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By Margaret Friedenauer, Daily News-Miner
BAGHDAD — Col. Michael Shields, commander of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, said he was no less surprised by the extension of his brigade’s tour in Iraq than many of his soldiers were.
Once he was told at the end of July of the decision by ground commanders in Iraq, Shields said he worked to notify the soldiers as quickly as he could, flying to each location he had troops located across northern and western Iraq. He spoke to family members in Fairbanks via video conference the night before the announcement became public.
The following is a short excerpt from another very long article from Newsweek profiling 172nd SBCT families during the brigade's extension.
Oct. 30, 2006 - For the first year of her husband's deployment with the 172nd Stryker Brigade, Tamara Bell says she was a "good Army wife." She supported her husband's mission and trusted the military to bring him home safely—and on time. After all, Tamara, 32, grew up as a Navy brat, and she and Staff Sgt. Edward Bell have been married for 12 years, weathering several overseas deployments in South Korea, Bosnia and the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003, when Edward was with one of the first units to enter Baghdad. Even during his second Iraq deployment, Tamara, waiting at home in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the couple's infant son, did everything she could to keep her spirits up. She and Edward counted the days remaining in full moons ("It seems a lot shorter that way") and communicated nonstop about their baby Nicholas, now 11 months old, whom Edward last saw at birth.
But last July, only days before Edward was to return home to Fairbanks following a year of combat duty in Mosul, Tamara learned that his infantry battalion, the 4-23, was being sent to Baghdad to quell violence in the Iraqi capital. The extension was to last four months. That was the moment she snapped, she says. "Everyone has a breaking point, and that was mine," says Bell. "He was exactly seven days away from coming home. With the extension, I said, 'Wow, I need to be a lot less trusting of what the military tells us.'" Her husband, she adds, feels his own country is using him. “They are no longer showing us any loyalty." [...]
Here is some additional information regarding the missing soldier the 172nd was looking for last week. His identity is finally confirmed.
NEW YORK - A U.S. Army translator missing after being kidnapped in Iraq had broken military rules to marry an Iraqi woman and was visiting her when he was abducted, according to people who claim to be relatives of the wife.
According to a report in Monday editions of The New York Times, the relatives said that the Soldier, previously unidentified by the U.S. government, is Ahmed Qusai al-Taei, a 41-year-old Iraqi-American. The family did not know he was a Soldier until after the kidnapping, the relatives said.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
MOSUL, IRAQ – The Stryker armored vehicle ground to a halt in front of a market that was a maze of pungent spices, bright fabrics and used T-shirts.
“We’re looking for a suicide ops guy,” said Lt. Blake Hall of Lakewood, leader of the scout platoon from Fort Lewis. “He’s a pretty big fish.”
Army officials believe this insurgent leader is responsible for everything from bringing foreign fighters into the country to coordinating their suicide bombings.
By TATABOLINE BRANT, Anchorage Daily News
The U.S. military command in Iraq acknowledged earlier this month that its two-month campaign to stem violence in Baghdad -- called Operation Together Forward II -- had fallen short and that the effort needed to be refocused. The Alaska-based 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team -- 3,800 Army soldiers from forts Richardson and Wainwright -- are at the heart of that operation. After serving for a year in northern Iraq, the brigade late this summer had its tour extended and was moved to Baghdad to help quell violence there. Col. Michael Shields, commander of the 172nd, spoke to the Daily News by telephone Wednesday. His comments have been edited for length.
By Mary Vorsino, Honolulu Advertiser
The Army says it will comply with a federal appeals court order issued yesterday to stop all "activities associated" with establishing a $1.5 billion Stryker brigade in the Islands.
A temporary injunction barring further Stryker work came nearly a month after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Army violated environmental laws when it failed to consider other sites to base the 19-ton armored vehicles.
In the 2-1 decision on Oct. 5, the San Francisco-based court said the Army must complete a supplementary environmental analysis to consider alternatives to setting up a brigade here.
Earlier this month, the Army had argued the ruling did not mean all Stryker operations and training would have to stop. [...]
Related Article: Appeals court halts Stryker activity here - Star Bulletin
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
MOSUL, IRAQ – Sgt. 1st Class Gerardo Viera was thinking about Tacoma as his Stryker armored vehicle rolled through a rough part of this city, an area where a suicide car bomber had attacked Fort Lewis soldiers earlier this month.
He was reminiscing about the City of Destiny’s restaurants, to be specific.
Viera munched on peanut butter crackers while taking a short break, having been relieved from watching out the hatch with a machine gun.
