Gates Visits Soldiers at Sharp End of Conflict
By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FRONTENAC, Afghanistan, March 9, 2010 – A white-painted blast wall standing in front of the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry, headquarters here bearing the names of 22 fallen soldiers was a sobering reminder to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates of the cost of the war.
Gates is visiting Afghanistan to get the “ground truth” directly from the soldiers at the sharp end of the spear. He visited with soldiers at this base and also traveled to Now Zad to visit Marines who are liberating Helmand province from the Taliban.
The 17th Infantry is part of the 2nd Infantry Division’s 5th Stryker Brigade based at Fort Lewis, Wash. The unit was supposed to deploy to Iraq, but President Barack Obama ordered more troops to Afghanistan, and the mission shifted. The soldiers arrived in July as the first Stryker brigade to deploy here.
Secretary Gates Visits Stryker Troops in Afghanistan
Decisive phase of Afghan war looms: Gates - Reuters
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told troops in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday they would soon be part of a "decisive phase" in the war -- an operation to impose control over the Taliban heartland of Kandahar province. [...]"You all have had a very tough tour," Gates told troops with a Stryker brigade at Forward Operating Base Frontenac, about 48 km (30 miles) north of Kandahar city. Twenty-two troops have been killed and 62 wounded in the area since July last year.
"You came to an area that was totally controlled by the Taliban. You bled for it," Gates said.
"Here in the environs of Kandahar, you're in an area that once again is going to be an important part of the decisive phase of this campaign. Once again, you will be the tip of the spear," he said.
Video: Press Conference Discussing the 2010 Iraqi Elections
Lt. Col Darren Wright briefs the media on the role the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division had in the mission to integrate Iraqi security forces with U.S. troops to ensure safe elections. Parts 1 & 2.
TNT Outlines Stryker Role in Iraqi Elections
South Sound soldiers work behind the scenes in election - The News Tribune
American troops should be out of sight from polling places today as Iraqis elect a parliament for the second time since the fall of Saddam Hussein. But Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers are working behind the scenes throughout the country.From Baghdad to Basra to Diyala, many of the 12,000 troops from Lewis-McChord have trained Iraqi soldiers to secure today’s polling. They also will provide support and remain on call to intervene in any attacks.
For many troops, the majority of whom arrived in Iraq last year, today’s election is the climactic event of their 12-month deployment.
Recent Stryker Articles on DVIDS
DVIDS has a number of recent article re: the Stryker Brigades.
- Signal Soldiers Provide a Different Type of Communication
- Small Gift Creates Hope for a Better Future
- Signal Soldiers Have Unique Opportunity
- Security paved way to successful Iraqi elections; leaders pleased
- Frontline Soldiers operate Warhorse Woodshop
- 296th Brigade Support Battalion Holds Mass Graduation
- 1-38 provide defensive support for Iraqi elections
- Raider Brigade witnesses hard work pay off as Iraqis head to polls
SPC Anthony A. Paci
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Anthony A. Paci, 30, of Rockville, Md., died Mar. 4 at Gereshk, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered during a vehicle rollover. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Related:
Lewis-McChord soldier killed in vehicle rollover - The News Tribune
Army Set to Redesign Stryker
FOB Tacoma - V-shaped hull for Strykers
A change to the design of the Army's Stryker vehicle to make it more likely to withstand a blast from a roadside bomb should be coming soon, the service窶冱 chief of staff told lawmakers Wednesday.Gen. George Casey told the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee that it窶冱 "probability more than a possibility" that Army will add a V-shaped hull to the bottom of the 20-ton vehicle. The shape of the hull would help deflect blasts from the Stryker窶冱 underbelly and is modeled from a similar design in the Mine Resistant Ambushed Protected class of armored vehicles.
"I can't take exactly how long it's going to take, because we're in the early design stages of it," Casey said. "But we are moving rapidly to get it built, tested and into the hands of the forces."
Embedded Reporter Reflects on Time With Strykers
The Associated Press: Analysis: Hard part in Marjah has only just begun
KABUL (AP) — The hardest fighting is over, but the battle for Marjah is just beginning.The outcome of last month's military campaign was never in doubt. With 15,000 combined NATO and Afghan troops pouring in to oust an estimated 400-1,000 insurgents, it was simply a question of how long it would take to clear the southern Afghan city that belonged to the Taliban for years.
Now, the fight for Marjah focuses on keeping the population safe and — perhaps harder — setting up the first clean and effective civilian administration there in decades.
Avengers, ANA Take Historic Trip
Story by Sgt. Chris Florence
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Just a few short weeks ago a historic convoy traveled along two of arguably the most dangerous highways in southern Afghanistan and through several provinces to deliver a new fighting force to Helmand province and Operation Mostarak, the largest military operation since 2001.
Answering the call from Regional Command (South), the 402nd Brigade Support Battalion, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, launched a 140-vehicle convoy, its longest ever, with a mission to escort and assist the 215th Corps of the Afghan National Army from the Kandahar province into the embattled Helmand.
The 215th Corps is the ANA's newest of seven existing corps and was developed to partner with the Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Helmand province.
Home Is Where the Music Is
Story by Sgt. Chris Florence
AFGHANISTAN -- Stryker Soldiers escape through their native tunes.
For many people in many cultures, music is an important part of their way of life and music has been a way for some Stryker Soldiers to put their minds at ease while deployed to Afghanistan. Two Soldiers from 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Spc. Vincent Cruz of Yoña, Guam and Spc. Landrew Sappa of the island of Aua, Pago Pago, American Samoa brought a little "peace" of home with them. Sappa and Cruz are from two different islands but share a common interest in playing the ukulele.
On some days while taking a break Cruz and Sappa play the ukulele to relax and "mellow out." The music usually draws a crowd of listeners.
Many people associate the instrument's sound with the islands and rightfully so. The ukulele originated in the 19th century as a Hawaiian interpretation of a small guitar-like instrument brought to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants. The word "ukulele" means "jumping flea" in Hawaiian.
