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Many new videos to share today. See below for details and links.
The August 30 edition of The Olympia Observer is now available for download.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL , IRAQ ( August 31, 2004 ) – Iraqi Police and Multinational Forces from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) foiled four roadside bomb attacks Monday in northern Iraq .
Iraqi Police foiled three roadside bomb attacks, two in the neighborhood of Al Thubat and one in the neighborhood of Al Noor, when they noticed suspicious items lying near the side of roads. Two of the devices consisted of a 122mm artillery round connected to a timer. In all three instances, the Iraqi Explosive Ordnance Disposal team successfully reduced the devices.
[Link to Full Article]
The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq U-S troops on patrol battled attackers in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul (MOH'-sul) today. The Army says at least one civilian was killed and one was hurt.
A military spokeswoman says assailants detonated a roadside bomb and fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the patrol. U-S troops returned fire, wounding one of the attackers.
The DoD has indentified the Task Force Olympia airman killed on Sunday as Airman 1st Class Carl L. Anderson Jr., who was assigned to 3rd Logistics Readiness Squadron, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska (see below). We would like to pass along our deepest sympathies to his family and friends. Rest in peace.
Any subsequent articles will be added to this entry.
An update on Yancey Baker, injured last Friday.
By DAN MURTAUGH
A soldier who grew up in Spanish Fort is recovering in Germany after he was badly burned when a car bomb exploded near his unit in Mosul, Iraq, his father said.
Spc. Yancey Ferris Baker, 25, is in a U.S. military hospital in Ramstein, Germany, being treated for an injury to his left eye, as well as second- and third-degree burns on his left arm, shoulder, neck and face, Charlie Baker said Monday.
I haven't seen a statement from the Task Force Olympia public affairs office regarding this incident, but the following press release was published by CENTCOM.
[Link to CENTCOM Press Release]
August 30, 2004
Release Number: 04-08-37C
MOSUL, IRAQ – One Task Force Olympia Soldier was killed and two were injured after their convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device south of Mosul Aug. 29.
The injured Soldiers were evacuated to the U.S. Army Combat Support Hospital in Mosul where one was released and the other is in stable condition. The attack is currently under investigation.
The name of the Soldier killed is being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin.
This is a great column written by Karin - whose husband is an officer with the Stryker Brigade - and published by Army Times. Thanks for sharing.
My husband and I have a true Army story, starting when I met a skinny, stinky, soldier on break from Ranger school. He was caked in dirt but full of energy.
Little did I realize I was looking at my future husband, the man who would be the father of my children.
I had dropped out of college and was staying with friends in Georgia. These same friends were helping out a group of future Rangers, including Jim. While most guys took advantage of the hospitality and slept on the floor, Jim stayed awake and spent the time talking with me — except when he made a phone call to his fiancée.
Chrenkoff has published his latest installment of Good News From Iraq - Part 9.
Additionally, Winds of Change has posted its latest Iraq Report.
Finally, The August 20 & 27 editions of The Coalition Scimitar are available for download. There is one article from Mosul in each edition, both of which have been posted here previously.
(TFO Press Release)
By. Spc. Blair Larson
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 28, 2004) – Members of the Iraqi Border Patrol battalion in Diyanah, Iraq, received 25 sets of night vision goggles and 10 Jeep Libertys August 28 from Multinational Forces.
The night vision goggles were purchased by Task Force Olympia with funds from the Commander’s Emergency Response Program and cost approximately $101,000. The goggles will be used to assist the IBP in conducting night patrols to capture smugglers near the border.
Here is the official press release from Task Force Olympia.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 29, 2004) – In two separate complex attacks today, an unknown number of anti-Iraqi forces attacked two Multinational Forces patrols with rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire, injuring 37 Iraqi civilians and resulting in the death of two of the terrorists.
The first attack occurred at approximately 3 a.m. in the city of Tal Afar, about 50 kilometers west of Mosul. Anti-Iraqi forces fired eight rocket propelled grenades at a passing U.S. patrol. At least one of the RPG rounds was fired from the vicinity of a police station while others were fired from the nearby Al Huda Mosque, a violation of the International Law of War which prohibits the use of religious and other protected places from being used as enemy sanctuary.
[Link to Full Article]
Morning Sentinel
EDITOR'S NOTE: On the day he was to fly to California and enroll as a freshman at the University of Southern California, Derek Mitchell took the time to answer questions about his ground-breaking trip as a young journalist in Iraq. Mitchell, a 2004 graduate of Skowhegan Area High School, reported live by satellite three times daily to WHQO 107.9, based in Skowhegan. From June 14 to 25, he was embedded with the 133rd Engineer Battalion, where his father, Capt. Michael Mitchell, is stationed.
[Link to Full Article]
By Chad Swiatecki
Dr. Donald Reed's Crim story is hard to beat.
While nearly 7,000 runners in downtown Flint relaxed in a festival atmosphere after their 10-mile runs, Reed followed his run by removing a bullet from an injured soldier.
Reed, of Mt. Morris, is a battlefield trauma surgeon with the Army Reserves in Mosul, Iraq. He and a few comrades held their own quasi-Crim at the same time the race unfolded in Flint.
A letter home from a soldier with the 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment attached to Task Force Olympia.
[Link to Full Article]
By MEG JONES
For centuries, soldiers have written home from war zones. They have shared their thoughts, fears and hopes, their pride in their work and their longing for loved ones, a soft bed and food that's not served in a mess hall.
Today, instant messaging and satellite phones bring the intimacy and immediacy of conversation across thousands of miles to American troops in Iraq and Kuwait. But it is their letters and e-mails that create a lasting record of the soldier's everyday life.
by Sgt. Joseph Sanchez (TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 29, 2004) – Multinational Forces from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained 11 people wanted for anti-Iraqi activities Saturday in northern Iraq.
Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment conducted cordon and search operations in Tal Afar, 30 kilometers west of Mosul, and detained 11 people wanted for planning and conducting attacks against Multinational forces. This is in addition to the six suspects that were detained yesterday. Of the 11 people detained, one person was a known anti-Iraqi leader. No injuries were reported during the operations.
by Sgt. Joseph Sanchez (TFO Press Release)
Multinational Forces from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained six people wanted for planning and conducting anti-Iraqi activities and discovered a variety of weapons and munitions Friday in northern Iraq.
Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment conducted a cordon and search in Tal Afar, 30 kilometers west of Mosul, and detained six members of a known terrorist network wanted for planning and conducting coordinated attacks against Multinational Forces in northern Iraq. The suspects are in custody and no injuries were reported during the operation.
BY MICK WALSH
Soldier considers himself lucky as he recovers from AK-47 bullet that nicked his spine
A millimeter, a centimeter, certainly no more than that.
As for the bullet that left its shadow on Sgt. Paul Schmitz's spine as it passed through his body, it could not have weighed more than a few grams.
"Luck is what it is," said Schmitz, speaking from his room at Walter Reed Hospital, describing his close encounter, if not with death, then certainly with paralysis.
For if that bullet, fired from an insurgent's AK-47, had not deflected off a bony spur attached to a vertebrae in Schmitz's back, what is now being considered a "miracle" recovery might just have become another tragedy of war.[...]
We've talked about it for a while now, but we are finally able to offer some Stryker gear for sale. Read the details below.
We've talked about it for a while now, but we are finally able to offer some Stryker gear for sale. Read the details below.
There are a number of new interviews today. See below for details.
Susan recently sent me an email with updates on a couple projects she's working on. Read below for all the details.
Follow the link below for more details on the march.
[Link to Full Article]
CHRISTIAN HILL, THE OLYMPIAN
LACEY -- The Hawks Prairie Rotary will have its second Military Family Support March on Sept. 11 and expects a much larger turnout than last year.
The event has grown by leaps and bounds since 2003, when it first drew attention to the financial plight of many family members whose loved ones are deployed overseas in support of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Yahoo! News has four photos (one, two, three, four) of Stryker soldiers responding at the scene of the car bomb referred to in the articles below. Caption:
U.S. Army soldiers arrive at the scene of a car bomb explosion in the northern city of Mosul, August 27, 2004. A car bomb exploded near a U.S. military convoy in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Friday, wounding at least 10 Iraqi civilians, police and hospital officials said. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen
Thanks to Steve for the link.
