We've received a few emails from soldiers with the SBCT recently, and others have left comments, so we wanted to officially welcome you to the site. Glad you found it. Thanks for everything you are doing for us over there and know that there is a large group of us following your progress and waiting for your safe return.
What else do you guys want to add? Leave a comment for them.
[Link to Full Article]
(No Strykers were involved)
By VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - A car bomb targeting a police station in Iraq's third largest city killed nine people and injured 45 others Saturday, while three American soldiers died when a roadside bomb ripped through their convoy near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
Witnesses in Mosul, Iraq's major northern city, said what appeared to be a suicide attacker drove through a security barricade in front of the police station before blowing up his vehicle outside the building. Officials confirmed a car bomb but wouldn't say if it was a suicide attack.
BILL HUTCHENS; The News Tribune
Stryker is coming to video games, and Fort Lewis is playing a pivotal role in the move.
Developers of the popular "America's Army" online game visited the military base Friday to take notes, photos and videotape to help them with upcoming art and programming sessions.
MOSUL, Iraq - Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) under the operational control of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) uncovered two caches during operations Jan. 30 in and around Mosul.
Company A, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment uncovered a cache of weapons after an unknown number of enemy engaged a patrol with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades in northern Mosul. The patrol returned fire, and broke and moved to a location several blocks away. They then consolidated, reorganized and returned to secure the site. The patrol secured a cache consisting of one grenade, and six expended French Roland surface-to-air missile casings.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - The Army's new Stryker vehicle had its first combat encounter with a rocket-propelled grenade Friday.
The round struck the front of the vehicle above its slat armor cage, cutting a hose inside the engine compartment. The vehicle commander suffered a superficial cut near his nose, officials said.
There are a few more Stryker photos today as well.
Here's a transcript of the online discussion with Hal Bernton of the Seattle Times from earlier today.
Melody found a story with a link to some ABC video news coverage of the Stryker Brigade as it rolled into Mosul on January 12th. The link is on the right hand sight of the story.
You'll need Quick Time installed to play the video portion. I haven't been able to get it to play, but that's likely operator error.
UPDATE: Looks like no one can play the video. I sent a message to KOMO to see if they can give us some advice. I'll let you know if/when I hear back.
UPDATE II: Here's what the guy at KOMO said:
"I have just checked this on Comcast cable modem outside our system. It works fine. If you have anything less than DSL or cable it probably won't work. Also, if you do have cable or DSL, make sure your QuickTime player is set to port 80 on the transport. This is set in the preferences of the player."
Check your settings and try again.
There are a number of Stryker pictures today at Frontline Photos. For some reason many of the photos are not displaying correctly right now, so check back periodically to see if the problem has been fixed.
Thanks to Steve for the notice.
Fox news channel just showed some footage of the Strykers in Mosul. There was an RPG attack on four armored vehicles with no injuries, according to the report. They did not have a lot of information but did say one vehicle was hit but appeared to be not affected. I will keep checking the web for additional information and post it here when available.
Direct from Mosul, here is a poster created by the Brigade 31U Team, which it wanted to share with all of you. Displayed is a small version, but directly underneath is a link to a larger, higher-quality version. The caption reads, "When you care enough to send the very best." Thanks guys! Stay safe over there.
There have been a few recent additions to our Photo Gallery. Kimberly and Sondra both have new albums, and Charlotte has added photos to her existing gallery.
Thanks again to all of you that have contributed so far.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - Navy divers on Thursday recovered the body of one of three soldiers missing since Sunday night's boat and helicopter accidents on the Tigris River.
A diver found the remains of one of two pilots whose OH-58 Kiowa Warrior crashed into the fast-moving river while they were helping to look for a Stryker brigade infantryman who'd fallen in after his boat capsized an hour earlier.
The search is scheduled to continue today for the soldier, Staff Sgt. Christopher Bunda, and the second pilot.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - Stryker brigade Lt. Col. Gordie Flowers went into a neighborhood of concrete block tenements near sundown Thursday to meet and pay his respects to Ali Unas, the father of a man troops shot to death two days earlier.
