His inspiration came from the patriotic opening ceremonies that marked the start of each rodeo.“Before I joined, you’d hear the national anthem and hear the speaker talk about soldiers while I was trying to get all fired up to ride a horse or a bull,â€Â he said. “I’d think to myself, ‘Man I’m nothing but a big sissy -- they’re over there fighting for my country and all I’m doing is getting on some horse that’s going to buck for eight seconds.’â€Â “That was kind of a reason I joined,â€Â he said. “I wanted it to mean something more to me when I heard that song play. If it wasn’t for us over here, I wouldn’t be able to ride back home.â€Â Hall is a civil affairs soldier deployed to Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam as part of Task Force Ironman. Appropriately, the task force is under the command of the 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, a part of the 34th Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, nicknamed the “Red Bulls.â€Â Back home in Amarillo, Texas, Hall earns his living as a professional rodeo cowboy, competing in the bull riding and bareback bronco riding events. Possibly the only thing about Hall that doesn’t scream cowboy is his height. He’s about 6 feet tall, a good height for a movie cowboy, but not the ideal bull rider or bareback bronco rider’s build. “Most of those guys are between 5 feet 6 and 5 feet 8, 130, maybe 140 pounds,â€Â Hall said. Everything else about Hall is the genuine article. He has a stockpile of 63 cans of smokeless tobacco in his room and always has a dip in his mouth. He has a deep voice with a bit of a Texan twang, and though he’s polite and friendly, always laughing, he walks with a bit of a swagger. His room is lined with cowboy magazines, Louis L’Amour books, John Wayne sayings, pictures of family and friends and their horses and ranches. He can talk for hours about country music.

 

[caption id="attachment_4277" align="alignleft" width="209"] Army Sgt. Toby Hall stands outside Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam in Afghanistan’s Laghman province holding a belt buckle from a benefit rodeo for his cousin. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan Matson[/caption] Hall said he’s ridden in rodeos all his life, and he has the scars, bumps and bruises to prove it. About two inches above his right eye is a slanted scar from where a bronco kicked him in the head. His left pinky is mangled into a “Uâ€Â shape and won’t straighten out. His nose has been broken three times, his right wrist several times, as well as a finger, and ankle. He had a disk in his back push against his sciatic nerve and he fractured his right leg when a horse stepped on it. Hall said the back injury was the worst, and often he’d wake up at night crying. “To be a cowboy,â€Â he said, “you gotta be tough.â€Â Hall said he loves the rodeo because it is a sport like no other. Unlike football, baseball and some other American sports, he explained, it is a sport that was based on work. “Cowboys used to break horses and have contests to see who could stay on the longest,â€Â Hall said. “That’s really how the whole thing started.â€Â Another aspect of the rodeo that he likes is that money is not guaranteed. “That’s the difference between rodeo and other pro sports,â€Â Hall said. “You don’t get paid to lose. Anybody and their dog can buy a permit to enter rodeos once they turn 18. But you have to make so much money professionally before you can actually get your pro card.â€Â But above the thrill of riding a 2,000-pound animal and the uniqueness of the sport, Hall said it is the fellowship with the other riders he enjoys the most. “The main thing I like about the rodeo, though, are the friendships,â€Â Hall said. “The cowboys you ride with are your lifelong friends. The only way to travel is by car or by plane, so we’d pile in as many cowboys as we can into a car to make it cheaper to get to the rodeos. We go rodeo to rodeo to rodeo together.â€Â He said cowboys also help each other out, paying entry fees to the next rodeo for another cowboy who had a rough ride and didn’t win any money at the last one. “I’ve done it for other people, and I’ve had it done for me,â€Â he said. “Not everybody can be first.â€Â Hall said he has two partners in life: his riding partner of six years, Mark Owens, and his fiancée, Army Staff Sgt. Jeanine Pollard. Pollard, also a civil affairs team leader in Company A, grew up on a ranch in Cloud Croft, N.M. “We realized we liked each other more than friends,â€Â Hall said. “And we’ve been best friends ever sinceâ€Â Even though they are deployed to separate parts of Afghanistan, Hall said, he talks to Pollard every night possible, noting they cross paths every now and again. Her family sends him a lot of care packages, he added. Pollard said one thing she likes about Hall being a cowboy is she knows he is following his dream. “I think it’s very cool that he’s upholding the tradition of being a cowboy,â€Â she said. “I like that he’s a cowboy and he does what he loves, and I also like that he takes time out to serve his country as well.â€Â Owens said meeting Hall revitalized his career. “I was ready to retire when I met Toby,â€Â Owens said. “But we kind of feed off each other; I’ve had the best years of my career since we became traveling partners.â€Â Hall said he often spent holidays with Owens’ family, which he considers like his own. He said he especially misses riding with his friend this year, since Owens made the Prairie Circuit finals. “Mark said he still likes to rodeo, but since I’m gone, it’s not fun like it was,â€Â Hall said. “He said it’s more like a job to him now.â€Â Owens said he misses his riding partner, also, but he is proud of the things he’s doing as a deployed soldier. “I think the commitment it takes to do what he’s doing is awesome,â€Â Owens said. “Also, the selflessness is amazing; most rodeo cowboys don’t have that level of selflessness.â€Â He said the other riders support Hall whole-heartedly. “Everywhere I go, I get stopped by somebody and asked how he’s doing,â€Â Owens said. “The riders always talk about how great it is what he’s doing over there.â€Â In Afghanistan, Hall is not riding bulls. Instead, he is riding along with the Red Bulls’ infantry soldiers, going out on missions to villages throughout their area of operations. Hall, who joined the Army Reserve right after he graduated from college with a degree in agricultural engineering in January 2008, tries to assess the climate of the town by talking directly with its people. “I try to find the village elder, or malik, and try to find out what they think of us,â€Â he said. “I also try to see what kind of problems the village has and if the enemy is there. I have my own way of doing that, that I’ve been trained to do, without coming straight out and saying ‘Where’s the Taliban?’ I try to build a relationship with these people.â€Â The relationship is key, Hall said, because the people need to know they can trust him and the coalition’s soldiers. He said in the past, civil affairs teams built projects in villages just to say they’ve contributed to the towns. He said his team tries to find ways to help the villagers improve their town and make it more stable for the long term. “I try to ask them about their farms, livestock, wells, hydroelectric power, all sorts of things,â€Â he said. “Without us going in and talking to them, they’re scared to death of us, and I would be too, if somebody was rolling through my town in big old trucks with big old guns on them. “We let them know we’re not here to hurt them, we’re here to protect them from the Taliban and give them work so they don’t have to join the Taliban,â€Â he continued. “I let them know we’re not going to be here forever, and we’re not giving out handouts. So we ask them, ‘What can I do to help you out, so you can do this on your own?’ I like that I actually get to interact with the people here, and see first-hand how they live in their homes.â€Â Travelling to the towns involves stepping into any role needed in the convoy. Hall has served as truck commander or gunner on the missions. When the convoy or dismounted soldiers take fire, Hall puts aside his civil affairs role to engage the enemy. “If somebody’s shooting at us, I’m not going to stay back and be scared,â€Â he said. “We’ll be right up with the infantry guys doing our thing.â€Â As for the rodeo, Hall doesn’t see himself quitting any time soon. “It all depends on how tough you are and how long you want to keep taking that beating,â€Â he said. “I’m going to ride until my body won’t let me any more.â€Â Jan. 13, 2011: By Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Matson- Task Force Red Bulls