An update to the earlier article.
At least 10 Iraqis, including two children, and a US soldier were wounded today when a car bomb blew up in the path of a US military convoy in the main northern city of Mosul, medical sources said.
The car exploded at around 11am (1700 AEST) in the central Yarmuk district of the city as US military vehicles passed. [...]
The US military said one American soldier was taken to hospital for treatment following the attack, but had no information on civilian casualties.
UPDATE: Be sure to check the comments. Yancey's parents have provided updated information on his condition. Thank you for sharing.
By Associated Press
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) A car bomb exploded Friday in the northern city of Mosul, wounding at least 10 Iraqi civilians, the U.S. military said.
U.S. Army Capt. Angela Bowman said the bomb appeared to target a U.S. military convoy on the western edge of the city.
A few new videos from Public Affairs provided below.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 26, 2004) – Iraqi National Guardsmen and Multinational Forces from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team)detained eleven people suspected of anti-Iraqi activities in separate operations Wednesday and today.
Guardsmen of the 101st Iraqi National Guard Battalion, with the assistance of Multinational Forces, detained two individuals Wednesday morning while performing a cordon and search operation in the Mosul neighborhood of Al Shorta. Both subjects were wanted for operating a document forgery ring and remain in custody.
[Link to Full Article]
By Daily News
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE -- A new armored car equipped with a cannon has been dropped by parachute from a C-17 transport plane in a test of whether the vehicle can go into combat with paratroopers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division.
For the first time, the eight-wheel Army Stryker armored car, mounted with a 105 mm cannon and called a mobile gun system, was dropped from an Air Force cargo plane Aug. 13 onto the south part of Rogers Dry Lake. [...]
"This is the best birthday present a person could have," were the words expressed by Norbert VanDessel upon seeing his grandson, Ryan. July 7th was the date of the surprise visit home from Iraq for Sergeant Ryan VanDessel. Ryan's Aunt Susan and Uncle Larry held a gathering for 60 family members and friends at their home. The welcome home party was the result of months of secrecy and planning. Ryan, stationed near Mosul, Iraq, first e-mailed Ron and Deb Lineweaver in early March. Larry and Susan were co-hosts in the scheming that would soon take place. To help insure the surprise would come off without a hitch, a "web of lies" would be necessary.[...]
Quite a story.
By Leslie Slape
As their 19-ton armored Stryker tipped nose-first, then plummeted off a 30-foot cliff in Iraq, "I knew it was going to hurt -- a lot," Army Spc. Nick Vernon wrote. "That's when I grabbed Justin."
In an e-mail he sent Monday to The Daily News, the Castle Rock native was modest about his role in pulling Sgt. Justin Little of Longview to safety.
"I don't feel like I saved his life," he wrote. "We are all trained, and trained well. I did my job and everyone made it out alive."
Provided below are links to the latest videos made available by Public Affairs.
The August 23 edition of The Olympia Observer, the newsletter published by Task Force Olympia, is now available for download.
The DOD has identified the soldier killed in Mosul yesterday as 2nd Lt. Matthew R. Stovall with the Army National Guard’s 367th Maintenance Company, 298th Corps Support Battalion (see below). Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time. We will add any subsequent articles we find to this entry.
The MNF website has two photos of Stryker soldiers taken with the combat camera. One is with C Co., 1-23 INF, while the other is with A Co., 5-20 INF. Rather than post links directly to the photos (they are high resolution and would take a while to download), just follow the link above and scroll down to August 19 to view the thumbnails and captions. Once you're there you can click the photo for the high resolution version.
We mentioned journalist Michael Weisskopf earlier this year. He was a Time magazine correspondent embedded with the Army's 1st Armored Division when he lost his hand trying to dispose of an enemy grenade that landed in the Humvee he was riding in. Weisskopf was recently honored by the Army with the Fourth Estate Award.
[Link to Article]
By Sgt. Lorie Jewell
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Army News Service, Aug. 19, 2004) – Before the war in Iraq, Michael Weisskopf’s lengthy journalism career was short on Soldier stories.
Three weeks with the 1st Armored Division’s Tomb Raiders in Adhamiya, a powder keg neighborhood in Baghdad, changed that. Weisskopf, a senior correspondent with Time Magazine, was embedded in November and December 2003 with the Survey Platoon, Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment. Earlier reporting from Iraq, in April 2003, peaked his interest in telling the war story from the trench level, he said.
I forgot to post this article from last week related to the Stryker Brigades.
[Link to Full Article]
By Gregg K. Kakesako
Maj. C.J. Pindat Kahele and 1st Lt. Kai Kahele are the only husband-and-wife pilot team in the Hawaii Air National Guard.
By early 2006 they hope to be in the cockpit of a brand-new Globemaster jet transport as the only C-17 husband-and-wife pilot team for the Hawaii Air Guard.
Winds of Change has two recent Iraq Reports with plenty of coverage of events there. The first was published on August 19th, while the second was published today, August 23rd.
Defend America offers this photo essay of Charlie Company, 9th Psychological Operations Battalion conducting a foot patrol in Mosul recently.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 23, 2004) – Following a demonstration of the skills learned over the last three months, 22 civil defense firefighting graduates accepted their diplomas with great pride as they prepare to put their training to the test.
These 22 graduates will become trainers to the more then 650 civil defense members throughout the Ninevah Province , who will then make up the backbone of firefighting in the communities throughout the river valley.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 23, 2004) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multinational Forces from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) conducted several operations in northern Iraq Sunday resulting in the capture of eight suspected anti-Iraqi forces members.
Soldiers of the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment detained four subjects while conducting a cordon and search operation in Tal Afar in an attempt to capture a terrorist cell leader. Multinational Forces detained four individuals suspected of anti-Iraqi forces activity, though the cell leader was not among those detained. The detainees remain in custody.
Army private, Purple Heart honoree, says war taught him about himself
John Hacker Globe Staff Writer
Carl Junction High School graduate Travis Delzell went into the Army because he wanted to travel and he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life.
A year and a half later, Delzell, 21, is a private first class in the Army and a decorated combat veteran of the war in Iraq.
Delzell said he has a greater appreciation of what life has to offer after his experiences in Iraq, especially after an Aug. 4 brush with death during a firefight with insurgents near his unit's base in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
Yahoo! News has two photos of Task Force Olympia soldiers responding to what appear to be two separate incidents. It is unclear from the captions whether these operations are related to the casualties announced earlier today. Links to the photos are provided below.
AP Photo BAG104
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - A roadside bomb detonated near a U.S. military convoy on Sunday outside the northern city of Mosul, killing one U.S. soldier and wounding another, the military said. Two Iraqi children were injured in the blast, said Dr. Mohammed Ahmed of al-Jumhuri hospital.
The bomb exploded as the convoy passed a road west of Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, said Capt. Angela Bowman, a U.S. military spokeswoman in Mosul.
By Terry Boyd, Stars and Stripes
BAUMHOLDER, Germany — If there was ever a base on the bubble, it’s Baumholder.
German officials — noting that Baumholder is a major U.S. Army base close to Ramstein Air Base and the Kaiserslautern Military Community — hope its location will keep it open.
But, as a 1st Armored Division base, it’s future is far from assured.
Senior U.S. defense officials confirmed at a Pentagon background briefing on Monday that the 1st Infantry Division and 1st AD will leave Germany. Pentagon officials emphasized the transformation of forces will occur over 10 years, and so far, there are no appropriations to build facilities in the United States to accommodate the division’s four land brigades, two aviation brigades, division artillery and headquarters that are all currently in Europe.[...]
by Sgt. Joseph Sanchez (TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 22, 2004) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multinational Forces from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) prevented terrorists’ attempts to harm the Iraqi people and security forces by locating five roadside bombs inside Mosul today.
Stryker Brigade soldiers located a roadside bomb in the Mosul neighborhood of Al Thubut this morning and notified an Iraqi Explosives Ordnance Disposal team. The device was reduced and no injuries were reported.
Another article regarding Justin Little.
