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Yahoo! News has 8 pages of photos taken in Mosul between Jan. 28-31, 2005. Several of these depict soldiers from the 1-25 SBCT.
Link to Full Article
MICHAEL GILBERT AND ADAM LYNN; The News Tribune
Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. forces in northern Iraq, was admittedly pessimistic about what Sunday might bring in embattled Mosul. A few days before the election, he said he feared suicide bombers would strike early and discourage voters from turning out.
But the bombs didn’t come, and Iraqi voters turned out in higher than expected numbers, Ham said.
Soldiers from the 1-24 INF and 3-21 INF are pictured in this ten slide photo essay, posted on the Defend America web site.
Photos by Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson
Link to Full Article
BY DIONNE SEARCEY, STAFF CORRESPONDENT
January 31, 2005
MOSUL, Iraq - The metal gates were just clanking shut at the elementary school serving as a polling place, and the U.S. military commander was congratulating election workers for a job well done, when a boom rang out a short distance away.
Insurgents had lobbed a grenade at U.S. snipers perched on the roof of a building overlooking another schoolyard and wounded seven - leaving some howling in pain, the others just dazed.
Link to Full Article
By CHRISTINE HAUSER
MOSUL, Iraq, Jan. 30 - The men were dressed in black. They stood on the side of the road in a group, intently watching the street. The deputy governor of Mosul sped by them in a convoy with bodyguards in police vehicles, their lights flashing.
Seconds later, a roadside bomb exploded with a deafening crack, hitting a police vehicle and claiming another victim in the kind of attack that has made Mosul one of the most notoriously dangerous cities in Iraq.
Reporter Steve Fainaru spent election day with C Company, 3-21 INF.
Link to Full Article
By Steve Fainaru, Washington Post
MOSUL, Iraq, Jan. 30 -- Around 10 a.m. Sunday, U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Phil Fassieux resolved to address the anemic voter turnout in southeast Mosul. He grabbed a clipboard inside his Stryker attack vehicle and quickly jotted down several entreaties that he wanted an Iraqi interpreter to make from the gunner's hatch:
"Secure your future!"
NPR offers this audio report from Saturday discussing the preparations for today's elections in Mosul. Follow the link above and click the "Listen" icon. Summary:
Time magazine reporter Charlie Crain is embedded with U.S. Army troops in Mosul, an ethnically mixed city in Iraq's north. He describes the very visible presence of American and Iraqi security forces around polling places there.
BG Carter Ham is quoted regarding elections in Northern Iraq.
Link to Full Article
By DEXTER FILKINS
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 30 - After a slow start, voters turned out in very large numbers in Baghdad today, packing polling places and creating a party atmosphere in the streets as Iraqis here and nationwide turned out to cast ballots in the country's first free elections in 50 years. [...]
Link to Full Article
By Louise Roug, Times Staff Writer
MOSUL, Iraq — It's long after midnight when paratroopers from Alpha Company enter the house and start moving room to room.
In the kitchen, decorated with plastic flowers and lace curtains, they ransack drawers and cupboards. In the bedroom, they find a small bottle of I Love New York eau de toilette standing half-empty, as if recently used. But the food in the fridge has spoiled. The soldiers' target is long gone.
Link to Full Article
BY DIONNE SEARCEY
MOSUL, Iraq -- The paunchy caretaker paced nervously along the rooftop of the elementary school as U.S. soldiers dropped to their knees and waved their rifles out over the balconies of the homes below.
Two officers pointed to intersections that would be closed and medians that would be lined with concrete barricades as Iraqi officials convert the schoolhouse into a polling place on election day.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 30, 2005) – Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) continued operations to ensure security for the elections, detaining 13 individuals in northern Iraq yesterday.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 30, 2005) – Initial indications look good for voter turnout in northern Iraq today.
Within hours of the polls opening long lines of voters had formed outside polling stations across Mosul and the Ninewah Province. Increased Iraqi Security Force and Multi-National Force operations to include detentions and confiscation of weapons over the time leading up to the elections have helped ensure the security for Election Day.
Officials are very hopeful that election turnout will continue to be high.
Soldiers relied on each other in deadly ambush in Mosul and face more struggles in its aftermath
BY SAMUEL BRUCHEY
As he watched his blood drip through the floor panels of the Army Stryker vehicle racing him to a hospital in Mosul, Spc. William Duran thought about his buddies.
That morning, he and six other soldiers - his closest friends - had decided to stop for a smoke along a narrow street. Their routine foot patrol was nearly over.
Then a car rolled up and blocked the entrance to the street behind them. Several gunmen opened fire.
One of the seven Americans was killed. Two others were paralyzed. A bullet shattered Duran's arm "like a potato chip." Only one avoided injury.
