MOSUL, IRAQ (April 30, 2005) – Four Task Force Freedom Soldiers were killed, and two were injured by an improvised explosive device attack in Tal Afar Thursday.
The injured Soldiers were taken to a combat hospital for treatment.
The Soldiers of Task Force Freedom send their condolences to the families of the deceased.
(TFF Pres Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 30, 2005) – Five Iraqi citizens were killed and another eight were injured during three terrorist attacks in northern Iraq today.
Link to Full Article
Army News Service
PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. (Army News Service, April 29, 2005) -- A joint-service program office at Picatinny Arsenal has completed development and is managing the purchase of 589 new lightweight 155mm howitzers for the Army and Marine Corps.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 30, 2005) – In a continued series of raids and cordon and search operations Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained nine suspected terrorists in northern Iraq Friday.
PFC Mendoza is another Task Force Freedom soldier that could use our suport and encouragement as he recovers at Walter Reed.
Link to Full Article
By STEVE MURPHY, BLADE STAFF WRITER
FOSTORIA - Army Pfc. Jay L. Mendoza lost his gallbladder, adrenal glands, and part of his intestines after being struck by a mortar round in Iraq.
But the 19-year-old Fostoria resident's family is relieved that his injuries from the attack weren't worse.
Link to Full Article
By KEITH EDWARDS, Kennebek Journal
KENTS HILL -- While television broadcasts of U.S. soldiers in Iraq tended to focus on violent combat with insurgents, much of the work of the Maine National Guard's 133rd Engineer Battalion focused on building schools and security checkpoints and organizing Iraqi contractors to help rebuild the country.
Lt. Col. John Jansen, commander of some 600 soldiers who returned from duty in Iraq last month, presented Kents Hill students with a summary of troops' activities Thursday. [...]
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 29, 2005) – Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained six suspected terrorists and seized a number of weapons during operations in northern Iraq Thursday.
The following article profiles the organization TAPS, which Riikka Jacobsen is associated with.
Link to Article
By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USA
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2005 – As a slide show of her husband and children flashed across the screen, a tearful Riikka Jacobsen, told stories of the family's happier times together.
In the photos were her husband, Army Capt. Bill Jacobsen, and their four children: Billy, 8; Sedric, 7; Yonah, 5; and Avalon, 2.
This is a good article outlining recent operations by the 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery.
Link to Full Article
By Alex Neill, Army Times
TALL ABTAH, Iraq — Striking back at a recent surge in car bombings, soldiers with the U.S. and Iraqi armies conducted a predawn raid on this rural town, detaining 30 suspects and rooting weapons and potential bomb-making materials out of homes, animal pens and crude mud huts.
After shutting down roads in and out of the town of several thousand residents, more than 725 soldiers — 550 Iraqis and 175 Americans — poured into the dusty streets Wednesday morning in up-armored Humvees, Stryker combat vehicles and the small pickup trucks used by Iraqi forces. Apache helicopters circled the village and a pair of F-16s sliced the sky.
Link to Full Article
By Michael Gilbert, News Tribune
Sgt. Anthony Davis could’ve ducked.
Instead he stood up out of the sentry hatch of his Stryker vehicle and opened fire on the driver of a car that had come barreling out of a side alley toward him and his comrades.
Army officers said Davis’ actions caused the driver – a suicide bomber – to detonate the explosives packed into his car before he could crash into the Stryker, perhaps saving the lives of the other men inside.
Davis was exposed to the full effects of the blast.
Fort Lewis gathered Wednesday to pay tribute to the 22-year-old infantryman from Long Beach, Calif., killed Saturday in Mosul, Iraq. [...]
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 28, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained seven suspected terrorists during operation in northern Iraq today and Wednesday.
Link to Full Article
By Gregg K. Kakesako, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
A federal judge has sided for the second time this week with the Army and against native Hawaiian groups fighting to block the Army's latest Stryker combat unit at Schofield Barracks.
Soldiers' Angels and the Wounded Warrior Project sent out the following alert regarding pending legislation. If you're willing and able, please make a phone call, or send a letter/fax/email to the appropriate committee member.
We will keep this entry at the top of the page today, so scroll down for newer entries.
An unidentified soldier from Company B, 2-14 CAV, watches out for insurgents in Sinjar, Iraq in this Army Images photo.
