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Lt. hits the ground running

Apr-27-2005 » Filed Under: 1/25 SBCT

This story of a 3/21 LT can be found in the 5/2/05 paper edition of the Army Times.

Steep learning curve, plenty of action for new platoon leader

Link to Full Article (subscription)
By Alex Neill, Army Times

MOSUL, Iraq – Here’s 2nd Lt. Garrett Hendrickson’s box score:

•IED attacks — 4.

•Bad guys captured — 8.

•Time in Iraq — 6 weeks.

The Bravo Company heavy weapons platoon commander with 3rd Brigade, 21st Infantry Regiment, is quick to give credit for the stats to his soldiers. And rightly so — they pushed their Stryker combat vehicles through the four roadside bombs. They collared the eight insurgents and they made the kill.

Just three weeks after joining up here with the 3-21, Hendrickson began leading the platoon’s nearly two dozen soldiers on missions. The B/3-21 noncommissioned officers and junior enlisted troops are a seasoned bunch. [...]

Like Hendrickson, all the platoon’s troops have been thrust into great responsibility at a young age. Hast rides in the back of the Stryker on daily missions knowing he might have to make a snap judgment on whether to shoot someone when he jumps out the back of the vehicle. Newly appointed vehicle commander Spc. Jesse Reyes is in charge of seeing that the Stryker’s systems are in good working order, and he works as a gunner while rolling. He’s 21. Spc. Tavis Hutson, 27, must steer the vehicle around roadside bombs and through a tangle of narrow roadways.

They’ve gained a ton of know-how in the six months they have been here. The run-and-gun pace of Lt. Hendrickson’s first weeks in the combat zone is allowing him to quickly catch up.


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