Military news
Dec. 17, 2006 Bowser receives medal
Army 1st Lt. Earlglenn A. Bowser has been decorated with the Army Commendation Medal for supporting the mission of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The medal is awarded to individuals who, while serving in any capacity with the Army, have distinguished themselves by acts of heroism, meritorious achievement or meritorious service.
In Iraq, Bowser serves as a member of the Fires Brigade, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) headquartered at Camp Liberty. Soldiers from Fort Hood’s 4th Infantry Division assigned to various special troops battalions, companies and batteries perform duties at several camps and forward operating bases in Iraq. The soldiers’ actions, dedication, professionalism and selfless service contribute to the successful accomplishment of combat missions assigned to the Fires Brigade. Upon completing the deployment to Iraq, the soldiers will return to their regular units at Fort Hood, Killeen, Texas.
Bowser is a battalion adjutant, with 13 years of military service. He is the son of Thurman D. Bowser of Uniontown and Edna G. Carson of Vanderbilt. Bowser graduated in 1993 from Frazier High School and received a bachelor’s degree in 2004 from California University of Pennsylvania.
Anderson graduates
Airman 1st Class Joby Alan Anderson graduated from the U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, on May 16.
After military training, Anderson began his technical training at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., studying electronic principles. He completed technical training at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, on Nov. 2, in integrated avionics, guidance and control.
Anderson is presently stationed at Dover Air Force Base, Dover, Del., where he will begin training.
Anderson is the son of Joy Anderson and Bill Marovic of Uniontown and John and Rhonda Anderson of Fairchance.
Simon completes course
Army Pvt. Elizabeth D. Simon, a 2003 graduate of Mount Pleasant Area Junior Senior High School, has graduated from the Light-Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic Advanced Individual Training (AIT) course at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
The course is designed to train soldiers to perform maintenance, troubleshoot and repair wheeled vehicles and related mechanical components. Wheeled-vehicle components included internal combustion engines and power trains, spark- and compression-ignition engines, wheel-hub assemblies, hydraulic-power brakes, suspension and steering systems. Students also learned to operate a wheeled-vehicle crane, hoist and winch assembly.
Simon is the daughter of Joseph E. and Diane M. Simon of Mount Pleasant.
Chesslo returns from duty
Bob and Alice Chesslo said that their son, U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Kris Chesslo, recently returned from duty in South Korea.
Kris Chesslo graduated from basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, in February 2004 and attending technical school at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. He served the past year on overseas duty at Camp Humphreys in South Korea, specializing in computer networking as an encryptographic switching systems maintenance engineer.
Some of his other achievements include receipt of the Katrina Relief Humanitarian medal, Mobschool Unsung Hero, 607th CBCS Quarterly Sharp Troop Award, FTAC Sharp Troop Award and the 607th CBCS Airman of the Quarter Air Force Achievement Medal.
Kilgore recounts mission
Sixty-mile-an-hour sandstorms, 130-degree heat and months without a glimpse of family and friends was just the beginning of some of the things the son of a Farmington couple endured during a recent mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
But for Air Force Staff Sgt. James P. Kilgore, son of Timothy and Rachelle Kilgore, Kirby Road, Farmington, there were the added threats of roadside bombs, ambushes and a host of infectious diseases that made deployment to Southwest Asia a potentially deadly place to serve.
Kilgore is a B-1 bomber crew chief who recently returned home to Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas, after a deployment where he kept the planes going in combat situations.
“I maintained the B-1 bomber, troubleshooting problems, pulling routine maintenance and made sure they could perform their bombing and close-air support missions,” said Kilgore.
The men and women at Dyess make up the 7th Bomb Wing, a B-1B Lancer bomber unit.
Airmen at Dyess were deployed at numerous locations throughout the region, ranging from an island in the Indian Ocean to outlying forward operating bases north of Baghdad.
Air Force participation in the war on terror now includes much more than simply dropping bombs on a target. Close air support for soldiers on the ground, convoy duty, detainee operations, explosive ordnance disposal, medical care, even security forces operations are now routine duties for Air Force men and women.
“Our unit had the critical mission of helping to destroy al Queda forces and protect the troops on the ground in combat,” said Kilgore.
While 12- to 16-hour work days didn’t leave much time to dwell on what they missed back home, the Dyess airmen felt a void that put added stress on an already stressful time in their lives.
“I missed my friends who didn’t deploy with me and my family,” Kilgore said. “I’ll see my family during the holidays, though.”