U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Jory C. Randall
Here are two new photos (one, two) of the 2-8 FA operating in Tall Abtah, Iraq. These are from today's edition of Frontline Photos.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 27, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained 36 suspected terrorists and seized three large weapons caches during operations in northern Iraq today.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 27, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained 17 suspected terrorists and seized a number of weapons during operations in northern Iraq today and Tuesday.
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.
Here are three new photos (one, two, three) of the 1-5 INF conducting operations in Mosul, courtesy of Army Images and the DOD Image Gallery.
Photos by Tech. Sgt. Mike Buytas, U.S. Air Force and Spc. Jory C. Randall, U.S. Army.
The 2-8 FA is again featured in today's edition of Frontline Photos.
Copyright protection prohibits the reproduction of this press conference transcript. However, I recommend you follow the link to the full article and read it in its entirety.
Link to Full Article
FEDERAL NEWS SERVICE, INC.
SEC. RUMSFELD: [...] I recently traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries on the frontlines in this global struggle. Everywhere we went, I came across outstanding men and women wearing our country's uniform, volunteers all, who with courage and confidence are risking their lives to confront the extremists before they attack our country and our people again. The debt we owe our military and civilian personnel and their families is immeasurable. They should find comfort in the knowledge that they're preserving a great legacy of freedom and safeguarding it for generations to come, and we thank them for their service. [...]
Paul Bublis II was seriously injured in the same attack that took the life of SGT Davis. According to the article he is expected to recover. Our thoughts are with him and his family as he starts down the long road to recovery. Updates will be posted at the end of this entry.
Link to Full Article
By Michael Hines/Times Record News
Leisa Fudge was still wearing her light blue bathrobe Monday afternoon.
The Burkburnett resident hadn't changed clothes since 8:10 a.m. Sunday when she learned her son had been severely wounded by a bombing in Iraq.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 26, 2005) – Over 450 new Iraqi policemen crossed paths as new recruits flew off to the Jordanian Police Academy and newly trained policemen arrived in northern Iraq Monday.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 26, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained 17 suspected terrorists and seized a number of weapons during operations in northern Iraq today and Monday.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
SGT Anthony J. Davis Jr., 22, of Long Beach, CA, died April 23 in Mosul, Iraq, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his Stryker military vehicle. SGT Davis was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, WA.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and fellow soldiers during this difficult time. We will add any subsequent articles we find to this entry.
UPDATE: SGT Davis' memorial service will be at 1330, Wednesday, April 27 at Evergreen Chapel, Ft. Lewis.
Several photos of the 2-8 FA can be seen in today's edition of Frontline Photos. They are conducting a joint operation with the Iraqi Army's 102nd Battalion near Achura, Iraq.
Draw your own conclusions after reading the last sentence.
Link to Full Article
By Gregg Kakesako, Star Bulletin
Federal Judge David Ezra today cleared the way for the Army to create a Stryker brigade at Schofield Barracks.
In a 24-page decision Ezra rejected claims by Earthjustice, which represents Ilioulaokalani Coalition, Na Imi Pono and Kipuka, and said that the Army followed all requirements of existing federal environmental laws in approving the Schofield site. [...]
Link to Full Article
By Alex Neill, Air Force Times
FORWARD OPERATING BASE ENDURANCE, Iraq — The timeless goals of peace and prosperity were on the table as more than 200 sheikhs, mukhtars and other tribal leaders from throughout the Tigris River Valley came here yesterday to discuss local and regional security and economic conditions. [...]
Link to Full Article
By Christopher Behnan, Daily Press & Argus
Army Capt. Ken Hardesty has been in a "whirlwind" since returning to Livingston County from his post in Washington state, adapting to his new role as father and - for the first time in about 10 years - a civilian.
Getty Images has 10-15 new photos of the 1-5 INF in Mosul since the last time we posted this link.
Link to Full Article with photo
Capt. Michael Blankartz
172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team
FORT WAINWRIGHT – Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team conducted Information Operations training in preparation for their upcoming mission-readiness exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La. and planned deployment this summer.
Here are two recent photos (one, two) of the 2-1 INF, 172nd SBCT, training at Ft. Wainwright, Alaska.
