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WJAC News has an update, including video, on the soldiers from the 56th SBCT who were injured recently.
Two soldiers serving from the Alleghenies were injured in separate attacks in Iraq. The community is rallying and supporting each other during this time.Spc. Keith Maul of Portage is a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard in the 56th Stryker Brigade. He is recovering at Walter Reed Hospital. He lost part of his arm and leg in a grenade attack.
Sgt. Matt Gibbons of Altoona is a member of the same stryker unit. He is being treated for an eye injury at a hospital in Germany.
The commander of the 56th SBCT, Col. Marc Ferraro, conducted a telephone conference with PA reporters this week to provide an update on the brigades recent activities. The Philadelphia Inquirer has the details.
Like commanders in Iraq before him, Army Col. Marc Ferraro spoke optimistically of the new job ahead - building up the country's security forces, erecting schools and electrical lines, encouraging ties between Sunnis and Shiites.But already the war zone's harsh realities have hit home for the leader of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, a 4,100-member force of the Pennsylvania National Guard that arrived in January and officially took over a 900-square-mile area northwest of Baghdad on Tuesday.
In a telephone conference call with Pennsylvania reporters yesterday, Ferraro reported that in addition to having lost a soldier killed in combat, the brigade had had two men badly wounded in recent days.
Related:
Altoona soldier injured in attack; returning home - Altoona Mirror
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Zachary R. Nordmeyer, 21, of Indianapolis, Ind., died Feb. 23 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
All of us here offer our sincere condolences to his family, friends and fellow soldiers.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Micheal B. Alleman, 31, of Logan, Utah, died Feb. 23 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the loved ones he leaves behind.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Michael L. Mayne, 21, of Burlington Flats, N.Y., died Feb. 23 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.
Elements of the 56th SBCT are taking over for the 2/25 SBCT as it redeploys to Hawaii.
BAGHDAD — The 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s 328th Brigade Support Battalion assumed authority of its mission during a ceremony Thursday at Camp Taji in Iraq.The 328th, which is based in Lancaster and has a company at the National Guard armory in Avon, South Lebanon Township, took control from the 225th Brigade Support Battalion from the 25th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade.
The 56th Stryker Brigade is headquartered in Philadelphia and has units in communities across the state, many of which trained at Fort Indiantown Gap. It is the only Stryker brigade in the National Guard.
Bases currently occupied by the 1/25 SBCT are among those that will be handed over to Iraqi control eventually, according to an article by the Washington Times.
American troops in Iraq are beginning to pull back from bases and outposts that were linchpins in the U.S. surge that helped reduce violence, prevent a civil war and allow peaceful elections. [...]In Baqouba, 35 miles north of Baghdad, a sprawling compound known as Combat Operations Post (COP) Hatoon was returned to its private owners earlier this month, and COP Tahrir, a school once used as a headquarters by al Qaeda in Iraq, will soon return to the Ministry of Education.
Soldiers on outposts near populated areas in Iraq often establish friendly relationships with residents during patrols. New restrictions on U.S. operations and the withdrawal of troops from cities may make that more difficult. (Richard Tomkins/The Washington Times)
Only a third or fewer of the 14 installations in Baqouba and surrounding Diyala province will remain after the withdrawal deadline, said Maj. John Sutton, the assistant operations officer of 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, which is part of the 25th Infantry Division.
"Just because we pull back doesn't necessarily mean we aren't going to have any presence. We just won't be in the populated areas themselves," he said.
The 1/25 SBCT is featured in the following article from the The Christian Science Monitor.
Ongoing violence in outlying provinces such as Diyala and Nineveh indicates that although violence has fallen and some normalcy is returning to Baghdad, the fringes of Iraq – the rural towns, farming villages, and desert outposts – have become the new fronts in the fight against the insurgent threat as extremists have fled cities and are hiding in the country's remote corners.During a joint US-Iraqi patrol, the shadow of an active insurgency loomed large. Searching a dried-up canal, members of Vanderhoff's platoon discovered "spider holes" and tunnels dug into the sides of the empty waterway. Insurgents use these tunnel systems to hide from passing helicopters and stash everything from weapons to motorcycles.
"Everywhere we go people tell us they're here and they're around, so you know they're here," says Staff Sgt. Patrick Wixon. His platoon member, Spc. Chris Calhoun adds, "And in the wintertime they're also not that active," so the present lull in activity may be deceptive.