"Your brain doesn't let you think," said Duran, 25, of New Mexico. "It's all training, instinct, reaction. Then you snap to and realize what you've been through ... how important your friends are."[...]
Associated Press
ASKAN, Iraq — Some couldn't read, but knew their party's identification number on the ballot. Others couldn't see, but were led to the polls by police.
Across wide swathes of Iraq, especially in the southern Shiite and northern Kurdish areas, Iraqis went to the polls today, expressing fierce determination and pride, together with hope that the election will improve their hard lives.
"I don't have a job. I hope the new government will give me a job," said one voter, Rashi Ayash, 50, a former Iraqi lieutenant colonel.
From the early hours of this morning, Iraqis stood in long lines that wrapped around street corners, defying militant threats of violence to cast their votes for the 275-member National Assembly. Dozens were killed as militants fired mortars, and in one town, a suicide bomber mingled with voters waiting outside a polling booth.[...]
By Steve Walsh / Post-Tribune staff writer
MOSUL, Iraq — For the last three days, Iraqis in Mosul have woken up in a city fortified in large part by local Indiana National Guard troops.
Beginning Thursday, the Indiana National Guard 113th Engineer Battalion worked long nights to secure the west side of this ancient city.
The concrete barriers are intended to keep polling places safe for the historic election. Patrols of local soldiers put the last few fortifications in place just hours before the polls were to open at 7 this morning. [...]
By Luke Baker
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Some smile, some are stoic and others hide their faces as Iraqis go to the polls, braving anti-U.S. insurgents determined to drown the historic vote in blood.
Suicide bombs and mortar fire marked the event, the first multi-party poll in 50 years, killing at least 22 people countrywide. But still thousands dared to cast their votes.
In Falluja, the devastated Sunni city west of Baghdad that was an insurgent stronghold until a U.S. assault in November, a thin stream of people turned out, defying expectations.
"We want to be like other Iraqis, we don't want to always be in opposition," said Ahmed Jassim, smiling after voting.[...]
Link to Full Article
By Steve Fainaru, Washington Post
MOSUL, Iraq, Jan. 28 -- The U.S. military moved Iraqi security forces and voting materials to polling sites throughout Iraq, ramping up preparations for Sunday's parliamentary elections in the face of insurgent violence that left five American soldiers and 10 Iraqis dead on Friday.
Quotes from a number of 1-24 INF soldiers are included in the following article.
Link to Full Article
By THOM SHANKER
[...] For an American military that already has lost more than 1,000 lives to hostile action in Iraq, guaranteeing the election on Sunday offers the clearest, most precise mission since President Bush commanded the military to drive straight for Baghdad almost two years ago. Since then, American forces have executed a complex set of orders to battle home-grown insurgents and shadowy attackers, help rebuild Iraq's economy and train a new army, all incremental projects that will continue beyond the 12-month tour of any soldier here.
Link to Full Article
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- About 400 soldiers at this Army base were on lockdown Friday after a pair of night-vision goggles disappeared.
The lockdown affects about 400 members of the 296th Brigade Support Battalion. It is part of the first Stryker brigade, and returned in October after a year in Iraq, base spokesman Jeff Young said.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 29, 2005) – Military officials in northern Iraq have announced the launch of J-LENS.
The Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensors System, J-LENS, has made its much anticipated debut in northern Iraq. The system will help Multi-National Forces in the Ninewah Province determine where anti-Iraqi insurgent attacks originate from, thus enabling them to more easily track down the insurgents.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 29, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces were able to thwart an anti-Iraqi insurgent attack on a power station in northern Iraq today.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 29, 2005) – Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) were able to defuse a roadside bomb following a tip received through the Joint Coordination Center in northern Iraq yesterday.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 29, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) continued operations to ensure security for the elections, detaining ten individuals in northern Iraq today.
Multi-National Force soldiers detained eight individuals suspected of anti-Iraqi activity while conducting a raid south of Mosul. Suspects are in custody with no MNF injuries reported.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 29, 2005) – Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) continued operations to ensure security for the elections, detaining six individuals in northern Iraq yesterday.
Soldiers of the 2nd Squadron, 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment were patrolling in Tal Afar when their unit was shot at by anti-Iraqi insurgents. The 2-14th tracked down and detained six individuals suspected to be involved in the attack. They also confiscated weapons and documents. Suspects are in custody with no MNF injuries reported.
HUNDREDS of Iraqi election workers along with voting material were transported overnight by US soldiers to polling sites around Mosul amid intense security measures in the northern city.
With the milestone vote only hours away, the election workers were all given about two hours of training and promised the equivalent of $US500 ($645) for their effort.
Umm Alaa, 40, is the only woman inside a huge tented gym and recreation facility at a US base swarming with nearly 500 rowdy male election workers, most of them flown in early today, hours before from Baghdad or southern Shiite areas.[...]