Link to Full Article with 7 photos
Story and photos by Percy Jones
Congressional Liaison Office
FORT RICHARDSON – As the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team loaded more than 1,000 Stryker Infantry and support vehicles April 5 for shipping to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana and then to Iraq, one may ask, “What’s left?” For the Blackhawk Soldiers of Company B, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment what was left was more training to close with and defeat the enemy.
In true infantry fashion, the 4-23 Soldiers immediately refocused their sights on the mission at hand: combat and combat-related operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Greetings everyone,
Sorry I have been remiss at posting updates lately. Things have been very hectic around here since our return from Colorado. Michael is out on the town with Cindy and Bryant Jacobs and his girlfriend Alicia. They had breakfast with the dolphins at the aquarium this morning and I hope to post some pics later.
Peggy Baker from Operationfirstresponse.org stopped by again today. We had a nice chat and she met some of the new members of the POWr. (Prisoners of Walter Reed) ;-) Some of the guys have patches made up since they have been here so long. Peggy has been so helpful to so many soldiers and their families, it is a blessing for us all. I feel very fortunate to have met her and Cindy during our time here. Most of you have read that Cindy is now an .ORG and will be able to help even more families now. Check out operationsecondchance.org for more info.
Link to Full Article
By Julian Nettlefold
Recognizing the urgent need to control the “jungles of spaghetti” in heavily wired modern command posts, the Army is moving ahead with the Command Post Platform (CPP) development and integration program. Valued at up to $400 million over the next five years, the award to prime contractor Northrop Grumman includes an initial $26 million contract for the design and construction of 10 prototype command posts.
Link to Full Article
By William L. Miller
With voice communications over closed IP-based networks already being transmitted under battle conditions, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology is poised to transform military telephony.
This growing communications technology from the commercial sector, transplanted to the defense world, works more efficiently to take advantage of common infrastructures and adds advantages of share applications, ensuring that needed information is provided to all layers of end users. Its ability to scale and agile footprint work in concert with legacy applications to protect current mission-critical applications while paving a way for future evolution.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 24, 2005) – Three Joint Coordination Center hotline call-in tips provided by Iraqi citizens led to the diffusion of three improvised explosive devices in northern Iraq Saturday.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 24, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained 24 suspected terrorists and seized a number of weapons during operations in northern Iraq today and Saturday.
Please read the entire entry for updates.
Link to Full Article
By SHAWBONG FOK/Democrat Staff Writer
Woodland resident Sgt. Brandon Huff has been severely injured by an explosive while serving in the Stryker Brigade in Mosul, Iraq.
Brandon was injured on Wednesday by a hidden electronic explosive that went off while his platoon was checking out a reported car bomb. He lost his left leg above his knee and had shrapnel throughout his body.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 23, 2005) – Col. Khalid Najim Abdallah, Director of Corrections for Ninewah Province, was assassinated by terrorists in Mosul Friday. His vehicle was stopped by terrorists who shot and killed Abdallah and wounded his wife and child.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 23, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained nine suspected terrorists and recovered an Iraqi citizen’s truck during operations in northern Iraq today and Friday.
There is a brief update in the following article regarding the group's efforts in Mosul.
USAID and the US Army have completed work to rehabilitate Mosul's water treatment and sewer systems. In support of the Army's efforts to install diesel generator systems and rehabilitate Mosul's six water treatment plants and eight pump stations, USAID worked to clear the city's sewer and storm-drain systems and provided trucks and other equipment including pumps and pump control systems, valves, penstocks, pipes, spare parts, tools, and electrical equipment. USAID also provided welding training to water treatment plant operations and maintenance staff. With the completion of this project and the re-commissioning of the elevated tanks, Mosul will have 24 hours of water available.
Several photos of the 2-8 FA and one new photo of the 1-5 INF are contained in today's edition of Frontline Photos. The 2-8 FA photos are the last ones in the gallery.
A nice story profiling a dedicated group of volunteers in Bangor, Maine.
Link to Full Article
By Tony Perry, Times Staff Writer
BANGOR, Maine — Tired and bleary-eyed, Marines of the 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment, based at Twentynine Palms, Calif., were finally back on U.S. soil after seven months on the front lines in Iraq.
But they were still many miles and hours from their families and the homecoming they longed for. Their officers told them they would be on the ground for 60 to 90 minutes while their chartered plane was refueled.