Still, while fighting insurgents outside major cities has often proved something of a "whack-a-mole" scenario, US forces here say they're finally beginning to make progress thanks in large part to increasingly capable Iraqi security forces and an emboldened local population.
Thanks to Steve for the link.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Mark C. Baum, 32, of Telford, Pa., died Feb. 21 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered earlier that day when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms fire in Mushada, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and fellow soldiers.
John M. Wagstaffe, Army News Service
FORT IRWIN, Calif. - In front of a standing-room-only crowd of 600 at the National Training Center Friday, Spc. Erik Oropeza became the 21st Soldier to receive the Distinguished Service Cross since the war in Afghanistan and Iraq began.
Lt. Gen. Joseph F. Peterson, deputy commanding general and chief of staff of Forces Command, pinned the medal on Spc. Erik Oropeza of A Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment for heroic actions that saved the lives of three fellow Soldiers in Iraq.
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second-highest military decoration for valor, second only to the Medal of Honor. It is awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force.
Oropeza received the medal for his heroic actions while assigned to B Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division during combat near Taji, Iraq on May 22, 2007.
Multi-National Division – North PAO
Diyala, Iraq – An induction ceremony for new noncommissioned officers in the 202nd Military Police Company, 607th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, took place at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, located in the Diyala Province of Iraq, Feb. 17.
“Inducting noncommissioned officers into the corps is important for them because it teaches them the line that they have to separate between Soldier and noncommissioned officer, and becoming a leader as opposed to a follower,” said 1st Sgt. William F. Finch Jr., first sergeant, 202nd MP Co.
Speakers at the ceremony included Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel Cervantes, command sergeant major, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, and Command Sgt. Maj. of the Army Adel Hassan Hamad, command sergeant major of the Iraqi Army.
Command Sgt. Maj. Adel Hassan Hamad, command sergeant major of the Iraqi Army, speaks at a ceremony to induct newly promoted sergeants with the 202nd Military Police Company, 607th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, into the corps of noncommissioned officers Feb. 17.
Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel Cervantes, command sergeant major, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, speaks at a ceremony to induct newly promoted sergeants with the 202nd Military Police Company, 607th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, into the corps of noncommissioned officers Feb. 17.
Former 3/2 SBCT soldier Brian Turner continues to receive high praise for his collection of poems, Here Bullet.
Turner will read from Here, Bullet, which includes "2,000 lbs," and other collections Monday in Reynolda House, as part of the Dillon Johnston Writers Reading series at Wake Forest University. A reception and book signing will follow the reading, which is free and open to the public. [...]Turner, who lives in Fresno when he isn't on tour reading his poems, said that journalists "create this idea of objectivity and they pressure their language" to conform to it. When war coverage sticks so closely to the facts, he said, "one of the losses for a person back home is … some of the emotional content."
"We need to know the human content, what is being lost," he said. "The emotional content is really important. If we don't connect to that part, then how informed are our decisions?"
The Daily News reports that a street in his hometown was recently named after CPL Juan M. Alcantara, a member of the 3/2 SBCT who was killed in 2007.
The sign at W. 185th St. and Wadsworth Ave. in Washington Heights now reads: "Corporal Juan A. Alcantara Way."It's a small token for the family of Alcantara, who was killed in combat in Iraq nearly two years ago.
But it's a lasting one.
"People are going to walk by and ask, 'Who is Cpl. Juan Alcantara?'" said his sister Fredelinda Lena, a 27-year-old NYPD officer. "I want people to remember that behind that plaque is pride, honor and heroism."
The brigade is in the process of raising money for a memorial honoring its fallen soldiers, according to the Honolulu Star Bulletin. The articles includes donation instructions.
Spouses and soldiers of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Schofield Barracks want an 8-foot-high memorial honoring the unit's soldiers who died in Iraq.They hope to raise $45,000 so the memorial can be dedicated on May 21 before the returning Stryker soldiers move on to other assignments.
The 4,000-member Stryker brigade began arriving home from Iraq yesterday following a 15-month deployment, during which 11 soldiers died.
A welcome-home ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. March 12 at Schofield Barracks' Sill Field. This is the unit's second deployment to northern Iraq.
