Forces Rescue Kidnapped Sheiks in Northern Baghdad
WASHINGTON - Seven sheiks kidnapped in northern Baghdad two days ago were rescued by soldiers from 9th Iraqi Army Division during a mission yesterday.
The mission, supported by U.S. military advisors and Soldiers from both the 82nd Airborne Division and 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, resulted in the sheiks' rescue, the capture of four abductors and the death of three extremists. The body of an eighth sheik also was discovered at the scene.
The sheiks were taken to a nearby Iraqi army facility where they received medical attention. Several said they had been beaten with a tire iron. The sheiks also said that they have no doubt that their abductors were Shiite extremists.
"The execution of this mission shows how far Iraqi security forces have come," said Army Brig. Gen. John F. Campbell, deputy commanding general for maneuver for Multi-National Division - Baghdad. "The 9th Iraqi Army, led by General Riyadh, reacted very quickly to intelligence they received. They planned and then organized their forces, and executed a tough and precise mission with support from the coalition. They are well on their way to being the pre-eminent security force for the people of Iraq."
‘Our nation has asked a lot of you’
By Don Kramer, Northwest Guardian
Their chain of command awarded the Regulars from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment 80 percent of the medals for valor received by Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division in its recent deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
On Monday in Sheridan Sports and Fitness Center, the commander of 3-2 Inf. Bde., Col. Stephen Townsend, began the process of pinning them on. He presented Bronze Stars and Army Commendation Medals, 13 with V-devices, along with 17 Purple Hearts and 46 Combat Infantryman Badges. The awards were shared among Attack, Battle and Hound companies; the fourth organic unit, C Company, was detached to 1-14 Cav. at the outset of the deployment.
Pressure on AQIZ
Follow the link for photos as well.
By 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th MPAD
BAQUBA, Iraq - In a ten-day span, the 5th Iraqi Army Division, partnering with 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division put the squeeze on al-Qaida in Iraq in back-to-back operations on Oct. 5 and 15, in Diyala province, Iraq.
The operations, titled “Rock Drill” and “Rock Bone Breaker” netted big cache finds for both the IA and the 1- 38 Inf. Regt. The IA scored the first heavy blow against al-Qaida in Iraq when they found a large weapons cache in a cemetery north of Muradiyah during Operation Rock Drill.
The cache was discovered by 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th IA Division, acting on information given by Concerned Local Citizens. It consisted of six automatic weapons, four two-way radios, two rocket propelled grenades, two anti-tank mines, two rifles, large quantities of ammunition and both electronic and print al-Qaida in Iraq propaganda. In addition, two improvised explosive devices were discovered nearby the cemetery.
Photos & Videos
We haven't linked to any photo albums or videos at DVIDS recently featuring Stryker soldiers. You can view complete search results for photos and videos and work your way backwards to catch up with everything we've missed.
CLC Tip Leads to Massive EFP, Explosives Cache
Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett
KHAN BANI SA’AD, Iraq – Working off a tip from a concerned local citizen, coalition forces discovered a massive weapons cache, Oct. 23, during the raid of a home in Sa’ada village, Iraq. The cache marks the largest discovery of explosively formed penetrators ever found in Iraq at one location.
The cache included 124 fully-assembled EFPs, 159 copper disks of four different sizes used in making EFPS (including 12-inch disks – one of the largest ever discovered in Iraq), 600-plus pounds of C4 and other explosive materials, 100 mortar rounds of various caliber, 31 107 mm rockets, two mortar tubes and 20 claymore-type mines.
Soldiers of Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Lewis, Wash., detained the cache owner in the raid.
Soldiers Help Celebrate Sadr City School Renovation
Click through for photos.
By Sgt. Mike Pryor, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs
BAGHDAD – When students at the Yarmook Girl’s School in Sadr City returned from summer vacation last month, they found that their school had received an extreme makeover, thanks to the government of Iraq and the U.S. Army.