Welcome home to the 47th Combat Support Hospital that spent the past year caring for soldiers in Mosul. Video included.
FORT LEWIS - A big welcome home for the 300 soldiers who've been saving lives in Iraq. They are the doctors, nurses, medics and staff members of the 47th Combat Support Hospital at Fort Lewis.
They're finally home after a year in the midst of the conflict.
Sgt. Amber Duvall holding son is asked, "How tough is it being away from him like that?" "It was hard, but it's over," he answered.
The following audio report was filed by NPR affiliate KUAC in Alaska. Follow the link and click the "Listen" icon.
Morning Edition, October 26, 2006 · The Army has announced that Alaska's 172nd Stryker Brigade will finally be headed home by Christmas. But five men in that unit won't be returning home. They were killed during their extended tour of battle. The first to die was Sgt. Eugene Alex.
Blog-Ah! has published the latest column from David Hardt, who is currently serving with the 3/2 SBCT in Baghdad.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
MOSUL, IRAQ –The platoon members emerged from their armored Stryker carriers to a scene of awful destruction. A suicide truck bomb had exploded and killed 10 Iraqi civilians waiting in line to buy gasoline.
Even these Tacoma-area combat veterans were shocked last week when confronted with shredded buildings and a 15-foot-deep crater blasted into the ground.
They didn’t seem fazed by the hu- man remains, though. They’d seen it before.
Soldiers from 1-23 INF, 3/2 SBCT are featured in this video segment from FOX News, which includes an interview with LTC Smiley.
By Gregg K. Kakesako, Honolulu Star Bulletin
Government lawyers say that halting Schofield Barracks' $1.5 billion Stryker unit would do "irreparable harm" to the Army, soldiers of the 2nd Brigade and the nation's security.
They oppose a motion by island environmentalists and Hawaiian activists who want the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to approve a temporary order halting all work on Stryker-related activities in Hawaii.
FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- A U.S. Army soldier was killed and a second soldier injured in a training accident at Arizona's Yuma Proving Ground, the Army said Wednesday.
The incident at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday happened during practice at a firing range with live ammunition. Soldiers were shooting light machine guns -- M-249 squad automatic weapons -- at targets, said Fort Lewis spokeswoman Tammy L. Reed.
By DEAN BAKER Columbian staff writer
A Vancouver soldier suffered wounds to his eye, jaw and face recently in Iraq and was recovering Monday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Staff Sgt. John P. Kaiser Jr., 28, was wounded by a 120mm mortar round that landed in front of a hatch on a Stryker vehicle where he was standing, said a neighbor, Linda Kelly. She wasn't sure of details of the event, and family members weren't available for comment.
BAGHDAD, Oct. 24, 2006 – Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers are searching for U.S. soldier missing since yesterday evening. Officials have not released the soldier’s name.
Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team and the 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, along with the Iraqi National Police, mounted an intensive effort to locate the soldier by using all means available, including attack aviation elements and unmanned aerial vehicles.
By William Cole, Honolulu Advertiser
Three Hawaiian groups are seeking a federal court halt to all Army Stryker activities until alternatives to basing the fast-strike unit in Hawai'i are examined.
The latest court clash comes as the commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter, Lt. Gen. John M. Brown III, confirmed that the 3,900-soldier Stryker brigade, already well into training, is slated for an Iraq deployment.
CNN's John Roberts is embedded with the 1-17 INF, 172nd SBCT in Bagdhad and reports that the unit was dispatched today to search for a US soldier who is missing. Other news outlets claim the soldier is from the 4th ID, but we haven't seen any confirmation from the military yet. You can read the CNN article online, and also watch a video report from Roberts in Baghdad (in left column under "Videos"). If you can't find the video try this direct link.
Related Article:
Troops Look for American Soldier Missing in Baghdad - The New York Times
by Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th MPAD
MOSUL, Iraq— Soldiers with the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3-2 SBCT, out of Fort Lewis, Wash., took to the streets Sept. 28, along side Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army Forces, greeting and meeting residents in a community engagement effort meant to encourage the familiarity and trust of residents in Mosul.
Iraqis took the lead during the patrol, with the American Soldiers only pulling security and observing.
“We are trying to help build up the goodwill of the people,” said 1st Lt. Phillip D. Schneider, “That is how we are going to defeat the insurgency.”
By Margaret Friedenauer, Daily News-Miner
BAGHDAD — If nothing else, the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s move to Baghdad has put the first 12 months of deployment into perspective for some battalions.
“You don’t realize how successful we were up there until you come down here,” said Capt. Dave Bedard of Anchorage, with the 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment of the Stryker Brigade.
