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Blackhorse E-News - November, 2013
Regimental NCO and Soldier of the Quarter 
 
Staff Sergeant Christopher L. Jackson, Maintenance Troop, Regimental Support Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment is the Regimental Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter for 1st Quarter, FY 14. SSG Jackson is married to Service member Erika Jackson and has three beautiful daughters, Jaylea, Ja'Miya, and Kenya. He joined the Army in 2004. His first duty station was with the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii, and he deployed to Iraq for 15 months in 2006-2007. His next duty station was Fort Polk with the 88th BSB, 1st MEB. From there he was assigned to Korea and subsequently was a Warrior Leader Course Instructor from 2008-2010. He is currently assigned to Maintenance Troop, RSS, 11th ACR. He has an Associate in Transliterating and Interpreting and is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. His short-term goals are to become a member of the Audie Murphy Club, a drill sergeant, and be promoted to Sergeant First Class. His long-term goal is to become a command sergeant major and eventually to open a community center in Houston, Texas to help influence youth in a positive manner. 
 

  



Specialist Jacob R. Ostrowidski, Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment is the Regimental Soldier of the Quarter for 1st Quarter, FY 14. Specialist Ostrowidski is married to Tiffany Ostrowidski. He joined the Army in 2012 and this is his first duty assignment. He is a 19K and assigned as a driver for the RS4. He is also the RS4 Regimental Tactical Operations Center Battle NCO during training rotations. He is currently enrolled in two courses through the American Military University and is seeking an AA in Business. His short-term goals are to earn his EIB and Silver Spurs. His mid-term goal is to attend airborne school, complete his AA and BA in Business and to reclassify into 31D Criminal Investigation Special Agent. His long-term goal is join the Audie Murphy Club, become a drill sergeant, and attend either OCS or WOCS. 

  

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Great Website

The website below has pictures and a short biography of commanders of the11th Cavalry from 1901 to 1941. Well worth a visit.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gregkrenzelok/veterinary%20corp%20in%20ww1/11thcavcommanders.htm 


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Rice University Veterans Group

The following note is from Rob Mark, former Regimental Adjutant (2009-2011) and currently at the business school at Rice University in Houston.

I am active in our school's Veteran's Association, which is an incredible group of service members from across the branches (but led by the Army members, clearly!). We put together an event bringing 6 great authors to Rice do an event on the military experience. I want to personally invite all of you to come to the event if you can/will be in the Houston area on Nov 5. The authors, details, and registration information can be found by visiting this link:  http://business.rice.edu/veteran_experience/?utm_source=JGSB+Internal+List&utm_campaign=2e4de328a2-2013_CFA_Society_Hou_Invest_Symposium&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_7b74374c90-2e4de328a2-184527341#Registration


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Correction

In the last eBlast, the notice of Trooper Down for Major John Bailey stated that he joined the Regiment in Kaiserslautern in 1964. Jerry Frasl noted that "In 1964, the 1st Squadron of the 11th ACR was stationed in Straubing Germany before being sent to Ft. Meade.  I was with both the 1st (HHT) and the 3rd (M Troop) from 1962 to 1965." Jerry is correct. As far as I can determine, the Regiment was never stationed in Kaiserslautern.

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Fisher House Donation

The following was received from the Fisher House. The Blackhorse Association is extremely proud of our anonymous donor! Well done and thanks from all our members!

Fisher House Foundation, Inc. is the national organization supporting Fisher Houses, a home away from home for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. Providing a compassionate home environment, Fisher House Foundation allows our wounded heroes to focus on their recovery with family by their side.

Fisher House Foundation is pleased to announce that a gift was made in honor of Eleventh ACR Vietnam
Allons! Veterans in Support of Soldiers, their Families & 0ther Veterans
by Anonymous

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Future Trooper


What every stylish future Blackhorse Trooper is wearing these days - in this case Tom Smart's grandson. Well done!

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A Generous Offer from the Bell Helicopter

A note from James T. Jackson (Jim), Major General, US Army (Ret):

It's my pleasure to bring to your attention an opportunity for your Vietnam veterans to receive complimentary tickets for the 2013 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (BHAFB) Game, being held at the Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas (TCU Campus) on December 30, 2013.

Bell Helicopter is one of our more than 5,000 Vietnam War Commemoration Commemorative Partners, and they have graciously offered complimentary tickets to this annual televised event. By visiting their web site -- http://www.armedforcesbowl.com/armed-forces-ticket-request, veterans and active duty personnel can request complimentary tickets. This event is also posted on our Vietnam War Commemoration website -- www.vietnamwar50th.com
The Armed Forces Bowl was inaugurated in 2003. Fort Worth-based Bell Helicopter took over sponsorship in 2006 as the post-season intercollegiate football game became officially known as the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. As the official bowl game that honors all branches of the United States armed forces, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT). The game has been televised annually on ESPN since its inception with radio coverage provided the past seven years by ESPN Radio.

This is a wonderful opportunity to thank our Vietnam veterans for their service and sacrifice and I hope that you can assist us with getting this information to the veterans and service members in your network. Representatives from the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration will be in attendance, and we are looking forward to seeing and meeting Vietnam veterans and their families at the game.