A 24-year-old Longview soldier, who was injured in Iraq on Wednesday when his assault vehicle tumbled over a cliff, was expected to leave Germany for Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., this morning, his father said.
Sgt. Justin Little suffered a broken neck, but did not damage his spinal cord, meaning he likely will walk again, Jim Little said. He was recovering Friday in a German military hospital.
by Sgt. Joseph Sanchez (TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 21, 2004) – Multinational Forces from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) captured two individuals suspected of anti-Iraqi activities Friday.
Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment detained two individuals during a cordon and search operation in Tal Afar Friday in an attempt to capture a person suspected of planning attacks against Multinational Forces. The Stryker Brigade soldiers detained two persons and confiscated a vehicle. The detained individuals remain in custody and no soldiers were injured during the operation.
Some of you may find this helpful while making travel plans for your loved ones.
A local soldier is recovering in a German military hospital after he broke his neck while on duty in Iraq.
Sergeant Justin Little, 24, was on night patrol Wednesday in Mosul, Iraq when the Stryker vehicle he was in went over a 30-foot embankment.
Thursday night Little's family in Longview learned that even though his neck is broken, he will not end up paralyzed. [...]
Provided below are a few new videos courtesy of Public Affairs.
Yahoo! News carries two photos (one, two) of Strykers responding to a roadside bomb attack. Caption:
U.S. soldiers inspect the area where their military convoy was attacked by insurgents using a road side bomb on Baghdad road in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. There are no reports of any casualties. The convoy was hauling generator equipment through Mosul to the south when it was attacked. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ibrahimi)
MOSUL, Iraq - More than 60 residents of Al Kush received a free health screening Aug. 17 during an assessment of the medical needs of citizens in the city and its surrounding areas.
Medical professionals from the Multi-National Force performed the health screenings. Patients were given advice on medical conditions and will be able to receive further medical treatment within a few weeks when the next screening will be conducted.
[Link to Full Article]
By Nathan Phelps
The green grass of Wisconsin faded to the dusty earth tones of Iraq.
But for two weeks Pfc. Brian Garner got a respite from Iraq through a rest program implemented by the Department of Defense.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 20, 2004) – Iraqi Security Forces and soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained 11 individuals suspected of anti-Iraqi activities from several operations and Iraqi police prevented a roadside bomb attack.
Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment detained three individuals after conducting two cordon and search operations yesterday in Tal Afar in an attempt to capture suspected anti-Iraqi facilitators. The first search resulted in the detainment of two individuals and over $10,000 in US and Iraqi currency was confiscated. Multinational Forces detained a third individual during the second search operation after the person displayed threatening behavior. All of the suspects remain in custody.
[Link to Full Article]
Brad Broders
While serving as a broadcast journalist with the Illinois National Guard, Justin Savage had some heavy stuff to report being under enemy fire numerous times. On Thursday, via satellite, he spoke of his experiences with his parents listening intently to his every word.
Aside from sending his love back home, Savage talked about his achievements in Mosul, and reporting on the building of new schools and pipelines.[...]
[Link to Full Article]
By Tara Meissner, Herald Times Reporter
MANITOWOC — The Manitowoc County United Veterans Council is erecting a monument to honor service personnel killed in the war on terrorism.
The first name on the monument at the Manitowoc County Veterans Memorial will be Sgt. Charles Kiser, 37, of Cleveland. He died June 24 in Mosul, Iraq, and a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, 330th Military Police Detachment from the Fale U.S. Army Reserve Center, Sheboygan. Kiser was the first soldier from Manitowoc County to die in the current conflict.
[Link to Article] (Photo included)
by 1st Lt. Brooke Davis
Air Force Flight Test Center Public Affairs
8/19/2004 - EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- An aircrew from the C-17 Globemaster III combined test force here successfully airdropped a mobile gun system for the first time during a feasibility test Aug. 13. The system fits the Army's Stryker engineer squad vehicle.
The Army is testing the 52,500-pound system to possibly equip the armored vehicle to meet operational needs.
[Link to Full Article]
By Mark Sappenfield, The Christian Science Monitor
ATHENS – Like all the American athletes who have come here for the Olympic Games, Michael Anti has made enormous sacrifices for his country. Unlike all but a handful, though, there is a chance that one day he could be called on to make the ultimate sacrifice.
As one of the 17 athletes who is also an active member of the US armed forces, Mr. Anti came to these Games with a unique perspective - and a peculiar fire.
Great, detailed article on recent operations in and around Tall Afar.
[Link to Article]
By Sgt. Fred Minnick
MOSUL, Iraq – Their days began before sunrise and the missions did not end until 15 hours after wakeup. The Soldiers said they endured intense heat and sporadic firefights, but completed the largest operation the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) has executed in Iraq to date.
According to Stryker Brigade officials, on August 1 three battalions from the brigade and three battalions from the Iraqi National Guard conducted joint operations to decrease terrorist activity in Tall Afar. On August 2, Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment and soldiers from the 102nd Battalion of the Iraqi National Guard hit the small town of Avgoni, a suspected terrorist haven near Tall Afar. On August 4, the brigade conducted its first ever air-ground combat assault to capture a terrorist cell leader near the Syrian border.
[Link to Article]
By Staff Sgt. Bradley Rhen
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii (Army News Service, Aug. 19, 2004) -- As part of the Army's ongoing transformation, a total of six brigades, including two Stryker Brigade Combat Teams, will form over the next three years under the 25th Division (Light) patch pending future decisions on unit designations.
Contrary to a recent Army Times article, 3,600 additional Soldiers will not be stationed at Schofield Barracks. Instead, three brigade combat team units of action will be formed under the Tropic Lightning Division, but will be located at other posts.
The August 16 edition of The Olympia Observer, a newsletter from Task Force Olympia, is now available for download.
[Link to Full Article]
Bowker said he is 'just happy to be home ... just happy to be alive.'
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN, VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
LORDSTOWN — "He looks good ... real good," a relieved Rachael Bowker said of her husband, Army Reserve Spec. Robert Bowker, who arrived home early Wednesday after being seriously injured July 26 in a suicide car bombing at a U.S. base near Mosul, Iraq.
Holding hands, the young couple sat on the front porch of the home of Rachael's mother, Sherry Kohn, in Warren and talked about his experience in Iraq and of seeing each other for the first time since he was wounded.
JULIA HALL, OF THE NEWS STAFF
BANGOR - Waving miniature American flags in anticipation, about 15 friends and relatives welcomed a Bangor soldier home on a two-week vacation from Iraq on Wednesday evening at Bangor International Airport."It's the best feeling I've had in a long time," Lt. Jeremy White, 28, said after many hugs, kisses and handshakes.
White, an Alpha Company executive officer with the Maine Army National Guard's 133rd Engineer Battalion, has been serving in Mosul, Iraq, since March. That was when the 400-strong battalion left Fort Drum, N.Y., to relieve an Alabama National Guard unit.[...]
[Link to Full Article]
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
An Army officer from Tacoma is recovering slowly but steadily from wounds he suffered earlier this month in heavy fighting in Mosul.
Lt. Damon Armeni remains in the intensive care unit at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., but "he's improved dramatically over the last 48 hours," his father, Dan, said in an e-mail Wednesday to The News Tribune.
He said his son would most likely be flown this morning to Madigan Army Medical Center at Fort Lewis. [...]
Liz Jackson of Patriotic Pastime has been keeping us up to date on her "Hero to Hero" (H2H) pledge drive. If you recall, Liz and her son made a road trip across the U.S. this summer to spread the word and collect shirts for the campaign. You can view all the photos from their trip here.
The official kickoff for the campaign is coming up on September 11th. If you have contacts with Police or Fire Departments please visit her website to find out how to get involved. As we mentioned previously, this year H2H is, "dedicated to the life & memory of two heroes, killed in the line of duty... US Army Stryker, Sgt Jacob Robert Herring & Tacoma, Washington Motorcycle Police Officer, James G. Lewis."
The letter that Ben Stein wrote to the spouses in the A 1/37 FA Family Readiness Group has been published as a column in today's Wall Street Journal. Excellent! Thanks for sharing Karen.