U.S. Soldiers and Iraqi national police visited the recently renovated school to see the improvements and hand out backpacks and soccer balls to the students Oct. 22.
MOH Awarded to Lt. Michael Murphy
This news has nothing to do with the Stryker Brigades, the Army, or even Iraq, but it is worth mentioning nonetheless. Yesterday the President awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military honor, posthumously to Lt. Michael Murphy (U.S. Navy SEAL) for his actions during combat in Afghanistan. This is only the third MOH to be awarded since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the first to be awarded for service in Afghanistan.
Blackfive has all the details if you're interested in reading more about yesterday's service (transcript and video), as well as the complete back story. Finally, Marcus Luttrell, the only surviving member of Murphy's SEAL Team 10, wrote a book appropriately titled "Lone Survivor" that recounts this incredible story. I highly recommend the book.
Interview: David Hardt
Blog-Ah! has published a long interview with David Hardt, a soldier who served with the 3/2 SBCT in Iraq and also wrote a weekly column for the Ft. Lewis Ranger newspaper.
Father finishing book by son killed in Iraq
Mike Gilbert at FOB Tacoma points to the following article in the LA Times regarding SSG Darrell Griffin and his father's promise to finish his book. You can read more about SSG Griffin in our archives.
By James Ricci, Los Angeles Times
Darrell Griffin Sr. has gotten down to work on his final collaboration with his son and namesake.
The book taking shape beneath his hands is a compendium. It will blend an account of a father's melancholy journey to Iraq with the dire experiences and searching meditations of a son, the latter written down by Darrell Griffin Jr. before a Sadr City sniper's bullet pierced the back of his head in March.
Darrell Jr. was an Army infantry staff sergeant, 6 feet 2 inches of muscled warrior. Married, with no children, he'd been an emergency medical technician in Compton before finding his life's work as a soldier.
NW Guardian
The NW Guardian is the official newspaper of the Ft. Lewis community, and they have consistent coverage of the various Stryker Brigades. We haven't done a very good job of featuring their stories, but we'll try and correct that in the future. Right now they have a number of stories online regarding 3/2 SBCT homecoming activities. Stop by their website, spend a few minutes browsing their content, and bookmark it for future reference.
AFN broadcasts live from Iraq on Germany-based Stryker unit
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — The American Forces Network aired its first live television broadcast from a combat zone last week — a report on morale and living conditions of soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment serving in Baghdad.
The Oct. 11 broadcast featured AFN Bavaria reporter Staff Sgt. Jose Colon interviewing 2nd Cav soldiers, including the unit’s deputy commander, Lt. Col. Bryan Denny at Camp Liberty.
SPC Wayne M. Geiger
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Wayne M. Geiger, 23, of Lone Pine, Calif. died Oct 18 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow soldiers during this time.
Related Articles:
Killed by an improvised explosive in Iraq - LA Times
MND-B Soldiers capture alleged extremist cell leader
By Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers captured an alleged high-ranking leader of an extremist cell along with three other suspected insurgents near Sab Al Bor, Iraq, Oct. 18.
During an operation to locate extremist members and gather information on the Al Qaeda in Iraq network, Soldiers from Battery C, Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and Soldiers from Troop A, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, worked in a concerted effort to capture the cell leader and three of his alleged accomplices.
Pa. National Guard alerted to possible Iraq deployment
Thanks to Joe for the following link.
Nearly 4,000 Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers are being notified today that they can expect to be sent to Iraq in about a year.
The soldiers are members of the 56th Stryker Brigade, which is headquartered in Northeast Philadelphia and is scattered among 39 armories across the state.
The Defense Department has yet to make the alert public. The troops are being individually notified via a phone chain, state Guard officials said.
The brigade is equipped with the Army's relatively new Stryker combat vehicle, an armored troop carrier that can move at highway speeds on wheels but has some of the defensive strength of a small tank.
[...]
Punch Back: Cav Soldiers Show Zero Tolerance for Attacks
Soldiers from the 1st Squadron were involved in this operation as well.
