2-150 FA HHB Family Readiness Group,

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

2009-04-28T14:19:00.001-06:00

THIS SITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION! UPDATES WILL BE FORTHCOMING!

HHB FRG INFORMATION 12/15/2008

2008-12-15T10:47:00.000-05:00

Good Morning HHB Families,
I want to say first Welcome Home Ruff Ryders. I know you have been home for 2 weeks now, but I want to let you know that we did not forget you. Also would like to let SSG Reynolds, SPC Everroad, MAJ Bucy, SGT Perkins, SPC Crain, and SFC Geiselman know that we are thinking of you while you are deployed during this holiday season.
MSG Arnold and SPC Sambrotta are HOME! We were just informed last week that these soldiers returned home November 12th. We are sorry that we missed their homecoming, but are thrilled to have them home.
ATTACHED ARE THE MINUTES FROM THE NOVEMBER FRG MEETING.
Here are the upcoming events for you to mark your calendar for.

January 31, 2009--Homecoming ceremony for 76th Brigade at Lucas Oil Stadium. As soon as we hear more information we will let you know.

January 31, 2009--Ruff Ryder Banquet--More information will be sent out as soon as we know more.

February 7, 2009--Desert Wolves Freedom Salute--More information will be sent out as soon as we know more.

February 8, 2009—Ruff Ryder Freedom Salute--More information will be sent out as soon as we know more.

February 21, 2009--HHB FRG Meeting. This will be the first meeting of the New Year. Please note that just because you don't have a soldier deployed, we are still here to help you, and we will be discussing issues that affect you. Plus many friendships are formed and last for a lifetime.

We will have a Guest Speaker talking about Stress Management.

THINGS FOR OUR YOUTH:

Shaping up 2009

iCanAchieve is a 12-month program for teens ages 13 to 18 that will support their weight management efforts. It focuses on helping teens make behavioral changes that will allow them to set and achieve their goals. The program, based on scientifically proven methods, includes telephonic health coaching, a health assessment, online tools, and educational information. Find out more by visiting
https://www.militaryonesource.com/skins/MOS/display.aspx?action=display_page&mode=User&ModuleID=8cde2e88-3052-448c-893d-d0b4b14b31c4&ObjectID=c0d50a96-d420-4f5c-b2c6-1ad0096f1c94

TWO TEEN Trainings Available
Raising Your Emotional Quotient for Teens
MFLC group or individual training for kids 12-18: Raising Your Emotional Quotient (E Q ) for Teens. This approach offers interactive skills in identifying and managing feelings, thoughts, and good problem solving skills to use with friends, parent, and siblings for kids 12 and up.
For more information you can contact Joyce K. Smith-Hampton, MFLC Child and Youth at 317-605-9575 or joyce.hampton@mhn.com

Teen Deployment Class
WHO: Any military Teen, parent or youth serving professional
WHY: This is an opportunity for our military teens and those close to them to gain understanding of the deployment process and how it may affect them and their family. The presentation is open to conversation and questions from all youth participants.
WHAT: Telephonic Teen Deployment Class
WHERE: You will call in toll free from the comfort of your own home or office
HOW??? You may register online at www.arfp.org/registertdc. Please register at least 24 hours prior to the call. If you are unable to attend the call on December 8th you can also find the schedule of future trainings listed.
WHEN: UPCOMING TRAININGS-
Thursday, January 8, 2009, 6:00 pm Eastern
Saturday, January 24, 2008, 5:00 pm Eastern
The link to the registrations is www.arfp.org/registertdc
Registration closes 24 hours in advance.
For those of you with a soldier deployed or a soldier about to deploy, please review this information below:
Guard Eligible for Child Care SubsidyFor National Guard members about to deploy there is help to assistspouses and family members with the costs of child care duringdeployment through the Guard's Child Care Subsidy Program. The subsidyis used for off-post child care, and Guard and Reserve members areeligible as long as they are in Title 10 or Title 32 status. The subsidyprogram is coordinated through the National Association of Child CareResource and Referral Agencies, which approves applications anddetermines the amount paid as part of the subsidy. For more informationon the program visit the National Guard Family Program's website or call1-888-642-2799. For more information, read the full article.http://www.military.com/news/article/air-force-news/guard-families-eligible-for-child-care-subsidy.html
PAOLI PEAKS OFFER FOR OUR MILITARY
Visit us for our Military Days
Monday—Friday.

Active military with military ID
receive a $15 Complete package*.
Immediate family with military ID
receive $20 Lift Ticket or a $40
complete package*.

*Complete package includes lift ticket, ski or snowboard rental and a beginner group lesson

Quilt Raffle

2008-10-13T22:35:00.002-05:00

Hello Families,
We are raffling off a quilt and we are asking if you would be willing to sell at least one book of 6 tickets to friends, coworkers, businesses you currently pay bills or work with to support our troops. We would love to see a good response on funds to offset our goals for our soldiers, both stay behind and ones currently deployed.

Tickets are $5 each or 6 for $25

Tickets can be gotten from Pamela Coons or Karen Gummer

Checks can be made out to one of these three groups we are supporting:

Alpha Battery - FRG 2-150,

OMAD - Bloomington FRG

White River FRG - for the Battalion

All tickets need to be back to Karen Gummer by December 1st for the drawing on Dec 7th 2008

HHB FRG INFORMATION 10/12/2008

2008-10-13T22:19:00.001-05:00

Hello families,
Well Autumn has sprung upon us and to be honest it can go back to summer as I love the warm months. Hopefully your kids are all settled in at school and studying hard. Not too much longer and the holidays will be upon us and the fun begins. I wanted to email you some things that will be taking place in the next few weeks. There is also an attachment from LTC Westfall for the Ruff Ryder families. As soon as we get something for the Desert Wolves we will send it to you. There is a lot of information that you will need to read this email carefully so that you don’t miss something.

October 18, 2008 will be our FRG Meeting in the Bloomington Armory located at 3380 S. Walnut St. Bloomington, In 47401. The meeting will start promptly at 1:00 pm, with the first hour being general business meeting and the second hour will be briefing material. We will also be making Homecoming posters for our soldiers, so please make sure that you attend so that you can make a poster for your soldier. All you will need to bring is 2 poster boards, markers, crayons or whatever you would like to bring to decorate.

WE WILL HAVE A NICE BASKET FULL OF FREE GOODIES UP FOR RAFFLE AT THE MEETING. COME, LEARN AND WIN!

October 18, 2008 76th MySpace group will be having their last get together before soldiers come home. We will be going to the new casino in Shelbyville, In and the new steakhouse that is attached to the casino. Dinner will be first and then fun time at the casino. If you are interested in going please let me know so that I can get your name added to the list.

Suicide Awareness/ Prevention Training to be held November 1st from 1-4 at the Linton, Jasper, Martinsville, and Division Armories. You may attend which ever training is most convenient for you.

The 151 FRG’s will also provide childcare. The age minimum to participate in the training is 12 years old due to the nature of the training. Please RSVP, if possible but not mandatory, so we can plan on having enough sitters to children. Please RSVP to Jenny Tracy at jennifer.lynne.tracy@us.army.mil if you would like to attend this training.

For the deployed families that were unable to make it to the last couple of weeks briefings from the 76th Brigade, here is the information for the last 2 briefings that will be held. Jenny Tracy and I hope that you were able to make it to one of the briefings as they did discuss a lot of good information about what to expect when your soldier does come home for good. THEY PROVIDE ATTENDEES THE 800 PHONE # FOR YOUR SOLDIER’S FLIGHT- SO BE SURE TO ATTEND. Remember to make sure you get enough knowledge before they come home so you know what to expect when they are finally in your house again and not in some chu or tent or whatever your soldier may call it.

Saturday Oct 11
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
376 EN
2530 East 173 Street, Hammond, IN 46323 Hammond Armory
Sunday Oct 12
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
1638 TC
345 West Division Street, Remington, IN 47977 Remington Armory
HHB wants to welcome home Spc Joshua Egan and SSG Benjamin Staley. We hope that you have a nice time while you are visiting your families and that you get all the rest that you deserve.
A word from Jenny Tracy, 2-150 FA HHB FRG Chairperson
Deployed families - I know you are so anxious that your soldier is coming home and I am thrilled that the deployment is winding down. I remember when my soldier came home and it still brings tears to my eyes. The stress and emotion is not over even after they get home so please reach out and get assistance so we can make this transition as smooth as possible. It has been almost 3 years since my soldier came home and we still are going through adjustments. THIS FRG IS HERE TO HELP! The FRG is going to be a integral part in giving you information about your soldier’s return so it is imperative that Angela has contact information for each of you. We need phone #’s of your home phone, cell phone and work phone. If you are unsure if we have this information, please send Angela an EMAIL NOW WITH THIS CIRTICAL INFORMATION. I want to be able to reach you at the moment the information is dispersed, so please make sure Angela has your contact information.
Home Front Soldiers- WE HAVE A SPECIAL GIFT FOR YOU AT DRILL. Be looking forward to a special Halloween treat. We are so proud of you! Thank you for your service. I encourage each of you to invite your families to our FRG meetings as this FRG is not just about the deployment.
THIS FRG SUPPORTS OUR SOLDIERS HOME AND AWAY! THIS FRG SUPPORTS ALL OF YOUR FAMILIES NO MATTER WHERE THEY LIVE! WE CARE!
God Bless!
Jenny Tracy
2-150 FA
HHB
A WORD FROM OUR BATTALION FRG CHAIRPERSON, HEATHER HURST
All,

I just wanted to take a minute and express my concern regarding feedback that I am getting about rumors surrounding our soldier's homecoming. We are entering what is probably the most challenging part of the deployment.....getting ready for our soldiers to return. While this is a very exciting time, we need to be remind that families need to confirm their information before sharing it. I understand that sometimes, in their zeal to share, our soldiers are the source of some of the rumors and we would like to think that the soldiers are "in the know" - at times, their information is outdated and/or unreliable (my soldier heard it from X, who heard it from Y, who is pretty sure he heard it from Z).

Please, be careful with the information you receive and to always check its accuracy before sharing. Families who attend the Reunion Briefings will receive OFFICIAL information. And finally, remember that the FRG will always pass along information as quickly as we receive it so it is in your best interest to keep your contact information current. And we will be more than happy to confirm or deny or research any information they may hear from other sources.

Let's try to keep the remaining time as stress-free as possible by making sure you have accurate information.

Thanks again!
Heather

FROM JENNY TRACY, FRG CHAIRPERSON FOR THE 2-150 FA HHB

2008-08-08T09:29:00.000-06:00

I come to you again today with some more sorrow. As the Indiana Army National Guard has to say good-bye to 2 more soldiers, SPC Jonathan Menke and SGT Gary Henry of the 38th MP Unit. These soldiers lost their life while serving in Iraq. They are true heroes and we should bow our heads to remember their service to our country. Please send keep these families and their fellow 38th soldiers in your prayers as they deal with this tragedy.

I know many of you may feel guilt as you think privately to yourself, thank God my soldier is ok. This is only natural. Be thankful for your soldiers fortune, but be cognizant of this situation. These soldiers paid the ultimate sacrifice and we honor their service and duty. All of soldiers are doing a risk full job that is extremely dangerous. This family is most certainly grieving due to the loss and we as a military family need to provide them support in any way we can. Anything you want sent to this unit or families can be given to me directly as I will make sure the appropriate people receive your heart warming thoughts.

Today has been a tough blow for Indiana and it's National Guard, but remember we are STRONG. Together as a military family, we can get through this pain and support each other. This FRG is here to support you (soldiers and families).

May God bless you!