The battalion commander from Fort Lewis tried to make things right with the Iraqi family, bringing personal condolences and $1,000 in restitution.
Seattle Times reporter Hal Bernton, who just returned from a trip to Iraq, will be featured in an hour-long online discussion Friday, January 30th at noon PST. Follow this link for more information or to submit a question.
Out thoughts are with his family and the families of the other missing soldiers.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The body of a missing Minnesota soldier was found in Iraq Thursday, days after he was reported missing after a helicopter crash.
The Defense Department said Chief Warrant Officer Patrick D. Dorff, 32, of Minnesota, was one of two men piloting a helicopter that crashed into the Tigris River in Mosul on Sunday while searching for four soldiers whose boat capsized.
In testimony before a Congressional hearing yeterday, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker outlined the short and long-term transformation plans of the Army. The Stryker program is mentioned briefly. The restructuring is supposedly the largest in 50 years.
By Jim Garamone
WASHINGTON, (American Forces Press Service, Jan. 29, 2004) – Although the Army has been given the green light to temporarily increase its size by up to 30,000 troops, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker said he opposes a permanent end-strength increase.
I've found two separate volunteer groups sending books to soldiers abroad. If you have any extra books, DVDs or supplies, stop by Books for Soldiers or Operation Paperback (thanks Melody) for more information about how you can help.
I was glad to see that Congress recently boosted funding of the Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) in Iraq.
By Dan Murphy, Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
BAGHDAD – In November, the deadliest month for US soldiers in the occupation of Iraq, angry and sometimes desperate calls began streaming back to the US from commanders, complaining that the government wasn't giving them what they needed to battle an intensifying insurgency.
By Ray Rivera
Seattle Times staff reporter
Rescuers continued to search the waters of the Tigris River near the northern Iraq city of Mosul yesterday for a missing Bremerton soldier and two helicopter pilots.
Staff Sgt. Christopher Bunda, 29, was one of four soldiers from the Fort Lewis-based Stryker brigade who were on a river patrol with Iraqi police when their boat capsized Sunday. Three of the soldiers made it to shore. In the ensuing search for Bunda, a Kiowa helicopter crashed into the river; its two Army pilots from Fort Drum, N.Y., have not been found.
ROBERT BURNS; The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The Army's top general said Wednesday that he is making plans based on the possibility the Army will be required to keep tens of thousands of soldiers in Iraq through 2006.
Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, told the House Armed Services Committee that "for planning purposes" he has ordered his staff to consider how the Army would replace the force that is now rotating into Iraq with another force of similar size in 2005 - and again in 2006.
The Associated Press; TNT
BREMERTON - Michele Bunda does her best to answer her children's questions about their father, Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Bunda, missing in Iraq since Sunday when a boat he was on capsized.
"Our 3-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter are aware of what is going on and they are sad, but I don't think they understand yet," she told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer at the family's home.
The latest FRG newsletter is now available at the Warhorse web site. Saving the Word document to your computer will allow for faster viewing. There are some images in the document. HOOah!!!
[Link to Full Article] including picture of Christopher Bunda.
By GARY CHITTIM / KING 5 News [update of previous story from parents perspective]
BREMERTON, Wash. - The past few days have been agonizing for the Bremerton family of a missing soldier in Iraq but they are still hoping for a miracle.
This has been a pretty tough week news-wise, so I thought I'd throw out a few diversions. At my other site I have a humor category that has some good fluff. If you're short on time, here are a few of my favorites.
Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The deployment of the 81st Armored Brigade of the Washington National Guard to the Middle East will begin next month, officials have announced.
Did anyone else have trouble reaching the site this morning? Our web host was experiencing some technical difficulties and visitors using certain internet providers we unable to access the site, including myself. If you sent me an email this morning there's a chance I never received it. Everything seems back to normal now.
By Karen Jowers; Times staff writer
Items are being pilfered from some boxes mailed to service members in Iraq, according to troops, family members and morale-mail organizers.
The Military Postal Service Agency has received occasional complaints about rifled or stolen mail, but has no indication from command sources that “this is a widespread or organized problem, nor of major loss or theft,” stated Marine Capt. Luke Gové, an MPSA spokesman, in an e-mail response to questions.