By Sgt. Mike Pryor, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs
BAGHDAD – If the people in the Adhamiyah District’s Abu Hanifa Market hadn’t already heard about the afternoon’s grenade attack on a U.S. Soldier, they heard about it when Lt. Col. Jeff Broadwater showed up.
“Who threw the grenade!?” Broadwater shouted, stalking from shop to shop as an Apache gunship circled overhead. “Where are they? Show me where they are and I will take them out of here!”
Not half an hour before, a Soldier from Broadwater’s unit, the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, had been wounded by a grenade thrown at his patrol. Now, in response, Broadwater was bringing the full weight of U.S. military to bear in the hunt for the culprits.
Concerned Citizen’s Tip Leads to Massive Mortar Cache
Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett
“Finding this cache was 100 percent a result of the tip,” Mills said. “We would never have found it if not for the assistance and information of the Concerned Local Citizen (Program). If this was a patrol anywhere else in our (area of operations), we would have walked right by it.”
Acting on tips provided by a local citizen, Soldiers from Company F, 52nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division discovered 474 81mm mortar rounds, in the village of 50 Dar. 22 of the rounds contained homemade explosives.
Tips Lead to Al-Qaida Leader’s Capture
Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett
TARMIYAH, Iraq – Coalition forces, acting swiftly on tips from concerned local citizens, captured a key al-Qaida in Iraq leader during a raid in Tarmiyah, Iraq, Oct. 11.
“There’s a direct cause and effect here,” said Lt. Col. Bill Prior, commander, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. “(The concerned local citizen) doesn’t have to worry about Sa’dun terrorizing him anymore. Sa’dun was influencing and intimidating the local people, and they lived in fear for so long, but they don’t have to deal with that intimidation anymore.”
Fu’ad Sa’dun, an al-Qaida emir, is suspected to have coordinated the kidnapping and murder of local citizens, rocket and small -rms attacks against coalition and Iraqi forces and locals, and improvised explosive device emplacement, before being captured by Soldiers from 4-9th Inf., 4-2 SBCT.
Lehr Discussion
Mike Gilbert at FOB Tacoma has the details on a recent conference call with Col. Jon Lehr, commander of the 4/2 SBCT. He talks about the Brigade's recent operations and the announcement that the 4/2 SBCT will assume operational control of Diyala Province.
Iraqi Police, U.S. Soldiers Reopen Road to Mansuriyah
Here's the official story from SGT Patrick Lair. We linked to his blog entry about this earlier. Click through for photos as well.
Story and Photos by Sgt. Patrick Lair, 115th MPAD
MANSURIYAH, Iraq—Six weeks since buried improvised explosive devices and sectarian violence made a road between the villages of Qasarin and Mansuriyah impassable, Iraqi police and U.S. Army Soldiers cooperated to reestablish security in the area during Operation Patriots.
In what played out like a small liberation celebration, Soldiers entered Mansuriyah to the fanfare of cheering crowds. Iraqi police then handed out humanitarian aid and began constructing security checkpoints along the embattled road.
In Other News
I'm not sure what precipitated the change, but recently there has been almost no coverage regarding the Stryker Brigades by traditional media from within Iraq. Consequently, I'm thankful there are still folks like Michael Yon and Bill Roggio providing in-depth reports regarding the current situation in Iraq. Provided below are a few links of interest, and while they are not Stryker-related they are still enlightening.
- Achievements of the Human Heart - Michael Yon: Online Magazine
- Violence in Iraq drops dramatically - Bill Roggio at The Long War Journal
- Video: An hour with Counterinsurgency expert David Kilcullen - Fascinating discussion on Charlie Rose regarding the insurgency in Iraq, and counterinsurgency in general.
Stryker Troops Deliver School Supplies, Smiles to Iraqi Children
Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett
BOOB AL SHAM, Iraq – Macavoy’s frustration and the children’s fear was quickly replaced with smiles and laughter, as the kids — cautiously at first, but then with exuberance — came out from their homes. The Soldiers handed them pencils, pens, notebooks, crayons, markers and other school supplies. Soon, more than 50 children were running up from all directions, and it was all the Soldiers could do to keep the kids in line.
