[Link to CENTCOM Press Release]
February 29, 2004
Release Number: 04-02-54
MOSUL, Iraq - Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) under the operational control of Task Force Olympia detained personnel suspected of anticoalition activities and recovered weapons and other explosives in northern Iraq Saturday.
Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment conducted a cordon-and-search operation in Hammam Al Alil and detained one person suspected of selling weapons and participating in attacks on Iraqi police. During the operation an enemy grenade exploded, wounding one soldier. The solder is in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
[Link to Full Article]
Military Operations Continue
By Gerry J. Gilmore; American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 29, 2004 – Although it was apparent the Iraqi General Council would miss the U.S.-suggested deadline to establish an interim constitution, IGC member Mawaffak Rubaie asserted late Feb. 28 that the signing of the document is imminent, noting, "Failure is not an option."
This article mentions the SBCT, excerpt below.
[Link to Full Article]
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - Task Force Olympia hosted a traveling party of leading U.S. corporate executives Saturday, who met with soldiers and local economic development officials.
The group included Cisco Systems Chairman John Morgridge, American International Group CEO Maurice Greenberg and America Online co-founder James Kimsey.
[Link to Full Article]
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - Geraldo Rivera arrived at the Task Force Olympia and Stryker brigade headquarters Saturday.
His first broadcast was about himself.
[Link to Full Article]
LISA KREMER; The News Tribune
Eight weeks ago, Liz Jackson decided she wanted to send care packages from local police and fire departments to the local troops in Iraq.
She started calling departments - and got a lot of support.
[Link to CENTCOM Press Release]
February 28, 2004
Release Number: 04-02-52
MOSUL, Iraq - Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), under the operational control of Task Force Olympia, recovered several caches of weapons in northern Iraq Friday.
[Link to CENTCOM Press Release]
February 28, 2004
Release Number: 04-02-51
MOSUL, Iraq - Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) under the operational control of Task Force Olympia in conjunction with Iraqi Police in Mosul detained personnel suspected of anticoalition activities in northern Iraq earlier today.
I'm starting to feel like a broken record, but I just wanted to remind everyone that Geraldo is still in Iraq. I guess he was in Tikrit or Kirkuk recently and is planning on returning home from Turkey, so perhaps his exit strategy includes Mosul? Follow the link for show times etc.
(Thanks to Lorraine for the reminder)
UPDATE: Lorraine and others confirm that he is in Mosul. Tune in tonight.
We wanted to highlight a portion of an article we linked to yesterday written by embedded reporter Michael Gilbert. He described some of the efforts soldiers are making to improve the lives of Iraqis in Mosul, particularly children. Staff Sgt. Christopher Loverro, with help from volunteers back home, is trying to gather donations of school supplies and blankets to distribute. Provided below are the instructions included in the article if you would like to help:
The Fort Lewis-based Stryker brigade is accepting donations of blankets and school supplies for elementary-level children at the Ghizlani Community of Freedom.
Mark the package "Operation Pencil, Operation Blanket" and send it to:
MOSUL, Iraq - Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, under the operational control of Task Force Olympia, detained one suspect and continued ongoing weapons-collection operations over the past 24 hours in northern Iraq. Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment conducted a cordon-and-knock operation early this morning in Qayyarah and detained one subject wanted for anti-coalition activities.
Ralph Peters, a columnist and former Army officer, has two pieces this week worth reading. The second mentions the Stryker program specifically.
[Link to Full Article]
BILL HUTCHENS AND MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
Lesson for the afternoon:
"What should we write to soldiers in Iraq?"
Steve Leifsen posed that question Thursday to his Pope Elementary School sixth-graders, and the kids came up with several ideas.
Well, we're going to remove the links to the brigade newsletters until we get a more definitive answer on "official" policy. The guidance we received is different from what others have heard. Our suggestion to all of you that depend on websites (ours included) to view the newsletter is to contact the FRG for your soldier's unit in order to be placed on the distribution list.
