Auburn Alumni Association Tiger Troops

Thanks to all men and women serving in our U.S. Armed Forces. We're especially proud of our Auburn Alumni. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you and your families. Many thanks to those of you who have written in to share your experiences. We hope to hear from more of you! Email news and photos to alumweb@auburn.edu.

photo by Todd Van Emst

Tommy Tuberville, flanked by his fellow coaches, talked to the media after meeting with President
G. W. Bush at the White House.

Editor's note: Ivan Maisel is traveling with Auburn's Tommy Tuberville, Georgia's Mark Richt, Miami's Randy Shannon, Notre Dame's Charlie Weis and Yale's Jack Siedlecki on the coaches' tour of the Middle East. He has been updating this trip diary regularly since Tuesday, May 20, and will take a deeper look at the journey beginning Tuesday, May 27

Monday, May 26, 2008
WASHINGTON—When Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville and the other four coaches arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland from their six-day visit to U.S. military personnel in the Middle East, the Air Force arranged to whisk them to the White House for a meeting with President George W. Bush..read more...

photo by Todd Van Emst
Coach Tuberville visits U.S. Troops in the Middle East & Remembers His Dad

The coaches spent Sunday coaching flag football teams comprised of
U.S. service members

LT Britta Bengtson ’03 (AU/NROTC grad) and Tommy Tuberville while the Coach was on his Middle East Tour. LT Bengtson is finishing her 7 month deployment with VP-47 (Golden Swordsmen) to Iraq.

MAJ Randall Bugg ’90 is continuing a family tradition of service in the United States Army, following both his father (MG Robert O. Bugg, ’57) and brother (LTC Alan Bugg, ’83) as Auburn and Army ROTC graduates. His brother, LTC Alan Bugg, was deployed overseas twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom before retirement.

MAJ Bugg is currently stationed at COB Adder in southern Iraq with the 763rd Engineer Detachment (Facility). He is seen under an Auburn banner inside one of the base resturants, which contains many SEC and ACC banners and flags. He is married to the former Mally Green ’90 and lives in Oneonta, Alabama.
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11.6.07—Lt. Col. Dan Lockert, USAF, Auburn '90, is serving his second deployment to Iraq. He is currently stationed west of Baghdad and expected home in April, '08. The attached picture shows LTC Lockert at the oasis of Abraham's Well. His duty station prior to this deployment was at the Pentagon. LTC Lockert's wife and three children currently reside in Virginia. He is the brother of Nancy Lockert Romeo '93.

09.18.07—I returned to the US the last week of August after being mobilized in Jun 06 for service in Iraq. This was my third rotation as I had previously served during OEF in Afghanistan and for the invasion phase of OIF. This deployment I had the honor of serving as the G9, Chief of Medical Civil Military Operations for 3d Medical Command. This is a 2-Star Command responsible for 7 US hospitals and 2 multi-functional medical battalions with 34 units in 48 locations across Iraq. I had the opportunity to support the continued success for transition of the medical battle space to Iraqi control by working with Iraqi Army medical leaders as well as those within the Ministry of Health. I completed this deployment serving as the Chief of Staff as we completed our mission and conducted our relief in place and transfer of authority with the 62nd Medical Brigade.

As part of my deployment gear I took over my Auburn Flag and had it proudly displayed it in our headquarters building for all to see!

In August we were replaced by the 62nd and I was excited they had an Auburn grad, MAJ John Lee '96, serving as their G8, Resource Manager. Passing on the Auburn Spirit was a thrill to us and I have enclosed the photo. WAR EAGLE! —
COL (Dr.) Mark P. McGuire '76)

06.25.07—"My name is 2Lt John Frazier '06 from Haleyville, Al currently stationed in Kuwait. I noticed some my old friends sent some pics in, so I made sure that my AU flag made it with me over here too. Hope all is well and I would like to give a shout out to Det. 005 and Dr. Guertal & Bill Bryce back in the Ag Dept. Looking forward to a great football season and hopefully can catch a game!"

