Face of Defense: Army Captain Looks After Her Troops

By Mollie Miller

1st Infantry Division

FORT RILEY, Kan., Sept. 17, 2012 – Army Capt. Lisa Halvorson’s troops have called her "Mama Halvorson" since she took over the 1st Infantry Division’s Company C, 601st Aviation Support Battalion, Combat Aviation Brigade, nearly two years ago.

Halvorson, a signal officer who served as commander of the "Crusaders" until a few weeks ago, is an experienced soldier with just a hint of a southern drawl. And being Mama Halvorson to her troops suits her just fine, she said.

"I love my soldiers," Halvorson said. "I'm not just here doing a job, and they can tell."

Halvorson took command of Company C in October 2010, about halfway through the unit's deployment to Iraq. Quickly, the new commander realized her troops faced some challenges, and she began designing a plan to strengthen the men and women in her unit.

"I asked myself, 'How am I going to mentor all of them to become better soldiers?'" Halvorson said. "I immediately stopped, though, and said, 'No, how can I help my soldiers become better people?'"

Over time, Halvorson's plan to make her team into better soldiers and better people evolved into a schedule that included weekly classes covering topics such as resilience training, life skills and sexual assault prevention. The goal of the classes, Halvorson said, was to help to teach her soldiers how to "live the right way."

"In the beginning, we were building the trust level and getting to know one another," she said. "I talk a lot, but when I'm talking to my soldiers, I listen a lot, too."

Once the Crusaders returned to Fort Riley at the end of their deployment, Halvorson added more elements into the plan to strengthen the company. Monthly family readiness group events, long-range calendars and classes designed to address the unit's specific needs all provided stability and predictability as the soldiers returned to their "normal" lives back in Kansas.

"Charlie Company is a very tight group of soldiers, and they watch out for each other like family," said Lt. Col. Allan Lancetta, 601st ASB commander. "[Halvorson] and her leadership have found the right balance of educating soldiers, training soldiers and engaging soldiers."

The plan that kept her soldiers and family members safe during an often challenging reintegration time was not created in a vacuum, Halvorson said. To create something that works, she said, it was necessary to get out from behind her computer and really get to know her soldiers.

"Leaders need to step outside their offices," Halvorson said. "When you step outside your office, you will really see what is going on."

The Crusaders' success hasn't gone unnoticed. In December, the company received the 1st Infantry Division's "Encased Saber," honoring a record of more than 1,400 days free from alcohol- or drug-related incidents. At the award ceremony, Halvorson said her company's success could be traced to engaged leaders at all levels who listen and use their resources to take care of soldiers.

"Long gone are the days when a commander or senior noncommissioned officer simply scared people into listening," Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Sasser, the division’s senior NCO, said during the saber presentation ceremony. "Saving a career, and, sometimes, saving life requires outside-of-the-box thinking like this. This is a great accomplishment."

Halvorson concluded her time with the Crusaders at the end of August. Although she is no longer with her team -- men and women who she still considers family -- the signal officer will never forget the lessons they taught her during the past 20-plus months.

Halvorson said she hopes her soldiers do not forget the lessons she’s tried to teach them.

"I hope what I did here made them stronger," she said. "I hope that caring for them, listening to them and really seeing them will lead them to be positive, successful leaders and people in the future."

Face of Defense: Apache Pilot Fulfills Lifelong Dream

By Mollie Miller

1st Infantry Division

FORT RILEY, Kan. – Although Chief Warrant Officer 2 Laura Tanski first “slipped the surly bonds of Earth” as an Army aviator two years ago, she has been living in the clouds for most of her life.

“For as long as I can remember, my room was filled with airplanes and helicopters,” Tanski, an Apache helicopter pilot with the 1st Infantry Division’s 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, said recently. “I have always loved aviation, and I knew since I was a kid that I was going to fly.”

Tanski’s route to the skies began in her hometown of Dearborn Heights, Mich., long before she was even old enough to ride a bike, much less fly a helicopter.

“We were always attending air shows or visiting the air museum,” said Patricia Tanski, the Apache pilot’s mother. “Her passion for flying just grew and grew.”

While in high school, Tanski got her first taste of flight during flying lessons at a local airport. That quick taste, which included a rather harrowing solo flight in a snowstorm, left the young pilot hooked.

“I am fascinated by the fact that a huge machine like a plane or a helicopter can actually fly,” she said. “I wanted to be a part of that.”

