On Sunday, March 8th 2020,  Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division Realism Gaming Unit attended a memorial service for Specialist Richard Anderson on Cottrell Field. Richard Carl Anderson was born in Quanah, Texas on June 29, 1956 and passed away in his home Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at the age of 63 . From birth Richard was in a hurry to “grow up” and he was walking by 12 months. He was curious and a challenge to keep up with. At age three, he slept with a baseball and glove . He played hind catcher at age four with the neighborhood boys. Baseball was his passion throughout school, and by Junior High he was into motor bikes, bronc and bull riding, and hunting. He joined the U. S. Marines the day after he graduated high school and he was so very proud to be a Marine. After serving his time in the Marines; Richard, an avid fan of Louis L’Amour westerns, explored and lived in the mountains panning for gold, fur trapping, hunting, camping and fishing his secret spots. In his later years, he settled in Indian Harbor, Granbury, Texas to be near his family.

During Sundays service Richard Anderson was posthumously promoted to (E-5) Sergeant and he received the units first Medal of Honor.  The Medal of Honor is only to be awarded in the 3rd Infantry Division Realism Unit to honor an overwhelming personal sacrifice of a Soldier in a real life situation (Death). Sergeant R.Anderson's awards within the 3rd Infantry Division Realism Unit consisted of Army Service Ribbon with honors (OSUT Honor graduate), National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Air Assault Badge, Marksmanship Badge (Sharpshooter) and completion of Combat Life Savers (CLS) Course and was a Range Safety Officer within Force Improvement Group.

We ask if you have a memory or remember an interaction with R.Anderson that you post a reply and please share it.  

Semper fidelis Richard C. Anderson

The Alpha Company awards ceremony is a special occasion once a month to allow the unit commander to honor recipients who have been recognized for their accomplishments while assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division Realism Gaming Unit.  

This ceremony marked the Celebration of Life for SGT Richard Anderson

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This month, Major John LaFlash held a ceremony to recognize...

The promotions and awards are  as follows;

Private Second Class Andrew Dunn promoted to Private First Class.

Private First Class Christoph Brock promoted to Specialist.
Private First Class Ryan Stricklin promoted to Specialist.
Private First Class Robert Yankura promoted to Specialist.
Private First Class Ryan LeFavire promoted to Specialist.

Specialist Jonathan Pacheco promoted to Corporal.
Specialist David Sklenar promoted to Corporal.
Specialist Ryan Devlin promoted to Corporal.

Corporal Daniel Shade promoted to Sergeant.
Specialist Richard Anderson promoted to Sergeant.

Second Lieutenant Patrick Conlisk promoted to Master Sergeant.

Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, MOVSM

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Quincy Morton

Humanitarian Service Medal, HSM

Staff Sergeant Bailey Lambert
Corporal Adam Smith

Armed Forces Service Medal, AFSM

Master Sergeant Patrick Conlisk

National Defense Service Medal, NDSM

Private Trainee Cole Miller
Private Trainee Ishmael Pendleton

Good Conduct Medal, GCM

Major John LaFlash
First Lieutenant Brad Ahles
Corporal Kenney Maxfield
Corporal David Sklenar
Corporal Adam Smith
Corporal Jonathan Pacheco
Corporal Ryan Devlin

Army Achievement Medal, AAM

Corporal Adam Smith

Joint Service Achievement Medal, JSAM

Corporal Kenney Maxfield
Corporal Adam Smith
Specialist Kevin Stubbs

Army Commendation Medal, ACM

Master Sergeant Patrick Conlisk

Air Medal

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Quincy Morton

Purple Heart, PH

First Lieutenant Brad Ahles
Staff Sergeant Bailey Lambert
Sergeant Daniel Shade

Medal of Honor, MOH

Sergeant Richard Anderson

Combat Medical Badge

Corporal Kenney Maxfield
Corporal Kalin Grigorov

Combat Action Badge

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Quincy Morton
Warrant Officer Candidate Garry Beaudoin

Combat Infantryman Badge, CIB 1

Master Sergeant Patrick Conlisk
Staff Sergeant Bailey Lambert
Corporal Adam Smith
Corporal Jonathan Pacheco
Corporal David Sklenar
Corporal Ryan Devlin
Specialist Robert Yankura
Specialist Ryan Stricklin
Specialist Christoph Brock
Specialist Ryan LeFavire
Private First Class Shaun Adams
Private First Class Andrew Dunn
Private First Class McLain Kirkley

Combat Infantryman Badge, CIB 2

Corporal Jack Ryan
Specialist Kevin Stubbs

Combat Infantryman Badge, CIB 4

Sergeant Daniel Shade
Specialist Maarten Gregoire

On behalf of a grateful nation and a grateful gaming community, today we learnt of the passing of our very own Richard C. Anderson. Specialist R.Anderson joined our gaming community September 30th, 2019. Assigned to Alpha Company, First Platoon, First Squad as a Combat Life Saver, Anderson earned the role of Squad Combat Medic and served in First and Second Squads of First Platoon till the time of his passing.