The following article also features a slideshow with many photos of the 172nd SBCT operating in Baghdad.
By MICHAEL R. GORDON, The New York Times
BAGHDAD, Oct. 22 — After three years of trying to thwart a potent insurgency and tamp down the deadly violence in Iraq, the American military is playing its last hand: the Baghdad security plan.
The plan will be tweaked, adjusted and modified in the weeks ahead, as American commanders try to reverse the dismaying increase in murders, drive-by shootings and bombings.
Winds of Change has published its weekly Iraq Report, with links to news and analysis of recent events.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
MOSUL, IRAQ – People in the streets stared at the behemoth rolling through their city on a hunt for roadside bombs – at 24 tons, even heavier and certainly taller than an armored Stryker infantry carrier.
Some watched in curiosity. Others glared. There are many people in this northern city of 2 million who would love nothing more than to blow up this vehicle and the Fort Lewis combat engineers inside.
“These vehicles have bounties on them,” said Spc. Dave Zawitaj of Lakewood, driver of the Buffalo armored vehicle. “These are the number one vehicles they want to take out.”
FOB Marez, Mosul __ There have been a lot of attacks here in Mosul and throughout Iraq during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is supposed to end over the next few days, but Fort Lewis officers tell me the exact date depends on which cleric you are talking to.
I’ve written in the paper about both the recent attacks in Mosul. The first was on Oct. 12th and began with a mortar attack on Forward Operating Base Diamondback, which is across the road from this base, FOB Marez.
Fort Lewis soldiers caught the mortar men and killed two of them but the Iraqi army and police did most of the fighting that night.
BLOG-AH has posted some new pictures of the 3rd Stryker Brigade in Baghdad.
BAGHDAD, Oct. 21 � When Lt. Col. John Norris led his Stryker battalion to the Baya district of Baghdad last month he planned to work hand in glove with the Iraqi police. But no sooner did he venture onto the streets than he discovered that the police who were to be his partners were part of the problem.
As his Stryker command vehicle drove along a crowded avenue Colonel Norris spied several Shiite women in black abayas wailing over a body sprawled near a mosque as distraught relatives smeared the dead man�s blood on their faces. The American officer tried to wave down an Iraqi National Police truck for help, but the driver gave him an icy stare and kept going.[...]
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
MOSUL, Iraq The windows were blown out for a full city block. A charred, twisted chaos of wrecked vehicles covered the street.
Fort Lewis soldiers could only swear in amazement Thursday as they stepped from their Strykers and took in the devastation.
A suicide truck bomber had blown himself up in front of a Mosul police station. Fort Lewis commanders here, who lead the U.S. fight against insurgents in Mosul, said at least 10 civilians and an Iraqi policeman were killed in the attack.
by Staff Sgt. Kevin Lovel, 363rd MPAD
BAGHDAD Multi-National Division Baghdad Soldiers conducted a humanitarian aid mission Oct. 13 in Baghdads Karkh district.
The Soldiers from Troop A, 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, delivered 75 generators to the districts educational headquarters for use in 60 neighborhood schools.
Were dropping off generators, backpacks and soccer balls, said Capt. Benjamin Tiernan, fire support officer, Troop A.
Blog-Ah! has published David Hardt's most recent column. Hardt is currently serving with the 3/2 SBCT in Baghdad.
BAGHDAD, Iraq A pair of suicide bombings targeted a police station and a crowded bank in the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk Thursday, killing at least 24 people and wounding 72, police said.
The Mosul bombing targeted a major police station, killing 12 people and wounding 25, many of them motorists waiting to buy gasoline at a nearby gas station, police said. Authorities imposed a curfew after the attack on Abi Tamam police station at 7:15 a.m., but it was lifted nearly six hours later.
Multi-National Force Iraq spokesman MG William Caldwell briefed reporters in Baghdad today regarding recent operations in the capital and elsewhere. One of the topics he covers is the increase in violence in Baghdad despite the higher level of coalition forces there, including the 172nd SBCT and elements of the 3/2 SBCT. A streaming video of the briefing is available at the Pentagon Channel website (Internet Explorer browser required).
Related Article:
General Urges New Strategy for Baghdad - The New York Times
The following article also contains a video segment.
BAGHDAD - The 172nd Cavalry preps for a journey into the unknown a patrol on Baghdad's dangerous Haifa Street.
"The enemy threat is high from the high-rises, dropping grenades on us," says one soldier.