[Link to Full Article]
By BEN STEIN
(This is a letter I wrote to the newsletter of an Army unit called The Strykers, stationed in Iraq out of Ft. Lewis, Wash. The editor asked me what I would say to make the wives feel appreciated while their husbands are in Iraq. This is what I wrote to one soldier's wife.)
Dear Karen,
I have a great life. I have a wife I adore, a son who is a lazy teenager but I adore him, too. We live in a house with two dogs and four cats. We live in peace. We can worship as we please. We can say what we want. We can walk the streets in safety. We can vote. We can work wherever we want and buy whatever we want. When we sleep, we sleep in peace. When we wake up, it is to the sounds of birds.
[Link to Full Article]
VOA News
A rocket has hit a busy market in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, killing at least five civilians.
The U.S. military says at least 10 other civilians were wounded in the early afternoon Wednesday. It is not clear who was responsible.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 18, 2004) – Since beginning of July, $3.1 million has been allocated for humanitarian projects through the Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic Aid (OHDACA) account.
Projects identified by local Iraqi officials are approved by Multinational Forces, in order of importance, and will receive OHDACA money as project approval is awarded. Local contractors handle each project’s labor and management. The contracts are awarded through a bidding process that involves at least two other competitors for each project.
Susan Sutter continues her quest to support the soldiers in the Stryker Brigade.
[Link to Full Article]
Pillows for soldiers help cope with son's death
by Jeff Switzer, Journal Reporter
KIRKLAND -- After her son died in Iraq, Susan Sutter was pulled into a demanding world manning a lifeline to troops in the combat zone.
She sees the soldiers overseas as kids, like her son, Sgt. Jake Herring, who was just 21 when he died April 28 after a grenade attack.
``There's probably a big neon sign over me that says `nurturer,''' said Sutter, 47. ``I feel like I have an unspoken responsibility to take care of them and do all I can.
[Link to Full Article]
By Patrick Chisholm
Personal digital assistants are not just for storing contacts or scheduling meetings anymore. In the military, ruggedized versions of them are bringing the foot soldier fully into the fold of net-centric warfare.
Rugged-PDAs (R-PDAs) have begun to be fielded to units in the U.S. military. Though the number of them in use is currently very small, within the next couple of years the number is expected to increase dramatically. Dismounted leaders down to the platoon or even squad level will have them in hand.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 17, 2004) – Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) prevented two road side bomb attacks and detained 21 individuals wanted for anti-Iraqi activities over the past 24 hours in separate incidents.
Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment detained five individuals after an unmanned aerial plane observed the individuals emplacing a road side bomb near Tal Afar Monday morning. Upon the arrival of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, the device detonated but resulted in no injuries or damage. The surveillance plane tracked the individuals as they departed the area. Multinational forces intercepted the suspects’ vehicle and detained them.
[Link to Full Article]
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- The Army's second Stryker brigade is ready for action, the Army's No. 2 general declared as plans were announced to use the more agile armored vehicle in an overseas troop reduction plan.
"I'm very, very impressed in what I'm seeing with this second Stryker brigade," said Gen. Richard Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff, in a visit Monday to this Army base south of Tacoma. "They're absolutely combat ready."[...]
NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF & The ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hours after President Bush announced the largest restructuring of U.S. forces overseas since the Korean War, a high-ranking Army official visiting Fort Lewis said it's undetermined how the changes will affect the local post.
Pentagon officials said Monday that the Army will bring home two divisions from Germany as part of the restructuring and replace them with a much-smaller Stryker brigade.
There are two new videos to share. See below for links and summaries.
[Link to Article]
Story and photos by Spc. Gretel Sharpee
MOSUL, Iraq- As the sky brightened on the early morning hours of Aug. 4, Iraqi National Guard soldiers and Multinational Forces could barely be seen as they monitored streets during a cordon and search in Iraq’s northern city of Mosul. This operation and many others like it, is the dawning of Iraqi security forces taking the lead in protecting the citizens against criminals and terrorists.
In an effort to increase safety for the citizens of Ninevah Province, soldiers from the 101st Iraqi National Guard (ING) continued their search for anti-Iraqi forces while Multinational Forces cordoned the perimeter, into the mid-morning hours.
StrategyPage posts occassional updates on the progress of the Stryker Brigade. The most recent entry is excerpted below:
Chrenkoff has published his latest edition of Good News From Iraq (Part Eight), and Winds of Change has published a new Iraq Report.
[Link to Full Article]
By David Rising, Associated Press
BERLIN — Any shift of major U.S. military units out of Western Europe and Asia will take years and require further negotiation once it is endorsed by President Bush, a military official said Monday.
A Pentagon plan that includes moving two divisions out of Germany, which Bush was expected to back Monday, was among several submitted by military planners after Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld called for changes in the way U.S. forces are deployed around the world. [...]
Under the Pentagon’s plan, both Army divisions stationed in Germany would be returned to the United States and replaced by a brigade equipped with Stryker light armored vehicles.
[Link to Full Article]
JIM SZYMANSKI THE OLYMPIAN
The Army returns to the Port of Olympia today for its third visit of the year.
Today's scheduled loading of the Cape Orlando military transport ship will be smaller than loadings and unloadings of ships in May and June that carried equipment to and from the war in Iraq.
Judi Warren, spokeswoman for the 833rd U.S. Army transportation battalion in Seattle, said dockworkers would load 120 containers onto the Cape Orlando today. The cargo is bound for "southwest Asia," Warren said.
The loading of Fort Lewis equipment will include a few Stryker combat vehicles, she said. The Army expects that loading will be completed today.
It looks as if the 1st AD has finished its move back to Germany.
By Terry Boyd, Stars and Stripes
BAUMHOLDER, Germany — On Wednesday, Staff Sgt. Patrick Piper went to the Baumholder PowerZone and plunked down $1,699 for his brand new, 52-inch Samsung television.
The TV goes to his off-post house, along with a Gold’s Gym weight set, a barbeque grill, a set of patio furniture and a computer. Oh, and two televisions — one for a daughter, one for a son — along with a DVD player.
Piper — with Headquarters, Headquarters Detachment, 47th Forward Support Battalion — is one of more than 13,000 1st Armored Division soldiers newly back from Iraq with thousands of dollars in hardship and incentive pay from their 15-month deployment.[...]
by Sgt. Joseph Sanchez (TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 15, 2004) – Soldiers of the 106th Iraqi National Guard Battalion and Multinational Forces detained a total of nine suspected terrorists in two separate operations early this morning in the Ninevah region.
Iraqi National Guard soldiers from the 106th Battalion and Stryker Brigade Combat Team soldiers from 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment conducted a joint cordon and search operation in the Al Mamoon neighborhood of Mosul in order to capture a suspected bomb maker. Four individuals at the suspected house were detained for questioning, and no injuries or damages were reported during the operation.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 13, 2004) – Soldiers of the 107th Iraqi National Guard Battalion identified an improvised explosive device on Aug. 12 and safely reduced it. In a separate incident, three terrorists were detained after they attacked Multinational Brigade patrol with a roadside bomb.
Iraqi soldiers from Company A, 107th Battalion stationed near Hammam Al Alil, identified an explosive device near the Hammam Al Alil Agricultural College. The Iraqi National Guard explosive ordnance disposal team reduced the explosive without injury or damage.
Many thanks to Colleen for passing this along. Friday's edition of Frontline Photos from Armytimes.com shows soldiers from the SBCT in Mosul.
[Link to Full Article]
By Thomas E. Ricks
WASHINGTON — The Army's new medium-weight armored vehicle, the Stryker, weighs so much that it curtails the range of C-130 military cargo aircraft that carry it and under certain conditions makes it impossible for the planes to take off, a new congressional report found.
"The Stryker's average weight of 38,000 pounds — along with other factors such as added equipment and less-than-ideal flight conditions — significantly limits the C-130's flight range and reduces the size force that could be deployed," said the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the watchdog arm of Congress.
[Link to Full Article]
By Chuck Crumbo Knight Ridder
COLUMBIA - As gray skies hinted the impending arrival of Hurricane Charley, a seasoned sergeant offered some advice to the drivers of 56 S.C. National Guard Humvees, transport trucks and 18-wheelers headed for Fort Bragg, N.C.
