Giveaway: "Rescue Dawn" DVD
UPDATE 12/07: My wife picked a name from the hat, and Richard Zahn was the winner. Let us know if you like it.
We recently received a brand-new copy of the film Rescue Dawn, which was just released on DVD last week. If you're not familiar with the story here is the basic plot, followed by the trailer:
This film tells the real-life story of U.S. fighter pilot Dieter Dengler, a German-American shot down and captured in Laos during the Vietnam War. Dengler organized a death-defying escape for a small band of POWs, including Duane Martin.
We would like to give our visitors a chance to win this DVD by answering a simple trivia question regarding the film. If you send us the correct answer your name will be automatically entered in the drawing. Keep reading for the details.
A ‘fallen angel,’ then a Silver Star
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
The soldiers of Charger Company were rehearsing for another mission at their base near Iskandiriyah, south of Baghdad, when they got the call the afternoon of Jan. 28.
There was a “fallen angel,” a downed U.S. military aircraft, near Najaf, about 60 miles away. Get there as soon as possible, they were told, and secure the crew and the wreckage.
The Charger soldiers and their commander, then-Capt. Brent Clemmer, thought they’d be back to base by midnight.
David Hardt Column
3/2 SBCT solider David Hardt recounts the week before he ran the Seattle Marathon in honor of his fallen comrades from the brigade.
Immigrant returns to Iraq with U.S. Army
Zahed is working with the 2nd SCR.
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
BAGHDAD — Aawss Zahed’s path to the U.S. Army started in the unlikeliest way.
The 30-year-old corporal is from Mosul, Iraq, and arrived in the U.S. in 2003, just as the war started.
“I was mad because the country I always dreamed of going to was the U.S. and a week after I got there the U.S. invades my country. I asked God: ‘Why didn’t they invade Syria or Morocco?’ ”
A deceptively long pause, then three more soldiers lost
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
Eight weeks had passed since the last time Fort Lewis gathered for a memorial ceremony, but that didn't make it any less painful today when the post community paused to remember three soldiers killed in Iraq.
An overflow crowd filled the Evergreen Chapel to mourn Sgt. Christopher R. Kruse, Sgt. Kenneth R. Booker and Cpl. Peter W. Schmidt -- all three from the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, and all killed by bombs earlier this month in Mukhisa, in Diyala Province.
"Someone told me this gets less difficult with time," said Capt. Andrew Marsh, the commander of the rear detachment of the three soldiers' battalion, the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment.
Silver Star Awarded to Stryker Soldier
Maj. Brent Clemmer with the 3/2 SBCT will be awarded the Silver Star today in a ceremony at Ft. Lewis. The following articles provide more details regarding the circumstances of the award.
- Silver Star for Clemmer - FOB Tacoma
- Fort Lewis officer to receive Silver Star - Seattle P-I
- http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/284340.html">Fort Lewis soldier awarded Silver Star - The Olympian
Strykers Featured in Wired Magazine
(Via FOB Tacoma)
Last summer Noah Shachtman of Wired magazine spent some time embedded with the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT in Iraq. The result of that trip is a lengthy article just published titled, "How Technology Almost Lost the War". We're excerpting a long section related to the Strykers below, but be sure to read the entire piece.
For additional reading you can see the article he wrote for Popular Mechanics last spring regarding the Land Warrior System. Finally, be sure to watch the video we just posted featuring the 4-9 INF.
Tarmiyah, located about 20 miles north of Baghdad, is an ugly town — traced with rivulets of sewage, patrolled by stray dogs, and strewn with rubble and garbage. Insurgents fleeing US military crackdowns in Baghdad and, farther north, in Baqubah, have flooded the city. The local police quit en masse almost a year ago, leaving the security of Tarmiyah's 50,000 residents to 150 men from the US Army's Fourth Battalion, Ninth Infantry Regiment — known since an early-1900s tour of duty in China as the Manchus.Typically, soldiers spend hours of every day at war just trying to figure out where their comrades are, and how to maneuver together. But hand out GPS receivers and put everyone's signals on a map, and those tasks become a whole lot simpler. Luckily for the Manchus, the 4/9 is arguably the most wired unit in the Army. Select troops wear an experimental electronics package, including a helmet-mounted monocle that displays a digital map of Tarmiyah with icons for each of their vehicles and troops. The unit's commander, William Prior, rides an upgraded Stryker armored vehicle that shows the same info on one of many screens. It's packed with battle command stations, advanced radios, remote-controlled weapons turrets, and satellite network terminals. No commander at his level has ever been able to see so many of his men so easily.
"It increases the unit's combat power, no question," Prior says. Trim and dark-eyed, the lieutenant colonel knows his tech. He has a master's in physics and taught science at West Point in the late 1990s. [...]