Today is the Alpha platoon's 476th patrol after 14 months in Mosul, Anbar, and now Baghdad, the most complex of all.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
HATRA, IRAQ Remains of the giant columns, temples and fortifications of the 2,600-year-old city of Hatra tower over the Iraqi desert.
This was a major city along the Silk Road. Hatra sent caravans of traders throughout the Middle East with spices, woodwork and gems. It was a tolerant center of diverse religions that twice repulsed Roman invaders.
By Margaret Friedenauer, Daily News-Miner
BAGHDADThe questions on the minds of families and soldiers in July were direct and centered on one word: Why?
Why was the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team being kept in Iraq for up to 120 days beyond the year it was about to wrap up in northern and western Iraq?
Why were the soldiers of the 172nd being sent to Baghdad?
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Nicholas R. Sowinski, 25, of Tempe, Ariz., died on Oct. 11 in Baghdad, Iraq, from injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Sowinski was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
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.
By Margaret Friedenauer, Daily News-Miner
BAGHDAD - The young artist, sitting in a comfortable upscale home earlier this week, told Lt. Andrew Pfeiffer he didn't feel safe in his own western Baghdad neighborhood. The home offers a nice coolness on a clear, hot day as they speak.
The man, who specializes in ceramics, bronze and glass, said the increased violence keeps him and his family living in fear.
As if on cue, a single gunshot rang out a few blocks away.
Via Defense Industry Daily we found a link to a multimedia presentation from General Carter Ham, who was the commander of Task Force Olympia (TFO). TFO was responsible for coalition forces in Northern Iraq during the time when the 3/2 and 1/25 SBCTs served in Mosul in 2004-2005. The presentation, titled "Stryker: Meeting the Challenge in Iraq", was given in October 2005 and provides a detailed overview of the Stryker concept as well the activities of both units in Mosul. Although it is over a year old it is still worthwile viewing for anyone associated with the brigades.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
Bayji, Iraq Lt. Col. Ken Kamper of DuPont trained to be an artilleryman. Here in Iraq, though, hes chin deep in the world of oil corruption.
This country has one of the worlds largest oil reserves. But Mosul, where Fort Lewis soldiers have fought against the insurgency for three years, has seen serious fuel shortages. Its a lot harder to win over the Iraqi people when there are gas lines and high fuel prices.
Army officials Sunday said a soldier assigned to the 172nd Stryker Brigade at Fort Wainwright has been killed in Iraq. The Army says the soldier died after his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb during a mounted patrol in Baghdad on Wednesday.
Four other soldiers were injured in the accident, one seriously. That soldier was taken to the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad. The others have returned to duty.
NO names were immediately released.[...]
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Gene A. Hawkins, 24, of Orlando, Fla., died on Oct. 12 in Mosul, Iraq, from injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his RG-31 Mine Protected Vehicle. Hawkins was assigned to the 14th Engineer Battalion, 555th Combat Support Brigade Maneuver
Enhancement), Fort Lewis, Wash.
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.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
MOSUL, IRAQ Sometimes the base can seem almost like a normal place. Theres a 7-Eleven, a Java Hut and a Baskin-Robbins ice cream store.
But walk down the street to the combat support hospital and the pain and horror of this war are all around. Here, Fort Lewis nurses care for an Iraqi man with horribly disfiguring burns from a bomb at the market.
It is unclear whether this reporter is with the 3/2 or 172nd SBCT.
UPDATE: Apparently this is 1-23 INF, 3/2 SBCT.
BAGHDAD, Iraq They call themselves the "Earth Pigs," although they're perfect gentlemen to my crew and me. Captain John Lovin and his men don't have to take television crews with them on a mission, but they've loaded us into their Stryker vehicles, and now we're rolling around a Shiite neighborhood in West Baghdad.
This will turn out to be a routine patrol. Not every mission ends in a gunbattle or a roadside bomb blast. But there is always danger, and the Earth Pigs remain on high alert.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
MOSUL, IRAQ The Fort Lewis soldiers were all shaking their heads and marveling over it.
It was the craziest thing Ive ever seen, muttered privates, sergeants and officers alike.
They were talking about legendary Iraqi Maj. Faucher. Its pronounced Focker, as in the Ben Stiller movie Meet the Fockers. Fort Lewis soldiers call him Crazy Faucher.
By William Cole, Honolulu Advertiser
Army training with its 19-ton Stryker vehicles is going forward at least for now despite a federal appeals court decision last week that the Army violated environmental law in planning for the arrival of the fast-strike unit.
