JANUARY 2011 Volume 2, Issue 8

Upcoming Events:

CLB-2, CLR-2, 2D MLG

February

Marine and Sailors

JANUARY 2011 NEWS return Home

LETTER
From the Commander

It is hard to be- once and a while it will task at hand.

lieve but another month dip below 20 degrees at
has passed and the night. The cold weather I continue to be ap-
pace of the deployment has helped to keep the preciative of the efforts
has continued to pick up dust down and you can of the folks who have
momentum. As I write see the mountains in the participated in our Fam-
this, our replacements North clearly now. ily Readiness Program.
from CLB-8 are starting It really means a lot to
to arrive. When they get The battalion has the Marines and Sailors
settled in, we will begin continued to work hard of the Battalion. I ask
in earnest our turnover and I receive compli- for your continued sup-
which will consume the ments from the units we port as we approach the
rest of our deployment. support everywhere I go. end of the deployment.
Our turnover will include The area that we oper- In the coming weeks,
inventorying equipment ate in is constantly ex- our Family Readiness Inside this issue:
and left seat / right seat panding and operations Officer, Mr. Jeff Peters,
convoys to help them continue to increase. will be planning several The Commander 1
learn the ropes of oper- Our Combat Logistics events aimed at prepar-
ating in our Area of Op- Patrols are getting more ing our families for the The Sergeant Major 2
erations. We are all challenging as we con- battalion's return. If you
looking forward to the tinue to push more sup- are interested in helping Chaplain’s Corner 3
Transfer of Authority on port North. Our typical out or participating,
7 February. convoys take 3-5 days please contact Mr. Jeff Headquarters Company 4
to complete and are al- Peters at the phone
While the ways an adventure. But numbers listed later in Alpha Company 5
weather has been cold the Marines and Sailors this letter.
at times this month, it have been more than up Bravo Company 6
doesn't look like it has to the challenge though! Semper Fidelis,
been nearly as cold as In addition to our daily Charlie Company 7
some of you back in the operations, we are also LtCol B. N. Wolford
States. We have had making preparations to Family Readiness Officer 8
many days in the low turn over our battalion
60's but we did not re- areas and equipment to
ceive any snow. The CLB-8, conducting rede-
Battalion has been ployment training, and
dressing for the season many Marines are even
and drinking plenty of starting to mail some of
hot coffee and chocolate their things home. I can-
(when we can get it). not walk anywhere in the
Even so, I can already battalion areas and not
tell the coldest part of get a smile from our Ma-
the winter is behind us rines and Sailors; but
as temperatures push even with the expecta-
back up into the 60's tion of going home they
during the day but every remain focused on the
 Page 2 CLB-2, CLR-2, 2D MLG JANUARY 2011 NEWS LETTER