“In each case that we have encountered, the parcel was not insured,” Gové added.
Michael Gilbert; The News Tribune has posted another short update.
MOSUL, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi teams Tuesday continued their search for a Stryker brigade soldier and two helicopter pilots missing in the Tigris River since Sunday.
Officials said they would return to the river today with U.S. Navy divers, Iraqi police and Army engineers with river boats.
By MIKE BARBER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Ever since she received word Sunday that her 29-year-old husband, Christopher, a Fort Lewis Stryker brigade soldier, was missing in Iraq, Michele Bunda has been waging her own war, wielding hope and prayer against the forces of fate.
Army Times has another reporter, Robert Hodierne, with the SBCT in Mosul. Strykerparent sent me this article, which describes the joint missions between the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st and the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment of the Stryker Brigade. Lots of color in this piece.
By Robert Hodierne
Times staff writer
MOSUL, Iraq — Cpl. Jerred Horn had just searched the second floor of a house here and was headed for the stairs.
Paul Bremer made a recent visit to Mosul and received a demonstration of the Stryker vehicle by Maj. Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the 101st. Not sure why he was giving the tour. Here's a photo of Bremer in the vehicle.
No. 052-04
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2004
The Department of Defense announced today the identity of three soldiers listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN) who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. The soldiers under the operational control of the 101st Airborne Division were involved in two incidents in Mosul, on Sunday, Jan. 25. During a river patrol with local police, four soldiers fell into the Tigris River after their watercraft capsized. Two OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopters conducted a search, and one of the search helicopters crashed into the river.
Patti, whose son is currently serving in Iraq, maintains two websites you might like to visit. A Soldier's Blog is dedicated to providing news from Iraq, while Soldier's Angels aims, "to provide aid and comfort to any and all armed forces and their families." Keep up the great work Patti!
We'll add these to our links page for future reference.
Patti, whose son is currently serving in Iraq, maintains two websites you might like to visit. A Soldier's Blog is dedicated to providing news from Iraq, while Soldier's Angels aims, "to provide aid and comfort to any and all armed forces and their families." Keep up the great work Patti!
We'll add these to our links page for future reference.
According to his website:
Kevin Sites is a freelance solo journalist currently on assignment for NBC News in Iraq, but this site is a personal website not affiliated with or funded by NBC News...Sites’s war blog [uses] text, digital images and audio to provide readers with a more intimate behind-the-scenes look at the people of Iraq, the war and how it was being covered.
He has some amazing photo essays of his time in Iraq, including one from Samarra published a month before the Strykers arrived there. Go explore.
The Wave A Flag! site is worth a visit. It allows you to sign and fly an online flag in support of the troops. Almost 1,300,000 people have participated.
Thanks Amber.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
The Stryker brigade's nuclear, chemical and biological reconnaissance platoon detected high levels of radiation on four trucks attempting to cross the Iraq-Turkey border, officials said Monday.
Here's another report from Michael Gilbert in Mosul, who provides a detailed account of events leading up to and following the incident.
[Link to Full Article] (Updated since last night)
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - Three Stryker brigade soldiers and at least two Iraqi policemen remain unaccounted for Tuesday in Iraq after a tragic sequence of events Sunday along the Tigris River.
The search will continue today for a Stryker soldier lost when the Iraqi police boat he was aboard capsized, and for two pilots attached to the brigade whose helicopter crashed while they were looking for the missing soldier.
Frontline Photos has pictures of the search for the missing Stryker soldiers in Mosul.
This is not Stryker related, but I thought I would warn all of you that a new virus is spreading via email. According to the Symantec website:
Security Response is currently investigating a new mass-mailing worm. Initial submissions have been received with file extensions of .exe, .pif, .scr, and .zip. Additional information will be made available as soon as possible.
I've received about 10 infected emails today with various subject lines, including, "Hi", "Hello", "Status" and "Test". If you receive an email with an attachment and don't know the recipient, I would suggest deleting it, then emptying your trash.
This article from Army Times was supposedly for subscribers only, but I managed to access it just fine. My thoughts are with the families of these soldiers.