"Training continues as we continue to evaluate our options in regard to the decision by the 9th Circuit Court (of Appeals)," said Stretch Rodney, a spokesman for U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter.
By MARGARET FRIEDENAUER , Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
BAGHDAD - Talk about a change of plans.
While preparing to return to Alaska from Iraq in August, most of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team's personnel had packed up equipment and supplies to be shipped home or had turned them over to an incoming unit.
Most of the items were en route to Kuwait or already waiting there for the brigade. Then came word that the brigade's tour had not only been extended for up to 120 days but also that it was being moved to Baghdad.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
MOSUL, IRAQ Rare dark clouds obscured the desert sun Wednesday as Fort Lewis soldiers filed quietly into a dimly lit recreation center to remember their fallen brother.
Cpl. Carl W. Johnson II died last weekend in the cramped front compartment of the Stryker he drove in combat. He was 21.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Carl W. Johnson II, 21, of Philadelphia, Pa., died on Oct. 7 in Mosul, Iraq, from injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Johnson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and fellow soldiers. We will add any subsequent articles we find to this entry.
David Hardt has published a detailed account of the ammo dump explosion that occurred in Baghdad yesterday at Blog-Ah!.
by Maj. David P. Albano, 138th MPAD
With each unit conducting battlespace handovers to the Iraqi Army throughout the Nineveh Province in Iraq, Logan, the boy interpreter has become an unofficial part of the process.
Hes a good kid, works hard and we enjoy having him around, said Sgt. Maj. Du, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Du has known Logan since his first deployment to Mosul in 2004 during Task Force Olympia.
by Spc. C. Terrell Turner, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.
CAMP TAJI, Iraq Two Multi-National Division Baghdad Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, led the way Tuesday as two of the first Soldiers in the Army to re-enlist on Camp Taji as fiscal 2007 began.
Spc. Timothy Jones, a recon scout, and Spc. Anthony Hernandez, human resource specialist, both with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Bn., 1st Inf. Regt., recited the oath of enlistment in front of their peers and leaders outside of their barracks.
by Spc. Rich Vogt, 138th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
MOSUL, Iraq (October 9, 2006) The 296th Brigade Support Battalion is working with the 2nd and 3rd Iraqi Army Divisions to develop IA headquarters support companies.
Each division, brigade, and battalion has a headquarters support company, said Maj. Marvin A. Emerson, commander, brigade support medical company, 296th BSB, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
General Dynamics announced that the U.S. Army has placed its FY 2006 order for 306 Stryker wheeled combat vehicles from General Dynamics Land Systems. The order is valued at $463.9 million, and is an extension of a November 2000 contract to provide more than 2,100 armored vehicles. Work will be performed in Anniston, AL; Lima, OH; and London, Ontario, Canada. Vehicle deliveries are slated for April 2007 through March 2008.
Capt. Brad Velotta shares his thoughts about stress and how his extended Baghdad deployment is affecting his family.
Oct. 10, 2006 - The following is the text of an e-mail sent by Brad Velotta, a captain in the 4-23 infantry battalion of the U.S. Army's 172nd Stryker Brigade, to NEWSWEEK after his wife Jodi discussed the impact of his absence on their marriage and their children:
My son speaks and runs whereas he didn't walk/talk when I left. I try to keep him engaged with sounds and various questions about trucks, his favorite topic. He lasts 20 seconds and then he's off to play with his trucks. My daughter speaks to me in organized, coherent, and logical conversations about her daily tasks and plans for the upcoming days only to hand the phone off to her mom. All I wanted to do is hear her little voice. She is so assertive. This is
where and when I feel stress.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
MOSUL, IRAQ Little girls squealed and screamed as if the Fort Lewis soldiers were a boy band.
The Iraqi kids were going crazy Monday because troops from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment had boxes of goodies: crayons, soccer balls, backpacks, clothes and more.
The soldiers were hoping the gifts would bring more than good will; they also wanted information.
A few of our readers have expressed concern over recent articles we linked to that mention military fatalities before the individuals have been publicly identified by the Department of Defense. I've posted a brief explanation in previous comments, but Mike Gilbert with The News Tribune has a much more detailed response on his blog that is worth reading as well.
By ANTONIO CASTANEDA, The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- For months, soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade fought in riverside towns of western Iraq, trying to clamp off the flow of foreign fighters and suicide bombers that commanders said were terrorizing Baghdad. Now hundreds of these same U.S. soldiers have been sent to deal with what U.S. officials say is an even greater threat _ rising attacks between Sunnis and Shiites in the capital itself.