Today, every three-man team in the Manchus is an icon on every other team's monocles. Network-centric doctrine says that these plugged-in soldiers should be able to cover a bigger swath of the battlefield and take on more enemies. And, yes, the gear does let them clear neighborhoods more efficiently and respond to enemy attacks more quickly. But a handful of soldiers still can't secure a town of more than 50,000. Half a dozen Manchus have been killed or wounded by snipers during their five months in Tarmiyah. Prior has handed out 25 Purple Hearts to the 150-man Comanche Company guarding Tarmiyah. It's even worse outside town, where the equally small Blowtorch Company was trying to keep the peace in an area three times the size of Manhattan, until the higher-ups ordered the company onto other missions.
"A well-informed but geographically dispersed force," Garstka and Cebrowski wrote in 1998, should be able to triumph over any foe, regardless of "mission, force size and composition, and geography." But neither Cebrowski nor Garstka was thinking about the kind of combat where foes blend into the populace and seed any stretch of road with bombs. Lawless towns like this can be pacified only by flooding them with troops — collecting tips and knocking heads. That's what Prior needs, not more gadgets. "They're just tools," he says in his flat Iowa accent.
Video: Land Warrior Update
The folks with Program Executive Officer (PEO) Soldier at Ft. Belvoir sent us a link to a video featuring the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT in Iraq. It highlights the battalion's use of the Land Warrior system.
I had a bit of trouble playing the video in my browser, so I uploaded the file to YouTube, which I've embedded below. If you'd like to grab the original video you can do so at the PEO Soldier website.
Mission to Iraq Brings Brothers Together
By Spc. Elvyn Nieves, 113th MPAD
BAGHDAD – Being a U.S. Army Soldier is a job filled with pride and honor for those who step up to meet the challenge, but it also comes with many hardships. One of which is when the Soldier is separated from his loved ones when deployed to serve his nation.
Very few service members can say they were able to see a family member during a deployment. But brothers Capt. Phillip Garner, 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment and Spc. Alex Lamont Garner, 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, were able to exchange a warm handshake and hug in the combat zone.
Simpson to Iraq
John Simpson of the Ft. Lewis Ranger newspaper is heading back to Iraq to spend the holidays with the 4/2 SBCT. We can expect to see new stories and photos beginning in the middle of December.
Hawaii battle flag will serve again in Iraq
Allen Hoe, a Vietnam veteran, donated an American flag to be taken to Iraq by the 2-14 CAV, 2/25 SBCT. He is the father of 1LT Nainoa Hoe, who was killed in Iraq while serving with the 3-21 INF, 1/25 SBCT. The following articles describe the ceremony, and each is accompanied by photos and video.
By Gordon Y.K. Pang, Honolulu Advertiser
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS — A 40-year-old legacy in the form of a tattered yet proud American battle flag is being passed on.
During an emotional ceremony yesterday, Vietnam War veteran Allen Hoe entrusted the flag to leaders of the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division. The squadron, like other Stryker troops, is leaving Schofield next month for a 15-month deployment in Iraq.
The 400-member squadron is headed by Col. Thomas Mackey, who was once commanding officer to 1st Lt. Nainoa Hoe, Allen Hoe's son. The younger Hoe, 27, a 1995 Kamehameha Schools graduate, was killed by a sniper as he led a patrol in Mosul, Iraq, in January 2005. The flag was with him when he died.
Departing commander's legacy: closer ties between tribes
Found this article via FOB Tacoma. It talks about the situation in Diyala soon to be inherited by the 4/2 SBCT.
By Robert W. Gee, Austin American Statesman
MUQDADIYAH, Iraq — The sheiks finished arguing and posturing, and Col. David Sutherland, who had been scowling for an hour, stood and spoke.
"I agree that there is much suspicion in Diyala. That suspicion creates anxiety and violence," Sutherland said, his words translated by an Army interpreter at a recent meeting of two feuding tribes in Diyala, a religiously and ethnically mixed province northeast of Baghdad.
He urged the Tamimis, who are predominantly Shiites, and the Jabouris, who are Sunnis, to patch up their differences.
GIs still wary after destroying al-Qaida 'castle'
Thanks to Fred for sending the following story.
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
BAGHDAD — The city blocks surrounding Combat Outpost Blackfoot in Baghdad’s volatile East Rashid neighborhood look like a war zone ought to.
Think WWII and Stalingrad. Empty streets filled with debris … buildings with chunks torn out of them by high explosives and pockmarked by bullet holes … household effects scattered by looters … broken glass and twisted metal everywhere.
The outpost stands smack in the middle of one of Baghdad’s bloodiest sectarian divides. On one side of the base there’s an empty Shiite neighborhood. On the other side, an empty Sunni suburb. Most residents were driven out by the fighting that raged until Company E, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment went on an insurgent killing spree, shooting dead or blowing up 50 enemy fighters in September and October.
Soldier's message finds an audience
Jerry Brewer has posted a post-race update of his column on David Hardt. Congrats to David on finishing the race in honor of his fallen comrades.
By Jerry Brewer, Seattle Times
David Bruce Hardt had never run a marathon like this before. He usually hates the day of a race, because he's too focused or too sore, and his competitiveness overwhelms his joy.
On Sunday, however, everything felt different for the Iraq War veteran. Eighteen miles into the Seattle Marathon, his tribute to 48 of his fallen comrades, Hardt recognized just how widespread his message of remembrance had become.