"Yes, we've got to get there at a certain time," said 1st Sgt. Wayne, as the soldiers readied for the first leg of a 6,600-mile journey that will lead to Iraq. "But we're not in that much of a hurry to get somebody hurt." [...]
Sgt. Hook, writing from Afghanistan, offers a personal tribute as an alternative to a generic news report regarding the loss of a fellow soldier.
[Link to Article]
By Sgt. Fred Minnick
Tall Afar, Iraq – In 2001, Spc. John Shore, 20, went to his hometown army recruiting station in Sydney, Australia, and requested a position in an Australian army combat arms unit. The recruiter told Shore that only combat support slots were available, but Shore didn’t want to serve as an administrative specialist or a cook. He desired a life jam-packed with adventure and danger. He knew he wanted to be an infantry soldier.
Although he grew up in Australia, Shore had always held a dual citizenship because his father is an American citizen. Rather than waiting for an Australian army combat arms slot to open, Shore took advantage of his American citizenship and joined the U.S. Army in November of 2001 as an infantryman. By joining a foreign army, Shore gave up his Australian citizenship.
The Brookings Institue maintains a database, "tracking reconstruction and security in post-Saddam Iraq." Called the Iraq Index, it is probably the most detailed compilation of statisitcs I've seen regarding the war in Iraq. From the website:
The Iraq Index is a statistical compilation of economic and security data. This resource will provide updated information on various criteria, including crime, telephone and water service, troop fatalities, unemployment, Iraqi security forces, oil production, and coalition troop strength.
If you're interested in this kind of information you can check in regularly - the study is updated three times a week.
[Link to Full Article]
By John Shields
(Mosul, Iraq) - Some of the heaviest fighting in Iraq since the beginning of the war has left a springfield soldier fighting for his life.
Sergeant Paul Schmitz is being treated at Walter Reed Military Hospital in Washington, D.C. His family says Schmitz was hit by a bullet during fighting in Mosul, Iraq, shattering two vertebrae in his spine and slicing into his intestines and spleen.
Schmitz is part of the Army's strike brigade, a special unit trained in terrorist fighting. He's expected to stay at the hospital for more than a year.
[Link to Full Article]
By Mike Lopresti
PATRAS, Greece — The soccer team from Iraq had just scored the go-ahead goal, and in section 108, they were bouncing up and down to celebrate.
"I must call my brother," said Muhammad Bilal, reaching for his cell phone. "He is watching in Iraq." [...]
The August 13 edition of the Coalition Scimitar is now available online.
Winds of Change has published another Iraq Report this week, with links to news and analysis of recent events there. If you're interested in news from Najaf they have plenty of coverage.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 12, 2004) – An improvised explosive device was found on the evening of August 11 on an abandoned pipeline 30 km south of Mosul.
Soldiers from the Stryker Brigade Combat Team secured the area until the Iraqi Police arrived. Members of the Iraqi Police explosive ordnance disposal team defused the bomb this morning.
No injuries or damaged were reported.
Local citizens are urged to report any unexploded ordnance they find, and to cooperate with security force by providing information that leads to the capture and arrest of anti-Iraqi forces. Anyone with information should call the Joint Coordination Center in Mosul at 125 or 513462.
[Link to Full Article] (Photos included)
By Spc. Chris Stephens
CAMP CASEY, South Korea (Army News Service, Aug. 10, 2004) -- Units from the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are now deploying to the Middle East from South Korea.
For more than 50 years the 2nd Infantry Division has guarded freedom’s frontier in South Korea, as part of the Armistice Agreement signed on July 27, 1953.
[Link to Picture]
Staff Sgt. Bill Gonzalez searches a home in northern Iraq on Aug. 4, 2004 , in support of an operation to stop the flow of weapons from Syria to Iraq . The residents of the home are suspected of smuggling weapons into Iraq from Syria and distributing them to terrorist cells throughout Iraq .
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Fred Minnick)
[Link to Full Article]
This article was published Aug. 3rd, sorry I missed this one. Sapper's finally get their due, IMHO.
By Bernard Tate; WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug. 3, 2004)
A new Sapper tab for combat engineers is now authorized for wear by qualified Soldiers on their left shoulder.
Until this summer, only the Special Forces tab and the Ranger tab were authorized for wear above the unit patch on the left shoulder.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 11, 2004) – In an effort to cheer the lives of the small children at Ibn Al Atheer pediatric and perinatal hospital, members of the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion passed out small stuffed animals in the intensive care wards of the Mosul hospital on August 10.
“Donating toys to children who are receiving care in a hospital setting is the best way for us to add something bright to their lives,” said Lt. Col. Walter Franz, from Byron, Minn., Battalion Surgeon and Public Health Team Leader for the 416th. “It is a great pleasure to do good, beneficial work in the health care community.”
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 11, 2004) – Operations in the Tall Afar region yesterday resulted in the detention of 13 individuals suspected of anti-Iraqi activities.
Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) conducted a cordon and search early Tuesday morning to capture suspected terrorists. A total of 13 individuals were detained for questioning.
Local citizens are urged to cooperate with security forces by providing information that leads to the capture and arrest of anti-Iraqi forces. Anyone with information should call the Joint Coordination Center in Mosul at 125 or 513462.
Provided below are links to, and descriptions of, the latest videos from Public Affairs.
This is an update to an earlier press release.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 10, 2004) – Responding to a tip from Iraqi security officials, Iraqi Police secured a vehicle containing explosives August 8.
Iraqi Police secured the area until Iraqi and Multinational Forces explosive ordnance disposal teams could arrive at the scene. The vehicle, a maroon sedan, contained four 155mm artillery shells and one 130mm round. The vehicle was packed with PE-4 explosive and remote detonation devices.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 10, 2004) – Continuing joint operations in western Ninevah province resulted in the detention of six individuals attempting to smuggle benzene and other cargo from Syria into Iraq yesterday, while Multinational Forces detained three personnel suspected of being members of a terrorist group in Mosul.
Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) patrolling the border west of Sinjar observed three individuals conducting overwatch while two others moved unidentified cargo across the border. The soldiers were able to detain the three who were conducting the overwatch, but the two individuals moving cargo fled back across the border into Syria.
[Link to full Article]
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
It didn't get much media coverage, but troops from the Fort Lewis-based Stryker brigade say fighting last Wednesday in Mosul was the heaviest and most sustained combat they've seen in their nine months in Iraq.
Insurgents with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, AK-47s and improvised bombs fought a series of coordinated, running attacks against Stryker and Iraqi troops. One estimate put the number of attackers at 30 to 40, another at more than 100.
Either way, U.S. and Iraqi forces killed an undetermined number of them - the official estimate is at least a dozen - while suffering no losses themselves.
About a dozen Stryker troops were wounded; all but two returned to duty, said Lt. Col. Kevin Hyneman, the brigade's deputy commander.[...]
On NPR's Talk of the Nation program today the mother of a Stryker soldier called in to comment on the lack of media coverage up north, among other things. Her call comes at about the 7:30 minute mark of the 14 minute audio segment. Follow the link above, then click on the "Talk of the Nation audio" link in the upper-left hand corner.
Thanks to Melody for the heads-up.
Winds of Change has published its most recent Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
The US military will be well represented in the Olympics, which begin this Friday.
[Link to Full Article]
By Tim Hipps, Special to American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2004 – Twenty-four military competitors will represent Team USA in the Summer Olympic Games at Athens, Greece, Aug. 13 through 29.
The Army is providing eight shooters, two modern pentathletes, a race walker, a rower, a wrestler, a marathoner who may double in the 10,000 meters, a head coach for boxing, a Greco-Roman wrestling coach, a rifle coach and a gunsmith for the world's largest sporting event. The Air Force will be represented by a hammer thrower, a race walker and a fencer. The Navy will provide a rower.
It's reassuring that the commanding general at Fort Lewis sees South Sound for what it really is -- a welcoming community where soldiers and their families can feel at home.
That sense of acceptance and welcome is one of the reasons so many soldiers return to this community when they retire, Lt. Gen. Edward Soriano told The Olympian's editorial board in a recent meeting.