Here are two recent photos (one, two) of the 3-21 in Mosul that were posted on Army Images.
Photos by Pfc. Adam Sanders
Fred Nelson with the DCMA sent the following article, which describes the efforts of DCMA and GDLS employees to supply the Stryker Brigade with the equipment they need in theater. Thank you.
Submitted by: Terry Baggs, DCMA-Detroit BCT-IAV
We see them everyday, those yellow ribbons that say Support Our Troops. Most people put them on their cars and that is the extent of their actions. There is one group of people however who recently put their words into action.
Around 4:00pm on December 28, 2004 the call came from Stryker Program Office that Iraq needed the balance of the Mortar Carrier, Infantry Carrier, and Commander’s Vehicle Slat Armor Kits in storage at Joint Systems Manufacturing Center-Lima.
Steve Fainaru has written a front page article profiling 2nd Platoon, C Company, 3rd Battalion of the 21st Infantry Regiment on the fateful day 1LT Hoe was killed. While difficult to read, this is one of the longest (5 online pages), most detailed articles about the 1/25 SBCT I've seen. The Washington Post site requires registration to view the article, but it's well worth it.
Link to Full Article
By Steve Fainaru, Washington Post
MOSUL, Iraq -- The 21-ton Stryker attack vehicles pulled into the neighborhood of al-Whada just after noon. Their rear ramps dropped simultaneously, disgorging dozens of American infantrymen into the cold rain.
The soldiers had multiple tasks on this day. In addition to hunting insurgents and searching houses, they were to help get out the vote for Sunday's national elections. For the next three hours, soldiers armed with assault rifles and election fliers moved warily through al-Whada's muddy streets, trying to get Iraqis to embrace democracy.
The Christian Science Monitor has an excellent outline of the election process and related issues.
Yahoo! News has a number of recent photos of 1-24 INF conducting operations in Mosul.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the 31 Marines killed in the Super Stallion crash yesterday in Iraq. 27 of the Marines were from the Kaneohe base in Hawaii, while the helicopter's crew was from Miramar in San Diego, CA.
The following is a poem written by a soldier for his wife, along with an accompanying photo. This was originally posted on our bulletin board, and they have both agreed to let us post it here as well. Thank you.
Q&A with embedded reporter.
Dear Steve,
Do the soldiers have a work schedule everyday? What do they do afterward for entertainment? Do they have to wake up early?
The following is an article about the Hero to Hero project and the recovery of Larry Kaibetoney, who was seriously injured in the mess hall explosion. Thanks to Dawn for the link.
Link to Full Article
by Shanon Burke, The Herald
Sometimes the reasons for a project are stationed far away — in Iraq — and organizers can hear stories told through e-mails, phone calls and letters.
On Jan. 15, however, Hero to Hero organizers and Central Pierce firefighters got to hear a first-hand account of life in Iraq, and be reminded of the importance of the part they play.
Provided below are a handful of interesting, non-Stryker related stories that I've been meaning to post. Let us know if you find these kinds of items worthwhile.
Link to Full Article
BY JERRY DAVICH
While his teenage friends play shoot 'em up video games in their bedrooms, Michael Brunsman dodges insurgent gunfire in Iraq.
The 2004 Portage High School graduate left his family late last year to serve Uncle Sam in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Family members have confirmed that 1LT Nainoa Hoe was the soldier killed in Mosul on Saturday. 1LT Hoe was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1/25 SBCT. According to his wife Emily, a memorial service will be held this Wednesday at the Main Chapel, Ft. Lewis at 1:30 PM. If you cannot attend, she asks that you light a candle in his honor. You can view photos of 1LT Hoe in Emily's album.
We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Emily, their families, and the many friends and comrades he leaves behind. We will add any articles we find to this entry.
UPDATE 1/25: The time and location of the memorial at Ft. Lewis have changed again - see above.
Richmond Times-Dispatch photographer Dean Hoffmeyer, who recently returned from assignment in Mosul, offers this slideshow of images from his time there.
Winds of Change has published its latest Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
Link to Full Article
BY DIONNE SEARCEY, Newsday
MOSUL, Iraq - Iraqi election officials kicked off a media blitz yesterday in this terror-gripped city aimed at hiring nearly 1,000 election workers in the next six days to help set up and monitor Sunday's landmark vote.
Link to Full Article
By MELISSA WESTPHAL, Rockford Register Star
MACHESNEY PARK -- Signs made in the Rock River Valley will let Iraqis know their polling places are safe as they vote next week during national elections.
The iridescent signs were printed by Interstate Graphics Inc., a nearly 20-year-old printing company in Machesney Park owned by John Norwood Sr. and his sons, John and Jim. [...]
Link to Full Article
By CHRIS WETTERICH, STAFF WRITER
Threatened by bullets, mortar attacks and suicide bombings while trying to bring home good news about the U.S. presence in Iraq and the soldiers' stories, a few members of the Army National Guard's 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment started a rock radio station.