Jenny Tracy
Indiana Army National Guard
2-150 FA
HHB
FRG Chairperson
812-320-3871

From Jenny Tracy, HHB's FRG Chairperson:

2008-08-08T09:28:00.002-06:00

Today, I bring you sad news about one of our fellow National Guardsmen. We have lost a true hero and mourn his departure. Thankfully ALL of our soldiers from the 2-150 and 3-139 are doing fine. However, SGT Brian Miller from the 293rd (Delta) has passed away due to injuries sustained in an accident. His counterpart SGT Michael Montgomery also from the 293rd (Delta) was injured, but is doing OK. It is in great sorrow that I bring you this news as this AGAIN reminds us of the dangers of war. I know the deployment is coming closer to an end, but we still need to be very aware that our soldiers are in harms way. We honor these soldiers that fight this war and pray that they all come home. Today, take a moment to grieve for the loss of SGT Miller and pray that his family finds some peace in his courage and strength as he gave his life for this country. We also wish SGT Montgomery a speedy recovery and pray that he is able to remember the good times he spent with SGT Miller. Please also think of the 293 soldiers that are affected by this horrible news and pray that they are able to carry on with their heads on straight.

We have adopted 3 293rd soldiers- and our thoughts are with them today as they mourn. PFC Ashlie Whaley, CPT Bruce Baltis, and SFC Brad Egan - we know this loss must be difficult for you and we support you as you work through the pain of being a man down.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or a moment of reassurance. I can be reached at 812-320-3871.

Together, we can get through this pain and I am here for all of you. Being a military family is not easy, but no other family can stick together through hardships like we do.

I pray for our soldiers safe return. Let SGT Miller's example of hard work, dedication and sacrifice be a reminder that our lives are VERY valuable and that each moment counts.

Please read the letter from the Rear Det Commander of the 293rd as this explains the situation a bit more.

Jenny Tracy
Indiana Army National Guard
2-150 FA
HHB
FRG Chairperson

(812) 339-5618 Home
(812) 320-3871 Cell

HHB FRG INFORMATION FOR 06/09/2008

2008-06-09T09:50:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone,
Yah I know, I said that I wasn’t going to be sending out any emails for a couple of weeks. I just couldn’t keep that promise. I have to make sure that you are aware of what’s going on and what will be happening. We have several things up and coming that I want you to mark your calendars for.

June 14th 10:00 am will be our monthly FRG Meeting which will be held in the Bloomington Armory, located at S Walnut St, Bloomington, IN 47401. This meeting will be ran by Karen Gummer, Kelly Davis and myself Angela Pickett.

June 12-15th Spirit bear will be available at Build-A-Bear. This is a white bear with red and blue stars all over. The cost is $16.00. They also have some cute patriotic outfits for them as well.

June 21st is Holiday World. If you would like to go please make sure that you get your money to me asap. The price for admission is $26.50 for children 3 and up. This does NOT include lunch. You will have to pay for your own food. Please let me or Jenny Tracy know that you are interested in going.

June 28th Picnic with the pops, Bloomington Indiana, Fun time will be had. Come and stop by our tables and see the video of our soldiers that will be displayed and sign a card for a soldier.

July 4th Bloomington Parade. Come out and see several HHB families as they will be riding on a fire truck waving and passing out candy. Lets support each other as this day is about our soldier fighting for our freedom.

Also don’t forget to Nominate an Exceptional Volunteer for a $1,000 Cash Prize! NMFA is accepting nomination for the Very Important Patriot Award (VIP) through June 20th. Find out more or nominate a deserving volunteer today.
Are you a service member with a great story to share about family life from a military perspective? If so, contact us at newsletter@nmfa.org for guidelines and we might use your story in an upcoming NMFA newsletter.

And last but not least…message from Jenny Tracy
Hello Fellow Hurricanes! For those of you that don't know HHB's mascot is a Hurricane so that is what I am referring to above. However, it links nicely to my next statement which is IT SURE IS NICE TO SEE THE SUN, it seems like we are in hurricane season and we are 100s of miles away from the ocean.

Over the weekend, the military and FRG leaders were very busy. We each were trying to make sure that all of our families were OK and safe. If you are a home front soldier, PLEASE provide me your families' information and your information. It is imperative that I or my team be able to reach you by phone. Please send an email back to Angela Pickett with you phone # and your families' contact information. THANKS!

The military has been extremely busy over the past few days. 30+ soldiers from the Battalion were activated for State Emergency duty and they have been going since Saturday afternoon. I want to give a big shout out to our AGR (Active Guard) soldiers who spent MANY hours at the Armory handling military and state businesses. Thanks for all you do and the extra hours you have put in:

CPT BOKMEYER
SSG FAULKNER
SSG HALES
SFC MCKINZIE
SFC MURPHY
CSM THOMAS
SFC TRACY

And to those of you that were activated - thank you for your hard work, endless dedication, and passion to make a difference. Please be careful when helping others.

SSG Decker
SFC Wilson
SPC Wells
SGT Killion, Douglas
SGT Killion, Ricky
SSG Richmond
SFC McGlothlin
SSG Shirley
SPC Winter

I look forward to seeing you this Saturday at the meeting at 10AM. I know it will be nice to attend a meeting instead of leading it, and I know it will be tons of fun.

PLEASE KNOW THAT THIS FRG IS FOR HOME FRONT SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILIES AS WELL AS DEPLOYED SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. WE SUPPORT ALL OF YOU.

Remember to collect aluminum cans and bring them to the FRG meeting. WE WANT ALL OF YOUR ALUMINUM!!!!

Thanks and God Bless!

Jenny Tracy
Indiana Army National Guard
2-150 FA
HHB
FRG Chairperson

(812) 339-5618 Home
(812) 320-3871 Cell

I am attaching several things for you to read.
1. Update from CPT Padgett
2. Family Event from 163rd
3. Picnic with the Pops flier

JUST A REMINDER IF YOU HAVE MOVED, CHANGED PHONE NUMBERS, OR YOU HAVE
CHANGED ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT A FRG REP. IMMEDIATELY SO THAT
WE CAN CHANGE OUR RECORDS AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT
UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Thanks,
Angela Pickett
Communication Committee Chairperson
Special Events Co-Chair
2-150 FA HHB FRG
Indiana Army National Guard
765-307-1387

HOLIDAY WORLD

2008-06-01T10:42:00.001-06:00

HERE IS MORE INFORMATION ON THE EVENT FROM JENNY TRACY

Our first deadline for the tickets is June 7th. Please send your money and a list of names of those attending to Angela Pickett. The price of $26.50 does not include lunch. This price is regularly $39.95 so we are saving $13.40. Even with a military discount of $8 off the regular price we are saving $5.40 more dollars. This ticket price applies to all 3 years and older. We will meet at the front gate at 10:30am ET (9:30 CT) for a group photo. We will then meet at 11:30am at the Log Ride for a 2-150 get together lunch. We will also re-group at 3pm, meeting at Holidog World at the jumping fountains. We then will meet at 5pm for dinner at Splash and Safari. We will leave the park as a group by 9 ET so meet at the front souvenir shop then.

You may come and go as you please, but Angela will be at these meeting points for a check in. I ask that if you leave the park that you contact Angela so that she is aware that you have departed.

All of the times mentioned will be on ET time (so Indy and Bton time).

Sorry to those that are drilling this day as this schedule was set by the 151. However, drilling soldiers please invite your families to join the FRG on this event as you will be tied up with Army business and they could have some fun while you are away.

This will be Holidog Fun so please join us.

Jenny Tracy
2-150 FA
HHSB Family Readiness Group Chairperson
Bloomington, IN
(812) 339-5618

JUST A REMINDER IF YOU HAVE MOVED, CHANGED PHONE NUMBERS, OR YOU HAVE
CHANGED ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT A FRG REP. IMMEDIATELY SO THAT
WE CAN CHANGE OUR RECORDS AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT
UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Thanks,
Angela Pickett
Communication Committee Chairperson
Special Events Co-Chair
2-150 FA HHSB FRG
Indiana Army National Guard
765-307-1387

HHB FRG INFORMATION FOR 5/30/2008

2008-06-01T10:38:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone,

I hope this email finds that you had a great Memorial Day weekend and
those that went to the Indy 500 had a great time and didn't get
sunburned. I have a few announcements for this week. There are several
things that are coming up so jump in and get involved with the FRG.

June 14th FRG meeting at 10:00 am in the Bloomington Armory located at
3380 S Walnut St, Bloomington, IN 47401. This will not be a typical
FRG meeting. Karen Gummer, Kelly Davis and myself will be conducting
the meeting. Great time will be had. There are many things that are in
the works. So you will not want to miss out!!!

June 15th Father's Day. Don't forget to order dad something off the
Bloomington HHB cafepress shop. You can have stuff made and
personalized for dad. The link is
http://www.cafepress.com/bloomingtonhhsb

Also if you know anyone that is unable to attend the FRG meetings,
they can visit our website and catch up with what is going on. There
are links to many things that you might need. The website is

http://hhsbfrg.blogspot.com/.

>
June 28th Picnic with the Pops. I will have more information about
This event in my next weekly email. Jenny says that it is a great time
and that you will enjoy yourself tremendously. We are needing creative
people to go to Picnic with the Pops as we need to decorate our tables.

Don’t forget to start connecting with businesses and get their used toners.
The more we get the more money we raise to support our FRG and our soldiers.
Right now we make about $20 a month on these sort of used toner submittals.

Anyone interested in going to Holiday World will need to email by June 2nd
to let me know that you would like to go. If we get 20 people interested in
Going then we can look into getting a bus to go there in.

I have information from LTC Westfall for the Ruff Ryders that will be
attached. If you are unable to open attachment please notify me so
that I can get it sent to you in a format that you can view the
update.

And last but not least here is a message from our chair Jenny Tracy
who is on vacation this week and sitting on the beach with her little
fruity drink with the umbrella in it.

Greetings from the beach, I am having a great time, but miss you all.
Please know that this FRG is anxious to help you through this
deployment or this experience called the military family. Please join
us and celebrate by going to Holiday World June 21st, Picnic with the
Pops the last Saturday in June, and 4th of July riding on the
Bloomington Township's Fire Trucks. We have lots of fun and sure know
how to cheer each other up. I will be back on Monday, but Stephanie
and Angela are available for any of your needs this week.

Off I go walking on the beach==ahhhhh!

Jenny Tracy

Jenny Tracy

2-150 FA

HHSB Family Readiness Group Chairperson

Bloomington, IN

(812) 339-5618

JUST A REMINDER IF YOU HAVE MOVED, CHANGED PHONE NUMBERS, OR YOU HAVE
CHANGED ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT A FRG REP. IMMEDIATELY SO THAT
WE CAN CHANGE OUR RECORDS AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT
UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Thanks,
Angela Pickett
Communication Committee Chairperson
Special Events Co-Chair
2-150 FA HHSB FRG
Indiana Army National Guard
765-307-1387

HHSB FRG INFORMATION 5/22/2008

2008-05-22T18:40:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone,
Well it’s getting close to the weekend..woohoo, time flies when you are not working. I am so busy doing other things that I don’t know how I fit it in when I was working. Well anyways just wanted to remind you of the things that are taking place this weekend so you can make plans.

Saturday May 24th FRG meeting at 2:00 PM in the Bloomington Armory located at 3380 S Walnut St, Bloomington, IN 47401. Many things to discuss and several things to plan so come to the meeting so your voice can be heard about what we do next, also learn about leave from a soldier's perspective

Panther Racing and the Indiana National Guard will host a pre-race party at Stout Field, May 24th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. There will be a live band, food vendors, show cars, a dunk tank and obstacle course. Money from the dunk tank will be given to the National Guard Relief Fund. Vitor Meira, driver of the #4 National Guard car, as well as the other Panther Racing drivers will be on hand to sign autographs. Come join the fun. The event is open to all members of the Indiana National Guard, retirees, state employees and contract employees. This event will also be open to the general public. ...Info

Don’t forget about our cafepress store. There are now items that can be embroidered on, so if you like the embroidered look we have them now. Please remember when ordering that if you want something custom you will need to email your information to the email address listed on the website. For more information visit http://www.cafepress.com/bloomingtonhhsb

Also don’t forget our FRG Blog. If you know someone that is in our area that is unable to get emails or unable to come to the meetings they can still see what is going on. This is updated regularly. You can also see who is on the FRG board and their email addresses and helpful links for you to access for your convenience. The blog link is http://hhsbfrg.blogspot.com

For all of you that are going to be attending the race on Sunday, don’t forget the sunscreen, hat, fan, ponytail holders, and to have lots of fun and take lots of pics so you can send them to me and I can put on the blog.