Left behind in the dusty towns along the Euphrates River in Anbar province are fewer U.S. troops _ and fears that hard-won gains could be in jeopardy from a Sunni Arab insurgency that is far from defeated.
By Sgt.1st Class Steven Petibone, 138th MPAD
TAL AFAR, Iraq Colonel Steven Townsend, commander, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, and his staff visited Soldiers in the Tal Afar, Iraq area to award 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment the 3rd SBCT, combat patch. While visiting, Townsend also awarded selected individuals the brigade coin.
Townsend and his staff made three stops in the Tal Afar area. Their first stop was FOB Sykes where Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Bn., 37th Ar. Regt. Soldiers gathered in the auditorium.
After reading the history and orders, Lt. Col. Ralph Tien, commander, 2nd Bn., 37th Ar. Rgt. and his Cmd. Sgt. Maj. were first awarded the patch and then Tien gave the order for all platoon leaders to award the patch to their Soldiers.
Both Margaret Friedenauer with the Daily News-Miner (embedded with 172nd) and Sean Cockerham with The News Tribune (embedded with 3/2) have recent updates on their blogs.
Abigail sent a link to video of last Friday's NBC Nightly News, which features a segment with the 1-14 CAV, 3/2 SBCT titled "The Enemy Within". The entire story about Iraq starts around the 6:30 minute mark, and the 1-14 CAV piece begins at 7:55.
Written by Staff Sgt. Kevin Lovel, 363rd MPAD
BAGHDAD Soldiers from Multi-National Division Baghdads Troop A, 4th Battalion, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, conducted a reconnaissance mission in the Karkh district of Baghdad Sunday to foster a working relationship with local residents.
The Soldiers met with key community leaders, Iraqi policemen and residents throughout Karkh to build positive relationships and to get their input on improving security in the district.
Multi-National Division Baghdad PAO
BAGHDAD Multi-National Division Baghdad Soldiers from 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team found a large weapons cache in Baghdads Rusafa district at approximately 7:45 a.m. Friday.
The cache contained 24 82mm mortars, five 60mm mortars, 11 60mm mortar cheese charges, four 80mm mortar rounds, 266 RPK rounds, two rocket-propelled grenades, 12 grenades, an RPK machinegun, an AK-47 assault rifle, 847 AK-47 rounds, 450 PKC rounds, a block of TNT and a stick of TNT.
In a separate incident, Soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, detained five suspected terrorists and confiscated weapons while conducting combat operations near Saab Al-Bour, northwest of Baghdad, at approximately 8 a.m. Friday.
Sean Cockerham, The News Tribune
Mosul, Iraq A Fort Lewis soldier was killed here Saturday when his Stryker vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.
The soldier is with the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division. His name was withheld while the Army contacted next of kin Saturday. The military is not releasing further details at this time.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
Mosul, Iraq Much blood has been spilled in the shadow of Mosuls ancient Sumerian gates. This city has suffered through occupations by Persians and Turks, among others, and the murderous rule of Saddam Hussein.
Fort Lewis Strykers pulled up last week to the crumbling ruins of those gates, in an area of the city that today is favored by insurgents.
If this had been 2004, the Stryker soldiers would largely have been on their own, with the police having fled their posts and the Iraqi army in no shape to help.
But times have changed in Mosul. Fort Lewis soldiers who came here nearly three years ago with the same brigade say their role is different this time.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
BAGHDAD, iraq The massive explosion ripped a crater into the road. Fort Lewis soldiers, dazed and bloody, staggered from their toppled Stryker and pulled buddies out as enemy fighters rained bullets from all directions.
The horror happened nearly six weeks ago to a platoon of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment. Some survivors still have trouble sleeping.
These soldiers go on with their daily combat missions in western Baghdad and try to keep living their lives as before. But the explosion is always there, just beneath the surface.
They keep reminders of their fallen friends, Cpl. Kenneth Cross and Spc. Daniel Dolan, all around.[...]
BAGHDADPfc. Michael Hoyt of Texas had a simple answer when asked what was so important about the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team that it be sent to the Iraqi capital, the site of heavy sectarian violence.
He rapped his knuckles on the roof of the Stryker vehicle he and his fellow scouts from the 4-14 Cavalry were riding in. The Strykers are a show of force by their mere presence.
When the Stryker Brigade first deployed to Iraq, I experienced an outpouring of support.
There was my family, who called about every five minutes from places like Ann Arbor, Mich.; Dayton, Ohio; and Bozeman, Mont., just to make sure I hadnt overloaded on brownies and showers and buried myself in my featherbed for the next 365 (or so they thought at the time) days.