The crowd began cheering him loudly. People extended their hands to offer thanks. Others wanted hugs, and Hardt was happy to break his stride to give them. A little girl even kissed his cheek, just as an Iraqi girl had done several months ago in an alley in Baghdad.
Troops in Diyala to rise even as brigade goes
By Kim Gamel - The Associated Press
BAGHDAD — U.S. military officials said Saturday that the overall number of American troops in Iraq will be reduced by about 5,000 with the withdrawal of a combat brigade from Diyala province. But the number of soldiers in the volatile province will actually increase, they said.
The U.S. command in Baghdad announced earlier this month that the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division had begun heading home to Fort Hood, Texas, and that its area would be taken by another brigade already operating in Iraq.
Col. David Sutherland, commander of the 3rd Brigade, acknowledged concerns that the withdrawal of U.S. troops could lead to a reversal of a decline in violence but said the transfer of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, will actually result in more troops in the province.
Resourceful, desperate militants turning to household materials
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
BAGHDAD — U.S. soldiers are reporting finding more and more roadside bombs packed with homemade explosives instead of artillery rounds, indicating that Iraqi insurgents may be be running out of military-grade ammunition.
“All the good stuff is gone or getting close to being gone,” said 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment intelligence officer Capt. David Dehart, whose unit has secured a large swath of southern Baghdad since September.
“There are not these large 152 mm or 130 mm [artillery rounds] lying around anymore. No anti-tank mines have been found in our area. There are no [rocket-propelled grenades] these days.”
Stryker Brigades: Where Are They Now?
Mike Gilbert of The News Tribune has a nice summary of where each Stryker Brigade is right now (deployed/dwelling), and when each might be called on again to head overseas.
Meaningful Thanksgiving for thousands of Schofield soldiers
Sergeant Jeffery Goodman enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal with his family.
It's likely his last with them for two years.
That's because Goodman is part of a 4,000 soldier stryker brigade getting ready to ship out to Iraq in just a matter of days.
"We will actually start deploying our advanced party soldiers next week. And within the next two weeks many of these soldiers will be on airplanes on their way to Kuwait and into Iraq," said Colonel Todd McCaffrey, who heads up the brigade.
Hawaii Stryker tour in Iraq might shorten
Doubtful, but possible - that's the bottom line from the following story.
By William Cole, Honolulu Advertiser
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE — The top U.S. military commander in the Pacific said it's possible Hawai'i's Stryker brigade won't have to be in Iraq for a full 15 months after he returned upbeat from a stop in the country.
"I think it's feasible (that it could be slightly shorter)," Adm. Timothy J. Keating said yesterday after completing a six-day trip that included a visit to see U.S. military aid to Bangladesh after a devastating cyclone struck the nation last week.
It was Keating's first visit to Iraq after becoming head of U.S. Pacific Command at Camp Smith in March.
Soldier gives thanks for medics who saved his life
LACEY — After being wounded in three life-threatening explosions that finally sent him home from Iraq in mid-September, Sgt. Gregory Rayho is most grateful this Thanksgiving for the combat medics who "go through hell to get to you and heal you," he said.
"They are the real armor," said Rayho, 30, a team leader with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment of the Fort Lewis-based Stryker brigade. "We have thick metal plates on our vehicles, and we wear 40 pounds of armor, but I'd take all that off to have the combat medics behind us."
3rd Stryker Brigade's 'trail party' now home
FORT LEWIS -- Long after the emotional homecomings and festive, parade-ground ceremonies that took place when the 3rd Stryker Brigade returned in September from its 15 months in Iraq, the unit's last detail of soldiers is finally home.
Army Spcs. Sam Patrick, 22, of Hinesburg, Vt., and Adam Morehouse, 20, of Brant Lake, N.Y., were among five soldiers who caught the last ship home, bringing back the brigade's vehicles and equipment this month. They arrived not to bands but to anti-war protests.
Running in Remembrance
A Seattle Times columnist profiles David Hardt, a soldier with the 3/2 SBCT who wrote a regular column for The Ft. Lewis Ranger newspaper while deployed. He is also competing in the Seattle Marathon this Sunday in honor of the 48 soldiers the brigade lost. Best of luck, David!
By Jerry Brewer, Seattle Times
On this sleepless night, David Bruce Hardt started seeing things. They were real, not imaginary, and he felt ignorant he hadn't noticed them before.
He walked through the barracks in Iraq last July and made some stirring observations. Spc. Hardt, a Fort Lewis soldier, saw a board with all the names of his lost comrades, resting just above the door he exits through to go run each day. Hardt trudged down the hallway with his head down. He then looked up and saw a picture of a sergeant in a wheelchair, a white bandage covering his amputated leg. And he read a letter from a captain's wife, updating her husband's recovery from a devastating spinal injury.
Hardt grew angry, and once he relaxed, he made a declaration.
"On Nov. 25, 2007, I am running the Seattle Marathon," he said.
