Upcoming activities and events

1. Task Force Knighthawk
24 May 2012
FRSA Flash
www.facebook.com/TF Knighthawk
Government Organization
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of re-
membrance for those who have died in our nation's service.
There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two
dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence
that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War:
a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the
dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate
Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y.
was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's
difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate begin-
nings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war
dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honora-
bly to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868.
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander
of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May
1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington Na-
tional Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it
was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring
their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just
those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is
now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the Na-
tional Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays),
though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war
dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South
Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.
In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," Moina Michael replied with her own poem:
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died
serving the nation during war.

2. Schedule of FRG Events
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Ladies Weekend in Niagara Falls, (see flyer )
Monday, May 30th FRG Meeting and Pay your Grade, 2pm at the motor pool
Snapshot fundraiser, (see flyer )
May 2012
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31
5/29 Army Soldier Show, 1800 @ Magrath Gym
5/30 Mountain Remembrance Ceremony, 1630-
1700 @ Main Post Chapel
5/31 American Red Cross Blood Drive, 0900-
1700 @ USO

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MEDDAC PROVIDES CLINIC COVERAGE PLANS
FOR THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND TRAINING
AND FEDERAL HOLIDAYS, MAY 25 & 28
U.S. Army Medical Department Activity officials have an-
nounced clinic coverage plans for the Memorial Day train-
ing and federal holidays, May 25 and May 28, respectively.
All MEDDAC facilities will be closed with the exception of urgent care availability at
the Family Medicine Clinic at Guthrie. Urgent Care will be available from 9 a.m. to
4 p.m. to support patients' urgent medical needs on May 25 and May 28, as well as
on Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.
For medical emergencies, please call 911 or go to the nearest hospital emergency
department for treatment.
------------
VETERINARY SERVICES OUTLINES MEMORIAL DAY CLOSURE
SCHEDULE
The Fort Drum Veterinary Clinic will be closed, May 25-28, for Memorial Day.
Normal business hours will resume May 29.

4. FRG Company Blogs
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DeathStalkers:
Thank you for coming to the BBQ on Friday, it was good to see everyone!!! Hope everyone had a good time.
Congratulations the Conley’s for their new addition!!!
Warlords:
Hello and welcome to our new company name… C Co. Warlords! In the days to follow you will see a new email
coming from the FRG Leadership to reflect this change as well.
With the change of command last week came a slight change in the FRG leadership as well. Casey Green, the
new commander's wife, is stepping up as Leader and Janina will be stepping down. Janina has been a great
help to me and we will miss her in her leadership but she will still be hanging around and helping out the FRG
and as our Treasurer.
With that said, I'm sure we are all looking forward to this summer's adventures and activities. Please make sure
to check out the FRSA FLASH weekly. It contains useful information in regards to activities on and off the in-
stallation, training schedules, volunteer opputunities and so much more….. Did you also know that military and
their dependents can also get free annual passes to national parks starting tomorrow. Check out the Task Force
facebook page as well, TF Knighthawk Government Organization.
Have a great weekend and you will be hearing from us again soon.
Dragonhawks:
I hope that you are all enjoying this beautiful weather! We have a few things that we needs to get out to every-
one. I will be receiving weekly submissions of the FRSA Flash, so as soon it is received it will be disbursed to
everyone! A single Soldiers dinner is planned for Thursday, May 31. Any/ALL volunteers please show up at
5pm to help set up, dinner will begin at 5:30pm. Right after dinner we would like to have a very short FRG
meeting to give out some additional information for the month of June.
Here is a list of items that we need for dinner so if you are able to donate something that would be great! Thank
you for your help, very deeply appreciated!!
Pulled Pork
Potato Salad
Mac & Cheese
Cole Slaw
Drinks
Desserts
Loaf of Italian Bread
BBQ Sauce
What we have now:
Plates
Cups
Forks/Knives/Spoons
Napkins
Hot Sauce
Salt/Pepper