Also if you could do me a huge favor and send me a pic of you and your soldier, I would appreciate it very much. I have something in the works and would like pics please.

And last but not least everyone have a safe Memorial Day weekend. This is what our soldiers are fighting for so let’s remember them this weekend.

HHSB FRG INFORMATION FOR 5/20/2008

2008-05-20T10:31:00.001-06:00

Hello my Army Family,
Well today I got to talk to my hubby for a little bit. It’s always nice when you are having a bad day or not feeling well that someone does something that can brighten your day, and today was Spc Pickett talking to me on im. I had to take a quick trip down to Ky. this past weekend and my body was trying to get sick before I even left for the trip, but I was trying to make myself stay busy so that I didn’t get sick, well it didn’t work, so yesterday I was down and was in bed with a migraine and the whole works, so you didn’t get your weekly email yesterday so you are getting it today, but after talking to him I have been in a better mood. Do you ever have days like that? Well this is what is going on this week and other events that are going on.

Saturday May 24th FRG meeting at 2:00 PM in the Bloomington Armory located at 3380 S Walnut St, Bloomington, IN 47401. Many things to discuss and several things to plan so come to the meeting so your voice can be heard about what we do next, also learn about leave from a soldier's perspective

Panther Racing and the Indiana National Guard will host a pre-race party at Stout Field, May 24th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. There will be a live band, food vendors, show cars, a dunk tank and obstacle course. Money from the dunk tank will be given to the National Guard Relief Fund. Vitor Meira, driver of the #4 National Guard car, as well as the other Panther Racing drivers will be on hand to sign autographs. Come join the fun. The event is open to all members of the Indiana National Guard, retirees, state employees and contract employees. This event will also be open to the general public. ...Info

Don’t forget about our cafepress store. There are now items that can be embroidered on, so if you like the embroidered look we have them now. Please remember when ordering that if you want something custom you will need to email your information to the email address listed on the website. For more information visit http://www.cafepress.com/bloomingtonhhsb

Also don’t forget our FRG Blog. If you know someone that is in our area that is unable to get emails or unable to come to the meetings they can still see what is going on. This is updated regularly. You can also see who is on the FRG board and their email addresses and helpful links for you to access for your convenience. The blog link is http://hhsbfrg.blogspot.com.

Please do me a favor and remember SGT Ford’s family today and for the rest of the week as they will be having his services today. We need to remember not only the soldier’s family but his unit as well. As everyone knows when you are in the military, you are not just a single person in a group, you are a big family and when a part of your family has fallen we all grieve. So don’t forget to take a moment of silence today for this fallen hero.

I am attaching a newsletter from Cpt Goettler for the Ruff Ryders. Make sure that you read the attachment.

And last but not least a word from Jenny Tracy our fabulous chairperson….
Hello HHSB FRG! I hope you are doing well and getting excited for the summer. I plan to take a week off starting May 26th for a vacation and am looking forward to it. During this time, Stephanie Ayers and Angela Pickett will be available for FRG assistance.

Saturday, Armed Forces Day, was gorgeous and the celebration at O'Reilly Raceway Park was a blast. It was great to see so many 2-150 FA and 3-139 FA families being honored. It was a very special day and I felt privileged to be a part of the event.

I hope to see you all Saturday at our FRG meeting. It is always great to see all of you and learn more about you and your soldiers. REMEMBER TOGETHER WE MAKE THIS FRG STRONGER.

I do have one forgotten thank you to give out.

Angie Thomas - I forgot to thank you for getting several donations for the May 3rd event. Please forgive me for forgetting to mention you earlier. Your efforts mean a lot to me.

God Bless!

Jenny Tracy
Indiana Army National Guard
2-150 FA
HHSB
FRG Chairperson

(812) 339-5618 Home
(812) 320-3871 Cell

I hope to see everyone at the meeting on Sat. as it is going to be very inspirational, plus you never know who you are going to meet. Well as Paul Harvey would say “Good Day”

JUST A REMINDER IF YOU HAVE MOVED, CHANGED PHONE NUMBERS, OR YOU HAVE
CHANGED ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT A FRG REP. IMMEDIATELY SO THAT
WE CAN CHANGE OUR RECORDS AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT
UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Thanks,
Angela Pickett
Communication Committee Chairperson
Special Events Co-Chair
2-150 FA HHSB FRG
Indiana Army National Guard
765-307-1387

76 Brigade Loses A Hero

2008-05-13T14:05:00.001-06:00

Let me start by saying that OUR SOLDIERS ARE OK!

I am writing you with a heavy heart today to formally let you know that we have
lost one of our 76 Brigade soldiers.

The official notification reads as follows:

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Joseph A. Ford, 23, of Knox, Ind., died May 10 in Al Asad, Iraq, of
injuries suffered in a vehicle accident. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron,
152nd Cavalry Regiment, 76th Brigade Combat Team, Indiana National Guard, New
Albany, Ind.

The incident is under investigation.

SPC Ford is a true hero and his sacrifice will be remembered for all times. My
deepest sympathy goes out to his family as they embark on this tragedy and begin
to deal with a lifetime of emotions.

In the event that families want to send cards or flowers, I will need to
coordinate this with our Family Programs staff. Please let me know what you are
wanting to do and I can get this accomplished.

We do not have any information regarding funeral arrangements. The 152nd website
has a nice picture and message of sympathy to the family as well as a link to
the media release: www.warhawks.us.

PLEASE TAKE MOMENT AND REFLECT ON THIS SITUATION. This is an emotional time for
all of us especially those that have a love for SPC Ford or have a soldier
overseas.

This is the sad reality of war. I wish I could sugar coat it to give you the
news in easier form, but the truth is there is no other way to handle this. We
have to deal with this reality head on. The truth is that our soldiers have a
VERY DANGEROUS JOB.

Please know that I am hear to listen to your sadness, to comfort your fears, to
help you focus on something else or just get through the moment. I am at work,
but will try to get to your calls as they come in.

Please know that this news is also VERY hard on our soldiers and they are
dealing with this incident in their own way. Please be conscious of their needs
as they deal with this loss. They may not want to talk about it or that may be all
they want to talk about. Just be there for them as they need your strength and
love.

THIS IS HARD! AND YES, YOU ALL ARE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.

I continue to pray for ALL of our soldiers and their safe return home. Please
let this moment in life remind you of the important things and to treasures
those moments that are priceless and irreplaceable. Try not to sweat the small
stuff, but remember it is the big stuff that makes us who we are.

Together, we can get through moments like this. Please open your doors and
hearts so that we can console each other. Please call each other and allow
yourself to grieve as well as get your emotions out. THIS FRG IS MEANT FOR
SUPPORT SO LET US DO THAT FOR YOU.

May SPC Ford spirit guide us to the right things in life.

I am truly sorry to bring this news to you.

Jenny Tracy
2-150 FA
HHSB Family Readiness Group Chairperson
Bloomington, IN
(812) 320-3871

HHSB FRG INFORMATION

2008-05-13T10:05:00.002-06:00

Hello friends,
How are you doing? I am doing good..well as much as I can be. My dog Brady just to give you an update has started to grow his hair back which I am very thankful for. Spc Pickett did get to see what he looked like and there are not any divorce proceedings or anything else, but I have decided that from now until he comes home the dog is going to the groomers and keeping my hands away from the sheers. Well anyways about the dog here are some announcements for you. There is also an update from LTC Westfall for the Ruff Ryders.

FRG Meeting on Sat. May 24th at 2:00 pm in the Bloomington Armory on 3380 S Walnut St, Bloomington, IN 47401. So bring a friend and meet a new one. You never know who might show up for one of these meetings.

Indiana's Blue Star Salute on Sat.May 17th from 2:00 pm - 9:00 pm at 375 South S.R. 267 Avon, IN 46123. This is the O’Reilly Raceway Park.

Myspace 76th Group winery tour and dinner May 24th, at 5:30 pm. There will be wine tasting, tour of winery and dinner. Cost between $35-$45. If you are interested in going please email ASAP so that I can get a head count turned in.

Also don't forget about our fundraisers that we have going right now. We have the candles and we have the attagirl charms that you can purchase that will help out with extra stuff for the unit.

And last but not least, a word from our chairperson Jenny Tracy...
Greetings from Bloomington, Indiana! The FRG is busy with all kinds of planning, fundraising, great fun and providing great resources. That is what the FRG is all about.

We are working on things that are coming up like having top notch guest speak at the June Meeting (something you will not want to miss), Picnic with the Pops at the end of June (we fire our artillery canons to orchestrated music- so we become stars), Boss List for our civilian employers on July 20th and FAMILY DAY which we hope to have in August. We hope to see you all at these events.

We are busy selling Support Our Troops Candles, which by the way all your orders are due to KAREN GUMMER by May 15th. Remember we make money on each candle sale. Take these order forms to your jobs and let the candles speak for themselves- people will buy them by the dozen. 3-139 Rockville's FRG has sold a ton so it is our turn to make some cash, too. Remember the more cash we have the more things we can do for our soldiers, for ourselves, and for our unit.

And as Angela mentioned before the ATTAGIRL fundraiser. These are great military charms that honor your soldier as well as your self. Soldiers- these make great gifts for your mothers, wives, girlfriends, and daughters....

The Cafe Press store is busy and can make an customized shirt or any item you want. Think about sending your MySpace friends or other 76 Brigade families to this site as they may want a shirt of their soldier as well as contribute to our FRG.

Many things are coming up and I just want to take a quick moment to remind you of what to expect the rest of May...

May 17 - Indiana Blue Star Salute at O'Reilly Raceway Park (10267 East U.S. Highway 136, Clermont).- SIGN UP YOUR SOLDIER TO BE HONORED WHETHER THEY ARE HOME OR DEPLOYED.

May 17 - 76 Brigade - 'Make a Date with the FRG' (Bloomington)
This informal dinner will be held at 6:30 PM at the Bloomington American Legion Post, (1800 West 3rd Street). If you would like to attend, please RSVP to HHC spouse Debbie Arnold at songchi50@live.com or 812-323-7805.

May 24 - HHSB FRG MEETING at 2pm at Bloomington Armory.
Prepare yourself for your soldier's LEAVE, previously deployed soldiers speak about their experience on leave.

May 24 - 76 Brigade - 'Make a Date with the FRG' (Chateau Thomas In Plainfield). There will be wine tasting and a tour along with a dinner of some sort in a private area at 5:30PM will be the tasting and tour and dinner around 6:30-7.

May 25 - Indianapolis 500. Can't wait to see you there.

May 30th – June 1st Enrichment Classes for Singles, Couples, Families, and Pre and Re-Deployment (FREE CLASSES) Omni Severin Hotel Indianapolis Chaplain Jim Staggers presents a session to improve your life.

Remember if you can't make these events, I am only a phone call away. I would love to hear from you. Also is you want to come, but just can't seem to get to an event, we can make arrangements to get you and your family there. Just let me know. I am here to support you through thick and thin. That is what this FRG is all about. WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

Please let me know if I can help you because I want to. I have helped people with budgets, to filling out financial assistance applications, to getting resources about an specialized situation, listened as a friend, got a FRG member a job, networked with another FRG in another area, etc... You name it and I have tried to help. No question is silly so ASK AWAY.