Baqubah Update
Michael Yon spent Thanksgiving in Baqubah and has a brief update on the situation there. Excerpt:
But I came across something today that might make veterans of the fighting in Baqubah proud. Back in May, just before operation Arrowhead Ripper, there were about 60 violent acts per day. Now there are about 6. The markets are opening and the streets are again filled with people. I thought the veterans of Baqubah might like to know that their efforts have made a tremendous difference for the people here. You fought hard. This writer saw it. Your sacrifices truly meant something.
Unit leaders say farewell
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
With everybody home from Iraq and all their gear and vehicles delivered via the Port of Olympia, the soldiers of Fort Lewis’ 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division finally get to enjoy a holiday and a month off, beginning today.
But first they assembled Wednesday to say farewell to the two men who led them – the Army’s original Stryker brigade – through 15 hard months in Iraq.
Col. Stephen Townsend and Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Du turned over the reins in a ceremony at Gray Army Airfield.
Group Builds Custom Home for Wounded Warrior
WASHINGTON - A former Army sergeant and his family this month are settling into a brand new house in New Burn, N.C., custom-built to insure his war injuries will not keep him from independent living.
"Well, we need the house because Eric is in a wheelchair all the time, so we need it so he can get around the house by himself," said Stephanie Edmundson, wife of Eric Edmundson. The former soldier was wounded by a roadside bomb while riding in a Stryker armored vehicle, Oct. 2, 2005, in Iraq, according to Homes for Our Troops officials, which took on the project for the family. The explosion left Edmundson unable to talk, walk, eat or drink, though he does have the ability to move his legs.
Death & Decay
I had followed a patrol into a house and a sergeant was interviewing the owner about his recent movements when we were all ordered back to our armoured Stryker vehicle immediately. Another patrol a few streets away had come under attack from an insurgent throwing a hand grenade. The troops returned fire but the man had melted into the shadows. There were no casualties.
We set off and offered to help join the search for the insurgent. As we hurtled along in the growling vehicle, I could watch our progress on screen. The dusty street passed beneath us at speed, then we paused at a wide cesspool, a common sight in Baghdad. The Stryker's camera, ever watchful for roadside bombs, zoomed in on a stick-like object rising above the water's surface, then jerked to a man who seemed to be foraging nearby. On closer inspection the man was ageing, dishevelled and lame, walking by the kerb with a shambling gait.
CPL Christopher J. Nelson
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson, 22, Rochester, Wash., died Nov. 18 when an improvised explosive device detonated during a mounted patrol in Baquabah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
To his family and friends - please know that we are all keeping you in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
CPL Jason T. Lee
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Jason T. Lee, 26, of Fruitport, Mich., died Nov. 18 when an improvised explosive device detonated during a mounted patrol in Baquabah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the Lee family, as well as his friends and comrades.
PFC Marius L. Ferrero
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero, 23, of Miami, Fla., died Nov. 18 when an improvised explosive device detonated during a mounted patrol in Baquabah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
All of us here are deeply saddened by the loss of another Stryker soldier.
2LT Peter H. Burks
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
2nd Lt. Peter H. Burks, 26, of Dallas, Texas, died Nov. 14 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
We hope his family and friends find some measure of comfort from the thoughts and prayers of everyone here at Strykernews.
Soldier Re-enlists Hours After IED Injury
Click through for photos.
By Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett, 4th SBCT, 2nd ID PAO
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – A U.S. Soldier re-enlisted in the Army just hours after being seriously wounded in an improvised explosive attack near Zaganiyah, Iraq, Nov. 13.
Spc. Christopher Hoyt, an infantryman with 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., suffered severe laceration to his legs and torso when an IED went off near him while conducting a dismounted patrol. Two of his fellow Soldiers were killed in the attack.
Styker Brigade Shows Appreciation for Dragon Fires
By Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – As people in the U.S. prepare to give thanks during Thanksgiving Day celebrations later this month, senior leaders from the 4th Stryker “Raider” Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, showed their appreciation in a different way and a little earlier in November with a visit to see their fellow Soldiers in the 1st “Dragon” Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment of the 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
Dover, Pa., native, Col. Jon Lehr, commander, 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div., Command Sgt. Maj. John Troxtell, the 4th Stryker Brigade’s senior non-commissioned officer, along with some of the brigade’s staff took the time, Nov. 13, to recognize the 1-82 Dragons for their firing of field artillery in support of the Raider Brigade’s Soldiers, many of whom were once based out of Camp Taji with the majority now at Camp Warhorse.
Experts help soldiers bridge cultural gaps
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
BAGHDAD — Middle eastern culture experts are helping 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment soldiers better understand Iraqis they meet and work with in West Baghdad.
Soldiers from 2nd Cav’s 2nd Squadron are working closely with a four-person Human Terrain Team (HTT) out of Forward Operating Base Falcon in Baghdad’s violent East Rashid neighborhood.
The team of academics, which includes a social scientist, two cultural analysts and a military liaison officer, is charged with bringing cultural awareness to the Army and studying the ethnic makeup of Iraqi populations so commanders can plan courses of action, governance, patrols and provision of essential services accordingly, said HTT member Fouad Lghzaoui.