The 366th MPAD has added a number of new videos to the TFF PAO website. There are a number of new personal video messages (Shout Outs!), and a variety of news related segments (The Stallion Report).
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 22, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) discovered two massive weapons caches during operations in northern Iraq Thursday.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 22, 2005) – An Iraqi citizen’s tip prevents an improvised explosive device attack and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained nine suspected insurgents and seized a number of weapons during operations in northern Iraq Thursday.
Link to Full Article
By ROBERT BURNS, AP MILITARY WRITER
WASHINGTON -- Citing videotaped testimonials from soldiers in Iraq, the Army on Thursday returned fire in a battle with critics of its Stryker troop-carrying vehicle, which some say inadequately protects soldiers.
The Army says the Stryker has proven its worth in numerous combat engagements, although its own think tank, the Center for Army Lessons Learned, found numerous design flaws and other problems.
Recent editions of Frontline Photos have featured both the 3-21 INF and 1-5 INF in Mosul. Check out the links below. As always, page forward to see all photos.
April 21, 2005 edition includes 1-5 INF photos
April 20, 2005 edition includes 3-21 INF photos
April 19, 2005 edition includes 1-5 INF photos
Link to Full Article
By SAM BISHOP, News-Miner
WASHINGTON--Army transformation efforts will bring three new aviation companies with about 150 personnel from Korea to Fort Wainwright Army Post by mid-June, slightly offsetting much larger deployments of Wainwright soldiers to the Middle East. [...]
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 21, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) seized a number of weapons and detained 42 suspected insurgents during operations in northern Iraq Wednesday.
We are very excited to announce that Cindy McGrew has formalized her mission to assist wounded service men and women through the creation of a non-profit called Operation Second Chance. She and her group of volunteers have done so much to help the wounded at Walter Reed, including many Stryker soldiers. If you have been following the stories of Michael Oreskovic, Scott Thorne and Travis Majors, then you know what Cindy has done for them and their families.
Please follow the link above to learn more about her new organization, or to offer a donation. We will be adding the site to our Links Page as well.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 20, 2005) – Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained two suspected insurgents during operations in northern Iraq today.
Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery Regiment detained an individual suspected of insurgent activity at a traffic control point south of Qayyarah. Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment detained an individual suspected of insurgent activity during a cordon and search operation east of Tal Afar. Suspects are in custody with no MNF injuries reported.
Coordinated efforts between Iraqi Security Forces, Multi-National Forces and concerned citizens who provide tips for Security Forces have resulted in a trend toward improved security. Anyone with information on anti-Iraqi insurgent activities should call the Joint Coordination Center’s telephone numbers at 513462 or 07701623300.
Link to Full Article
By ABBIE STILLIE, Daily News-Miner
Members of the Stryker Brigade needed training in a desert setting. Border Patrol agents along the U.S.-Mexican border needed help stopping the flow of illegal drugs and immigrants.
When the two sides joined forces earlier this winter, they stopped more than 2,500 illegal aliens and 6,900 pounds of marijuana from making it to the United States. [...]
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 20, 2005) – An Iraqi citizen’s tip led to an improvised explosive device being defused and Iraqi Security Forces seized a number of weapons and detained suspected insurgents during operations in northern Iraq Tuesday.
Link to Full Article
By David Axe, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
QAYYARAH, Iraq -- U.S. forces are cracking down on an unexpected problem in this oil-rich country -- gasoline bootlegging.
On any day in many Iraqi cities, men with plastic containers full of gas line the roads outside gas stations, offering the same product for a much higher price but faster. Motorists pull up, hand a wad of dinars out the window, and wait as the bootlegger fills the tank using a funnel and a hose. [...]
Link to Full Article (subscription)
By Alex Neill, Army Times
MOSUL, Iraq — The two suspected terrorists brought their small red car to a sudden halt when they found the 19-ton Stryker combat vehicle looming before them.
Stryker troops had spotted the car in a field along the road where an improvised explosive device had just been detonated as a convoy of Iraqi National Guard and U.S. soldiers passed by in the late afternoon of April 14.
The Stryker steered toward the car and it sped off, darting into the narrow residential streets off the highway, a key convoy road known as Main Supply Route Tampa.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 19, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained two suspected insurgents and seized a number of weapons during operations in northern Iraq today and Monday.