There were my hometown friends, who sent about 5.2 million cards and letters the first two weeks my husband was gone.
By Mark J. Armstrong, The Daily Times
A former Hill Country resident injured while serving in Iraq showed signs of improvement this week as family members keep vigil at his bedside at the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
Doctors there removed an oral incubator this week from Sgt. Michael Boothby, 26, with 172nd Striker Brigade out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and have reduced the amount of sedative that had kept Boothby unconscious.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
BAGHDAD, Iraq The insurgents have shot at Pvt. Stepan Provorov. They sent a mortar within 15 feet of the Stryker he was riding in.
That isnt all the Fort Lewis-based soldier is worried about. Provorov is struggling to get his U.S. citizenship so that he can bring his wife and children from Russia to America.
Provorovs commanders in Baghdad have written letters and visited immigration offices in a vain attempt to speed up the process.
A federal appeals court said today the U.S. Armys plan to create a 3,800-soldier Stryker Brigade in the islands violated environmental laws by not properly considering all alternatives including creating the new brigade someplace other than Hawaii.
A three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the Army must now complete a supplemental analysis that would consider a variety of locations for the Stryker Brigade.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
Flying wounded soldiers out of Iraq, flight nurse Ed Hrivnak and his fellow crew members used to stick big strips of white tape on the legs of their flight suits.
They were so busy treating their patients they didnt have time to sit with a notebook. So theyd write quick thoughts on the pieces of tape.
Those notes were the beginnings of Hrivnaks journal writing that found its way into a collection of work by veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan called Operation Homecoming.
The 37-year-old Air Force Reserve captain from Spanaway contributed a half-dozen short vignettes that describe what it was like to fly the wounded out of Iraq in the first six months of the war.
Several other writers with regional connections have work in the new book, including:
Jack Lewis, an Army Reserve staff sergeant from Seattle, who was in Iraq with the Fort Lewis Strykers of the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. His haunting story, Road Work, takes place on a Stryker convoy near the Syrian border in far northwestern Iraq.
Brian Turner, a Stryker infantryman with the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, who contributed his poetry. Hes now out of the Army and teaching literature at Fresno City College in California, and last year published a collection of poems titled Here, Bullet.
Sandi Austin, a civil affairs reservist from California who also went to Iraq with the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. She contributed a song she first performed at the brigades New Years Eve celebration at a dusty, windswept camp near Samarra.[...]
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who
was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Rojas, 27, of Hammond, Ind., died on Oct. 3 in Baghdad, Iraq, from injuries suffered from enemy small arms fire while performing security operations. Rojas was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and fellow soldiers. We will add any subsequent articles we find to this entry.
Margaret Friedenauer is back in Iraq with the 4-14 Cavalry and 4-23 Infantry Regiment, the first two units she will be embedded with over the next two weeks. Check out her blog here
by Spc. L.C. Campbell, 138th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
MOSUL, Iraq (October 1, 2006) The Civil Affairs Team A, 5th battalion, 20 Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division provided an essential service to the citizens of the Muzmolot village.
The Team completed an assessment and identified a need for clean drinkable water. They put out requests for bid to build a new well. Iraqi contractors placed their bids and the well was completed Sept. 11, at a cost of approximately $17,000.
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
GRAFENWHR, Germany Earlier this year, the staff at the base bowling alley decided to rename their juicy 10-ounce hamburger as a way to welcome the newly arrived soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment.
Trouble is, some Army officials, as well as soldiers from other units, found the Stryker Burger a little hard to swallow.
WASHINGTON An Army official has told Sen. Lisa Murkowskis office that all soldiers with the 172nd Stryker Combat Brigade Team are to be back in the United States by Dec. 13.
Murkowskis office received the word in an e-mail from a legislative liaison over the weekend. The e-mail said Col. Mike Shields, the brigade commander, had announced the return date Saturday morning in Iraq.
The brigade is based at Fort Wainwright. As of July, the core brigade had about 3,900 soldiers, but Shields had a total of 4,400 troops under his command when Navy, Air Force and military policy specialty units attached to the brigade were counted.
The soldiers will return in stages, but all should be back by Dec. 13, according to the Armys e-mail to Murkowski.[...]
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska (AP) - A Fort Wainwright soldier assigned to the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team was killed in Iraq, a U.S. Army spokesman in Alaska said Wednesday.
The soldier was killed Tuesday by small arms fire in Baghdad, said Army spokesman Maj. Kirk Gohlke. No other soldiers were injured.
The Army did not immediately identify the soldier.