Frustration showed clearly on Sgt. 1st Class Kristopher Macavoy’s face as he tried to give school supplies to an Iraqi mother and her three small children ,Oct. 11, near Boob Al Sham, Iraq.
The children peered fearfully out from behind a door at the U.S. Soldiers who had just pulled up in front of their home. The engineer troops of 3rd Platoon, 38th Engineer Company, with their full body armor, weapons and Stryker combat vehicles, likely looked very foreign and scary to the young children as they clung to their mother.
Diyala Drawdown
The 4/2 SBCT is mentioned in the following AP story.
By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer
WASHINGTON — Commanders in Iraq have decided to begin the drawdown of U.S. forces in volatile Diyala province, marking a turning point in the U.S. military mission, The Associated Press has learned.
Instead of replacing the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, which is returning to its home base at Fort Hood, Texas, in December, soldiers from another brigade in Salahuddin province next door will expand into Diyala, thereby broadening its area of responsibility, several officials said Tuesday.
[...]
Diyala province is a battered landscape of warring tribes, fertile valleys and pockets of al-Qaida fighters. The sectarian and tribal chasms are wide. Commanders cited signs of substantial progress in the months since thousands of U.S. and Iraqi forces stormed the provincial capital of Baqouba in June.
The unit leaving in December, the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry, has been in Iraq since October 2006. When it leaves, the 4th Stryker Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, now in Salahuddin province, will add Diyala to its area of responsibility.
[...]
Stryker Troops Clearing East Rashid
Click through to see photos as well.
By Sgt. Mark B. Matthews, 27th Public Affairs Detachment
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – The sun begins to peak over the Baghdad horizon as the Soldiers slowly creep into the neighborhood. All of their weapons are loaded and all of their minds are focused on the day’s objective. Everything is eerily quiet and not a soul is seen on the trash-ridden streets, but they still keep a close watch on every corner, window and rooftop.
Soldiers with the Ghost Rider Company, 3rd Squadron “Wolf Pack,” 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, conducted clearing operations in neighborhoods of the East Rashid District in Baghdad, Oct 11.
Mansuriyah
Patrick Lair, who is serving with the 115th MPAD, accompanied a group of 4/2 SBCT soldiers during an operation in Mansuriyah. He details the operation on his blog. Excerpt:
In addition to the attacks, AQIZ had also buried numerous explosives in the town’s one road connecting them to the rest of the valley, essentially cutting them off from the rest of the country. When insurgents blew up the town’s water pumps and generators, they were left in quite a bad position.For an entire day, American and Iraqi security forces slowly rolled up the dirt road to Mansuriyah, finding and detonating buried explosives and searching the surrounding farms and homes for illegal weapons and insurgent activity. As we neared Mansuriyah, people gave us reports that we would meet a large crowd once we got to town.
I was riding in a Stryker vehicle at the time, which, from inside its steel belly, provides no glimpse of daylight to its passengers. So it was quite a shock when the vehicle came to a halt and the rear ramp dropped to a scene of more than 1,000 men and boys, crowding in together in downtown Mansuriyah.
Operation Dragon Talon II: Cache seizures made in Rashid
4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs
BAGHDAD – Despite Al Qaeda operatives burning down the house of an Iraqi civilian, Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Division-Baghdad troops continued Operation Dragon Talon II with numerous cache seizures in the southern portion of the Iraqi capital Oct. 10-14.
On Oct. 9, Soldiers from Nomad Company, 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, while conducting a combined patrol with Iraqi National Police in East Rashid, discovered the remains of a house that had been deliberately set on fire and burned to the ground. After talking with neighbors, troops discovered that the house belonged to a local school principal.