After a short tour with the Air Force and a deployment to Iraq with the 25th Infantry Division as an Army air traffic controller, Tanski decided that it was time that she stopped managing aircraft from the ground. She put in her paperwork to attend flight school and was selected in early 2008.

“The day I got selected for flight school was the best day of my life,” she said. “I just kept looking at that selection list on the computer – I had to double and triple check it to make sure I was seeing things right.”

Tanski spent two years learning how to fly at Fort Rucker, Ala. The young aviator said the flying part came easy in the early days of flight school – she was, in fact, one of the first students in her class to fly solo. When the time came to select her advanced aircraft, she said, she had her heart set on one, and only one, airframe: the AH-64 Apache, one of the Army’s most lethal pieces of equipment.

“My intent has always been to get as close into the battle as possible, and I knew that the Apache was always right there in every mission.”

Her mother was not surprised that Tanski selected the Apache; she said she would have been more surprised if her daughter hadn’t selected the high-tech aircraft.

“Laura has always welcomed a challenge, so it was no surprise that she would choose the most challenging and complex helicopter,” she said.

When she began the Apache helicopter block of instruction, Tanski was the only woman in her class. Today, she is one of just four Apache pilots in her battalion, and one of fewer than 20 female helicopter pilots who call the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade home.

Being a member of such a small group has never made much of a difference to her, Tanski said. There is no difference between the soldiers to her left and right and the big brother who tore up and down the roads of Dearborn playing street hockey with his little sister, she explained.

“Having an older brother really prepared me for life in this unit and in the Army,” she said. “All the soldiers here are just like brothers to me. We play jokes on each other and have a good time, but we work hard, too. Our company is very close. It really is like a family down here.”

Now edging toward 300 total flight hours, including 80 combat hours, Tanski said she is looking forward to her future in Army aviation.

“I want to become an instructor pilot I had some fantastic instructors while I was at Fort Rucker, and I want to be able to teach others just like those great IPs taught me.”

She also has a few things to teach women who are blazing their own Army paths in fields typically dominated by men.

“Never give up, no matter who says you can’t do it,” she said. “If you want it, if this is your dream, go for it.”

Her daughter’s dedication to excellence and never ending pursuit of her dream has made the pilot’s mother quite proud of a little girl who used to save her allowance so she could buy rocket kits and host launch parties in the backyard.

“I feel my daughter is not only a role model for her family, especially her nieces, but for every woman who has a goal that she is working to accomplish,” she said. “Even I continue to be inspired by my daughter every day.”

Face of Defense: City Commends Fort Riley Soldier

By Army Sgt. Roland Hale

Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division

FORT RILEY, Kan., Aug. 5, 2011 – A soldier assigned here received a certificate of appreciation Aug. 2 from Mayor Pat Landers of Junction City, Kan., for his help in apprehending a suspect fleeing from local police June 26.

Army Sgt. Steven Zimmerman was on his way home from a store when he saw the suspect running away from Geary County sheriff’s deputies. Zimmerman, who was closer to the suspect, stopped his vehicle and took up the chase.

“There wasn’t much of a thought process,” Zimmerman said. “I just saw some brothers in trouble that needed help, so I put the car in park and did what I could.”

Zimmerman tackled the suspect and detained him until the deputies caught up.

“We worked for several weeks to make the arrest of that individual, and almost lost him,” Police Chief Tim Brown said, “but thanks to Sergeant Zimmerman, we didn’t.”

Zimmerman serves with the 601st Aviation Support Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade. Several senior leaders of the unit turned out to show their support, including Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Thomson, the brigade’s senior enlisted soldier.

“Sergeant Zimmerman’s actions speak volumes about his character and are a great example of our [noncommissioned officer] Corps today,” Thomson said. “His quick thinking and deliberate engagement exemplify our NCO Creed and have made a positive impact on the local community.

“[He] is the type of leader who steps up and takes action,” Thomson continued, whether in the sands of Iraq or on the streets of Junction City. We’re tremendously proud of him.”

Zimmerman has been in the Army for three years, and has prior service in the Marines. He said while his actions were mostly triggered by instinct, his military training also taught him it was the right thing to do.

“The recognition is way more than I thought it would be,” he said. “At the time, it was that quick. I was just helping out someone in trouble. Seeing the command represented out here, and to get the thanks from Junction City police, I really appreciate it.”

Zimmerman also will receive the Army Commendation Medal, which can be presented to individuals who distinguish themselves by heroism, extraordinary achievement or meritorious service, officials said.