The Rod Cronk Page

Latest news from Rod:

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Please pass on to all friends and families.

Greetings from Kuwait! August has been the most miserable month so far for heat and humidity with temperatures above 115 and 40%+ humidity. Soldiers try and hide from it after lunch when it is the worst, but sometimes it is unavoidable with convoys arriving or preparing to leave. In an effort to combat the heat, 90% of the company has shifted their schedule to late night/early morning start times when it is below 100 degrees and there is less wind and dust. Despite these conditions, Soldiers remain motivated.

Missions have taken Soldiers of the 1404th (both AZ and NV) all over Iraq. One mission as far North as Marez. The Soldiers have shown their ability to adapt to and successfully navigate the challenges of working with the HET systems. Narrow checkpoints, bridges, and base entries and exits continue to be among these challenges. I have been out on two convoys so far and our Soldiers are taking their responsibilities seriously. It is also good to see so many Iraqi Army Soldiers and Iraqi Police Officers manning checkpoints and patrolling. When convoys return, the Soldiers ask for missions right away in order to get back out on the road. The time goes faster when they are engaged in their missions. However, there still is a lot of work on Camp Arifjan maintaining and preparing trucks and trailers for mission, keeping up with training requirements, attending schools like WLC (warrior leader course) and CLS (combat lifesaver), as well as physical training. There are also multiple events that Soldiers can engage in like body building competitions, soccer,
volleyball, karaoke, and talent shows. Our own SSG James Eddings, 2nd Platoon, was a strong contender for winning the Camp Arifjan Karaoke competition but unfortunately his mission ended one day after the final competition, which brought great disappointment to many fans!

Maintenance continues to be the backbone of what happens, or doesn't happen, on missions. They work long hours and have really put their hearts into what they do. They have taken pride in their work and it shows as this worn fleet continues to complete missions. Mr. Don Lintel, our maintenance Tech, estimated that these vehicles have close to 400,000 miles on them! They will continue to be a challenge throughout the deployment.

There are other jobs and assignments that come with being part of the Battalion (some more glamorous than others), but all necessary. At one point SPC Stephan Atkin (2nd PLT) and PFC Steven Sauceda (1st PLT) were escorting MRAP vehicles to Afganistan via airplane. Currently SSG Jonathan
Snyder and SPC Robert Warner, both out of Headquarters PLT, are trying out their sea-legs and cooking abilities aboard an Army Vessel that runs missions up and down the Persian Gulf. No complaints from either of them!

Thank you for your continued support. I will try and send updates more regularly as we continue to push through this deployment. SPC Matthew Greggerson has been given the task to compile pictures and help with the 1404th monthly news letter. We should see the first publication in September.

Regards, - CPT Judd
 

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