By Robert Hodierne
Times staff writer
MOSUL, Iraq —Three soldiers are missing and it is feared they drowned Sunday afternoon in the Tigris River here.
The soldiers are all members of the Fort Lewis, Wash.-based Stryker Brigade, which had taken operational control of military operations in this northern Iraqi city only hours earlier.
Associated Press
January 26, 2004
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military lost its fifth helicopter this month in Iraq, which crashed in the Tigris river while searching for a soldier whose boat had capsized. The aircraft's two crew members and the soldier remained missing Monday.
By VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq (January 26, 10:11 a.m. PST) - U.S. forces aided by Iraqis searched the muddy waters of the Tigris River on Monday in northern Iraq for a soldier and two pilots missing after a helicopter crashed while searching for a patrol boat that had capsized.
This article also includes a great photo of a Kiowa helicopter flying over the Tigris river and additional information from around Iraq.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - It was inspection day at the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps barracks, and 1st Sgt. Eugene O'Day did not have high expectations.
The last time he was through, the place was a mess - "just nasty" is how the Stryker brigade soldier put it, with dirt and trash all over. And this time didn't start out well when O'Day found a melting ice cream bar in the first locker he checked.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces were searching for a Stryker brigade soldier and two helicopter pilots missing late Sunday after two apparent accidents along the Tigris River.
The missing American soldier was one of four brigade soldiers and several Iraqis aboard a boat that capsized in the river about 5:15 p.m. local time, officials said.
Dan forwarded this poem, author unknown written by Chaplain Jack Stanley.
UPDATE: Jan wanted to let us knwo that the actual author is Autumn Parker, the wife of a Green Beret.
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of a soldier supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
CW2 Michael T. Blaise, 29, from Tenn., was killed Jan 23 when his OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter crashed on its way back from a combat mission near Mosul in northern Iraq. Blaise was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Aviation Brigade based at Fort Campbell, Ky.
We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and fellow soldiers he leaves behind.
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of a soldier supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Chief Warrant Officer (CW2) Brian D. Hazelgrove, 29, of Fort Rucker, Ala., was killed Jan 23 when his OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter crashed on its way back from a combat mission near Mosul in northern Iraq. Hazelgrove was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) based at Fort Drum, N.Y.
We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and fellow soldiers he leaves behind.
Seattle Times reporter Hal Bernton is leaving Iraq, but he filed this interesting story about an Iraqi exile returning to his homeland. He lived in Seattle prior to his return.
By Hal Bernton
Seattle Times staff reporter
QAL'AT SUKKAR, Iraq — The daily livestock auction is a roadside affair. A collection of scruffy sheep and goats appears at the highway intersection, led by a clutch of farmers eager to deal.
Molly sent a link to AAFES's "Gifts From the Homefront" program, which allows you to purchade a military exchange gift certificate for soldiers serving overseas. If you don't know a soldier personally, there are a number of other services available that match you with a soldier in need.
Thanks for the link.
Many thanks to Jenn for letting us know.
The new January 22nd Newsletter has arrived !!!! It is really long too-- 11 pages!!! (maybe because we had to wait??) Hopefully everyone will hear about their soldiers unit.
UPDATE: Here is a direct link to the Newsletter. Apparently some people are having trouble accessing the page referenced above.
UPDATE II: For those of you wanting a very detailed map of the areas mentioned, the following two links are the best I have seen. Almost every little 4 building town in the country seems to be listed on these maps.
Low Resolution map in PDF
High Resolution map in PDF
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - Two U.S. Army pilots - one of them from a unit attached to the Stryker brigade - were killed late Friday when their helicopter crashed not long after takeoff from their base in Qayyarah.
The Photo Gallery is up and running. For future reference, we've added a permanent link on the sidebar.
Thanks to all of you that have submitted photos so far. If you have any Stryker Brigade related pictures, send us an email and we can get you set up as a contributor (please DO NOT send photos - just a note saying you would like to create an album of your own). Just a reminder, we don't want any photos pulled from news articles or military websites - original content only.