From The SgtMaj

From the SgtMaj continue to prepare to

leave please contact
Hello to all! This is a our FRO Jeff Peters
very exciting time for with any questions on
everyone. I think it flights. I want to ex-
has to do with our re- press how proud I am
placements showing of everyone’s effort
up. As we wind down and hard work, it has
the deployment and been a very challeng-
prepare to come ing 7 months. They
Block Leave home let me take a have definitely earned
Dates: minute to thank all of some much needed
March 1–15 2011 you back there for time off. I look forward
your unwavering sup- to seeing everyone
port. We would not soon.
been able to do what
we have been doing Block Leave Dates:
over here without it. March 1–15 2011
All the Marines and
Sailors are ready to
get home and spend Semper Fidelis,
some quality time with
our families. As we SgtMaj T. A. Linch
 Page 3
Chaplain Amador with V-22
Osprey in the background.
“We are the ones
who create the
atmosphere, the
climate in our
homes. We create
the tension or the
peace, the conflict
or the order. ‖
UNITED THROUGH
READING
One of the most difficult
things a child can experience
is having a parent deployed
to a war zone for an indeter-
minate period of time.
The United Through Read-
ing® Military Program helps
ease the stress of separation
for military families by hav-
ing deployed parents read
children’s books aloud via
DVD for their child to watch
at home.
All CLB-2 Marines and Sail-
ors can see Chaplain Amador
to create a DVD for their
children.
Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
With deployment basically over and our departure for home drawing near, I thought
this letter would help us to put into perspective the state of our lives. The following
letter was written by Tom Craik and he is a high school counselor. Although this
letter is about the new school year with all its hope and dreams, I want to encourage
each of us to read it and strive to reevaluate the state of our lives as we anticipate
our glad reunion day.
―With school having started again, we are probably all aware of what ways we
are going to be different this school year. We are going to be different kids this
year. We are going to work harder at our studies. This year we’ll get A’s and
B’s, be more respectful to our folks, show good sense in all our endeavors so
that we will be seen as responsible young adults.
This year we are going to be more of a family, we are going to be more to-
gether, enjoy each other’s company more. We are going to like to be with each
other, we’ll even go on some weekend outings. As a family we’ll argue less and
discuss more.
. . .This year Dad will stop drinking and Mom won’t yell so much. This year my
brothers and sisters will all get along better. We’ll help each other with our stud-
ies and help Mom around the house. This year Mom and Dad won’t have to
keep bugging us to do our chores; we’ll just do them. We’ll keep our rooms
clean and put the dishes in the dishwasher. No fights and hassles for us this
year. This year we’ll appreciate Mom and Dad more because now we really do
know all of what they do for us. . . One thing’s for sure, we’re all going to get
along better this year.
Does any of this sound vaguely familiar? Sadly time marches on and these
―dreams‖ are going to be history as yesterday becomes today, and today becomes
tomorrow.
Parents, most of this applies to us. We are the ones who create the atmosphere,
the climate in our homes. We create the tension or the peace, the conflict or the
order. We choose whether our homes are loving and supportive or hateful and iso-
lating. We are the ones who teach self-responsibility or blame. We are the ones
who look for the good or complain, complain, complain.
Kids, tomorrow you’re going to be thirty. The time is already past to look for some-
one to blame, to look for some reason why things aren’t the way you want them to
be. Create your own change. Take care of yourself. Act in your own best interest. .
. Find your intention, your purpose, your dream and realize that if it is going to hap-
pen, you’re the one who’s got to make it happen. And then go to it!
Husbands, wives, and children, our deployment is over. Are you ready? Make the
changes. Plot the course you want to live, and do it. And one more thing, don’t
leave God out of your plans!
By Chaplain Ken Amador
CLB 2 Battalion Chaplain
 Page 4
Headquarters and Support Company
To the family and friends of
Headquarters and Support
(H&S) Company,
In the month of January CLB-8
arrived in theater, initiating the
relief in place and transfer of au-
thority process with CLB-2. The
Marines and Sailors of the H&S
Company are excited to return
home as the light at the end of the
tunnel continues to strengthen.
This month also marked another
drop in temperatures that puts the
nights in the low teens and the
days in the mid 50s. The conclu-
sion of this month represents the
rapid re-deployment of the com-
pany from Camp Leatherneck
Afghanistan back to Camp Le-
jeune, NC. The company is boil-
ing over with eagerness about the
near return to their loved ones.
January has not been a month of
preparation like the previous two
months, instead it has been a
month of execution and turnover.
The detailed plans developed by
each section to turnover their posi-
tion to their respective counter-
parts in CLB-8 has proven invalu-
able. The feeling of accomplish-
ment throughout the Company
can be seen in the faces of the
Marines and Sailors as they watch
CLB-8 begin to take over. They
can see that their unselfish hard
work did not only pay dividends in
the accomplishment of their mis-
sion, but paid dividends to CLB-8
as they took over CLB-2’s mis-
sion.
The following Marines were re-
cently promoted to Corporal:
James Barrett,
Justin Corliss,
Mathew Reynoso,
Christopher Welch.
The following Marines were pro-
moted to Sergeant:
Bradley Marincil
Marisol Mondragon.
Corporal William Jackson was
awarded a Good Conduct Medal
during the month of December
and represented the Company on
the Battalion NCO of the Quarter
CLB-2, CLR-2, 2D MLG JANUARY 2011 NEWS LETTER
Board.
The following Marines were
awarded Good Conduct Medals in
January:
Cpl Kyle Hussin,
Cpl Amulfo Zubia,
Cpl Nicholas Lauth,
Cpl Fiberl Labitad,
SSgt James Taylor.
The following Marines had birth-
days in January:
LCpl Rachel Jonitis (22),
Cpl Nicholas Lauth (22),
Pvt Deon Hall (21),
Cpl Christopher Durden (23) LCpl
Pedro Diaz (25), THE BATTALION OPERATIONS SECTION
MSgt Marla Edwards (45),
Cpl Ernesto Sarduy (20),
LCpl Alric Brito (21),
LCpl Zachary Thomas (21), 2ndLt
Tony Beavers (27),
1stLt Catherine Cunningham (26),
Sgt Tiffany Fincham (24),
Cpl Myles Carlson (22),
1stLt Mark Fannin (26),
LCpl Michael Simpson (20), LCpl
Glen Curran (24).
The labors of the young individu-
als that comprise H&S Company
have been historic in nature, and
have contributed greatly to the
Coalition succcess in the Helmand
Province. These efforts are how
the Marine Corps built its long STOCKING STUFFERS
standing name and will maintain
such a name in the near future.
Semper Fidelis!
Captain Nathan J. Green
Headquarters and Support Com-
pany Commander
CHRISTMAS IN SUPPLY
 Page 5 Volume 2, Issue 8

