The weekend of July 17th & 18th was the change of command for our battalion, 90th ASB (Aviation Support Battalion) out of NAS-JRB and Grand Prairie. LTC Notch left us after 22
months. During his leadership our small unit of about 250 soldiers grew to a nearly full battalion of 600+ soldiers. I will miss his friendship most of all. The events began with a Dining-Out formal event Saturday evening and a Change of Command Ceremony Sunday morning.
I had never attended a Dining-out event before and the evening was quiet a spectacle! The LTC of the 11th was there with his CSM, our out going LTC (Lieutenant Colonel) and his CSM (Command Sargeant Major) as well as the new LTC (who keeps the same CSM). All in attenendace were either in Class A's (formal uniform) or civilian formal wear. I enjoyed the evening with a good friend and had a wonderful time. At the end of the event, my friend asked me to go with her to talk to LTC McLeary for a few minutes. Monica has known LTC McLeary since he was our unit commander several years ago and was located at Fort Hood, Texas. He is now over the unit Troy is deployed with in Virginia. As we spoke he mentioned meeting me at the Yellow Ribbon Event for the 5/159th back in August of last year. He asked how everything was going and mentioned the problem we have been experiencing since November with Troy's flight orders.
If you haven't heard, Troy has been a Flight Engineer on a Chinook helicopter in Iraq since he arrived. He was never issued orders to be flying, but "they" said that would come. Without flight orders, you do not receive flight pay. See the problem??? Well, it worsens, of course! Troy had exhausted all sources in Iraq to get to the bottom of the flight orders/pay issue and was told to get a congressman involved in the process. I was sure we had not exhausted all alternatives before going to a congressman, so I went to work on the problem here at home. Kudos to LTC Notch, our outgoing Commander for his assistance. I went to him one day at Headquarters in Grand Prairie and asked if he could help with the problem even though Troy is no currently in our unit (because of the deployment with the other unit). LTC Notch assured me he would put out a few calls to see what could be done. No discernable results of course.
One of LTC Notch's contacts was LTC McLeary back in Virginia. That is how we get back to the weekend of the Change of Command... After dinner, LTC McLeary told me that the next day General Quinn would be at the Change of Command and he wanted me to meet him so that he had a face to go with the situation that needed General Quinn's assistance.
Our soldiers looked so good standing out on the flight line (in 100 degree heat at 11am) in front of an Apache helicopter, a Blackhawk helicopter and various other vehicles our unit maintains. The Chinook stayed in our hangar during the ceremony unfortunately. I was honored to meet (one Star) General Quinn as per LTC McLeary's suggestion. During our conversation, LTC McLeary informed General Quinn of my service to our battalion as the FRG Leader for the past three years, that my husband as well as my son were serving concurrently in Iraq and that my youngest son was about to deploy later this year. General Quinn assured me that he would look into Troy's problem and that I would receive an answer or an update from LTC McLeary by Wednesday.
I truly felt we had exhausted all military sources at the end of the day. Not many people are allowed to take their personal issues directly to a One Star General. It is not usual military protocol. I am blessed to be in a very unique position and was afforded a rare opportunity to do so! Tuesday morning I received two emails and a phone call stating the Troy's flight orders had been cut and were in the process for back pay!! One day ahead of schedule! Texas-sized Thank You to General Quinn! Big Thank Yous to all of the others who assisted in this challenge!
Wow... what a difference a STAR can make in one's life!
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