[Link to Full Article]
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2004 – Attacks on U.S., coalition and Iraqi security forces in Iraq will not stop the country's march toward self-governance and democracy, a senior U.S. military officer said today.
MOSUL, Iraq - Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), under the operational control of Task Force Olympia, recovered several caches of weapons in northern Iraq Wednesday.
[Link to CENTCOM Press Release]
February 26, 2004
Release Number: 04-02-46
MOSUL, Iraq - Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) under the operational control of Task Force Olympia recovered weapons and explosives during ongoing collection operations in northern Iraq Monday and Tuesday.
[Link to CENTCOM Press Release]
February 26, 2004
Release Number: 04-02-47
MOSUL, Iraq - Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) under the operational control of Task Force Olympia detained personnel suspected of anti-coalition activities in northern Iraq Wednesday.
Frontline Photos has two pictures (here and here) of the memorial for 1st Lt. Adam Mooney, who was laid to rest Tuesday in Maryland.
[Link to Full Article]
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - Stryker brigade soldiers are putting a small army of men and boys to work clearing the rubble of what used to be an Iraqi military base at the southern edge of the city.
For $2 a day, these locals will build their own new villages on what is now a refugee camp - a place where some 2,000 people left homeless after the war live in battered concrete army barracks.
Provided below is a link to the most recent 3rd Brigade Newsletter. If you would like to save a copy for future reference, right click the link and select "Save Target As..."
February 22, 2004 Newsletter (.pdf file)
UPDATE: Link removed, explanation here.
[Link to Full Article]
By Dave Ryan, Daily Banner
CAMBRIDGE - The Mooney family did not grieve alone Tuesday.
More than 1,000 friends, neighbors, elected officials, and military personnel joined them in saying farewell to 1st Lt. Adam G. Mooney. The soldier, a native of Cambridge, lost his life in Iraq after his helicopter crashed Jan. 25 during a search-and-rescue mission. He was 28.
[Link to Full Article] A memorial service will be held today at Fort Lewis.
BILL HESS; Wick News Service
A 1998 Buena High School graduate was killed in action when an improvised explosive device was set off near a convoy he was riding in northern Iraq Monday.
According to the Associated Press, Spc. Michael M. Merila, 23, was returning to his base camp at Tall Afar from the Mosul Airport after he and others escorted soldiers of his unit who were departing on leave.
Army Magazine has two online articles detailing the recent activities of the Stryker Brigade. Both are PDF files, so we can't excerpt them here. Follow the links below to view the complete articles. Great pictures included
(Thanks to Rob & Sue for the links)
Every so often I visit the Army's Soldier Stories website to read a few of the amazing accounts collected there. I ran across an older story I hadn't seen before that was truly incredible. Excerpts:
[Link to Full Article]
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 24, 2004) -- As units return from Iraq, the Army will “reset” brigades into the fighting formations that will be needed in the future, a senior Army official said.
Under Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker’s “modularity” focus area, the 33 maneuver brigades in today’s active-component Army will be reset into 43 to 48 brigades. The Army will be temporarily “plussed up” by 30,000 troops to fill the added brigades, officials said.
I was going to link to a couple items at Jason Van Steenwyk's site Iraq Now, but instead I would recommend you start at the top and scroll down. An Army officer in Iraq preparing to redeploy, Jason has written a number of great entries recently on a wide variety of topics. Check him out.
JIM KRANE; The Associated Press
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - Nearly a quarter-million U.S. soldiers are within weeks of passing through this desert kingdom on their way to or from the war in neighboring Iraq, the largest such rotation of American forces in history, according to military planners overseeing the project.
Brian Taylor was a Marine who participated in the initial invasion of Iraq last March. During his time there he kept a journal, excerpts of which he is sharing in a five-part series for OpinionJournal. Here are parts one, two and three. I'll post his subsequent entries over the next couple weeks.
UPDATE: I'm moving this entry back to the top b/c parts four and five are now available.