The News Tribune wrote a story highlighting Norma & Jorshua Melo's music project we mentioned last week.
Link to Full Article
KATHLEEN MERRYMAN; THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Slammed with the violent or unexpected loss of a loved one, wise people often turn to action.
They cannot replace the loss, but they can try to repair the situations behind it. The work, they discover, has healing properties.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 23, 2005) – One Task Force Olympia Soldier was killed by small arms fire while on patrol in eastern Mosul yesterday.
The attack occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m.
The name of the soldier killed is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
This entry will remain at the top of the page today. Scroll down for newer entries.
Link to Full Article
By Louise Roug and Patrick J. McDonnell, LA Times
MOSUL, Iraq-- U.S. forces have been mounting aggressive raids, patrols and other operations to crack down on insurgents in Sunni Muslim enclaves throughout northern and central Iraq in advance of next weekend's scheduled national elections.
RIO RANCHO, N.M. -- A 22-year-old Rio Rancho man is featured on the cover of this week's special edition of Time magazine.
The image of Pfc. Christopher Lujan gives a human face to the preparations for the upcoming Iraqi elections. The photo was taken last week while Lujan was on foot patrol in the streets of Mosul.
The following story from Time Magazine was filed from Tall Afar, which is an area covered by the 1/25 SBCT.
Link to Full Article
By CHARLES CRAIN/TALL 'AFAR
The police officers of Tall 'Afar, a city of 250,000 on the road from Mosul to the Syrian border, don ski masks or cover their faces with kaffiyehs before heading out on patrol. With them are members of the U.S. Army's Alpha 1-5 Company. The troops plan to hand out leaflets to residents of the town and ask them about the upcoming election. A dozen out of about 20 Iraqi police officers have shown up for the late-afternoon patrol, but Captain T.J. Siebold, commander of Alpha 1-5, stresses the upside. "It's baby steps with these guys," Siebold says. "The fact that they had that many willing to go out is a positive step."
Link to Full Article
By Trudy Rubin
MOSUL, Iraq - Gen. David Petraeus is flying in a C-130 transport plane back to the place he once made into a model of U.S.-Iraqi cooperation.
Iraq's third-largest city warmed to Petraeus because he reached out to Sunni Arab leaders during a yearlong assignment as commander of the 101st Airborne. [...]
Link to Full Article
By Steve Fainaru, Washington Post
MOSUL, Iraq -- A dozen U.S. and Iraqi military officers dropped in on the Mosul police chief last week. After arriving at his headquarters in their armored Humvees, the men crowded into the chief's office to discuss security for the Jan. 30 parliamentary elections.
This Saturday, January 22nd, our web host will be physically moving the server our site is hosted on, which requires some downtime. The move could happen anytime between 6 AM and 8 PM EST tomorrow. If you try and access the site and get an error message, that's why. It's unclear how long the process will take, but a minimum guess would be 1/2 hour, perhaps longer if things don't go smoothly.
The 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (MPAD) of the Illinois National Guard recently returned home after working with Task Force Olympia for a year. The unit was responsible for the TFO press releases we have come to rely on, as well as producing the many videos we link to, among other things. Thank you and welcome home!
SPRINGFIELD - A dozen members of an Illinois Army National Guard unit are scheduled to return to central Illinois this evening after a year in Iraq.
NPR aired the following audio segment yesterday. To listen, follow the link and click the "Listen" icon at the top of the page.
Link to Audio Report
By Ivan Watson
The northern Iraqi city of Mosul is seeing growing ethnic tensions and violence, and Kurdish militiamen have joined American forces trying to suppress the insurgency by Sunni Muslim militants. The Kurdish fighters, known as Pesh Merga, are filling a security vacuum left after Mosul's police force collapsed in the face of an insurgent offensive last November.
Link to Article (Photos included)
By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
MOSUL, Iraq, Jan. 21, 2005 – It's the rainy season in Ninewa province, and the mud sticks to your boots the way old ideas stick in your mind.
But rain also washes away the mud, and officials hope the elections Jan. 30 will wash away the old ideas governing this country.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 21, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Striker Combat Team) were fired upon by anti-Iraqi insurgents from a mosque in northern Iraq.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 21, 2005) – Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) shot and killed three anti-Iraqi insurgents during operations in northern Iraq today.
Norma Melo, the wife of SSG Julian Melo, and her son Jorshua have decided to raise money for a very special project. Since SSG Melo loved children and music, they will be raising money to purchase musical instruments and sheet music that will donated to school children in Mosul.
Included below is a full description by Norma, which she originally left as a comment to a previous entry. With her permission we wanted to highlight it separately here.
