Page 1 - Ft. Huachuca Scout 7-10-15

Vol. 62, No. 27
July 10, 2015

Published in the interest of Fort Huachuca personnel and their Families. Online @ www.aerotechnews.com/forthuachuca/ or via smartphone.

TDS offers advice Fort, City celebrate Nature festival
to Soldiers under Independence Day in offers something for
investigation ... style ... everyone ...
(6A) (10A, 11A) (1B)

Army announces force structure and stationing decisions

Department of Defense news release Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska into smaller units- force structure decisions announced Thursday best
maneuver battalion task forcesby the end of fiscal posture a smaller Army to meet global commitments.
The Department of the Army announced Thurs- year 2017. While brigade combat teams consist of
day force structure decisions and stationing plans approximately 4,000 soldiers, these battalion task “Budget constraints are forcing us to reduce the To-
for the reduction of the regular Army from 490,000 forces will be comprised of approximately 1,050 tal Army,” said Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, Army dep-
to 450,000 soldiers. The reduction of force structure soldiers. uty chief of staff, G-3/5/7. “These were very difficult
will occur in fiscal years 2016 and 2017; the reduc- decisions to make as all of our installations and their
tion of 40,000 end strength will be completed by the Additionally, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, communities offer tremendous value to our Army and
end of fiscal year 2018, and will be accompanied by 25th Infantry Division will remain a brigade combat the nation. In the end, we had to make decisions based
the reduction of 17,000 Department of the Army ci- team, but will convert its primary maneuver plat- on a number of strategic factors, to include readiness
vilian employees. These cuts will impact nearly ev- form. Currently, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th impacts, mission command and cost.”
ery Army installation, both in the continental United Infantry Division is a Stryker brigade combat team,
States and overseas. however, it will become an infantry brigade combat If the fiscal-caps of the 2011 Budget Control Act
team without Stryker combat vehicles. Additionally, caps, commonly referred to as sequestration, are
As part of these reductions, the number of regular the Army is analyzing a proposal to use the brigade not addressed, the Army’s end-strength will be fur-
Army brigade combat teams, the basic deployable combat team’s current Stryker equipment to con- ther reduced to 420,000 soldiers by the end of fiscal
units of maneuver in the Army, will continue to re- vert an Army National Guard brigade combat team year 2019. This will result in a cumulative loss of
duce from a wartime high of 45 to 30 by the end in the Pacific Northwest to a Stryker configuration. 150,000 soldiers from the regular Army a 26 per-
of fiscal year 2017. The Army will convert both the The Army selected these brigade combat teams for cent cut over a seven year period. The resulting force
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at reorganization based on a variety of factors includ- would be incapable of simultaneously meeting cur-
Fort Benning, Georgia and the 4th Airborne Brigade ing strategic requirements and the inherent military rent deployment requirements and responding to the
Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Joint Base value of the installations where they are based. The overseas contingency requirements of the combatant
commands.

Fort Huachuca Soldier saves family from burning home

By Stephanie Caffall kitchen unaware she and her family were out,” Melody said. “The first thing I definitely deserves [to be recognized].
Staff Writer a mere 14-feet from the fire. Stockton ex- thought to grab was to get birth certifi- “The fire department said the fire had
plained she had no idea there was a fire of cates and titles to vehicles — things that
Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Olson, Charlie any sort occurring. aren’t replaceable.” been going by for at least an hour, and he
Company, 2-13th Aviation Regiment, re- was the one who stopped,” she added
ceived an Army Achievement Medal for “There was no smoke because it was According to Olson, Melody’s hus-
informing an unaware family of five their so windy, so the smoke never came in,” band, Albert, came around the other side Olson explained that “another con-
house was on fire, helping them to safety Melody said. “We were two minutes of the house with a garden hose. cerned citizen also stopped too and tried
recently. away from sitting down for dinner.” to call 911 on her cell phone, but she
“It was next to an RV, which possi- couldn’t get through for some reason, so
Driving down Highway 90 on May When Olson arrived at the front of the bly could have made the fire hard to see I called on my phone.”
29, Olson noticed something out of the house he noticed several cars and real- — unless you’re really looking,” Albert
ordinary: flames coming out of the front ized there had to be people inside and added. If nobody had stopped, Olson believes
of a home. without hesitation pounded on the front the fire would have gotten out of control.
door. A majority of the fire was put out by
“I quickly turned [my car] around Albert’s efforts with the garden hose. Ac- “There’s no doubt in my mind, it was
because I didn’t see a barbecue, and I “I just yelled into the house, ‘hey your cording to Melody, the Sierra Vista Fire just the right thing to do,” Olson said. “If
thought it was really odd,” Olson said. house is on fire,’ and then everyone came Department ruled it as an undetermined you see a house on fire, why wouldn’t
“When I turned around, and pulled into running out,” Olson said. and accidental fire. The family is still you take the time to make sure that ev-
the driveway, sure enough, [part of] the able live in their home. eryone inside is safe?”
house was on fire.” Hearing Olson’s warning, Melody’s
oldest daughter grabbed her other two “He saved our lives because the smoke He added, “in my eyes, this isn’t a big
Inside, Melody Stockton was in her young children and ran out the door. was not coming in the house so we had no deal….a buddy of mine keeps calling me
idea it was happening,” Melody said. “He a hero, but I think it was just a common
“My husband said to get everything human decency type of thing to do.”