(via Sparkey)
We are finally making the two older Brigade Newsletters available for download on our site. These are not new, but previously we linked to other sites that had the documents. Since they're no longer available, we thought it would be nice to have permanent copies here.
To save a copy to your computer for future reference, right click the links below and choose "Save Target As..."
December 22, 2003 Newsletter
UPDATE: Link removed, explanation here.
Download January 22, 2004 Newsletter
We wanted to highlight one item from the Winds of War briefing we mentioned below. Capt. Morgan, who is former commander of HHC, 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, has written a lengthy article outlining lessons learned while in Iraq. It is very much worth reading since the SBCT has taken control of the region formerly occupied by the 101st.
By Capt. Daniel Morgan
I have spent eleven months in Iraq fighting this war as a company commander, starting from the berm in Kuwait to Mosul, Iraq. My soldiers and I have learned a tremendous amount of lessons, shared many successes, and witnessed horrific injuries on our fellow soldiers. We never failed to conduct an AAR or hotwash after an operation, despite the success, failure or casualties. I want to share some TTPs and SOPs with as many as possible because this fight ebbs and flows with short, shocking violence that “always being prepared” becomes more than just a cliché. You will never know when you will be attacked — it just happens.
Here's the latest Winds of War briefing from the Winds of Change team. Take a look for links to, and analysis of, the latest news in the war on terror.
[Link to Full Article] (Registration required)
By DEXTER FILKINS
Published: February 23, 2004
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 22 — Iraq's interim leaders said Sunday that they could not negotiate a formal agreement with the American military on maintaining troops in Iraq, and that the task must await the next sovereign Iraqi government.
The delay could put the Americans in the position of negotiating an agreement with leaders they did not appoint on such sensitive issues as when the use of force would be allowed...
MOSUL, Iraq - During operations conducted from Feb. 15 through Feb. 22, soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, under the operational control of Task Force Olympia, collected more than 5,000 weapons and explosives and detained 21 suspects in connection with anti-Coalition activities.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - Someone threw a grenade at Brig. Gen. Carter Ham's convoy on his way to a meeting Sunday morning with a local security commander.
The general's aide, Capt. Phil Mundweil, suffered a small cut on his hip from flying shrapnel, but otherwise no one was hurt in the 9:20 a.m. attack.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - Another batch of Iraqi Civil Defense Corps recruits was due at the Mosul palace, but Stryker brigade soldiers didn't know how many would actually show up.
Here's some additional information regarding the memorial statue we've mentioned previously. I did not see any new pictures, however.
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2004 -- A bronze statue of a soldier mourning a fallen comrade traveled from Tikrit, Iraq, to Fort Hood, Texas, this week to become the focal point of a memorial to the soldiers of Task Force Ironhorse who have died during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
[Link to Full Article]
'His selfless service ... will never be forgotten'
Chris Barron, Sun Staff
February 21, 2004
As the bright sun burst through the clouds, a bugler blew "Taps" in the cool breeze of the afternoon.
Frontline Photos at Army Times has a photo from the memorial at Ft. Lewis for Bunda and Robbins, and another from Robbins' funeral in NY.
[Link to Full Article] 5th Bn., 20th Inf. Regt.
By Sgt. Jeremy Heckler
Task Force Olympia Public Affairs
MOSUL, IRAQ (Feb. 20, 2004) – The security of Hamam Al Alil, a small town south of Mosul, grew this week as the first company of Iraq Civil Defense Corps personnel who are tasked with securing the city graduated Thursday at the Northern Iraq Regional Training Center.
Lorraine wanted to remind everyone that Geraldo is still in Iraq. His show is on Saturday and Sunday nights at 10 PM EST, with repeats at 1 AM EST. We're hoping he makes the trip to Mosul.
Articles from Combined Joint Task Force 7 (CJTF7) were not being released for an extended period of time, perhaps because of a change of staff in Baghdad. Included below are links to items from the time period in question that were recently made available. Some of these might be repeats, but better safe than sorry.