Specialist R.Anderson having served in the Marine Corp in his early years of life, quickly gained the respect of his fellow soldiers and fit in very well in our community as he showed great passion and dedication within our unit. Specialist R.Anderson's awards consisted of Army Service Ribbon with honors, National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Air Assault Badge, Marksmanship Badge (Sharpshooter) and completion of Combat Life Savers (CLS) Course and was a Range Safety Officer within Force Improvement Group.

Our Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, March 8th @ 1300 EST (Our Teamspeak and Servers) Our thoughts and prayers are with Richard's family and close friends during this difficult time.

Semper fidelis Richard C. Anderson

The Alpha Company awards ceremony is a special occasion once a month to allow the unit commander to honor recipients who have been recognized for their accomplishments while assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division Realism Gaming Unit.  

This ceremony marked the beginning of deployment status for Operation Thin Ice. 

Recruiting and Retention is looking for dedicated Recruiters!
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Public Affairs is also looking for personnel from video editors, video recorders, streamers, journalists, and leadership.

This month, Major John LaFlash held a ceremony to recognize...

The promotions and awards are  as follows;

Recruit Sean Blake promoted to Private Second Class.

Private Second Class Robert Yankura promoted to Private First Class.
Private Second Class Christoph Brock promoted to Private First Class.

Specialist Kenney Maxfield promoted to Corporal

Sergeant Bailey Lambert promoted to Staff Sergeant

NCO Professional Development Ribbon, NCODEV

Staff Sergeant Bailey Lambert
Sergeant Kevin Stubbs
Corporal Kenney Maxfield
Specialist Adam Smith
Specialist Johnathan Pacheco
Specialist Ryan Devlin

Army Service Ribbon, ASR

Private First Class Bryson Nethaniel
Private First Class Shaun Adams
Private First Class Ryan Stricklin
Private First Class Robert Yankura
Private First Class Christoph Brock
Private Second Class Andrew Dunn
Private Second Class Sean Blake

Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, MOVSM

Specialist Adam Smith

Armed Forces Service Medal, AFSM

Staff Sergeant Bailey Lambert

National Defense Service Medal, NDSM

Private First Class Shaun Adams

Army Achievement Medal, AAM

First Lieutenant Brad Ahles

Joint Service Achievement Medal, JSAM

Sergeant First Class Garry Beaudoin
 

Marksmanship Badge (Sharpshooter)

Private First Class Christoph Brock
Private First Class Robert Yankura 
Private Second Class Sean Blake
Private Second Class Andrew Dunn
 

Marksmanship Badge (Expert)

Private First Class Bryson Nethaniel
Private First Class Shaun Adams
Private First Class Ryan Stricklin

Basic Parachute Badge

Sergeant First Class Garry Beaudoin
Corporal Kenney Maxfield
Specialist Ryan Devlin
Private First Class Christoph Brock

3rd Infantry Division Realism Gaming Unit set to deploy

On 06JAN2020 roughly 4,000 troops of the 1st brigade combat team of the 82nd Airborne Division based out of Fort Bragg, N.C., have deployed to parts of Kuwait and Iraq. They were part of the division’s global response force, kept on standby for particular emergencies. A senior United States military officer said the deployment of the 82nd Airborne paratroopers and other ground forces was defensive, meant to position more troops in the Middle East who could be quickly deployed to defend or reinforce American embassies, consulates and military bases. The deployment comes in the wake of five U.S. airstrikes on Sunday Dec 29th, 2019, that targeted an Iran-backed militia known as Kata’ib Hizbollah — a group U.S. officials have blamed for a recent spate of rocket attacks against Iraqi bases housing coalition troops.  12JAN2020, The First Battalion 30th Infantry Reg, 3rd Infantry Division received orders to start remobilization training with intent to deploy to support the 82nd Airborne Division in the event of Iran’s continued attacks of US personnel in Iraq.   