Silver Star goes to seven from Stryker Brigade
Staff Sgt. Shawn McGuire and other soldiers from his engineer platoon were in the midst of recovering a Stryker armored vehicle damaged by in a bombing in narrow alley in Baquoba, Iraq, when all hell broke loose.
Two rocket-propelled grenades sliced through the air and exploded, wounding five soldiers. Gunfire erupted every which way.
The platoon sergeant went down from his injuries. But despite being shot twice, and with shrapnel embedded in his neck and his right soldier, McGuire, 33, took control.
David Hardt Column
Blog-Ah! has published its latest column from David Hardt, a 3/2 SBCT soldier who just returned from Iraq. In this edition he reflects on the loss of a former officer, Drew Jensen.
Stryker Cavalry Ridding Baghdad of Bombs, 'Bad Guys'
By David Mays, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers are sweeping through a Baghdad neighborhood to clear out explosives and extremists, a coalition commander said, Oct. 11.
"We've been working in the east Rashid district going after the bad guys and doing very, very well and trying to give a little hope to the Iraqis ... so they don't have to live in fear any more," Army Col. John RisCassi told online journalists and "bloggers" during a conference call from Iraq.
RisCassi commands 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, a rapid response mobile force deployed from Vilseck, Germany, and assigned to Multi-National Division-Baghdad. He and his soldiers are tasked with detecting and diffusing improvised explosive devices and destroying terror cells in a troubled community near Baghdad's heavily fortified International Zone.
Brigade pride, joy on display
The 3/2 SBCT was officially welcomed home yesterday. Mike Gilbert also has a piece on his blog regarding yesterday's ceremony, including an interview with COL Townsend.
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
The soldiers of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division got their formal welcome home Thursday at Fort Lewis in an emotional ceremony that saw dozens of their wounded rejoin the ranks, and seven of their heroes decorated for valor – one of them posthumously.
“I am as proud of these soldiers in front of you as anything I’ve been associated with in my life,” their commander, Col. Stephen Townsend, told several thousand friends and family members who attended Thursday’s celebration at Gray Army Airfield.
“I know you all are just as proud of them.”
CPL Gilberto A. Meza
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Gilberto A. Meza, 21, of Oxnard, Calif., died Oct. 6 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
The Strykernews family offers its condolences to his family, friends, and fellow soldiers.
Arrowhead Memorial
J.M. Simpson of the Ft. Lewis Ranger newspaper attended the unveiling of the memorial for the 3/2 SBCT. Excerpt:
Over 700 soldiers, family members and friends gathered at the headquarters of 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division today for the unveiling of a statue honoring the brigade’s fallen soldiers since its inception in 1995.“These warriors gave the full measure,” said Col. Steven Townsend, the brigade’s commander, during yesterday’s unveiling of a statue honoring the brigade’s fallen warriors. “The work involved in creating this memorial is truly a work of love,” he added in a voice thick with emotion.
The majority of the brigade’s fallen warriors come from its two deployments to Iraq.
In Memorium
Today's front page of The Olympian newspaper is devoted to profiling the 48 soldiers of the 3/2 SBCT who did not return with their comrades.
Related Article:
Memorial to honor brigade's soldiers - The Olympian
SPC Jason N. Marchand
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Jason N. Marchand, 26, of Greenwood, W. Va., died Oct. 5 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. Marchand was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, in Vilseck, Germany.
We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the loved ones he leaves behind.
SGT Joseph B. Milledge
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Joseph B. Milledge, 23, of Pointblank, Texas, died Oct. 5 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. Milledge was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, in Vilseck, Germany.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow soldiers.
Stryker Soldiers making East Rashid safer
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
BAGHDAD – Troops from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment discovered several improvised explosive devices during clearing operations in the East Rashid District of the Iraqi capital Oct. 8.
The eastern Baghdad operations are aimed at clearing out the al-Qaeda in Iraq presence in the area.
Troops from Company H “Hawks” of 3rd Squadron, 2nd SCR found a command-wired 82mm mortar IED and a deep-buried IED in their sector, while the Company G “Ghost Riders” reported one IED exploding in their sector. There was no damage or casualties reported from that blast.
