoy, and many stayed for hours as I did (about 3-4 hours) talking with their buddies and others.

Last week was also a great experience for 29th CAB’s outstanding Soldiers.  In the midst of weather that exceeded 110 degrees (one day it hit 120 degrees), six NCOs and five Soldiers competed in the 29th CAB NCO/Soldier of the Year Best Warrior Competition for the honor of being named the best NCO and Soldier for 2012. Over a period of three days, the 11 male and female competitors participated in a variety of events, including the Army Physical Fitness Test, individual weapons qualification, land navigation, Warrior Tasks performance testing, a 6+ mile road march with 35 pound ruck sack, plus a final board. They all began the competition and they all finished the competition, a true testament to their dedication and commitment.

In the end, when the final scores were tallied, SGT Delvon Anderson of HHC, 29th CAB was named “NCO of the Year” and SPC Jonathan Foster of Co B, 1204th ASB was named “Soldier of the Year”. I am extremely proud of these two winners, but I am also proud of all the competitors, sponsors and supporting staff who made the event possible.  A factor very near and dear to me is that the event was entirely planned and executed by NCOs – the backbone of the Army – and was a huge success.  The competitive spirit is alive and well and you would have been pleased to see the Soldiers in the competition doing their best.

We also conducted our first NCO induction ceremony for our new NCOs, another first for our brigade while deployed. Since we mobilized last August, 66 29th CAB Soldiers were promoted and became NCOs. The induction ceremony formally welcomed these new leaders into the ranks of the NCO Corps. Becoming an NCO is a huge step in a Soldier’s career when they move from being a Soldier to that of being a leader of Soldiers. Each new NCO accepted their charge I gave them to faithfully perform their new duties. I congratulated and commended our newest NCOs, and urged each to always do what is right, even when no one is watching.  I told each of them to accomplish the mission and take care of your Soldiers and their Families. Notice I said Families, as you can’t take care of a Soldier and forget about their Family and loved one back home.

Our Soldiers also continue to perform exercises and missions with our regional partners, as well as training with our sister units here at Camp Buehring. No doubt, when we leave Kuwait we will be one of the best trained aviation brigades in the US Army. We are training on individual tasks, but we are also doing important collective training. We qualified on the ranges with our weapons,  doing physical training tests, and other important training. Training is the lifeblood of a unit, a constant that leads to increased readiness.  We will continue our training focus until the day we re-deploy.

I have an upcoming trip to Afghanistan in early June to visit one of our units that is preparing to do what we call RIP/TOA. This means Relief in Place/Transfer of Authority. The RIP part is when you teach the unit replacing you as much as you can about the mission and set them up for success. This usually is a two week process, give or take. The TOA part is a ceremony, when you normally case your colors if you are leaving and the new unit uncases their colors. This symbolizes that the mission is over for you and the new unit is beginning the mission.  Soon, we will be doing this same process in my unit as we get ready to leave and return home.

Speaking of re-deployment, we get closer to that day with each passing month. I can tell you that our Soldiers are focused and dedicated to their duty, while at the same time preparing to return home. I am thankful I had the opportunity to serve with each of our Soldiers.  I thank our Soldiers, their Families and loved one for what you all do each day. It does make a difference.

I have attached some photos that I thought would be of interest. Enjoy!

Regards, Tom