Alpha Company “The mission was difficult as was the time

apart, but with your help the Marines were able
To all the families,
friends and loved ones, I to home life or future to successfully meet and excel at both
sincerely thank you for military endeavors. The challenges. “
all the love and support mission was difficult as
you have shown your was the time apart, but
Marines throughout the with your help the Ma-
deployment. rines were able to suc-
cessfully meet and excel
I am proud to report that at both challenges. My
this will be our last communication on this
newsletter from Afghani- final deployed letter will
stan as we will be home be short as we cannot
in the month of Febru- fully express our grati-
ary. The unit that is re- tude for your sacrifices
placing us is here and and joy at returning
we are in the process of home. I and 1st Sergeant
changing over and pass- personally thank you;
ing on the hard-learned the Marines certainly
lessons of the last 7 thank you, and a grateful
months. This deploy- nation returns your Ma-
ment has been complete rines home.
with challenges of every
variety and it has been Semper Fi,
interesting to witness the Capt J.C. Fuller
manners in which the 1st Sgt R.L. Moore
Marines overcame each
and every one. We will
always remember our
time here and the ex-
periences will hopefully
be used for the greater
good, whether it pertains

Mail
Camp Leatherneck (do not include base name)
The cutoff date for mailing any- Rank, Last name, First name, MI
thing to Afghanistan is 22 Janu- CLB-2 (Company)
Unit 73960
ary 2011. Any mail sent before FPO AE 09510-3960
this date will be delivered. Any-
thing after the 22nd will be re-
routed back to Camp Lejeune.
Page 6 Volume 2, Issue 8

Bravo Company
To all our families and
friends,
These last six months
have been nothing less
than an amazing roller
coaster of nonstop action.
Our sister battalion CLB-
8’s leadership arrived on
deck just after the New
Year and the turnover
process has begun. The
official Transfer of Author-
ity will take place on 7
Feb and Bravo Company
will be on the plane com-
ing home soon after. On
behalf of all the Marines
and Sailors in Bravo
Company, Active and
Reserve, I want to thank
all of our family and
friends for their unwaver-
ing support over these First Sergeant Baker “It has been an
past six months. All of and I wish all our fami-
honor and privilege
you can be extremely lies, friends, and loved
proud of the amazing ac- ones a safe and Happy to lead some of the
complishments your Ma- New Year. Thank you
rines and Sailors have for all your support and most amazing young
completed. I know that I prayers, we are all ea-
can speak for every mem- ger to return home and
men and women of
ber of Bravo Company will be soon. Bravo Company
when I say, it has been a
long deployment and we Semper Fidelis, during this
are eagerly looking for-
ward to returning home First Sergeant Russell deployment. “
and seeing each of you Baker, USMCR
again soon. Bravo Company First Ser-
geant
It has been an honor and
privilege to lead some of Captain Jeremy Henwood,
the most amazing young USMC R
men and women of Bravo Bravo Company Commander
Company during this de-
ployment. Thank you.