"The surrounding community is doing a marvelous job of taking care of our soldiers and their families," he said.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 9, 2004) – Approximately 20 Iraqi residents from Dahuk Province received instruction from Soldiers with the 133rd Engineer Battalion on how to build concrete structures.
Soldiers from Company B of the 133rd gave classroom instruction on laying concrete blocks to build solid structures near Habur Gate. After the classroom instruction, the Soldiers and the Iraqis participated in building a structure together.
There's a great picture on the TFO website today of the 133's work.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL , IRAQ ( Aug. 9, 2004 ) – Based on a tip, Iraqi Police discovered a vehicle containing an improvised explosive device in the Al Dawasa neighborhood of Mosul yesterday and detained one suspect for questioning.
The police secured the area and requested assistance from the explosive ordnance disposal team at a nearby multinational forces base. The bomb specialists were able to disarm the detonating device and disassemble the bomb with no injuries or damage.
Local citizens are urged to cooperate with security forces by providing information that leads to the capture and arrest of anti-Iraqi forces. Anyone with information should call the Joint Coordination Center in Mosul at 125 or 513462.
The following is an interesting article about the "Warrior Forge" program at Ft. Lewis for future Army officers.
[Link to Full Article]
KATHLEEN MERRYMAN; The News Tribune
Three-fourths of the officers who will be commissioned in the U.S. Army next year spent a month at Fort Lewis this summer.
And virtually no one outside the fort noticed.
The 5,000 college juniors graduated Saturday after surviving a month of training, testing, heat and fatigue at Warrior Forge, the only program of its kind in the nation.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 8, 2004) – On Aug. 7, Ninevah Province Governor, Duraid Kashmoula, concluded Operation Phantom Linebacker in meetings with local border patrol leaders and a press conference in Sinjar and Rabiya along the Iraq-Syria border, an area long recognized as the site for illegal entry of terrorists, weapons and money entering Iraq.
To stem this tide and in turn decrease the attacks on Iraqi citizens, Iraqi security and multinational forces, the Iraqi Interim Government and Gov. Kashmoula requested enhanced border operations along the Iraq-Syria border.
by Sgt. Joseph Sanchez (TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 8, 2004) – An academic workshop will be held in Amman, Jordan, hosted by the University of Jordan, August 15-19. The workshop will focus on horticulture, food services, plant protection, agriculture economics and extension.
This workshop is the first hosted by the Hawaii- Iraq Partnership for Revitalizing Agricultural Higher Education and Development. More than 100 participants are expected to attend. Participants will come from colleges and universities across northern Iraq including: University of Mosul College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Dohuk College of Agriculture (CA), Salahaddin University (CA), Sulaimani University (CA), Tikrit University (CA), University of Baghdad (CA), Mosul Technical Institute, Mosul Dairy Plant, Nineveh Extension Center, Nineveh Food Industries in Addition to the University of Jordan.
by Sgt. Joseph Sanchez (TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 8, 2004) – In addition to providing the citizens of Ninevah Province with more than 10,000 jobs, the Rapid Regional Response Program (R3P) has completed almost $2 million in educational, recreational, and developmental improvement projects.
The $14 million R3P is funded by the Developmental Funds for Iraq account and the Commander’s Emergency Response Program fund. The projects that received money through the R3P were identified and selected by the former Coalition Provisional Authority in partnership with local leaders in the Ninevah province.
[Link to Full Article]
BY MICK WALSH, Staff Writer
The wife of an Army sergeant seriously wounded this week in Iraq is breathing a little easier today after learning that Sgt. Paul Schmitz is on his way back from Iraq to the United States.
Stacie Schmitz, daughter of Robin Smith of Columbus, was able to speak to her husband Friday as he recuperated at the Landstuhl Hospital in Germany. Schmitz, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Division, suffered a gunshot wound to his back during intense fighting in the Mosul area.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 7, 2004) – Over the course of the last nine months, multinational forces have worked with community leaders throughout the Ninevah region to provide more than $15 million in education, health care, construction and infrastructure improvements for the people of northern Iraq.
The Commander’s Emergency Relief Program funds are available to multinational forces units and leaders to assist local communities in creating the infrastructure, necessary to sustain a democratic society.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 7, 2004) – Continuing joint operations in western Ninevah province resulted in the detention of four individuals attempting to cross the border illegally from Syria into Iraq early this morning.
At approximately 1 a.m. today, soldiers from 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) patrolling 30 km north of Sinjar Mountain observed one individual attempting to cross the border carrying a pistol and a communication device. About 20 minutes later another individual was interdicted, and at approximately 2 a.m. two personnel, one armed with an AK-47 rifle, attempted to cross in the same area. All four individuals were detained and turned over the Iraqi Border Patrol.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 7, 2004) – Iraqi Police and Iraqi National Guard patrols destroyed a roadside bomb and secured several weapons, munitions, explosives and communication devices yesterday in the continuing effort to improve the safety and security of the citizens of northern Iraq.
Iraqi Police patrolling in the Al Karama neighborhood of western Mosul discovered a large cache consisting of 10 communication devices, 11 anti-tank rocket propelled grenades, 35 RPG 7s, 56 RPG launching targets, two large packets of TNT, one machine gun, one mortar tube and 35 hand grenades. The police secured the cache and transported it to the Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal team headquarters for disposal.
Festival sends care packages
BY GEORGE BASLER
Press & Sun-Bulletin
DICKINSON -- Organizers are hoping that 90,000 people will make the trek to Otsiningo Park for this year's Spiedie Fest & Balloon Rally Expo.
And half a world away, 5,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq will be getting a taste of the same festivities.
The festival has sent 10 "spiedie survival kits," featuring different spiedie sauces, a collection of Spiedie Fest T-shirts, and some Kansas CDs to the troops stationed in Mosul with a Stryker light infantry unit, event coordinator David Pessagno said. The rock group Kansas was the opening act at the festival Friday.
The August 6th edition of The Coalition Scimitar is available for download. I saw a couple stories regarding Mosul and Task Force Olympia included.
After a bit of a dry spell we get three videos highlighting Task Force Olympia soldiers today. Links and descriptions below.
[Link to Full Article]
By Sgt. 1st Class Julie Friedman
Local workers painstakingly recreate the ramp leading up to the Nergal Gate using the authentic Assyrian cobblestone pattern.
MOSUL, Iraq (Army News Service, Aug. 6, 2004) - Two major historic sites in Mosul dating back to the 8th century B.C. are being restored with help from the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion.
Maj. Wayne Bowen, head of the 416th’s Higher Education and Antiquities Team, is working with Ninevah Director of Antiquities, Muzahim Mahmood, to facilitate restoration projects at the Nergal Gate and King Sennacheribe’s palace.[...]
[Link to Full Article]
By Melanie Wong, Odessa American
Pfc. Robert D. Wilhite Jr. didn’t think he’d done anything special when he jumped into an Iraqi canal on Dec. 8 to rescue drowning men from fallen Stryker tanks.
“He just didn’t think it was a big deal,” said his mother, Odessan Judy Wilhite. “He was just doing what he was supposed to.”
However, according to the U.S. Army, his heroic feats not only brought success of the command’s mission, but also deserved the Army Commendation Medal.
Wilhite, 24, is a licensed emergency medical technician who worked at the Odessa Fire Department.[...]
[Link to Full Article]
By Ben van der Meer
TRACY -- On a cloudless summer morning, it's quiet at the Tracy War Memorial. Passersby heading to the neighboring Lolly Hansen Senior Center glance at the black granite edifice, then keep moving as the sun throws the engraved names into a dull shadow.
Here, Tracy's sacrifice in the ongoing Iraq conflict is an ongoing story.
"You engrave these names on the black granite, and sometimes it's engraved on your conscience," said John Serpa, president of the Tracy War Memorial Association, the group that raised money for the memorial to be established in 1991 and has presided over subsequent Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies at the site since then.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 6, 2004) – A total of seven individuals suspected of anti-Iraqi activities were detained by Stryker Brigade Combat Team soldiers over the past 24 hours in western Ninevah Province, and Iraqi Police patrols discovered unexploded ordnance in two different locations.