"Stryker Brigade Collects Weapons In Iraq"
"Task Force Olympia Detains Suspects, Collects Weapons"
"Task Force Olympia Detains Suspect, Collects Weapons"
By Joe Burlas
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 19, 2004) -- Army Knowledge Online now offers a stripped-down version that loads up to 10 times faster than the regular service.
[Link to Full Article]Captures Suspect With Help Of Informant
CJTF7 Release #040220e
MOSUL, Iraq - With the help of a concerned citizen, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, under the operational control of Task Force Olympia, took explosives and an arms dealer off the streets of a small village outside of Qayarrah Feb. 19.
Company A responded to a tip from an informant who came to battalion headquarters and reported the presence of mortars in the village and identified a weapons dealer who was responsible for selling them.
[Link to Full Article]
Thinking of Others
Chris Barron; Sun Staff. February 20, 2004
The day before Valentine's Day, Michele Bunda received a delivery of three roses and a card signed by her husband.
It said, "I love you, Chris."
It came nearly three weeks after Bremerton resident Christopher Bunda, a highly respected Army staff sergeant with the Fort Lewis-based Stryker brigade, had died during a mission on the Tigris River. He was 29.
Liz Jackson is busy with another great project.
By MIKE BARBER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Karen Leming of the Tacoma Fire Department's Engine 10 is giving U.S. troops in Iraq the shirt off her back.
So are Stacy Waterworth, Bruce Bouyer and scores of fellow firefighters, police and other public-safety officers around the region at the one-year anniversary of the start of war in Iraq...
There is a very brief article about the memorial for Staff Sgts. Christopher Bunda and Thomas Robbins at Ft. Lewis yesterday.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - For a while, Capt. A.J. Newtson considered removing the slat armor cages from his company's Stryker infantry carriers. The big steel cages make it tough to maneuver the vehicles through some of Mosul's narrow streets.
Shawburb has a couple photos of Spc. Michael Merila in her photo album. Thanks for sharing those.
The Army has released additional details regarding the gurdsman accused of attempting to pass sensitive information to Al-Qaida.
By Ray Rivera
Seattle Times staff reporter
The Army has formally charged a National Guardsman from Lynnwood with attempting to supply military intelligence, including methods of killing American soldiers and destroying U.S. weapons systems, to the al-Qaida terrorist network.
The Army has released additional details regarding the gurdsman accused of attempting to pass sensitive information to Al-Qaida.
By Ray Rivera
Seattle Times staff reporter
The Army has formally charged a National Guardsman from Lynnwood with attempting to supply military intelligence, including methods of killing American soldiers and destroying U.S. weapons systems, to the al-Qaida terrorist network.
USA TODAY
February 19, 2004
The U.S. invasion of Iraq may have rolled over Saddam Hussein's forces in a matter of weeks -- but it could be a poor model for future fights, a draft of an Army study of the war warns.
By PAUL GRONDAHL, Staff writer
Army Sgt. Thomas D. Robbins, a 1994 Bethlehem High School graduate who died in Iraq, was laid to rest Wednesday amid the snowy fields of Saratoga National Cemetery.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq - When Capt. Patrick O'Brien, a Stryker brigade lawyer, was preparing to spend two weeks handling claims for damages during the December offensive in Samarra, he knew he'd need the best assistant he could get.
It was an easy call: Spc. Michael Merila.
This morning our web host had a big spike in traffic, which slowed down all of the sites hosted on our server. Eventually they had to reboot the server, which caused our site to be down for a short period of time. Sorry for the inconvenience.
UPDATE: While we're on the subject, one of our visitors let us know that the main page was causing her browser to crash. It turns out that the clock script we were using was the culprit. Once again, we removed it and Dan found one that seems to be much more stable (we now have Ft. Lewis time also!). If you ever experience an error or problem, please let us know.
Here's an interesting article regarding the realistic training provided to troops preparing to deploy.