Iraqi Police discovered a cache of weapons while patrolling in Al Hadr south of Mosul today. The cache included gun powder, ammunition, and several mortar rounds. The weapons and ammunition were confiscated for future destruction.
Link to Full Article
By Brad Knickerbocker, The Christian Science Monitor
The sergeant stationed just west of Baghdad was once again recounting the dangers of being on the front line - sometimes with dark humor. He referred to how the "muj" (mujahideen or insurgents) were the gang that couldn't shoot straight, but still represented a considerable threat.
"They're horrible shots," he wrote in an e-mail to his family, "but every once in awhile they get lucky. We lost another Marine the other day."
A number of new photos of the 1-5 INF can be seen at Getty Images, a few at Yahoo! News Photos and one at Army Images.
Army Images photo by Tech. Sgt. Mike Buytas, U.S. Air Force
The 3-21 INF is again featured in today's edition of Frontline Photos. Page forward through the gallery to see each image.
A few links of interest.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 18, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces decisively defeated an insurgent attack on a police station and Multi-National Force Soldiers from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained 18 suspected insurgents in a single operation in northern Iraq today.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 18, 2005) – Brig. Gen. Younis Mohammad Sulaiman, Public Information Officer for the Mosul Police, was assassinated by insurgents while driving to work in Mosul Sunday.
Link to Full Article
General Dynamics Press Release
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. The U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) a delivery order valued at $138 million for 99 additional Stryker combat vehicles. The vehicles will be used to meet Army materiel requirements. This increases the Army's Fiscal Year 2005 Stryker procurement from 576 to 675 vehicles; deliveries will begin in 2006 and continue through 2007.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 18, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces detained five suspected insurgents hiding in a mosque during an operation in northern Iraq Sunday.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 17, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained eight suspected insurgents and seized a number of weapons during operations in northern Iraq Saturday.
Troops from 23rd Battalion, 6th Brigade Iraqi Intervention Force detained three individuals suspected of insurgent activity during a raid in Mosul. Suspects are in custody with no ISF injuries reported.
SSG Curtis Chekel is pictured in this 1-5 INF photo, posted on Army Images.
Photo by Tech. Sgt. Mike Buytas, U.S. Air Force
Link to Full Article
By EDWARD HARRIS, Associated Press Writer
MOSUL, Iraq -- Eyes bright beneath the brims of their new, U.S.-supplied police caps, the group of mustachioed trainees will represent the face of Iraqi security once American troops go home.
And how quickly the local forces are ready for the task is a key to setting a date for a U.S. withdrawal.
An Iraq news round-up with brief mention of US military action in Mosul.
Link to Full Article
By THOMAS WAGNER, Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Eleven detainees upset about their treatment by U.S. captors escaped Saturday from the military's largest detention center in Iraq by climbing through a hole in the fence, and bombings around the country killed a dozen Iraqis. [...]
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 16, 2005) – A CBS stringer continues to be held in detention by Multi-National Forces following an incident in northern Iraq April 5. The stringer was detained after being released from medical care following an incident where MNF had come under attack by small arms fire and returned fire killing one insurgent and injuring the stringer. He was standing next to the armed insurgent who was killed at the time that he was injured.
The 3-21 INF is featured in this edition of Frontline Photos, which includes a glimpse of baseball in Mosul.
Lacey votes to oppose potential Ft. Lewis closure; Olympia Council undecided
Link to Full Article
By CHRISTIAN HILL AND KATHERINE TAM, THE OLYMPIAN
Olympia's City Council is split over whether to urge federal officials to keep the Fort Lewis Army post and McChord Air Force Base open.
Mayor Mark Foutch, a retired airman, drafted a letter of support and is waiting to see how many council members sign on.
Council members in nearby Lacey, however, had no debate before unanimously approving a resolution opposing any closure or realignment of the two military installments.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 16, 2005) – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained 27 suspected insurgents during operations in northern Iraq today and Friday.
I think we might know at least one soldier who attended this event.
Link to Full Article
By Brian Padden, VOA
Neither a severely injured leg, nor the fear of falling, will prevent Rosetta Floyd from learning to ski. She says it was scary at first, but it didn’t hurt her.