06.14.07—"War Eagle! In the picture above, Lt. Matthew MacFarlane '04 stands in the back of his C-130 while stationed in Iraq. Thank you Matthew for all you do for our country!"—Stephanie MacFarlane Dennard '00

2.8.07—"WAR EAGLE! In the first picture, 2Lt Nick Jordan (Left) and 2Lt Amy Jones (Right), both Auburn AFROTC '05 grads had a chance to take 'AU Moment' while they were deployed in support of OIF. 2Lt Nick Jordan is a Procurement Officer for Multi-National Security Transition Command Iraq (MNSTCI). He is located in Baghdad and makes purchases for the Iraqi Ministry of Defense (Iraqi Army). 2Lt Amy Jones is a Maintenance Officer located in Balad Iraq. In the second picture 2Lt. Jordan had a chance to show his true colors in front of the famous 'Cross Swords' in Baghdad."

1.31.07—"We are making great changes to this country. This sign was placed by a row of offices on Al Asad Air Base, Iraq by the 226th Area Support Group, Alabama Army National Guard out of Mobile, Alabama."—LTC Tony Gatlin '81

1.29.07—Toomers Corner in Iraq! Captain Ryan Mclean '00 (left), an A-10 pilot and AFROTC Auburn Grad, and Captain Pete Cusack (Right), a Civil Engineer and converted Auburn fan, standing at Toomers Corner somewhere in the middle of Iraq. War Eagle!

1.12.07—"War Eagle from Kasenyi Training Wing, Uganda. My name is CPT Bryan Hill, AROTC ’03. I am the senior US Instructor and OIC for Kasenyi Training Wing, Uganda where we are teaching military tactics to the Ugandan Peoples Defense Forces to help them combat terrorism in their developing nation. This picture was taken at Entebbe Airfield, site of the 1976 Israeli Commando raid to free Israeli hostages held by terrorists. War Eagle and God bless to all those in Iraq and Afghanistan."

12.8.06—"Here are some pictures from Casa Speranta. It is an Orphanage in Constanta, Romania for HIV + Children. They are now all Auburn fans. These children were very happy and the girls really liked the shakers. The boy holding the picture of Aubie is a fan of American Football. I gave him the Aubie picture and he liked it very much."
—Major Tom Whatley '94

12.03.06—Majors Chris "Vegas" Germann (Left) and Brian "Thud" Vaughn (Right), both Auburn AFROTC '96 grads, share a "War Eagle Moment" in front of Major Vaughn's F-16 before flying together from an "undisclosed" location in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Auburn flag flew this day with Major Germann in his F-16, and is the same one he took with him while attached to the US Army's 3rd ID during the intial push into Bagdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

11.24.06—Currently, I am stationed at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. When I'm not deployed, I serve as the Executive Officer at the Auburn NROTC Unit. Only three months remain till I return to Auburn. This picture was taken at the Kabul Airport. WAR EAGLE!—J.R. Jones CDR USN ’87

Brad Williams '03, 1st Lt Blackhawk Helicopter Pilot
(standing second from right)

11.20.06—"Thought you might enjoy this picture of our 'divided house.' 1SG Bailey and
I pose with our respective colors on game day. War Eagle and God Bless!"
—MAJ David Pritchett '91

11.18.06—"Included in the picture from left to right are me, Brigadier General John Cantwell, Australian Army, Director of Strategic Operations for Multi-National Forces-Iraq, and Master Gunnery Sergeant Philip Chastain '86, another Marine and Auburn Graduate. The picture was taken at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. War Eagle!" —Capt Bob Barber '00, USMC

Pictured above is Major Catalin Coltz Romanian Air force (his son Mihai, drew the picture),
Corina Negoita, Operations Officer, and Major Tom Whatley '94, Bilateral Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Romania.