Experts discuss challenges that military children face
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
Behind the thousands of local service members who have gone to Iraq or Afghanistan, there are nearly the same number of children left behind to ask questions, including these three big ones:
Will Mom or Dad be safe? Will I be safe? And who will take care of me?
More than 450 educators, counselors and others who work with youths gathered Friday for “Supporting Military Kids – A Day of Awareness.”
Organizers believe the event at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center was the first of its kind in the nation. They hope it will become an annual conference geared to the larger community beyond the boundaries of the region’s numerous military bases.
Iraqi Stryker Training
TAJI, Iraq – “There will be no walking on my site,” said Sgt. 1st Class Tyroid Weston, a truck driver in the 202nd Brigade Support Battalion, to the new platoon of Iraqi army soldiers, Nov. 6, at Camp Taji, Iraq. “You are Strykers, you are swift and lethal, do you understand?”
Weston and his team of four other non-commissioned officers with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., graduate a new platoon of Iraqi army soldiers every 10 days from the Iraqi Army Stryker Training Course in Taji. The course is designed to get IA soldiers ready to conduct missions with coalition forces in Iraq.
“By the time you complete this course you will be ready to fight, ready to accomplish all you put your mind to and more,” Weston said to the class.
SGT Kenneth R. Booker
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Kenneth R. Booker, 25, of Vevay, Ind., died Nov. 14, in Mukhisa, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Everyone here would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his loved ones and comrades in arms.
Stryker Brigade expands into all of Diyala province
By 4th Stryker BCT, 2nd ID PAO
BAQOUBA, Iraq - The 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., is in the process of expanding its area of responsibility to include all of Diyala province, Iraq.
The brigade is now taking over the area of operations currently held by 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, which has begun redeploying back to its home station at Fort Hood, Texas. 4-2 will continue to control much of its current battle space, which includes northern Baghdad province and western Diyala province.
"Because the security situation here (northern Baghdad province) and in Diyala province has improved, we are effectively able to expand our area of influence from Baghdad up through Diyala," explained Col. Jon Lehr, 4-2 commander.
Injured soldier ready to move forward with family
The following story profiles a 3/2 SBCT soldier seriously injured in Iraq.
Editor's note: In a series of interviews over the past few months, Danielle Field and husband Brian, who lost both legs in Iraq, talked about the emotional and physical impact of the injuries on him and the family, the upheaval in their lives and their determination to live out their dreams for the future.
The morning the call came in, the children had eaten breakfast and walked off to school as usual, and Danielle Field was planning to spend the day pulling out sleeping bags and checking the supplies they'd need for an upcoming weekend at the lake with friends.
As she did every day, she thought of her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Brian Field, in Iraq. She didn't know that the event that would change all their lives had already happened while they were sleeping in their home on the post at Fort Lewis in Washington state.
At 9 a.m. on that normal Friday morning on June 1, the phone rang and, at first, there was disbelief.
SPC Peter W. Schmidt
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Peter W. Schmidt, 30, of Eureka, Calif., died Nov. 13 in Mukhisa, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated during dismounted combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the loved ones he leaves behind.
SGT Christopher R. Kruse
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Christopher R. Kruse, 23, of Emporia, Kan., died Nov. 13 in Mukhisa, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated during dismounted combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow soldiers.
I'll be in the history books one day'
Three SCR soldiers are interviewed in this article.
David Smith talks to US soldiers about their motivation and experiences in Iraq
Guardian Unlimited
[...]Sergeant Tonio Childress, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. Age 36, from Peoria, Illinois
When I joined the army, in 1993, I never thought I'd be in Baghdad. You're aware of the dangers, and there's always the thought that I could leave my daughters and son without a father, and my wife without a husband.
But it means, hopefully, in 10 or 20 years, my daughters and son won't have to come out and do the same thing.[...]
Sgt Quentin Leon, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. Age 23, from St Louis, Missouri
This is my second tour. In between, I got married and had kids. So it's different. I definitely won't be re-enlisting, I can tell you that.
It's been in the family: my great-grandfather fought in world war one, my grandfather in world war two, my uncle in Vietnam and my cousin in the first Gulf war. So I figured it was the thing to do.[...]
Staff Sgt Jason Redick, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. Age 29, from Lapeer, Michigan
I got blown up 14,15 times on Humvees last year. The vehicles were often destroyed but I wasn't injured.
You're always fearful, but you get kind of comfortable. There's no reason to reflect on it because you know you're going to go out anyway, so you just do it. You don't really dwell on the people you lost until you get home. Before, we were looking for bad guys on our own, but now the Iraqis are very happy to help. Ninety per cent of the improvement here is due to people's cooperation. The tip line is always ringing with information. Walk around the neighbourhood and they'll tell you: they're tired of the violence.[...]
Apprehensive? Oh yes
A reporter with the Guardian Unlimited is currently embedded with the 2nd SCR.
David Smith, Guardian Unlimited
The steel hatch swung up behind me like a drawbridge and snapped shut. My fate was sealed. I was sitting inside an armoured, eight-wheel Stryker vehicle and would spend the next 10 hours patrolling 'al-Qaida's last stronghold in Baghdad'. Apprehensive? Oh yes.