Jenny Tracy
2-150 FA
HHSB
FRG Chairperson

Jenny Tracy

(812) 339-5618 Home
(812) 320-3871 Cell

PLEASE EMAIL ME TO GET UPDATES IF YOU DID NOT RECIEVE THEM IN YOUR EMAIL. ANGELAPICKETTHHSB@COMCAST.NET

--

JUST A REMINDER IF YOU HAVE MOVED, CHANGED PHONE NUMBERS, OR YOU HAVE CHANGED ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT A FRG REP. IMMEDIATELY SO THAT WE CAN CHANGE OUR RECORDS AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANY OTHER ANNOUNCMENTS.

Thanks,

Angela D. Pickett
Communication Committee Chairperson
2-150 HHSB Bloomington
765-307-1387

Information from Angela Pickett-- HHSB FRG NEWS

2008-05-08T15:51:00.003-06:00

Greetings families,

Well we are almost to the weekend and so I want to remind you of some upcoming things as well as give you some update information from across pond. Also I want to tell SFC Kent and SPC Galloway to have a relaxing good time while you are home for leave. Now to other business.

I have attached letters from LTC Vesper and Cpt. Padgett for the Desert Wolves and there is a letter for the Ruff Ryders from 1st Sarge. Perez.

Remember the 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament has been post-poned and will be rescheduled for a later date. So start getting your teams together so when we put the date out you can get registered.

The 163rd group has started a MySpace group page. The link for their page is as followed. : http://groups.myspace.com/163rdFamilies

Linda Hubbard has tickets for the June15th Nascar race in Michigan. She has 4 tickets $90.00 each. So if you would like to know more or purchase these tickets please contact Linda at lindah587425@yahoo.com or 812-320-3205

The 151 Battalion is interested in getting our Battalion (2-150 & 3-139) together with theirs to take a trip to Holiday World. We need to know are you interested in attending this event sometime in June (June 21 or around that time). PLEASE EMAIL ME AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO ATTEND SOMETHING LIKE THIS. If we get enough people then we will be able to ask for group discounts. This may not be the only trip that HHSB takes, but we were invited by the 151 to this event so we need to know if YOU want to participate. PLEASE LET US KNOW YOUR INTEREST LEVEL AND HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD ATTEND IF THIS WAS OFFERED.

RESPOND TO ME BY MAY 11TH

The 163rd sent this to Jenny that we would like to share with you.

I wanted to let you all know about a really cool site
called etsy.com, its where you can sell handmade items and art. I
wanted to let you know about it because I am part of a team known as
the Homefront Team. It is a group of military spouses/significant
other/military brats that have shops on Etsy.

We are having a huge promotion right now. 19 ladies are giving away
free stuff! You can enter to win 1 item or you can enter every single
giveaway. You can check it out on our Homefront blog
http://homefrontstreetteam.blogspot.com

I also wanted to tell you about Etsy in case any of you are artists or
you craft. I started doing it just to pass the time and now it’s really
taken off and I am doing well.

So check us out, see what other military wives are doing and maybe
even join our team!

And last but not least…

The FRG wants to wish all our mom’s a HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!

Please ask Angela Pickett to see the attached letters from Vesper, Padgett, and Perez.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OUR MOMS

2008-05-07T09:51:00.001-06:00

HHSB INFORMATION FOR 05/06/2008

2008-05-07T09:48:00.002-06:00

Howdy Doody everyone,
Well the sun is shining and the birds are chirping, must mean spring is here for good..at least that is what I am hoping for anyways. Well we have some busy times coming up, so I want to get you prepared so you can plan ahead.

Just to let you know the 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament has been post phoned until further notice as there was a conflict that came up. So those of you that were planning to volunteer your time with this event it is on hold. We will be having this event, just have to get another date set and I will let you know.

Saturday May 17th is the 2008 Indiana Blue Star Salute , at O’Reilly Raceway Park (ORP). For more details visit us at www.hcbluestar.org. This will be from 2:00 - 9:00 pm. Please visit website for more details.

Saturday May 24th FRG meeting at 2:00 PM in the Bloomington Armory located at 3380 S Walnut St, Bloomington, IN 47401. Many things to discuss and several things to plan so come to the meeting so your voice can be heard about what we do next, also learn about leave from a soldier's perspective

Saturday May 24 there is a Myspace event at the Chateau Thomas In Plainfield. There will be wine tasting and a tour along with a dinner of some sort in a private area at 5:30PM will be the tasting and tour and dinner around 6:30-7. $35-45 dollars will cover you. If you would like to go please let me know ASAP as we have to give them a round about figure as to how many people will be attending.

Sunday May 11th is Mother's day and we want to wish all our mother's a very happy day. Also there is something special that Dominoes pizza is doing for military wives.
Domino's of Central Indiana, part of the recognized world leader in pizza delivery, announced today that military wives don't have to cook for their family on Mother's Day weekend, May 10-11. Instead they may enjoy a free,large pizza with unlimited toppings from Domino's.

During Mother's Day weekend, any military wife living within the Domino's of Central Indiana service area and whose husband is serving in the United States military can receive a free, large pizza of their choice. All they have to do is stop by and pick up their pizza at their nearest Domino's. In order to receive the free pizza, military wives must produce a current and valid military ID.

All 49 locally owned and operated Domino's of Central Indiana stores will participate in the "MOMino's" promotion. The offer is restricted to one pizza per household.

"Domino's Pizza wants to help recognize those amazing military wives in Central Indiana who have managed to take care of their family and household while their spouse is serving in the military," said Chris Short, Local Franchise Owner.

Store locations:

Anderson, Frankfort, Marion, Bloomington, Franklin, Mooresville,
Brownsburg,Greencastle, Muncie, Carmel, Greenfield, New Castle, Cicero, Greensburg,Noblesville, Columbus, Greenwood, Peru, Connersville, Indianapolis,Plainfield, Danville, Kokomo, Shelbyville, Edinburgh, Lebanon, Westfield,
Fishers, Logansport, Zionsville."

And last but not least a message from our chair...
Hello Team HHSB! Hats off to you for the wonderful participation and dedication put into the ENTIRE BATTALION EVENT on May 3rd. It was a huge success. Thank you to Hope Harden and Lilly Boruff- your donation seeking, coordination of item at the event, and your overall enthusiasm about our FRG is amazing. Linda Hubbard and Stephanie Ayers a big HOOAH to you for your incredible organization of the packaging of items. It was flawless and effortless. Misty Piker, Karen Gummer and Vicki Bates - thanks for taking the raffles so seriously and raising the BATTALION $201. Kelly Davis and Tonia Matthew kudos to you for letting the kids have fun without chaos. Your hard work to keep these families entertained is so appreciated. Leah Staley your desire to give our soldiers everything they need is wonderful. Thank you for the donations. Courtney Walker thank you for always being there when you needed an extra hand. Brittany Piker and Kenny Jordan - the kids adore you and thank you for keeping our kids safe while painting their hands on a banner and their shirts, and their friends..... It was nice to know they were in SAFE hands. Angela Pickett- CONGRATS on your Award of Excellence. You truly deserve this award as your communication skills keep our families on the same page. Thank you for your passion and undying love for the FRG.

It was great to see other faces such as Amanda Schaler, Gaye Brown, Mary Hawkins, Cheryl and Wes Evans, Sue Padgett, Cindy Jordan, Karen Uggen, Kim Smith, Margaret Amos, Dorothy Webb, CPT Padgett, CSM Thomas, SFC Tracy (even if I forced him), CPT Uggen and LTC Fleener.

SPECIAL THANKS TO SFC DOCKERY FOR MAKING THIS EVENT A HUGE SUCCESS. We could not have done this without your help. You are worth GOLD to this FRG.

CONGRATS TO ALL OF THE HHSB NOMINEES FOR THE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: SFC Dawicke, SFC Joyce, SSG Faulkner, and Stephanie Ayers. You all do wonderful things for the FRG and this unit. THANK YOU!

I hope the deployed soldiers enjoyed their video messages. It was a great experience to share with you all.

THANK YOU!

See you all at the Indianapolis 500! We all will be sitting close to each other. Maybe Cindy Jordan will share some of her raffle goodies with us!

Jenny Tracy
2-150 FA
HHSB
FRG Chairperson

JUST A REMINDER IF YOU HAVE MOVED, CHANGED PHONE NUMBERS, OR YOU HAVE
CHANGED ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT A FRG REP. IMMEDIATELY SO THAT
WE CAN CHANGE OUR RECORDS AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT
UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Thanks,
Angela Pickett
Communication Committee Chairperson
Special Events Co-Chair
2-150 FA HHSB FRG
Indiana Army National Guard
765-307-1387

WELCOME HOME SPC MAXWELL & SPC MUEHLING

2008-04-30T20:44:00.008-06:00

HHSB FRG INFORMATION 04/28/2008

2008-04-29T09:25:00.002-06:00

Hello friends,
How are you doing? I am doing good..well as much as I can be. I learned today that I am not a dog groomer and that I should leave it up to the professionals bc my poor dog which by the way if you see Spc Pickett dont say anything to him about this or he will kill me, but he went from looking like a pomapoo to a chinesse dog that only has hair on his feet and his face. So for now i'm hanging up my dog groomers coat and doing something that I know how to do which is send you your upcoming events and announcements.

FRG Meeting on Sat. May 24th at 2:00 pm in the Bloomington Armory on 3380 S Walnut St, Bloomington, IN 47401. So bring a friend and meet a new one. You never know who might show up for one of these meetings.

Battalion Packing Party on Sat. May 3rd at 10:30 am in building 9 at Stout Field Indianapolis, In. There will be Indy 500 tickets, video messages to send to your soldier, food and we will be packing care packages for all of our soldiers that are home or away. So bring the kiddos and come out for some fun.

3 on 3 Basketball tournament on Sat. May 10th at 9:00 am in the Bloomington Armory. If you are interested in signing up please see or email SSG Faulkner at jonathan.faulkner1@us.army.mil for registration forms. So get a team together and show everyone what you got!!!

Indiana's Blue Star Salute on Sat.May 17th from 2:00 pm - 9:00 pm at 375 South S.R. 267 Avon, IN 46123. This is the O’Reilly Raceway Park.

I also will be attaching an update for the Ruff Ryder families and I am attaching the 163rd newsletter. If anyone is wanting to attend the Holiday World trip mentioned in the newletter you will need to contact Jenny Tracy by Thursday May 1st at jentracy@kiva.net. Also attached is the HHSB FRG Newsletter.

And last but not least a letter from our chairperson Jenny Tracy....
Hello HHSBers!

It has been a busy week for the FRG. We are excitedly planning for the May 3rd event and cannot wait to celebrate it with the ENTIRE BATTALION. It is going to be a great event to learn some new things, enjoy common company, and do some great things for our soldiers. DON'T FORGET FREE INDIANAPOLIS 500 TICKETS WILL BE GIVEN AWAY SO PLEASE BE THERE. Remember this event is at Stout Field at Building 9 at 10:30am. HHSB IS HOSTING THIS EVENT SO PLEASE TRY TO STOP BY. This event is for home front soldiers and families as well as deployed soldier's families.

I want to thank Luann Frye, Angela Pickett and Nancy Fausett for their efforts over the past few months in getting things in order for the sessions that took place this Saturday. SPA DAY went over well and many of us were relaxed and pampered. ALL OF US LEFT WITH A GIFT. On another note, I am a bit disappointed with the Resume Session, as the attendance was very lacking. I know Nancy Fausett and Dennis Sego put a lot of time into this event so my apologies go to them. As a reminder, please attend if you commit to attending. I do understand things come up, but remember your commitment makes a difference in this FRG. And not showing up hurts feelings and wastes time.

DON'T FORGET BASKETBALL IS COMING ON MAY 10th. SIGN UP YOUR TEAM NOW. Trophies are to be won, but more importantly bragging rights can be earned.

SEE YOU MAY 3RD AT STOUT FIELD!

Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Jenny Tracy
2-150 FA
HHSB
FRG Chairperson

--

JUST A REMINDER IF YOU HAVE MOVED, CHANGED PHONE NUMBERS, OR YOU HAVE CHANGED ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT A FRG REP. IMMEDIATELY SO THAT WE CAN CHANGE OUR RECORDS AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANY OTHER ANNOUNCMENTS.

Thanks,

Angela D. Pickett
Communication Committee Chairperson
2-150 HHSB Bloomington
765-307-1387

HHSB FRG INFORMATION FOR 04/19/2008

2008-04-21T11:16:00.001-06:00

Greetings families,
I hope this finds you getting more and more out of the house with the weather changing. I imagine everyone heard about the earthquake that happened. That sucker was strong, I have family in Memphis, Tn and they even felt it down there, but now that everyone is over it guess I will to and tell you about some things that are coming up and some new editions.

1. Battalion Event hosted by HHSB on May 3, 2008 at 10:30 am in Indianapolis at Stout Field ETab. There will be alot of things going on. We are going to have video messaging that will be sent out that day to your soldier (bring your soldiers email address). Food being sponsored by the Amvets, games and packing for our all of our soldiers here and far away. So come one come all bc a lot of fun is going to be had at this event!!!!

2 Has stressed got you down? Well I have a solution and that is come to Spa Day on Sat. April 26th at 12:00 pm in the Bloomington Armory. There will be manicures, facials, satin hands and many other things. There will be give aways for those that attend. Come on out and become stress free. There will be childcare but all that they ask is that the parents bring an old blanket or sleeping bag (just something to sit on).

3. Congratulations need to go out to the Johanningsmeier family as they have added to their family with Emma Gabrielle Johanningsmeier who was born at 8:00pm on April 17th. She weighs 8 lbs 0 oz and is 21 1/2 inches long. Mother and baby are doing great!

4.Thank you to everyone that attended the FRG meeting on April 19th. Hopefully you left with more knowledge of somethings that you did before you came. Hopefully we will see you at the next FRG meeting that is May 24th at

5. http://www.kashi.com/outreach/off_your_rump/free_sample
If everyone signs up for this and gets this free sample then we will have enough to send to our soldiers. Bring your goodie to the armory once you receive your sample.

6. 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament on May 10, 2008 starts at 09:00 am. If you would like to participate in this event you will need to get a hold of SSG Faulkner at jonathan.faulkner1@us.army.mil. There is a registration form and money that will need to be filled out and sent to him as well. He can get the information to you. We also need volunteers for the event. If you plan on being there and would like to help please email Luann Frye luann.frye@us.army.mil or myself Angela Pickett angelapicketthhsb@comcast.net. We would surely love for you to help and be a part of something fun.

7. Need help with your resume, well Sat. April 26, 2008 there is a resume Session with Dennis Sego 8 -11:45am in the Bloomington Armory..

8.I have an officical email from Cpt Goettler for the Ruff Ryder Families. Please see attachment.

and last but not least hear is a letter from our Chairperson Jenny Tracy....

Hello HHSB! I am excited to announce that bowling was a ton of fun. Thank you to The Hubbard's, The Ayers', The Frye's, Kelly Davis, and Misty Piker for going in on some bowling for the troops fun.

I am pleased to announce that Angela Pickett and Stephanie Ayers were nominated from HHSB for the FRG Award of Excellence which is an award that will be presented at the May 3rd event. GOOD LUCK LADIES!

We are preparing for our newsletter and are seeking information on the following soldiers:

SPC Justin Porter
SSG Jonathon Faulkner

Pam and Melinda I need your help. Send me pictures and information about your soldier.

A BIG THANK YOU GOES TO SHERRY GUMMER. Sherry has offered to take on the Soldier Parental Liaison. This is a gap we desperately need to fill as we have so many parents affected by their soldier's involvement.

Have a good week and know that HHSB cares about you and your soldier.

Jenny Tracy
2-150 FA HHSB FRG Chairperson

--JUST A REMINDER IF YOU HAVE MOVED, CHANGED PHONE NUMBERS, OR YOU HAVE CHANGED ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT A FRG REP. IMMEDIATELY SO THAT WE CAN CHANGE OUR RECORDS AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANY OTHER ANNOUNCMENTS.
Thanks,
Angela D. Pickett
Communication Committee Chairperson
2-150 HHSB Bloomington
765-307-1387

HHSB FRG OFFICIAL and UNOFFICIAL INFORMATION

2008-04-07T23:57:00.003-06:00

Hello Everyone,

Just emailing ya to catch you up on somethings that are taking place soon that you might be interested in. Here they go.

1. April 19, 2008 is the Monthly FRG MEETING at 1:00 pm in the Bloomington Armory located on 3380 S Walnut St, Bloomington. Everyone is welcome. Be there or be square...lol

2.Battalion Packing party Sat. May 3, 2008 at 10:30 am in Indianapolis at Stout Field Etab hanger. There is going to be a lot of fun that will be had. There will be food, packing, video emails to your soldiers, and much more so make plans to attend. Let’s show our Desert Wolf and Ruff Ryder pride.

3. April 12th Operation Myspace concert will be aired on FX at 11:00 pm for any of you families that do not have a myspace account. Some of our soldiers were there for this concert so you might want to check it out to see if you can spot your soldier.

4. Here is an update for the Ruff Ryders from LTC Westfall

HEADQUARTERS 76th INFANTRY BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM
Headquarters 1st Battalion 151st infantry
1481 BARTLEY STREET
JASPER, INDIANA 47546

6 April 2008

Indiana Army National Guard
Family Readiness Groups
Task Force 151

Dear Task Force 151 Families,

Hello from sunny and dusty Iraq. I apologize for taking so long to send all of you another update. We have had some challenges getting everyone here and then getting set up and operational. Our flights into Iraq were problematic at best and it took over a week to finally get all the soldiers on ground. I didn’t want to send my update until I finally had everyone on ground safely and ready to work. Our ability to communicate is rather limited as we only have a few computers and only one classified phone in the Battalion Headquarters. More of each, plus other items are on order and arriving every day so that should continue to improve. The weather is rather mild so far with highs in the 90s and lows in the 50s. The worst part has been the frequent sandstorms. We have endured several of them so far. You can see them rolling in just like a thunderstorm, except the sky turns an eerie orange color instead of black. Two of them have been so thick that you can’t see more than 50 feet in front of you and everything is covered in sand once it passes through.

The soldiers are doing great and are very surprised at the accommodations we fell in on here. Most of the soldiers here at Speicher live in large Company sized buildings with open bays. However, in an effort to give soldiers more privacy during their off-time, the garrison has installed room dividers throughout the open bays. This gives every group of 3 soldiers their own space, so in essence everyone has two roommates. The DFAC is even better than what we had in Kuwait and so are the gym and MWR facilities. Our PX is fairly small but it has the essentials. It will be up to personal preference as to what each soldier will ask for in care packages. The accommodations at Q-West are very similar except the soldiers live in “CHU’s”, which are container sized trailers that house 3-6 soldiers. The other accommodations such as the DFAC, gym, PX are all similar.

All of the companies are conducting missions and learning all the ins and outs of the mission as they drive the various routes we have to negotiate as we escort convoys all over Theatre. As I have told all of you, this is a dangerous mission and our soldiers will encounter many incidents during the course of their daily work, however, you must remember that we will not be talking about the details of what happens. We have to keep OPSEC (Operational Security) in mind whenever we talk of anything to do with missions. Even more importantly for all of the families back home, we have to keep in mind the unintended trauma that can be caused by inadvertently sharing some of these details. We had an incident of this the other night where one of our companies encountered an incident along the road. Somehow details of that incident made its way back home and as the word began to spread it raised questions as to “Was my soldier involved?” “What happened, was anyone hurt?” “Why hasn’t the FRG or Rear Det put anything out about this?” The bottom line here is that there was nothing to tell. As I already stated, we will encounter something on a continual basis while we are conducting this mission. But that does not mean that we will have someone injured. We are conducting this mission in heavily armored vehicles with the best weapon systems and Counter-IED devices the Army has in its inventory and our soldiers are highly trained to safely do their job. So……what I ask of each and every one of you is to keep all of this in mind and if your soldier tries to tell you details about an incident they encountered, or someone else encountered, that you are to remind them they are not supposed to talk about it. And please do not pass along anything you hear to someone else. We all know the party game where you put 10 people in a line and whisper a story in the first one’s ear and they whisper it in the second one’s ear and so on until you get to the last person and by the time you finish the story it is nowhere near what you started with. The only way to control the rumor mill is to not feed it. It has a voracious appetite and as long as you feed it informatio n it will cause undo panic and heartache, but if you shut it down then we will all sleep better at night. If there is truly an incident where we have someone hurt then you will be notified immediately by the proper personnel.

We are past the first of April and the mail is starting to flood in. That is great! The soldiers always look forward to getting a card, letter or package from home. I have urged all of them to remember to communicate with you as well. They should be sending you cards, letters or calling you from time to time to let you know how they are doing. They should also be on the Internet sending emails. If they are not doing so, then beat them up and remind them. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll sick the Command Sergeant Major on them!

I know that all of you are asking about Leave and whether we will be taking it or not. I am working to get that plan together as soon as possible. The Brigade Commander that we are now assigned to has been out of the country and just returned. His Deputy Commander has that question from me and I should get that answered soon. I told all of you when we were in Georgia to not expect anyone to take Ordinary Leave and that if we do it will be a bonus. Our mission set here is not that long and with the constraints in place, we cannot get everyone on Leave even if we tried. The regulation states that units are not allowed to take Ordinary Leave the first 60 days you are in Theatre or the last 30 days you are in Theatre. So that only gives us about 5 months in which to exercise Ordinary Leave. We are also not allowed to have more than a certain percentage of our Tasks Force gone at any one time to include Ordinary Leave, Emergency Leave, Illness and REFRAD. So unless the Brigade Commander waives the constraints and sets new policy, we will not be taking Leave. There are some options that I am exploring to see if we can work around the constraints and still make it happen, but until I can meet with the Commander I just don’t know if that is possible. So I need each of you to exercise some tactical patienc e and bear with me just a little longer until we can get this sorted out. I will let you know as soon as I can.

I did check on VTC capability and they do have that available. So I will see about getting that set up for each of the units and set a schedule where we can do these with each armory that has the capability. I will work this schedule with your FRG Chairpersons and Rear Det personnel, so watch for more information in near future.

Thank you all again for all of the great work you are doing back home while we are away and for all of the love and support you have for our soldiers and the unit. We couldn’t do what we do without you. Our soldiers are doing a great job and you should be very proud of them. Again I want to thank our FRG Chairs and our Rear Det Team as I am hearing great things about how well they are keeping all of you informed and are working the problems as they arise. Please ensure that when you do encounter an issue that you notify both your FRG Chair and your Rear Detachment member as soon as possible so we can begin to work the problem. Remember – we are one team, one family an d together we will stand strong and finish this deployment successfully on both fronts.

Sincerely,
Ronald A. Westfall
Lieutenant Colonel,
US Army Commanding

5. Official Correspondence Regarding media coverage of the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team while deployed in support of counterinsurgency operations of Operation Iraqi Freedom

A recent story in the Indianapolis Star and accompanying photograph of Col. Carr seeking cover has given rise to some concern about media coverage of the 76th IBCT. Occasionally sensors at base camps in Iraq will detect airborne missiles entering the airspace above installations. An alarm will sound and in accordance with training, personnel seek cover in numerous hardened bunkers around the base. The shelters are designed to minimize the risk of injury when a significant attack occurs.

In the case of personnel inside buildings, training dictates that personnel take protective measures and follow established procedures in response to base warnings. Col. Carr reacted in the exact manner that his training prescribed, and he expects no less from all his Soldiers. Training keeps Soldiers safe. Most often, an all-clear announcement is made within moments of the alarm, and personnel return to their routine without incident. This is a reality of living on LSA Anaconda or any other installation in affected areas.