11.15.06—"A very bright Romanian school child, Mihai Coltz, son of MAJOR Catalin Coltz (ODC Liaison Officer), drew this picture yesterday at school to show his allegiance and the fact that BEAT BAMA week is as big in Romania as it is in Alabama. WAR EAGLE!!! BEAT BAMA!!!" - Major Tom Whatley '94

Tom has converted the drawing to buttons which he has all the Romanians in the embassy wearing this week.

10.23.06—War Eagle! Above is a picture of Maj Mark Laudenslager, '93 AU Grad in Electrical Engineering, at the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) with South and North Korean guards in a stand-off. I am currently stationed at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea as the Deputy Commander, 8th Civil Engineer Squadron (Legendary Red Devils), leading over 320 personnel with Wing's largest budget of $29M. I am also charged as the Director of the Wing's Survival Recovery Center (SRC), ensuring operability of the base in the event of a North Korean attack. My wife, Kari Harman Laudenslager, is a '93 AU Grad from the School of Nursing, and is taking care of our 4 year old while I am away on this 1 year remote tour.

9.18.06—Tim Lockhart '77, is a Navy Reserve Captain assigned to reserve unit Defense Intelligence Agency Headquarters 0466, which drills at the Pentagon in support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Prior to his current assignment he served as the Commander of Reserve Intelligence Area Fifteen, which consists of Virginia and North Carolina and comprises over 340 active-duty and reserve personnel. CAPT Lockhart plans to retire from the Navy in 2007 when he completes 30 years of commissioned service.

In civilian life he is the partner in charge of the Intellectual Property Group at Willcox & Savage, a 60- lawyer firm based in Norfolk, Virginia, where he lives with his wife Lieutenant Command Anne H. Lockhart, U.S. Navy, and their five-year-old daughter Margaret Elizabeth (“Meg”).

9.12.06—This photo is of Mr. Ken Gross (right) and myself at the U.S. Regional Embassy Compound here in Basrah, Iraq. We are stationed here and are also the "Resident Auburn Fan Club" here in Basrah, Iraq......Iraq's second largest city.

Mr. Ken Gross and myself both happen to be 1975 AU graduates, and we are trying to follow the "AU Tigers" from this this side of the world. War Eagle!

Stan F. Dowdy, ’75
Resident Engineer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Basrah, Iraq

Ken E. Gross, ’75
Regional Coordinator
U.S. Regional Embassy Office
Basrah, Iraq

07.28.06—My name is CPT Kristen Shifrin (Jeffrey) and I graduated from Auburn in 2002. I am currently a Military Intelligence Officer, stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC.
I'm headed back to Iraq for the second time next month. I just wanted to pass some information on from a recent trip I took to Arlington National Cemetary. They have a GWOT memorial called "Faces of Iraq" - each Soldier who has died since the beginning of the GWOT, they had to stop at the end of 2004 because they ran out of room.
Each Soldier who died is portrayed by an artist, there is a plaque of the Soldier's information at the bottom of the picture.

Chris Willoughby was enrolled in AU Army ROTC for several semesters while I was in the program. He was an awesome role model and a great Soldier. My sister, Sarah, was in the program for a year and Chris taught her how to fire an M-16. He was extremely patient and she ended up shooting expert that day, her first time touching a firearm. I have attached some pics from the memorial of Chris and here is some information about him.

Sgt. 1st Class Christopher R. Willoughby
Age: 29 , Hometown: Phenix City, AL
Date of Death: 7/20/2003
Incident Location: Baghdad
Branch of Military: Army
Rank: SFC
Unit: HHC, 221st Military Intelligence Battalion
Unit's Base: Fort Gillen, Ga.

Before being called to active duty with the National Guard, Sgt. 1st Class Christopher R. Willoughby was preparing for a bright future as an accountant. He graduated from Auburn University in 2002 with an accounting degree, and one of his professors said he excelled in her rigorous class on advanced accounting topics. He was a quiet student, but a favorite with classmates. "The students all liked him. They loved working with him on group projects," professor Arlette Wilson said. "He was just a good guy." Willoughby, 29, of Phenix City, Ala., died July 20 when the vehicle he was traveling in overturned in Baghdad. He was with a military intelligence battalion in the Army National Guard. "It's a shame," Wilson said. "We're losing our best and our brightest."