Fortunately the Stryker is probably the best there is and, I was told, able to withstand roadside bombs, the improvised explosive devices that have taken such a terrible toll on US forces. I tried not to think about the even more lethal explosively formed projectiles, which fire a slug of molten metal capable of penetrating the thickest armour.
With body armour, helmet, notebook and camera, I was sitting towards the rear of the Stryker with my back to the driver, in the middle of four soldiers who spent much of the journey standing at turrets with assault rifles. To my left and right were TV screens, clusters of wires and control panels, a fire extinguisher, an industrial strength laptop and, I noted, a box of sweets and an iPod. A thin film of sand clung to everything.
Towanda native decorated with Silver Star
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.
"I was just trying to get people out of there," he said of the March 16 firefight.
The heroism earned him the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest decoration for combat valor.
McGuire was one of seven soldiers assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division who received the award after returning from the Iraq war. One soldier received the honor on behalf of Sgt. Jason Harkins, who was killed weeks after his heroic action.
More awards for the brigade are possible.
A specialist assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment has been nominated for the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second-highest award for combat valor, said Major Jack Vantress, operations officer. The nomination is awaiting final approval. The cross has been awarded six times since the U.S.-led coalition invaded Afghanistan, according to the Home of Heroes Web site.
Soldier returns home to surprise celebration
By CATHARINE HADLEY, Port Clinton Herald
PORT CLINTON --U.S. Army Sgt. Travis McCleary might have expected a few friends and family members for his homecoming.
He did not expect two police cars, three fire trucks, an ambulance and a handful of other vehicles to escort his girlfriend's car from Ohio 2 to Perry Street, then Madison and Second Street Wednesday evening.
Al-Qaida might be gone, but Baghdad district remains in shadows
3rd Squadron, 2nd SCR is featured in the following article.
Michael Gisick, Albuquerque Tribune
BAGHDAD — Dawn is still an hour away as Army Capt. Francisco Javier Lopez and a squad of U.S. soldiers step off their armored vehicle into the dusty remnants of the night, passing the twisted wreck of a sedan and slipping into the walled garden of a middle-class home.
They have come to listen.
Until recently, that was not their main occupation. If the military's claims that al-Qaida in Iraq has been routed from the capital prove true, then neighborhoods like this one in southeast Baghdad's Hadar district were among al-Qaida's last strongholds, where fighting raged through most of October.
Brothers from Fontana go to Iraq
By PHILIP A. RUE, Fontana Herald News
Two graduates from Fontana A.B. Miller High School were the key speakers at the Fontana Rotary Club this past Monday, but instead of wearing cap and gown to denote graduation time, they wore instead their Advanced Combat Uniform (ACU), a camouflage outfit denoting membership in the U.S. Army.
They are brothers and they are soldiers -- Staff Sergeant Frank Verdugo, age 32, and his younger brother, Specialist Daniel Wibert, 21.
Verdugo had just returned last Saturday from his second tour of duty in Iraq.
Suburban father, son serving in Iraq
Former West Chicago resident Joe Baker's grandson, Liam Baker, is serving in Iraq, but he didn't expect his son to be sent there, too.
His son, Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Baker III, had been retired from the military 12 years when the Army called him back into service at the age of 49.
"Couldn't believe it," Baker said.
Veterans' Day
We would like to take a moment to thank all of the veterans, past and present, who have sacrificed so much on our behalf. Your efforts represent a debt that cannot easily be repaid, if at all. During this time of conflict let's not forget those still in harm's way, or who have been injured and are fighting to recover. A special thanks to all the families supporting each and every servicemember - you are "veterans" as well. Finally, to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, know that you will never be forgotten. Thank you.
Provided below are additional sources commemorating Veterans Day.
Recent Trends in Iraq
Bill Ardolino at The Long War Journal takes a close look at the reduction in violence recently in Iraq to determine its causes. Excerpt:
As violence in Iraq has decreased significantly over the last two months, analysts attempt to identify the forces behind the trend. Some attribute the reduction to a reinvigorated US strategy of counterinsurgency and the “surge” of combat troops which commenced in February, while critics of US strategy cite the exodus of Iraqi refugees and successful sectarian partition and cleansing as primary factors.The drop began in September, as civilian deaths (884) fell 52 percent from August and 77 percent year-over-year, while military deaths (65) fell 23 percent and 10 percent over the same periods. October’s declines made it a trend: Civilian deaths (758) dropped an additional 12 percent from the previous month and 38 percent year-over-year, while US military deaths (38) dropped 42 percent and 64 percent during the same periods.
"Is it the surge, is it just dumb luck, or are there a series of factors that all contribute towards the lessening violence in Iraq?" asked General Terry Wolff, the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq and Afghanistan Policy Implementation on the National Security Council, in a conference call last Friday. Wolff and other senior military and intelligence officials offered a list of "complementary" factors theorized to have reduced the violence in interviews with The Long War Journal.