The Multi-National Force-Iraq website has a number of combat camera photos featuring the 1/25 SBCT. Rather than link directly to each photo, follow the link above and scroll down to "19 Jan 2005" and "17 Jan 2005" to view them.
Cindy McGrew recently flew down to Augusta, GA to spend a few days with Travis Majors. Provided below is the summary of her trip. Cindy also added some great photos of Travis to his album.
Link to Full Article
By Steve Walsh, Post-Tribune staff writer
MOSUL, IRAQ — Staff Sgt. John Sykora surfs the Internet while listening to a Web-based radio station on his headphones.
For $2 an hour, he can go online with his wife, Toni, in Crown Point and talk about their 4-month-old son, Christopher.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 20, 2005) – Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) killed three anti-Iraqi insurgents in northern Iraq yesterday.
Yahoo! News has a number of recent photos of 1-24 and 3-21 INF operating in Mosul.
Provided below are links to, and descriptions of, recent video clips from the Task Force Olympia Public Affairs Office. Some of the videos are quite long and may take a while to download. You will also need Windows Media Player to play them.
With permission, we've added four photos taken at Scott Thorne's promotion ceremony by J.C. Mathews of the Fort Lewis Northwest Guardian newspaper.
Link to Full Article
By Steve Walsh, Post-Tribune staff writer
MOSUL, Iraq — The area around Mosul remains dangerous in the weeks leading up to the election.
Overnight, another beheaded body was found near one of the traffic circles.
Link to Article
By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 19, 2005 – Servicemembers joining the military today are not joining just the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps – they are joining a truly joint force.
The American military has reached unprecedented levels of joint operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom, military officials here said.
Blackfive has some very important information regarding a piece of legislation that was recently introduced in Congress. The HEROES Act would increase survivor benefits for the families of those killed in Operations Iraqi & Enduring Freedom.
One 1/25 SBCT commander is quoted in the following story.
Link to Full Article (Registration required)
By Mark Mazzetti, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — U.S. military commanders increasingly believe that American troops will never entirely defeat Iraqi insurgents and now plan to reduce offensive operations and focus on training Iraqi security forces.
Last year we mentioned a documentary Michael Tucker was filming called "Gunner Palace". Tucker lived with 2/3 Field Artillery (1st Armored Division) for two months in Baghdad, "with a simple desire to tell the soldiers' story - to capture what we didn't see on the news."
The documentary is set to be released in theaters on March 5, 2005, but Michael is conducting a sneak preview tour beginning next week in Lacey. He would like to invite Stryker Brigade soldiers and family members to attend. Details are provided below.
The Army has created a slideshow of photographs titled Serving A Nation At War - The Year in Photos 2004. There are a number of combat camera photos taken by Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson featuring the Stryker Brigades in Iraq.
Arthur Chrenkoff has published his latest edition of Good News From Iraq. As Arthur explains:
[This compilation] is not the full picture of Iraq - merely that part of it you don't often see on the nightly news or the pages of newspapers. This does not automatically make it more - or less important in the scheme of things, merely equally important to consider.
A number of 1/25 SBCT and TFO officers are quoted in the following story.
Link to Full Article
Time Magazine
In the bustling city of Mosul in northern Iraq, there are few hints of the historic election that is about to take place. There are no candidates on the stump making speeches. No supporters handing out leaflets. No rallies, rope lines or debates. Many voters, in fact, don't even know who is on the ballot. Instead, on the streets of the country's third largest city, there is heavy armor--Bradley fighting vehicles, Abrams tanks--and 10,000 weapons-toting U.S. troops, reinforced by almost as many Iraqi government soldiers.
Many of you have asked questions on our bulletin board about the notification process. The following article describes the process through the eyes of two Army National Guard officers charged with this responsibility.
Link to Full Article
By LARRY GRARD, Staff Writer
AUGUSTA -- They have been praying together for years.
Growing up in Burnham, John R. "Jack" Mosher attended the First Congregational Church in Pittsfield, where Andrew L. Gibson was pastor. More than three decades after they came to know each other, Mosher and Gibson still, on occasion, find themselves together in prayer. Only these days, it is a solemn duty.
Link To Full Article
By Jason Keyser, Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) U.S. forces carried out a series of raids in Iraq's troubled northern city of Mosul, the military said Sunday, as American and Iraqi authorities scramble to prepare for elections there in the face of mass resignations of polling staff and police.
Link to Full Article
By Maria C. Johnson, Staff Writer News & Record
What Connie Spinks remembers about the suicide bomber is his eyes.
She was riding in a convoy of three armored Humvees heading home to Camp Freedom in northern Iraq when she saw a small pickup drive from between two homes, coming straight for them.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 16, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces have doubled in size to keep pace with Multi-National Forces in northern Iraq who have also doubled in size.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 16, 2005) – Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) confiscated weapons and ammunition, and detained 11 individuals during operations in northern Iraq yesterday.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 16, 2005) – Soldiers from the Iraqi Army and Multi-National Forces detained two suspected anti-Iraqi insurgents and confiscated a large amount of bomb-making materials and weapons January 14 in northern Iraq.