6.13.06— Majors (pictured from L to R) Doug Warnock '92, David Higginbotham '92, Aaron Rigdon '93, Greg Buttram '91, and David Stone '91 graduated from the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Wright-Patterson AFB Ohio with various Masters
of Science degrees through the Air Force's Intermediate Developmental Education
(IDE) program selection.

AFIT produces graduates and engages in research activities that enable the Air Force to maintain its scientific and technological dominance. The school's mission reflects its focus on preparing students with the skills required to maintain the world's best Air Force, with the recognition of research as a critical element in quality graduate education.

All five majors were active in AU's Air Force ROTC detachment during their undergraduate time at Auburn and have enjoyed sharing their fond AU memories and reunited comradery while at AFIT. Following graduation the five Majors will be reassigned to fill various assignments within the Air Force.

04.18.06—"Cpt John Dietzen '83 recently was deployed to Bahgdad for a year. No sooner than he arrived he was treated to a breakfast guest - the Governor of his home state of Florida. Take a look at the attached pic, and note what's hanging on the wall over Cpt Dietzen's right shoulder. War DAMN Eagle, in the Republican Palace in Bahgdad!! Way to go, Dietz, thanks for serving your country!"—Herndon Elliott '83

02.06.06 —"My name is Ltjg Cattani ’03. I am with MIUWU 207 in Kuwait in support of of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom. This picture shows just how strong the Auburn Family is. Although my real family can't be with me, the Auburn family steps up once to again to lift my spirits and moral. It is truly an honor to call myself a tiger and amazing that we can stay connected even in times of such adversity. WAR DAMN EAGLE!!!!"— Ltjg Dustin Cattani '03

"I may have graduated from the University of North Alabama but I'm diehard Auburn through and through. When you're from Alabama, you have to choose at birth between Auburn …and that other school in Tuscaloosa. My father still hasn't forgiven me for my choice. Hopefully I'll be taking a break from active duty in the next year or so to attend Auburn and earn my masters degree before moving on to my next assignment.

I currently serve with the US Army's 1st Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood, TX. I served in OIF II with the Cav from March 04 to March 05. Here's a picture of me on Camp Taji (just north of Baghdad) shortly after all the roads on camp were assigned names and signs were put up. I just couldn't resist this photo op. War Eagle!"—CPT Adam Hallmark, UNA ’01

11.12.05 —"I'm a 2002 graduate of Auburn, and an officer in the US Army. I'm currently deployed in support of OIF to Baghdad. I wanted to say how great I think it is that the Alum webpage has so many pictures of Auburn grads deployed for our country. I am one of few southerners in my battalion, and there is little appreciation for Auburn, especially since my commanding officer is a HUGE BAMA fan. I put Auburn paraphernalia all over my office, and it's great to see people's faces when they come in. I've attached the photo we took when we first put it up. Again, thanks for the support for the troops! WAR EAGLE!"—1LT Tara West '02

10.30.05—"I am a graduate of AU and NROTC in 1988. I became a Naval Aviation Maintenance Officer, and was on active duty from 1988 to 1992 with HS-15 in NAS Jax. I participated in two Med deployments, and supported operations for Desert Storm and Operation Provide Comfort in Northern Iraq. After 4 years in the Naval Reserve, I joined the North Carolina National Guard. My unit was called to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom I in the winter of 2003. I spent 6 months on active duty in support of Special Operations in Western Iraq. In less than two years and with a new unit, I was reactivated in February 2005. My Company, the 725th Quartermaster Company, was activated to support OIF III - IV. I am the company Commnander for the 725th Transportation Company (formerly Quartermaster Company). We are currently supporting operations in Northern Iraq."—CPT Syd Shinn, '88

09.26.05—"Here's a picture of myself
(on the left) and Technical Sergeant Michael Garrison (a life long Auburn fan) waving the AU colors in front of an Iraqi C-130. Part of
our mission is to ensure a safe, secure, democratic Iraq and we do this in two parts:

