402nd FA, 5th AR Host First Army Commander's Visit

By Staff Sgt. Patricia Deal, 402nd Field Artillery Brigade, Division West, Publi

FORT BLISS, Texas - First Army commanding general, Lt. Gen. J. Michael Bednarek, took a few "rocks in his rucksack" back with him to his headquarters in Rock Island, Ill., after visiting the 402nd Field Artillery and 5th Armored Brigades here recently.

The First Army Division West brigades, along with the Directorate of Mobilization and Deployment and the 75th Training Command's Task Force 150, make up the "Four Horsemen," a four-unit team dedicated to mobilization and demobilization training for Army Reserve and National Guard units at Fort Bliss.

First Army commanding general, Lt. Gen. J. Michael Bednarek, right, discusses maintenance operations with 402nd Field Artillery Brigade commander, Col. Carolyn Birchfield, second from right, and members of the 2-356 Logistics Support Battalion "Task Force Redball" during his visit to First Army Division West's 402nd Field Artillery and 5th Armored Brigades at Fort Bliss, Texas. Photo: Staff Sgt. Patricia Deal, 402nd Field Artillery Brigade, Division West, Public Affairs

The general met with Mobilization Training Center brigade and battalion leaders, toured facilities and observed mobilization training operations at McGregor Base Camp, N.M. Bednarek said he was very pleased with the visit, stating that he expected "exceptional," and this visit just reinforced his expectations.

"These type of visits are essential. A unit does well with its own 'boss checks,' but I've learned over time that the best way to understand your commander's intent is to know the man who gave it," Bednarek said. "So one of my objectives is always to meet and talk directly to the officers and noncommissioned officers who are physically 'out in the foxhole,' running the ranges, working the culminating training events, designing the training."