Throughout this deployment, there will be stories that capture a moment, a snapshot of the IBCT’s experience while supporting counterinsurgency operations in Iraq. These stories may depict a seemingly dramatic moment in vivid detail. The stories are the perception of the reporter, and those writers are certainly entitled to that. Freedom of the press is one of the most important ideals that Soldiers serve to protect. It is no coincidence that dictators most often target newspapers and televisions stations in an offensive against liberty.

The reason the 76th IBCT is so open to the press is because it allows not only families and friends back home to have regular information about the brigade’s progress, but also gives the world a better idea of who they are and what they are working towards. There are scores of talented military writers and photographers documenting the progress in Iraq, but the reality is that the public rarely visits DoD websites or subscribes to DoD publications. They receive their news from commercial publications and broadcasts. Unless the 76th IBCT speaks to those commercial journalists, then very few will know the Soldiers as they deserve to be known, as concerned citizens willing to serve in a time of great need.

The 76th will continue to accommodate the media throughout this deployment in an effort to let the people of the world know who they are and why they serve. It is as important as any mission they have. From experience, the journalists they have worked with have been fair and accurate. Journalists also repeatedly express their admiration and appreciation for their willingness to serve. The 76th appreciates that kind of support and can expect no more.

What the 76th asks of families and friends, and the public, is to process the information with critical and sophisticated judgment. Share what you know to be accurate with those who have an imperfect knowledge of the Nighthawk Brigade. This is the most valuable support you can provide as the 76th works to earn their way safely home while shoring the foundation for a free and secure future for the deserving people of Iraq.

76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Public Affairs Office

For more information regarding the BCT in Iraq visit our website: www.76bct.org

and last but not least......... we want to give a BIG thank you to the following people that were at the packing party on March 29th.

Linda Hubbard,
Tiffany Ridge
Courtney Walker
Stephanie Ayers
Sherry Gummer
Karen Gummer
Vicki Bates
Anita Ibison
Tonia Matthew
Mary Kent
Kelly Davis
Sabrina Carter
Jenny Tracy
--

JUST A REMINDER IF YOU HAVE MOVED, CHANGED PHONE NUMBERS, OR YOU HAVE CHANGED ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT A FRG REP. IMMEDIATELY SO THAT WE CAN CHANGE OUR RECORDS AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANY OTHER ANNOUNCMENTS.

HHSB FRG ANNNOUNCEMENTS AND INFORMATION

2008-03-27T00:11:00.003-05:00

Dear Army Family,
Hello, how are you doing? If I was any better I would scream, but anyways that is not why I am emailing to talk about myself but to let you know what's happening and let you in on somethings coming up.

1. Spring is here..YAH YAH YAH...time to get out and do all kinds of things like attend the next FRG Meeting April 19, 2008 1:00 pm in the Bloomington Armory located on 3380 S Walnut St, Bloomington. Everyone is welcome. You never know who you might run into at one of those meetings. Make new friends and greet old ones, so come on out and see what is in store for you.

2.Pampered Chef Party on Sat. March 29, 2008 from 11:00 – 12:00 p.m. in the American Legion Building located att 1800 W. 3rd st Bloomington, In 47401. Please RSVP to Jenny Tracy at jentracy@kiva.net so she can get an idea as to how many people will be attending.

3. Packing party on Sat. March 29, 2008 from 1:00 pm til whenever you are done. We are doing a dental so we need 8-10 volunteers for this event. The more people that attend the quicker you will get done. If you are interested in helping please email or call Linda Hubbard at lindah587425@yahoo.com or 812-320-3205 C) 812-961-8388 H).

4.Nancy Fausett is going to have to take a 2 month sabbatical from the Employer Relations Coordinator position as her husband is going through major knee surgeries and will need assistance. We need someone to fill her spot while she is out in April and May and then continue on as an Assistant when Nancy returns.

Job Description attached so others can see what Nancy does....

Please help Nancy and the FRG fill this spot.

Our thoughts and prayers are with SGT Steve Fausett as he endures yet another few surgeries. We hope you recover well and can run like a 20 year old.

5. SFC Dockery is taking orders for the Ruff Ryder T-shirts. These are the shirts that have the Ruff Ryder Logo on the back and the patch on the front. If you would like a shirt you will need to email SFC Dockery at michael.dockery@us.army.mil and let him know how many shirts you would like and what color. They are $12.00 a piece and come in tan or grey. You will also need to make arrangements with him to pick them up as well. This is not a FRG fundraiser.

6.For those who were able to get the Indians Tickets there has been achange in picking up tickets: Because of the large number of reservations we took for tickets for thegame on 11 April, the Indians have had to rearrange their standardwill-call policy to accommodate the crowd.Tickets must be picked up 1 April through 10 April instead of on gameday.Box office (will-call) hours are 0800-1800 hrs.Thank you for changing your plans to meet this request.
7.SGT's Vic and Julie Bever has generously offered their gently used dryer to any family needing a replacement. They recently had to buy a new washer and dryer, and now they have an extra dryer that works perfectly. Please email Jenny regarding this offer if you are interested (jennifer.lynne.tracy@us.army.mil)
THANK YOU TO THE BEVER'S FOR THIS OFFER.

****DESERT WOLVES UPDATE*****
If you can pass it on to the families that the family is all now together I would appreciate it. We will be hitting the training / RIP with the unit who is training us tomorrow.

We are now all in Iraq.

CPT Rex Padgett
HHSB 3-139th FA
"Desert Wolves"
Commander

--JUST A REMINDER IF YOU HAVE MOVED, CHANGED PHONE NUMBERS, OR YOU HAVE CHANGED ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT A FRG REP. IMMEDIATELY SO THAT WE CAN CHANGE OUR RECORDS AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANY OTHER ANNOUNCMENTS.

Thanks,
Angela D. Pickett
Communication Committee Chairperson
2-150 HHSB Bloomington
765-307-1387

News from Angela Pickett on 3/23/08

2008-03-26T11:29:00.000-05:00

Hello Ruff Ryder & Desert Wolves Families,

We have received word from Cpt. Goettler and Cpt. Padgett. Please make sure to remember that the unit's may have separate policies so remember to apply to your soldier what comes from his or her command.

The first update is for the Ruff Ryders and the second update is for Desert Wolves.

A little Ruff Ryder update from the other side of the pond....

As I am sure most of you are aware, we all arrived safely up to Q-West. We were welcomed with open arms by the unit that we are replacing, and they are very eager and willing to ensure we get the best training here possible. I have to say that outside of our unit, I have not seen a more professional group of soldiers. We have some very good stuff lined up before we assume the mission.

First things first, though, everyone is in great spirits and we all want to just get started. We have everything we need here on the FOB, the chow hall is amazing. I know you may have heard people talk about the food over here, but we have everything you could imagine, even an international food bar! I haven't tried that one yet though.

We have a very large gym and MWR area, where they play movies several times a day, hold pool tournaments, and even card games. There are numerous phones, kiosks, and it's a little pricey, but we will put a cell phone policy in place. This will need to be regulated at times due to OPSEC. As I said though, everyone is really excited about getting started. We are well trained, we have a little more specific stuff to work on, but all in all we are confident, especially in our equipment. We are getting state of the art stuff, some new, so there's a little learning curve. But we'll be masters in no time.

Well, the weather isn't too warm here....yet, but we are preparing for it and we know that it's coming soon. Hopefully the weather hasn't been to bad back home. I hope this email was enlightening and that you all have a blessed day.

Thank you,
CPT Charles Goettler
A/2-150 FA BN (Task Force 151)
Company Commander

Message from Cpt Padgett

Hello all, Just wanted to touch bases and let you all know that we had made it to Kuwait. Our days here are much slower compared to Fort Stewart. The soldiers are doing well in their training here and feel a much better sense of relief from our previous trainers at Fort Stewart. I can't really go into the training specifics here, but they are very similar with what we did in Ft. Stewart, but again repetition is not a bad thing. The training helps reinforce the skills they have learned and will continue to hone.

We have been talking with our unit that will be training us once we go North, this is very positive as they have already began allocating equipment for when we arrive there. There is an adjustment to the time once you get here, watching sporting events on ESPN that occurred "yesterday" since we are 7 hours ahead. I know that many of the soldiers get the opportunity to email and phone home every day and that some even call both in the morning and night. A little about the cell phone policy once we get in country. They will be allowed, so be thankful for that, however there will be very strict policies and procedures with those cell phones. They will only be allowed to use the cell phones in their individual living space, while off-duty. There will be "civilian" internet available as well, but a main focus will be for the soldiers to adhere to strict user agreement policies as well, ensuring they do not compromise any information via web-blogs, WebPages, pictures etc.

We have put out a good address to our soldiers for Q-West, but again I would advise not to ship anything until we get there and are able to confirm it 100%. If you would like to chance it here is the address, it should work fine.

Rank, Name
Unit
Q-West Base Complex
AL-QAYYARAH, IRAQ
APO AE 09351

For the soldiers in our command, the unit is 3-139th FA. Again we may lose some communications as we start to move North, but we will re-establish that link as quickly as possible so you know that your soldier is safe and sound.

God Bless and God Speed!

CPT Rex Padgett
HHSB 3-139th FA
"Desert Wolves"
Commander

HHSB FRG INFORMATION FOR 3/21/08

2008-03-26T11:28:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone,
Just emailing ya to catch you up on somethings that are taking place soon that you might be interested in. There are several things that you will need to RSVP to me about. Here they go.

1. April 19, 2008 is the Monthly FRG MEETING at 2:00 pm in the Bloomington Armory located on 3380 S Walnut St, Bloomington. Everyone is welcome. Be there or be square...lol

2. Pampered Chef Party on Sat. March 29, 2008 from 11:00 12:00 p.m. in the American Legion Building located att 1800 W. 3rd st Bloomington, In 47401. Please RSVP to Jenny Tracy at jentracy@kiva.net so she can get an idea as to how many people will be attending.

3. Packing party on Sat. March 29, 2008 from 1:00 pm til whenever you are done. We are doing a dental so we need 8-10 volunteers for this event. The more people that attend the quicker you will get done. If you are interested in helping please email or call Linda Hubbard at lindah587425@yahoo.com or 812-320-3205 C) 812-961-8388 H).

4. There is an informal dinner in Indianapolis at Bucca Di Beppo. This will take place on Sat. March 29, 2008 at 6:00 pm. I will need for you to RSVP by March 25th so that I can let the lady that is organizing this know. This is 76th Brigade family members to get together and meet other familes that have soldiers deployed or that have stayed back, everyone is welcomed. This is not an FRG function.

5. VTC has been scheduled for the afternoon on March 27, 2008 with Congressman Pence. He recently visited Afghanistan and Iraq and would like to give anupdate to family members. Any family member living in District 6 and who has a service member deployed or will have a service member deployed is invitedto attend. The Video teleconference (VTC) with Congressman Pence will be on March 27 at3:30 pm. The following locations have been secured for the VTC:Shelbyville ArmoryRichmond ArmoryMuncie ArmoryWinchester ArmoryAnderson ArmoryColumbus ArmoryIf you have any questions, please let me know.
and last but not least.........
6. I have planned a trip for Las Vegas in July that will be the half way point for this deployment so I am calling the Halfway getaway to Vegas. I have reserved for 20 people so if you want to go you will need to email ASAP and just put Vegas in the subject line. Here is detail information as to what is going to take place and when payment needs to be paid. If you have any questions please feel free to email.
Here is the information on the Package for you "Military Wives, Husbands, Moms or Dads".

Northwest World Vacations - 18July - 21July2008

18July - Indianapolis to Las Vegas 7:00am - 7:50am (non-stop)
21July - Las Vegas to Indianapolis 1:10pm - 7:55pm (non-stop)

Round-trip transportation on a motorcoach. Includes Baggage handling at the airport and porterage of your bags at the hotel when you room is ready.

Hotel: Excalibur Hotel / 3 night accommodations
Also includes some discount coupons from the hotel

Rate: $352.69 per person/ 4 people to a room.