Promotions during this month:

Gunnery Sgt. Juan Ibarra Sergeant Brandon Coleman Corporal Garrett Douglas
Staff Sergeant Ryan Halley Sergeant Christopher Davis Corporal Idriss Tracy
Sergeant Jared Dunn Sergeant Shawn Campbell Corporal Rachel Ward

New joins to the company:

Lance Corporal James Aldridge and his wife Chantelle welcomed the birth of Jaymisen Presley Aldridge,
Corporal Joshua Nantz and his wife Jillian celebrated the birth of their son Austin James Nantz and
Cpl Roeder’s new addition Arianna Stephania Roeder.
All of the new mothers and babies are doing outstanding.

Awards for this month:

Staff Sergeant Derek Cheek was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal with combat distinguishing device and
Sergeant Dustin Baldwin was awarded two Certificates of Commendation for his outstanding performance as
an instructor in two consecutive cycles of the Corporals Course.

Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP):

Sergeant Matthew Lynskey graduated from the Marine Corps Martial Arts instructor course
Sergeant Steven Padilla and Corporal Christian Roeder reached the level of Black Belt.

Corporals Course Graduates:

Corporal Corey Price received a meritorious mast for his performance in graduating as the second in his class.
Corporal Jeremy Vasquez.
Page 7 CLB-2, CLR-2, 2D MLG JANUARY 2011 NEWS LETTER
Charlie Company
Dear Charlie Company Fam-
ily and Friends,
“Throughout
this month
January has definitely
and the been eventful. We safely
rang in the New Year
deployment, while the Marines and
Sailors prepared for con-
the Marines voys and stayed extremely
and Sailors busy throughout our area
of operation. Additionally,
have kept
we had the pleasure of
welcoming our counter-
their heads parts from Combat Logis-
high while tics Battalion 8 (CLB-8) to
Camp Leatherneck. It is
continuing to
nice to see familiar faces
provide the and to turn over the reins
with one of our sister com-
support panies from 8th Engineer
Support Battalion (8th
needed for ESB). I know they will
success. “ work hard and continue to
provide the support neces-
sary, just the way that
Charlie Company has
throughout our deploy-
ment.
Throughout the
month, both platoons con-
tinued to provide support
to our long haul convoys
ensuring their safety while
transiting between the
many outlying posts. They
also continued to enhance
vertical and horizontal
construction efforts where
required which guaranteed
the supported units were
provided with the best
force protection and qual-
ity of life available. Fur-
thermore, the Marines and
Sailors worked long hours
to prepare all our equip- ployment and all our guys
ment for the upcoming and gals are anxious to
turnover. Through their make that last trip home.
hard work all the trucks
Keep the Company in your
were running properly, all
thoughts as we continue
the parts and components
with our changeover in
were accounted for, and
preparation for our return
all supplies were available
for the upcoming construc- to Camp Lejeune. Thank
tion projects. They worked you again for your support
hard to set CLB-8 Engi- and we’ll see you all
neers up for success upon
shortly.
their arrival and it has truly
paid off.
I would like to rec- Semper Fidelis,
ognize Sergeant Kasey
Gribble, an 0621 Field Ra- Captain
Christian R. Felder
dio Operator, and Corporal
Charlie Company
Scott Frank, a 1371 Com-
Commander
bat Engineer, for the pro-
motion to their current
ranks. Sergeant Gribble is
assigned to Second Pla-
toon and Corporal Frank is
assigned to the Headquar-
ters Section. Both have
worked hard to enable the
successes of their Marines
and they truly deserve the
recognition they’ve re-
ceived. Congratulations to
both.
Throughout this
month and the deploy-
ment, the Marines and
Sailors have kept their
heads high while continu-
ing to provide the support
needed for success. Their
efforts will forever be re-
membered by the units
they served and those that
benefited from the support
provided. It has been a
lengthy seven month de-
Page 8 Volume 2, Issue 8

Family Readiness Officer

Greetings to the Marines, Sailors, Families and Friends of CLB-2.
The Advanced party arrived back safely in January. They are busy setting up the barracks, work spaces
and other important areas in order to ensure that when the rest of the battalion returns everything will be
ready for them.
When I receive confirmation on each flight you will receive a call or an e-mail from me letting you know the
date, time and location that you can meet your Marine or Sailor. This message will go out as soon as I re-
ceive the information.
For example if your Marine is on flight one you will receive an e-mail or a phone call from me letting you
know the location and time that you can meet your Marine or Sailor. You will not receive information on
any other flights such as flight two, three, or four.
You can also call 1-800-664-7193 option 23 and listen for any flight updates in regards to your loved ones’
flight.
If you have any questions on this please contact your Family Readiness Officer, Mr. Jeff Peters at 910-382
-9175 or 910-451-0593.

