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Stryker unit sets eye on Tigris River

May-17-2005 » Filed Under: 1/25 SBCT

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By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes

NINEVAH PROVINCE, Iraq — First Lt. Drew Godwin is testing new waters.

The leader of 1st Platoon of Delta/52 Infantry Company, 1st Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division is scouring the banks of the Tigris River in northern Iraq for spots where insurgents might cross over.

Insurgents have been known to cross the river at strategic points, especially at night, to bypass U.S. and Iraqi army checkpoints along the major routes between Mosul and Tal Afar, Godwin, 24, said. [...]

For the time being, the “Demons” of Delta/52 can only patrol the banks in Stryker vehicles, monitoring possible docking points and spreading word that boats are prohibited on the river at night, Godwin said. But he wants a boat so soldiers can begin patrolling the waterway itself, he said. [...]

Delta/52 has a unique outpost in Ash Shurah which they share with Iraqi soldiers of the 102nd Battalion and maintain a 24-hour presence in the town of 6,000 residents.

That’s where Spc. Krist Zeynalyan, 24, prefers to work.

“It’s a great success story,” Zeynalyan said. “When I’m back in the rear, I miss being out there. For one, it takes so long to get to a destination. Just one way can take an hour. Out there, we’re on our own schedule, there’s more freedom of movement. We’re out in the community, doing more patrolling and that makes me feel better about myself when I can really do my job.”

And the Iraqi army soldiers with whom they live and work have come a long way from once scurrying away from a firefight to now sticking by the American soldiers to provide security, U.S. soldiers said.


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