In August of 2004, Specialist Rosetta Floyd was injured in a mortar attack in Baghdad while serving as a U.S. Army medic. She recounts the experience, "So I heard somebody say, 'Grab her foot. It looks like its about to fall off' and I'm freaking out. I blacked out while I'm hearing this." [...]
The 366th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment has posted a number of videos from Mosul on the DVIDS site (approx. 60 so far). Rather than post individual links we thought it would be easier to send you to their site, where you can browse the entire list.
Link to Full Article
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
Over the last 30 years, the Army has had units it called “cavalry” travel to the fight by helicopter, tank, Humvee, armored personnel carrier and even parachute.
So what’s the big deal now that they’re putting The Cav in Strykers?
No problem at all, said retired Maj. Gen. Robert Wagner.
A Stryker Brigade in Germany
Link to Full Article
By Jon R. Anderson, Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — A new message from the Army’s top commander in Europe lays out new details on plans to dramatically downsize and reorganize Army forces throughout the region. [...]
The remaining troops would be consolidated into four main hubs — three in Germany and one in Italy — cutting the total number of Army installations in Europe by nearly two-thirds, dropping from 236 to 88 facilities. [...]
Link to Full Article
By Edward Harris, Associated Press
MOSUL, Iraq — It’s just spray-painted graffiti, but the writing on the wall gets the attention of U.S. troops: “Warning to all policemen: You will be killed.” Soldiers then storm into the compound, demanding the owners erase the death threat against the Americans’ Iraqi allies.
Here are two new photos (one, two) of the 1-24 INF conducting operations in Mosul.
U.S. Army Photos by Pfc. Jory C. Randall
The last few days have produced a number of new photos of the 1-5 INF in Mosul. Check the following links to view them all. At Frontline Photos you must page forward through the galleries to find them.
Frontline Photos - April 13 edition
Frontline Photos - April 14 edition
Getty Images
Yahoo! News Photos
Link to Full Article
By Matthew Cox and Alex Neill, Army Times
CAMP DIAMONDBACK, MOSUL, Iraq – Separate campaign medals suit Sgt. Justin Senf just fine. “When you’re wearing Class As, people look at that and see where you’ve been and what you’ve done,” said Senf, 23, as he waited for a flight that was to take him out of the war zone and home to Fort Lewis, Wash., for two weeks’ R&R.
Link to Full Article
By Patrick Cockburn, The Independent
Anybody who believes Iraq has turned the corner and violence is diminishing should pay a visit to its northern capital, though they must be extremely careful when doing so. A suicide bomber detonated explosives in his car outside an army post in Mosul yesterday, creating a cloud of smoke and dust that hovered over the city.
Link to Full Article
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
CAMP DUBLIN, Iraq — He was a soccer star in a previous life, the one untouched by war. He was famous among his fellow Iraqis, as soccer players usually were.
But now, he lives a life in obscurity — his face hidden behind a black ski mask when on the job. It’s too risky for the 24-year-old soccer star-turned-cop to reveal to the world his life as a member of the Emergency Response Unit, an elite part of the rebuilding Iraqi police force.
He prefers his new life.
We should not forget that there are many civilian contractors deployed with our Stryker Brigade soldiers.
Link to Full Article
BY PAUL DODSON, South Bend Tribune
SOUTH BEND | "The money is good but that's not the main reason he is over there," said Kari Zimmerman, of South Bend.
"Over there" is Mosul, Iraq, where her 46-year-old husband, Walt, works as a civilian contractor welding armor plating onto U.S. Army vehicles.
She said her husband went to Iraq in June because he believes he is helping save American lives.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 14, 2005) – Iraqi soldiers of the 104th Battalion, 23rd Brigade, 2nd Division conducted cordon and search operations in northeastern Mosul.
Iraqi soldiers captured four members of a kidnapping group. The soldiers detained the four individuals and confiscated three AK-47s, 24 fully loaded AK-47 magazines, three grenades, and explosives making material.
The following letter was written by the aunt of SGT Adam J. Plumondore, a soldier with the Stryker Brigade who was killed on February 16th, 2005. She originally shared this on our bulletin board, but agreed to let us post it here as well. I know that many of the emotions she expresses so well are shared by other military families.
Thank you Aunt Lisa!