Battalion shirts
Here at CLB-2 we are lucky enough to have such a close family. The Curtis family has volunteered their
time to organize the assembly of our battalion t-shirts. We have the set design and price all worked out.
Every Marine and Sailor in the battalion will be offered the chance to buy them. We would like to extend
that same opportunity to our families here at CLB-2. The deadline and last day for all payments and orders
to be received is by February 28th. In order for your purchase to be made properly please follow the
guidelines listed below:

- Send all payments by mail to: Melinda Curtis

541 Wetherington Landing
Stella, NC 28582
-Please include your return address, t-shirt size, quantity, type (short sleeve, long sleeve, etc.), color
(green or black)
- We accept cash, check, money order or PayPal
- If using check or money order please make them payable to: Melinda Curtis
- If using PayPal, just go to PayPal.com and make the payment to: palmerterror@gmail.com

The following are prices and set styles for the t-shirts: Back Logo:
SHORT SLEEVE TEES: S , M, L, XL- $12, 2XL-$14
LONG SLEEVE TEES: S, M, L, XL- $14, 2XL- $16
CREW SWEATSHIRTS: S,M,L, XL-$20, 2XL- $22 Front Logo:
HOODIES: S, M, L, XL- $27, 2XL- $30

ALSO include the following prices with your order for shipping and handling:
- A Small box will contain up to 2 t-shirts- $6
- A Medium box can contain up to 3 t-shirts or 1 hoody- $11
- A Large box can contain but not limited to 2 hoodies or 5 shirts- $15
 ****************IMPORTANT****************
Out With The Mass Communication Tool And In With Marine On Line
At present when you receive an automated message or e-mail from the Family Readiness Officer it comes out through the Mass
Communication Tool, MCT. This program is able to send out a message to all the family contacts of CLB-2 in a matter of hours.
The message goes out by e-mail, home phone, cell phone and even by text message.

The Marine Corps is fading this program out in the next couple of months and replacing it with an automated messaging system
through Marine Online (MOL). The Marine Corps has been using MOL for years to account for Marines and to keep track of
other information.

At present MOL is only able to send out messages by e-mail. So if you only receive messages by phone you will not receive any
updates when we start to use the new system. We have approximately 400 family members in CLB-2 that do not have an e-mail
address.

To ensure that you continue to receive messages please look at doing one of the following;

Current e-mail address—if you currently have an e-mail address please forward an e-mail to the Family Readiness Officer from
this account letting him know who you are and who your Marine or Sailor is. He will then add your e-mail address to his system.

Create a new e-mail address— This can be done by any home computer, friends computer or at your local library.
Many of the services are free such as Yahoo, Gmail, AOL and Hotmail. Once created please e-mail the Family Readiness Offi-
cer your name and your Marine/Sailor’s name. He will then add your new e-mail to his system.

Please take some time out of your schedule and set up an e-mail account. Once this account is set up its important that you
check once a week or more when it gets closer to your loved one coming home. It is very important that you are still in the loop
and will receive any and all updates. If you have any questions or concerns please contact your Family Readiness Officer at
910-382-9175/910-451-0593 or by e-mail at Jeffrey.m.peters@usmc.mil.

Slide Show
To view the slide show copy the appropriate link into your web browser:

CLB-2 slide show:

http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d1255768kP62969124o2/the-clb2-slideshow

CLB-2 Alpha Co. :

http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d1247591kP134747680o2/alpha-slideshow

CLB-2 Bravo Co. :

http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d1251274kP114928195o2/bravo-slideshow

CLB-2 Charlie Co. :

http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d1251314kP32510326o2/charlie-slideshow

CLB-2 H&S Co. :

http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d1251697kP85497908o2/hs-slideshow