2-23 INF Change of Command
According to Mike Gilbert of The News Tribune, 2-23 INF, 4/2 SBCT has transitioned to new leadership while deployed in Iraq. The battalion is now commanded by Lt. Col. Mark Landes, who replaces Lt. Col. Alfredo Mycue.
East Rashid mosque no longer al-Qaeda refuge
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
BAGHDAD – Iraqi National Police and elements of the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment conducted an operation on the Ahmad Al-Mukhtar Mosque in the East Rashid District of the Iraqi capital Oct. 6.
After receiving numerous tips from concerned citizens, it was determined that al-Qaeda in Iraq was using the abandoned mosque as an operational base for criminal activities including the planning of indirect fire and improvised explosive device attacks.
Iraqi National Police entered and searched the mosque while Coalition Forces provided exterior security. No U.S. forces entered the mosque.
The Iraqi Police ensured the mosque was carefully respected and while they did not find anything significant inside, there was evidence that al-Qaeda had been using it for meetings and weapons storage.
Doura residents evacuated for their protection, then returned
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers temporarily moved some residents from their southern Baghdad homes for safety reasons, while an explosive ordnance disposal team demolished the two abandoned buildings in East Rashid District Oct. 6.
“Buildings rigged to explode pose a danger to residents and security forces,” said Maj. Scott Pendell, a spokesperson for the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, who are conducting clearing operations in East Rashid. “To leave these buildings standing would endanger the residents of East Rashid in the future.”
Father's journey to Iraq chases son's ghost
This is one of those must-read articles. It discusses a father's journey to fulfill the wishes of his fallen soldier-son. You can read more about SSG Darrell Griffin, who has been mentioned here many times before.
By Brent Hopkins, Press Telegram
Darrell Griffin Sr. tensed with anticipation the moment the C-130 Hercules hit the tarmac.
As the noisy turboprop cargo plane's wheels rolled along the runway of Baghdad International Airport, the September heat felt like 140 degrees. Griffin Sr. stood up, shifting under the weight of 80 pounds of body armor and a Kevlar helmet.
The 55-year-old Van Nuys accountant grabbed his bags, stepped out the door and ran for his life toward the terminal.
Parents worried following injuries
The parents of a soldier are profiled in the following article.
By JOHN GOODALL Tribune Chronicle
Discomfort and danger make time grind slowly for a Valley soldier stationed in Iraq.
But if there’s anyone to whom the remaining year of Army 1st Lt. Jim Freeze’s deployment seems longer, it’s his parents. Geri Freeze, his mother, is an 8th-grade teacher at Niles Middle School and his father, Ed, is a WCI Steel employee.
“I worry about his emotional and mental stress that goes along with being in a war,” Geri Freeze said recently of her son. “Above all else, I worry about his physical safety.”
Schools for military children respect their unique lives
FORT LEWIS -- In "Mr. T's" kindergarten class at Evergreen Elementary, 5-year-old Annika and her classmates are scribbling lines in their journals. The assignment is a daily question, and today's seeks a few thoughts about their favorite "math stations" exercise.
Annika, however, is more focused than most upon filling her page.
When her teacher, Jeff Thompson, reaches Annika and asks her to translate what she has busily used her pencil to create, Annika tells him about her favorite math station.
Then she reads for him about a more significant part of her life:
"My daddy, I'm missing him so much because he's in Iraq," she says, running her finger over penciled lines as she interprets them for her teacher.
Man Seeks Accomplishment by Serving in U.S. Army
By Spc. John Crosby, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
TAJI, Iraq – The men and women of the U.S. Army often sacrifice a lot to serve their nation. Many leave behind a great deal, whether it be a family, a job or a dream house.
A Ford sales representative turned combat arms leader, 1st Lt. Tyson Kampenhout followed his ambitions to accomplish something in his life that he can look back on someday and be proud of. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Kampenhout began to feel blessed that he is an American when he participated in a humanitarian mission to the former Soviet Union in 1991 and 1992. He and another American distributed food and water to the people of that country.
