Newsletter from TJ to the families about the Deployment

Every month the Battalion puts out a newsletter to the families about what is going on with each company. I have copied and pasted Alpha Company's (TJ's Company) so everyone can get an idea of what is going on over there.

Mustang families & friends,

We have all made it to Bagram, Afghanistan successfully and could not have done it without your support and help over the last few intense months. The last few months prior to a deployment are full of change and long days and I thank each and every one of you for your patience and contributions. Because of your support your family member is fully prepared to take on this challenging mission.

First I would like to congratulate Pedro and Sunny Gonzalez on the birth of their beautiful little girl, Sole. You two have a blessing from God, and all the Mustang’s send their congratulations!SPC Washington and SPC Sullivan’s families also deserve congratulations. SGT Washington was promoted on 1 February, and I can not think of anyone more deserving. SGT Washington is a tremendous asset to our team and he definitely deserves this promotion and recognition. SPC Sullivan along with Brandi has made the decision for him to reenlist and continue to serve. I know that they will enjoy the benefits of a tax free bonus, but money is just part of it and they are both committed to making sacrifices for the good of the nation. I thank both of you for your commitment to service.

Getting to Afghanistan and getting set up was no easy task. Every soldier has worked extremely hard and I could not be prouder. All of the soldiers on the advanced party did a superb job and were completely ready to receive the rest of us. WO1 Semi Lemafa really stepped into multiple different lanes and proved to be an invaluable asset as a pilot and especially in the administrative task required to set a unit up for success.

I also have to thank the other early deplorers that escorted our aircraft through Rota, Spain. They could not have done a better job. Especially SGT Bullock and the other crew chiefs that worked tirelessly rebuilding our aircraft and helping the 10th Mountain fold their aircraft for redeployment. I know it was difficult for all the families of the early deplorers, but you should know that we would not have been ready to receive the mission without their efforts.We completely took over the mission on 27 January, and have not looked back.

Since arrival we have flown over 400 hours on several different mission types. Mustangs have flown missions supporting troop movements, ammo re-supply, MEDEVAC operations, VIP missions to include the Secretary of Defense, and several other general support missions. While conducting these missions the instructors have still continued to train crewmembers on gunnery, high altitude operations, and emergency GPS approaches. Needless to say our maintainers have stayed busy keeping aircraft up and safe to operate. Maintenance is definitely the center of all operations here and our maintainers are responding to the challenge. The maintenance test pilots, platoon sergeants, crew chiefs, and door gunners have been working long tireless hours, but it pays off everyday when we are able to launch and support our mission.

Everyone is doing great work and morale is still very high. We have a great team of soldiers that are dedicated to the mission but also know how to have fun. It is going to be a long year no matter how you look at it, but we are focused in the right direction and with your continued support we will get through it a day at a time.

Please continue to stay in contact with Julie if there are changes to your contact information. Julie and I are here to help with any problem that comes up so please don’t hesitate to contact either one of us. You should all be very proud of your family member and the Mustang team, they are all true professionals. 1SG and I are truly proud to serve with this team, and to be associated with you. Continue to send the mail and care packages and thanks for everything that you do for us in the states.

Mustangs, Let’s Ride!


Tyson J. Hise
Commander

Pictures of TJ in Afghanistan

Here are some pictures TJ that he and some of the other soldiers have taken during the deployment. He is doing good and flying a lot. He is able to call a good bit but Ty usually gets to talk to him longer than I do. I usually have to chase Ty down with the phone. I posted more pictures to another site that all the spouses in his company can check. There are additional pictures of the soldiers and more pictures of the area.

http://alpha-company.blogspot.com/

Columbia Zoo

On the way back to NC we stopped at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC. It is a good half way point for us. Ty loves all the animals and gets a chance to run around.

Ty wouldn' t look at me because he was enthralled by the monkey in the background.
Ty really liked all the stone animals and had to climb on all of them.
Croc-a-lators is what Ty calls these alligators.
The scuba man was cleaning up the tank. I thought Ty was going to have a meltdown when I told him we had to go.

Pinata Time

No party is complete without a pinata. It was so cold out we had to get them to hurry. They all had a good time, although the little ones were not sure why they were hitting a big yellow pooh with a stick.

Owen's First Birthday Party

Owen (my nephew) just turned one! He had his party on Sunday afternoon and everyone had a great time. Below are some of him and his cake.

Sleeping and Eating

Alley is doing two of her favorite things in the pictures below. If you look closely at the one below you can see her drooling! In the ones where she is eating, she not only uses her hands to hold her bottle, but her feet also.

Bubble Bath

Ty and Mason played in the bubble bath for about 45 minutes one night. They had bubbles EVERYWHERE by the time they were done with the bath. Cousins have so much fun together!

Ty, Alana, and Alexis

Alana and Alexis are twin sisters who are living with TJ's parents until school is out. They are in fifth grade and as tall as I am. Ty had so much fun playing with the girls while we were in Georgia visiting. Ty also learned how to build a real fire while we were there. He did a really good job helping and he loved sitting by the fire and watching it.

Gran helping Ty and Mason with painting

Gran, Ty, and Mason painted and colored pictures to send to TJ. Alley joined in on the messy room. If you can't see her, she is in the bottom picture amid all the toys and mess.

Mason and Ty playing outside

Mason came up to NC to visit Ty. They had a great time playing. It was very cold, so they could only play outside for a little bit. Dixie enjoyed playing outside with the boys.

Caroline's Birthday Party

Ty and Alley went to Caroline William's first birthday party. Ty was the only boy, but he did not mind. He had so much fun playing with Caroline's sisters, Emma Kate and Anna Lee. Alley slept through most of the party!

BATH TIME!

Ty and Alley take a bath together everynight. I have to do what I can to make bedtime go a little bit faster. We usually don't put Alley in bubbles but Ty found them before I could stop him. Alley tried to lick the bubbles and Ty just enjoyed playing.

Snowing in Fayetteville

It snowed a few weeks ago for only about an hour, then it started raining. Ty did get to get out and play in it for a little bit. He really had a good time.