Booking requirements

Deposit due: April 2, 2008 / $25.00 per person to secure you space
2nd Deposit due: May 12, 2008 / $75.00 per person
Final due: June 1, 2008

One free name change allowed per ticket if done at least 72 hours prior to arrival and the hotel space is still available.

News From Jenny Tracy 3/14/08

2008-03-26T11:21:00.001-05:00

Hello 2-150 FA HHSB Families!

Don't forget that March 15th (SATURDAY- tomorrow) is the Battalion Event at Stout Field. Be there by 3pm to enjoy food, fun and friends. A map regarding parking is attached. SEE YOU THERE!

Ruff Ryder Families - A current letter from LTC Westfall is attached. The address for their final destination is enclosed. PLEASE DO NOT MAIL ANYTHING TO YOUR SOLDIER UNTIL APRIL 1ST.

Desert Wolf Families - We are still awaiting word from LTC Vesper regarding your soldiers. More information to come soon.

Take care!

Jenny Tracy
Indiana Army National Guard
2-150 FA
HHSB
FRG Chairperson
(812) 339-5618 Home(812) 320-3871 Cell

HHSB FRG ANNNOUNCEMENTS AND INFORMATION

2008-03-05T06:24:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone,
Hope this finds you doing good and trying to get back into the swing of things for those that went to Ga to see their soldier and for those that stayed in Indiana hope you are staying warm. Here are somethings that will be going on for the month of March that you might be interested in doing that will get you out of the house.

FRG MEETING on March 9, 2008 at 2:00 pm at the Bloomington Armory located at 3380 S Walnut St, Bloomington. Everyone is welcome

2. There is a 76th Brigade group on myspace that might be helpful for some of you that are unable to make it to the FRG meetings for support. This is a free group, but you have to have a myspace account, and be invited into the group by a member of the group which is free to join.Here is the link for my page and you will have to click on add me bc my page is private. If you do have a myspace page make sure that you do not have anything on there that will put your family in jeopardy. NEVER put anything that pertains to the soldiers being deployed or tickers that will put your soldier in jeopardy. It is recommended to put your account on private bc the enemy will use this website as a tool to gain information on soldiers and their families, also it allows you the chance to approve or decline people who you know and those that you dont.
myspace.com/pickett724

3. Indystar.com has photos and news articles that pertain to our soldiers. There are articles about the 4 day pass that just took place and there are videos as well. Click on line to access the "Spirit Of the 76th" section of the paper.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=special20

4. The FRG has a website that some of you are not aware of that has all of our upcoming events, pictures of recent events, and also has the email addresses of all of your FRG reps. just click on the link below to access the webpage.
http://hhsbfrg.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html

5. Indianapolis Career Fair, will take place on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 from 11am-3pm at the Indiana Convention Center and RCA Dome (Home of the Indianapolis Colts). This Career Fair is being put on in cooperation with HireVets First and the American Legion to benefit military veterans, transitioning personnel, military family members, and Guard and Reserve members in the greater Indianapolis area. The following are some of the employers who are scheduled to participate in the Career Fair: Bally Total Fitness, DeVry University, F.A. Bartlett Tree Experts, ITT Communications Systems, National College, New York Life, NTB, Inc., Subaru of Indiana Automotive, the Entrepreneur's Source, Tom Woods Auto Inc., Woodmen of the World. And, for your convenience, the Career Fair flyer that I sent you previously can also be found here: You will have to copy and paste the weblinkwww.recruitmilitary.com/brochures/03-06-08_indianapolis_candidate.pdf

6. Here is the link for Indiana National Guard newsletter that has some information that you might be interested in.
http://view.exacttarget.com/?j=fe9710707064007a71&m=fefb167576660c&ls=fdfb15737c62057e76117070&l=ff2f15757c65&s=fe1c15797d6305747c1073&ju=fe5216777d6c017b7010

7. March 15, 2008--ALL Battalion Packing Party at Stout Field. Families are asked to bring 1 can of shaving cream and 1 thing of deodorant. The time for this is set tentatively for 3:00 pm. If it changes we will let you know. We would like to have a good representation for the 2-150 & 3-139 for this.

8. Sat. March 8, 2008
AMVETS Kids Event Ages 10 -17
FRG kids invited
6pm - 9pm
NEED RSVP TO Angela or Luann by March 1 so I can give to AMVETS
Movie, games, and fun

Sat. March 22, 2008
AMVETS Easter Event
FRG Kids invited
ages 1- 10
11am - 12pm
Easter bunny, candy and fun
NEED RSVP TO Angela or Luann by March 1 so I can give to AMVETS

9. While I was in Ga, I got to speak in front of all the soldiers while they were in formation to let them know that we are here for families and that they needed to get their families email information to us so that we can keep our families informed as what is going on. If you know someones email list or phone numbers it would be appreciative if you could let the FRG reps know as like I said we want to keep our families informed of everything that is going on while they are deployed.

JUST A REMINDER IF YOU HAVE MOVED, CHANGED PHONE NUMBERS, OR YOU HAVE CHANGED ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT A FRG REP. IMMEDIATELY SO THAT WE CAN CHANGE OUR RECORDS AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS AND ANY OTHER ANNOUNCMENTS.

Thanks,
Angela D. Pickett
Communication Committee Chairperson
2-150 HHSB Bloomington
765-307-1387

PACKING PARTY FOR OUR DEPLOYED SOLDIERS

2008-01-22T17:47:00.000-05:00

PACKING PARTY

JANUARY 27, 2008

2pm

BLOOMINGTON ARMORY

Please contact local community stores and vendors to get items donated. Please let Linda Hubbard know who you have contacted and what they are donating.

The FRG has a standard donation letter that can be used to approach community partners.

Ask Jenny Tracy for a letter.

OUR COMMUNITIES WANT TO HELP!

ITEMS NEEDED ARE:

*120 small packaged snack items (such as wrapped snack cakes, granola bars, Pringles soft packs, or individual jerky)

*250 gum packets

* 230 packets of razors

Ruff Ryders Hooah Hawaiian Holiday Party

2008-01-15T21:46:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of our soldiers and their families at the FRG event called Hooah Hawaiian Holiday Party which was held on November 10th. These soldiers deployed on January 2nd and are part of the 2-150 FA Ruff Ryder unit.

Ridge's and Zavala in the Hawaiian spirit.

Porch's and English - the life of the party.

The Ball's are all grins.

Dottie Davis and her son Shane Davis pose for photo.

<-The Bailey family enjoying the party.

The Rybolt girls - looking pretty and having fun.

What a bunch of cuties? The Harris'

Jordan's and Calvert kicking back.

Army & Air Force Exhange Service (AAFES) Toy Recall (click here for website)

2008-01-14T21:03:00.000-05:00

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) recalled the following"Soldier Bear" toys: Wooden Pull-Along Learning Blocks Wagon, Time Teacher,Wooden Riding Horse, and Vehicle Playset. Consumers should immediately take these recalled toys away from children and return them to the nearest AAFES store for a full refund. The affected wooden and plastic toys were sold under the "Soldier Bear" logo in AAFES stores worldwide from Aug. 2006 - Oct. 2007.

Consumers with questions regarding this recall can contact AAFES at (800)866-3605 or visit the AAFES website for additional information.

RECALL! RECALL! RECALL!

RECOVERY GREETINGS TO SOLDIERS

2007-12-20T16:50:00.000-05:00

Red Cross and Pitney Bowes Team Up During Holiday Season

This holiday season, the Red Cross is teaming up with the Department of Defense, Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Pitney Bowes, Inc. to deliver holiday greeting cards, along with personal messages of support, to injured service members in military hospitals across the country.

From now until December 27, members of the public can mail their holiday cards to: We Support You During Your Recovery!, c/o American Red Cross, P.O. Box 419, Savage, MD 20763-0419.

INDIANAPOLIS ZOO GIVES TO THE MILITARY (click here)

2007-12-06T15:14:00.000-05:00

Christmas at the Zoo

Holiday discount for military personnel at the Indianapolis Zoo, during "Christmas at the Zoo" from 1-30 Dec 07 (Closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and New Years Day).

Normal admission is $13.50 adults and children $8.50.

All military personnel get in w/ID card for FREE during "Christmas at the Zoo".

Reduced fee on admission during "Christmas at the Zoo":

$8.50 adults

$6.50 children (ages 2-12)

Children under 1 free.

YOU'RE INVITED TO HHSB'S HOLIDAY PARTY

2007-11-20T22:20:00.000-05:00

COME JOIN US FOR SOME HOLIDAY CHEER!!!

December 2ND AT 11:00AM

BLOOMINGTON ARMORY

IF YOUR LAST NAME BEGINS WITH THE FOLLOWING LETTERS PLEASE BRING:
A THRU G: DESSERT
H THRU M: SALAD OR BREAD
N THRU S: SIDE DISH
T THRU Z: DRINKS

CRAFTS FOR THE CHILDREN
GAMES FOR BOTH THE ADULTS AND CHILDREN
RAFFLES AND DOOR PRIZES
PHOTOGRAPHER ON SITE TO TAKE YOUR FAMILY HOLIDAY PHOTO

SEE YOU THERE!!!!

Sears Portrait Discount (click here)

2007-11-12T15:57:00.000-05:00

Military Discount

Share smiles with family and friends on active duty anywhere in the world!

Plus, show your military ID and get an additional 20% off your entire purchase.

FREE Wall Portrait with portrait purchase (10 x 13 - $19.99 value) code 59007.

Call the Sears Portrait Studio at: 1-888-PORTRAIT

(Toll free:1-888-767-8724)

Military Night with the Pacers (click here)

2007-10-22T08:21:00.000-05:00

MILITARY NIGHT with the PACERS!
SPECIAL VETERAN'S DAY MILITARY NIGHT

For your service or employment with the U.S. ARMED FORCES, you, along with your family and friends, are invited to see the Indiana Pacers at a special discounted price and be apart of our special Veteran's Day Military Themed Game!

Just click on the link to place your order!
Your Group ID is MilUSA

Saturday, November 10, Indiana Pacers vs. Denver Nuggets
By purchasing tickets through this offer:
· You will receive a 10% discount coupon good for either Home Court Store Location!
· See your group’s name in lights on the scoreboard during the game!

Important Information:
· Tickets are limited and subject to availability
· Ticket price includes a 6% Marion Co. Admissions Tax. No Refunds or exchanges
· You will be given the best seat at the time your order is placed.

If you have any questions please contact Dionna Smith at (317) 917-2897 or via email at dsmith@pacers.com

EAT AT STEAK N SHAKE (or buy a gift card)

2007-10-15T14:56:00.000-05:00

STOP BY STEAK N SHAKE WITH YOUR COUPON SO WE CAN RAISE

MONEY TO SEND OUR

SOLDIERS PACKAGES WHILE THEY ARE IN IRAQ!

2-150 FA HHSB Children Invited to Kids Bingo at the American Legion (click here)

2007-10-11T10:35:00.000-06:00

Saturday, October 13th at 11:30am the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary is inviting ALL 2-150 FA HHSB children to KIDS BINGO.

Kids eat FREE and play bingo.

Every child goes home with a prize.

Halloween goodie sacks will be passed out to each child as a way to wish us a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Come to American Legion and have some fun. These ladies want to spoil our chidlren so let's let them.

The address is:

1800 W 3rd St

Bloomington, IN 47404

See you there!

Operation Care Package To Take Place In Bloomington

2007-09-30T19:47:00.000-06:00

Waddell & Reed of Bloomington; Bloomington Family Readiness Group and Operation USO to hold event to support US Troops.

The Bloomington office of Waddell & Reed in cooperation with the Bloomington Family Readiness Group will be available on October 6, 2007, from 1pm-7pm, in the Bloomingfoods/Kmart parking lot at 3220 E. 3rd Street to accept donations for Care Packages prepared by the USO to send to our troops.