Market Opens With Promise of Safer Shopping
By SFC Kap Kim, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
BAGHDAD – Soldiers from the 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, along with members of the Karkh District Advisory Council helped officially open a market in Baghdad’s Karkh District, Sept. 30.
As Baghdad’s Karkh District enjoys an extended period of peace 2nd BCT, 1st Cav. Div., has started working on civic projects such as school, clinic, and market openings. One section of Karkh, called Sheik Ali, is predominantly a Sunni area surrounded by Shiites neighborhoods. And although the sectarian violence has all but stopped all over the Haifa Street area, the memories have kept many of the residents from traveling to markets throughout the rest of Karkh, according to Sumtner, S.C., native Capt. Vincent Morris, with Troop I, 4-2 SCR.
David Hardt Column
Blog-Ah! has published its latest column from David Hardt, a 3/2 SBCT soldier who recently returned from Iraq. Excerpt:
Back to the real world and the integration process. This process has gotten better, and I am adjusting every day. This run and this accomplishment provoked something in me that again has nicely changed things in my life. As I jumped in my jeep, I took out the paper I had written in high school. I looked at it and smiled. After almost 16 years, that speech had come true. I was a winner.
Operation nets six with ties to criminal militia activities
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers detained six men suspected of being involved in criminal militia activities during a targeted raid in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood, early Oct. 4.
Paratroopers from the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division and Soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment conducted the operation aimed at capturing a criminal militia commander. No shots were fired and no injuries or property damage was reported.
The raid was the first operation conducted by 2nd BCT forces in Sadr City since Sep. 24, said Maj. Ed Brouse, an operations officer with the Falcon Brigade.
SPC Avealalo Milo
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Avealalo Milo, 23, of Hayward, Calif., died Oct. 4 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Vilseck, Germany.
We offer our condolences to his family, friends, and fellow soldiers.
A band of survivors returns from Iraq
By Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
BAQUBAH, IRAQ -- As darkness fell and mortar rounds thudded in the distance, the soldiers of Attack Company's 3rd Platoon fired up a barbecue, mixed some marinade in a cut-off water bottle and slathered it on pork ribs with a paintbrush.
Spc. Brant Fechter leaped on top of a concrete barrier with an acoustic guitar, teetered wildly, steadied himself and belted out, "I'm craaaaa-zy with a capital K!"
His buddies laughed as they cooked by the light of their headlamps.
"That's the second-funniest thing I've seen this deployment," said Sgt. 1st Class Corey Oliver, the platoon sergeant, setting off a spirited debate on what had been the funniest.
The Desert Raider - October Edition
The Desert Raider magazine is a monthly publication distributed by the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT) public affairs office. It features photos, feature articles and other items of interest to the 4/2 SBCT community.
Provided below is a link to the most recent edition. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the document, but it is available for free if you need it.
- The Desert Raider - October 2007 Edition (PDF, 2.5 MB)
In pursuit of al-Qaida
By Mary Madewell, The Paris News
A Paris native deployed in Iraq heads a squadron charged with ridding one of the world’s “Cradles of Civilization” of al-Qaida insurgents and assisting Iraqis with regional security and reconstruction.
Lt. Col. Marshall Dougherty of the U.S. Army commands the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, deployed with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division near Khan Bani Sa’ad, Iraq.
Iraqi, Coalition forces continue to pound enemy fighters
If you follow the link you will see a photo of a 1-38 INF, 4/2 SBCT soldier (incorrectly identified in the caption, however).
BAGHDAD — Coalition and Iraqi forces continued taking the fight to the enemy in a variety of recent operations.
Coalition forces killed two terrorists and detained 21 suspected terrorists yesterday and today during operations to disrupt al Qaeda in Iraq networks in the Tigris River Valley.