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Firehawks:
we are looking for a volunteer to head up the FRG newsletter. It will be published at the start of each month and
contain basic info like dates, fundraising, family spotlights and recipes. If you are interested in helping out, please
let us know.
We are also looking for input on what our families/Soldiers would like to do in the upcoming months. What types
of activities do you enjoy? Who would you like to have as a guest speaker at our meetings? Our attendance is great
and our motivation is on a roll, but we need your help to keep it going!
Nomads:
Summer will soon be here…but with the rising temperatures, so comes an upswing in our training in preparation
for future operations. HHC continues to work hard and the Company will be looking forward to a much deserved block
leave period this July.
Jennifer and I would like to take the opportunity to welcome some new Families to the Nomad formation. CW3
Ed Smith is the new Task Force Tactical Operations Officer. CW3 Smith, his wife Jean, and Family are not new to the
Brigade, however. They were last assigned with Task Force Phoenix during our most recent deployment and he brings a
wealth of experience to the team. Next, SSG Stephanie Thomas and her Family come to us from Korea. SSG Thomas is a
new addition to our S4 shop and will play a major role ensuring that the Task Force is properly equipped. We have also
recently welcomed two Captains to our S3 section. CPT Jon Ryder, an Apache pilot, and his wife, Courtney, come to us
from the Aviation Captain’s Career Course at Fort Rucker. In addition, CPT Mark Axtell, a Blackhawk pilot, and his wife,
English, were last assigned to Fort Benning, Georgia, where he attended the Infantry Captain’s Career Course (we’ll try
not to hold that against him though). We would also like to welcome SSG Shawn Calvert, our new S2 NCOIC, and 1LT
Meghan Brower, our new S6. We are glad to have all of these key players on board.
Many of you may know that SSG Wolfe, our Headquarters Platoon Sergeant, recently lost his house due to a fire.
While that is certainly not good news, the outpouring of support and assistance from the Nomad Family was truly inspir-
ing. Many of our Soldiers and Family members gave of their time, money, or donated belongings to help SSG Wolfe and
his Family get back on their feet. I would like to thank the whole Company personally for their efforts in helping one of
our own in his time of need. In case you haven’t heard, SSG Wolfe has already begun the process of rebuilding his home
and it will hopefully be complete this Summer.
Last, but certainly not least, congratulations are in order for SGT Jason Feltzer, who retired this month after 20
years of military service. Your presence in the S3 shop will certainly be missed, but you have earned every bit of your
newfound time off. We know that Leanne and the girls are glad they’ll have you home a bit more often.
In closing, I hope everyone is enjoying the change in weather and making plans to take part in all the North
Country has to offer. As always, please be in touch if there’s anything we can do for you.
Captain Wes and Jennifer Cannon
Nomad 06 Team

6. FRG Company Blogs cont.
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Save the Dates!
Fort Drum’s Special Events
The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families - Family and
MWR in partnership with the USO is proud to present The Sesame Street/USO
Experience for Military Families on June 5 and 6 at Monti Physical Fitness Cen-
ter. Sesame Street is bringing the furry, fuzzy and friendly Muppets to Military
Families around the world with a visit to Fort Drum with two shows presented
each day at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. At these shows your family will meet Katie, a Mili-
tary kid on Sesame Street who is moving to a new place and learn how she and
her friends cope with this change. Free Tickets for these shows are available
through your Military Unit, CYS Services, the USO beginning May 24. Please call
CYSS Parent Central Services at 772-8675 if you need more information.
Riverfest – Enjoy a day on the Saint Lawrence River in the village of Alexandria
Bay including a boat tour of the Thousand Islands, visit to Heart Island and Boldt
Castle, Lunch, children’s amusements and fun on June 21with tickets on sale
from your Brigade Unit Representative soon.
Mountainfest – A great day of food, activities, Salute to the Nation, games, and
music on Division Hill, June 28.

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Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment of the Arts, Blue Star
Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 1,500 museums across America. First launched
in the summer of 2010, Blue Star Museums offers FREE admission to all active duty military per-
sonnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 28, through Labor Day, September 3, 2012.
Old McDonald’s Farm
Attention Military families: All military adults with active duty ID will receive $2 off admission dur-
ing the 2012 season! Regular admission is $8.00 per person
Hours of Operation - Open Every Day May 1st thru October 31st. Spring: May
1st-School recess. Weekdays 10:00-4:00 & Weekends 10:00-5:00
OLD McDonald's FARM | 14471 County Rt 145 - Sackets Harbor, NY 13685 |
(315) 583-5737
Group Rates - Visit and Learn at Old McDonald's Farm! They can now seat 100 guests indoors!!
What a great opportunity for an FRG Event. Groups will:
Visit With Over 200 Animals, The Wizard of OZ Hayride, Mini Golf, Inflated Adventure Playground
(small children only), Modern Dairy Tour on the Moo Town Trolley. Please call for non-school
groups rates. Extras: Pony Rides for smaller children 60lbs and under. Animal Food: 50 cents/cup
The St. Lawrence Power & Equipment Museum is offering active duty and wounded
warriors free admission to our June Exhibition June 9 & 10, 2012 in Madrid, NY.

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For more job announcements and
job searching tips, we post 5-
10 jobs daily on our face book
page!
http://www.facebook.com/
fortdrumemployment
Ft. Drum Employment Readiness Program upcoming Events and Workshops
All classes will be located at the ACS building. Please RSVP
**Computer Basics for Job Seekers -
Intro to PowerPoint - 30 May - 9:30-11:30
Basic Excel - 4 June - 1:00-3:00
**Employment 101 - 30 May - 1:00-3:00
**Employment 101 - 7 June - 9:30-11:30
**Build Your Own Business - 13 June - 9:30-11:20
**Resume Writing Computer Lab - 11 June - 9:30-10:30 - ACS
Contents of this newsletter are compiled from multiple Military Family news sources. Material presented
does not represent the views or endorsement of TF Knighthawk or the United States Army. This material is
for personal use of the readers. All readers are encouraged to do further research for all applicable restric-
tions and guidelines.