Each Care Package costs $25.00 to send overseas and consists of a variety of necessary items valued at $50.00-75.00!

"Waddell and Reed is celebrating 70 years in the financial services industry this year and we believe partnering with the United Services Organization (USO) of America is a unique way of reaching out to our community to salute the efforts of our troops overseas," said Walter Koon of the local office. "The Bloomington Family Readiness Group supports the families of deployed servicemen and their assistance has been invaluable in coordinating this event", Koon said. Janette Koon and Julie Higgins from the Bloomington Waddell & Reed office will also be assisting in this effort.

Plan to stop by and support the troops by contributing $25.00 for the cost of shipping the USO Care package. The Care Package(s) you help to send can be directed to Bloomington or Indiana servicemen.

OUR GOAL IS TO GET A PACKAGE TO EVERY 2-150 FA and 3-139 FA SOLDIER IN IRAQ OR GOING TO IRAQ.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THIS EVENT!

About the United Service Organization (USO)

For more than 65 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has been providing morale, welfare and recreational services to U.S. military personnel and their families. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of the American people to support its programs and services.Other corporate donors, including the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-0600), have joined thousands of individual donors to support the USO. For more information on the USO, please visit our Web site at http://www.uso.org/. The USO has no affiliation with Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc., or any of its subsidiaries.

About Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc.

Through its subsidiaries, Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. (formed in 1981) provides investment management and financial planning services to clients throughout the United States. Waddell & Reed, Inc. (created in 1937) serves as principal underwriter and distributor to the Waddell & Reed Advisors Group of Mutual Funds, W&R Target Funds, Inc. and Waddell & Reed InvestEd Portfolios, Inc., while Ivy Funds Distributor, Inc. (organized in 1993) serves as principal underwriter and distributor to the Ivy Funds. Please remember that, as with any mutual fund, investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate, and shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

American Bikers Aimed Toward Education Supporting OUR Troops (click here for website)

2007-09-07T08:21:00.000-06:00

ABATE of INDIANA Region 6
MONROE COUNTY
4th Annual FALL BASH

A PORTION OF THIS RIDE'S PROCEEDS WILL

GO TO OUR UNIT!!!!!

September 15, 2007
Sign up 10:00-11:30
At Harley Davidson-Bloomington
Ride Leaves at 11:45

Cost: $15.00 single - $25.00 couple
(includes ride, food, entertainment & more!)

Ride concludes on Burma Road with motorcycle rodeo, hog roast,
live music with Silverado and much more!

Overnight camping available & encouraged !

Indianapolis Indians SUPPORT THE MILITARY (click here for link)

2007-08-28T15:32:00.000-06:00

The Indianapolis Indians minor league baseball team has a special program called Tickets for Troops. They are providing tickets to their Friday evening game, this Friday, the 31st, for service members and their families.

Uniforms are not required, though requested, so the military presence will be apparent.

There will be fire works after the game.

No later than noon on Thursday, the names of Soldiers who desire tickets and the number of tickets, up to four, must be called or emailed to the INNG POC, Susan Hawver (317 247-3222 or susan.hawver@ng.army.mil).

Families of deployed Soldiers should send their names and ticket information through Kimberly Goodin in Family Programs (317 247-3300 x 4030) since the Soldier will not be available to pick up the tickets personally.

Please remember the deadline is noon on Thursday, August 30th.

The tickets will be left at will-call at the park. Will call is located on the west side of the stadium, contacted through the parking lot off ofMaryland St.

Please be aware that parking isn't available at Victory Field for the general public, only suite holders and handicapped. Parking can be found across the street at the State Museum, at West and Maryland at the State Government parking garage, as well as at the zoo. The Indians' Web site contains excellent information for driving instructions, more parking information, etc.

GO INDIANS!

VETERANS' DAY AT THE INDIANA STATE FAIR

2007-08-08T19:51:00.000-06:00

Celebrate at the Indiana State Fair on AUGUST 19th as it is VETERANS' DAY!

All military personnel in uniform will be admitted FREE OF CHARGE.

Discount coupons are available for our families. Please see Jenny Tracy for your coupons.

On AUGUST 19th, there will be a VETERANS Recognition Ceremoy, parade, and much more.

Come celebrate with our Nation's heros.

MILITARY NIGHT WITH THE INDIANA FEVER (click here for link)

2007-07-20T18:24:00.000-06:00

Military Night with the INDIANA FEVER!!

PURCHASE TICKETS THROUGH THIS SPECIAL OFFER TO SEE THE FEVER IN ACTION!

For your service or employment with the U.S. ARMED FORCES, you, along with your family and friends are invited to join us for a McDonald’s Family Night presented by The Indianapolis Star with the Indiana Fever!

Use this link to place your order,
https://www.consecofieldhouse.com/t_group~fan~GUESTB2460CE4480877D65D01490E948~id~1876~service~0.asp

Your Group ID is US857

Sunday, August 5: Indiana Fever vs. Sacramento Monarchs (7pm)

For every ticket purchased through this offer for this game you will receive:

-voucher redeemable for one FREE hot dog, bag of chips, and small Pepsi beverage
-FREE T-Shirt!

Order now!

Tickets are limited and subject to availability.

Ticket price includes a 6% Marion Co. Admissions Tax.

No refunds or exchanges.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:All seat locations and purchases processed a PS&E Staff member

Contact Dionna Smith of the Indiana Fever at (317) 917-2897 or via e-mail at dsmith@pacers.com.

FAMILY DAY FOR HHSB

2007-07-01T18:27:00.000-06:00

YOU'RE INVITED FOR FUN, FAMILY, AND FOOD!

Oh, say can you see....

yourself at HHSB's

FAMILY DAY celebration.

...please come celebrate your soldiers accomplishments and enjoy time with your soldier and other military families.

Saturday, July 14th

11am - 2pm

Bloomington Armory

Lunch will be served. We ask you to just bring a dessert to share.

There will be games to play and prizes to win.

There will be raffles.

There will also be a bouncy room for the children to play on.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: VFW Auxiliary and AMVETS Auxiliary.

Picnic with the Pops (click here for link)

2007-06-06T13:48:00.000-06:00

Have you been thinking about meeting other HHSB families?

Are you ready for some summer fun?

Come join us…......................

Saturday, June 30th at 5pm

for Picnic with the Pops

* * *Show your support * * *
Do you want to show support to our soldiers and other families? Are you a soldier or family who needs our support? This is a great opportunity to meet the HHSB family, show our patriotism and have a lot of fun! Picnic with the Pops will feature our 2-150 FA Honor Guard and Artillery Cannons.There will be children’s activities, food, fireworks and a lot of music!

These soldiers will be performing that evening.

COLOR GUARD:

MSG Therron Thomas, NCOIC, US FLAG (HHSB)

SSG Adrian Hales, Asst NCOIC, State Flag (HHSB)

SGT Victor Bever, Rifleman (HHSB)

SGT Michael Matthew, Rifleman (HHSB)

Pictures of Color Guard Members

<- Matthew

Bever->

<- Thomas

Hales
V

CANNONEERS

CPT Charles Padgett (B Battery)

SSG Lance Murphy (HHSB)

SSG Richard Joyce (B Battery)

SSG Edward Cooney (HHSB)

SGT Danny Jordan(HHSB)

CDT Brandon Lapehn (HHSB)

SPC Kenneth Wells (HHSB)

SPC Casey Cotten (B Battery)

SPC Jeremiah Sowers (B Battery)

SPC Tyler Flynn (B Battery)

PV2 Ronald Skirvin (B Battery)

PV2 Stephen Farber (B Battery)

PV2 Thomas Taylor (B Battery)

PV2 Cody Carmack (B Battery)

***Saturday, June 30th for Picnic with the Pops***

MEET AT 5PM (AT IVY TECH)

The FRG will have reserved seating at a 1st come basis. Bring cold drinks for your family and a side dish to share and we’ll provide sandwiches. Take advantage of GREAT seating and food & RSVP ASAP !!!!!!!!!!!!!

For more information or to RSVP, please contact Jenny Tracy @ jennifer.lynne.tracy@us.army.mil or 812-339-5618

2-150 FA HHSB'S VERY OWN AWARDED, INDIANA VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

2007-05-07T09:20:00.000-06:00

The State Family Program Office awarded JENNIFER JOHANNINGSMEIER the award for Indiana's Volunteer of the Year. We were privileged to pass this award out on May 6th at drill and have Jennifer and her family present. This is the first ever Volunteer Award given in the state of Indiana in relation to the Military Family Program and we are extremely proud of Jennifer's accomplishment.

CONGRATULATIONS JENNIFER!

Nomination sent in by Jenny Tracy in February 2007.

The nomination for this award read as follows:

Jennifer is much more than just the FRG Secretary, she is the grounding force in our FRG’s leadership, the devil’s advocate in our decision making, and the kind heart of our family. Jennifer performs her duties extremely well as she takes minutes, provides information to the Newsletter Editor, manages our volunteer hours, up until Dec 1 she did all correspondence such as birthday cards, get well, encouragement and donation thanks. Jennifer also serves as the Phone Tree Point of Contact representative and calls up to 40 members every month. Jennifer attends every FRG meeting and Officer meeting with ease even though she drives two hours one-way to get there. She is a mother of two children that are under the age of five. She is a very large participant in her church as well as active member in her large family. Jennifer has attended Veteran Affairs cabinet meeting with the past Congressman Mike Sodrel and maintained a job of patience as she is a professional instructor of special education children. Jennifer’s soldier, husband, has been in and out of her life due to his military dedication. From Officer Training at Fort Sill to Iraq, Jennifer manages a house, but makes it a home. She is an outstanding person and an exceptional FRG member and leader. Jennifer is a pleasure to work with and without her this FRG would be missing a critical member. I personally am a better person for getting to know her.

The Volunteer of the Year award is presented to a non-military person who consistently displays outstanding leadership. The volunteer must be submitted by a Commander.

DEFINITION OF A VOLUNTEER:

vol·un·teer
n.
1. A person who performs or offers to perform a service voluntarily.

vol·un·teered, vol·un·teer·ing
v.
To give or offer to give voluntarily: volunteered their services.
1. To perform or offer to perform a service of one's own free will.
2. To do charitable or helpful work without pay.

JENNIFER- THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR HEART WITH OUR UNIT!

The Purpose of HHSB's Family Readiness Group (FRG)

2007-04-22T09:57:00.000-06:00

2-150 FA HHSB Bloomington, Indiana

Welcome to the 2nd Battalion 150th Field Artillery (2-150 FA) Headquarters & Headquarters Service Battery (HHSB) Family Readiness Group's Blog. We prepared this blog to help you better understand the purpose and activities of HHSB's FRG.

Who We Are!

The HHSB FRG Program is an officially-sanctioned organization that provides education, information and support for families and guard members during their association with the unit, especially during periods of separation such as drills, deployments and mobilizations.

The FRG is comprised of military and civilian volunteers. In fact, the FRG is open to the public so the community can get invovled. However, because the Family Program is an extension of the military unit, it requires command connection through the military.

Additionally, HHSB's FRG is a branch of the State Family Program, which is affiliated with the National Family Program and from which we receive information and guidance.

Any questions or concerns regarding the FRG should be directed to Jenny Tracy, FRG Chairperson.

If you want to learn more about HHSB's FRG,

please join us at our information meeting.

We hope to see you there!

PURPOSES OF HHSB'S FRG:

To help bond the unit’s families together and promote a sense of friendship.
To relay vital information from the Army National Guard, Battalion, and State Family Program in order to lessen the feeling of isolation and convey the concerns for the well being of Guard families.

To aid the unit’s families in better understanding the mission of the Battalion.
To keep the unit’s families informed about activities sponsored by the Battalion/State Family Program.

To provide an avenue for the unit’s families to share some of the common rewards, or tensions and frustrations of military life.

To assist the unit’s family readiness group in their preparation for deployment.

MAY GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!