Army National Guard Sgt. Robert E. Whaley and Army National Guard Spec. Stephen R. Crouthamel are returning to the U.S. after a deployment to Iraq serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn, or Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations.
The soldiers return to Joint Base Dix-McGuire-Lakehurst, N.J., for debriefing, evaluations and out-processing procedures before returning to their regularly assigned Army Reserve or National Guard units.
Operation New Dawn transitions and signifies a formal end to U.S. military combat operations in Iraq. The transition shifts the U.S. emphasis from predominantly military to predominately civilian as the U.S. officials assist Iraqis in accordance with the Strategic Framework Agreement. The three primary missions of U.S. forces include advising, assisting and training the Iraqi security forces; conducting partnered counterterrorism operations; and providing support to provincial reconstruction teams and civilian partners as they help build Iraq’s civil capacity.
Operation Enduring Freedom is the official name given to anti-terrorism military operations involving U.S. troops and allied coalition partners. Active duty and reserve component members from all branches of the U.S. armed forces have been deployed to support the war against global terrorism outside the borders of the United States. U.S. troops serve in South, Southwest and Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Horn of Africa, islands in the Pacific and Europe.
Whaley, a training supervisor with six years of military service, is the son of Robert E. Whaley Sr. of Philadelphia.
Crouthamel, a combat engineer with four years of military service, is the son of Philip R. Crouthamel of Philadelphia.
Both men are regularly assigned to the 228th Engineer Company, based out of Spring City, Pa.
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Marine Corps Pfc. Nicholas A. Muraresku, son of Elizabeth Muraresku of Philadelphia, recently graduated from the Marine Aviation Supply Mechanized Course.
During the course with Marine Aviation Training Support Squadron One, Marine Aviation Support Training Support Group 21, Meridian, Miss., students learn ordering, requisition, inventory and stock procedures to perform as supply clerks in Fleet Marine Force aviation units and air squadrons.
Muraresku, a 2009 graduate of Franklin Towne Charter School, joined the Marine Corps in August 2010.
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Army National Guard Pvt. Timothy T. Moment graduated from the Field Artillery Automated Tactical Data Systems Specialist Advanced Individual Training course at Fort Sill, Lawton, Okla.
As members of the Army’s field artillery team, the course is designed to train soldiers as specialists to operate the advanced field artillery tactical data systems for both cannon and multiple launch rocket systems.
The specialists play a critical role in the safe, accurate and lethal delivery of the field artillery’s various fire support systems used to support infantry and tank units in combat. Skills training included methods of computing target locations using computers or manual calculations, ammunition handling techniques, and operating and performing maintenance on related equipment, vehicles, generators, and artillery tactical and data systems.
Moment, the son of Elizabeth Modupe of Philadelphia, is a 2010 graduate of South Philadelphia High School.
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Navy Seaman David T. Palmer, son of Cynthia Palmer of Philadelphia, and Navy Seaman Jeffery L. Brady Jr., son of Jeffery L. Brady of Philadelphia, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.
During the eight-week program, Palmer and Brady completed a variety of training that included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness.
The capstone event of boot camp is “Battle Stations.” This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. “Battle Stations” is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of honor, courage and commitment. Its distinctly “Navy” flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a sailor.
Palmer, a 1998 graduate of Parkway Center City High School, graduated from Lincoln University in 2004 with a bachelor of science degree.
Brady is a 2007 graduate of Philadelphia High School for Business and Technology.