Link to Full Article
By Steve Walsh / Post-Tribune staff writer
MOSUL, Iraq — Two soldiers of the Indiana National Guard 113th Engineering Battalion were awarded Purple Hearts after their convoy was attacked north of Mosul.
Brig. Gen. Carter Ham conducted a lengthy press briefing today to discuss the situation in Mosul and the upcoming elections. Worth reading in full.
MODERATOR: Thank you for joining us today from Baghdad, general. Most of you I think know our briefer here today is Brigadier General Carter Ham. He's the commander of the Multinational Brigade-Northwest, and he's also the commander of Task Force Olympia. General Ham and his troops are responsible for the ongoing security operations in northwestern Iraq, and he's here today to update us on those efforts. And I think he has a few comments that he'd like to make, and then we'll start with some questions in Baghdad, and perhaps a few here. General.
GEN. HAM: Okay, well thank you, Brian. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen -- and I guess good morning for those of you who are in Washington. It is indeed a privilege for me to be here today, representing the men and women of the Multinational Brigade-Northwest. We're headquartered in Mosul, I think as most of you know.
Link to Full Article (Registration required)
By Louise Roug, Times Staff Writer
MOSUL, Iraq — On a recent morning, a stream of armored vehicles brought American and Albanian soldiers here to lock down the Mosul airfield.
A few hours later, U.S. Ambassador John D. Negroponte and top American military commanders Gen. George W. Casey and Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz arrived in a swarm of helicopters to meet with Iraqi election officials. Introductions didn't take long. The commission overseeing elections in Iraq's third-largest city numbers two people.
Link to Full Article
By Robert Dvorchak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Jeff Mehl will be wearing battle dress utilities, body armor, desert combat boots and Kevlar helmet today while his Army unit conducts such missions as raiding houses, searching for weapons or doing a security patrol near Mosul, Iraq.
The following is an official press release from Task Force Olympia confirming earlier news reports.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 14, 2005) – One Task Force Olympia soldier was killed and three were wounded after their patrol was hit by a roadside bomb January 13.
The attack occurred at approximately 12:15 p.m.
The wounded Soldiers were transported to a military hospital in Mosul.
The soldiers of Task Force Olympia send their condolences to the family of the deceased.
Link to Article (Full text provided below)
By Nicole Dalrymple, Gulf Region Northern District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
MOSUL, Iraq -- The construction of four brand-new schools for the children of Iraq’s northern-most province, Dahok, began in early January.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in cooperation with local government officials, awarded $1.3 million for the construction of two 12-room two-story schools, one six-room kindergarten, and one nine-room secondary school on Dec. 28. All work will be done by Dahok province contractors.
Link to Full Article
By Hailie Brook
MERIDIAN - Last month an army specialist from Nampa - stationed in Mosul - narrowly escaped the deadliest attack on U.S. troops in Iraq. More than 80 were killed that day - but he survived and now he's back in town.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 14, 2005) –Multi-National Forces came under attack by anti-Iraqi insurgents firing from a mosque in northern Iraq today.
The Multi-National Force troops were patrolling in eastern Mosul when they were hit by rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire from anti-Iraqi insurgents shooting from the Rashan Mosque. MNF reported no injuries during the incident.
ANNISTON, Ala. -- Officials celebrated the 1,000 Stryker to roll off the assembly lines on Wednesday.
The eight-wheeled armored vehicle has been changing the way warfare is conducted on the battlefield, and officials said the Stryker program is performing beyond their wildest expectations.
Yahoo! News has a number of photos today of 3-21 and 1-24 INF operating in Mosul.
The December 27 edition of The Olympia Observer, the official newsletter of Task Force Olympia, is available for download.
The following article describes a fundraiser to benefit the soldiers, and their families, that were injured or killed in an attack on September 14th in Mosul. The names of Jacob Demand, Scott Thorne, and Travis Majors are familiar to most of you, but the article provides updates on the other soldiers involved in the incident as well.
Link to Full Article (Photo included)
By: James Montalto
Mark and Barbara Vogl, originally from Long Island, will be hosting a charity fundraiser for Barbara's son, Sergeant James Wingate, and six fellow soldiers of the First Squadron-Fourteenth Cavalry of the United States Army who were ambushed and injured by insurgents in Mosul, Iraq on September 14, 2004.
Before the holidays we received a request from James Davis, a former 1st CAV soldier and current Pentagon employee, to use a handful of images from our photo gallery to create a collage. The photos were eventually put on display in the D ring of the Pentagon. Mr. Davis was kind enough to forward two snapshots for us to share (one, two). I want to publicly thank James for his efforts to highlight the work of all the soldiers with Task Force Olympia.