CENTRE HALL -- Army Spc. Christopher Swales has been upgraded from critical to stable condition at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, according to patient information available from the hospital.
Swales, 29, was injured in late March when Iraqi insurgents attacked members of the 25th Infantry Division's Stryker Brigade during routine vehicle inspections.
Link to Full Article
CHRISTIAN HILL, THE OLYMPIAN
FORT LEWIS -- It has waged war in nearly every U.S. military conflict, from fighting Indians on the Western plains to assisting the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
But the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, the longest-serving regiment in the U.S. Army, isn't resting on its storied laurels as it's welcomed back to Fort Lewis on Thursday. It was stationed at the Army post for a year in 1992-93.
Link to Full Article
By David Axe, WASHINGTON TIMES
QAYYARAH, Iraq - U.S. forces in the area around the northern city of Mosul are rebuilding the local police in the wake of a complete collapse of native forces last year.
"It all happened in two weeks," said Lt. Col. Bradley Becker.
Col. Becker commands the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Field Artillery Regiment, part of the 25th Infantry Division from Fort Lewis in Washington state.
An Iraq news summary that mentions attacks in Tal Afar and Mosul on Tuesday.
Link to Full Article
CNN News
[...] Insurgent attacks continued Tuesday, with a suicide car bomb killing five civilians in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar, the U.S. military said in a news release.
Eight people were wounded in the incident, including seven children, the military said.
In the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, a car bomb -- possibly targeting a U.S. patrol -- killed five Iraqi civilians and wounded three, according to a health official at an area hospital.
A second car bomb in Mosul wounded five Iraqi civilians and three U.S. soldiers, the military said. [...]
This article is well worth the effort to register for access to the Post online.
Link to Full Article
By Steve Fainaru, Washington Post
MOSUL, Iraq -- From inside a vacant building, Sgt. 1st Class Domingo Ruiz watched through a rifle scope as three cars stopped on the other side of the road. A man carrying a machine gun got out and began to transfer weapons into the trunk of one of the cars.
"Take him down," Ruiz told a sniper.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 13, 2005) – Three children and five adults were killed and 18 Iraqi civilians were wounded including six children in northern Iraq Tuesday. A vehicle-born suicide bomb exploded in northern Mosul killing five civilians and injuring two. A family of four, father, mother and two children, were among the dead. A later suicide car bomb in western Mosul wounded four Iraqi civilians.
In another incident in Tal Afar a vehicle-born suicide bomb detonated killing two Iraqi citizens and wounding 13, seven of whom were children. One of those children later died of injuries sustained.
Here are two new photos posted on the Defense Visual Information Directorate web site. A Stryker vehicle from the 1-5 INF is pictured in the first photo, while a 1-24 INF soldier with a combat camera photographer are pictured in the second photo.
Photos by Tech. Sgt. Mike Buytas, U.S. Air Force and Spc. Jory Randall, U.S. Army
I forgot to mention earlier that Steve Thorne sent a few pre and post operation photos of Scott and his family. He assured me that none of the more "graphic" photos taken by the surgeons are included. Gotta' love that smile.
Bobby Sr. (MSgt Rosendahl) has been posting updates on the condition of his son, PFC Rosendahl, in the comments section of a previous entry. The following is the most recent update I received via email. Bobby Jr. can certainly use our continued prayers and well wishes.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 12, 2005) – Five Iraqi citizens were killed by a suicide car bomb today in northern Mosul.
A vehicle-born suicide bomb exploded in a Mosul neighborhood killing five innocent people, including a family of four in a nearby car. This represents a pattern of recklessness and highlights the continued disregard for the lives, health and safety of Iraqi citizens by Anti-Iraqi Insurgents.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 12, 2005) – In two additional brutal and senseless attacks five innocent Iraqi citizens were killed and at least 12 others injured including seven children in northern Mosul today. A vehicle-born suicide bomb exploded in a western Mosul neighborhood injuring at least four civilians.
In another incident in Tal Afar a vehicle-born suicide bomb detonated killing five and wounding eight, seven of the injured were children.
The citizens of Iraq continue to be astonished at the blatant disregard shown for them and especially for the children of Iraq by the Anti-Iraqi Insurgents.
Here's an April Fool's joke involving the Stryker vehicle that Steve Thorne sent to me. Meet the M1126A Fryker Armored Combat Deep Fryer.