At approximately 10:00 p.m. yesterday, soldiers of 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment conducted a hasty cordon and search of a building in Hammam Alil after three military aged males were observed unloading large military type crates from a vehicle. The crates were not found, but four individuals were detained for questioning.
At approximately 5 a.m. today, a cordon and search operation was conducted by soldiers of 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment near the Syrian border. The operation resulted in the detention of three individuals suspected of being part of a smuggling network in western Ninevah Province .
Although not Stryker-related, this article was too interesting not to post.
[Link to Full Article]
Army ‘Lionesses’ hit streets with Marines on combat ops
By Gordon Lubold, Times staff writer
RAMADI, Iraq — When Marines on the hunt for insurgents here kick in the door, Spc. Shannon Morgan isn’t far behind. She’s part of “Team Lioness,” a small group of women proving itself in one of Iraq’s hottest combat zones.
Women are serving throughout the war zone, but the soldiers in this band of sisters are unique. They’re joining male Marines and soldiers on offensive ops, taking part in raids, security patrols and vehicle checkpoints.
Adam Lynn and Peter Haley of The News Tribune have just returned from covering the 81st BCT (WA National Guard) in Iraq. You can browse their archive of stories here.
Scientific American published the following article regarding advances in military armor. The Stryker vehicle is mentioned throughout.
[Link to Full Article]
By Frank Vizard
Americans may view their soldiers as knights in shining armor, but in Iraq, soldiers are often short on protection, particularly while riding their mechanized steeds. As casualties rise, the Pentagon is rushing to equip its soldiers and vehicles with new and better armor. In the short term, soldiers will get body armor upgrades that better guard previously vulnerable areas like the groin and sides of the body. Some vehicles, meanwhile, will be getting special reactive armor designed to thwart rocket attacks. In the long term, however, a soldier's best protection may come from new technologies being developed by military laboratories such as the Office of Naval Research and the Army Research Laboratory. [...]
The following was written by R.L. Brownlee, the acting secretary of the Army, and Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, chief of staff of the Army.
[Link to Full Article]
By R.L. Brownlee and Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug. 5, 2004) -- The last few weeks have seen a lot of discussion -- much of it confusing or inaccurate -- about the condition and future readiness of the U.S. Army. We owe it to our men and women in uniform, their families, and our country to get the facts right.
No one disputes that there are currently strains on certain segments of our armed forces. A solution some offer is to increase the permanent end strength of our Army. But simply adding to the total number of people in uniform does not really get to the heart of the problem.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL , IRAQ ( August 5, 2004 ) – During a cordon and search in Mosul to detain terrorists operating in the city, Iraqi National Guard soldiers detained 12 suspected terrorists and confiscated the bodies of two others. Iraqi Police detained one suspected terrorist and identified an explosive device in a vehicle and reduced it.
At approximately 9:45 p.m. yesterday, Iraqi Police detained one suspected terrorist who was intercepted as he and two others were disembarking from a boat on the Tigris River . The terrorists were attempting to enter the Oprawi Hotel on the banks of the river in northeastern Mosul . One terrorist was seen throwing his rifle into the river after being spotted. The other two suspected terrorists escaped. In a separate incident, Iraqi Police identified an abandoned vehicle in central Mosul that contained an improvised explosive device. Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal teams reduced the bomb without injury or damage.
A 1-14 CAV soldier is featured in the Army's "Soldier Stories" segment.
[Link to Article] (Photo included)
Sgt. Justin Scott Little, gunner of a Stryker vehicle, helped his unit fight through an ambush recently in Iraq.
Little of Alpha Troop, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment is the commander's gunner. His primary weapon is the mounted M2 .50-caliber machine gun.
Here's another article describing the Strykers' convoy support mission.
[Link to Article]
By Pfc. Abel Trevino, 28th Public Affairs Detachment
U.S. Soldiers, Marines and Airmen successfully completed the task of moving Republic of Korea Army troops, vehicles and equipment from Nasiriyah to Irbil from July 18 to 21.
Ninety-two military engineers from the ROK Army’s Irbil Facility Preparation Team were escorted by Alpha Troop, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment on an 800-kilometer route that took them through the middle of Iraq toward the Green Line.
Here is the official press release from Task Force Olympia regarding the attacks in Mosul today.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 4, 2004) –A series of coordinated attacks in Mosul today targeting Iraqi Police, Iraqi National Guard and multinational forces left more than fourteen Iraqi citizens dead and 31 wounded. Iraqi Police and Iraqi National Guard soldiers responded quickly and returned stability to the city. No Iraqi security forces were killed in the attacks.
The attacks occurred over a three-hour period of time and began at approximately 11:30 a.m. when terrorists fired on the Al Karama police station in eastern Mosul. No damage or injuries were reported in that incident. Ninety minutes later an Iraqi Police patrol was engaged with small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades in southern Mosul. The police returned fire and reported no injuries in that incident.
Yahoo! News carries this photo, which shows a Stryker vehicle in the background. Caption:
A British Army soldier, accompanying U.S. troops, checks debris following a roadside blast which killed two civilians in the northern Iraq city of Mosul, August 4, 2004. Iraqi police and insurgents exchanged rifle and rocket-propelled grenade fire in the streets of Mosul on Wednesday and at least 12 civilians were killed, police and hospital officials said.
The August 2 edition of The Olympia Observer, the newsletter from Task Force Olympia, is now available for download.
The Stryker Brigade is briefly mentioned in the following article.
[Link to Full Article]
By Susan M. Menke, GCN Staff
The Army's realignment of its Future Combat Systems plans represents a change "from a monolithic program to a strategy," retired Vice Adm. Arthur K. Cebrowski said this morning at the Naval-Industry R&D Partnership Conference in Washington. [...]
The Stryker Brigade program is "doing very well," he said—not so much because of the vehicles as because of the networked structure. "The soldiers offload their packs and arrive more ready to fight, physically and mentally," he said.
BAGHDAD (AP) — Fierce gunbattles broke out Wednesday between Iraqi police and dozens of masked militants roaming the northern city of Mosul, killing 12 Iraqis and wounding 26 others, officials said.
Police confronted the militants, who were carrying assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers while moving through streets in the Bab al-Toub area of Mosul. The battle was punctuated by explosions, witnesses said. [...]
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 4, 2004) –Today Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) located a cache of 125 25mm rounds and 300 mortar fuses on the northeast side of Mosul. They secured the area until an explosive ordnance disposal team moved the cache to a nearby ammunition supply point.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment (SBCT) conducted two cordon and search operations in the Al Monsour neighborhood in southwest Mosul, where they detained 4 individuals suspected of mortar attacks on multinational forces bases. An RPG sight was also confiscated.
by Sgt. Joseph Sanchez (TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 4, 2004) – Joint operations in western Ninevah province continued yesterday, resulting in the capture of three terrorists who attempted to run a roadblock, the death of a fourth terrorist in that same incident and the detention of eight other suspected terrorists as Iraqi National Guard and multinational forces worked to stop anti-Iraqi activities in that region.
Acting on a tip from a concerned citizen, Soldiers from the 5th battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) identified a gray Opel with four occupants driving suspiciously near a major intersection in Tall Afar. The Soldiers moved to stop the vehicle that then tried to evade the patrol, colliding with the Stryker vehicle. One terrorist was killed in the collision and the other three were wounded.
This is not new news, but it hasn't been posted before.
[Link to Full Article]
By Maj. Robert Weaver, HQ&A 225th FSB
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARRIOR, Iraq -- Soldiers of Headquarters and A Company, 225th Forward Support Battalion conducted a Refuel on the Move mission July 21 in support of a Republic of Korea Army convoy through AO Warrior.
Before this mission the company conducted ROM operations in support of the 1st Bn., 14th Infantry Regiment's movement to Mosul.
Each of these ROM missions were unique for a light FSB, since none of the ROM equipment is organic to the battalion. The 225th built the capability to execute ROM missions since being deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom II. [...]
(MNFI-MNCI Press Release)
Baghdad - Multi-National Forces, at the request of the Iraqi Interim Government, began on Monday conducting border enforcement missions along Iraq's Syrian border to disrupt the movement of anti-Iraqi forces into the country.