Additionally, now that the holidays are over Mr. Davis would like to send the display to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division for them to have. If you or someone you know has the authority to find an appropriate spot at Ft. Lewis for the collage could you please send an email to todd(at)strykernews.com? Thanks.
I'm fairly certain this was the attack that many of you likely saw on NBC News yesterday. The video is available at the MSNBC website.
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 11, 2005) – Soldiers of the Iraqi National Guard and Multi-National forces came under attack while on a mission to deliver much needed supplies to a school in northern Iraq yesterday.
There are a number of recent photos at Yahoo! News of 1-24 INF operations in Mosul.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events there.
I don't think we've posted this yet. If we have, I apologize for the repeat.
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Multi-National Forces detained a key leader of the al Qaida-linked Abu Musab al-Zarqawi terrorist network in Mosul on Dec. 22.
Following a thorough investigation, the individual detained was positively identified as Abdul Aziz Sa’dun Ahmed Hamduni, aka Abu Ahmed.
We wanted to bring this entry back to the top in case people missed it yesterday. The public affairs detachment with Task Force Olympia has put together two "Special Edition E-Magazines" highlighting the efforts of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (3/2 SBCT) and the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion.
While both are very large PDF files to download, they are definitely worth the effort. You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader software (free) to display the magazines. I would suggest right-clicking the links below and selecting "Save Target As...", which will allow you to download the file to your computer.
Link to Full Article
By Eric Fetters, Herald Writer
BOTHELL - Stryker vehicle commanders leading their armored combat vehicles through Iraq are getting a little help from high-tech devices developed by a local company.
With augmented vision units made by Bothell's Microvision Inc., the commanders can check digital maps without having to take their eyes off the road.
Link to Full Article
JEREMIAH STETTLER, THE SAGINAW NEWS
Neither bullets nor fear had time to hit a Saginaw native as his armored vehicle came under fire in the streets of Mosul, Iraq.
Spc. Michael Wachowicz, a U.S. Army medic, received the Combat Medical Badge this month for weathering an attack in which small-arms fire peppered his Stryker vehicle.
Thanks to Pat for sending the following article from her local paper.
Link to Full Article
By DEAN BAKER, Columbian staff writer
It's a long trek from a job managing delivery routes for The Columbian to carrying religious services to troops in the mountains of Iraq, but that's where Army Capt. Edward Willis has gone.
Willis, 41, a 1981 Hudson's Bay High School graduate and a U.S. Army chaplain, spent Christmas ministering to troops at a Muslim shrine on a mountaintop outpost near Sinjar, Iraq. He flew in by helicopter along with a Christmas meal for the troops.
Greetings everyone.
We made it home safely after a long day at Fort Lewis. We got up at o330 and headed out about an hour later. It takes about four hours to make the trip from home. It rained all the way there until we were about 20 miles south of lewis. Even though it was cold, it didn't rain the rest of the day there until we were about 20 miles south on the way home. (It even started to snow a bit about an hour out but turned into a hard rain with high winds for the rest of the trip. Needless to say that kind of weather is no fun to drive home in late at night. Well, enough of the boring stuff, on with the visit....
Link to Full Article
By Steve Walsh, Post-Tribune staff writer
MOSUL, IRAQ — The Army base at Mosul looks like it fell from an episode of M*A*S*H. The roads swim in puddles of mud. Grime covers the trucks and Humvees. The crumbling buildings of the former Iraqi base and the quickly assembled offices, nailed together by the Americans, play into the disheveled look.
The only thing that looks really new are the rows of concrete barriers being hauled into place to improve security.
The DoD has identified PVT Cory R. Depew as the Task Force Olympia soldier killed on January 4th in Tal Afar. Depew was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, WA. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends he leaves behind.
We will add any subsequent articles regarding PVT Depew to this entry.
Link to Full Article (Full text provided below)
Story and photos by Spc. Blair Larson
MOSUL, Iraq- Sometimes all it takes to deter a terrorist is the presence of Multinational Forces in the area. Soldiers from Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) are using this idea to quell the insurgency in Tal Afar, Iraq, a city of approximately 300,000, located 50 kilometers west of Mosul.
Link to Article (Full text provided below)
Story and photos by Spc. Blair Larson
TAL AFAR, Iraq- Soldiers of the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) are using backpacks, new schools and water projects to win the cooperation of the people in Tal Afar, Iraq, and the surrounding villages.
Link to Article (Full text provided below)
By By Staff Sgt. Fred Minnick
MOSUL, Iraq (Army News Service Jan. 7, 2005) --Two Iraqi National Guard soldiers were awarded the Army Commendation Medal Jan. 3 for their heroic acts after a suicide bomber attacked the Forward Operating Base Marez dining facility in southwest Mosul Dec. 21.