In a village southwest of Samarra, Coalition forces conducted several coordinated operations today targeting individuals believed to be close associates of an al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leader. As Coalition forces approached, an armed man emerged and maneuvered toward a nearby palm grove. Coalition forces engaged the terrorist, killing him.
‘National treasures,’ lost
MIKE ARCHBOLD; The News Tribune
Six helmets, six rifles, six pairs of buff-colored combat boots, six framed photographs. They proclaimed the memory of six locally based soldiers who died last month in Iraq. All were members of the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division – the only Fort Lewis infantry unit that remains in Iraq after its sister brigade returned home in recent weeks.
All of the men were in their 20s. Five were from the same battalion. Three were killed in the same explosion.
Family, friends, fellow soldiers and other members of the Fort Lewis family came together to honor the six Wednesday afternoon at the Main Post Chapel.
Iraqi, Coalition Forces detain six extremists in Tha’Alba raid
Multi-National Division – North PAO
THA’ALBA, Iraq – Iraqi and Coalition Forces captured six enemy targets during the early morning hours of Sept. 25 in Tha’Alba, Iraq, during Operation “Viking Squeeze II.”
U.S. Army Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., and Soldiers from the 5th Iraqi Army Brigade detained 10 individuals – six of which are suspected of facilitating and executing attacks against innocent civilians, ISF and CF.
SGT Randell Olguin
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Randell Olguin, 24, of Ralls, Texas, died Sept. 30 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
Everyone here would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and fellow soldiers.
The Desert Raider - September Edition
The Desert Raider magazine is a monthly publication distributed by the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT) public affairs office. It features photos, feature articles and other items of interest to the 4/2 SBCT community. Some of the items have been posted here previously, but it is nice to have everything in one document that can also be downloaded and archived on your own computer.
They asked if we would be willing to make a copy available for download by our visitors, which we are more than happy to do. Provided below is a link to the most recent edition. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the document, but it is available for free if you need it.
- The Desert Raider - September 2007 Edition (PDF, 2.5 MB)
SGT Robert T. Ayres III
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Robert T. Ayres III, 23, of Los Angeles, died Sept. 29 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones during this difficult time.
SFC Randy L. Johnson
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. 1st Class Randy L. Johnson, 34, of Washington, died Sept. 27 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
We offer our condolences to his family, friends, and fellow soldiers.
Related Articles:
Fires Squadron Joins With Iraqi Army Medics
by Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
BASSAM, Iraq – Medical experts from the Fires “Hell” Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment teamed with Iraqi army health care professionals from the 2nd Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division (Mechanized), in a joint effort to bring health care to the residents in Bassam, Iraq, Sept. 27.
The Fires Squadron, attached to the 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, coordinated the combined medical effort which also involved the participation of a doctor from the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and medics from Charlie Medical Company, 115th Brigade Support Battalion.
Fort Wainwright experiencing a baby boom
By Amanda Bohman - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska — As Nancy Cone awaited the arrival of her 13th grandchild at Bassett Army Community Hospital last weekend, the atmosphere was intense, she said.
And Cone wasn’t just referring to her daughter-in-law’s labor. Cone could hear the wails of multiple expectant mothers or new arrivals echoing through the hospitals maternity ward Sunday.
“There was, like, five or six babies born the day we came in,” Cone said. “You could see the nurses just moving.”
Camp helps wounded Iraq war veterans
A 172nd SBCT soldier is profiled in this article.
By Larry Copeland, USA TODAY
JACKSONS GAP, Ala. — Robert Cuthbertson slices across Lake Martin, strapped onto a sit-down skier towed by a powerboat. He grasps the tow rope handle with his left hand, and holds his right hand — heavily bandaged and wrapped in waterproof plastic — high up out of the water.
Moments later, he grins triumphantly as he wades ashore. "That was fun," says Cuthbertson, an Iraq war veteran who suffered third-degree burns over 38% of his body from an improvised explosive device (IED) on March 2, 2006. "You're just gliding across the water. It's awesome."