Here are two recent photos from Alaska:
The newly fielded Anti-Tank Guided Missle Stryker and Strykers shipping out at the Port of Anchorage
Photo by MSG John Pennell
A VA-based Army reserve unit is preparing to depart for a year in Mosul.
Link to Full Article
By ROB DAVIS, The Free Lance-Star
A Culpeper-based Army Reserve unit is deploying to Iraq to help train Iraqi army recruits.
Seventy to 75 soldiers in the 3rd Battalion of the 317th Regiment got their orders Friday. They will spend a year in Mosul, Iraq, about 250 miles northwest of Baghdad.
Link to Full Article
By Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press
CAIRO, Egypt — There are new signs of hostility between homegrown insurgents in Iraq and extremists fighting under al-Qaida’s banner — including foreigners — with the two camps trading threats and increasingly divided over the strategy of killing civilians to undermine the fragile new government.
Link to Full Article
MICHAEL P. REGAN, Associated Press
NEW YORK -- U.S. troops in Iraq will soon be able to lace their defensive perimeters with a high-tech, multi-pronged version of one of the most effective weapons in their enemy's playbook: the remote-controlled bomb.
By June, soldiers in the Army's Stryker Brigade, which operates mainly in and around the northern city of Mosul, will be able to pick out an individual anti-personnel munition from a minefield of hundreds and explode it by pushing a computer's touch screen from many yards away.
Link to Full Article
By EDWARD HARRIS, Associated Press Writer
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - The command-center call crackles out of a radioman's set, sending U.S. soldiers racing for their Humvees: A suspected roadside bomb concealed in a green sandbag is in the streets of Iraq's main northern city and three cars filled with gunmen are circling nearby.
The troops speed to the site with guns trained on Mosul's traffic - a typical day's work for U.S. soldiers battling militants who have launched what officers call a northern front far from Iraq's restive, central Sunni Triangle.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 11, 2005) – Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) safely disposed of an improvised explosive device in southwestern Mosul today.
Link to Full Article with photo
Submitted by
4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment
FORT BLISS, Texas –The Soldiers of Troop A, 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, known as the Assassins, did not endure another long cold winter in Fairbanks this year. They were busy training and executing their reconnaissance skills.
For two months they, along with the other troops of 4th Sqdn., 14th Cav. and supporting elements of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, screened the international border of the U.S. and Mexico in New Mexico. This mission was done in support to Joint Task Force North and to help reduce the illegal entry of transnational threats and drugs into the U.S.
This was a mission of many firsts for Assassin Troop, 4-14 Cavalry and JTF-N. This was the first time 4-14 deployed and conducted a mission with all of its subunits since it was activated in November 2003.
Link to Full Article with photo
Maj. Richard Rouleau
4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment
PLAYAS, N.M. – In mid-January, the Soldiers of Assassin Troop, 4th Battalion, 14th Cavalry Regiment occupied their first Forward Operating Base in a little place called Playas, New Mexico.
Playas is much like any subdivision in America except that it is not attached to a larger city. It was built by a mining company to house its work force and their families, so it has all the amenities that one would expect – a post office, a community center, a clinic, bowling alley, churches and ball fields.
What it is missing is the people; almost all of the residents of Playas moved away simultaneously when their employer’s business shut down. The structures themselves and a few nice people from New Mexico Tech, who now own the facilities, are now all that is left to run the town. To the Soldiers of Troop A, this became their new home away from home as they conducted training.
(TFF Press Release)
MOSUL, IRAQ (April 11, 2005) – LT Mohammad Salih Talab, a member of the Explosives Ordinance Disposal section of the Joint Coordination Center, was assassinated on his way to work in northern Mosul today.
Plenty of information regarding recent events in the following entries:
Pfc. Joshua Pol of 2nd Platoon, Company B, 1-5 INF is pictured in this photo, posted on Army Images.
Photo by Tech. Sgt. Mike Buytas, U.S. Air Force
Link to Full Article
By ERIC SCHMITT , New York Times
WASHINGTON, April 10 - Two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, the American-led military campaign in Iraq is making enough progress in fighting insurgents and training Iraqi security forces to allow the Pentagon to plan for significant troop reductions by early next year, senior commanders and Pentagon officials say.