The two Iraqis saved the life of an American Soldier suffering severe wounds and carried several other wounded to safety.
The following article is a summary of recent events in Mosul by reporter Michael Gilbert.
Link to Full Article
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
A Task Force Olympia soldier was killed and two were wounded Tuesday when Iraqi insurgents attacked their patrol with gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. military said.
The attack occurred about 2 p.m. Iraq time in Tal Afar, 40 miles west of Mosul. The wounded soldiers were taken to an Army hospital at Mosul Airfield, according to a task force news release.
(Updated with photos, 10:30 AM PST)
Dear Friends,
My sister, in a comment posted to a recent update, describes Scott as being on dial up instead of DSL or Cable. This is probably a good analogy. Dial up gets the job done (as I recall from the days of AOL/Yahoo at the Minneapolis Fisher House), but it can be somewhat frustrating if you're used to the other speed. She also describes how wonderful it is to hug Scott. I say that about both sons, of course, but when you almost lose one it makes both more so.
Link to Full Article
BY JEREMY REDMON PHOTOS BY DEAN HOFFMEYER
Editor's Note: The Times-Dispatch has changed the names of the Turkish businessmen in this article for their safety and the safety of their families.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ, Iraq -- Kemal sips from a small cup of tea. He drags heavily on his cigarette. Then the Turkish restaurateur calls his next customer.
Link to Full Article
BY DIONNE SEARCEY, STAFF CORRESPONDENT
MOSUL, Iraq -- Mud-slinging is the last thing Dr. Hunain al-Qaddo has to worry about now that campaign season is in full swing and he is competing with more than 200 slates of candidates for a spot in the country's first democratically elected parliament.
Al-Qaddo fears for his life.
Dear Friends,
It's been an eventful two days. I wrote an update yesterday about midnight, but the computer ate it (a conflict between the newly installed protection and the rest of the software) so I went to bed instead.
Liz Jackson and other volunteers with the Hero to Hero (H2H) pledge drive will be at it again this Saturday, January 8th. They will be collecting shirts in the Puget Sound region from Fire & Police Departments to send to the troops in Iraq. Saturday's "Stomp" will be dedicated to Larry Kaibetoney, who was seriously injured in the Mosul bombing recently. His wife Chani is a volunteer with H2H. A full press release is included below.
Link to Full Article
By ERIC SCHMITT
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 - Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the top commander in Iraq, is reviewing a proposal to add hundreds of American military advisers to work directly with Iraqi units, whose disappointing performance could jeopardize the long-term American exit strategy from Iraq, senior military officials said Monday. [...]
Here are two photos of the 2-14 CAV (one, two) taken in Tal Banat and Tal Afar, Iraq.
U.S. Army photos by Spc. Blair Larson
UPDATE-Yahoo! News also has some recent photos of the 2-14 Cav in Tal Afar.
Two in depth summaries worth exploring:
This photo essay of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's surprise visit to Iraq on Dec. 24th includes six photos from Mosul. The first five photos are of the 1-25 SBCT and staff of the 67th Combat Surgical Hospital. If you page forward to the 17th photo in the essay, you'll see Secretary Rumsfeld awarding a purple heart to Sgt. Chris Scott of the 1-25 SBCT.
Photos by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. James M. Bowman
Provided below are a few links to recent videos courtesy of DVIDS.
Dear Friends,
I've been ordered to write something again, so here goes...
Some of you may have noticed that the Photo Gallery is open again. Feel free to view albums and add photos. If you recently requested to start an album of your own I will be sending out instructions in the next couple days.
Please be aware that we've made a few changes. In the past, when photos were added, thumbnail, medium and large size versions of each picture were created. That wasn't a problem when the gallery was small, but it has become an issue given its current size. Going forward, when NEW photos are added, only the thumbnail and medium size versions will be created. Additionally, next weekend we will be deleting the large version of OLD photos. If you want to save a large version of an existing photo, be sure to do it this week.
By BILL NEMITZ, Staff Writer
DIYANAH, Iraq - The sun has not yet touched the snowy peak of Korek, the 6,943-foot mountain that towers over Forward Operating Base Round Top. But already Staff Sgt. Steve Bond is up preparing breakfast for his Charlie Company platoon.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" says Bond, who has been here nearly seven months and still starts each day in awe of the postcard-perfect scenery - unlike anything he'd see back home in Waterford, Maine. "I haven't minded this one bit."
(TFO Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (January 2, 2005) – Elements of the 82nd Airborne Division arrived in Mosul yesterday in an effort to provide enhanced security and stability for the January 30 elections.
The 82nd will operate under the command and control of Task Force Olympia within Multi-National Brigade Northwest area of operations.
The increase in U.S. Soldiers will provide added security during the elections.