Operation Phantom Linebacker involves ongoing joint border patrols between the Iraqi National Guard, Iraqi Border Police and Multi-National Forces, and includes MNF training and mentoring of the IBP.
[Link to Full Article]
By Joe Burlas
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug. 3, 2004) -- Stabilization is now the watchword for personnel managers as they match up Army manpower requirements with where Soldiers are stationed.
Just a recommendation from an Army chief of staff focus area task force a year ago, stabilization went into effect Aug. 1.
Specifically, stabilization means Soldiers will stay at duty stations for longer periods than before.[...]
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 3, 2004) – Construction at the Fayda grain elevator in Dahuk province will give farmers in northern Iraq a place to store and sell their grain.
The elevator, which was damaged during the war, is being rebuilt through Commander’s Emergency Relief Program funds by local contractors. The repairs will include a new control room, lift elevators, scales and offices. The project will take approximately six months to complete.
Yahoo! News has a number of photos of Task Force Olympia soldiers responding to the bomb attacks that took place in Mosul on Sunday (one, two, three).
If you ordered a Stryker Car Magnet, Dave & Charlotte let us know that they will be shipping out this week. Check your mailbox soon.
We've put together another collection of photos taken by soldiers with Task Force Olympia called Landscapes From Iraq. There are some incredible photos in there. Thanks again to everyone that has contributed to our gallery.
Blackfive shares a great story about a homecoming for a Marine in California.
[Link to Full Article]
CHRISTIAN HILL. THE OLYMPIAN
The arrival of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment will be an easy transition for Fort Lewis and the 3,900 soldiers moving from Louisiana, the post's commanding general said.
The Department of Defense announced about two weeks ago the regiment will relocate from Fort Polk to become the post's third Stryker brigade as part of an Army strategy to develop smaller and more independent combat units.
[Link to Full Article]
By Bill Brubaker, Washington Post Staff Writer
The Army will announce today it has contracted with International Business Machines Corp. to build one of the world's fastest supercomputers to help develop more effective weapons systems. [...]
The Army's new supercomputer -- nicknamed "Stryker," after an armored Army combat vehicle -- will run on Linux, a free, "open source" operating system that is a rival to Microsoft Windows.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 3, 2004) – In continuing joint operations on August 2 in the western Ninevah Province city of Avgani, Iraqi National Guard soldiers and multinational forces detained three suspected of terrorist activities and confiscated unauthorized weapons and munitions.
Iraqi National Guard soldiers from the 102nd Battalion, supported by Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), conducted a series of cordon and searches throughout Avgani to seize weapons and detain those suspected of terrorist attacks on Iraqi Security forces, citizens and multinational forces.
Winds of Change has published its most recent Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
Chrenkoff has published his seventh edition of Good News From Iraq.
An interesting letter from a pilot with the Montana Air National Guard currently operating from Balad, Iraq.
[Link to Full Article]
By Lt. Col. Mike “Alien” Buck, Montana Air National Guard
Greetings, Montana:
It had now been six weeks since we began flying missions from Balad Air Base, Iraq. Summer is in full swing here along the Tigris River, which provides irrigation for the ancient farms that surround our base. Our airfield is easily recognized from miles away as an island of tan amid the greenery. Typical afternoon high temperatures exceed 115 degrees, with 133 being the highest noted so far. The weather has been cloudless, but the steady breeze occasionally increases to the point where blowing dust reduces visibility to less than a mile.
The following letter to the editor was written by the mother of a soldier with the 1-25 SBCT.
[Link to Full Article]
Dear Dr. Joe,
Just to let you know how deeply I appreciated your article this week sharing a very sensitive observation of a young soldier just returning home. I'm sure your reaching out to him to show recognition for what he has done and your appreciation meant a lot to him. My son, Mark Alan Bishop Jr., is also in the army, having joined prior to 9/11, and has also been an U.S. Army Ranger receiving a commendation award for his bravery in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He will soon be deploying to Iraq for one year with the D Co., 52 INF REG Stryker Combat Team based in Ft. Lewis, Washington.
The reason for my letter is to respond to your effort to find ways for our community to remember and honor these brave young men who are so far from home. I have found a wonderful small organization called, OPERATION GRATITUDE!
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 2, 2004) – At about 10 p.m. August 1, an off-duty Iraqi National Guard soldier identified an unexploded car bomb outside of a church in northeastern Mosul. The soldier notified the Iraqi Police and his chain of command that then sent ING soldiers to secure the scene and the vehicle.
Acting on the information, soldiers from the 101st Iraqi National Guard Battalion located the taxi that was loaded with munitions and wired to explode. Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal teams reduced the bomb without injury and removed the vehicle to their headquarters in eastern Mosul .
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL , IRAQ ( August 2, 2004 ) – During Iraq’s brutal summer heat, the agricultural communities of Al Jazeria and Ninevah Province count on the water supplied by the Al Jazeria series of three water pumps and aqueducts. Without it, these communities would be without their lifeline of support for themselves and their crops.
With the help of the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion Water Team, $50,000 was donated to assist the maintenance and electrical “tune-up” of Pump Station Number One’s facility, allocated through the Development Fund for Iraq account.
The Al Jazeria Pump Station Number One draws water from Mosul Lake and pumps it 4.5 kilometers to an above ground aqueduct that will take it to the other two pumps. Pump One moves the water at a rate of 48 cubic meters per second from 50 feet underground.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 2, 2004) – In a series of joint operations in the early morning hours of August 1, in the western Ninevah Province city of Tall Afar, Iraqi National Guard soldiers and multinational forces detained a total of 16 suspected terrorists, and numerous weapons and munitions.
Iraqi National Guard soldiers from the 101st, 102nd and 106th Battalions, supported by Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), conducted a series of cordon and searches throughout Tall Afar.
ING and MNF soldiers confiscated numerous unauthorized weapons of varying types, including AK-47s and magazines, rifles and rocket propelled grenade launchers with rounds. Munitions confiscated included grenades, ammunition for machine guns and AK-47s.Soldiers also confiscated anti-multinational forces propaganda materials.
Yvonne sent us this story about a camp for children of deployed soldiers with the 133rd Engineer Battalion.
[Link to Full Article]
by Bill Nemitz
GILEAD - Adam Madore, a 10-year-old boy on a mission, wore his thoughts on his camouflage sleeve . . . and his camouflage pants . . . and his shiny black combat boots.
"I basically live in a military atmosphere," he explained Thursday as other kids ran every which way in bright colored T-shirts, baggy shorts and scuffed sneakers. Looking down at his pants, already fading from near constant use, he added quietly, "My dad got me these."
TFO Press Release
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 1, 2004) – Two new power transmission lines are being constructed by the Ministry of Electricity and multinational forces in the Ninevah and Dahuk Provinces to provide more electrical power to the local citizens and businesses.
The 1,550 million dinar project began June 28 and is planned to be completed in September. The lines will run from Rasheedya to Dahuk and from Dahuk to Fayda. According to the Ministry of Electricity, the citizens of Mosul only receive six hours of power a day and the new lines will provide an estimated 40 to 60 extra mega watts of power from Turkey to the 300,000 people in the Ninevah and Dahuk areas. The extra mega watts will increase the amount of power available by 10 to 15 percent.
The Ministry of Electricity is working with multinational forces to increase electrical power necessary to the security of Ninevah Province .
by Sgt. Joseph Sanchez (TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (August 1, 2004) – A car bomb exploded outside of the Somer Police Station in southeastern Mosul at 8:15 a.m. today during the morning shift change at the station killing three Iraqi citizens and wounding more than 40.
Witnesses on the scene reported that the vehicle approached the police station at a high rate of speed, crashing into the concrete barriers in front of the station and exploding.
by Sgt. Joseph Sanchez (TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (Aug. 1, 2004) – Two suspected terrorists were detained and numerous improvised explosive devices and munitions were collected by multinational forces and Iraqi National Guard soldiers Saturday in northern Iraq.
Stryker Brigade soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment conducted a cordon and search in the Al Zahra neighborhood of Mosul, where they detained two individuals suspected of conducting anti-Iraqi activities. There were no injuries or damages during the operation.