Thanks to all of you who alerted us to the following announcement by the DoD today.
Pursuant to President Obama’s decision today, Secretary Gates ordered the deployment of two additional combat units, totaling more than 12,000 troops, to Afghanistan. The 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), from Camp Lejeune, N.C., with approximately 8,000 Marines will deploy to Afghanistan in late Spring 2009.The 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division from Ft. Lewis, Wash., will deploy approximately 4,000 soldiers to Afghanistan in mid-summer 2009. This Stryker Brigade and the MEB will deploy to increase the capabilities of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Approximately 5,000 additional troops to support these combat forces will receive deployment orders at a later date.
Related:
Lewis SBCT part of Afghanistan increase - ArmyTimes.com
Fort Lewis Stryker Brigade being sent to Afghanistan - Seattle Times
Fort Lewis Stryker brigade headed to Afghanistan - The Olympian
Strykers ordered to go to Afghanistan - Northwest Guardian
Stryker unit will be tested in Afghanistan - TheNewsTribune.com
Fort Lewis 5th Stryker Brigade bound for Afghanistan - Seattle P-I
DVIDS has two new photo albums featuring soldiers from the 1/25 SBCT conducting operations.
You can view other Stryker-related albums on DVIDS as well.
Soldiers from the 1-5 INF, 1/25 SBCT are featured in the following article from the Washington Times.
U.S. troops aren't allowing malaise to happen. Each pre-mission brief - whether the mission is to run supplies to an outpost, join Iraqi forces in a sweep or visit a neighborhood - includes updated threat assessments based on recent incidents and intelligence. [...]Before the Jan. 31 provincial elections, a platoon from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment was on its way for a routine visit to Iraqi police stations in the Tahrir district of Baqouba to check on Election Day security plans. A bomb explosion temporarily diverted them from their mission.
It wasn't a large bomb; few people were around when it went off on 40th Street, and injuries were minor. However, the explosion and the shredded body in the street of the man who had been transporting the bomb when it went off were stark reminders to stay focused on threats, especially car bombs, and one of Diyala's terrorist hallmarks: female suicide bombers.
Thanks to Steve for the link.
According to an article in this week's Army Times, Spc. Erik Oropeza will receive the Distinguished Service Cross this Friday at Ft. Irwin for actions taken when he was deployed with the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT ("Manchus"). The DSC is the second-highest award for valor in the military. Congratulations to Oropeza.
Spc. Erik Oropeza doesn’t remember hearing a thing when the 13 155mm howitzer rounds exploded beneath his Stryker.“I remember seeing a white light and then it went dark,” said Oropeza, who had been driving his Stryker on a dirt road 10 kilometers north of Taji, Iraq.
The soldier from 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment regained consciousness a few minutes later and climbed out of his blown-open hatch. [...]
Before the morning of May 22, 2007 was over, the young soldier had carried out action that would earn him the country’s second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross. Oropeza, 22, is to receive the medal in a Feb. 13 ceremony at Fort Irwin.
Thanks to CPT Shallcross for the heads-up.
In Stars & Stripes soldiers with the 1/25 SBCT comment on the rising friction between the Iraqi Army and the Sons of Iraq groups.
NAHR AL IMAM, Iraq — After stumbling across a few hundred yards of dirt clods outside this Diyala province village, Rahim Muhammad Mahmoud points a group of U.S. soldiers to a crater in a drought-hardened farm field.After some digging, U.S. Army Capt. Timothy Walton nods approvingly as Mahmoud, the area’s "Sons of Iraq" leader, hands him several jagged, twisted bits of metal — proof of a reported rocket strike the soldiers were investigating.
It’s this type of intelligence U.S. soldiers fear losing if rising friction between members of the Iraqi army and the "Sons of Iraq," a security group largely made up of former militants who turned against the insurgency, is not addressed.
The Anchorage Daily News caught up recently with the commander of the 1/25 SBCT, COL Burdett Thompson.
In a teleconference with Alaska reporters from his headquarters at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Diyala Province, Col. Burdett Thompson said Iraq remains a dangerous place, with suicide bombers, insurgents and militiamen trying to disrupt security.But it's also long past the day when American forces regularly patrolled on their own or faced complex, coordinated attacks on their forward bases, at least in Diyala, just to the north and east of Baghdad, Thompson said.