By Jeff Linkous
Associated Press
FORT DIX, N.J. — Ryan Szeczesniewski could have as easily been warring with friends on a paintball battlefield.
Instead, he found himself on a southern New Jersey Army base, playing the role of an irate Iraqi citizen, part of an angry crowd marching on U.S. soldiers who denied medical aid to a fictional, wounded villager.
By Sgt. 1st Class Marcia Triggs
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 17, 2004) -- All Soldiers can now wear the U.S. flag insignia on the right shoulder of their utility uniform, as a continued reminder that the Army is engaged in a war at home and abroad.
I thought this was an interesting article given that the brigade seems to have adopted at least one mascot of its own.
Sunday Gazette-Mail
February 17, 2004
ST. LOUIS - Yo-ge has made it out of war torn Iraq. So have Cookie, Ratchet and Private.
But to the dismay of Missouri National Guard Pfc. Jeremiah Smith of Fulton, Mo., and scores of other soldiers and Marines, Niki and dozens of others like her have not. And as the clock ticks down, the chances of their survival diminish.
Spc. Merila was part of HHT, 1-14 CAV. Our thoughts are with his family and his fellow soldiers.
The News Tribune
The Pentagon has identified the Fort Lewis Stryker brigade soldier who died in a roadside bomb blast Monday in Iraq.
Spc. Michael M. Merila, 23, of Sierra Vista, Ariz., died after being seriously wounded near Tall Afar, about 35 miles west of Mosul, when his convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device. It was the first death of a Stryker soldier from hostile fire since the 5,000-member brigade crossed into Iraq in early December. Eight others have been killed in accidents.
I don't think we've posted this article before. Correct me if I'm wrong.
By Robert Hodierne
Times staff writer
MOSUL, Iraq — Brig. Gen. Carter F. Ham, 51, took control of this northern Iraqi town of 1.7 million and the surrounding four provinces with a force a third the size and possessing almost none of the experience of the troops commanded by the man he replaced, Maj. Gen. David Petraeus.
Dog Sitter just alerted us to the fact that another SBCT, the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division based at Ft. Lewis, will be featured tonight (February 17th) on NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. The broadcast airs on the West coast at 6 PM. If you miss it check MSNBC; they often repeat stories there throughout the evening. Sorry for the short notice.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
1st Lt. Adam G. Mooney, 28, of Cambridge, Md., died from non-hostile injuries when his helicopter went down in the Tigris River during a search for a missing soldier. Mooney was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation (Fort Drum), however, in support of mission requirements, he was attached to 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
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 death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Michael M. Merila, 23, of Sierra Vista, Ariz., died Feb. 16 in Talifar, Iraq, when his convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device. Merila was assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, Fort Lewis, Wash.
We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and fellow soldiers he leaves behind.
Associated Press
ANNISTON, Ala. — Like many recruits, the Army’s new Stryker combat vehicle needs to lose some weight before it’s fit to be deployed.
The Stryker, an armored vehicle being built in Anniston by General Dynamics, was designed to be a medium-weight vehicle that could be sent anywhere in the world within 96 hours.
Here is the official press release from Combined Joint Task Force 7.
MOSUL, IRAQ – A Task Force Olympia soldier was killed and one other was wounded when their convoy was attacked by an improvised explosive device at approximately 5:15 p.m. today near Tall Afar.
Word has it that the Stryker Brigade might be featured in an upcoming issue of Time Magazine. If any of you are regular readers of Time (I'm not), let us know if you see anything.
Thanks for the tip Krystle.
The Department of Defense announced today it has changed the status of 1st Lt. Adam G. Mooney, 28, of Cambridge, Md., from duty status whereabouts unknown to a non-hostile casualty. Mooney was listed as duty status unknown on Jan. 25 in Mosul, Iraq, when his helicopter went down in the Tigris River during a search for a missing soldier. On Feb. 14, his remains were recovered. Mooney was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation (Fort Drum), however, in support of mission requirements, he was attached to 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.