And as always, many thanks for your assistance and support to our Vietnam veterans and their families.

Respectfully,

James T. Jackson (Jim)
Major General, US Army (Ret)
Vietnam War Commemoration
703-697-4865
www.vietnamwar50th.com

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A Little Known but Moving Memorial

This is a sight you have probably never seen. This is a rare memorial to our veterans who were killed in the Vietnam War. It hangs in the National Veteran's Art Museum, Chicago. Did you know this existed?



When visitors first enter the museum, they will hear a sound like wind chimes coming from above them and their attention will be drawn upward 24 feet to the ceiling of the two-story high atrium.

In the photo, dog tags of the more than 58,000 service men and women who died in the Vietnam War hang from the ceiling of the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago on Veterans Day, November 11, 2010.

The 10-by-40-foot sculpture, entitled Above and Beyond, was designed by Ned Broderick and Richard Stein.



The tens of thousands of metal dog tags are suspended 24 feet in the air, 1 inch apart, from fine lines that allow them to move and chime with shifting air currents.

Museum employees using a kiosk and laser pointer help visitors locate the exact dog tag with the imprinted name of their lost friend or relative.

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A Recent Book about 2nd Squadron, 11th ACR in Operation Iraqi Freedom

The following note is from David Ervin, the author of the book and a veteran of the 11th ACR in Iraq.
. . .

I have just self-published a war memoir about my time with Echo Troop 2/11th ACR during Operation Iraqi Freedom III. It's brutally honest, and it provides a lot of information regarding what it was like to serve there and helping people understand what we did there. It is told from a first-person perspective, and it recounts the story of many of our fallen Brothers and what the grunts went through during those missions.

Here is a link to the e-book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Leaving-Wire-Infantrymans-Iraq-ebook/dp/B00G2HUCIU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1382974497&sr=1-1&keywords=leaving+the+wire

There you can read the synopsis, intro to the book, and some reviews. If you have any questions regarding the book, its content, or author information, feel free to contact me at [email protected]. I would be happy to provide certain members of the association with a free copy in the hopes that they can garner more support for it. Regardless, thanks for doing what you do in keeping the Blackhorse legacy alive.

 
. . .

In addition, an unit history of the squadron's Iraqi experience is located on the Blackhorse Association website at http://www.blackhorse.org/pdf/2-11_Official_Unit_History.pdf

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Historical Pictures from the Regiment's Past
Courtesy of Don Snedeker

This note from the Newport Historical Society:

Subject: 11th Cavalry in Newport

Mr. Snedeker -

We have a second copy of the postcard that you saw on our web site in our files, dated June 26, 1908, with the message "This picture was taken the day the soldiers were here."  In addition to the postcard that you saw at our web site, we have a postcard of four soldiers, postmarked Sep 30, 1908, with no message.
Barb Curran, Historian







 
Reminder - 2014 Blackhorse Association Reunion
Colorado Springs June 12 - 15, 2014

The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment's Blackhorse Association will hold its annual Blackhorse Family reunion in Colorado Springs, CO, June 12 -15, 2014. The reunion is open to all past and present troopers who served with the Regiment, the Regimental Community, and all separate units that supported the Regiment.



The reunion will be held at the Hotel Elegante Conference and Event Center, 2886 South Circle Drive, Colorado Springs, CO, 80908. The Elegante is in the process of a major several million dollar renovation. Rooms have been set aside for reunion attendees at a special negotiated rate of $115 per night.

Attendees are encouraged to make plans early. For reservations, please visit https://www.reseze.net/cassets/mkt/mcmelegante/landing_pages/MCM_Colorado_Blackhorse_Association.html or call (800) 981-4012 (reservations). You can phone their Front Desk directly at (719) 576-5900 (be sure to give them our Group ID number - 693108 - and say you are attending the Blackhorse reunion).

For additional lodging options, go to http://www.expedia.com/Colorado-Springs-Hotels.d602991.Travel-Guide-Hotels

 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO AND A REGISTRATION FORM 

 

 

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We want your input! 

 

If you have an item of interest to the membership that you would like to see in future eBlasts or our bi-annual newsletter, please send items directly to [email protected]. The more detail you provide the better. In particular if you have knowledge of the passing of a former member of the Regiment and want this information published, please provide details of Regimental service and/or an obituary. This is your newsletter, please contribute.

 

You can always find the latest news and information on the Blackhorse Association at: http://www.blackhorse.org

 

If you run into Blackhorse veterans or serving members of the Regiment, let them know about the Association and point them to the website.

 

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If you haven't visited the Blackhorse Store website lately, you're missing out on our specials and new products! The Blackhorse Store is the Blackhorse Association's contracted sole provider of Blackhorse Association merchandise and memorabilia. Our mission is to support active and veteran Blackhorse Troopers through the sale of Blackhorse items. Please visit us at www.BlackhorseStore.org

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Please visit the

Official BlackHorse Website

for many more items of interest. 

 

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Please notice: Content on the sites below do not represent the official views of The Blackhorse Association, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment or the US Army   

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Find old friends. Meet new ones.

Join Cavland.com

 

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Another great way to connect with Troopers: The Allons Dayroom on Facebook

   

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