But Brig. Gen. Warren Phipps, assistant division commander for support for Regional Command East and Combined Joint Task Force 101, and Chief Warrant Officer 5 Timothy French, an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior standardization instructor pilot, weren’t alone.Army Spc. Carlos Mendez, an OH-58D Kiowa helicopter crew chief with the 10th Mountain Division’s Troop A, Task Force Shooter, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, also was inspecting the helicopter, ensuring secure communications in its radios and cleaning and defogging the windows. The Fresno, Calif., native is serving his second deployment, having deployed to Iraq two years ago. “Ensuring the aircraft safety to support the mission is honestly one of my favorite aspects of being a crew chief,â€Â he said. After the preflight inspections, the pilots climbed into the compact cockpit and within minutes, the aircraft roared to life and the rotors were at full speed. Despite the sudden rush of whipping wind and the sound of the roaring rotors that seeped through his headset, Mendez didn’t flinch. After a few moments, French waved for Mendez to come to the aircraft. Mendez ran under the rotating blades to get instructions from French, who had to yell to be heard above the noise. Mendez made a few adjustments to the aircraft, then ran back to the edge of the flightline. Finally, the helicopter ascended into a hover before turning and taking off into the Afghanistan skies. Maintaining the helicopter to safely fly is one of the most important jobs for an OH-58D crew chief. The tiniest flaw could put the lives of the pilots flying in serious danger. Before the unit received the newest OH-58D(R) model Kiowa, Mendez said, he would get to fly on maintenance test flights with the pilots. “Flying has to be the best part of being a crew chief,â€Â he said. Before he joined the Army, Mendez worked in construction. He said he chose to be a crew chief because he wanted to challenge his abilities. He chose to join the Army, he added, because he felt the need to serve. “I also wanted to do something selfless for my country because of everything it’s done for me,â€Â he said. Mendez said he supports the mission by ensuring the pilots are safe so they can assist ground forces effectively. “Being a crew chief has been a great experience for me,â€Â he said, “I’ve developed a great knowledge of my job and made some lifelong friendships.â€Â Jan. 12, 2011: By Army Spc. Kam Gerohimos- Task Force Shooter