Monument to fallen soldiers dedicated on Fort Wainwright
By Chris Freiberg, Daily News-Miner
It will be two years on Monday, Veterans Day, since Maria Sutherland’s husband died in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Sutherland, assigned to the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Fort Wainwright was killed when his Stryker vehicle rolled over. He was one of eight soldiers from the squadron to have died in the line of duty since the Iraq conflict began in March 2003.
Now, their names, each inscribed in a bronze plaque, adorn a black granite monument in front of squadron headquarters on base.
Best Military Blog - 2007
Army of Dude, a milblog written by a soldier with the 3/2 SBCT, is a finalist in the 2007 Weblog Awards competition (Military category). He's currently in 2nd place and voting ends today at 2 PM PST. Please consider visiting the Weblog Awards website to cast your vote.
UPDATE 11/09/07: Army of Dude finished 2nd to Michael Yon...not bad company.
Photo: Soldiers Help Al Doreen Prepare for Winter
I came across this image on the DVIDS site. Caption:
U.S. Army Capt. Edmond Hardy of 1st Armored Division, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 4th Squadron, Outlaw Troop commander holds a local child and her new toy monkey while giving orders during an aide mission in the Al Doreen neighborhood of Iraq, Oct. 14. Outlaw Troop handed out blankets, toys and kerosene heaters in preparation for the winter months.
You can browse other Stryker-related photos there as well.
Pale Horse Troop Finds Two Caches
BAGHDAD – Soldiers from Troop P, 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, currently attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, found two caches of weapons and explosives while on patrol in the Ramaniyah neighborhood, Nov. 5.
Buried under the bleachers of a soccer stadium in two locations, the Soldiers found 45 blocks of C-4 explosives, 33 mortars, almost 2000 rounds of ammunition, a rocket-propelled grenade and launcher, 2 Dragunov-style sniper rifles, 2 protective vests and a grenade.
Capt. Marcus Melton, commander of ‘Pale Horse’ Troop of the Vilseck, Germany-based 4-2 SCR, said the cache find was quite uncommon for the area he and his men patrol on a regular basis.
Ultra Magnus clears al-Qaeda from stronghold
By Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
HUSSEIN HAMADI, Iraq – Partnering with the Iraqi Army, Coalition Forces killed five al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives, wounded three and detained seven individuals during Operation Ultra Magnus in and around Hussein Hamadi village, Iraq, Oct. 28-30.
Soldiers from Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment along with Iraqi soldiers from 3rd Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division swept through the town in southern Diyala province which had previously been an AQI stronghold.
“AQI used the area as a headquarters,” said Capt. Al Bangor, Troop C, 2-1 Cav. Commander. “They stored their weapons there, lived on the fringes of the town and from there, they would push their fighters out to conduct attacks. (The local people) have lost contact with the Iraqi government for the last two years due to AQI sealing off the area.”
Bill funds growth at post
LES BLUMENTHAL; The News Tribune
WASHINGTON – The House late Tuesday passed a mammoth military construction bill that provides $378 million for projects at Fort Lewis.
The increase would cover the cost of additional housing and operation projects resulting from the decision to add 65,000 soldiers to the Army’s active-duty force in the next several years.
Fort Lewis is now considered one of the Army’s mega-posts, along with Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Campbell in Kentucky and Fort Hood in Texas. With three Stryker brigades and the shift of troops back to the United States from Germany, roughly 30,000 troops are expected to be based at Fort Lewis. Other additional units include a new artillery and rocket brigade and a Special Forces aviation battalion.
Dispensing inspiration from their beds
By Nancy Montgomery, Stars and Stripes
LANDSTUHL, Germany — After the bomb hit, after the confusion, despite the pain, when he realized he was going to live, Spc. Sean Staggs laughed.
I was laughing, and then I was cursing at the Iraqis,” Staggs said from his hospital bed at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. “We all realized we were all right.”
Staggs was one of four soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment wounded when a roadside bomb hit their Stryker on Oct. 21 in Baghdad. Five others in the Stryker escaped unscathed.
Stryker Soldiers, Iraqi National Police Improve Sadr City Schools
Click through for some nice photos as well.
By Sgt. Mike Pryor, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs
BAGHDAD – The students in Shala Mikla’s class were supposed to be learning about biology. Instead, they got a lesson in cooperation.
That was what was on display when U.S. Soldiers and Iraqi national police officers visited Mikla’s classroom at the Al-Andalus Girl’s School in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood to view recently completed renovations at the school, Oct. 31.
The renovations were part of a joint effort by the Ministry of Education, the local neighborhood councils, school officials, the Iraqi national police and the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, which operates in the Sadr City area of eastern Baghdad as part of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
Scio Soldier Trains Iraqi Army on His Second Deployment
KHAN BANI SA’AD, Iraq—For Sgt. Mike Austin of Scio, cruising the dusty roads of Diyala province in Iraq and training Iraqi soldiers is just another day on the job.
Austin, 25, a dismounted team leader in the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, out of Fort Lewis, Wash., is currently serving on his second 15-month tour in Iraq. He recently took part in a major clearing operation in Khan bani sa’ad, about 10 miles north of Baghdad, to remove insurgents, buried explosives and weapons caches from an embattled neighborhood of that town. It was the first time the Iraqis planned and executed their own mission, with only logistical support from the Americans.