The soldier was the fourth to die since the Strykers had their deployments extended up to 120 days last July. Members of the Fort Wainwright-based brigade were told just days before they were preparing to return to Alaska that their one-year tour in Iraq would be extended. Some soldiers had already returned to Alaska and were sent back to Iraq.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced this week that she received word from Army officials that the 4,000-member combat team will not be extended again, meaning the Stryker soldiers should return to Alaska by mid-December.[...]
Reporters from The News Tribune are now in Mosul after having been embedded with troops from the 3/2 SBCT in Baghdad. Apparently they will be with the brigade in Mosul for a few weeks.
Visit Blog-Ah! to read the latest column from David Hardt, who is serving with the 3/2 SBCT in Baghdad.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Robert F. Weber, 22, of Cincinnati, Ohio, died near the Qayyarah West Airfield, Iraq, (about 30 miles south of Mosul, Iraq) as a result of a vehicle roll-over on Sept. 30. Weber was assigned to 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow soldiers. Additional information will be added to this entry as it becomes available.
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
GRAFENWHR, Germany Demand for housing from incoming soldiers and civilians has forced Army officials to expand their search area.
Last month, the garrisons housing office ditched a plan to house new arrivals within a 30-minute drive of post and is now offering troops homes as far as 45 minutes away, said Dwane Watsek, Grafenwhr director of public works.
by Sgt. 1st Class Michael Brock, 506th RCT PAO, 101st Abn. Div.
BAGHDAD Maj. Gen. Bashar Mahmood Ayob, commander, 9th Iraqi Army Division; Brig. Gen. Emad Ismail Ali, commander, Adhamiyah Iraqi Police Station; and Col. Michael Shields, commander of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Multi-National Division Baghdad, discussed operations in Shaab and Ur during a press conference Tuesday at the old Ministry of Defense complex near Adhamiyah.
The Shaab and Ur clearance portion of Operation Together Forward began Sept. 14 and continues to improve the lives of Iraqis in the Baghdad area.
by Spc. Rich Vogt, 138th MPAD
MOSUL, Iraq (September 30, 2006) For the Iraqi Armys 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, there is good news regarding vehicle maintenance.
Contractors have just completed work on the brigades new automotive maintenance facility, a full-service garage on Forward Operating Base Spear, Mosul, Iraq, that will service a fleet of over 50 vehicles.
by Spc Yolanda Moreno Leon, 138th MPAD
MOSUL, Iraq (September 27, 2006) A Soldier from Co. B, 3rd Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team ,2nd Infantry Division, Ft. Lewis, WA stationed on Forward Operating Base Marez, Mosul, Iraq was promoted to specialist before going on a dismounted patrol, Sept 23.
1st Lt. Patrick Horan, platoon leader, Co. B, 3rd Plt., 2nd Bn.,3rd Inf. Rgt., promoted Spc. Rodney Nonamaker, vehicle driver, Co. B, 3rd Plt. 2nd Bn., 3rd Inf. Rgt., and native of Phillipsburg, Kan.
by Pfc. Bryanna Poulin, 25th ID Div PAO
MOSUL, Iraq (September 27, 2006) Without putting lives of Soldiers in harms way an eye in the sky helps commanders stay one step ahead of the enemy by providing insight on insurgent activity in Mosul, Iraq.
Providing an over watch for the safety of Soldiers, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle are fundamentally used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance roles.
Blog-ah has some new photos posted today.
SEAN COCKERHAM; The News Tribune
BAGHDAD, iraq Fort Lewis soldiers know they cant be responsible for neighborhood security in Baghdad forever. Commanders say the war hinges on whether Iraqis do it themselves.
Iraqi police, in Baghdad at least, are part of the problem, they say: The police lack motivation and have been infiltrated by Shiite militia death squads that are helping to tear the country apart.
The police are bad. They dont have the trust of the people, said Capt. Matt Pike of Lacey. We have to get to the point where the average citizen in Ghazaliyah is willing to stop a police patrol and say, Hey, check this out.
Soldiers from the Fort Lewis-based 1st Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Regiment operate in the Baghdad neighborhoods of Ghazaliyah and Shula. They spend a lot of time worrying about corrupt cops in both areas.
Shula police turn on their car lights when they see Fort Lewis Strykers coming into an area. Police say it is to avoid being fired upon. Soldiers think it is to warn the enemy they are coming.
Fort Lewis soldiers say not all the police are bad. They work with good cops on identifying militia members in the ranks. But identifying problem officers is one thing, and getting the police to go out and arrest them is another, they say.[...]