Part I: Conduct combat airland missions delivering troops and war materials in support
of US Central Air Forces requirements

Part II: train Iraqi Air Force aircrew and maintenance personnel to effectively employ and maintain three C-130 aircraft in a combat
or peacetime environment

My tour is coming to an end and I'll be back home (Little Rock AFB, AR) in a week. Thanks for your support. WAR EAGLE"—Maj Dan Lockert '90

09.24.05—"Here are some pictures of me from a recent trip
to the International Zone, I've waited 11 months to finally see
the sights. [On left] is in front
of some Saddam statues and the second one is in front of the famous crossed swords leading into the city.

My year is coming to an end in about 34 days, I'll be headed back to Ft. Bragg, NC."—1LT Kristen M. Jeffrey '02

8.23.05—This [taken last Christmas] looks like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree out of "Peanuts."

I was stationed in Qatar in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom while my AU bride (Kelly) took care of the home front and our 4 daughters.—LtCol Steve Driggers '83

08.15.05—"I am a graduate of AU and NROTC in 1986. I became a Naval Flight Officer and was on active duty from '86 until '91. After taking a 10 year break from the military, I joined the California Army National Guard as a Captain and was activated last year for a tour in Iraq. I currently am with the 250th Military Intelligence Battalion out of a FOB (Forward Operating Base) in the Baghdad area. WAR EAGLE!"
—CPT Evan Mooldyk '86

The July 21, 2005 edition of Stars and Stripes features Tiger Troop Sgt. Mark Kellum
on the cover! Read the article (pdf)

07.21.05—"I'm 1Lt Steven Sartain stationed here in the Horn Of Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. I'm a Navigator on the HC-130 (plane in background) deployed with my Air Force Reserve crewmemebers of the 39th Combat Rescue Squadron. WAR EAGLE!!"—Steven K. Sartain '98, 1Lt, USAFR

"I graduated from Auburn in '02. I'm a Civil Engineer in the Air Force currently stationed in Balad, Iraq. Here I am on an F-16 with my new Auburn Flag. War Eagle!"

07.07.05—Special Ops LTC Darsie Rogers Jr. '87 talking with
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

05.16.05—"I tried to get President Karzai to say 'War Eagle,' but this photo was a much better memory as I readied to leave after a year there."—Capt. Jason Howk '00

04.22.05—"I graduated Auburn in 2002 – currently I am in Baghdad, Iraq for a year. This is a group of us standing in front of the British compound in the International Zone."—1LT Kristen M. Jeffrey '02

04.11.05 —"Here's me after a long 7.5 hour flight. I'm wearing my SEC Championship cap that I got in Atlanta, so I'm 'out of uniform'."—CW3 John Moseley '88

04.07.05—"There are a couple of other Auburn grads here (Iraq) and we have already painted the AU logo on one of the buildings."—CW3 John Moseley '88

03.07.05—"My name is CDR Nancy Few Summitt '87. I'm a Navy Reservist recalled back to active duty in January 2005. I've been in the Navy since 1988. I'm currently stationed at the Naval Hospital of Kuwait, in Camp Arifjan. I'm a CRNA (nurse anesthetist), which is my civilian job as well. My home is St. Petersburg, FL where my husband Dave is holding down the fort with two little boys, Caleb (3) and Cameron (2)."—CDR Nancy Few Summitt '87

01.27.05—"Thought you might enjoy a little 'Afghanistan Sunshine!' We have had 3 snowfalls in the last 2 weeks. Yesterday it snowed about 3 inches here. We had a lot of fun building a 'snowman' and 'ice skating' in our desert boots on our way to work!"— Maj. Stacy M. Bathrick '93, Public Affairs Officer

01.21.05—Captain David Hnyda '00 flying an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter as part of 1-4 Cavalry (based out of Germany). This picture was taken near Samarra, Iraq in December 2004 as a personal campaign for votes in the AP and Coaches' football polls.