For those of you visiting the Gallery, please be reminded that all images belong to the album owners. If you would like to display these photos elsewhere, contact us and we will put you in touch with the right person. It is ultimately their decision whether or not to share the photos. Thanks for your understanding.
This is a CJTF7 report from their website.
MOSUL, Iraq - Coalition Forces detained six people and confiscated illegal weapons and ammunition yesterday in northern Iraq.
The 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade (Stryker) 2nd Infantry Division, which is attached to the 101st, received from the Coalition for Iraqi National Unity, a concerned group of local citizens: 50 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, seven complete RPGs, nine hand grenades, 750 14.5 mm rounds, three Night Vision Goggles for use with RPGs, 2,200 7.62 mm rounds, six 40 mm rounds, one 82 mm mortar tube, 20 82 mm rounds, one 60 mm mortar tube, three sniper rifles and one 23 mm twin gun anti-aircraft artillery.
"Twins have buddies, officers seeing double"
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - That Desterhouse guy, they say. He must be the hardest-working kid in the company.
Until they figure out that "he" is actually "them" - identical twins James and David Desterhouse, who both work on the computers in the Stryker brigade's tactical operations center.
I ran across this web site maintained by a pilot, CPT. John C. Tucker, 1-4 AVN Regt. over in Iraq. He has some great pictures on his pages. So far, I have only found one Stryker vehicle photo.
This article from the WaPo gives a very nice summary of military progress in Iraq over the past few months.
[Link to Full Article] (brief registration required)
By Thomas E. Ricks and Liz Spayd
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, January 23, 2004; Page A01
MOSUL, Iraq -- Senior U.S. commanders say they are making progress toward defeating insurgents in Iraq, but caution that political disputes over the country's path to sovereignty could prolong or worsen security problems, according to a range of interviews with military officials.
Reading this entry by Sgt. Hook at his blog reminded me of the conversations on the bulletin board regarding care package items (steaks, lawn chairs etc.). Hook will be deploying to Afghanistan this spring and has decided to stockpile charcoal so he can host weekly BBQs for his troops while they are over there.
(via Robert Prather)
Bob sent a link to this tribute poem written by Allison Coxsey.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - Senior officers from the Stryker brigade and the Fort Lewis-based I Corps staff that will soon run U.S. military efforts in northern Iraq met the Mosul press on Thursday.
Marcel sent me this amazing series of time-lapse photos documenting the recovery of the USS Cole, the destroyer bombed by terrorists in 2000.
FYI - The Cole returned to service in April 2002.
According to Phil Carter, the Transportation Security Administration has issued new guidelines which allow family members of soldiers arriving from, and departing to, Iraq to proceed past the security checkpoints at airports in order to maximize their time together. Small gesture, but a nice one.
CENTCOM Press Release
January 22, 2004
Release Number: 04-01-55
MOSUL, Iraq - The 1st Brigade, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) handed over control of the Tigris River Valley area of northern Iraq today to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade (Stryker) 2nd Infantry Division in a transfer of authority ceremony at the Qayarrah West Airfield.
Here's a lengthy pre-deployment article that provides a good overview of the SBCT's training.
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., National Journal
Fort Lewis, Wash. - Dust clings to everything, and the air smells of smoke. It's as if the Pacific Northwest, after one of the driest and most brushfire-prone summers on record, is trying to add a little extra realism to the last big war game before this Army unit deploys to Iraq.
Dan sent a couple related articles regarding the standard equipment issued to soldiers. The USA Today article is from last summer and explains why many soldiers resort to buying their own gear.
"Buying own gear is common for troops"
By John Diamond, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — When Army Col. Mike Smith got the order to deploy to Afghanistan in 2001, he reached for his wallet. Smith wanted a pair of boots that could stand up to the rocky terrain, something he knew his Army-issue footwear wouldn't do.
The second SBCT at Ft. Lewis (1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division) will be featured in two new "Army of One" recruitment commercials.
BILL HUTCHENS; The News Tribune
Director Andrew Douglas raised a white megaphone to his mouth and shouted toward a circle of about three dozen Stryker brigade soldiers milling around a cold, muddy field at Fort Lewis...