Today, Archer is a private first class who recently completed combat training here, as he prepares to deploy to Iraq with his California Army National Guard unit.Archer, a Placerville, Calif., native, is part of the 749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion based in Benicia, Calif. He also is a student who temporarily left his textbooks at Folsom Lake College, Calif., to deploy to Iraq. “What I am learning here at Fort Hood is very different than what I learned in college,â€Â he said. Archer serves as a transportation management specialist in his logistics unit, but his commander chose him to serve on the commander’s personal security detachment. Archer’s weeks of training here went back and forth between logistics and combat as he and other soldiers in his unit prepared for deployment. “The personal security detail training prepares us for almost anything that can happen,â€Â he said. “When bullets start flying and bombs start going off, you need that muscle memory training to rely on.â€Â His training -– provided by 1st Army Division West, the unit responsible for training National Guard and Reserve soldiers for overseas missions -– included infantry skills such as weapons training and counter-improvised explosive device training. The 749th CSSB is a logistics unit that maintains vehicles used to move supplies and equipment in and out of Iraq. Due to the projected shrinking of the Army’s area of operations in Iraq, he said, his unit will be busy helping relocate soldiers and equipment throughout his deployment in Iraq. This is Archer’s second combat deployment. He also served four years on active duty in the Marine Corps before he left for a life as full-time college student and part-time Guard soldier. Jan. 11, 2011: By Army Capt. Marvin J. Baker- 120th Infantry Brigade, Division West, Public Affairs

Olsen, a member of the U.S. bobsled team since 2007, enlisted here Jan. 6."I already represent my country," he said. "Now I have an opportunity to serve and represent my country at the same time."Olsen will train as a human resource specialist for the Joint Force Headquarters after this season's World Cup ends. Once he completes his individual entry training, Olsen plans to apply for the Army World Class Athlete Program, which provides outstanding soldier-athletes with support and training to compete in national and international competitions while maintaining a professional military career and promoting the Army to the world. "I hope to be selected and, as a soldier-athlete, I hope that I can give back as much to the program as they are giving me,â€Â Olsen said. “My plans are to continue to earn medals and make a name for my sport and the program.â€Â Olsen began thinking about the National Guard when his fellow USA Bobsled teammate Mike Kohn, who was then a sergeant in the Virginia Army National Guard, told him about the Army National Guard and the World Class Athlete Program. "He just sat me down and talked to me about it and said, 'Think about what you want to do with the sport and what you want to do with your career,'" Olsen said. "I've thought about it for a long time, and now is the right time for me." Olsen made the World Cup team in his first season and became one of the nation's top bobsledders. He is one of two pushers on the four-man team. In 2008, Olsen earned a spot on sled USA 1 with driver Steven Holcomb, winning two silver and two bronze medals in the first half of the World Cup tour. He also helped to push Holcomb to a first-place finish at the 2009 National Championships for four-man and a silver medal at the inaugural World Cup in Whistler, Canada. At the 2009 World Championships, Olsen teamed with Holcomb again to win gold in the four-man and a Gold Medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics. "The wealth and strength of the New York Army National Guard comes from the longstanding tradition of talent, abilities and dedication of our service members,â€Â said Lt. Col. Steve Rowe, commander of the New York Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Command. “As a world-class athlete, Justin has distinguished himself as the best of the best and brings to us those exact talents and desire to serve, that we look for in any of our soldiers,â€Â Rowe continued. "It's great to have someone who has already represented his country so well and we look forward to the contributions he will continue to make in his service in the nation and the Guard." Selection for the Army World Class Athlete program is open to members of the active Army, Army Reserve and National Guard who compete in an Olympic sport and have maintained good military standing. National Guard soldiers selected are brought on active duty, and their performance is monitored for selection and attendance to required military schools to ensure they remain competitive with their military counterparts. Since the program's inception in 1997, 40 soldier-athletes have participated in the summer and winter Olympic Games, winning gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals. Since 1948, 615 Army soldiers have represented the United States at the summer and winter Olympics as athletes and coaches, earning 142 medals in a variety of sports, including bobsled, track and field, wrestling, boxing and shooting. Jan. 10, 2011: By Army Master Sgt. Corine Lombardo- New York National Guard