"The days go by extremely slow sometimes, but the weeks go flying by," Thompson said.
Related:
Stryker commander hopeful after Iraqi elections - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
By Adriane C. Foss (USAG Grafenwoehr)
GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - If the initial feedback is any indication, Installation Management Command-Europe's high-adventure recreation program is becoming a huge success - even a lifesaver for some of its participants.
Warrior Adventure Quest kicked off its largest rotation Jan. 14 at U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr with high hopes of assisting recently redeployed Soldiers transition from high-intense combat zones to the tamer garrison home-life.
WAQ introduces Soldiers to high-adventure outdoor recreation activities such as skydiving, rock climbing, mountain biking or skiing, and combines it with Battlemind training. The goal? Allow Soldiers to experience high-risk activities in a safe, controlled environment.
Grafenwoehr WAQ coordinator Geoff Farrell said he certainly could have used such a program after two combat deployments left him inadvertently risking his life in search of the fast-paced adrenaline rush that was routine on the battlefield.
According to the Lebanon Daily News, the 56th SBCT is taking over for the 2/25 SBCT as it redeploys to Hawaii.
Most of the soldiers from Pennsylvania’s 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team are now at their base in Iraq after spending several weeks in Kuwait.And they are ready to take a seat, so to speak.
The brigade will be based at Camp Taji, about 12 miles north of Baghdad, according to brigade spokesman Capt. Cory Angell. It will replace the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from the 25th Infantry Division out of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, which has spent the past 15 months there. The 56th Stryker Brigade comprises 4,122 soldiers, about 130 of whom hail from Lebanon County.
Angell said the two units are preparing to do their “right-seat, left-seat” transition.
The Northwest Guardian has a nice article outlining a recent training exercise conducted by the 2-3 INF, 3/2 SBCT as it prepares to head to the NTC.
The engagement at Leschi Town and the resulting raid on Beiji Village, Jan. 27, was the culminating exercise of “Operation Patriot Punisher,” a company-level situational training exercise for the Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment. The exercise spanned the course of a day and incorporated three smaller objectives before a final midnight assault based on acquired intelligence.The battalion exercised its three line companies, its headquarters company and incorporated the 18th Engineer Company, a unit with whom they will deploy, during the two week operation. The large scale multi-echelon training aimed at refining command and control at both the company and battalion levels. It integrated logistical, resupply and air assault operations, and involved leadership at every level of the 2-3 Inf.’s war fighting capabilities.
Being the third in a series of situational training exercises that 2-3 Inf. has conducted since Lt. Col. Adam Rocke took command, he saw it as the culminating company-level event before brigade level training at NTC.
According to various local news reports, three 4/2 SBCT soldiers were arrested this week in connection with an armed robbery that took place in the University District in Seattle. Other soldiers from their unit tipped off military officials, who in turn contacted local authorities.
According to the following Stars & Stripes article (see sidebar photos) the 1/25 SBCT was involved in pre-election raids in Iraq.
BAGHDAD — More than 100 joint raids by American and Iraqi forces helped keep Baghdad free of attacks during Saturday’s provincial elections, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond said Tuesday during a lunch with reporters.Iraqi and American forces conducted combined operations against 111 different "deliberate targets" in the 72-hour period before election day, said Hammond, the Multi-National Division—Baghdad commander.
Units hit all the targets within a concentrated period just before the vote in order to cause maximum disruption to any violence enemy fighters had planned for election day, he said.
Stars & Stripes has an article on the practice of hiring local Iraqi's to man checkpoints that mentions the 1/25 SBCT.
SARI TAPA, Iraq — A group of Kalashnikov-wielding young men in street clothes sits by a makeshift checkpoint on the outskirts of this gritty farming village in northeastern Diyala province, rocks strewn across the road to slow cars. Under normal circumstances, U.S. troops coming upon such a group would ready themselves for a firefight.This time, a group of American soldiers is stopping simply to check that the Iraqis have been paid.
Even by the lax uniform standards of Iraqi security forces, the group is ragtag, but it is part of a new force organized by the provincial government to augment the Iraqi army and provide jobs for Iraqis in places where unemployment is often the norm. The Diyala program is drawing mixed reactions from U.S. soldiers, who applaud the increased security but are deeply nervous about the potential for mistaken identity.