Milton-Freewater Soldier in Iraq Says Kids Are the Future
KHAN BANI SA’AD, Iraq — Cautiously stepping from his Stryker vehicle into the dusty village road after a clearing operation, Staff Sgt. Thomas “T.J.” Edwards was greeted by a crowd of Iraqi children. They circled about him, tugged at his pants and asked for candy. Then one of them introduced himself, shook Edwards’ hand and gave him a kiss on the cheek, a gesture of greeting in Iraq.
“That was kind of special,” said Edwards, a section sergeant and truck commander in the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, based in Fort Lewis, Wash. “It reminded me of my own kids.”
Edwards, 32, and a native of Milton-Freewater, is currently serving on his second 15-month deployment in Iraq. He works out of a joint U.S.-Iraqi army compound in the city of Khan bani sa’ad, or KBS, about 10 miles north of Baghdad, conducting joint missions and training Iraqi security forces. Much of his work involves providing security for the residents of KBS.
Hawaii Stryker brigade prepares for Iraq duty
If you click through you will find photos and video related to this story as well. Thanks to Shauna for the link.
By William Cole, Honolulu Advertiser
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS — The Stryker brigade and its 4,000 soldiers received a send-off yesterday for 15 months in Iraq amid uncertainty over whether the unit will return to Hawai'i afterward.
The ceremony at Sills Field repeated a scene that has become familiar since early 2004 — when the same unit, the 2nd Brigade, which was then a light infantry brigade — prepared for Schofield's first big deployment to Iraq.
The last of more than 7,000 other Schofield soldiers who spent the past 15 months in northern Iraq, meanwhile, returned home yesterday. With them was 25th Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. "Randy" Mixon.
The hard road to recovery
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
Hundreds of soldiers just home from Iraq with the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division have felt the effects of mild traumatic brain injury.
A relative few – about 10 – survived more severe head wounds from blasts or gunshots and were flown to military hospitals in Germany and the United States, said Lt. Col. Michael Oshiki, the surgeon for the Fort Lewis brigade.
Capt. Patrick Horan is one of them.
‘Is it going to be me today?’
MICHAEL GILBERT BY CHRISTIAN HILL; The News Tribune The Olympian
Sgt. Brian Kerrigan and Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Du were hit Aug. 23 a few miles out of Balad, Iraq, as they and the rest of their Stryker brigade were making it back to Baghdad.
They’d spent the previous two months in Baqouba, clearing al-Qaida in Iraq fighters from the city, which they had proclaimed the capital of their new Islamic republic.
They were just weeks from completing their 15-month tour, and had managed to avoid serious injury over hundreds of patrols from Mosul to Baghdad.
Kerrigan, 29, was near the end of his second combat tour. He went to Iraq the first time in 2003 as a new recruit with the 82nd Airborne Division. He had a good job at Federal Express in Seattle but left it to enlist after Sept. 11.
Wounds that don’t show
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
The bomb, two large artillery shells buried at the side of the road, exploded just a few feet in front of the Stryker.
The blast in central Iraq didn’t so much as puncture the tires. But it hit the soldiers inside so hard that some couldn’t think straight for days.
“The first few days were miserable. I was wearing sunglasses inside my room. … My head was just pounding,” said Sgt. Brian Kerrigan, who was seated at the gunner’s station.
Luckily, none of the football-sized chunks of asphalt thrown by the bomb hit Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Du, who was standing in a hatch with his head and shoulders exposed. But the pressure wave rocked him hard enough to give him a severe concussion.
‘Historic’ Meeting Stresses Reconciliation in Rashidiyah
Click through for photos as well.
Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett
BAGHDAD, Iraq – In its broadest sense, the word reconciliation means to bring into agreement or harmony, or to win over to friendliness. In Iraq, the word has come to symbolize the path to peace and security for the country.
On Oct. 22, a reconciliatory meeting took place in Baghdad, as a prominent Sunni sheik and Shia sheik from the city of Rashidiyah promised to set their differences aside for the good of the community.
Col. Jon Lehr, commander, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, who facilitated and helped moderate the meeting, described it as historic.
The Desert Raider - November Edition
The Desert Raider magazine is a monthly publication distributed by the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT) public affairs office. It features photos, 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 - November 2007 Edition (PDF, 2.98 MB)
Program Helps to Employ Iraqis, Improve Living Standards
2nd SCR soldiers were involved in this effort.
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq - A signing ceremony at the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office yesterday marked the start of a Multi-National Force-Iraq initiative to improve the living standards of area citizens through increased employment opportunities.
The Iraqi business, or I-BIZ, program aims to engage local contractors by hiring local Iraqis to perform supervised work on bases throughout the country.
"This is a great effort to employ local Iraqis and support our 'Iraqis First' policy. It combines our desire to appropriately demilitarize and dispose of items that are no longer economically repairable with our intent to put more Iraqis to work," said Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson, deputy chief of staff for resources and sustainment, during the kick-off ceremony.
