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New Soldiers in Town Provide Security

Nov-22-2005 » Filed Under: 172nd SBCT

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By Spc. Jeremy D. Crisp

MOSUL, Iraq, Nov. 22, 2005 —They’re the new guys on the block, and they’re not hard to spot. Not because they rumble through the streets in their Stryker light-armored vehicles, for those have been there before. It’s a new attitude; it’s a new uniform on smiling faces with determination to get the job done.

The soldiers of Company B have assumed responsibility for one sector of the streets of Mosul. They smile at the Iraqi citizens on the streets, but at the same time they will kick the doors in on the insurgents who plan to spread upheaval.

“We are out here doing what we like to call PR – public relations,” said Sgt. 1st Class Thomas M. Pickerel, platoon sergeant, 3rd Platoon, Company B, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, Fort Richardson, Alaska. “Our patrols are designed to let the citizens of Iraq know we are here for them, and we are out here every day.”

The unit spends parts of their days in their vehicles, driving around with a “hey, we’re here,” attitude before dismounting to walk the streets on foot.

“We get on the ground as much as possible because that’s really the only way you get to know the people in the area,” Pickerel said. Company B recently replaced soldiers from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team of Fort Lewis, Wash., and has hit the ground running....

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