On 02FEB2020,  Alpha Company, First Battalion 30th Infantry Reg, 3rd Infantry Division and supporting 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division  will hold a color casing ceremony, 1300EST in conjunction with their monthly promotion and award ceremony at Marne Garden as the Spartan brigade prepares to depart to Iraq in support of Operation Thin Ice. "This exercise is a great opportunity to highlight the 3rd Infantry Division's readiness and ability to deploy forces in supports of our Nation's operations,” said Maj. Gen. Tony Aguto, commander, 3rd Infantry Division.  “Our Dogface Soldiers are trained, ready and extremely excited to be a part of this historic exercise."   

Congratulations to our graduates for Warrior Leadership Course - Class (20-01)

NCO's are the backbone of the unit and the Army. The Warrior Leadership Course is a two day event that helps prepare soldiers to take up the role of NCO, giving them the tools needed to be effective leaders. Candidates are those Specialists and Corporals who have shown the potential and drive to be solid leaders of Fireteams as well as opening the opportunity for advance to Sergeant and beyond.

The following Soldiers have successfully completed Warrior Leadership Course 20-01:

Graduates:
 Sergeant B.Lambert 
 Sergeant K.Stubbs 
 Specialist A.Smith   
 Specialist J.Pacheco
 Specialist Maxfield  
 Specialist R.Devlin  

Spc. Levi Garner, from the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, ensures his M4 carbine is cleared before disassembling it during Expert Infantry Badge (EIB) testing at Hunter Army Air Field, Ga., Dec. 20. The Soldiers who participated in the event did so to earn the coveted EIB. The event consisted of seven days of skill level one task training, followed by five days of rigorous testing on those tasks. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Daniel Guerrero)

All I Want for Christmas is my Expert Infantry Badge

Fifty-three Soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, earned their Expert Infantry Badge, Dec. 20. The 12-day event was simultaneously conducted at Hunter Army Air Field by personnel of the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and at Fort Stewart, Ga. by personnel assigned to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team.

Out of all the participants from the Raider Brigade, over 65 percent earned the coveted EIB, further cementing the brigade’s motto, Raiders First!

 “It makes me proud to be part of the Raider Brigade,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan Reffeor, 1ABCT’s command sergeant major. “It’s a great accomplishment and they should all be so proud of themselves. They came out and represented the Brigade honorably.”

To earn the EIB, the Soldiers went through a seven-day train-up, where they became proficient in all of the 30 tasks on which they were to be tested. These tasks included, things like the EIB Physical Fitness Assessment, land navigation, weapons lanes, among many others. After this train-up, they went through five days of rigorous testing on those tasks. The culminating event was a grueling 12-mile ruck march which they had to complete in three hours or less.

 “The hardest part for me was remembering the steps and sequences on some of the tasks, but I kept doing repetitions after repetitions in addition to the help from my buddies,” said SPC. Blaine Logsdon, a recent EIB recipient from the 3^rd Battalion, 69^th Armored Regiment, 1ABCT. “This accomplishment makes me feel great and I am really proud to be a part of something more than myself.”

Ultimately, the EIB tasks are skill level one tasks that build lethality and confidence within infantry formations. These 53 Raider Soldiers can now take the knowledge and confidence they have gained, and train other Soldiers in their units to achieve this incredible goal.

The Alpha company awards ceremony is a special occasion once a month to allow the unit commander to honor recipients who have been recognized for their accomplishments while assigned to the 3^rd Infantry Division Realism Gaming Unit.  This ceremony marked the beginning of our 2020 year, as well as the announcement of the units 4th quarter, Soldier of the Quarter, Sergeant B.Lambert. 

This month, Major John LaFlash held a ceremony to recognize...

The following were promoted from

 Corporal to Sergeant

Kevin Stubbs

Specialist to Corporal

Bailey Smith

Private First Class to Specialist 

Casey Clinkscales

Ryan Devlin

Kenney Maxfield

Jonathan Pacheco

Adam Smith

The following commendations have been awarded by the 3^rd Infantry Commander 

Good Conduct Medal, GCM

Richard Anderson

Patrick Conlisk

Bailey Lambert

David Sklenar

National Defense Service Medal, NDSM

Philip Edgerton

Jonathan Pacheco

Adam Smith

Joint Service Achievement Medal, JSAM

Bailey Smith

Air Assault Badge

Brad Ahles

Garry Beaudoin

Curtis Brennan

Bailey Lambert

Kevin Stubbs

Joshua Edgren

 Sean Peterman

David Sklenar

Richard Anderson

Jonathan Pacheco

 Kenney Maxfield

Dallas Stad

Soldiers Medal - Selected as 4th Quarters Soldier of the Quarter 

Sergeant Bailey Lambert